Eli Fletcher: Mark of the King: Book 1

“Eli!” Miss O’s voice brings me back to reality.

I twist my head back and forth until I find her running towards me, Mr. Reese right behind her. Billy is sitting next to me, mouth agape and rocking with his knees pulled up to his chest. He looks like he’s trying to say something but the words can’t form. I look at Miss O again as she kneels at my side while Mr. Reese checks on Billy.

“What happened?” she asks.

“He took her,” is all that comes out of my mouth.

“Aiden took her? Where?” she asks.

“He took her,” I repeat. My eyes blink for the first time and there’s a stinging sensation on my left cheek. I look up at Miss O as I reach up and rub my cheek.

“I’m sorry, Eli. I had to do something to snap you out of it,” she apologizes softly. It’s then I notice the music has stopped and normal fluorescent lighting has replaced the black lights of the laser tag arena.

Slowly it dawns on me what happened. I’ve been in some sort of shock from Aiden vanishing into thin air with Fiona; Miss O slapped me to wake me up from the shock I was in. I don’t care about that, I’m just glad she’s cleared the fog in my head. Up until she slapped me, all I could see was the smile on Aiden’s face and the scared look on Fiona’s as they disappeared.

“Okay, we should do this back at the orphanage. Mr. Reese, gather the kids.”

“I can help,” I say, wrenching my arm from her grip.

She looks surprised but then she nods, realizing that I’m stronger than she thinks. I turn to Billy who looks like he’s still in shock from what happened. I grab him by the shoulders and shake him slightly. His eyes slowly drift over until they make contact with mine.

“Billy, wake up,” I say calmly.

The fog lifts from his mind like mine; luckily, I don’t have to slap him.

“Where’s Fiona?” he asks frantically, searching for her.

“That’s what we need to figure out. But first, we need to gather the kids together to go back to the orphanage. Think you can manage that?”

He stops searching for Fiona and stares back at me. After a second he nods and I let go of him. It takes us a few minutes, but we gather all the kids together. Thankfully, Aiden hadn’t been able to sneak any more of the kids away, only Fiona. She’s tougher than she looks; I know she’ll be able to hang on until we rescue her.

Once we’re back at the orphanage and the kids are cleaned up, I read the younger ones a story, then after dinner we send them all to bed. It all feels so mechanical; I’m barely able get into the story, and the kids don’t really pay attention, but it does calm them enough to get them to sleep. Shortly after that, Billy and I meet Miss O in her office.

“Okay,” she says, shutting the door behind her and Mr. Reese. That confirms my assumption of him being connected to the Custodes Avis, and though I’m really curious to know how, I care more about getting Fiona back. “Eli, tell me everything that happened after I had the three of us split up,” she says, walking around to her side of her desk.

I recount the story until the point they found me. Neither of them gives any kind of reaction until I’m finished. I don’t know how to take it, so I ignore it for the time being.

“Old Gold Camp Road?” Miss O suggests to Mr. Reese.

Mr. Reese nods. “It’s the only place that makes sense.”

“The hell mount?” I ask.

Miss O looks back at me. “Yes. It’s the only place they would be. But you really shouldn’t go there without being fully armed.”

“I have a sword--”

“You have half a sword,” Mr. Reese interrupts pointedly, as if I’m a moron or something.

“So?” I say angrily. “I was able to fight him with it! Why should that stop me from getting Fiona back?”

“Because, if you go in there without all four pieces needed, you could destroy not only yourself, but Fiona and the rest of the kids Tentatio’s taken as well.”

“That’s where the rest of the kids are?” I shout angrily.

“If we’re right about Fiona being there, then the rest of the kids will be there too,” Miss O explains.

“Then why haven’t we tried to get to them yet?”

I’m on my feet now. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. It’s as if they’re working with the demons! How could they let Abby and Fiona and the others just…just…how…?

“Eli, sit down, please,” Mr. Reese says quietly.

“NO!” I shout at him.

He stands to his feet, which is much more impressive than when I stood up.

“SIT!” he shouts back, pointing at my chair.

I stare back at him defiantly, unflinching, my hands clenched into tight balls, ready to fight him if I have to. He takes a deep breath and sits back on the edge of Miss O’s desk again.

“Eli, please just sit and listen,” he says exasperatedly, forcing a calmer tone.

I stare for another few seconds then flop down onto my seat.

“As you have probably noticed with the two pieces of your sword you have, they each control a different element. The stone controls water since it is a river stone. The blade controls air; hence the reason you found it at the Cave of the Winds,” Mr. Reese explains. “However, the two pieces that make up the hilt control elements too, as well as the shield you need.”

I pull out my sword and study it. That’s what that blue stuff had been that flew out of the rock that one night; water, reflecting the glow of the stone. I hadn’t noticed the blade do much, though.

“What about the invisibility?” I ask him.

He stares back at me, confused. “What are you talking about, Eli?”

“Before I had the blade, I just had the stone. I was hiding at Memorial Park and two security guards were on patrol, but the one who came up to where I was hiding looked right through me as if I wasn’t there.”

Mr. Reese stares at the stone in my sword. This is obviously something new he hasn’t heard before.

“I really don’t know anything about that, Eli. I’ve never heard of the stone turning anyone invisible before.”

