Chapter 15

He met me faithfully by the riverside, wearing a loose hoodie. For a moment, he looked slightly different from the straight-spined, scary-looking Hunter that I had not a first impression of. However, I noted the stiffness in his posture as he leaned against the railing. Water gushed below, creating an air of perfect icy coldness. Water droplets hung from the tip of the Hunter’s dark hair, and he looked every part the brooding man he already was.

Dragging Vin was no easy job, but silent rage and ferocity burning within me forced on foot in front of the other, my hand gripping tight on Vin’s leash. He was stumbling behind me, limping, but I didn’t care. He’d killed my parents. He’d killed Christy.

Xavier’s eyes were the expressions of shock when he turned to the sound of my heels clicking sharply on the ground, accompanied by the loud shuffling as Vin struggled to keep pace with me with his tired legs. I stopped with ample distance between us, and kept my quiet while Xavier looked between my bashed-up hostage and me.

“You did that?” was his first question addressed to me, gesturing towards Vin’s injuries, black eye and swollen bruises.

I shook my head, keeping strangely numb. The fire of hatred was consuming me slowly from the inside.

“What happened, Dru? Why do you look so angry?” pointed out Mr. Obvious.

“I’m not handing him over to you.” I said blandly. Even though there hadn’t been a real need for me to tell him that I was turning my back on the deal, my conscience proved better. It felt kind of bad that I, the one who brought him so close to getting Vin in his hands, was the one back-stabbing him. But it couldn’t compare a single shit to what Wind had done to me.

He drew back one step in shock, disbelief coloring his face while he looked at me, as if waiting for me to reveal that it was a joke. “What?”

“I can’t hand him over to you. I need him for something else. I’m sorry.” I said with as much sincerity as I could manage, but it sounded bland, for I was doing my best to push away anger in my voice at the same time.

“You’re sorry? Just that? You’re sorry? What do you take me for? An idiot?” The shock slowly bled away from the Hunter’s face as it was turned to open hostility. He drew his power to him, and though my hand clenched reflexively over the leash on Vin, I did not call my power to me.

I understood that he would fight me for Vin. I understood that he would do everything to get Vin in his hands, because he wanted –needed –that revenge. The plan was murky in my mind. If Xavier killed me getting Vin, then I wouldn’t need to suffer under Wind’s command. If Xavier stopped short of killing me for Vin, then I would tell him what was happening, and what I needed him to do.

“Yes, just that. I’m sorry. I’m not taking you for an idiot, but I cannot hand him over to you.” I spoke evenly, just watching his reactions, gauging him. I could see that Xavier was just holding back, trying his best not to attack me. Slowly, he drew out a sheathed short dagger from his pocket. I saw the insignia on its sheath; the diamonds encrusted its hilt. It didn’t take a second glance at the insignia to realize what the dagger meant.

It was the dagger that was passed down generations to generations in the Valentino family. Very much like the dagger of the Reyzon family, except a different insignia upon the sheath. The dagger of the Reyzon family didn’t even have a sheath anymore; it had been long lost by our forefathers.

He unsheathed the dagger, branding it out slowly before me.

“If you don’t take me for an idiot, then I shall assume you know what it means. I shall assume you know what it means to fight with the dagger belonging to a family of sorcery.” There was almost guilt in that voice, but I nodded blandly.

To fight with the dagger; it meant fighting with all your might.

“If these are my last words, then I shall speak them freely. I’m sorry. Do me a favor, and apologize to Faith for me. Anneson…… take care of a fellow Reyzon, please.”

There was a nod, and then Xavier was in action. As he slashed down the dagger with all his might, I pushed Vin to one side, dodging the blow as I slinked away. Vin, being the weak nightstalker, having survived whatever Kote did to him, simply fell to the floor, limp and unable to get up. He didn’t even respond. He was just an empty shell. Nothing more.

I was too late in dodging the next blow, and it drew a long, painful line of blood right up my right forearm. Pulling my power to me now, I called to the blood, forming a dagger that was the same length as Xavier’s dagger in my hand. I needed a weapon if I was to protect myself.

A kick met me in the stomach and I flew with the force of the blow, flipping quickly so I landed on my feet. My gauged distance proved me correct as I lunged forward, and grabbed Xavier’s hands, pulling him towards me as I jabbed my elbows just below his ribcage, digging into the fleshy area there.

