by Kris Greene
Asha stared around the room and nodded in approval. “Not quite what I expected from my first time at a mage’s pad.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Rogue slipped off his jacket and tossed it on the floor.
Asha shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I expected something a little creepier, like heads in jars and the moaning of the restless dead. I mean, death magic is what you guys do, right?”
Rogue’s eyes drank Asha in, sending a chill through her. “Some of us, but I’ve never been one to follow trends. Kinda like you, kid. The witches of the coven are all flowers and nature, but that isn’t quite your bag.” He touched her bloodstained cheek, creating a tiny spark of magic between them. Asha gasped and backed away.
“Guess it isn’t.” She looked at the floor in embarrassment.
Something darted across the floor and Azuma immediately sprang into motion. He knocked over a table and two chairs before he finally got hold of the blur, which turned out to be a black kitten.
“Get off him.” Rogue formed a thin thread of shadow and cracked it like a whip. Azuma yelped and scrambled behind Asha’s legs. Rogue knelt and picked the kitten up. “You okay, Mr. Jynx?” The kitten purred in his arms. Its jade green eyes sparkled as it stared menacingly at Asha and Azuma.
“Mr. Jynx?” Asha looked at him in amusement.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” Rogue asked defensively.
“Nothing at all.” Asha smothered her laughter. “I thought witches were the only ones who used familiars?”
“Mr. Jynx isn’t a familiar. I got him to keep the mice away. These old buildings are rank with rodents.”
Asha looked at the cat a little more closely. The traces were faint, but she could see the magical residue clinging to the animal. “Rogue, this is no normal house cat.”
“I never said he was.” Rogue placed the cat on the floor and watched him dart into the bedroom. Azuma looked like he wanted to follow, but he was in no rush to catch another lash of shadow. “I’m gonna grab a few things and then we can leave.”
“While you two are up here I’m going to check the perimeter just in case anyone or anything is still lurking about,” Morgan said.
“That might not be such a bad idea. If you run into trouble don’t try to go at it alone, Morgan. Titus’s agents could come in any shape at this point and we’ve got to be on our toes,” Rogue said.
Morgan tested the weight of his hammer before hooking it to his belt beneath his jacket. “I think I’ll be okay,” he said before excusing himself.
“Hey, do you mind if I use your bathroom to try to wash some of this blood out of my hair before I end up having to cut it?” Asha tugged at the mess. It had already started to harden at the roots.
“Sure, you can use the guest bathroom.” Rogue pointed at a door on the far side of the living room. “There should be clean towels and soap in the closet.”
“Thank the Goddess.” Asha set Azuma down. “Behave yourself,” she told the monkey before heading off to the bathroom.
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” Rogue told Azuma, making his way to the dining room table near the window. Carefully he pulled off his shirt and undershirt and took stock of his injuries. Everything that could hurt did, and his smooth chocolate skin was bruised all over, but at least the wound on his shoulder was almost completely healed. He couldn’t say the same thing about his side. The bleeding had stopped, but the gash was still raw and looked to be infected. Unlike the bullet hole, wounds inflicted by magic would need a little help healing.
“I don’t suppose you could keep a secret?” Rogue asked the monkey. Azuma just stared at the mage quizzically. “Figured as much.” Rogue sat cross-legged in the center of the living room and relaxed.
Rogue knew what he was about to attempt was extremely dangerous, but he didn’t have time to see a healer or fumble around with his own spells. It would be nightfall soon and the Hunt would begin. He relaxed and let his mind wander. The room around him fell away piece by piece, leaving him in a place of total darkness. He had crossed over into the shadows. He heard the murmurs of the shadows like the buzzing of bees in his ears. In the shadow realm there was no individuality, only the perfection of the collective. Reaching out with his mind, Rogue pulled pieces of shadows to him, wrapping them around his broken form. The blackness nestled against him like a protective mother, exploring every pore of his body.
“Stay with us,” the shadows whispered.
