On the wall opposite the door was a balcony that was backlit and three figures sat in hooded robes, their faces obscured by shadow. There was no way to make out anything other than their silhouette from where I stood in the middle of the room. The glare from the chandelier complicated things further, I had to squint against it because my arms were still tied behind my back. The Anubis left through a hidden panel in the wall, abandoning me to my fate. I knelt slowly and doubled over, pressing my forehead to the cool, shiny tile, prostrating myself before them.
“Shadow Rosaline, you stand before us for murdering four swords in the dark, with your actions caught on camera. Why should we excuse your infraction upon our most sacred of rules?” The voice was just a voice, an older female I would guess by the tone and clarity. It was however, unremarkable. I don’t know why I had expected more, but it was somehow a little disappointing.
“I wasn’t aware they were Shadows at the time. For the last month, I’ve been working on several cases through Havaker and Meyer that turned out to be a series of disappearances connected to the Cult of Isis. I entered the house only after Sybil Davy confirmed the presence of Ester Mahautiere. My initial intent was only to retrieve her.”
“Why use lethal force when unprovoked?”
“Uh…two weeks ago I encountered the group while searching for Tatiana LaFaette. Shortly after recovering the girl, a group of mercenaries attacked my home, and I narrowly escaped with my life.”
“And the Sterling heir? Yes, we are well aware of him still being amongst the living, in spite of your contract being closed out.”
“I believe he is connected to the disappearances.”
“Had you known of the four’s involvement would you have alerted your Sybil?”
“Yes, Executioner Jonas was involved, as well. He shot himself rather than allow me to interrogate him—Sybil Davy helped me track him. Also, under my order, he retrieved the full file for both Thornton Sterling IV and Maximillian Van Ard. Upon inspection, I found them empty which suggests someone is tampering with our files.”
“Are there others still missing?”
“Yes, one. Logan Erikson.”
“Have you discovered any other links between them?”
“Isis aided in all of their conceptions. I believe there is a faction within the cult that’s responsible for everything.”
The two on the side twitched toward the one in the middle, barely any sound made it past the balcony, but I could tell from their movements that they were conversing. They carried on for a while, occasionally their murmurs reached me, but it was never anything intelligible.
“Rise, Sword in the Dark Rosaline and hear our judgment,” the same one in the middle spoke again, their voice thundering with authority. The old title used before my name made me scrunch my nose a bit. It seemed so stuffy, I liked Executioner far better. Rolling onto my back, I swung my hands around my bottom and up my legs. My wrists were still bound, but they were in front of me as I stood and I was able to rub the chaffed skin. The zip ties were going to leave a line—if I survived. I bowed my head, but instead of closing my eyes I kept them cracked open as I continued my attempt at soothing the angry flesh. “We the six-hundred-seventy-third Camera Umbra find no fault in your execution of the four rogue Swords in the Dark. Further, we place in your charge the execution of all Shadows complicit in these disappearances.” Thank sweet fuck all.
“Thank you,” I bowed my head.
“The Anubis will see you out.” Quick as they came, they disappeared into the darkness.
Seventeen
THE SECOND THE doors of the Camera Umbra’s Chambers closed Davy slammed into me. I grunted from the force his six-foot frame colliding with mine, but otherwise remained standing, still rubbing my wrists which had clear bruises from where the zip ties once were. He smiled down at me with gray eyes sparkling and bloodshot—dare I say good ol’ Davy had been crying. He sniffled and squeezed me a little before I was able to wriggle out of his arms.
“I thought I’d lost you!” He exclaimed fidgeting. Davy was always a fidgeter, and he looked like one too. In the manor, he always seemed a little out of place in his blue jeans and vintage graphic t-shirts. In a world where everyone wore black, he was often a muted blue and some random color sore thumb.
“You’re not that lucky,” I retorted slapping his back.
“You look like shit, Rosie.”
“I know. On the upside, they gave me orders to officially take out any Shadows involved with the disappearances.” I paused. “Where’s Jonas’ Sybil?”
“Astrid is… I think she’s in the pen. I know she hasn’t been reassigned yet. Oh! Speaking of all that nonsense.” He reached behind him and pulled out my gun. “Your gun, Madam.” He laughed, and I took it from him, tucking it back into my holster.
“Thanks.”
“That thing feels like a bloody children’s toy.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s because the new Glocks are plastic, I told you this years ago.”
“Oh! Speaking of guns, they boxed up your apartment and your stuff is in your room.”
“That’s not my room.”
“Fine, it’s in that room that you were assigned when you started training.”
“That works.”
“Are you going after Logan tonight?”
I started walking down the hall toward the dormitory and Davy followed like a happy puppy.
“No, it’s late and I’m exhausted.”
“He’s in a cage! They might kill him.”
I groaned. “Davy, d—”
“Don’t what? Remind you that there’s a fellow human being held captive like an animal against their will less than a quarter mile from here?”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You’re right I don’t! But I’m also not going to save Logan tonight. I’m a day out of a week and half long coma. I’m going to sleep. Good night, Davy.” I peeled away from Davy and quickly turned down a hall.
