Dark Earth: The Prophecy - 12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Dissonance in Empire City

“If you want me to congratulate you for being reckless, you are wrong Adriana,” Talon Rider squawked. “You’re just like your father.”

“Jan, do I need to remind you that he’s in charge of the whole operation?”

“Of course, I know that,”

“You two are such drama queens,” I bellowed. “What is it with you two? Did you two used to fuck?”

“She has the wrong equipment,” Talon Rider said in horror.

“I could fix that easily enough…” I started to say.

“Julian, I will kill you,” Adriana barked.

“You’d miss me too much,” I teased.

“Shut the fuck up, Julian!” she shrieked. “Talon, as for you, why don’t we settle this the old-fashioned way? Meet me in the training facility in five minutes. I’m going kick your ass all the way to Centropolis and back.”

“Don’t count on it, bitch!” Talon Rider yelled. “We can fight, but I am far from being a slouch! You’re in for the fight of your life!” Before either of them could prepare for the fight, some grey haze entered the room. A disgruntled Tempest appeared before us. “Hello, sir!”

“I don’t want to hear a word from either of you,” Tempest sputtered. “I don’t care what you two think a fight would accomplish. It’s not going to happen here. As a matter of fact, both of you have been demoted. Since neither of your significant others can be objective, Julian is now first in command.” These words surprised me. I had never expected to be commanding such an operation. Did I have some natural leadership abilities? Was this simply an excuse to have what he wanted all along? “Julian, do not misunderstand. I am still disappointed about the lack of sexual communion, but you have shown superior leadership and planning skills. As much as I hate to compare you to Blackheart, you do have his abilities as a leader. This is a trial basis. Don’t fuck it up.” He glared at Adriana and Talon Rider. “This is a lesson in humility and self-control for both of you. You must remember that I have eyes and ears around here. You also need to learn to work together. You both know what our eventual plans are. We cannot have key members squabbling all the time.”

“Who is second in command?” I asked.

“Julian, that is your decision,” Tempest said blatantly. “They can solve the matter on the field of battle if you like. You’ll have to be the healer though. I may have to bring the wife and Carculius here to Empire City for the fight. Then again, Tempest Arena is available. I can arrange it all myself.”

“I love the idea,” was my response. I looked around the room for a suitable referee. “Necrolo, can you be a fair referee or do you have too much loyalty towards Talon Rider? I have to be the healer, and this could be a massacre.”

“Of course, sir…”

I cleared my throat as an interruption. “Call me, Julian. I am way too young to be called sir.”

“I’m sorry sir… errrr… I mean Julian.”

“That’s much better,” I replied. “The fight will be tomorrow night at Tempest Arena at 19:00. The assault on the EAS headquarters is hereby postponed. Any questions?”

“Why can’t I kill him now?” Adriana whined.

“Because I said so,” was my reply. “I hear that I now have a special bedroom to sleep in. Talon, you should move your stuff immediately. I assume that means Mystic Warrior’s stuff too. Speaking of which, I don’t have any stuff. Someone shall have to fix that problem. Adriana, would you be a dear and contact Natalia. She needs to come back and conjure some clothing for me. As for your own clothing, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” Adriana stood there with a look of great disdain upon her face. “That was NOT a request. Chop! Chop!”

Tempest pulled me aside and whispered, “I love what you’re doing. They both need lessons in humility. They have been too busy fighting to understand the importance of working together. Therefore, dominance must be established with a fight. You are an excellent leader Julian! I’ve been waiting for five years to see this fight.” I could not figure out why he wanted his own daughter to be in such a fight. Still, I was not about to disappoint him. Despite my previous defiance, I had been promoted into a leadership position.

After walking into the conference room, Tempest and I sat down at opposite ends of the table. He said not a word for a while. Instead, he kept studying me and taking notes about me. It was quite eerie from where I was sitting. “May I ask what you are doing?”

“Sometimes, I like to take a good look at my operatives to gain a sense of their emotions. Your body language tells me more than you know. I can tell that I’m making you nervous. I can also sense the pressure you are feeling with your new responsibilities and recent events.” He paused for a minute as I panicked. “No, I cannot read your mind. There are sensors here. They tell me your emotional state. Any change in mood or vital signs is reported instantaneously. You do need to continue your meditation.”

“I have had more than my share of meditations for today,” I sighed. “I need to tell you something about the séance. He told me something about Necrolo. Apparently, Necrolo has a hidden power, one that I must help him find. How is this possible?”

