Blade of Darkness

by Dianne Duvall

  Close enough to eavesdrop on the conversations and thoughts that cluttered David’s home as the sun set.

  A slow smile curled his lips.

  Once more, he had gotten the best of his nemesis.

  It had been too easy really. While that fucker Seth was busy at the military installation, pretending to be him and liberating his little gifted ones, Gershom would walk right through the front door of David’s home—figuratively speaking—and take that which was most precious to him.

  Seth wouldn’t even realize they were gone until it was too late.

  Perhaps Gershom would slay David and a few of the Immortal Guardians while he was there just to dig the knife in deeper.

  The notion held great appeal.

  Listening to the muted speech, he took a quick head count.

  Ami sat on a sofa in David’s living room, reading a book to the toddler on her lap. Her husband Marcus sat beside them, so afraid for the two that Gershom could barely find any coherent thoughts in his head.

  Roland and Sarah lingered nearby, determined to do anything necessary to protect Marcus, Ami, and their child.

  David was there, too, of course, watching over the flock in Seth’s absence. It grated a little that Gershom couldn’t access that one’s thoughts.

  Imhotep and Chaak were present as well and were likely the only two aside from David who could offer up a decent fight. The Celt had proven to be a good adversary, but he was at the military installation, fawning over his lover.

  The younger immortals Richart and Jenna manned a love seat, their Second Sheldon across from them. Multiple other heartbeats surrounded the house. Network soldiers, no doubt.

  He scoffed silently. Did they really believe humans armed with guns could stop him?

  The immortal black sheep Bastien was absent, as was his wife. He and Melanie had opted to remain at the network to make a stand with Heather and the vampires should Gershom decide to strike there or should he simply pop in to fuck with Ethan’s mind again.

  Hmm. Maybe he should fuck with Ethan’s mind. It would only take him a few minutes to undo all the healing Seth had spent hours performing. Or better yet…

  He tilted his head to one side. Perhaps, while the other immortals were struggling to contain Seth’s fury after he returned and found Ami and Adira gone, Gershom would stop by the network and nab Cliff. He could deny the valiant young vampire blood until the madness consumed him, then stick him in a room with Ami and Adira. Let nature take its course. Could be interesting.

  But first…

  He shifted into Seth’s form, then teleported to David’s living room, appearing beside Ami.

  Several gasps sounded.

  David rose.

  Marcus did, too. “Is it over? Did you get Gershom?”

  Ami dropped her book and hugged Adira to her breast as she stared up at him with fear. “That’s not Seth! It’s Gershom!”

  The immortals all leapt to their feet.

  In a blur of motion, Marcus scooped his wife and daughter into his arms and raced out the front door.

  Gershom shifted back into his natural form and teleported to David’s front lawn, appearing directly in Marcus’s path.

  Immortals poured through the front door of David’s home, weapons drawn, David in their lead.

  Marcus darted in a different direction.

  Gershom again teleported into his path. Then did so again. And again.

  Marcus stopped. Lowering Ami’s feet to the ground, he moved her and the baby she held behind him and braced himself for a fight.

  The human guards that stood just outside the house—fewer than Gershom had guessed—raised their weapons.

  “Fire your weapons,” Gershom called, “and I’ll use telekinesis to send every bullet into Ami.”

  No weapons fired.

  Richart vanished and reappeared behind Ami.

  Gershom flung out a hand.

  Richart flew backward thirty yards and slammed into one of the huge trees at the edge of David’s lawn. Several of Richart’s bones broke with audible cracks.

  Gershom swung on David, Roland, Sarah, Chaak, Imhotep, and Jenna as they leapt forward. Energy burst from him, radiating outward like a blast wave and sweeping almost everyone—immortals and humans—off their feet.

  Only David, Marcus, and Ami remained standing.

  As David drew his sword and leapt forward with a roar of fury, Gershom flung a dagger.

  Metal glinted in the last of the dying light as the dagger shot around Marcus and stopped half an inch from Ami’s neck.

