07- Black Blood Brother

by Morgan Blayde

  “Millions? Millions! So many...”

  “Villagers like to fuck. What can I say?”

  I held my hand out toward her, wondering if she were totally blind, or could see light and shadow. I also wondered if I were about to lose that hand to her gnashing teeth.

  No guts, no glory.

  “Stretch out those cables. Come to me, Grandma. Aren’t you tired of this place?” There are rare moments when the sincerity of true honesty is the best weapon. This was one of those times. I couldn’t risk her smelling a lie on me. “I’ll stand my ground so drag your bony ass over here. You could attack, hurting me badly; I’ve seen how fast you can strike. You could rip away my small defenses with what little shadow magic you have. God wouldn’t save me; I’ve pissed him off too many times.”

  Still not a twitch.

  I said, “Honestly, you scare me. But failure is worse. I’m holding my hand out to you.”

  Those blind eyes were locked onto my face, having pinpointed where my voice came from. No other part of her looked alive. She didn’t move. Moving invited hope. The possibility of hope was an agony of spirit wherever darkness reigns.

  I said, “When exactly do you think the next person will come along? You’ve been here a thousand years already. Are you going to make it two? Three thousand?”

  I waited some more. I knew what the main suspicion was that held her back; the idea that the pillars were so close to me, one step could take me out of reach, and all this could turn into a twisted, teasing game being played on her.

  I sighed.

  “Fine. If you’re going to kill your only friend, do it quick, Grandma. I only enjoy suffering when there’s purpose behind it.”

  I took a step. Then another. Two more.

  And her conduits clacked.

  “Grandma, my hand is still out. Show me yours.” I took another step. My inner dragon stared; awake in my head, but silent. I was surprised he wasn’t calling me every kind of stupid fool there was.

  “Grandma? I want to help you.”

  “Hungry!” She lunged in an insanely fast blur, wrapping arms around me. The clacking deafened. Her jaw unhinged. Her mouth hung open like she was going to swallow my whole freaking head. Her teeth sank into my right shoulder, piercing the magical protection of my coat. The pain wasn’t as bad as what my old tatts used to put me through. At least she’d found enough control not to bite off my face, and she wasn’t tearing at me, trying to rip off a chunk to swallow. That felt a little encouraging.

  I embraced her cold, thin, muddy flesh, and patted her age-curved back. “There, there. I know you’ve suffered. It will be all right now. I promise you.”

  “You promise. Others have promised, and lied.”

  “But did they ever trust you with their life?” I took another huge chance and pushed my shadow magic into her.

  Her teeth pulled out of my shoulder. I bled from the teeth marks, but otherwise seemed fine. The shoulder was gone from the suit, as if dissolved by her saliva. The rest of the suit writhed, the fibers unwinding in a death-throe, rotting off as if entropy were running wild.

  There was nothing between us but her mud and a few conduits.

  I continued to pour shadow magic into her, holding a picture of her in my head—a vison of strength, youth, and beauty. I willed her eyes to shine with a black flame that would burn away the blindness.

  Her arms tightened even more, her claws digging furrows in my flesh. I felt warm blood dripping down my body.

  The mud crumbled away from her dusky purple skin. Her white hair shed, replaced by a lush cascade of ebony. The lines of her face faded as the years dropped away. My hands prowled freely, finding pliant, smooth flesh. I gripped her ass cheeks and squeezed, enjoying their rounded fullness.

  She gasped, jerking backwards half a step. Her arms loosened in shock. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s how I say hi to hot, naked chicks.” I brought my hands up, cupping her breasts. “My, grandma, what perky tits you have.” I tweaked her nipples, drawing a moan from her.

  I let go of her and used a firm voice. “Look at me!”

  Her eyes lost their pale-ice look. Black fire shone there. And hope as well. Those eyes moved side to side, scanning my features in the theatrical green lighting of the chem-sticks. Her hands left my back. Coming between us, they were no longer savage claws. Gently, her fingers touched my face, smearing me with my own blood.

  She stared at blood on my face, the blood of a friend. Sanity flooded her eyes, bringing regret. “What have I done?”