“I don’t have the answers. Your destiny is shared with several people. Necrolo must be another piece of the puzzle. There are so many things you have yet to learn. You must find the answers on your own. You are the key to bringing Earth back to life. Some of the answers can be found on Cabora.”

“What is Cabora?”

“Cabora is a planet. It creates a central point between Dugamonia, Earth, and Nerongia.”

“Cabora is the planet Tommy spoke of! It must be!”

“I’m sure it was. In time, the answers will be clear. I gave you some of the pieces of the puzzle. Through the midst of all the darkness you must find a source of light. Surrounded by death, you must find life.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Tempest. How am I supposed to find light in darkness and life in death? That seems impossible.”

“You will find the answers, Julian. You must be patient and allow your gift of foresight to guide you. That is what’s so unique about you Julian. That is one power Blackheart can never possess. It would destroy him.”

“How can that be? Why can’t he possess it?”

“He wasn’t born with that power. It would drive him to madness. His brain would deteriorate. Only one born with the gift of foresight can bear such a burden.”

“You sound like your wife right now.”

“She told me to tell you these things. She’s actually listening to our conversation and speaking to me. I hear her through my earpiece. She only knows what she is telling me to tell you. She is not meant to learn more. You are.”

At 18 years old, I had little understanding of what he was trying to tell me. In less than a month I had gone from being a simple evoloid from Centropolis to one of the most important people on Earth. It was so confusing to me. I had this great power inside me, a power that only two people had ever had as far as I knew. The other wielder of this great power had become evil, a shadow of his former self and a monster capable of great cruelty that I had witnessed in a dream. Then there was Cristobel and his own father with dream making powers. I had not yet seen the ultimate power of the dream maker. Cristobel had yet to use it as well. I also wondered if the flash of light gave him some kind of advantage over his father, just as foresight gave me an advantage over mine. I had experienced the disorientating flash of light, but I still knew little about its effects.

“I almost forgot…” said Tempest with a hint of embarrassment. “You need to meet the rest of The Empire City Protectors. I know you have seen them, but I don’t think you’ve been properly introduced.”

“You really do watch this place…”

“Yes, I do. I can usually trust my daughter enough not to do the same in Centropolis, though that may change considering recent events. I will talk to Talon Rider about the others. He will introduce them formally.” Tempest stood up and left the conference room. As I waited impatiently, I could not help but think about the days festivities. Maybe I had been in shock, but I finally realized that one of my friends had died just a few hours before, yet I had managed to help rescue the others and make important decisions.

I could see her face. Gabrielle’s shimmering blond hair and beautiful blue eyes were all I could see. The images of her mangled body soon followed. She was so young… so vibrant, and in her own way, she really showed that she cared. She thought of the perfect way for the two of us to make up after our fight. Her solution was such an enlightening experience, because she had been the first woman I had ever slept with. I had yet to access her memories. I wondered what life had been like for her. I closed my eyes and concentrated on her memories.

The images were so clear. I could see Adriana. I was seeing the world through Gabrielle’s eyes. “You have two choices, Gabby,” Adriana said coldly. “You can join The Protectors or die.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, bitch?” I involuntarily responded in Gabrielle’s voice. Adriana reached back and slapped the face as hard as she could. I felt the pain just as sharply as Gabrielle did when it happened.

“I may be a bitch, but if you ever call me one again, I’ll kill you. I’m the goddess around here. If you don’t respect my authority, you can have a chat with Edgar and Elliot. They have so many wonderful ways to torture your mind. You’re lucky that I’m giving you a chance to live after you killed one of my associates. I’m only keeping you because of your powers. We’re going to train you as the replacement for Telvana.”

I could feel Gabrielle’s anger as if she were still among the living. She wanted to use her powers to literally slice Adriana in half. She had recently healed someone with such an injury. I still did not know if the power could reattach and detach limbs and halves of a body until that moment, but that was not the focus of my thoughts. I wanted to kill Adriana. It became my greatest desire. At the same time, the thought horrified me. Under normal circumstances, a desire to kill Adriana would never even cross my mind at all. Suddenly, I used the power to slice Adriana’s body in half. There was an orgasm of blood all over the floor. It was a most beguiling sight even for me. “Julian, snap out of it.” My eyes opened instantly, and I could see people around me.

“Ummmm… I’m sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I was having a flashback.”

