The Quadrants

Chapter 13

Titus left him there.

He headed into the house, into the kitchen, where the microwave buzzed away and a pan filled with already cooked steaks sat cooling on the stove. The smell coming from it wafted around the room, warm and thick, making Titus's stomach rumble—he was starving. He felt like he could eat a cow. Snagging a small section of meat, he slung it into his mouth, then chewing, went over to collect up the water bottles he'd filled earlier and placed beside the sink. He was supposed to have packed them away in the bags already. If Dante saw the job left unfinished, he would no doubt thump him again. His father had been in a nastier mood than usual these past weeks, and Titus had no desire to cross him unnecessarily.

Managing to pick up all five bottles at once, he moved away from the counter, but before turning entirely, he noticed something strange. A drip of water began to fall from the faucet, but rather than just falling, it seemed to stretch down, almost like a drop of glue. Titus stopped still. Frowning, he leaned in to get a better look. He couldn't make out what it was. More and more of the liquid poured from the faucet then, and pooled in the sink as he watched, hypnotised. He took a step closer and shuffled the bottles into one arm, then with the other, he slowly reached out a finger to poke into the mysterious substance. As soon as Titus made contact with it, however, the clear fluid moved quickly. It ran along his finger, wrapping first around his hand and then around his wrist, and the remainder of it cascaded from the sink, down to the floor. The shape of a man rose out of the transparent pool and within seconds, it took on a solid form, one that still had Titus by the wrist.

Titus's eyes flew open wide.

The man was Aquis, the first he had ever seen, and he found himself transfixed. The stranger's hair was short and blond, and his green eyes stood out, flashing, even through the sneer plastered on his face. When Titus came to his senses, he stumbled backwards a few paces, trying to twist out of the man's grip. But with no time to react any further, he was taken by surprise when a knee landed in his stomach. He lurched forwards with a groan. A moment later, the Aquis man rushed at Titus and he was thrown backwards onto the dining table, sending water bottles and chairs flying. He slid across the surface of it and came down hard on the other side. Although he was winded, Titus managed to roll onto his front, lungs burning as he tried to take in shallow breaths. He was in the process of getting to his knees when a swift boot struck him in the chest before he could even look up, or think. Titus's head met with the edge of the table and he ended up sprawled beneath it, dazed.

At the other end of the room, Dante, followed by Aurelius, raced through the door. Dante stopped in his tracks at the sight of the man standing over the boy. He raised his palm quickly and set his brow low, as he concentrated on making a flame spring up on the intruder's clothing. It didn't progress very far though, because for a brief moment, the man turned himself to liquid, and the fire went out.

"Dante!" shrieked Aurelius when he saw the stranger raise his hand at his brother.

A jet of water shot out at Dante, propelling him several feet across the room. A moment later, Aurelius was struck too, extinguishing the fireball he had quickly conjured. Dante's back hit the wall, cracking the plaster, and Aurelius smashed against a window, shattering it; he only barely prevented himself from falling out.

Titus's heart was pounding. From where he still lay beneath the table, he could see that the Aquis man's attention was diverted. Immediately, he gathered himself up and quickly sprang out at his legs. Titus wrapped his arms around them, knocking the man off his feet. But no sooner had he hit the ground than the stranger once again turned to liquid, leaving Titus looking all around, slipping in a pool of water on his hands and knees.