Run To Earth (Power of Four) (44 page)

She slid the magazine into her pistol, cocked her gun and aimed at the Abarimons, taking out four of them in a matter of seconds. Aaron stayed by her side but Zhi-Jiya continued the fight, paying little attention to her wounds.

On the other side of the clearing, Kyran turned to the Abarimons with his sword, having used up all his bullets. He swung the blade, slicing through the demons. He blocked another spear attack and knocked the stick out of the demon’s hand before plunging his sword into the Abarimon’s stomach. Just as Kyran pulled the sword out and turned, another demon leapt at him, successfully throwing him to the ground. Kyran was pinned under the filthy Abarimon, who had dug his claws into Kyran’s sword-wielding arm, piercing through his flesh. With its other hand, the Abarimon viciously back-handed Kyran, whipping his head to the side. With teeth bared and claws ready, the Abarimon went for Kyran’s throat, wanting to rip it out. Kyran caught his hand, struggling to keep the demon back. A shot rang out and the Abarimon stilled, eyes wide open but lifeless. It turned to dust, coating Kyran’s front. Grimacing in disgust, Kyran looked up to find a smirking Skyler standing over him.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Skyler said. “You know
I’m
the only one who gets to kick your ass.” He extended a hand, which Kyran took to get pulled back to his feet.

Kyran’s arm was bleeding badly – four punctures where the demon’s claws had cut into him were weeping blood down his arm. Kyran hugged his injured arm to his chest and picked up his sword with the other hand. A growl brought his and Skyler’s attention to the chief Abarimon who was staring at them with wide, mad eyes. Its demons had fallen. There were perhaps five or six left. Kyran and Skyler shared a look before smiling. They rushed towards the chief with their swords and guns raised.

***

After the last demon had fallen, the Hunters made their way back to the huts. Aaron and Ella lifted the table away from the chief’s hut to get the scared children out. For the first few minutes, they simply sat in front of the hut, calming the children. Other Hunters gathered around, each talking to the distraught kids, assuring them they were going to take them back home to their families.

Aaron watched as Zhi-Jiya stood to the side, her eyes on the huts. He got up and walked over to her.

“I can’t believe they had a valley here,” she said quietly. “How could we not know what was going on?”

“You know what I can’t believe?” Aaron asked. “That all of you came to help us.”

Zhi-Jiya turned to him with a frown. “Why wouldn’t we?” she asked. “We’re Hunters, Aaron. We don’t leave one of our own behind.”

“Unless it’s a Q-Zone,” Aaron said.

Zhi-Jiya smiled. “Even that’s been challenged now, what with Kyran jumping in after you and all.”

Aaron turned to see Kyran, who was talking with Ryan and Julian, his injured arm held to his chest. A moment later, Ryan and Julian walked away, heading to where Skyler was deep in conversation with Bella. The four talked for a minute before pulling out their guns, loading them with more magazines and spreading out. Other Hunters followed their example by loading their weapons and walking after them.

“What are they doing?” Aaron asked, watching the crowd head to different corners.

“We have to take out every last Abarimon,” Zhi-Jiya said. “It’s the only way we can leave and take those kids home.”

Aaron turned back to her with wide eyes. “You mean...?”

Zhi-Jiya nodded. “Every last Abarimon,” she repeated. “Old...” She paused for a brief moment, “...and young.”

27

Changing Tactics

Aaron couldn’t sleep. Sam and Rose were snoring softly in their beds, but Aaron was wide awake. Eventually he got up. There was no hope for any sleep tonight. He headed downstairs, pausing briefly at Kyran’s door. He wasn’t back yet. As soon as Aaron and the Hunters had returned to Salvador, Zhi-Jiya and Kyran were rushed to the Empaths to be healed.

Aaron went to the living room and sat down in the semi-darkness. The soft glow from the lanterns outside shone into the room, giving just enough light for Aaron to see the outline of his hands before him. A few minutes later, the front door clicked open and Aaron saw Kyran’s silhouette in the hallway.

“Hey,” Aaron called, and Kyran turned towards him at once.

A wave of Kyran’s hand and the lamps in the hallway and living room glowed. “Ace?” Kyran looked surprised, as well as exhausted and a bit pale. “What you doing still up?” he asked, walking into the room.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Aaron replied. His gaze rested on the torn sleeve of Kyran’s
coat. “How’s the arm?”

“Fine,” Kyran said and sat down, his narrowed eyes fixed on Aaron. “Why can’t you sleep?”

Aaron shrugged, but didn’t say anything.

“Ace?”

Aaron looked up at him before sighing. “I keep thinking...about today.”

“What about it?” Kyran asked.

“Those demons, the Abarimons,” Aaron said. “I can’t get them out of my head.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kyran said, leaning back in his seat. “They’re gone; their valley's wiped out.”

“Exactly,” Aaron replied.

Kyran’s brow creased, vivid green eyes narrowed in confusion. “Ace,” he said, “they were demons.”

“I know,” Aaron said. “I know they were demons and they were savage, flesh-eating monsters. I know that killing them was the only way of protecting ourselves as well as those kids they had captured, but...but we still wiped out an entire population today.”

