Book One Chapter Twenty Three: The Plot Forms

A part of this is written from Saja's view, explaining developments in her plans. The rest is following Nick on his travels to recruit people to help him fight Saja.

Chapter Twenty Three The Plot Forms:

Hemlon, Artemis. Saja’s Point of view.

“I am worried, Luna. Nick has defeated all of the bounty hunters. I thought placing the wanted signs in the cities and villages would attract some attention to him.” Saja told Luna.

Luna stepped up so she was beside Saja.

“No matter. He is an outlaw, no town will welcome him. The law will be on his head the second that he steps foot in any village. Are there any villages that you missed putting up the wanted posters in?” Luna asked.

“Yes, Trin is a little far from here, I did not even bother putting up posters there.” Saja said.

“Then Trin is Nick’s safe haven. That is where he will most likely go if he is thrown out of any cities or villages. Make sure you send sentries there soon, so they may apprehend Nick and his friends and bring them to us.” Luna suggested.

“Yes, I will post sentries in Trin, but what if Nick somehow finds another safe haven? What happens then?” Saja asked.

“Do not worry, Saja. Nick will be on the run from us and the law. He will not have time to seek safety.” Luna advised.

Saja put her worries out of her mind.

“Well, Saja. I believe that I know of a device that could help you gain an advantage over Nick and his friends.” Luna said.

“What? A device that allow me to gain an advantage over Nick and his friends? I do not believe that such a device exists.” Saja stated.

“Well, it is more of a relic. A sacred Relic. I have heard legends of it, and I have read about it in the books here on Artemis.” Luna explained.

“What is such a relic called? What can it possibly do to help me gain an advantage over Nick and his friends? What information have you gained on this relic?” Asked Saja.

“Well Saja, I have found that between the worlds there is a place, the subspace. There are people who can hide themselves in the subspace, these people come one in about two hundred fifty thousand. Others need this relic to do so.” Luna explained.

Saja seemed intrigued by this information.

“What else can this relic do?” asked Saja.

“Well, from what I found out, you can open portals to the other worlds, close them, it allows you and those who are making contact with you to travel to the subspace.” Luna continued.

Saja cocked her head.

“Anything else?” asked Saja.

“Oh, yes. You can also disguise yourself as anyone in the world.” Luna said.

Upon hearing this, Saja smiled.

“Anyone?” She asked.

“Well, not exactly. You need to make contact with the person you wish to transform into.” Luna said.

Saja nodded.

“That sounds tempting.” Saja said.

“Do you know the location of this relic? Do you know its name?” Saja asked.

“Yes. It is called The Subspace Corruptor. As far as I could tell, it is located in one of the few safe houses that the vampires cannot break into.” Said Luna.

Saja’s face went serious, as did her voice.

“Berlingia.” Saja murmured.

“What are your orders?” asked Luna.

“Well, we don’t have any loyal followers yet…” Saja trailed off.

“I will go.” Luna volunteered.

"Very well, bring back The Subspace Corruptor by any means necessary, and you will be rewarded accordingly." Saja ordered.

“I will do as you ask, Saja.” Luna said loyally.

“Wait, Luna. Before you go, tell me what The Subspace Corruptor looks like.” Saja said.

“Well, it is an octagonal pyramid that is all black. It has glowing purple markings on each of its faces. It is around eight inches tall.” Luna said.

“Very well. Thank you. You may leave now.” Saja said.

With that, Luna bolted out the door of Saja’s castle, ran down the pathway that led to where Luna was heading, and jumped off the edge of Hemlon, where Saja’s base of operations was located.

The wind tore at Luna’s white hair and her clothing as gravity pulled her towards the ground. Luna had her arms and legs spread so she wouldn’t fall as fast. She gazed at her surroundings. She dreamed of shifting into her wolf form and running through the woods, but she disgraced the form when she joined Saja. At last, she saw a lake and she glided down into it, tearing through the water in a graceful swan dive. She broke the surface moments later and climbed out.

“Which way was Berlingia?” She asked herself.

“East.” She decided.

She bolted and headed in the direction of East. She ripped through the forest with ease but was now faced with swampy wetlands.

“I hate the water.” She muttered.

She began stepping on the tops of logs and rocks. She eventually made it to the other side of the swamp. She raced through more forest and finally broke out to Berlingia’s valley.

“I knew that I would find it.” Luna said to herself.

She saw Nick and his friends approaching the gate. What a stroke of luck!

“I am going to find The Subspace Corruptor and apprehend Nick and his friends and capture them for Saja. Today must be my lucky day.” Luna said to herself with joy.

I will leave my weapon here. She thought. I’ll come back for it later. The guards will not let me into the city with weapons. She thought to herself. With that she entered the gate behind Nick and his friends, muting her footsteps. A guard at the gate halted them.

