Rainbows End

Chapter 1

James Hartley sat in the uncomfortable wooden chair across the desk from his school headmaster. He was well aware what the final result of this meeting would be. He had little concern for what the school punishment would be. He knew he could handle a few hours of detention. He was more worried about how his parents would handle the situation.

“Mr. Hartley,” Headmaster Grant addressed James without looking up as he flipped through the pages of the file in front of him. “Why are you here this time?”

“I don’t know,” James answered. “If you also don’t know, there is the strong possibility that I am here by mistake. So, I’ll just leave now.”

“I think not,” Headmaster Grant told him, looking up. He adjusted his glasses. “Miss Sarah will be here shortly. She was quite upset with your behavior in class this morning.”

When Miss Sarah entered the office, James decided to ignore the common practice of standing when a female teacher enters the room. James and she exchanged slight glares as she sat in the chair next to him.

“Well, I seem to be feeling a bit of animosity between the two of you,” Headmaster Grant announced.

“Yes, sir,” Miss Sarah told him. “James has quite a history of animosity towards me and most of the staff.”

“If I may,” James addressed the headmaster, “Miss Sarah seems to have some unresolved anger issues where I am concerned.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at Miss Sarah. “Perhaps she should seek professional help.”

“Mr. Hartley, any issues Miss Sarah has are not your concern.” Headmaster Grant’s anger was growing. He was more than aware that the young man sitting in front of him had no respect for him or any of the teachers. He looked at Miss Sarah. “I am quite aware of Mr. Hartley’s past behavior. I would like only to address the present issue. Would you please tell me what has happened this time?”

“I informed him that he would need to stay after dismissal today for his failure to finish a test I gave the class.” Miss Sarah looked at James. “I think that was a reasonable request.”

“His response to your request?” Headmaster Grant asked.

“His exact words?” Miss Sarah was unsettled.

“Yes, please.” Headmaster Grant suspected the language would be colorful.

“He told me, and I quote...” Miss Sarah blushed slightly. “‘I don’t have time for your bullshit. Take the bloody test for me.’”

Headmaster Grant cleared his throat. “Were those your words?” he asked James.

“Yes, but I don’t think I said take the test for me.” He smirked. He enjoyed aggravating this particular teacher. “I think my exact words were something like, ‘You take the bloody fucking test for me.’”

“I’ve heard enough!” Headmaster Grant became angrier. He knew of the fame of this student’s parents and of the rather large financial support they gave the school. That was the only reason young Mr. Hartley was allowed to remain a student. However, finances aside, he could not allow this incident to go unpunished. “Young man, I’ve given you far too many passes for your behavior. You leave me no choice but to suspend you from class. With your previous record, it is quite possible that the school ministry may seek to expel you from the school entirely.” He reached for the phone. “First I must speak with your parents.”

“Like I said before, I don’t have time for your bullshit.” James touched his forehead and stared intently at Headmaster Grant. He whispered, “Put the phone down. Rumor has it you are shagging Miss Sarah.” James rose from his chair and took a deep breath. Using his mind control, he sent an order to the headmaster and Miss Sarah. He laughed as they frantically began removing each other’s clothes. “Have a good day,” he told them as he walked into the hall. Leaving the door open, he yelled to the crowd of students in the hall, “Bloody hell, look at them!”

The group of curious students gathered outside the headmaster’s office. The sight of their headmaster and Miss Sarah having sex on the headmaster’s desk sent them into fits of laughing and shouting. Several teachers approached to see what all the commotion was about.

“No time to call my parents or suspend me,” James laughed as he walked out of the school’s front door. “I think you will have enough to deal with trying to keep your headmaster and teaching positions.”

“James, wait for me,” a voice called out. James turned to see his cousin Holly running towards him.

“What did you do?” Holly was laughing. “Holy shit, James, what did you do?”

“What?” James smiled and played innocent.

“Don’t you ‘what’ me.” Holly took hold of his arm as they walked away from the chaos that was erupting inside the school. “I know you used your mind control back there.”

“So what if I did?” He smiled at her. “One must admit, giving the students something to talk about for years to come is much better than having my arse kicked out of school.”

“I agree with you on that,” Holly told him. “However, my dad and Papa Bael are going to know what you did. Which means your parents are going to know.”

“How are they going to know?” James questioned.

“How?” Holly raised her eyes. “James, have you forgotten? Every time we use magick, my dad and Papa Bael know. It’s the rule that was put into effect until they feel we have learned how to control the use of our powers.”

“Oh shit. I wasn’t really thinking. I guess I got caught up in the moment.” James brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I’m cutting school the rest of the day. Maybe I should just go off for a bit. I’m going to transport to the old cottage in Scotland for a few hours.”

