“Goddammit, Cade. You bastard!” she yelled. She started kicking at the rubble.
“Miss? We need to get ready to leave, Miss.” It was Martha.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Sepia vented her frustration on the young girl.
“Mistress Calisto asked that I take you to the end of the tunnel, Miss,” said Martha.
Martha no longer wore simple clothing. She was wearing rugged denim pants with several pockets, which covered black steel toed boots. A tight-fitting sweater with a shoulder holster held a large pistol.
“You were homeless?” said Sepia.
“Did a few tours in the desert, came home with PTSD. Couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t connect with my family. I found myself on the street drinking and doing drugs. One day I wandered in to the park to end it and Calisto found me. She helped me get clean, helped me find myself again.”
“We need to get back to the keep,” said Sepia as she removed stones.
“We need to go down the tunnel, Miss. Things are going to get real bad real fast. Let’s go, please,” said Martha. Sepia dropped the stones reluctantly. There was something in Martha’s tone, fear.
“Fine, let’s go. Someone had better have an answer for me,” said Sepia under her breath.
**********
Cade made it out of the tunnel in a cloud of dust. Gan grabbed him by the arm and hauled him up.
“Did you collapse it like we planned?” said Gan.
Cade was coughing and started removing the dust from his face.
“She’s on the other side of the debris. I’m guessing Martha will take her the rest of the way?” Cade said between coughs.
“Martha is part of the Grey. She will take Sepia somewhere safe until we deal with this thing.” Gan smiled. “Or it deals with us.”
“You are having way too much fun, old man,” said Cade, a grin on his face.
“You head upstairs. That Nightmare is still out there. I’ll go see where Calisto is,” said Gan.
Cade ran off looking for a stairwell that led to the roof. Gan headed for the foyer and front door, he could sense the Nightmare outside. His senses weren’t as keen as a hunter’s, but he learned to listen to his intuition long ago. It had saved his life too many times.
In the tunnel, Sepia stopped and began to head back. “I can’t leave them.”
Her arm was grabbed from behind. She swung around dagger in hand. Martha stopped her mid swing with a dagger of her own. Sepia could see she was trained and then it made sense.
“You’re in the Grey, aren’t you?” said Sepia.
Martha nodded. “That’s why I’m down here with you. Gan said you would do this,” said Martha.
“I almost cut you,” said Sepia.
“Not likely. You may be a hunter but we aren’t slouches in the Grey,” said Martha. “Besides, I was trained by the same guy who trained you.”
Sepia looked at her with newfound respect.
“Listen, you can’t go out there and fight that thing not now, not yet. It’s too strong. You and I need to get out of the park before it gets here,” said Martha.
“No way, Martha, this thing is dangerous and I’m going to stop it,” said Sepia.
“You still don’t get it. This is not a T6 it’s not even a T10. There is no number for the threat level it is. This thing is out of your league. You face it tonight, you will die,” said Martha
“So I should leave them to face it alone? The only people I care about?”
“Yes if you care about them, like you say, you have to.”
Sepia looked into her eyes and saw how serious she was. Martha was afraid.
“I can’t,” said Sepia. “I don’t abandon my friends.”
“It’s not even close yet and you can sense it, what does that tell you?” said Martha.
Martha was right, Sepia’s skin was electrified. She could see goose bumps running up and down her arms.
“That I’m getting better with my abilities?” said Sepia.
“Try again,” said Martha.
It dawned on her that this was the first time she had ever sensed a Nightmare that wasn’t close. The words came out with reluctance.
“That it’s strong, too strong for me,” said Sepia.
“These tunnels lead to the West Side. They agreed on you coming with me. Those are my orders to get you to a safe house. Cade, your gunman wasn’t pleased with it either, but he agreed to the plan,” said Martha.
“He wouldn’t be, since he likes to watch my back,” said Sepia.
“Then think of it as that. Right now they are watching your back. They are making sure you get safe,” said Martha.
