The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  “Damn!”

  They all looked away from the table and stared at Elaine. She had slammed a fist against the wooden desk so hard David was sure the desk was cracked somewhere. She was no longer on the phone. He was about to ask her a question when she got up from the desk and walked over to them.

  “There was an attack at the London offices,” Elaine said. She moved toward the remaining chair, then decided against it. She paced back and forth between the mahogany desk and the table. “Not an Edimmu, they say, but definitely not human. It killed twenty-seven guards and almost got Garnet, Jared and the new guy.”

  “What new guy?” Jessica put down the eight of clubs and mouthed the word ‘Spades’. Her face broke out in a smug little smile. In response, Todd stuck his tongue out at her.

  “Another Anomaly Wisdom picked up. That’s not important right now. Where the hell is Echo?”

  Todd shook his head and laid down a five of spades. Before his hand was fully withdrawn, Jessica laid down the Queen of Spades and started laughing. “Burn, baby!”

  “Can you stop the damn card game?” Elaine stopped pacing and put her hands on her hips. “People died, remember? Garnet could be next if we don’t get her out of there.”

  Todd raised his eyebrows and scratched his scalp. Then he started picking up a series of cards from the deck. “Garnet can take care of herself, remember? You said the same thing to me about two months ago when we had that conversation about her wardrobe.”

  Jessica put her cards down and looked back and forth between Todd and Elaine. “You had a conversation about the clothes she wears?”

  “No, we didn’t.” Elaine pointed a finger at Todd. “We had no such conversation, understand? And I know she can take care of herself. This is different. People died. I should have been there instead of…whatever.” She sat down at the fourth chair, resting her elbows on the table.. “I can’t believe this is happening. I should have retired by now. Where the hell is Echo?”

  She got up from the table and started pacing again.

  A woman with light brown skin walked out of the kitchen. She was dressed in a blue blouse with a white skirt that hung to her knees. She was lightly tanned and blond. Seeing her reminded David of Annisa and Roma and what their absence meant.

  “Supper is ready,” the servant said. She glared at them, taking in the large patches of dried blood and dirt marks over their skin and clothes. “You may want to freshen up first. The bathroom is down the hall to the left.” When she said “you may want to freshen up” she lowered her head and stared each of them squarely in the eyes. The way she said it did not sound like a suggestion. Even though he was not hungry and had no intention of eating, David was on his feet quickly. Jessica and Todd both laid their cards down and headed toward the bathrooms as well. Even Elaine stood in line to wash her face and hands.

  David surprised himself by eating two servings of the turkey and mashed potatoes. It reminded him of happy times, Christmas and Thanksgivings before he knew he was different. Before his parents realized he was different. He drank a few glasses of white wine and ended up in a conversation with Todd about which Radiohead album was the best. Jessica asked for wine once. The servant, Courtney, put a glass of apple juice in front of her. Then she stood, arms crossed, waiting for Jessica to say something else. Jessica stared back, but only for a moment. Then she said, “Thank you,” and took a sip from the apple juice.

  Elaine barely looked up from her plate. David tried to involve her in the conversation. When she admitted she did not know who Radiohead was, he realized it was hopeless. No matter how hard he tried, though, he could not keep his eyes from straying over to her throughout the meal. He was glad she kept her eyes on her plate. He didn’t want her to realize how often he stared at her.

  When they finished talking about Radiohead, they talked movies. Not long after that, Courtney brought them each a plate of thick cherry cheesecake with hazelnut ice cream. As soon as she left the room, Jessica got up from her seat, walked over to Todd and picked up his 1/4 full wine glass. She lifted the glass to her lips and then froze when they all heard someone clear their throat. They turned to see Courtney standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, arms crossed with one eyebrow raised. She stayed like that until Jessica, slowly, put the wine glass back in place and returned to her seat. Once Courtney disappeared into the kitchen, Todd and David broke out laughing. Elaine put her hand over her mouth, barely hiding the smile while she very studiously looked at the ceiling. Jessica did not look amused.

