Shadow’s Wrath (Demon Generals Book 1)

by Gia Tsiknas

  Humans cannot vanish into nothing. Machi’s lungs stung from the crisp morning air. She ground her teeth as she replayed Brizna’s kidnapping through her mind the hundredth time. There had to be clues; a trail to follow. But she found no new insights and as time passed, she knew he grew farther and farther away.

  Doors rattled open and shut as the first factory laborers left their homes for long work shifts. The gulls cackled and jeered as they stirred from their nests. Workers passed her without a second glance, ignoring the unfortunate individuals who often lined their streets. She stared into the growing mass of bodies.

  The Gray Demon.

  Machi’s jaw clenched. That was him. She knew it was him. And only one person knew where she would be tonight.

  Machi turned and strode deeper into the shadowed alleys.

  She stomped into the guildhall. Machi glanced at a corner of the large room filled with Fisherman cheering their games. Another table held Trackers sharing ale and swapping stories before settling her sites on the group of grim-faced Hunters near the bar.

  Steeling herself, she stalked up to the Hunters and waited. They held their heads bent together, whispering to themselves before one of the hooded men turned to her.

  “Come and fellowship, sister. I trust your Hunt proceeds well?”

  “I will not dine with a snake, Beyran.” Machi hissed. “You know how my Hunt fairs.”

  “Sister,” a hooded woman snapped. “We know you grow impatient, but restrain yourself.”

  Machi turned up to glare full into Beyran’s face, her eyes glowing and red. The woman’s breath caught as she saw. There was no turning back now.

  Beyran held her gaze, unfazed and Machi’s stomach dropped. He already knows.

  “The informant I was sent to meet, it was no Broker.” Machi’s eyes slid over the faces at the table. They flinched at her gaze, but did not look away. “It was the Gray Demon.”

  The woman hissed. “Speak not of unfounded rumors.”

  “I have met him before, Beyran.” Her gaze returned to the man. “He came, and he spirited away my Tracker.”

  “Well, good fortune then, sister.” Beyran held her gaze and smiled. “Your Hunt progresses. A pity your favorite Tracker came between you and your quarry.”

  “My question, Beyran, is why the Gray Demon came to a meeting you set up.”

  The Guild fell silent as Beyran stood from the table. He pulled his lips back in a smile that no longer looked warm and welcoming. “What are you trying to say, dear sister?”

  A shadowed Hunter drew from the wall, catching Machi’s eyes. A mask covered his face and golden eyes stared into hers. Machi’s anger kindled, and she turned. The Guild had frozen, wary eyes watching their exchange. Hunters did not fight amongst themselves. They were closer than blood. They were one.

  Not me. Machi stalked out of the hall. She would find no help here.

  ***

  As she entered the street her eyes scanned the busy town life. Her anger ebbed and panic started to set into her bones. If the guild wouldn’t help her, who would? Where would she even start? What if Brizna was already dead?

  A soft touch on her arm sent Machi lashing out with a dagger. She glimpsed a cloaked girl dancing away, laughing. The crowd ignored them.

  “Searching, searching but never finding. Running, running but never moving.” The child’s clear voice was a stab in Machi’s heart. The girl spun and dashed down a nearby alley, long chestnut hair billowing behind her like a cloud.

  “Wait!” Machi sprinted after the girl. Her lungs screamed and her limbs burned as she struggled to keep the girl in sight. The girl twirled and skipped ahead, her pale slender arms waving above her cloaked head, her laughter and easy breath a mockery of Machi’s struggle. The girl kept to the edges of her vision, drawing Machi down the winding alleys of the Black district. Almost pulling her along as the tall sullen boxes that were buildings transformed into the squat sheds of the Silver district’s shops.

  “Follow, follow, blood-stained wanderer, and arrive.” The girl danced down three more alleys, singing all the way before leaping into a road teeming with shoppers.

