Prometheus' Orb (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 1)

“You are early,” Richard said as Ashley entered the house. Her coat was drenched and her boots were covered in wet mud.

“I needed to be,” she replied. With just a few graceful hand movements, Ashley controlled the water out of her clothes and shoes, leaving them spotlessly dry. Richard was amazed by how much Ashley had developed. A smile formed on his face when he remembered the first day they met. Back then, Richard knew that there was something mysterious about her but he would have never expected all this.

Richard reached for the left pocket of his black jeans and pulled out the note Ashley had given her.

It read:

Still can’t fully transform... need your help.

He held the note between two of his fingers and flashed it at Ashley. She simply looked down.

“You don’t have to be discouraged,” Richard said. “Even Merfolk find it very difficult to change into their human forms. You were born a human, Ashley... and you’ve only been a mermaid for only three weeks. It makes sense if your merform hasn’t fully manifested yet.”

“I know but... Richard, the solstice is in three days and I feel I have to be ready for Sebastian. Meaning I have to be at full strength. And also...”

“And what?”

“I was thinking about Ethan and how he wasn’t able to change into his merman form...”

Richard’s right eyebrow involuntary rose.

“Don’t tell me you think you’re anything like him,” he said, failing to hide the amusement in his voice.

“The thought has crossed my mind, Richard,” Ashley said. She sat on the stairs and buried her face between her knees.

“And you already know about Stacy’s prophesy,” Ashley's muffled voice said.

“Actually,” Richard replied. “I know I should have mentioned this earlier but... Talya... One of the Ten... The last words she said to me were that someday I would meet a mermaid having the blue glow in her eyes and that on the Solstice that comes; she would be the key to Ethan’s return.”

Ashley slowly lifted her head and looked at Richard. There was a deep blue glow in her eyes.

“You mean these eyes,” she said.

She stood up.

“Richard, what if all these things about me are true? Think about it... The Solstice, my unique blood, Sebastian, and the Orb; all these are key ingredients in awakening, Ethan. Stacy... even Talya’s prophesies have been accurate up to this point... What makes you think they are wrong about the rest?”

“I don’t know,” Richard admitted. “But I do know that I will do everything within my power to stop Sebastian from awakening Ethan.”

“Anything huh?” Ashley asked. “Well, then there is only one sure way of making sure you achieve that... You destroy the main ingredient... me.”

Richard shook his head in disbelief. He walked to Ashley and held her by her shoulders.

“Ashley, did something happen? Why are you talking like this?” he said, raising his voice a bit.

“Richard, please,” Ashley said. “Don’t pretend as if you haven’t thought about it.”

Something was wrong. This wasn’t the Ashley that Richard knew.

“You know what, you’re right,” Richard said, his voice firm. “I have thought about... I think about it every day. With you gone, Ethan never awakens but...”

“But what?”

Richard couldn’t see a spark of emotion in Ashley’s eyes.

“Ashley... I haven’t had a true friend for over fifty thousand years. Wherever I went darkness, death, and destruction followed. You and your friends accepted me despite knowing what I am and believe me when I say that I am not ready to give up on that trust and... What’s wrong?”

Tears were streaming down Ashley’s eyes. She walked closer to him and wrapped her hands around him.

“I am sorry for putting you through all that but... I had to be sure,” she said. “I trust you, Richard, I really do but...”

Richard held her tightly, let out a sigh of relief, and said, “I understand. When the fate of the realms is in your hands I guess you have to have a clear picture of whom to trust.”

“Technically, the fate of the realms is in my blood,” Ashley joked.

Still locked in a hug, Richard looked into Ashley’s eyes. He always knew she was beautiful but she was so close to him... Her brown eyes, her smile, her lips...

Both of them pulled away from each other. There was a brief moment of silence between them until Richard said, “Come on.”

When Ashley had visited him some weeks ago he wanted to show her something but was interrupted by Shira. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to do just that.

The two walked up the spiral staircase, along a long corridor that led to the balcony.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Richard said, stopping right before he went on the balcony. His mind was really somewhere else.

“Your curse,” Ashley said in a low and sympathetic voice.

Ashley’s eyes widened and she smiled.

“What?” Richard asked.

She simply grabbed his hand and began to carry him towards the balcony. Even though he didn’t know what she was up to Richard simply took in a long breath and closed his eyes.

“Richard,” Ashley said softly.

Richard opened one of his eyes. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when he saw what Ashley had done. One of her hands was raised, controlling the rain and enclosing both Richard and herself in a dome of water. Her other hand was controlling the water below, keeping the floor beneath them completely dry.

