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Part Eight
Last Updated:
2024-10-18 12:40:38
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I sat down on the couch with the first book and opened it. I felt drawn to it, maybe because the handwriting was Karani’s or maybe because of the magical connection, I didn’t know which but it was almost overwhelming.“Kiran,If you’re reading this then I’m dead, and you have a child. Firstly, congratulations! I wish I was there to see him or her. You’ll be a great father because you had a great example in Malachi. I know he’s with you every step of the way, he always will be too. You were and always will be the great love of his life, the pride he feels each day and the reason for him to keep getting up each day and going on.Know that I love you and I always just wanted to protect you from this world. I know that you wouldn’t have found my chest by accident and you will need help to harness my magic.You would have cremated my body and scattered my ashes in the clearing and therefore you’ll need to replicate my heart with a part of your liver. I’ve written down all the spells you’ll
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I sighed audibly. I didn’t know anything about magic but I felt frustrated by the knowledge that the book with the spells I’d need in a few months wasn't at my fingertips. I’d always been a bit of an overachiever and I knew that I was running out of time.I stood up and stretched my legs. Today was Tuesday, I had two days to prepare myself and for Jessica to do this spell. I wondered if Malachi would be able to cut out my liver. I knew James wouldn’t be able to do it.I closed Karani’s book because it didn’t feel like it belonged to me yet and switched off the lamp next to the couch. I had no idea how long I’d been immersed in the book but pushing this harder wouldn’t bring me answers any sooner. I went to the kitchen and Malachi sat at the counter with his back to me.Malachi turned at the sounds of my footsteps and smiled. “Dad, is everything okay?”“Of course. I was waiting for you. Adara said you found your mother’s chest in the clearing.”I sat down at the counter next to him. “I
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I lay in bed for exactly two minutes as I watched the shadows in the room lighten as the sun rose. A sense of trepidation filled me and I had the insane urge to get this whole cutting out my liver episode over with.I was nervous about the future, not mine, Kai’s. For the first time in my life I began to understand Malachi’s actions, the times it felt like he hovered and especially the times I thought he was overprotective.I was a father now too and the only thing I kept thinking of was to protect Kai from whatever forces were after him. I had agreed to do the Norns bidding, they wanted me to harvest Karani’s magic and save my daughter.The previous night I’d taken pictures of the instructions in Karani’s book and sent them to Jessica. She would complete the first steps of the spell in preparation for Thursday’s ceremony while I ate the root that Karani had left for me.Jessica’s expression gave nothing away as she stared at me like I was special and not the good kind of special. I w
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We disconnected the call, I started the Jeep and the slow descent back towards the house. As I bumped up the dirt road and turned into the paved driveway, I saw Malachi’s Navigator in the garage and smiled again. He was already here, waiting for me.“I’m home!” I walked through the foyer hallway and into the kitchen and found Malachi sitting at the table. I felt antsy and opened the fridge. “Where’s Adara?”“She went to the store, something about cooking your last meal.” I turned around sharply as I looked at him and he burst out laughing. For once in my life I was completely speechless.“That’s not funny, Dad.”“I know, I’m sorry.” Malachi started laughing again looking anything but sorry.“I don’t think Jessica’s such a good influence on you.” He grinned at me as I sat down at the table next to him and he closed his laptop.“Let’s rather not talk about Jess’s influence.” There was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes and I was glad that I couldn’t read his mind. I knew for a fact that
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“Kiran!” Christian’s voice was loud and filled with excitement as I turned towards him and he jumped into my arms.“Hey, little man, were you painting the town red with Robert?”Christian frowned and I smiled at the confused look on his face. “No, we were at the hotel. But you’re much better with punches and kicks.” He had meant to whisper that last part and even cupped his hand over my ear but had said it out loud.Robert laughed. “Thanks, Christian, good thing I’m not sensitive.”I put Christian down and sat down at the table as James handed Kai back to Adara. Malachi’s eyes glinted and I heard a car’s door outside. Malachi stood up and I caught Jessica’s scent. I didn’t even want to picture the greeting because it took ten minutes for them to come inside.“Hi, everyone.” Malachi introduced her to Robert and Malika who smiled and lowered her head briefly.James shook his head as he looked at Malachi and Jessica holding hands. I knew exactly what he was thinking. “James, Malachi can
