Hey, readers! Get ready to see your favorite villain!
After dropping off the little monk back at the Xiaolin Temple, Jack and Anastasia ventured far above the Andes Mountains, circling the huge, green and brown mass below. Billows of white smoke layered the atmosphere, brushing against the sides of the copter.
Jack veered the aviator over high mountains and slabs of smoldering earth, explaining, "Chase Young's place is always easiest to spot in the night because the sulfur illuminates the dust particles and the molten rock. It's a really smart move. Ojos del Salado's almost thirty thousand feet high and no human has been able to scale the volcano past twenty thousand feet. Chase planned it pretty well."
"He's a very smart man," Anastasia replied absentmindedly, fanning herself. Flying above the world's largest volcano proved to be the most taxing, sweat-making experience.
In all honesty, the young woman was uncomfortable with the idea of meeting the warlord. She hadn't been trained properly! She only knew simple spells and basic telekinesis. True, she had a cursed arm tattoo now that could be summoned by a simple tear shedding but Anastasia barely had control of that! She was no warrior, not like the Xiaolin Dragons or even Jack. She was in danger and no one else seemed to consider it.
Suddenly, a black peak appeared in the distance, and Anastasia gasped in astonishment. The mouth of the peak was surrounded by hardened magma, flames, and black smoke. The mountain's face looked like the visage of a nightmarish creature twisted out of spite. The girl had goose bumps crawling up and down her limbs.
"Huh," Jack commented. "The lights are on. So maybe Chase is OK after all."
His cousin cleared her throat nervously, offering, "So perhaps we should leave?"
Snorting Jack replied, "What?! No way! I haven't seen this jerk in years. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him. We better just hope he's in a good mood."
Anastasia mulled it over. "And what about Shadow?" She asked.
Jack started the descent. "Don't worry about her; she's still Chase's minion and any minion of his is usually obedient. Look, if you don't want to come in then don't. Stay here until I come back." he retorted.
The word "usually" settled uneasily in her stomach. Thankfully, he was letting her stay within the safe confines of the copter, with the air conditioning. He'd just be in and out and soon they'd be on their way.
When the copter touched the ground jutting out of the volcano's side, Jack explained quickly, "OK, don't play with anything while I'm gone."
Rolling her eyes, Anastasia replied, "I know, Jack."
The albino left with a smile and a nod in her direction before trotting towards the entrance and rapped his fist against it. Anastasia watched curiously thinking, did he really just knock on the door of one of the most powerful beings in the world without a hint of fear? Their history must be quite intimate, then.
She was knocked off of her feet as the volcano rumbled and shook. Panicking, Anastasia pounded her fist on the windshield and screeched, "Eruption!"
Jack's face looked equally distressed, but he made a cutting motion in front of his throat with his hand. The cursed one pouted and realized that he wanted her to shut up and hide.
With her kneeling behind the control panel, the red head watched the rock slowly ascend into the mountain; where light spilled out and illuminated Jack's figure. He was being invited inside! The genius started to go in, but he then stopped in his tracks, as though he were being questioned. Anastasia started chewing her lip as Jack looked over in her direction and waved an arm haphazardly.
Anastasia felt her heart free fall into her gut. This was it.
She was going to face him.
After climbing out of the copter, the albino cautiously made her way to where her cousin stood, now equally bathed in light. She could see the outline of a figure on the other side, looming over her menacingly.
"Jack?" She whispered, frightened.
The Goth shushed her gently and turned to face the figures, saying, "This is my cousin."
An inhuman growl replied, and the figures suddenly crouched, ready to pounce.
Jack put his gloved hands out. "No! No! I-it's fine, she isn't that cousin." He laughed nervously, "She's not Meghan. This is Anastasia Petre. She's my cousin on my mom's side. She was raised in Moscow. She's not a threat whatsoever."
Even though her life was somewhat at stake, Anastasia pouted. Well, she'd hoped she'd seem a little threatening to the enemy...no matter how friendly Jack seemed to be with him.
The guards pulled away from the entrance and allowed passage to the cousins. Anastasia reluctantly followed Jack into the light, hoping she wouldn't plummet head first into the belly of the volcano. When the light faded, though, she was pleasantly surprised. All around her were glittering crystals and stained glass and waterfalls as wide and tall as the eye could see. Luscious foliage lined said falls and well kempt vines spread around the stone walls and corridors, which themselves reminded Anastasia of the circular structure of the Roman Coliseum. The air was cool and moist. The scent of lilacs filled the air.
The sound of birds chirping and the rapids splashing into the fountains provided such a soothing auditory touch that Anastasia couldn't believe that she still inside a volcano.
