Run To Earth (Power of Four) (12 page)

“They’re not here,” Aaron replied, hating the way his heart twisted at the reminder. “They had to go...somewhere. I’m not really sure where,” he said, feeling like a right idiot. “But they should be back soon. Hopefully,” he added under his breath.

Scott nodded, but his eyes had lit up with joy. “I can’t believe...You go away for a fortnight and so much happens,” he chuckled. “It’s an honour to meet you, Mr Adams.” He shook his hand again, fervently this time.

“It’s Aaron, just Aaron, please.”

“Of course, Aaron.” Scott beamed. He looked
over at Sam and Rose. “And they are?”

“My friends,” Aaron replied, “Sam and Rose Mason.”

Scott shook their hands, smiling at them with a hint of sadness in the corners of his mouth. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, “and I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sam and Rose were shocked.

“How did you know?” Rose asked.

“Your name proves you’re human,” he said, “and you’re here, in Salvador. No human comes here, not unless they have nowhere else to go.”

Rose only nodded, whereas Sam chose to stare at the ground. Scott turned back to Aaron.

“I’m afraid I have to go. There’s a competition starting soon.” He paused for a moment, before smiling. “Come and watch if you like.”

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “Sure.”

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t believe the Adams are back,” he said. “To think, after so long, the Elementals are finally back in the one realm again.”

“Elementals?” Aaron frowned.

Scott laughed. “You trying to be funny?” he asked. “You don’t know you’re an Elemental?”

“I thought I was a mage,” Aaron said, confused.

“You’re kidding, right?” Scott grinned, but at Aaron’s lost expression, his smile slid away and his eyes widened. “You...you’re not kidding?”

“My dad told me two weeks ago that I’m a mage,” Aaron revealed. “He didn’t say anything about being an Elemental.”

Scott staggered a step back, gaping at Aaron with an open mouth. “Good God,” he breathed.“You...” He trailed off, struggling to compose himself. Running a hand through his dark hair, he turned to glance behind him. “I’m...I’m sorry, but...I should go.”

Aaron watched as Scott hurried away. He was just wrapping his mind around the whole being mage thing and now he was referred to as an Elemental? What was going on?

Rose’s warm hand slipped into his. “Come on.” She pulled gently, leading Aaron and Sam to follow behind Scott.

8

When Mages Fight

The ring, it turned out, was just that. A large, circular area, marked in the ground by a series of rocks. Etched in the middle of the ring was a symbol – one Aaron had seen on the tall white door upon entering Salvador. It was a peculiar mark: a circle with an inverted V in the middle. Between the legs of the V was a spiral. Three wavy lines marked on either side of the V finished the design. Aaron stared at it with a fascination he couldn’t understand. Only when Rose pulled at his arm did Aaron snap out of his daze.

“What?” he asked.

“Move!” she urged, throwing a pointed look behind him.

Aaron turned to see Skyler glaring at him.

“You wanna stand and stare all day, Adams?” he asked. “’Cause the rest of us have things to do.”

Aaron moved out of his way and Skyler waved a hand at the ring. The rocks trembled before lifting into the air. One by one, the rocks aligned themselves into an arch. Aaron tried not to look impressed but failed miserably.

Skyler turned to the red-haired Bella. “It’s all yours,” he said, waving a hand in mock-courtesy.

Bella sent four of her mages into the ring. Skyler gestured to four of his own cronies, and three boys and a girl entered the ring. Skyler snapped his fingers and the rocks floated back to their former location.

Aaron noticed that every one of the eight mages inside the ring sported some sort of a tattoo. Some had thin silver swords etched on the side of their necks. Others had strange symbols and words under their ears or sprawling across their collarbones. One had a pair of black and gold pistols on the back of his neck.

The rest of Bella and Skyler’s group were crowded around the outskirts of the ring. A gradual stream of Salvador residents filled the area. They all looked excited as they joined the Hunters around the ring or stood further back. Aaron spotted Alan sitting on the wide stone steps that led up to a circular glass building. Out of all the structures Aaron had seen in Salvador, this one was the most modern-looking. Aaron and the twins walked over to take a seat next to Alan.

“Hey,” Aaron greeted.

“Hey y’all.” Alan grinned.
“Just in time to see the fight.”

“Why are they fighting?” Aaron asked.

“What all Hunters fight each other for,” Alan said. “A chance to go into the Q-Zone.”

“The Q-Zone?” Aaron asked. “What’s that?”

Alan met Aaron’s gaze with first surprise, then understanding and, finally, a little pity.

“Sorry, I forgot you’ve only just arrived in this realm,” he said. “The Q-Zone is every Hunter’s dream,” he explained. “In the world of Hunters, you’re not worth half your salt if you haven’t gone into the Q-Zone at least once in your life.”

“But what is it? This...this Q-Zone?” Sam asked.