“Yes,” Rogue whispered back. The oblivion was sweeter than any drug and twice as addictive. The deeper he sank, the more natural it felt. Somewhere far away there was disharmony in the shadows, like someone disturbing the collective uninvited, but Rogue paid no attention to it as the shadows pulled him further into their protective embrace. Rogue wanted to let himself slip away, but something held him between the two worlds, something important that he needed to do. He couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his hand and Rogue found himself violently jerked from his trance and plunged back into the world. He blinked, looked around his apartment, and found Azuma with his teeth sunk into his hand.
“Ouch.” Rogue swatted the monkey away. As the fog lifted from his mind Rogue realized where he was and what he had almost allowed to happen. “Thanks for bringing me back,” he told Azuma and patted the monkey’s head tenderly.
“I felt your black magic all the way in the other room. What are you doing to him?” Asha came rushing out of the bathroom. “I swear you better not have been out here trying to steal my familiar’s soul!”
“I was just . . .” Rogue’s words got stuck in his throat when he saw Asha standing there wrapped only in a towel. Washed free of the blood and dirt, her mocha skin was flawless. Asha’s locks were soaked, sending droplets of water down her neck and pooling in the crease of her breasts. He must have been staring for quite some time, because she cleared her throat to get his attention.
“You know, the easiest way to offend a lady is by talking to her breasts instead of her face,” she told him. “Come.” She beckoned the monkey, who rushed to her side.
Rogue finally managed to find his tongue. “Sorry, I was just . . . ah. Look, I wasn’t trying to do anything to your monkey. He actually saved me from a ritual that almost went horribly wrong.”
“Is that right?” Asha glared down at Azuma. The monkey backed away from his mistress, cringing.
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t trying to tap into your magic through your pet,” Rogue told her.
“Had you been trying to tap my magic, mine wouldn’t have been the head in trouble,” she assured him.
“Whatever.” Rogue got up from the table and checked himself in the mirror. His skin was still bruised but all of the wounds had closed. With his back to her, Asha could admire the well-defined curves of his back and shoulders.
“Nice,” she said.
Rogue turned and flexed his chest muscles a bit. “So I’ve been told.”
Asha rolled her eyes. “Not your body, you egomaniac, I was talking about the job you did patching yourself up. I didn’t know that mages were good for much other than stealing souls and raping them for their secrets.”
“What is your problem with mages? Did one of us break your heart and cause you to hate the entire race, or are you just a bitch in general?” he asked heatedly.
Asha laughed. “You’re right about me being a general bitch, but is has nothing to do with getting my heart broken by a mage. As if I would ever let one of you into my pants. Give me some kind of credit.”
“So what’s your problem?”
“My problem is that I see everything and everyone for what they really are. You know just as well as I do that you guys are like lepers among the spell casters, even more shunned than the sorcerers. And that’s saying a lot considering that those godless bastards are the scum of the earth.”
Rogue had finally tired of Asha’s mouth. “You’re one to talk, blood witch.” He moved closer to her
. “Ever since you came around you’ve been pointing the finger at everyone else and picking them apart for their shortcomings, but I think it’s just to hide your own insecurities.”
“What are you babbling about?”
“I’m talking about the scared little outcast who has to throw stones at everyone else because she’s still not comfortable in the skin she’s in. You do work for Dutch that nobody else will because you’re still trying to make up for your mother’s mistakes. Get over it already!”
“Watch it,” Asha warned him.
Rogue just smiled, knowing he had hit a nerve. “What? You can dish it out but can’t take it? You think I care what you or anybody else says about the mages? Hell no, because I’m not the mages, I’m just Jonathan Rogue. You can’t judge me as a person based on what my people have done. I refuse to wear that shame. You, on the other hand, sport it like a new wristwatch you want everybody to see. As tough as you act, Asha, you ain’t no badass Huntress. You’re just a scared-ass little punk still looking for Daddy to pat her on the head and say good job.”
