“Fail to plan or plan to fail,” he muttered under his breath as he crossed the abandoned streets and stood near a dark alley. “Old age and treachery will beat youth and talent every time.”
“Until you get too old,” a voice responded from the darkness. “Then youth and talent will kick your old ass up and down the pavement.”
A figure stepped out of the alley and Cade smiled in the night.
“Good to see you, X,” Cade said. “How’s Lisa?”
Xavier was a wiry man of dark complexion with fire in his eyes, and one of the best gunmen in the Order. He carried a large rifle strapped to his back, along with several knives sheathed in different locations in his body armor. Cade could see several guns—a dual shoulder holster, two thigh holsters and probably a smaller backup around the ankle.
“Recovering,” Xavier said. “Regional put her on leave until they can figure out what happened with those lightning strikes.”
“Are you expecting a small war?” Cade said, motioning to the arsenal Xavier carried. “Since when do you carry so much hardware?”
“Since there was bastard on the streets hunting Hunters and taking their blades,” Xavier said. “This is just the distraction. I keep the big guns in the car. I heard about Jen…I’m sorry.”
Cade nodded.
“Thank you,” Cade said. “Whatever you do, don’t let Lisa go out on patrol for a while. Velos, the one who took down Jen, is using a dark named blade.”
“What?” Xavier asked, surprised as his expression grew dark. “Has Regional lost its damn mind? A dark blade? Those blades were removed for a reason.”
“I know,” Cade said. “They sent him after Sepia.”
“Regional sent a dark blade after Sepia?” Xavier asked. “Who did she piss off?”
“It’s Sepia,” Cade answered after a moment. “She brings out the old hate in people.”
“Shit,” Xavier replied. “How many did they send?”
“A hand,” Cade said. “But I cut off four of the fingers.”
“Alone?” Xavier asked with a small chuckle. “I’m impressed, especially for someone of your advanced years.”
“You should be,” Cade answered with a growl. “And I can still kick your ass if need be.”
“You can dream about it,” Xavier said. “Regional agents are soft these days, if an old man can take down four of them.”
“I really appreciate your confidence in my abilities.”
“I’m just saying…you’re not getting any younger. Are you sure there were four of them? You weren’t seeing double?”
“Hilarious. If this gunman thing doesn’t work out, you can always take your act on the road.”
“Ouch. Even old dogs can bite, I guess,” Xavier said, then grew serious. “They have you on a blacklist, did you know? Came straight from the brass.”
“Regional?”
“No,” Xavier replied. “This was local. You must have pissed someone off.”
“Makes sense,” Cade said. “This is all to flush Sepia out.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“Not at the moment,” Cade answered. “My best guess is she’s hiding.”
“Even from you? You’re her gunman.”
“I was her gunman,” Cade said. “Now I’m ronin.”
“Shit, no one in the Order is going to touch you now.”
“Oh, they’ll want to touch me,” Cade said with a smile. “Especially after Velo’s team met early retirement. Regional will send another team.”
“Are you rejoining her?”
“Soon as I can, yes.”
“You sure you want to do this?” Xavier asked, concern in his voice. “Rumor is she turned into some kind of monster.”
“Sepia isn’t a monster,” Cade answered after a moment. “I’m her gunman…period.”
“All respect,” Xavier said, raising a hand in surrender. “Just be careful. Someone at Regional unleashed that dark blade. Someone with serious mojo, who wants her out of the picture…permanently.”
Cade nodded.
“I figured they would, after what happened. Someone at Regional is behind this and I need to find Sepia before Velos does. If you hear anything else…”
“I’ll make sure you know right after I do.”
“Thanks, X,” Cade said. “I appreciate it.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“If I did,” Cade said, “I wouldn’t be out here talking to you—I’d be there. Did you bring what I asked?”
Xavier reached back into the darkness and placed a long bag at Cade’s feet.
“I don’t need to tell you how difficult it was to secure this thing, do I?”
“I owe you,” Cade said, grabbing the bag. “Get off the street. If you’re seen with me, it’s guilt by association. Go stay with Lisa, and whatever you do, don’t let her out to patrol. That dark blade is too strong for her.”
“I’ll do my best. This is Lisa we’re talking about here,” Xavier said, shaking his head. “She won’t stay out of rotation for long. She lives for the street.”
“If you want to keep her breathing, keep her off the street,” Cade said. “I’m serious, X, she won’t win against this blade. Velos knows our MO. He will neutralize her…and you.”
Xavier nodded.
“I read you,” Xavier said, stepping back into the dark alley. “If you need anything else, you know how to find me.”
“Will do,” Cade said. “Give Lisa my—”
But Xavier was gone.
“Damn ninja,” Cade said under his breath. “Hate it when he does that.”
Cade hefted the bag in his hand and headed downtown. He had the components he needed—now, he just needed the expertise to assemble the contents of his bag. For that he would need a weapons master, but all of the weapons masters within the Order would refuse to help him if he was blacklisted.
He would need to find a weapons master not affiliated with the Order, would need to contact someone with a high enough skill level to form the experimental weapon he designed.