  They were deep into a discussion about The Lord of the Rings when Echo walked in on them.

  “Good,” she said. “You look better. I’ve brought some company.”

  David stood as Garnet and Jared walked into the room. Behind them was someone he did not recognize, a blond man about his own age who walked with his hands in his pockets.

  ‘That must be the new guy¸’ he thought.

  “Hey, strangers.” Garnet walked forward and put a hand on Elaine’s shoulder. “You all look like hell. Where are the others?”

  David’s mouth fell open. It was like a mirror shattering, he thought. Just like that all the warmth and happiness fell into sharp shards and clattered noisily on the floor. Jessica dropped a forkful of cheesecake and got to her feet. She started to run but slowed herself, walking briskly out of the room and down to the bathroom.

  “Oh,” Garnet let the word out like a balloon deflating. “Little Amy. God.” She spun and faced Echo. “Jesus, woman. You could have told us.”

  Echo shrugged her shoulders and sat down in Jessica’s seat. “Wasn’t my place. It was better for you to hear it from one of your own.” She put the forkful of cheesecake in her mouth and spoke as she chewed on it. “Look, I hate to rush you and all, but you’ve got to decide where you want to go. Where you want to hide out until Wisdom resurfaces.”

  Garnet frowned. “Can’t we stay here?”

  “No,” Echo ate another forkful of the cake and then pushed the plate away. “There’s not enough room. And even if there was, I’ve been involved in this too long. I can’t have the Council of Peacocks after me.”

  Garnet’s face went red but she kept her silence.

  Echo got up from the table. “Look, obviously you all have some talking to do. Catch each other up on what’s been going on. I am going to make myself scarce but I’ll be back again in the morning. Let me know then where you want to go and I’ll drop you off. There’s plenty of food and drink here. Be nice to Courtney, she’s a doll really.”

  “Wait!” David stood up, his fork clattering against the plate. “You’re really not going to help us? Those things could kill us. Don’t you care?”

  Echo waved her hand and a circle of light appeared. “I’ve already lost two homes because of this needless drama. Now I have to stay in this little shack until I can find a new home. I helped you because Wisdom asked me to. And as much as I hate to admit it, I owe him. But now it is too serious for me to stay in this little game. A suggestion, though? Elaine, I think it is time to stop with the whole secrecy thing. Normally, Wisdom would be upset with show and tell. Given the circumstances, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

  She looked down at the plate of cheesecake as if deliberating. Then she picked up the plate and fork and walked over to the portal. “You all enjoy your evening. Do your best not to use any of your powers and I can pretty well guarantee the Edimmu won’t track you here. You’ll be safe for now. See you in the morning.”

  With that, she stepped into the portal and was gone.

  David sat down slowly and stared at his plate. Once again he had lost his appetite.

  ***

  For several minutes no one said anything, locked in their own heads. Then, Jessica walked back into the room. Her eyes were red, but she had her chin firmly out and her jaw set. She did not sit back at the table. Instead, she found a beige over-stuffed chair and sat with her arms crossed.

  It was Elaine who broke the silence.r />
  “Tell me what happened in London.”

  They all left the dining table and moved into the living room proper. Josh introduced himself, which led into the story of his kidnapping and how Wisdom had rescued him. Garnet took up the story at this point, using security jargon that only Elaine seemed to understand. She then told everyone about the attack in London and how they managed to escape it alive. When she finished, Todd and Elaine took turns relaying how Echo had rescued them during the initial Edimmu attack in Toronto and the events in the underground apartment. Neither of them talked at length about Bethany, Amy or any of the other Anomalies, saying only that they had been killed or stolen by shadows. David was thankful no one pressed for any more details.

  Their stories finished, they all sank into silence, breathing air that sat heavily in their lungs. David wished he had not drunk the wine.