When Rogue turned to walk away, Asha struck. She punched him in the back of the head with so much force that it felt like she had cracked her knuckle along with his skull. Rogue turned around and she cracked him in the jaw, knocking him off balance. She tried to follow up with a spinning kick, but he was ready for her. Rogue grabbed her leg and waggled his finger at her. Grabbing her by the ankle, he spun her around twice and sent her flying into the bookshelf.
“Now, cut it out before somebody gets hurt,” he huffed.
Asha’s towel had abandoned her and she was now nude, but it didn’t deter her. Screaming, she came back at him with her hands raised and power building in them. She tried to touch Rogue, but he was able to spin out of the way and grab her wrist. When she tried the other hand he did the same thing. They stood eye to eye with their arms crossed over each other, both breathing heavily.
Rogue looked down at her perfect breasts and flat stomach and smiled. “You had enough yet?”
Asha headbutted him right between the eyes. She managed to free one of her hands and pressed the palm on the shoulder he had healed down to a small nick. Fire shot through his shoulder as the wound reopened and blood sprayed the room. Asha tried to sweep his leg, but he blocked with his shin. The two of them spilled to the ground with Asha landing on top. Asha looked down into his eyes and didn’t see the ugliness of the demon he inherited them from, but beautiful stars dancing across the night sky. Before either of them knew it their scrape turned into a bout of passionate kissing. Their bodies seemed almost weightless as their magics explored each other. The two magicians were so caught up in each other that they didn’t even hear Morgan’s heavy footfalls when he came back into the apartment.
“I could come back later, if you like.” Morgan’s voice startled them, but he seemed to be the most embarrassed of the three.
“It’s not what it looks like,” Rogue said, still lying on his back.
“It’s none of my business, really.” Morgan raised his hands in surrender.
“Yeah, we were just having a conversation about respect and understanding,” Asha told Morgan. Unexpectedly she punched Rogue in the mouth. “Do we understand each other?”
Rogue massaged his tender jaw. “You got it, lady.”
CHAPTER TEN
As promised the bunker wasn’t the Ritz, but the mattresses were soft and the sheets were clean. Jackson took Lydia and Finnious off to find something to eat and tour the vast library, while Jonas retired to his chambers to consult the spindle about their problems. This left Gabriel and De Mona in the sleeping quarters. It was the first time they had been alone together since that night at the library. He wanted to hate the girl for what had happened, but he couldn’t. In his heart he knew that she was little more than a child in search of answers, as he had been at that point. The mystery of the Nimrod was unraveling far too slowly for his taste.
The Nimrod was made of far more complex magic than any of them could comprehend. Even Gabriel, the chosen vessel, didn’t fully understand what drove the thing, but the Bishop did and he was taking his time with telling. If Gabriel could somehow exorcise the vengeful spirit, maybe he could gain control over the trident, but its former master didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave. As long as the Bishop remained, Gabriel would be little more than a tool for the fallen Knight and whatever evil designs he had on the world. If he wanted his life back, he would have to get rid of the Bishop and eventually the Nimrod.
Foolish boy, there are no secrets between us. We are bound, you and I. Your heart says what your mouth will not, the Bishop taunted him.
“Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk?” Gabriel waved the voice away and when he did so his hand left a faint trail of electricity in the air. Curious, Gabriel cupped his hands and tried to produce another spark. To his surprise the power answered him, creating a web of lightning between his palms.
“That’s a neat new trick. Do you do birthday parties too?” De Mona startled him and the lightning disappeared. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“It’s cool. I’ve been meaning to talk to you anyhow.” Gabriel motioned for her to take a seat next to him on the bed. When De Mona sat, Gabriel immediately felt the butterflies in his stomach that he always got when he was too close to a girl. If she noticed his discomfort she gave no sign of it. “Listen,” Gabriel said, “I want to apologize for giving you a hard time about all this. I know it’s not your fault that my grandfather was taken prisoner.”
