Run To Earth (Power of Four) (46 page)

“So this is what it comes down to?” he asked. “You ask first, then demand answers by force?”

“You’re mistaken,” Kyran replied calmly. “We’re not here to force you. We want to help.”

“Help?” Grandor growled the word, his rage visible in his straight back and clenched jaw. “I’ve heard enough about help from you,
mages
.” He spat the word as if it were cursed. “All you’re interested in is winning your war. You come to us offering help
,
but all you want is information.”

“Great,” Skyler smirked. “Now that
that’s
out in the open, how about you start sharing?”

Grandor seemed to grow taller in fury. He pointed a finger at the Gate. “Leave, or I won’t be responsible for what happens next!”

“You’re honestly threatening us?” Skyler sneered. “There’s wishful thinking and then there’s just being plain dumb.”

“Sky!” Ella hissed.

“He’s being unreasonable,” Skyler said. “We’re trying to help and he’s mouthing off to us!”

“We don’t need your
help,
” Grandor spat.

“Like hell you don’t!” Skyler snapped back.

The Pecosas behind Grandor let out angry yells and moved forward.

“Whoa, whoa. Wait! Wait!” Sam called, holding up his hands as he stepped forward to stand between the mages and the Pecosas. “You’re right, you’re right,” he said to Grandor.

At Grandor’s command, his crowd of men stopped, eyeing Sam and the Hunters warily. Sam took another step forward, his gaze fixed on Grandor.

“About the mages,” Sam continued. “You’re absolutely right. They are only here to use you.”

“What are you doing?” Skyler asked, incensed. “You’re supposed to be on our side!”

“Oh?” Sam turned to look at Skyler. “So now I’m worthy enough to be on your side, am I?” he asked. “What happened to humans being worthless and stupid and weak
,
huh?” he asked. “You treat us like crap and then all of a sudden, when you see a use for us, we’re good enough to be part of your team.”

Skyler glared at him.

Sam turned to face Grandor, who was staring at Sam with careful scrutiny. “The only reason the mages have come here today is because
they
need help,” Sam said. “It isn’t about you or your people, not really. It’s about them and what they can do to win this war. And you know what? The fact that they’re doing all this – using and manipulating people so they can beat the demons, beat the vamages –
that’s
what makes it acceptable.”

The Hunters stared at Sam in stunned surprise. They hadn’t anticipated him twisting his words to their favour like that.

“At least, it does for me,” Sam continued. Taking in a breath, Sam stepped closer, staring straight at Grandor. “Four months ago, vamages came into my world, into my home and killed my parents.” A suffocating silence fell over the street, all eyes on Sam as he stood before the leader of the Pecosas. “I want answers too,” Sam said. “I want to know why my parents had to die? We’re not a part of this war, so why did we suffer?” He paused for a moment. “The only ones who can answer my questions are the ones responsible, and that’s not the mages.”

Grandor’s eyes softened and his jaw slackened a little.

“I know that you feel the same way,” Sam said. “You don’t want to be a part of this war. It’s not our fight. This is between the mages and the vamages, so why should we pay the price?”

Grandor’s head moved a bare fraction, nodding to Sam’s words.

“But just because we don’t want to be a part of it, doesn’t mean we get to stay out of it,” Sam said. “We’re already involved. I lost my parents and you’re losing your people. Sitting back and refusing to fight, isn’t going to help–”

Grandor held up a hand to quieten Sam. “My kind is not affiliated with war,” he said quietly. “We are passive by nature. We do not fight.”

“I get that,” Sam said, “but surely you have a sense of self-preservation. You’re not extinct. That proves you must be fighting in some sense to have survived this long.”

“Our survival is done by keeping out of danger,” Grandor replied.

“What about your people who have fallen?” Rose asked, drawing the Pecosa’s attention. “Don’t you have any loyalty to them? Do they not deserve to be avenged?”

