Tearing The Shroud

by JM Bray

  ‘Why not, sir?’

  ‘You have a knife in your shoulder.’

  Sebastian tried to look at it. ‘Ah, man, I hate getting stabbed.’

  ‘It didn’t penetrate deeply.’ He looked carefully. ‘I believe it’s lodged in your shoulder blade. Just a moment.’ He reached in his breast pocket, feeling for the small bottles, and handed two of them to Sebastian. ‘Open these and place them on the car. When I tell you, pull the knife from my arm, take my coat off — pour the solution directly on the wound, some on each side.’

  Sebastian opened them as ordered, and Justus spoke over them, ‘Oowdefnoi.’ A red glow enveloped them and the color sucked into each bottle.

  ‘W…what was that?’

  ‘Later. Pull the knife out, now. Quickly!’

  Sebastian yanked the sharp blade out, and Justus let out a long moan as he collapsed to his knees. Sebastian stripped the coat off him, bringing another groan.

  ‘Hang on; I can’t see the wound.’ Sebastian ripped the shirtsleeve open then poured the tincture on both sides of the bloody hole. Justus lowered his arm, and Sebastian looked at the injury. ‘The bleeding has stopped already!’

  ‘It’s a healing draught. Not the strongest, but it will be well within a few hours.’

  ‘Sir, how? Is it...magic?’ he asked, his eyes wide.

  ‘No, it isn’t.’

  The big man looked confused but breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘It’s sorcery. Now, help me up so we can get you patched and depart this wretched place.’

  Return

  ‘Have you seen Vinni and Jule?’ Knife asked.

  ‘No, I’ve been here the whole time.’ Flea grinned as he handed a dollar to a pretty redhead behind the counter.

  The sorority girl sighed. ‘Another one?’

  ‘Oh, you bet.’ He leaned in and kissed her, getting every bit of his dollar’s worth. ‘Mmm, mmm.’ He turned to Knife. ‘The best twenty dollars I’ve ever spent. But I’m out of cash.’

  The young woman smiled in relief.

  ‘You haven’t seen them?’ Flea had an itching feeling…and it wasn’t good.

  ‘Not since I went to the egg booth.’

  ‘Maybe she knows.’ He pointed at Emily stalking up Caf Lane. ‘C’mon,’ Flea said, hurrying after her. They wove through the crowd and caught her near the library.

  ‘Emily,’ Knife called.

  She turned, her face red and puffy. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Have you seen Jule and Vinni?’

  ‘Jule? Vinni? I...I think I’ve done something horrible...’ Her hands waved like they had lives of their own and she started to stagger away.

  ‘Emily, we don’t have time for your crap!’ Flea grabbed her arm and spun her around. ‘Have you seen them?’ He said each word distinctly as he leaned over her.

  She pointed toward the grassy area. ‘Vincent headed up there with Jimmy.’

  Flea bolted and they pushed through the press of people to the path.

  ‘Where did angry guy come from?’ Knife asked.

  ‘What, you think I only do comedy?’ he replied.

  At the path, they ran up into the darkness and paused near the music building. Knife said, ‘Hold up, let’s get where it’s quieter.’

  Flea nodded and went into the tree-filled area to the north. They’d gone a short distance when he tripped, going down in the grass. ‘Gaaa.’

  ‘You okay?’

  ‘Yeah, but there’s something here.’

  ‘Well, be more careful.’

  ‘Hey, it’s dark, whadd’ya want?’

  Knife flicked his lighter. ‘Let’s see what it...’ The light revealed the head of an Asian man with a surprised look.

  ‘Oh, this can’t be good.’ Flea shook his head. Weird, why didn’t this freak him out? Knife on the other hand…

  Knife gagged, and looked like he might pass out.

  ‘Dude, kill the light.’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ Knife pocketed the lighter and coughed. ‘Let’s keep looking.’

  ‘Please!’ A voice cried in anguish further on.

  That couldn’t be good. Flea ran toward it with Knife right behind. They found Vinni from the sound of his weeping. He knelt on the ground, looking at Jule, his hand resting on her arm.

  ‘Vinni, you okay?’ Flea asked.

  ‘Vinni,’ Knife repeated gently.