He needed Hep.
FIVE
I took my first step and fell forward.
My center of balance had shifted as the increased weight of my body threw my center off. I rushed to put my hands down and nearly flung my arms up above my head in a move that overcompensated for the additional weight.
My face nearly smashed into the floor as I twisted to one side. A grunt escaped my lips while I crashed hard on my shoulder. The impact forced the air from my lungs in one bounce, leaving me on the cool stone floor, breathless.
I looked up at the ceiling and considered staying in bed for the duration of my life.
“Try it again,” Calisto said. “This is no time to be taking a rest. You have pressing matters to attend to.”
“Like learning to walk…again?”
“To begin with,” she said. “Do you think your enemies are relaxing? Do you think the Unholy are on vacation while you regain your strength?”
“I thought those two were one and the same?”
“Incorrect,” Calisto said. “You have enemies besides the Unholy who would see you exploited and destroyed. The Unholy only want to destroy you.”
“Sounds like the Order,” I said with another grunt as I maneuvered off my shoulder. “They would use the Jade Demon…use me, then try to eliminate me.”
“They tried with your mother,” Calisto said with a nod. “It didn’t work out so well for them. Now, get up.”
“This is impossible,” I said between gasps as I rolled into a push-up position. “How am I supposed to navigate this weight? I feel like I’ve gained two hundred pounds.”
Calisto looked down at me, her face impassive.
“This is weight you can control,” she said. “You have to make a conscious effort to do so.”
“That’s what I thought I was doing?”
“No, what you’re doing is fighting it, and complaining,” Calisto answered. “You could
do with less of both. Now stand up.”
I brought my knees to my chest and moved into a crouch, before slowly getting unsteadily to my feet. I balanced by not moving my arms and staying as still as possible. I felt like I was on the edge of a cliff and about to fall off.
“If I face an Unholy in this condition,” I said, looking down and adjusting, “it’s going to be the shortest fight of my life. They will make quick work of me.”
“Try not to think of it as additional weight,” Calisto answered. “Think of it as increased energy.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“I’m not good at these explanations,” she said, waving a hand. “This is more Gan’s area of expertise.”
“Pretend I don’t understand a word you say. Break it down for me.”
“This new weight is really a manifestation of the potential of energy you carry,” Calisto said. “Once you can internalize the energy and manipulate it, the differential in weight will regulate itself and you won’t notice it as much.”
“You sounded more like Gan than you can imagine. It still feels heavy, but at least it makes a bit of sense now. Any idea on how I internalize this new energy?”
“Not a clue,” Calisto said. “When I met your mother, she had already become the Jade Demon. This is new territory for both of us. I really wish Gan were here—he would have a better idea of how to help you get through this.”
“He’d just say something like: Grasp the energy within, Blueberry, you can do this. This power is your birthright. Or something close to that.”
Calisto nodded with a short smile, then grew serious.
“You must overcome this,” Calisto said slowly. “Time is not our ally here. Your energy signature is being masked by this room, the anchors, and the Keep. But—”
“They aren’t a complete mask?”
“The power of the Jade Demon is not subtle, at least not until you learn to make it so,” Calisto said. “Right now you are a beacon of barely contained power. A very bright, powerful beacon. Stronger than the elements trying to mask you.”
“They can’t hide me forever?”
“No, they can’t. You will have to learn active masking. The passive masking offered you by the Keep is inadequate. The Unholy you attract will be seeking your destruction.”
“And the Order?”
“They will try to capture you first. When that fails, they too will seek your destruction.”
“So good to know they care,” I said. “Do you know if Gan is…if Gan is gone? Can you sense that much?”
“Yes, I can. Gan’s alive. I would know if he were gone. Whatever he is doing to hide is impressive, but even in that, I can sense his energy signature. I just can’t pinpoint or locate him.”
“If Gan is hiding, it means—”
“He doesn’t want to be found,” Calisto finished. “You have more urgent matters to worry about. If Gan were here he would tell you to—”
“Focus, Blueberry,” I said. “I know.”
“Exactly,” Calisto said. “Gan can take care of himself. Right now you need to get ahold of this power.”
I breathed out a short sigh of relief. I didn’t want to think of losing Gan on top of everything else I’d just lost, starting with most of my humanity. I needed to get a handle on this new energy within, before the Unholy decided to pay me a house call.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I said. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“I’d suggest starting with adjusting to the new weight you possess, then,” Calisto replied. “It’s only the beginning of the things you have to deal with. You still have to manifest Perdition.”
I searched within and felt for the energy of my sword. It was there, but transformed. It felt stronger, coiled, and almost sentient, like it was waiting for me to release it.
“It feels different now.”
“Different how?” Calisto asked, a tinge of concern in her voice. “What do you sense?”
“Hard to explain,” I said, still focusing on the floor and my balance. “It feels like it wants to pounce, like it’s waiting for me to use it. Never…never felt like that before.”
I stumbled and caught myself before face-planting again.
