Two Halves Series (77 page)

“You sound like a preacher.”

“Nah. They lie just like presidents and leaders. I’m just an activist.” Vulcan laughed.

And they don’t lie?

But the ease of Vulcan’s laugh extinguished any remaining doubts I may have had. Why was talking to the warlock so easy? What power did he hold over me? How was it possible to hate someone so much and be prepared to kill him, yet be curious about his existence and capabilities at the same time?

“What exactly do you believe in?” I asked.

“You already know I want to lead the world the way it should be lead. I don’t want extinction, only fair play. There’s a reason our education system fails to nurture the future. How would you find laborers otherwise? Who would work at the factories, fish markets, or cleaning the streets? If the keepers continue at their pace, they’ll rehabilitate the world to the point where law schools will overfill, doctors will be found at each street corner, and all trade jobs will be gone. The smart people will be well informed on how to protect themselves from vampires and will ruin the current system you guys have of peaceful exchange of blood for protection. The keepers’ plan would eventually fail, but I will save the world. I will save them all and make things right.”

For a delusional warlock, Vulcan made much sense, but his theory had flaws. From his concept of how the keepers influenced all beings into smarter creatures to our flawed education system, I understood where his irrational thinking came from. My decision to join him was the right choice, the only way to infiltrate his powers and make things right.

The keepers didn’t strive to control everyone and make sure they were doing well. They only meant for the three species to work together; to connect and not interfere. Their goal was never to ensure everyone was equal and well.

I lowered my head in tandem with Vulcan’s falling gaze. He drew his hands up and pressed his thumbs to my temples, one on each side. A surge of memories flashed through my mind: when I was an unmarked boy waiting for the keepers to choose me; of my life as an evil-bender; helping humans, vampires, and warlocks; meeting Mira for the first time; receiving my endless instructions and training from the keepers and following their lead. The energy connected us, and I’d never doubted my devotion until their unjust punishment. But their decision was swayed.

What was I just thinking? Keepers. They punished me.

A prominent face glued to the back of my eyelids.

Mira. Forgive me for making this choice.

With each flash of my passing life, her face blurred and faded behind a stream of falling water like the fall where I once lived. I strained to keep her in focus. Strangely, it felt as if Vulcan was sharing his own powers with me in exchange for my knowledge about the world and the keepers. The rush of new strength felt good. The overpowering sensation tingled my neck, and I felt my fleshy spikes stretch and break through fresh scabs. I had a difficult time recalling why I had the injuries in the first place.

As white light transferred from his fingers through my temples and my body, Vulcan’s reasoning of how the keepers were the wrong leaders for the world began to make more sense. I brought my hand up to my neck where old wounds began to heal.

A memory of delicate fingers massaging an ointment into my skin, flashed in my mind. Their tender tips circled around the lesions with care.

Whose fingers are they?

A beautiful face flashed for a moment. I wanted to see the golden face again, but something else seemed more pressing. Soon, the caramel skin I longed for blended with the blue hues of the waterfall, and I wondered where the face that decorated my memories went.

Whose face was it?

Vulcan took his fingers away from my temples.

“How do you feel?” He smirked.

“Strong.” I flexed my arms, and electricity vibrated from the tips of my spikes down to my toes. The flesh around my neck retreated seamlessly, and I rubbed the healing spots, pleased. The third disk in my neck cracked, and I exhaled with satisfaction.

I recalled the always present energy in my body from my previous life, but now I
was
that energy. All power refocused on making the world equal for everyone. I had to ensure the keepers didn’t falter the way they had with their decision to punish me. Our mission: set new laws and prepare the world for a new ruler, Vulcan. And that meant killing the keepers. They were the enemy. They always have been.

“Good.”

“It’s done?” It surprised me I felt no pain or agony. Why did I expect to be hurt by someone I trusted with my life? I looked at my teacher whom it seemed I’d known forever. He had agreed to share his powers in exchange for serving him, which was my pleasure.

“Yes. Now we can get going with the plan. First, capture the twins and bind their powers. Then the keepers.”

