Passion (9 page)

“Then
again,” Sanz said with a wry chuckle.  “Even you, a trained and experienced
warrior, turned out to be helpless against the poor and weak Magical One I sent
to capture you.”

“Ah,
yes… the prisoner who… requested my aid.  Yes.  Well played, Sanz.  You played
on my desire to save those prisoners.”  Torrid glanced back at me, his eyes
filled with regret and more guilt.

“A
gamble that paid off.”  Dr. Sanz turned to me.  “Well, almost.”

Without
further warning, Sanz clapped his hands and the army of Rogue Magical Ones
behind him jumped to action.

Five
took to Torrid while three came to me.  We fought as one and within twenty
seconds four had been bottled and one had been flung over the ramp to the ward
floor below.

More
Magical Ones followed, though with fear and reluctance.  Their reluctance led
to halfhearted attacks that were quickly and easily thwart by Torrid alone.

He
was magnificent to watch and a quick glance at Dr. Sanz told me he agreed,
though his admiration was coupled with great fear.  Wide eyed and mouth gaping,
he tallied the number of fallen soldiers and realized he was soon to be the
next to fall victim to Torrid’s wrath.

Just
as Torrid turned his attention to the small doctor, Sanz unleashed a powerful
whirlwind of glittering gold dust that looked more mystically magical than
deadly weaponry.  The gold dust spun in a cyclone that got tighter and faster
and while it was mesmerizing in its shimmering beauty, as the cyclone got closer
I realized the gold dust was actually tiny shards of sharp glass.

The
few Rogue Magical Ones that remained became victim of their own leader’s fury
as the gold dust cut them to shreds.

Fear
chocked me as the cyclone got closer and closer to Torrid, but he stood his
ground, unmoved by the turn of magic Dr. Sanz pulled out.  Strong, solid and
unwavering, Torrid waited until the cyclone was within inches of him. 

Awed
and a little bit concerned, I watched him as he puckered his lips.  “What is he
doing?” I muttered.

The
answer came quickly enough.  With little more effort than a child puts into
blowing bubbles through a hoop, Torrid blew and the cyclone of shards broke
apart and the glass fell harmlessly to the floor.  The tinkling of sprinkling
glass chimed with mocking harmony as Dr. Sanz stood and stared.

“I’m
disappointed,” Torrid said.  “I thought you’d have more to offer than that.”

“How
‘bout this then?” Sanz snapped his fingers high in the air and the large space
of the ward went pitch black.

My
heart pounded.  Would Torrid respond quickly enough, before Sanz followed up
his darkness with a more murderous trick, or should I intervened?  I tried to
find what magic I could use to counter Dr. Sanz’s darkness, or at least stop
whatever trick he intended next.

Once
again, Torrid surprised me with his magic.  The tiny glass particles that had
fallen harmlessly to the floor now floated up into the air, each tiny shard
lighting the room like a brilliant star.

The
room came alive with light, but more importantly with hope.

A
star reflected in Dr. Sanz’s eyes and I saw the defeated little old man he was
quickly becoming.  With one last glimmer of determination, he put up a
protective wall of fire, but Torrid only laughed at his feeble attempt.

Sanz
turned to run, but stumbled over his own fallen army.

“Really,
Sanz?  Running from a battle?” Torrid said.  “The all powerful, all knowing,
all magical Dr. Sanz is running away from a young prince such as myself… and
like a frightened little child at that.”

Dr.
Sanz scrambled to his feet only to stumble over again.  Fear seemed to be
taking its toll on his common sense.  Determination had left his eyes and had
left only a strong desire to survive.  He finally managed to get upright, and
before Torrid could reach out for him, Dr. Sanz jumped over the rail and down
to the ward floor.

Torrid
and I ran to the rail, certain we’d find Dr. Sanz crying in pain over a broken
leg, or even worst, out cold, but the small doctor landed on his feet and ran
for the door that led directly outside.

“Don’t
worry,” Torrid said.  “I’ll find him soon enough.  His magical powers have
weakened already.  If not, one thing is certain, his confidence has taken a hit
and he might think again before attacking once more.”