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I burst out laughing first because Jessica’s tone was so dry and everybody else followed. The mood had been broken and I felt the familiar ease settle back between us all. I gave Jessica a nod and she gave me a half smile. It was the most I’d get from her.“I guess I’m in the inner circle of trust now.” I smiled at Robert’s words. He was indeed in the inner circle now.“Mia was the night we got arrested. Malachi killed her. We just dumped her body.” James was at full speed now and I watched Jessica’s reaction. There wasn’t one and I realized that Malachi had told her.James didn’t wait for an invitation and just carried on and I could see Robert was trying to keep up. “Kiran killed Paul in the woods, before we knew who he was, but that one was self-defense.”I shook my head at James. I was sure Robert didn’t need a detailed log of who we’d killed and why. “We’re all family here, Kiran. Honesty is the best policy.” Robert laughed at that one and Jessica just gave James a look even thou
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The concoction worked fast. I could feel the fog entering my mind and I felt dizzy. Malachi physically helped me up the stairs as Adara walked outside and I could feel her anguish and her nerves. She was afraid for me.I was in bed shivering as the cold fever took me. Malachi placed another blanket over me as I closed my eyes. I felt so tired. I managed to make it to 2 p.m. before I vomited the first time. They took turns to sit with me in the bathroom as it just kept coming. Adara only left me when Kai needed her and at other times Malachi would tend to Kai so she could tend to me.At 4 p.m. she opened the faucet in the shower and Malachi helped me inside as I sat with my legs pulled up against my chest under the hot water. After five minutes she turned the water off and helped me undress and get into clean pajamas. I felt slightly better and got back into bed. My head started pounding and she had to close the curtains because the light hurt my eyes.It was strange to feel so sick wh
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I kissed the top of Kai’s head as James looked at me questioningly. I knew he wanted to say something but he closed his mouth and walked outside. I kissed Adara goodbye, wanting to keep her against me for longer but I knew if I did she’d worry.“Please call me the moment it’s over and tell me he’s fine.” Adara was worried even though I pretended not to be.We drove to the den in silence and Malachi kept glancing over at me. “You’ll be fine.” I wondered who he was trying to convince, me or him.“I know, Dad.”I took a deep breath as we stopped in front of the den. I walked inside slowly and took the stairs to the basement as Malachi went into another room. James was lowering the rack from the wall and I looked at it in disdain.I had washed Dave’s blood from that rack and now it would be my blood that flowed over it. It was almost too funny. I was going to be strapped to it willingly. The irony of the situation almost made me smile.“Get on.” Jessica’s voice was steady and I pulled my
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The room was quiet as Bryan held his hand up. Nobody said a word and Malachi sifted through random thoughts. He would have preferred to do this with the Alpha and Beta alone in the room but the members needed to verify the truth for themselves.“Are you confirming that you never broke into more than a hundred homes, tied up the human residents and emptied the contents of their safes?” Malachi asked the Alpha.“That’s correct, Alpha,” Warren Brown said to Malachi.“And you don’t have a certain painting in your possession?” Malachi asked him and he looked around unsure of what to say.Warren Brown swallowed nervously, realization flickering in his eyes as he watched Malachi intently. The truth would come out, it always did.“The truth will set you free, Warren. The more honest and compliant you are now, the less severe your punishment will be,” John said to him as Malachi walked up to Warren.Quentin was unsure of what to do, protocol didn’t allow for Council members to enter that circl
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Malachi sat at the table next to John Whitcombe with Bryan pacing up and down behind them. He was exhausted and Bryan’s pacing was grating on his nerves but he didn’t say anything, wouldn’t say anything either.“There’s still no word about Kiran’s whereabouts?” John asked him. Even John’s eyes portrayed his misery. Kiran’s disappearance had been hard on all of them. John cared about Malachi and he had high expectations of Kiran and accepting that he was dead was just unthinkable.“No, nothing. I’m starting to think that Jessica might be right,” Malachi said looking tired.“What does she think?” John asked him.“That he’s dead,” Malachi said, not looking at him. His voice was sad, almost broken and John couldn’t imagine what he must be going through.John looked over at Bryan and the irritation in his eyes was evident. “Would you stop that? You’re making me nervous.”Bryan stopped pacing and sat down at the table. He had also been trying to track Kiran’s magic over the past six months
