Chapter Four #3

“Please,”

Danny scoffed. “You have no idea what I can do.”

I expected this exercise to last all of five minutes. “Whatever you say.”

Oberi knelt before me, and I slid out of my wheelchair and onto her back. The illusion saddle pad appeared as I got on, and Charlie fastened the straps for my legs before we faced off against Danny.

Amber and Wykoff moved out of the way. Once they were standing at the wall, Wykoff said, “I would like you all to treat this as an actual fight. Don’t hold back. We have healers to help you recover, should you get injured, but we cannot afford for any of you to go easy on each other when we have so much at stake. Begin.”

The four of us flung magic at Danny at once. I threw out a combination of Fire and Water, Charlie blasted Air magic, and Kallie and Marcus tossed battle orbs. Danny used his super speed to sprint out of the way, and all of our hits missed.

Kallie transformed into a wolf, so she could keep up with him. She ran after Danny and opened her jaws wide to catch him. He rolled out of the way of her snapping fangs and tripped her up. She went tumbling to the ground, and as he did so, he reached out.

Danny grabbed Kallie around the waist, spun her around and tossed her across the arena with his super strength. She smashed into the wall, and a bit of concrete crumbled off the side. She groaned as she hit the floor, struggling to get up.

“Kallie!”

Marcus shouted. He created a battle orb and Rishi jumped into it, zooming around the room. Rishi went after Danny, but Danny grabbed the battle orb that Rishi was in and smashed it with his hands. Rishi yowled as pieces of magic shattered like glass, and he went skittering to the other side of the arena to hide.

Danny ran toward Kallie again. I wasn’t sure why he was making her his target, as she was already down for the count, but Marcus didn’t stop to think. He slid to a stop in front of her, putting himself between her and Danny. Marcus flung his arm out, and I watched as a silvery specter began hovering outside of Danny’s body. Marcus was attempting to rip out Danny’s soul as a gut reaction to protect Kallie.

Danny leveled Marcus with a heavy stare. Once Danny’s eyes fixed on Marcus, he gave a cry of agony and dropped to the floor, landing heavily on his right arm. Danny had practically turned him into a limp rag doll.

“Don’t try to rip my soul out of my body, pal,”

Danny warned. “You ain’t gonna like it.”

I wasn’t sure what kind of power he’d used, but Danny’s magic had completely incapacitated my friend. Marcus rolled on the floor, wincing in pain.

Danny had taken down two of our teammates in seconds. We were underestimating him. Oberi cantered around Danny in a circle, while I observed him as we went around. Charlie waited, looking for the right opportunity to strike.

This guy was too good. There was something off about him. We needed to figure out what that was before we tried to take him down. I blasted off different types of magic in succession— first a fireball, then a stream of Water, then orbs of Spirit magic, to see how he’d react to them and how he countered each one.

He didn’t react how I expected. Instead of dodging the magic, he ran toward me and slid underneath the shots I was firing. He pulled a dagger from the hilt that was attached to his calf and slashed it upward. The cloth cinch holding the saddle pad in place was sliced clean through. With nothing to hold me on, I toppled off and to the ground. Oberi nickered in surprise as I crashed downward, and Danny sprinted to the opposite side of the arena.

I tried to push myself up, but I found that my hands were stuck to the floor, and I couldn’t move any part of my body. I realized that when Danny had cut the cinch, he’d also nicked my knee, and a tiny cut was oozing blood there. I glanced up, and saw Danny focusing his gaze on me.

He was using my blood to compel me. I couldn’t fight back. “Oberi!” I called.

I can’t move, either, Oberi nickered, and she let out a huff. Danny had cut her, too, and although the injury was barely visible, the few droplets of blood that dripped out of the cut on her belly were enough to enable Danny control of our bodies.

When Charlie realized that Oberi and I were down for the count and that he was on his own, he went ballistic. Charlie siphoned Danny’s vampire strength and speed. He hurtled at him, raising a fist to drive it into Danny’s face.

It seemed like Charlie wasn’t able to take all of Danny’s magic, because Danny kept his abilities. Charlie did what he knew how to do best and began throwing punches that became blurs due to the high speed. I heard Danny laughing, like he thought this was a fun game as he flung back hits of his own.

