by Ken Lange
If that wasn’t enough, an ungodly howl came out of the north. The dim light of the moon showed a massive violet dust storm heading our way. Not wanting to have our flesh stripped from our bones, I created a dome of ice around us a few seconds before the wind and sand ripped through the remaining undead. In the haze of ice and dust, we watched as the revenant army was decimated in a matter of seconds. Violet flames consumed the revenants by the hundreds.
When the storm died down, a strange figure stepped into view. My mind stuttered over the sight of the being before me, struggling to comprehend. He had the body of a human, but the head of a jackal, and stood well over seven feet tall. He was bare chested, wearing only a purple shendyt around his waist, and leather sandals with gold straps on his feet. The stars in the night sky above were reflected in the onyx skin that covered his heavily muscled form. He stood there for a moment, inhumanly still, as his lavender eyes scanned the horizon. When he appeared to be satisfied with his handiwork, he strode over. Extending a finger, he tapped the ice, and it shattered.
Kur whispered, “Anubis.”
Atsidi took a knee. “Łééchąą’í, I didn’t think you’d heard my call for help.”
Anubis frowned. “I didn’t, but the Loki did.”
His voice was one I recognized instantly. This was the man who’d pulled me out of the pit my grandfather had stuck me in, healed my wounds in Iraq, and again in New Orleans last year. Łééchąą’í, or Anubis, was the first reaper.
After several seconds, I found my voice. “Thank you for your assistance, Łééchąą’í. Or would you prefer Anubis?”
He grinned. “Either will work. It’s been a long time since anyone’s called me by my true name.”
I shivered. “This is the third time you’ve saved me.”
Anubis chuckled. “It is becoming a habit, but a worthwhile one.” With a wave of his hand, time stopped. “We have but a moment. It isn’t our time yet. But soon, Hayden, myself, and you will need to sit down and talk. You know where to find me now.”
I blinked, time resumed its natural course, and he was gone.
Alexander woke and pushed himself to his feet. “What the hell happened here?”
The violet flames had turned a large portion of the pit to glass. Nothing was left of the undead horde other than the occasional body part sticking out of the now barren landscape. And the stench. There was nothing on this planet viler than the smell of burned rotten corpse.
All of us were spent, but this was hardly the time for a nap. We had one more stop to make before we could call it a night. Reinforcements were on the way, but they were still several hours out, according to Gabriel. Andrew, Heather, and even Lazarus himself would be through the gate in Santa Fe sometime after dawn. But what we had to do couldn’t wait.
As we trudged back to the truck, I sent Jessica a text. We’ll be there soon.
Chapter 31
On our way to the Grants, the hand of God did a spectacular job of painting the sky in shades of purple, red, and orange. When we arrived half an hour later, the gate to the compound was haphazardly ajar. Black smoke trailed out of the rear building, and people were scrambling to help or get the hell out of the way.
Either Jessica had gotten the party started without us, or this was just some really convenient timing.
After parking, Alexander, Dean, and Sam went left to clear the buildings there, while Cole, Atsidi, and Gabriel took the right. That meant I was on my own to contain the main house…or at least try to. The first guard caught sight of me when I stepped through the door. He went to pull his gun, but I was quicker and slid the gladius through his chest.
Quickly moving forward, I eased him to the ground, and quietly proceeded to the study, dispatching random guards along the way. When I pushed open the double doors, I found Angus rifling through the desk.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “Looking for something in particular?”
He snapped his head up. “You… I should’ve known this was your fault.”
I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but if it pissed him off, I was only too happy to take credit. “Probably. What did I do this time?”
He pointed toward the back of the house. “You did something to Jessica’s mind… Tell me what you did, and I’ll make your death quick.”
Okay, so it wasn’t my fault. “Sorry, dude, that wasn’t me, but how about we renegotiate the terms? Surrender, and I’ll let you live. Mind you, you’ll be in a cage for the rest of your life, but that’s got to beat death.”
Fire wrapped around his hand. “Fuck you. Now, I’m going to ask this one more time. What did you do to her? Tell me the type of magic you used, and I won’t let Lewis torture your soul.”
I gestured at the fire he held. “Put that away before you hurt yourself. I don’t have a clue what happened to Jessica. Maybe she realized that you freaks aren’t her real family. Not that she’s going to enjoy finding out the truth, but I’m fairly certain she hates you all, and has for quite some time.”
With a snarl, he pulled out a pocket knife and slit his palm. “You’re going to die now.”
The blood mixed with the fire, and it transformed into an inky darkness that he flung my way. I wasn’t sure why, but this new mixture of magic made me nervous. As I turned to the side, the black sphere grazed my shoulder. Instead of fizzling on contact, it burned a hole through my shirt and seared my flesh.
Thank God it had been a glancing blow, or I would’ve lost an arm.
Okay, so I wasn’t immune to all forms of magic. Whatever that was could hurt and even kill me. My shadow armor wrapped around me as I darted across the room. When I was a few feet from the desk, I launched myself over the top and speared him in the gut, taking him off his feet. We crashed into the books behind us, and I brought my fist up into his solar plexus. He doubled over. I picked him up and slammed him into the hardwood floor with a resounding thud.
