by C C Sommerly
3
Lochlan walked into the house with his arm around Sterling, partially holding him up. Sterling’s shoulders drooped and lines of fatigue were etched around his face. And his face told me about his failure more than his words could. My father was still out there.
A sound from outside cut through the air, distracting me from Sterling’s condition.
“What’s that noise?” I asked, wincing at the baying or whatever the animal outside was doing.
“That is your beloved animal. It sounds like he’s ready to be untied,” said Sterling.
“You look terrible. Don’t bother telling us what happened. Let me get that monster of mine and then you can tell us all about it,” I said.
I quickly got Muffin and sat on the couch with him. He settled down on the floor near me, leaning against my leg.
Lochlan cleared his throat.
“I’m concerned about your safety. I can’t have you losing control and rampaging my house and the community, Sterling,” said Lochlan.
Sterling ducked his head. He prided himself on his ability to control his bear. This was a blow to his pride.
“I owe you an apology. You have every reason to question my control. I am not normally so undisciplined that I instantly transform. I’m ashamed by that. We’ll make it a priority to get a new place,” said Sterling.
“That wasn’t my intention. Be at ease, I’m not kicking any of you out,” said Lochlan. “We need to establish some boundaries.”
He stopped and pointed at my feet. “Marty, do something about that dog.”
The dog in question was once again nibbling on the furniture. I jerked on his leash to get the dog away from the couch leg. He ignored me, so I smacked his rump. Muffin gave me a baleful look like I’d taken away his favorite toy, but at least he stopped. My dog was out of control.
“I didn’t ask for this dog,” I said feeling defensive.
“We don’t always ask for the things we are responsible for,” said Lochlan.
Callie just sat there in silence, taking everything in. She was the least impacted by everything, but that didn’t mean things were easy for her. We were all here on Lochlan’s charity and in the short time we’ve been here, we had sorely abused his generosity.
“Let’s start with the wall. Having most of it missing isn’t the best security measure,” said Lochlan.
“Can’t you just snap up some magical mojo and it’s fixed?” I asked.
“Not exactly,” he said. “I can adjust the wards, but it won’t do anything to prevent anyone and anything from seeing in. Give me a few minutes.”
We waited in silence until Lochlan came back with Zander trailing behind him.
“I wouldn’t have him out smoking alone and he’s old enough to know better,” said Lochlan.
“Now that Lochlan is back, let me explain what happened when I took off after the Crimson Fiend,” said Sterling. “We all know that with him alive, the chances of him starting a new reign of terror is likely. Sorry Marty, but that man is evil.”
“You won’t hear me argue. I know that more than anyone,” I said.
“Why now? If he’s been around the past five years, then why is he just now approaching. Do you know what he may want with you?” asked Sterling.
“I wish I did. He’s not a patient person, but he can’t be in the best of shape after burning in a fire. He doesn’t even look like a person anymore. You all remember the shadow mage that was asking around about the missing necklace and grimoire?” I asked.
“Yes, but we never found him,” said Sterling.
“When I saw my father, he was covered with moving runes. The shadows didn’t so much cling to him, as I first assumed. Looking back at what I saw, the shadows were almost like they were living beings. I think he’s the same shadow mage that was involved in those other two cases.”
“That may very well be the case. I’d like to add in what I found from tracking your father. I believe there is a link with these shadows,” said Sterling.
“When I left Lochlan’s house, I circled around to where his scent was the strongest. At first, my bear refused to track it. It’s one of the few times that I’ve had to fight him. He doesn’t like the smell. It’s a mixture of blood, death, and corruption. Don’t even ask how I can smell corruption.”
“That pretty much sums up my father.”
All joking aside, such a unique signature meant we’d be able to spot him or in this case smell him when he was near. It was slightly reassuring to hear that we’d have some advanced warning if he was lurking. That might be the only thing that gives us a chance to survive an encounter.
“So you were able to track him by scent?” I asked. “Where is he now?”
“I found him in a basement of an ancient and nearly collapsed house. I found no sign of him besides his scent, but I did find something I can’t explain. The place felt wrong, off somehow.”
Sterling looked uncomfortable admitting that. And it was the first time I’d heard him admit to feeling off or even wrong about something. Despite his earlier freak out that took out the wall, he was normally very even tempered, especially for a were bear. Feeling odd about anything implied it got to him and affected him.
“It was darker than I expected and several times, I thought I saw moving shadows out of the corner of my eye.”
“I know something,” said Zander. “It’s an old legend and one most people haven’t heard that deals with the shadow creatures.”
“The Sisterhood had them, so they aren’t exactly the stuff of legend,” I said feeling irritated by Zander’s interruption.
“How does a child know about an ancient legend?” asked Lochlan.
Zander rolled his eyes, but none of us bothered to explain why he had this knowledge. One bit of drama at a time. And Zander was a whole boatload of drama.
