Sepia Blue-Sisters: A Sepia Blue Thriller

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  She removed the scabbard from her back and held out Perdition hilt-first. She undid the weave and tied it around Marks’ wrist.

  “What’s this?” he said, looking down at the ward-covered cloth.

  “The weave of Vinaash,” she said. “With that you can hold the sword and take your rightful place in history as the Overseer who ended the Unholy threat.”

  “I can wield a named blade?” he asked while looking at the weave. “The power can be mine?”

  “Take the stone and place it in the sword, where it belongs,” she said. “Then you can rid the city of the Unholy. You will make it safe again.”

  Marks nodded. “I will do this,” he said. “I will do what the Order refuses to do.”

  He grabbed the keystone and the crystal erupted in his hand. Light filled the room in every color of the spectrum. The keystone hummed with power as it shifted through colors. Lynn grabbed the weave with one hand and placed the sword in his other hand. The hum became a roar as the keystone drew closer to Perdition.

  “Place the stone in the sword, Marks!” Lynn yelled as the power of the crystal buffeted the room and threatened to smash them against the walls.

  Marks howled as he held the crystal in his palm. The smell of seared skin filled the room as his screams joined the roar of power. With an inhuman effort, he joined the keystone to the hilt of Perdition. Once the keystone touched Perdition, the light of the crystal coruscated up the blade and back down into the hilt and his hand. The weave of Vinaash burst into flame as Marks held the hilt of Perdition and began laughing. Lynn pulled her hands away instantly as the blade erupted in green flame. Marks clenched the hilt and stood in the center of the room, engulfed in flame.

  Lynn stood back and began firing the tranquilizer rounds. Even though every bullet hit its target, they had no effect. Marks looked at Lynn and extended an arm. A stream of green fire shot out from his hand. Lynn dived to the side and avoided the fire. Marks went back to staring at Perdition.

  She stood by a shocked Nathan and grabbed him by the arm.

  “It’s time to go, archivist,” she said into his ear.

  Nathan didn’t react. He remained frozen, transfixed by the sight of Marks covered in flame without being consumed.

  “We need to go—now!” she hissed, and dragged him up the ramp. Nathan snapped back to reality.

  “What have you done?” he asked.

  “I did as I was asked,” she said defensively. “He was supposed to go down. I put a full magazine of tranq ammo in him.”

  “Tranq ammo?” he asked as they ran with Lynn in the lead. She followed the corridors out of the room and to the tunnels.

  “You thought he was an elephant?” Nathan asked, suddenly angry, stopping in his tracks. “You wanted to tranquilize him? Are you insane?”

  “Listen, you want to stay? Fine,” she said. “I don’t plan on being here once he discovers how to use his new power.”

  They began running again. She found the mouth of the tunnel and sprinted down its length.

  “What the hell is he now, anyway?” she asked. “That’s not a behemoth.”

  “A behemoth? Who told you he would become a behemoth?”

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “Whoever told you he would become a behemoth lied to you,” Nathan said as they exited the tunnel into the street outside of the park. “I’ve only seen one thing like what Marks turned into.”

  “What?” Lynn asked as she holstered her weapons and pulled out her phone.

  “A Nightmare Lord,” whispered Nathan. “You turned him into a Nightmare and you gave him a named blade.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Lynn said, and started backing away.

  “You’ve killed us all,” Nathan said. “You’ve destroyed us.”

  THIRTY-TWO

  Sepia’s eyes flew open. Gan was sitting next to her and felt the sudden movement as she shot up in her bed.

  “I know where my sword is,” she said. “I know exactly where it is.”

  “What are you talking about, blueberry? You’ve just regained consciousness,” Gan said, his voice filled with concern.

  Mercy glided into the room seconds later.

  “I need to go, now, Gan,” she said. “Either you help me or get the hell out of my way, but I’m getting my sword.”

  “Sepia, wait, let’s think this through,” Gan said. “How do you know it’s your sword?”

  Gan gave Mercy a glance. Mercy stepped closer to Sepia.

