Gabriel Elder book II of the Warlock Series

Anthony was scared. The warlock was only truly afraid of one thing, his twin sister. He had just received the call he had been dreading. He had known, like his sister, one day it would come. They were prepped for this mission once before, many years back. Luckily, they had been called off just before they were fully activated. As the premier warlocks in America, the twins were considered by most of the experts to be the best overall warlocks in the world.

Singularly, they were deadly and efficient, but together they were unstoppable. Now, they were headed for the most dangerous mission of their lives. They had met Zeus three times and all three times had been frustratingly weird. Anthony had the typical male experience when he met Zeus for the first time, it was uncomfortable and awkward.

Both men were alpha males and at the top of their game. Their first meeting was many years ago, at the warlock world council in Brussels, where they had been selected to spar for the dignitaries. To show the world leaders the warlock corps was the best option to handle rogue shifters, a demonstration of the warlock’s fighting skills was put on display.

Security was established at a soccer arena and the demonstration took place on a night with a full moon. The arena was divided into three sections by large metal walls. No guns, bombs or lasers were allowed by any participants, but all blunt and bladed weapons of any kind were fair game.

The warlocks were instructed not to kill any of their opponents, but the opponents were free to inflict as much damage on the warlocks as they could, including death. A highly skilled warlock was placed in each of the three sections of the arena. The first task of each warlock was to take on a dozen highly trained soldiers from six different countries. If they could successfully defeat all the soldiers, without killing any of them, they would gain access to the inner section of the arena. All of this was done with the world leaders watching from above in the box seats.

All three warlocks managed to put down all the soldiers in their section in less than ten minutes. Zeus was the first to succeed and he entered the inner section where he was confronted by three shifters who had all volunteered for the chance to kill a warlock. The three shifters fared no better than the soldiers. The Russian master warlock emerged second and sustained a serious injury when fighting his three shifters, but he managed to subdue them before being carted off for medical attention.

The third warlock was Anthony. He fought through the soldiers with ease and managed to subdue his three shifters as well, just not as quickly as Zeus. This irked the younger Anthony and he decided to challenge Zeus to determine which of them was truly the master warlock; Zeus refused and had exited the arena.

The Canadian master warlock did not appreciate being forced to hurt valiant soldiers for the entertainment of the world leaders. He knew it was necessary to secure the funding and support needed to maintain the warlock training program, but it didn’t mean he had to like it. He didn’t like putting the three shifters down either, even if they were trying to kill him.

Outside the arena, Zeus met Jaida, Anthony’s twin sister and a warlock in training. At the time, the world council was highly opposed to allowing a female to become a warlock, but Anthony had started training her anyway. They had been keeping it a secret. That was one of the reasons why Anthony was sure Zeus had been faster than him, he had been spending all his time training Jaida, rather than preparing himself for the demonstration.

Jaida explained all of this to Zeus and asked him not to kill her brother if he challenged him again. Zeus agreed. He had no desire to fight another warlock, regardless of the reason. During the talk with Jaida, Zeus knew there was something else, but he couldn’t really tell what it was. He decided not to ask any questions and headed back to his hotel to prepare to return to Vancouver and his lovely wife.

As he left the hotel, Anthony attacked him, determined to see who was the better of the two warlocks. Zeus had dropped the younger warlock while still holding his luggage in one hand. Three strikes, a block and a well-placed kick, proved Zeus was indeed the superior warlock. It had been the low point of Anthony’s career.

The news spread like a wildfire through the warlock community. The world council of warlocks decided it needed to intervene quickly to prevent warlocks from challenging each other all over the world to prove who was the better fighter. The warlocks were chosen from the best of the best and there were precious few of them on each continent. They could not afford to be losing warlocks to either injury or death all because of macho egos.

For Jaida, it had been a blessing in disguise. The council had decided to open the warlock ranks up to any female who could pass the training and the tests required to achieve warlock status. The council had hoped by diversifying the ranks they might be able to temper some of the testosterone fueled egos among the male warlocks. They were following the American military’s lead. The U.S. military had discovered that by allowing females to join, they had inserted some level of civilized behavior back into the males.

Unfortunately for the twins, the American warlock council decided they would benefit from training with Zeus. The three met twice more to complete their joint training. Once in America, in Chicago where the twins were headquartered and once in Canada, at Zeus’s compound. Each time they spent several weeks together and the twins learned a lot. By the time the third session was complete, Zeus had declared there was nothing else he could teach either of them. By this point the three of them had actually become friends.

Zeus had enjoyed sparring with Anthony, but he was uneasy around Jaida. She always stared at him like he was something she was fascinated with, but couldn’t decide whether to kill it or kiss it. Either way, it always made Zeus feel uneasy, even though he kept those feelings to himself. He also found his wife had kept a close watch on Jaida while she stayed at the compound and more than once the two had gone off together for a private talk.

Anthony knew the history between the three of them would hinder their mission, but both he and Jaida had known ever since Zeus became infected, it was only a matter of time before they would be called on to bring him in. Shifters couldn’t be trusted to maintain control on their own and Anthony was sure Zeus was no different. The call he had just received, ordered the twins to head for Vancouver, BC, Canada and to bring Zeus in to custody or to kill him if needed.