  “I’ll heal, don’t worry about it. Things are going to get crazy now. I’m going to flush golden dragon magic into you so it can attack the conduits. I’m sorry, but freeing you is going to hurt like hell.”

  She leaned in and hesitantly skimmed her lips across mine in a chaste kiss. Her lips returned with more daring, tasting sweet as nightshade. “Bella Donna.”

  The beautiful lady that can kill or cure. Appropriate.

  She echoed my words. “Bella Donna?”

  “It means beautiful lady in Italian. Brace yourself!”

  I slammed raw, golden magic into her in place of the shadow magic, having little of that left.

  She screamed, a shrill, piercing, yet beautiful sound. Darkness radiated from her eyes, defying the green glow of the chem-sticks. She sagged. I caught her, holding her head against my chest. My touched settled her, enough so she didn’t fight me—enduring as I’d asked her to.

  The conduits took on a golden hue. Ripping out of her body, they writhed like snakes, or maybe high-pressure hoses, except nothing came out of their mouths. Clacking, the lengths thrashed each other and the ground.

  By then, I had Bella Donna in my arms, running in full retreat. I didn’t know how long it would take for someone to come running, but I knew they would; I’d just taken the source of shadow magic away from this world. If they got her back quickly, before her strength rebuilt, she’d be returned to her prison—under massive guard. I had to get her away and give her time to become all she had once been.

  Holding her close, I passed the obsidian pillars, skidded down slope, and leaped out from the bottom of the bank. I put enough dragon strength into my legs to carry us into the dark portal and through it. I landed in a crouch, naked, holding a naked purple lady, and waited for the dark storm of the pattern to close.

  Selene shut it down. She gestured, a sweep of her hand, and the pattern burned into the ground radiated a fierce red light that webbed the whole area in cracks, rippling chunks of rock into the air. They floated and came down in such a way the pattern would not be easily pieced back together.

  I carried Bella to Selene, who studied her with interest. “So, this is what all the fuss is about.”

  Bella’s eyes fluttered and opened. She stared at Selene. “Who are you?”

  “One of those who freed you.” Selene looked at me. “We can’t stay here. Able knows of this spot. He will come with others to stop us.”

  Able’s voice—a copy of mine—snapped at us. “I’m already here, and you’re going nowhere.” A cloud of black chalk engulfed us, then something slammed me off my feet.

  THIRTY-THREE

  “Damn party crashers! I broke in here first.”

  —Caine Deathwalker

  Crimson light suffused the chalk cloud, liquefying it, transforming it. Fresh blood splashed to the oily rock, flowing down slope. The air took on a cloying metal smell and taste.

  I saw Zig and Zag hovering above Selene, hazing the air amber and teal green. She flung red lightning at Abel. A dozen Villagers combining their power with his as he struggled to hold up a wall of shadow that looked like smoke-quartz. It thinned and cracked deep.

  Selene kept slamming the wall with her power, as if she could never run dry.

  I looked at Bella. She lay beside me, trembling, a fierce expression on her face. That fierceness became a smile as the shadow wall shattered and Selene’s red lightning jagged across the Villagers. They’d layered t
hemselves with shadow at the last moment, taking damage but staying alive, as the black rock under them lost its oily sheen, deepening, becoming a pool. They sank from sight into their shadow, escaping.

  Probably going for reinforcements.

  I scrambled to my bare feet, wondering where exactly I’d lost my shoes. I reached to give Bella a hand up. “We need to get out of here, and I need some pants.”

  Bella blushed. “But I’m enjoying the view.”

  At warp speed, red pants solidified on me, along with red boots, and a red silk shirt with puffy pirate sleeves. Selene had dressed me in her color, staking her claim in front of Bella.

  Bella took the hand I offered and let me pull her to her feet.

  Selene glared at Bella’s flaunted flesh, but didn’t bother clothing her new rival. If Bella could sheath herself in shadow, she wasn’t doing it. Maybe clothes weren’t natural to her; she hadn’t had anything on for a thousand years.

  “Slut,” Selene muttered the word, pretending it hadn’t been loud enough for us all to hear.

