“Do you mean Gan?” Wake interrupted. “About this tall” —she placed her hand at chest height— “looks like a wall with legs, and is irritable most of the time?”
“That’s him,” Fuma said. “Surprised Regional didn’t have him retired. He was as much a threat as any of the Ward Masters.”
“I don’t think it was for lack of trying,” Wake said. “He is difficult to kill. He leads the Gray now.”
“Sorry, I don’t know what that is,” he answered. “But whatever it is, I’m sure it’s dangerous. That man was ferocious and shrewd.”
“The Gray is an intelligence branch of the Order,” Wake said. “But they operate on their own. The Order can’t shut them down without a protracted conflict.”
He looked off into the distance and his eyes lost focus for a few seconds.
“My invited guest is arriving,” he said. “Wait here. Touch nothing, unless you want to die horribly.”
He walked to one of the large doors, slid it open, and entered the adjoining room.
“Who do you think the ‘invited’ guest is?” Jas asked.
Wake grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close.
“Try and refrain from making crass comments,” she whispered as she tightened her grip. “He seems sane, but something is off about that old man.”
“Ow, okay,” Jas said. “I’ll just keep quiet.”
“That is the best suggestion you’ve made all day,” Wake answered and began looking at the living wards in the center of the room. “Every time I think I can make one of these out, it shifts configuration.”
Jas tapped her on the shoulder. “I know I said I would keep quiet…” she started.
“That lasted all of three seconds,” Wake answered without looking up. “It was more than I hoped for.”
“I think our ‘invited guest’ just arrived,” Jas said as she kept tapping Wake. “You need to see this.”
“Stop hitting my shoulder,” Wake said as she brushed Jas’s hand away and turned. The large door Fuma had exited through stood open. The wardlings escorted a gurney into the room. Fuma entered and closed the door behind them.
“I’m sure no introductions are needed,” he said with a hint of excitement. “This is the weapon I will use to destroy the Order. This is the next Jade Demon. Take her to the circle.”
The wardlings pushed the gurney into the center of the circle and stepped outside, leaving it in place. The figure had a sheet draped over her body obscuring her face.
“That’s not creepy in the least,” Jas whispered out of the side of her mouth.
“Quiet,” Wake whispered back.
They both remained at the edge of the circle as Fuma entered and stood next to gurney. He pulled back the sheet and revealed a pale Sepia, lying unconscious.
THIRTY-FIVE
Gan caught his breath and centered it. He could feel the damage from the Akitsu process and knew he didn’t have much time. He looked at Belu and caressed her face softly one last time.
Every Hall has a passage. Just need to find it.
He ran down the corridors, familiar with the layout until he found the steps. They led to the Hall passage and one of the other Halls. He hesitated on the steps.
No! Need Nameless first. Can’t leave it.
He backtracked and found another set of stairs. He took them up to the highest level. In the center of the floor, inside seven concentric circles, sat a tall, oblong case.
The heptagonal case, made of clear glass and stone, stood eight feet tall from the floor. The bottom half consisted of pink marble and the top half of clear glass. Inside, on a tripod, rested a hilt. Gan looked down and took care not to step on the circles.
Each of the circles consisted of ancient wards. Gan closed his eyes as waves of energy washed over him and he swayed, almost falling over.
Can’t touch wards. Only touch circles.
He took another breath, opened his eyes and suppressed a giggle.
Only one path. Only one way.
He stepped from circle to circle until he reached the case. At the case, he stood back and began sobbing.
Running out of time.
He placed a hand on one side of the case, followed by the other six in a specific sequence. The glass slid down, allowing access to the hilt. He ignored it, though, and touched the sides of the case again in a reverse order from the first time. A panel in the bottom half slid to the side, revealing a sword in a scabbard. He grabbed the scabbard and nearly dropped it when he heard the sound of clapping behind him.
“I would have gone for the hilt,” Onyx said. “That was clever.”
Beside him stood Velos with a scowl and his arms crossed.
“Always with the ego with your kind,” Velos said. “You should’ve let him come back before revealing yourself. How will we get it now?”
“He’ll bring it to us,” Onyx said with an outstretched hand. “Isn’t that right, Gan? Bring us the sword—we will take care of it.”
Gan took several steps forward, away from the case. He looked at Onyx and then at Velos. Clarity returned in that moment and he locked eyes with Velos.
“Oh, shit,” Velos said and wrapped himself in black smoke.
Onyx looked to the side, taken by surprise by the sudden movement. Velos was encased in a sphere of smoke.
“What are you doing?” Onyx asked. “He can’t hurt us.”
“Staying alive,” Velos answered.
“He’s harmless,” Onyx replied. “His mind is gone. Stop being a coward and help me get the sword.”
Onyx turned back to Gan. “Give me the sword, Ganriel,” he said. “Give it to me.”
“Give…it…to…you?” Gan asked as he held out the scabbard.
His face contorted as he struggled with the words.
Onyx stood at the edge of the circle, but didn’t dare cross over the outer circle’s edge.
“Yes, give it to me!” Onyx said impatiently and reached out again.
Gan stepped back to the case and smiled.