“When did you...”

“What... Learn how to do this?” Ashley interjected. “It’s pretty basic.”

“Ashley this... this is anything but basic...” Richard said. “Controlling rain may intuitively seem easy but trust me when I say that it’s one of the hardest techniques to learn. It took me three years just to master the basics back when I was a Water Merman.”

“Then I am glad I had a great teacher...”

Ashley staggered and Richard smiled.

“See... it’s not as easy... Controlling rain draws a lot of your power. Let’s go back inside,” he said.

When they were back inside, Richard felt Ashley’s hands on his shoulder.

“I know this is the part where the hero says something like ‘If it comes down to me or the world you know what to do’ but Richard... I want you to promise me that you will do everything in your power to make that we come out of this alive... that we all do.”

“I give you my word Ashley Morgan,” Richard said and he smiled at her and held her hand.

He then led Ashley to one of the rooms. He turned the handle and pushed open the large wooden door. Some dust rose as they entered. Richard hadn’t been in this room for a while and excitement surged through his body when he saw the shock in Ashley’s eyes.

The walls, the floor, and even the wardrobes were all filled with paintings and photographs... all of Richard.

Ashley quickly ran to the wall on her right.

“Is that you?” she asked.

“I was only seven years old when this painting was made,” Richard replied. He took the painting off the wall and laid it on the table in the middle of the room.

“It looks just like a photograph,” Ashley commented.

“Well... the merman who painted this was quite skilled,” Richard answered. Though he tried, Richard couldn’t hide the sorrow in his voice.

Richard looked at his younger self. A dark blue tail, long blonde hair, and a smile filled with the happiness and joy of any child on his birthday.

“My father,” Richard continued. “He was the one who painted this.”

Ashley forced a smile and said, “How are merfolk able to paint underwater?”

“How are you able to breathe underwater?” Richard replied. “There is so much about your world that you are yet to experience and one day I hope you will be able to see it all for yourself.”

“Then let’s make a deal,” Ashley said. “After all this is over... I want you to take me to your home... Rathzoria.”

“I want to but you know I can’t... my curse...”

“Then we’ll find a way of breaking it,” Ashley interrupted.

Richard walked to another one of the paintings on the wall. In the painting, he was standing with a shaman he had once sought to help break the curse Ethan put on him. That was over forty thousand years ago.

“I have tried for over fifty millennia Ashley,” Richard said. “The curse can’t be broken.”

“And, in over fifty thousand years, have you ever come across a half-breed like me?” Ashley asked.

“I guess not,” Richard answered.

“Then it’s settled... what was that?”

Richard and Ashley dashed out of the room and in seconds they were already in the living room downstairs. They had both heard someone screaming.

“Claire? Samantha?” Ashley asked. The two girls were in shock and so were Robert and Luke.

“Ashley.”

Richard’s voice was low and he could feel his body getting ready to attack when he turned and saw the person sitting on the couch.

“Jacob,” Ashley said, walking to Richard. Her eyes were glowing blue and her sharp canines had lengthened.

Richard was about to make his move when something stopped him.

Jacob stood up and raised his hands as if surrendering.

“Relax... I come in peace, guys,” he said.

Ashley charged at Jacob. She grabbed him by his neck and lifted him in the air. Jacob neither struggled nor fought back.

“Why should I believe you?” she asked in a voice as fierce and as deadly as wildfire.

“To be honest I’d rather you tear off my head right now,” Jacob said. There was no malice or trickery in what he was saying.

“But before you do at least listen to what I have to say,” he continued.

Just as Jacob was speaking, Sara arrived. She was fully dressed in Hunter’s uniform but wasn’t wearing the mask that covered her face.

“Ashley I think it would be prudent if we heard him,” Richard said.

“You can’t seriously trust him,” Ashley replied.

“No but...”

Richard looked at Jacob.

“It was you wasn’t it?” Richard said. “Luke’s father... You’re the one who wiped away the town’s people’s memory of what happened that day in the school cafeteria, weren’t you?”

Jacob didn’t say anything and Ashley let him go. With a grunt, he fell on the floor and said, “Yes I did... Look I am not here to ask for your forgiveness, I am just here to set things right... especially with you Ashley.”

“How did you manage to compel the entire town?” Richard asked.

Jacob’s black leather jeans and jacket creaked as he rose to his feet.

“I didn’t compel them,” he said. “I used a memory orb.”

“A memory orb?” Luke said as he walked closer to them.

“Memory orbs are powerful magical objects that can take away and store memories. Sebastian had two of them and I borrowed one.”

“And where is it?” Richard said.

