God In The Darkness

by S T Branton

  Lorcan stood up, never taking his eyes off me. He adjusted his clothes—all black—with precise, measured movements of his left hand. The way it hugged his body, the suit could have been painted on, like a second skin. Then he smiled, drew his right hand from behind his back, and revealed a matching peacock feather. He laid it on the desk in front of him.

  “Is this what you seek?” The voice that emanated from his lips had an undercurrent of inhumanity that made my blood run cold. “Mutual assurance?” The smile widened a bit. “You have nothing to fear in that regard. Parley will be honored to its fullest extent.” Before I had a chance to reply, he continued. “I’ve brought you here for one reason only. I have a request. An offer, if you will.”

  I kept my face pointedly neutral. “Well?” Delano, who had moved off to the side after being chastised by his boss, visibly grimaced.

  “Simple.” Lorcan arched his eyebrows. “I want you to kill the mayor.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  The words took a minute for me to process, and when they did, I still couldn’t believe what I’d heard. “Excuse me? The mayor, as in, the mayor of New York City? Inglewood?”

  “The very same.” Lorcan ran his finger along the edge of the feather, appearing to admire its iridescence. “At one time, the man had been an asset, but he has worn out his welcome as of late. To put it in terms you may understand, he is now standing in the way of progress. I require him removed.”

  “And why the hell do you think I’ll be the one to do that for you?” My knuckles had gone white on the stem of the feather.

  “Why not?” he asked as if it was the most logical decision in the world. “You have proven yourself to be uncommonly strong. It would behoove us both for you to join the winning team. Trust me, it would not be without rich reward. I can give you your own little kingdom on Earth.” He drummed his fingertips on the desktop. “Where would you like to reign? Martha’s Vineyard, perhaps? Cleveland?”

  “Fucking Cleveland?” This time, the answer came to me so quickly it almost jumped out on its own. “Hell no. This is my hometown. And I’ll be damned before I kill the ones I’m trying to protect.”

  “I see your wisdom does not match your courage,” Lorcan mused. He moved around the corner of the desk, toward me. His steps were long and lithe, like a snake on legs. “I suspected as much. You lack the context to appreciate the transformation about to be undergone by this pitiful world. The gods will once again rule over the human domain. The only question is which gods.” He stroked his long, sharp chin. “Mortal beasts were never meant to have power over themselves. Soon, you will see the truth in this.”

  I ground my teeth. “There’s no truth in it. All you’ve told me so far are the same bullshit lies I’ve heard from your friends. You know, the ones I cut to pieces” My forced manners had worn out; I was ready to fight.

  Lorcan’s face hardened, just subtly, before he regained control over himself. “A war is coming, child. Your precious mayor stands in my way. I am not above proceeding without your assistance, but if I cannot find a suitable human ambassador to do the necessary work in my stead, I’m afraid the number of casualties will be much more…severe.” Seeing that I failed to be convinced, he turned and swept his hand over the desk. “Observe.”

  A deep pool of shadow spread across the glass desk. Working his hands like a puppet master, Lorcan extracted figures, pulling them up from the bottom. First there was Jules, then Mac, then Maya. Then, Deacon. He glanced at me, scanning my face for a reaction, and dug deeper. Pieces of my past began to appear, some I hadn’t seen since before my parents died.

  “Get to the point,” I told him. My fingernails bit into my palms. I fought to keep the peacock feather from trembling.

  “Don’t you see the point?” One by one, Lorcan eliminated my small circle of family and friends. I watched them burst into wisps of shadowy smoke. “Should you choose the other side, these are the people who will die with you, alongside the rest of your pitiful race. If they are lucky, they might become slaves, allowed to live in eternal tormented service to a god far less magnanimous than I.” He folded his arms, clearly self-satisfied. “Or, they could live out their lives in the peace afforded by my kingdom—with you by their side. And…” he waved his hand again and my parents emerged from the darkness. “If you do exceedingly well as my servant, there are other rewards in store. I am a generous god, after all.”