Jack leaned over and muttered, "See? Isn't it worth seeing for yourself?"
Anastasia nodded. "Absolutely-"
A low grumble sounded behind her and she spun around to face a dark skinned woman wearing an orange and red sari around her lower half, as well as a pair of large gold hoops through her stretched ears. A thin hoop of somewhat smaller size pierced through the woman's left nostril. Her chest was covered only by a beige binder circling her from the tops of her breasts until her bottom ribs. Her hair was parted tightly down the middle, only to spill onto her shoulders in a thick, elaborate braid. Her feet were bare, and also the biggest pair of feet Anastasia had ever seen. Dozens of gold bangles adorned her wrists. The woman's silver eyes glowed unnaturally, slanted to the extent that they resembled a feline's eyes instead. They were brimming with mistrust. Her thick lips were parted only slightly, but the albino could see the tips of very white, very sharp teeth just waiting to sink into her flesh.
Stepping in, Jack waved at the woman and exclaimed, "Hey, Priya! I thought it was you! Shit, how long has it been? Like, what, six years? The years have been very kind to you."
Without moving her lips, the guard projected her response in a layered, dual-gendered voice, "I was given immortality. I do not age."
Anastasia's jaw dropped to her feet. "How do you do that?" She asked, completely awe-stricken.
Priya's menacing glare shifted to hers, and she responded coolly, "I was granted the ability to utilize both sets of vocal chords after I became a champion of my Master."
"Among other things you are able to use," a sudden voice added, prompting Anastasia and Jack to turn their heads.
Chase Young was, by no exception, the most flawless man the young woman had ever seen. It wasn't to say that she was attracted to him, but Anastasia could find no physical fault in him. He possessed a flowing mane of black locks, tinted green-possibly from dye or the lighting overhead. His face was carved from pure ivory, chiseled just right at the nose, brow, cheekbones and chin, while still smoothing over shaved cheeks and thin, smirking lips. His eyes, like Priya's, were slanted and glowing, like topaz being suspended through a ray of sunshine. His ears were pointy and closer to his jawline than human ears ought to be. His average height was masked by the flattering bronze and black armor he wore.
The albino could place the scent of tea, musk and sweat on the warlord. She could tell from his posture that he was proud, exuding over-confidence and bravado on all those around him. He wasn't so scary.
"C.Y., you son of a bitch!" Jack exclaimed, obviously sugar coating his excitement. He flung his arms around the warrior, saying, "It's been years, you old lizard! Why didn't you ever visit like you used to?"
The look of despair and annoyance was clearly written all over Chase's face, and even his stiff body language testified to his great dislike for Jack touching him. "Ah, Spicer, I was about to ask you the same question," he droned.
Pulling away, the boy genius grinned and replied, "Lovin' the sarcasm, Chase, really. Well! It was nice seein' you, old buddy. Maybe we should hang out some time, you know, drink some tea or whatever you wacky dragons like to do."
Jack started to face the door with an exaggerated spring in his step when Chase yanked him back by the scruff of his collar and brought the albino's face close to his. "Jack, would you be so kind as to explain why you attempted to shield this young woman from me?"
Eyes widening, Anastasia took an instinctive step back, only to have Priya curl her fingers around her upper arms. This is it, she thought. I'm going to die here.
The ancient warrior popped a thick eyebrow at her, or more specifically, her arm. Then he glanced back at Jack, whom he had suspended a good six inches above the ground. "Priya has informed me that she is your relative. Maternal side, I presume?"
Quickly, Anastasia nodded. Jack shrugged with a plastered smile, "Yeah, it's a good thing she's not Meghan, right? Meghan was a tough little bitch, wasn't she?"
Anastasia was puzzled and somewhat amused to see Chase's expression change subtly, as though he concurred with Jack. "Yes, and while your cousin Meghan was indeed a 'tough little bitch', I can only assume that this one is of no immediate threat," he replied, "but you still haven't answered my question. Why did you bring her here and then hide her if you just wanted to say 'hello'?"
Before Jack could spew something embarrassing, the young woman took the initiative, "Well, no one in their right mind would willingly walk into a volcano inhabited by a secluded draconian warlord and his familiars."
Priya's sharpened nails dug deeper into her skin, but Anastasia didn't regret what she said. Chase stared at her, as if bewildered that she could even speak.
"I see," he uttered a moment later. "You aren't very skilled at making first impressions, Miss Petre. I genuinely hope for your sake that when you encounter your real enemy, you speak with more respect. Just not like this one," he released Jack from his death grip and added, "There is only so much idolization a man can endure."
