Prometheus' Orb (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 1)
Chapter Eighteen: No More Secrets

Three days till the solstice

“Ashley... do it one more time!” Robert shouted.

“Yeah Ashley... please,” Luke added.

Ashley sent a deadly stare to Samantha, who simply smiled. After Samantha discovered her secret eight days ago, Ashley had no choice but to finally let in all of her friends. Richard did not object to this idea, though he clearly still felt that her friends wouldn’t be safe if they all got caught up in Ashley’s new world.

“Come on Ashy! Show us! Show us!” Leah shouted.

They were all at a secluded part of the beach where people rarely visited. Salty air blew gently and the sound of ocean waves echoed throughout the area. Leah was acting more her age now than she ever did. The usually serious child was jumping and running around in a beautiful bright yellow dress and she wore the perfect smile to match it.

“Ashley!” Claire shouted this time, imitating the voice of a mother scolding her child.

“Alright alright... geez,” Ashley retorted.

She dragged her denim-clothed body towards some rocks and faced the pure blue water. After some quick hand and coordinated body movements, Ashley was controlling a puddle of water which she directed at Luke.

“What the... Ashley!”

“That’s what you get for being impatient Luke,” Ashley said. “And you’re only wearing a short so, you shouldn’t be complaining.”

“So how does it feel?” Claire asked.

This might have been the first time she heard such a question from someone she had told her secret. Claire had only found out about Ashley yesterday. When Samantha found out, and Ashley explained everything, she was the one who suggested that it would be best if Ashley revealed her secret to one friend at a time.

“Well... To put it simply, everything is heightened,” Ashley answered. “My senses, physical abilities, and maybe even my emotions... I feel like all these have become sharper. Sometimes I don’t feel like this has been good for me.”

Ashley remembered how angry she was when she fought Jacob at Alex’s funeral. She not only wanted to kill him but she wanted him to suffer for what he did. That was a side of her she hoped she would never have to see again.

“On the bright side,” Robert said, placing a finger on his chin. “At least now we know The Storm-Riders will never have to worry about losing a single match... Ow!”

Ashley had controlled some water into small round ice spheres and projected them at Robert.

The whole gang couldn’t help but simply laugh... well, not the whole gang. One of them wasn’t here.

“Guys,” Ashley said, in a low voice. “Tonight... I am telling Adrian.”

Luke and Robert’s faces were gleaming with joy. Even when she shouldn’t have, Ashley had made them promise not to tell Adrian about her. It was hard for them these past few days. They easily accepted what Ashley was and the real world she... they lived in.

“No more lies,” Samantha said. “No more secrets.”

Standing a few meters away from the group was Sara. The girl looked great in her deep purple skirt and a white T-shirt. Ashley’s friends also knew about Sara and Adrian being Hunters but there was still the one mystery that even Ashley had not quite figured out.

Sara walked to them. They all just stared silently. This clearly made Sara uncomfortable cause her little body was trembling slightly.

Ashley wrapped her right hand around Sara’s shoulder and said, “The great Hunter, shaking before a mermaid and four mere humans... your superiors would be disappointed.”

A smile formed across Sara’s face and tears filled in her eyes.

She made a few hand signs.

“What did she say?” Leah asked.

That’s right. In their group, only Ashley could understand sign language.

“She said ‘No more secrets’” Ashley said.

Sara sat on one of the rocks. Everyone else gathered around her. Ashley, wearing a blue denim jacket and jeans, sat next to Sara. Claire sat next to Samantha who sat next to Luke and Robert.

“I will translate what she says,” Ashley said.

Sara took in a deep breath and started making hand signs which Ashley translated into words.

"It happened five years ago. My family and I went on a trip to visit my cousin in Mexico. It was nice to see my cousin Angel again but while I was there I discovered that my family had been keeping a secret. Like Adrian, I also come from a line of Hunters. I discovered this when I saw my cousin crack open the skull of a werewolf that attacked our home. But there is a reason why my family kept this secret from me and the answer was held within my soul... and I mean that literally."

