Shadow of a Doubt

by Hunter Blain

  His smile faltered for a moment before returning. “Why do you care about the affairs of the Fae?”

  Magni began to stir, moaning and grabbing his head with both hands. He had been put through a lot of g-force as we evaded the denizens of the Shadow Court.

  Ludvig kneeled in front of him and reached for his head instinctively, ready to heal his ward.

  “Don’t,” I whispered without moving my mouth. “Not yet.”

  Ludvig glanced at me through his tactical goggles and then back at Magni, understanding my meaning. He simply stroked the boy’s hair like a caring parent would. It sent a pang of guilt through my heart that I had put this orphan child into the exact situation that Da had done his best to avoid. I destroyed everything I touched. It was my curse.

  “I don’t,” I proclaimed loudly to Oberon. “I care about my world, though. You’ve fucked things up.”

  “Oh? Have I, now? In what way, vampire?” he scoffed like a dickhead boss sarcastically asking why you deserved the raise, knowing he wasn’t going to change his mind.

  Ludvig stood up and addressed Oberon with confidence, “You have disturbed the nature of fings. Balance must be restored.” It nagged me that he sometimes interchanged “th” sounds with a “d” or “f” instead.

  “I don’t remember asking you to speak, mage,” Oberon chided Ludvig, his eyes pulsing a fierce purple in warning.

  Good. He doesn’t know he’s a paladin. Can we use that? I asked Baleius.

  I’m not sure yet.

  “What do you want?” Ludvig asked the King of Shadows, ignoring the previous comment.

  “Ah, the direct approach. I admire that from a man with a mask,” Oberon exalted in delight.

  “Did-did you quote that on purpose?” I asked, confused. Batman Returns was one of my all-time favorite films.

  In answer, Oberon extended his hand, palm open, and sent a blast of purple energy toward me. His eyes blazed as he lost his temper and screamed, “Where’s my gauntlet, you insect?!”

  Ludvig dodged to the side, grabbing a woozy Magni as he did, while I somersaulted in the opposite direction.

  That’s why we aren’t dead yet, I said to Baleius, who nodded in agreement. We have leverage.

  Give it to him in exchange for our lives.

  What? No way, dude. If he wants it that badly, it’s got to be for a damn good reason. Maybe it unlocks his final form or some other anime-type shit.

  So what if it does, Baleius countered. If we die, the end of everything occurs.

  And if he gets the Lilith-damned gauntlet, then he has no reason to keep us alive. Didn’t Taylor say the Shadow Court wants to cast the entire fucking universe into darkness?

  Live today. Fight tomorrow, he said with a tone of finality. He wasn’t wrong, but he sure as shit wasn’t right, either.

  “Why do you want it?” I inquired, knowing full well what the answer was.

  Oberon went from rage beast to calm and collected in an instant before saying, “Do you have ANY idea how awkward it is to walk around in an outfit that’s missing a glove?”

  I wanted to like this guy; but the whole destruction-of-the-universe thing really put a damper on our relationship.

  “And if I give it to you?”

  “You can’t!” Ludvig interjected urgently while sticking a hand out as if to stop me.

  “He can and he will. If he does not, then…” as he spoke, Magni started sliding over the pavement toward Oberon’s open hand.

  “NO!” Ludvig cried out as he grabbed hold of one of the boy’s legs. He was pulled to the ground and dragged along with his protégé, refusing to let go.

  As they reached Oberon, they were each hoisted into the air by an unseen force and into the king’s open hands. Oberon closed his fists and held them both by their throats. I hadn’t realized before just how huge the Faerie king was until I saw him compared to the taller-than-average Ludvig. Oberon held him at eye level, but Lude’s feet dangled almost three feet off the ground.

  King Oberon looked at me, then, and said, “Their lives, for the gauntlet.” To accentuate his point, he began squeezing their necks. Their feet kicked the air uselessly as he held them steadfast.

  “Okay! Okay,” I shouted as I brought both of my hands up in pacification. Oberon’s grip relaxed enough for the hunters to stop kicking the air wildly.

  A plan started to form. It was crazy. It was stupid. It was going to work…I hoped.

