Warrior from the Shadowland

by Cassandra Gannon

  “A trick?”

  “Yeah. A trick. A dead end. The Quintessence just led us there to show us something else.” She leaned forward, again. “Chase, listen. Phases can interbreed with the humans. We have proof. That’s what this is really about.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about saving Elementals from extinction and finding human Matches. We can interbreed with them. I’ve seen the offspring to prove it.”

  “That’s impossible.” Chason shook his head. “Everyone knows that…”

  “I’m telling you, I’ve seen it. Uriel’s Match is a human with Elemental DNA. She’s part Wood Phase. The Quintessence left us a trail to follow so we’d find her. That’s why its blood popped up at Mayport Beach Hospital.”

  Chason’s eyes narrowed. He actually believed Nia, now. Water Phases were terrible liars. Plus, she was excited about this news. As if it could actually make a difference somehow. Biological miracles meant nothing to Chason. And the Phases would be wiped out when he ended the universe anyway, so he wasn’t worried about holding back extinction.

  But, he was now completely convinced that the Quintessence was real. There was blood evidence. It had been in the human realm and, out of everywhere on the planet, it deliberately selected that small Florida town. If there was one half-breed, there had to be more. So, why would the Quintessence pick this particular girl to show the Water House? Just because she was Uriel’s? Or maybe this half-breed, in this town, was special somehow.

  “Where is the human woman’s Elemental family? Why didn’t they come forward and tell the Council it was possible to Phaze with humans, so other Phases could try to find a Match there?”

  “I don’t know.” Nia admitted. “Uriel said the Phase was old. One day, he just walked away from the Wood Kingdom and never came back. Turns out he retired to Florida and had a part human granddaughter.”

  Wood Phases were warriors. Protectors. Chason’s mind raced. If a Wood Phase knew of the Quintessence, he might have kept its secrets. The Wood House was all about loyalty and codes. It was why he’d never been able to recruit a Wood Phase for the Reprisal. If the old Wood Phase chose to live in Mayport Beach, there must have been a reason. Why not in a forest or jungle somewhere that would remind him of home?

  Unless, he knew the Quintessence was there and was acting as its guardian. And if the Quintessence knew the half-breed’s grandfather, that explained why it picked that particular human to show the Water House. That particular town.

  Maybe it was still there someplace.

  There were a lot of ‘if’s in the theory, but Chason would have the Reprisal soldiers tear Mayport Beach apart if that’s what it took to find the Quintessence. It was the only lead he had.

  “So, you see why you should just let this go?” Nia continued. “The Quintessence is gone, but we have a new quest, now: Find humans with Elemental DNA.”

  “What possible good are human Matches to me, Nia?” Chason couldn’t believe she’d be so blind. “I already found my Match and now she’s gone. I built her a tomb, not by the sea, but right down there.” He pointed out the window, where he’d erected the monument for Mara and all their lost dreams. “I told you, I’ll lie down beside her after I have my revenge, and then I’ll rest. There is no mission for me except my vengeance and my death.”

  “You need to stop trying to avenge your Match and start remembering your Match.” Nia told him, seriously.

  Chason would have answered that with the contempt that it deserved, except he suddenly heard the music again. I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time echoed in his head and he had to squeeze his eyes shut against the memories. The perfect, close harmony of the song washed over him, the notes so clear that they cut into his damaged soul. He ground the heels of his palms into his eye sockets as if that would somehow block it out.

  “Is that singing?” Nia demanded. “Does the Reprisal hold dances here or something?”

  Chason’s gaze snapped to hers. “What?” He whispered.

  “You don’t hear it? It’s like… The Andrew Sisters, I think.”

  Chason felt his knees give out. He sank back down in his chair. “There’s no music in my House.” His lips barely moved to form the words. “None.” He’d made sure of it. The song was just trapped inside his head and, once the universe ended, he’d finally silence even that. The music wasn’t there.

  Nia frowned. “You really can’t hear it?” She actually started humming the chorus. “‘Church bells will chime; you will be mine, in ap-ple blos-som…’”

  “No.” Chason roared. “I don’t hear anything, because there’s no music in my House!” He realized his hand was shaking and that only made him angrier.