"Turns out, centuries ago, my great-great-great-great-grandfather from my father’s side was a coward. He sought dark magic in order to have enough power to defeat the dark creatures that were terrorizing his people. Though many people, including some members of my family, call him a hero, I wouldn’t hesitate to stick my sword in the old geezer’s heart if it meant preventing what I’ve become because of it. When he obtained the power he sought, it came at a high price... Blood lust... an intense urge to spill the blood of any supernatural being he came across.”

Sara placed her hand on her nape and for the first time... for the first time since she’d known Sara, Ashley saw it. At the back of Sara’s neck was what anyone could have mistaken for a birthmark. A triangle that was upside-down, touching its horizontal side was a small upright semi-circle, and passing symmetrically through them both was a waving line that looked like a thin vine with thorny branches shooting out of it; that was how the mark looked.

Everyone seated rose up and gathered around Sara. She began to sign again and Ashley continued talking.

"This is not a birthmark... well it is and everyone in my family has one."

Sara then made signs that Ashley didn’t quite understand.

Picking up a small stick, Sara began to write on the ground.

“E-El bus-ca-dor de sangre... El buscador de sangre,” Luke said. “Looks like Spanish... What does it mean?”

Sara started making hand signs.

"The blood seeker...” Ashley translated. “That’s what I am. I tried to deny it even after I saw the pleasure that my cousin had on her face as she tore apart that werewolf and I promised myself that I would never become like that. My parents didn’t want that life for me either but I soon discovered that it is both futile and stupid to try and run away from fate.”

"But I met someone back in Mexico. The day I was told to accept my fate as a Blood Seeker, I ran away. It was dark and I didn’t realize how far I had run until I found myself in an empty street... well at least I thought it was empty. Three large men came out of nowhere and I was so focused on them that I didn’t notice the other who sneaked behind me and he was the one who grabbed and gagged my mouth. I guess he didn’t know that I couldn’t talk."

"I was helpless as they carried me into an empty dark alley. All I did was close my eyes and I just prayed in my heart for anyone to save me."

Sara smiled and continued her hand signs.

"That’s when I first met Spencer. I saw three of the men’s heads get shaved clean off their necks after just one swing of Spencer’s hand. The one who had held me let me go and pulled out a gun. But it didn’t do him any good because... Spencer was a vampire. Before the man could even fire the gun, Spencer had already sunk his teeth in his neck and had sucked every ounce of blood in his body.”

"A beautiful dangerous face and a perfect build... Spencer was someone I couldn’t help but adore. ‘Hey kid...’ he said to me. ‘Aren’t you too young to be wandering these streets alone?'"

"I wanted to thank him but something else happened. The mark on the back of my neck began to burn and I blacked out. When I woke up two days later I found myself on a soft bed in an old mansion; Spencer had brought me there. He came and told me that I had attacked him and would have killed him if I had stabbed him in the heart with a wooden stake instead of a broken bottle. I explained everything about my curse and Spencer was intrigued. He then wrote down a number; five hundred sixty-one thousand four hundred and five. That was his number in the Book of Condemned Souls."

“The book of what now?” Robert interrupted and was shushed by everyone else.

Ashley continued translating.

"Having such a number meant that Spencer was an easy target for new Hunters since most preferred to select low-ranked supernatural beings for the Grand Hunt. However, Spencer said that he had been a vampire for over two hundred years and had managed to evade every Hunter sent his way. He knew he couldn’t run forever and said that he was thinking of just giving up."

"I didn’t have anything to say to him. He must have been turned into a vampire when he was in his early twenties and had already lived for two hundred years. What was I to say to encourage him? His life was just as messed up as mine... perhaps even more. Then he told me something that took me by surprise. He said that he was once a Hunter named Luis and that during his first mission, he was captured by a female vampire that killed his comrades and turned him into a vampire as a punishment. Spencer said that until he found that vampire and destroyed her, he wouldn’t let any Hunter get the better of him."

"If it wasn’t for me maybe his wish would have someday come true..."

“My family had tracked me using a locator spell and all of them had activated their Blood Seeker marks. The once small mark at the back of their necks had now spread to their faces, hands, and feet. They attacked Spencer without a shred of mercy. I tried to stop them but they were too strong and too fast. Spencer was doing his best to avoid their attacks but at the same time, he was trying not to hurt them. I tried reasoning with them but once your soul is overcome by the blood lust there is no coming back until you kill your target.