Seconds
after Dr. Sanz’s exit, Liam entered and his gaze instantly came up to the
landing to find me standing with Torrid.  His eyes were hard and I could see
he’d had a battle of his own to wage.  It had been hard on him.  He had a gash
over his right eye and blood oozed from a wound he’d sustained on his forearm.

The
glowing shards of glass that continued to float around us glowed brighter and
brighter.

“Congratulations,
Torrid,” Liam called up.

Even
at such a distance, I could see how the words were difficult for Liam to spit
out.

“I
heard of your great and easy victory over Dr. Sanz.  Freed djinns are running
everywhere, rejoicing, celebrating and, above all, they’re calling you a hero.”

Chapter 10

S
tanding between two such strong and powerful
young men, I couldn’t help but be proud.  Torrid had shown himself to be the
fierce and worthy warrior I knew he was, and Liam showed all the signs of a
great leader people wanted to follow.

But
through all that strength and power, I saw the pain in both their eyes; pain
that had nothing to do with the battles they’d just fought.

Happy
to see Liam and eager to show him how proud I was, I hurried down to the ward
floor and gave him a hug.  “I thought you’d join us sooner.  I was worried when
Zanlord showed up.  What happened?”

“Yeah,
fighting off the guards that came in for their shifts wasn’t as easy as I would
have liked.”  He held up a strange looking weapon.  Part machine gun and part
flame thrower, it looked heavy and deadly.  “I see you managed to free a good
number of djinns.  Good work.”

Torrid
came up behind me and I felt the growing tension between them.  Liam glanced at
Torrid and the accusatory question was clear in his eyes.  Had Torrid protected
me adequately?

“Kama
is quickly becoming a great fighter,” Torrid said.  “Between the two of us we
put a sizable dent in Sanz’s army.”

“Torrid
even had Sanz running off like a little girl,” I said with a proud grin.

Liam
was far from impressed.  “Don’t be too quick to count Dr. Sanz out of this. 
He’s not about to let Arcadia fall into the hands of a djinn… royal or
otherwise.  He’s worked far too hard to give it all up now.”

“How
is it that a djinn can fall so far?  Isn’t he a djinn like you, Torrid?”  I
asked.

“He
comes from an old and well respected family.  No one would have ever thought
someone from such a privileged background could turn so ugly… could turn
against his own.  Can you believe we were once governed and advised by him and
his family?” 

“It
is hard to believe.  I don’t get it,” I said.  “How did he go from being so
revered and respected by all djinns, to enslaving and imprisoning them?”

“He
fell out of favor.  A few bad decisions, I guess.  I was young when he was a
royal advisor, but I remember how angry my father became with him on more than
one occasion.  Things were changing; the world around us was changing, but his
ideas weren’t. He was inflexible and wanted to keep to a strange and strict
hand over djinns.  When confronted, he went into a tantrum.  Instead of taking
the criticism well and working to better himself and his aging ideas, he
stormed off and found a way to get full revenge.”

“And
that vengeful streak isn’t about to die,” Liam said.  “Which way did he go?”

Torrid
and I pointed to the door we’d seen Dr. Sanz leave through.

“He
might have run away like a little girl, but he didn’t abandon ship… not yet. 
Better get as many djinns freed as you can before he comes back.  I have a
feeling we’re going to have a hell of a battle on our hands.”

Listening
to Liam, hearing the authority in his voice, the assuredness of his words and
the wisdom of his advice, I was swept up in a wave of pride.  While so many
would have cracked under such pressure, he flourished and thrived.

“That
means you’ll stay and battle with us?” Torrid asked.

A
flash of restrained anger came to Liam’s eyes.  “Of course, I’ll stay and
battle.  This is my battle as well.  And I’m not about to leave Kama at risk
again.”

For
a long moment they waged a silent war of reprimanding, accusatory, defensive
and guilty gazes.  Their stare down was broken by a quick flash of light and
the subsequent blow out of all the stars Torrid had kept lit.  They were
quickly replaced by a stream of sizzling lights that glowed with an ominous red
tinge.  The moment they touched any metal surface, a spark flew, but when they
fell on any wood surface, fire broke out.

“That
would be him.” Liam raised his weapon.  “Hurry.  Gather as many Magical Ones as
you can.  He won’t be alone and he’ll surely have a surprising arsenal of
deadly weapons.”

