Mark sprinted into the forest and immediately heard the sounds of two people fighting. Angling in the direction of the fight he kept running and about 20 yards into the woods he stumbled into a small clearing. Loraine and Jason stood facing each other, so focused on the other that neither of them noticed Mark enter the clearing.
Flames sprouted from Jason’s hands as he threw fireballs at Loraine. Every fireball he threw Loraine waved aside or knocked into the ground with her telekinesis. Jason paused too long between his attacks and Loraine took advantage of the gap to hit him with an energy blast. Jason went flying backwards and hit the tree Mark was standing next to. Mark looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Need some help?” He asked drily.
Jason looked at Mark suspiciously from where he had landed on the ground.
“What are you?”
“A Fighter.” Mark replied. “Enhanced abilities.”
“Great.” Jason grunted, pushing himself to his feet. “A glorified gymnast.”
Mark crossed his arms over his chest. “Big talk from a human lighter.”
“I don’t need help.” Jason snarled, dodging another telekinetic blast from Loraine. “Get out of here before you get hurt.”
Mark smirked. “I’m tougher than I look.”
“I would hope so.” Jason muttered under his breath, conjuring fire in his palms.
“Are you ladies finished? Hot head and I were in the middle of something, and I don’t like being ignored.” Loraine cut into their conversation. She flicked her hand at Mark, sending him flying to the right. Jason started unloading fireballs at her, so fast they were almost impossible to see.
Emma burst into the clearing just in time to see Mark land in a heap a few feet away from her. With a strange sort of shock she saw Jason with fire streaming from his hands as Loraine laughed. Unable to process what she was seeing Emma focused on the one thing she could understand, that Mark had been hit and was still on the ground.
“Mark!” Emma cried, running towards him.
Emma saw Mark’s face turn into one of alarm as he looked past her. Jumping up he grabbed Emma, tucking her against his chest as he turned and crouched, shielding her with his body as the fireballs that Loraine were deflecting hit them. Emma blinked, confused. A light blue glow covered her body and Mark’s as well, and it seemed to be deflecting the flames. In a sudden movement, Mark spun them out of the line of fire and behind a tree, tucking Emma between his chest and the tree trunk.
Emma felt her heart pounding against her chest. She waited to feel Mark patting at her head and checking her for burns but his hands stayed planted on the tree on either side of her. Emma blinked and looked up. Mark was staring around the tree, looking at someone. His gaze glanced somewhere else, then his eyebrows lifted.
Scooping Emma up into his arms Mark leapt out of the stream of fire and into the cover of the forest. Mark sped off, flashing through the forest at an impossibly fast speed around the clearing until he was near the trees behind Loraine. There Mark gently set Emma on her feet.
Gently setting Emma on her feet, Mark gripped her shoulders between his hands and looked her in the eye, blocking her gaze of the fight still going on between Jason and Loraine. Emma tried to look around him but Mark gently grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.
“Em, I need you to listen to me.” He said.
Emma nodded her head but her eyes flickered to the side for a moment. Her concentration was still on the fight.
Holding back a growl, Mark said quietly. “I’m going to carry you up this tree and put you someplace safe. You need to stay very still and don’t move from that spot. I will come get you when the fight is over.”
Emma looked up at the tree he had indicated and she frowned. “Mark, the nearest branch is fifteen feet off the ground. There’s no way I could get up there.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Mark brushed her argument aside. “Just don’t move once we get up there. Understand?”
When Emma nodded Mark quickly threw her over his shoulder and secured her legs against him with one arm. Then he gathered his legs beneath him and jumped, landing on the lowest branch for just a fraction of a second before he jumped to the next branch. Within seconds Mark and Emma were 50 feet off the forest floor.
“I need you to slide off my shoulder now.” Mark said calmly when they settled on a thick branch.
Emma’s arms were locked in a death grip around his chest, her face buried in his back. When he said that she squeezed her grip tighter and shook her head furiously, refusing to open her eyes.
“It’s okay Em, I’ve got you.” Mark said, gently tugging at her leg.
