They were gone. In an instant, they were all gone. I didn't blame them. I understood. I preferred begging them to leave to a rescue attempt that would have certainly ended all of our lives. What made me furious at myself was the inevitable pain my death would cause. If I had the chance of going back and being able to change my decision I wouldn't. Their lives were more valuable and meaningful that mine. I would rather sacrifice myself than risk their lives. I knew I had made the right decision. Hopefully they wouldn't hold it against me when I was dead. As for getting into heaven, I hoped that dying for those you loved was a ticket in.

The Compromiser

The Black Prophets TrilogyBy Raquel Montoya

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Raquel Montoya
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-0888-2

Chapter One

Four Warriors

"Are you sure the Vitsmor is in there?" Sin asked, with uncertainty in his voice.

"All the clues lead to this place," I replied, rising from the blood-stained ground I had been examining. The blood had not been completely absorbed by the soil, which meant it had been shed recently. "He couldn't have gotten far. The blood hasn't soaked into the ground."

"I doubt the Vitsmor could be in there," Miki said.

"I agree," Sin said. Loa remained silent.

"If you fail to see the obvious, then leave. I'm perfectly capable of destroying the Vitsmor myself," I said.

"No, I won't leave you alone. You're not strong enough to even battle a Vitsmor by yourself. We won't let you," Sin said.

"Then quit your complaining and let's go," I demanded through clenched teeth. We entered into the abandoned school building. It was dead silent, and the only light was what the moon produced through the broken windows and holes in the walls.

"I still don't see what the Vitsmor would be doing here. All Vitsmors do is hunt, and any normal person would never come here," Miki said.

I ignored her.

"This is not the first time we've had to hunt Vitsmors in a place where they're not usually found. None of the places are related, except that they're all abandoned. That's why we have to hunt this Vitsmor, to investigate why they are hanging around places like ... these," Loa explained. Loa was the Chief Detective. He was the one in charge of figuring out what attracted Vitsmors to abandoned buildings. Without him, the Order would be lost. Loa's family had been in the Order from the beginning. Loa's great-great-grandfather had helped my great-great-grandfather establish the Inferno Order. They had discovered how to terminate a Vitsmor's existence.

A loud scream and subsequent crash ended the argument.

"It came from upstairs. Miki," I said, motioning to her.

"Time for work," she said, pulling off two dark-red bracelets with black spikes. She threw them in the air and they crashed into each other, forming one huge ring nearly as tall as she was. The giant ring fell into her hands. She called it Spade's Ring, her defender. It obeyed her, and only her. Anyone who tried to steal it ended up with wounds from its razor-sharp spikes.

She threw the ring upward as hard and fast as she could. It smashed into the ceiling, cutting a hole for us to jump through.

"I'll go first," Loa said. He leapt up through the hole and arrived upstairs. As he landed above, there was a loud growl from behind. I turned around to see an orange-haired, maroon-eyed man standing a few feet away. I pulled Inferno Dragon, my sword, from its sheath.

"You guys go. I got this one," I said, eager to kill the Vitsmor.

"But-" Miki began to protest.

"Unless you want your precious Loa to die, I suggest you leave. I'll be fine. I'm not as weak as you think," I replied. Miki and Sin jumped up, leaving me alone.

"How preciousss it isss to sssee when sssomeone sssacrificesss themssselvesss for sssomeone they love. But in mossst cassses the brave one diesss ... jussst like you will," the Vitsmor said.

"It speaks. I wouldn't be so sure of that, snake. I don't mean to brag, but I've seen monsters like you run in fear at the mere mention of my name," I said. The Vitsmor laughed a high, piercing cackle. His maroon eyes sparkled with despair. "Are you going to stand there and laugh? It will be easier for me to destroy you, then. Or are you going to actually attempt and fight me in a mere struggle to even make even a tiny cut on my skin?"

"Ah, ssso you want to play then. Well, let'sss play," he said. He lunged toward me. When he was a few inches away, I stepped to the side and grabbed his orange-red hair, tossing him to the ground. I placed my foot on his back, pointed my sword at the nape of his neck, and bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Why have you snakes suddenly become interested in these abandoned places?"

He laughed and struggled to free himself. I pushed my sword into his neck just enough to draw blood.

"Tell me why," I demanded.

"You will never know," he said, laughing. He was getting on my nerves. I turned him over and pointed my sword at his heart. He laughed again, but his eyes showed fear.

"You're going to kill me," he said, between laughs.

I drove my sword into his heart, confirming his prediction.

I heard three thumps. Sin, Miki, and Loa were behind me.

"Gosh, that was so much fun!" Sin exclaimed.

"Shut up, Sin. This is no time for having fun. Search the building. There may still be more Vitsmors," I said. The swooshing of air confirmed that they left. Just as I was about to join the search, something shoved me to the floor and pinned me down.

"Who are you?" a male voice asked.

"Get the hell off me," I said.

"Not until you tell me who you are," he said. What an idiot. He had left my hands free. I twisted my arms around my back, grabbed his arms, and threw him off me.

"Shit. Ow. That hurt," he groaned from across the room. I quickly got up and looked at the boy. I rolled him over with my foot and pointed my sword at his face. He had messy silver hair that reached to his chin and bizarre, sparkling silver eyes. He looked about my age or eighteen. He had an oddly carefree look on his face for someone at the end of a sword.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"If you didn't answer that question when I asked, then why should I answer it when you ask?" he asked, staring at me and then the sword.

"Because if you don't, I'll kill you," I replied with a smirk.

"Good reason. Name's Allen. Allen Parker. And you are?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Well, I'd like to know the name of the pretty girl who's holding a sword to my throat."

"W-w-what were you doing here and why?" I demanded.

"That's none of your concern," he said mockingly.

"I don't have time for your games, idiot. Now tell me, what were you doing here?"

"I'm just a traveler. I needed a place to stay for the night but I have no cash for an inn, so I decided to spend the night here. Happy? Can you kind of put that thing away? You're hurting me and I think I'm starting to bleed."

"First off. Are you human?"

"Um, yeah."

"How do I know you're not lying to me?"

"Punch me, I bruise. Cut me, I bleed. It's not that complicated."

I bent down to smell him. He smelled of filth and dirt, nothing like a Vitsmor. Vitsmors smelled of blood and tears, and only of blood and tears.

"What are you doing?" he asked as we locked eyes. I hadn't noticed how close we were. Our faces were only inches away. My heart accelerated and I had to catch my breath. I had no idea what this feeling was.

"Emi?" Sin stood a few feet away with a look of confusion on his face. Miki wore a look of amusement and mockery. Loa was expressionless. I backed away but held my sword at the boy's throat.

"Who's this?" Sin asked, nodding to the boy.

"He's cute," Miki said, looking Allen over. Loa glared at Allen and pulled Miki to his side.

"His name's Allen Stalker," I said.

"It's Parker. Allen Parker," Allen said.

"Whatever," I said, not bothering to look at him. "He says he's a traveler and needed a place to crash but didn't have any money."

"I think you...