Then, suddenly, the man with the glasses dropped to the floor next to Gabriel. His glasses were broken, and he was unconscious. Gabriel realized that the blows had stopped. He slowly rose to his feet. When he turned around, he saw Reeves holding the last man by his ponytail. Reeves ran the man’s face solidly into the wall. The guard dropped next to his companion with a thump. Gabriel had an instant to give Reeves a smile, and then the shadow creatures were upon them.
Gabriel felt talons and teeth raking across his skin. He felt the goggles torn from his head and the room went dark. He dropped to a kneeling position trying to protect his face. The EGG, he thought. It still had to be there somewhere. He tried to move but felt resistance all around, bodies pushing against him biting and tearing into his flesh. Gabriel ignored the pain and forced himself forward, towards the corner where he’d seen the EGG fall.
Somewhere in the chaos, he heard Jodi screaming. His blood ran cold. A few more minutes of this and they’d all be dead. He scrambled forward, hands slapping the cold stone as he felt around in the darkness. It was there somewhere, it had to be.
There was a whistling sound somewhere outside, followed by an explosion that shook the whole castle. Olgesby, Gabriel realized. He must be firing the rockets.
Then, totally by accident, Gabriel’s hand settled on the familiar shape of the EGG. He frantically located the button and pressed it, and the LEDs began to blink.
With thirty-five seconds left on the timer, Gabriel decided to use the time to get as far into the room as possible, where it would do the most damage. He also realized that in doing so, he would not only bring attention to himself, but leave himself wide open to attack. As long as his effort saved his friends, Gabriel didn’t care. He was willing to make that sacrifice.
Another rocket exploded and Gabriel heard shattering glass. Thank you, Oglesby, he thought. He’d take any distraction he could get. It seemed like forever, but in truth only seconds had passed between the time that he found the EGG and when he heard the familiar beep. Gabriel rolled onto his back and tossed the EGG into the air. He threw his arms up over his face. The EGG erupted in an explosion of brilliant hues of purple and red.
The shockwave hurt, to say the least. It knocked the breath out of him and left him wondering if he’d suffered internal injuries. He rolled over and lay flat on his stomach, trying to focus on relaxing his diaphragm. When he could breathe again, he opened his eyes and found the room nearly empty.
Four or five shadowfriends stumbled around in a daze. Reeves and Jodi were there. Jodi’s nose was bleeding. “Get to Julia,” Reeves called out. “I’ll take care of these guys. Hurry, we are OUT OF TIME!”
Gabriel gathered himself up and stumbled to the stairwell with Jodi at his heels. He glanced though one of the shattered windows and saw Mr. Oglesby out on the lake, standing on the roof of the Albatross, operating the rocket launcher manually. The elder man waved and Gabriel smiled weakly. The crazy old coot had really come through. Gabriel realized he’d underestimated the man again.
Even with the adrenaline rushing through his veins, going down the stairs was painful. Gabriel’s legs hurt, his back hurt, even his bones seemed to hurt. He couldn’t feel the individual scratches and cuts on his back, but the entire area felt warm and slightly numb. He was pretty sure the warm feeling was blood.
He ignored it all and pressed on, moving as quickly as he could without slipping and tumbling all the way down. At the bottom of the stairs, he lurched down the hallway and around the corner, right into the path of an oncoming guard. The man instantly attacked him.
Gabriel wasn’t prepared for the attack, but he managed a clumsy sidestep, tripping the man as he went by. The guard landed hard at Jodi’s feet just as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He let out a groan and started to push himself up, but Jodi kicked his arm out from under him and put her sword to his throat.
“Got him,” she said.
Gabriel raced over to the dungeon door. He released both of the deadbolts and reached for the handle, but a movement in the corner of his eye stopped him. He spun around as a Shadowlord appeared out of nowhere. Before Gabriel could move, the creature thrust out a gnarled and bony hand and caught Gabriel’s entire face in a death grip. The world vanished.
