Page 1 of The Artist
CHAPTER 1
Briefing
Northlands December 2453
Mason
I ran as fast as I could through the Gray Mansion. Coming from the rooftop star lounge I had four floors to descend and almost knocked over a member of the staff when I came sliding down the banister of the staircase.
“Sorry,” I shouted with a grin on my face and took the next flights with my arms spread out and my core muscles tight to keep my balance.
When I reached the first floor in record time, I landed on my feet and instantly accelerated toward my uncle’s office.
The door was open and because of my speed, I grabbed for the door frame, coming to a sudden halt with my cheeks red from the running and my voice out of breath: “I’m here!”
My uncle, Khan, and my father, Magni, looked back at me with their eyebrows raised.
“Mason, for fuck’s sake, you’re fifteen and not five. Why can’t you walk like normal people?” Khan groaned.
“Dad said it was urgent.”
“Yes, but with the noise you made, it sounded like an army of demons was attacking us. Sit down. We’re waiting for the others.”
Looking at my father, I silently asked,What others?
“Thor, Freya, Aubri, and Indiana,” Magni said.
With my blood pumping from my running, I walked to the window bench and picked up a gun that lay there.
Khan looked up from the papers on his desk. “Put it down. I told you to sit, boy. Why don’t you ever listen?”
Too curious for my own good, I studied the impressive weapon. “Is this the new model you talked about? The one for the Huntsmen?”
“Yes.” My father came to stand next to me and reached out to take the gun with his prosthetic hand. “I’ll let you play around with it once Khan has had a chance to test it for himself.”
“You wanted to see us?” Aubri and Freya walked in with jackets on, suggesting that they had been outside when our fathers had summoned them.
“That’s right. Now all we need are Thor and Indiana to get their asses up here. They were in the basement sparring.”
“Why weren’t you with them?” my father asked me.
“Because I already spared with Solo this morning.”
“Then what were you doing?” Grabbing onto the front of my shirt, Magni pulled me closer and looked into my eyes like he wanted to read my mind. “Tell me you didn’t climb the walls again.”
I averted my eyes and pressed my lips together.
With a groan, my dad released me. “At least tell me you used safety equipment this time.”
My silence made everyone stare at me with disappointment.
“That’s not fair, Mason. You told me never to climb the mansion without you around and to always use proper safety gear.” My twin sister Aubri pushed at my shoulder.
“It’s different,” I claimed but only received an eyeroll from my cousin Freya.
“What’s wrong with taking the stairs? The façade must be what… fifty feet high? Why do you always have to seek out danger?”
“Because it’s fun,” my sister said as if Freya had asked a stupid question.
