Nai-Ko burned in silence.
He still couldn’t believe that Syun had betrayed him, and he’d remained cold to her for the entire trip. He was disgusted by the amount of humans around him on the different aircraft - all vermin of different races and creeds. He felt like he was immersed in the filth of their pointless existence.
And he owed it all to Syun.
She was the one who proposed their plan to leave the clan and go to Australia, and it was she who seduced him into intercepting the fleeing proxy, and it was Syun who clearly manipulated the situation to her advantage. Of course she wanted Audrey, but not for the duplicitous reason she gave.
‘We must have him, in order to have her...’
Syun’s words had betrayed her. Nai-Ko knew that she really desired the exact opposite.
Now, as the plane neared New York City, Nai-Ko realized that his vision of the future - himself as the head of a new clan, with ultimate authority and power - was but an afterthought. He was, at this point, servile to their will.
Nai-Ko heard a strong heartbeat and raised his eyes. A few rows ahead of him, he could see the back of Kelvin’s head -strategically topped with a beanie that covered his ears. The boy’s heart was beating faster as they approached their destination. For a moment, Nai-Ko considered snatching the stocking cap from Kelvin’s head, if only to expose him to the humans around him. He smiled wickedly at the thought, but then ceased as he soon realized that action would only jeopardize Syun as well.
He looked sideways at Syun, whose own attention was rapt on a magazine. At this moment, she looked no different from the humans that surrounded them, and her behavior was as despicably impulsive.
What did I ever see in her? he thought regretfully.
Suddenly, the pilot spoke, interrupting his thoughts.
“Folks, we’d like to welcome you to New York City where the local time is seven forty-five. We’ll be landing in a few minutes, so please obey all fasten seat-belt signs. Thank you.”
Nai-Ko burned again. Even the pilot was giving him orders.
#
Kelvin slowly drove the car down the dark and empty forest service road. The boy had insisted on driving, and Syun urged Nai-Ko to cooperate, so he relented and guided them all the way from New York City to the Adirondacks.
From his intelligence-gathering duties, he was constantly aware of the Ambrose’s movements. Consequently, Nai-Ko knew they’d made their headquarters in an expansive and uninhabited portion of those mountains. After a few hours of driving, he’d brought them close to the edge of the Ambrose property.
Nai-Ko signaled Kelvin to stop, and the car did suddenly. Kelvin climbed out the driver door without a word and Nai-Ko joined him, with Syun soon slipping out of the back of their large green sedan.
He looked around in the darkened woods, his eyes glowing. Kelvin was doing the same, and what little sounds were present when the car arrived immediately died down with their arrival.
Now, the forest was stone silent.
“This way,” directed Nai-Ko, pointing up a steep slope thick with spruce and pine. Suddenly, Kelvin was bounding up the hill with superhuman ability, crashing through brush and branches without a care. Nai-Ko watched and shook his head at Kelvin’s impetuousness, then turned to Syun.
“We are to cause a diversion?” he remarked sarcastically to Syun. “With him creating such a commotion? They’re probably already aware of our presence. This was a mistake, Syun, we should go right now.”
Syun looked fiercely at him.
“Absolutely NOT!” she exclaimed loudly, before hushing her voice. “We are here, and he is eager to be with the one he loves. And who can blame him? You would be the same if the situation were reversed. We can do this, Ko! Come on!”
Syun began trudging up the hill after Kelvin. Soon, Nai-Ko heard her breathing hard, because she was only nineteen and her nascent powers hadn’t yet developed enough to significantly benefit her in her climb. However, he could tell by her glowing red eyes that she could at least see where she was going, so Nai-Ko tried to keep his focus on Kelvin. The boy moved with reckless abandon, and Nai-Ko noticed that a low hanging branch had snagged Kelvin’s stocking cap from his head as he passed.
Nai-Ko helped Syun trek onward up the hill; as they passed Kelvin’s cap, Nai-Ko shook his head derisively at the sight.
If Audrey had been wary of Kelvin’s red eyes, how receptive would she possibly be to his pointed ears? Nai-Ko thought.
Kelvin bounded up over the crest and was out of sight, but Nai-Ko could hear him crashing through the woods beyond. Soon, he and Syun reached the top. Beyond it, he could make out the dim lights of the Ambrose compound. It was surrounded by a high stone wall and hedgerow, and he saw that Kelvin was quickly approaching it.
Nai-Ko sighed and motioned for Syun to climb on his back. She nodded and slung her slender arms around his neck. When he was sure that she was secure, he took off after Kelvin.
The tremendous speed and ground he covered was startling to him. Nai-Ko had not utilized these powers in so long, and, for a moment, he felt like a god again. Up ahead, he could see that Kelvin was slowing as he approached the hedgerow, and Nai-Ko increased his pace. In a few moments, the two of them caught up to their eager partner.
