by S. C. Stokes
“You have made the coming war all the more difficult and yet you gloat. With the power we gained here, we would have been unstoppable. There would be no more hiding, no more running, no more cowering in the shadows. We would be what we are always meant to be—gods among men to be revered, not hunted. In your foolish idealism, you’ve brought peril on us all. Just wait until it’s you and your family being hunted. You will feel differently then.”
“But there are wizards here too,” Kasey replied. “The attack would have slaughtered them all. It would have wiped out the entire Arcane Council.”
Akihiro shrugged. “All the better. The council is made up of simpering fools who don’t possess the backbone or stomach to do what is truly required. They are of little use to me anyway. We will not cower in the shadows a moment longer.”
“Well, I'm delighted to disappoint you. Your weapon seems to be experiencing a little technical difficulty. It won't be going off today, or any other for that matter.”
Akihiro bit his lip.
Kasey pressed her advantage. “That's right, we found the weapon, and now it's in pieces. Good luck bringing the city to the ground without it. You’ll have to do it one building at a time like a normal terrorist.”
Akihiro shook his head. “How could you have found the weapon? You only just arrived.”
“It helps when you know exactly where to look. You don’t get it, do you? I saw it, over and over and over. The first time I witnessed what you had in store for the city, I was twelve. Ever since, my whole life has been spent preparing for today, and every time you sent a new body to the morgue to advance your murderous plot, you put them in my path. The visions they granted led us straight to your weapon. How does it feel to know that years before you laid the foundations of this murderous plot, fate was already conspiring to thwart it? You’re beat. Give it up already.”
Akihiro folded his arms. “You mistake delay for defeat. Do you really think this paltry show of strength is enough to defy me? I will lay waste to you all. In death you will serve a far greater purpose than you have in life.”
“Your threats are empty, Akihiro. Your strength wanes, your forces have been routed. You too will fall. It ends here and now.”
“On the contrary, Kasey. I am stronger than I’ve ever been. You, on the other hand, are looking utterly spent. Tell me, how much of that blood is yours? Do you truly believe you could stand against me, even if you wanted to? And tell me, where is Sanders? I was hoping to finish what I started in the Underpass. His absence is telling, but then fear will do that.”
“Afraid of you? In your dreams. It was Sanders that destroyed your weapon,” Kasey spat back.
Akihiro smiled. “Oh, did he now? Ah, Sanders, always the hero. What price did he pay for that? Did it kill him?”
“He’ll live,” Kasey replied, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing Sanders had lost a hand.
“It hardly matters. The fool was your only hope. Now he convalesces when you need him the most. A few agents, a handful of police, and a battered little girl don’t stand a chance.”
“Take another step and I’ll kick your ancient ass. You might be a zillion years old, but I can see the future, Akihiro, and you’re not in it.”
Akihiro scoffed. “Nice try, but your bluff is hollow. You see, Miss Chase, you might fancy yourself a hero, but not everyone is as willing to die for a losing cause as you are.” Turning, he addressed the strike force gathered before him. “You have all been lied to. I am not your enemy. I am your ally. You've come here today to destroy me at the behest of this deluded child and a council of fools. But know this, those who side with me will join us as we partake of immortality and rule this world until the end of time. Join me now. It's not too late.”
Hades hollered back, “Join you? You slaughtered a dozen of my men for sport. What’s more, you made a spectacle of it on TV. You butchered them for the whole world to see. You speak of a war against the normals. You are the cause of that conflict. Until a week ago, they were ignorant of our very existence, but you outed our entire society just to buy time for this madness. Your words cannot to be trusted.”
Hades stood with both pistols in hand, trained on the elevator. The Lord of the Underworld wasn't going to give the Master of the Shinigami a single inch of ground.
Akihiro glowered. “On the contrary, Hades—or should I say, Angelo. Yes, I know your true name. I know exactly who you are. I know where you live, holed up in that little cesspit of a club. You lord over the other miscreants in this city like you matter. Your half-baked criminal empire doesn't hold a candle to the Brotherhood.”