  “Don’t even think of putting me back to sleep,” Sepia whispered. “I will hurt you if you try.”

  Mercy stopped moving.

  “Sepia, there is no way you can know where your sword is,” Gan began. “We haven’t activated the bond. We need Calisto for that and she is still out of commission.”

  “I know what I feel,” Sepia said. “My sword is out there. Someone is using it and I’m going to get it back.”

  “Someone is using it?” Gan said in disbelief. “Are you listening to yourself? No one can wield the named blade of a Hunter once it’s bonded.”

  “I knew someone who could,” Sepia said. “It didn’t matter if the blade was named or not, he could wield it.”

  “Impossible,” Gan scoffed. “Only a Nightmare Lord has that kind of power.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “I need my clothes and my weapons.”

  “For what?” Gan asked. “Let’s suppose it is a Nightmare Lord. How do you plan on facing it without your sword?”

  “I’m going to politely ask it to give me my sword back,” she said. Gan stared at her long and hard before speaking.

  “This is no time for jokes, blueberry,” he said. “You go there unprepared and you are rushing to your death.”

  “What do you propose I do—wait for it to give me my sword back?”

  “We need to go see Hep.”

  “How do you expect that to happen?” she asked. “We are in the center of the park.”

  “The same way I got here,” he answered. “We just need Ursa. Mercy, can you get Calisto conscious?”

  Mercy walked over to Calisto’s side and examined her.

  “I think I can, at least for a short time,” Mercy said. “Give me a moment.”

  Mercy placed her hands on Calisto, who stirred after a few minutes. Gan was by her side when she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes slowly.

  “Sepia—the rift—Gan, you must get to her,” she said as she gripped his arm. “She is in danger.”

  “She is fine, look,” he said as he lifted her head gently off the pillow.

  “She doesn’t look fine, her eye and that strange energy around her does not bode well,” she said. “What happened?”

  “We will worry about that. Can you call Ursa?” Gan asked. “We need him to take us somewhere.”

  She laid her head back in the pillow and closed her eyes. After taking a few deep breaths, she looked at Gan with concern.

  “I don’t have to call him, they are in the park, and headed this way,” she said. “They should be here shortly.”

  “They?” Gan asked. “What do you mean they?”

  “He is accompanied by three others. One is dying, she has a bloodpact on her,” Calisto said. “One is full of fear, and the last one is a blank, I can’t sense much from her.”

  “A bloodpact?” Mercy said. “There is no antidote for Dreadwolf poison. I will prepare for her arrival.”

  “I’ll never understand the bond you have with Ursa,” Gan said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “It is similar to the bond a Hunter shares with their sword,” she answered. “It defies explanation.”

  “How far away can you sense Ursa?” Gan asked. “Is there a range?”

  “I haven’t tested it, but I’ve sensed him clear across the park,” she answered. “I don’t know what the outer limit could be, why?”

  “Sepia is sensing her sword, but we didn’t activate her bond. Says she knows where her sword is,” Gan said. �
�Can someone override her bond?”

  “I have never heard of such a thing, but the named blades are a mystery,” she said. “There are many things we don’t understand about them.”

  “Ursa can take us to Hep?” Sepia asked as she adjusted her holster and knives. Her face was flushed as the ink kept her warm.

  Gan looked at Calisto, who nodded. “They are at the door,” she said. “I felt another presence—familiar and malevolent.”

  “Where?” Gan asked. “Can you pinpoint it?”

  Calisto shook her head and Mercy came to her side and rubbed her head for a few moments before heading to the doorway.

  “I felt it out near the perimeter of the Keep. Be careful, Gan,” Calisto said.

  Anna entered the room, followed by Ursa, Jas, and a pale Shanti. Mercy took hold of Shanti’s hand and led her to the bed that had been occupied by Sepia.

  “I didn’t think the poison would act so fast,” Shanti whispered as she fell back in the bed. Her face and chest were soaked in sweat and she had begun trembling. Mercy wrapped a blanket around her and placed a hand on her forehead. Within seconds, Shanti was asleep.