“That difference you sense is the Jade Demon,” Calisto said, her voice grim. “Emiko…your mother used to say it needed release. It waited with anticipation. She spoke about it as if it were alive.”
“Is it?” I asked. “It’s not like we know everything about the dark blades. For all we know, this Jade Demon is a sentient being I’ve merged with.”
“I don’t know,” Calisto said. “The one person who may have an answer for you is currently in hiding.”
“Fuma?”
Calisto nodded.
“Whatever he did to you and your sword was something he was supposed to do…when you were ready.”
“I’m going to be the first to say,” I said as I took a step and nearly lost my balance, “I’m so not ready. He and I may need to talk.”
“He will not be found unless he wants to,” she said. “All of the ward paths that could lead to him have been sealed or destroyed.”
“I’m sure I could find him,” I said. “Not like this. Not in this present state, but I will find him…eventually.”
“Forget him for now,” Calisto said. “He is not the priority. Getting the Demon Anchors off your wrists is.”
“You’re going to remove them?” I asked hopefully. “That would be excellent.”
I slowly raised my wrists with a short grunt of effort as Calisto gave me a withering glare, shaking her head.
“No,” she said, pushing my arms down gently and nearly compromising my balance again. “You are going to remove them.”
SIX
“I don’t understand,” I said, regaining my balance. “You told me they were put in place to stop my transformation.”
“Yes, they were. Do you remember what happened when you turned?”
“No,” I said, searching my memory. It was a hazy mess. “I remember facing off against Marks, and then turning and seeing Izumi before she blasted me with something. I remember meeting a child, Chusi, but I don’t know if that was real or a dream. It’s all a blank after that.”
“Chusi was real,” Calisto told me. “Izumi sent you to Fuma.”
“I don’t recall that,” I said. “Is she…?”
“Gone,” Calisto said with a nod. “Her mind had been fractured. It was the kindest mercy I could offer her.”
“Death was the kindest mercy?” I asked, incredulous. “Really?”
“You do not get to judge me…ever,” Calisto said, her voice grim. “By the time this is over, many will fall by your hand.”
“I will control the Jade Demon,” I said. “Nothing dies unless I want it to.”
“You still don’t understand what you’re facing,” Calisto said. “The days of you upholding the code of the deathless have passed. Now, it is kill or be killed. You can rest assured, those who come for you will not be giving you another option.”
“I don’t want to kill,” I said. “Every life—”
“I know you were taught every life has value,” Calisto answered. “What you need to understand is that the forces arrayed against you place no value on yours. They will kill you without hesitation, if you allow it.”
“I may not want to kill,” I said. “That doesn’t mean I’m just going to let them take me out.”
“When the time comes, and it will, remember—hesitation is death.”
“What happened after Izumi sent me to Fuma?”
“Fuma did what he was supposed to, what he promised Emiko,” Calisto said. “He merged the Jade Demon with Perdition and you, then unleashed you in the Jade Demon form to wreak destruction upon on the Order.”
“Intentionally?” I asked. “Is he insane?”
“Yes, and not entirely,” Calisto said. “Fuma bears much hatred for the Order. He was hunted and persecuted for his abili
ties as a Ward Master during the war. He kept his word to your mother, after a fashion. He made sure you received your birthright, but he also unleashed the Demon.”
“He wanted to kill me?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Calisto answered. “His mind has been twisted by years of isolation and manipulating dangerous levels of energy. He regularly remained near the rift. Proximity to that much energy for a prolonged period is dangerous, even for someone as powerful as Fuma. I would imagine it’s something similar to radiation poisoning.”
“It’s too much power,” I said, recalling the agony of being close to such a concentrated source of energy. “I’m surprised it hasn’t killed him.”
“Fuma is staggeringly powerful,” Calisto said. “I’m certain he devised some safeguards against exposure, but the rift is too strong.”
“The rift,” I said as the memories flashed back. “Is there some way to close it or seal it off?”
“Not to my knowledge,” she said. “The Order has tried on more than one occasion. The last time they did, they failed.”
A deep rumbling shook the Keep, followed by a low roar. Whatever was making the sound was caught in a rage.
“What was that?” I asked, concerned. If the sound could reach us this deep in the Keep, it had to be devastatingly loud outside. “Whatever it is, sounds beyond pissed.”
“It would seem that some of the stronger Unholy are sensing your presence,” Calisto said as she cocked her head to one side as if listening to a sound I couldn’t hear. “That sounded like a Greater Behemoth.”
“Greater Behemoth?” I asked in disbelief. “You mean there are classifications of those things?”
“Of course,” Calisto answered. “The Greater Behemoths are rare and nearly impossible to kill. It actually makes sense; your increase in power is going to attract the strongest of the Unholy.”
“Wonderful,” I said. “I don’t suppose you know how to dispatch one?”
“No,” Calisto answered. “I’ve never confronted one directly. I would imagine it’s the same as a Lesser Behemoth, but requiring more power.”
“I need to go,” I said, looking around the room. “By staying here, I’m putting you and everyone in the Keep in danger.”
Sepia Blue- Nameless: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 4 Page 3