“Torrey said it would only work on people. If I wanted to hide from someone, the stone would make me invisible to that person. But demons and angels would still be able to see me.”

Mr. Reese rubs his chin as he continues to stare at my weapon.

“This is news to me, Eli. But if Torrey told you it does that, then it must.”

“So, what do the other pieces control?” I ask curiously, after a long pause.

“The shield, which is made of stone, controls earth because rock is stable and unmoving. The grip of your hilt controls fire. A sword, being a weapon, can be controlled by passion, which is comparable to fire. It’s hot and powerful. It moves you. However, the cross of your hilt is connected to your heart. Love is the last element, but love is the only element that can’t be controlled. It’s the opposite, in fact. Love controls our actions and our thoughts. With all of these elements working together, you have the potential of being an unstoppable force.”

As I stare at Mr. Reese, I think my mouth may have fallen open a little; my tongue feels a little dry.

“So, without all of those elements together, you are vulnerable. The enemy will have an open door to your heart and mind,” Miss O explains; I hear emotion in her voice as she tells me. She has that same sadness in her eyes I’ve seen so many times.

“Well, then where are the rest of the pieces?”

Mr. Reese looks over his shoulder at Miss O. Apparently it’s her turn to disappoint me.

“We don’t know,” she says.

I gawk at her for a few seconds. Then I look at Mr. Reese who looks ashamed.

“Why don’t you know where they are? You seem to know so much about them,” I ask accusingly.

From the look on Billy’s face, he looks as confused as I feel. I wonder how much of this has gone over his head.

“Does that mean that I will get all of these pieces too?” he asks out of nowhere.

“Well, as Eli finds them, two more are formed for you and Fiona,” Miss O says, flinching as she says Fiona’s name. I feel a cold chill run down my spine too. I can’t just leave Fiona with the demon. I have to save her; completed sword or no.

“Look, I know I need all these pieces, but I have to try. I can’t just ignore Fiona and all those kids while I try searching for the other pieces.”

“But if you die in the process of saving her, then all is lost. There isn’t another Sicarius in this area.”

This catches me off guard.

“There are others?” I ask.

Miss O sighs. “Yes, but each is restricted to the area they live in. For you, it’s the state of Colorado.”

“The entire state?”

“Yes.”

I suddenly feel small. I’m a thirteen year old kid in charge of protecting the entire state of Colorado from escaped demons. But before I can, I have to find the remaining pieces of my sword and a shield, and they could be anywhere in the state! I don’t know how many miles make up this state, but I know it’s a lot more than I can cover by myself.

“Is there anything that can help us find the pieces faster?”

“Yes, there is actually,” Miss O says hopefully.

“Great. What is it?”

“A list.”

“A list of what?”

“A list of clues to direct you to each piece.”

“Where’s the list?” I demand, folding my eyes over my chest.

“With the shield most likely,” Mr. Reese jumps back in.

I stare at each of them for a second. “Let’s find the shield then.”

Miss O looks at Mr. Reese uncomfortably again.

“What?” I ask annoyed. I’m getting really tired of bad news.

“We don’t know where it is. The last Sicarius hid everything for the next one to find.”

“The last Sicarius?”

“Yes, he hid them in places only he would know.”

“How the heck am I supposed to figure out where everything is then?”

“Because, he hid them in places that would somehow represent each piece,” Mr. Reese says.

“Then, how did I end up with the stone?”

“The stone is always given to the Sicarius by the previous one. Also, it stays with you at all times. No matter what, you can never lose that stone,” Miss O explains, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk.

“So, as long as the sword stays in one piece, it will always return to you,” Mr. Reese adds. He’s back in a relaxed pose, now leaning against a bookcase, his arms folded across his chest.

My dad gave me the stone, I think to myself.

I look at the smooth, oval shaped stone in the blade. Then I stretch my arms and yawn.

“You should get some sleep,” Miss O says. “We’ll figure out a plan in the morning.”

“Okay, that’s probably a good idea,” I lie, and then smack Billy on the arm. “Let’s go to bed.”

I try to communicate to him that I have a plan with a look, but he doesn’t get it. He just stares back at me blankly. I ignore it and leave Miss O’s office.

“Eli, what are you up to?” Billy asks once we’re clear of Miss O’s door.

“We have to get to the hell mount somehow.”

“Are you serious?”

I nod. No words can describe just how serious I really am.

“How are we gonna do that?”

“I have no idea. We’ll walk, hitchhike if we have to.”

“Hitchhike?!” Billy squeals, grabbing my arm.

“What?”

“We can’t hitchhike.”

“Why not?” I ask angrily then turn away and continue down the hall, towards the front doors.

“Because you never know who or what will pick us up! What if it’s a demon disguised as a person?”

“Then we kill it and take the car,” I say casually.

Billy’s footsteps quicken as he tries to catch up with me. “What good will driving do us if we don’t know how to get there? Besides, if you haven‘t noticed, neither of us knows how to drive.”

I don’t have an answer for any of the wonderful arguments he’s making. All I care about is rescuing Fiona and the rest of the kids Tentatio has stolen. Beyond that, killing Tentatio is the only thing that will make me happy.