All Things in the Shadows II

by B. D. Messick

  “But they will listen to you, no?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “You have to help us fight for this,” she says, almost pleading, but not quite.

  “I promise that I will do what I can.”

  “Thank you. By the way, how is Jax?”

  “He’s doing good. His wounds are healed, and he’s up and about.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it. Is he coming back anytime soon?”

  “I don’t really know. That’s up to him.”

  “That’s fair enough. I noticed that he was interested in your friend, Reeva.”

  “Yes, I noticed that too,” I reply.

  She nods, and a small smile comes to her lips.

  “There is something urgent that we need to talk about,” I say.

  “You mean the traitor,” Kyuki says, the grin fading into a frown.

  Everything stops dead. Kateri and I stare at Kyuki.

  “The what?” I finally manage to say.

  “I thought Dray would have told you.”

  “No, Dray did not tell us,” Kateri says, looking over at him.

  “I assumed you wanted to talk to them about it,” he says to Kyuki.

  “I don’t really care who tells us. What they hell are you two talking about?” I ask, sitting forward in my chair.

  Kyuki frowns at us.

  “We think you have a turncoat in your ranks.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “A Shayd has been seen coming and going from the tower.”

  “For how long?” I ask.

  “For a week or so, maybe longer.”

  “A week? Why didn’t you let us know about this earlier?”

  “It’s not that easy to get a message to you. Any communication means sending someone into the Umbra, and who knows who they might meet. I’ve told my people not to fight if they’re encountered by…by someone who isn’t you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be attacked and killed. Dray volunteered to find you.”

  I look at Kateri and she shakes her head, a frown on her face.

  “Do you have a description or a picture?”

  “Not a good one,” Kyuki replies, pulling an 8x10 photo out from under a stack of papers. “He…or she is always cloaked and hooded.”

  “Well, that’s just great,” Kateri says.

  “Why haven’t you stopped this person?” I ask, studying the blurry black-and-white image.

  “We didn’t want them to know that we were watching,” Dray answers.

  K ~ You don’t think this is connected, do you?

  E ~ Could be, but I don’t know.

  Kyuki ~ Connected to what?

  I look at Kyuki and grin.

  “Sorry, forgot about the empath thing,” I say.

  “It’s okay. So, what are you two thinking about?”

  “We had an attack at our base.”

  “An attack?”

  “A suicide bomber, to be exact.”

  Kyuki sighs and walks around to the other side of the desk. She sits down, still not having responded to my statement.

  “Is that something that Sirix would do?” I ask.

  She frowns.

  “He never has before, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t try it. Tell me what happened.”

  “A rift opened up in our infirmary, a demon stepped out and set off some sort of explosive,” I say.

  “How many were killed?”

  “Five, and over a dozen injured.”

  She just shakes her head. It’s obvious that this is news to her, and that the death of our people is distressing.

  “The biggest thing is they attacked our headquarters. How would they know where it is?” I ask.

  Kyuki looks at Dray and then at us.

  “From a Shayd.”

  “Exactly.”

  Chapter Seven

  “We have to get back. Everyone is going to be worried about us,” I say.

  “And pissed,” Kateri adds as we walk just outside the cathedral.

  “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  “I’m sure they’ll understand,” Dray says.

  “We’re talking about my mom,” I say.

  “You mean the Fierce One?”

  “The Fierce One?”

  “That’s what we call her after she saved Kyuki.”

  “Yeah, I guess she’s the Fierce One.”

  “Oh. Well, good luck then,” he says, chuckling quietly.

  “Thanks, that’s helpful.”

  We walk a few yards from the church, stopping in the shade under a cluster of trees. Dray goes through the motions, and a moment later the rift blooms to life in front of us.

  “Where should I drop you?” he asks before taking both our hands.

  “Same place you picked us up,” I reply.

  “Very good,” he replies, and we step into the shimmering cloud.

  A split second later, we’re standing in the alley. Dray looks at us and bows at the waist.

  “Be safe. I should go before more of your people show up,” he says.

  I nod and smile at him.

  “Thanks, Dray. You be safe too. We’ll be in contact soon.”

  “Goodbye for now,” he says before vanishing into the rift, which continues to glow for a few more moments before fading away.

  Kateri looks at me and sighs.

  “I didn’t want to say anything in front of him, but you know there’s another way Sirix could have found out about the location of the Factory,” she says.

  “What possibility?”

  We head down the alley and back toward the street. I pull out my phone and swipe the screen.

  “It could be—”

  The display turns red. “You Have 125 Missed Calls” flashes at me.

  “Fuck,” I say, cursing louder than I intended.

  “What?” Kateri asks.

  I hold up the phone so she can read the screen.

  “Fuck,” she says, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “We are in so much trouble.”

  “Oh yeah, glad she’s not my mom.”

  “Really?” I ask, looking over at her. “You’re my girlfriend and you went with me. That’s almost worse.”

  “Seriously?” Kateri asks, a worried expression on her face.