“So, I had no choice but to do the one thing I could think of... I consciously activated my Blood Seeker and once again lost all awareness of what happened next. When I opened my eyes my parents hugged me and told me that I had protected Spencer even in my state but because a fire had broken out and when the roof gave in, Spencer pushed me out of the way and ended up getting trapped... no one could have saved him. They then gave me something... something that Spencer had given them before they escaped; an address that would soon lead me to the Hunters headquarters in London.”

"I joined the Hunters and registered myself as Spencer. Since my family had no ties with them I had to destroy over fifty dark creatures just so they could accept a total stranger as one of them. I work alone and my blood lust has gotten the better of me in some battles. The Hunters, however, just think of me as a bloodthirsty b..."

Ashley paused, coughed, and said, “Ahem... Sara, language, please... Leah’s here.”

Sara gave Ashley a stare that said ’Well, you could always censor my words.′

Ashley couldn’t help but laugh. She continued translating the story.

"So I have been a Hunter for almost five years now. I was twelve when my Blood Seeker activated and since then my life has never been the same. When my parents and I returned here I immediately began to feel different when around Ashley.”

“You sensed she was a supernatural being.”

Ashley jerked her head to her left and saw Richard. He wore a loose white T-shirt, blue denim shorts and was barefooted. With his hands casually placed in his pockets, Richard came and stood next to Ashley.

“How is Shira?” Ashley asked. Richard had once again visited Arzyria and, in Earth time, he had been gone for about five days.

“Shira’s fine,” Richard replied. “But it seems we won’t be seeing her for quite some time since her son Rona appeared to be ill when I left.”

“Is it that serious?” Ashley asked. Imagining the cute little blue Arzyrian in an unhealthy state sent shivers down throughout her body.

“Arzyrians have been known to survive even worse ailments,” Richard said. “I am sure he will be fine in no time. Anyway, please don’t stop whatever it was you were doing on my account.”

“Sara was just telling us about how she became a Hunter,” Samantha said, flashing a bright smile at Richard. Everything might have been a lot to take in for Samantha but it seemed as though she was alright with Richard being Ashley’s friend.

“And I missed out on such a grand tale?” Richard said. “Oh... hi Leah.”

What Leah did surprised everyone. She ran to Richard and jumped right into his arms. Richard held her as if she weighed nothing and let her sit on his right shoulder.

“I missed, you Richy... you never visit,” Leah whined.

“I promise to do so as soon as possible Leah,” Richard answered.

“Hey, Richard,” Robert said, his voice sounding more serious than usual. “On the day we first met... In the cafeteria... It seemed like you and Adrian had some history.”

“Some very bad history,” Luke added.

They spoke as though Richard wasn’t a fifty-thousand-year-old immortal who could easily reduce them to ashes in less than a second. Perhaps this was good, Ashley thought. She didn’t want her friends to be afraid of her or Richard.

“Well you are right,” Richard answered. “I am sure that Ashley has already told you about Ethan and what I had to do in order to defeat him and you probably already know that I didn’t do it alone.”

“The Hunters helped you right?” Claire asked.

Richard nodded.

“When I arrived in this town last year, Adrian’s father, one of the seven Grandmasters, proposed that the Hunters and I should form an alliance in order to defeat Ethan. We did and with our combined strength, Ethan was defeated. But Dominic, Adrian’s uncle, had another agenda. He and some of the Hunters attacked me and threw me off the cliff where we ambushed Ethan. I assume you already know about my curse...”

“Oh, you mean how taking a bath would reduce you to cinders... sure, Ashley told us,” Robert blurted out.

Richard chuckled and said, “The curse only applies to ocean and rain water... I do replace baths, especially hot ones, quite relaxing. Anyway, when I fell into the water I felt the pain a human would feel if thrown in acid. I could feel my skin peeling off and my body burning. At that moment I didn’t care about the consequences... I had finally vanquished my greatest enemy and I wasn’t going to let myself get killed that easily. In order to survive, I had to call on the demon that resides within me.”