"Hold it right there." He said, halting Nick and his friends.

The guard looked to be around forty, he wore metal armor, and had a beard. He also wielded a silver tipped spear. He walked up and examined the eyes of all of Nick's friends. He stopped at Nick.

“Hey, I know you from somewhere.” The guard said.

This had peaked Luna’s interest.

“Where do you know me from?” Asked Nick, confused.

“I know your face from somewhere, a drawing, maybe?” the guard said.

“A drawing? I think you are mistaken. I am not from around here, I have not been in the area long.” Nick explained.

Luna knew what the guard was talking about. The guard knows Nick from the wanted posters that are posted in every near city and village. Luna could not tell the guard that Nick is wanted, that way the guards would arrest Nick, and not Saja.

"I must be mistaken. You are all clear." He told them.

Luna breathed a silent thanks to the guard for being so ignorant.

"You, halt." The guard ordered Luna.

Nick and his friends looked back. Thank goodness Luna had a hood on!

"Remove your hood, ma'am." Said the guard.

Once Nick and his friends were out of sight, she did as she was told. She guard looked into her eyes and checked her skin tone.

"Is your skin naturally pale?" Asked the guard.

"Yes, I did not get much sun when I was little." Said Luna.

It wasn't a total lie, she was mainly active at night, and she was a werewolf and all. Was. The guard nodded, looking her into Luna’s eyes once more.

"You are good to go." He said, opening the gates once again.

Inside the gates, she noticed several guards, maybe they were there in case a vampire got into the city. Luna waited before she was out of the guards' sight before she ran away. She caught up to Nick and his friends, she did not follow them, that was not her mission, but she kept an eye on them, just in case she did get The Subspace Corruptor, she could capture Nick and his friends and take them to Saja.

She looked around for The Subspace Corruptor. Her simple villager clothing allowed her to move silently and efficiently. It is a big city. She thought. A needle in a haystack. She looked around but stayed in the shadows. Luna checked the vendors. The vendors in their booths did not seem to have The Subspace Corruptor. When Nick and his friends passed by she hid behind a pillar. She followed them and watched from the dark corners of the walls and pillars. Nick may find it before I do. She worriedly thought to herself. That may not happen, for all anyone knew it could be buried or even buried within the walls of the city, encased in stone. She doubted that Nick, or anyone for that matter, would find it. From her hiding place behind the pillar Luna heard Kai speak, she recognized his voice from when Saja and she had captured him back on Ectoclis.

“I have been thinking, I don’t think I need a weapon. I am fairly strong, and I am quick.” Kai said.

Nick looked at him.

“Where is this leading?” Asked Nick.

“I can learn to fight with my fists, I just need a teacher.” Continued Kai.

“We’ll keep an eye out then.” Said a British man’s voice sarcastically.

“Just how do you hope to subdue a vampire swordsman with your fists?” A younger girl’s voice asked.

“Well… I do not know. It was a stupid thought, forget I asked.” Kai said.

Just then, a city guard came up behind Luna, distracting her from her eavesdropping.

“What are you doing?” The guard asked.

Luna was startled, but forced herself to calm down.

“I am not doing anything, sir. I am just watching the travelers go by.” Luna said casually.

The guard was silent for a moment his eyes then went wide.

“Say, you are that woman who serves the noblewoman in Hemlon, are you not? Yes, I know you.” The guard said.

“No sir. I think that you have the wrong woman.” Luna said calmly, attempting to dispel the guard’s attempt to recognize her from somewhere.

“No, it is most definitely you, I have seen pictures of you, and you are wanted by the vampires for cruelty against them.” The guard said accusingly.

“No, I think you have the wrong woman.” Luna said again.

“No, I most certainly believe that I have the right woman.” The guard pressed.

“You are wanted for cruelty against the vampires. Personally, I do not care what those blood suckers want, but you are also wanted for something else.” The guard told Luna.

Luna was surprised by this thought.

“What else am I wanted for?” Asked Luna innocently.

“Do not play stupid, you are wanted for looking for The Subspace Corruptor.” The guard exclaimed.

The guard then lunged at Luna.

“You will not get your hands on The Subspace Corruptor, and you will most certainly not give The Subspace Corruptor to that vampire you serve in Hemlon, Saja!” The guard yelled.

The guard lunged for Luna again with his spear pointed to her. This time Luna could see people out of her peripheral vision turn to look at Luna and the guard.

In surprise and out of reflex she caught the man’s spear just behind the tip of it on the shaft, threw the spear aside, but the guard was still holding on to the other end. The man fell slightly off balance due to the sudden shift of movement from his spear in front of him. Luna then put her weight on her left foot, used it as a pivot point, lifted her right leg up, and delivered a graceful spinning kick to the guard’s torso. The guard doubled over with a yelp of pain.