"According to Jack, you aren't a man at all. In fact, you have no soul," Anastasia replied without thinking.
Her cousin's jaw dropped to the spotless marble floor and he muttered, "Do you have a death wish, Anna?"
"Yes, do you have a death wish?" Priya's voice echoed.
Chase Young waved a large hand and suddenly, Anastasia was free. She watched as Priya sidled up to her master, morphing into a sleek black jaguar with a crackle of magic. The warlord scratched the big cat's head momentarily before she stalked away. Anastasia tried to stand her ground while Chase glared at herm but now she was starting to realize why people were truly afraid of Chase Young. His eyes. They were formidable, intimidating, and thoroughly condescending.
Abruptly, a dark chuckle ripped itself from Chase's broad chest and he crossed his arms behind his back, saying, "Arrogance seems to run in the family, eh, Jack?"
Lanky fingers clapped Anastasia's back, "Yeah, but this one's on a whole other level of arrogance, let me tell you-"
The young woman ducked out of Jack's touch and grumbled, "While you two swap masculine tales loaded with inflated egos and high levels of testosterone, there is a maniacal bean out there potentially causing mass destruction!"
Chase's eyes widened, his pupils constricting to slivers. His posture tensed and he bared his canines. "You saw him as well?" He asked her.
She nodded, this time deeply interested in the warrior's behavior. Chase rubbed his chin deftly, before glowering at Jack and inquiring, "Were you with her when this transpired?"
Jack shrugged, "Yeah, we saw that motherfucker when we were doing a stakeout with the monks. He had the Kuzusu Atom in his possession; we came here thinking he took it from you."
"I see," Chase replied absent-mindedly. Anastasia could tell something was bugging the man, something itching him in a place he couldn't scratch. He must have been spooked by Hannibal's reappearance. And the way he asked her, it was like he had in fact seen Hannibal but chose to ignore his presence.
She crossed her arms over her chest and demanded, "What did you mean, 'as well'? You knew he'd resurfaced?"
Chase Young exhaled deeply and explained, "Hannibal Roy Bean is my eternal enemy; it is imperative that I track his every movement to the best of my abilities. So yes, I did notice that he'd returned but I was not about to be bothered by it. Not until Shadow disappeared."
"Wait, Shadow's gone?" Jack gasped.
"Twelve weeks so far, the same length of time in which Hannibal has been about," the Chinese man replied somewhat solemnly. "However, I am unsure how that Bean retrieved one of my Shen Gong Wu without my knowledge. If he was anywhere near them, I would have sensed it immediately."
Anastasia and Jack exchanged confused glances.
The Goth scratched his neck and muttered, "We...don't know anything about your missing minions, honestly though we're just upset about Hannibal."
"Yes, well, I believe Hannibal is directly connected to her disappearance," Chase vindicated in an irritated tone.
Priya's jaguar form reappeared from the corridor, her voice projecting outwards for all to hear, "Master, you are needed in the eastern study."
Chase nodded before waving her away. He focused on the cousins and proclaimed, "I will bear down on Hannibal Bean with every ounce of strength I possess. But first, I must know what he plans to do with Shadow," he smirked at Jack, "Are you interested in a reconnaissance mission, Spicer?"
Jack glanced quickly at Anastasia before inhaling sharply, as though he was getting ready to let Chase down. But no, this was what Anastasia needed-to carry out a mission all for finding out more information linked to Hannibal Bean and Shadow! For once, she was getting a step ahead!
"We'll do it," she voiced, grinning confidently.
With a pleased smirk, the ancient warlord turned his back to them and said, "We leave tomorrow evening. By then I will have tracked Hannibal's moves accordingly. Now leave me to my work."
As soon as he disappeared from view, a pair of lions emerged from either side of the room and advanced on them slowly. Jack pulled the girl by her arm out of the citadel and grumbled, "I can't believe you signed us up for a reconnaissance mission with Chase freaking Young. You know what that means?"
"I know the stakes, Jack," Anastasia justified. "But now I have a chance to do things my way on the field. Mother will be so proud of me."
"Speaking of mothers, we should probably go back to mine," Jack replied, checking his wristwatch.
As the duo climbed into the copter, the witch-in-training could barely contain her excitement. It was the first time in months that she felt truly confident, and may Hannibal Roy Bean annihilate her if she was going to let Chase Young or Shadow take that away.
Author's Note: Hey guys! So what do you think? I decided to raise the stakes a little with every chapter, keep the momentum going. I have to say, I love how this story is coming out. I hope you do, too! Review!