  “So what now?” Josh said. “Does Wisdom have any secret hideouts? Some place we’ll be safe?”

  Elaine nodded. “He’s got tons. Only problem is they are secret. I have no idea where they are. I only know of the offices he has around the world. We could go to any of them, but we’d have to assume that the Council knows all about them.”

  Josh leaned back. “So what exactly is this Council?”

  “Yeah!” David leaned forward. “Echo’s right about one thing. Stop playing around with the whole secret society crap. Let’s lay it all on the line. What the hell is going on?”

  Suddenly a crack of thunder shot through the room and the lights went out. David held his breath. There was a buzzing in his head, persistent but not painful this time. Lightning flashed outside, slamming and slicing into the ocean. Garnet found some candles and lit them each by touching the wick. Wind blew in strongly off the ocean, making the flames flicker, casting strange shadows around the room. David wished she would put the candles out.

  “That was just a coincidence, right?” Todd rubbed his hands together, twisting in his seat as if trying to get comfortable.

  “Of course not,” Jessica was on her feet now. “I know you can feel it, too, so let’s stop pretending. Something is out there. I just don’t know what it is.”

  She squinted her eyes and stared out at the lightning. In the candlelight, it was hard to make out the expression on her face. David stared at her. Lightning flashed again and he got a clear look at her face. It was frozen in horror.

  “Oh my God! Wisdom!”

  Even as she screamed, a dark shape flew in from the ocean and slammed against the side of the house. Jessica ran forward. Even though Todd tried to grab her and keep her back, she climbed out through the open window and dropped out of sight. Elaine followed, a blur of motion, and leapt headfirst out the window. Heart pounding in his throat, David walked with the others to the window and looked down. In the flashes of light he saw a body in mangled red clothes lying on the grass at the foot of the house. Jessica knelt at the body’s head, stroking it while Elaine held two fingers against the man’s neck.

  “It can’t be.” Garnet put her hands against the side of her head. She looked like she was about to start screaming.

  David looked at the body again. In the dark it was impossible to make out anything. He stared where he knew the head was and waited for the next flash of lightning. When it came, he recognized the features.

  “David, come on!” Garnet yelled. “You have to help. Elaine is motioning us to go down. I don’t think Wisdom’s dead. Not yet anyway. Come on!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Is that the last of them?” Propates rubbed the back of his neck and cursed under his breath. A cloud was forming in his head. Since the Orpheans had invaded his bathroom, he couldn’t shake the sensation he was being watched. Coupled with the annoyance of letting Echo slip through his fingers, his concentration was paying the price.

  “Yes, sir,” the acolyte said as he shut the door to the cell. They were moving from room to room in the subbasement of the Thessaloniki headquarters checking on the kidnapped Anomalies. Behind locked doors, drugs kept them sedated, nearly comatose. “We took 35 of them alive. We believe three are hiding somewhere in the old Edimmu city. Several were killed during retraction.”

  Propates sighed. “I would have preferred more but we have enough to move forward.”

  “This also proves Wisdom doesn’t know what we’re planning.”

  “Do you stuff your head with paper? Of course Wisdom knows what we’re planning. He’s traveling through time, idiot. He must have seen this coming.”

  “But if he saw it coming, if he knew you were going to take the Anomalies, why wasn’t he there to stop you?”

  “Now that is a good question.” Propates closed his eyes and put a hand against the wall. A shiver ran through him – an echo at the bottom of his awareness. It called to him, willing him to go to the Vulture Antechamber. “Retraction was easy. Too easy, especially considering how much trouble Paeder faced trying to retract just one Anomaly. If you knew Wisdom like I do, you would realize he’s not one to give up. He let me have these Anomalies for a reason. I just need to figure out what that reason is.”

  “Are we sending a team to retrieve the others?”

  “No.” Propates shook his head. “A storm is brewing out there, spreading all across the ether.”

  “Is it the Activation?” The acolyte said the word ‘Activation’ with reverence and fear.