According to the American authorities, Zeus had been placed on the Angel List for killing several warlocks who had tried to bring him in for not locking himself away as was required by the treaty. Anthony thought the order was strange because he was unaware of any missing or recently killed warlocks anywhere in North America. Still, orders were orders.

Now all he had to do was to convince Jaida. From the moment she had laid eyes on Zeus, she was in love with him. Anthony had never been in love. He had many dates, and many girlfriends, but he had never actually been in love and he had a hard time empathizing with his sister. He had a special connection with Jaida, the kind only twins understood. He seemed to know what she was thinking and feeling at almost the same time as she did. He knew she wasn’t going to be happy about the call or their mission.

“What’s wrong?” Anthony heard from the hall.

Jaida was as silent as a night breeze when she wanted to be. He had no idea how long she had been in the hall watching him. Well, there was no use trying to lie to her or delaying the inevitable.

“New mission…one I’m sure you’re not going to like,” Anthony started to explain.

“Great, we finally get to go see Zeus,” Jaida started with genuine enthusiasm.

“You don’t understand; they want us to bring him in. He’s been added to the Angel List,” Anthony tried to explain.

“Of course, I understand. I’ll be ready to leave within the hour,” Jaida answered and turned around and headed out the door.

Anthony could only look at her as she left. Would his sister ever stop surprising him? He knew she would be ready to leave when she said she would, so he headed into his bedroom and began to pack. Like all warlocks, he had a bag with two extra changes of clothes ready. He only had to add his passport, weapons and ammunition to it to be ready.

He started with the basics, his seven knives of differing lengths and designs. The only thing they had in common was the razor-sharp edge each of them had. Next came his two swords and his custom mace. The mace was his personal favorite when dealing with shifters, but he hesitated to take it. It was a deadly weapon and if he used it on Zeus, he was sure to kill him. Even if the master warlock was on the Angel List, Anthony had no desire to kill him. He and Jaida would have to find a way to capture the master warlock and return him to the council without killing him.

It had only been a few minutes, but his sister was already in the living room waiting on him. The two had bought a penthouse in one of the high rises in downtown Chicago and divided it into two separate state-of-the-art lofts. They were completely separate, but right next door to each other. They were wearing matching red leather coats and pants and black shirts made from the standard warlock technology. Both were carrying red leather duffels with their clothes and weapons.

With a nod, they walked to the elevator and began their descent to the garage beneath the building. This was a special garage, built beneath the garage all the other occupants of the building used. This one housed the three vehicles the twins had at their disposal. Two red sedans, matching in every way, and a red, 1977 Chevy van.

The van was used for bringing in shifters. The engine, suspension and transmission were all custom. The van had a top speed of well over a hundred and twenty miles-an-hour. It had titanium reinforced walls, rear doors and hinges. There was a wall built into the van which separated the rear half from the front half of the vehicle. It was very effective in keeping shifters contained until they could be locked away or taken in front of the council.

Time was limited, so they would be flying to Vancouver instead of driving. They hopped into the red sedan closest to the elevator and headed for the airport. They would be traveling on a private jet and expected to be on the ground in Canada by the afternoon. They would talk about their plan during the flight. At least, that’s what Anthony had assumed. He was wrong.

“Are we going to try to take him after he shifts or before?” he asked.

“Neither,” Jaida answered. “We’re going to talk to Zeus, not capture him.”

“Neither? We don’t get a choice here sis, we do this or they send in someone else who won’t even try to bring him in alive. You understand that, don’t you?” Anthony pleaded.

“We’re going to wait and see exactly what is needed and why,” Jaida answered.

“What does that even mean?” Anthony asked, “We have our orders and we know what to do. We just need to agree on how we are going to do it.”

“The orders… where did they come from?” Jaida asked.

“You know they came from the council, you get every message concerning our work as warlocks that I do. Why does it matter where they came from?” Anthony asked.

“Because my dear brother, you were given the brawn and I was given the brains for a reason. Mostly, to keep you out of trouble. We received orders from the American warlock council and yet we are dealing with a Canadian master warlock. Even if the Canadian’s had asked for our help, which they would never do, it would be only as a part of a Canadian warlock mission.

I know your ego makes you believe they somehow think we’re the only warlocks on the planet that could bring Zeus in, but we both know that’s not true. The Canadians would send in their own warlocks, all of them if need be, before asking for our help,” Jaida explained.

Anthony had to stop and think about that for a minute. Everything his sister was saying was true. The Canadians had long thought they had the superior warlock corps in the world and it would indeed be very unusual for them to ask for outside help. If they had, then the twins would be accompanied by at least one Canadian warlock, but the instructions he received said they were to travel alone and to do ‘whatever was necessary’ to stop Zeus.

“So, who has the power to make our council issue false orders?” Anthony asked.

“That I don’t know yet, but I believe it has something to do with all our time off as of late. Imagine, someone gets us to do their dirty work for them and we get sanctioned by either the Canadian council, or our own council, for bringing in or putting down a shifter who was not actually on the Angel List. They would effectively take out the best warlocks in both countries with one order,” Jaida said.