  The door slammed open before Nia could continue pressing.

  Chason’s head whipped around, prepared to bellow at whichever of Reprisal soldiers was intruding. It only took at heartbeat for him to realize that it wasn’t one of his men, though.

  Of all the unlikely buddy-cop teams throughout history, he was staring at the most bizarre. Cross, psycho king of the Shadow House, stalked in like death, armed with a bloodstained sword. And right behind him, for no reason Chason could possible imagine, stood Gion.

  Cross might have been born a bastard, but Gion was the one who defined the word for the ages. Most Houses had “behead on sight” orders passed on him even before the Fall.

  Chason had no real opinion about Cross. Well, the sword he looked eager to ram into Chason’s neck wasn’t exactly making Nia’s Match his favorite Phase in the universe. But, Chason could accept that the guy wanted him dead. He touched Cross’ Match. Of course, they were enemies, now. For Chason, though, it was more a blood feud by technicality.

  But, Gion was an Air Phase. And not just any Air Phase. The Merlin who ensured Parald’s King Arthur rose to the throne. Chason hated so many people that most of their names were just static-y white noise in his head. He killed them, but their individual identities didn’t matter much. Gion’s name penetrated down to the very core of Chason’s fury. One of the Phases he most blamed for the death of Mara.

  “Cross.” Nia didn’t seem very surprised to see her Match. She turned to give him a smile. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’m fine.”

  Cross didn’t respond to that. Maybe he didn’t hear her with the blood pooling out of his ears. His eyes were bleeding, too. Chason had never seen anyone’s eyes bleed before, but he didn’t really register the weirdness of it. He didn’t care how they got to the Magnet Fortress, either. He didn’t care about anything except killing Gion. He went right over the desk after him, pulling his blade free and forcing Nia to scramble out of the way so she wouldn’t get knocked over.

  Gion watched him advancing and sighed. “Is this about your Match, again?” He didn’t even bother to reach of his own weapon.

  He didn’t have to.

  Cross slammed into Chason, his sword arcing out like a pendulum. Chason barely avoided decapitation. He automatically tried to evade Cross, his gaze still centered on Gion.

  “You son-of-a-bitch!” Chason’s voice went beyond screaming. It was a horse, shaking distillation of pure wrath. “I will fucking kill you.”

  Gion smirked. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”

  Cross swung at Chason, again, and Chason actually had to take his eyes off of Gion long enough to defend himself. Their swords clanged together hard enough to create sparks. Cross still hadn’t said anything. From his face, it seemed clear that he planned to behead Chason before they’d even exchanged a single word.

  “Cross.” Nia called. “I’m okay. Let’s just go.”

  “Yes, go. Take her back.” Chason snapped. “I don’t care.” And he didn’t. He’d gotten all the information he needed from Nia. Gion was at the center of his attention, now. He was fine with Nia and Cross both leaving.

  Training with the Reprisal made Chason an excellent swordsman. Plus, he was a Magnet Phase, so he could’ve cheated and just bent the sword in half with his powers.
But, it didn’t occur to him. Centuries of following the rules of honorable behavior and his own tunnel vision of hatred, blinded him. His temper had always been like that. It fueled him, but it usually turned into his biggest weakness in the end.

  Chason evaded another attack from Cross and managed to get closer to Gion.

  The bastard just lounged there in the doorway, one shoulder propped against the threshold. Gion arched a brow. “Have you ever considered that you’re just not capable of leading suicide charges, Chason? After two years of trying to kamikaze me, you’d think that you’d have met with some success by now, if your heart was really in it.”

  “I don’t have a heart, anymore. The Air House took her from me.” Chason snarled. “You’d better pray that you die before you ever find a Match. Because, otherwise, we’ll see if I’m capable of killing her.” It was a vow. “Then, you can experience the hell of living on with your woman dead and rotting in a crypt.”

  Gion stopped sneering. In all of Chason’s extensive research on the bastard, he’d never come across an instance of Gion losing his temper. Now, he looked seriously pissed, though. As if threatening a Match he didn’t even have enraged him.