“Onyx, I may be losing my mind,” he said, “but I’ll never be that crazy. Time to die.”
He grabbed the hilt and lifted it from the tripod.
Nothing happened.
“Velos, what did I tell you?” Onyx boasted. “This thing is so old it must have malfunc—”
The explosion of energy blossomed from the center of the case and radiated outward, destroying everything in its path. Onyx stood for an entire three seconds before he disintegrated. The walls of the top floor were gone, which caused the roof to collapse, burying the sword room under tons of stone and debris.
*******
Velos removed the sphere of smoke and stood.
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall,” he said as he made his way to the center of the sword room. “You don’t fall much farther than that.”
He knelt down and began digging, picking his way through the debris. After a few minutes, he found a hand and dug around it. In short order he had uncovered Gan.
“Figured it would do the same as mine and keep you alive,” Velos said. “Being the Nameless, I wouldn’t expect any less.”
Gan opened his eyes and coughed. The lower half of his body was buried under the rubble.
“Velos,” he said and coughed, spitting up blood.
“Not looking too good there, Gan.”
“I’ve had better days,” Gan said.
“The crazy act was good,” Velos said. “Almost had me there for a second. Until I looked in your eyes and saw death.”
“Not…not an act,” Gan said. “Akitsu Mindswipe. He had a Dragonfly—she used to be a friend.”
“Shit,” Velos said and manifested Retribution. “Do you want me to end it? Mindswipe isn’t a warrior’s death. I can give you that last mercy, you deserve that much, but I have to take this.”
He reached down and grabbed the scabbard containing the Nameless.
“No,” Gan said. “I’ll go out on my own
terms.”
“Suit yourself,” Velos said and absorbed Retribution. “A slow, pain-filled death awaits you.”
“You’re bonded to a sword,” Gan wheezed. “You can’t be bonded to two named blades.”
“I won’t be,” Velos said and stood, holding the scabbard in front of his body. “This one is nameless. Goodbye, Gan. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but I always respected you on the field.”
He gave him a short bow, traced a ward, and stepped through it disappearing from the Hall.
*******
Gan coughed up more blood as he waited for the end. Suddenly, the air shimmered in front of him and a figure stepped through.
“Gan!” Rafael yelled and rushed over to him. “I had to get the ward path. Goddammit, what happened?”
“Just like you…late to the party,” Gan said and gasped. Velos…he has…he has the Nameless.”
“Stop talking,” Rafael said. “We’ll worry about that later.”
“No,” Gan said, grabbing his arm. “You need to worry about it now. Forget about me, it’s too late.”
“Stop telling me what to do,” Rafael said and pulled out his phone. “Pira, can you track me?”
He traced a ward. It floated and split falling on Gan’s chest.
“Yes, I have you and one Ganriel—the Director of the Gray?” she said. “Sir, it appears he’s in critical condition.”
“I realize that,” Rafael said. “Listen to me carefully. I need you to lock onto both of us and use the emergency evac. You said it could transfer up to three people.
“Sir, it’s only been minimally tested,” she said. “He’s badly injured. The transfer may do more harm than good.”
“Does it work?” he asked, losing his patience.
“Well, theoretically it’s—” she started. “Did you use the ward?”
“Yes, I used the ward,” he said. “It’s an emergency evac, right?”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “It’s designed for the purposes of—”
“Then use it—now,” he interrupted, raising his voice.
“Sir, yes sir,” she answered and hung up.
Nothing happened for a few seconds.
“You need to learn how to speak to your employees,” Gan whispered. “Social interaction is an important skill.”
“Shut up,” Rafael replied. “What the hell is taking so long?”
“See? That’s exactly what I mean,” Gan said. “Poor social skills. They had Belu—used a Mindswipe on me.”
“Now I know you’re delirious. The Dragonflies were eliminated in the last war,” Rafael answered. “We were both there.”
“I’m serious, Rafael…headed to a psychic break,” Gan whispered. “When it gets bad, I want you to finish it.”
“No, this isn’t the war,” Rafael said. “If you are dealing with a Mindswipe, which I doubt, we have the tech to reverse it. It was developed after the purge.”
Gan patted him on the hand. “Good for you,” he said and lost consciousness.
*******
Rafael pulled out his phone again. He was about to call Pira when he saw the wards he had traced pulse. In the next second, an orange light blinded him and they were gone.
THIRTY-SIX
“What’s wrong with her?” Jas asked.
“A few things, actually,” Fuma answered. “She’s wielding a dark blade. She somehow managed to bond to an Unholy artifact. This is especially noteworthy since she isn’t Unholy.”
“What about her eye, that glowing thing it does?” Wake asked. “Everyone says it’s because she half-Nightmare.”
“I didn’t say she didn’t have an Unholy parent—again, another thing to look into further,” he said. “I just said she’s not Unholy.”
“So the eye is just like a birthmark?” Jas asked.
“I didn’t say that either,” he answered. “Listen, many species on this planet have the ability of bioluminescence.”
“That’s not what that is, Master Fuma,” Wake said. “Her eye has power.”
“Step back and away from the circle,” he said. “I’m going to remove what’s left of the inhibitor mask. This is a crude and ugly thing. Who put this on?”