  David skidded to a halt, his dismayed gaze going to the blade that hovered so close to Ami’s carotid artery.

  Triumph filling him, Gershom smiled.

  When Aidan appeared in David’s living room, he found it empty.

  A ripple of power hit him, nearly knocking him on his arse.

  Outside, David roared in fury.

  Aidan raced through the front door.

  Roland, Sarah, Jenna, Imhotep, Chaak, Sheldon, and all the network soldiers were down on the ground. The immortals grimaced in pain. Some of the network men appeared to be unconscious.

  Across the yard, an injured Richart struggled to regain his feet in front of the trees.

  In the center of the lawn, Marcus stood with sword in hand in front of Ami, who held Adira tight.

  David skidded to a halt as a dagger veered around Marcus and hovered a hairsbreadth from Ami’s neck.

  Aidan bent to grab a sword Roland or Sarah had dropped and crossed to stand beside David.

  David focused his glowing amber gaze on the dagger.

  The floating dagger eased away from Ami almost a foot, then darted forward again, nicking the soft skin of her neck.

  Gershom smiled and shook his head. “You only think you’re as strong as me, David.”

  Marcus drew a second sword.

  “Really?” Gershom drawled, then frowned. “Wait. How are you still standing? You’re only eight centuries old. You should be flat on your back like the others.”

  Marcus shook his head. “I’m stronger than I look.”

  The dagger that threatened Ami abruptly jerked away and flung itself at Gershom.

  Aidan’s eyes widened.

  As did Gershom’s as he hastily ducked it. He looked back at Marcus with surprise. “How did you do that?”

  Aidan wondered the same thing. Marcus didn’t have telekinetic abilities.

  Marcus leapt forward and swung his swords.

  Caught off guard, Gershom drew his own and fell back a step as he struggled to fend off Marcus’s attack, which shouldn’t even offer him a challenge since Gershom was so powerful.

  What the hell?

  “How are you doing this?” Gershom growled, steadily backing away as he blocked blows backed by so much power that sparks lit the darkening night each time their blades met.

  Marcus’s eyes suddenly flashed golden. “Surprise, cousin.” In the next instant, Marcus grew taller and shifted into Seth’s form.

  Aidan gaped.

  Golden fire flashed in Gershom’s eyes as his features contorted with fury. “Who are you?” he demanded. “Seth is at the military installation, posing as me. I saw him with my own eyes!”

  Seth shook his head with a dark smile. “You studied me so carefully and took such delight in impersonating me when you attacked Aidan. I’m surprised you don’t recognize me.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  “Apparently you aren’t the only magician in the family,” Seth snarled.

  A flash of panic entered Gershom’s eyes. “You can’t be Seth.”

  “Oh, but I am. Someone else volunteered to bear your form at the military installation so I could remain here and bury your ass.”

  Aidan had had no idea. He had thought Seth had been the one pretending to be General Gershom.

  David shot forward, swinging his blades.

  Aidan followed, leaping into the fray.

  The three of them surrounded Gers
hom, whose composure began to fray as one blade bit deep. Then another. And another.

  The foliage bordering David’s lawn rustled. Dozens of Immortal Guardians strode forward, weapons in hand, ready to take up the fight should Seth, David, or Aidan fall.

  Marcus was one of them and crossed to plant himself in front of Ami and their daughter.

  Aidan hissed in a pained breath as Gershom’s sword cut across his middle.

  The metallic scent of blood tinged the air.

  Gershom began to rack up wounds.

  “Lay down your swords, Gershom,” Seth ordered, still hammering away at him. “This ends now.”

  A red slash appeared on Gershom’s cheek as Seth’s blade drew blood. Another appeared on his chest when David drew more.

  Gershom’s face darkened as he roared with fury.

  In the next instant, he vanished.

  Aidan stumbled as his sword met empty air.

  Seth spun around.

  Gershom appeared behind Ami and—in the same instant—drew a blade across her throat. Her eyes widened and filled with pain as blood sprayed her husband and daughter.

