Reaping Wind

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “Hello, Dex,” I said, genuinely happy to see him. “What did the—”

  “Ach—one second, boy,” Dex said, looking around the interior. He waved a hand and whispered some words, making all of the craters disappear. “You were saying?”

  Dexter was dressed in a pair of dark green boxers covered by a dark gray robe with a repeated raven motif. His long hair was pulled back in a braid and finished off with a black hair clip shaped like a raven in mid-flight.

  “Didn’t have a chance to get dressed?” I asked, eyeing the attire. “Were you busy?”

  “I was just getting started when my nephew called,” Dex answered with a wink and looked down. “What do you mean, I’m not dressed? This robe was a gift from Mo.”

  I still didn’t understand how anyone could be in a relationship with the Morrigan, but that spoke volumes about Dex. As a mage, he was insanely powerful. The fact that the Morrigan, someone even scarier than TK, took an interest in him still boggled my brain.

  The resemblance with Monty always threw me. Where Monty was tall and thin, Dex was a little shorter and rounded out. His salt-and-pepper hair was long like Monty’s, but the face gave it away. Dex was an older version of Monty with laugh lines—something I was sure Monty’s face would never suffer from.

  “How is the Golden Circle these days?” I said. “I’d get up, but TK feels this is safer.”

  “Because it is,” TK said. “I’m not in the mood to calm him down again.”

  “Let him free,” Dex said. “If he gets out of control, I’ll put him down.”

  “That,” TK said with a small smile as she waved a hand, undoing the restraints, “is something I’d like to see.”

  There was something seriously wrong with the both of them. I got unsteadily to my feet and moved over to a short bench that sat along the wall. Dex sat down next to me with a grunt.

  “The Circle chafes, boy,” Dex said. “I’m not meant for offices or ‘meetings’ and the like. I need to be out in the world. Roaming free.”

  “Like a wild animal,” TK said.

  “Aye,” Dex answered. “Free with nothing and no one to hold me down.”

  “Except the Morrigan,” TK replied. “Does she know about this ‘freedom’ of yours?”

  “We have an understanding of sorts,” Dex answered quickly. “I need my space and she doesn’t care. It’s all compromise.”

  I laughed and instantly regretted it. Pain did a Mexican hat dance across my skull and proceeded to sashay down the rest of my body, swinging a sledgehammer of agony.

  “I think you’d make a good teacher,” I said after catching my breath. “You may not like the Golden Circle, but maybe a substitute teacher?”

  “Please, don’t give him any ideas,” TK said. “The last thing we need is Dex teaching the next generation of mages.”

  “Ach,” Dex said, rubbing his chin Monty style. “It’s an idea for another time. More importantly”—he slapped me in the back, reigniting all the pain—“how are you feeling?”

  “Like an ogre’s punching bag after being a chew toy for Peaches’ dad.”

  “Aye,” Dex said with a grunt. “We’d be concerned if it were otherwise.”

  I closed my eyes and laid my head back against the cool stone. Things couldn’t get worse. Peaches was gone, Esti was out there with her psychohunters chasing after Chi, who was still missing, and I was wrecked.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  A thrum of power vibrated through my body. It felt like I had hit the nerve in my elbow, setting off my funny bone. I never understood why it was called that; there was nothing funny about the sensation of being mildly electrocuted. I guess ‘funny bone’ was more acceptable than ‘oh shit that hurts’ bone.

  “I can feel him,” I said, opening my eyes in surprise. “I can feel Peaches.”

  THIRTY-SIX

  Monty stepped quickly into the shrine.

  “Is he relapsing?” Monty asked, looking around. “What happened? I just felt—”

  “Whatever it is that you’re doing,” Dex said, his voice a warning as he glared, “you need to stop, boy.”

  I looked at the perplexed Monty.

  “I know where Peaches is,” I said. “I can feel him.”

  TK remained silent and stared as Dex shot to his feet.