Brotherhood? It was the same title Arthur Ainslie had used right before he’d been stabbed to death by Akihiro in the confessional. It seemed that both Arthur and Akihiro were counted among its ranks.
Who was this Brotherhood?
“The Brotherhood began centuries before you were even conceived. You are mere infants playing at a game you do not truly understand. Besides, we would never deign to throw in our lot with the Arcane Council. It’s offensive. Some criminal overlord you are. You’re Sanders’ lackey. You know it, your men know it. How long do you think they will tolerate this dalliance with the law?”
Hades’ face flushed red and he squeezed the trigger. The Desert Eagle in his right hand bucked as it fired. Akihiro’s shield flared as the bullet struck it.
Akihiro waggled his finger. “Come now, Hades, don’t be like that. You’ll force my hand. You should know, I didn't kill your men for sport. There were plenty of other targets that would have suited my purposes. Unfortunately, they ambushed me much like you are now and I gave them the same choice that I will give you. Join with me and forsake this foolish effort or die. If you join me, we will live forever. If you don't, you'll die here and now.
Hades spat on the floor. “Never. You may bluff and bluster but you’re not leaving here alive. If you had half a chance, you wouldn’t be stalling. You’d have killed us already.”
Akihiro shrugged. “Well, you can't say I didn't try. I gave you every chance to change your mind. Still, you can’t see what is right in front of you. Life, salvation, immortality.”
“You're insane,” Hades replied. “Too much life has made you mad. Your dabbling in necromancy has driven you to delusion.”
Akihiro sighed as he crossed his arms. “Oh, no, Hades, on the contrary, it's made me see things more clearly, something you are unwilling or unable to do. Zryx, how about you? Tell me, are you seeing things more clearly now? I told you he was weak. Don’t you see, he’s just another pawn of the council.”
Hades whirled as Zryx racked her submachine gun. Menace gleamed in her eyes. It was the look she’d had when she’d insisted Kasey be thrown into the ring against Dozer. Her eyes were a glinting mixture of madness and murder.
“I accept,” Zryx answered.
“No!” Kasey shouted as Zryx raised the gun and squeezed the trigger.
Hades buckled as the submachine gun rounds caught him in the chest.
He collapsed, his face a twisted grimace of shock and betrayal.
As Hades fell, Zryx shouted, “Hell is under new management. Any of you that want to join your old boss, raise your hand. Any of you that are with me, let's go. Kill these sycophants and weaklings now!”
The Helldrakes fell in behind Zryx without hesitation.
Kasey’s heart stopped as the magnitude of Zryx’s betrayal struck her. Of the strike force they had assembled to stop Akihiro, only forty odd fighters remained. Now a full third of them, the Helldrakes, had turned on the police and ADI at point-blank range. The result would be catastrophic.
As the strike force returned fire, the lobby descended into madness.
Chapter Fifteen
Kasey shook as she watched the Helldrakes turn on their former allies with brutal efficiency. In such close proximity, Hades’ heavily armed shock troops were unavoidable.
Despite being caught flat-footed, the ADI responded with a tenacity born of
desperation. With no room to maneuver, the ADI resolutely held their ground, firing back with precision, picking off the aggressive Helldrakes.
One of Hades’ wizards, bellowing in the ancient tongue, unleashed a fireball that crashed into an ADI contingent clustered behind a pallet of tiles. The swirling inferno washed over the barrier. A piercing shout told Kasey that one of the agents had been caught in the inferno.
The Helldrakes spellcaster cackled with glee at the devastation, but his gloating was cut short as the ADI found him. The wizard’s mouth had barely closed when his eyes went wide with shock, milliseconds before his brains were blown out the back of his skull.
A rotund and balding agent, crouched just inside the doorway, had dropped the gloating wizard with a single bullet to the head.
The brunette agent beside Kasey sank to the floor. Clutching at her stomach, she struggled to stem the blood flow. Kasey bent down to help her, but without her med kit, there was little she could do to help. Using her magic to heal a single agent in the midst of the unfolding carnage was like trying to hold back a river with a handkerchief. If they didn’t win, they were all dead anyway. She waved Kasey away and with her back against the wall, she used her other hand to fire back at the traitorous Helldrakes.
