Hunter: Gods & Monsters

Chapter 13

Sitting on the end of the bed, I looked at Heath where he was laid out in front of me. Landorian hadn't woken him up yet, and since we vanished for a couple of days, the Valkyrie took him to Ailin, who in turn set up in the sick ward within the Council building. Twirling the small blade of Hermes dagger I thought about the Power, rather than what I was going to do with the idiot Hunter.

Aion told me his power was different to Hermes, though they could both easily weave through worlds, Aion was better with going back and forth along that thread of time. Hermes, would find that difficult, yet he had to be the one who helped Cain. I knew how tired doing magic that wasn't his expertise made Cain; saving my life had him disappear for months to recover. I was hoping this would apply to Hermes and any world jumping would be stopped for a while as surely that was how he was keeping up to date with what was happening here.

I wasn't naive enough to think my plan would work for long once I was back, only I had no real idea if he had spies or if it was just Hermes being a snitch. Either way, I was going to try and keep off the radar for as long as I could - just incase.

It was then Ailin came in, pausing at my side as she looked at Heath, then at me. I stayed staring at the dagger until her gaze felt as it was literally starting to burn into me.

"Morning!" I greeted, forcing a smile.

"I thought you might have been in here," She said softly, her hand resting on my bent knee. "You certainly know how to make new friends."

"The Magician?"

"I've heard of him. Stories that could only be fiction. I did not know he was here, or that he actually existed."

"Stranger things have happened in this world Ailin." I shrug.

"He created the greatest illusion ever recorded. The rulers of his world, all of them, were victims to it. Please tell me you know what happened? Did he really massacre all of his kind once he had contained them?" Ailin sounded too excited to be talking about mass murder. "Legend said he turned them all to paper and then burned them. From their ashes he gained his immortality."

"Didn't burn them, and not how he became immortal."

"You're not going to tell me are you?" She huffed, in a very un-Ailin like way.

"No. It's not my story to tell." I look at her closely, and she doesn't flinch. Her eyes more catlike than normal, which meant she was either really angry or excited. "What's got you so worked up about this?"

Ailin actually blushed.

"Ailin, are you ok?"

Instead she produced a purple velvet bag and pulled out a pile of worn, old cards. The backs of them were decorated with a golden sheen with numerous symbols painted on around the symbol of the moon that represented the three fates.

"As a child we played with these cards. A small convey of refugees made it to my home land and the children told us stories of where they came from. It sounded beautiful, so unlike anything I had heard of before. A girl I befriended gave these to me, told me of the ones that ruled their land. Of their power. They told me of The Magician." From the deck she pulled out the magicians card. "And how he saved them all. They kept the cards as a reminder of the past, of the powers that wielded. They moved on, seeking to find their saviour and settle where he now ruled."

"You're fangirling over him." I could not believe it.

"It is not often you meet your childhood hero." She hid her cards and the seriousness I was so used to returned. "Do not judge me."

"Never." I smiled. "This is actually kind of adorable. You're always so, so- you."

"Enough Hunter."