“Unlike the Sisterhood, their creatures aren’t true shadow creatures, obviously,” said Zander
“I beg to differ. The bruises and scrapes we both got visiting those crazy seers mean something real attacked us,” I said.
“As I was saying before Marty decided her comment was more important, those aren’t true shadow creatures.”
I was gonna slap the brat.
“True shadow creatures would have killed us on the spot based on what I was told. Those were nothing like real ones and they were more like projections,” he said.
“Come on Zander, how do you project a shadow?” I asked.
“Marty, just let him explain,” said Sterling.
“The legend of the shadow creatures is from two thousand years ago. During this time, a mass slaughter of animals and wide-spread kidnappings occurred, but the enforcers and even the guild leaders couldn’t find out why or how this was happening. The people kidnapped had nothing in common and were taken at random.”
“Why haven’t I heard of this?” asked Lochlan. “I’m old enough that my grandparents were alive during this time.”
“You wouldn’t know because people aren’t talking about it, obviously. So there’s nothing in history books. My grandparents compared it to a monster under the bed. That if you believe in it, think of it and speak of it, it makes it real. If you don’t talk about it or acknowledge it, then it doesn’t exist and can’t hurt you.”
“That’s pretty dumb,” I said.
“Well, it worked until now, but why do you think it’s connected to what I saw?” asked Sterling.
“It shouldn’t be, but let me tell you my story and you all can decide if there’s a link. My grandparents were some of the mages who banded together to hunt down these creatures. I don’t know how they did it, but they confined the shadow creatures to another realm. They never really talked about the details. They said that once you saw the creatures, then you knew it was them because of the sense of wrongness about them.”
We all sat quietly, taking in what he said. And man, had Zander dropped a brick-load of new information on us even if it wasn’t detailed or complete.
“We
need to go back to that house,” I said. “And, Zander needs to come see. Maybe he’ll recognize these things from the stories he was told or one of us will notice a new clue.”
And so we headed off to possibly confront monsters from another time and place.
4
The house Sterling led us to was too close for comfort. Just a mere ten-minute walk from Lochlan’s house. It was even worse than Sterling described. Calling it “ancient and partially collapsed” was a kindness it didn’t deserve. It was more of a pile of rubble than Lochlan’s wall. Moss and other green plants carpeted the fallen stones that once kept it together.
“How did you even know there was a basement, let alone get to it? I don’t see any entrance,” I said.
“My bear followed the scent and can dig. Come, I’ll show you where I got in. It’s not much of a squeeze for a person. My bear really had to crush himself to get in.”
Sterling led us to a smaller pile of stones, which were still piled higher than me.
“It’s in here, see the opening,” he said, pointing towards a gap in between two of the larger stones.”
I did see it and despite what he said, it would be a tight fit.
“I’ll go first,” said Lochlan. “I can light the way for the rest of you.”
He pushed through the stones and was gone.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Just a minute.”
A light flared out from the hole.
“All clear.”
The rest of us jumped down into the basement, which was surprisingly well-intact considering the condition of the house. The dirt floor was well packed and dry. It was bare of any furniture, decorations, and even rodents and other types of creepy crawlies that liked dark places. The air was still and warm.
There were two doors that led off from the main room we were in.
“I went through those and found the shadows,” said Sterling. “Let’s make sure it’s clear and we can give this place a thorough look over.”
We checked the nearest door. It opened to what could have been a laboratory. There was a wooden table centered in it with bits of glass and containers on it. Rotted cabinets sagged from the walls. Most of their contents were spilled on the floor below them.
“Give me a minute,” said Zander.
“This really isn’t the time,” I said. “And there’s still another room to clear.”
“You don’t have to stay,” he said.
“Have your minute. We can wait,” said Sterling. “I haven’t heard or sensed anything? Has anyone else.”
Everyone else replied with a chorus of “no’s”.
Zander stooped on the ground near the broken bottles on the ground. He picked up a particularly dusty one that held a dull blue liquid in it. He brushed the dust off it and spit into his hand to wipe the remaining dirt off it. He swirled the liquid around and then uncorked it.
“What are you doing? You don’t even know what’s in it.”
He ignored me and sniffed the contents. He reared back and quickly corked it.
“Nasty stuff.”
Zander picked up another bottle and followed the same routine. My foot was tapping with impatience. This was getting old, really old. We hadn’t secured the place and if those shadows were around, this was stupidly dangerous.
“Are you going to do that with every bottle? Because checking all of them takes much more than a minute,” I said.
“Fine, I’ll come back after we see the next room since you’re being such a hag about it.”
“Alright you two, stop,” said Sterling.
We followed him to the other room. The only thing in this room were thick, metal manacles that dangled from the ceiling. A steel grate was in the ground and dark stains spotted it. Something told me that wasn’t rust or dirt that was on it. It looked like blood. I’m really glad we left Callie and Jennica at home. This place was creepy and felt evil, but that could be since I associated it with my dad.