The Dormitory was nice, every Shadow had a room there even if they moved out. Essentially, being there was the equivalent of never leaving high school—so it was the eighth circle of hell. People smiled at me as I passed them, and I returned the gesture even though I couldn’t remember who they were. There were only really three other Shadows I was friendly with and those were Davy, Cis, and Nate— who were all several years older than myself. I was never close with any of my direct peers. Davy had even chosen a different Shadow to Sybil for, but the guy died on his first QK, got too close to a blood starved vampire and ended up summarily munched.
As I moved through the hallways with their rich, old, wooded walls and shiny checkered floor the feeling of being a stranger really hit home. I had never felt like I belonged in the Manor and being there as an adult didn’t make it any better. Still, I walked to my dorm and placed my right hand on the plate next to the handle. The door beeped a few times and unlocked, revealing my tiny windowless room.
It was cramped with boxes and seemed suffocatingly dark even with the light turned on. The walls were an ugly shade of violet that I had chosen as a child. I could have changed it, most changed their rooms fairly regularly, but I didn’t think it was worth the trouble even when I was younger. The only furniture was a twin bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, and a small television. The dresser was old polished wood, and the bookshelf was built into the wall with a sad amount of books covering the shelves. It looked about as lived in as my apartment did —before it was shot up that is.
The bed still had on it the dark gray blanket, and sheets covered with the symbol of the Order of Shadows. The glyph almost looked like some weird variation of Kanji; It was a triangle formed by three strokes with the bottom two overlapping and several slashes inside of the triangle. The pillow looked new, I expected as much. I might not have been in the room in years, but maintenance still made its rounds.
I slipped my gun into the holster next to the bed, and collapsed back onto the hard, u
ncomfortable mattress. My attention fixed on that all too familiar ceiling with its heavy plaster swirls, and I thought about the dream from before with all the upside-down scenes. Clearly, I was looking at things the wrong way and my subconscious was trying to beat me over the head with it. Unfortunately, I still hadn’t figured out what I was missing.
After a few minutes of a restless tossing and turning, I stood and left that tiny oppressive room. Nostalgia made my lips twitch into a smile, while I head through the halls, aimlessly meandering. I was exhausted, but for some reason I couldn’t sleep in that bed. I figured the walk would help take me to that point where sleep started to overtake whatever aversion I had to that hard little bed.
There was a display in the hall where the Sybils received their training. WE WILL NEVER FORGET, a silver plaque above the archway declared proudly. Below were relics from each time the Camera Umbra had been manipulated or Executioners were misled. There were only six such incidents, and considering that the Camera Umbra and The Order of Shadows was pushing on its third millennia of existence, that wasn’t too terrible of a record. Some might have argued that the Camera Umbra should be above reproach—I was not one of those. I was a realist, and in being such, I accepted that humans were despicable creatures who would do horrible things to accomplish their aims. It was a universal truth, people were dicks.
“Ah, the wall of remembrance.” The voice made me jump, I turned to the side and found the Anubis standing there with his arms clasped behind his back, staring at the different relics and pictures. “These cases remind me that being an executioner for our Order is a little like being inside of a Camera Obscura.”
“A what?”
“Camera Obscura, it literally means darkened room. You learned about it during your schooling here. It’s a device whose origins trace back to prehistoric religious ceremonies. The principle that governs it is really quite fascinating. If you puncture a tiny hole into a darkened room, it will project whatever is illuminated on the other side onto the opposite wall—only upside down. It takes a lens to right the image and sharpen it. So, you’re in the darkened room, trusting whatever the Camera Umbra chooses to illuminate for you, and relying on the Sybils to clarify. Essentially, you’re like a tightly wound executive on Twisted Tuesday at Abaddon. Blind, bound, and completely trusting your dom to show you which side is up.”
“There’s another way the image can appear right side up. If it’s upside down to begin with.”
“I suppose, but we all rely on our lenses. I still consult mine though she’s a teacher now, and considerably more boring than she once was.” Without saying more he left, turning on his heels and heading back down the hall, his hands still clasped behind his back. I watched him go and didn’t turn back around to inspect that case again until he had turned the corner.
What he said stuck in my mind like gum in hair. There was no getting it out, that conversation just sat there tangled up in everything else, and I had no clue how to remove it.
When I left, I didn’t return to my room, I went to Davy’s instead. I could hear the music the moment I got off the elevator. I knew what I’d find when the door was opened before I even reached it. Davy had Cis over, Bush’s song Mouth on repeat was sign enough of that. Just hearing it made me think of Nate—and I didn’t like that one bit. I kissed him for the first time while Cis and Davy tore into each other in the backseat of Nate’s car. I was seventeen, and he broke the kiss abruptly by practically shoving me away from him. The memory left a foul taste on my tongue as I banged on the door. I could hear them, even over the mind-numbingly loud music.
“Davy!” I shouted as I continued to pound on the door.
“Fuck off! I’m not turning it down,” he responded. I kept beating on the door. “I said fuck the fuck off.” I didn’t stop, which eventually got him to finally throw the door open. “Look moth—” he stopped when he saw me. Davy looked so adorable, flushed pink and panting. I could see Cis handcuffed to the bed behind Davy. “Rose,” he sounded shocked, like a kid caught doing something bad.
