The world snapped into focus.

Projection was disorienting the first hundred times that you did it, but after that, it became easier until eventually, it was as natural as walking. The air stank of burnt tile and glass. The sulfur stench of black magic mixed with the smoke. The sound of boots and shouts marched down the hall.

Kark closed his eyes and Zeus materialized beside him.

“Seal the doors.” Kark looked at the two trapped hellhounds. Each was struggling against their restraints. Their howls could separate the cream from milk. “I’ll handle the Guardians.”

Nails scraped the floor as Zeus padded down the hall. Kark wouldn’t have to worry about the humans making it to the third floor now. The red dragon was so old he held the title of Ancient. He would make sure the floor was secure.

“Are they okay?” Paige asked

Kark tapped his jaw. He had forgotten that he had joined Mettan’s frequency.

“I haven’t cleared the area yet,” Kark answered. He pointed his hands at the two trapped hellhounds. One denizen of hell was bad enough, but two and a dark mage was too much for one hunter. That would almost be as bad as taking on a red dragon.

He coaxed life magic into his hands. White light shot out of his hands and washed over the hellhounds. A less experienced Mage wouldn’t be able to find the bond between the Mage and his Guardians, but Kark wasn’t a normal Mage. The string of magic connecting the Hellhounds to the Dark Mage was faint, but it was plainly visible. Kark wrapped his magic around the cords but hesitated. The magic could connect him to the Dark Mage, but it would take him away from his cousin.

“Why are you waiting?” Paige demanded, “Do something!”

“Magic is not instant.” Kark kept his eyes closed, “Be patient.”

“Ah, to hear my words from another’s lips.” Zeus walked behind Kark, “The irony.”

Kark cracked a grin, “That’s because I give them style.”

Zeus leaned in close to Kark’s ear. “Finish the spell. Mettan needs your help.”

Kark squeezed his eyes tighter, “We can find the Dark Mage.”

“He’s stuck on Earth.” Zeus whispered, “We can find him after we stabilize Mettan and his charges.”

“Mettan knew the Mage,” Paige said

Kark’s eyes flew open, “This was a Dark Mage. Not a Mage.” His voice darkened, “There is a difference.”

“Oh,” Paige said, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kark’s voice softened, “Did he say a name?”

“He called the mage. I mean, he called the dark mage Stilas.”

Kark snapped the cords connecting the Hellhounds to Stilas. The barking stopped as the magic keeping them alive vanished. A Guardian that was bonded willingly would survive if the Mage was killed or the bond was broken. The way that these Guardians were beginning to vanish told him that they hadn’t been willing to become Guardians. Stilas had summoned two Hellhounds and then dominated them to force them to become Guardians. The Dark Mage had more power than the rumors had said.

“Who is Stilas?” Paige asked,

“Someone who should be dead,” Kark said. He tapped his jaw to cut the connection. He didn’t need the dirty Elder listening in.

Kark walked around the dying and picked up Mettan. He nodded at the humans, “Grab them.”

Zeus picked up the brothers. Kark focused on projecting them to Mettan’s room on the Camadt’s Bite. The room shimmered, then the five of them were standing in Mettan’s room.

Kark laid Mettan on the grey blanket covering his bed. He placed his hand on Mettan’s forehead. None of Mettan’s injuries were life-threatening, but they would take him out of the fight for four weeks. He couldn’t have his cousin sidelined the evening before the Dark Legion landed on Earth.

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Kark turned back to Zeus, “Do they need healing?”

Zeus closed his eyes. He opened them and raised Alex under his arm, “This one just needs sleep.” He bounced Andrew, “This one has some cracked bones, but he’ll live.”

Kark nodded, “Take them to their rooms. I’ll fix Mettan.”

Zeus dipped his head, “Sure.”

The door opened. It hissed closed after Zeus walked through it.

Kark turned his attention back to Mettan. It felt strange to see his cousin lying helpless on the bed. There were scores of Dark Mages that Mettan had taken down. Stilas shouldn’t have had enough power to get the upper hand on a trained hunter like this. It must have been the Elder that helped Stilas get to Earth that was fortifying the Dark Mage’s power.

