ROGUE ANGEL - Book One: The Beginning

Chapter Nine

OLD AL went through Sirius’s knapsack while I stood blinking at him, my mind struggling to focus. What was he searching for? Also, I had the urge to get away from him but an inner voice told me not to. That showed how confused I was.

“Ah, found it,” said the warlock at last, holding up Sirius’s cellphone. “And just as I expected, it has a tracking device. That’s why Drakev gave up the chase; he already knows where you are all the time.”

“I still can’t believe Sirius is working for Drakev,” I said. “He just doesn’t look the kind.”

Old Al shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me. Nevertheless it is the truth. Sirius is born with the ability to read other people’s minds – he is, what you humans tend to label a person with an abnormality, a freak. At first I was unsure who he was but when he tried to probe me, he unwittingly revealed his true identity.” He then walked towards me, the cellphone in his hand. This time I stood where I was. “Another thing. You are not a witch. Neither are you a freak. Drakev used you to lure me out. Hope this piece of news will make you feel better.”   

My smile told him that it did. But how did he know all this? I studied him, trying to work out what he was up to. But he was unreadable. “Who are you really?” I eventually asked. “Please tell me. I don’t think I can bear the suspense any longer.”

The old man nodded and took a few steps backward. Replacing the cellphone in the knapsack, he then covered his face with his hands. When he removed them, he had changed into a young woman, her hair and silky gown white as snow. “I’m Kyra,” she spoke in a feminine voice. “And because I’ve blemished Drakev’s otherwise perfect killing record, he is more determined than ever to eliminate me.”  

“You!” I cried, my eyes wide. “I recognize you! You were the lady in the light at the woods yesterday!”

“I’m glad you remember. And this is the real me. Old Al is just a masquerade.”

It finally dawned on me that her impersonation of a crazy old man was to throw Sirius off his track. I also realized something else and I blurted out, “Then you must know who I am!”

She regarded me for a few moments then said, “Judging by your confused state of mind, I’m afraid I might have overdone it.”

“Overdone what?” I asked, even more confused than before.

“You wanted me to completely erase a bitter part of your memory,” she said. 

I gawked at her. “When did all this occur? And why in heaven’s name would I want to do that?”  

“Yesterday morning at your house,” Kyra answered with a slow smile. “But before my magick could begin to take effect, Drakev appeared on your doorstep. Knowing I was no match for him, I hid behind the shadows and watched helplessly as he went about his business of subduing you. Thank God you managed to get away. As for the ‘why’ … well, the best person to answer it is yourself. I did try to dissuade you but you were adamant.” She paused and went past me. “Now come, let’s go.”

I wasn’t too pleased with her reply even though I knew she was not at fault. With a heavy sigh, I let the matter drop for now. “Aren’t you going to destroy the cellphone?” I asked, as I walked closely behind her.

“No, Drakev will be alerted if I did that. We shall leave the phone with Sirius. That way, he would think we are still hanging around here.”

“I agree with you. But can you do me a favor before we go?

“What’s that?”

“Can you revive Sirius? I want to ask him something that has been bugging me since this morning.”

But Kyra was quite reluctant to grant my request. “I don’t think it’s a wise thing to do.”

“Please, it’s important,” I pleaded.

The witch finally gave in. She kneeled beside Sirius and touched his forehead. The next moment he stirred, stretched his arms, and got up.

“W … What happened? Did I doze off?” he asked groggily. When he saw Kyra before him, he had a shock and knew the game was up.

“We know you’re Drakev’s apprentice,” growled Kyra, “so don’t try anything funny or my next tap will put you back to sleep, this time permanently.”

Sirius stiffened. “Oh s**t, am I going to get it when Drakev finds out about this. He never tolerates failures.”

“You should have thought of that when you joined The Fellowship; it’s a one-way ticket to hell. You can only leave when you’re dead.”

“Why did you want to get yourself involved with an organization like that, for heaven’s sake?” I cut in.

“For the adventure, for the thrill, but most importantly, I’m getting good money,” replied Sirius matter-of-factly. “However I regretted my decision fairly quickly when I saw Drakev exterminating all witches and warlocks regardless of whether they were good or bad. He has no compassion, no conscience … he kills out of lust and pure ruthlessness. Even the lives of his men mean nothing to him; he had no qualms to kill us both back at the estate despite knowing I am one of his most trusted apprentices … the bastard! And when he gives orders, he expects us to fulfill them or die trying. All of us fear him; he is truly the epitome of evil!”    