“Hep, the weapons master of the Gray, with several warders,” Wake said. “She almost killed them.”
“She would have been doing the charlatans a favor,” he said in disgust. “Not even my first-year students would dare such a hack job. I’d remove their fingers.”
“They tried their best,” Wake said. “Like I said, she was in full sword-mode and almost killed a few of them. They were probably scared out of their minds.”
“It shows,” he said as he touched what was left of the mask. “This thing is useless now.”
He traced several wards and let them fall gently on the mask. It dissolved, leaving her face bare. He motioned for them to get closer.
“Is she okay?” Jas asked.
“No, she isn’t,” he said, his voice strained. “You two grab her feet and shoulders. Chusi, remove the gurney. Once it’s out of the way, place her gently on the floor and then step the hell away. Don’t step on any of the wards around the circle.”
They did as he instructed and placed Sepia on the floor in the center of the circle. She was breathing deeply but remained unconscious.
“She’s so peaceful,” Jas said.
“Well, that’s going to change in a hurry,” he said. “Chusi, Tami, guard the doors. I don’t want any interruptions while this is happening.”
“Yes, Master,” they said simultaneously.
“Nothing odd with that at all,” Jas said to herself.
“Focus,” Wake said. “If something is going to happen, it’s going to happen here. I don’t trust him.”
Each of the wardlings stood in front of the large doors.
“The first step is the unbinding,” he said and started to weave wards around Sepia.
“Won’t that kill her?” Wake asked as her hand rested lightly on one of her knives. “Hunters who are unbound die.”
“Not if I’m doing the unbinding,” he said. “I created the wards of binding. They took them and twisted their purpose.”
He made several more gestures and his hands began to trail light as they moved through the air. He put one hand on her head and gestured with the other. A large globule of silver erupted from her chest and solidified above her. He touched it and it formed into Perdition. She gasped but remained unconscious.
He pushed the sword away and it remained floating off to his right. He placed both hands on Sepia’s abdomen and closed his eyes. He remained frozen that way for several minutes. Finally he lifted one hand and gestured to Wake.
“What do you need?” she asked.
“Get me a receptacle from the table over there,” he said, distracted. “This thing can’t touch the circle or we will be the last thing each other sees. Get ready.”
“What am I doing?” Wake asked, nervous. “Do I have to go in the circle?”
“No! No, please stay outside the circle,” he said, getting his voice under control. “I’ll pass it to you and you give it to Chusi.”
He placed his other hand back on Sepia’s abdomen and pushed. A black stream erupted from her mouth as Fuma continued pushing. When the stream finished exiting her body, he lifted his hands from her and made a squeezing motion in the air.
The cloud froze in place and shrank as he compressed his hands together. When he was done, a small orb the size of a large marble floated in front of him. He pushed it gently to Wake, who caught it with the receptacle.
“What was that?” Wake asked.
“That was the artifact, or what was left of it that I could remove,” he said. “She absorbed quite a bit.”
“I thought it would be larger,” she said. “Where’s the rest?”
He looked down. “In her. It was in there too long. I hope I got enough of it to prevent another Nightmare Lord.”
“You hope?” Wake asked. “What if you�
��re wrong?”
“Then we die,” he said calmly. “Last part of the transformation—ready?”
“Not much of a choice,” she said. “What are you doing now?”
“I’m going to give her the advantage she needs,” he said. “I have a feeling the Nameless will be in play soon. If that’s true, she’s your only hope. Now, back out. If this goes wrong this circle will collapse, and destroy everything inside.”
“But you’re in here,” she said.
“I know,” he said. “Step back.”
Wake stepped back, careful to avoid the living wards. When she some distance from the circle, Chusi stepped next to her and took the receptacle.
“Careful with that,” she said.
Chusi smiled and nodded as he walked away with it.
“What’s happening?” Jas asked. “What was the black goo?”
“Most of the artifact,” Wake answered.
“Most of it?” Jas said. “Where’s the rest?”
“In Sepia,” Wake answered. “I hope he got enough or this is going to be a short transformation.”
Fuma took a deep breath and made another gesture. The Jade Demon appeared above Sepia’s chest and floated. He looked at Perdition and made a fist. The sword reverted to a silver globule. He waved his hand to his chest and the silver globule encased the Jade Demon.
“What are you doing?” Wake asked.
“What needs to be done,” he said. “What I promised her mother long ago.”
He placed a hand on the pendant and shoved it down into her chest. It resisted for a moment and then slammed into Sepia, who opened her eyes and screamed.
“You killed her, you bastard!” Wake said and pulled her gun. “I knew I couldn’t trust you.”
Sepia unleashed a wave of power that threw them all across the floor. Wake recovered first and headed for Fuma. He gestured and walls of energy fell into place between them. Wake stood there, glaring at him. He opened one of the large doors and stepped into the other room. Chusi and Tami stood next to him. He held the receptacle with the artifact in one hand.
“If she doesn’t calm down in a few minutes, she will complete the transformation to Nightmare Lord,” he said. “If she does calm down, she’ll be the next Jade Demon.”
Sepia Blue- Nightmare: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 3 Page 14