I watched from between the racks of stacked boxes as Mr. Pendragon removed the dome off of Death's Scythe. Had I been any closer, the black vapour tendrils might have jumped for me, but I was smart enough to keep my distance.

I had been putting the latest Artifacts away; the Eye of Horus, a magic lamp, and the carpet I had hijacked. I hadn't expected Mr. Pendragon to rush the new guy into picking up the Scythe so soon. I felt ashamed as a wave of jealousy hit me. It was like I was being replaced on all fronts.

I wasn't new and exciting like Dyson. I wasn't attracting as much attention as Kalysta. And now I was being relieved of my secondary duties as Mr. Pendragon's second in command.

What was worse, was that Orion, whom I considered my best friend, had taken up the role of Team Leader in my absence. How willing would he be to relinquish that position back to me?

There was a bright flash of light, that startled me from my thoughts and then Dyson was holding the Scythe. There was a long, apprehensive moment where no one dared to move and then Mr. Pendragon stepped forward to congratulate him.

Part of me had hoped he would just fall over dead, but I shook the negativity from my head. If he was going to stay, he would make a powerful asset.

Another man I hadn't seen before walked into the Vault. He was tall and thin, with long, dirty blonde hair. The blue of his eyes popped against the dark rings surrounding them.

"Chase, you should be resting." Mr. Pendragon told him. I assumed this was the veteran Order member who had returned. I was offended that this guy had been chosen to replace me. He wasn't intimidating. He looked like he could hardly stand upright.

"I'll rest later, we need to talk." He said coldly and Mr. Pendragon sighed. Dyson looked between the two men with a hopeless look on his face.

"Uh, what do I do now?" He asked. Mr. Pendragon opened his mouth to speak, but Chase answered.

"Will it to disappear. Think about it being gone, and it will go." He told Dyson. The emo guy looked at the Scythe squinting and it popped away in black smoke.

"Now you'll find a dorm room and report to the training room at 0700." Chase continued. Dyson looked down at his watch.

"It's like 1 in the morning." He whined. Chase just stared at him.

"Better get some sleep. I'll talk to you more tomorrow." Mr. Pendragon told him. Dyson, mouth agape, strode out of the Vault as fast as he could. I had a feeling he would not be cut out for what we did here.

But I had thought the same about Kalysta.

"Your intel was right. Someone has been using the Queen Anne's Revenge to transport Artifacts from the docks here for a while. They had been using the Rabbi to create an army, or at least a workforce of Golem." Chase told him, as he nodded slowly.

"Any ideas about who would be working against us?" Mr. Pendragon asked after a moment. Chase shrugged.

"I didn't recognize the kid I saw on the boat. Could have been an ex-Order prospect, could have been a nobody. He was the only living thing I felt on the ship though." He said.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

That was a weird way of putting it, I thought. How could this guy feel living creatures. I assumed he had some kind of locating based Artifact, if he had been doing recon for Mr. Pendragon. I looked back, and Chase was gone.

"Seems you have curious ears hiding about." A voice said behind me. I jumped and spun around to see Chase standing behind me. I had blinked and suddenly he had found me hiding behind the racks. He grabbed my shoulder and walked me back to Mr. Pendragon with more strength than his frame would dictate possible.

"Erik, what where you doing eavesdropping?" Mr. Pendragon asked. He looked hurt and displeased at once. If he hadn't given me trouble about Kalysta earlier, I might have felt bad.

"I was putting the newly recovered Artifacts into inventory. I didn't know you'd be in here." I told him.

"And you chose not to make your presence known." Chase added and I turned to glare at him. His cold dead eyes seemed unphased. He stared back at me, unblinking.

"I had not anticipated the events with the Scythe happening so soon. I figured it was best for me to stay back." I responded.

"Erik, we're going to have to have a conversation about your lashing out lately..." Mr. Pendragon started. But I wasn't having it.

"Everything I've done has been following orders to the best of my abilities. I'm sorry that my work here is no longer satisfactory. Is that why I'm being asked to step down?" I shot back.

Mr. Pendragon stared at me, shaking his head. He looked passed me to Chase, who didn't say anything. I could feel the anger simmering. But I've always been a good solider. I wouldn't talk back to my superiors. I don't realize I'm clenching my fists until I feel my fingernails puncture my palm.

"Erik, we'll talk about this later. Please return to your room and get some sleep." He tells me quietly.

"You're not my dad." I snarled. It felt weird after it left my mouth. I was actually surprised it got out.

"If he was, you would have been smacked in the mouth by now." Chase said and I spun on him. It was hard to hold back my anger. The violence crept out of me. All the things I had been holding inside. All the distractions and uncertainty left me in single swing. I threw the punch.

Chase had anticipated it. He leaned casually out of the way, his hands in his pockets. I retracted quickly and stood still. I was expecting him to hit me back. I was expecting Mr. Pendragon to reprimand me.

"Leave." There was finality and warning in Chase's instruction. I bowed my head at them both and left.

As I exited the Vault and made my way down the hallway, I stumbled into the wall. I felt the tears burn my eyes.

What was wrong with me? It felt like my life was all crumbling away. I knew better than to respond with violence. I wasn't going to be like that, I was better than that.

Better than my father.

It I felt my breath catch in my throat and I sobbed. I quickly covered my mouth. They couldn't see me vulnerable like this. I tried to make my way down the hall, but I knew I would have to pass my teammates rooms to get to my own. I had put my room close to Mr. Pendragon's office so I could he easily at his disposal and I regretted it now.

I turned and sank against the wall, crumpling to a heap on the floor. I had never lost control like that before. But what Chase had said struck a nerve. It occured to me that he must have been part of Mr. Pendragon and my father's team back in the day.

I choked back my tears and took a deep breath. I had to be strong. I had to be a leader. I would calm myself down, return to my room and rest. I could wake up early and get a jog in to clear my head and then...

"Dude, you good?" I heard the voice and my blood simmered again. I looked up from my crossed arms and glared at Dyson.

"Walk away. You saw nothing." I told him. I stood, trying to be intimidating but he just cocked his head at me.

"Yea, sure thing man." He walked passed me like I wasn't even there. I felt hollow. Weak.

"Hey, uh Erik?" Dyson turned back around. I froze, but slowly turned to face him. We stood in the main hall staring.

"If you ever need to talk, I can try and be serious for a minute." He said, quietly.

I was caught off guard. I had expected him to lash out at me for being a bully. For being rude. He shrugged at me when I didn't say anything and walked off.

I stared down the hallway and watched him go. I needed sleep and I needed this night to end.