The Shadow Rises: A Morgan Rook Supernatural Thriller (The Order of Shadows Book 5)

by Kit Hallows

  The groggy gnaw of forgetfulness I’d been experiencing since we’d first entered the compound was snatched from my mind, almost as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over me. I was wide awake. It seemed Samuel had succeeded.

  My heart raced as more Nightkind scrambled out from the tents and gathered around the bonfires, their eyes glinting one by one as they turned toward me.

  13

  I slowly backed into the undergrowth as the Nightkind stared my way, but it wasn’t me they were looking at, it was the crystal shield. I snaked through the trees and thickets, my heart hammering hard as I raced back toward the purple light, and stumbled into the clearing.

  Astrid was crouched examining the crystal while Samuel sat atop it, looking pleased with himself. “We’ve dealt with the stone, as well as the guards,” he announced, “there were only three.”

  “Actually, there seems to be more than three, a lot more,” I said. Their faces fell as I told them what I’d seen.

  “We need help,” Astrid said, “fast.”

  “There is no help,” I said. I froze as a crashing din came from the brush behind us. Someone was coming. Lots of someones, as well as hounds by the sound of the high, excited yelps.

  We ran, the trees flashing by in a blur. I had no idea where we were going as the roar of their pursuit grew ever louder.

  “Morgan!” Astrid cried as figures appeared amid the trees before us. More black-suited ghouls, their guns shimmering below their flashlights as they swept them across the ground toward us. We scattered back into the undergrowth as a pack of dobermans snarled and bayed, the din of their excited panting growing louder and louder.

  Astrid grabbed her daggers as Samuel notched an arrow to his bow and I pulled my sword. We stood in a tight circle as the forest seemed to shift all around and more figures emerged from the trees.

  “Rook!”

  I’d only heard that cold, sneering voice once before, but it was lodged like a splinter in my memory. Hugo Lampton.

  The brush swayed and snapped as more ghouls surrounded us, then a slick unit of armed vampires wearing black shades appeared, and right behind them was Lampton. His beady black eyes locked on to mine and a sneer of victory danced on his lips. “I’d suggest you throw down your weapons,” he said.

  Samuel’s arrow flew fast and true. Until a suited vampire stood in its path, taking the arrow to its chest before it could reach Lampton.

  “So be it,” Lampton said, “subdue them.”

  Lights flashed in the darkness as spells and curses pulsed through the air. The first hit Astrid. She cried out. I caught her before she toppled to the ground and a moment later, Samuel fell beside us.

  A sizzling static-like sound fizzled in my ears and then a spell struck my neck. I felt its burning sting as the world fell away, silent and dark.

  14

  I woke on a cold dark stone floor. Thick iron bars jutted up around me. Beyond, secured in the unoccupied cell across the walkway, I spotted my coat and bag as well as Samuel’s bow and Astrid’s blades among a shadowy heap of cloaks, staffs and swords. I moved my hands, surprised to find them unbound, sat up and pulled myself to my feet.

  “Cowards,” Astrid said. She was perched behind me on the edge of a stone bench Samuel was sprawled upon. It looked like he was unconscious.

  “You okay?” I asked, as I rubbed my head. It felt like I’d just woken from a night of mixing beer, wine, and tequila.

  “Perfect,” Astrid said. Slowly her scowl softened. “You?”

  “I’ve been better. What about him?” I asked, nodding to Samuel.

  “I’m here,” Samuel said as he sat up and clasped a hand to the back of his neck. “How did they take us down?”

  “Spells,” I said, “and from the metallic taste in my mouth, I gather they also slipped us some kind of sedative to keep us knocked out for a while.” I glanced around the cellblock, studying the door and locks.

  “I already tried to open it,” Astrid said, “but something obstructed me.”

  “The grey-black bricks in the wall. They're made of iron-stone,” I said, “it’s the same material they use in Stardim to prevent the prisoners from using magic.”

  “Then we'll have to rely on more true and trusted methods,” Samuel said as he staggered from the bench. He stroked his beard, dug inside with his fingers, and produced a small metal pick.

