Shadow Blade

by Seressia Glass

  Zoo looked up from the map. “If she’s off the chain, that makes her a threat to everyone and everything,” he explained. “Anything organic of hers that touches us would knock us out cold—and that’s if we’re lucky. We’ve developed ways—gloves, clothing, magic—to protect ourselves that we’ve used in emergencies before, but we’ve never confronted a situation like this. You can touch her. We might be able to bring her in, but we may need you to restrain her.”

  “We’ve found her,” Nansee said calmly. “She just appeared out of nowhere a few miles west of here. She’s on the move, but it’s erratic.”

  Both Zoo and Wynne grabbed black gear bags, headed for a corridor that led to the rear door of the shop. “Everyone out to the van.”

  “Nansee?” Khefar’s tone was short.

  “If you let me drive, I can get us there faster,” the old man offered. “Streets are just concrete webs to me.”

  “Nansee. Anansi. Figures you’re not normal.” Wynne shook her head. “Fine, I’ll take point. Zoo?”

  “Gotcha, babe.” They stepped out into the alley behind the shop. The large man closed the door, then pressed his hand against the doorjamb. Khefar felt a surge of power and the shop locked up tight.

  The van looked like a salvage-yard rescue incapable of moving faster than a person could walk. Graffiti fought with rust for dominance. Khefar doubted there was anyone left alive who could guess its original color. “My Charger is faster, and less likely to shake apart shifting into second.”

  Zoo grinned. “Considering that you’ve been wandering the world for all those centuries, you gotta know by now that looks are deceiving.” He opened the back door.

  Khefar noticed the bank of computer equipment on the left side first. The right had a locker that doubled as a jump seat and room enough to hold six heavily armed men. “Impressive.”

  “We can do emergency medical too. I hope we won’t need it.” Wynne climbed in beside Nansee. “There are extra weapons in the jump seat.”

  “You have an amazing wife,” Khefar told the witch as they climbed into the back.

  “You have no idea.” The large man swung the rear door closed. “We served together in the army. She’s an excellent shot: Distinguished Rifleman and Pistol Shot badges.” He touched a panel above the jump seat. It slid open to reveal an impressive array of handguns, shotguns, blades, and grenades.

  Khefar watched as the other man armed himself with the quiet efficiency of someone with more than a little experience. “You’ve had to do this before?”

  “We back Kira up when she asks us to and sometimes when she doesn’t. Mostly we do strategic support. Our girl’s used to doing things solo, prefers it even. Once we knew what she was doing and how useless those assholes at Gilead East are, we decided she needed us.”

  Zoo grinned. “Besides, Wynne and I like the challenge of gearing her up. My spellcraft’s much better than before I met her. And Wynne’s firepower is sweet.”

  He tossed Khefar a shotgun. “We’re not planning on hand-to-hand here, so you don’t need your blade. The mission’s to get Kira and get the hell out.”

  “Understood.” He began to load the shells Zoo handed him. He’d led plenty of men over the millennia, archers, cavalry, platoons and, for a brief stint had served with the Tuskegee Airmen. He could have taken over this operation, but he wouldn’t. Zoo and Wynne seemed more than capable despite their very human frailties. This was obviously something they’d planned for.

  But if a Shadow Avatar had hurt Kira, he’d toss the shotgun and draw his blade without a second thought.

  Zoo turned toward Anansi. “Just a heads-up: some of our firepower is geared for Shadow. Now I’m gonna assume that you’re not from Shadow, but if you’ve got any doubts about protecting yourself, you may not want to be nearby if we have to start shooting.”

  The old man nodded. “I am not of Shadow, witch. Trust me, my healthy dose of self-preservation is why I’m still here when so many of my brethren are not.”

  Anansi started the van.

  “Oh, gods, it looks like a war zone.”

  Khefar peered through the windshield as Anansi brought the van to a crawl. He had to echo Wynne’s sentiment. A cacophony of blue and red strobe lights bounced off the brick and concrete warehouses around them before they saw the first emergency vehicle. Overlying that, he could see the orange-red throb of a building fully enflamed.

  “Wynne, we don’t need to go in hot,” Zoo said, pulling on a suit that matched hers. “Why don’t you take point?”