“Don’t you worry your little Shattered mind about it,” Alan laughed. “It’s only for Hunters.”

Behind them, Scott appeared at the top of the stairs, framed against the doorway of the circular building.

“If everyone could settle down,” he called. His bright, hazel-eyed stare went out to the eight mages in the ring. “The Hunters of Balt,” Scott called. “Show your skills against the Hunters of Salvador.” He looked directly at Bella. “Give me victory and I will give you access to the next Quarantine Zone.”

A tremendous cheer erupted, with the biker mages whooping and raising their fists in the air. Bella was grinning from ear to ear.

“There will be three rounds,” Scott continued. “The Hunters of Balt have to win the first two and survive the third to win. Each round lasts forty seconds.” He nodded at them. “Your time starts when the ring is ready.”

A rumbustious cheer went through the crowd, with literally every single mage shouting encouragement and clapping. Aaron watched as the eight mages in the ring turned to one another, determination visible on all of them. No one moved, they just each stood facing an opponent, waiting. The symbol inside the ring began to brighten, as if a light under it had been switched on. The cheering got louder and more frantic the brighter the symbol glowed. Then the light went out and the Hunters attacked.

Aaron was expecting a fight. A boxing match, maybe mixed martial arts, or even good old fist-fighting. What he wasn’t expecting was the ground to literally shake as the mages unleashed their powers. Four pairs of Hunters scattered to different areas of the ring.

Aaron watched gobsmacked as the girl from Skyler’s gang stood with a fireball hovering over her hand. She threw it at the biker mage who ducked, avoiding the hit. Aaron panicked when he saw it about to hit the mages standing around the ring, still cheering and clapping, but the fireball vanished when it passed above the rocks outlining the ring. It was as if there was an invisible barrier surrounding the ring – one that prevented anything from leaving it.

A biker mage threw out his hands and his opponent was thrown back by an unseen force. The Salvador mage leapt back onto his feet and twisted out of the way of another attack, retaliating by pointing to the ground and pulling his hand back, as if pulling an imaginary rug out from under the other mage’s feet. The biker mage fell down with thump.

“Whoa!” Sam gasped. “I...I can’t believe I’m actually seeing this.” He shook his head, eyes wide and unblinking. “It’s...it’s magic. They’re using magic!”

“Not magic,” Aaron murmured, stunned at the display himself. “Powers. Mages have powers,” he said, having remembered his dad’s words.

Rose didn’t say anything, but watched the fight with an open mouth, hands against her cheeks, with odd choking noises of disbelief every few seconds.

A shimmer ran through the ring, signalling the end of forty seconds, and the eight mages relaxed, bringing their hands to rest at their sides.

“Well done.” Scott beamed. “You held your ground against the Hunters of Salvador.” He gestured to Skyler. “Round two, please.”

Skyler waved a hand and the rocks jumped up to make the stone archway again. The eight mages left the ring and another eight entered, four from Skyler’s team and four from Bella’s. This time, Aaron noticed, even Salvador’s mages were wearing long coats and leather vests. Aaron leant closer, eyes narrowed at their unusual attire.

“The ring will tell you when to start,” Scott’s voice boomed across the grounds.

Again, the eight levelled up against one another and Skyler moved the rocks to seal the ring. It seemed that Skyler was the only one that could lift and drop the rocks. There was the same bright flash in the symbol on the ground, and the second round began. It all happened so fast, Aaron was left a little dazed. One moment he was staring at the mages, who stood facing their opponents. The next, they had pulled swords on one another. Aaron blinked, gaping hard. He even brought up a hand and rubbed at his eyes, but the swords were still there.

The clang of metal hitting metal, as the swords blocked each other, rang through the air. The surrounding mages cheered and clapped, shouting encouragement and praise. But it was frightfully obvious the mages weren’t fighting to disarm each other; they were trying to impale one another.

“What are they’re doing?” Rose cried. “Oh my God! Oh my God! They’re going to kill each other!”

“What is this?” Sam seethed. “This...This isn’t a sport! It’s plain-ass crazy!”

Aaron couldn’t speak. He was rooted to the spot, numb and mute with shock. The long coats made sense now. They were hiding weapons. Each of the eight Hunters had a long, gleaming sword in hand and were attacking each other with vigour. Aaron turned, tearing his gaze away from the fight to look at Alan, still seated next to him. He was cheering loudly, hazel eyes sparkling with glee as he watched the fight. Aaron twisted back to see Scott, still smiling with delight as he watched the match. They all wouldn’t be so relaxed if there was even the slightest chance of a casualty, would they? Somehow, Aaron knew the mages wouldn’t be killing each other in the name of sport. They didn’t look savage enough for that. The sword fight must be restricted somehow. Even though it didn’t look like it, maybe it was a case of pretending to hit, but not to
actually
hit.