  “No!” Seth bellowed.

  The sky above lit with a flash of lightning as thunder filled the clearing like an explosion. Dark clouds swelled in the sky, hiding the first twinkling stars.

  Smiling, Gershom vanished.

  Marcus spun around and caught his wife and baby as they fell.

  “Aidan,” Seth snapped as he zipped over and knelt beside Ami.

  Aidan teleported away, following Gershom’s energy trail to France. To Germany. Australia. Canada. Russia. Japan. And some places Aidan didn’t even recognize. But he stayed on Gershom’s heels, following the trails of energy he expended each time he teleported to a new destination. He caught up with Gershom in Finland and immediately swung his swords before Gershom could teleport away again.

  The Other’s wounds must be wearing on him.

  Gershom released a bestial sound, like a rabid dog cornered by hunters.

  Pain flashed up Aidan’s arm as Gershom got in a lucky strike, but Aidan kept moving, kept swinging his swords. He just needed to hold the bastard until Seth could finish healing Ami and catch up.

  Gershom vanished.

  Swearing, Aidan teleported after him and found Gershom in a cramped alleyway in what he thought might be Lagos.

  A man riding a bicycle gaped at them, so startled by their sudden appearance that he nearly lost his balance.

  Gershom buried his blade in the man’s stomach, then teleported away.

  Shite. Aidan caught the man as he fell and swiftly healed him. He took another few seconds to bury his memory of the incident and plant the suggestion that someone had bumped into him and spilled paint on his shirt. Then he teleported after Gershom to a country road he thought might be in Hawaii.

  Gershom swung his swords, cutting down two lads who looked like teenagers.

  Seth, Aidan called as Gershom teleported away. He knelt beside the boys and swiftly healed their wounds.

  I’m on my way, Seth said in his head.

  Hurry, Aidan implored, running so low on energy that his skin began to burn beneath the sunlight.

  After burying the memories of the boys, he teleported away again. Following Gershom to China, he found himself on a narrow street, facing a row of homes that had fallen into disrepair.

  Gershom’s latest victim, an elderly man, sank to the ground as Aidan appeared.

  “You fucking coward!” Aidan shouted.

  But Gershom teleported away.

  Voices floated around the corner.

  Grabbing the fallen man, Aidan ducked into the nearest home and found it empty.

  Seth appeared.

  Aidan knelt and laid the man on the floor. “Gershom is wounding innocents to slow me down.”

  “Zach,” Seth said aloud, then teleported away.

  Zach appeared, still clad in a military uniform. “Catch me up,” he ordered as Aidan healed the old man and altered his memories.

  “Seth, David, and I were kicking Gershom’s arse at David’s place, so Gershom cut Ami’s throat and teleported away.”

  “Motherfucker!”

  “Seth stayed to heal her. I followed Gershom. When I caught up with him, he started injuring innocents to slow me down. Seth is following him now.”

  Zach nodded. “Get some blood to replenish the strength you’ve lost, then return to the military installation and guard Lisette and the rest in case Gershom ends up there.”

  “Zach,” Aidan said before the elder could teleport away, “ditch the uniform. Gershom is starting to hit more populated areas, and if you can’t bury every memory, we don’t want them to connect anything they see with the United States military.”

  Zach’s clothes vanished, giving Aidan a split-second view of bare skin before the black shirt, black pants, and boots favored by Immortal Guardians cloaked his form.

  Seth doggedly pursued Gershom, struggling to keep his rage under control.

  The bastard had slit Ami’s throat. He had slit her throat and terrorized little Adira who, despite her youth, had understood exactly what had happened to her mommy.

  Brazil. Norway. Tanzania. Thailand. Greece. Kazakhstan. Chile. Egypt.

  Everywhere Gershom took him, the ground began to rumble and quake at Seth’s appearance. Clouds gathered.

  He ground his teeth, trying harder to leash his temper.

  Leave the damage control to me, Zach said in his head. It’s slowing you down.

