The Raven's Shadow: The Aegis of Merlin Book 4

by James E. Wisher

  “Don’t make assumptions,” Conryu said. “Everyone’s made assumptions about this woman and they’ve all been wrong.”

  Outside the junkyard the street lights were still working and apparently Mercia hadn’t wanted to waste time or magic to douse them. That at least somewhat argued in favor of Kelsie’s theory. He thought he saw a flicker of movement up ahead and muttered the vision-enhancing spell Terra taught him earlier.

  It was Mercia, staggering up the street, the last box clutched to her chest. “There she is.”

  “Why doesn’t she just open the stupid thing now?” Jonny asked. Conryu couldn’t deny a certain amount of curiosity about that as well.

  “Rituals are designed so that the key components must be in a particular formation for maximum effectiveness.” Prime spoke like a professor giving a lesson. “Given that she has three boxes I assume she’s planning to use a triangular formation. This box will no doubt go equidistant between the other two, forming the final point of an equilateral triangle.”

  “And if she succeeds?” Conryu wasn’t sure he wanted to know and at the same time he needed to.

  “Then the area between the three artifacts will become a single, giant portal allowing mass quantities of shadow beasts, as well as larger and more dangerous creatures from the netherworld, to enter the city. That would be exceedingly bad for the humans living here.”

  “No kidding.” Conryu stopped and focused on Mercia. He had to risk taking her out from here. He honed in on her right leg. If he crippled her she wouldn’t be able to move. “Shatter!”

  A blast of dark energy raced toward the target. She must have sensed it as a counterblast negated his attack and she kept going.

  “Shit! We’re too far away.” Conryu sprinted forward. Jonny kept pace, but the exhausted Kelsie soon fell behind.

  “Master, I calculate she only needs another two hundred yards before she can activate the last artifact.”

  “I’m giving it all I’ve got.” He barely had breath to speak. Mercia ducked between two dark businesses and out of his sight. “Son of a bitch!”

  “She stopped, Master, and I sense power gathering.”

  Conryu lunged through the gap between the buildings. Mercia was bent over the box, making mystic passes over it.

  He still had a chance.

  Conryu focused all his will on the box. “Shatter!”

  The dark wood exploded along with the gem inside and took at least one of her fingers with it.

  “I got her!” Jonny lunged past him and leapt at Mercia.

  Conryu caught a glimpse of her hateful expression and mumbled words of Infernal.

  He concentrated on Jonny. “Cloak of Darkness!”

  The spell came into being half a second too late. Jonny screamed and collapsed as the darkness covered him.

  Mercia chanted a portal spell and disappeared through it. Conryu ignored the quickly closing disk and ran over to his friend. The Cloak of Darkness’s effect vanished at his approach.

  He knelt beside Jonny and checked his pulse, faint but still there. His bronze skin had taken on a pale, sickly hue.

  “She’s drained his life force.” Prime flew down beside him. “Your friend should recover, but it will take time.”

  “Should?!”

  “I’m sorry, Master, but without proper light magic healing nothing is certain with a spell like that.”

  He was going to kill that bitch when he got his hands on her.

  “Conryu.” Kelsie squeezed his shoulder and knelt beside him. “I heard what Prime said. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

  “I know he will, because you’re going to stay with him. When Terra and the others show up, you tell them what happened and have Maria or her mom heal him.”

  “What about you?” She looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

  “I’m going after Mercia. She’s the only one that knows how to close the portals.” Conryu patted Jonny’s chest and forced the tightness in his throat away. He was going to be fine. He had to be. “You’ll take care of him?”

  Kelsie nodded. “You can count on me. Go get her.”

  Conryu nodded, stood up, and opened a portal of his own. Cerberus was waiting and it was time to hunt.

  Terra jogged toward the second portal with Clair in tow. She had to find Conryu and catch Mercia. She didn’t care what Shizuku said, there was no way the exhausted wizard could maintain her ward for more than five minutes before backlash overwhelmed her. If that happened it was game over for the whole neighborhood.