No sooner had Aaron comforted himself with the thought, than he saw one of the biker mages knock the sword out of his opponent’s hand and plunge his own straight into the other mage’s stomach. Rose screamed and Sam shot to his feet, cursing blind. Aaron was left dazed with shock. He felt Sam’s hand grip at his arm and haul him to his feet.

“We’re getting out of here!” Sam said, clearly panicked. He had Rose’s hand in his other. “Come on!”

“Aaron? Hey, where are you lot going?” Alan asked as Sam dragged Aaron and Rose down the steps.

“Sam! Sam, wait!” Rose pulled back, halting him. “Look!” She pointed to the ring, where the impaled mage simply took hold of the sword and pulled it out of his torso.

The sword was stained red. The mage grunted with obvious pain, his face twisted in agony as he doubled over after pulling the sword out. He threw the blade back to its owner and said something, which was impossible to hear in the commotion of the cheering crowd. Judging by his expression, it wasn’t anything polite.

“What the–?” Sam gaped at the still-standing mage. “He just got stabbed with a sword!”

“They can’t die,” Rose gasped. “Mages can’t die.”

“We can.” The voice came from behind them. Turning around, they saw Alan, who had followed them. “Mages aren’t immortal,” he explained. He smiled and glanced at the ring. “We can die, just not at the hands of another mage.” He clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Come on, you’re gonna miss the final round. That’s the one to watch.”

Silently, the three friends followed behind Alan and resumed their seats on the steps. They watched the mages leave the ring after the second round came to an end. The eight mages carried their bloodied swords out with wide grins on their faces, and ripped, crimson-stained clothes.

“Do they have to stab each other?” Aaron asked, feeling a little sick. “They could just disarm the other.”

“Disarm?” Alan frowned, like he didn’t understand the word. “Why would they do that? Hunters kill, they don’t
disarm.
”

“Yeah, okay,” Aaron said, “but they don’t have to hurt each other. Even if the cut’s not fatal, it would still hurt.”

“Not as bad as bullets,” Alan said. “Those things are murder to dig out. That’s why guns aren’t allowed in the ring.”

“Oh really?” Sam asked with heavy sarcasm. “Well thank God for that!” He shook his head, looking away from Alan. “To think,” he muttered angrily to Aaron. “I figured your parents didn’t want you hanging around me because I was a bad influence.” He gave a narrow-eyed glare at the mages. “Only to find that
their
community is the one with tattoos and weapons, riding bad-ass bikes and going around stabbing each other with swords.”

Maybe it was the after-effect of his panic or maybe it was the way Sam said it, but it made Aaron laugh. He stifled it at Sam’s annoyed look.

“Sorry, Sammy.”

Sam looked away, but a slow, exhausted smile came to his lips as well.

“Well done, Hunters of Balt.” Scott’s voice drowned out all others. “You sustained only two hits. It all rests on this final round. Choose another four mages to enter the ring.” He gestured to Skyler. “But for the final round, you face Skyler and Ella. You will have, again, only forty seconds. If any of you four remain standing at the end of the round, you get the Q-Zone.”

“Wait, so it’s four of them against only Skyler and Ella?” Rose asked. “That’s not fair.”

“Did you notice, Scott didn’t say they had to defeat Skyler and Ella?” Aaron said. “All four only have to remain standing by the end of the round.” He frowned. “That’s weird, no?”

The crowd’s yelling and cheering increased to new levels as Skyler raised the stone arch again. The red-haired Bella chose another three mages and stepped in herself as the fourth fighter. Skyler waited until Ella joined him before stepping into the ring and lowering the rocks. Sam let out a low whistle at the sight of Ella.

“Damn, look at her,” he whispered across to Aaron.

“She’s not really dressed for a fight, is she?” Rose asked, sounding genuinely worried.

Aaron agreed whole-heartedly. Ella was only wearing tight-fitting jeans and a white cropped top. Her long hair was left to cascade down her back. Aaron noticed that she too had a tattoo: an extensive, incredibly detailed image of a vine with open flowers along it. The black ink tattoo started just at the top of her ribcage, going all the way down to cross her navel and disappear behind the waistband of her jeans. It seemed likely the tattoo continued down her leg.

Despite her ill-suited attire for the fight, Ella looked completely at ease. Skyler stood casually next to her, looking calm, with a smirk on his face. Bella openly glared at him. The symbol on the ground lit up for the third time that day. Bella reached up, her hand going for the back of her neck, reaching for something tucked under her coat. Aaron felt his stomach turn suddenly.

“Wait!” he cried. “She’s got a sword!” He turned to Sam and Rose. “That’s not fair. Skyler and Ella don’t have any weapons!”

“Relax, Aaron,” Alan said, reaching out to hold on to his arm. “Skyler and Ella don’t need weapons to fight against mages. They’re Elementals.”