35. ~Orpheus~

35

~Orpheus~

Xavier was absolutely distraught.

He was slumped against the wall inside the gates as Exemplar members rushed around him, examining him and the scene where Alena and Talon had been snatched from a half hour ago.

He’d come running to me telling me what had happened as I’d been conferring with my army, and I’d reached out to Abigail at Exemplar immediately.

While the idea of storming Constantine’s location to bring Alena and Talon back had been at the forefront of my mind and my desired response, I’d resisted, knowing that with the Hellborn in play we would have only failed and likely lost a lot of my soldiers too.

As much as it killed me to stand around and delay a rescue attempt, the tactician in me, the leader, knew we had to be smart about this.

We had to wait.

We had to do it right.

Abigail finally returned to me after pacing up and down on the phone for the last several minutes since she’d arrived here. She’d gotten word from her Exemplar members in the field. I just didn’t know what that word was yet. Whatever it was, it had her in a state. As if that hadn’t already been the case with her daughter having been taken again. Normally, she barely showed a reaction to anything, let alone emotion. But lately, I’d noticed cracks.

“Taking Alena and Talon wasn’t the only big move Constantine made tonight,” she informed me as soon as she reached me right inside the gates.

“Why? What has he done?”

“We’ve discovered the task that Callum Cornwell was given. Murdering six former Exemplar members was a smokescreen. They only wanted one. But taking out the other five left us with a lot to work through. There was a wealth of documents and possessions to search through for each in our bid to determine what they’d come there for. It delayed us discovering what the true intent had been, other than to hurt us and strike fear into the hearts of our current members, fearing they’d be next. They came for the two keys to Valmont.”

“Keys? As the creator of that prison, aren’t you the only one who can release its prisoners from within?”

“That’s what the public has been led to believe, but among a select few it is known that there’s a failsafe, should anything happen to me. That failsafe is the ability of the keys to unlock the two levels of the prison. The key to the first level housing non-magical beings who have committed serious crimes against the supernatural world has been acquired by Constantine. It was used ten minutes ago to release them onto the world and he’s recruiting as many as he can to replenish the portion of his army that we defeated here the night of Alena’s rescue who are awaiting processing and trial at the Exemplar compound.”

“And the other key? Where is that?”

“Here under the care of Dean Bronson.”

“The key to opening the second level of the prison that holds highly-dangerous magic-wielders is right here at Electi Academy?” I shook my head to myself. “You always intended the students to become your own backup army, didn’t you?”

“The students who pass through here are highly-gifted beings, special. Their potential cannot be denied or ignored.”

“Then you need to school the dean and the faculty on not denying that potential so fiercely.”

“Yes, since Alena started attending, I’ve been made aware of what has been happening. Fear has gotten in the way of progress, as it so often does. I’m also aware that it’s thanks to you that they are prepared for what will be upon them now.”

We couldn’t get into the ridiculousness of it all now, so I tabled it and focused, asking her, “So, you believe Constantine will hit Electi Academy tonight to retrieve the second key?”

She nodded. “Either using Alena’s blood to breach my ward, or the Hellborn in his possession. He’ll send his acolytes and use the mission to also draw Exemplar resources here so he can complete the spell elsewhere with the Orb of Vorlav, Alena and Talon. He now has all the ingredients he needs to perform it whenever he wishes. As we speak, those prisoners he’s released from the first level are now out wreaking havoc at his command. I have units out there now working to contain it. He’s once again splitting our resources and stretching Exemplar thin. He most definitely intends to perform the spell tonight.” She moved closer and laid her hand on my shoulder, imparting intensely, “I need you here tonight. With your army. I’ve already briefed the dean and the faculty and there won’t be any issues, they will work with you.”

“You expect me to stay here while Talon and Alena are out there being held by that madman?”

“We need to think strategically, not emotionally. While I know you can hold your own against Constantine’s dark magic, you can’t against his black magic. Moreover, with Alena in his possession again, he could very well use her to extinguish your magic the moment you arrive, which would put you out of the battle immediately. You’re much better here defending Electi Academy and the key against his acolytes. The Exemplar members here now will remain with you to bolster your forces. I will liberate Alena and Talon.”

“What about the Hellborn? You can heal its effects, but you can’t withstand a full-on assault against yourself.”

Indigo smoke erupted and Elliot Sabre materialized right in front of us.

“The Hellborn will no longer be a problem,” he announced.

I watched as he pulled something from his robe that looked a lot like a silver Taser. He eyed Abigail, “Fused with your magic, mine, Saryan’s, and the King of the Light Fae. Fire this at the Hellborn and it will envelop it at the site of the Hellfire and contain it, effectively nullifying its ability to do any damage for up to an hour, just long enough to bury it back beneath the earth where no one will ever find it. All four of us will cloak it this time to ensure it remains buried.”

Abigail took it from him in awe. “This is quite something, El. One of your most impressive creations.”

He smiled. “I’m just glad I was able to produce it in time.” He started looking all around. “Where’s my son?”

I pointed to our left where X was now slumped down on the ground, his head in his hands.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Elliot said firmly.

“I know,” I told him. “The sire bond shouldn’t have that much control over a sireling, though.”

“No. It normally doesn’t.”

“It was black magic,” Abigail cut in. “The bane of our existence. That which has caused us all so much pain and heartache.” She narrowed her eyes fiercely. “That which needs to be extinguished.”

Elliot reached out to her, concerned. “Abi?”

She pulled away. “There’s something I need to retrieve quickly before I go head-to-head with Constantine.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No,” she said, quickly. A little too quickly actually. “Go to his location and have the few Exemplar members we can still spare there do recon until I arrive. I won’t be long.”

“I’m not going to wait. We’ll move in, thin the heard, take out his acolytes,” El told her.

“Fine, yes. That sounds good.”

I frowned.

His strategy should have been her first thought too.

She seemed distracted.

What was going on?

Before I could get into it, Abigail took off in a cloud of teleportation.

And then Elliot was rushing over to his son, to comfort him and see to him before this hell of a battle got underway.

Before hell hit Electi Academy.