“Come on,” urged Kelvin, who wasn’t even breathing hard. Nai-Ko scanned up the wall and pointed to a spot that offered the most cover. With a step, Nai-Ko leapt to the top of the twenty-foot wall and heard Syun gasp in his ear. Her arms gripped him tighter as he landed upon one knee and balanced steadily. Nai-Ko looked back to beckon Kelvin, but the boy was already mid-leap and landed next to them, his eyes burning.
“Cool,” Kelvin chuckled, but Nai-Ko didn’t see the humor. What they were engaged in was clearly taboo, and far beyond what Nai-Ko had even considered when he left his clan. No matter the outcome, there would be consequences, because the Ambrose clan, and especially Eryx, would see to it. He only hoped that they could finish this business as quickly and cleanly as possible and flee back to the relative safety of Australia before anything escalated.
Nai-Ko pointed to the third-floor terrace that was closest to them, about eight hundred yards away. With a nod, Kelvin somersaulted from the wall, landed mid-stride, and raced quickly toward the side of the immense structure.
Syun beckoned him to follow, but Nai-Ko hesitated. He looked down and, even though he wasn’t afraid of the height, he wondered if he would be able to safely land with Syun’s added weight. She prodded him again, and he gingerly hopped down, landing harder than he’d anticipated.
OOMPH!
He fell to both knees, and Syun slipped off of his back, falling awkwardly on her side, but unhurt.
“Are you alright, Ko?” she whispered, her voice clearly concerned.
Nai-Ko closed his eyes and steeled his face, then nodded.
Now she is concerned, he lamented, now that we are committed, she expresses some concern!
This is ridiculous, he thought, and then scooped Syun up again. In one motion, he flung her to his back and began to chase after Kelvin.
By the time he caught up, he was clearly sweating and out of breath. Nai-Ko knew that his abilities were immense compared to a human, but only in short bursts. However, one look at the boy told him that he wasn’t fazed at all. Kelvin was energized.
He quickly caught his breath and pointed up at the dark terrace, and saw Kelvin studying him.
“You sure you can make it?”
Nai-Ko straightened up, and Syun climbed off his back.
“Of course I can,” he said defiantly.
Kelvin looked at Syun, then looked up at the destination.
“Here, I’ll get this one,” Kelvin smirked and snatched Syun around the waist. He crouched down and then burst up into the night sky as Syun giggled with glee.
Nai-Ko watched the obscene spectacle with jealousy, fury, and contempt for the pair, but he quickly summoned his strength and followed them.
Kelvin had already made his way to a heavy steel door, and Nai-Ko barked out a warning.
“Do not - !”
Kelvin yanked on the door and pulled it off of its hinges, and Syun’s eyes lit up again. Immediately, a klaxon alarm sounded and she covered her ears.
“Damn it! I told you...”
The freak looked back and shrugged, then slipped inside. Syun followed quickly, as Nai-Ko scanned for any guards. He knew that any human security force the Ambrose had would be focused on the gate, not the home itself.
“AUDREY!” beckoned Kelvin between the klaxon blasts. He perceived something that Nai-Ko clearly didn’t because he took off down a staircase. Syun looked back at Nai-Ko and motioned for him to follow, so he huffed and complied.
As Kelvin reached the lowest landing on the stairs, Nai-Ko could see that he was sniffing the air. Kelvin turned his attention to a solid black wall and pointed at it.
“In HERE!”
Nai-Ko scanned the ceiling and found what he’d dreaded. There was a security camera positioned behind an immense chandelier, and it was slowly pivoting on their position.
Someone was watching - and recording - their actions.
He caught Kelvin’s attention and pointed at the camera, but the fool ignored him. Instead, Kelvin’s fingers felt around the black wall, found a seam, and dug into the edge of the tightly sealed door. With a mighty groan, Kelvin pried the featureless cover free, ripping it from the wall. The loose stone and steel door crashed onto the floor, and Kelvin raced down the dimly lit hallway with Syun close behind.
“AUDREY!” Kelvin shouted. “WHERE ARE YOU?”
Suddenly, between the blare of the alarm and his own heavily pounding heart, Nai-Ko detected a faint and distant cry.
“Help!!”
It was Audrey’s voice.
Kelvin had led them to a large hexagonal room with a curiously shaped spiked water fountain. Nai-Ko stopped to catch his breath and examine it, but Kelvin spun on his heel and was already racing back up the hallway.
“This way!” he called as he passed them in a blur. Syun looked at the speeding Kelvin, but then returned her gaze to Nai-Ko.
“What’s wrong, Ko?”
He wheezed and placed his hands upon his knees.
