Awakening (Book 1, Vanquisher Serie... - Chapter 69: Chapter 69

"How will you summon Izenros?" Hellstorm asked.
They were now sitting around a table in a dimly lit room Hellstorm suspected to be the ritual room. Even in hiding, a Vessel was still a Vessel, and they would need a ritual room where they could do all their sinister demonic shit. Black symbols of various designs populated the walls of the room. Hellstorm recognized some of the symbols as protective and fortification runes. Some of these protective runes were also visible on Ziegler's neck and arms.
"I can't risk a physical or astral summon," said Ziegler. "Prince Izenros is too strong, and I don't have any ancient relic to boost my power. Bezvaros's Crystal is gone. You people made sure of it."
"So what do you have in mind?" asked Hellstorm, ignoring Ziegler's accusatory tone.
"That leaves us with the third and easiest option," said Ziegler. "A medium summon. I can only summon Prince Izenros to possess me. It's all I can do. If you want him here physically, then I can't help you."
"That's more than enough. Go ahead."
"Why do you want him so badly? People ran from the Septos... what could be so important that you would risk everything just to meet the last prince of the Septos?"
Hellstorm balled his fist and then in a hardened tone, he said, "Get to work, Ziegler."
Why he wanted Izenros was no one's business. Now that the Order was looking for him, he had to do whatever he could to keep them from finding out. It was the only way to protect his family.
"A medium summon may be easier to do, but this is no ordinary demon we are summoning," said Ziegler. Did Hellstorm have to slap the Vessel in the face to keep him from wasting his time. "I need you as an anchor." Ziegler looked at him sternly.
"What does that mean?"
Ziegler grabbed both of Hellstorm's hands in a tight grip. "It means don't let go of my hands no matter what. As soon as you do, I will sever the connection with Prince Izenros. Without the power I draw from you, I won't be able to hold the possession even if I succeed in summoning the prince. So don't break the contact, do you understand?"
"How long will this take?"
"About an hour. Royal demons require complex spells."
An hour. That should be enough time. Those fuckers had put an energy tracer on him. He had managed to replicate his location to confuse them for a while. Hopefully, Ziegler would be done before the vanquishers arrived. If the vanquishers found him in a Vessel's home while attempting a summoning, it would make his case even worse. Whatever. He had no other choice.
"You only need the contact. Which means as long as I keep touching you, you can keep doing the spell, right?" asked Hellstorm.
"Well, yes."
Hellstorm freed his hands from Ziegler's grip and instead, rested one hand on the Vessel's palm. "Now that's better."
"You don't trust me."
"Says the man who tried to kill me."
"Fair enough."
"Get on with it. And don't try to be slick. I won't hesitate to end you."
"No need for that."
Ziegler began to chant in a strange language. As he did so, his hazel eyes grew lighter, until only the whites of his eyes remained. He seemed lost in his trance, and even when Hellstorm waved his free hand in Ziegler's face, the Vessel did not blink. Ziegler's voice got louder and more frenzied. A whooshing sound filled the room, and a gale came out of nowhere. Hellstorm tightened his grip around Ziegler's hand. Was this going to go on for half an hour?
Several minutes later, Ziegler's entire body began to tremble violently. The gale was now strong enough to destroy a building, however, everything stood in its place without moving, unperturbed by the wind. It must be the protection runes, Hellstorm thought.
Through the loud gushing of the wind, Hellstorm sensed something strange. He frowned. It wasn't the wind. The tortures he endured in Bezvar had heightened his senses so he knew there was indeed something else in the house. The new presence had concealed itself incredibly well, and had Hellstorm been his previous self, he might never have sensed it.
Shit. How did they find him so quickly? It seemed he had underestimated how badly the Order wanted him. Then again, he'd heard that Pheleraz Zoleris had been put in charge of this mission, so it wasn't even that surprising. Unfortunately, Hellstorm could not break the connection with Ziegler. He wasn't leaving this place until he spoke to the demon prince. Izenros was the only one on earth right now who could give him the answers he needed.