  Damn, all I need is to get in the middle of a feud between these two.

  “Selene, we need to get back to our people and see how the battle is going.”

  “I assure you, we’re going to win,”

  “But they’re just supposed to buy us time.”

  She lifted her hands and a twenty-foot wide chunk of rock tore itself free of the ground, floating over to her. An upside-down cone, its top flat, it made descent transportation. Selene jumped onto it. She rode the little island over to Bella and me. We climbed on and the island shot skyward into the darkness. Once we were high enough, the island changed direction, hurtling toward the seething storm and the purple-white lights of the nearby city.

  I felt surprise that we’d beaten Able and his cronies back so easily and that they’d take so much time to reengage. “What’s Able up to?” I wondered. “He’s got more fight in him than this.”

  “But not as much of my power,” Bella said. “I can’t pull it out of them, not yet, but as they use it, I claim it, calling the shadow to me, wrecking whatever they try to form.”

  It was actually what I’d been working toward. I just didn’t expect Bella to be getting on her magical feet so fast.

  She’s as scary as Selene. And as beautiful—in a purple sort of way. And as cunning.

  She held onto me, leaning against me. “Still so weak…”

  From the rage simmering in Selene’s eyes, I didn’t think she believed it. Off-handedly, she said, “Just so you know, he’s the father of my unborn child.” Dramatically, she laid a palm across her lower stomach, indicating the life growing there.

  “Oh, you’re so special. Anything can breed,” Bella muttered.

  Selene took her anger and used it to fuel our speed. The Windstream increased in force and I had to use dragon strength to brace myself. Bella slid behind me, using my body to shield her—and grabbing my ass where Selene couldn’t see.

  I kept a bland look on my face, knowing a reaction would certainly start lightning flying again.

  The clouds overhead were thinning. The air smelled wet. The heavy ozone of the storm added a sense of exhilaration, sharpening my thoughts. “Hey, Selene, can you make this rock transparent? I’d like to see the battle on the ground.”

  She smiled sweetly to me. “Of course, my love. Anything for you.”

  The black rock had worn a glaze of red light due to Selene’s presence. That glaze deepened, then washed away, taking the color of the rock with it. The island of rock was still solidly underfoot, but it looked like we were all standing midair without support.

  Looking downward, I saw the Villager metropolis for the first time: a vast sprawl of blocks, rectangles, and stabbing spires that rose twice as high as anything else. The structures were divided by ground level streets, and higher, by bridges that were anchored to the buildings, winding around them like superhighways—all made with the same oily rock. And most of it damaged in places. Many of the buildings showed gapping wounds. Debris choked many of the streets, and piled up the aerial bridges and roads. The debris wasn’t just blasted loose, but had melted edges and glazing. I saw a lot of abandoned vehicles that might have been imported from earth. These had been abandoned as the storm raged and lightning fell, and waited for their owner’s return. Many owners wouldn’t be returning. I saw Villager bodies scattered everywhere. My demons were out shooting, chopping with swords, and hurtling magic around freely. Some of my own people were down, but the Villagers were giving ground, retreating across the city, or holing in the ruins, entrenching themselves for urban warfare.

  “Their magic is failing them for the first time in ages.” Bella sounded happy about that. “All they can do is run, or die, buying time for the rest of the cities to prepare their defenses.”

  “There can be no defense from me.” Selene took the hunting horn off her hip. She put it to her mouth and blew a ragged, wavering note.

  I winced. There was a quality to the sound that set my teeth on edge.

  Bella covered her ears.

  The horn went silent, but the air filled with flapping sounds like a trillion pigeons were passing overhead. I lifted my head and stared, socked in the gut by amazement. A new cloud was up there, a flock of hell-alone knows what. They had to be the result of Selene’s magical gene-splicing. She’d played with monstrosities for centuries, unleashing the genius of her madness, forcing daring alterations that most experiments died from. But always with a purpose. She’d ridden with the nightmare that was Fairy’s Wild Ride, a band of fey so powerful, the fey lords feared to face them. Here was worse, her own version: a horde of dragon-sized, ruby-winged beasts that descended on the buildings. Frenzied screeches thickened the air as they attacked.