Luna saw Nick and his friends turn around and see her standing over the city guard.

“Luna!” shouted Nick in rage.

A girl with carrot red hair and the man who Luna could only guess was the British man who spoke earlier both fired at her with their guns. The girl with the carrot red hair had a gun that looked like the ones they had on Ectoclis, but it was larger and had a silver color to it, the British man had a revolver. Luna bolted and ducked and rolled behind a barrel. The spray of bullets were whizzing through the barrel beside her. She crouched even lower. She saw an alley that probably led to the town square behind them because that is the way it turned. She dashed into it. She took a turn and came into the square behind them. Just as she predicted! She saw they had their backs to her. Perfect. She snuck up behind the little girl, muting her footsteps. She then wrapped her left arm around her neck and seized her gun with her right. She held the gun towards Nick and the others, using the girl as a shield. “Let me go!” she said, struggling.

“Anna-Maria!” shouted Serena.

That must have been the girl’s name. Luna began backing away into a cobblestone-paved lane.

“No one move.” Luna ordered.

“Luna, this is the lowest you have gone, using a human as a shield to protect yourself… disgraceful.” Said Nick.

When Luna was safely behind a wall, she threw Anna-Maria back into sight of Nick and his friends. She knew that they would pursue her, so she took the pistol with her. She looked back and saw Nick and his friends helping Anna-Maria to her feet. She looked away, but from the corner of her eye she saw one of them running towards her. Luna looked back again and saw that Kai had begun chasing her. She doubled her speed. She was approaching another of the cities’ gates, one on the side. She looked up and shrieked at the guards.

“Close the gate!” She yelled up at them.

The guards at the top of the wall began cranking a wheel fed by a metal chain and the gate began to close. The sound of clanking chain was audible. Luna ran up and slid under the gate in the two meter space there was between the bottom of the gate and the ground. She looked back and saw Kai slide under it at one meter. She panicked. She then looked ahead and saw a forest. She dashed into it. She could not run any longer and stopped. But then, just when she thought she was safe, Kai burst through the bush and tackled her to the ground.

"Nick! Over here!" Shouted Kai, still on top of Luna.

She managed to throw Kai off of herself. She tossed him into a tree and he gasped in pain. Kai hit the ground hard, but soon got back up and charged her again. Luna sidestepped and grabbed the collar of Kai’s shirt and tossed him to the ground. Kai yelled out in pain as he hit the ground and rolled across it. Kai attempted to stand back up, he got to his hands and knees, but Luna thwarted his attempt but kicking him in the stomach. Kai cried out in pain as he was knocked back to the ground.

“Give up, Kai, you are no match for me, and you are certainly no match for Saja. None of your friends are.” Luna said with a grin.

“I will never give up! I will fight to my last breath!” Shouted Kai, struggling to stand up.

“I am sure you will.” Luna told Kai.

Luna went to kick Kai yet again, but Kai rolled out of the way.

“Your evasive attempts are futile!” Luna told Kai.

Luna went to deliver another blow to Kai, but Kai was smart, he waited until Luna was near him, he then grabbed her ankle and pulled Luna off her feet. Luna crashed to the ground. Kai then recovered from his position on the ground. He stood up, a streak of pain shot through his ribs, he was sure that Luna had cracked at least one of them when she kicked him when he was on his hands and knees. Kai saw Luna attempting to stand, and Kai thwarted her attempt with a kick to the ribs, just like she had done to him. Luna cried out in pain as Kai’s kick connected. Kai kicked her again and again, each kick was more furious and aggressive than the last. Luna cried out in pain every time. Luna attempted to block Kai’s blows, but she did not have a lot of leverage on the ground, and Kai’s blows broke through her defensive attempts. After a few more kicks, Kai could hear a series of sharp cracking sounds.

“Enough!” Shouted Luna after another one of Kai’s kicks.

Luna then did something completely illogical, and something that struck fear into Kai’s heart; she formed a huge fireball in her hand and thrust it at Kai. Kai recoiled backwards with a cry of pain, patting his shirt, which had caught fire, attempting to extinguish it.

Luna then stood up, he saw that he had broken a few of her ribs when he kicked her.

“What? What are you!?” Kai shouted in fear.

A warm orange glow then enveloped Luna, and he saw her chest change; her ribs were cracking back to their normal places.

“What is this?” Asked Kai in wondrous fear.

Luna began forming ball of pulsating electricity in her hand, much like she had done with the fireball.

“This is magic.” Luna said with a smile.

Luna then brought her hand forward, firing a bolt of lightning at Kai’s heart.

 

***

 

Berlingia, Artemis. Nick’s Point of view.