He doubled over as I jumped away lightly, shifting my blood-dagger to my left hand for better grip. My wound still burned on my right forearm, and it was draining on the strength I could put there. I’d fought Xavier just two days before this; I knew his strategy enough to evade his attacks, and –hopefully –counter some of them.

He caught me unaware as he suddenly erupted in a back flip, his boots swiping away my stray arm. Before I could react, he grabbed my left hand with his free one, swinging it aside as he pointed his family’s dagger at my heart. I reacted quickly, before he could plunge the dagger into my heart, and swiped his legs away from beneath him, shaking his hand away with my inhumane strength.

He was up in record speed, and there was a soft clash as our daggers rubbed each other. His punch came out of nowhere and met my nose. While I reeled back, he advanced forward, but I made a desperate swipe and managed to clip him on his lashing arm. There was a hiss and a clatter as he dropped his dagger to the ground, and there was silence as I shook my head to clear away the dizziness and the stars that were dancing in my vision.

By the time my dizziness was done, I managed to dodge another lethal blow from him, counter another by nicking him a little on the shin, and earned a punch at my abdomen. He feigned a left blow, and as I fell for it, he aimed a kick at me. With inhumane speed, I took a quick step backwards. His power descended over me so suddenly that I didn’t have time to breathe, and then the air pushed me towards him.

Reacting to his power play, I called on to the water gushing in the river beside us, calling a barrage of muddy, dirty water to hit Xavier straight in the face. As he choked and stumbled backwards, he fought with me for control of the element of the water, and I allowed him as I danced further away from him. I didn’t need to touch his face again; I didn’t need to see more of his nightmare.

He gained control of the water as he threw it over to me, but I manipulated for it to return to the river. With quick succession, I commanded the electricity from the lamppost at the street side, forcing them to jump charge to the water pooling at Xavier’s feet. I wasn’t aiming to shock him, since I knew that he would react fast enough to prevent himself from getting fried by electricity alive.

As expected, he wrenched control of electricity and force it to the ground beneath us, discharging it. With a growl of displeasure, he lunged towards me, and I couldn’t dodge him fast enough. I dropped my dagger as he grabbed both my forearms in his, and then he gasped, everything stilling all of a sudden.

As if he was touching a hot iron, he let go quickly, hissing loudly as he stumbled backwards. I was still staring in shock as he backtracked quickly a haunted look in his eyes as he stared at me with disbelief. What? What happened?

“You… You’re not telling me everything, are you not?” He asked, his gaze unnerving me as he spied me suspiciously.

“What?” It was my turn to be at a loss for words.

“Wind captured Anneson. You’re thinking of exchanging Vin and yourself over for Anneson!” He accused, and I struggled to keep my wonder and awe out of my face. How had he known? What had happened when he grabbed both my hands? With burning curiosity, I inspected the areas where he had touched. Nothing, just my wound.

I looked at his hands, and then realized something. He had a wound at his palm, and though most of the blood on his hands wasn’t his, it was still significant enough.

“What… How did you know?” I finally gave in as I demanded; a sinking feeling inside me.

He sighed, rubbing away my blood on his hoodie as he did so.

“I use blood magic, Dru. I thought you knew what I am.”

Blood magic? How could it be? There was no one who could use blood magic, other than…..

“Great Gods. Don’t tell me…” I drifted off as I began to look at Xavier with a new light. It explained why he was so strong in controlling the elements. It explained why he could wrench the elements away from my grips so easily.

“Yes, I am the Master of Magic Manipulation, as you are the Mistress. I use blood magic; you use soul magic. You see nightmares in soul magic; I see what upsets people with blood magic. Wind took Anneson hostage, and you’re exchanging yourself and Vin for him, are you not? How foolish can you be?”

My avoidance of his gaze was as significant as having guilt written all over my face as I looked away, feeling a burning on my face.

“It’s the only way to get Anneson safe. Wind won’t have use of him.”

“And you think he would not just get rid of your brother once you’re broken; nothing but a weapon at his beck and call? Anneson, through it all, is still a Reyzon. If Wind really wants war, he must wipe out all our families first. To do that; he has to wipe out Anneson, me and the members of Leroy and Zerrange.”