  “Of course not. That’s still months away. But time moves quickly. Have the ceremonial chamber and the tattoo artists prepped within the hour. I want all these Anomalies taken through the first phase of Eyeness by this time tomorrow.”

  The acolyte nodded, bowed and scampered off. Propates steeled his nerves and headed for the Vulture Antechamber.

  ***

  “We have to get him upstairs,” Elaine said. “Spare room.”

  Josh nodded. “I know where it is.” He grabbed Wisdom’s ankles while Elaine took the shoulders. They carried him up wooden steps. Before they reached the top, Josh’s hands and arms were covered in warm blood, his shirt smeared.

  They set him down on the queen-sized bed in the spare room. Josh grimaced as Wisdom’s blood splattered the light flowery sheets and pillowcases. Garnet pushed Josh aside and helped Elaine strip the remnants of the mangled suit from Wisdom’s body. He looked away. In the dark it was difficult to tell the flaps of cloth from flaps of loose skin.

  “Go,” Elaine said over her shoulder.

  He knew the remark was aimed at him. He left the room. The door closed firmly behind him. For a moment he stood completely still. His head buzzed with too many thoughts.

  ‘Where will we go if Wisdom dies?’ His chest constricted and his heart pounded so fiercely it was difficult to breathe. ‘How long would it be before the Council of Peacocks and their Edimmu henchmen finally captured the rest of us? I don’t think I could take being captured again.’

  “Stop it,” he whispered. He forced himself to take deep breaths, panting like a woman in labor. Josh pushed himself to his feet and steadied his nerves. Careful to avoid the red, wet smudges of blood on the steps, he walked downstairs and looked around the living room.

  In the candlelight the group of strangers looked intimidating. He heard something dripping and realized it was him. Wisdom’s blood fell from his hands and torso, creating tiny puddles around him. A quick look at the light beige furniture told him it was not safe to sit anywhere, at least not until after a thorough shower. Aware that everyone was watching him, he walked over to the only other person in the room he knew. Jared sat at a card table with an overweight brown-haired man and a prepubescent girl. His physical presence was a welcome moral support.

  For the better part of an hour no one said anything. From time to time a maternal-looking blond woman entered from the kitchen with hors d’oeurves and glasses of iced tea. No one ate and most barely drank. Then the door to the spare room opened and Garnet walked down to the bottom of the stairs. Although she was not crying, her eyes were completely bloodshot and
her lower lip trembled. The maternal servant, Courtney, walked over to Garnet and spoke in a low voice Josh could not hear. Garnet slowly nodded her head, then straightened her blouse and walked into the living room.

  “He’ll live,” she said. “His wounds are healing remarkably quickly. He hasn’t woken up yet. There’s no way to tell when he will.”

  “Let’s let him sleep tonight.” This came from Elaine, who stood at the top of the stairs. Several people jumped as she spoke. Even Josh had not heard her approach. “He should be fine by then.”

  “What happened to him?” Jessica sat on the edge of a chair, her hands close to her mouth as if she was going to bite her nails. Then she looked at the hands, closed her mouth and put them firmly on the sides of the chair.

  “I think that would be best left for him to say.” Elaine rubbed the back of her neck, turned and headed back into the spare room.

  ***

  David’s eyes settled on Elaine as she appeared. He wanted her to look at him but she did not. She seemed to peruse everything in the room except him. Bags seemed to grow suddenly under her eyes, although it was more likely David had decided not to see them until that moment. He wanted to comfort her. The realization made him cringe.

  ‘That’s a joke,’ he thought. ‘Me comfort her? She’s far more confident and powerful than I’ll ever be.’

  He shook his head and walked quickly to the window. He needed to feel the breeze against his skin. He crossed his arms and hung his head. He was not aware that he was crying until the tears hit his lips.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “It’s okay. You’ve had a rough few days, haven’t you?”

  Garnet.