“Are you insane?” Emma snapped. “I’m going to die. I don’t want to die by falling out of a tree!”
“You’re not going to fall.” Mark said patiently. “Emma, this is important. I need to go help Jason but I can’t do that if you won’t let go.”
Emma’s grip loosened a little bit at the mention of Jason. Finally, with a whimper she released her hold and let him slide her off his shoulder. Mark gently placed her on a branch and she immediately wrapped both of her arms around the tree.
“I’ll be back for you as soon as I can.” Mark said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. “Just stay still and don’t make a sound.”
“Be careful.” Emma whispered, looking absolutely terrified.
Mark smiled. Emma looked like a terrified kitten caught in the tree with her arms wrapped around the tree so tightly her face was pressed against it and her fingers dug into the bark. “I will.”
Mark jumped from that tree to the next tree. Climbing around the trunk Mark looked for the sturdiest branch he could find. He spotted a thick one just above his head that reached out into the clearing and he climbed up to it. He climbed out as far as he could before his weight started bending the branch. Then he crouched down and waited.
Emma thought she was going to have a heart attack and she wasn’t sure if it was from being stuck in a tree fifty feet in the air, Mark crouched on a branch suicidally far from the tree, or Jason fighting Loraine, who was looking more and more like a deranged demon. Jason was throwing fireballs faster than Emma could keep track. Loraine managed to deflect most of them but Jason was throwing them faster than she could keep up with.
A few of the fireballs found their mark, causing Loraine to stumble back a step or two. The smell of singed skin filled the air. The more Loraine struggled the fiercer Jason became. A few times Loraine knocked Jason to the ground. Instead of weakening him though his fire burned even brighter than it already was. It was as though the angrier Jason became the more fuel the flames had. It took everything in Emma not to cry out when Jason was hit. She didn’t know what Mark’s plan was but she didn’t think giving away her location would help.
“You just can’t find good help these days.” Emma could hear Loraine taunting Jason. “Where did your friend go? For a guy who looks so big and intimidating he ran away really quickly.”
Jason dodged a blast from Loraine and the bush behind him took the brunt of the attack. Dirt flew into the air as the bush was torn apart from the assault. Emma whimpered and clung to the tree tighter.
“How’s this for big and intimidating?” Jason growled. His eyes began to glow as the fire on his hands and arms glowed even brighter. Between his hands he created a fireball four times the size of the others. Sweat broke out on his face as he tried to control it.
Loraine tried to hit him with a kinetic blast but the energy he was putting into the fireball kept him grounded in place. With a roar he threw the fireball at her. Loraine tried to block it but the force of the hit knocked her back five feet.
As Loraine struggled to her feet Emma saw that she was directly underneath where Mark lay in wait. With a jolt Emma figured out what Mark’s plan was and she felt as if she had been doused in ice cold water. Mark launched himself out of the tree into a dive.
Emma felt her heart s
top as she watched her best friend plummet towards the ground. She wanted to scream but her lungs were frozen in fear. A few feet above Loraine Mark curled forward, tucking out of his dive. Emma watched in shock as Mark slammed his foot down on the point between her neck and shoulder. Loraine crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and Mark landed with a roll.
Down in the clearing Mark stood up and brushed his hands off, nudging Loraine with a foot to make sure she was unconscious as Jason walked over to him.
“I think you and I need to talk.” Jason said, stopping in front of Mark and crossing his arms over his chest.
Mark stood up to his full height and looked down at Jason. Jason wasn’t a short guy by any means but Mark still towered above him. “Great idea. Let’s talk about how long it took you to put her in position.” He said, slowly crossing his arms over his chest as well. They stared at each other, sizing the other up in a silent challenge. Just then Emma’s voice floated down from the tree Mark had left her in.
“Mark?” She yelled questioningly.
Jason raised his eyebrows at him.
“You left her in a tree?” Jason asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
Mark glanced at the tree in question, keeping his expression unreadable. “She has an unusual ability to get into trouble. It was the best I could come up with at the time.”
“Mark!” Emma yelled again. Her voice was definitely not amused.