  Selene laughed. “Go my children. Take down this world.” She looked at me. “See? I told you we’d win. I don’t walk away from my battles until they’re won.” She shot a glare at Bella who’d come out from behind me, staring in adoration at the monsters.

  The things were millipedes with rippling, countless legs, part beetle with those ruby wings that could close and hide under protective shells, and they had the rounded heads of Earth’s narwhals, along with the eight-foot spiral horns. Under those horns, the beasts had wide slashes for mouth. Writhing filaments spilled out of those mouths like raging spaghetti. The tendrils flickered with blue-white discharges. Like electric eels, the beast had organs that generated power. Their tails split into three sections, each with scorpion barbs.

  Bella didn’t get the point of Selene’s not-so-veiled threat, or chose to ignore it. The dark goddess simply said, “They’re beautiful.”

  Selene’s glare dimmed in the face of the compliment. “Well, I am good at what I do.”

  Multiple crashes filled the air as the monsters sideswiped building, wings cutting like electric turkey knives. More rumbling bled upward as chunks of building fell into the streets. A few of the monsters punched straight through the remaining towers, snapping them off. One monster emerged from a broken tower with wiggling Villagers in electric tentacles. It dropped the males, and began to tentacle rape the females.

  I slanted Selene a look, lifting an eyebrow in inquiry.

  She looked at me with mild surprise. “What? Everything wants to breed. It’s the circle of life.”

  Bella nodded. “I wonder what the children will look like.”

  I really didn’t want to know. I returned my attention to my own forces. They were drawing back from the city, letting the plague of monsters do their job. I didn’t blame them; if I were a demon, werewolf, or vampire, I wouldn’t want to be tentacle raped either.

  I frowned, my dragon vision raking my forces for details. “Doesn’t it seem like there are a lot more wolves, fairies, and vampires down there than we’d planned on?”

  Selene said, “Everyone wants in on a good thing. Word went out that the fey were going to open portals to a place where massive slaughter was not only approved of, but would be it
s own reward. Gloria also invited, the vampire king to join her for this, so of course, half his royal court came here to lop off heads and bathe in blood. Earth has so few opportunities anymore for supernatural carnage. I think the Fenris brought several packs of wolves with him, too. The dark fey are here to drink souls and to capture playthings for their dungeons.”

  I looked at Selene. “Gee, I wonder who gave them that idea.”

  No wonder our fake invasion’s become the real thing. The best part is I don’t have to pay for the extra troops.

  I shifted my gaze to another part of the city and pointed. “Selene, take us over there.”

  “Yes, my love.” She’d answered in a weirdly submissive tone. The floating island tilted as it changed course, speeding away. Bella gasped in surprise, flailing as she started to fall toward the bottom edge. I caught her wrist and anchored her, bracing us both with dragon-strength. The island leveled out.

  Bella no longer needed support, but clung to me tightly, her ear pressed to my chest, playing the frightened maiden to the hilt. However, there wasn’t anything in her voice but anger as she spoke to Selene. “You won’t get rid of me so easily.”

  How do I always manage to gather insanely powerful women to me who are also broken birds? It was a thought I didn’t dare voice aloud.

  Selene said, “It was an accident, honest.”

  Bella muttered. “When I get all my power back I’m going to…”

  Shimmering with red fire, Selene walked up on us, crowding close, staring into Bella’s’ black-fire eyes. “Yesssss?” Selene had put a dragon’s hiss on the question and truly looked interested in getting an answer.

  Bella half-lidded her eyes, hiding some of their darkness. “I’ll do something sneaky that you’ll never see coming!”

  I smiled. “That’s telling her. Hey, can we put the drama on hold? That’s not what we’re here for.”

  “I’m sorry. Of course, you’re right.” Selene met my smile with her own, leaning in to kiss me in apology. And to give Bella a sudden shove that sent her stumbling off of me. Bela caught herself, anchoring herself with a broadsword of shadow that materialized in her hands; its tip biting deep into the rock. I didn’t think she’d be shoved again so easily.