Chapter 42
Gabriel found himself standing in a pool of light. He sensed that he was in some sort of room, but it was impossible to tell more because of the inky darkness that surrounded him. There was something vaguely familiar about the place, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. I’ve been here before, he thought.
Of course you have, the Shadowlord replied. Gabriel’s heart thudded as he realized he wasn’t alone, and that the voice he’d heard was not spoken, but rather inside his head. It must have been some form of telepathic communication.
The Shadowlord stepped into the light. He was wearing an old-fashioned suit from the early 1900’s. Between the suit and the deadly pallor of his skin, he looked like a vampire. Gabriel stifled the chill that ran down his spine.
Where are we?
He heard soft laughter. We’re in your mind, foolish child. Don’t you remember?
Yes, Gabriel realized. You’ve done this before.
Of course. Many, many times. The slightest hint of a smile played upon the Shadowlord’s lips, but it was twisted, just like Victor’s smile. Thoughts collided in Gabriel’s mind as he remembered the things the Shadowlord had done to him. Suddenly Gabriel remembered the creature’s name. You’re Azrael, Gabriel said in his thoughts.
You do remember, then? Good. Then you remember what I can do to you!
I’m not afraid of you.
You should be. The Shadowlord threw his hands in the air, palms facing each other, and a fireball appeared between them. He smiled wickedly, baring his sharp teeth, and the fireball shot towards Gabriel like a cannonball. It was so fast that all he saw was a streak of light. It struck him in the torso and Gabriel fell backwards into the darkness.
Gabriel moaned as the burning sensation moved through his body. It was like fire in his veins, coursing through his limbs and branching out into his vital organs, until he screamed. The sensation reached his brain last, and Gabriel thrashed wildly on the floor, unable to stop it.
You are a very, very foolish child, Azrael said.
Gabriel shook his head, trying to drive out the pain. You can’t do this! I’m not going to let you do this! The laughter that followed was hollow and mocking. Hatred surged up inside of Gabriel. He thought of Jodi and Julia, and of all the other children, the ones he had promised to save. They were all depending on him. They couldn’t fight the Shadow, they didn’t know how. It would destroy them.
Strangely, though, Gabriel realized he did know how. He really could fight this. He needed something to stop the fire… He took a deep breath and visualized cold air entering into his lungs. It was like ice, filling him up and flowing out, mingling with the fire in his veins and destroying it. In a moment, the flames were gone, replaced by pale blue crystals of ice. The burning sensation disappeared.
Slowly, purposefully, Gabriel rose to his feet. His fear was gone, replaced by a simple, quiet calm. For once in his life, Gabriel was in control. There was no longer any sign of a smile on the Shadowlord’s face.
That wasn’t nice, Gabriel thought.
Lightning arced down the creature’s arms and shot out towards him, crackling menacingly. Gabriel reached out with his mind, embracing the surge of energy, and brought it into himself. He absorbed it like a sponge, and directed the energy to start healing his wounds. He felt euphoria as the magic filled his senses, as if he had the power to do anything he could imagine. The lightning vanished, and the Shadowlord forcefully withdrew. Gabriel felt a surge of disappointment as the energy source disappeared.
A sword appeared in the Shadowlord’s hand, a samurai sword with blue fire licking at the blade. Azrael smiled wickedly. He leaped forward with a broad overhead stroke. Gabriel took a step back. His mind flashed to his
own sword, and he wished he had it there. Immediately, it appeared in his hand. Here, in his own mind, he had the power to make anything happen. He raised his weapon to fend off the Shadowlord’s attack.
Azrael snarled as Gabriel parried the heavy blow, and the creature’s sword crashed into the ground. A small earthquake followed, and Gabriel stumbled back.
I’m going to kill you, the Shadowlord said. It’s going to be slow and it’s going to hurt worse than anything you could ever imagine. Azrael yanked his sword out of the ground. He stepped forward, hatred burning in his eyes, and brought his sword down in a crushing arc.
