The Shadow Chaser (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 1)

by Dylan Birtolo

  A shrill cry echoed throughout the dark sky above as a hawk dove through the open dome. Like a streak of brown lightning, it dove into Sasha’s face and clawed. Sasha screamed and backed out of the triangle. The chanting stopped, and the storm rumbled, but no more lightning flashed. More raptors came through the dome, screeching in rage as they attacked the three Shadows. Sasha changed shape and shook a limp hawk in her fangs. She tossed the carcass to the side and leaped at another hawk, her mouth open wide.

  An eagle landed on the stone near Darien’s head. Two mice crawled off her back and scurried towards Darien’s shackles. They undid the bonds while the Shadows were defending themselves from the avian assault. Inky grabbed at birds, trying to snag one as they bounced off of her like she was wearing armor. Whenever she caught one, she grabbed its head and twisted. On the other side of the room, Sasha left a trail of corpses as she cut through the hawks like an angel of death.

  Darien sat up and rubbed his wrists as a rope dropped from above. He couldn’t see what it was attached to or who was holding it, but anything was better than staying on that table. As soon as he grabbed it, someone pulled him up. He wrapped his feet around the rope, anchoring himself and using it to ease the weight on his arms. The eagle dropped one wing to the stone so the mice could use it as a ramp and scamper onto her back. She took flight, retreating up through the hole leading to the outside world.

  When Darien cleared the dome, someone pulled him up over the lip of the dome. It was a strong man who held him up and helped him stand. Darien looked around. He was in the center of the city and standing on top of a building that was dwarfed by most of its neighbors. It was almost surrounded by skyscrapers. One side had an apartment building about the same height.

  “Where are we?” he shouted over the storm.

  “In the business district, on a twenty-story building.”

  Darien eased towards the edge of the roof and looked over the lip. It was a long fall to the streets below, where he saw the dim glow of street lamps. “How do we get down?”

  “Jump,” the man shouted back while pointing at the nearby roof.

  The remaining birds fled through the window in a massive flock, and Darien heard Inky shouting and giving orders.

  “Go, now!”

  Darien looked from the chamber to the man next to him. He glanced over at the roof and ran as fast as he could. The hope of escape gave him strength he thought long since gone. When he got to the edge of the building, he leaped into the air. He soared over the small space between the two buildings and landed on the neighboring roof, rolling across the gravel after an unsteady landing. He scampered to his hands and knees and made his way to the only door. It was open and Alyssa stood in the doorway.

  “This way, Darien!”

  He ran to her, and the two of them sprinted down the long winding staircase. They burst through the front door of the building and ducked into a compact car parked right outside the main entrance. Darien got into the passenger’s side and tried to catch his breath as Alyssa started up the car and drove away.

  Chapter 23

  “Thank you, again.” Darien had no words to convey the depth of thanks he felt. It sounded feeble to his own ears.

  Earlier that evening, Alyssa brought them to a large cathedral that she said belonged to the Arm of Gaia. It was located in the suburbs and decorated with large stained glass windows stretching more than ten feet tall. They depicted various scenes from throughout the Bible in multi-colored works of art. The wooden pews in the cathedral were bathed in light from several chandeliers. It was similar to the cathedral that she had summoned in his dreams, but not the same.

  Darien and Alyssa sat in one of the pews, talking in quiet voices. The cathedral was otherwise empty.

  “I told you if you ever needed help, I’d provide it. How’re you feeling?”

  “Better now that I’ve been patched up. Your doctor’s very good at his job. I didn’t know there were so many people in your organization. Or so many of us for that matter.”

  Alyssa chuckled. “They aren’t all blessed. Many of the people here are normals. Quite a few of them don’t even know what we’re capable of. They come because of the work we do to protect people and the world.”

  “But how’d you get so many into the ritual room? Those weren’t people.”

  “You haven’t learned everything yet, Darien. We have an affinity with the animals that we can shift into and can communicate with them on a low level. Sometimes they offer their help.”

  There was a pause as the two of them sat there. Darien stared ahead, looking at the large crucifix hanging over the altar. He could feel Alyssa’s stare on him. She had been with him every waking moment since the rescue, and he’d bet that she watched him while he slept. It made him want to squirm, but it was the least he could put up with after all of her help.

  “Did you get what you needed?”

  “Yes. The footage of you in the warehouse and the explosion is more than sufficient. After some creative editing, we put it through our channels into mainstream media. As far as the world’s concerned, you no longer exist.”

  “I owe you for that, and the rescue.”

  “You can pay back one of those favors now, by listening to us. Give us the chance to present our side of the story. It’s my hope that if we have a chance to explain ourselves, you’ll want to join our organization. In the meantime, we can keep you safe.” Alyssa’s gaze moved down to look at Darien’s chest.

  Darien shook his head. “I need to go to Susan and see her. She said they were safe, but I don’t remember much else before I passed out. I want to see her in person. After that, I’ll come back and listen to your side. I promise.”

  He turned to face Alyssa, ready to challenge her if she didn’t agree with him. To his surprise, she nodded once, then stood and offered her hand. Darien took it and the two of them left the cathedral and walked to Alyssa’s car.