  “Got it.”

  “We’re close,” Zoo said, worry finally creeping into his voice. He checked the global positioning application on his PDA. “I don’t think she’s moving anymore.”

  “She isn’t,” the old man confirmed. His eyes glowed blue as he looked through the Veil, his hand raised as if to trace Kira’s path. “The trail begins at that burning building, then crosses the railroad tracks. She’s in the cemetery.”

  “Oakland?” Zoo’s expression was grim. “We’ve got to get her out of there. There are ex-slaves and Confederate soldiers buried in there. If she’s careening around in there out of control—”

  “All right.” Wynne checked her weapon. “There’s probably at least one guard, I think he’s in the Bell Tower building if he’s not making rounds. We’ll have to park at the main gate and take our chances.”

  “We also have Six Feet Under across the street,” Zoo said, jerking his head in the direction of the bar they’d just driven by. “It still has a crowd on its deck.”

  “Anansi, can you block sight of the van and make sure no one sees us?” Khefar asked.

  “Yes.”

  The demigod pulled the van to a stop at the intersection of MLK and Oakland, just across from the entrance to the cemetery. The curving brick and iron entrance with its three sweeping arches glowed softly under the streetlamps as they quickly exited the van. The silence beyond the gate contrasted sharply with the sirens a few blocks away.

  Zoo and Wynne donned night-vision goggles after they got out of the van, but Khefar refused his pair. His blade would give him all the warning he needed and his night vision was better than human. The spider god, of course, could see beyond the Veil of Reality. Darkness wouldn’t be a hindrance.

  “The gate’s locked,” he said. “Are we sure she’s in there?”

  “I’m sure,” the demigod answered.

  Khefar supposed Kira could have easily climbed over the iron side gates or even the red brick wall of the cemetery’s outer perimeter, none of which were very high. How she could have done it without being spotted, he didn’t know. If she’d been spotted, been forced to confront a very human security guard . . .

  He used his blade to take care of the gate’s lock. The dagger vibrated in his hand, reacting to the thousands of bodies interred just beyond. There’s nothing for you here.

  The blade vibrated again. Khefar frowned. His dagger cared for two things: death and dying. Not even a new burial would generate its bloodlust. But Shadow-lings would. So would someone close to death.

  “Do you sense Shadow inside?” Zoo asked Anansi, who stood gazing past the gate and into the cemetery.

  “Not clearly.”

  Zoo paused. “What do you mean, not clearly?”

  Anansi frowned. “There’s Light, but there’s Shadow too. The levels come and go. We need to hurry.”

  Khefar’s gut lurched at Anansi’s grim announcement. He knew if the spider wanted to hurry, Kira had to be in bad shape.

  They moved in through the gates and fanned out, Wynne at the front, then Zoo with Anansi and Khefar taking up the rear. The cemetery spread before them, acres and acres of rolling hills, monuments, and towering oak trees separated by paved roads and walkways, seeming too large to find one person. “Which way do we go?”

  “Past that.” Zoo pointed. “The statue of the dude sitting on his mausoleum.”

  It was an unusual marker to say the least, but Khefar didn’t care. He
had no idea what awaited them on the other side of the life-sized stone replica or if Kira had made it here on her own or been dragged by the Avatar. He wondered if some sort of Shadow-engineered trap was waiting for them.

  Deeper into the cemetery, the ambient light changed. Now Khefar could make out a blue-green pulsing light coming from the other side of a tall monument.

  “Kira.” Wynne broke into a jog.

  “Wynne!” Zoo grabbed her arm. “It could be a trap.”

  “I know. But if she’s hurt, and her powers are messed up, in the cemetery—”

  “I know, babe. I know.” He raised his weapon. “Okay. I got your six.”

  Worry weighed heavily on Khefar as Wynne and Zoo went around the left side of the building and he and Anansi took the right. If her protective barriers really were torn away, Khefar couldn’t help wondering what Kira’s exposed extrasense felt among these tributes to the dead.

  As they approached the Kontz family monument, he could see why Kira—after somehow dragging herself away from the burning warehouse—had chosen it: the columns were carved with lotus blossoms at the bottom with the winged sun disk of Ra stretched across the top. He could just make out an ornate crown-and-cross design carved into the ceiling of the monument’s interior, flickering in the greenish light. The monument seemed like a doorway between worlds, or an escape route for a Shadowchaser more aligned to old gods than new.