Gabriel wasn’t sure how he did it, but somehow he managed to parry. He turned the attack aside and, with a well-placed kick, knocked the Shadowlord’s legs out from under him. The earth quaked as the Shadowlord hit the floor. Fire rose around them and lightning crackled overhead. Shadow creatures cluttered in the darkness around them, licking their lips and baring their fangs. Demonic forms fluttered back and forth, half-visible shapes flashing in the darkness and crawling through the flames.
Gabriel shook his head. Quite a show, he said. You do an encore?
You’ll see, said the Shadowlord. He kicked his legs in the air and flipped back up to his feet. He rushed forward, attacking with wild, mighty swings. The blows rained down, furious and unrelenting, and Gabriel began to wonder if he had taken this too far. The Shadowlord had every advantage and he was using them. Gabriel on the other hand, had virtually no idea what he was doing. So far, he’d gotten lucky. Perhaps his luck was about to run out. It certainly felt like it, as he parried a blow that almost shook his sword out of his hands.
Gabriel fought desperately as Azrael drove him back towards the fire. Flames licked at his back, searing his flesh. It took every bit of willpower he had not to scream. The lurking shadow creatures roared in ecstasy, eager for the meal the Shadowlord was preparing.
A light shone in the monster’s eyes, for he knew he had won. A sinister smile twisted across his face as he brought his sword overhead for the killing blow. It came crashing down with the weight of a mountain. Gabriel, in a last ditch effort to save his life, stepped into the flames.
The Shadowlord’s eyes widened as the blow went wide, and Gabriel willingly allowed the flames to consume him. The sword was buried in the floor, the handle vibrating so hard that Azrael had to release it.
This sort of thing had never happened before. Had it? Suddenly Azrael realized that there was something vaguely familiar about all of this. His mind searched for the answer, reaching back through the aeons to the beginning of time.
Men were like children then, naïve about the world in which they lived. Their technology was simple and crude, and their customs were bizarre. But there were some humans who were special, some who had a gift. These were the ones who’d driven back the Shadow in the very beginning. Those special few were like the Shadowlords, and yet different. They were equal and yet opposite.
But that had been hundreds, no thousand of years ago. The shadow-warriors were banished, their kind exterminated long ago. They were either killed or forced into submission. Those who acceded were brought across and turned into Shadowlords. They were the only survivors. The rest were killed. Azrael had seen this with his own eyes. And yet here was this boy, wielding powers not seen in a thousand years. This could not be.
Gabriel felt the flames crawling over his skin and smelled the searing of his own flesh. Again, he brought cool air into his lungs, icy water that coursed through his veins. In a split second, the illusion was gone. The flames disappeared, the shadow creatures vaporized. Gabriel stood alone, facing the wide-eyed Shadowlord. Azrael’s face was a mask of confusion, and he looked upon Gabriel with new eyes.
Gabriel almost laughed as he saw the change come over the Shadowlord. Suddenly, he realized the creature was afraid. Azrael, the mighty Shadowlord, was afraid! Gabriel stepped forward and punched him in the face. He swung as hard as he could, and the sword still in his hand provided extra momentum and force. Azrael’s head fell back, and he dropped to the floor.
“GET OUT OF MY MIND!” Gabriel shouted. He brought his sword down, punching it through the Shadowlord’s chest, and drove it into the ground beneath. The world shook, and Gabriel dropped to his knees.
Screams echoed in the darkness around him, and fire began to consume the Shadowlord’s body. The flames grew higher and higher, devouring the creature and everything else, including Gabriel. Gabriel didn’t fight it. He let the vision go. It was over. Nothing else mattered now. They were safe.
Gabriel opened his eyes, and found Jodi and Reeves staring at him in disbelief. On the floor at his feet, the Shadowlord’s body trembled for a moment, and then turned to dust. The whole castle shook with the force of an earthquake.
Outside, a cloud appeared in the sky. It doubled and then tripled in size, until it filled the entire sky. Lightning bolts shot down from the heavens and thunder rolled across the land in waves. Then, instantly, the world became quiet. It began to rain.