  “It’s a good thing he’s not a paladin, or he might heal himself if you hurt him,” I called out, putting emphasis in my words.

  “He can’t heal if he’s dead,” Oberon returned. “Where’s my gauntlet?”

  “It’s at home, in a display case. I have a light on it,” I said, once again emphasizing certain words. As I spoke, I put a hand behind me and formed a loose fist as if I were holding something invisible.

  This is going to suck, I warned Baleius.

  What are you doing? Just give him the damn armor!

  Two things, I started. Stop being a little bitch. And the armor was at home the last time I saw it ten years ago, so I can’t exactly give it to him right now, can I?

  You’re going to get us killed…

  Probably, I admitted, focusing on the middle of the swirling mass of Shadow Fae above us.

  I took in a deep, steadying breath, pulled an alarming amount of energy from my vastly depleting reserves, and yelled, “HEAL!”

  Ludvig stuck each of his hands out to point at King Oberon and the shadow assassin and sent out a blinding flash of light. It was ironic that a healing spell—which would normally aid anything it was cast against—provided a bright illumination that hurt the creatures of shadow.

  Oberon and the shadow beast roared in surprise and pain as Magni and Ludvig dropped to the ground.

  A cacophony of squawks came from above as the swirling mass of shadow birds positioned themselves to attack. As they did, I threw the hand that I had been hiding behind my back into the air and sent every ounce of energy I had into the ministar I created. I screamed with exertion as the death star—that I had totally stolen from Locke—sailed into the sky, swallowing scores of shadow birds as it ascended. The higher it got, the more energy I poured into it, letting it grow and grow.

  I was brought down to one knee, unable to keep myself standing as I forced everything I had into the manifestation that meant life or death. I bared my teeth as I felt the cords on my neck pushing against my shirt and damaged coat from the strain. My vision began to dim at the edges as pure energy, which had taken centuries to build, flowed forever away from me.

  Fierce light shone in all directions, dissolving the shadow monsters who cried out in pain before their screams were abruptly cut off. I was both alarmed and surprised when I felt myself get lighter from the gravity the star was creating. Within seconds, the sky was free from all shadows, leaving behind only the shadow assassin and King Oberon, who were far enough away to withstand the light from the star. Either that or they were too powerful to simply dissolve.

  I squinted and saw that Oberon was only shielding his eyes from the light while the shadow assassin’s featureless flesh began to bubble noticeably.

  I dropped the rest of the way to the ground, completely exhausted, as my limbs became too heavy to hold up. My death star hand dropped stiffly to the road in front of me. I was surprised when the star remained in existence, pulling on everything around it for a moment while setting the very air around it on fire. The wind screamed in my ears as the atmosphere was sucked into the star, feeding it. My coat flaps began dancing in the air around me like puppets controlled by frantic strings while my hair struggled to free itself from the prison that was my gray beanie.

  Then the microstar began to shrink, slowly at first and then rushing in on itself. There was a blue burst of light that extended in all directions like embers from a dying fire. Leaves, sticks, and other assorted vegetation fell from the sky as the gravity died with the orb made from pure energy. I was going to h
ave to be careful of that in the future if I ever regained the immense power it took to create such a manifestation.

  It hit me, then. All the centuries I had spent amassing the energy from each kill, gone in a single moment in time. I felt naked.

  I let my gaze drop from where the real stars filled the sky again to land on Ludvig and Magni, who were battling King Oberon and the shadow monster.

  Ludvig had given his wand to Magni in the fray, and the young hunter was attacking the shadow assassin with a mixture of flames and lightning. Though his attacks were nowhere near as powerful as Ludvig’s, he was smart. After a spout of fire to push the monster back on its heels, he would send arcs of lightning at the amethyst eyes before switching back as the beast approached again.

  King Oberon had drawn his angelic gladius and was dueling Ludvig. The Swedish hunter parried with his own enchanted sword, doing his absolute best to deflect the celestial weapon rather than attempt to go blade to blade in a direct block. They were incredibly skilled swordsmen that moved at preternatural speeds.