  Gion had no qualms about cheating in a fight. His powers slammed out, the force of the Air driving Chason back into the room… Right into Cross’s sword.

  Nia actually cried out as the blade went through Chason’s chest. “No!”

  Chason tried to breath, but he couldn’t draw in any oxygen. He fell to his knees, gasping. He should have known that Gion wouldn’t fight fair.

  Cross ripped the sword free and prepared to take Chason’s head off.

  Gion’s blue eyes glowed, mercilessly. “Are you sure you don’t have a heart, Chason? I think I see it.”

  “Cross, stop!” Nia screamed.

  Chason heard the music, again. For the first time in forever, the bittersweet, ephemeral promise of an apple blossom wedding didn’t make him cringe in pain. Instead, he actually felt something else.

  Sad.

  He felt sad.

  Sad that he’d let Mara down. Sad that she was gone. Sad that he’d survived instead of her. Sad that he hadn’t been a better Match to her when he had the chance. His life and his bride. Sadness actually ate through the hatred for a beat and with it came an overwhelming weariness. He was so tired. Maybe he could finally rest if he just…stopped.

  Nia’s voice finally seemed to register with Cross. He flashed her a quick look. “Stop?”

  “Stop.” She hurried over to stand next to Chason. “You promised that you’d always stop if I said ‘stop.’ So, stop. Please, don’t kill him.”

  “He touched you. He stole you.” Cross’ voice was barely understandable through the Shadows. Still, he lowered the blade away from Chason’s neck and glanced at Nia. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”

  “The Reprisal has a bounty on every member of the Water House.” Gion interjected. “If you want to protect your Match and her family, you’d better ignore her. Chason’s wound isn’t mortal. When he heals, what do you think he’s going to do? Send them her a ‘Gee, sorry I abducted you and tried to behead your queen’ floral arrangement? Will that make everything better?”

  “Shut-up!” Nia shrieked. “What are you even doing here?” She quickly refocused on Cross. “I know the Reprisal’s nuts. I know Chason’s nuts. But, he’s not evil. I don’t want to kill him. Let’s just go.” She laid a hand on Cross’ arm. “Please.”

  Cross sighed. He reluctantly moved away from Chason and pulled Nia closer. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. “I love you. Don’t get kidnapped, again.”

  “I won’t. I love you, too.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I want to go home, now.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. You two are useless.” Gion stepped into the room. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

  The Andrew Sisters stopped singing so suddenly that Chason jolted. His eyes blinked, trying to focus and process sensory input. Without the music, he could hear his men coming for him, their footsteps pounding in the hall. He could feel the pain of his injury, but only in a vacant sort of way. He saw the blood coating his chest and torso, saw that the hole in his chest would have instantly killed a human, saw Gion striding towards him…

  And, oddly, he saw Abel.

  The Stone Phase had apparently regained consciousness. He was pulling himself to his feet, his attention fixed on Nia. As Chason struggled to breathe, Parald’s face was superimposed over Abel’s in his mind. A man out to steal Matches and kill innocents. Not again. “Nia… Behind you.”

  The warning came out in a whisper, but it must have been enough.

  Cross spun around, pushing Nia back.

  Gion scowled, stopping to stare at Abel. “Who the hell is that?”

  “I am God!” Abel bellowed.

  “Really?” Gion didn’t look impressed. “I thought You’d be taller.”

  Abel lunged at him. It vaguely surprised Chason that a Phase who’d sustained a near skull fracture could move that fast. Stone Phases tended to have harder heads than the average Elemental, but still it was impressive.

  Gion had trained as a warrior. He automatically moved forward in a defensive maneuver. Unfortunately, the blood matted in Abel’s hair covered the telltale olive streak at his temple. Stone Phase’s weren’t a group you wanted to try hand-to-hand combat with. Gion really should have pulled that sword.

  Abel’s powers surged out, freezing Gion in place at the first touch of his hand.