  “Samuel!” Astrid shouted as he jammed it into the lock.

  Bang! Bright green sparks lit the room. Samuel swore, jerked his blackened hand back, and doubled over as he howled in pain.

  “You okay?” I asked as I stooped down to examine him. The damage seemed to be superficial but I could tell he was in serious agony.

  “No!” Samuel yanked his hand back and clinched it under his arm. “Hurts like a fucker!”

  “What company you keep,” said a voice from the shadows beyond the cell. I glanced back to find a man with a mane of neatly coiffured hair and a pair of keen blue eyes watching us. He wore a long tailored coat over his charcoal suit and pristine white shirt, as well an aura of someone used to getting his own way.

  I’d seen him in Osbert’s memories. “And you are?” I asked.

  “Humble,” he said.

  Samuel spluttered a laugh before crying out once more and cradling his hand.

  “So if you’re Humble,” I said, “where’s Glass and Underwood?”

  “Glass is indisposed.” He stole a glance at the heavy silver watch on his wrist. “And Underwood, is unaccounted for. It seems he slipped away. But, I think you already knew that, didn’t you, Rook.” He leaned in and regarded me intently. “So you’re his protégé, the one I’ve been hearing about all these years?” He shook his head. “I’m underwhelmed.” And then he glanced at Astrid and Samuel. “I take it these otherworlder clowns are your allies.”

  I glared with contempt, determined not to give him the satisfaction of a response.

  “I could loosen your tongue if I wished,” Humble said, “but I’ve read your files, everything I needed to know was there. From your tiresome obsession with Elsbeth Wyght, to your weak affinity for blinkereds. But I’ll say this,” he paused, sizing me up like a prize pig, “your powers are certainly interesting, albeit nothing exceptional.” He peered into my eyes. I did not look away. “However, the other you suppress within you has much potential. I’m certain we could have harnessed his talent if he wasn’t already indentured by another.”

  “You mean Stroud?”

  “Indeed, and he is the only reason you’ll be spared at the sentencing.”

  “Sentencing?”

  “Councilor Lampton has summoned the Council tonight so that we can sort those of us who are of use from those of us who are not.”

  “And what happens to the ones he decides aren’t of use?”

  “They’ll be stripped of power.” His eyes flitted to Astrid and Samuel. “No matter how effective or trivial their gifts are.”

  “And how are you planning to accomplish that?” I asked, buying time as Samuel inched toward Humble’s pocket, his fingers itching to lift whatever they might find in there.

  Humble turned to Samuel. “Go sit on your bench.”

  “And if I don’t?” Samuel asked.

  “Then I’ll have someone cut out your innards out, and feed them to her,” Humble nodded to Astrid as Samuel held his hands up and backed away. “Now,” Humble turned to me, “to answer your question, we’ve developed a means of extracting people’s magic. For good.”

  “Do your means happen to utilize that missing equipment from the black crystal farm I raided.” I tried to quash the fury and loathing rising through me. They wouldn’t get me anywhere.

  “Indeed. It’s a similar process but Stroud’s man perfected it.”

  “Endersley?” I asked. He nodded. “You were working with that crazy bastard?”

  “Actually, he was working with us,” Lampton replied as he appeared, flanked by three suited vampires. He stood next to Humble and st
ared at me, his eyes fizzling with barely contained hatred. “I still owe you for what you did to my grandfather, Rook.”

  “What I did? No. He died by your hand, not mine,” I said.

  “True,” Lampton conceded, “but only because you left me no other choice. Breaking into his house and interrogating him like a common criminal-”

  “He was a criminal,” I said, leaning in toward the bars, “and so are you.”

  Lampton blinked, breaking my gaze, and then a slow smile spread over his lips, revealing his pearly white teeth. “Perhaps, in the eyes of some but these unpopular opinions will vanish, as we purge those within our ranks who refuse to accept the inevitable.”

  “The inevitable what?”

  “Two worlds are colliding.” Lampton smoothed his oiled black hair and straightened his tie. “New rules, new fealties. A time of great change, a time for those who value opportunity and are willing to stand up to those who cling to archaic notions.”