  “I can take you there, or at least closer to it. But then I have to leave you. I have my own duties I need to take care of, ones that I‘ve been neglecting as of late.”

  Darien acted as navigator, giving Alyssa directions to the abandoned mining site where Susan and Richard waited. Hopefully Richard wouldn’t mind Alyssa learning the location of the hideout. Under the circumstances, it was worth the risk. Even if he ducked out of the car at the base of the mountain trails, it wouldn’t be hard for Alyssa to figure out where he went. The marks on his chest itched. He reached up to scratch them.

  “Does it burn?”

  “No, just itches. What does it mean when it burns?”

  “That happens when you’re getting close to the person who put the marking there.”

  “Inky. The woman who looks like she’s covered in shadows. The others always do what she says.”

  “Their kind often like to rule without being seen. It’s one of the reasons we have so much trouble eradicating them. Every strike we make, we only manage to eliminate subordinates. This Shadow could be one of their leaders.”

  Darien sat silent, thinking about Inky. Whether or not she was a leader was irrelevant. Eliminating her was his only option, and he was running out of time. He had two of the three markings, and he wouldn’t be able to resist her indefinitely. They proved that when they kidnapped him and brought him to their temple. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  One step at a time. First, he needed to get back to Susan and make sure that she and Richard were okay. Then they’d figure out what to do.

  “Turn off the road here.”

  The car bounced as it left the paved road. The headlights glanced off the black pickup truck parked just inside the mine entrance. Darien urged Alyssa to stop, and she did. He got out of the car, stepping forward so that he was at the edge of the headlights. He wanted to make sure he didn’t surprise Richard or Susan.

  “Susan! Richard!”

  Susan came out of the depths of the cave, brandishing the rifle. She held her hand in front of her ey
es, trying to shield the lights.

  “Darien?”

  When she recognized him, she dropped the rifle and ran forward. Darien met her halfway and they embraced with him lifting her off the ground. They held that position for a moment, until a car door slammed shut, startling them both. Susan let go and stepped back towards the gun.

  “It’s okay. It’s Alyssa. She brought me here.”

  Susan dropped her voice to a whisper. “I don’t think she should come up here. Richard’s in the cave, wounded and sleeping. He was attacked on the roof. Some of the wounds look pretty bad. I bandaged him up as best as I could, but we need to get him to a hospital.”

  Darien nodded, then turned to face Alyssa. “Thanks again, for everything.”

  “Remember your promise. I’m counting on you to hold your word. You know where to find us.”

  Alyssa climbed back into the car and backed down the dirt road. Once they couldn’t see the lights of her car anymore, Darien and Susan walked into the cave to check on Richard. He lay in the back of the truck. Someone had removed the hatchback cover and he was resting on a thick blanket. A second one was draped over his body. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. Large cuts decorated his face and both blankets were smattered with a fair amount of blood.

  The two friends glanced at each other and climbed into the cab of the truck. Susan put the rifle back into the case and tucked it away while Darien drove. He took his time on the dirt road, trying to not jostle Richard too much. When they got to the paved road, he picked up speed.

  “What happened?” Darien asked once they were on the highway and the road no longer demanded as much of his attention.

  “I was focused on you during the explosions, so I didn’t get to see how it started. When I looked up to the roof, I caught a glimpse of him fighting before it caved in and he fell into the inferno. I tried to find him, but all I saw were flames. I didn’t know what else to do, so I ran to the truck. I was panicking and about to give up when Richard limped around the corner and collapsed at my feet. I have no idea how he got there. He was bleeding, covered in soot, and barely conscious. I helped him into the bed of the truck and he passed out. I waited until the sirens started and then figured I had to get out before they found us.”

  She paused and her voice dropped. “I didn’t know if you were alive and was worried I was abandoning you.”

  Darien reached across the seats and squeezed Susan’s knee. “It’s okay. You didn’t abandon me. I know you’d never do that.”

  “Did Alyssa do what she promised?”

  “Yeah. We’re dead to the world now.”

  “What are we going to do about the hospital then?” Darien looked at her in confusion. “They have cameras. When we go inside, we’re going to be recorded. It isn’t like we can wear masks or something. And Richard needs help. We have to go to the hospital.”

  Darien sighed. “We’ll just have to hope for the best. I doubt anyone is screening security footage looking for us. We just can’t do anything to attract attention.”

  “What’s our story?”

  “Bear attack?”

  “That’ll work. It’s hunting season.”

  “It is?”

  Susan shook her head. “When we get there, let me explain what happened and just agree with me.”

  When they got to the hospital, Darien drove up to the emergency entrance and parked the truck. Susan jumped out while it was still rolling and ran inside to the front desk. Darien got out to check on Richard. The man’s breathing sounded raspy and weak, but he couldn’t be sure.

  “Hang in there, Richard.”

  Susan came out with a couple of nurses wheeling a gurney. They lifted Richard out of the back of the truck and eased him onto the mobile table. They wheeled him into the building as Darien watched them go. He parked the truck in the official lot and ran into the lobby. Susan sat in a chair near the front desk, filling out some paperwork. He sat down next to her and waited. Susan finished the papers and handed them in. She came back to Darien and grasped his hand as they sat in silence.