He spun on the spot and swept my feet out from under me. Fire poured out of his hand and caught me full in the chest. The force of it knocked me into a nearby wall, but this time he’d forgotten to include his blood, and I felt better than ever. Flames continued to pour out of the man, and he grunted under the strain of it. I stepped forward, and the inferno engulfed me, obscuring him from view.
This went on for several more seconds then they flickered and died. Angus lay there in a winded heap, sweating from the strain of using so much of his magic. I leaned over, slammed my hand against his chest, and pushed until it collapsed under my weight. His body convulsed then he went still as the life faded from his eyes. The Grim was quick to pull his soul from his corpse.
After ensuring the first level was clear, I made my way up the stairs to what appeared to be an exact duplicate of the floor below. Weird. But that was becoming commonplace with the Grants. When I opened the door, what I thought would be the study turned out to be a massive library. Jessica stood in the far corner with a bloody nose and bruised cheek, looking a little worse for wear. Diana and Lewis were apparently trying to convince her to calm down.
Diana turned, and blinked. “Who the hell are you? Where’s Angus?”
Huh? Why didn’t she recog— Oh yeah. Helmet.
I raised my arm, and a shard of ice darted across the room. The point tore through her eye socket and out the back of her skull before wedging into a row of books.
Lewis whirled on me and threw a bolt of black lightning my way. I tried to dive to the side, but I wasn’t quick enough, and it caught me full in the chest. The impact shattered my armor and flung me into the wall, nearly knocking me unconscious. My enchanted shirt was shredded, and the extreme heat had burst the blood vessels under my skin. I tried to move, but my body wasn’t having any of it.
He howled in rage. “You? What the hell are you?”
Wish I could say I had a witty quip on the tip of my tongue. Instead, I was lying in a pool of my own drool and twitching in an odd rhythm.
Lewis wrapped lightning around his hand, and i
t trailed out behind him like a whip. He raised his hand overhead and brought it down, allowing the tip of the lightning to encircle my leg. Pain coursed through me, and all I could do was try to scream—the high voltage locked my muscles, so I only managed a single ack before my body convulsed.
It stopped the moment he pulled back his hand in preparation for another swing. But before he could bring it down, he froze on the spot. His head jerked back, and a long black blade protruded from his throat. With a nasty twist, his head came loose from his shoulders. Lewis’s head remained suspended in the air, while his corpse flopped onto the floor.
Jessica tossed the thing to the side, and it hit the wall with a wet thwap. She knelt beside me and placed a hand on my chest. White light poured out of her. While the pain eased, I was graced with a new set of scars across my chest and a burn mark on my shoulder.
She staggered back and fell on her butt. “You’ll live.”
I rolled onto my side and nodded. “Thank you.”
Jessica smiled. “Glad I could help.” She glanced over at Lewis’s leaking body and scooted to the side. “I take it Angus is dead as well.”
I nodded. “He’s in the study downstairs.”
She wiped the sweat from her brow. “I can feel it. I’m free.”
An instant later, her wounds healed.
I pointed at her face. “That’s convenient.”
She grinned. “Now that the blood curse has been lifted, I’m able to heal. They’ve held me captive my entire life…or in their words, ensured my safety. But now I’m free of them.” She glanced up at me. “I’ll help you with the remnants of those left behind, but after that, I’d really like to be allowed to leave in peace.”
I wasn’t keen on letting her go without some conditions, but she had helped me with her family. The least I could do was permit her to live her life as she saw fit. “Where will you go?”
She shrugged. “North. I’d like to see a proper winter. Beyond that, I haven’t decided.”
It took several hours to clear the last of the Grants’ forces from their positions. Once we were finished, I was shocked that there weren’t any survivors. Jessica explained that the Black Circle forbade capture, and it was up to each of them to fight to the death—most likely the reason so little was known about them.
While Jessica packed up to leave, I teleported to the trailer to pick up Mikhail’s journal. When I returned, I handed it to her. “You might want to read this.”
She frowned. “Is this the book you were telling me about?”
I nodded. “It is, and you might find some useful tidbits tucked in between some less desirable parts. You can read Russian, right?”
“Yeah, I can.” Reluctantly, she slipped it into her backpack. “Thank you again.”
I held up a hand to stop her from leaving. “Do you still have my card?” She nodded. “Good, it has my number and email should you ever need me.”
Shaking her head, she blew out a long breath. “No offense, but all I want to do is to lie low and live in peace.”
“I understand that, but they think you’re pretty important, so I’m betting they’re going to try to track you down. When that happens, call, and I’ll show up to help.”
Jessica gave me a curt nod as she mounted her motorcycle, and started the engine. “Take care, Gavin.”
Stepping back, I waved. “Thanks.”
She idled out the gate and was gone. A few hours after the fact, the cavalry arrived, and I couldn’t have been more grateful that Andrew and Lazarus were there to handle the legalities of essentially wrecking the place…oh, and killing a bunch of people.