“I should probably go get her.” Mark said, dropping his arms and stepping back from Jason.
A few seconds later he walked back into the clearing carrying Emma in his arms. Emma had her face buried in Mark’s neck and her hands gripped his shirt so tightly that her knuckles were white. Jason chuckled when he saw the twigs and leaves caught in her hair.
“Is she okay?” Jason asked Mark as he approached.
Mark looked down at Emma. “She told me to get her down immediately but I think the 50 foot drop freaked her out a little.”
“A little!” Emma yelped, raising her head from its hiding place. “I thought I was going to die!”
“You weren’t going to die.” Mark said, rolling his eyes. “I had you.”
Emma’s face flushed red. She pushed against Mark’s chest angrily and screeched. “Put me down!”
Mark gently put her down and Emma stumbled a few feet away from him and Jason.
“One of you needs to tell me what is going on right now!” She said, her voice a little hysterical. “What are you?”
Jason looked at Mark in confusion. “She doesn’t know?” He asked.
Mark glared at Jason. “No, she doesn’t. I was just about to tell her when you got yourself thrown into a tree.”
Jason whistled. “This should be fun to watch.” He grinned broadly and waved for Mark to continue.
Mark turned to Emma who had her arms folded across her chest defensively.
“Em,” He said gently, taking a step towards her.
Emma stumbled back a step. “Don’t get any closer to me.” She snapped, holding up a hand to halt him. “Not until you tell me what you are and what’s going on.”
Mark blew a breath out in frustration, pushing a hand through his hair. “Okay,” he said slowly. “I guess I owe you an explanation.”
“You guess?!?” Emma yelled at him. “You’re my best friend, you should have told me you aren’t human!”
“I am human.” Mark said defensively. Emma narrowed her eyes at him in a death glare. “Sort of.” He amended sheepishly. Jason chuckled in amusement and Mark turned to scowl at him but Jason just gave him an innocent look, twiddling his thumbs.
Mark turned his back on Jason to refocus on Emma. “You know all those movies and stories about vampires, werewolves, and people with special abilities we like to make fun of? They aren’t completely fictional.” Mark said carefully, watching Emma closely for her reaction.
Emma blinked, her face losing color. “You mean there are actually vampires?” Her voice sounded strangled.
“No no, there aren’t actual vampires.” He rushed to reassure her.
Jason snorted. “That’s a matter of opinion.” He muttered
Mark glared at him. “Shut up. I’m trying to keep this simple. She’s already overwhelmed.”
“What do you mean there aren’t ‘actual’ vampires?” Emma asked, a little bit of color returning to her face. She still looked suspicious though.
“There are shape shifters who can do the whole bat thing and sometimes they like messing with Normal’s heads. It’s kind of a game with them.” Mark explained, his expression disapproving. “For the most part we try to keep our abilities a secret. You weren’t supposed to find out that people like us exist.”
Emma looked at Jason. “There are more of you?” She asked in disbelief.
Jason nodded his head. Emma looked back at Mark.
“So what are you? Mutants or something?” Emma asked.
Mark shrugged. “Mutants, superheroes, demigods. Different cultures have their own names for us. Everyone’s powers are different, just like the people they belong to.”
“What are your powers?” Emma asked.
Mark looked uncomfortable. “Enhanced abilities.” He said.
Emma’s eyes narrowed. “What does enhanced abilities mean?”
“It means your boy here is faster, stronger, and has heightened senses than normal, even for our kind. He’s basically a really cool pet, like a gorilla.” Jason cut in. Mark glared at him, his muscles flexing under his shirt.
“I’m getting a little tired of you insulting me.” Mark growled, facing off with Jason. “You want to test my powers for yourself? You could use a lesson in respect.”
Jason grinned, anticipation for another fight shining in his eyes. “And I think you need obedience training. You aren’t very good at following orders, pet.”
Emma stepped forward to stand next to Mark, placing a hand on his arm to get his attention. Looking up into his eyes she shook her head slightly. Mark grumbled and shot a dirty look at Jason but he eased out of his aggressive stance.
“Good boy.” Jason said approvingly. “You have him well trained Emma.”
