Will Power: A Djinn Short (3 page)

Not me though.

Guardjinn already had so few choices in life
—
serve or protect. We shouldn’t be criticised for using the little freedom that was available to us.

Kellan led Pyke and I into the sitting room where Ivan and his wife, Isabelle, were waiting. A fire crackled in the hearth. The Greenwoods sat on the couch with a platter of tea on the table, though I didn’t expect them to offer us any.

“Mr and Mrs Greenwood.” I bowed.

Ivan said nothing and Isabelle only gave a small smile. They didn’t tell us to take a seat, so Pyke and I stood at attention.

“You’re taking a team then?” Ivan asked, gesturing to Pyke.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Pyke Danvers,” Pyke said.

“Grant’s son,” Isabelle whispered, as if it were a secret. “I’m so sorry about your father …”

“He died doing his duty, Isabelle,” Ivan said like her apology was pointless. “Wait outside.”

Pyke bowed and left the room.

“We are ready to leave,” I said. “I’ve been through the information you gave me and we will start at their last-known location.”

“Good. The car in the driveway is yours to use.” Ivan pulled a set of keys from his pocket and tossed them. I caught them with one hand and returned to my attentive stance.

“Now. I have a few conditions that you will follow,” Ivan said.

“Of course.”

“First, when you find my daughter you are not to tell her what she is or anything about the kidnapping. You will leave that to us. Second, you will not tell her about Blooders whatsoever. Third, you will make sure she is not hurt.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ivan stood and wandered over to the fireplace, staring deeply into the flames.

“And lastly, when you find the Blooder who took her, you will kill him.”

Silence hung in the air. It was what Pyke wanted. I supposed it was only reasonable that they would want him dead. He’d killed Djinn, stolen a child and he was our enemy.

Isabelle remained quiet, her tea in her hands. She seemed sad, her eyes downcast. I wondered how many times she’d had this conversation. How many Guardjinn had she asked to bring her daughter back, only to watch them fail? Did she still hope to see her daughter again? Or was it easier to let hope go?

“We will bring her back,” I said, even though I doubted Isabelle would believe me. I put power into my words. “I will not fail you. Kyra is coming home.”

Isabelle lifted her gaze, her eyes glassy. I meant my words and gave her a nod to show I was serious.

“There are phones in the car,” Ivan said. “I want you to check in periodically. You can go.”

I bowed again and left them. Kellan and Pyke were waiting in the foyer, standing on opposite sides of the room.

“What did he say?” Pyke asked.

“We’re to bring their daughter back,” I said. I wasn’t going to mention that we were also ordered to kill Malcolm. Pyke didn’t need to know that yet.

***

“Nice car,” Pyke said, “if you’re an old lady.”

The black hatchback was small and functional for our job, but not at all stylish.

We threw our bags into the trunk and I stepped to the driver side.

“Shotgun driving,” Pyke said with a smirk.

“I’m driving,” I replied.

“Yeah, but I shotgunned.”

“My leadership overrules shotgun.” I slipped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Pyke slumped into the seat next to me, running a hand through his hair.

“That’s not going to get old fast,” he said.

I reversed out of the driveway and started down the main road out of the compound. It was strange. I had only been outside the compound a handful of times in my life as part of my training and now I was venturing farther than ever before.
 

The human world wasn’t something that Djinn cared about. Of course we kept an eye on it, in case it ever affected us, but for the most part they weren’t worth our time. The less time we spent in the open, the less likely it was that they would find out about us.
We’d have to be careful on the mission not to use our powers in public and draw attention.

“Where do we start?” Pyke asked.

“Their last-known location. It’s a few days drive from here.”

The compound gates came into view, two Guardjinn standing guard. Another two patrolled the nearby perimeter.

I hit the breaks and the car jumped to a halt. A furious-looking Mia stepped out from the night’s shadow and in front of the vehicle. Her fists were clenched, the skin around her eyes shimmering blue.

I stepped out of the car with my hands up. If Mia used her ability on the car, it would have been reduced to a wreck. “Mia, don’t do anything stupid.”

“Stupid?” she said. “Like going on a mission to get the stolen Djinn and taking Pyke with you?”