“Why would they do this?” said Sepia.
“If I had to guess I would say they care for you a great deal. Let’s honor that by getting you safe,” said Martha. Sepia nodded and they headed down the tunnel at a brisk pace.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I thought they just wanted me out of the way,” said Sepia.
“I know, plus Mistress Calisto lacks certain social skills, like explaining things. Also Gan made sure no one said anything until we were in the tunnels,” said Martha.
“We? It’s only the two of us?” said Sepia.
“There will be more once we get to the end of the tunnel. Things have been happening outside and Gan felt it was important you not be alone,” said Martha.
“Things, what things?” said Sepia.
“You’ve been declared a Black hunter. Worse, Overseer Marks has called you a Nightmare half-breed. You are to be executed on sight,” said Martha. “They are saying you and Gan killed Overseer Peterson.”
The words stunned Sepia into silence as they ran. Being called a Black hunter meant that every hunter would be after her. It was seen as a betrayal-- a stain on all hunters and what they stood for. It was worse than being called a Nightmare, and he had called her that as well. Martha, I hope you can fight. This party is about to get brutal, thought Sepia.
SEVENTEEN
Chimera rode hard to the Hunter’s keep. The mount he was on responded to his slightest touch, jumping over roots and large rocks. Behind him the Dreadwolves howled as several packs followed. Behind the wolves came the Brutes, which he would need to collapse the walls. The witch dies tonight. Approaching the bridge, he slowed and dismounted. He spoke to his mount in a whisper and tapped the side of its head. It turned and ran off.
“Hello, witch. I have come for the hunter,” said Chimera as he turned around.
Calisto stood behind him with Ursa at her side. The bear snuffled at the stench.
“I see he likes me. Would you consider loaning him to me one day?”
Calisto clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, immune to the stench that surrounded the Nightmare Lord.
“There is no hunter here, you have come in vain,” said Calisto.
Chimera pulled out a small knife and began to remove dirt from his fingernails. The bear took a step forward, protectively.
“Don’t lie to me, witch. I can feel her in the keep. She hasn’t aligned completely with her blade and that imbalance smells delicious.” He tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
“You are mistaken and should leave now,” said Calisto. She touched her hands together in what appeared to be prayer. She kept them together as she followed the Nightmare Lord with her eyes.
“I wanted to do this without bloodshed, witch, but you force my hand,” said Chimera.
He put away his knife and put his hands in his pockets. Chimera took several steps forward over the bridge.
“I would hate to have to kill you,” Calisto said as he drew closer. “Why do you want the hunter?”
“You know why. Centuries we have been kept in this gilded cage. Because they fear us, and they should. We are the rightful rulers of this world, not them,” said Chimera.
His eyes began to flare several shades of green. The light cast his face in an unnatural shadow.
“And yet here we are, inside the cage,
” said Calisto.
“Not for long, witch. With the hunter’s blood I can bring down the wards permanently and we will start with this city. We will continue until we have every city.”
“What of the humans? Will you kill them all?” said Calisto.
Chimera made a face of mock shock. “Do you think I’m some kind of monster? Of course we won’t kill them all. They will make excellent pets. Some will be converted, of course. I could always use more Brutes.”
Chimera looked back as several Brutes crested the hills opposite the keep and made their way to him.
“What about the rest?”
“Why do you care? They trapped you the same way they trapped us. You should be joining me not standing in my way,” said Chimera. “Besides, we should not worry about cattle. There are enough humans for all the Unholy to thrive.”
“And you wonder why they fear you, and lock you away. They should have destroyed you when they had the chance,” said Calisto.
“I seem to remember a hunter who felt the same way and said something similar right before I had her killed,” said Chimera.
Calisto took a step back and spread her hands apart, materializing her sword.
“Now, witch, give me the hunter, and I will make sure her death is swift.”
Calisto raised her sword and slammed it into the earth, point first. The ground around them shook and then settled.
