Creatures of Snow (24 page)

Dread burned its way quickly through his
brief satisfaction. His father would be furious if he found out he
had hit one of his men. Al suppressed his energy in preparation of
Illean’s retaliation.

“
You little punk!” Illean
raged forward his fist raised high into the air.

“Oi!” A voice rang out
across the yard.

Illean skidded to a halt,
and turned in time with the rest of the group gathered towards the
courtyard’s entrance. Outsiders rarely walked this far down the
road and any that did would know better then to stop in front the
Kane estate.

Al craned his neck to see. It was Con.

“
This doesn’t concern you
boy, keep moving.” Illean waved him away, turning his back towards
him.

“A bunch of grown men
bullying a little kid is certainly a concern to me,” A sly look
turned up the corners of his mouth, “As I am sure it will be to the
authorities as well.”

Illean’s ugly face twisted
up into a repulsive glower as he fought for actual words to fill in
the gaps between his spit-laced stutters of rage.

“
You all right, Al?” Con
called over to him.

“
I’m fine.” Al raised a
hand over to him, hoping to the highest Haven that he would just
leave.

“
You know this brat?”
Illean pointed a stubby finger towards Con.

Con wrapped his long
fingers slowly around the bars of the gate. Darkness had crossed
his sunny face, “Keep pointing that finger at me and I will break
it off.” His words came out smooth and calm – it was enough to make
even Al shudder.

“
Just go home, Con. I’m
fine.” Al shouted over, backing up towards the door. “Thanks for
stopping by.”

Con’s eyes drilled
directly onto Illeans face, and Illean was just standing there, his
arms had gone slack at his sides.

“
I’m going in the house
now.” Al kept backing up till he hit the stairs. “I’ll see you
tomorrow.”

Al stopped halfway up the stairs and looked
back. Con was gone and Illean was now up at the gate, his club-like
hands on the bars.

Good. For a moment he
thought Con might try and start something. There was just something
about that guy, something he had seen before in his father, and
sometimes in Sky – there was a distinct hunger behind that smile, a
thirst for chaos.

“
Allen!” A voice shouted
the second the door closed behind him.

Sonya, his fathers
real
second in command,
rushed towards him. She was an exotic, black haired Agonian.
Powerful, beautiful, mysterious and…beautiful. His mood lifted just
slightly as she sprinted around the corner; her eyes more desperate
then he had ever seen them.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked
him up and down. Without a word she shoved him aside and threw open
the door.

“Sonya?” He watched her
scan the yard. He peeked around her, to see the gathering outside
had dispersed, those that remained looked distant and
confused.

Sonya slammed the heavy door with a snarl.
She turned quickly and sighed to calm herself before giving her
attention to Al. “Allen, did you know that boy out there?”

Al leaned against one of the pillars that
bordered the foyer. “Con? Yeah, he’s from school. He’s Sky’s mentor
for the Axis program.”

“
Why was he here?” She
almost looked worried, but kept most of her expression locked away
behind a mask of rigidity.

She must have been watching from the
conference room on the third level. So did that mean she had seen
what was happening before Con showed up? “I don’t know, just out
for a stroll maybe.”

“
Stay away from that boy,
do you hear me. He is very dangerous.”

“You’re joking, right?” He
laughed, letting some of the spite he felt into his words. “He’s a
friend of Sky’s. And a classmate.”

“
That was Con Embers,” She
said slowly, “One of the Powers. There is no legitimate reason he
would either be a student here, or your friend.”

“
He’s part of Axis, like I
said.” Al didn’t like her tone, but was too distracted by the way
her hair was falling perfectly around her face to be
angry.

She moved too hastily for
him to react and he found himself nearly nose to nose with her,
looking into her dark eyes with her hand clenched firmly onto his
face.

“
If you ever see that boy
again, run. And then come find me.”

Al nodded. Her sincerity
would have caused him some concern if he wasn’t so distracted by
the fact that she was touching his face. “Sure.” He
lied.

She let go and stood to her full height,
regaining her frightening presence. “Be careful, Allen. The only
place you are truly safe is here.” She turned back to the door, but
paused before opening it and gave a glance back at him, “It’s
always safer to assume the worst and trust no one outside these
walls. Do you understand?”

“
I understand.” But that
didn’t make him believe it.

“
You should stay home from
school tomorrow,” She looked him in the eye once again, “I need to
find out what’s going on.”

Al shrugged. He didn’t
know why she was always so serious. “I already told
you-”

She turned again, heaving open the door.
“Allen. He’s a Power.”

“You’ve said that twice
now, like I know what that is.” Al looked around her again into the
courtyard.

“I thought you knew
everything.” She almost smiled. “The Powers are weapons. Nothing
more. And that one, he obeys only one master and that master obeys
no one. Not anymore.” She warned.

He put his weight back on the pillar, trying
to understand what she had just said.

“Clean yourself up,
Allen.” She ordered. “Your face is a mess.” And with that she was
out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

Al stared at the closed door and left with a
mocking salute. He started off towards his room, his mood growing
increasingly fouler with each step. He made a point to slam every
door that stood in his way and kick whatever debris happened to be
in his path.

How fitting that the only
person that dared to raise a hand against the meatheads attacking
him was Con, who was now apparently some sort of evil super power
thing. What a load. They would literally say anything to keep him
away from people with strong wills and opinions that didn’t match
their own. It’s why they hated Sky so much.