  “Seriously.”

  We’re just at the end of the alley when two figures appear out of the shadows, weapons at the ready. As soon as they see us, they relax and shake their heads.

  “Where the hell have you two been?” one of them asks. I think his name is Kreed.

  “Working,” I say, unable to come up with any other suitable answer.

  The other Shayd steps forward, pushing the hood of her sweatshirt off her head and grins at us.

  “Dudes. Do you know how much trouble you’re in?” Gabby says.

  “Yeah. I think we’re getting the idea,” I say, looking her up and down. “They’re already sending you out on missions?”

  She nods, the pride obvious in her voice and face.

  “Yep,” she says, shifting her weight from side to side, as if she’s uncomfortable talking about herself.

  “Was that you two, with the rift?” Kreed asks.

  “Yeah,” I reply.

  He touches his ear and I grab his arm.

  “Don’t tell them we’re back,” I say.

  He nods in response.

  “It’s Kreed. There’s nothing here,” he says, looking at me. “Affirmative.”

  He shakes his head.

  “Now I just lied for you. Don’t pull me any further into this,” he says, frowning at me. “Gabby. Let’s go.”

  “You go ahead. I’ll come back with them,” she says.

  “Fine,” Kreed says, clearly annoyed.

  He steps back into the shadows and vanishes.

  “I don’t want you to get into trouble,” I say.

  “Don’t worry about it. I can take care of myself,” Gabby says with a wink.

  “I totally believ
e that.”

  “Let’s get back so we can get this over with,” Kateri says.

  “Yeah,” I reply, and we all step into the shadows.

  The second that the three of us appear outside the Factory, it begins.

  My mom, Father, Reeva and Jax burst through the doors, as if they had been waiting for us for two days, which of course, they have. Frowns are mixed with smiles and even some watery eyes as they approach, marching across the short span between us and them. I look over at Gabby.

  “You should probably go. This is going to get ugly,” I say.

  She looks at me and shakes her head.

  “I’ll stay.”

  “Where have you two been?” Father asks. I can see the worry on his face and hear the stress in his voice.

  My mom is just behind him as they walk up, and I see her eyes go to my injured arm. She pushes by Father and the others.

  “What happened?” she asks, frowning at me.

  “Just a run in with a demon.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I reply. “It looks worse than it is.”

  She examines my arm for a moment and then she tilts her head to the side.

  “Who bandaged this for you, Kateri?”

  Kateri, for her part, lowers her head, unable to make eye contact with my mother.

  “No. It was a doctor…in the Abyss.”

  Everyone looks shocked, and even Reeva shakes her head at me.

  “You went back to the Abyss?” Father asks, his eyes wide. “Why?”

  “Dray came looking for us. Kateri texted you.”

  “And you just went without—”

  “Craig,” my mother says as she puts a hand on his chest. “Let’s go inside and talk. Eve and Kateri need to go to the infirmary to be seen by one of our doctors,” she says. “Just to make sure they’re okay.”

  At first, Father seems reluctant to put his tirade on hold, but then his expression softens.

  “Of course,” he says, and then he looks at Gabby. “What are you doing here?”

  “Backup,” she replies with a grin.

  “How did you get this injury?” Doctor Reed asks.

  “From a demon blade,” I reply, purposely not saying anything about the poison.

  My mom is standing next to Kateri, her arms crossed as she watches the exam.

  “A poisoned blade,” Kateri adds.

  I look at her and frown, and she glares back at me.

  “What?”

  “You didn’t say you were poisoned,” my mother says.

  “See, look what you did,” I say to Kateri.

  “Hey. The doctor asked.”

  My mother reaches over and touches Kateri’s arm and gives her a friendly wink. Even though she ratted me out, I’m so happy to see the bond forming between them, that I don’t care.

  “I thought so,” he says, gingerly manipulating the skin around the wound. “What did they tell you about this poison?”

  “They said it’s fairly common, but their doctor had never seen it used on a human, or a Shayd.”

  “What else?”

  “I should watch for any lingering effects, like pain, or dizziness or stuff like that,” I say.

  I notice the doctor look at Kateri, and she nods to him.

  “That’s really all there is,” I say, shaking my head.

  “Just making sure,” he says, grinning at me. He stands and looks at my mother. “She’s seems in good shape. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

  “Good,” my mom says, letting out a breath that it seems like she was holding.

  “But,” he says, turning back to me, “I want you in here the second you feel anything out of the ordinary.”

  “Don’t worry, she will be,” Kateri says.

  “You heard my nurse,” I say to him with a chuckle.

  “Well, you heard him, you’re good to go,” my mother says. “Now you can explain to me why you didn’t tell me about the poison.”

  She’s standing there with her arms crossed, staring at me.

  The doctor clears his throat.

  “I guess I’ll just…um…leave you all to it,” he says, quickly stepping out of the room.

  I look at Kateri and she puts her hands up.

  “You’re on your own,” Kateri says.