Realization at his words struck me, and I began to berate myself. How could I have been so stupid? Of course Wind would kill Anneson. I was a fool to believe that Wind would let Anneson go just like that. No, knowing Wind –or rather, what I’ve come to believe of that conniving man I once called my lover –he would let go of Anneson before my eyes, making me believe that I had done Anneson some good. Then he would have someone secretly kill Anneson behind my back, trusting that my emotional wall would be down for him to worm his way back into my good graces, in order to get my cooperation.

Yes, that was what Wind would do.

But…

“There’s no other way. At least what I’m doing now gives Anneson a chance. I will not let him die because I refused to hand Vin and myself over. I simply refuse to let Anneson die like that.” I pointed out with raging determination. There was simply no other way. If I surrendered, at least Anneson stood a chance against whatever Wind tried to throw him. I knew that eventually my brother would fall victim, but before that; Anneson had a chance at life. I was not going to rob him of this chance, not after how I had left him alone for all those years.

“But you can’t just hand yourself over like that, Dru. You’re not that stupid.” The way Xavier pointed it out so blandly was like dousing fuel over my fire. By reflex, more than anything, I drew my power to myself, making the air so chilly I almost shivered myself.

“So what if I’m stupid? It does not concern you! Anneson’s my brother, not yours! He’s more than my life; I will not let him die without giving him a chance! So what if I’m controlled by Wind after this? I will bend to Wind’s will, if I know that it preserves Anneson’s life!” I shouted –short of screaming –as the tears of rage came.

“It concerns me! You are the missing Reyzon; you cannot be controlled by a nightstalker the likes of Wind! You are handing Vin over to Wind! By surrendering yourself, you’re starting a war between the nightstalkers and the sorcerers! You’re starting a war, which threatens everyone! You are the Mistress of Magic Manipulation, my…” He faded away quickly, pushing away the words that seemed ready to bubble on his lips. Quickly, his gaze withdrew away from mine, and there was a telltale fidget of his feet.

I am the Mistress of Magic Manipulation, yes. But I was his what?

I had a sinking idea.

“All those; it can never happen! We can think of something to save Anneson, and not surrender either of you!” He saved himself by continuing quickly, his gaze snapping back to mine as the embarrassment seeped from his face. I ignored his look, and focused on his words instead.

“That’s not possible. There’s no way we can get Anneson away from him. I can’t win him. Kote and Jin are in no position to fight Wind for me; it goes against the Nightstalker Laws and Customs, and Jin’s principles. We can’t come up with anything. Wind will know.” I shook my head helplessly. I had been around Wind enough to know his ways. Wind thought everything through. Wind was one heck of a planner, and his mother had gifted him with a brain of a genius. After all, only Wind could have the guts and brains to go against Kote while keeping a friendly front.

“Kill Wind?”

The guess was met with cold, humorless laugh from me as I sat myself down on the cold floor, drawing up my knees and hugging them. The hopelessness of the situation was weighing heavily on my shoulders, but it was the only choice I could make. Cherish my life and betray my love to my brother; or sacrifice myself, knowing that I saved my brother from a certain death.

“If it were so easy; I would had done it long ago. Like I said; none of the Ancients are in position to duel him in my stead. Wind cannot be killed. He is an Ancient for a reason.” I said as I ducked my face in the space my knees and body made, hiding it as a single painful tear of helplessness rolled down my face. After the emotional roller coaster I’d been through the past few days, I was surprised that I even had a single tear to shed.

There was short span of silence, and then dragging footsteps as Xavier came to me. I felt his heat as he went one knee before me, one hand touching my cold, uninjured arm, passing me his warmth. I wasn’t sure if I was so cold because of the river’s constant water flow, or my helplessness. I couldn’t even fight Xavier without breaking down. I was nothing but a fool.

“You may have tried fighting him, but there is something you haven’t tried yet. Something we haven’t tried.” His voice was almost gentle and kind as he spoke, but I didn’t raise my head to meet his eyes. He was trying to help a lost cause, and I knew it. Why was he doing this; pitying me when I was at my lowest? I may have lost my dignity, but pride was something else altogether.

Yet, in this crumbled state I was in, with Anneson in Wind’s hand, I took all the pity I could get.