  Cursing, Machi tried to shoulder through the crowd but her energy gave way to the determined locals. The crowd pulled her along the route of large shops lining the street. Metal plated doors screeched as shop owners pulled them open for customers to view the assets. Bright colors and intricate metal fixings lined the walls trying to set the interior apart from the other gaudy-colored depots. An apprentice shouted and shoved her as she stumbled into his path. Machi crashed into a slate leaning outside a pink and blue painted garage. The elegant characters of southern script smeared as she slid across its surface. Machi struggled to get to her feet, but she had no strength.

  “Thought you weren’t of the party-kind.”

  Machi stared up at the person who had just spoken. The woman flicked her long braids over one shoulder. Gold wires interwove with the braids and drew elaborate designs on her head. She wore a cropped jacket with no sleeves, a tight skirt ending above her knee and short boots. She gestured to her clothes.

  “Like them? Found this new textile lad. Sweetheart wanted to show off his work. Promised him free advertising if he made my things.”

  “Shut up, Eri.” Machi’s voice cracked as she struggled to control her panic.

  “Two choices. Get lost or get inside. You’re disrupting business.” Erilia shrugged.

  Reality hit Machi like a sledgehammer and she struggled to breathe.

  I can’t find him. There’s too much ground; too many people.

  “He’s gone. He’s gone, Eri. I searched all night. He’s gone.”

  Eri helped Machi to sit. Her eyes narrowed as she took in Machi’s disheveled state. A small gathering of clients circled them. The soiled black garb of the Hunters Machi still wore was attracting a dangerous amount of attention. Erilia pulled Machi to her feet and dragged her inside as she continued to talk.

  “What? Brizna dump you for that priestess? Took his time, didn’t he?”

  “No! The Gray Demon! The Demon took Brizna away! He’s nowhere, Eri, he’s gone!” Machi screamed. Eri shoved Machi behind the door to her personal workroom and turned to glare at the gaping staff and clientele in her store.

  “One word! One whisper of this in the rumor-mill and I slit all your throats myself. Back to your day!” She slammed the door behind her and snarled. “You have a death wish? Showing up in Hunter garb screaming about the Gray Demon? You got better sense than that, girl.”

  Machi flinched and clenched her teeth.

  The guild could kill her for her actions today. She needed to calm down, to get information. She needed a Tracker. Machi’s heart seized and has closed her eyes. No, what she needed was an ally, a Broker who was trustworthy. She forced herself to take a deep breath and looked into Eri’s purple eyes.

  “Find him.”

  “Like you need to ask. He’s my god-son.”

  Machi nodded and sat onto the two-seater couch that lined the wall to the left of the door. Eri pulled a stool from behind a worktable and sat, crossing her legs.

  “Talk.”

  ***

  It was early evening before Machi could return to her room to pack. She felt centered and ready, repeating her plan in her mind. She marched to her dresser and emptied the drawers into her travel sack. The connections Erilia fostered as a Broker should narrow down the search. Machi ground her teeth as she finished packing. Erilia will dive deeper into the Market. She’ll find him if Brizna’s still in Den. I have to search the slave train that left this morning and report back.

  Machi took a deep breath and released it. Most likely he’ll be in the train and that’s that.

  Her worn pack was half-filled with ragged peasant garb and her small armory of weapons. She spared one last look around the simple room before walking to the hallway. Her thoughts strayed the girl from the alley, and her cryptic words.

  “What was she going on about?” Mach
i mumbled to herself.

  Pudgy hands grabbed her arm and yanked.

  “You, fox, no ren’, no room. Pay or leave.” Machi eyed the rotund innkeeper with disdain.

  “Touch me again, pig, and you lose your arm.” The man’s rolls quivered and his face paled. Machi turned to Brizna’s door. Coward.

  “T-The boy’s items will be pawned to pay the debt you owe. If you don’ pay by the morrow, I’ll have a Crusader here, see if I won’t.” The man barked, trying to rally his courage. Machi ignored the man’s ramblings and reached for the door. The man seized her arm.

  Machi spun, grasped a hidden dagger, and stabbed the man’s throat. The innkeeper fell to the ground with a thud as Machi pulled her dagger away. She sneered at the corpse. Grey folk knew better than to manhandle a Hunter of the Black Guild. They were an entity shielded by the Don, along with anyone else related to the guild.

