Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

11 - Revenge

Being chased by a gang of familiars all the way to the Gate almost made it to the top of my ‘Most Fun Things to Do’ list. I really needed the cardio. Not.

My lungs were already aching and if the chase kept up, I was sure I would drop dead anytime soon. Coughing, I looked behind me. The pathway was obscured by thick smoke. All I could see was that there were still about three or more familiars following us. The only thing slowing them down was the blazing trail Byron Flynn left as we draughted off. The dog practically coughed up fireballs just to make our escape a bit easier.

When I glanced at Vincent, he was already out cold. His face was pale and covered with sweat, his breathing shallow and rapid. The pain of the instantaneous healing must be too much for him.

Soon, I finally spotted the end of the path—a big stone archway leading back to Sinclair Mansion. Weathered and old, it jutted out of a scaffold that was barely recognizable beneath the thick flowering vines that crept over the whole structure.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw someone standing in front of it.

“Wait,” I told Byron Flynn, using the short chance to catch my breath.

I strained to see who it was until I saw the guy’s strange weapon gleaming as the fireflies gathered near it. It was a long sword with an undulating silver blade. Right then, I knew who it was. If I could fly, I could’ve flown with anticipation.

“Alex!” I screamed through the ragged breaths, stumbling as I reached the foot of the steps leading to the archway.

In one swift motion, he stepped down and caught me by the arms, my head landing on his chest. When I lifted my face, his metallic eyes fixed on me with that sort of glad look but not quite a smile.

I had to gasp for air while gawping at him for not less than three seconds before I could manage to say, “Alex! C-can’t say how glad I am to see you,” sounding like a total idiot as I held onto him for support.

Alexis’ extremely pale eyes shifted left and right, then to the path where we came from. “I’d say the same but I think Vincent can still hear us,” he said, smiling slightly to himself as he fidgeted with the cross guard of his peculiar sword.

Once back on my feet, I tried to flatten down the creases of my Nysmic dress, my eyes on the ground as I did. I knew it wasn’t the time and place but for some reason I felt kind of embarrassed.

Suddenly, Alexis’ took my hand. It got me a bit startled so my first impulse was to pull my hand back. But he didn’t let it go. Instead, he placed a small metal box on my palm. About five blank seconds passed before I was able to recognize what it was.

“A Hacker…” I vacantly muttered to myself, feeling stupider by the second.

Awkward. I really wanted to slap my face hard now but that would make me look like a moron.

Of course, it was a Gate Hacker. What was I expecting? Some sort of diamond ring? Mechanically, I fidgeted on my skirt and pressed my mouth shut.

“Yes,” he answered, glancing momentarily at Vincent who was slung like a sack of flour over Byron Flynn’s back before his eyes twitched and fixed somewhere else. “I linked it to the Sinclair’s Master Door so you should still be able to cross back without any interference.”

The veils of smoke were starting to clear out as the Elemental fires Byron Flynn created slowly died out. Our pursuers were visible now, not too far from us. Easily, they skirted the fires, fully intent on getting closer. There were more of them as I had expected.

Offhandedly, Alex began stepping toward the enemies with his sword in front of him. Most of the time, he just looked confused, distracted. But he never looked more focused when he was wielding his weapon. It was like he suddenly transformed into Alexis version 2.0.