Charlie realized this wasn’t going anywhere. He used his Elven illusion magic to conjure a sword, and he swung it at Danny’s head. I was pretty sure the Elven healers couldn’t sew Danny’s head back on should Charlie knock it off, but Wykoff and Amber didn’t stop him. Danny ducked and allowed Charlie to swing at him carelessly time and again before eventually, Charlie lost his footing and stumbled.

Danny took the opportunity to twist Charlie’s wrist, and Charlie loosened his grip on the sword. Danny ripped Charlie’s weapon out of his hand and kicked his legs out from under him. Charlie fell backward, and Danny pointed the blade at his throat.

“Surrender,”

Danny said. “You’re done.”

Charlie sneered, and Danny took a few steps back. I felt the compulsion magic holding me and Oberi break. The unicorn knelt to the floor, and I pulled myself back onto her. My group hobbled our way to the center of the arena, where Danny tossed the blade to the floor.

“Are you sure these guys are demigods? They don’t seem like they’re at the top of their game,”

Danny said, gesturing to us.

“That wasn’t fair,”

Charlie spat as he caught his breath. “What’s his demigod power? It gave him an edge.”

“I had an edge, sure, but you still should’ve been able to overpower me. You guys are untrained as a team,”

Danny said. “If you noticed, most of the maneuvers I did were to avoid you, not to fight back. I only went on the offense when I saw an opening and you guys left yourselves defenseless. I didn’t have to kick your ass or be the strongest guy in the room. I just had to outsmart you. You guys fight well as individuals, but not together. We’re not gonna last if we can’t battle as a unit.”

“I agree,”

Professor Wykoff added. “The four of you should be helping to protect each other, so there are no openings. Instead, each of you went on the most aggressive offense possible, instead of taking turns to attack while the others held the enemy off.”

Talk about our greatest weakness. Danny was right. Esther and her demigod goons had been able to beat us the other day because they worked together, and we hadn’t. He’d pointed out our biggest flaw.

“Can you see people’s weaknesses, like Esther?”

I asked Danny.

“Nah,”

Danny said. “I’m kinda the opposite. I see people’s deepest desires— what they want the most. That’s my demigod power.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,”

Kallie said. “You being able to see what we desire shouldn’t have given you that much of an advantage.”

“Sure it does. It was easy,”

Danny replied. “Once I knew what you all wanted, it was simple to manipulate. Marcus wanted to protect Kallie. I had to disarm her first, so he’d be too distracted trying to save her and would be unable to defend himself. Ava wanted to figure me out, and her trying to guess what my demigod power was threw her off, leaving her vulnerable. And Charlie was focused on beating me up, not winning the match, so I took advantage of his anger and used it against him. I knew he’d fuck up and get sloppy. I just had to wait for when.”

“With that kind of demigod ability, you can do anything,”

Marcus said. His tone held a shiver of fear.

“It’s not perfect,”

Danny argued. “I can see people’s deepest desires, yes, but it’s still hard for me to utilize. I can’t tell when someone is lying, to me or themselves, and if someone has two opposing desires that are equal in want, I’m not always sure which one to manipulate. It’s not a sure thing, and sometimes I get it wrong— and sometimes, I have to ask people what their deepest desire is before I can manipulate it, because I can’t always see it. Wards and magical protections can trick me and get in the way.”

“Marcus can protect our minds. It shouldn’t have worked,” I argued.

“I can’t protect you from everybody, especially if I don’t know what I’m protecting you against. I’ve protected us from Seers— witches who can mind read or predict our intentions— but some mind manipulators like Alistair can get through,”

Marcus panted. “Looks like this guy is one of them.”

Danny chuckled. “What do you truly desire, Marcus? You don’t need to tell me— I can guess.”

Marcus flushed and turned his back on Danny, mumbling something under his breath.

“That’s an unusual power to have,”

I stated carefully. Demigod powers were influenced by personality. Danny’s demigod power indicated that for all his bravado, he was a huge people pleaser.

Danny let out a huff. “Yeah, well… as a kid, it was a lot safer for me to cater to what other people wanted. Having a super sensitive alarm system about my parents’ feelings kept my ass out of some shitty situations.”

It got rather quiet, and no one dared to ask him to clarify. I changed the topic, because I could sense this wasn’t something Danny wanted to talk about. “What kind of magic did you use on Marcus?”

“Yeah, I wanna know. It dropped me to the floor,”

Marcus said, giving a grimace as he rubbed the arm that he fell on.