“You can tell me about it later,” Tempest scoffed. “You need to meet the members of the Empire City Protectors.” I looked to his right and saw a spider-like woman. She was hideous. “This is Arachnida. Don’t be alarmed. She is on our side. I know there is a tendency to think that spider ferals are evil, but I can assure you that Gina is really nice.”

“I thought we didn’t use first names around here,” was my reply.

“That’s up to you, now,” Tempest said firmly. “You are now in charge of two teams of Protectors.”

“Well, I need to know about the others.” I looked at a young Latin woman. “Who might you be?”

“I am Guillermina. My operative name is Tortura.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Guillermina.” There was a Latin man standing beside her.

“I’m Sancho. My op name is Shattero.”

“That’s an interesting name. What is your power?” I asked.

Sancho smiled and replied, “I can manipulate glass and sand. Would you like a demonstration?”

“No, that’s okay, Sancho. I do want to see all of you in action though. Tomorrow morning I shall watch all of you kill EAS clones. That should indicate your skill levels and help me formulate my plan for the assault on the EAS headquarters. Is there anyone I missed?”

“Yes, you have missed me,” said a young woman with white hair and light blue eyes. She should have stood out to me, but I was still distracted from the flashback. “My name is Ashlea, and my op name is Tentica.”

“It’s nice to meet you Ashlea,” I replied warmly. “Now that we have all been introduced, I would like to let all of you know that I appreciate the opportunity to work with all of you. We have a lot of preparations to make. I would like input from anyone who can offer some. Let’s all do our part to make the assault a success. We now have a one-day extension, so that gives all of you an extra day to prepare. Is there anything you need to add, Tempest?”
“Actually, there is,” he replied. “The army has captured 50 clones over the past several months. I was hoping Julian would mention fighting clones, because that is exactly what I was going to suggest. I have already told the others, but I will be a part of the assault. Therefore, Julian is my second in command, and he answers directly to me for this assault. He will still be overseeing the practice sessions along with Natalia and Nikita. In fact, they are telling the others about it right now. Are there any questions?”

The others were silent, so I decided to respond. “It will be an honor working so closely with you, sir. I have never seen you in action. You are showing true leadership by participating in the assault.”

“I’m glad you see it that way, Julian. I am ready to see you in action as well. I hear it’s quite a treat.”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” was my reply. “If nobody else has any questions or comments, I would like to go to my room now.”

“I bet I know why you’re so eager,” Tempest said with a devious grin.

********************

Cristobel’s Diary January 13, 3007

She’s dead. I still can’t believe it. How could my friend be dead? Simon and I always tried to make her feel welcome despite her unusual relationship with Adriana. I remember the day Gabby came to us. Gabrielle had killed Anna. Adriana was so angry, but Tempest insisted that Gabrielle be her replacement. Calista and Alex, being quite the resourceful ones, found their sister after about a week. I don’t understand how Alex could kill one sister and kidnap the other, but he is dead now just as he deserves to be.

It took a lot of effort for me to ease Calista into a dream. I did not want to use a dream ball, because I wanted her to be willing to go to sleep. Hitting scumbags with nightmare balls is something I love to do, but even the white light in a dream ball is something I am unwilling to throw at my friends unless there is a dire emergency. Easing her into a dream was difficult. She did not want to eat or sleep. I had never seen her eyes so red. Like a raging river her tears fell. She lost the only family she had left. They were her only connection to her parents. She is the only Donavon left.

Another concern is the fact that Tempest decided to have Julian as the leader of these temporarily combined teams. He has been a protector for less than two weeks. I also cannot believe their solution to the issues between Adriana and Talon Rider. This is barbaric. I have to stop it. He had better listen to me.

********************

“I’m tired,” I whispered to Cristobel. “Are you ready for bed?”
“We need to talk first,” he said bitterly. “This fight cannot happen tomorrow night. Do you have any idea what might happen?”

“Relax baby! Nothing is going to happen.”

“What do you mean nothing? One of them might die?”

“I can repair detached limbs. You know that.”

“Reattaching a head does not work, dear. They will have katanas. You should know that by now. Did you think this would be hand-to-hand combat without powers?”

“I’m not stupid. Of course, I know what kind of fight this is. That is why I am going to heal the loser.”

“What about the winner? Do you really think the loser will be the only one injured? I have seen both of them fight before. They are two of the most skilled people in the White Knight Society.”

