CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The afternoon sun hung unusually low upon the sky casting a dim light that faded as the bright blue sky became clouded with a flat slate grey. A fierce thunderstorm promised to grace the city and state of Rio de Janeiro with its presence as the afternoon continued to stretch onwards. Lightning flashed upon the horizon, illuminating the tear-stained eyes of Luciano. As the rain started to fall, growing heavier with each passing second, he bowed his head and closed his eyes as he finished placing the last clump of dirt down upon the freshly dug grave which would serve as the final resting place for his wife, Maria. His heart pounded within his chest as he drowned within his despair. His beak trembled as he paid his final respects to the woman who had changed his life.
"Ever since I met you, you have done everything to make me into a better creature. I was pure evil and held no sanctity towards anyone's life other than my own. For that I thank you. I thank you for making me into something I never could be on my own. Sleep well, Maria, I hope that you find happiness in the next world. I will make you proud when I come and join you once more."
A cold vicious cackle erupted through the air drawing Luciano's attention away from the grave. His eyes widened as he rose back up to his full height and turned to see Marco standing at the edge of the small clearing. At first, he smiled, raising his wings in earnest welcome.
"Marco, I'm so happy to see you. It is such a wonderful surprise." He stopped and peered around the clearing for a second. "Where are Rico and Adriana? Did they find you okay? I hope you aren't being too hard on them. They are only children after all."
The hawk's eyes glistened with all the vengeful fury of a demonic entity who had just escaped from the clutches deep within the bowels of Hell. His beak twisted into a vicious smile as he spotted the gravestone.
"Well… well… well… I see that your precious wife has finally died, eh?" he began, lowering his voice so that it rang out as nothing more than a cruel, calculating hiss. "I will say that it certainly took her long enough. Don't worry though, father… or should I refer to you by your real title, The Storm King? It does not matter what I call you though. You will be joining your wife sooner than you ever could have imagined. Are you ready to die a second time?"
Staring in disbelief, Luciano raised his wings to his head. A sharp stabbing pain surged through his brain. Even though he could recall all the loving memories of his son, he could make out much darker images. He could remember the exact details of the Hawk slamming down upon his neck, tightening his talons as he began to choke the life out of him as he slept. He remembered the pain of his talons sinking into his flesh which only drew deeper as he slowly died. He could not fight back and had been completely taken by surprise. His beak dropped as another memory flooded into mind. He remembered being within the cold darkness of his grave. He remembered a dark-robed female standing over him. He remembered her voice and the words said to him. At first, it all seemed hazy, but it quickly smoldered into a cold reality.
"Awaken, Storm King, awake! Awaken Storm King awaken. Your job is not done yet. Awaken Storm King awaken. I grant you life once again."
Luciano cringed as he turned away and closed his eyes. He remembered exactly what happened next. A bright purple light engulfed him. Within seconds he started to breathe and twitch as he reverted to life. The female who stood over him cut a wicked smile as she stared into his eyes.
"Awaken, Storm King, awaken. I have a job that needs to be done. If you serve me the rewards will be greater than anything you could possibly imagine."
Her voice fell flat and monotone as she proceeded with her brainwashing. "Listen to my voice, listen, you are no longer The Storm King. You are the greatest thief the world has ever known. Go south and start a family, your son will play a part in things to come. Go and carry out your destiny."
Luciano's eyes shot open as the truth sank into his heart. This strange, robed female had revived him after his own son had killed him in a cold, calculated, and vicious murder but even worse, she had done something to his mind so he would not remember when Marco worked his way back into his life once more. He would not even know to question these false memories while the Hawk tightened his grip and awaited his time to strike. His beak dropped as an even colder reality crept into his mind.
"It was you," he gasped, "You killed Maria."
Marco shrugged his wings and let his cruel smile widen. "Well, it certainly took you long enough to figure that out. For a smart bird, you sure are stupid. For a warlord of your reputation, you certainly are not familiar with the rules of our little game. You kept drawing me closer and revealing more and more about your personal life and your weaknesses and never once could you put together what I was up too. I suppose though that those fake memories that my dear old sister implanted in your mind hold credit for that one, eh? I will also admit though that the poison I infected into her system sure was slow-acting stuff. I thought for sure she would have died overnight not over an extended period. It sure was inconvenient to watch her waste away into nothing, never knowing when she would die and holding onto hope that it would be at any second. If it had been up to me, I would have done things, a little more quickly but hey, we all have our orders and I have always been good at being an assassin."