“Don’t worry demon... The orb is safe... I am fully away of what happens if it gets even the smallest crack.”

“Why?”

Ashley moved closer to Jacob.

“Why did you do all this?”

“Even if I told you it would just sound like an excuse... As I said, I am not going to ask for forgiveness but...”

Jacob reached for his jacket, pulled out a brown envelope, and handed it over to Ashley.

“What is this?” she asked.

“It is all the information that your mother has about your father,” Jacob said. “Of course, she doesn’t know what he is but it seems she has been trying to find him ever since he disappeared. And she has been using her skills and resources as an archeologist to do so.”

Ashley’s hands were trembling as she received the envelope.

“I never knew my dad so I was never sad even though he wasn’t there. So why do I feel like this?”

“I don’t know,” Jacob said with a smile on his face. “Perhaps it’s a mermaid thing; I can’t believe I said that. But then again I am a vampire. Ashley, everyone... I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness but for what it’s worth I am sorry.”

Jacob clapped his hands together and said, “Well, I have done all that I need to do, and now...”

“JACOB!!!” Ashley screamed.

Red blood gushed out of Jacob’s chest when three black arrows pierced his heart.

Richard studied the arrows...

Hunters

Three Hunters crashed through the window and aimed their arrows at Richard and Ashley. Sara unsheathed her sword and stood in front of Ashley.

“So... This is what Stacy meant.”

Ashley hadn’t reverted to her normal human form when she heard that voice.

“A-Adrian...” she said, her voice trembling.

Adrian took off his mask and so did the rest of the Hunters with him.

“Ms. Hughes?”

Shock flooded Robert’s voice when he discovered that his own teacher was actually a Hunter; perhaps Ashley forgot to mention that.

“Robert, Luke, Claire, and Samantha... get away from them now,” Hughes said.

“You don’t understand!” Samantha shouted. “Ashley is trying to help the town.”

Adrian raised his bow and aimed at Richard.

“Richard Thane....” he said. “I told you what would happen if you ever came near Ashley or my friends.”

Adrian aimed at the roof and fired the arrow. There was a loud bang in the air when the arrow exploded and left a huge hole in the roof, allowing the rain to pour into the house.

The raindrops stopped in mid-air when Ashley raised her hand.

“Adrian please... listen,” she said, her voice sounding like smothered weeping.

Everyone in the room, including Ms. Hughes, stared in shock when Adrian pointed his bow at Ashley.

Something was different about Adrian. His eyes... his eyes held no emotion at all. It was like he felt nothing for the person he was aiming his weapon at.

Richard ran at Adrian and caught the arrow before he could even fire.

“Adrian,” Richard grunted. “What’s wrong with you?”

"The Jarand Hanat,” Adrian said. “Anyone who comes between me and killing you... I will destroy all of the...”

No one could have expected what happened next.

The entire ground was shaking uncontrollably and out of the ground, Sebastian emerged. He smiled at Richard as he grabbed Ashley and pounded his fist into the ground. Rocks began to fly in every direction.

The confusion was whirling like a flood inside the house. Ashley’s friends managed to find some cover. Richard used his speed to navigate through the flying rocks but he was too late. Sebastian had already gone.

He fell to his knees as Ashley’s words swarmed his mind.

“I have to be ready for Sebastian”

“When all this is over... I want you to take me to your home...”

“I don’t need a reason to visit a friend...”

He felt a hand grab him. It was Jacob. He wasn’t dead... yet.

Jacob raised two of his fingers and pressed them against Richard’s left temple. Richard lowered his psychic guards, opened his mind to Jacob, and in less than a second, Richard already knew where Sebastian was taking Ashley.

“Richard!!!” Samantha shouted.

The rain was falling all over Richard’s body. He felt the same stinging pain he always did but he didn’t care.

“Adrian... I promise you this,” Richard said. “If anything happens to Ashley... You, the Hunters... I will come for all of you.”

Adrian fired an arrow at Richard. The arrow melted just before it hit him.

Richard’s teeth lengthened, his claw extended and flames shot out of his body. Everything near him burned. The rain couldn’t even touch him in this form. He closed his eyes and focused on the deepest part of his mind. For years he had denied this side of him, kept it hidden... buried...

But now he needed to be who he was made to be. If Ashley was to survive he needed the Fire Demon...

And Like being pulled into an abyss, everything went dark. Richard was never going to remember what was about to happen next.

***

Will Richard be able to make it in time?

Will Adrian put aside his differences with Richard in order to save Ashley?

Will The Chimera be awakened?

Find out what happens in the next chapter of...