  “You mean notions like law and order?”

  “Rules change,” Lampton said with a shrug, “especially in times of war.”

  “Is that what your makeshift army’s for?” I asked. “The thieves, murderers and rapists, all the thugs we’d locked away in Stardim, who are now lurking in your grounds?”

  “Not my grounds,” Lampton said. “Midnightside is the property of the Council. Or at least it was until I made the place so uniquely forgetful.” He smiled again and I wanted to smash in each one of his shiny white teeth. “It’s surprising how quickly everyone forgot about this place, particularly given the fact that it’s situated almost bang smack in the middle of the city.”

  “It’s back on the radar now,” I said.

  “The damage you and your friends did to the haven stone is being repaired. It’s unlikely anyone will notice; we were sure to include an adequate buffer. The streets around the compound are vacant for a reason.”

  “The magical quarter’s close by,” I said, “and the power concentrated here won’t go unnoticed. Is that what the army’s for?”

  “Yes. They’re here to ensure that order prevails within the magical community when the merging of worlds begins.”

  “Just be honest” I said, “they’re here to silence anyone who opposes Stroud when he starts slaughtering the blinkereds.”

  “If you insist upon looking at it that way, then yes.” Lampton stood just out of reach. “As I said, Rook, there are those who accept the inevitable and those who buck at it. Now, silence is golden and I’ve heard more than enough from you.” He wagged his finger in the air before my face and muttered words of power. I felt my lips purse and merge, then he turned to Astrid and Samuel and I saw the glassy hex appear over their mouths as he muted them too.

  15

  “Now,” Lampton announced to Humble, “let’s make our way to the hearings, this should be most entertaining.” He turned to one of the vampires. “Take the accused to the assembly area.”

  Lampton gave me a final, victorious smile. “This is the night of the long knives, Rook. For you and all our other impediments.” He strode off with Humble as one of vampires unlocked the cell door. The other two watched with barely concealed hatred with their hands inside their jackets, ready to pull their weapons.

  I glanced to Samuel and Astrid and gave a slight shake of my head. Trying to escape now would only result in more pain at best; we needed to conserve our strength for a better opportunity. As we made our way out of the room Samuel peered into the cell where they’d stashed our weapons, with an almost wistful gaze.

  “Move.” One of the vampires behind me shouted, then he shoved Astrid. She half fell into me and I stumbled into Samuel. The vampire leading us turned, held a gun to Samuel’s head and grinned. “Test me, go on. Do it!”

  We walked silently down a narrow corridor with white-painted walls and it didn’t seem like they’d been constructed with iron stone. I gave them a long look, hoping Astrid would catch my meaning, then I searched inside myself for any scraps of residual magic, but I had nothing left to muster.

  When I glanced back to Astrid her eyes were half closed, but I could see her frustration. She had magic, but the hex prevented her from uttering even the simplest of spells. The guard behind her placed a shiny silver dagger to her throat. “Carry on and it’ll cost you your pretty head.” Then he stared at me, stuck out his wormy purple tongue and licked the side of her face.

  Astrid recoiled and shot him a look of unadulterated hatred. She tried to kick him but the guard moved past her and punched her, sending her head snapping back.

  My blood boiled and the impulse to tear his throat out with my fingers rattled through me as I harnessed every scrap of self-control I had. With a sharp, angry breath I turned and forced myself to keep moving forward, and as I did, I caught Samuel’s gaze. It was filled with the same pain and fury I was struggling to quell within myself.

  “Move it,” the guard by my side barked. He shoved Samuel in the back and then me. We continued up a steeply sloped ramp toward a pair of service doors. The lead guard opened them and a blast of cold air and snow swept in from the darkness.

  I glanced up at the fat moon. The silvery light it cast over the icy branches and wintery ground, made everything glow as snowflakes fluttered past my eyes and settled on my face and hair.

  “This way.” The vampire led us along the back of the building. I glanced through the latticed windows that framed the glowing opulence within. Roaring fires, ethereal paintings, and dark, polished wooden furniture. All the trappings of the Council’s wealth and a testament to the trough they’d been dipping their snouts into.