Emma glared at him. “I was doing you a favor.” She said bluntly. “It’s pretty obvious your ability has to do with fire.” She commented, looking him up and down. “No one could be as hot headed as you without it affecting their powers.”
Jason grinned at her, flames leaping from his hands again. “Generate and manipulate fire.” He told her, twirling the fire around his hands until it was in the shape of a spinning hoop.
Emma jumped a little bit when his hands first burst into flame but then she seemed intrigued by the shapes he created with the fire.
“Stop showing off.” Mark snapped. “What were you doing here and why were you fighting Loraine?”
The fire disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Jason raised an eyebrow at Mark’s commanding tone but he answered anyways.
“I was going for a run through the woods.” Jason replied smoothly. “I saw Loraine sneaking around, thought it was suspicious and came to check it out. Next thing I know I’m being thrown into a tree.”
“She just attacked you for no reason?” Emma asked, her expression shocked.
“Did she ask you about Tyler White or the journal?” Mark cut in, ignoring Emma’s question.
“How do you know about Tyler White?” Jason asked, suddenly suspicious.
“Loraine and I have had our own run in. The accident after Chris Millers party wasn’t an accident.” Mark said. “She wanted me to tell her where Tyler was.”
“Wait.” Emma grabbed Mark’s arm, forcing him to pay attention to her. “Loraine caused our car to crash? I had to take a class on reckless driving because of that accident!” Emma said with a huff. “How did she know we wouldn’t die?”
Mark looked at her. “She didn’t. At least, she didn’t know you wouldn’t die.”
Emma’s jaw dropped. “She didn’t?” Emma said
in a strangled voice. She pressed wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Mark reached out to stroke her hair reassuringly but Emma shifted out of his reach. Blood had drained from her face and Mark watched her in concern.
“Why would she think you would know where Tyler is?” Jason asked, turning back to Mark.
Mark never looked away from Emma as he answered. “Because until this year I’ve been the only person living here who has abilities. She thought I might be his contact or something.”
“Did you tell her where he was?” Jason asked.
“No,” Mark said bluntly, finally looking at Jason, “but I think they found him anyways.”
“Wait, they have Tyler? How do you know?” Jason asked.
“Emma stumbled across three men in an alley torturing him two nights ago. I got there just as they were attacking her.” Mark explained.
Jason turned to Emma. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened that night.” He ordered. When Emma didn’t respond he grabbed her arm, shaking her. “Emma!” He snapped. “Tell me what happened!”
Mark growled and pushed Jason away from her. He stepped in front of Emma, who was quickly blinking as she came back to reality. “Never grab her like that again.” He said in a deadly voice. “This is the only warning you will get.” Jason narrowed his eyes at Mark but after a tense pause he nodded. Mark crossed his arms, his jaw setting at a stubborn angle. “Before we tell you anything else you need to tell me why you are in Riverdale.”
There was a brief pause as Jason and Mark stared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up.
“The Blade sent me.” Jason said finally. Emma sensed Mark stiffen at the name. She glanced between him and Jason curiously. She had no idea who he was talking about but Mark was not happy to hear his name. “Someone in this town will be a lynchpin in the coming events. Our influence needs to be here.”
“Did he tell you who?” Mark asked quietly.
Jason shook his head. “No.”
A little of Mark’s tension eased when Jason said that.
“Who is The Blade?” Emma asked curiously.
“He is a very dangerous man.” Mark replied.
Jason glared at him. “He is doing what needs to be done!” He snapped, taking an aggressive step forward.
“Right and I guess you know all about what needs to be done.” Mark snapped back, stepping forward as well.
Emma squeezed her way between the two of them and placed her hands on their chests. The top of her head barely reached their shoulders.
“Stop it. Both of you.” She ordered, looking back and forth between the two of them. Jason and Mark continued to glare at each other for a moment before Mark turned away in frustration, stomping a few feet away. Jason smiled down at Emma, a slight twist to his lips that did nothing to lighten the darkness in his eyes. Emma dropped her hand and quickly stepped away from him.
