Chapter 24: Mad Dad.

  Roberto checked his pocket, he realized he left his phone charging in his mother’s office at the roller rink. He felt like an idiot especially having a newborn baby, Crystal could be calling him, He was halfway back to Elle’s and turned around to go get his phone. After Lamar left his mother and him continued to talk about what they were going to do about his father. They came up with a plan of getting him alone. It was going to be hard because Jason rarely left his side, getting rid of him is going to be the biggest obstacle, that was going to be Lamar’s job. He was the best equipped to handle a mage as strong as Jason, Roberto thought, not knowing that Mycal snapped Jason’s neck during the fight at the diner.

  As Roberto pulled up to the skating rink he noticed a familiar car that wasn’t there when he left, he watched his brother get out and walk in the front door of the roller rink. He hesitated before he decided to go in. Roberto didn’t know why his brother was here and was worried that he might be there on orders from their father. When he talked with his father last he got the feeling that his father was suspicious of him. He wasn’t trying to get into a fight right now, he just wanted to get his phone and check on his Crystal and his son.

  Roberto walked into the rink he tried to make his way to his mother’s office with out his brother seeing him, his plan didn't work and his brother saw him walk in, they made eye contact so Roberto had no choice but make his way over there.

  “Hey bro what are you doing here?” Mark said as he dapped his brother up.

  “I was here visiting mom earlier and I left my phone in her office.” Roberto said as he looked around for his mother who was walking out of her office holding his phone. She made her way over to her sons.

  “Your phone has been ringing nonstop.” She said handing him his phone.

  “Roberto looked at the screen, he had text and missed calls from an unknown number. Was it Crystal he thought, he wasn't able to check right now so he put the phone in his pocket and was getting ready to say his goodbyes.

  “I’m actually glad you’re here, mom can we go to your office and talk in private?” Mark asked her as he gestured towards her office.

  “I’ll let you to it, I have somethings I need to take of,” Roberto tried to leave but his brother grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the office. Roberto didn’t fight the leading and just went with it. It'll be easier this way, even though he didn't want to make Crystal wait any longer, she was probably going crazy with worry he thought, The three of them entered the office and Mark shut the door behind them. He took out a small black crystal about the size of a marble and crushed it in his hand. A wave of dark energy washed over the office.

  “There we should be free to talk without anyone being able to hear us.” Mark said as he sat down in a chair in the front of his mom’s desk. Roberto continued to stand, he didn’t want to give the illusion of being comfortable and them wanting him to stay longer.

  “Where did you get a privacy crystal from?” Their mother asked Mark. Privacy crystals are pretty rare, it's a lost art among new age mages who like to use veils instead.

  “I have a few of them, got them from this mage I was sleeping with awhile back right before I drained her dry.” He chuckled.

  Roberto rolled his eyes, he wasn’t shy of drinking blood, but he does it out of survival and only take as much as he need to get by, his brother enjoyed the hunt and reveled in the kill. Mark noticed the eye roll.

  “You know you’re going to have to get over your high superiority complex, just because you don’t kill, you still drink blood like we do, you’re not special.” Mark said irritated.

  “I didn’t even say anything.” Roberto snapped back.

  “Yeah just rolled your eyes like a little bitch.” Mark stood up. Roberto took a step forward fist clenched. The two brothers were not shy about fighting one another, they have had many fights over the years.

  “Who you calling a bitch?” Roberto said with anger.

  “Enough you two, the last thing I want to see is my boys fighting." She turned to Mark and spoke, "Mark why are you here son?” Their mother asked in a commanding tone.

  Sorry mom I didn’t mean to upset you.” Mark said.

  “Me either.” Roberto chimed in.

  “It’s fine, now tell me what this is all about.” She said looking at Mark.

  “Jason is dead and dad is pissed. I never seen him this angry before, he said it was at the hands of some duskers and that we need to be prepared for a war. He is talking about calling in other factions that he has under his thumb.” Mark took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up a picture he took of a news report. “There was this on the news, it look like a group of duskers were surrounded by the police on the Eastside right around the corner from the duke’s mansion.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “What! Let me see that.” With out even getting the okay from Mark, Roberto snatched the phone out of his hand. His eyes widen, even though the it was just a picture of a report on the tv and it was a bit blurry he knew it was Lamar, Sean, Daniel and last he knew a dead Mycal, on his brother’s screen.

  Mark snatched his phone back, “what’s your problem, you know them or something?” Mark said with an attitude.

  “Sorry, no, I was just surprised that they would be so brazen to go after one of us like that.” Roberto was trying to cover up what he was really surprised that the guys got caught. Lucky for him Mark believed his lie, he didn’t have time to try to convince him otherwise.

  “Did the police catch them?” Roberto tried to sound nonchalant.

  “I don’t think so, but that’s not even the point of why I’m here. I just told you Jason is dead, and dad thinks we are about to go to war.” Mark looked at his mother to gauge her reaction.

  “I can’t believe Jason is dead, he was so powerful and a skilled fighter.” Their mother said as she poured herself a drink from her small bar she had in her office.