The Hawk chieftain's eyes narrowed as his temper gradually began to grow. The pounding of the rain pummeled against his body however he felt none of it, instead, he focused entirely upon the Hawk and traitor who stood before him.
"You cold-blooded murderer, it was you!" Luciano screamed at the top of his lungs. Charging forward with all the speed he could manage. He swung his wing out striking Marco in the face with his wing and watched as the Hawk stumbled backwards a few paces. The flab of skin around the hawk's beak trembled and vibrated beneath the forceful impact however Marco did not seem to be relatively affected any other way. The cruel murderous Hawk's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits of pure anger as he focused upon his father and cracked a wicked smile.
"Do you really believe that you can defeat me so easily?" he asked, "Fool, you're not the only one who has been revived from the grave. However, I managed to come back with a few extra gifts than anything you could imagine. I have the powers of darkness on my side, and it has formed upon my wing in a single mark."
He raised his wing and revealed the bright purple mark which glowed like wildfire. It surged down his veins, illuminating the blood vessels and tendons which empowered his strength tenfold. His smile continued to widen as he enjoyed his father's confusion.
"I now hold the Shadow Mark of Power; it is my destiny to rule the whole country of Brazil with an iron fist and usher in a New World Order. But first I have a little score to settle. You see, I don't like it when someone that I have killed once manages to cheat death and come back. I also don't like how you could quite possibly be a thorn in my side. I'm afraid you are going to have to die. But hey, at least you'll be joining your precious wife."
Marco unleashed a cold cruel laugh as he swung his wing forward and returning the vicious blow inflicted by his father mere seconds before. Luciano flew backwards and landed upon his back. The Chieftain groaned as his back slid against the ground. Sharp sticks and jagged rocks tore into his flesh, drawing blood and weakening his spinal structure. His beak curled as he struggled back up onto his own two feet. He glared at his son who raised his wings and prepared to strike once more.
"Marco… please… don't do this," he urged, "Please, I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have too. That last shot was only a warning, I can much more damage than you could possibly imagine. Don't let it come to that."
"Oh, Dad, you have all wrong," Marco grinned. "Seeing you at your full power is exactly what intrigues me. Last time I smothered you in your sleep, now I want to see what you can do!"
Marco sped forward and struck his father once more with a vicious blow from his wing. As Luciano slid against the ground, he raised his wing and slammed a small round object upon the ground. In a flash of blinding light, Luciano vanished from sight leaving Marco alone. The hawk's eyes narrowed as he realized what had happened, his beak curled as he could not contain his enjoyment.
"Yes," he cackled, "Run away as fast as you can, you should ask any rat catcher. The chase is part of the fun."
#
Marco mumbled to himself as he peered up at the trees hiding the hollows of the birds he had known for so long. His dark eyes burned out as he began to go over the course of his plan in the back of his mind. Phase one had been a success, Luciano now remembered exactly who he was, just as Sabrina had intended. The Chieftain now knew he was looking for a fight and in a stunning display of his weakness had retreated to save himself. His eyes glistened as his smile widened with sheer delight. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he would score a victory over his victims this day. However, there still existed the tiniest bit of risk. What if Luciano had decided to take Rico and run for their lives? What if the rest of the grotto learned of his betrayal? So many things could go wrong, and he could not have that. With only one shot, he needed the next encounter to go flawlessly. He needed a foolproof scheme, one that could not possibly fail.
"The next time we meet, he will die." He growled, clenching his wing tight into a fist. "Whether he shows me his true strength or not, Luciano will die."
His eyes drifted back to Amber who stood behind him. "Listen to me, none of you are to make a move. You will wait here and block off any escape my father or Rico will attempt to pull off. However, you are to kill neither of them, I want that pleasure personally."
Shifting his attention towards Roger, he continued. "Roger, head to a place called Blood Gurt Fortress. Tell its lord that the time to collect his slave has come."
Roger did not take the time to nod. Instead, he bowed his head and spread his wings before taking to the sky. Marco chuckled as he watched them become two small specks upon a stormy afternoon sky then disappear soon after. He folded his wings and forced a smile. Soon his plan would come to pass, and he would be one step closer to achieving the power he was promised so long ago.
"Today will be the final day in all of this. Rico had better enjoy his last day of freedom because tomorrow a brand-new era shall begin… one of captivity… and he will never again taste the joys of being a free bird."
His eyes glistened as he turned back to Amber. "Go and gather some food, in celebration of our victory."
Amber nodded and spread her wings. She took to the sky without saying a word.