“Was that it? A little earthquake?” said Chimera.
The Brutes had gathered by his side now. Several of them wore nervous expressions. Calisto stepped back even further when the tremors started again. Before her a chasm opened, swallowing half of the brutes, the other half started running away as the ground began to heave. A gulf opened separating Chimera and Calisto.
“You are prolonging the inevitable, witch. He turned to the Dreadwolves. “Go bring her to me—alive, if possible,” Chimera said.
The pack of Dreadwolves took off to find the edge of the chasm.
Calisto drew closer to Ursa and whispered in her ear.
“This won’t stop him for long. We need to be the distraction,” said Calisto. She jumped on the back of Ursa as the bear ran deeper into the park. The wolves changed direction to follow them.
Chimera stood still for a moment looking into the night, his eyes shifting hue. Then he took a step into the chasm, and stepped on solid ground.
“An illusion,” he said. He looked to the side to see the Brutes that had appeared to fall in the chasm. They lay on the ground in a state of paroxysm, bodies rigid.
“An illusion with very real effects,” said Chimera. He stood over one of the Brutes and kicked it with no response.
“That was clever, witch, but pointless,” said Chimera.
He walked toward the keep and stayed on the edge of the wards that kept it safe. Around him, the grass died and turned black.
“I’m going to assume the image of you running away was an illusion as well,” he said.
Calisto stepped out in front of the keep. Ursa padded over to her side.
“You will not have her, Nightmare,” said Calisto.
She took a defensive stance and faced Chimera. Ursa began a low growl as she hunched down, her muscles rippling.
“Nightmare, I am the nightmare? Have you seen what they do to us when we leave the park? I am the nightmare? They attack for no reason, without provocation, we are sport to them. Even our attackers are called hunters,” said Chimera.
Ursa leapt into the air, aiming for Chimera, fangs and claws extended. Chimera made a slashing motion with his arm as the bear approached.
Ursa was caught mid leap and tossed to the side, crashing into a tree and splintering it with a sickening crunch. Ursa fell to the ground, lifeless.
“You should train your pets better,” said Chimera.
“Damn you,” she said through clenched teeth. She separated her hands and drew a sword of brilliant energy. Blue light coruscated around the blade, which glowed white.
Calisto ran toward Chimera, sword drawn. She lunged, her silver blade a slice of brilliance in the dark. Chimera stepped back, avoiding the point of the blade. She slashed horizontally to the left. He stepped into the arc of the blade and grabbed it with one hand, stopping it as his flesh burned.
“I don’t want to kill you, witch, but I will if it gives me the hunter,” he said. He shoved her back with a palm strike to her chest as he held on to the sword. The strike was so sudden she lost her grip and flew back several feet. He grabbed her sword by the hilt. The blade slowly began to turn black.
Calisto knelt on one leg and placed her hands together. As she separated her palms, another blade formed matching the first one.
“Is that an illusion? Let’s find out.”
He strode forward and slashed downward. Calisto parried the block but stumbled back. He slashed at her legs, forcing her to step back. Closing the distance faster than she could react, he punched her in the stomach. He slashed her thigh as she doubled over. Black ooze entered the wound from the blade.
“You must be quite strong, witch. That cut would have killed most. No matter, another one should finish you,” said Chimera.
He advanced toward her as a pair of shots rang out dropping him to the ground. She looked down to see two bullet holes in the center of his forehead. She limped back to the keep as the main door opened. Gan ran out to help her in.
“That will only slow it down,” she said.
“You’re hurt. Let me take a look,” said Gan.
Cade ran to close the keep door behind them. He looked outside and saw the still body of Chimera in the grass. He stayed near the arrow slit to see if the Nightmare moved.
“I can’t imagine it’s going to get up after two headshots,” said Cade.
“You need to broaden your imagination, boy. It can and it will. Only way to end that one is to remove its head from its shoulders and burn the parts,” said Gan.