"Come on Ziegler. Hurry up."
Then the doors burst open and scores of vanquishers broke into the room and surrounded Hellstorm and Ziegler.
Fuck.
"Step away from the Vessel, Hellstorm," one of the vanquishers commanded. It wasn't someone Hellstorm recognized. Where was Pheleraz? Typical of him to not show up. But at least, Pheleraz was smart enough to send seasoned vanquishers after him. Every single vanquisher in the room was at least a class two vanquisher.
"Stay back," he snarled at the vanquishers. Meeting Izenros was too important. "All of you." But the vanquishers did not listen. They moved closer, brandishing their vaz.
"You're under arrest, Hellstorm of Draghein School," said the man who had spoken earlier. He must be the captain of this team. "If you resist, we'll be forced to kill you."
With what exactly? Your vaz or your bare hands? "I'm not leaving here until I get what I came for."
"Stop the Vessel," the captain ordered.
A man holding a holy chain stepped behind Ziegler. "No," Hellstorm growled. With his right hand firmly holding Ziegler, he jumped on the table. Supporting his weight with his other hand, he sent a swift kick into the vanquisher's face. Without breaking the contact, Hellstorm put his hand on Ziegler's shoulder and stood behind him. He glared at the vanquishers. "I told you, I'm not leaving until I get what I came for. I don't want to fight you. But I will beat the shit out of all of you with one hand if you insist."
The vanquishers glanced at their captain in uncertainty.
"You know your vaz are not going to work on me, right? I'm a vanquisher just like you."
"You're also a demon now."
Hellstorm narrowed his eyes. They must be talking about his demonic portal. Dammit, things were not going as planned. Ziegler was still doing the spell. How fucking long was it anyway? Besides, if Ziegler managed to summon Izenros, Hellstorm couldn't possibly talk to him in front of everyone. No one must know what he was planning to do. Not the Order, and definitely not Bezvaros. The life of his family depended on it. Right now, there was nothing he could do to stop the Order from coming after him. He had already captured seven royal demons from the Order, and they would do everything to get him to answer for his actions. He more than anyone knew how relentless the Ancient Order of Vanquishers was.
Honestly, this was all one big joke. He almost died serving the Order and now that he was back, they were trying to arrest him. Was Ziegler right? Was it really true someone in the Order planned the whole thing to get rid of him? No, he couldn't trust someone as crafty and slick as Ziegler. But even if he didn't trust Ziegler, it was true that there were people in the Draghein Family who openly hated Hellstorm. To them, Hellstorm would always be an outsider. If these vanquishers arrested him, they would take him back to Rhodine, and he would have to stand trial. Hellstorm was not afraid of standing trial. He had done nothing but serve the Order until they turned on him.
Did they turn on me?
Whether they did or did not, it was only a matter of time until the Order learned the whole truth. And once they knew the truth, they would definitely turn on him. In the meantime, he would have to shape that truth to keep his family safe. He thought he could keep his little princess out of this, but not anymore.
Forgive me for the detour, my love. I need to protect our baby. If he gave the Order a plausible reason for capturing all those royal demons, they would release him. He was Hellstorm after all--he still had a lot of influence in the Ancient Order of Vanquishers. With a heavy heart, Hellstorm released Ziegler.
Narvari had mustered up the courage just to come and see Pheera. They had to deal with this awkwardness between them once and for all. And maybe, she would tell Pheera how she felt about her. For some reason, however, Narvari was starting to think that this was a terrible idea. The iciness in Pheera's eyes was not helping at all. What if Pheera didn't feel the same way about her and everything was just in her head? Yes, they had come close to kissing twice. But maybe, Narvari was the only one who had feelings here.
"Are you going to speak?" Pheera got up from her wheelchair. However, her body was still too frail to handle any kind of movement. Before Pheera could lose her footing, Narvari was already holding the girl in her arms. Narvari's chest pounded at how close Pheera's face was to hers. Those eyes always did things to her heart.
"You shouldn't be exerting yourself," Narvari whispered.
