Knight of Flame

by Scott Eder

  “Sir, are you sure we have time for this?” Dev asked as Magnus and Cassidy watched the strange procedure.

  The Precept plugged the holes of the shaker with two fingers and took back the vial. “You should know that, being alchemically inclined, I am a strong proponent of non-lethal chemical warfare.” He emptied the vial’s contents into the shaker and looked at Dev. “How many floors?”

  “From where we are, about thirty five.”

  “Hmmm, might not reach the top. Still…” Stillman capped the vial and slipped it back into place. He plugged the shaker, and, leaning over the rail, peered toward the floors above. Arm outstretched, he held the shaker in his palm aimed toward the top of the building.

  “Sir.” Dev marched forward. “We really need to—”

  “Fire in the hole.” Stillman reached over and twisted the cap until it clicked. “Three. Two. One.” Like a miniature missile, the shaker zoomed up between the floors. A cloud of fine blue powder permeated the air.

  “I smell blueberries.” Cassidy inhaled deeply and smiled.

  “Nice, isn’t it?” Stillman sniffed the air. “Without that salve I had you apply, you would be sound asleep right now.”

  “So the guards upstairs should be asleep right now and we won’t have to fight our way to the top?” Cassidy closed her eyes and her expression blossomed in wonder. “I think it worked. I don’t feel anything but peace until near the top. Beyond that, all bets are off.”

  Magnus leaned over to Dev. “Kinda takes the fun out of it, doesn’t he?”

  Dev rolled his eyes and nodded. “Let’s see what happens. Magnus, you’re on point. I’ll follow next in case we encounter any resistance. The stairs below are clear.”

  The Knight of Earth crept up the stairs to the point where Dev detected the first group of heat signatures. All ten guards had fallen where they stood. Magnus waved the rest of the team up.

  Cassidy smiled at Stillman, who executed a little bow.

  “How long will they be out?” Dev asked as he and Magnus collected the weapons and tossed them over the rail.

  “At least twelve hours, maybe more.”

  “Well.” Hands on hips, the Knight of Flame took a deep breath and nodded appreciatively. “Alright then. Let’s move on.”

  * * *

  While the others disarmed a third group of sleeping soldiers, Dev scouted a few floors ahead. He hated to admit it, but Stillman’s approach, though decidedly lacking in excitement, saved time and dramatically reduced the danger to Cassidy.

  The shuffle of heavy boots and the muttered talk of bored soldiers drifted down to Dev from the floor above and his element stirred in response.

  Well, old man, looks like your magic dust didn’t get them all.

  He wanted to charge, to take them out himself, but that wouldn’t be fair to Magnus and would most likely land him back in Cradle jail. No. He’d be a good Knight, slink back to the team and bring them up to speed.

  Dev bounded down the steps and met Magnus and crew on the way up. Putting a finger to his lips, he crouched on the stairs and the others followed suit.

  “From what I can tell, there are two more groups of soldiers,” Dev whispered. “The first group of ten is two floors up. The rest are a few floors above that. I count twenty in total. Magnus and I will take out this first group. I’ll blaze up and run in first with Diamond Jim here right behind.” He looked at Stillman and Cassidy.

  “I know. I know. Rear guard. Got it,” Cassidy said.

  The Precept nodded. “Try to minimize the loss of life.”

  “But, Sir, the soldiers work for Gray.” Dev remained calm, but inside his element flared.

  “Most of them probably don’t realize they are on the wrong side.” Stillman clapped the Knight of Flame on the shoulder. “Take it easy on them. They are not in our class.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Before Dev bounded up the steps with Magnus, he let loose a reassuring smile and brushed a fingertip across Cassidy’s chin. The move surprised them both, but he leaped away before either of them could dwell on it.

  Soldiers muttered on the landing above. Dev validated ten heat signatures. Opening the conduit to the fuel all around him, he turned up his heat and drew Cinder. The amber jewel pulsed a dull orange.

  Dev touched his knuckles to Magnus’s chest. “Fire and stone.”

  Magnus did the same, his crystalline fist covering nearly a third of the Fire Knight’s broad chest. “Stone and fire.”