I cocked my head to the side. “You hadn’t mentioned any twins.”

“They will stand in our way, protecting the keepers. Now that our abilities are connected, we can use their powers against them. You and I will bend them.”

“Are they evil?” I asked. “Is it because they protect the keepers?”

“You know there’s no need to worry about the details, Eric. The keepers take away what’s good in this world. They almost destroyed you just because you wanted to turn someone’s fate for the better.”

“Whose?” I asked.

“Details, Eric. No need to worry about details. Remember that.”

I gazed at my left wrist at a tattoo of three wavy lines.

“When did I get this?” I asked.

“In your previous life that was about to end.”

“Will you tell me about that life?”

“Why don’t I show you the new one instead? Do you remember me controlling the lava?”

“Of course. I remember everything about you. You’re my brother.”

Vulcan smiled. It made me happy to know my teacher in this life. I knew it’d be different than my old one, not that my old life mattered anymore. I trusted Vulcan. He wouldn’t do me wrong.

He stepped forward. A shady grin outlined his jaw. I wondered what secrets were hidden behind his smirk, but the doubt faded from my mind. “Why don’t you try the same with water?”

“In here?” I looked around the fire-filled hall and the streaming river of magma below.

Vulcan nodded, crossing his arms at his front.

I scanned the hall for a water source. When I couldn’t find one, my hands automatically stretched out, fingers wiggling. A tingling sensation flowed from my neck, down my arms, and into the tips of my fingers. Each pore on my body felt as if it were a shark’s sensor, but instead of identifying blood, I could pinpoint each molecule in the air. Now, my senses felt water in the form of heavy moisture, concentrating on the mist’s location.

The invisible drops collected into a puddle that gushed water in the middle, just over the stone floor. Strings of liquid flowed down the walls, finding a path across the heated floor toward the center and gathering into a pool which grew taller and taller. My fingers moved again to suck the air dry, and the funnel widened. With my head lolled back, I held the energy within my body that controlled the water. Electricity tickled my flesh in ecstasy. I recalled the same feeling from my past life but couldn’t remember when I’d experienced it. Pleasure spread through me, and I bit my lip and dropped my hands, unable to contain the surge inside. The twister splattered to the river below, fuming clouds of steam upward. The fog wrapped around us, leaving just enough space to breathe.

I exhaled. My heart continued pounding inside my chest as I strained to control the strayed pulse.

“I take it you like it.” Vulcan laughed, his shoulders bopping.

“I only wish I had it all my life.” I thought about my old life, but it didn’t seem important. Nothing seemed more important than our mission.

“Let’s get you acquainted with your new life then.” Vulcan pulled me off my knees. His touch sent a new force through my body, rejuvenating my strength.

My brother winked at me, then threw his hand forward, spinning the hovering steam into a vortex. We stepped through into the steaming tunnel, side by side.

When we arrived in the human world, I stared at the backdrop beyond a floor length window. The seamless glass opened the room to the landscape of skyscrapers. The rising sun on the other side of city shone off the buildings across the street and blinded me. I shifted my feet to stand just below the shadowed ceiling of my room.

That’s better.

Beyond the rooftops, a glittering ribbon of water bopped ships and boats docked at its piers. I followed its length with my gaze to the right until green trees enveloped a squared-off area. Carriages lined the street near the entrance to a park, the horses neighing at their owners as they brushed their coats and straightened harnesses. The wailing of a fire siren drew my gaze toward the other side of city where an endless corridor of concrete and glass narrowed to a fine point. A terrace on six lower levels hosted a dozen trees and shrubs. The fluttering leaves obscured my view of residents enjoying their coffee, seemingly lost in an engaging conversation. Below, people rushed through the congested streets, like busy working ants, most ignoring traffic lights. A salesman hollered New York Times for sale, and I imagined the smell of gas pollution mixed with fresh aftershave wafting through Manhattan.