“What is your task this time? And how did you know I would be staying at The Lodge?” I asked, staring hard at him like I was an interrogator.

“Y … You didn’t pick The Lodge at random,” he said with a slight stammer, feeling uncomfortable under my glare. “It was me who influenced your decision as this hotel is owned by The Fellowship. Not only can I read minds, I am able to control them to a certain extent too. You see, there were three persons in the Toyota. Beside Samy and Muthu, I was the third one. When you came out of the woods, I was hiding behind the trees. My job was to find out the whereabouts of Kyra through you but your memory loss proved to be a hindrance. That’s why I volunteered to take you to Ng Chan Villa; I was hoping you would lead us to her.”

“So that’s the real reason for your eagerness to be my guide,” I thundered. “All that talk about helping people out was just bullshit!”

Sirius opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then stopped himself. Instead he took a deep breath and glanced at me. “Actually, there is another reason,” he began to speak again, his voice so soft that it was barely audible. “When I first saw you in the woods, I was totally smitten by your beauty. I’ve never felt this way before. It’s like a song you fall in love with after only one listen. But how do you tell a girl that you like her when she hardly knows you? Our trip to Ng Chan Villa gave me that opportunity. Truth be told, as much as I wanted to track down Kyra, I was more focused on bringing our friendship to the next level.”    

A blush spread over my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say or how to react to his statement. Quickly I put my head down to conceal my embarrassment. To be honest, I liked him too and his confession excited me, but to hear it here and now … God, this is so awkward. 

But Kyra was having none of it. She stood up and spoke sternly. “Your cajoling will get you nowhere, Sirius. Alison may believe you but I don’t.”

“No, no, I really like Alison very much, I swear,” said Sirius, breathing hard; the witch’s face looked menacing when she was angry. “Let the lightning strike me down if I am lying.” 

To our great shock, the lightning did strike; it hit a boulder near us, splitting it into two. Sirius, shaken and pallid, looked up at the sky and shouted in exasperation, “Aiyoh, Tian-Mu, you gotta be kidding me!”

“It’s not the work of the Goddess of Lightning,” said Kyra gravely, her eyes gleaming like stars as she looked over her shoulder. Upon the surface of the pool stood a tall figure dressed impeccably in a black suit and tie. He was holding a cane. When he noticed that our sights were on him, he, with a smug look on his face, majestically flew over and landed on the ground not too far away from us. “It is Drakev’s!”  

Before Kyra could make a move, Drakev hit her with a thunderbolt from his cane which sent her flying past Sirius and me. She crashed against the trunk of a tree then fell to the ground.  

Rage engulfed me when I saw her gasping; she was badly hurt. This was not the way to treat a lady even if they were enemies. In that brief moment of madness, I sped towards Drakev, making a grab for his cane before he knew what was going on, and snapped it to pieces with all my might. Thinking that the source of his powers was cut off by the destruction of his cane, I was about to pulverize him when, to my utter surprise, he shot out dazzling blue bolts from his fingers, striking me. I could only scream in agony as I was thrown back at least twenty feet, and landed close to where Kyra was lying.

“Dumb!” laughed Drakev, the light of triumph in his eyes. “My cane is just a prop to fool you and just like the others you fell for it.” He then walked towards Kyra and me at a slow, easy pace; he knew perfectly well that we were too weak to even lift our arms. When he was close, so close I could feel his breath on my face, he said, “Bye-bye, ladies, time for you to die. Can’t say I’m going to miss you though. You two have always been a pain in the ass.”   

He pointed his fingers at our direction. Clutching at my chest where it felt like it was on fire, I gazed at him, mentally preparing myself to receive the killer blow. Seconds passed. It never came. He just stood there, silent and still like a statue.

“Grab Kyra and run, Alison!” cried Sirius behind us. At once I knew he was mind-controlling his master. “I don’t know how long I can hold him!”

But I couldn’t move; the pain was too intense, assailing me. Luckily, Kyra’s will to survive was stronger than mine. Inch by inch, she forced herself to crawl to my side. Sweat was bursting from her forehead, trickling down her cheeks like water. The cords of her neck were taut. Her face was crimson. So deep was her determination that her whole body shook. As soon as we were within distance, she stretched out her hand to me and commanded, “Hold it tight and don’t let go no matter what!”

I did as I was told.

Just when I sensed myself getting lighter and lighter, I saw to my horror Drakev breaking free of Sirius’s mental hold and cutting him down with his blasts, cussing, “How dare you turn on me, you insignificant insect!”

“Nooo!!!” I whimpered. That was all I could do before Kyra and I ceased to be seen.