  The sound of gunshots and explosions reached her, but she couldn’t pinpoint the origin. Terra frowned. She knew that noise. It sounded like Lin’s enchanted pistol, only more than one. She picked up the pace. If Lin was fighting the shadow beasts then Conryu must have been incapacitated.

  “How are we going to plug this one?” Clair asked as they ran.

  “I’m open to suggestions.”

  “That’s not what I wanted to hear. Say, where are all the wizards the chief was calling in to help? Seems like we should have run into at least one of them.”

  Terra shook her head. “You, Shizuku, and I are the strongest registered wizards in the city. We can’t rely on any of the weaker casters to bail us out. If they can hunt down stray shadow ravens and protect the civilians I’ll take it.”

  They reached a junkyard and at Clair’s gesture the fence ripped apart. Terra glared at her, but she just shrugged. “I’m sure the owner has insurance and we’re in a hurry.”

  It was a short trip to the edge of the portal. Lin and three other cops had the thing surrounded. There was no sign of Conryu or his friends. A fourth cop lay on the ground thirty yards from the portal. He’d been overwhelmed by the dark energy.

  “Lin, what happened?” Terra asked. “Where’s Conryu?”

  Lin shot a shadow lion and it exploded. “He went after Mercia and left us to deal with the monsters. Man, I’m glad you’re here. We’re almost out of bullets.”

  Terra turned to Clair. “I can handle this. You go help Conryu.”

  Clair hesitated then nodded. “Which way did he go?”

  Lin pointed to his left then returned his attention to the portal as the biggest shadow beast Terra had ever seen emerged in the form of a bear. He shot it twice before it exploded. “I’m out.”

  Terra raised her gauntlet-covered hand and chanted. “Flames of deepest crimson form a barrier to stop my enemies, Fire Wall!”

  Enhanced by the power of the gauntlet, her barrier went all the way around the pillar and halfway up its height. An occasional shadow raven snuck out, but it stopped all the bigger beasts. The gauntlet would protect her from the effects of magical backlash, but only for a little while.

  Hurry, Clair. She clenched her jaw and focused, determined not to let a single monster out.

  Cerberus stopped and barked. As always there was nothing in the darkness that indicated to Conryu that this was where Mercia had exited, but he’d come to trust Cerberus’s nose. If the demon dog said this was it, then it was.

  He climbed down from Cerberus’s back and cast the viewing spell. They were just outside a rusty warehouse on the waterfront. Why would she have come here of all places? At this time of night he wouldn’t have to worry about any bystanders getting hurt. That was a small break.

  “Be careful, Master. She may have left a trap.”

  Prime must have been reading his mind again. Conryu took a step back and found his view had shifted a hundred yards. That should be far enough.

  He opened a portal and stepped through. When Prime had joined him he closed it and turned his attention to the dark warehouse. The windows were all blacked out so he had no idea where she might be inside.

  “Reveal.”

  As expected, dark magic wards crackled around the outside of the building. He crossed his fingers and wrists. “Darkness dispels everything!”

  The protections vanished under his assault.

  Lady Raven emerged from the portal in her temporar
y living room. Damn the boy! He destroyed her final artifact and two weren’t enough to complete the ritual. A pair of limited portals would be all they accomplished. Years of work down the drain. They might kill hundreds of people, if everything went well, but not nearly enough. She marched through the door and down the hall to where her last Faceless One waited. She was glad she hadn’t brought all the undead with her, though she doubted this one would be any more effective than the others.

  “I do not want to be disturbed.” She stepped into her casting chamber and slammed the door behind her.

  He’d be coming after her. There wasn’t the least bit of doubt in her mind, especially after she’d nearly killed the other boy. Lady Raven had caught a glimpse of Conryu’s face just before she fled. Yes, he’d definitely be coming after her. Hopefully her remaining guardian would be able to hold him off long enough for her to summon help.

