Dark Vengeance

Chapter 1

One

‘Jackson Kyle, you are under arrest. You will accompany me to council chambers to await sentencing for your crimes.’ Sweat beaded the brow of the council official as he stood in the street outside the headquarters of the Brimfield Ward.

Jackson lowered the hammer he’d been using while making repairs to the front gates, his gaze skimming over the official to land on the twelve members of the council’s security forces providing backup. Silence fell, and Jackson signalled for the wardens and half-breeds he’d been labouring alongside to get back to work. They ignored him, grips tightening on their tools, gathering at his back as he faced the group tasked with arresting him.

The official glanced behind him, no doubt making sure his back-up was still there. The guards were armed, eyes narrowed, each of them with a hand resting on the grip of the pistols stashed in their side holsters. All the official had was a clipboard clasped to his chest, and a nervous expression that suggested he’d known the futility of this course of action long before he’d uttered a word.

After a long and drawn out moment, Jackson said, ‘I believe a trial comes before sentencing. And what, exactly, are the crimes I’m supposed to have committed?’

The official’s shoulders quivered, fingers whitening as he clutched his clipboard even tighter. ‘You are charged with breaking the Ward Charter, as well as twenty-seven counts of murder, including the attempted murders of every Brimfield citizen. You are also charged with being complicit in a plot to overthrow the rightful council and undermine the integrity of this town by way of hallucinogenic drugs and mass hypnosis.’

Jackson stifled a wince at the tally of citizens who had lost their lives two nights earlier. Twenty-seven innocent humans he and his wardens were sworn to protect had died. He’d had to bury more than twice that number of his own people, after ordering his wardens to use non-lethal force while fighting the townspeople turned into freaks by Callaghan. The death toll among the humans would have been much higher, Jackson’s losses fewer, if it were not for that order. Not that he’d expected the council to see it that way. But this other charge? Hallucinogenic drugs and mass hypnosis? What was up with that?

‘Are you freaking serious?’ Hanson appeared at Jackson’s side, feet set wide, chin jutting out. ‘You want to arrest the guy who saved your arses? You’d still be a freak if it wasn’t for him.’

A tremble went through the official’s body, face reddening, eyes blazing. ‘I was never a freak. That was an illusion created by the wardens in an attempt to take over Brimfield.’ Shoulders back, he glared at the young half-breed.

‘Hanson Forsythe, you are also under arrest. For the murder of Cole Dillon. You and Jackson Kyle will immediately be taken into custody by these guards and locked away until such time as your executions can be arranged.’ He stepped aside and waved the security guards forward. ‘Any warden or half-breed who attempts to pervert the course of justice will also be arrested and executed, by order of the Brimfield Council.’

The guards drew their pistols as they moved to surround Jackson and Hanson.

The wardens at their backs surged forward, tools raised.

‘Stand down.’ Jackson slipped the hammer into his belt and faced his wardens. He’d lost too many people as it was to risk losing more in a battle with armed guards when all they had were their tools.

Reluctance on their faces, they obeyed his order, although he had to grab Hanson’s arm to stop him from launching at the guards.

‘This is bullshit,’ Hanson said, green eyes blazing when Jackson hauled him back to his side. ‘They can’t arrest us. We didn’t do anything wrong. Cole Dillon was a psychopath and a freak. He deserved to die.’

‘Hanson, keep quiet.’ Jackson wrenched on his arm again. ‘I’ll handle this.’

He faced the official once more, spine straight, refusing to acknowledge the many pistols pointed at his head. ‘The Brimfield Council does not have the authority to arrest me, let alone pronounce sentencing. Whether I have broken the Ward charter or not is a matter for the Over-Council and the Ward High Command to decide. Councillor Dillon wants me dead—he needs to take it up with them.’

He stepped closer to the official, looming over the much shorter man. ‘As for the rest of those charges, you know as well as I do that they’re baseless accusations. You may choose to hide behind the idea it was some kind of trick, hallucination, or whatever you want to call it, but you know the truth. You were a freak.’

Jackson lifted his head to scan the eyes of the guards as he said, ‘Two nights ago a man named Marcus Callaghan infected every single one of you with the freak virus, and the darkness that resides deep in your soul was let loose. It was my wardens who brought you back to the light. These brave men and women,’ he waved a hand at the wardens assembled behind him, ‘put their lives on the line so you could be cured. We grieve for those who couldn’t be saved, even as we mourn those of us who died so you could live. You want to arrest me, fine, but don’t expect me to come quietly.’

A hush fell over the street after Jackson’s words; some of the guards lowered their weapons, looking downward. The official was the first to recover, face paling as he struggled to regain control of the situation.

‘Councillor Dillon will not rest until those responsible for the death of his son are punished. You must come with me. Both of you.’ Eyes wide, brimming with desperation, he looked from Jackson to Hanson. ‘You murdered Cole Dillon in cold blood. You have to pay for that crime with your lives.’

Jackson cut off Hanson’s angry rebuke, shoving the half-breed behind him. ‘Cole Dillon’s death was not a result of murder. He was a freak. While it is certainly regrettable, his death was an unavoidable consequence of the battle to wrest control of Brimfield from a hostile third party. I have sent a full report on the matter to High Command. As all freaks fall under the jurisdiction of the Ward, it is up to them to determine if my actions, or those of my wardens, contributed in any way to the deaths of the twenty-seven infected civilians.’

None of the pistols still pointed at him wavered, and Jackson steeled himself for what would come next. He meant what he’d said. He would not meekly hand himself over to Dillon. He would go down fighting, no matter the odds.

Muscles tensing, he got ready to tackle the nearest guard and wrest his pistol from him. The tramp of booted feet met his ears moments before Lieutenant Geoff Anderson arrived in the gateway with two patrols at his back, fully suited up in body armour, stun guns at the ready as they eased into position behind Jackson.

The guards who had lowered their weapons swiftly raised them again, but it was clear from their faces they knew they were outnumbered and outmatched. The officer in charge of the security guards ordered his men to holster their weapons and the two groups sized each other up, neither wanting to make the first move.

Jackson took a deep breath to force away the bitterness he felt at being placed in this situation and said, ‘Councillor Dillon is letting grief at the death of his son dictate his actions. As such, I do not recognise the authority of the Brimfield Council in the matter of my arrest, or that of Hanson Forsythe.’

‘But he’s not a warden. He’s a half-breed.’ The official pointed at Hanson, clearly not wanting to return to council chambers empty-handed. ‘Councillor Dillon is well within his rights to order his execution.’

‘Hanson is a valued member of this Ward. There are no half-breeds here anymore, only wardens. You’re not arresting anyone. Not today.’ Jackson turned his back on the official and faced his wardens. ‘What are you lot doing standing around? This gate isn’t going to repair itself.’ He pulled the hammer out of his belt and moved back to the section he’d been working on. With Dillon out for his and Hanson’s blood, they were going to need a secure perimeter more than ever.