Anthony knew she right. That was the trouble with his sister, she was always right. Still, they had little to do over the past several months as there seemed to be no illegal shifter activity anywhere near Chicago. In fact, there hadn’t been any activity in the entire northern U.S. It seemed like all the shifters willing to run wild had left this part of the continent. Could there be a connection?

If the American warlock council had been compromised, it could have devastating effects on the entire warlock and shifter communities. The treaty kept the public safe and helped allow shifters to exist without persecution, if they locked themselves away.

“So, your plan is to just sit and wait?” Anthony asked.

“Not at all. I plan to ask Zeus about what’s going on. Of course, it will be after we look and see for ourselves if he is still following the rules. He cannot be out after moonrise, otherwise he is in violation of the treaty and must be sanctioned. That doesn’t mean he has to be on the Angel List, not unless he has taken a human life while in shifter form,” Jaida answered. “and we both know there hasn’t been any recent warlock fatalities, no matter what the council says.”

Anthony simply nodded. His sister’s infatuation was going to get them both killed. He loved her dearly and would always follow her lead, but at times like this he was worried. Anthony was a doer, he acted rather than thought. To him all problems, human or shifter, could easily be taken care of with his fists or his blades. Political intrigue and mystery were not things he appreciated or was willing to delve into. If he couldn’t kill it, capture it or beat it, Anthony just wasn’t interested.

Jaida was the exact opposite. She was the thinker, the planner and master puzzle solver. She had kept the two of them out of trouble and alive on more occasions than Anthony could count. She was just as adept at handling human issues as she was at coming up with solutions to shifter problems. He had never see his sister unprepared. It seemed like she was always planning for every possible scenario and every outcome.

Jaida looked at her brother and knew he believed her. She had put on a great front of not being concerned about the danger of trying to bring Zeus in or putting him down. She had also managed to talk about the whole situation without Anthony realizing she was queasy inside. Even she wasn’t sure if the feelings were due to her understanding of how deadly Zeus could be or because of her sincere love for the master warlock.

From the first time she shook his hand, she had been completely and totally in love with him. She knew he was married and would never act on her feelings, but there was no denying the electricity which shot through her when they touched. At first, she thought it might have been a fluke, just some weird feeling one gets sometimes. But every time he looked at her, every time they touched, it was always the same. She knew there would never be another man to make her feel like Zeus did. It was for this reason she had never dated since meeting him. She was convinced she would never meet anyone who could equal him.

Even after his wife died and his daughter was lost, Jaida was sure the master warlock would never see her as anything more than another warlock. Now, she was on her way to see if he needed to be brought in or put down. Deep in her gut she knew she could never bring herself to put him down, regardless of what he had done. She loved him too deeply to ever hurt him.

She just had to keep her brother from knowing it. Once he knew the truth, he would do what was necessary to complete the mission. That’s just how Anthony was. She could direct him and sometimes confuse him, but once he made his mind up, there was nothing that could stop him. She hoped she wouldn’t have to choose between the two of them. She’d rather die than make that choice. It was just one more thing she had to make sure Anthony didn’t know.

The twins, or at least Jaida, had been keeping close tabs on Zeus ever since he became infected with the shifter virus. She knew he had finally taken on an apprentice and she had hoped he was finding a way to live a more normal life. His young protégé, a young man named Gabriel, was being talked about as the heir apparent to the master warlock of Canada.

If Zeus had broken the law, why hadn’t Gabriel done anything about it? Surely, he would know if his mentor was running loose. Jaida had a sudden thought, what if Gabriel didn’t know? Zeus had made sure only a few people knew he had the virus. His ‘breakdown’ and semi-retirement after his wife’s death was well known to the warlock community, but very few knew he had been infected in the aftermath. Was it possible Gabriel didn’t know? If anyone could keep such a thing secret, Zeus could.

How would Zeus respond to her and her brother showing up unannounced? Would he consider it aggression on their part? Would he even remember her? She needed to make sure her and her brother were on the same page about how to go about checking on the claims in the mission and how to deal with Zeus once they knew what was going on. She knew her brother was way too quick with his blades and his temper.

This entire mission could blow up in their face no matter how they handled it. To take out the most famous warlock in Canada, without being invited by the Canadians could cause serious international problems. That was one of the reasons she thought there was something very wrong about this entire assignment. If Zeus had been added to the Angel List, they would have heard even before the mission was assigned.

It was Jaida’s intention to sneak into the compound after moonrise and see if Zeus was safely locked away. Deep down she thought if saw him in his shifted form, she might be able to lose some of her feelings for him. She couldn’t imagine how she could still feel the same about him after seeing what he shifted into. She had been hunting shifters far too long to have any romantic notions about the beast. She could feel sorry for Zeus for becoming infected the way he had, but she still knew once he shifted, he wasn’t Zeus anymore, instead he was a killing machine. She was trying to convince herself she could never love someone infected by the virus. Deep down though, she couldn’t imagine a scenario where she didn’t love Zeus.