  He eased his way around the corner, then froze. His chest seized up tight. It was as bad as they had feared.

  Kira sprawled at the foot of the granite column, wearing a ragged tank top and panties, nothing else. Her body writhed and jerked as sapphire and emerald arcs of power danced along her skin, illuminating her wounds.

  Welts and bruises crisscrossed her arms and legs alongside a multitude of cuts. Blood stained her skin, dark splotches against her skin and underwear. Khefar realized with sick certainty that not all of the very human blood was hers.

  “Oh, Kira.”

  Wynne pushed up her goggles as she started forward, but Zoo blocked her. “There’s Shadow-magic in her.”

  “What? Kira’s a Shadowchaser. She can’t have Shadow-magic.”

  “The witch is right,” Anansi said. “Her body is filled with Chaos. That’s the green energy you see, the yellow of Shadow mixing with the blue of Light. She’s trying to fight it.”

  Khefar turned to Anansi. “It looks like she’s losing.”

  The spider god remained silent and that proved to Khefar how dire Kira’s situation really was. “We’ve got to get her out of here.”

  “Right. Let’s do this.” Zoo and Wynne moved forward.

  “Stay away from me!” The sound of her voice, raw and guttural, had them all sliding to a stop. Khefar halted, but his body tensed with the urge to act. He was exceedingly conscious of the two-story white building too close for comfort, even with Nansee shielding them. That’s where the night guard was, unless he was out making his rounds—or Kira had already encountered him.

  Khefar didn’t want to think that Kira had disposed of the security patrol. If so, with her powers sparking out of control, the guard was already beyond their help.

  Kira dragged herself to a crouch, hands raised, her entire body pulsing waves of violet and pea green. Even her eyes swirled with dual colors. “Monsters,” she hissed. “Spawns of Shadow! You won’t touch me again!”

  “Kira, it’s me, Zoo.” The man stepped forward. “You remember your buddy Zoo, right? Wynne’s here too. We’re going to take you home, make sure you’re okay—”

  “I said, stay away!”

  A bolt of turquoise light hit Zoo. The large man spun with the blast, then slumped to the ground.

  “Zoo!” Wynne ran to her husband.

  Kira ignored them, her head turning to focus on Khefar. “You.” Her voice dropped several levels. “Give me the Dagger of Kheferatum!”

  Khefar moved forward, instinctively drawing his blade. “Don’t do it,” Anansi urged. “That’s not all Kira in there anymore.”

  “I know.” He stepped cautiously. “Nansee, I’m going to need the spider.”

  The demigod nodded. Khefar held up his blade, allowing it to catch the limited light. Kira’s glowing eyes followed its every movement. “You want the dagger? Come and get it, if you can!”

  Her quick movements surprised him. She scrambled out of the monument, skittering like a crab. A blast hit him square on his collarbone, pain radiating outward as the hit of raw greenish power burned through leather to skin on the right side of his chest. “Now, Nansee!”

  A string of etheric webbing flew over his left shoulder, hitting Kira just as she launched herself at him. She screamed, body flaring pollen-yellow and bowing off the ground as she tried to fight the bonds coiling around her body, immobilizing her. A sizzling sound slid through the air, punctuated with an acrid scent.

  “Gods, they’re burning her!”

  Khefar fell to his knees, dagger flashing as he sliced through the bonds. She screamed and thrashed, fighting him, kicking and screaming and biting, power twisting and flaring as the webbing fell from her singed flesh. His dagger screamed as well, wanting to taste the blood, her blood. Give me death, give me death!

  As if she heard it, Kira wrapped her fingers around the blade. “Yes,” she hissed, pulling against his strength to guide the tip of the dagger towards her heart. “Kill it. Kill the Shadow.”

  “No!” Adrenaline surged through Khefar as he fought her, prying her fingers one by one from the blade, leaving both their hands bloody. Even as Kira scrambled up, trying to reach the blade, he lifted it high, then jammed it into the consecrated ground with all his strength. “Be silent!”