De Mona nodded in approval. “And I apologize for getting you guys caught up in this mess. Gabriel, I swear I didn’t know any of this was gonna happen. I just wanted answers and I thought coming to the Redfeathers was my best chance at getting them.”
“I can understand that. When my parents were killed I wanted answers too. I just had no idea what those answers would yield until recently. I guess we’re all victims in this.”
“Which is what’s pissing me off,” De Mona said. “I’m a fighter. Sitting around on my hands while somebody does the dirty work isn’t my style. Even though your grandfather didn’t completely trust me, he opened his home to me to keep me safe, and I couldn’t stop the goblins from taking him.” Tears danced in De Mona’s eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. “It ain’t right, man. It just ain’t right.”
“De Mona, you fought harder than anyone out there when they attacked, but we were overrun. Even with the Nimrod we barely made it out of that situation alive. I’m just as much a fuck-up as you are in this.” He hung his head.
De Mona lifted Gabriel’s chin so that he was looking at her. He couldn’t hold back his tears. “You’re not a fuck-up, Gabe. You’re just a kid who’s trying to get used to his new gifts.”
“You call this a gift?” He raised his arm. “For all its magnificence it couldn’t do jack to save my grandfather. If you ask me it’s a fraud. Do you hear me talking to you,” he spoke to his arm. “If you’re such a badass, why don’t you tell me how I can rescue my grandfather?”
The Bishop snickered. Blame not the Nimrod for the work of the Medusan, for it is he who keeps you hidden away like a scared lamb while your grandfather remains at the mercy of the goblins. All you have to do is embrace the power presented to you.
“More lies,” Gabriel snapped.
“Dude, who are you talking to?” De Mona asked.
“Never mind. Have you heard anything from Jonas or the others?”
“Nothing yet. I asked Jackson about it and all he would say was that Jonas will address our concerns when he’s done with his meditation, however long that might be. He’s been gone for hours and still hasn’t presented us with anything useful.”
“Damn it, I hate all this waiting around.” Gabriel threw a phantom punch at the wall and to his surprise a bolt of lightning snaked from his hand and scorched the paint.
You’re getting better. Focus your rage, Hunter, and taste the power of the Nimrod.
Gabriel raised his hand and watched as the sparks of lightning jumped from his fingertips. When he raised his other hand, the two rows of sparks connected in the middle and leaped back and forth. He could feel the power building in his stomach and spreading through his body. The more power he called, the more he reveled in the wave of euphoria that washed over him. Gabriel pushed a little harder, making the sparks dance. He could see the tattoo on his arm writhing back and forth.
Yes, let your anger fuel your vengeance. Cleanse your enemies of their sins.
Gabriel raised his hands to the heavens and it started to rain over his bed. He could feel the power pushing harder and harder against his spirit, and he invited it. Just as he felt himself about to explode, the storm abruptly stopped. He blinked. De Mona stood in front of him, holding him by the wrist.
“What the hell is with you?” she asked in a panicked tone.
Gabriel looked around at the mess he had created. The bedsheets were charred and there was about an inch of water pooled at his feet. “What happened?”
“I was hoping you could tell me. One minute we’re sitting here having a heart-to-heart conversation and the next you go all white-eyed on me and this freak shows up. I’ve been trying to get your attention for almost ten minutes. It was as if your mind was somewhere else.”
Gabriel looked down at his tattoo. It was now still and calm, but he could hear the Bishop’s mocking laughter in his ears. “It’s this trident. De Mona, I feel like I’m gonna go crazy if I stay here. I can’t wait for Jonas anymore. I’m going after my grandfather.” He got up off the bed and headed for the door, but De Mona cut him off. “Don’t try to stop me.”
“I’m not trying to stop you, I’m just making sure you don’t go off half-cocked and get yourself killed. If you’re going to tackle the Iron Mountains, you’re gonna need some backup and a plan.”
“De Mona, I don’t have time to wait for Jonas to come out of his meditations. I need to get to my grandfather.”