  “Her condition is critical. She won’t make it through the night,” Mercy said. “There is no known cure for the poison in her…except...”

  “Except Dreadwolf blood,” Anna finished. “We have unfinished business with a Black Hunter who was headed this way looking for you”—she looked at Sepia and nodded—“and still is.”

  “Me?” Sepia asked. “What the hell is a Black Hunter?”

  “These are men who have chosen to ally themselves with the inhabitants of the park,” Anna said. “They typically serve the Unholy for the promise of power—they never learn and they never relent.”

  “Why is he coming after me?” Sepia asked. “I’ve never met a Black Hunter in my life.”

  “Overseer Marks contracted them to eliminate the Sisters and you, and he would have succeeded if it weren’t for Jasmine and her quick thinking.”

  “Who is this Black Hunter?" Sepia asked.

  “His name is Kala,” Anna said, her voice laced with anger. “He killed many Sisters today. He will not live to see the morning.”

  “Kala?” Gan said with an edge. “He’s still alive?”

  “I plan on making this his last night,” Anna said as she looked at Shanti. “Has he been here?”

  “Gan, the presence I felt earlier, remember I said it felt familiar?” Calisto said. “It must be him. He is around the south wall of the Keep.”

  Anna looked at Gan and then at Shanti.

  “She’s in good hands, the best,” Gan said. “Go get him.”

  Anna gave a sharp nod and ran out of the Keep.

  Mercy placed her hands briefly on Calisto again, as she looked at Gan.

  “She needs to rest, so say what you need to before she sleeps,” Mercy said as she ushered Sepia and Jas out of the room.

  “Thank you, Mercy,” Gan said.

  He walked over to Calisto and held her hand.

  “You need to stop getting yourself into these kinds of situations, expecting me to rescue you,” Gan said with a tight smile. Calisto smiled back.

  “I knew you would come,” Calisto answered, her words slurring.

  “It’s a little hard to refuse that ball of fur you call a companion,” Gan said.

  Ursa gave a low rumble from the floor.

  “You must rejoin her with the sword, Gan, before it’s too late,” she said. “The change is starting—her eye.”

  “I know, I will get her sword before it’s too late,” he said. “You get your rest.”

  She motioned for him to come closer. He bent over and she slapped his face, hard.

  “That’s for telling Sepia I was dead,” she said and extended her other hand to Ursa, who nuzzled her palm. “Keep him safe.”

  Ursa gave another low grumble and snuffled at Gan. She laid her head back and fell asleep. Gan rubbed his cheek and smiled.

  “I love you too, love,” Gan said and headed out of the room. Ursa padded quietly behind him as they made their way to the others.

  “You are going to stay in the compound or with Gan until this whole thing is done,” Sepia said to Jas as Gan and Ursa entered the room. “Tell her, Gan.”

  “Watch her six, keep your eyes opened for anything that seems out of the ordinary,” he said to Jas. “Make sure you ask Hep for the right weapon. That pea shooter you’re carrying will only piss them off.”

  “Gan, what the hell?” Sepia whirled on him. “I can’t babysit her on this one.”

  “Then don’t,” he said. “Sink or swim—it’s her choice. She’s not much older than you when you went on your first mission. Besides, she’ll be more of a catalyst for change if she is with you.”

  “I can’t be responsible for her, “Sepia whispered. “She can get hurt.”

  “Too late, Anna told me about the gauntlet,” Gan said. “Take her with you. You can use all the help you can get and this time the other Hunters can’t jump in.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” Sepia asked.

  “Your eye has always had them spooked, so it’s probably a bit of both,” he said. “It doesn’t matter—it’s your sword, and you have to get it back. She’s not a Hunter so it’s perfect.”

  “What about him?” Sepia asked, gesturing at Reed with her chin as they moved away from the beds. “Is he coming with us?”

  “He is going to stay here and keep these women safe,” Gan said. “Don’t need the Gray trying to prosecute him for dereliction of duty. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Reed said.