  I stared at the dark image of my parents, weighing the words. Everything in me wanted to believe. Why not? He was the god of death. Maybe he could be the god of life, too.”

  His smile stretched larger. “So, do we have a deal?”

  I swallowed, then poured every ounce of rage into my reply. “You can take your deal and shove it straight up your ass, dickwad.”

  Delano let out a strangled bark of outrage. He wasn’t silenced this time. A vein began to pulse at the side of his head. He whipped around to compose himself, running both hands over his slick hair. The rage was palpable in every aspect of his physical form, his posture straight as a pin, long fingers digging into his scalp.

  “Humans confound me. They always have. How can one with your power remain such a fool?” Lorcan asked incredulously. “I have presented you with everything you could ever want—everything!—and yet you persist in your defiance. Whatever drivel Kronin’s lackey fed you has corrupted your brain and rendered you unsalvageable for any purpose other than sacrifice.” He drew in a long breath and let it out. “Very well. I must say I am highly disappointed. I thought perhaps we could forge an alliance. Prevent the bloodshed that will follow. A history-making, of sorts.” He turned back toward me, an expression of chagrin pasted on his face. Lifting one hand, he snapped his fingers. “We could be true heroes.”

  The feather on the desk erupted into flames.

  I snapped to attention, glancing from Lorcan to Delano and back again. They were both grinning now, their twin sets of shark teeth flashing.

  “What does that mean?” I had slim hope they’d actually tell me, but it was worth a shot.

  Sure enough, both of those creepy assholes just burst out laughing. The sound of it made a cold hand clench the base of my spine.

  Something tickled my fingers. I looked down to see my own feather crumbling into ashes. The message was pretty damn clear: parley over.

  I yanked the medallion out of my pocket and slung it around my neck. “Marcus, what the shit is going on here?”

  Lorcan has dismissed the parley. Something that either party is allowed to do. You have approximately the same amount of time it would take for a king to exit an enemy’s castle. It is customary to afford the fleeing party a grace period; however—

  “There’s no time for a history lesson! How fucking long?”

  Five minutes, give or take.

  “Screw that!” I drew the Gladius Solis out of my bag, summoning the blade in the same thought. Ever reliable, it came blazing to life. I felt an instant sense of comfort and security. Funny how I’d reached the point in my life where a sword was the thing I turned to for solace.

  The god’s nasty grin widened when he saw the weapon. “My old friend,” he murmured. “It has been too long.”

  “Trust me.” I glared at him. “This thing is not your friend.” Then I rushed the desk, vaulting over it with one hand, raising the sword in the other. Lorcan didn’t move until I was inches from him, the light from the blade searing his sallow face. Then he was nothing. He disappeared into a mass of moving shadows through which the sword cut seamlessly. But as the shadows faded, the god was nowhere to be found.

  I wheeled around to try for Delano instead and found an empty room behind me. The office door was the only thing standing there. And on the other side of it, how many vamps? Dozens? Fifty? Something told me the latter was probably more accurate.

  Go, Victoria. Make haste. As you said, there is no time.

  Spurred on by Marcus’s urging, I barreled out of the corner office and tore ass through the open space, keep
ing my eyes fixed on the elevator bank dead ahead. The outer office area was eerily silent, though I was well aware of all the vamps watching me, awaiting the impending official end of parley. I didn’t need to be told that as soon as that time was up, they’d be trying their damnedest to tear me limb from limb.

  I pounded the down button over and over, eyes locked on the digital counter above the doors. The car seemed to climb with incredible slowness, and I kept hitting that button because it made me feel better to be doing something. Behind me, I thought I sensed the vamps starting to creep closer. Cold sweat beaded on my skin. “Come on,” I muttered under my breath. “Come on!”

  As soon as the car began to open, I sprang inside and hammered the close-doors button, simultaneously mashing my thumb into the first-floor indicator. The doors shut on a sea of hungry eyes peering in on me. I was right; they had gotten closer. Holy shit, this was bad.