  Element focused into a solid wall of power just beneath his skin, fist wrapped tight around Cinder, Dev leaped up the steps and invoked his flame with an exultant roar. The blaze engulfed him and lit up the stairwell and the curious soldiers above. Deafening bursts of assault weapon fire reverberated off the walls of the vertical chamber, making it seem like the gunshots came from everywhere at once. But Dev knew different, knew the enemy fire originated from directly ahead. Without slowing, he charged.

  Orange and yellow waves built, peaked and crested along his entire body. Drawing more power from the source around him, he formed a shimmering shield wall of blistering heat in front of him. The jewel at the base of Cinder’s blade radiated thin beams of brilliant amber in all directions like a laser-beam disco ball.

  The soldiers balked at the light show. Their hesitation gave Dev a momentary advantage. He streaked through the group, slashing and punching everything within reach. Soldiers fell. Some grasped gaping wounds while others frantically stamped out the flames that spread across their smart black uniforms.

  When he reached the last in line, he spun and whirled back through their ranks. Slash. Spin. Kick. Thrust. Chop. Dev tore through those left standing like a fiery Cuisinart. In his wake, he left a bloody trail of gashes, stumps and moaning men.

  The stairs trembled as Magnus caught up to the action, but only the cleanup remained.

  “You suck.” The big man surveyed the gory scene.

  “What?” Dev asked innocently, breathing fire with each word.

  Magnus pointed down the stairs as a reminder to collect the rear guard. Dev doused his flame and jogged the few flights to their level. Excited, he rounded the corner and found Cassidy huddled in the corner. She’d wedged herself into the smallest possible shape and covered her head and ears with her arms. Stillman knelt next to her and rubbed her back.

  The sight nearly broke his heart and stomped all over his good mood.

  Sorry, Caz. Tonight will not be pretty.

  “I’ll see if there is something I can do for the Knight of Earth.” Stillman jogged up the stairs.

  Cautious and slow, Dev knelt next to Cassidy.

  “Caz. It’s okay. You’re safe.” His voice was soft and tender. He stroked her hair.

  Unwrapping from her protective bundle, Cassidy glanced up, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

  “We need to move,” Dev said.

  “Are you hurt?” Iron supplanted the fear in her eyes as she inspected Dev. “Let me see.” Before he could answer, Cassidy grabbed his chin and jerked it first left and then right.

  “I’m fine.” Dev squirmed out of her grasp.

  “Then what’s this?” She poked a finger in the tear across his bicep.

  “Oww.” Dev checked the wound. “Would you look at that, one got through. No big deal. Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her up the stairs.

  At the scene of the battle, Cassidy gasped at the sight of so much mayhem and hurried to the nearest injured man who tried to stretch the edges of his torn flesh over the bloody meat and bone shard that terminated his right arm.

  “We need to help these men.” Cassidy looked on the floor for scraps of material to bind their wounds. “We can make a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.”

  “We don’t have time.” Dev sensed the movement of the other soldiers and eyed the next flight of stairs.

  Stillman stomped over, brows knit, eyes flaring. “Do you consider this taking it easy on the soldiers?”

  Expecting the accusation
, Dev stood his ground, met Stillman’s piercing stare with calm assurance. “I killed no one, Sir, as you commanded. I simply made sure they would not rejoin the fight. I thought it a sound military tactic. Do you have a problem with that?” Dev couldn’t keep the fire from his tone. He had bigger fish to fry and didn’t have the time or the patience to deal with a squeamish Stillman.

  “No, I do not.” Stillman searched the Knight of Flame’s expression. “But I wanted to understand your reasoning. Well done.”

  The exchange rendered Dev speechless and he stared at the Precept as he moved a few feet away and drew his long, curved blade.

  “Sinclair. Siggurdson.” Stillman called the other Knights to him and pulled a tiny vial from yet another pocket. As soon as he removed the small dropper from the top, a beam of bright yellow light shot out.

  “Present your weapons.” The Precept carefully squeezed two drops onto his blade. The liquid hissed as it touched the metal and spread across the length of the saber. Once fully coated, the blade glowed a pale shade of yellow. “This exceptionally rare oil contains the essence of sunshine. It will empower your weapons against Shadow.” Stillman applied the drops to each weapon and put the vial away.