  “Holy shit,” I breathed, realization dawning on me that Ludvig could have cut me in two with ease. He had restrained his true power with me, which would have caught me off guard. Now I knew the extent of his ability. Lilith, no wonder he had gotten Depweg AND the twins all at once.

  Magni waved a sheet of fire in front of him, disguising his next move. As the shadow assassin bellowed in frustration while inching backward, an ice shard pierced through the veil of flames and struck one of the beast’s eyes. The monster screamed in response, but this time it was comprised of fear and pain rather than rage.

  King Oberon feigned a power strike at Ludvig, who ducked on pure reflex. As he did, Oberon kicked out at blinding speeds, impacting his opponent square in the face and crunching it sickeningly. Ludvig’s limp body flew backward as if struck by a truck, blood trailing the air as he soared.

  As Oberon brought his foot back down, he turned his free hand toward Magni, who was about to lash out at the beast’s other eye. A ball of purple light exploded from the Faerie king’s palm like a sci-fi weapon and passed through Magni’s forearm that was connected to his weapon hand.

  Magni sucked in a sharp gust of air as his hand thudded to the ground, still grasping the wand. His remaining hand grabbed at the smoking flesh that had been seared closed. His eyes went wide before glazing over and eventually rolling back into his head as he started falling to the ground. As he fell, the shadow beast grabbed him in both hands and brought the unconscious hunter up to his face. Strands of saliva strung from his upper and lower jaws as he opened his giant maw wide.

  The boy whose mother I had viciously killed inched closer to the gleaming teeth. The orphan Da had tried to keep me from in order to protect him from my poisoned kindness had had his arm blown off. The teenage hunter who had dedicated his life to preventing others from experiencing the pain I had forced him to endure had watched his master get defeated in battle. Magni, who had had his childhood stolen and had been thrown into a world that would make most men cower in a fetal position, was about to die…because of me.

  “Waaaaaaaiiiiiit!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs, nearly passing out from the exertion. King Oberon held up an arm that was bent ninety degrees at the elbow, signaling the monster to halt. The shadow assassin stopped moving as if a pause button had been pressed. Oberon smiled at me, knowing full well what I was about to say. “Spare them, and I will give you the gauntlet.”

  King Oberon’s arm didn’t waver as he seemed to consider. Of course, it was all just a show of control because he didn’t give two shits about the kid and only wanted to complete his celestial ensemble.

  After a few more seconds of feigning indecision, King Douche dropped his hand and said, “Deal.” He then turned to the shadow beast and said, “Lolth, drop the boy. However, if the vampire attempts to deceive us, kill both his companions.”

  Lolth, the shadow assassin, tossed Magni’s unconscious body to land and tumble to where Ludvig lay still. I rushed to them, dropping to my knees to cradle Magni’s head. I looked down at where his arm ended in blackened flesh that steamed in the cold air, placed my hand over it, and began to concentrate.

  What are you doing?! Baleius demanded urgently. We don’t have the energy for this sentimental nonsense!

  Shut up, I commanded coldly. I didn’t care what it cost; I was going to heal this boy.

  Blood oozed from my hand, slower than normal, and began coating his arm where it ended. My hand began to tremble from the exertion as the blood formed a small pillar to where his hand would be, then began expanding outward. I imagined his forearm, wrist, palm, and finally his fingers before sending enough energy to repair his flesh.

  Black bugs began to swarm my vision as everything I saw steadily shrunk to a tiny pinprick. My head swayed, and a part of my concentration was shifted to not toppling over on the street. Once I felt his heartbeat in his fingers, I knew I had done my job and began retracting my precious blood back into my hand.

  I examined my handiwork as my vision returned and the bugs slowly cleared, escaping to first my peripheral vision, then outside the scope of my sight entirely. Though a few had remained behind to dance in front of my eyes sporadically. Stubborn bastards.

  “Where…is it?” Oberon asked impatiently, so eager to finally have his winning moment.

  “It’s at my lair. You’ll find it locked in a cabinet,” I said, defeated.