  “Neither can I, dad is, well I don’t know what he is, I’ve never seen him this way before.”

  “What kind of way?” Roberto asked.

  “This might sound crazy but almost like he might be scared.” Mark was hesitant to say. He always thought his father to be God like, that nothing could shake him, but what he saw in his father’s office was not his father. He was erratic, pacing back and forth, Jason’s lifeless body laying across his desk, that same news report on his tv paused on the group of duskers, and him mumbling I punched a hole through that one.”

  Roberto had to get out of there and call Crystal, so much has transpired, and he just wanted to make sure her and the baby was safe. He should of left with Lamar he thought. He also wondered how was Mycal alive, he seen his body at the diner, the large hole in his chest, there was no way he could’ve survived something like that, it had to be Lamar he thought. But how, how did he do it.

  “Did you talk to your father?”

  “Yeah, if you want to call it that, he just did a lot of shouting, but one thing he was clear about was finding out how the dusker he killed was alive again.” Mark poured himself a drink as well.

  “Why does he care about that?” Roberto asked.

  “Your father is going to want to bring Jason back to life. Jason was like a brother to your father; he has known him for a few hundred years.” She said taking another sip.

  “A few hundred, how is that even possible. I thought he only worked for dad for the past twenty years. Jason wasn’t a vampire right?”

  “No he was able to use magic, vampires can’t use magic.” Mark answered.

  “He was a very powerful mage that could control time, he used that power to control the time around him and slowed down his aging process almost to a standstill. It takes a lot of mana to continue using a spell like that constantly. That’s why he trained so hard in hand to hand and weaponry. He wasn’t able to use the full extent of his powers because of keeping the spell going. Jason and your father met when Jason was in his teens in the early 1700s. ”

  “I never knew that.” Mark said.

  “Neither did I.” Roberto said piggy backing off Mark’s comment.

  “Stories fir another time. You boys get going, I’m going to go home and deal with your father.”

  “You sure that’s a good plan, I mean if he is as upset and scared as Mark says he is, you might get hurt.” Roberto said as concern dripped from his voice.

  “I’ll be fine, your father would never hurt me.” She said with a smile. She hugged both of her boys and walked them out of her office to their cars in the lot. She gave them each another hug and got into her car and pulled off. Mark did the same as Roberto started his car but did not drive off. Instead he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and checked his missing calls. He had a bunch of calls from an unknown number and texts from that number to. He didn’t even bother to look at the texts he just called the number right back.

  “Oh my God, Roberto is that you!”

  “Crystal?”

  “Yeah it’s me. Where have you been I’ve been worried sick, I’ve been calling you and calling you all day.”

  “I’m sorry babe, I left my phone in my mom’s office charging why me and her talked and I just was able to get to it. How’s our little man doing and how are you?” Roberto missed them both and couldn’t wait to see them again.

  “He is doing fine and so am I. Where are you?” She asked a bit impatiently.

  “I’m leaving the rink now heading to wherever you are.”

  “I’ll text you the location.”

  “Why don’t you just send me your location?” They both had smart phones he thought, it would be much easier that way.

  “It’s a long story, you have missed a lot.” Crystal laughed.

  “Well fill me in as I drive.” Roberto connected his phone to his car and went to his text and got the address and put it into his car’s GPS. It was going to be a two hour drive to where they were, as he drove Crystal filled him in on as much as she knew. How Lamar brought Mycal back to life, how the guys are now fugitives of the law and the duskers council. How Elle and she saved them from the enforcers and them hiding out where they were, as well as the plan they made to come and save him from some unknown threat because he wasn’t answering his phone.

  Roberto apologized again for making her worry and filled her in on what he knew about Jason being dead and his father’s reaction. Roberto was just a few minutes away now, he hung up with Crystal so he could focus on finding the house, they were hidden under a veil and a bunch of wards were placed so he didn’t want to miss it. He found the house, but Crystal told him to stop at the mailbox and look inside, He pulled out this silver necklace with a small red orb pendant, she told him to put the necklace on. He did as he was told tucking the necklace under his shirt, a wave of warm energy rippled through his body. She explained to him before they hung up that Lamar made him that necklace so he could cross the wards with out catching fire. Why he was in this house to never take it off.

  As he drove up he could see Crystal sitting on the porch with a big smile on her face, holding there baby. Roberto parked the car got out and ran to her, giving her a deep kiss and a tight hug, being careful not to squeeze the baby.

  “I’m so happy to see you.” She said.

  “Me too.” Roberto paused and looked at their son. Crystal notice he had a confused expression on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked.

  “Nothing, it just looks like he got bigger.”

  “Babies do grow you know.”

  “I know, it just looks like he has GROWN, I’m probably just tired, I haven’t slept almost a full day, I just need to get some rest.” He smiled.

  “Well let’s get you inside.” She laughed.

  They walked inside and Roberto greeted everyone as they were still in the living room finalizing their plans.

  “Get this Elle, Roberto thinks the baby has grown since he saw him a few days ago.” Crystal said.

  “I TOLD YALL! Screamed Daniel.