Chapter 5

AVERY'S POV

"Faeblood?" Kalim repeated to be sure. Even I knew little of the faebloods. All that was known about these species of supernaturals was that they were human-Fae hybrids. I didn't even believe they were real. Kalim seemed lost in his own world. One minute, he was a human boy who knew nothing about the supernatural realm, Now he was one. Damian was still weak from the witch's enchantment. He needed to rest.

"Damian," I said."let's go." He wanted to help kalim through this new world he was just dragged into but his health was my first priority presently. There was something I could though. Supernaturals didn't just appear from the blues. There had to be someone in his family who was also faeblood.

"Kalim, I think you should ask your parents. They might know more about what you are." I advised.

The dagger began to suddenly glow again. Everyone gazed at its direction immediately.

"They're coming," Damian said.

"Who?" I asked him.

"The protectors." Damian answered then his face gave a concerned look, "Avery, use your speed and get us out now."

I didn't question his order. There was pure fear in his eyes. I was divided between running with Damian or taking the dagger which still lay on the ground. The footsteps were getting louder and I could hear the clinging of metal. I had to run. It was too late for me to make it outside especially with the extra weight I had to carry. I had to hide in a blind spot where I could not be easily seen. The men arrived. They all wore a badass leather jacket and had a jewel-encrusted sword to three hips. The only distinct thing about one of them was that he wore a headband. He must be Noble.

"Where did you get the dagger from?" The man with the headband spat.

"I don't know. I get it here." Kalim lied. The man's expression revealed he did not believe him.

"I see you've made your first catch, Mr Evergreen." He was referring to the dead witch on the floor.

"How do you know my surname?" Kalim questioned.

The man smiled but did not answer. His eyes seemed to be searching around. It was like he could sense Intruders. By instinct, my fangs extended and I was ready for a fight especially when the man kept walking in our direction. He put his hand on his sword hilt and the sword's jewel gently illuminated an orange light. The sword had the symbol of a bird. Something flashed in my mind. It was a memory of my first dreadful day.

FLASHBACK

" Hide." Avery's mother ordered. Avery had never seen her mother in such a state.

"Avery," her mother said to her pulling her close." promise me that whatever happens you will not come out or scream."

What was she talking about?

"Promise me?" Her mother begged, Water escaping her eyes.

"I will Mama," Avery promised before her mother locked her in the wardrobe. The inside of the wardrobe was moist and breathing was uncomfortable. Avery knew she had to bear. She heard her mother exchanging words with a man. She peeped through the keyhole to know who she was talking to. She heard her mother scream. The man was hitting her with his sword. Blood spattered around the floor as her mother winced in pain. Avery watched in horror as the man with a bird's imprinted sword raised his sword high and thrust it deep into her mother. She heard her fall to the ground, she heard her take her last breath but not before telling her through the mind link that she loved her.

Tears flowed down Avery's eyes as she watched her mother's killer come for her. She wasn't going to die like her parents. She would rather die fighting. She readied herself for the worst.

KALIM'S POV

The man was almost where Avery and Damian were hiding I had to help.

"If you know who I am, where did I inherit these from?"

The man paused at my question.

"I know your father Kalim, he was one of our best war-wing's before he retired."

"My father knows about this. This would explain the strange symbols all over our house." I thought.

The man stopped his quick parol and turned to me.

"You have had your first trophy, Kalim. How would you like to work for the academy?"

What? My life is in a scrambled huge mess and out of the blues, This man wants me to join an academy.

"In two days, just two days, I learned about vampires, how I can't be compelled, I discovered witches are real and how I am fairy blood."

Letting those pent up emotions sent a wave of relief all over me. But, I had made a mistake. I had mentioned the existence of vampires. I prayed he did not listen to that part.

The man walked up to me finally putting his sword back into its sheath. He looked into my eyes as he talked to me.

"Boy, you've been blessed with a gift. I suggest you embrace it. You just killed a witch. Not every fae blood survives an encounter with a dark witch."

He turned to leave along with the men that followed him. Soon he was totally gone and the basement became still and silent as before.

Avery came out of hiding carrying a still pale Damian.

"I'm leaving now." She said.

Of course. She dragged me into this world with her arrival and now she's leaving.

"Yes, Leave! This must be fun for you." I accused her." just because you are an immortal, you ignore anyone who has no purpose in your life."

Avery did not turn back but I knew she got the message. She wasn't going to be baited. I was so frustrated at everything. If this world wasn't a lie and if I hadn't ran mad, my father had to know something. I hoped he would tell me the truth though.

The dinner was very simple. It was my dad's famous plain spaghetti and chili sauce. My father kept his head down to his plate while I had barely touched mine. He looked innocent. Could he really be a faeblood? I knew I shouldn't tell him now. My father had a lot of books in his personal library. If he indeed had something to hide. It would be there.

"Dad,"

"Yes, son?" He answered.

"Do you any books on myth?" I asked.

My father stopped his valiant attempt to carry his food with a spoon.

"Why, Yes. Anything you want to use it for?" He asked. This was the perfect time to ask my father for the truth, to clear my doubt but I faltered.

"School project." I lied.

"Okay, it's in the seventh section of my library. You'll find some pretty interesting things there." He said before he continued eating. A part of me hoped he was wrong, another part of me just saw the unlimited possibilities this could bring on my life. I left for the library after finishing the food.