“Blood distortion. It’s when a vampire takes control of a person’s blood and uses it against them. Sometimes, a vampire can use blood distortion to make people their puppet. In some cases, a vampire can use it to disable a victim and make them feel pain, as I did with Marcus,”

Danny stated. “I don’t need to make him bleed to do it. I can manipulate what’s in his body from a distance.”

“That’s similar to what a Toaqua can do with water in the blood,”

I stated, impressed. I could use Water magic to move limbs, but was otherwise limited.

“Yeah, but I’m kind of shit at it, and I can only use it every now and then. Not to mention it doesn’t last— I had to pull it back quick with Marcus, if you couldn’t tell,”

Danny said. “But it’s useful in a pinch. Maybe one day I’ll be strong enough to use it properly, but for the moment, I still get too drained to harness it well. It’s hard magic. Most vampires can’t use it.”

For Danny to admit that he couldn’t do something told me how difficult blood distortion really was. Still, he was a tough demigod. I respected what he could do.

“Let’s try working together as a team,”

Wykoff suggested.

We practiced for the rest of the afternoon. We sparred a little, though it was nothing as brutal as the first time around. Wykoff and Amber instructed the four of us to fight Danny again, but this time, she had us alternate who was on the defense and who was attacking, giving us instruction as we sparred.

It definitely made a difference, and I saw we were more effective. If we had worked together like this when Esther had found us in the woods, maybe we would’ve been able to chase her cronies off.

Danny kept trying to help, but he could be a little too honest, and his pointers pissed Charlie off more than they provided any kind of advice. By dinner, I was worn out and starving. Wykoff and Amber dismissed us, and Danny dipped out the moment we were let go.

“Ancestors, that guy’s a prick,”

Charlie complained as we left the arena. “I didn’t hit him hard enough, because if I did, he would’ve shut up. He was babbling the whole time.”

“Danny pointed out all our weak spots. We learned a lot from him today. He can teach us what we need to know,” I said.

“He’s so full of himself. I’ve never met a guy more in love with a mirror,”

Charlie mumbled.

“I mean, he’s kind of a jackass, but I really do think he wants to help. Being arrogant doesn’t make him evil.”

And I wasn’t so sure Danny’s attitude wasn’t all an act, either. Charlie was a quiet guy, so it wasn’t any surprise his and Danny’s personalities clashed. But they’d have to figure out a way to work together, because we were on the same team.

Marcus and Kallie followed us as we were led to another beautiful balcony overlooking the palace gardens. A long table had been set up, and food had been placed out for us. Dinner was served— spinach-artichoke pasta, with glazed salmon on the side and lemon-lavender sponge cake for dessert. All of our friends were here, chatting as they ate.

I noticed Abigail was sitting beside Eddie. I acknowledged her with a nod, and she nodded back, although neither of us said anything more.

“Did you enjoy your first day in Ilamanthe?”

Eddie asked as he took another slice of cake.

“I loved it. What’s next on the agenda?” I asked.

“All that’s left is a lesson after dinner. Since you are monarchs, you and Charlie will have to learn Elvish,”

Eddie stated.

Charlie gave a short sigh. “I feel behind. I don’t even know Hawkei, and now I have to learn Elvish, too.”

“I can teach you Hawkei, and we’ll learn Elvish together,”

I told him.

“Easy for you to say. You already know four languages.”

Charlie frowned.

“It’ll be five soon. I’ve been teaching her Italian,”

Ivy said— very unhelpfully, I might add.

Charlie’s frown got deeper, and he poked at the food on his plate. He was getting so down on himself, and I didn’t like it.

“You learned braille. You can learn this, too,”

I replied.

“I’m not fluent in it yet,”

Charlie argued. “I’ve been learning it for less than a year. I’m barely literate at braille.”

“I believe in you. I know you can do this.”

Ivy kept ducking their gaze. Every time a servant walked by, they hunched over and hid behind Chancey, avoiding attention.

I took an olive from my plate and threw it at them. It bounced against their head, and they yelped, “Hey, what was that for?”

“Why are you acting weird?”

I laughed.

“I’m trying to keep a low profile around here,”

Ivy whispered, glancing from side to side.

“Why? There’s nothing to worry about. The Warden can’t find us here,” I said.

