“I still think it was foolish of you to bring him here,” said Rose. “He’s too volatile, and that makes him dangerous.”
“He’s like us,” said Shield Maiden. “He’ll settle down in time, and we’ll have a powerful new weapon to use against the champions.”
“You’ll never be able to trust him,” said Rose. “Not with his… past loyalties.”
“Only time will tell.” Shield Maiden stopped outside the door. She looked toward Rain Dancer, as though allowing him the chance to take charge, if he wanted.
“I will speak with him first,” said Rain Dancer.
He walked over to the door, undoing a series of heavy dead bolts before reaching for the handle. It was the most secure cell they had, and even then, Rose had expressed her doubts over whether they’d be able to hold their captive for very long, once he recovered enough strength to use his powers.
Rain Dancer had barely opened the door a fraction of an inch when a fireball struck it on the other side, knocking all three of them back. Rose coughed and managed to sit up in time to see Danny, Malcolm’s brother, striding out of the holding cell.
“About fucking time,” said Danny. “Boring as hell in there. So… you guys got any beer in this place?”
“You…” Shield Maiden shook her head slowly. “How?”
“The lightbulb, sugar tits,” he said. “Those give off more heat than you’d think. Though I don’t understand why you thought you could hold me in the first place!”
Danny laughed like he’d just told the funniest joke in the world. He looked at Rain Dancer, wincing as he saw the bandage over the demon’s eye. Then, his gaze settled on Rose.
“No shit,” he said. “You’re the one who tried to fucking kill me. I can’t exactly die from fire, in case you didn’t realize.”
“Apparently not,” muttered Rose.
Danny whistled as he eyed her up and down.
“You’re hot as fuck, and I know a few things about heat,” he said. “Damn, my little brother is a lucky son of a bitch! If I wasn’t such a nice older brother… Well, it’s probably better if I don’t finish that sentence.”
Danny moved past them and started down the hall.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” shouted Rain Dancer, staggering to his feet.
Danny laughed.
“I already told you,” he said. “First I’m going to find some fucking beer. Then… I think I need to go have a nice heart to heart with my little brother.”
He continued down the hallway into the main chamber. Rain Dancer glared at Shield Maiden, who looked completely stunned.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why… wouldn’t he want to join us?”
Rose grinned.
“I think it runs in the family.”
Jade Portal
Edmund Hughes
This digital book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this title with another person, please purchase an additional copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. All other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Edmund Hughes
Kindle Edition
CONTENTS
Jade Portal
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 1
Malcolm opened the door to his apartment and stared into the face of his dead brother on the other side. Danny grinned at him, his brow furrowing slightly in anticipation.
“You…” whispered Malcolm.
He stepped back, fear surging through his chest as he considered his situation. He was standing a few feet away from one of the most powerful demons he’d encountered in his time as a champion. One that he, along with his partner and a good natured spryte, had killed, or at least, so he’d thought.
He’s here for revenge. And once he’s done with me… he’ll go after them.
Malcolm balled his hands into fists. He wasn’t going to let Danny kill him without a fight. He was Wind Runner, one of the few remaining heroes in what was left of his small town.
He had his wind manipulation, along with power mimicry, a rare, uncontrolled ability that allowed him to absorb a single power from other champions. At the moment, he had the ability to regenerate meaning that any wounds Danny inflicted would immediately begin to heal.
Malcolm remembered the way that his brother had tortured Tapestry and grimaced at the realization that her borrowed power would only postpone an incredibly painful death at the hands of his older brother.
“You look like you just saw a fucking ghost,” said Danny. “Oh shit! I forgot. You didn’t know.”
“Didn’t… know what?” asked Malcolm. He angled himself slightly in relation to the door, trying to make himself a smaller target. Fighting inside his apartment or the hallway leading to it was a horrible idea, and Malcolm wondered if it would be better to retreat out one of his windows and lead Danny somewhere less destructible.
“You tried to kill me with an explosion,” said Danny. “Doesn’t work when it hits me from outside my body, bro. I can travel into external heat sources. I don’t blame you for not knowing, but you and your friends started celebrating way too fucking early.”
Malcolm nodded slowly, but was barely tuned into the conversation. His partner, Tapestry, had given him a small .22 pistol a couple of days earlier. It was for protection, given that that the current state of Vanderbrook was anything but safe for champions in the public eye. He didn’t have it on him. It was in his room, under his bed, unloaded.
Thwarted by my own attention to safety protocol. Awesome.
“Danny,” Malcolm said, keeping his voice even. “If you’re going to do this, let’s at least take it somewhere else, and keep other people from getting hurt.”
He reached out with the wind, feeling as it responded to the call. There were limits to its offensive capabilities, but it was still a useful tool. Malcolm had learned to move quicker with it and expand his awareness out further, reacting to small vibrations in the air and giving himself an extra edge in combat.
“What?” Danny frowned at him and shook his head. “Shit, bro, you got me all wrong. Look… I came here… you know.”
Danny shifted awkwardly, looking away from the apartment door and down the hallway.
“I’ve been fucked up lately,” said Danny.
Malcolm blinked, slowly shaking his head.
“You murdered people, Danny,” he said. “Dozens. Probably closer to hundreds. You killed mom!”
She’d been his first victim, from what Malcolm was able to piece together. On Day One of the Phenomenon, when people had first begun to discover their superpowers, or “gifts”, Danny had been one of a small percentage immediately unable to control their superpowers properly. He’d blown up their family home, with Laura Caldwell still inside.