She stepped into the headlights, closing the gap between us.
“Seriously, Will! Are you insane?”

Pyke popped his head out of the car. “Go home, Mia.”

“And tell your mother that you left?” she shouted.
 

“She should be happy that I’m finally getting revenge,” he replied.

“Pyke, just let me handle this,” I said and he rolled up his window.

“Mia, listen
—
”

“No, you listen.”

“This isn’t a revenge mission. Pyke promised to do everything I said.”

“Do you really expect him to listen to anyone once he sees that Blooder?”

“I’ll deal with Pyke, but he needs to do this. He needs to face him.”

“Well he’s not doing it alone. I’m coming with you.”

“No.” I didn’t know why I was against Mia coming. She was a great fighter and I trusted her with my life. Maybe having her and Pyke on this trip made things more complicated.

“Will, I promised to look out for Pyke. He’s my family and I’m not letting him do this alone.”

She was standing close to me now, her eyes looking up at me with a fierce love for her cousin. I had never felt that way about anyone before.

“Okay,” I said. “You can come. Get in the car.”

Mia smiled, but didn’t move. She was leaning so barely a finger’s width of space was between us and I knew that her thoughts were not about Pyke anymore. They were on me.

“We need to get moving,” I said and returned to the car.

I didn’t want to be cruel to Mia. I knew how she felt about me, but I thought telling her I didn’t feel the same way would hurt her more, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.

Mia slid into the backseat.

“She’s coming?” Pyke said, pointing at Mia.

“She’s coming,” I confirmed.

“Unbelievable.”

“We could quickly swing by your house for some clothes,” I said, though I wanted to get moving.

“Don’t bother,” Pyke said. “I packed some of her stuff in my bag.”

Mia’s eyebrows rose and she smirked. I was surprised too. Pyke seemed so against Mia coming, but he had expected it.
 

What was it like to know someone that well?

Chapter Five

The road from the compound was long and dark. Nothing but empty fields surrounded our borders for a few hundred metres before a thick forest of pines created a barrier between our home and the rest of the world.

I had my eyes on the road while Pyke unfolded the map.

“This thing is stupid,” he said, unfolding more and more paper as if it were endless. “Why’s it got to be so big?”

“The world is big,” I replied.

“Not our world,” he countered.

Something hit the back of the car and sent it into a tailspin. I gripped the wheel, fighting to stay in control as we veered off the road into a ditch. The car seemed altogether unharmed, maybe a few scratches and dings.

“Is everyone alright?” I asked.

Pyke had one arm on the dash and the other on his seatbelt, holding him in place. Mia was crouched in the foot well behind Pyke’s seat, her lip bleeding. She hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt.

“Mia?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, climbing back into her seat. “What the hell was that?”

“Did we hit an animal?” Pyke stared out the back window to the road.

“We didn’t hit anything. Something hit us,” I replied.

Three figures emerged from the darkness, their faces cast in harsh shadows from the car’s lights. They had wolfish grins and red eyes.

“Blooders.” I kicked my door open. The night was chilly; autumn was here to stay, pine needles littering the road.

There were two male Blooders and a female. The girl was lanky with curly, black hair and long nails. One Blooder stood near her, licking his lips like a hunter stalking prey. The third was shorter, with black hair blowing in his eyes. He seemed more composed than the other two.

“What are three Djinn doing out here all alone?” the composed Blooder said. “Don’t you know it’s not safe? There are monsters in the woods.”

The other two Blooders cackled. They seemed so unhinged, blood crazed.

Pyke and Mia joined me on the road. The female Blooder stiffened and sniffed the air. It was Mia’s bleeding lip.

The Blooder shuddered and clenched her fists into claws. “Aww, she smells so good. I want to rip her throat out.”

I stepped in front of Mia. “Just try it.”

“How noble,” the composed Blooder said, red eyes blazing. “You really should have known better than to leave your little sanctuary, but then is anywhere really safe anymore? Why are you outside of the compound? Hmm, where are you going?”

“That’s none of your business,” Pyke barked.

The female Blooder paced back and forth until the male Blooder grabbed her arm.