  “You can’t go out there until we’ve determined the extent of the damage,” Dex said, pointing to the shoji door. “It’s too dangerous. Tell him, lass.”

  I let the power flow through me again.

  “I know where he is, and I’m going to go get him.”

  “Wait,” TK said, drawing all eyes to where she stood. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I need to go get my hellhound.”

  “Understood,” she said. “However, if you lose your mind in the middle of Japan, it will be a problem—a problem I helped create, and a problem I will have to fix. Answer my question.”

  I took a deep breath and did a mental inventory. I felt strong—stronger than I had ever felt in my life, but that wasn’t it. My bonds were clear, and for the first time I could feel each bond. I extended my hand and formed Ebonsoul instantly. The next second, I absorbed it without delay.

  “I feel connected,” I said, certain. “I feel whole.”

  TK nodded. “If you had said anything else, I’d be forced to restrain you again.”

  “And if I broke free?” I asked, feeling particularly suicidal in the moment.

  “I’d reluctantly deliver your body to Haven…in pieces.”

  “Have I ever told you,” I said, reining in my momentary lapse in self-preservation, “just how scary you are?”

  “No need,” TK answered, tracing green runes in the air. “I’m content being the bogeyman’s bogeyman, if needs must.”

  “Are you daft, boy?” Dex said. “Just because you have some hair on your bollocks doesn’t mean you wrestle the dragon.”

  His words reminded me of Roque.

  “Simon,” TK said, snapping my attention back to her. “Get your hellhound, secure the vampire, and teach the Blood Hunters a lesson.”

  “A lesson?”

  “One that makes them reconsider ever touching those close to you,” TK answered. “It needs to be swift, merciless, and brutal. You must leave no doubt in their minds that attacking you and yours was an error with fatal consequences. Give no quarter.”

  “Ach,” Dex said, shaking his head. “You sound like the Badb.”

  “Who do you think taught me?” TK said with an arctic smile as a portal formed in front of her. “Remember what I said, Simon.”

  She stepped into the portal and disappeared.

  “I didn’t get to thank her,” I said when the portal vanished. “Can you tell her I—?”

  “I’ll pass on the word,” Dex said, looking around where the portal was to make sure she was gone. “That is one fearsome woman.”

  “Scarier than the Morrigan?”

  “My boy, nothing and no one is scarier than the dark goddess,” Dex said with a smile. “She is insatiable in every way.”

  “You said dragon,” I said, trying to deflect the conversation. “There’s this dragon in the Moving Market. He’s—”

  “Roque,” Monty said. “His permutation has been weakened and he needs help.”

  “Aye,” Dex said. “You mentioned him earlier. You used the blade on him?”

  “It severed a trap that had been keeping him in dragon form,” Monty said.

  “Tessa was keeping him locked as a dragon and using him as the seventh ring monster,” I explained. “Can you help him?”

  “Roque…I haven’t heard that name in ages,” Dex said. “I suppose I can pay the Market a visit. Looks like Tessa is overdue some Circle discipline.”

  “Tessa is a Golden Circle mage?” I asked. “Are you serious?”

  “Was,” Dex said. “But, she never had a head for the studies. Too driven by ambition and coin.”

  “She hasn’t changed much. She’s
starving the seventh ring to control the population.”

  “I see,” Dex said, his expression dark. “It may be time for new management at the Moving Market. Leave it to me.”

  “Your vampire is in Hokkaido,” Monty said, looking at me. “We can use the shrine and locate her before Esti and the Blood Hunters find her.”

  “What are you talking about? They said five days…Esti said five days.”

  “Did you really think they were going to wait for you to deliver her to them?” Monty asked. “You believe Esti will act in good faith? She wants to kill you both.”

  “I thought…Fuck. You’re right. How could I be so stupid?”

  “Can’t trust those Blood Hunters, boy. They see blood and get almost as bad as the creatures they hunt.”

  “How long will this last?”

  “Blood hunters and vampires been fighting for centuries,” Dex answered. “I don’t see an end to that particular cog anytime soon.”