“Tempest wants this fight to happen. There is nothing I can do.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me! I’ll run away again,” Cristobel screeched.

“You wouldn’t dare. Do you not remember what happened last time? I fucking had to save your ass from Raging Tiger. Do you not remember all the torture?”

“I don’t care. You’ll call off this fight, or we’re over!” Cristobel was being unreasonable. The fight was going to be an awesome display of brutality, and he wanted to ruin it! He had also given me of all people an ultimatum.

“You are so fucking immature. Why are you acting like such a spoiled child? You’re 18 not five!”

“That’s it. I’m leaving.”

“Where do you think you’re going to go? You’re in a strange city. Fuck it! Do whatever you want. It does not change the facts. You are acting like a selfish brat.”

“Anywhere is better than here!”

“Why are you acting this way? They want this fight. Everyone wants this fight except you!”

“That’s not true! Mystic Warrior doesn’t want it either!”

“What do you expect me to do? The arrangements have been made. There is supposed to be a fight in White Knight City at Tempest Arena. This is going to be an epic battle. Why would you want to disappoint the fans in White Knight City?”

“You know Adriana and I are close.”

With disgust I said, “Yeah, I know better than anyone.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You know damn well what it means. I seem to recall catching the two of you in our bed? Have you forgotten? I sure as hell haven’t!”

“That’s it! I’m leaving.”

“You better not leave this room. I’m not done.”

“Will you shut the fuck up?” There was a familiar voice in another room down the hall.

“Sorry Simon,” I replied in humiliation.

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up, Simon?” Cristobel yammered. I finally realized something about my new poison power. One of the poisons was to induce sleep.

“Baby, this is for your own good. You’ll thank me in the morning.” I shot a cloud of sleep-inducing poison at Cristobel. Before his body fell to the floor, I used telekinesis to prevent his fall. I walked over to him and grabbed his shirt. Once again, telekinesis aided me as I pulled back the blankets. I picked him up and carried him over to the bed. With care I pulled the blankets over him. I discarded my clothes and got into bed on my side before saying, “lights off.”

********************
I woke up the next morning refreshed and prepared for the day’s festivities, including the battle between Adriana and Talon Rider. I looked at Cristobel who was still sleeping from the sleep-inducing poison. I had no idea how long he would be asleep, because I had never used it before. I shook him, but he did not awaken. “Cristobel, wake up! It’s time to wake up now.” There was no response. I wondered if I could produce an antidote. “Computer, I need to talk to Adriana.”

“Of course, sir,” was the computer’s response.

“What is it, Julian?” Adriana asked.

“I used a sleep-inducing poison to make Cristobel go to sleep last night. He won’t wake up now.”

“You did what?” Adriana screamed. “You shouldn’t be messing around with those poisons. Try the healing power. That should reverse the poison’s effects. I do not care what your position is. You had better not do that again.”

“I won’t. I just needed him to calm down.”

“Just wake him up. Goodbye.”

I placed my hands above his body. I could feel warmth exiting my hands and into Cristobel’s body. He slowly started to stir, but he was groggy. I knew it had to be an effect of the poison, so I knew it was still working. I wanted it to be gone completely. “What’s going on?”

“Honey, I need you to be quiet, so I can concentrate.” I continued the healing process until Cristobel was awake. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Yes I do. I should be mad at you for doing that, but I’m not. We shouldn’t fight because of…”

“No, I understand now. I don’t think we should allow this fight to happen. I need to contact Tempest. I hope he will understand why I do not want there to be a fight. I love you too much to orchestrate something you oppose so much. However, Adriana and Talon Rider must have a say in this. It’s their fight after all. Therefore, it should be their decision. Tempest may decide the fight must happen, even if there is some kind of replacement. We’ll worry about that later. Right now I want you to talk to Adriana and Talon Rider in the conference room. I shall take a shower and prepare for today’s special training. I expect you be a part of the action. I am going to make a list of weapons. Everyone will need to select a weapon from the list.”

“That’s a great idea. I want a katana. You know I love katanas as much as you love bow staffs.”

“Actually, I want to use a katana too.”

“I have a katana for you to play with.”

“You do? Where can I find this katana?”

“Look down,” he said. I knew what he meant, but I wanted to pretend to be oblivious. I looked down. His cock was throbbing and begging for my immediate attention. I wrapped my hand around his hardness, giving it a gentle tug.