“Sorry about that.” He apologized. “We get just as passionate about politics as normal humans.”
Emma let her hand drop from his chest. “You have politics?” She asked.
“In a way.” Jason said vaguely. “But you said you saw three men torturing a man named Tyler?” He asked.
“A few nights ago.” Emma said. “I was leaving work when I heard something in the alley behind the buildings. They were asking him about a journal. He wouldn’t tell them where it was.”
“What happened then?” Jason asked.
“They started torturing him so I tried to stop them.” Emma began to explain but Jason interrupted.
“You tried to stop them?” He asked, shock written across his face. “Three dangerous men torturing a man you’ve never met and you tried to stop them?”
Emma blushed. “I know, it was stupid but I couldn’t just stand there while he was being hurt!”
Jason just stared at her, shock, awe, and horror shifting through his expression.
“I don’t know if you are brave, or just incredibly stupid.” He finally said.
A faint growl came from where Mark had stalked off to. He was standing with his back to them, arms crossed, annoyance pouring off him in waves. Emma sighed and shook her head, turning back to Jason.
“Anyways,” Emma said, continuing her story. “They tried to attack me but they couldn’t hurt me. Then Mark showed up and knocked me out.” Emma paused to glare at Mark’s back. “He fought them and they ran off, taking Tyler with them.”
“Why would they attack you?” Jason asked. “You’re just a girl, you’re not dangerous to them.”
“Because Tyler called her Alexandra.” Mark said, finally turning around. “Greco was there and he heard.”
The blood drained from Jason’s face and he stared at Mark in shock. “He’s going to be coming after her.” Jason said, looking at Emma.
Mark glared at him. “I know.”
“Wait, if they don’t have the journal yet then they are still going to be looking for it.” Jason said.
“And if they find it then we’re all screwed. I know.” Mark said impatiently.
“We have to get Tyler back.” Jason said.
“No,” Mark said bluntly. “That would be suicide. My job is to protect Emma, not try to take down Drake’s second hand man. What you have to do is call The Blade and get him to deal with this mess.”
“Drake who?” Emma asked. “And what do you mean it’s your job to protect me?”
Both of the boys ignored her as they continued their conversation.
“You won’t be able to protect her if Drake gets control of the artifacts.” Jason snapped. “They don’t know where the journal is yet. If we can rescue Tyler he can take us to the journal and we can make sure it gets delivered to the Enforcers.”
“First off, there is no way in hell I would do anything to help The Blade. And secondly, since you work for him why don’t you tell him what’s happening? I’m sure he would be very interested in getting involved.” Mark pointed out.
Jason clenched his teeth together in frustration but he didn’t say anything.
Mark looked at him curiously. “You do work for him…don’t you?” He prodded.
Jason’s face flushed red. “Of course I do!” He snapped. “I’m just…taking a break.”
“No one takes a break from the Enforcers.” Mark said with a laugh. “Not unless…” Mark’s eyes widened in shock. “You were kicked out, weren’t you?”
“Fine! If you won’t help me I’ll do it myself!” Jason snarled, turning and stalking off.
“Getting killed won’t accomplish anything!” Mark yelled at his back.
Emma let out an ear-piercing whistle. Jason froze where he was. Mark winced and rubbed his ears.
“Both of you need to stop arguing with each other. I have no idea what is going on but from what I can tell neither of you want Drake getting his hands on this journal. So for right now you are on the same side.” Emma said. Jason and Mark both grumbled and glared at each other. “Jason is right, we do need to rescue Tyler. But...” She said, holding up a hand to stop Mark’s protest. “Mark is also right, getting ourselves killed won’t help anyone. That’s why we are to do this the smart way.”
Jason grinned in amusement. “And what exactly is the smart way?” He asked.
Emma stared at him. “I have no idea.” She said, as if that should be obvious. “You two are going to have to play nice and figure it out. I think we should start out with finding out where they are keeping him though.” Emma said.
A few feet away still lying on the ground where
Mark had left her Loraine began to move, slowly waking up. Emma grinned. “And she’s going to tell us.”
CHAPTER TEN