  “Not that,” I said, outstretching my hands, letting the violet light escape from my palms. “This power—my abilities.”

  Dex shook his head. “No real way of telling. I’ve never encountered this situation before—immortals don’t usually go around drinking dragon’s blood. At least not without dying horrible deaths.”

  “That was helpful.”

  “I know,” Dex said with a smile, putting his hand on my shoulder. “It’s not my purview, but you can be certain of one thing, though.”

  “What?” I said, bracing myself for some pervy response. “You get more action than most mages half your age?”

  “Hey! How did you know?” Dex said, clapping me on the back and nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process. He let out a throaty chuckle, then grew serious. “You can be certain of this”—he extended a finger at me—“they will be watching you now more than ever, Chosen of Kali.”

  He rubbed the finger by his nose, materialized a portal, and disappeared.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  “What did TK mean when she said we’re in the vicinity of Japan?” I asked. “Where are we?”

  “This is the Mount Tokachi Refuge,” Monty said. “We are currently in-between planes…”—He held up a hand.—“One moment.”

  Monty stopped gesturing, and a golden light flashed around the door for a second before fading. The cool night greeted us with silence. He opened the shoji door and stepped out of the small shrine right into the middle of nowhere.

  “Where did you say we were?” I asked, looking around the area of the refuge. There was a small clearing, then a thick forest at its edge. From where I stood, it appeared like the trees were slowly advancing on the refuge.

  “About a mile away from the Nakatomi residence—Kuro Sakura no Shiro.”

  “Castle of the Black Cherry Blossoms—Black Blossom. That’s not ominous at all.”

  “I don’t believe the naming conventions for castles focus on the lighthearted and fun,” Monty said. “I’m sure, in this case, it has more to do with the indigenous trees in the are, than menace.”

  “They could still make it less dark.”

  “It is a little dark,” Monty replied. “The castle is on the edge of the Tokachi plain, not far from Mount Tokachi. This forest begins here and extends past Black Blossom. The rumors are that it’s more dangerous than Aokigahara.”

  “Aokigahara—the suicide forest? The one near Mount Fuji?”

  “Yes, except I suspect this forest was dangerous for reasons connected to the Nakatomi household.”

  “Makes sense,” I said, looking into the dense forest. “You have people disappearing into a forest at night, and you just happen to feed on people. It must have been like having your meals delivered to your doorstep.”

  “The fascinating part is that the forest near Mount Tokachi is virtually unknown, even to this day.”

  “Fascinating?” I said, looking into the night. “More like suppressed and creepy as hell. They probably kept it hidden to keep feeding.”

  “Try and pinpoint the location of your creature,” Monty said, closing his eyes for a few seconds. “Black Blossom castle is”—he pointed north—“located in that direction. Over there.”

  “What is it with the castles?” I asked. “Why can’t they be in the Duplex of Cozy Dumplings in the middle of Tokyo or something like that?”

  “The Nakatomi family is ancient in the history of Japan, dating back to the pre-feudal era. Having a castle is only a small expression of their influence. Being in a remote location also ensured privacy, which I imagine was essential when you’re a family of vampires.”

  Off in the distance, I could just make out the silhouette of a large structure I guessed was Black Blossom Castle. I sensed the subtle energy around the castle, but it didn’t feel like Chi. I took a deep breath and focused on my bond with Peaches. His energy signature was slowly moving closer to our position.

  “Good point. Are there any roads that lead to Black Blossom Castle?”

  “None to my knowledge, and we will have to travel at night.”

  “They’re coming, but moving slowly. At this rate, they’ll get here by morning.”

  “Can you tell what direction?”

  “I can feel Peaches that way” I said, pointing south. “It’s distant, but he’s moving toward us, not away.”

  “They must be transporting him,” Monty said. “It’s risky for them to be mobilizing at night, considering where they’re going.”

