City of Burning Shadows (Apocrypha: The Dying World)

by Barbara J. Webb

  I’d conceded the game before I understood the stakes. Now all I could do was keep fighting forward and pray it wasn’t too late.

  I ghosted my way around the outer edge of Miroc, sacrificing a direct path for one that would keep me out of habited neighborhoods and the eruptions I could hear already happening. The city smelled of smoke and dust. The skyline sparkled with flickering embers. This was the end of the world, and if I couldn’t stop it, I was going to get to stand and watch it happen.

  “This can’t be how it ends,” I whispered to the empty night and any gods who might still be listening.

  The others made it to the Web before me. Iris met me at the base, dropping out of the sky and shifting in midair to land light on her feet. “They’re waiting above.”

  I felt like I should say something, that the moment required…something. “Iris, I—”

  “Come on, Ash.” She shot back up into the air.

  I climbed.

  #

  Spark already had the access panel open, and Vogg was halfway inside as I inched my way along the thick support girder that got us up here. “I see the maintenance door,” he said, pulling himself out. His wide, plated shoulders barely fit through the opening, but the rest of us would have no trouble.

  Syed, sitting cross-legged on the girder, looked up as I joined the group. I expected an I-told-you-so of some sort, but all he did was scan me up and down with his flat blue eyes.

  “Still me,” I said.

  “I know.”

  The Iris who landed next to me was an Iris I’d never seen before. Silver-white hair, pale, angular face, simple black clothing. Usually, no matter what race Iris appeared as, I could still pick her out in a room. Little details, big details, wild colors, and a liveliness to her bearing gave her away no matter who or what she was. Not this time. Her disguise was perfect.

  “Wow,” Spark said. “That’s amazing.”

  Perfectly incharacter, Iris didn’t smile, only turned a cold gaze on Spark. “You think Amelia kept me around just for my pretty face?” She shivered and the faintest hint of blue washed over her skin. “Come on. I’ve been Jansynian for ten seconds and I’m bored already. The security chip ready?”

  And all at once, I saw the flaw in our plan. “Hold on. We’ve got a problem.”

  Syed looked pointedly down at the burning city below us, then back at me with an eyebrow raised. “A problem, you say?”

  And people said the Silent One’s Favored Son had no sense of humor. “With the plan,” I said, just as scornful. “With Iris. If she’s going to be ahead of us, if she’s going to be out of our sight…”

  I was glad everyone else knew the situation well enough I didn’t have to finish that sentence. Spark gave a “Dammit!” as Vogg slammed his fist against the wall.

  Only Syed was unfazed. “It isn’t a problem.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Iris said, her low, even tone utterly alien.

  “Iris is safe.” Syed stood, waved her towards the entry. “She cannot be taken. Her kind—they have no substance. Their very essence is repulsive to us.”

  “Likewise,” Iris said, unsmiling. “And good to know.” She leaned forward so Spark could press the security disc against her collarbone. “Are we ready?”

  For this? How could we ever be? But I nodded. Spark and Vogg did the same.

  “In we go then.” Iris shimmied through the open panel. After that, there was no turning back.

  #

  For the most part, we followed Copper’s plan. It was the best we had.

  Entering through the access hatch, we were able to cut into a maintenance tunnel. Security here was light—no cameras, no guards, and with my modified security tab broadcasting our right to be here to the Crescent sensors, we encountered no trouble. I understood why Copper had seen this as a hole to be exploited. She hadn’t understood that perimeter security could afford to be light. They didn’t mind if getting in the door was easy, because once you were inside, they had you.

  Vogg led through the tunnel, sword in one hand and gun in the other. If we ran into trouble, there’d be no warning, no discussion. This was a point he and I had had to argue with Spark. We were invaders, and if we were spotted, Desavris wouldn’t hesitate to use deadly force against us. We would have to shoot first.

  My gun had gone to Syed. In close quarters, I couldn’t be sure I’d hit one of them instead of one of us. He held the rear, and I had to fight the urge to keep looking over my shoulder. I knew he was on our side, but it couldn’t keep me from being nervous with him at my back.