I turned around, unable to remember whether I’d been here before. The room wasn’t familiar but neatly decorated. White corner couch with a matching chaise squared off the middle of the space. A fluffy rug cushioned the floor with an ottoman displaying GQ magazines. Contemporary art hung on the walls. The decor wasn’t exactly what I would have picked, but it was elegant. Its immaculate state appeased me. I wondered what else I enjoyed. Nothing came to mind unless I stared at it long enough—were these my old memories?

I didn’t know.

I wouldn’t know.

This was my home for now, or at least until the plan was completed.

I had to admit living here was much better than the underworld. Was that where I lived before? No, I also remembered being close to the keepers. I recalled few of the things from my past life, who I was, my abilities, but not people. Did I help anyone? Or perhaps Vulcan was right. My powers had been misused to do wrong. He would help me make it stop. I would be able to bend anyone I wanted, without the keepers’ repressions.

The water mark on my left wrist no longer throbbed, and I wondered why it hurt in the first place. I felt free but knew I owed my life to Vulcan, my new leader, my brother. He’d fix things so we could live without the pressures of the keepers to do their bidding. I could keep my immortality. Live forever at Vulcan’s side.

But even when my new solemnity should had fulfilled me, I felt empty. Part of me was attached to my old life. Something was missing. If I’d asked Vulcan about it, he may get angry. Perhaps I can ask him after we complete our mission.

Vulcan strolled to my side and handed me one of the two glasses with bubbling liquid. The fizz released a sweet aroma.

“Now, we live the way we’re supposed to.” He raised his flute.

Another bottle of Cristal cooled in an iced bucket at the side of the couch. I took a sip, and the fluid in my mouth felt like summer rain quenching a week-long drought. The champagne spread through my body like a soothing potion, and my stiff muscles tenderized.

Vulcan gave into the alcohol as well and chugged the champagne like it was water. He dressed in a fit v-neck. The black tone of his outfit complimented his personality. Today, instead of jeans, he wore matching pants, neatly ironed at the cuffs. I looked down at my similar outfit in gray tones, and recalled my clothes had changed when we vortexed from the underworld. Vulcan had everything covered.

“What now?” I placed the glass on the polished table.

“Tonight, you learn how to enjoy life. Feel the freedom a true choice can give you. See the flawed human nature and their incompetence, lack of strength, and power. When you’re ready, we’ll visit an old friend of mine who tried to kill me.” He smirked.

“And you call him a friend?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

“It’s a she. And the half-breed ruined my plan to handle the vampires. With you at my side, she doesn’t stand a chance. No one can stop us.”

“You’re getting revenge?” I felt my eyebrows narrow.

“No. Her punishment will come when we kill the casters in front of her eyes.”

“Why do you want to handle the vampires?” Part of me felt like a kid trying to learn the laws of the playground.

“Each vampire has more strength than ten humans. We use human essence as energy, and the vampires complete the work of the mortals.”

“It doesn’t seem right.”

“It will. Once you live it up, you will see life in a new light. You no longer have a need to abide by laws, Eric. Feel the power. Feel the rhythm of the beating time that will soon bow at our feet.” Vulcan moved his arm in an arc from the foyer, up to the ceiling, and toward the window.

The room spun once, and I saw the sun move from east to west, reflecting like a stream of fire in the buildings across the street. Then it set. The only illumination of Manhattan became the glowing street signs and apartment lights as night life vibrated through the city.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“Time is difficult to master, Eric. Moving forward requires both our energies, which we now share. Backward needs much more. You joining me combined our powers to allow faster travel. Accomplish the impossible. Let me thank you for that.” Vulcan bowed like a sixteenth century courtier.

I shook my head; now I couldn’t stop wondering why Vulcan needed so much power. Why would he want to travel to the future, or to the past? Somewhere inside, I didn’t like him having the ability, yet I enjoyed my teacher’s rich gift.

“You’re concerned about the power, Eric. Let me assure you, you’ll feel it soon, too. Then you’ll understand. My energy transferred to you. All you have to do is embrace who you are.”

“Who exactly am I?”

“You’re a warlock, just like me. We’re brothers now. Bound by blood.” He gripped my shoulder.