Holly laughed. “You look just like your dad when you do that hair thing.” She thought for a second and, against her better judgment, told James, “I will go with you. We can tell everyone we needed to think about becoming teenagers tomorrow, or something very mortal.”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” James agreed. “Wow, you’re going to cut school.” He smiled at Holly. “Welcome to my world.”

A few seconds later they had magickally transported themselves to the cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. As they sat at the kitchen table, Holly became lost in memories of growing up here. She remembered how family and friends would come to this cottage for the holidays to escape the furor of London city life. This very kitchen would be filled with the smell of fresh-baked bread or the cupcakes that Nanny Gloria would make. She recalled how she would go to sleep listening to the sounds of their parents’ music from the lower level. It was usually her dad and her uncle David playing guitars and singing. That was before the Gadoe hunters discovered this secret place. It was no longer a safe haven. It was now a dangerous and forbidden place to be. Yet here she was with James, breaking another rule.

Holly decided to voice her thoughts. “James, do you remember how it used to be here? The families gathering for holiday dinners.”

“Yes, you mean what became the day-after-the-holiday dinners,” James laughed. “We always had to come a day later because you thought Father Christmas wouldn’t find us here in Scotland.”

“Not just me.” Holly poked James in the arm. “You thought the same thing.” Holly looked around the room. “I remember the lessons in magick, the music.”

“Yeah,” James agreed. “Don’t forget Bael’s obsession with fencing. He began my lessons as soon as I could pick up a sword.” He looked around the room as if looking into the past to see the shadows of the people they spoke of. “Those were some good times around here.” He also felt a bit of nostalgia. “We had no idea back then that the music being created here was what made our dads famous.”

“I saw some videos of my dad dancing with me to his music. It was a happy and normal life for us.” Holly sighed. “Then my parents got divorced, and my whole world changed.”

“That had to be a rough time for you,” James sympathized. “I’m lucky. My mum and dad managed to have one of the few marriages that survived the casualties of rock and roll.”

“That’s because your dad kept away from the groupies.” Holly shook her head.

“Probably because my dad knew my mum would have killed him if he ever cheated on her. Besides the fact that she went on the road with him,” James laughed. “So did I, whenever my school schedule allowed.”

Holly unconsciously picked at the wooden table with her fingernails. The table was now in the process of rotting from the leak in the roof above. “I would love to have a chance to experience life back then again. I wish I could be three again.”

“No, you don’t,” James said. “You were taken from us when you were three. You don’t want to put your parents through that again.”

“What are you talking about?” Holly was puzzled.

“Oh shit.” James ran his hand through his hair. “Are you saying your parents never told you about that?”

“Please explain,” Holly questioned. “I was taken? Who took me? Took me where?”

“I thought you knew,” James explained. “You were kidnapped by your mum’s former coven when you were three. It was a major happening. The entire Daemon world joined your parents and mine to get you back.” He added, “There is a rumor that Bael is still holding one of the men who took you. He visits him once a month in a prison cell somewhere in the deep underworld to feed off his blood.”

“You’re making this up.” Holly lightly hit James on his shoulder.

“No, I’m not.” James smirked. “Well, maybe I just made up the part about Bael keeping him prisoner and feeding off the bloke’s blood. But you were taken. I heard it was quite the rescue mission. Your kidnapping was a contributing factor to the start of the great battle of the 1970s. You helped start a war. Damn, very impressive.”

“Well, starting a war isn’t really a good thing.” Holly shook her head. “You sound like Papa Bael.”

“Really?” James fell into deep thought. “Being like Bael, is that good or bad? Maybe we are on the wrong side. Maybe the so-called dark side isn’t the best way to live our lives.”

“That’s odd to hear you say that.” Holly thought about a recent conversation she had had with her father. She looked at James and knew he was feeling as she had a few days ago. “Darkness is an important part of the world. It’s true that darkness is death, destruction, chaos and control. But even so, darkness is not bad. Darkness makes us what we are. Surviving is a challenge. We must face life with the darkness to truly be ourselves and to survive.”

“Wow, that’s some deep stuff.” James smiled.

“I can’t take credit for those words.” Holly shrugged. “That’s pretty much my dad’s explanation of the dark side to me. Just remember, we’re not alone. We have our parents, we have Papa Bael, and we have most of the Daemon world supporting us.”

James and Holly suddenly became silent as they became aware of the sound of the front door opening, followed by creaking floorboards. They looked at each other and then to the doorway. They suspected they were no longer alone in the cottage.

The Gadoe hunter, weapon drawn, slowly made his way from the front door across the room. Kneeling in front of the fireplace, he placed his weapon on the ground. He wanted to feel if there was any heat coming from the wood and coal. It would allow him to determine how long ago someone had been in the house. Suddenly the floor beneath him gave way. As he landed at the bottom of the ten-foot hole, he felt his ankle crack. “Motherfucker!” he yelled.

The sound of the floor giving way and a man cursing let James and Holly know they were definitely not alone in the cottage.