  Spark was in front of me, a bag stuffed full of equipment over her shoulder and a NetPad in her hand displaying the schematic I’d seen at Copper’s place. Spark watched it as we walked, poking at the screen when lights flashed, zooming in and out seemingly at random. I was afraid to disturb her by asking what she was doing.

  Iris had the place in front of Spark, behind Vogg. Unarmed, but Iris didn’t need weapons to fight. The grim expression on her face was out of character, but she didn’t have an audience until we were out of this tunnel.

  I gave in to my urge to look at Syed, covered it with a question. “If we run up against the shadows—” I started, but Syed corrected me.

  “When they find us.”

  “Yes, okay, when. How do we keep them away from Spark long enough for her to do what she needs to do?”

  “We kill them,” Syed said, matter-of-fact.

  Ahead, Iris snorted. “You say that like it’s so easy. What do you think Ash and I have been trying to do all this time?”

  “The fact you’ve survived this long is extraordinary.” Syed spoke without mockery. “Believe me when I say you are unique in all of history. No one else has learned our secrets and lived to exploit them.”

  “Because your god isn’t around anymore to protect you,” I said.

  “Perhaps. Probably. For whatever reason, here you are. And you have fought one of us and lived. I saw what happened in the warehouse. I saw it touch you. I saw you drive it away.”

  “With magic,” Iris said.

  Syed nodded. “Then that is your answer.”

  “But how—”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Magic is your expertise, not mine.”

  Expert or not, in this realm, I was flying blind. Even if the beginning of an idea was forming in my mind.

  Vogg stopped, placed his hand against the wall. “This is the place. This is where Copper said to break through.”

  Once we broke through, the race started in earnest. “Iris, you know the way?” I asked.

  She nodded, lips pulled tight.

  “They’ll know we’re coming,” Syed said softly. “They’ll be waiting for us.”

  Because Copper had been one of them. Even if this plan was insane, even if she remembered I’d said it would never work. “Will they know the minute we’re in? Can they sense you? Can they sense me?”

  Syed shook his head. One small thing in our favor.

  Spark pulled a cutting torch out of her bag and handed it to Vogg. He holstered his gun to take it, but kept his sword out and ready. “One last time. Iris leads, we follow. Any Jansynians she can’t steer us around or deflect away, I will incapacitate. Syed will keep us hidden from the cameras and Spark will manage the security sensors. We will go as directly as we can to the satellite lab, where we will barricade ourselves in and hold that space as long as we need to repair the satellite.” We all nodded and he lit the torch.

  No job for me except the one I still wasn’t certain I could do. “If they come at us one at a time—”

  “They won’t.” Syed wasn’t going to let me have any illusions. “Or if one of them does, they’ll flee from me. They’ll attack three at once.”

  Which was why he was here with us. Syed needed us, which was for the best, because we absolutely needed him.

  They wouldn’t separate themselves once they saw him. But they might—at least, one of them might—for me. “Vogg, wait. I have an
idea.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  In the Shadow's Arms

  I have to say this for Jansynian security: they are every bit as on-the-ball as advertised.

  I was in the hall less than thirty seconds before two teams in perfect unison came around corners to cut me off ahead and behind. “Hands up,” the leader of the team before me said in a cool Jansynian voice.

  I complied and hands came from behind to pat me down for weapons at the same time a woman in the team in front of me ran a scanner up and down. Efficient, but not troublesome. I wasn’t armed.

  “Drake,” the woman with the scanner reported. “Clearance four-oh-seven-C, but he’s not tagged, and his entry is marked immediate delivery to Director Seana.”

  That had been my biggest worry, that Seana would have flagged me as kill-on-sight or something equally horrible, but I’d made the gamble based on the woman I knew and the shadow that had possessed her, both of whom had claimed to love me. “Lucky me, the director is exactly the woman I was looking for.”