“Calm down, Jeannie,” he warned.

She snatched her arm back. “I’m plenty calm, Harry.” Jeannie looked to the composed Blooder with pleading eyes. “Can we eat them now, Alec? Can we?”

Alec raised a finger. “In a moment. Let’s not rush this. I want to know where they’re going.”

“But the Guardjinn could be on their way,” Harry said.

“We
are
Guardjinn,” I said and what little colour Harry had in his face flooded away.

“Alec?”

Alec shot Harry a warning. “Relax, Harry. Guardjinn, Djinn … it doesn’t matter. Food is food.”

“What are they doing so close to the compound?” Pyke whispered.

“They look desperate,” Mia said. “They’re probably alone and starved of blood.”

“We can take them.” Pyke’s hands frosted.

“We do it quick and as a team,” I said.

Alec pulled a vial from his pocket, barely bigger than his thumb and filled with red liquid. “Bottoms up,” he said and tipped the contents down his throat.

“Now!” I shouted and lunged at Alec.

Harry and Jeannie drank their own vials as Mia and Pyke engaged. I tackled Alec, knocking him to the ground. He kicked his legs and flipped me over.
 

He rolled onto his front in a crouched position. “I wonder what new ability I’m going to get today.” He tensed, muscles bulging as sharp thorn-like spikes grew from his skin, like he was a porcupine.

“Sorry, all I’m offering is swift death.”

I lunged at Alec again but he darted out of the way, scraping his thorny arm against my side. The blow didn’t hurt; it didn’t even leave much of a mark. My skin was covered in little paper cuts.

Alec’s smile fell. “Well, well. I wasn’t expecting that. Your ability will make a fine addition to the collection.”

To my left, Pyke and Mia were locked in battle against Harry and Jeannie, who were using some kind of earth ability. Harry was throwing rocks at Pyke, who returned the attack with icicle punches.

Mia was screeching at Jeannie, who was forced to cover her ears and drop to the ground. Blood dripped through Jeannie’s fingers until she stopped moving all together.

“Jeannie!” Harry crushed his hands into the road causing a ripple effect that knocked everyone over. Harry clutched Jeannie in his arms and brushed the hair from her face.

A blow hit me in the chin, knocking my head backward. More paper cuts slashed my cheek. I caught Alec’s fist before the next punch. The thorns dug into my skin, though I felt nothing more than slight pressure.

I elbowed Alec in the jaw, shattering some of his spiked armour. A jab to his side and an uppercut to the face, and then Alec lay on the road broken.
 

Pyke sent a barrage of ice arrows at Harry, tearing him into a bloody mess. His body fell beside Jeannie’s.

Alec watched them die and didn’t seem all too upset about losing his friends. Did Blooders even have friends? Families? Was there any of their humanity left, or was all they cared about their next meal?

“I underestimated you,” Alec said. “It won’t happen again.”

Another vial of blood down his throat and Alec disappeared like a mirage in the desert.

Pyke jogged up behind me. “Where’d he go?”

“Invisibility,” I replied. “There’s no way we’ll find him in the woods at night.”

I clenched my fists. I should have stopped him, killed him when I’d had the chance. Mia and Pyke had taken care of their Blooders with little problem, but Alec was different. The other Blooders were desperate; Alec was calculating. He thought about his moves, his words.

“We should still search the woods,” Mia said, the blue fading from her skin as her ability cooled down.

“No,” I replied. As much as I wanted to kill that Blooder and any Blooder that threatened the safety of the compound, I couldn’t.

“Killing him isn’t our job right now. If he comes near the compound again the Guardjinn on duty will take care of him. Our mission is to find the Greenwood girl.”

Chapter Six

It took a few days of driving to get to the last-known location of Kyra and Malcolm. The intelligence we had was a few months old, and the Guardjinn had only thought he’d seen Malcolm. There was no sighting of Kyra.

We had been driving non-stop since leaving the compound, taking turns at the wheel and sleeping. Food was whatever we picked up at gas stations
—
mostly packets of chips, when Mia shopped.

I had never spent so much time with my friends before. Sure, we trained together daily and went for runs in the park, but then we would part ways and I’d have alone time.