“I think we should go take a shower. Here we actually have a private one. Let’s take advantage.”

“Lead the way my love,” he responded felicitously. With my hand around his throbbing member, I guided my lover into the bathroom and we proceeded to shower for almost an hour. We thoroughly enjoyed that shower. It is one of my fondest memories. In the midst of chaos and destruction, Cristobel was a radiant beam of light in an obfuscated world. I did not know what was ahead for us. I could only believe in him.

Once we exited the bathroom and donned our clothing, Cristobel and I exited our room and went to the kitchen. Mystic Warrior managed to create the most delightful breakfast of Eggs Benedict, hash browns, toast, and orange juice. We were joined by the entire group. There were 17 of us altogether, since the three members of the anti-espionage team were ordered to stay with us. I looked at Lucky Star who was obviously in distress. I could only sense great pain, yet there was something else about her that I could not understand at the time. Her entire body suddenly was ablaze, and the sprinkler system was initiated. Everyone at the table backed away immediately.

“What’s going on with her?” I asked in trepidation.

“She’s having a massive power surge,” Adriana said indignantly. “She’s going to destroy everything in her path. I have to get her out of here.” Adriana used a thick haze to transport Lucky Star out of the room.

“Where do you think she took her?” I asked Cristobel. “Is she going to be okay? This is horrible.”

“Calm down babe,” was his immediate response. “Adriana knows what she’s doing. This whole place could have exploded if she had not taken Lucky Star out of here. We have been expecting this to happen.”

“Why was I not informed?” I asked with indignation.

“We have been busy lately,” Cristobel whimpered. “I have known about it for over a year, but I did not think to tell you. Am I supposed to be perfect?”

Before I could answer the room was filled once again with Adriana’s haze, but it was not purple. In fact, it was black again, a sign of a shift in her emotions. The thick cloud of haze slowly revealed Adriana on her hands and knees with Lucky Star’s lifeless body in front of her. They were to the right of the table. I walked toward them in haste, knowing something was wrong. I knelt down on the other side of Lucky Star. “She’s unconscious,” Adriana whispered. “I’ll never forgive myself if…”

“It’s not your fault,” I replied firmly. “She had a power surge”

“Julian, you don’t understand!” Adriana wailed. “She is my daughter.”

“Nobody told me she was your daughter. Hell, nobody told me her name.”

“Her name is Gianna,” Adriana replied somberly. “She is only 18 years old. She does not know she is my daughter.”

Unsatisfied and confused I asked, “How can that be? Why would you not want your own daughter to know who you are?”

“Mom and Dad said I could not raise her,” Adriana said gravely. “They deny it, but I think they had Todd McMullen killed. He was her father.”

“Why would they do such a thing?” I asked venomously. “Why are they…”

“We didn’t want her raising a child,” Tempest said mundanely. “Her destiny is too important. She also has no idea what her daughter is supposed to be. I had to monitor her development carefully. She is the first in our family not to have the haze power. She is also the first on my wife’s side not to have the gift of foresight.

“Tempest, with all due respect…” I said before clearing my throat. “Adriana is perfectly capable of raising a child, even one with special powers. She raised Cristobel, did she not?”

“Gianna has a power beyond any of our understanding, Julian. Never before has someone from Earth had this power. Only once do I ever recall hearing about it in our universe. She is not dead, by the way. If there were sunlight, she would have already recovered from her power surge. She will not awaken until she has exposure to sunlight.”

“What is this power?” I asked.

“It’s a power of legends of the planet, Cabora. I have mentioned the planet before. Gianna has the power of the sun goddess, Mirintha. Whether Mirintha is real or not, I do not know for certain. I am not the one who is supposed to seek the answers to these questions. You are.”

“It seems there are a lot of things I am supposed to do. How am I supposed to go to this planet? Is there a ship to take me there? When am I supposed to go?”

“When it is time, you will go,” Tempest replied with arrogance. “You shouldn’t ask so many questions. I told you that you are the seeker of information, and I do not have the answers you seek. Now, I want Gianna to be transported to the new headquarters in Centropolis. Nikita will watch over her while all of you take care of business here. I want her revived at the time and place Oracle saw in her vision. It is to be Centropolis. That is all I know. By the way, the fight is off unless you still want to fight in the training center here. The wife threatened not to have sex with me for a month if I the fight happened in the arena.”

“Sir, we did not need to know that,” I said with repulsion. “I prefer my breakfast to stay in my stomach where it belongs. I do believe I speak for everyone here including your daughter.”