  The team leader before me tilted his head, his eyes losing focus. Listening, I realized, when he said, “Get repair down immediately. Scout and secure the breach-point.” His attention focused back on me and I was pretty sure I could read exasperation in that calm Jansynian demeanor. “They would have let you through the front gate.”

  I flashed the most relaxed smile I could manage. “Last time I was here, there was a bit of a problem with the lift. I was worried they wouldn’t have had time to repair it yet.”

  The hands from behind pulled my arms down and crossed my wrists, then something cool and solid clamped around them. I didn’t struggle. “Follow me,” the man in front said.

  I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered that I rated two whole teams to escort me through the building, or if that was simply standard procedure. Not that I imagined they suffered a lot of break-ins.

  As I followed my escorts, I kept my eyes and focus primed for any hint of a shadow. While I was pretty sure Seana would give me a chance to talk, neither of the other two shadows seemed to like me very much.

  In the predawn hours, the Desavris halls were nearly empty. While I’d seen this before—while we’d been counting on that for our plan—a part of me was still surprised to see it. Miroc was burning below them, and up here it was quiet, peaceful, business as usual. Surely someone had noticed. Did none of these people even care about the millions of lives being torn apart below them?

  They took me to Seana’s office, which was exactly where I wanted to be. Seana was at her desk. Amelia stood behind her. Another Jansynian in a Desavris security uniform sat across the desk from them both. Shadows one, two, and three were clearly visible in each of them.

  “Thank you, Aran,” Seana said to the guard in the lead. “You may leave him with me.”

  I wondered what the security officers thought, Seana making friends with not just one, but two humans. Was obedience so ingrained they didn’t even think about it? Seana—the real Seana—had been worried about the effect her relationship with me could have on her career, so obviously someone cared. Where were those people? Why weren’t they paying attention?

  They didn’t remove my handcuffs, which was too bad. Bound and helpless, I stood there as the living, breathing Jansynians left me alone with the shadows.

  “Well now, isn’t this a surprise?” Seana leaned forward, resting her chin on her tented fingers.

  “I’ve taken some time and reconsidered your offer.” As casually as I could manage with my hands behind my back, I hooked the other chair with my foot and sat down next to shadow number three.

  “Have you now? And what makes you think it’s still open?”

  “The fact I’m not dead yet.”

  Amelia leaned forward over Seana’s shoulder. “Where is the Fyean? Where is Syed? Tell us that and maybe we’ll consider letting you beg for your life.”

  I saw the flash of anger on Seana’s face. It was too much to hope I’d get them actually fighting amongst themselves, but a little argument could be distracting. Could slow them down. “I don’t know where they are. I came straight here from the disaster at the reservoir.”

  “He’s lying,” shadow three said. He leaned towards me, reached out a hand.

  I jerked back, stumbling out of my chair. There was only so much pretense of calm I could manage.

  Amelia laughed. “Afraid, Ash? Oh, very good. This will be fun.”

  “Stop it,” Seana snapped. “Both of you. We’re going to listen to what he has to say.”

  “Why?” Amelia asked. “Give him to Terrel. Once he’s become Ash, we’ll know everything.”

  I stood up straight again. “Because that worked so well last time you tried it.”

  Amelia snarled, an ugly expression the real Amelia would never have worn. And shadow three had slumped back in his chair in a decidedly un-Jansynian posture. Their facades were slipping. Or they realized there was no point playing their roles in front of me.

  Seana was still Seana, in speech, in posture, from the line of her shoulders to the set of her mouth. “Be careful, Ash.”

  She had no idea how careful I was being. And I wanted to keep it that way. I didn’t want them reaching agreement about me, one way or the other. At least, not yet.

  In the video screens behind her, nothing looked out of place. Hallways, offices, labs and gardens and gyms and markets, all the living and working places within Desavris—empty in these early-morning hours. Quiet. Orderly.

  Except when I unfocused my eyes just so, twisted my mind into that place I’d first found when I broke through the misdirections on Eddis’s security footage. I didn’t dare look too long, but I saw a shimmer on one of the screens, a sign of my friends’ passage, hidden so well by whatever strange mirage Syed was able to weave.

