Draven Hawke

CHAPTER ONE

          Down the over crowded dirt paths of 18th century England, passed the grime and filth rotting on the steps of the poor, was the mansion of a statesman. Below the mansion's white wood and salmon upholstered curtains was a chamber, a chamber that held the secrets of Johem Hawke.

          Blood dripped from Johem's torso, skimming the stone altar his body laid across, landing on the red dirt floor. The flow was putrid, muddled by infection, not even the wealthiest could undo.

          "Curse this weakness. I am not ready to die, Isaac. I have not yet lived," Johem said while grasping his festered skin.

          "Perhaps there is something more I can do," Isaac answered, looking down.

          "Why do you stand there like a fool, then? Go, now!" Johem screamed, his eyes bulging. His thoughts were with his daughter, who would be alone in the world if he were to die. She was, perhaps, his only reason left to live. The girl, Emily, had lost her mother to night-walkers just months prior.

          "As you wish, sir, but, how much are you willing to sacrifice?" Isaac asked, looking up through his thick white brow.

          "Whatever deemed necessary, Isaac. I will deal with the results as they come," Johem said.

           "I will have to research then. I shall return this evening."

          "And you shall have a cure," Johem threatened.

          "I help you because I remember who you once were, Johem. Not because of the threats coming from the pile of flesh that lay helpless on that ghastly altar. An altar that serves your disturbing need for power and control. I have no part in what you have become, never forget that. Never overlook that Emily clung to my jacket, begging that I save her father." With those words, Isaac turned and exited the heated chamber. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat at the top of the stairs.

          The dilemma was never finding a cure, as he led Johem to believe, because the alchemist already had one. What he did not have, was faith. His friend had turned into a monster when he lost his wife, growing more hideous with each passing day. The cure would only give Johem more power, accentuating his character.

          "Did you save my daddy?" Emily asked, climbing into Isaac's lap. Her brown eyes were deep and curious like her father's. Her hair, however, was not his dark brown, but like her mother's golden curls.

          "Not yet, Emily, but I will," Isaac promised, "I will."

          "Does he still love me?" Emily looked up through her lashes as her brows pulled down in worry. The question took Isaac by surprise. The thought was profound for a child. Not even she, his offspring, could be oblivious to his changes or the darkness he had become.

          "I believe he does," Isaac vowed, touching the child's round nose with his finger tip. "He wants to be here for you." The girl's wide eyes, so filled with sadness, made Isaac's final decision. He lifted the child off his lap and walked to a closet to retrieve his briefcase.

          "Go upstairs, Emily. Play with your toys. Try not to listen to what your father and I are discussing." As the child climbed the stairs, Isaac took a deep breath, and then he went to Johem.

          "Back so soon?" Johem coughed, more blood poured from his dried lips. 

          "Enough with the pleasantries, Johem, let's attend to business. You wish to be cured. You wish to see Emily through adulthood. I do not have a medicinal cure for you..."

          "Do. Not. Waste. My. Time..." Johem shouted, cutting Isaac off.

          "No, you do not waste mine. Shut your mouth and listen. I am going to cut you open and insert this crystal into your chest." Isaac smiled. He was enjoying the horror in Johem's eyes. "The crystal," Isaac continued, "is infused with special elements.  Once I have stitched your wound, you will begin to heal. If everything goes as intended, you will become immortal. You will need to know what is required for your optimum health. Yttrium, barium carbon, copper, silver, gold, and cesium amalgamation will be a weekly requirements. If you go through with this, I can go over the rest once you're recuperated. Do you wish to see this through?"

          "I'm not sure why you haven't done it yet," Johem growled.

          Isaac twirled the knife in his hand before he plunged it into Johem's chest. As he shoved the crystal in, ignoring Johem's screams, he continued talking.

          "The crystal will release the elements, and they will attach themselves to your heart. Once the process is complete, your heart will no longer beat. There will be a different elemental life force keeping you alive. Do you understand?"

          "What do you take me for?" Johem cringed, sucking in a lung full of air.

          "I'm going to stitch the wound now," Isaac said, ignoring his friend's remarks. He did not know what to expect once the procedure was complete, so he took a deep breath as he knotted the last suture.

          "I feel the same, Isaac, except I am in more pain. What have you done to me?" 

          "Give it time, friend. And, might I suggest that we start this process by changing your name to Draven. It suits you."

          "Why am I changing my name?" Johem panted. He was beginning to feel a power surge through his veins. He watched as the flesh wound on his chest turned to a long, pink scar right before his eyes.

          "Because, Draven, you must take your child and run. There should not be any trace of your existence."

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