“We? Even if we added your nightstalker hunting skills to mine, Wind will still flick us off like we were just bugs, to be squashed. Besides, he holds my family’s dagger, and I can’t do much without it. I cannot fight against one who wields my family’s dagger.” I crumbled even further at the thought. Of course Wind came back, and took the dagger. He knew the proceedings of the Families closely, even though he wasn’t a Reyzon. He knew I could not attack or fight anyone who wielded the Reyzon dagger.

“You can attack, if you are claiming it back, Dru. The dagger has to be reclaimed from his hands.”

This time, I drew my face up to look at him, wondering what the ferocity in his voice meant. Had he fought someone using his family dagger too?

I shook my head again. “The Reyzon dagger has gone too long without being fought. I had thought of passing it over to Anneson, but Wind beat me to it.”

There was no hesitation as he held out his weapon. “Then use the Valentino’s dagger. It will protect you while you reclaim what it rightfully yours.”

I looked between him and his family’s dagger in shock. The sincerity in his eyes was there; but I could not sense any pity from him. Burning determination colored his depthless black eyes, and it struck me how the depthlessness looked so much like Kote’s green eyes. I took Xavier for his sincerity, trying my best not to dwell on what secret motive he may have, showing me such kindness and generosity, but I still shook my head.

“Even if I used your family’s dagger, I cannot win him. He is my master. He is an Ancient. He will choke me to death before I can even react. He will plunge his hand through my heart before I can form a second thought.”

Xavier left his dagger outstretched towards me, as if insisting that I take it, keeping his gaze on me steadily.

“You are the Mistress of Magic Manipulation. I am the Master of Magic Manipulation. Together, we can do things no other person can ever hope to achieve. Tell me; do you not believe our destiny?”

I couldn’t help my cold, helpless laughter again. “Destiny? Did destiny claim that I be made Wind’s servant? Did Destiny make me run around in circles, a veil before my eyes, for years before I finally realize that the worst nightmare that happened to me wasn’t my parents, but the one I once thought I loved? Did she –that bitch you call Destiny –make me, force me to believe that Wind loved me, his gentle caress a soothing touch on my skin and turn around to have him tell me that he lied and acted everything through? Every single word; every single touch, nothing but a big fat lie? Heck, did she declare that I had to be the Mistress of Magic Manipulation?” As I said, those words turned into a dwindling moan, and I covered my face with my hands before I could help it again. The tears were –again –threatening to rise, but I forced them back. No, I was going to lose myself, my own identity with Wind. I wasn’t going to spend my last few hours crying because my life was being bitched around.

I shook my head, shaking away what beads of tear that had managed to climb to the corner of my eyes. No, I wouldn’t cry. I’d been enough of a crybaby these few days. Enough crying. I was Dru, for god-damned sake.

One hand took mine by the wrist firmly, drawing my hand away from my face. I looked up, barely pushing down tears, as I looked straight into depthless black eyes.

“Destiny brought us together. Do you trust me?”

I would very much like to have said no. After all, he was the hunter. I was a nightstalker, for god’s sake. He’s once betrayed what I’d thought of him. He’d disappointed more deeply than he actually knew it; so deeply that I shocked myself at the depth itself. Yet, it had changed nothing.

No, Xavier had millions of chances to back-stab me right now. He could shove a stake through my heart and be done with me. He could go back to Drake and tell him of my every secret. He could call on Kote any single time –in the capacity of a Valentino, and the Master of Magic Manipulation –and call for me to be killed. To save the better of the nightstalker kind, and preventing a war, I had no doubt that –no matter what gentle and kind light Kote may have seen me in –the Master Ancient could break my neck without a single reason or excuse not to. But, despite all of this, I still trusted Xavier deep in my heart.

“Yes.”

“Then believe me.” He requested simply, but I knew not how he wanted it from me. Apart from Faith and maybe Cole, I trusted no one else now; I understood none of believing someone.

Slowly, he took my other hand in his, and, as I looked at our clutched pair of hands, I began to realize how small and pale my hand was in his. His hands, though gentle, were filled with thousands of calluses and uneven scars. His hands, though smattered with dirt and blood, was a light tan; a big contrast to my pale ones. His hands, though holding mine lightly, were bigger than mine, and almost engulfed my tiny ones.

His hands, though a stranger to mine, gave me warmth I could not have received from another.

He called for his power, and for the first time I’d known him –which was only just three days ago –his power didn’t defy me. Instead, it flowed over me, descending like a sea of calmness. At first, as curiosity ran under my skin, I opened my mouth to ask Xavier what he was doing.