  Lady Raven snatched up her mask, tied it on, and entered the spell circle. Her thoughts went out to the others as she tried to get someone’s attention. A shiver went through her when her wards were dispelled.

  He was here already.

  While she waited for one of her superiors to answer, Lady Raven focused her will on the spell circle and activated the emergency defenses she’d woven into it. They might slow him down at least.

  The air grew hazy and Lady Dragon appeared. “You have failed.”

  “I opened two portals,” she dared to point out. “The city will suffer. If Rennet had bought me a few more hours I’d have won.”

  “Blaming others for your failure is pathetic. However, you did partially succeed. If you can defeat the abomination I will allow you to retain your position as Sub-Hierarch.”

  That was at once far more generous than she’d dared hope and a mockery. There was no way she could defeat Conryu on her own. “Can you send help?”

  “No. You succeed or fail on your own merit. The Society has expended all the resources on this that we can.” Lady Dragon vanished.

  She was truly on her own.

  Conryu waited a second to make sure there were no delayed-reaction traps. When nothing happened he marched across the concrete toward the small side door. It was clear of magic and a quick inspection showed no other surprises. Still, better safe than sorry.

  “Shatter!”

  The door disintegrated and he stepped into the dark interior. A pair of fire globes appeared at his command and lit up the interior. It was a vast, empty space. He stepped inside and walked toward the center of the building. He found a round sewer access with the lid removed.

  “Now we know why she used the sewer for her backup hiding places. But where is she now?”

  “I sense someone above us, Master.”

  He turned his gaze to what appeared to be a collection of offices that looked down on the warehouse floor. It wouldn’t be hard to convert those rooms into temporary housing and a workshop. He found a set of stairs leading up to the offices and jogged over to them. His boots clanged on every rung no matter how carefully he stepped.

  “Don’t be concerned, Master. I’m sure she sensed it when you broke her wards.”

  “Thanks, Prime. You really know how to reassure a guy.”

  The stairs ended in a rusty catwalk that led over to the office door. What sort of crazy manager would lay out his building like this?

  Conryu studied the narrow path, checking for signs of weakness or traps. It looked clear, but just to be safe… “Cloak of Darkness.”

  He extended the spell to include Prime and set out across the path. When he reached the door without getting blasted or dropped to the cement below he let out a breath. So far so good.

  Another spell disintegrated the door and he stepped into a living room. There was a couch, a pair of chairs and a coffee table with gossip magazines strewn across it. To his left was a set of French doors that led to a balcony. That area glowed with a combination of water and light magic which explained why he hadn’t noticed it from the outside; it was hidden by an illusion. Straight ahead was another door that led deeper into the complex.

  “I sense magic, Master. She’s casting a spell.”

  Conryu ran across the living room and blasted away the door. A short hall led to a pair of doors, one to his left and a second straight ahead. Another of the zombie things stood beside the door on the left which radiated dark magic.

  The undead did the trick where it leaned then charged toward him. Conryu was ready this time. He focused on the floor in front of it. “Shatter!”

  He blew a hole in it just as the monster’s foot came down. It fell through, but caught the edge with a massive hand. Conryu stomped down, smashing the brittle wood and sending the undead crashing to the floor below.

  That should buy him some time. He threw his hand up and pointed at the door it had been guarding. “Break!”

  The magic wasn’t fazed so it must be coming from the room beyond. His next spell blew the door to splinters. On the other side was a Spartan casting chamber with Mercia in the center of a spell circle wearing a black mask.

  He sent a spell at her leg, hoping to end the fight quickly, but the spell broke at the edge of the circle.

  “Your magic can’t penetrate my spell circle. We can keep each other company while this city dies.” She cocked her head. “Either that or my Faceless One can tear you limb from limb when it arrives.”

  The undead’s heavy tread on the metal steps was barely audible. He had at most a minute.

  “Watch her.”

  He left Prime and Mercia facing each other and ran back to the living room. Through the doorframe he watched the monster step off the stairs and onto the catwalk. It spotted him at the same time and charged.

