The Heroes of The Elemental Academies Book 3 The Tides of War

Chapter 15 Hidden Dangers

Stratos Bannot

   It hadn't been long since Seth and Rylee had set out through the portal. A week maybe two had passed but He knew from experience they hadn't arrived at their destination yet. If it was just them traveling their it would have taken a day maybe two but with a whole battalion with them and the supplies to feed them it was going to take much longer to travel. Stratos made his way down one of the many side streets in the Academy city. Like any of the other streets it was paved and always lit. The blue-grey cobble stones were smooth with few uneven places. He made his way through the streets until he reached his home. He had to pack. It seemed he was being sent on a diplomatic mission to the Dwarven Capitol City of Dwarfmount. Well being sent was a strong phrase to use, they had how did Samson put it; politely asked him to go. He sighed almost to himself but he couldn't help smiling to himself. He had thought that they would keep him cooped up in the Academy City like a nuclear warhead kept in its silo. It had been quite some time since he had been to the City of Dwarfmount. He didn't have much to pack but he still got to work as soon as he walked into his small four bedroom home he had lived in for at least two hundred years. He willed a duffle bag to form and it did a hard thick fabric like the military used in the normal world, but completely out of light. He could summon his armor whenever he needed so it wasn't necessary to pack anything related to battle.

    He opened up his closet, reached in and pulled out his dress suit. An old attire with frills, a deep royal blue, gold coverlets on the shoulders and black etchings and designs on the chest area. He packed it as neatly as he could into his bag and began rummaging Through his closet for his pants that went with his suit. You would think that being so old and in such a position that he was sent on diplomatic missions that he would have learned some organization and cleanliness. But it was quite the opposite. He had found that ninety percent of all the time spent during the day was spent cleaning and organizing. It seemed a waste of valuable life to spent time in such a way. Not that he didn't try to be clean. He definitely did, cleaning was pretty easy with his abilities but he just found it a waste of time to be color coding his underwear when the fate of two worlds rested on his shoulder.
He zipped up his bag and picked it up to leave. He had been pretty distracted with his thoughts but he still felt the chill down his spine as every hair on his arms simultaneously stood at attention.
   

   He threw his bag to one side and he dove to the other. A blur of black passed by his head narrowly missing his throat. The projectile moved too quick even for his trained eyes to pick up. He rolled as soon as he landed willing his sword to appear almost as an afterthought. A brief flash of light and he was armed. He stayed crouched and scanned the room with his eyes looking in the dark corner especially for his assailant. But he didn't see anyone. He sent out a pulse through the air and earth shaking his house and shattering his and the nearest houses windows. Still nothing. In the Academies who could possibly escape his detection? He could feel everything including the approaching energy of three people who had felt his energy and responded.
   After a quick scan of the room he saw the projectile still imbedded in the floor of his room pulsating with an energy that felt both familiar and very, very foreign and bad. He reached toward it cautiously wrapping his hand in a light protective barrier that was skin tight and confined only to his hand and arm like a dish glove.

    Upon closer inspection he found the projectile was some type of arrow, small but obviously powerful and there were traces of two types of energy wrapped around the weapon. The head of the arrow was made from a blackish substance that didn't seem totally solid. Other than that he didn't recognize any of the elements that made up the weapon. However he wasn't permitted further inspection as a gust of wind blew open his door and Jack stepped through, his posture making it clear he was ready for a fight. When he saw him standing there calmly inspecting an arrow he visibly relaxed. Stratos gestured for Jack to come in before he handed over the arrow for Jack to inspect. As calm as Strat was trying to look, this was the first time in nearly a thousand years he had been so nervous. He hadn't even sensed the projectile coming and that wasn't because he let down his guard. He never did that, no. This was something different. He had been unable to sense it, It had been his instincts and six sense that had kept him from becoming a corpse on the floor.

   Stratos waited while Jack inspected the arrow quietly. He knew that Jack would come to the same conclusion. Outside he could feel the presence of Samson, Katie and Matt waiting for him to come out with answers. However at the moment he didn't have one. Jack looked up at him from the weapon. A cold glare had settled on his face. Perhaps even a tinge of worry.

   "The shooter?" Jack asked. Stratos raised his hands palms out to show he had nothing in them.

   "I couldn't even sense them," He answered after thought. He at first wasn't going to tell Jack that he had been unable to sense the shooter as well as the projectile. But if they had tried to take his life, there was a good chance that they, whoever they are, would come after Jack's life as well.

   "Any idea who they are?" Jack asked him quickly. He sighed as he went to his living room wall and leaned against it.

   "You know you're to serious, that's why you have a hard time with the ladies." Jack cocked his head and stared at him with a deadpan expression.

  "This is serious Stratos. Someone just tried to kill you!"
  "Yeah I know." Strat turned toward the door. There isn't any more I can do here right now, he thought to himself. It was about time he informed the others outside of what he did know. The only thing he knew for sure was that there was someone after his life, and that someone was possibly and agent in their Academy City.