“I do see your point, Julian, but now I must be going. I am going to take Gianna to Centropolis and go back to White Knight City. If I remember correctly, all of you have a training session. Get to it. Since the fight in White Knight City is off, I expect the original plan to be revised and carried out tonight.”

Just as quickly and mysteriously as he appeared, Tempest made his exit. Only this time, his granddaughter went with him. I was still shocked about Gianna’s maternity. Without a doubt Adriana was having a lot of difficulties in Empire City. Talon Rider was being a real asshole to her, and her daughter was in a coma. I had new insight into Adriana’s psyche. She had never mentioned her daughter, even when she arrived in Centropolis with Audia and Quantas. Adriana must have suffered with the knowledge of having a daughter so close yet so far away.

“You’re pathetic, Adriana!” Talon Rider’s comment was definitely out of line. “You still want to fight, or would you rather cry?”

“Stop it right NOW!” I ordered. “We do not need this right now. If you two want to fight, you can do so before our practice session, and you will be doing so without powers or weapons. This will be strictly hand-to-hand combat. I will talk to Tempest about it later, but I want the winner to be second in command. After this fight, I don’t want to hear another hateful remark between the two of you. Do you understand?”

“You really are drunk with power, Julian,” Adriana quipped. “I don’t have a clue as to why my father has his head so far up your ass. As for this fight, I am definitely ready to kick some ass. It’s time to put the love triangle to rest once and for all!”

“What the hell do you mean, love triangle?” I gasped.

“They’re still fighting over me,” Simon sighed.

“Is there anyone here other than Cristobel who hasn’t fucked Simon?” I asked.

“Julian, I’m the one who fucked you actually. As I recall you enjoyed it. If you ever get tired of…”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Simon.” Cristobel knew exactly what Simon was going to say. “You’ve had him for the first and last time. It’s time to move on. You’re all being such idiots. Why don’t we get to work instead of worrying about who is who? I remember reading about soap operas with less drama. Grow the fuck up already!”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Adriana shrieked.

“That’s enough!” I screamed at her. “I don’t want to hear anymore bitching from anyone. Let’s vent frustration in the training center. Now we’re going to have a fight between Adriana and Talon Rider. If there are broken bones, I’m not fucking healing them until tonight.” I paused for a moment to catch my breath after all the yelling before adding, “This fight shall end this feud once and for all!”

Once I arrived in the training facility, Cristobel and I went directly into the control room to personally oversee the power stripping required for the fight, but first I had to arrange the floor as I wanted it for the fight. There was only one layout I wanted. I figured with as much frustration as there had been, the fights needed to be in a cage. They may not have known it at the time, but I was not serious about the threat to withhold the healing of broken bones. I have never been a heartless bastard, even though I never felt bad about having to kill. Still the cage seemed to be the most appropriate, because they were all so angry. Once I had the cage in place and made it a power-free zone, I exited the control and returned to the training area. Cristobel stayed behind so that he could be ready to negate the power-stripping energy field from the cage.

The entire group and many of the army personnel was there, including some from Centropolis who had been moved to a special facility that Natalia had created before returning to Centropolis. As luck would have it, Natalia was back in Empire City and ready to conjure necessary weaponry while Nikita made preparations for our destined arrival in Centropolis as soon as Empire City was secure.

“Let’s get started,” I said with authority. “The first fight shall be between Adriana and Talon Rider. Beyond the lack of weapons and powers there are no rules. We want plenty of brutality. Should one of you die, that’s your problem and not mine. The battle continues until one of you can no longer fight. Necrolo will be making that determination. Are there any questions?”

“Were you serious about what happens if there are broken bones?” asked Talon Rider. “That can be painful?”

“Don’t be such a pussy,” Adriana chided.

“Adriana, shut the fuck up,” I snapped. “Save it for the cage. As for the answer to the question, I will consider healing your bones. Any more questions?”

“No,” they both replied.

“Good, now get in the cage.” Adriana, Necrolo, and Talon Rider strode to the cage. The door opened so they could enter. I knew they were going to be merciless. This was to be an epic duel. Scorned and betrayed, Talon Rider wanted revenge for what Adriana had stolen from him. Adriana was simply defending what was hers. She also seemed to personally dislike Talon Rider. I thought he was an all-around nice guy other than the fact that he hated Adriana.