  When it was halfway across he pointed at the steel walkway. “Shatter!”

  A ten-foot chunk of catwalk disintegrated into flecks of rust and the undead went down. It wouldn’t be coming that way again. Satisfied that there would be no more interruptions, Conryu returned to the casting chamber and found everything the way he’d left it.

  “Where were we? I remember, you were about to tell me how to close the portals.”

  “No, I believe you were about to flail ineffectively against my spell circle.”

  She sounded so smug. He knew just the spell to wipe that grin off her face. “Deepest darkness twist and writhe. Grind and smash what I despise. Break through bonds and destroy all barriers, Death Spiral!” He twirled his finger and released the spell.

  The protective shield resisted for a second before it blew apart. The spell continued on, annihilating the rear of the room and exposing the ocean beyond. Mercia fell to the floor and stared up at the ceiling, mouth partway open and drooling.

  Conryu crossed the room in a second, knelt beside her, and slapped her across the face, knocking her mask askew. “Wake up!”

  Mercia didn’t so much as flinch.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  Prime flew down beside him. “Her consciousness must have been tied to the spell circle in hopes of making it stronger. When you broke one you broke the other.”

  “Fuck! How do we wake her up?”

  “She may never wake up. If you kill her I can teach you a spell to capture her spirit and force it to tell you anything you want to know.”

  Conryu looked down at the unconscious woman. No one would blame him if he finished her off right now, not after everything she’d done. It wouldn’t take much.

  He wrapped his hands around her neck. Just squeeze, maybe break, her neck. She’d hurt Jonny. Maybe even killed him.

  It would be so easy.

  He let go, got up, and walked away. He couldn’t just murder her in cold blood, no matter what she’d done.

  “Let’s have a look behind that last door. Maybe we can find something.”

  Kelsie knelt beside the unconscious Jonny and looked from him to where Conryu had disappeared into the portal. For a moment she wished she was Maria so she could do something to help Conryu’s friend. She’d
only known him for a little while, but he seemed like a nice guy.

  She put her fingers to his neck like she’d seen them do on tv. His pulse was weak, but steady, the same as it was when she checked it a minute ago. Part of her wanted to pace while another part didn’t dare leave Jonny’s side for fear that the moment she did he’d die.

  It was a ridiculous notion, almost as foolish as the overwhelming terror that filled her whenever she imagined Conryu’s reaction if his friend died while she was taking care of him. The rational part of her knew he’d never blame her, but deep inside she wasn’t sure. The thought of losing his trust and friendship made her stomach twist.

  A chill ran up her spine. Something supernatural was nearby. She scrambled to her feet and looked around. Nothing was visible.

  She looked up, and staring down at her with shining red eyes was a shadow raven. The creature was bigger than any natural bird outside of maybe a turkey. Its shape wavered like smoke in the wind, as if she needed another reminder that it wasn’t a living creature she could scare away with a wave of her arms.

  And that was about all she had to fight it off, strong language and gestures. Her magic certainly wasn’t enough to accomplish anything. Kelsie flexed her fingers. Maybe she could hit it with a Shatter spell. When she’d teamed up with Conryu earlier they’d agreed that her magic had grown stronger.

  Whatever happened she wasn’t going down without a fight. The raven spread its wings and leapt from the roof. She focused on its head and forced all the doubts from her mind. This would work.

  She raised her hand like she’d seen him do so many times. “Shatter!”

  The shadow beast was knocked off course, its insubstantial body wavering as it fell to the ground. For a moment she dared to believe she’d done it, then the creature gave a whole-body shudder and spun to face her.

  Its eyes were glowing brighter and she’d have sworn it looked angry. She moved between the grounded bird and Jonny. Kelsie pointed at it again.

  Before she could cast, a fire arrow streaked past her and burned the raven away. She almost collapsed to her knees in relief. Clair stood in the mouth of the alley, a little wisp of smoke coming from the tip of her extended finger.