“Of demons,” Kyran repeated. “That’s what we do. We’re Hunters.”

“And that’s the thing,” Aaron said. “I don’t know if I have what it takes to be a Hunter.”

Kyran stilled, staring at Aaron.

Aaron dropped his gaze to the floor before continuing. “I know that Skyler and the others hunted down the Abarimon young and killed them. That’s the only way we could leave the valley. I know that, but I also know that I could never do that.” He looked back up at Kyran. “I couldn’t even shoot an adult Abarimon when they were attacking us! My hand shook every time I had to take aim.” He paused to take in a breath and he slowly shook his head. “You asked for my help and I did nothing. I couldn’t take down a single demon.”

“So?” Kyran’s question threw Aaron. He looked up at him with surprise. “So what if you didn’t make a hit?” Kyran asked. “What matters is that you were there. You stood by my side, like a true Hunter. A true mage.” He leant forward. “As for taking down demons, killing isn’t easy, Ace.
No one
likes doing it.”

“You were breaking necks and making jokes,” Aaron said.

“That’s because I’ve been hunting since I was thirteen,” Kyran said. “I’ve accepted that even if I don’t want to kill, I have to, ’cause mages were only brought into existence to kill demons.”

“What about mages like Alan and Mary and all the others that don’t go hunting?” Aaron asked. “They’re still mages, but they don’t kill.”

Kyran laughed. “Don’t be so sure. Mother Mary can behead a demon faster than she can cut a turnip. Alan, son of Thomas Kings, could kick demonic ass with about the same ease as he lays the table. If it comes down to it, every mage in this realm could take down a demon.” He paused for a moment. When he next spoke, he was quieter but there was a fierceness in his words. “You have to have the hunger to kill, Ace. A hunger that only comes after you’ve lost something that meant anything to you.” He held Aaron’s gaze with darkened green eyes. “Because that’s when you understand that being a Hunter isn’t about what you’re killing, but what you’re protecting.”

***

Rose passed basket upon basket of overflowing fruit, each settled next to the tall trees.

“Aaron? Sam?” she called again.

She wandered down the orchard path for almost forty minutes before giving up. With a sigh, she sat under the shade of a huge tree. She leant against the wide trunk, her legs stretched out before her. The warm breeze flitted over her, freeing a few strands from her bun to fall across her face. Pushing them behind her ear, Rose closed her eyes and let out another tired sigh. Her eyes slipped closed and she stayed like that for a few moments, silently relishing the feel of the warm breeze across her face and the sweet smell of mangos in the air.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

Rose opened her eyes with a start, only to stare up at Kyran. She relaxed and smiled. “I was just resting my eyes.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kyran came closer. “You seen Ace?”

Rose frowned. “Ace?”

“Just a demeaning nickname to annoy Aaron into working harder,” Kyran explained with a grin.

Rose clicked her tongue while shaking her head. “Positive motivation is still a thing, you know,” she said. “You should try it sometime.”

“Humiliation seems to be the only thing that works,” Kyran replied. “You seen him?”

Rose shook her head. “I was looking for Aaron and Sam myself.”

Kyran let out a sigh before sitting down on the ground opposite Rose. “He’s hiding from me, I know it. He can’t handle the tough training.”

Rose chuckled. Her gaze moved from Kyran’s face down his shoulder to his arm. Last night, when the Hunters had returned, she had learnt from Aaron that Kyran had been injured.

“How’s the arm?” she asked.

Kyran lifted up his hand and pulled back his sleeve, examining the flawless smooth skin. “Good as new,” he said.

Rose noted the way the four silver lines, tattooed across the back of Kyran’s hand, gleamed in the sunlight. “It’s just as well mages don’t scar,” she said. “Can you imagine what you’d look like if you got to keep reminders of all your battles?”

“Not all scars are bad,” Kyran said. “Sometimes it’s good to keep a reminder of your battles. That way, you’ll never forget what you lost.”

“Isn’t the loss itself a reminder?” Rose asked. “You don’t really need a physical mark, do you?”

Kyran smiled up at her and the green of his eyes stole Rose’s breath. The intensity of his gaze was such, Rose found herself completely lost. She only realised she was staring when Kyran shifted, as if uncomfortable under her gaze. Rose quickly looked away. She glanced up at the branches of the tree she was sitting under and spotted the small green mangos clumped together in bunches. It would be a few more hours before the mangos would be ripe enough to eat. Of course, in her world it would take days, not hours, for fruit to grow and ripen, but Rose found herself wishing the mangos were ready. Their sweet smell was making her mouth water. When she looked down, she found this time it was Kyran staring at her.

“What?” she asked.

Kyran didn’t say anything. With a smile, he leant forward. For a moment, Rose thought he was about to touch her shoulder, but Kyran’s hand went past her and rested on the trunk. No more than a heartbeat later, the fruit started to grow; the mangos got bigger and heavier, weighing down the branches. The green of the mangos changed to a sun-kissed yellow and the sweet aroma only got stronger. Kyran kept his hand on the trunk until the branches lowered to offer the ripe and ready to eat fruit. Kyran lifted his hand from the trunk and plucked off a single mango. The branches slowly lifted upwards and settled, the mangos dangling from them. Without a word, Kyran held out the fruit to Rose. Astonished, Rose took the offering.

