Snippet #2554087

Much of Will Helling's life was not how he had imagined it would be. As a child he had imagined himself as a warrior of his people, a champion of the Anevay. He figured he'd get married one day, to a beautiful girl in a ceremony on the banks of the River Sky. And he figured he'd probably have a couple of kids - strapping young boys of course - and he'd teach them how to string a bow and how to handle a spear, just like his father taught him.

As a teenager, his expectations of the future had changed dramatically. At eighteen, Will had thought little of having a family. He’d already lost one family, in his mind, why risk losing another? He was better off just being alone right? He’d figured he’d travel the world, kill bad guys, make love to beautiful women in hotel penthouses. And then he’d met Stacy.

He’d known, before too long, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman. And for a while, that had been enough. But then he’d turned thirty, and he’d gotten antsy. Maybe it was the Anevay in him, but his biological clock started ringing long before it’s time. He wanted kids, and he knew that Stacy didn’t, so he had put his dreams on the back burner.

And now . . . Now he had everything he wanted. A beautiful woman to call his, a son to carry on his legacy, a daughter to soften his heart . . . He was in touch with his roots again, but still a part of the Delegates . . . Finally, everything had come together.

Just in time to fall apart. They had just found a happy equilibrium. They had been so blissfully happy this last month, happier than they’d been in a long time. And now, Stacy was gone, and the kids were traumatized, and Will was going to kill somebody.

Before, he hadn’t cared who he was going to kill. He had wanted to kill indiscriminately. But then Michael’s rat face had appeared on the previously dead screen. And now Will was confident about who he wanted to kill. He knew how he wanted to do it too. Slowly. With his bare hands. He wanted to watch the life drain out of Michael’s face, see the terror in Michael’s eyes as he watched the fires rise out of hell to claim him.

Will was not new to rage, or violence, or even hate. He had felt hate like this before. Last time he’d slaughtered dozens of doctors and then burned down a hospital. That was child’s play compared to what Will was going to do now.

"Well?” Will said, his voice too loud for the eerie silence of the room. “What are we still doing here? We should be moving, looking -,”

“It’s not that simple,” Arucan interrupted, his eyes staring off at nothing, his gaze pensive. “We have to weigh our options-,”

“Options? We have no options!” Will shouted back, struggling to keep his rage under control. “We have no time! Did you see what that monster was doing to Stacy!?”

“I saw everything,” Arucan snapped back, his voice controlled, cold. But Will could see the red hot lava burning beneath the icy surface. Will didn’t have time for cool facades and diplomacy - he needed results.

“Well then why aren’t you doing anything?” Will demanded, turning to look around the dim room at Garrett, Helena, Khalid, and Midnight. “You guys agree with me right? We have to get moving - planning, searching! I mean - Stacy! You all saw what they were doing to Stacy!”

“This isn’t just about Stacy,” Arucan barked, slamming his hands down on the metal desk. “She’s not the only one in danger here. I know you love her Will, but I love my wife too. So don’t act like I’m not feeling the same things as you right now. My son nearly died today and I can’t - I can’t even go see him, because some sick fuck is holding my wife hostage. Trust me Will, I want to find them as badly as you do - I just don’t know how.”

Will collapsed into a chair, exhaling loudly. He gripped his hair with frustration, and stared down at the metal floor. “Well who does?”

“Khalid,” Arucan said, turning to the warlock who looked about as normal as Will had ever saw. No glitter, no mesh - just plain black clothes under thick leather gear. He wasn’t wearing any makeup, and his dark hair was loose and flyaway without gel. His cat eyes were haunted. “Michael knew your name - the genie knew your face. You’re a part of this somehow.”

“Few things happen on this planet that I am not a part of” Khalid said with infinite sadness. There was exhaustion in his usually spirited voice, as if he had suddenly remembered that he carried the weight of a thousand lives on his shoulders.

“What was Michael talking about when he said you had a secret?” Arucan questioned further. He had taken several steps forward, and was now standing threateningly close to Khalid. “We have shown you nothing but kindness warlock, but we can take it away just as easily. So if you have something to say, say it now. What are you hiding from us?”

“Hey - leave him alone,” Will said, getting to his feet and coming over to stand next to Arucan and Khalid. “This isn’t his fault!”

“It’s alright William” Khalid said, putting a hand on Will’s shoulder. He then turned back to Arucan. “I have not hidden anything from you - at least not on purpose. I have been alive a long time - longer than you could even comprehend. There is much you will never know about me, but that is not because I wish to deceive you. You people are not just my allies, but my family. Your wife is my daughter, your children my grandchildren. Soon you will be a grandfather, and those children will be my family too. We are all connected here. I would never betray that.”

Arucan’s face softened, his body slackening, but the pain did not leave his eyes. “What do you know about the genie?”

Khalid sighed. “It’s been years …. Five hundred of them actually” Khalid mused. “Back when I first met Amirah’s mother. The Ancients … they were the governing body of the immortal world before the Delegates came along, but even more elitist …. They, well we, depended on the mystical world much more than the Delegates. The Delegates…. You’ve always been analytical, practical. Back in the Alcazar, we had a lot of contact with mystical beings - spirits, demons, angels, gods even - and everything in between. That include djinns. That particular djinn …. it was in our possession at one time …. And now Michael has him …. That’s not good at all. The djinn knows too much about the Alcazar … But there’s one thing he doesn’t know …. The Ancients are still around.”

Arucan’s pained eyes lit up. “That’s impossible. They disbanded centuries ago.”

“They did disband” Khalid agreed “But that does not mean they disappeared. That’s the things about us Ancients - we’re hard to get rid of.” He took out his phone then, and began to punch buttons. “The other thing you need to know about Ancients - we don’t trust easy. The Alcazar may have handed control of the world over to the Delegates on paper, but we don’t let go that easy. The Ancients are still around, still watching.”

“If anyone can help us find the girls, it’s them,” Khalid said, looking up at his phone and around the room. “Their help is available - but are you willing to take it? The Ancients haven’t openly involved themselves in politics for five hundred years …. This is a big deal …. But Michael is kind of forcing our hand here.”

“I’m willing,” Arucan said.

“Me too,” Will chimed in. “If you’re one of the Ancients . . . Well they can’t be that bad.”

“The choice is yours Midnight” Khalid said. “The Ancients are not easy to work with. You might not want them stepping on your toes. But I just don’t know what other options we have.”