  We turned the corner. On the grounds just outside the building's entrance, a circle of burning torches cast an orange flicker over the neatly clipped lawn. It seemed their fire created a perimeter of an enchantment because no snowflakes fell on the staged area within. We were prodded toward three stiff wooden stools that faced the front of a long semicircular table, draped in white, golden-trimmed cloth. A long row of cushioned throne-like chairs had been arranged along its far side. The one in the center had a high back that was carved to an almost ostentatious degree. Lampton’s rightful place, no doubt.

  Carafes of wine and water had been laid out for them and each place had been set with plates and cutlery. I had a nagging hunch that we weren’t invited to the feast.

  To one side of the table, a hulking boxy mass had been draped with heavy black cloth. I had no idea what it might be concealing, but my instincts told me it was nothing good. The surrounding tree line was only feet away but the darkness within was impenetrable and I could hear the rough distant voices and monstrous rasping laughter of Lampton’s army.

  “Sit.” The vampire forced me down onto the center stool and moments later Astrid and Samuel sat at my sides.

  I tried to blurt out an impulsive quip to break the silence but the spell Lampton had cast over us was still in full force. Astrid’s eyes said more than enough in one quick haunting glance. There was love and fury raging within her as well as a glint of fear. I felt the same. Particularly the fear. I wasn’t concerned for myself, more for my friends who I’d dragged into this dire situation. As well as remorse for stubbornly delaying our journey to Penrythe for want of vanquishing Lampton first. I’d underestimated him.

  My thoughts fell away as the Council began to emerge from the building. They looked just as officious and stale as they had when they'd summoned me to Eveningside. I noticed the haughty elven woman keenly spurning the disgraced dwarf and elderly vampire we’d carjacked in order to crash this little party. By her side, the well dressed ogress surveyed the theatrical al fresco set up. A fresh wave of rage swept over me when Lampton emerged with the waspish looking woman. They were followed by the emaciated Wendigo, almost lost in the folds of his maroon robes as he escorted the female ghoul with the dry, flaking lips.

  Slowly, they began to take their places around the table. Most of them glanced at us, but a few seemed to make a concerted effort to av
oid meeting our eyes.

  Lampton took the ornate chair in the middle and clapped his hands. A burly ghoul appeared on cue and circled the table with a decanter of white wine, while another offered red. With their glasses filled, several started drinking. The dwarf downed his and demanded another right away before fixing me with an irritable look. It seemed Samuel’s enchantment had long since worn off, and neither he or his vampiric companion looked like they'd ever forgive us for stowing away in the car.

  I felt someone else watching me closely and turned to find the Wendigo studying me with a flicker of concern in his eyes.

  ching ching ching

  Lampton clinked a small silver butter knife against his wine glass, killing what little conversation there’d been. He raised his glass to both sides of the table, took a sip, and spoke. “You’re probably wondering why I’ve called this urgent, unscheduled meeting, but first I'd like to thank you all for attending at such short notice-”

  “It didn’t seem like we were given much of a choice,” the Wendigo said.

  Lampton smiled. “My apologies, Councilor Kasthrall. But these are interesting times we’re in, and unforeseen circumstance tend to shift at a speed of their own. Our duty, as ever, is to study these trends as they arise in order to appraise their impact upon our collective aims. Big changes are imminent. But first I’d like to propose a toast to our arrival at the threshold of an exciting new age for our illustrious Council, our city, and the world as a whole. A grandiose statement perhaps, but you’ll understand its true gravity soon enough.

  Now, you’re probably wondering why Agent Rook is here, along with his miscreant friends. I had no inkling myself that they’d be joining us tonight, but,” Lampton’s gaze fixed on me and a gleam of spite shone in his beady eyes, “nonetheless, Mr. Rook flew in like the bird of ill omen that he is. And that meant tonight’s focus had to change. Which is better for some, but worse for others.” He nodded to me and the hatred in his glare fell away to barbarous malice.