  The room had a couple of people waiting for their turn to be seen or for a friend or relative. But everyone was quiet. Darien could hear every magazine page as someone turned it. The entire room had the oppressive bleach-like odor associated with too much disinfectant. Darien tried to keep still, but kept fidgeting in his chair. After what felt like hours, a doctor walked out of the sliding doors leading to a labyrinth of near-identical hallways. He walked up to Darien and Susan.

  “Kathy and Sean?” the doctor asked. Darien and Susan nodded. “I thought you’d like to know that your cousin will be fine. There are some deep gashes that will cause some significant scarring, but he should heal well. We had to give him a blood transfusion and he received about thirty stitches in various places over his body. He was attacked by a bear?”

  “Yes. We were out hunting on an extended camping trip. We left some food out and forgot to bag it. When the bear came into camp, he tried to chase it off.”

  “Wow. I thought bears stayed away from campers. Regardless, he’s awake now and you can come back to see him if you’d like.”

  Darien and Susan followed the doctor through the white washed corridors. He led them to a door that opened into a room with a large bed. The room was practically identical to all the others they passed. Only the occupant and art on the wall varied. A small television was attached to the wall in the corner near the ceiling. Two chairs sat against the wall under the television. There was no window and only the single door.

  Richard sat back on the bed with his eyes open. He saw Susan and Darien in the doorway and looked relieved as he sank back into the cushions. The doctor left the three of them alone.

  “Are you both all right?” Richard voice was weaker than Darien imagined it could ever be. The air rasped out of his lungs when he spoke and there was a slight wheeze when he inhaled.

  “Yes. And apparently better than you.”

  Richard growled, but there was no animosity in his tone. “Did it work?”

  “Alyssa got what she needed. She said according to public record, I’m dead. And I think Lieutenant Olson and a lot of Shadows died in the blast.”

  “I told you it’d work,” Richard said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He took a deep breath.

  “We should get going.”

  “Where’re you going?” Richard asked, his eyes still closed.

  “Hunting. I’m going to finish the job.”

  “Let me go with you.”

  “No,” Susan spoke before anyone else could. “You need time to rest and get better. As it is, you’d slow us down and we’d both be worried about you.”

  “The job isn’t finished then? The marks?”

  Darien’s shoulders tensed. “Inky. She’ll be dead and I’ll be free by this time tomorrow.”

  Chapter 24

  “How are we going to find Sasha and Inky?” Susan asked as they walked out of the hospital.

  Darien climbed into the truck. “I’m not sure. I just know that I need to find her and put an end to this before it’s too late.”

  “What about with your dreams?”

  “I don’t think she’d come again if I summoned her. I doubt she’d fall for the same trick twice.”

  They sat in the truck for a moment without starting it up. Susan chewed on her bottom lip and Darien rested the back of his head against the cushions. He closed his eyes and sighed.

  “How would you find someone who was hunting you, if you had no leads to go on?” he asked the empty air in front of him.

  “That’s it. She’s hunting you, so she knows a fair amount about you, right? She probably knows that you’re not going to keep running. That’s not who you are. You’re too damn stubborn for your own good, plus you’ve shown that with the whole situation at the warehouse.

  “So if you wanted to find her, rather than lure her out, what would you do? It makes sense to try and find some trace of her, wherev
er you last saw her. A good step would be going back to the place where she tried to complete the ritual, looking for clues.”

  “I should walk right back into the lion’s den? I don’t even know if they’re still there. That’d be a suicide mission. I barely escaped from there last time, and I had help. I don’t know if I could do it on my own. It’s not worth it.”

  Susan shook her head back and forth. “You aren’t seeing the whole picture. I don’t mean that you should go back to the building.”

  “I’m confused.”

  “You said that you’re having these dreams and that other shifters could jump into them, right? And Alyssa said that with enough practice, you could peer into other people’s dreams. I’m sure they’re looking for yours right now. If you go back there in your dreams and replay the scene, that’s bound to get their attention. She’ll have no choice but to step in. Especially if you don’t call her and just make it look like you screwed up.”

  “And when they show up, I’ll have them. In the past when they’ve shown up, they’ve physically been there. I think they have to do that to do the ritual. Alyssa told me that if you die when you’re manifested, you die in real life too. I could do more than just lure them out. I could go after them. And with some of the tricks Alyssa taught me...”

  “No offense, but haven’t Sasha and her companion been doing this a lot longer than you? Do you think you’ll stand a chance against them in your dreams? If you faced them in the real world, at least I could help you. I think you’re better off just flushing them into the open.”

  “I don’t have the luxury of that choice. If she’s in charge, she could just stand back and get her minions to capture me when we meet. In the dream, I might be able to keep the odds even. After all, I’ll have an advantage. It’ll be my dream. I get to pick the battleground.”

  Susan chewed on her lip and remained silent. Darien turned the key in the ignition and drove until he found the closest motel. They rented a room, paying with cash. After unloading their gear into the room, Darien flopped down onto one of the two twin beds and tried to relax. Susan alternated between watching him and keeping an eye out the window.