“Wait,” he managed to cough out, as he heard Kelvin’s heavy footsteps thundering away down some unseen passage. Syun stayed dutifully by his side, and Nai-Ko was slightly grateful, but the sensation was short lived.
Soon, he sensed another presence.
He slowly stood up and peered down one of the corridors leading off from the room. Nai-Ko’s eyes glowed; far ahead, in the darkness, another set of red eyes appeared.
Instinctively, he positioned himself in front of Syun.
“Go,” he beckoned to her.
“No! Ko...”
“GO! NOW!” he commanded, and he heard Syun’s hastened footsteps behind him.
From the darkness, a figure emerged, and Nai-Ko immediately recognized him. It was Elian Ambrose.
The tall man walked steadily into the room and looked Nai-Ko over. He smiled thinly and slowly shook his head.
“Who do you think you are?” he asked with disdain.
Nai-Ko did not answer. Even though he knew who Elian was from his intelligence gathering, there was a chance that the man did not know who HE was, and Nai-Ko wasn’t about to help him.
“Stay back!” Nai-Ko growled, hoping that he was convincing.
Elian continued his steady approach.
“Really? You cross my borders, violate my home, come to steal my proxy...” Elian scoffed, undeterred. “Who are you to dictate anything?”
The man stopped for a moment, and his eyes flashed bright. In the next moment, Nai-Ko found himself flying through the air, propelled by an unseen force. His body crashed violently against the corner, knocking the wind out of him. Elian stood over him, laughing, his red eyes fluttering as he laughed.
“Look at you! You are spent! Was that your entire plan? Break into my home in order to DIE inside?”
Elian scowled and powerfully kicked Nai-Ko in the side, sending him sprawling down the hallway. As he tumbled, he felt his ribs crack, and the searing pain was something he’d never experienced. As soon as he came to a rest, Nai-Ko crouched and clutched his side, looking up at his tormentor.
“He - he only wants the girl,” he gasped.
“‘He only wants the girl...’” Elian repeated, mocking him. “Who, that ... that boy?” The man’s laughter echoed in the room, stinging Nai-Ko more than his injured ribcage.
“You...” Elian pointed accusingly at him. “You are taking orders ... from him? A human? You are PATHETIC!”
Those vicious words tore into Nai-Ko, and he boiled with rage, because he knew deep down the accusation was right. He’d allowed himself to become everything he swore he’d never be.
Nai-Ko saw his hands trembling, and he felt weaker than ever. He realized that he was going to die, Elian was going to kill him, and all because he’d allowed himself to become Syun and Kelvin’s puppet.
A PUPPET!
Nai-Ko’s hands ceased their trembling.
I am NOT a PUPPET!
His feet steadied on the ground beneath him.
I am NOT a SERVANT!
His focus burned to a laser, and he stared at Elian’s approaching chest. In a few strides, he was over Nai-Ko.
I AM A GOD!
“And now you DIE!” Elain sneered, his hand raised to strike the deathblow.
“NEVER!!” howled Nai-Ko, bursting from his crouch with every ounce of his energy and hatred and fury.
He thrust his strong hands directly into the center of Elian’s muscular chest and sent the oppressor flying back toward the hexagonal room. Nai-Ko’s eyes flashed, and he was momentarily blinded by his rage. The sounds of his heaving breaths as he gulped the crisp air were the only noise besides the sputtering of the spiked fountain.
Suddenly, his eyesight returned, and with it, a new horror.
His tormentor, Elian Ambrose - son of Eryx Ambrose, leader of the Ambrose clan and member of the Neplusultra Council - was impaled upon the spiked fountain.
The sphere of diffused water was broken by Elian’s quivering form, and the base of the fountain was slowly becoming a mix of the cold, pure water and fresh, warm blood.
Elian’s eyes burned bright red, and he tried to speak, but his throat was pierced through by the merciless stainless steel. Instead, he gurgled up a spurt of blood, which flowed down his chin. It joined a larger red stain spreading across his chest, where another spike poked through the sculpted muscle and white silk shirt. Elian’s long legs dangled freely, and Nai-Ko watched those bare feet struggle in vain to find solid ground.
Nai-Ko heaved in a breath; at the sound, Elian’s red eyes instantly flicked to him. Those eyes stared at him, for an eternity it seemed, but slowly, the light in them died out.
Elian had breathed his last.
An overwhelming sense of dread instantly consumed Nai-Ko. Everything he’d ever wanted - his own rule, Syun’s affection, ultimate determination of his fate - was gone.
Gone forever.
Nai-Ko wheezed, and his ears slowly became aware again of the pervading klaxon alarm. He slowly staggered backwards, unable to take his eyes off of Elian’s lifeless body impaled upon the glistening metal.
Elian Ambrose was dead.
Nai-Ko knew it, and he was certain of only one other thing.
He was, too.