“Well, it doesn’t sound like our parents.” Holly breathed a sigh of relief.

“We should check it out,” James told her as they cautiously made their way to the front room.

Hearing footsteps above him, the hunter became fearful that it might be the man and woman he was tracking. His weapon was out of reach. How was he to defend himself? Then he looked up and saw the teenagers staring down at him. “Thank God.” He smiled and laughed at himself for his fear. “I thought you kids were someone else.” He reached a hand up. “I think I broke my ankle. Can you help me get out of this hole?”

“No, we cannot help you.” James shook his head. “Also, don’t thank God. He’s not here. So I wouldn’t be counting on any help in the near future.”

“Come on, kid.” The soldier smiled at James. “I won’t hurt you kids. I’m a good guy.”

“No, you’re not,” Holly answered. “I can tell by the symbol on your jacket. You are a Gadoe hunter.”

The hunter’s face went pale when he realized who James and Holly were. “Son of a bitch. The rumors are true. You are kids. I have been tracking kids.”

James looked to the fireplace and picked up the hunter’s weapon. “This your gun?” James asked, holding it above the hunter’s head.

“Yes.” The hunter didn’t know what to expect. He decided to be forceful and confront James. “Listen up, you little punk. Now help me out of this hole, or I will kick your arse.”

“This bloke is quite funny, James.” Holly smirked. “How’s he going to kick anyone’s arse from down there?”

“You will regret...” The hunter mumbled his last words as James shot him. He was rendered unconscious in seconds.

James looked at Holly and nodded. They both stretched out their hands and remained emotionless as fireballs filled the hole with flames. They stood quietly for a few moments. James finally broke the silence. “Do you remember our first kill?” he asked.

“Yes,” Holly told him. “It was in that library in the States.”

“It was strange.” James looked distant for a second. “I thought we did something bad. But we weren’t punished. We were rewarded.”

“Well, it was quite amazing to our parents what we did. We saved their lives.” Holly smiled. “I got a kitten out of it. My mum was allergic, so eventually it became Nanny Gloria’s cat.”

“Yeah.” James smiled. “I got my dog, Odin. He’s old now, but still hanging around.”

“So much for a normal childhood,” Holly laughed.

“Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” James suddenly became nervous. “What the bloody hell did we just do? This was just a kill for the hell of it. We could have just left him in the hole. We are going to get in a shitload of trouble for this.”

“Only if they find out.” Holly shrugged.

“Find out what?” Bael questioned as he suddenly materialized in the room.

“Uh, nothing,” James lied. “Just that we aren’t supposed to be here in the cottage.” He looked at Bael and pleaded, “Please don’t tell our parents we were here.”

“Please, Papa Bael. Please don’t,” Holly begged. She smiled, knowing that whenever she called him Papa Bael it gave her a little control over him. To her he wasn’t a king of Daemons. He was her grandfather.

“I will not tell them of your being here.” Bael raised an eyebrow and looked towards the still-smoldering hole. “However, you must explain to me why the entire cottage smells like burnt flesh.” He held a finger up to James. “Before you begin telling me any nonsense, ask yourself, will he know I’m being less than truthful?”

“We had no choice,” James told him. “He was Gadoe.” He pointed to the charred remains that lay at the bottom of the hole.

“Well, then.” Bael felt proud of the teens. He, however, held back his enthusiasm as he peered into the hole. “I guess you did the proper thing. However, we must leave immediately. Where there is one Gadoe hunter, there may be more.” He took the gun from James and tossed it into the hole. With a wave of his hand, the hole sealed itself, leaving no trace of what lay beneath.

“Must we go home?” James asked. “I kinda messed up in school today.”

“Oh, what a shocker,” Bael sarcastically answered. “I already know about that incident in the headmaster’s office. You used magick and then transported. That is how I tracked you to this cottage. I believe that is also how the Gadoe hunter tracked you. You both need to be a bit more diligent when you transport. Your world is not as private as you think. However, for the present we shall ignore that incident. Tomorrow you both turn thirteen. Today there is a dinner celebration you must attend. Your family and friends are all waiting for you.” He then transported them to the banquet hall for the birthday celebration.

Bael looked at the mix of humans and Daemons sitting at the table with him. Holding a glass of champagne in the air, he began his speech. “Mortals tend to age quite rapidly, even when one time travels with Daemons.” He smiled at James and Holly. He had the look of a proud grandfather, far from that of a Daemon King. “Tomorrow it will be thirteen years, but I remember like it was yesterday the day you were both born. You were such tiny, fragile humans. That was a day of celebration throughout the underground. Now here you are, teenagers. I think all present will agree, we eagerly await to see how your already strong powers will develop. More than that, we await the start of translating the Great Book, which you and Kundel retrieved years ago.

“However, we are not gathered to hear me talk.” He motioned towards the banquet table. “Let us eat, drink and celebrate the day of the birth of these special humans.”