Prologue
“I told you, I don’t have it!” The dark-skinned, white haired, old man spoke, struggling against the younger, stronger arm around his thin and fragile neck.
“Then where the hell is it!” Said the 27 year old man. His hair, swept in a pony tail kept whipping on his green scarred face.
“Sa chathair a cailleadh de ór, in The Lost City of Gold”, the old Irish man, of Celtic origins’ final words before Flintlock, the younger man, twisted the old man’s’ neck three hundred and sixty degrees.
“Thank you for your co-operation”, he said with an evil glint in his eye and an equally evil smirk on his face.
Chapter 1
The first time Vladimir Lev set his grey eyes on Afsoon Arash, he knew that the journey they were about to embark on, wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. She was his exact opposite in every possible way, through his 21 year old eyes. Whereas he was casual, muscular, and broad shouldered, she was emaciated, dressed as she was off to parliament, and had that cold look through her glasses and in her eyes that were colder than Vladimirs’ city, Siberia.
“You Vladimirovich?” Her first of many questions, in a high shrill voice.
“Vlad” Vladimir put forth his hand. She did not shake it.
“Have any leads of its whereabouts?” She forenamed. Forthwith Vlad replied,
“Haven’t a damn clue.”
“Bloody communists can’t do anything right.” She muttered with the thick Persian accent she had.
“Better than selling a bloody rug” replied Vlad, mimicking her accent.
“Touché. Now the medallion was last seen in Dublin, Ireland, at some second rate hotel. The Academy informed me that the trip money was given to you. Am I correct?” Afsoon glanced up from the folder she was looking at.
“Done. Two first class tickets to Dublin. We’re going Air A.K., The academy’s private airline. We leave in five minutes, Dubai Airport.” Said Vlad looking up from the BlackBerry.
“How do we get there?” she inquired shyly. “I didn’t know the academy had an airline.” She said, changing the subject.
“Gee, do you know any means of transportation?” Vlad asked sarcastically. Afsoon touched his shoulder and together they vanished from the spot.
Approximately twenty three milliseconds later, above the average teleportation speed, they appeared in a female lavatory, five meters away from gate 26, A.K. Airlines flight to Dublin. “How the hell do you get used to that?! If I was claustrophobic I would have passed out!” Vlad exclaimed, on all fours on the floor of the washroom.
“We are in the girls’ washroom. Does that make you feel any better?” teasing him, she said.
“What?!” his voice now a whisper. Then he shrunk. And shrunk. And shrunk until he was the size of a rat. “Put me in your purse and get me out of here!” His voice came out in a helium sound.
“Fine. But if you touch my wallet, I’ll flush you down! That’s one flaw in your skill.”
Once back to regular size after a visit to the men’s room, Vlad joined Afsoon in the line for their gate.
“Gate 26, last call, gate 26.”
Something cold and sharp touched the back of Vlad and Afsoon’s neck. “Come quietly, and you have a larger chance of survival.” The voice was deep and husky.
Vlad mouthed, “One, two, three!!!” Afsoon grabbed Vlad’s arm and they appeared behind the hooded figure who was about to decapitate them. He was a tall bloke, he was. Flintlock took steroids and supplements to take care of his body. Vlad now, after growing, stood taller than flintlock. He knocked the sword out of his hand. “Nice try.” Vlad picked Flintlock up with a hand and chucked Flintlock ten, twenty inches deep into the marble wall of the airport. “God, I love the Veil.” He muttered. The Veil was a magical force that covered normal humans’ eyes of any magical activities.
Flintlock got out of the wall. Unscathed. “Shit, run!” Vlad kept kicking big chunks of marble at Flintlock, but Flintlock just walked through them, leaving in two pieces.
“I hate the Achillians. And their green faces.”Afsoon stated after they had teleported to Dublin. That was a risk as Dublin, like few other places in the world, Islamabad, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Moscow, a couple of others, in which, the veil did not work. Vlad returned to normal. As for the Achillians, they are a clan of people who were invincible but for one part of their body, an Achilles heel if you will. It was named so.
“He is behind us. Do you know the location of the hotel?” After they had had arrived Vlad shrunk, to the size of an ant his time, and did a little scouting. “All clear” he reported to Afsoon. “Apart from police tape all across the employee’s entrance. Old guy, twisted neck. Only a 7 year old kid saw a “green guy disappear with a fat guy.” They got 2 MPI’s (Magical Private Investigator) working on it, but to no avail. They don’t have any leads.” He was proud of this report which he felt was detailed and well researched.
“Looks like our Achillian friend has been busy. Good report by the way. It was well researched and detailed.”
“Really?”
“God, no, did I tell you I could read minds as well? Tsk Tsk.”
“Tsk Tsk my butt.” Vlad thought.
“How very mature of you.” Afsoon said, right before she tripped.
“Looks like those high heels were little too high for you. By the way, did I tell you I am a telekinetic as well?” he replied in a sickly sweet voice.
Chapter 2
“The location was revealed, Master. But I fear tracking it down may be difficult. And the filthy scum tracking down the amulet for the Academy of Kill are better than the failures before them. One of them is a Teleporter, the girl, while the other is a Spiner, the boy.” Flintlock told his employer.
“A Spiner?” His masters voice gave him authority, it gave him an aura that said “you mess with me, you die. Now have a nice day”
“They’re quite rare. They can extend or de-compress their spinal cords, giving them the ability to increase or decrease their size.”
“Kill him first, then the girl.”
“Hey little guy. Those mean nasty cops don’t believe what you said. Why don’t you tell us. We believe you. Now, what is your name?” Vlad said, as he was interrogating the 7 year old boy, nicely.
“Well, I’ll only talk if you give me 5 pounds.” The boy, Eoin, replied, a big grin on his face.
“That’s 247 Rubies and 80,609 Riyals.” Vlad muttered, “All right here you go” as he forked over 5 pounds which he had “borrowed” from somebody’s wallet.. “Now, spill the beans. What Happened?”
“Ok. Me name is Eoin by the way. I was eating dinner with me family at the hotel restaurant. When me order arrived it was filled with gross veggies. Me mam told me to go to the kitchen to my order fixed. When i got there this guy with green skin and a long ponytail ran away from the old man whose neck was all spiraly. The greeny touched this fat guy who was wearing weird clothes with weird shoes and had something wrapped ‘round his head. A turban.” Eoin said, while he seemed unnaturally calm.
“You can go now.” Afsoon said. When he was out of earshot she said, “ That’s definitely the Achillian. The fatso is Harpreet Singh, the best Teleporter for hire. He is the fastest, stealthiest, and most expensive. The Achillian must have friends in high places.”
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