“Can I go back to the other room now?” asked Zander.
“Before we split up, let me give out these,” said Lochlan, who now held two glowing orbs in his hands.
“Nifty trick, fairy boy,” I said.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said.
“Yes, but shout if you need help,” said Sterling. “If you two want to check out the main room, I can shift and see what clues there might be in here. I don’t see how he disappeared when there doesn’t appear to be a way out.”
“We’ll keep an eye out for hidden exits,” said Lochlan, who took my hand and dragged me out.
I tried to pull free of his grasp, but he wasn’t having any of it, and tightened his hold. So he’s going to be like this? What brought on the handsy version of the fae?
“Stop fighting me. I want to stay close to you, because I agree with Sterling, this place doesn’t feel right. We’re missing something.”
“Fine, but we can investigate without hand holding.”
“Yes, but that is less fun.”
“You’re infuriating.”
“And you’re endearing.”
He cut close to the wall, using one glowing hand to skim it along the wall. Lochlan was a portable fae candle. He had a variety of magical talents. I’d seen him do quite a few different things so far.
“What are you looking for?”
“Exits or anything unnatural. We check the walls first and then see how to best examine the ceiling.”
“That’s helpful. Can you explain more?”
“Shhh.”
We walked in silence with Lochlan stopping every so often to examine areas of the wall. For me, it meant he had to let go of my hand. I enjoyed the feel of my hand in his.
At the corner of the basement, which also happened to be nearest where we came in, Lochlan froze. He kept feeling the same spot on the wall over and over again.
“There’s something here. Go get our shadow expert and the bear,” he said.
I returned with Zander and Sterling.
Lochlan pushed on the wall and it stretched like a piece of plastic. He pulled back and repeated the action.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m not certain, but it shouldn’t be here. I think it’s hiding a portal or is a portal.”
“Who has a portal hidden in this place?” I asked.
“Evidently, the Crimson Fiend,” said Zander. “Can I go back to what I was doing? You don’t need me to push a wall.”
“Sure, by all means, go back to what you were doing.”
The wall snapped back, throwing Lochlan back. Before he could rise, shadows oozed out of the wall. With them, came the feeling of ants crawling against my skin. The temperature in the basement plunged and I saw the smokey plumes of our breathing. The shadows never left the wall, but they moved back and forth to an unseen breeze.
“The legend lives,” said Zander.
Sterling moved closer, pushing his nose close to the shadows. At a sniff, he reared back and scooted away from the shadows. I didn’t need to check them out myself to know they weren’t something to mess with.
“Now what?” I asked.
“We need to know more about these things. We found no other exits, so your father must have gone through this,” said Lochlan.
“So, we could get into that – whatever that is? Can they get out since my father did?” I asked. “Why aren’t they attacking us then?”
Lochlan approached the shadows again, bringing a flaming orb close, they moved away from it. They were sentient. Just what we needed. Leave it to my father to find living, killer shadows.
“If these might be what Zander told us about, then we need help,” said Lochlan.
“Can we leave now?” I asked.
“Wait, I need to get something,” said Zander. He rushed back to the potion room and came back with his arms full of the bottles.
“Really?”
“Yes, these are something special. I need more time with these,” said Zander.
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“Interesting hobbies for a kid,” said Lochlan.
If he only knew. Zander was full of all sort of interests.
“Don’t go blowing up my house. It’s reached its damage quota for the year,” said Lochlan.
“I’m not Sterling,” said Zander.
I smacked him upside the head.
“Are you two done?” asked a naked Sterling.
“Couldn’t you have brought some clothes?” Zander asked, who was covering his eyes. “No one wants to see all that.”
“Let’s get back. We still need to figure out what to do with those things and my dad,” I said.
“We’ll figure things out,” said Lochlan.
5
“So, there really are shadow creatures?” asked Jennica.
I was still near the doorway since Muffin’s enthusiastic greeting was keeping me from getting further into the house. I pushed away from the tongue bath that Muffin was doing his best to torture me with.
“Yes, there sure are. Can anyone help me with this thing?”
“Actually, it’s rather amusing seeing you fend off your pet,” said Lochlan.
“Thanks for nothing,” I said. “Come on guys, his breath smells like a sewer.”
“You’re such a baby,” said Zander, who pulled Muffin off me enough that I could get clear.
“Now, that Marty’s finished entertaining us, can we get on to what we’re doing about the Crimson Fiend and these shadow creatures?” asked Sterling.
“I did some thinking on the walk back. I think what we saw back there was a ripple. It’s where the seams that connect realms together is weakened.”
“So, he’s in another realm with these shadow things? Sounds like he made some friends since I left home,” I said.
“It allows people or things to come out of it from another realm. And this is the first time I’ve seen one.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “It’s something I didn’t think was possible.
The impossible is more and more possible these days. First the ability to steal magic, the Crimson Fiend back from death, and now a ripple. That’s not including our cases or dealing with my manic magic.”