Page 9 of The Crownless King
All around him, the residue of chaos magic swirled, out of place because her mother’s brother didn’t have access to it like Amaya and Anita. The jagged edge of its power was familiar to her and there was only one source that left behind that type of magical signature. She grabbed her uncle’s arm and led him away from the entrance to the Archive.
“Where did you get a piece of the Akachi?” she hissed, careful to keep her voice down.
He snatched his arm away. “Come with me and I’ll explain.”
Reluctantly, she walked with him to the beat-up car he’d had for as long as she could remember. Carefully sliding into the passenger seat, Amaya sighed at all the old candy and food wrappers strewn everywhere. She buckled in and he sped off.
He didn’t speak until they were well away from the Archive.
“I got the piece from the Bayi.”
“Oh, fuck no,” she said, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Stop the car.”
She reached for the door, ready to hop out the moving vehicle. They hadn’t quite reached the highway that would take them to her neighborhood. She could probably survive if she jumped at this speed.
“Would you just calm down?” he snapped.
She growled, balling her hands into fists in her lap. “What do you mean, you stole an Akachi piece from the Bayi? What Bayi?”
She wracked her mind. The Akachi pieces were heavily monitored when they were found. The power in the stones was unpredictable and dangerous and most times when a piece was found, it was voluntarily turned into the Archive. So how would her uncle even come across a piece to steal?
“I was doing work at Levi’s compound.”
“King Levi? You done lost your damn mind!”
She did open the door this time and her uncle swerved to brake on the side of the road. She was out before it stopped moving.
“Amaya!” he yelled, jumping out his seat and standing at the door. “I just need you to shield me for a couple of hours and I’ll make enough money to move you and my sister out of that dumpy—”
She cut him off, not bothering to slow her steps. “Fuck you — respectfully. You don’t just steal from the King of the Bayi. He’s going to send his enforcers to kill you and I would like to be on the other side of the city from you when that happens.”
Her Uncle Paul was her mother’s youngest brother and Amaya had lost track of the numerous schemes he cooked up to earn “easy” money. Every chance he had to hit a lick, he took, and as usual, the family was left to pick up the pieces.
Not no more. She was excluding herself from this foolishness. She valued her life way too much for that.
“Amaya, please! I left the piece at your house.”
She stopped walking and her heartbeat stopped with her feet. She whipped around. “Surely you… Tell me you’re lying.”
“I’m sorry. It was the only thing I could think to do. Your mother’s power…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Amaya’s vision dimmed along the edges, her breathing choppy as anger filled her. Her magic flared out and the metal street signs near them bent towards her, dust swirling and kicking up at her feet.
“You know the consequences of your sister using her magic and you still… I will never forgive you for this.”
Paul blanched, his caramel skin going ashen. “I’m sorry, and I understand, but I’m doing this for Anita.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Amaya chanted on her way back to her uncle’s car, tucking in her magic before any real damage occurred.
She slammed the door as she got inside. They took off, the silence thick in his junky car. Her leg was shaking as she sat forward, willing his car to go faster. If the Bayi beat them home before she could fully shield her house…A shiver went down her spine and tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to lose her mother.
For a moment, she breathed easier when she got to their house. Dusk had fallen and night was beginning to cool down the air. The Bayi could move around during the day, but they mostly kept their hours to full night. If she could just… She shook her head and pulled out her house keys with shaking hands.
The first tear crested her eye when she found the door unlocked. In her heart, she already knew what that meant. The door was pulled open and she encountered a balaclava-clad giant. He was way taller than her, his presence looming over her. The vampire grabbed her arm and snatched her inside while his counterpart did the same as her uncle tried to run. The frontdoor fed right into the living room, so there was no time to prepare herself. Two steps in and she came face to face with the King of the Bayi.
Levi Cauly.
The tall, brown-skinned vampire wore all black. A simple t-shirt tucked into cargo pants and combat boots, yet even that didn’t diminish the power of his demeanor. The gold chain that lay against his shirt sparkled in the darkened room, matching the diamond studs at his ears. His narrow face had high cheekbones, a stately nose, and full pink lips. The beard framing his elegant and angular visage was cut low. By the time she made it up to his dark, menacing eyes, Amaya understood that there was no getting out of this situation. She could only hope that this night would not be her last. The smile he gave her was sinister, the gold of his bottom grill glinting in the dim light.