Pheera's body tensed for a moment, but she quickly freed herself from Narvari's arms. "I'm fine. What do you want?"
Narvari bit her lips. Why was Pheera being so cold towards her? "What's going on?"
Pheera's eyes seemed to be saying a thousand things at once. Her eyes softened for a moment before hardening again. She slowly walked back to her bed and sat. Narvari wanted to help her out, but she was afraid she would make Pheera colder than she already was.
"Pheera--"
"I need to rest."
"Okay. I just wanted to know if you're alright."
"I'm alright. Is that all?"
Narvari inhaled and exhaled silently. "Actually, there's something else I want to tell you." Her palms were getting sweaty by the second. God, this was harder than she thought. When Pheera didn't say anything, Narvari continued, "I like you, Pheera. I mean, I don't just like you. It's more than that. I'm always thinking about you, always worrying about you. And I... I get really angry when someone hurts you." Still no reaction from Pheera. "I know something is bothering you. I know because I feel it. When you're happy, I'm happy. And when you're sad, I feel it too. Like right now." Narvari paused. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way about me." Her heart ached at the thought of Pheera not having any feelings for her. "But can you at least tell me what's going on with you? You know you can talk to me about anything. We're still friends after all." Even still, Pheera didn't react at all. Narvari's throat and eyes burned. Her heart felt as though a crater had suddenly opened up in it. "I'll just leave you alone."
Suddenly, she wished the ground would just open and swallow her whole. What had she expected would happen though? That Pheera would say she felt the same way and rush into her arms? She would be lying if she said she hadn't hoped for that. Based on how close they were, Narvari strongly believed that Pheera felt the same attraction toward her. But clearly, she was wrong about that. Pheera was kind to everyone and Narvari was no exception to that kindness. Obviously, she had misconstrued Pheera's kindness for romantic feelings.
How stupid could she have been? Why did she even listen to Yanvirrak when he said Pheera liked her too? Just before she opened the door to leave, warmth enveloped her body as arms wrapped around her waist. Narvari's heart raced so fast that she feared it would escape from her chest.
"Don't leave me," Pheera whispered into her neck. An army of goosebumps invaded Narvari's body and her heart broke at the hurt and pain in Pheera's voice. She turned around to see pools of tears threatening to burst forth from Pheera. Narvari wanted to kill someone.
She cupped Pheera's face. "What's wrong?"
"I..." Pheera's voice cracked and the tears finally broke free. She hugged Narvari tightly as if holding on to her was a matter of life and death. Narvari held her closely as Pheera cried into her shoulders.
When Pheera was a lot calmer, Narvari asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I just don't want you to leave."
"Okay. I won't." Narvari embraced Pheera and rubbed her back gently. "I'll be right here with you."
"I don't want to lose you."
"You are not going to lose me." Narvari tucked a strand of white hair behind Pheera's ear. "Even if you don't feel the same way about me, I'll just endure the pain. Our friendship is more important to me, Pheera."
"Narvari," Pheera's gaze seemed to pierce right through Narvari's soul. "The truth is, I-I..." She avoided Narvari's gaze. "I'm sorry for how I treated you. I have been cold towards you."
"It's okay."
"No, it's not. But it's for the best." Pheera tore herself from Narvari's arms and retreated a few steps back. This time, she managed to look Narvari in the eye. "I don't think we should be friends anymore."
The words came at her like a knife to her chest but Narvari maintained her composure. "Why not?"
"We just can't."
"Is it because I said I like you? You don't have to feel the same way--"
"But I do."
Narvari gaped. It took her a few seconds to understand what Pheera had just said. "What?"
"I like you too, Narvari."
Narvari found herself smiling. Was this real? Pheera liked her too. She shortened the distance between herself and Pheera and took her hand. "Are you saying we should be more than just friends then?"
In Pheera's eyes, Narvari saw the answer. Yes, we should be more than friends. "No," Pheera said instead. She moved away from Narvari. "I'm saying you should stay away from me."