  He looked up, his cheeks wet with tears. ‘She’s...she’s not...she...stopped...’

  Knife searched for a pulse, first in her arm then carefully in her neck, and then sat back silently.

  ‘Knife?’ Flea asked.

  His friend shook his head. Flea suddenly couldn’t stand and collapsed clumsily to his knees. The three of them looked down at her, silent, except for Vinni’s sharp breaths as his crying abated.

  A leaf floated out of the darkness and landed on her temple. Knife started to brush it away, but Vinni stopped him. ‘No, it looks like a flower in her hair.’

  Another one descended and came to rest near the first, and he realized they weren’t leaves, but large butterflies. Knife lit his lighter.

  ‘They’re Monarchs,’ Flea said quietly, afraid to disturb them.

  A third flickered in from the side then a fourth, and as they looked on speechlessly, a swarm of the beautiful creatures flitted in to land on Jule, covering her broken body in a blanket of velvety color. Their wings beat in slow, random rhythms, but within moments, the movement of the wings changed. Starting at the first one that had landed and radiating outward, the beat synchronized. They watched awestruck as each brightly colored wing rose and fell at exactly the same moment in a pulse — up and down, pause, up and down.

  ‘What do you — ?’ Flea whispered.

  ‘Shhh,’ Vinni said.

  There was a sharp intake of breath from under the covering of wings then another. As one, the whole swarm folded their wings and fell over, dead.

  Her eyes opened. ‘I had the most amazing dream,’ Jule said, her voice filled with awe.

  ‘Jule?’ Vinni asked, his voice nearly a whisper. It couldn’t be. Every molecule of him surged with hope that it was, that this wasn’t another vision. God, please let this be real. He reached a trembling hand toward her prone body.

  ‘But...she was...’ Knife said.

  Flea gaped like a fish out of water.

  She sat up smiling, chatting, ‘I was with my grandma — you know how dreams are.’ She waved her hand. ‘We sat in a room by a fire drinking tea. It was really good tea.’ She grinned.

  ‘How?’ Vinni touched her shoulder. It was really her. He wanted to grab her and hold on tight, never letting Jule go; but was afraid he might hurt her, or crush the fragile life that somehow filled her again.

  She didn’t pause. ‘I told her what happened, and she said she was very proud of me for saving your life.’

  ‘Saving my life?’

  ‘When you were fighting those men’ — she looked for them, and waved dismissively — ‘that Jimmy guy, he’s the Tearer, I threw a knife and hit him in the arm! I would have hit his side’ — she pointed to her body — ‘but he moved, so I threw another, then that football player got in the way. Then...then...’ — she stopped and looked around — ‘then I was...talking...with my dead grandmother.’ She wiped her cheek and saw the blood on her hand. ‘Vinni, what happened?’

  Her eyes opened. ‘I had the most amazing dream,’ Jolie said, her voice filled with awe. She sat up, looking around the room. Coleman lay in bed, unchanged, but the Matriarch sat in one of the chairs near the fire, sipping tea.

  ‘Yes, child, I know you did; now try to rest, dear.’ Sipping her tea, she looked thoughtfully at the half-empty cup on the small table nearby. ‘Most amazing.’

  Vinni smothered her bloody lips and cheeks with kisses, holding her close, but tenderly, still careful with his movements.

  ‘I was what?’ Jule asked Knife over his shoulder.

  ‘Dead.’

  ‘D-E-D dead, as a d
oornail, gone, kaput — ’ Flea said.

  Knife gently patted his friend’s arm. ‘Flea.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Flea fell silent and stared at Jule.

  ‘It wasn’t a dream?’ she asked Vinni.

  ‘I only know that you weren’t here and now you are.’

  ‘But how did I...you know?’

  ‘The butterflies brought you back,’ Flea said.

  ‘Butterflies?’ She pulled back to look down and the separation was almost more than he could take. Jule gently probed one of the dead monarchs then looked around her with wide eyes. ‘What happened to…whoever your were fighting?’

  ‘Jimmy brought men to kill me. After he hurt you, I...’ Vinni struggled to speak.

  ‘How many?’ Knife asked.

  ‘Five.’

  ‘You killed them?’ she asked softly.