Heather had the unflattering job of trying to stuff Alexander, Atsidi, Cole, Sam, Dean, Gabriel, and myself into a small passenger van she’d rented. It wasn’t that we put up much of a fight, but the six of us in one spot made things a bit tight.
Instead of driving back to Atsidi’s place, Heather found the nearest hotel, got each of us a room, and handed out keys. Once she got everyone else settled into their rooms, she helped me to mine.
Using the keycard, she unlocked the door. “Shower or bed?”
I leaned against the wall and pointed. “I need to get clean.”
She helped me out of my clothes and did her best not to flinch at my new scars. “What happened?”
I shrugged. “Not sure. The Grants were using a new type of magic, and as you can see, it hurt like hell.”
Frowning, she did her best to examine me without actually touching the marred flesh. “Any idea what it was?”
My ruined shirt fell to the floor, and I stripped out of my pants. “They were using their blood to enhance their natural abilities—”
She gasped. “Blood magic?”
I frowned. “Maybe. Do you know much about it?”
She shook her head. “Not a lot. Thankfully, it’s rare. But the people who use it are pretty nasty.”
I ran my hand across the scar on my chest. If I squinted, it sort of looked like a tree with branches reaching up toward my shoulders, a long jagged trunk down the center, and a root system that ended at my waist. I suppressed a chuckle at the absurdity of the thought, stepped into the shower, and stayed there until the water started to run cold. Afterward, I stumbled over to the bed, and fell fast asleep.
Chapter 32
March 19th
It was a clear, hot, and exceptionally humid day…which was pretty typical for New Orleans this time of year. The best thing I could say about the day so far was that I’d signed the paperwork finalizing the sale of my condo this morning. Which meant I owed Alisia a bonus.
But having that place off my hands was about the only good news I’d received over the last several weeks. Mind you, most of them had been spent in Scotland with Hayden’s alter ego, Ignatius. One of my major disappointments concerned Timur. He’d committed suicide before we’d finished tidying things up in Grants. So, the Black Circle would get to keep their secrets. For now. We knew about them, and we were actively searching for them. It was only a matter of time before we turned up something.
I wish the same could be said about Ruth Miller. It seemed she’d dropped off the face of the earth. Alexander and his people were digging into her past, but they hadn’t had much luck yet. Maybe we’d have a breakthrough with our investigation in Canada. I hoped that by locating the place where the Grants had first registered, we might be able to find out what name Ruth was using at the time. That was a longshot, however, since the province they claimed to be from was having trouble locating their files.
On the local front, Captain Hotard was back on active duty, but he was riding a desk until an informal hearing could take place to remove him from the police force. I wasn’t sure that was such a great idea. As the captain, his hands were tied, to a certain extent. Once he became a civilian, God knows what mayhem he might cause. But that wasn’t my decision.
I fumbled with the keys in my pocket as I approached the gate to my uncle’s place. He and Isidore were in Rome for another summit. Which was good, because I really wanted some privacy for what I was about to do next. I made my way through the front door and was about halfway through the bookstore when my phone chimed. After pulling it out of my pocket, I tapped the mail icon on the screen.
Gavin, I wanted to thank you again for freeing me from my prison. I’ve read the journal you gave me, and you’re right, I did need to know what was inside, and as such I’ve adopted the name. I’m going to guess you read it as well.
Please keep my secret.
You should know that you didn’t destroy all the undead. The BC has been planning something big for the last few decades. When Ke’lets, one of the nine lich lords, was killed, they stepped up preparations.
What I’m trying to say is this: there’s a war coming, and not everyone inside the Archive is your friend. Over the last few weeks, I’ve learned a few things about you…all of them good, in my opinion. You don’t deserve what’s coming. You once offered to help me if things got bad, and now i
t’s my turn.
If you need me, get in touch, and I’ll be there.
Jade
I wish her news was a bit more unexpected, but all it did was confirm what I’d already suspected. Plus, it lined up with what Hayden had said. Ever since Viktor’s near-fatal trip to Siberia, the necromancers had steadily been coming out of the woodwork.
From my understanding, Mir, the man Viktor had working on the laptops, was still trying to crack the encryption. Even so, Viktor was actively recruiting, and the Ulfr were expanding their ranks. As for me, I’d added several more clans to my growing force of centurions.
One of the few victories worth celebrating was that Alexander had successfully convinced the holdouts to agree to the new laws. I wasn’t sure how he’d managed it, but his actions had helped stabilize a volatile situation, and allowed Viktor’s people to get back to their day job.
I couldn’t be sure what the future held for me, but I was doing my best to be as prepared as possible. But how does one plan for an all-out war when the enemy was so far ahead? I didn’t know the answer to that question, but I had a feeling I was going to find out the hard way.
Shades of Fire & Ash
Book 3
After surviving an unholy horde in New Mexico, Gavin Randall didn’t think things could get much worse, but the world he walked into eleven months ago grows more dangerous with each passing day.
A new threat has surfaced in the form of fanatics hellbent on destroying him, his friends, and the Archive itself. It’s his job to make sure that doesn’t happen, but these guys don’t play fair and have found a way to stack the odds in their favor.