  There were so many of them. And there was no way I’d be out the front doors before that invisible timer went off. I held my sword in one hand and watched the floors tick down from 105. “Do you think we’re safe?” I asked out loud, mostly to quell the silence in the lift.

  No. Who knows how much of this place is under his sway.

  “Shit. Marcus, I think we’re completely boned.”

  Fear not, Victoria. Rely on your instincts, your strength, and above all, your courage. You can make it out of here.

  I inhaled, closed my eyes, exhaled, and decided Marcus was right. It was either that or resign myself to a grisly, humiliating death trapped in this elevator car like an animal in a cage. And that, I wasn’t prepared to accept. Shaking the tension out of my arms and shoulders, I re-gripped the hilt of the sword. “Okay. Bring it on.”

  There’s the Victoria I trained. He sounded so proud. I knew I couldn’t let him down.

  The jig was up at floor fifty-three. The elevator came shuddering to a stop, and its lights died out. I waited in darkness for two seconds. A loud, banging thud rocked the car from above, like something heavy landing on the roof. Then another. And another. The sons of bitches were jumping down the elevator shaft!

  The screech of ripping metal assaulted my ears as a little light seeped in from the newly torn open access panel. Three sets of eyes looked in on me, glowing in the dimness.

  I brought my blade into being and stared back at them. “You’re fucking late, assholes.”

  They didn’t answer with words. A shape dropped down in front of me, grotesque and drooling. He snarled from behind oversized fangs, which gnashed together angrily. Definitely worse than the vamps I’d seen at the slaughterhouse. This one was almost completely distinct from his human form, his torso and limbs gnarled at odd, unsettling angles. It seemed that like shitty wine, these vamps didn’t age well.

  The ropy muscles of his arms twitched beneath the grey skin, and the claws were there, as always. It coiled back onto its haunches, and I knew what was coming.

  When it lunged at me, screeching, I was more than ready to slice it clean in half.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The vampire fell to the elevator floor in two pieces, already crumbling away into dust. I turned my face upward again to the others still peering in through the torn panel. “What’s the matter, Thelma and Louise? Come down here and join me.”

  They blinked and disappeared. The lift began to rock again, accompanied by a grating, sawing sound. Before I had a chance to properly process what was happening, my stomach dropped out. The breath rushed from my lungs as the elevator car plunged in freefall. Purely on instinct, I rammed the Gladius Solis through the wall, bracing with both hands against the side of the elevator shaft. The ungodly scream of friction filled my ears—but I also felt myself slowing down. Grudgingly, the car ground to a halt.

  I took half a second to will my knees to stop shaking. It felt like I’d fallen at least twenty stories, but all the displays had gone dead when the cables were cut, so I had no way to be sure. I left the sword where it was while I pried the doors open, and then I backed up, laid a hand on the hilt, and psyched myself up.

  In one swift motion, I yanked the sword out of its position and performed a long, half desperate leap for freedom.

  As it turned out, I’d ended up almost perfectly aligned with the thirtieth floor. But the elevator dropped so fast after the sword was removed that I barely had time to get my left foot clear. I swore the edge of the disappearing car scraped my sole. If I thought about it too much, my knees threatened to give out on me. But fortunately, I had other things to worry about. Launching to my feet, I made a mad dash for the stairwell.

  The cacophony of the crashing elevator car was bound to attract some attention.

  At least, that was what I thought until I made it onto the stairs. The air was full of the sounds of doors being flung open, footsteps cascading upward and downward. Bodies falling from higher levels. I dodged to the side just in time to escape being crushed to death by a huge, meathead vamp who only managed to catch the edge of my sword, despite all his efforts.

  Shit, there were so many. Too many.

  Remember your training, Victoria. And remember that I am with you. We are still partners.

  “Unless you can find a body and your spear, I’m afraid I have the crappy end of the partnership right now.”

