Shades of Death

by Ramy Vance

  Terra threw her arms into the air, ready to defend herself.

  Anabelle flashed past Terra, striking the air.

  The force of Anabelle’s punch was enough to send Grok flying back.

  Anabelle straightened, her hair flowing wildly in the wind, her eyes still somewhat mad. “I am no one’s creation. Ever.” She turned to Terra and the rest. “Leave. Grok is my problem.”

  Sarah stepped over to Anabelle, shaking her head. “No fucking way. The three of us couldn’t—”

  Energy crackled around Anabelle, pushing the other DGAs away. She pulled out the blade Sarah had given her. “This is my fight, and this battle will mean nothing if all the orc tribes are wiped out.”

  Sarah smiled sadly and nodded. “Then you know what the purpose of that blade is.”

  “Yes, and I will teach that meaning to Grok.”

  Terra clapped her hand on Anabelle’s shoulder. “All right. You handle your shit.” Then she turned to Abby. “I think there might be an undead dragon that your girlfriend still might be trying to kill.”

  Abby didn’t take her eyes off Anabelle. “You don’t have to do this alone.”

  Anabelle shook her head. “I do.”

  The other DGAs looked at each other. Finally, Abby said, “Okay. We’ll take care of the rest,” and burst into the sky.

  Anabelle turned her attention to Grok, who was now on her feet. The air around her crackled with energy as a blue aura of mana formed around her body. She lunged at Grok, and the orc did the same.

  Their fists connected. The shockwave of their impact rippled throughout the entire battlefield, throwing the orcs and undead closest to them into the air.

  Terra and Sarah headed their separate ways, Terra going to Cire and Sarah running to Blackwell’s position.

  Anabelle and Grok were unconcerned with either of them. They circled each other, both of their auras growing larger and larger.

  Grok threw the first punch. Anabelle deflected it, not bothering to draw her mana into any part of her body. She let it lash wildly around her, fire flashing from her skin as she came back with her counterattack.

  The orc deflected it, but not easily. Sweat beaded on her forehead. “Are we going to show each other our true faces, or will I be left with the pathetic memories of you begging for your life? Who did you offer to betray? I think it was Abby? Yes, she was the last one. Even offering her to the lich?”

  At those words, Anabelle snapped. Pure mana ripped from her body as she levitated. Her skin seemed to unravel from her unrestrained power. “Grok!” she screamed.

  Up above, Persephone and Abby battled the dragon. Abby fired plasma blasts that tore through its body while the drow steered the dragon with her tentacles.

  Grok glanced up for a second. “What do you think she would do if she knew how readily you were willing to give her life for your own?”

  While Grok spoke, she released her power, her aura growing larger as her muscles became leaner and more defined. “Your treachery… You don’t belong with them, Anabelle. You belong with me.”

  Grok surged forward and head-butted Anabelle, who stumbled back. The orc leapt and brought her elbow down on the elf.

  Anabelle caught Grok’s forearm and flipped around, throwing the orc away from her. The elf exploded upward, driving Grok farther into the sky as the undead dragon above them swooped close.

  Grok punctured the dragon’s side, ripping through and out the other side. Anabelle followed and caught Grok in mid-air to slam her flaming fist into Grok’s throat. She grabbed the orc by the shirt and threw her down, tearing through the dragon again on the way to the ground.

  The dragon screeched in pain, falling from the sky and crashing into one of the earthen columns. Grok hit the ground, but she didn’t stay down. She bolted at Anabelle, hitting her four times in the chest.

  The elf stumbled backward and coughed up blood, but she didn’t fall.

  Grok didn’t relent. She continued to attack, Anabelle doing her best to keep up. The orc was fast, though. She managed to slip between the elf’s defenses, getting in close. Her hand pooled with mana, and she slammed it into Anabelle’s chest.

  Grok grabbed Anabelle and forced her to stand still and accept the pain. “You aren’t worthy of them. You gave me your word. I could have slaughtered them all just to let you live.”

  The orc was right; those had been Anabelle’s words. She hadn’t been microchipped, she’d been broken and had given up those she loved for the hope that she would live.