“On second thought, I’ll leave you two alone.”
“N-no, it’s fine. Really.” He held the door open with his foot, while turning the music down and clutching a sheet to his waist.
“Nate’s here tonight,” Cis called, using his legs to maneuver a pillow into his lap as he sat up—an impressive feat since he was still cuffed to the bed post. Cis and Davy made a cute couple, they had been together on and off as long as I had known them. They were a matching set, I had always suspected Cis was a Cavendish or at least had some Cavendish blood—despite being a Michelangelo sculpture brought to life, with his black hair and dark eyes.
“That’s nice, I’m not in the mood to see Nate. I’ll let you two get back to… this.”
“You don’t have to, Cis can leave if you really want to talk.”
“Nah, it can wait. Enjoy yourselves.” I chuckled and left. The moment the door shut the music was turned back up and in spite of what I said I started walking the way to Nate’s room.
The sixth floor was where everyone who passed all their exams with honors lived. Nate’s room was a corner, which meant it was larger than the standard sixth-floor room and even had windows. I was just about to knock when I stopped myself and came to my senses. There was no universe in which me stopping by Nates room that late would end without me doing something I’d probably regret come morning.
Just as I was about to leave, Nate stepped from the shower room in nothing but pajama pants and slippers. His hair was still dripping, and I followed the path of those rivulets of water down his scarred torso before raising my gaze to his. My mind was seated firmly in the gutter just from looking him over, and it took entirely too much effort to keep my attention on his face.
Wordlessly he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me flush against that wet chest. My arms were frozen, I wasn’t quite sure of what to do at first. It took a moment for me to return his embrace, even then it was tense and quick.
“While you were in there I couldn’t wait it out with Davy. I wanted to, but I didn’t trust my reaction if they brought your body out. I’ve been running on the treadmill at level ten since they sent the team after you.”
“You’re going to hurt when you wake up in the morning.”
“Oh, I know it. I already hurt. Did you know there’s a point beyond your legs feeling like jelly?”
“That would be the legs falling off stage. Soak in a bath with some Epsom salts, and you’ll be fine.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He flashed me a smile and touched his hand to the lock. “Want to come in?”
“I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”
“Are you sure? You came here for a reason.”
“I wanted to bounce some ideas off someone but Davy’s preoccupied—bumping uglies with Cis.”
“I’m good for that.”
“Bumping uglies, or bouncing ideas?” I grinned.
“Both.” He winked, and I rolled my eyes.
I stepped in, and he reached passed me to close the door. From the windows, you could see the lights of the cars passing on the street below.
“Well, what are these ideas that have you awake instead of sleeping like you should be?”
“I had a dream—don’t laugh—about being in a dark room with upside down images projected on the wall.”
“You were in a camera obscura for starters.”
“Why does everyone know what that is?”
“Because some of us paid attention during the academic portion of our training.”
“Okay so I’m in this camera obscura, and there’s this slide show of events that have taken place from the Vampire attack on Thorn to the team—” and bam, he was naked, and my train of thought derailed completely. Naked men with amazing bodies were my kryptonite. I was fairly certain if someone whipped out a gun and shot me in the face while staring at Nate as he dressed I wouldn’t even react. He pulled up his pajama pants, and I cleared my th
roat. “—attacking my apartment. Then there’s the whole thing with Thorn’s name not being in the file I was sent. So, I’m confused as fuck all, I mean why would they come after Th—” I finished my train of thought, and groped for my gun which wasn’t there, as I came to a conclusion I probably shouldn’t have needed so much time to reach. Thorn wasn’t the target—I was.
Everything was upside down to begin with, that was what my brain was trying to get me to realize. I was the target. I was a minus null, which meant I was rarer than Thorn, even with his ability to mind control a null. My stomach twisted as I stared at Nate who was frowning for a change.
“There’s a note in your file here, it’s a little r. Cis had to go through so many channels to find out what it meant. I made him call in favors he was saving. It means range. You can effect magic at a distance, Rose. Your parents—whoever they are—went to Isis to help conceive. You’re also in the Cult’s files.”
“Is this where you shoot me?”
“No. I’ve been trying to protect you since I found out.”
“I don’t need protection. If you haven’t noticed, I’m doing fine on my own.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” He chuckled and held up his hand with the bandaged pinkie finger. “I’m still here just in case, Rose. I’ll always be here.”
“Don’t say that. It’s too cheesy, too cliché.”
“What’s life without a little cheese?”
“Healthier?” I cracked my knuckles and yawned. “I’m going to head back to my room.”
“Let me put on a shirt and I’ll walk with you.”
“You’re not spending the night.”
“Of course not, it’s morning already. That and I’m not sleeping. I’m going to head to the bakery, and spend the rest of the day drinking a lot of coffee.”
I nodded, and he picked up a t-shirt from a pile of clothes on the floor. It took a moment for me to realize that the pants he wore had the symbol of the order at his hip, just below the waistband.
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