“It ain’t the Warden I’m worried about,”

Ivy replied. “It’s people figuring out who I am. I’m in enemy territory.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I’m a Bianchi. My family and Charlie’s family have been going at it for centuries,”

Ivy said worryingly. “We’re sworn enemies. My dad thought he’d gotten rid of the Elvish mob after the Great Supernatural War, but now he knows they’re back, so some sort of gang war is bound to start up again.”

“I didn’t know the Bianchi family and the Wahkin family were rival gangs,”

Charlie said.

“Excuse me, but your family name isn’t Wahkin, sire,”

Eddie piped up. “The Elvish royal family has a different title.”

“Then why does it say that on my birth certificate? Why’s my dad called that?”

Charlie questioned.

Eddie cleared his throat. “Your father chose a different name once he fled Forevermore and hid himself in Kinpago, before he met your mother, in order to keep his identity hidden.”

“Great, now my name isn’t even real,”

Charlie growled.

“It is real. It’s ours,”

I insisted, and I touched his hand lightly. “That’s what makes it special.”

“Aponi Wahkin was your grandmother’s name on your father’s side. She was the Air elemental married to Emperor Cassiel, so it does have some meaning to you,”

Eddie explained. “In Hawkei culture, it’s traditional for the family to take on the mother’s name. So it’s actually accurate that your father took on the Wahkin name when he moved to Kinpago, as he was reclaiming his heritage.”

Charlie relaxed, but his expression was still stony. “Okay, so what’s the family’s royal title?”

“Your grandfather’s full name is His Imperial Highness Cassiel Majestica, Emperor of Ilamanthe, and your royal title, properly, would be Prince Charles Majestica, Grand Duke of Ilamanthe,”

Eddie said helpfully.

“Why don’t I get to choose?”

Charlie asked.

“Well, you do,”

Eddie said. “But your royal title is always going to be different from your legal name. Monarchs have many monikers that they go by, and always have been. It’s your decision on how you want to be introduced, in what situation, though you’ll come to find some names are more helpful than others in certain circumstances. It’s not the same thing, sire. Names are power, and you want to utilize them as tools to get people to do what you want.”

I’d say. If you wanted to walk into a room and make sure people knew you were powerful, being introduced with a long, formal title was better than some average name. Though I could sense through our bond Charlie didn’t see it that way.

“Isn’t it so wonderful to have so many titles?”

Eddie gushed. “If you get tired of one name, you can just pick another! I only get to choose between Eddie and Edwyrd, and I am very jealous.”

“Charlie Wahkin is just fine,”

my husband grumbled.

“Yeah, and the Majestica family ain’t nothing to mess with,”

Ivy emphasized. “You wanna talk about bodies piling up on the streets, take a look back at some of the showdowns between the Bianchi mob and the Majestica family during the 1920s. The two sides hated each other, and if your grandpa decides that he doesn’t want a Bianchi running around his palace, I’m dead meat.”

“That rivalry was over a hundred years ago. I get that vampires and Elves are immortal, but not even they can hold on to bad blood for that long,” I argued.

“Precious, you and your man have no idea what you’ve gotten yourselves into. These Elves like to play royal, but they ain’t no saints,”

Ivy replied. “Both of you need a run down on how mob families work.”

“So tell us.”

I leaned forward.

“First things first, you got the head of the family, which is the boss. In organized crime, there’s a hierarchy. All major decisions are made by the boss, and power trickles down to other people within the family that are beneath him, such as underbosses,”

Ivy explained. “The wives of the family have their part to play, too, standing by their men no matter what goes down, prison, death or otherwise. You can’t refuse an order given by the boss, or one of the underbosses, because otherwise, you’re kaput. The dirty work is done by all the thugs at the bottom, but acceptance into the family isn’t freely given. You gotta earn your place and swear to be loyal to the family above all, even over the gods and your loved ones, because the mob comes first. And you can’t ever get out once you’re in. If you try, you’re sleeping with the fishes.”

“Then why are you still here?”

Kallie asked. “You left your dad’s gang.”

“I got tossed out on the street because my dad’s the boss, and as much as he hates me, he didn’t want to kill me,”

Ivy explained. “The only reason I’m still alive is because I’m my dad’s only child. He thought throwing me out would make me reconsider my life choices and make me subscribe to living his way, since I’m bound to inherit the head position once my old man finally corks off— if he ever does.”

Ivy sank down in their chair. “Which is why if your grandfather wanted to get a big hit on the Bianchi mob, all he’d have to do was make sure I was taken care of.”