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Marcus shifted uncomfortably in his seat and he finally sighed and looked us in the eye.“I have this guy who owes me money, there’s easy money in it for you two if you can get what he owes me,” Marcus said and I looked at Josh.“How much does he owe you and what’s his deal?” Josh asked him and I sighed. This felt like trouble, the kind of trouble we tried to steer clear of.“He owes me fifty grand, he has a safe in his house, I know he has the money, he’s just being pissy about paying me,” Marcus said to us.“Why doesn’t he want to pay you?” I asked him and Marcus sighed.“I shagged his wife okay, now he’s being a real girl over it,” he said and Josh started laughing.“You slept with another man’s wife?” I asked him.“Don’t look at me like you’re the Virgin Mary, K, I see how the girls look at you two. You can’t tell me you ain’t never dipped into that,” he said to me and I frowned.“What?” I asked him. I had no clue what he had just said.“He thinks you go home with another woman ev
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Things were surreal and things made even less sense than when I had just woken up in the hospital. Josh was talking about things that didn’t make sense at all but he was the only friend I had, I had to trust that he wasn’t bullshitting me.“We have to get rid of these first. I’ll tell you everything, I promise, maybe that’ll help trigger your memories. Man, put some clothes on,” he said to me as he opened the window in the living room. I wiped the blood from my stomach and back and put a clean t-shirt on.Josh was pulling the dead men closer to the window and I looked at him. “What exactly do you plan to do about this?” I asked him.I knew we couldn’t call the cops. I had no license, no social security card and Josh hated cops. We both steered clear of them and trouble. We never went out socially, we minded our business at work, came home, trained and when we felt like it, we watched movies at home.We saved most of our money in the loose floorboards of our bedrooms, he told me plenty
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One month after waking up…“K!” Josh shouted as I walked around the corner and he saw me.“Josh,” I smiled at him.We had become good friends after my audition and I’d gotten the job to work for Marcus. We now also shared an apartment two blocks from the club. We trained together, we jogged together and most nights we worked together. It was my night off and he had grabbed an extra shift.“What are you doing here?” he asked me and I gave him that look.“Marcus called me to come in and help out,” I said to him as I put the black jacket on and inserted the earpiece into my ear as I took my position next to him at the door. I looked at the line that extended around the other corner.Marcus owned the hottest night club in Fresno. People stood in line for hours just to get inside, naturally we were at the door because like Marcus said, “Ain’t nobody gettin’ past the two of you.” I had laughed at him. We must have looked quite intimidating. We were both tall, muscular and had these blank st
Fire Part One Hundred and Thirty-Seven
Malcolm took me shopping and gave me money. I promised to pay him back but he would hear nothing of it. We had spent hours talking in my hospital room. He brought a chess board and looked surprised when it became evident that I’d win after ten moves.We’d established that I was intelligent, that I could read and write and that I knew random facts so I had gone to school, but that didn’t help me now. I was still a nobody and I still couldn’t remember anything about my life.Malcolm Schwartz became my savior in that moment and if it wasn’t for him I would have probably ended up on the streets. He introduced me to his relative, Marcus Brigham, who liked the look of me, said I was big and if I could handle myself in a tough situation, I’d be perfect for the job.Marcus asked me to meet him at a sports club for my audition. I wondered what this job entailed and how would I have to handle myself? I walked in and two guys were sparring in a boxing ring. Could I box? I had no clue but I guess
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Four months earlier…“He’s opening his eyes, Dr Schwartz,” the nurse said as Malcolm Schwartz stood in front of the counter at the nurse’s station filling in paperwork. He’d been waiting for this day anxiously. They were all curious about the young man in that hospital bed.He looked up and walked into the hospital room where for the past two months ‘John Doe’ had been in a coma. He felt relief that his patient had finally woken up since there was no medical reason for him to be in a coma.“Good morning, I’m Dr Schwartz.” He kept his voice low and he was sure the relief showed in his eyes.Dr Schwarts looked at the man lying in the bed as the nurses checked the monitors showing his blood pressure and heart rate. Everything was normal as it had been for the past two months, ever since a taxi driver had brought him in.“Where am I?” I asked him, looking around.“You’re at the Fresno Community Hospital. Can you tell me your name?” Dr Schwartz asked me.“It’s… it’s… I don’t know,” I said