"I don't understand." Narvari frowned. "You like me too, but you don't want us to be just friends nor do you want us to be more than just friends. You want me to stay away from you but you also don't want to lose me." What a dilemma this was. Narvari sighed. "Pheera, I don't know what you want."
"I want you." It was just a whisper, but Narvari heard clearly.
Narvari took a step forward, but Pheera took two steps back. Narvari halted. "Then why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away if you want me?" Narvari clenched her jaws as it finally dawned on her. "This is about Pheleraz, isn't it?" When Pheera's eyes widened in shock, Narvari knew she had hit the nail on the head. "What did he say to you? Did he threaten you?"
"No," said Pheera a little too quickly.
"We promised to be honest with each other, didn't we?" This time when Narvari went closer to Pheera, she didn't retreat. "You've been acting strangely ever since you two talked. What was it about?"
"It's not something you should worry about."
"Is this a joke? All I do is worry about you," she snapped. Narvari paused to take a deep breath. "You know what, fine. Don't tell me. I will go confront that son of a bitch myself. Who the hell does he think he is?"
Narvari moved but Pheera held her back. "Please. Don't."
"Why are you defending him? You say don't want to lose me, yet you ask me to stay away from you all because of him. Why?"
"Because I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt, Narvari. I can't lose you."
Narvari's voice softened. "Who's going to hurt me? Pheleraz? I'm not afraid of him."
"It's not just Pheleraz."
"Is this about your family?"
Pheera nodded. "You don't know them like I do. They're dangerous."
"I'm not afraid of them." Narvari folded her arms. Seriously, those people should be terrified of her, not the other way around. "What did Pheleraz say to you? I know he's your brother, but if he tries to hurt you, I swear to god I'm going to kill him."
"No." Pheera's eyes widened. "You have to promise me you won't confront Pheleraz about this."
Narvari hesitated for a moment. She avoided Pheera's gaze because if she continued to look in those eyes, she simply could not say no to her. "I can't promise you that."
"Narvari, please. Listen to me." A slight shiver ran through Narvari as Pheera cupped her face. But all she could focus on was the fear in Pheera's eyes. How she hated Pheleraz for making Pheera feel helpless. "Promise me you won't confront him," Pheera whispered.
The more Narvari saw the pain in Pheera's eyes, the more she could not bring herself to say no. Narvari sighed. "Okay."
"You promise?"
"I promise I won't ask Pheleraz about this." She ran her fingers through Pheera's hair. "But I need some assurance in return."
"Anything."
"If you're not ready to take our friendship a step further," said Narvari, "that's fine. I can be patient. But please don't give me the cold shoulder or treat me like a stranger."
"I'm sorry. I hate that I did that to you."
"I--"
Pheera put a finger on Narvari's lips. "I'm not done yet. The truth is I've always liked you, Narvari. From the first moment I laid my eyes on you, I have been drawn to you, and I can't even explain why. Maybe under different circumstances, we could..." Pheera sighed. "I'm sorry. But this is the only way to protect you from my family. We can't--"
Narvari grabbed Pheera's waist and pulled her close to her body before capturing Pheera's lips with her mouth. Pheera froze, but soon, her body responded by holding Narvari's neck and kissing her back. Their kiss was a conversation, expressing everything they wanted to say to each other. Then they broke apart to take their breath. Narvari's heart pounded. The way Pheera looked at her almost gave her a heart attack. How could someone have so much effect on her? She was lost in Pheera's eyes, and yet she did not want to be found. In fact, she had almost forgotten how to move or talk or do anything else until the beeping sound on her phone released her from her trance.
Narvari took her phone and read the message. It was from Yanvirrak. At least, he had sent the message after their kiss. Narvari's eyes widened upon reading the message.
"What's wrong?" asked Pheera.
"Hellstorm has been arrested."
"What? When?"
"A few minutes ago." Narvari paused. "But that's not all. They brought him here."
Pheera narrowed her eyes. "That's strange. I thought he would be taken to Rhodine."
"I thought so too." Narvari led Pheera to her wheelchair. "Let's go take a look. Yanvirrak said there's already a commotion outside."