  Lifeblood seeped through the cracks of the wooden floorboards. Machi’s eyes glowed as she watched the crimson drops fall from her dagger. This felt different. A cry for more blood; more death, filled her being. She fingered the edge of the blade. A whisper tickled the back of her mind, pulling her gaze away to the hallway.

  Machi frowned as the shadow of a large, horned cat stepped forward into the light. Its black face was a striking contrast to the golden eyes following Machi’s movements. As she met the beast’s intelligent eyes the whispers grew louder and she could make out honeyed words of murder and death. She felt both tense and at ease in the cat’s presence, as if she was with an old friend. Or was it an old enemy? Her vengeance flared to life once again. The beast’s purr echoed the hallway as it circled Machi. She couldn’t look away. She couldn’t bring herself to fear the graceful creature, despite its sudden and odd appearance. Machi’s mind grew foggy and her eyesight sharpened. Her heart and breath sped up. All the while the beast held her gaze.

  “How did you get here?” The beast circled her, then sauntered downstairs almost as if it dared Machi to follow. Machi blinked as the beast left her sight. What was…

  She clenched her teeth and pushed through the door into Brizna’s room. There was no time. Every moment she wasted was one step closer to losing Brizna’s trail. Machi blinked as her eyes swept the room. It was spotless save for two small packs near the door. Her breath grew ragged. Her thoughts turned to Brizna’s arguments, his distance to her since his encounter with the priest. Denial melted away, threatening to consume her in grief. She fought tears that threatened to be her undoing. He would leave.

  Machi glimpsed a small satchel on the dresser. She picked it up, opened it, and upended the bag. A beautiful silver ring with a flawless ice-blue stone fell onto her palm along with a piece of paper. She recognized the ring, remembered the way Brizna kept it on a chain about his neck, toying with it whenever he thought. He had mentioned it was his mothers, but beyond that refused to comment. The note addressed to her was in Brizna’s practiced handwriting. Machi stared at the paper. Torn between reading it or throwing it away.

  Later. She shoved the note in her pocket and slipped the ring on her finger for safe keeping. The stone felt heavy

  Crack!

  Machi stiffened, a shiver raced down her spine. She needed to leave. Now.

  She stuffed Brizna’s meager sacks into her travel bag and threw it over her shoulder. She left the door open and leapt over the innkeeper’s cooling body. A few quick strides took her to the top of the stairs, and she paused.

  The inn was popular and in a good area, so travelers and citizens alike frequented the inn to swap local gossip. It was a two-story establishment with the bottom floor made up of a common-room and the kitchen with the second floor dedicated to a myriad of small rooms. The cheap wood was poor insulation to the constant roar of patrons below demanding food and mead. Some nights the bustle of the place was so loud Machi couldn’t sleep. But now…

  The inn was silent.

  Machi drew her knife and descended.

  As she stepped from the stairwell into the common-room she froze. Corpses littered the floor or draped over broken furniture. Chair legs impaled some bodies, while others lay in the hearth, clothes burnt, the fire licking cold skin. Streaks of blood littered the ceiling and walls in chaotic patterns.

  Machi’s swallowed hard. What happened to them all?

  Machi gripped the knife tighter as she stepped forward.

  “They succumbed to their innermost desire.” Machi spun to the voice, dropping her baggage and crouching into a fighting stance. A man stood in the center of the room. A voice whispered into Machi’s mind as she stared at him. “But they were nothing more than prey.”

  Machi’s eyes narrowed as she took in his features. He was lithe, almost graceful with wiry muscles and midnight skin. His hair glistened mahogany in the firelight and framed the horned mask he wore. His clothes were the typical southern-style; a beaded vest and flowing pants held in place with an ornate belt.

  “Did you do this?” Machi tensed as the man stepped toward her, arms sweeping to gesture at the room in its entirety. His smile showed no joy, just feral hunger.

  “What do you think, huntress?” His piercing eyes gazing straight through her.

  “I-I do not know.”

  “I have come to aid you.” The man stepped forward again.

  Golden eyes looked deep into hers from behind the mask. “You were at the Guild.”