  Grok drove the ball of energy into Anabelle.

  The elf sank to her knees, blood seeping from her eyes and her nose as Grok walked away. “Perhaps I’ll tell them before I crush their skulls between my hands,” the orc said.

  Anabelle’s entire body was aflame. The mana Grok had pushed into her was too much, and she was burning alive from the inside.

  It was true. Everything Grok had said was true. Anabelle was lost.

  She screamed as she reached inside her mind, forcing herself to draw out all the mana Grok had shot into her. The elf dumped every bit of her own mana before drawing in everything around her.

  Grok turned, obviously confused as to why Anabelle wasn’t dead.

  Anabelle shot forward, her hands crackling with lightning. She struck Grok in the chest with all the power she possessed—all of her mana, every ounce of hatred in her heart—and drove it deep into Grok’s body.

  The orc backpedaled as Anabelle leapt and descended on Grok, driving her fist into the orc’s head.

  A crater exploded around the two as Anabelle pummeled her fist into Grok’s face, screaming, “I love them! They are mine!”

  The battlefield stood still. All that could be heard was the sound of Anabelle’s fists against Grok’s skull. Finally, the sound subsided.

  Anabelle knelt before Grok, holding her dagger to the orc’s throat.

  Grok stared at Anabelle, coughing up blood, her smile sickening. “Do it. End this.”

  Anabelle slammed the knife next to Grok’s head, then she drew all her power into her fist and slammed it into her skull, knocking her out.

  She stayed there for some time, staring at the orc beneath her, the battered, broken body of her foe. Then she raised her arm, comming all of the DGA. “Grok’s down. It’s finished.”

  Chapter Fifty

  The afterparty was a little different than HQ had ever experienced. The DGA were celebrated as the heroes they were, but none of them wanted to be around anyone, Roy and Naota included. Cire and Nib-Nib did the best they could, bringing the survivors of the battle into HQ.

  Instead of festivities, the DGA cloistered themselves for a few days. It had been Terra’s idea; she thought it better than drinking to excess. She had said, “I’ve experienced this enough. Sometimes a couple of shots isn’t the best thing after a fucking horrific experience.”

  An entire wing was closed off for the DGA. Food and drink were brought at their request, and they were each given their own room, not that it was necessary. Terra and Sarah were nearly inseparable, spending much of their time in the common room exchanging war stories and filling the halls with their laughter. Kravis, upon entering, said he hadn’t heard that so strongly in years.

  Abby and Persephone, on the other hand, went about their days much more quietly. The two spent the time reading together and watching television.

  The holdout was Anabelle, who refused to leave her room. She sat brooding, staring out the window and watching the sun rise and set.

  On the third day, Abby, Terra, and Sarah got together. It was time to get Anabelle out of her room. All of them were aware that Anabelle had experienced something traumatic, but that didn’t mean they would let her wallow in it for the next month.

  Over the last few months, each had experienced something that shattered their idea of themselves and pushed them beyond their limits. Anabelle had been there for every one of them, so it was only right to return the favor.

  Abby knocked on the elf’s
door and Terra and Sarah waited behind her. “Hey, Belle. We just wanted to see if you’d be okay coming out for a bit. You know, hang out and talk.”

  It took some time, but the door creaked open. Anabelle stared through the crack, her eyes heavy, her skin pale and tight. “What do you want to talk about?”

  Abby glanced at Terra and Sarah for a moment. “Uh, well, we never debriefed.”

  Anabelle smiled wryly. “Is that the best you guys could come up with? Aren’t you supposed to be a genius or something?”

  Abby shrugged and looked away bashfully. “We’re operating at less than maximum capacity right now. Been taking a little bit to recover.”

  Anabelle appeared hesitant to open the door, then she flung it open and returned to her bed.

  Terra, all laughter and energy, rolled into the room and plopped on one of Anabelle’s chairs. “Glad you decided to let us in. We thought we were going to have to break the door down.”

  Anabelle, who was sitting in her bed covered in blankets, replied, “You could have. I’m running on empty. I wouldn’t be able to put up a fight even if I wanted to.”