Grandor smiled. “Vengeance is just another name for self-destruction,” he said. “It may be associated with humans but it doesn’t have any place in our kind.” His grey-eyed gaze moved past Rose to all the Hunters, looking at each and every one. “You’re wasting yo
ur time. I cannot help you.”

He turned his back to walk away, and Sam called out, “What’s the Scorcher got over you?”

Grandor stopped. Tension stifled the very air, making it hard to breathe. Grandor turned around with narrowed eyes, looking straight at Sam. “The Scorcher?” he asked. “I have told the mages before: I have not met the Scorcher.”

“You’ve met Daniel Machado, though, right?” Rose asked.

At the name of Hadrian’s right-hand vamage, the Pecosas flinched, looking to their leader. Grandor didn’t speak. He just stared at Rose.

“Machado is using something to hold your silence,” Rose said, braving a few steps closer. Kyran moved right behind her, staying close, his eyes on the Pecosa leader. “Please, tell us how to get to Machado,” Rose said. “If the mages get him, they’ll get to the Scorcher and then all of this will be over.”

Grandor stared at her before a slow smile spread over his face. He started to laugh, surprising everyone. He shook his head, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. It took several moments for the bitter laughter to die down. When he looked back at Rose, he had pity for her naivety in every line of his face.

“No one can get to the Scorcher,” he said quietly. “Not through Machado, not through anyone else. Machado doesn’t come to us. He sends us messages, using our own people.” His face shadowed with misery, while his eyes burnt with anger. “He corrupts my people and then sends them back to us to deliver his messages. We do as he asks so that one day, when the vamages’ purpose is over, we’ll have our people back.”

“He’s blackmailing you?” Ella asked, aghast.

It seemed the interruption from a mage was all it took for Grandor to come to his senses. His head snapped around in Ella’s direction and he stared at her, as if only just realising that she, along with the rest of the Hunters, were still here. Grandor straightened up, running a hand down his robes.

“There is nothing that I can do for you,” he said. “I can’t get you to Machado, even if I were willing to risk my people by helping you.” He looked straight at Sam. “I feel for your loss. You, much like us, have been dragged into this war.” He glared at the Hunters behind Sam, “But stay out of their fight. Don’t let them destroy you too.”

“Sorry.” Sam shook his head. “I want answers. I want the vamages defeated. If that means I
have to help the mages, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Grandor didn’t say anything. He looked at Sam with something akin to pity welling in his eyes. “Do as you see fit,” he said quietly. He turned away, gesturing to his people to leave.

Slowly the Pecosas began to move away, still glancing at the mages and two humans left standing.

“Come on,” Kyran said quietly, his hand on Rose’s back. “This was a waste of time.”

“You did good,” Ella whispered to Sam. She threw a hard look at the retreating Pecosas. “They’re just not willing to listen.”

The Hunters began leading Aaron and the twins back to the Gate when Grandor called to them.

“The sun is about to set,” he said, halting the Hunters. “If you wish, you may rest here tonight and leave in the morning.”

The mages looked to each other, surprised at the Pecosa’s hospitality. Sam looked to Ella and, at her approval, turned back to Grandor, nodding.

“Thank you,” he said.

Grandor smiled, but his eyes hardened when he turned to the Hunters. “It is not in our nature to wish harm on any being,” he started. “So take what I have to say with the utmost sincerity.” His gaze moved to rest on Kyran. “Forget about the Scorcher. He’s too powerful to fall into your grasp.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” Ella said. “Just point us in the right direction.”

“It’ll do you no good,” Grandor said. “If by a stroke of luck you do get to him, you won’t survive the encounter. The Scorcher is like nothing you’ve seen before. He can bleed you out with nothing more than a touch.”

“You know an awful lot about a person you claim to have not met,” Skyler accused.

Grandor smiled bitterly. “You don’t have to be burnt to know what fire is capable of.”