Kark’s hands glowed white as he pushed life magic into his cousin’s body. Life magic had many uses. It could fortify spells, strengthening them to the point where they could be cast instantly. It could also slow or speed up time. New Vita could only control areas. Kark wasn’t new. He had been using life magic for almost thirty years. He had a natural talent for magic and had mastered life magic years before. He could target individual cells and accelerate their growth. Healing that should take weeks would only take a few seconds when fueled by his life magic.

The life magic soaked into Mettan’s body, turning his skin from black to shining white. Kark closed his eyes as his magic did its work on Mettan’s body. It was going to cost him a lot of stored magic, but that was a small price to pay to get his cousin back in one of the most important fights of the hunter’s life.

The light began to dim and Mettan’s skin returned to its healthy black color. Kark opened his eyes and got up. Mettan was fully healed. Sure, the blood was still on his cousin’s leg, but the rips were gone. There weren’t even any scars to remember the damage.

Kark hit the control by the doorpost and walked out the door. A blonde ran up the hall.

“Is he going to die?” Paige’s eyes were full of tears as she wrapped her arms around Kark.

Kark slowly pulled her iron grip off of his shoulders. He wiped a tear from her cheek, “He’s going to be fine.” He smiled to make her feel better.

“Really?” Paige pushed around Kark and reached for the door, “Can I see him?”

Kark grabbed her arm and twisted her back in front of him, “After he wakes up.”

“Oh.” Paige looked down at her feet, “I should’ve thought of that.”

“It’s been a long day. Why don’t you head down to your room and get some sleep too?” Kark smiled, “You’ve earned it.”

Paige blushed as she turned and skipped down the hall.

Kark watched her disappear. He turned around and headed for the bridge. The ship needed to be moved and he needed to go to Atlantis. He had an idea of who the traitor was, but he wanted to consult with the other Vita first.

The door to the bridge slid open for Kark to enter. The most important thing at the moment was to get the ship somewhere safe. There was a chance that Stilas would look for the ship, and he also needed to put it somewhere that the traitorous Elder wasn’t aware of in case they fed that information to the Dark Mage.

The doors opened again and the red-scaled dragon walked onto the bridge. The Ancient sat down next to him.

“We have a problem.” Kark let out a deep breath.

“Stilas could not have gotten onto Earth without help.” Zeus stated, “This confirms that one of the Elders is working for the Dark Legion.”

Kark shifted in his seat. He traced his hands over the controls and the ship hummed under his touch. “I’m taking the ship to Atlantis.” He looked at the sky in front of them, “We can’t chance the humans getting lucky and finding the ship.”

“What are you going to do about the traitor?” The dragon asked

Kark closed his eyes. He didn’t know what to do. One of the Mages from the Tenahill was the obvious culprit, but he didn’t know which one to accuse. Xannah was family, he couldn’t imagine her being the culprit.

Feletis and Demetrius were the other two Mages that had been on the planet when Stilas had been “killed”. Feletis had been the High Elder for almost fifteen hundred years. He seriously doubted that Feletis would do anything to help the Dark Legion, there was too much history of hate between the Elder and the Dark Legion.

That left Demetrius. Demetrius had graduated from the University before Kark had been born. Rumor had it that Demetrius had been handpicked and trained by both Dumas and Nabec to become an Elder. Kark had great respect for Dumas and despite the way his father had died, he couldn’t believe that Nabec would’ve trained someone who would become a Dark Legion agent.

Kark opened his eyes, “For now we dock the ship by my tower.” He looked over at his Guardian, “After we get some sleep, I’ll talk with the other Elders. We’ll figure something out.”

Zeus nestled into his seat, “Why not unmask the traitor tonight?”

“Our hunter is tired,” Kark said, “The Dark Legion Fleet will break the time bubble tomorrow. I doubt our traitor will do anything tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning.”

The Camadt’s Bite trembled as it touched down. Kark tapped on the console. The lights on the outside of the ship dimmed.

“Now what?” The red-scaled dragon asked

“I watch the ship while everyone sleeps.” Kark twirled his finger in the air, “You can go back if you want.”

“I’ll stay.” Zeus crossed his arms, “It’ll be easier to help if I’m already out.”

“Since we’re going to be up for a while,” Kark snapped his fingers. The smell of butter filled the air. He dipped the full popcorn bowl towards his Guardian, “Popcorn?”