  “Miroc is burning,” I said to Seana, letting a very honest desperation fill my voice. “There’s nothing left for me out there.”

  She leaned back in her chair, forcing Amelia to take a step back. “I gave you the choice and you ran. Why should I listen now?”

  “I was scared. I’m still scared. You have to understand—everything that’s happened—it was too much. I couldn’t, right then I couldn’t deal with what you were offering. With the truth of who you were and what you were.”

  “And now?”

  How real was the hope in her voice? I couldn’t let myself think about it. I couldn’t afford sympathy for the monster. “Seana left me. When she brought me up here, it was only to use me. You were the one who offered me a home. I see that now.”

  “Oh please,” Amelia muttered.

  Shadow number three—Terrel—said, “You can’t possibly allow this. He’s too dangerous. He knows about us. That alone should be a death sentence.”

  I glanced up at the screens again. If I understood what I was looking at, my friends were almost to the satellite lab and, so far, no alarm had been raised.

  The lab itself was visible on one of Seana’s monitors. I recognized it easily enough—I’d spent plenty of intense time staring at videos of it. From here, it looked empty. More good news. Maybe this was going to work.

  “He’d have to help us find Syed and the Fyean.” This from Amelia.

  Seana nodded. “Yes, I will require that you help us hunt down and destroy Syed. The Fyean,” she shrugged, “doesn’t matter so much anymore.”

  “What? Why not?” I probably should have aimed for a more casual tone, but she’d startled me.

  “Because I decommissioned that lab. There’s nothing she can do.”

  I looked back up at the satellite lab. I couldn’t stop myself. Horror dulled my thinking. This time, Seana saw it. She looked at the screen, back to me, her eyes narrow.

  She’d been a brilliant woman. She’d fought her way to a director’s position in the second largest Jansynian corporation in the world. And she’d known me well, both before and after. “They’re here,” she said.

  The other two stared up at the scre
en. “Syed.” Amelia’s fists clenched. “He’s here.”

  Unconcerned, Seana tapped several commands into her computer. “The two of you can handle him. I’ve sent two full security teams down to help with the rest.”

  “What about him?” Terrel waved his hand at me. “He lied. Again.”

  “To protect his friends. Who among us can fault loyalty? Especially when it won’t matter in just a few more minutes.”

  I tried to think, tried to whip out some clever thought. Some way to warn Spark, some way to distract Seana, some way to delay the inevitable. But I couldn’t move past Seana’s casual declaration that we’d already lost. “What did you do?”

  “Go take care of this,” she said to Amelia and Terrel. “I’ll be fine.”

  They left us alone together. Seana still had her eyes on the screen. “A pity we can’t see what’s actually happening down there. I don’t suppose you’d disrupt Syed’s illusion if I asked nicely. I know you’re capable of it.”

  I wanted to see, too, but it would give her more of an advantage than it gave me. “I’m surprised you haven’t raised the alarm.”

  Her lips pressed into a thin smile. “What, and warn your friends we know they’re there? What good would that do?”

  I had to trust Iris, that she and Vogg could hold things together, that they were watching for danger. I had to do what I came here to do, and do it quickly. But I couldn’t look anxious, couldn’t let Seana see I was in any hurry. I couldn’t let her start to wonder, start to worry. I had to keep her relaxed and convinced she was in charge.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “For what?”

  I tried to relax once more in the chair, as comfortable as I could get with my hands behind my back. “For not understanding. For running away.”

  She gave up on the screen, which still showed no activity, and faced me once more. “You would never have given us Spark.”

  “No. But as you just said, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

  Her gray eyes softened and her lips quirked. Not quite a smile, but the look was so Seana it made me ache. “We were in a delicate position. I couldn’t cut off the project. It wasn’t in Seana’s jurisdiction, for one thing. And it would have raised too many questions. And once I became Seana—once I wasn’t Eddis anymore—I couldn’t remember enough to be able to sabotage it again like I had before.