In the midst of the chaos, Akihiro stood still, protected by the safety of his amulet. He smiled as he bathed in the chaos of the conflict surrounding him.
As the Helldrakes and agents continued to battle, the Master of the Shinigami began to chant. The haunting monotone Japanese was unnerving, but for all his conjuring, it seemed to have no influence on the chaos around him.
Then Kasey saw it.
An emerald wisp of smoke rose from the fallen ADI agent before her. It floated across the chamber to where Akihiro stood chanting.
He’s harvesting their life force.
As the bodies continued to drop, the wisps became a veritable river of energy flowing into him.
“Stop!” Kasey shouted. “You’re only making him stronger. Don’t you see?”
No one seemed to hear her.
There’s no stopping them now, but even killing the Helldrakes will strengthen Akihiro.
It was a deadly conundrum.
Zryx loped giddily through the chamber, her submachine gun chattering madly as she took shots at anything that moved. The Helldrakes occupied one flank, utilizing tile pallets and the support pillars in the lobby to protect themselves while coordinating fire against the superior number of ADI agents and police officers.
The resolute remnants of the task force were desperately falling back to the cover afforded by the pallets separating Kasey from Akihiro and the Helldrakes.
The lobby itself was so densely packed that it was no better than a gun fight in an alleyway. Both sides were stuck squaring off at point-blank range. One wrong move would see them fall.
One of the ADI combat mages launched a ruby red lance of pure energy across the chamber, shearing straight through a Helldrake, separating his torso from his legs as it carved him in half at the waist.
A pair of Helldrakes worked their way up the right flank. The combat mage shifted targets. As his focus shifted, so did the lance. The Helldrakes ducked for cover behind a support pillar.
The arcane lance followed them like a dog with a bone, carving into the pillar. Masonry blasted out from the pillar as the energy carved gaping holes through it. The mage doubled down, tearing into the pillar in an effort to reach the Helldrakes sheltering behind it.
Kasey raced for the cover afforded by the pallets. “Hey, easy there,” she shouted over the fray. “You'll bring down the building and kill us all.”
The ADI agent paused, then ceased his casting and dropped back behind cover. Using magic in the tight confines of the lobby without further compromising the damaged structure was a careful balancing act. One overzealous enchantment would bring the entire building down, and there was nothing to be gained from mutually assured destruction.
Kasey peered over the edge of the tile pallet. Three Helldrakes moved down the left flank, using the cover of the shattered elevator shafts to surprise the ADI.
Kasey knew she had to ignore her own advice and deal with them before they began firing at the ADI’s exposed flank.
Channeling her might, she let her power flow through her. “Mellt!”.
The bolt of lightning leapt across the room in a heartbeat. It crackled as it split through the air. With unyielding power, the lightning plunged straight for the elevator. In the dense confines of ruined elevator shaft there was no way it could miss. The savage strike hammered into the three Helldrakes, energy coursing through their bodies, overloading their hearts before grounding itself into the floor. Smoke rose from their armored torsos as they dropped.
They won't be getting back up.
At her right, another ADI agent fell as a series of gunshot wounds stitched across his chest, before punching through his neck. As Kasey traced the trajectory of the threat, she saw Zryx with her submachine gun raised.
Kasey’s blood boiled. There was nothing she hated more than a traitor. Someone who was willing to turn on their own kind and shoot them in the back was the lowest form of scum. Hades’ fall had been unexpected, but it would not go unavenged.
Zryx met Kasey’s stare and bared her teeth in an angry snarl. She raised her weapon.
Kasey had other ideas. “I Gymryd Ar Wahan.”
Zryx jammed down on the trigger, grinning like a maniac.
Kasey dropped down, seeking the shelter afforded by the timber. She heard the bullets slam into the pallet, but then the gun clicked empty, followed by a clattering sound. Peeking over the edge, Kasey couldn't help but smile at the confused look on Zryx’s face.