  ‘Yes,’ he said quietly, Coleman’s lilting accent colored his voice more than usual. ‘Jule, dear, those people came to kill us and whoever stood in their way. Though a good man doesn’t enjoy it, sometimes enemies need killin’. It’s the same as war.’ He touched her arm softly. ‘Neither of us enjoyed having to do the task, and you’re not to worry, Vincent’s heart is as tender as it’s always been. Ya understand?’ He held her fearful look with one of reassurance.

  After a moment, her features softened. She nodded and hugged him. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘If there are five dead men nearby, we better clear out before they’re found,’ Knife said.

  Flea looked around. ‘Jule, do you have all your knives?’

  She checked her sheaths. ‘Yes, except the two I threw. Both of them were sticking out of bad guys the last time I saw them.’

  Knife shook his head. ‘You’re quite a woman. We’ll cut through the trees and take the path.’

  They stood and Vinni offered a hand to her. She smiled and took it. ‘I’m going after him,’ he said.

  ‘But — ’ Jule said.

  Vinni helped her to her feet, making sure she was steady. ‘I know who he is and where. I may see you at the house if I need the car. Right now, I need to go that way.’ He pointed toward the southeast.

  ‘How do you know?’ Flea asked.

  ‘Because Jimmy has been using power since he left.’ He kissed Jule once more, surreptitiously feeling the back of her head. It was completely normal.

 

  I don’t know what I would have done if we’d lost her.

  ‘Are you sure this is the best choice?’ Jule said softly as they parted.

  Vinni nodded. ‘He’s injured and on the run.’

  She stared into his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Be safe, sweetie.’

  ‘As I can be,’ he said.

  Vinni watched as Jule followed Flea and Knife into the darkness; part of his heart went with her.

  Chapter 44

  Hunting

  He followed the afterimage off campus, cautiously slowing near a house as it grew stronger. Vinni peered through the bushes to the street beyond. Unoccupied cars lined it, so he slipped into the front yard and jogged to a bright spot near the curb. Jule’s knives and two small bottles were in the gutter. He slipped the knives behind his belt and examined the bottles. They looked perfectly ordinary but gave off a strong afterimage. He smashed them, and the brightness disappeared, revealing the continuing signal as it moved toward the east, where he had first felt the power.

  As he ran toward the house sirens approached so he bolted, becoming a blurred shadow up the side streets. He unlocked the gate and started toward the house. Knife opened the door before he reached it.

  Vinni hurried into the kitchen.

  ‘Well?’ Knife asked without preamble.

  ‘I found these.’ He drew Jule’s knives and set them in the sink. ‘I also found a couple of bottles giving the afterimage. Where’s Jule?’

  ‘Shower,’ Flea said from the stove where he was cooking quesadillas. ‘Want one?’ He pointed to the pan.

  Flea, always the pragmatist. Vinni shook his head. ‘I need to get moving. She okay?’

  ‘Yep, she’s a tough one,’ Flea said.

  ‘Any more power use?’ Knife asked as he leaned on the counter.

  ‘Yeah, back where it started.’ He grabbed the car keys and headed into the garage. ‘Give her my love.’ He started to leave then turned to Flea. ‘Hey, where is the overcoat?’

  ‘On the couch.’

  Vinni pulled off the blood-soaked shirt and considered changing pants but didn’t. Just no time. He walked to the fireplace and tossed the shirt in then went to the kitchen to wash his hands. ‘Burn that please; we can’t have any evidence in the trash.’ Knife tossed him the coat, and he dug a dark t-shirt out of the laundry. He checked his pocket for the little die. Good to go. He waved.

  The clock on the Celica’s dash read 10:23; only two hours had passed since this started. He didn’t know how that could be; it felt like two weeks.

  Negotiation

  Sebastian parked in front of the house, got out stiffly and opened the door for Justus.

  ‘This arm is killing me. Let’s get inside; I have better potions in my lab.’

  As he passed, Sebastian asked, ‘Sir?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’m not complaining, but this is a lot more than I bargained for when I took this job.’

  ‘Did you think guarding me wouldn’t involve violence?’

  ‘I thought it might, but not this much — with the sorcery and all.’ Sebastian shrugged.