  Chason’s eyebrows soared. It was almost a shame to watch Cross advance on Abel, weapon in hand. Cross seemed intent on decapitation and Chason could personally attest that he was good with a blade. But, when a Stone Phase died, all the objects that they’d solidified went back to normal. The second Abel’s head hit the floor, Gion would be unfrozen. Chason much preferred the bastard this way. It was his own version of Han Solo in Carbonite.

  “You’re the one who took my Match back at the police station.” Cross sited on Abel like a laser scope.

  “Why should you have a woman like that?” Abel retorted. “Let her get her rocks off with a Stone Phase and see which of us she prefers.” He snickered. “No pun intended.”

  Nia made a face. “Cross, sweetie, this one you can kill.”

  “Thank you, baby.” The sword spun around Cross’ hand. “Do me a favor and keep on touching me. I’m feeling… right all of a sudden.”

  Abel pulled his own sword free. “I’m a soldier. I’m God. You’re an insane, nobody from the backwater Shadowland. Just walk away, leave the woman and I’ll let you live.”

  “No.” Cross said, simply.

  Abel held out his free hand like a shield poised to touch Cross when he got close enough. “The Reprisal is coming. I can hear them. Do you think you can beat me and get out of here fast enough to stop them from killing you?” He sounded amused.

  “Yeah, I think I can.” Cross lowered his sword. “Nia, hang on.”

  There was a gigantic swell of power. With Abel poised to use his powers against him, Cross was apparently willing to use the Shadows and it wasn’t even close to a fair matchup. Chason had never even heard of anyone controlling so much energy. How could Cross possibly hold so much power and stay alive? It swirled around the room like a cyclone of Shadows, faster and faster. The darkness and formless edges of it circling inward towards Abel.

  Chason knew then what had happened to the dead Phases that his men had sensed, but not seen at the hospital. Cross had just… erased them.

  Nia’s eyes widened in wonder as the Shadows brushed up against her, doing no damage.

  Abel screeched in horror and panic as the same Shadows ate into him like acid. He dropped his sword and tried to escape the darkness. He backed up right into the wall. “Stop it! What are you doing?!”

  Cross kept staring at him, dispassionately. “No one takes Nia from me.”

  Then, Abel simply… vanished. As if h
e broke into tiny bits and blew away. The Shadows swallowed him and left nothing but an echoing scream of pain. The twisting mass of darkness spun like a garbage disposal, obliterating every shred of him.

  Chason swallowed, new ideas churning in his mind. Shadow Phases couldn’t do that. No Elemental could do that. How could he get Cross to join the Reprisal and do that to Parald?

  The Shadows receded, drawing back into Cross, although Chason had no idea how he supported them. The weight had to be enormous. How did he even function?

  “You rock! No pun intended.” Nia leaned up to kiss Cross’ cheek. “Damn, that was cool! I knew you could control the Shadows. I told you.”

  “You told me.” Cross agreed. He glanced over at Chason. “Don’t touch my Match, again.” The power of the warning darkened the air, ominously. “Next time, I’ll kill you before she can stop me. Understand?”

  Chason nodded. “Understood.” He would have done a lot worse to anyone who’d kidnapped Mara.

  Gion came back to life with a colorful string of curses. “I hate it when Stone Phases do their freezing sideshow act.” He glowered over at Cross. “Did you actually behead that asshole or did Nia’s bleeding heart and batting eyelashes get in the way, again?”

  “He’s dead.” Cross confirmed.

  Nearly every Reprisal soldier in the Magnet Fortress was there, now, shoving their way into the room.

  “Sir!” Lansing dashed forward when he saw Chason’s injuries.

  Everyone else focused on Gion with murderous rage in their eyes.

  “Well, shit.” He stepped forward and grabbed Nia with hand and Cross with the other. Gion’s icy blue eyes locked on Chason for a moment. “One day…” He let the words trail off, meaningfully.

  Then, he jumped them right out of the Magnet Fortress.

  Chapter Eighteen

  For all wants are satisfied, all disorders of nature are removed, no life is any longer a burden,

  every day is a day of peace, everything you meet becomes a help to you, because everything