***

The evening was surprisingly pleasant. The Pecosas set out a variety of dishes for dinner. The previous ire was gone and all the Pecosas seemed rather happy to have visitors staying the night – although their warmth and charm was reserved only for Sam and Rose. With the mages, they still seemed rather closed off.

After dinner, a large group of Pecosas gathered around a fire, inviting Sam and Rose to join them. Aaron, refusing to leave his friends’ side, sat with them. Kyran followed after him, with Ella, Zhi-Jiya and Ryan trailing after. The Pecosas shot uncomfortable looks at one another but still offered the mages drinks before sitting on the other side of the fire.

“You’re very brave,” a young Pecosa girl said to Sam. “No one has said such things to Grandor before.”

“Like what?” Sam asked, looking confused. “I didn’t say anything rude.”

“You told him he should fight.” She shook her head. “No one tells Grandor what to do.”

“Other than Machado, of course,” Ryan said. At the hostile looks he got, he quickly held up his hands. “Okay, okay, no talking about the war and our impending doom if we don’t find a way to defeat the vamages.” He smiled with exaggerated sweetness. “What shall we talk about instead?”

Silence met his words.

“Hey,” Ella started, looking at the fair-haired crowd. “I’ve heard Pecosas are really good storytellers.” She grinned excitedly. “You got any good stories?”

The crowd looked to one another with humble smiles.

“Keena is our storyteller,” one Pecosa said, nodding at the wavy-haired girl sitting to Ella’s right.

Keena smiled before looking over at Ella. “Well,” she started, “what kind of a story would you like?”

“I don’t know about everyone else,” Zhi-Jiya cut in, “but I’m a sucker for a good love story.”

“It’s one thing in stories,” Ryan said, “but love in real life is–” He stopped as Zhi-Jiya turned to him.

“Yes?” she prompted. “Please, do go on.”

Ryan grinned and fell quiet, making the surrounding Pecosas reluctantly giggle.

“I don’t agree,” Ella said. “I think love in real life can be just as exciting as in stories.” She smiled. “Just imagine being caught up in an epic love story with the only person you can’t be with.” She looked to the others. “Thrilling, no?”

“Sounds like the recipe for non-stop heartbreak,” Rose said. “Pass, thank you.”

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t want an epic love story of your own?” Ella asked.

Rose couldn’t help but chuckle. “I didn’t peg you as a hopeless romantic, Ella.”

“What, you don’t think mages fall in love?” Ella asked.

“No, of course they do,” Rose replied. “But epic tragic love?”

“Is any other love worth the trouble?” Ella asked with a grin.

“Each to their own, I guess,” Rose replied. “But I wouldn’t want an epic love story of my own. I’d be happy with just a simple romance.”

“Come on,” Ryan said. “You’re telling me you would rather have a boring romantic relationship than a truly meaningful, deep-seated, soul-shattering, eternal bond of love? Like what I have with Zhi-Jiya?”

“Nice save,” Zhi-Jiya smirked.

“No, I’m not saying I don’t want a deep relationship.” Rose shrugged. “I’m just saying that I don’t see the allure of falling for someone I can never be with. I mean, what’s the point in that?”

“That’s exactly the point,” Kyran said, joining the discussion. “The attraction lies in the temptation to have what’s forbidden.”

Rose paused for a moment, before smiling. “True, but that’s just infatuation. We were talking about love.”

Kyran smiled. “What if you fall in love with the very person you can’t be with?” he asked.

“I won’t,” Rose replied. “I’ll make sure I go for someone that is suited to me.”

“You can’t choose who you’re going to fall in love with,”
Keena said. “Love just happens.”

“See, this is exactly the notion I despise,” Rose said. “Why can’t I choose who I’m going to fall in love with? Why is it that love makes the choice for me? It’s my life but somehow I can’t choose who I’m going to spend it with? How messed up is that?”

“The fates decide who your partner is,” Keena said. “It’s always been that way.”

“Not for me,” Rose said. “The fates can decide what they want.
I’ll
decide who I’m falling in love with.”

Kyran straightened up a little.