  A sad smile crossed Dev’s lips as he watched Cassidy ogle her faintly glowing cutlass.

  I hope she doesn’t have to use that.

  “This is amazing.” She twisted the handle, examining each side of the blade. “Where did you get it?” She touched the metal with her finger, jerked it away with a yelp, and jammed it into her mouth. “Oww, it’s hot.”

  “Don’t do that,” Stillman said.

  Boots thumped on the stairs above.

  “Here they come,” Magnus said.

  Side by side, the Knights of Earth and Flame waited at the foot of the stairs.

  “Oooh.” The color fled from Cassidy’s face and she doubled over.

  Dev turned. “What?”

  “Something’s changed,” Cassidy mumbled, arms wrapped tight around her midsection, “Hatred. Bloodlust. Rage. It’s bad.” Her head shot up and she focused terrified eyes on Dev.

  “She’s coming.”

  * * *

  Knuckles white around the hilt of her cutlass, Cassidy fought to control the fear that set her bones to trembling. Stillman stood by her side. Rock solid, saber raised and ready, he scanned the darkness between the stairs. Dev and Magnus waited for the first sight of the incoming soldiers.

  I can feel her. Cassidy bit back a whimper. She’s close. God, the hatred. It consumes everything in her path.

  The soldiers opened fire at the top of the stairs. Dev flamed up and struck hard, driving through the first pair like a hot Knight through butter. Magnus backed him up, a diamond wall of defense in case one of them slipped through the fire.

  Where is Agridda?

  Screams erupted below them. Cassidy jumped and looked to Stillman for direction. The Precept lowered his head and closed his eyes.

  “She’s feeding.”

  Feeding on what? Cassidy felt her now, only a few floors down among the wounded who appeared to Cassidy’s senses as pinpricks of pain and horror.

  “No…she’s devouring them.” Cassidy clapped her hands over her ears to block out the sound, but it did nothing to block out her gift. Agridda’s shadowy wave of anger steamrolled over the other emotional blips, consuming them in a single pass.

  “Perhaps keeping them alive was no kindness.” Stillman pursed his lips. “She will be stronger now.”

  Anger, arrogance, and excitement swirled together and flowed toward them.

  “Here she comes!” Cassidy yelled.

  “Where?” Stillman’s head jerked from side to side. “Where?”

  Cassidy pushed Stillman out of the way and dove to the side as a cloud of boiling darkness burst from the landing beneath their feet. Eyes, bright yellow from the recent feast, fixed on Cassidy. Twin ropes of shadow reached out, tried to grab her, but she slashed with her cutlass, severing one of the ropes. The severed end sizzled as it fell and curled into a little charred ball on the floor.

  Agridda hissed and recoiled.

  Yes!

  The tip of Stillman’s sword emerged from the center of Agridda’s dark cloud. Crackles of light played across her skin. She screamed in agony, and whipped around to face her attacker. The sudden move ripped the sword from the wound.

  Stillman lowered his weapon and calmly faced the billowing evil.

  He’s not afraid.

  Cassidy detected a sad confidence and regret, but no fear or concern.

  The man is a rock.

  The yellow eyes grew wide at the sight of Stillman. “You,” she hissed.

  “Hello, child,” he replied. “It has been a long, long time. We do not have to do this.”

  Cassidy picked up on the isolation and doubt that flitted through the Maven before she squelched it under a veil of all-consuming hatred.

  That can’t be it…can it? Stillman said she was given to Shadow as a child.

  The brief glimpse into Agridda’s emotional turmoil sparked an idea. Cassidy allowed herself to feel. Not the terror, anger, and hate the shadow creature thrived on. No. This required something different.

  Cassidy thought of Amy—the joy of holding her squirming daughter for the first time, the silken feel of her baby’s hair between her fingers as she washed out the shampoo, the wonder twinkling in her daughter’s eyes on Christmas morning, the pride when she took her first step. The parade of intimate moments flashed by in a second, each one a treasured keepsake of motherhood.

  Tears trickled down. Cassidy reached out until her fingers brushed the stinging cold edge of Agridda’s darkness and willed all of her motherly love out through the contact.