  He was right. Gershom could cut down a bystander in a second, then teleport away. It took Seth longer than that to heal wounds, bury memories, and plant an explanation for the bloodstains and torn clothing.

  I’ll heal the injured and bury their memories, Zach continued. The network can scrub whatever appears on the internet. Just find Gershom’s ass and bury him.

  Thank you. If you need help, summon Jared.

  He won’t be able to keep up. None of the Others can.

  Unfortunately, he was right. Then it’s just us.

  As soon as Seth finished healing the couple at his feet, he teleported after Gershom again.

  More wounded. Leaving the victims there without healing them went against Seth’s every impulse, but Gershom had gotten far enough ahead of him that he worried he would lose him soon.

  Gritting his teeth, Seth teleported again and again, his control slipping a little more with each felled man, woman, or child he had to leave behind for Zach.

  The gap tightened. Then tightened some more until Seth caught up with Gershom in…

  Shit. Times Square. Which bustled with activity.

  Gershom grabbed a pregnant woman, drew her back against him, and locked an arm around her throat.

  Whimpering, the woman dropped her shopping bag and clutched his arm.

  Gershom breathed hard as he tightened his hold and staggered back a step. Blood oozed from multiple wounds as he glared at Seth and raised a dagger.

  “Don’t,” Seth blurted. He tried without success to yank the blade away from Gershom using telekinesis.

  His lips twisting in a sneer, Gershom buried the dagger in the woman’s chest.

  Screams erupted.

  Brakes squealed as pedestrians scattered, running into traffic and darting into businesses.

  Dropping the woman, Gershom huffed a pained laugh and spat blood.

  Seth dashed forward to catch her before she could hit the pavement.

  Some valiant men nearby tried to tackle Gershom.

  Dark wings burst through the back of Gershom’s bloodstained coat and spread wide, knocking the men down.

  More onlookers screamed. Some crossed themselves.

  Eyes glowing gold, Gershom burst into preternatural speed, racing up the sidewalk, swinging his swords every which way, felling one human after another after another and breeding pandemonium.

  “You can’t win!” Gershom growled breathlessly. “I’ll always find a weakness!”

  O
nce more, he teleported away.

  Zach! Seth called.

  Almost there, came his response. I’ve a few more to heal.

  The screams continued.

  Seth couldn’t wait for him. Jared, he called. Come to me now, and bring Chris.

  Reaching out to every man, woman and child he could see, Seth seized control of their minds.

  All motion ceased.

  Running bodies stumbled to a halt.

  Drivers braked.

  Bicyclers slowed to a careful stop.

  Horns sounded in the distance behind Seth as drivers farther back wondered what the holdup was.

  He couldn’t worry about them right now.

  Blank expressions cloaked the faces of every person present as Seth began the arduous task of burying each individual’s memory of what had just happened.

  Chris Reordon and the faux General Gershom appeared at Seth’s elbow.

  General Gershom shifted into the form of Jared, who swiftly replaced his uniform with Immortal Guardian standard blacks.

  “Oh shit,” Chris whispered. “This is fucking worst-case scenario.”

  “How can I help?” Jared murmured.

  “It looks like Seth is taking care of everyone we can see,” Chris told him. “You need to catch all those we can’t see and bury whatever the hell they just saw.”

  Zach appeared. Foul curses colored the air.

  “Heal the injured,” Chris ordered, “beginning with the pregnant woman Seth is holding. Then see if you can catch Gershom.”

  Zach knelt beside Seth and carefully pulled the bleeding woman from his arms.

  “If anyone took pictures,” Chris told Jared, “or made a phone call or tweeted or otherwise spread the news, give me their names.”

  “Okay.”

  Seth worked as swiftly as possible. A hell of a lot of windows looked down on them. The longer it took them to clean this up, the more it would snowball.

  Chris dialed a number.

  “Yes, sir,” a man answered.

  “There’s been an incident in Times Square. Mobilize four units and get them here ASAP.”