Her gun was falling to the floor, piece by piece.
Kasey had taken that spell from Sanders’ extensive repertoire.
“No!” Zryx shouted fighting to keep the weapon in one piece. Her efforts were in vain as the barrel came loose, falling uselessly to the floor.
She hurled the remaining pieces of the disassembling weapon straight at Kasey. Kasey ducked under the weapon, before leaping the pallet and charging straight at the traitor.
As Zryx growled and ran toward her, Kasey dropped her shoulder. She crash-tackled the treacherous woman to the tile floor. Together they went down, tussling across the tile. Kasey wrestled her way on top as Zryx kicked Kasey in the groin before clawing at her neck.
Batting away Zryx’s arms, Kasey slammed her head into the tiles. She closed one fist around the Zryx's throat. Zryx thrashed wildly seeking to throw Kasey free. Steadying herself, Kasey drew back and drove her right fist straight into Zryx's face. Zryx snarled, barring her teeth. Kasey's follow up shattered her nose. As blood poured from Zryx’s face, Kasey felt tremendous satisfaction.
From the moment she had met Hades’ insane accomplice, she had disliked her. The feeling had been mutual with Zryx doing everything she could to ensure Kasey died in the ring with Dozer. Turning on Hades was the last straw.
Kasey wrestled with Zryx who used both her legs as leverage to launch free. She reached for her belt.
Kasey felt more than saw the danger as Zryx lunged at her with a knife. She rolled away from wicked looking barbed edge. The blade sliced against the Kevlar of her vest and she was grateful for its presence. As Zryx lunged again, Kasey seized her wrist. She twisted it sharply, seeking to wrench the knife from her grip.
Zryx raised her second hand and clutched her own wrist. Using both arms, she lifted the blade and tried to drive the weapon forward, aiming for the exposed flesh above Kasey's vest. As the blade teetered closer, Kasey shoved back. Zryx inched the knife closer. Clutching Zryx’s hands in hers, Kasey wrenched her forward and drove her head into Zryx’s already broken nose.
Zryx howled in pain. Kasey seized the opportunity to go for the knife. Zryx launched forward, slamming into Kasey.
As Kasey fell backwards, she grabbed at the knife. She landed on her back. Zryx followed her down, straddl
ing her stomach, both hands lodged on the blade, trying to drive it through Kasey.
Using all of her strength, Kasey wrestled the blade to the side and it slammed into the floor only inches from her left ear. Zryx tried to yank the blade free, but Kasey held firm. To lose the knife would be her death. Zryx leaned down and bit Kasey just above the wrist.
“Ow,” Kasey gasped, letting go of the knife.
She couldn't believe Zryx had just bit her. Her heart stopped as Zryx yanked the blade away and held it aloft, grinning madly.
With both hands on the knife, she raised it over Kasey’s chest. “Goodbye, my dear Jenny.”
“Go to hell!” Kasey replied, raising her hands.
The gesture caught Zryx off guard, and she cocked her head to the side.
“Pêl Tân.” Kasey barked as she flipped her palms up.
Zryx’s eyes went wide as Kasey’s hands began to glow.
Kasey felt the energy flow through her being as fire streamed from both palms, straight toward Zryx sitting atop her. Zryx screamed as the flames consumed her from the waist up. The knife fell uselessly from her hands as she clutched at her flaming face. Grabbing Zryx by the belt, Kasey hurled the toasted corpse off her and onto the floor.
The Helldrakes faltered and dove for cover. Hades and Zryx were dead. Having turned on the strike force, the Helldrakes had signed their own death warrants.
With Zryx’s body still a smoking wreck on the floor, they looked to Kasey and the ADI. Sharing glances with each other they looked to their only remaining ally—the same being who had promised them immortality: Akihiro.
Kasey’s heart sank as she realized the Master of the Shinigami was on the move again.
Akihiro, flanked by three of his disciples, was making a break for the front door. Clearly the Shinigami had no intention of reigniting the weapon; he’d simply baited the Helldrakes into distracting the strike force so that he could flee undetected.