  “Thanks,” I say to her. Then I turn to my mother. “I didn’t want to worry you. The doctor who saved my life said that—”

  “Wait, wait, wait. Saved your life?”

  “Yeah,” I reply quietly.

  E ~ Shit

  K ~ You got that right.

  “You almost died?”

  “Um…yeah.”

  “Oh, Eve,” she says, shaking her head.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, standing up from the bed.

  For a second, I think she’s going to yell at me, but then suddenly, she pulls me into a fierce embrace, wrapping her arms completely around me. I look over at Kateri, who’s standing off just off to the side. I can see tears in her eyes as she watches us and then my mom extends her arm out to her and then we’re all hugging. After a minute or so, she finally releases us.

  “We’re not telling Craig about the ‘almost dying’ part, okay?” she says.

  “Okay,” I reply, looking over at Kateri. “Why?”

  “He’s stressed enough as it is,” she replies.

  “Did something else happen?”

  “There was an attack at the New York base.”

  I shake my head and sigh.

  “We need to talk to Father, now.”

  Chapter Eight

  “A traitor?” Father asks as he sits behind his desk.

  He looks tired. He looks dragged down.

  “Where did you get this information?” Jerol asks via a video link.

  “From Kyuki.”

  “What evidence do we have besides the word of a demon?” Sela asks as she stands in the corner behind Father’s desk, her arms folded across her chest.

  “I saw a photograph they retrieved from a security camera at the tower.”

  “And?” Sela asks.

  “And whoever it is, they’re obviously not a demon.”

  “This photo was provided by Kyuki, correct?”

  “Yes,” I answer, warily.

  “How do we know it isn’t fake?” she asks.

  “Why would they do that?”

  “I don’t know, perhaps to get us to trust her more.”

  I shake my head as I stare at her.

  “It’s not fake,” I say, probably a little louder and firmer than I intended.

  “Eve. We’re just trying to figure this out,” Father says gently. “A lot of us have been doing this for a long time.”

  “Yeah, maybe that’s the problem. You’re all so full of hate and distrust, that you can’t accept anything else,” I say, shaking my head.

  I look over at my mom, and she grins at me. Reeva and Jax are standing side-by-side off to the right, near the door, neither of them speaking.

  “We’re just being cautious, Eve,” Jerol says, sounding more sympathetic than I expected.

  “I understand that,” I reply, looking over at Kateri. “But sometimes you need to take a risk.”

  “It’s a big risk,” he says.

  “Yeah, but isn’t everything?”

  After a few seconds of silence, Father finally speaks up.

  “So…this traitor. Could you identify him?”

  “Or her,” Kateri adds.

  “Or her,” Father says.

  “No. The photo is pretty useless, besides, he or she has their face and body well hidden.”

  “What about Kyuki and her people? Have they seen this person before?” Father asks.

  “No, but I asked them to try to get a better picture if possible.”

  “Good.”

  “You know,” Sela says from the corner. “It would be good if we had some way to communicate with our new demon ‘allies’ without having to travel back to the Abyss ev
ery time we want to say hello.”

  “I’ll get the techs working on it,” Father says. “In the meantime, do we have any other news concerning New York?”

  Jerol sighs.

  “Casualties are mounting, and the building is too unsafe to enter at the moment. The explosives were much stronger, or simply went off in a more critical area,” he says.

  “Where are we at?”

  “Fifty-five dead, over one hundred and twenty wounded. The attack has shut down all operations at the facility.”

  “Fifty-five?” Father asks, shaking his head slowly. “Who is handling incursions in the area?”

  “It’s being monitored and patrolled by the New Jersey, Delaware and Philadelphia branches,” Sela says.

  “Are we sure this is all connected?”

  “I think we’ve established that,” Jerol says. “As for this new traitor element, I’m not so sure. It could just be some sort of suicide bombing campaign.”

  Father sits for a moment as a silence falls across the room.

  “Jax,” Father says, looking up at him. “Have you ever heard about Sirix or his people using these sorts of tactics before?”

  “No,” Jax replies, shaking his head. “It doesn’t seem like something that they’d do. He is a little ‘crazy,’ but he prefers the bloody all-out attack to this sort of lurking about.”

  “And where do you come by your information?” Sela asks, frowning at him.

  “From my time within the ranks of his soldiers,” he replies, returning the frown with equal intensity.

  “Just because he says it, doesn’t mean it’s true,” she shoots back, but looking at Father this time.

  “I’m not a liar.”

  Reeva puts her hand on his arm, and he sighs while keeping his eyes locked on Sela.

  “I didn’t say you were a liar…just a demon.”

  “That’s enough!” Father says, slamming his fist on his desk. “We are not going to fight with each other. We are all working for the same thing here. Jax saved our people from the Abyss and that makes him one of us.”

  Sela seems to back down, but I swear she growls.

  “Thank you for the information Jax,” Father says.

  “You’re welcome. I’m trying to help.”

  “I know you are and speaking of that. I would like you to work with the techs on this communication effort,” Father says.