Chapter 13

It was at that moment that Victoria remembered what she had wanted to tell me.

“John, please sit down, I have to tell you, I can’t believe you don’t know, my god, I actually met her,” his aunt said.

“What are you going on about?” I asked, somewhat confused.

“John, it’s your sister, she’s still alive,” Victoria said.

“Ha, yeah,” I said, then passed out.

All three of the females in the room were afraid. This was the first time any of them had ever seen John pass out.

Tawny actually smirked at Victoria, “How the hell are you going to handle this? I mean you did make him pass out unconscious.”

“I’m working on it damnit! At least he didn’t get violent, that might have been a bit much,” Victoria said.

“Uh huh, yeah right ok genius, tell me what you got going,” Tawny said snarky.

“I told you I was thinking, John is a no-nonsense guy. I thought that coming to the point that was what he’d want,” a stressed-out Victoria said.

“Well, you were obviously wrong, huh? Miss smarty-pants,” Tawny continued.

“Tawny shut the hell up and let me think of what to say when he wakes up,” Victoria said.

Tawny was immediately quiet as she watched Catherine worry over John. The look of worry on her face was hitting Victoria hard.

Good she thought, for once, Victoria would have to take responsibility for something she did. Then again, Tawny thought. It was at that moment that Victoria remembered what she had wanted to tell him.

Then again, Victoria seemed as worried as Catherine appeared to be. Tawny thought about who was actually after the two of them.

It was true she was almost up to her normal power; she still wasn’t as strong as Elvantor Hajib. She could hold her own though, eventually he’d crush her.

It was strange though she swore that she felt a massive amount of power coming from John.

She walked to Catherine and asked, Catherine? Are you and us safe here? The thing is, I am feeling a lot of power coming from John,” Tawny said.

“Oh, you must be feeling all that John has to protect us. He has sun crystals, crystals from the Gem Brothers. A necklace of protection from the sisters of the light and the daughters of the sea. A light shield from the brothers of the sand, a severe attack ring from Zeus. Ah! Also, the living gauntlets of King Gregory,” Catherine said.

“It appears that both of you have been busy. Then again, you know just how powerful Elvantor Hajib is,” Tawny said.

A smile lit up Catherine’s face, “Not as much now. Master has actually broken two of the major parts of the curse. I can hit him with my power. He was surprised for sure.”

This bit of news had Tawny feeling a lot better about the situation. At least she knew that the ass could be hurt.

They had been sitting around for half an hour not talking much, when John groaned. “What the hell happened?”

“You fainted after I gave you the news I had,” Victoria said.

“Fainted? From your news, yeah, why the hell can’t I remember,” I said.

“Well, that’s to be expected considering what the news is. Please I’ll go slow don’t pass out again,” Victoria said.

“OK, go on,” I said.

“I found out not long ago that Catherine was still alive. I know it shocked the hell out of me also,” Victoria said, a little worried she’d lose me again.

This time I just sat there bewildered. Then I looked over to Catherine. “The council chamber, let’s go!” I said.

I started in as soon as we appeared. I hadn’t noticed that the councilors were gasping in pain.

“You knew, this entire time you knew and kept it from me. This caused the separation from the last of my family. If I had the power, I’d make sure that every one of you suffered,” I yelled.

I felt Catherine beside me trying to get my attention, Master? She said, “Master!”

I felt her tugging at my sleeve, then my elbow. I turned toward her with a look of rage and hatred. It all evaporated as soon as I saw her back away from me.

I hung my head low as I felt like a first-class heel. “I am sorry Catherine,” I said, then turned to see all the councilors on the floor.

What was going on? “Alright, get up, I want answers now before IK completely lose my temper,” I said.

As they all rose, several were about to open their mouths when a gong sounded. “Finally,” the leader said.

I saw that Victoria and Tawny were there also. Tawny, of course, was smirking again.

“I knew he had a temper, but I didn’t think he had power,” Tawny said.

“It’s not so much that as we were cursed also. Elvantor Hajib sought a lot of power and had a lot,” the leader said.

This time I smirked, “Even with all I have, he has a sword surrounded by dark energy. He also has a necklace with evil, dark energy. I want to know why my sister was hidden from me on orders from you!” I shouted, causing the entire council to hit the floor again.