  Ursa padded into the center of the small group and growled. Gan, Sepia, and Jas stepped closer to the large polar bear and grabbed its fur as they all disappeared.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Anna ran into the park and headed south. She stopped at the edge of the wards and peered into the darkness. Kala was out there somewhere and she would find him. He was the real threat behind the Black Hunters. She unholstered her gun and slowed to a trot.

  She rounded the south side of the Keep and came to a stop. Kala stood twenty feet in front of her.

  “Anna,” he said. “It really has been too long.”

  “Not long enough, Kala,” she spat. “You killed my girls.”

  Kala spread his hands wide and shook his head slowly.

  “Couldn’t be helped, consider them collateral damage,” he said with thinly veiled hate. “I seem to remember you not having a problem with that.”

  In the space of two seconds, Anna made several calculations.

  He never fights unless he can tip the scales to his favor. Must have some hidden.

  “Where do you have them?” she asked, never taking her eyes off him.

  “You know me too well,” Kala answered and laughed. “I have them in the trees somewhere with Ward Ocs and rifles. Please feel free to attack.”

  She dropped the gun.

  “The Hunter is gone,” Anna said. “You’re too late.”

  “I know,” he said and sighed. “I guess I will have to settle for you. I apologize for the carnage at your compound. I promise to go back and finish the job right after I resolve this situation with the Hunter.”

  Anna clenched her jaw but kept her hand off her other gun and knives.

  “It seems I’m not the only one looking for you tonight,” she said and stepped to her right. “Seems there is a pack prowling for your blood as well.”

  As if on cue, howls cut through the park. Kala looked around and raised his gun slightly.

  “Dreadwolves are a nuisance at best,” he said. “Oversized dogs with delusions of grandeur. Should have wiped them out long ago.”

  “I’m sure they return the sentiment,” she replied. “I promised my second I wouldn’t kill you before I gave you to them.”

  “Give me to them?” he said, incredulous. “You overestimate your advantage.”

  “Where is the rest of your team?” she asked. “I know we dec
imated your original force at the compound and Marks wasn’t going to fund a war. How many do you have in here with you?”

  “Enough to deal with you and what’s left inside,” he replied, smiling and then stealing a glance to his left.

  Only one other.

  The look betrayed him. Time slowed as she moved. In one swift motion, she crouched, drew a knife, and sent it into the tress where he looked. The sound of a body hitting the ground reached them moments later. Kala fired, but she was moving. She jumped into the overgrowth and blended into the foliage.

  “You are as deadly as ever,” he said, looking through the brush. “Join me. Together we can overthrow the Order and take this city.”

  Anna remained silent, recognizing the tactic for what it was. If she answered, he would have her position and open fire. He would try to goad her next.

  “I would have to implement some training changes, though,” he said as he walked the perimeter. “Your Sisters were pathetic fighters and deserved their deaths. Actually, I did you a favor. I culled the weak and ineffectual from your herd.”

  She remained quiet as she crept closer to him. He turned at the last second as she leaped out from the overgrowth. He managed to get a shot off as she plunged a knife into his leg and just missed his femoral artery. She grabbed his wrist and snapped it back while she pointed the gun away from her. The sound of snapping bones filled the night as she disarmed him. She held the knife at his neck as he grimaced in pain.

  “Excellent, Anna—really, we should join forces,” he said tightly. “Imagine what we could accomplish together.”

  She pressed the knife deeper into his neck, drawing blood.

  “I should end you now, you sick piece of shit,” she said. “But I made a promise.”

  She walked him deeper into the park with the knife pressed against his neck. They left a trail of blood as they walked.

  I hope he doesn’t bleed out before they come.

  “What are you doing?” he asked. “Giving me a last tour of the park?”

  They crossed the Keep wards, and red eyes glistened in the night as Dreadwolves surrounded them. The large black stepped forward. Kala reflexively tried to step back, but found himself trapped. The Dreadwolf stepped forward and smelled Kala. He gave a low growl that was accompanied by the wolves surrounding them.