  Justus nodded. ‘I do forget that this place isn’t used to such things.’ He pursed his lips. ‘We have a few choices. I could place a compulsion on you, but that’s inconvenient and only works for short periods. I could kill you, and your family in Los Angeles, then find another servant. Or, I could quadruple your salary, and you can remain in my employ. Which would you prefer?’

  Sebastian’s voice grew quiet. ‘My family?’

  ‘Or a bit over twenty thousand dollars a week.’ Justus shrugged. ‘The latter sounds like a better choice to me.’

  Sebastian nodded. ‘Looks like I’m your man.’

  ‘And the sorcery?’

  ‘Bring it on, sir.’

  ‘See how easy that was? And a lesson learned as well.’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘Everything has a price. The key is finding it. Since we’ve strengthened our relationship, I must show you something. Come.’ He walked through the house to the private rooms where Sebastian had not yet been, coming to a stop at an open door. ‘This is my current laboratory.’ He indicated the desk covered in vials and herbs. ‘Your first project is to properly outfit it with beakers, burners, tables and the like. I’ll provide a shopping list.’ Justus opened two bottles on the desk, passed his hand above them, and said, ‘Oowdefnoi.’ The red glow appeared and sucked into each as before.

  ‘Same word, sir?’

  ‘Astute observation.’ He held up the bottle. ‘Stronger solution — this will heal wounds within a few minutes.’ He handed the bottle to him, took one for himself, and they drank.

  Justus winced and shuddered, as did Sebastian. ‘I wish there was a way around the sour taste.’ He walked out of the lab, continuing down the hall to the end. ‘Now, to another important item. This.’ He set his hand on the wall.

  Sebastian looked into the nearby room. ‘The workout room, sir?’

  Justus spoke a word of power under his breath, arching his hands, and the portal to the stairs opened. ‘At one time this was all the wealth I had in this world.’ He walked down the stairs into the storage room; Sebastian followed. ‘There is still a large sum here.’ He gestured to the shelves. ‘But with what I have now, it’s just petty cash. Additionally, this is where we keep the weapons. Since we’ve strengthened our relationship, I’ll leave this open so you’ll have access.’

  Sebastian gazed around the large room. ‘I’ve never seen so much wealth in one place.’

  Now he really had the man. ‘Be a faith
ful servant and this is just the start.’

  Chapter 45

  An Encounter

  Vinni drove straight to Mission Hills, led unerringly by Jimmy’s continued use of power. Near the end of a cul-de-sac he pulled a U-turn and parked. He grabbed the swords from the trunk. Fighting the urge to rush the house with weapons drawn, he strolled casually to the end of the street.

  A long, tree-lined driveway angled down to the house where the signal pulsed. He slipped between the bushes and wound downhill to the terraced gardens, checking the area beyond for movement. Nearly every room from the center, southward blazed with light, except those facing the south lawn. He darted to the corner of the house, past a bay-windowed exercise room. The back yard was unoccupied, so he moved past several windows, keeping low, to a lighted room with French doors. A surreptitious peek revealed Jimmy, wearing loose khakis and a white shirt, seated in a chair reading the paper. Vincent flashed to the door and stepped inside.

  He thought he’d be ahead of Jimmy’s time, but as the door closed, Jimmy looked up from his paper, muttered something, and a flash of blinding light appeared. Vinni drew his blades and thrust defensively in front of him.

  ‘Sebastian, drink the blue bottle,’ Jimmy called out. When Vinni’s eyes recovered, Jimmy had gone. He moved to the other side of the room in pursuit, and a steamroller of flesh hit him.

  Sebastian drove him across the room, slamming him into the wall. The impact left a man-sized hole in the plaster and drove the air from Vinni’s lungs. Stars blossomed in his vision, but he managed to keep his blades. A huge hand seized his throat, yanking him aloft. His vision cleared as Sebastian’s fist barreled toward his nose, so Vinni thrust his head down and heard the snap of knuckles breaking as the blow connected with his hairline. The big man dropped him to clutch his shattered hand, grunting in pain.

  Vinni scurried away and stood. He heard a meaty popping sound and saw Sebastian flex his hand, the bones completely healed. Still staggering, Vinni came at the man, but Sebastian picked up a large armchair and threw it at him. He turned his shoulder to take the blow, driven yet again into the wall.