  The man’s smile grew larger. “You may call me, Hanaq.”

  Machi blinked, a cool wind whipped through the room, quieting her. “I don’t need help.”

  “As you didn’t need help when that boy was taken?” The man tilted his head. Machi’s voice stuck in her throat and Hanaq continued. “I do not come to stop you, huntress, only aid your search for the boy.”

  Machi blinked. What was she doing? Brizna was getting further away.

  Besides, Machi remembered the cloak Hanaq wore in the guildhall, marking him as a fellow Hunter. No Hunter can harm another.

  She glanced at the carnage around her and coughed, covering her mouth. Smoke was spreading from the hearth.

  “Suit yourself, brother.” Machi hurried into the night.

  The harsh clang of the bells stirred the surrounding citizens. Many raced to their wells for water, then sprinted to the smoking building of the inn. As the seconds rolled by more came. Most carried water, but some gathered to watch the flames as if it were a spectacle. Machi sprinted to the stables, taking advantage of the distraction.

  The first tongues of flame showed through the windows as Machi saddled a horse and stowed her packs into the saddlebags. Hanaq pulled a black stallion from another stall, mounted and ready for travel. Had he been waiting for her?

  They had to push their way through the growing crowd and reach the road before they could take to the saddle. Once mounted Machi turned her horse east and spurred to a gallop, not bothering to see if Hanaq kept pace.

  CHAPTER THREE

  CARAVAN

  They spent the better part of the night riding the main road through heavy rain before stopping to camp. They found a sheltered knoll away from the river bank to rest. The meal was cold rations, as the forest was too soaked with spring rains to be useful in a fire. Machi was restless, tormented by her memories, Brizna’s disappearance, and the Gray Demon’s laughter. Hanaq offered to keep watch as she rested, but she refused.

  Once the light was strong enough, they packed camp and left. Machi tracked the slave train. Not a hard task with the ruts of wagons ankle-deep after heavy rains, but frustrating as the storm slowed their progress. After the better part of the afternoon Machi clung to the branches of a sturdy cedar and surveyed the slave train. It wound before her like a black snake inching through the hills of the Southern Lea. The sun broke through the gray wall of clouds to shed light across the horizon. It was a welcome respite to the endless rainy season. Twice the slave train had to stop and force its products to clear the roads of sudden mud slides or build sloops to cross swollen rivers.

/>   Machi watched the train slow to a halt once again, this time to clear the road of fallen trees and debris. The guard was manned with Tanners willing to brave the roads. Most travelers bedded down through the heart of the rainy season. The slaves finished moving the debris and once again the train resumed its mad journey. Machi shook her head and descended back to the forest floor. Hanaq stood to the side of the tree to shelter their animals, ever vigilant as they pursued their target. He handed Machi the reins of her horse and she started walking north.

  “Huntress, the guard is sparse, shall we overtake them on the road?”

  Machi’s jaw clenched. “There are enough Poachers and Tanners to kill the slaves should they feel threatened. We can’t risk it. The trail doubles back on itself before crossing the river. At their current pace it will be nightfall by the time they reach it. They will bed down for the night rather the try to cross with no light. We will raid them tonight when they are at their most vulnerable.”

  “As you wish, huntress.”

  Machi turned from the road, cutting a path through the dense brush that ringed the forest. Once they entered the trees, the footing would improve but until then Machi clung to the horse’s reins as she navigated the brush. When they cleared the underbrush Machi checked the horse’s legs as Hanaq watched in agitation at another halt. Machi tried to stem her own desperation to forge ahead, heedless of risk for the animals. She wanted to leave the dumb beast, but if Brizna was in the caravan, he might be in no shape to run. The horses would help their escape even if it took twice as long to walk through the forest.

  With a sigh Machi nodded to Hanaq and continued. The trees grew dense, blocking out the scant light, but Machi could still make out the scenery, pulling the cursed blind beast. She glanced toward Hanaq and was surprised at the ease he navigated the trees. He ghosted through the forest on her heels as nimbly as a deer. Machi felt a familiar surge of blood-lust as she caught Hanaq’s eye and forced herself to focus on her own footing.