Once they entered I said, “Fight!” Adriana blocked the first punch and answered with a punch of her own. Talon Rider side-stepped the punch and delivered a powerful sweep that knocked Adriana onto her back. Talon Rider followed up with a powerful stomp to Adriana’s mid-section, causing her to scream in pain. With arrogance, he turned towards us and gave us a cocky grin and a thumbs up. While he was busy showboating, Adriana stood up. She delivered an awesome roundhouse kick directly to his kidneys, causing his face to collide with the cage. He quickly fell backwards onto the mat. His face was soon covered with a crimson mask thus proving my theory about the fight’s brutality.

Adriana attempted a stomp onto his already bleeding face, but he managed to roll out of the way. Talon Rider was able to get onto his knees. Adriana attempted a kick the face with her right foot, but Talon Rider caught her foot with his left hand. With his right hand he delivered a powerful palm thrust to the inside of her knee, causing a dislocation. The entire training center was filled with Adriana’s ghastly screech of agony. Necrolo halted Talon Rider before asking Adriana if she could continue. Adriana did not want to give up at all. She decided to continue the fight, because giving up was not something Adriana was willing to do unless she were literally unable to stand.

Barely able to stand, Adriana struggled to a vertical base, but she could only stand on her left leg. Since Adriana was literally a one-legged woman in an ass-kicking contest, she had a distinct disadvantage. Talon started throwing punches towards Adriana’s face, but somehow she managed to block them. Unfortunately, Adriana fell backwards from losing her balance. Talon Rider knelt down and delivered the same attack to Adriana’s left leg.

Necrolo decided to end the match, because there was no way for Adriana to continue the fight. I walked over to the cage, causing the door to open. I entered the cage and walked over to Adriana. I closed my eyes and concentrated on restoring Adriana’s health. I could feel heat exiting my hands as each hand healed one of Adriana’s legs. Simultaneously, I felt the cold entering my body as a reminder of devastation I could later inflict upon someone else, something I desired greatly.

After I stood up, I helped Adriana stand up. “Thanks, but I am not the only one in need of help.”

“You’re right about that,” was my response. I walked over to a bleeding Talon Rider and healed his face. Again I simultaneously absorbed a new injury in which to inflict on a whim. All four of us exited the cage and Cristobel transfigured the training area once again.

I decided to leave Talon Rider in charge of the training exercises because I wanted to have a chance to talk to Calista in order to assess how she was doing. “I think we should go upstairs and talk for a while.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay in here during the special training exercise?”

“Calista, let’s go to the living area upstairs. We’ll come back later if you’re up to it.”
“If you insist, I will go,” was her reply. We began our journey and walked toward the elevator to the living quarters. Calista was always a sensitive woman. She had experienced a rough night and would not have slept without Cristobel’s help. I looked into her eyes. She looked as though she had aged five years. Her eyes were reddened and had lost their shimmer. She was also uncharacteristically quiet on the way to the elevator. In an effort to end the silence, I decided to ask a question. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, you cannot bring her back to life, Julian. She is gone, and there is nothing I can do about it. If I could, I would. I never knew my brother was capable of such evil. Now he’s dead too. I don’t know if that should make me happy or sad.”

“Calista, you are the best at figuring out your own emotions. That is something I cannot do for you.” The elevator door had opened but we were standing inside it and not moving an inch. “Let’s go to that sofa over there.” I pointed to a blue sofa, one that I liked more than the rest of the furniture.

“If you insist, we’ll go over there.”

“I do insist. We need to talk about your loss. Your brother made a terrible decision. He betrayed us all. I killed him myself. You can hit me if you want to. I killed him to avenge your sister’s death, but he was just as much a part of your family as she was.”

“You had an obligation to kill him. I would never blame you for it. I wish I would have known what he was going to try to do. I could have stopped him, and now because of my stupidity, Gabby is dead. She was my sister and my best friend. How am I supposed to live without her? I just want to die. Julian, can you please kill me?”

“No, I can’t kill you. We’ve had enough deaths. Give yourself some time to heal. The sun will rise again.”

She did not want to hear another word. She simply pressed her lips against my own. I did not even have time to react. All I knew is that I wanted to please her and to comfort her by any means necessary. My tongue slid effortlessly into her mouth as my hand slid up the back of her shirt. In that moment, I just wanted to give her whatever she needed.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” The ire in Cristobel’s voice was more than it had ever been previously.