But he only gave me a smile that took the words away from my lips, and realization dawned on me.

There was no teaching; no words between us. But, as he gave me a slow, reassuring smile, I understood what he wanted from me. We had not been taught in this before; we had not had the previous Master and Mistress told us what to do. Far as we knew; the previous Master and Mistress had only met each other after they were married to their respective husband and wife. Though they had met with the same inexplicable trust and love between them, they did not betray their married spouses. They did not submit to their feelings, and they died without the other.

But all the while, I had thought that the story was nothing but a lie from my parents, a story made to trick a little girl like me to find my ‘other half’. But now my ‘other half’ was here, and I suddenly knew what to do. It kind of freaked me out, but I figured to suit what was expected of me.

As his powers gathered in his hands, I called mine to me, and guided them through my body. It washed me anew, providing the warmth that was seeping into the air, as I pooled it in my hands too. It was all too soon that our powers were touching, lingering. But they touched at each other as if a pair of scared kittens, pawing for a bit, bounding away before coming back tentatively for more pawing.

“This is what we share between us, Dru. You know what they say; we can do anything if we put the power together in a combined mind.” Xavier’s cool words breezed past me, but it was nothing like Wind’s breezing voice. Xavier’s words stuck to my mind carefully, and I stripped the sentence of its words, understanding fully the meaning of what he’d said.

I knew what he felt. Together, with the power becoming one with each other, with the power fitting into each other as if we were one in the first place, only separated, we were powerful. I felt, while we held hands, with the power between our fingers, as if we could control the world if we wanted to. I realized, slowly, that this was probably what Kote felt all the time; powerful. Slowly, I understood his humility, his politeness and his bravery in showing and speaking his emotions so freely. Kote knew power, knowledge and so much more.

Slowly, I felt wind stirring all around us, and I tried to draw back, believing that Wind had arrived. But Xavier held my hand firmly, not letting go. The eyes I hadn’t realized were closed shot open, but it was only caught in Xavier’s black ones before I could even speak. The swishing of water suddenly became all too loud in my ears as I stared into swirling eyes.

And then, there was a gust of strong wind, and it was all too silent.

Xavier took in a deep breath, closed his eyes and let out his breath. It was then that I realized that I could see his breath. It came out in a cloudy mist, as did my ragged breathing. My eyes widened, but I could not feel a single pinprick of coldness.

Then he let go of one of my hand, gesturing to our surrounding.

“This is what we can do with only my mind commanding the elements. Imagine, Dru. Just imagine what we can do if we think the same things with the same power.” He said as I began to marvel at what had been done.

The river; it was nothing but ice. It was just a frozen river now, the droplets of water that had been hanging in midair scattered over the rough surface of the frozen river. There had been instant freezing. It had been so instant that the water had no time to slow down. The river current simply stopped, and frozen up.

The lamppost had icicles hanging from it. The benches were covered with a solid sheet of ice. The street; just a path of glazed ice. There was nothing else than ice. Solid ice.

“Hold my hand, Dru, and look at what we are capable of.” Xavier said evenly, and I didn’t think before my hand touched his.

In a matter of seconds, the ice melted and the sound of rushing waters came to my ears again. As I turned to the river in surprise, watching the water flow again, Xavier let go of my hand.

“This… this is amazing. But…”

There was no time for a second thought, before I was wrenched into a tight hug. It took me a short while to realize that it was actually Xavier who’d grabbed me in a hug. It was no gentle hug he’d given me before. This one was fierce, strong and safe. It kept me in the largeness of his body, as if I would always be safe in his broad shoulders. But it was all an illusion. Still, I reveled in that short basking glow.

“We can do this together, Dru. You don’t have to surrender yourself over. Wind does not control you anymore. You are not his. You are mine.”

My mind reeled at his possessive words, but before any reply could be formed in my mouth, it was taken by something soft and sweet.

It was nothing like the possessive or seductive kisses Wind would pepper me with. This was different. This was true. As I enjoyed the sweet, honeysuckle taste of him, I realized what he meant. Maybe he believed faithfully in Destiny. Maybe he really believed that the Master and Mistress belonged together.

Maybe he really felt something for me.

But decided it could be safe for me to say something too.

I think I felt the same.