Al slammed the door to his
room, the one painting that was hanging on his wall went crashing
to the ground. He wiped the blood still making its way out from his
nose and stumbled towards the bathroom. Taking off his shirt he
decided that the amount of blood and dirt on it was beyond help and
the only place it would do any good was the trash.

He successfully avoided
the mirror and turned the water on as hot as it would go and
watched the steam rise up from the cold white stone.

Emotions were never looked
upon with anything other than disdain in their twisted little
family. Al could count on one hand the times he had been allowed to
cry. This was a moment that he really wanted to add another finger
to that count. To just break down, to feel sorry for himself and
his poor broken nose. But, in the end, he had known it was coming.
He had been careless on the rules ever since he had started at the
Academy. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but he also could have
prevented it.

Cupping his hands he began filling them with
the scalding water before drowning his face in them. The clear
water ran with red for an instant before swirling down the
drain.

The steam had clouded the
mirror by the time his eyes drifted up to meet his own gaze.
Through the haze he could see the dark purple that had spread
itself across his face. Most would be gone by morning, but not all
of it. The most logical thing to do was stay home from school
tomorrow like Sonya had said. There was no way he would let anyone
see him like this.

Al finished cleaning up
and dried off his face and hands, reassuring himself that tomorrow
would be a great day. He could hide all day in his room and
research. It was all for the better. He would almost prefer a day
of exciting investigation over another series of long
lectures.

A knock at the door shook
him from his musing. He stood frozen, staring at the door. The
knock came again and drove him back a few steps. He didn’t remember
locking the door, he was actually quite sure he hadn’t. There was
no one else in the entire compound that would have any reason to
come to his room. Unless, of course, he had punched that someone in
the guts and run away.

He waited there, unable to move for a few
moments. After finding that his legs did indeed still work he
walked slowly and quietly towards the door, letting his breath out
slowly with each step.

There was some rustling behind the door, and
then silence. Pressing his ear up against the thick wood, he could
hear the steady rhythm of someone breathing.

“
Who is it?” He made
himself say, trying to mask the fear in his voice with
annoyance.

“
My name is O’Riley, Sir.
I work in the kitchen.”

Al knew the name, he cracked the door open
and squinted an eye through.

“
I’m incredibly sorry to
bother you, Sir.” The man shifted uncomfortably, “But, well, I have
something for you.”

Al cautiously opened the
door. The man had worked for them for years, he was middle aged,
balding and one of the jollier fellows on the lot, so it was
strange seeing him so unnerved.

“
What is it?” After the
nights events Al had no idea what to expect.

“A man gave this to me and
asked me to give it to you. Or, at least, I think that’s what
happened. It feels like I dreamed the whole thing, but then there
is no explaining where I got this here box.” The man held out his
hands and presented Al with a small wooden box.

“A man? What did he look
like?”

“Apologies, Sir, but I
don’t really remember. He was tall, maybe, and dressed in
black.”

“Thank you, O’Riley.” Al
nodded and took the little box with shaking hands. “Take the rest
of the night off, okay.”

O’Riley’s eyes lit up, “Oh, thank you, Sir!
I’m not feeling like myself, that’s for sure.”

Al forced a smile, “It’s been a strange
night for all of us, I think.” He nodded his thanks again and shut
the door gently.

His whole body shook as he
walked the tiny treasure across the room. “What in the realms is
going on?” He whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and slumped
down onto his bed. He had seen the box before. He knew exactly what
it was and exactly what was in it.

He ran his fingers over
the intricately carved wood. His eyes came open as he lifted the
lid and slid his fingers around the cool metal of his mom’s locket.
His eye’s shut tight again as he let his head sink down onto the
pillow. The world melted away until all that was left was a young
man that missed his mom. The burning behind his eyes was too much
to hold back. His body and heart hurt and for the first time in his
short life, Al let himself cry himself to sleep.

Chapter Nineteen

“Help!” Sara screamed as
they rounded the corner, she could see the dull illumination of the
transport stop. “Officer, please!”

She could see the heap of
blankets shift around and sit up. Good, he had heard her. She
tightened her grip around Sky’s arm and dragged him onward. He
hadn’t said one word in protest; he had just let her lead him
blindly. “Keep your eyes closed, we’re almost there.”

He nodded weakly; she
hoped to the Havens he wouldn’t pass out before they got to the
stop.

“
Is the transport there?”
Sky didn’t even try to mask the desperation in his
voice.

“
Yeah, it’s there, and so
is the officer. We’re gonna be fine.” She pulled him closer to
her.

“Your uncle, is he a True
Blood?” He asked, as if coming to a realization.

“
No,” She lied. “He’s my
dad’s half brother.” There was no way she was risking their lives
for that man, and she couldn’t take the chance that Sky would
suggest going back for him.

“What’s going on here?”
The officer was standing, but still looked half asleep. “Is that
blood?” His barely open eyes must have made it over to
Sky.

“I’m fine,” Sky stood up
straight and shook her off his arm, but kept his eyes shut tight.
“We just need to get on the transport, Sara, come on.”

“What are you on, son,
that would make you think you’re all right?” He looked between them
again and then let his eyes drift to behind them, slowly reaching
under his rags.

“
There were thuggers out
there, they attacked us and he got stabbed, we got to get to the
city, now!” She pulled Sky toward the transport that lay rumbling
just a few feet away.

The officer pulled his
weapon, and aimed it directly at them.

“What are you doing?” She
put herself between Sky and the lectro club.

The officer stepped at her, but she held her
ground.

“
Move.” He hissed at
her.