  Agridda’s form changed, solidifying into the shape of a young girl with long ringlets of hair the color of soot. She tilted her head and stared at Cassidy with curious yellow eyes.

  After the change, Cassidy’s fingers rested below the girl’s slim throat.

  “What ssort of creature are you, Casssidy Ssinclair?” Agridda’s hiss sounded less pronounced in this form.

  For the moment, Agridda’s curiosity eclipsed her hatred, but Cassidy knew the distraction wouldn’t last long.

  “I am a mother.”

  “Mother? I…had one of those once.” Agridda’s body shuddered.

  Cassidy felt the stronger emotions regaining control.

  Come on guys. I can’t keep her busy forever.

  “What was she like?” Cassidy asked.

  “I do not remember. Father took her away.” Her eyes narrowed and her head jerked to the side. She snarled, the action more sinister on the face of a child.

  A giant axe slashed across Cassidy’s field of vision. Agridda’s form split and reformed around the blade, careful not to let it touch her. Dev charged in from the opposite side, Cinder already in motion.

  Agridda’s body shattered. The pieces separated, flowed around the Knight, and reformed in the air above Stillman. She swung at his head with a mallet-shaped fist. He ducked, but not quickly enough, and caught a glancing blow that smashed his head into the wall.

  Dev and Magnus closed in as Agridda retreated up through the free space between the stairs.

  Cassidy rushed forward in time to ease Stillman’s slumping form to the floor. Trained fingers probed the unconscious man’s skull.

  No broken skin. Ooh, there’s the lump. It swelled and throbbed beneath her fingertips.

  Dev extinguished his flame and knelt by her side.

  Damn, he’s hot. Sweat beaded across her brow.

  “How is he?” Dev asked.

  Cassidy felt the rest of the Precept’s skull, traced the lines of his neck. “I can’t be sure. Head wounds are tough. I have no idea what’s going on inside.”

  “What can you do for him?” Dev sounded worried.

  “Here? Nothing. He needs a medical facility, or at least to get back to the Cradle.”

  Dev got to his feet, face twisted with in
decision. He looked at Stillman then followed Agridda’s trail with his eyes.

  “We go on. Now. Before Agridda has a chance to get set.”

  “What about Stillman?” Magnus asked.

  “Leave him. We’ll come back after we kick Gray’s ass.”

  Cassidy settled Stillman to the ground, brushed a few strands of white hair out of his face, and kissed his forehead.

  We’ll be back. I promise.

  Chapter 54

  THE KNIGHTS RACED UP THE LAST few flights of stairs and stopped outside the door to the Penthouse. Cassidy splashed in a puddle, stirring up the familiar smell of blood. A wide range of crazed emotions boiled on the other side of the door.

  What happened up here? There’s blood all over the floor and even down the first few steps. She clamped her fear down tight and took a deep breath.

  “We go in strong, take them out quick,” Dev said. “Caz, do you think that Jedi emotion trick will work on Agridda again?”

  “Yeah. These are not the Knights you’re looking for.” Magnus smiled. “That was awesome.”

  “I doubt it. She knows what to expect.”

  “That’s what I figured. Okay. I’ll take Agridda. Magnus, you’ve got Gray. Caz…” Dev looked at Cassidy, concern evident in his gaze.

  “I’ll figure out some way to help,” she said.

  “We need to move now.” Magnus spat on the floor. “He’s casting, I can taste it. Ready? I’ll knock.” Magnus kicked the door in and charged through first. Dev and Cassidy jumped through after.

  In the far corner of the waiting room, Gray stood with his back to the door and his arms upraised. Bolts of black energy burst from his clenched hands, one for each of the bloated corpses propped up against the wall. The air was thick and sticky and clung to Cassidy like syrup.

  Gray reared up on his toes. The lights dimmed as he reached a quiet crescendo.

  “Stop him!” Cassidy cried.

  Dev charged, engulfed in fire before his second step. Magnus pounded right behind, axe at the ready.

  Undeterred, Gray spoke a word in the dark language of shadows, “Graelosch.” A blast of dry air exploded out from the Shadow Lord and threw Magnus and Dev across the room toward the elevator doors. The ends of the dark beams detached from his hands and snapped into the three corpses.