Though
many of the Magical Ones had run off to celebrate their new found freedom, many
had stayed behind to help liberate other Magical Ones.  We turned to find an
army ready to do battle.

“We’ll
do anything to stop Dr. Sanz,” an older Magical One said.  “I’ve been here long
enough and I’ve seen the misery that man can bring; the misery he enjoys
bringing.”

“Thank
you,” Liam said, putting his hand to the older man’s shoulder.  “We’ll need
you; all of you.”

“Many
of us are weak and exhausted, and our fighting ability might be limited, but together…”

“I’m
sure you’ll all do well.  Stay together if you need to, but fight.”

The
large gathering of Magical Ones broke apart into smaller groups and fought the
growing number of fires, but still there was no visible sign of Dr. Sanz.

“What
game is he playing?” I asked.

“He
wants to get us on edge; make us anxious, nervous… so nervous we’ll make stupid
mistakes.  Stay relaxed and don’t sweat it.  We have a large and powerful
army.  These Magical Ones may be a bit tired and weak, but they have a great desire
to make things right, and ridding the world of Dr. Sanz is the first step.”

“But
my desire to rid the world of the djinn royal family is even stronger.”  The
booming voice seemed to come from everywhere.

“Show
yourself, Sanz,” Torrid demanded.  “At least have the courage to step forward. 
You don’t want your entire army to realize what a coward you truly are.  They
all know you're nothing without them.  And they all know that they are now on
the losing side.”

A
low rumbling snicker shook the walls then everything fell silent.

It
seemed an eternity passed as we waited.  I held my breath, waiting for the
attack, while having no idea what to expect.  Just when I had hope that Dr.
Sanz had backed down, a swarm of Rogue Magical Ones entered the ward.  The battle
had begun.

But
we were prepared.

The
hundreds of djinns we’d liberated fought valiantly and effectively, reducing
Dr. Sanz’s army to only a few dozen Rogue Magical Ones. 

I
did my part, fighting off Rogue Magical Ones and bottling the ones I could get
close enough to, but I noticed something peculiar in their manner of fighting. 
Many lacked fire and fight.  They battled halfheartedly.

When
I pinned one to the wall, I saw something in his eyes I had not expected;
understanding, perhaps even regret.

“I
never wanted it to be like this,” the Rogue djinn said.

It’s
a trick, I told myself.  These are lying, conniving and manipulative beasts,
and they’re not to be trusted, but…

“Some
may have turned Rogue of their own volition, but many were blackmailed, trapped,
tricked.”

It
explained the lackluster fight.

“If
that’s true, this is the time to prove it.  Turn Dr. Sanz’s army against him.”

“It’s
not that easy.”

“Try,”
I said, holding a bottle up to the Magical One’s nose.

He
glanced down into the tiny confines of the bottle then looked around at the
army around him.  One by one, he silently eyed the Magical Ones, communicating
to them to turn against Sanz. The ones who truly were forced to fight for Sanz
as a Rogue, turned and began fighting the Sanz’s loyal Rogues, quickly subduing
them with the surprise attack.

Soon,
it was a simple matter of a show down of magical powers and abilities between
Dr. Sanz and Torrid.

Dr.
Sanz made a brilliant show of magical powers as he threw balls of fire and shot
rays of lighting, but for all the show of magic, his efforts were futile when
it came to the battle.

Torrid
cornered him.  “Your time is up, Sanz.  Your army has turned against you and
the few who didn’t have been bottled up.  You're on your own now.”  Torrid
reach up to the shelf above and grabbed a bottle.

Was
the battle finally over?

Chapter 11

D
r. Sanz displayed his final trick.  With a
grin and a wink he melted and spilled into a pool of silver liquid.  Before
Torrid could even scoop up a few drops, the liquid silver ran into a drain and
disappeared.

Torrid
narrowed his eyes and stared down the drain.  For a fearful moment I thought
he’d go in after him, but a Magical One jumped on his back.  Torrid fought him
off easily enough, but the chance to go and follow Dr. Sanz had passed.

“Don’t
worry about him,” Liam said.  There’ll be plenty of time to catch him.  There
aren’t too many places he can easily hide in at this point.”