  Sarah sat on the floor and crossed her legs. “So, I’ll say the obvious. You’ve been avoiding us. I know we’ve all needed to take some time to ourselves but you…you haven’t even left this room.”

  Anabelle looked up from her blankets. “I don’t deserve to be around any of you. Don’t even deserve to be on this team.”

  Abby sat beside Anabelle. “Now, why would you say something stupid like that?”

  It took Anabelle a long time to answer. She choked through her first words and had to remain silent until she felt ready to continue. “Grok broke me. I gave you guys up. She made me… I would have done anything to make it stop.”

  They sat in silence, allowing the weight of those words to hang heavy in the air. Finally, Sarah spoke. “Once I betrayed Kravis. It was during a mission on the elvish world. Told them straight out that they could take him and kill him instead of me.”

  Anabelle looked up at hearing this. “Wait, what do you mean?”

  “Just like I said. Nothing more to it. I was in so much pain, I would have said anything.”

  Sarah stood and raised the back of her shirt. Her back was covered in hundreds of deep scars. She pulled her shirt down.

  Terra cleared her throat. “When I was in the arena, I prayed. I’ve never prayed before, but I promised that I would give anything or anyone in the world to get out of there. Even named names. Not proud to admit it, but I did it. Anything to get me free.”

  Sarah and Terra looked at Abby, waiting for her to chime in.

  Abby coughed uncomfortably. “Uh, we’re only a kid. The most we can say is, when part of us gained consciousness, it tried to kill the part that was Abby so we could survive. If that counts.”

  Terra groaned. “You would be the one to give a weird example.”

  Abby crossed her arms and glared at Terra. “I’ve never been tortured.”

  Sarah raised her hand to keep anyone else from talking. “What I’m trying to say, Anabelle, is that when you’re put through those extremes, that kind of shit, what comes out of your mouth is what comes out of your mouth. That doesn’t change the kind of person you are. It never will.”

  Anabelle went to speak, but Sarah brought her hand down, silencing the elf. “You came to fight, and you didn’t give in. No matter what you wanted to do to Grok, you didn’t kill her. You kept your mind on the mission and brought back someone vital for information on the Dark One.”

  Anabelle avoided the eyes of the women in the room. Sarah continued, “And what exactly did you say? You tell them where we were? Did you let them know about any of our plans? Any real information?”

  The elf answered meekly, “No.”

  “Exactly. You said some shit to make the pain stop, but you didn’t give any of us up. You could have told Grok exactly where HQ was and everything about our defenses, but you didn’t. You were in a shitty situation, and you handled it as well as any of us would.”

  Anabelle gripped her blankets tightly. “I just thought you… I should have done better.”

  Sarah stood and walked over to Anabelle, then hugged the elf and held her tight. “You did the best you could. That’s all any of us could ever ask.”

  Anabelle sank into Sarah’s arms as Terra rose and embraced them. Abby joined in the hug. They held Anabelle tightly as the elf quivered, trying to fight back the tears that eventually came. They sat there with her until the tears passed.

  Once the tears had gone, Anabelle was quiet for a bit. Then she sighed deeply, feeling as if she were exhaling the last three weeks of her life. “Okay, let’s stop all the lovey-dovey shit. I’m pretty sure we have counselors for this. Who’s down to watch some anime?”

  Abby’s hand shot up so fast that she got embarrassed. “Uh, we are!”

  Anabelle stood and tossed her blankets on the bed. “Everyone to Abby’s room. I’ll be in after I freshen up.”

  Terra punched Anabelle in the arm as Abby squeezed the elf’s hand. “See you in a bit,” Terra said. “And please, take as long as you’d like. We’re not going to stop you.”

  Sarah rose as well. Anabelle grabbed her by the shoulder. “Thanks for being honest,” the elf said. “Really. It helped.”

  Sarah rested her hand on Anabelle’s. “You’re strong, and we all know it. It’s about time you realized it as well. Now hurry up. I heard Abby has all of Naruto to stream, and we are getting through that before our next big mission.”