“You used your Fire-Demon form,” Ashley stated.

“I don’t recall much of what happened. Except for Sara, who had tried to protect me before the Hunters threw me off that cliff, all the others were dead... I killed them... Including Adrian’s...”

Sara rose to her feet, tears uncontrollably flowing out of her eyes.

She waved some signs with her hands.

Ashley’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She first looked at Richard who looked like he was in just about as much pain as Sara.

“What did she say, Ashley?” Samantha asked.

“Sh-She um...” Ashley choked on her words. “She said ‘no more secrets’ and that Richard shouldn’t protect her anymore. Richard may have killed some of the Hunters but he wasn’t the one who killed Adrian’s uncle... she did.”

Luke and Robert stood up. Ashley remembered the pain Adrian and his family went through because of his uncle’s death. Ashley didn’t know him personally but there was once a time when the two had met and had a short conversation. It was some days before she had that accident. He had given her some nice advice about life and Ashley had immediately liked him.

“What are you talking about?!” Robert shouted. His eyes were bloodshot and veins had popped across his face.

“Calm down man,” Luke said.

“Calm down! Don’t any of you remember how torn apart Adrian was after his uncle died? His mother too... Sara, you were at his funeral. You hugged Adrian... Comforted him... You...”

Robert dashed at Sara. Before anything happened, Ashley had already caught Robert’s arm. Sara didn’t look like she would have defended herself. She was staring at the ground.

Robert was still trying to struggle out of Ashley’s hands when Richard came towards him, looked him in the eye, and said, “Calm down Robert.”

Amazingly, Robert’s breathing became softer and Ashley could feel his muscles relaxing. Samantha, Claire, Luke, and Leah all just stared in astonishment. So this was the power of compulsion, Ashley thought. Richard had once told her that almost all dark creatures had this ability.

Ashley let go of Robert.

“Robert,” Richard said. “Only Sara and I know this. It turned out that Adrian’s uncle and the rest of the Hunters were compelled to kill me after we defeated Ethan. Maybe Ethan had got to them... But I know for a fact that Hunters cannot be compelled by even the strongest dark creatures. According to Sara, Dominic and some other Hunters began slaughtering their comrades. I have no excuse for the people I killed but it is a fact that Sara had no choice. If the Hunters were to replace out what happened, they would immediately execute Sara.”

“I kind of get that. So Ethan knew you would come for him with the dagger? Why then did he stay in this town?” Robert asked, in a relaxed and analyzing tone. “And what in the world did you just do to me?”

“I compelled you. There are several special herbs, elixirs, and charms that can protect you from compulsion but I am glad I didn’t give them to all of you just yet.”

Richard stared at everyone.

“If all this is too difficult to bear just say the word right now and will make sure you forget about everything relating to the world you now know...”

“Not a chance,” Claire said.

“Life is way too boring as it is so what the heck... No,” Luke uttered.

“I want to stay in this new supernatural world,” Leah whined.

“I-I am so sorry Sara, for the way I acted,” Robert said. “I still have a lot of questions but for now it seems Ashley trusts both you and Richard. That’s enough for me.”

“Count me in Richard,” Samantha declared. “Wherever my best friend Ashley goes, I will go.”

“Guys...” Ashley said, her lips trembling in excitement.

“Well if that’s the case,” Richard said. “I bring both good news and bad news.”

“What’s the bad news?” Claire asked.

“We only have three days to come up with a plan to stop Sebastian,” Richard replied. “He hasn’t made a move on us yet but still... I feel we need to be prepared and to that end... can everyone here except for Leah gather at my villa tonight? I believe that if we combine our power and wits we might figure out a way to stop Sebastian.”

“If that’s your definition of bad news I can’t wait to hear the good news,” Samantha said.

“The good news...” Richard turned to Luke. “Luke, as I was walking in town I saw your father.”

Everyone was clearly caught off guard by that statement.

“What? Is there any reason why he shouldn’t?” Luke said his face flooding with confused expressions.

“Luke, don’t you remember what happened at the cafeteria?” Samantha asked.