Gabriel shifted uncomfortably as Jodi and Reeves stared at him in stunned fascination. “You killed him,” Reeves said. “That’s not possible.” It was as if, for the first time in his life, Reeves had seen something he couldn’t explain. His voice was almost fearful, if that were possible. Jodi looked at Gabriel like she didn’t know him. It was a strange, uncomfortable moment, and Gabriel didn’t like the feeling at all.
“The others,” he said. “In that room.”
They all began to move at once.
Chapter 43
Victor stumbled as an explosion rocked the castle. Two more followed, in quick succession, and his guards vanished down the stairs. “GET BACK HERE!” he shouted, but they were already gone. A stampede of panicked shadow creatures filled the hallways, doing exactly what their subhuman intellect told them to do: flee for safety. Once they started moving like that, there was no stopping them.
Victor shouted commands, ordering them to hold their posts, to take up arms, but his protests were ignored. He became so furious that he uncoiled his whip and started snapping off ears as the creatures ran by. They didn’t even seem to notice. He cursed and punched a hole in the wall. It was only rice paper and offered no resistance whatsoever. That made him even angrier. Whoever was responsible for this was going to pay.
Of course, he already knew who that was. Gabriel. It couldn’t be anyone else. That brat seemed to have a gift for screwing up Victor’s plans, and the worse thing about it was that he was totally oblivious to it. Gabriel’s feeble mind was always rattling with questions of right and wrong, of loyalty and responsibility. The kid had no idea what real power was, or how to get it, and if he had it, he wouldn’t know what to do with it. And yet somehow, things just seemed to fall in place around him. Victor cursed himself for not killing Gabriel when he’d had the chance.
In the back of his mind, Victor realized that this attack had been a total surprise. There had been no alarm, no warning. He had to wonder how that happened, with thirty shadowfriends and several hundred shadow creatures roaming the castle. Someone should have seen something. He shook his head at the stupidity. The downside of filling your ranks with self-serving morons was that they were never at their posts. They were always playing video games or watching TV when they should be working, always sleeping in late and missing the alarm clock. The slightest hiccup in their plans instantly degenerated into chaos, and when you needed them the most –at times like this-they were only worried about saving their own hides.
Of course, someone like Victor had no choice. If he employed subordinates that had any intelligence, they might pose a threat. Someone like that might start looking to take his job. He couldn’t have that. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and Victor intended to be one of the big dogs.
Victor pressed through the bodies, fought his way up the hall to the central staircase, and began climbing towards the roof. If none of these creatures were going to defend the castle, he certainly wasn’t going to go down with the
ship. Let them stampede themselves right out onto the battlefield. He didn’t care. There would be another time, another battle, and he would find vengeance. For the moment, survival was key.
Victor burst through the door to the upper floor and hit a series of switches on the wall. The floor opened and a small jet aircraft ascended into the center of the room. Overhead, two ceiling panels opened up, revealing a cold gray sky. Icy droplets of rain smacked his face as the wind whipped into the room.
Victor ignored the cold and climbed into the cockpit of his VTOL. A moment later, the plane levitated out of the building and rocketed into the sky. Beneath him, Victor saw random explosions happening all over the castle grounds, and bursts of violet light that luminesced in the morning mist. R9-11, he thought. It wasn’t fog, it was R9-11.
Victor pulled out his satellite phone and dialed in a very special sequence of numbers. Twenty thousand feet below him, a light began to flash in the castle dungeon. He switched on his viewfinder and smiled, waiting for the explosion. He wasn’t disappointed. The mushroom cloud punched a hole through the clouds and scattered into the upper atmosphere. That was going to be hard for the Chinese government to explain. With any luck, they would blame Japan and retaliate.
Victor loved to watch wars on TV.
Chapter 44
They gathered on the first floor with an army of disheveled and frightened children, most of whom had not seen daylight in months. The children swarmed around Gabriel, greeting him with hugs and tears. “I knew you’d come back,” Crystal said. “We all missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Gabriel said. His eyes watered up and he just barely managed not to start crying in front of everyone. Tears streamed freely down Julia’s face, especially after she realized that Reeves was there. When she saw him, her jaw dropped, and she rushed over to hug him.
Shadow Born Page 20