“That’s the only way?” said Cade
“And making sure the head doesn’t fall anywhere near the body. Yes, that’s the only way,” said Gan. “You are looking at a genuine Nightmare Lord, emphasis on the Nightmare.”
Calisto sat down on one of the benches in the foyer as Gan examined the wound. He saw the telltale signs of a widow’s strike. The black network of lines was not spreading, remaining around the open wound. The wound was red and angry and looked infected.
“This looks bad, we need to get this treated now,” said Gan. He started to stand up and she grabbed his hand.
“We don’t have time. Did you send them to the tunnels?”
Gan nodded. “Martha and the Grey will get her somewhere safe. The Overseer has her blacklisted. How does it feel?’’ Gan said clearly worried about her wound.
“I’ve stopped the poison for now. We need to reverse the keep wards when it comes in,” said Calisto.
“Reverse the wards?” Gan clenched his jaw and remained silent a moment. ”You have to do that from inside the keep. It means you will be trapped inside with it,” said Gan.
“I think it’s strong enough to get out of the park. It wants Sepia for something inside the park. I think he will go after her. We need to stop him here, Gan,” said Calisto.
Gan looked away, upset. She placed one hand on his cheek.
“There has to be another way, another way that we can stop him,” said Cade. He looked outside the arrow slit and saw the body began to move.
“Shit, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s not done. That thing is moving!”
Gan looked into Calisto’s eyes. “Is there another way?”
She shook her head slowly, tears forming in her eyes at his pain.
“If I were stronger and had more time to plan, perhaps. As it stands, your shot only bought me enough time to prepare the wards for the inversion,” she said. “It’s time for you to leave, love. Please keep Sepia safe and prepare her. One day she will have to face this menace. I will make sure it’s not today.”
Gan
stood slowly and turned to Cade.
“Pack up, we need to double time it out of here. Head to the other tunnel I showed you.” Cade hesitated a moment and Gan grabbed him by the arm. “Let’s go, gunman,” said Gan. He knelt again and took Calisto’s hand, holding it for a long moment then placed his hand on her face.
“I will see you again,” he said.
“I know. Now go make sure Sepia and the rest are safe. I will keep the Nightmare here,” said Calisto.
Gan and Cade headed for the tunnel on the opposite side of the keep followed by some of the house staff.
Calisto spoke to one of the remaining young girls from the keep and instructed her to make sure everyone left in the next few minutes with Gan. No one was to remain behind. She made her way to the warded room and looked around. Even with the wards in place, she still managed to open the trapdoor. She is powerful. You would be proud Emiko, thought Calisto.
She placed her hands together and this time when she separated them a latticework of blue light appeared before her. The latticework grew into a sphere that enveloped her and continued to expand outward, spreading over the entire keep. It flared a moment and then it faded into the stonework. Calisto waited.
**********
The Nightmare Lord opened his eyes and stood. He turned and looked at the keep, his eyes shifting hues.
“That was a nice nap. They never learn…bullets, really? I will have to kill the witch later. First things first,” said Chimera as he dusted off his clothes.
He walked towards the keep. As he drew closer, the ground began to smoke under his feet. He continued to get closer, his pace slowing feeling the strength of the wards. The door to the keep loomed before him. He placed both hands on the massive door, focused his energy, and pushed.
The door creaked and began to splinter. He pushed some more and the door shattered inward, wood and stone flying everywhere. Stepping through the threshold, the latticework flared for a brief second. He paid it no mind. Walking through the foyer, he followed the presence of the hunter until he arrived at a room that had its door covered in wards. He pushed open the door and looked. Inside this room, he felt the hunter. He peered in the room and saw a figure sitting on the bench furthest from the door. He stepped in, causing the latticework to flare a second time. Sensing something wrong he turned to exit the room and found he couldn’t cross the threshold. He turned around, his eyes flaring green and casting sickly shadows along the walls.
Rise of the Night (Sepia Blue Book 1) Page 10