“What incident?” Claire asked.

“Ashy, what’s wrong with them?” little Leah asked.

Richard went and stood in front of Luke, his gaze fixed right into Luke’s eyes.

“Hmmm... I see,” Richard said.

“Could they all have been compelled?” Ashley asked. “Maybe Claudia did.”

“Perhaps,” Richard said. “But she couldn’t have compelled the entire town along with them.”

“What?”

“I talked to Luke’s father, Ashley, and it seemed as though he had no memory of what happened. In fact, almost everyone I met in town didn’t seem to remember what happened that day at the school cafeteria. I also decided to check in on the woman who had been stabbed that day but when I went to the hospital they told me that no patient with the injuries I described had ever been brought into that hospital.”

“What the hell is going on?” Robert asked.

“That’s what I would like to know,” Richard answered. “I asked Claudia if she had maybe decided to compel the entire town but she told me that though she could, the Hunters in the town would have caught on to her and would have quickly identified her as a vampire. That wasn’t a risk she was willing to take.”

“So you mean... No one in the town remembers anything about the incident that occurred,” Ashley said.

“I am not sure,” Richard replied, scratching his chin. “In any case, this at least solves one of our problems.”

“I only remember what Ashy told me about what happened in the cafeteria that day,” Leah said.

“For a ten-year-old, your speech is admirable Leah,” Richard commented. “However, I am sure we will get to the bottom of what’s going on and why only some of you remember. But I think that you should tell your friends about it, Ashley.”

“Our friends, Richard,” Ashley replied, smiling. “They are your friends too you know.”

“That’s true,” Claire said.

“I may not like you very much but you’re alright,” Robert added.

“I found you mysterious from the very first moment Ashley told me about you,” Samantha said. “I actually didn’t trust you very much in the beginning but after hearing about everything you did for Ashley and the town... I am glad we know you, Richard.”

“Granted you creep me out sometimes, but I believe that if you and Adrian can replace a way to get along... Sebastian, Jacob, or even Ethan himself can’t stop you two,” Luke said.

“You know I like you, Richy,” Leah said, as Richard lowered her from his shoulder.

Ashley thought it adorable when Richard almost blushed. Whenever she put herself in his shoes she always had the same picture; one of pain, revenge, anger, hate, deception, and loneliness. But the smile she saw on Richard’s face made her realize that no matter what; Richard had found himself lifelong friends... and she was one of them.

He was about to leave when Ashley secretly handed him a note. Richard read it and smiled.

“I am sure you will soon,” he said.

Faster than even Ashley’s eyes could follow Richard vanished from their sight.

“So what is it that you’re supposed to tell us... something about a cafeteria and my father?” Luke asked.

Ashley sighed.

“Samantha,” she said. “Would you mind doing the honors?”

“Not at all,” Samantha replied, failing to hide her smile.

Ashley looked at the sun setting behind the ocean waters a distance away, casting glitters of light on the ocean waters. She then raised her head to the orange sky above her. Only three days she thought. In three days, Sebastian was going to use Prometheus’ Orb to try and awaken Ethan. She stared at the ocean. Ethan was somewhere in there. Pocket dimension or not... Ethan was there.

Stacy was right; Ashley was the key to Ethan’s awakening. An evil with enough power to destroy the world or even the realms... Could Ethan be the evil that I am going to awaken? Ashley thought. What if fate had already decided the outcome? What if all she was doing was futile? What if...

No... Even if she didn’t believe in herself, Ashley had to believe in her friends. Besides, she already had a plan in case everything went wrong. If the time came when Ashley had to choose between her life and the survival of the realms, she already knew the decision she would make and...

“It isn’t healthy to have such thoughts Ashy.”

Ashley was startled by Leah’s small voice. Leah held Ashley’s hand tightly and Ashley could feel both their fingers shaking.

What was she thinking? She had made a promise... a promise to protect everyone. She lifted Leah in her arms and began to walk toward the rest of her friends.

“Leah,” she whispered. “I promise... I am not going to give up... I will survive and so will everyone else.”

***

Thanks, guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!

So many questions still need to be answered but trust me...

Everything will be made clear soon!!!