  I held the sword in front of me at an angle, using it to plow down the vamps that popped up to block my path. The steps themselves were a little easier—it was difficult for the monsters to keep their footing on uneven ground, and despite their enhanced bodies, most weren’t especially skilled fighters. I either cut straight through them or knocked them to the side over the banisters. It was morbidly amusing to see them fall like undead dominoes.

  If only there weren’t so many. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head, even though I knew fixating on it wouldn’t help. The vamp rain wouldn’t let up, and some of them came perilously close to landing directly on me. More than a few vicious talons raked my back, shoulders, arms, and legs as I ran toward the first floor. They grabbed for my hair, too.

  “Note to self: cut that shit off when I get home!” I shouted.

  The sound of my voice appeared to surprise the vamps closest to me, allowing an opportunity to thin the herd a little. But wherever a vamp dropped beneath the Gladius Solis, another one showed up within a second to take its place. From the sounds of it, the stairwell at my back was filling up to max capacity with a whole massive throng of Lorcan’s thralls, all thirsting for my blood.

  You are performing excellently, Victoria. Keep your head clear and steady. Lorcan’s servants are strong, but there is little occurring on an upstairs level post-transformation. All you have to do is outlast them.

  “Is this always how parley ends?” I used the sword to skewer a couple of vampires together, throwing them off the second-floor landing. One more flight was all that lay between me and the ground floor atrium.

  Very often, yes. Except that the pursued rarely manages to escape. I felt it prudent to keep this fact to myself.

  “Well, thanks for keeping it real.” I slashed my way down the first set of steps and rounded the corner. Another huge vamp blocked my way. Its eyes were wild, the skin scraggly and peeling in places. Maybe cheap wine was a bad analogy. Moldy cheese?

  The teeth in this one’s mouth were even jankier than usual, all jammed in against purplish gums. But it was stupid, and as it reared back to bear-hug me to death in the cramped space in front of the door to the first floor, I stabbed it straight in the heart and leapt over the collapsing hulk.

  The door opened into a pile of dusty ash. I had never been so grateful that part of the vamp legend was true.

  I soon learned the home stretch from the stairwell to the front door of the tower was no better. In fact, from my current vantage point, things looked a hell of a lot worse from out here. A gaping hole yawned above the ruined elevator bank, pouring a river of vamps out the bottom of the shaft. More were already trailing me from the stairs. I even saw a few busting i
n from the street.

  “Can we make sure the next god we fight doesn’t have a tower full of minions? Gods, it almost makes me miss that bird-brained bitch. At least she was discerning about who she turned into harpies.” My slashing arm was starting to go a little bit numb, and for the first time, the injuries I had sustained in my fight down the stairs were making themselves known. Underneath my coat, my shirt and sweater were heavy and growing slowly stiff with blood. I felt it running down my back and chest, even into my boots. The nectar’s magic surged through my veins, but its repairs were slow, albeit steady. The frayed edge of fatigue nipped at my heels.

  I had to get the hell out of there. Head down, sword out, I charged like an angry bull. The vamps didn’t scatter, but they weren’t much of a match for the flash of Kronin’s sword. They struck like a hailstorm, melting off the end of the blade. Ash poured around my feet, billowing up into the air. I squeezed my eyes down to slits, struggling against the urge to sneeze.

  Then the doors were right in front of me, and I was throwing them open into the street. The sword burned like a sun outside of the haze of ash. Fully cognizant of the storm swirling in the One World Trade Center, I picked the lesser of two evils and darted into the street.

  A black town car, windows tinted, came around the corner and slammed on its brakes, tires screeching on the pavement. I ducked to the side and catapulted into the backseat.

  “Drive like hell!” I yelled through the pane of privacy glass separating me from the driver. “Now!” I braced the sword at the ready behind the driver’s seat. “Don’t ask questions. Don’t slow down. Just go!”

  The car peeled away, burning rubber. I twisted around in my seat, looking back at the shrinking tower of glass. A torrent of vamps should have been surging from the front doors, but I saw nothing. I knit my brows. While I was preoccupied, a hum filled the car as the privacy glass slid down.