Coming back had been a mistake. After what had happened twenty years ago, Carlos Stones never knew he would see this place again on such short notice. He had been forced to leave at first, having spent three years in jail, for a crime he knew nothing about. If his brother were here, he might as well call Carlos a fool for not picking the piece and learning from his past. Well, the good thing was that his brother was not here. Like the rest, he had disappeared with the wind, without a trace.
Tugging down his hat, Carlos buried his hands into his pocket as he hurried through the boulevards. To say that it had rained cat and dog would be an exaggeration, the August rain had clearly picked a disturbing day to welcome him back to his hometown. However, he had somehow managed to avert them from drenching his coat despite having stayed on it for heaven knows how long. Men and women, children and ani
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ELIXA CHAPTER 23
Carlos adjusted the hem of his collar, wondering if he should knock on the white door, or turn back and return to his apartment. Something at the back of his mind advised him not to proceed, that this was a bad idea. He should have at least thought it through instead of jumping to follow Beth’s instructions like an errand boy. He was not a dog, and certainly not a timid one.“Goddamn it” He rustled and bit his finger, turning away from the door.Yellow lights shown on the empty hallway, reflecting on the marbled floor and adding more grace to the white polished wall. This part of the pub was a private space, dedicated wholly to the Red Heron. They had not told the landlord of course, but Mitch had been strict in his dealings and had warned the white-beard landlord that he was paying not only for the space but for the privacy as w
ELIXA CHAPTER 24
“This is experiment twenty-six. A new diverse means of making a toad immortal. If this works, then I would use the same method to make Elixa permanent. That way I can travel back in time, and bring my daughter into the present, keeping her alive and well and free from death” The tape recorder glided away from Claudius’s face as he hurried towards the boiling filament in the cylinder. Using his forceps, he picked the filament and dropped them onto the rack on the table. Steaming out from the filament was a greenish liquid, more viscous and heavier than water. “I will transfer project 26 into the subject.” He muttered under his masked face before slowly picking the filament and pouring out the content onto the toad that was in a laboratory flask. Shutting immediately the lid of the flask, Claudius took off his mask and protective google to observe the result.But for the color change—from brown to green—of the toad, there was no notable reaction. The liquid had also spluttered everywhe
ELIXA CHAPTER 25
It was two weeks since the incident with the maggot, four months since they set sail into this world of dust and nothing. Silence had been their constant companion, leaving the ship with nothing but its wail and complaint, carousing what should have been a serene journey. Nobody had said much about the maggot, or how they had miraculously saved their ship from capsizing. It was as though everyone was keeping their distance and was afraid to mention it. The captain had avoided Austin too, keeping his distance from the man that had almost fed him whole to the maggot. There had been a few injuries too, but no death was recorded. The few that had gone missing had been found after three to four days. But there were no deaths. Damian had heard Aaron discussing with Catherine some moment ago, even though they had spoken in a low tone, he could still guess that they were referring to the incident. Oddly enough, Damian had caught
ELIXA CHAPTER 26
Beth was right. Lucas, Mitch, and Alfred were not just loyal, they were an extension of his very body and would follow him to the grave if need be. He had not met Alfred and Lucas until he had met Mitch. The dark-haired man had grown in the streets. Carlos had met him one evening and had helped him with some of his dealings with some street thugs. Even though Mitch had claimed that he hadn’t needed help at that time, Carlos had helped him anyway and had saved his life when he was shot. That was the thread that had started their relationship. It had grown over the years like the bond of brothers. Alfred and Lucas had joined them afterwards and they had formed the Red Heron, with the help of Beth. While they had argued about it, Carlos could see the clear picture now. He had always tried to protect the men, to do things in a way that would not endanger their lives in any form. Yet, all his effort had been futile. And now, like every other thing he has, he has missed the only friends tha
ELIXA CHAPTER 27
The deafening noise of the rotating blades finally ceased as the helicopter glided to the left and the black mountains hid its features. White fogs held the apex of the crags, making them difficult to distinguish from the floating, morning clouds. Despite the green-black stones, the mud on the floor made Dorin wonder if the stories about this part of the world were true. He had never ventured so far into the west. But for Emron, this was the first time he would visit the far side of the world. Landervier, as it was called, was not just any other land, but was the most fertile land on the nine continents. Rain was a luxury on this side of the world. It was the only place where there was a balance since too much or too little of the rain could ruin crops. Dorin had only seen them in the books and heard a little about this place. But the rest he had heard mostly from people he comes in contact with on daily bases. Every trader and vendor—that were
ELIXA CHAPTER 28
Dust and smoke rose through the rough walls and the other end of the entrance of the cave collapsed, trapping them inside. Claudius could feel the weight of a thousand burdens on his head, making it almost difficult for his legs to carry his body. He coughed once and managed to get himself into a sitting position. There was a ringing in his ears too, and a lump at the back of his head. He must have bashed his head against the stones during the fall. But what had caused the vibrations? What was that light he had seen?He wiped the sand from his face, glad that the contact lens in his eyes had not fallen off. All around, dust and smoke kept their veil, making it difficult to see anything. The elegant stones that had stood earlier were in the rumble and seemed to rise towards the ceiling. It was the only thing visible. The only thing bold enough to reveal its ugly head.
ELIXA CHAPTER 29
Nina's feet echoed through the smooth walls as she followed behind the dark-haired man who had only stopped to point and instruct her on what to do. He was twice Nathan's size, and the dark hair that bounced on his head was as long as his shoulders. She could still remember the rich onyx moonlit eyes which portrayed the strength, adding more vibe to the bulging muscles that unmasked themselves on the tight edges of the gray Firstborn uniform. The instructions were the dos and don'ts and the punishment or reward that would follow. He had not advised her like a normal servant, worse, he was talking to her like a commoner. A mere stranger that does not deserve a place within the walls. Well, such happens when one steps away from their jurisdiction. These men were the authority here. Not even the emperor had the power to make and unmake things. Within the tower, the Firstborn rules. They were a free community, Freetown.
ELIXA CHAPTER 30
Nina had expected to see books and potions stalked on shelves until they could touch the ceilings. Since it was the library of magic and science, she had expected to see one of those fancy features she had seen in the movies. But to her disappointment, what should have been books, were replaced with numerous white lights, hanging on the shelves and stretching into every direction as far as the eyes could see. Since she had not been in an electronic library before, she didn’t know what to expect or how to access any of the resources. Blue lights poured out from the ceilings, showing heavy radiance on the shelves. There was no window, and the vent only allowed filtered air, too toxic for the lungs. It smelled like old woods, mixed with lemon. From her findings, this library was the largest on the continent, holding at least every piece of knowledge since the breaking of the world and after. She had even read somewhere that the librar