Luna had done it this time. I thought. Holding Anna-Maria has a shield so she could get away surprised me. One of two things could have motivated her to do that; one: she lost her dignity and didn’t care about the battle between Saja, me, my friends, and her. Two: she had something important to tend to and was in a rush. As everyone was helping Anna-Maria to her feet I wondered where Kai was. He ran after Luna and hadn’t come back. After Anna-Maria had regained her footing.

“So Kai really does care…” She said with sadness in her voice.

“Of course he does.” Said Serena.

“He just has a hard time trusting people.” I told Anna-Maria.

“Speaking of Kai, where did he go?” asked Anna-Maria.

“He ran off to find Luna.” Said Fenton.

 

“We should go look for him.” I suggested.

I led them to the gate Kai went through. It was closed.

“Guards! Open the gate!” I yelled up to the guards stationed by a huge pulley mechanism at the top of the city wall.

What business do you have on the outside?" Yelled one of the guards.

"My friend went chasing an outlaw, and he hasn't come back, I want to make sure that he is safe!" I yelled back up.

There was a moment of silence. The guards then opened the gate and we continued. We walked through the gate and went in the direction that we had seen Kai run off to. We soon came to a section of forest not far from the city. There was trees with dents in them, and there was drops of blood on the ground.

“Luna was here.” I said.

“Federov, could you?” I asked, gesturing to the blood.

“Well… I,” he stammered.

“I cannot…” Federov said, recomposing himself.

I then remembered the story of his family.

“Oh, right, sorry.” I said sincerely.

He nodded distantly.

“How else do you suggest me find Kai?” asked Serena. I looked around for a clue. I saw something on the ground that gave me hope, and dismay.

“Hey guys, those are drag marks on the ground.” I said, pointing to twin lines in the dirt.

“They are.” Said Fenton, stroking his chin.

I waved my hand, signaling the others to follow me. We broke out of the forest in a few minutes. There were no other towns in sight. There were mountains and trees all around us. We followed the drag marks through the terrain. How did Luna drag Kai all this way all by herself?

Now, the sun was going down. I wondered if days here on Artemis were longer, or if time had just been dragging. When the sun began to disappear behind the horizon, Anna-Maria spoke up.

“We have to make camp for the night.” Said Anna-Maria.

I thought for a minute. Saja probably had Kai captive like she had last time. Saja most likely captured Kai to use him as a hostage against me, to get me to give myself up. Saja could even be torturing Kai with her bites right now! It wasn’t fair to rest.

“No, we have to keep going.” I said.

“We can continue in the morning, we must rest now to keep our strength up.” Anna-Maria suggested.

I shook my head.

“No, Kai is most likely in Saja’s custody. It is not fair to rest with Kai still out there.” I told Anna-Maria.

“Okay. I understand.” Anna-Maria admitted.

We continued through the terrain, following the drag marks.

“So Nick, you and Kai have been through a lot together, no?” Asked Federov.

I nodded.

“You could say that.” I told him.

I decided not to tell Federov about how I was from a different world. That probably wouldn’t have been smart.

“What is the story with you, Luna and your friends?” Asked Federov, curiosity was in his voice.

I decided to explain the story in terms Federov would understand.

“Well, I was captured by Saja, who is a very evil vampire. Saja has been trying to hunt my friends and I down, and we are doing the same to her.” I explained.

“I get the feeling that there is more to that story than it seems.” Federov observed.

“You have no idea.” I told him.

We were still following the drag marks in the ground. I looked up, my eye catching movement. My heart sank. I saw three figures. They were on the right side of us. They were on the brim of the tree line that surrounded us.

“Nick, I do not have the strength to fight.” Whispered Anna-Maria.

“Me neither.” Replied Serena.

"I have enough strength, if it comes down to a fight, I have got your back, Nick.” Federov said.

“The same can be said for me. I can back you up in a fight.” Fenton chimed in.

“Thanks for the offers, but I think that we’ll sneak around them. I do not want to endanger you guys.” I said.

“Smart choice.” Federov said.

I stepped to the left, the opposite way that the three figures were to us. I stayed out of the figures’ line of sight. I heard my friends walking behind me. I walked slowly and cautiously. The figures had their backs to us, they are walking the same way as us, the same way the drag marks are leading. We could not follow the drag marks any father unless those figures moved. They could be friendly, but for the sake of the safety of my friends and I, I had to assume that they were hostile.

I was as silent as possible. My footsteps were silent, except for the odd time that I would step on a leaf, seeing as this is a forest. I could not see the leaves, the sun had set a few minutes ago, so visibility was poor. The leaves also blended in with the forest floor, making them hard to see. I then stepped on a twig, which was also hidden in the forest floor in the darkness. Ahead, I saw the three figures whip around to look at where the sound had come from: Me.

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think :)