The council looked at each other, then at Victoria and Tawny. “Hey! Don’t look at me, as I remember right, Tawny and I were against this from the get-go. You left neither of us with a choice. Now that he is in most control? You little bitches want us to do this? No, you tell him, then we MIGHT help,” Victoria growled with Tawny looking smug behind her.

Several of the councilors grumbled, then grasped their stomachs and quieted. The leader sighed, then nodded his head.

“In your family tree there are Jinn ancestors, far enough back that there was no fear of you having power. That is what was thought, ‘til your sister. She was untrained and didn’t have the mind for it,” the leader said.

“So you what wiped her mind or something, so she’d forget?” I said, then got angrier when they didn’t answer.

Again, the council was on the floor rolling in pain. I saw that Tawny was smirking harder, Victoria, though aghast, had a slight smile on her face.

As I watched, the same blonde Jinn appeared firing bolts at me. I also saw that Catherine was blocking most of the bolts. Then another three Jinns appeared as they fired at me also.

A moment later a very regal female appeared with a somewhat man with brown hair. “Stop!” he said, which calmed all there but me.

I was still raging staring holes through all the councilors. They were still groaning when the man looked at me.

“Stop, I said,” he shouted at me.

I glared at him, “fuck you stay out of this!” With that the councilors started to whimper harder.

This had him marching toward me with his balled up. “Stop it, you’ll kill them.” he said.

“Good,” I yelled at the man as he drew closer. “They deserve it after what they have done to my family!”

The man took a swing at me which kicked in my hand-to-hand combat training. Needless to say, I got the first punch in doubling him over though I thought I hit a wall. Behind him, I heard several women scream, then started flying at me. Then they were all bouncing off in all directions.

That’s when he caught me with a left hook, which pissed me off even more. It wasn’t ‘til my anger cooled that we stopped.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“No, not at fucking all, especially after what they did to my family,” I growled at the twelve councilors, causing them to twist and gasp in pain.

Around us was a ring of six Jinns who weren’t happy at all. He waved his five off, and I allowed Catherine next to me.

“Ah,” he said, “Catherine, Gen’s friend. I wish it was under different circumstances. Now,” he said, turning to me, “let’s sit and talk about this.”

So we did and to get to the point, he wasn’t happy about all that had happened to my family. He also mentioned that the council had kept a lot from him at first. He was sure that they were still keeping some from him even now.

I told him of the many curses that I had broken, including two major on Catherine. He then turned toward the council. “I do believe that you owe this master more than an apology. He still has his anger punishment.”

He turned to ask me just to make sure and I nodded yes. He then grew stern as he looked at them again. “Over the last two decades I haven’t been too pleased with the council, I should also be as mad,” the man said.

He then held out a hand shaking mine, “Jake Freeman,” he said.

I also shook his as I said, “Captain John Richards, special ops.”

“Ah, I didn’t think you wanted that much, let me start over. Jake Freeman Architect and the ever-last Master,” he said.

I just nodded to him as his face fell and he sighed. “I think that they should call you curse breaker. I mean you’ve broken far more than me.”

I thought about it a moment, then shook my head no, np the thing with the crooked businessmen was enough. Well, that and having to fight off Elvantor Hajib,” I told him.

Jake nodded his head, “real nasty piece of work, that one.”

“You’ve met him?” I asked.

“No, not yet, as he was gone long before I came along. I have heard of the great number of beings that he cursed. I understand you released Gregory and his wife. I’m glad they were deeply in love. OK, since we are on good terms, I’ll give you this,” Jake said as he handed me a talisman shaped like a rolled scroll. “If you need help, rub it, and I’ll be there in no time.”

I took it and put it around my neck like a necklace. Immediately, there was fanfare, then a gong. I rolled my eyes as Jake laughed, sometimes that could get old. Though the fanfare was new.

Catherine and I watched as they left after another reunion between her and Gen. I then growled as I turned toward the council.

“I want my sister back, this damn sure is going to happen. Don’t make me come back and keep all of you like that for a long time,” I growled more as they started to drop again.

“We will help you master John, this has to be sl,” the Jinn council leader started.