  “Do you think there will be other vampires besides Chi?” I asked. “The last thing I want to do is fight ancient vampires and deal with Esti.”

  “It’s possible, but unlikely. I think we’ll only have to worry about Esti and her hunters,” Monty replied, “not to mention, the Kuro Hyogikai.”

  “Fumiko will be after you for sure,” I said. “You totally blew up that courtyard.”

  “If I recall, you blew up the courtyard.”

  “Your triggers—your explosion,” I said. “She’ll never believe I was the cause of that destruction. If we move now, we can avoid Fumiko and Esti until Black Blossom.”

  “Esti and her Blood Hunters will be out in force at daybreak.”

  “Do we know her numbers?”

  “No, which needs to inform our strategy in dealing with them.”

  “We saw how effective a frontal attack was last time,” I said. “The sorceresses are a game changer.”

  “Their influence can’t be denied, which means we need to neutralize the runic component of the attack.”

  “They also wouldn’t dare approach Chi at night when her power is at its strongest,” I said. “If I were hunting a vampire, I would wait until morning as well.”

  “Can you communicate with your creature?”

  I closed my eyes and focused again, and got the equivalent of white noise.

  “No. Whatever they’re using to control him must be interrupting our communications. I can try harder.”

  “Logic would dictate that they will travel with him to lure you to a place of their choosing and eliminate you there.”

  “But they’re headed to Black Blossom.”

  “It appears that way, yes,” Monty said. “The wisest course of action would be to hinder you first. You pose a serious threat…and they want the blade.”

  “Ebonsoul would make getting rid of Chi easier, but not guaranteed. She’s not exactly a soft target.”

  “They have sorceresses with them,” Monty said, his voice low. “They can use blood magic to destroy your vampire at the source of her family’s power.”

  “That would mean they would try to take Chi where she thinks she’s the strongest?”

  “I’m sure they’re counting on her overconfidence. Esti will use the element of surprise and attack during the night. Your vampire will retaliate and walk into a trap.”

  “We have to get there first,” I said. “If Esti launches an attack, Chi will think she’s only facing the Blood Hunters.”

  “Much like we did,” Monty replied, ges
turing. “Your vampire will be unprepared for their response.”

  Chi was no pushover, but neither were we. The Blood Hunters had blindsided us with sorcery; it had cost us Peaches, and had nearly cost us our lives. If I was Esti, I would dangle Peaches to get my attention.

  “Shit,” I said. “This is bad. We need to get Peaches first.”

  “No,” Monty said. “You’re thinking emotionally, not rationally. We need to see if they are bringing him all the way to Mount Tokachi. Remember, she knows you share a bond with him. If I were her, I’d use your hellhound—”

  “To lure me away so I couldn’t protect Chi. If I were Esti, I would dangle Peaches to get my attention and send another group to Black Blossom.”

  “That would be the prudent strategy: divide and conquer.”

  “She’s expecting me to go after him first,” I said. “She’s counting on that.”

  “Like she said, it’s your vulnerability. We can’t underestimate her again.”

  As much as I hated to admit it, Monty was right. We needed to stop them at Black Blossom, and then get Peaches back.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  “How do you feel?” Monty asked as we stepped into the forest. “Are you feeling lucid, in control?”

  I let my senses expand and felt the undercurrent of energy. All around me, I felt threads of energy criss-crossing and joining. Everything was truly connected, I felt, as the dragon’s blood coursed through my body. I could see myself getting used to this, if this was what mages felt on a regular basis. It was almost as good as javambrosia.

  I was just about to answer when I heard the first arrow whisper quietly in the air. I pulled Monty out of the way as it buried itself into a nearby tree, missing him. A second longer and it would’ve hit Monty square in the back.

  Several seconds later, more arrows flew at us. We moved behind trees and avoided becoming pincushions.

  “Two teams?” Monty asked. “Or more?”

  I nodded, feeling out the forest. “More—one team with Peaches a few miles back.”

  “Bait,” Monty said, shaking out his hands. “What else?”