  “Oh no, I will not find anything, imbecile. You are going with me,” Oberon said with a touch of ire in his voice. He then turned toward Lolth and snapped his fingers. If I had had any energy left, I would have used it to shit my pants as Lolth lowered into the ground as if on an invisible elevator only to reemerge behind me. With a hand imperceptible in my current state, Lolth backhanded me and sent me flying away from the hunters. Magni had just begun to stir right as the enormous beast rose from the shadows on the street and grabbed the hunters in each of its massive hands.

  As quickly as it emerged from the darkness, it disappeared again, dragging Magni and Ludvig into the abyss. Magni’s high-pitched shriek was cut off as his head was swallowed by the shadow.

  “Magni!” I screamed.

  “Don’t worry about them. Simply an insurance policy, should you change your mind.”

  “Where are they?” I demanded, stumbling to get to my feet. I tripped and landed on the road, feeling the asphalt tear at my cheek. I was surprised to find it hurt. I lifted myself up on hands and knees, a hand rubbing my stinging face as I looked up at my aggressor.

  “In my Faerie,” Oberon said coldly, emphasizing that the plane was now his.

  “What about Queen Mab?” I asked, both out of curiosity and in an effort to buy time in the hopes of formulating a better plan.

  “Dead,” he said with a show of teeth. “She left me to rot in my prison instead of choosing to aid her rightful king. She paid her insolence with her life, as will those that refuse to bow to Oberon, King of all Faerie.”

  Oh, man, he referred to himself in the third person. He’s completely insane, I said to Baleius.

  Being a prisoner for a length of time can do that to a mind, Baleius responded flatly with more meaning than he had probably meant. I did a mental double-take and decided to let that comment go for the time being.

  “It is time, Jonathan. Take me to what I seek,” Oberon commanded as he made his way over to where I was still on my knees.

  “It’s just John,” I stated weakly, as if I were out of breath. “Question: what happens when you complete your set? Do you get, like, plus one to all defenses or something?”

  “Why explain that when I can, instead, describe in agonizing detail what will happen if you don’t take me to my prize?”

  Fuck! He had deflected my attempt to get him monologuing. I knew I should have rolled more points into charisma. Whatever he wanted with the celestial armor, I could guess it meant a similar fate on Earth as what had befallen Faerie.

  Oberon gra
bbed the back of my collar and lifted me up as easily as hoisting a pillow off the couch. A whine escaped my throat before I could stop it at being dominated like an ant beneath the magnifying glass of a bored child.

  “Now then,” Oberon said once we were nearly touching noses. “Where to?”

  14

  Oberon looked skyward and began to levitate into the air with me in tow like a child’s teddy bear. As we reached high enough to view the city’s landmarks, Oberon instructed me to point in the direction of my home. I did as commanded, feeling as vulnerable as a beat dog; but I did, however, try to take advantage of the long journey to the end of everything.

  A few times, I attempted to trick my captor into revealing something, anything, about what his post-glove goals were.

  “So, ah, how about that Midworld, huh? I think someone should come along and just, I don’t know, do something to it. I just don’t know who could do anything to a big ol’ place like Earth or how they would do it. Hmm. What do you think, Obi? Can I call you Obi?”

  He answered with stern silence.

  After the third attempt, Oberon halted midflight and lifted me to face him. Anger cracked his otherwise stony face as he smoothly grabbed my throat under my chin with his free hand. The hand that had been holding my collar moved to rest on top of my shoulder near my neck. With a grimace of barely controlled rage, he pressed down on my shoulder while my head was held firmly in place by my jaw. Confused eyes went wide once I understood the error of my ways as a series of sequential pops started between my shoulder blades and raced up my spine to my skull. With each ruptured disc, my teeth rattled and my jaws cracked. My skin burned like fire where it was being stretched to the point of ripping apart.

  Oberon licked his lips in eager anticipation as moans became yelps that became screams. My toes started to tingle as I gawked into fierce eyes that watched me with a burning intensity. I had seen that look on my own face before and knew that Oberon was having an internal debate on if he actually needed me alive to retrieve his prize. From how his eyes grew wider the closer I got to decapitation, I understood which decision he had made.