The library was just adjacent to my room. I entered the dusty home of books. The library was split into ten sections. It had a section of old newspapers. One on literature. Turning to the next section of the library. I saw a section on sword fighting. It was like it was falling onto me. Was I crazy or was a weapon similar to the dagger lying right in front of me. It was a sword similar to what the faebloods were holding. I did not need the truth anymore. I had it right in front of me. The sword had the" eye " I usually saw around the house. I stretched forth my hand to touch it. A meaty hand stopped me, it was my father. His expression was quite readable. He was surprised.

"You can see it." He said.

What was he saying? I wondered. Was he surprised I could see the sword?

I brushed his hand off me and turned to interrogate him.

"Yes, I can! Can you tell me what is happening?"

"Nothing." His father swiftly said.

"You're lying. I know what I am. Faeblood right?" I accused.

My father's expression became sullen.

"You don't want this world." He said.

"Why? Why did you lie? Was mother like me?" I questioned.

"No." He replied.

The air around was tense and I was about to make it more tense.

"I met with another faeblood today. He asked that I joined the ranks." I revealed.

"That's impossible." My father retorted."They can only find those who have made their first kill."

"I did. A witch." I was careful not to reveal Avery and Damian to my father. Somehow, I felt the need to keep them a secret. It was like If I revealed their presence, I could cause something catastrophic.

"Son," my father said, he always did like that whenever he was about to begin a pep talk.

"Yes, Dad," I answered.

"I've done a lot of things to protect you. Even from yourself and I won't stop now."

My father then took a terrifying stance and a look that sent shivers down my spine. I ran from the door but found it locked. My father walked up to me, raised his right-hand midair and his sword mysteriously levitated from the shelve into his hands. He pinned me to the wall and drew the symbol of an eye on my skin using his sword. The pain was excruciating and I fell to the floor as a cloudy green mist enveloped me. It felt like something was being pulled out of me. Despite the pain, I still had a question for my father.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

My father turned to me and I could see he was crying. I was the one in pain. What was wrong with him?

"I know you hate me right now. But it's for the best. The world that is calling you consumed your mother."

My mother? Words couldn't do Justice on how I felt. I was dying inside, perhaps outside also. I barely knew what my father did but I was feeling faint. I just wanted to close my tired eyes so I did then I found difficulty opening them wide. It was like I was losing consciousness. I was.

***

AVERY'S POV

Damian was getting better. His strength had returned. He took the dagger from my grasp and locked it securely in a briefcase.

"I'm taking this with me just in case you are tempted to check it out once again." Damian joked. It was good to have him back. Heaven knows what I would have done without him. One thing still plagued my mind though. That sword, it was very familiar, too familiar for comfort. The thought prompted me to ask a question.

"Damian, Are the fae blood immortal?"

Damian stopped midway to his room. I could not see him but I knew he was close. After an awkward silence that even made a cricket start chirping, Damian replied,

"Not much is known about them but maybe."

I wasn't satisfied. It was like he was hiding something. Was? Should ivloe to myself. He was definitely hiding something and he was bad at it. The nursery rhymes he kept saying in his mind told me all.

" How do you know what Kalim was?" I asked to break his concentration.

"A lucky guess." He replied but I wasn't finished.

"The other faebloods arrived when Kalim killed the witch. Could that be their job? To kill dangerous supernaturals. Is that why Athenrim is tagged as the most dangerous place for supernaturals?"

My bombarding question broke his concentration to keep me out of his mind. Through the mind link, I found a visual. It was a book and it was my father's handwriting.

Damian knew I had interrogated him telepathically and decided to come clean.

"Yes." He confessed.

"So you know about them?" I questioned further.

"A little," Damian replied.

"My father's journal, i-i saw it in your mind, why?"

"Em-Em..." Damian stammered.

"Another secret?"

Damian loved keeping secrets. This was the only thing I disliked about him. Sometimes I wondered how little of the truth I would have known if we did not share the link.

"I'll tell you something Damian, something troubling. When that man, the faeblood, when he approached us. His sword reminded me of how my mother died. She was impaled by a similar sword. Now, if you care one bit about me, I want you to tell me the truth. Was my mother killed by a faeblood?"

Damian's expression was unreadable but his mind was. He was conflicted with telling me the truth or changing the topic.

"Here," Damian said as he stretched out to me a book. I took it. It was my father's journal.

"You'll know something, everything you need to know," Damian said and took the briefcase into his room.

The journal would tell me the truth? Well then, there was only one way to find out. I opened the first page and it read,

" To whoever is reading this book. You are about to learn about me. I am Nicholas Gilbert...."

I skipped some parts. I wanted answers and my father's life wasn't going to tell me much about it. As I scrolled through, The year "1845" caught my attention. Scrolling through my father's journal, I learned he only wrote yearly to make the journal last a longer period of time. 1845 was the year my mother was slaughtered, so I read it,

" The protectors are after us. The chase for the once and future born continues and Marie has lost her life. I wonder what would be of me and Avery now."

My worst fears were confirmed. A faeblood indeed killed my mother. The rage was building and I felt my body absorb the sound around me. It was an outburst. My whole body was enveloped by a glowing bright gold color. I needed to let it out, everything.

I screamed and felt the sound waves I had just absorbed in disk-like forms around my room destroying and pulverizing everything it touched. I looked around at the magnitude of the destruction I had caused and wished by second blood gift would manifest. I wanted to end it all.