“How...how did you do that?” she asked.

Kyran grinned. “I know a trick or two to speed things up,” he said.

Rose didn’t say anything. She held the mango in her hands and smiled. Her heart gave a little skip at the thought that Kyran knew exactly what she wanted, without her having to say a single word.

***

Sam and Aaron were at the far side of the lake, watching the strange way mages went fishing, from a safe, dry distance. This time, both boys rather enjoyed the sight of the towering wall of water and the way the silvery fish were scooped out by the floating net.

Ahead of them, walking along the bank of the lake, were two people Aaron never thought he would see together – Skyler and Armana.

“Where are they going?
” Sam frowned, looking at the unlikely pair.

“No idea,” Aaron replied.

Skyler and Armana seemed to be deep in conversation. Armana must have said something to annoy Skyler, as he suddenly stopped and pulled Armana by the arm to face him.

“Oh, hell no!” Sam started angrily. “What does he think he’s doing?” He stepped forward, ready to march up to Armana’s rescue.

Before Sam or Aaron could climb up the bank, they saw Armana gently pulled her arm out of Skyler’s grip, smiling the entire time. She rested both hands on Skyler’s chest and tilted her face up, her lips moving as she said something. Surprisingly, Skyler smiled and leant forward. He rested one hand on her cheek, and wrapped the other around her waist as he pulled her closer and kissed her.

Sam and Aaron stopped in their tracks, mouths dropped open, eyes wide and unblinking.

“What the–?” Sam uttered.

“Skyler and Armana?” Aaron choked.

Sam turned to gape at Aaron. “That’s why she was all, ‘Skyler’s not bad, he’s got a good heart’,” he said. “It’s ’cause she was with him!”

“Skyler and
Armana
?” Aaron repeated. “How? He’s so...so... and she’s so...you know?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Sam agreed.

The mages that were fishing must not have seen Skyler and Armana, as they raised their hands, building the water once again. The huge wave climbed high into the air, heading straight at the kissing couple.

“Oh – hey! Watch out!” Aaron shouted in panic, not wanting Armana hit by the water.

Without breaking their kiss, Skyler raised a hand towards the approaching wave. The water spun around him and Armana, making it look like they were encased in a waterproof bubble. The water crashed to the ground all around them, before dragging its way back into the lake.

A flash went through the city, finally pulling the kissing couple apart. Sam and Aaron looked around at the sound of a truck hooting. With a last look of stunned surprise at Skyler and Armana, the two boys climbed the bank and made their way towards the Gate. They arrived to see a huge truck parked in front of the Stove. Mages had already gathered around it. At the front was Jason, instructing the mages to float one item after another from the truck. Sam and Aaron reached the crowd and watched as everything from furniture to sealed boxes were hovered through the air and stacked onto the cobbled street.

“What’s going on?” Aaron asked Ryan. “What’s all this?”

“Rations,” Ryan replied. “And about time too.”

Some of the mages started taking several boxes to the Stove, while other boxes were hovered to the path that led to the stores that held everything from clothing to books. Beds and wardrobes were taken away under Jason’s instruction.

Aaron walked over to see the word
LAMONT
in bold letters across the side of the truck. “What’s Lamont?” he asked.

“You mean who,” Ella said, coming to his side. “Fredrick Lamont, the most successful mage of this realm.”

“By successful you mean wealthy?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah.” She smiled. “Ever since the war started, Lamont’s been sending whatever Salvador needs – beds, clothing – pretty much everything a sanctuary requires.”

Aaron glanced at the truck before looking back at Ella. “Why? What does he get out of it?”

Ella turned to look at him with a frown. “Why so cynical?” she asked. “He doesn’t get anything. He owed Neriah, so he chose to look after Salvador’s needs.” She turned to look at the truck. “He did his duty all his life. After his death, his family decided to carry on the commitment.”

Aaron and Sam followed her to help carry boxes from the truck to the side of the street, where Mary and Jason were opening them to sort what went where.

“There you are.” Rose’s voice interrupted Aaron, just as he pulled out a heavy box. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“What’s up?” Aaron puffed.

“I’m finished for the day,” Rose said. “I wanted to hang.”

“Well, Rose,
we’re
not done,” Sam said. “As you can see, we’re helping empty out this massive truck.”

Rose just gave Sam a look before turning back to Aaron. “And Kyran’s looking for you.”

“For me?” Aaron asked. “Why?”

“Something about training,” Rose replied.

Aaron turned around to see Kyran talking to Ryan and Julian, who were opening some boxes, checking them before handing them to other mages to carry to various stores. Aaron was about to climb off the truck when he saw something lying in the corner. It was a small, rectangular box, ten times smaller than the other boxes. He picked it up as Sam walked over to peer at it. Rose climbed up too, coming to Aaron’s other side. Aaron clicked the small latch open. Lifting the lid, Aaron found what looked like thick bits of carved wood piled inside. He frowned at the sight.