  Anabelle nodded as she returned to her dresser to grab a change of clothes. “I’ll be there.”

  Once everyone was gone, Anabelle sat on her bed. She knew the rest of HQ was celebrating, drinking, and partying to remind themselves they were still alive. Spending time with the DGA would remind her of that, and she was glad.

  As Anabelle prepared to leave, she heard something rustling in the room. Instinctively, she flashed hot with mana, readying herself for a fight, but there was nothing there.

  Anabelle hadn’t forgotten the old ways, even if she had traveled the Path of the Lost for a short while. She centered herself, and the room faded as she searched for the sound. It was a voice, one calling to her.

  She reached out and took hold of the voice.

  The room disappeared. Anabelle was in a place without form, a blank void of time and space. In that blankness, a form took shape.

  It was Myrddin, ghostly and translucent. “Anabelle, how far you’ve come!”

  Another form appeared beside Myrddin, a man Anabelle had never seen before. Myrddin looked at him and then faced Anabelle. “Anabelle, this is José. We think we’ve figured out a way to stop the Dark One.”

  The First Human Rider

  A Middang3ard Series

  Have you tried the Dragon Approved series from Ramy Vance and Michael Anderle? Book one is The First Human Rider and it’s available now from Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

  Dragonriders are all that stand between Middang3ard and total annihilation.

  But their numbers are dwindling.

  With every passing day, more and more Dragonriders are falling under the scourge of the Dark One.

  The forces of humanity and their allies are desperate. They need a new hero to step up and turn the tide.

  Myrddin, the resistance’s leader, thinks he might have found that someone…on Earth, of all places.

  Word has just come from the east that the Dark One is launching his largest assault yet, but there is still time to stop him. If, that is, they can find someone good enough to take him on.

  Alex Bound just might be the rider they need.

  But a human has never been accepted as a Dragonrider.

  Let alone a blind human...

  Alex isn’t someone to step away from a fight.

  Not now, not ever, and she has no plans to start—even if she needs to ride a real dragon to make it happen.

  Grab your copy of The First Human Rider at Amaz
on or through Kindle Unlimited

  Author Notes Ramy Vance

  June 18, 2020

  Working with Michael has its perks. And one of those perks is Sarah Noffke.

  NO! Not like that. Get your head out of the gutter.

  The Sarah Noffke perk is the … ahhh … shall I call it ‘sibling rivalry’ that Sarah and I have developed.

  For those of you who don’t know who Sarah Noffke is, check out her Liv Beaufont or Uncommon Rider series - also co-authored with Anderle. She is an incredible writer.

  Outside of writing, Sarah is a ninja. A crazy, certifiable, insanely weird ninja (well, she likes to dress up like one, at least).

  She’s also really short.

  I first met Sarah in Vegas. Now, at 5’ 7”, I’m not very tall, but, in comparison to Sarah, I’m a veritable giant. And yet when I hung out with her, I was eclipsed by her larger than life personality.

  In Vegas, she dressed like a ninja. See images below, both in and out of costume … and yes, that’s me photobombing her. Sneaking up on a ninja isn’t easy):

  Sarah got her revenge by making me a cheesy hitman in one of her stories (I’m the guy with mis-matching socks … and yes, I do wear mismatched socks; it’s my one hipster indulgence):

  In retaliation, I cast Sarah as the ninja/assassin in Dark Gate Angels (yes, she’s THAT Sarah) and had her fall in love with a gnome. A particularly short gnome.

  Her response … she plastered my ‘virtual’ office wall with Posted Notes (she also plastered Michael’s wall with Posted Notes, but Michael thought it was me … so I’m going to call that a win in my column).

  Well, such a slight cannot be left unretaliated … Originally, I was going to have Sarah break up with Kravis and fall in love with the much taller Blackwell. But now she’s going to marry said gnome in a cheesy Vegas ceremony.

  That’s right … Sarah will propose to her (spoiler alert) coma-inflicted, gnome-boyfriend and they’re going to get married in Dark Gate Angels 3 … Mwahahahahaha.