  The dagger obeyed, its magic muzzled. Kira lunged for it again. Khefar threw his arms around her waist, dragged her back and down. “Kira, stop!”

  She froze. “Kira,” she stuttered. “My name is Kira. My name. Kira my name.” Blinking through the dirt, sweat, and blood caking her face, she focused on him, fingers skimming his jaw. “You don’t die. I can touch you and you don’t die.”

  That sounded more like Kira’s voice, Kira’s thoughts. “No, I’m not going to die. Not today. You aren’t either.”

  “Burns. Pain burns cold. It kills. But you touch and it sleeps.”

  She buried her face against his neck. “Don’t let go,” she whispered against his heart. “Please don’t let go.”

  “I won’t,” he vowed, pulling her close. “I’ll take care of you.”

  “Okay.” Her head slumped backward. The power chasing along her skin dimmed, then winked out.

  “Kira!” He touched fingers to her throat, heart banging with relief when he found her pulse, thready and erratic.

  He looked up at Anansi. “Something’s wrong with her. Seriously wrong.”

  “She’s been poisoned,” the demigod said quietly. “The Veil no longer shields her extrasense and Shadow is gaining a foothold, body and spirit.”

  “Will she be all right? Can you fix this?”

  “The bruises, cracked ribs, and the dislocated hip are easy enough to repair. The combination of the drugs and the assault may have caused permanent damage to her mind.”

  Khefar’s hand shook as he pulled his dagger from the ground, sheathed it. Clutching Kira close, he managed to climb to his feet. Wynne had helped her husband up. Both still had weapons at the ready, but Zoo leaned a little too heavily against his wife.

  The warrior asked Wynne, “How is he?”

  “I’m all right.” Zoo replied himself, grimacing and clasping his right shoulder. “Hurts like a bitch, but I’ll live. Would have been worse if the Kevlar hadn’t slowed it down a little.”

  “I know what you mean,” Wynne added. “My suit’s ruined. Since when could she shoot light blasts like that?”

  “Since never,” her husband answered.

  Wynne started back along the path toward the gate. “We can have a Q and A later. Now we’ve got to get the hell out of here and get these two ba
ck home before we get company.”

  “We’ve got to get Zoo to a hospital,” Khefar insisted. “He needs that arm looked at and stitched up. Is there one nearby?”

  Zoo shook his head. “It’s just a scratch. Wynne can fix me up, and I’ve got spells to take care of the rest. I’ll survive. Besides, taking me to a hospital means too many questions none of us need to answer.”

  Khefar tucked Kira’s head against his chest, then carefully got into the van. “Can either of you get into Kira’s place?” he said when Nansee moved to shut the door. “I know she’s got stuff there we can use.”

  “We have to go to our place,” Wynne said, her voice unsteady. “I don’t know how many protections she’s got on hers and we don’t have time to unlock each one. We already have a room that’s safe for her. Emergency supplies too.”

  “Something like this has happened before?”

  Wynne shook her head, her expression raw. “Nothing like this has ever happened before. She’s been through some serious crap, but she’s never not recognized us. She’s never attacked us.”

  “All right.” He could tell Wynne was close to losing her control. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 22

  Is that it?”

  “Sure is.” Nico held up the small vial of clear liquid.

  Kira stared at it, fidgeting with excitement. Finally, after months of planning, they were in the most romantic hotel in Venice for a long weekend, though Balm and Gilead thought they were in Brussels. Disobeying the Balm of Gilead gave her an illicit thrill but paled in comparison to the thrill she experienced when looking into Nico’s eyes.

  Soon, very soon, they’d finally be together the way they both wanted. She had no idea what the liquid was or where Nico had gotten it, and she didn’t care. All she cared about was that it would take away her curse and she and Nico could stop being Chaser and handler and instead become lovers.

  “How long will we have?”

  “Three days, I’m told.” The laughter always present in his smoky topaz eyes sobered. “I will ask you for the last time: Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Instead of answering, she snatched the vial from him, pulled the stopper, then tossed back the liquid. Tears blurred her vision as the concoction burned its way down her throat. It seemed to spread through every cell of her body, changing her. She’d had liquor before, but it hadn’t scorched her insides like this.