Stirring Embers: An urban fantasy action adventure (The Light and the Void Book 1)

by Willem Killian

  He wondered why his Master hated them so. Hate was probably the wrong word, for true hatred of the humankind was reserved for another. This was the domain of the Fallen One and his kindred. Urøk wondered if they even knew of the Adversary's plan for Terra.

  The Destroyer gave the impression that mankind still had redeeming features, and that they, along with Terra, were still the Creator's crowning achievement. This alone warranted their genocide. Or so Urøk thought. No one was privy to the Adversary’s plans. For all he knew, the Fall of Mankind at the hands of the Harbinger could be nothing more than billions on their groveling knees. Or it could mean their complete extermination. He didn’t care either way.

  Looking at them, Urøk could almost understand why humans were held in such high esteem. They were certainly creative and ingenious. Not only did they possess a great intellect, but they had that desire to keep exploring and to create new things for themselves. There was something about the human species that you had to admire. They kept on pushing on.

  Why that would be the case, Urøk didn't know. Humans were a mixed bag. Just looking at their auras told you everything you needed to know. A handful were good, almost as pure as álvur. The majority were bland sheep, just trudging along. Then, there were a few who were dark, and utterly evil. Urøk wanted to reach out to these brothers of the dark, but never did. There were simply too many people around. They never seemed to have any privacy. Urøk knew that he could always follow one of these dark humans to their abode, but then he would lose the one with the Glow.

  She intrigued him. There was a strong resilience inside her. There was fire in her. A resolve that he hadn't seen in the others yet. Hopefully she would lead him away from this drab place filled with its mindless hordes and endless rows of gray life forces.

  At first, Urøk thought he would be happy living in a city like this, planning and executing his mission. There were parts of the city that reminded him of the Void. He could imagine himself being even more at home here during the nighttime. He could sense dark corners everywhere. There were even dark tunnels underneath his feet that would serve his purpose perfectly. He would be able to live there and travel unhindered across the width and breadth of this place. And there were so many of the human herd, that he would be able to feast on them for centuries.

  But he was afraid that in time, the place would rub off on him. That it would infect and change him, just as the Void had. He didn't want to become like these people. He didn't want to be like everyone else here. Just another cog in the machine. Another drone in service to the hive. Losing yourself in its singularity. Fading into just another gray wraith.

  Observing the masses, Urøk knew this to be true. All he had to do was look at them. The majority had faded, washed-out auras. As if they had become like their beloved machines. The bright colors that should have been present were missing. Urøk saw muted colors of love, passion, hope, joy. A lot of people had these things in their lives, but they were not living to the full. It was as if a dark cloud was following them around, blocking out the sunshine and the Creator's love for them.

  They already looked broken and chained, and this disappointed Urøk. What was the fun in enslaving a people who were already beaten, even before the war had begun? They were boring. They disgusted him. With all the potential they had inside of them, it was shocking to see how many simply went through the motions of their pathetic existence. They weren't even aware of their true potential.

  It made Urøk angry and he had to fight the urge to go on a killing frenzy. He wanted to materialize in front of them and just start tearing and slashing. The screams of terror and cries of agony would be a welcome change from this subdued world.

  It's strange, he thought. Seeing them this unhappy should have made me happy. Instead, I'm angry with them.

  His quarry made her way out of the park and across a road to a small squat building. It was odd to still see a single-story building in this sprawling metropolis. The woman entered the building and Urøk followed, a sense of elation filling him as they went into the bowels of the city. Urøk liked being out of the sunlight. He also liked the smells down here. There was nothing natural about any of it, except for dust in the air and a faint pocket of mildew. The rest were all man-made; sweat, concrete, steel, oil and the smell of more machines.

  She neared a flat surface, much like the walkways above ground. It overlooked a ditch that stretched off both ways into a tunnel. There were steel beams laid inside the trench that resembled a track. Another form of human transport pulled screeching and sparking into the waiting area. People were getting off of and onto giant steel worms. His quarry was obviously going to board one of the subway trains, so Urøk took the time to look around. She wasn't going anywhere just yet.

  He saw a human baby, sleeping peacefully at the feet of its mother. It was lying in a little carriage, blissfully unaware of the world and its dangers. It was amazing how these creatures were able to survive. Most animals when born, could fend and feed themselves within a short span of time. Not humans. They were completely dependent upon parents for their survival. Without parents, they were nothing but useless, screaming, bundles of meat.

  Its mother was looking raptly at the cellular phone in her hand, oblivious of everything and everyone around her. She was looking at moving images of other humans. She was ignoring her youngling completely, and had more time for the flat thing in her hand than her own flesh and blood. These humans had obviously grown soft. There were no more external dangers to be afraid of. No predators to snatch their babies and run off with them, devouring them. Urøk was about to take the baby and throw it on the steel beams before the wondrous mode of underground transport, wondering how long it would take the mother to realize that her baby was gone, when he paused. Something caught his attention.

  His quarry was talking to a younger female. And this one had a stronger Glow. It was the strongest he had seen so far. If she was made of the right stuff, then she would be able to move mountains.

  This one, he thought, might be the Harbinger.

  She might very well be the reason that he was sent here.

  CHAPTER 12

  Charlene and Eleanor boarded the subway train hastily. Charlene didn't understand the sudden change of mood in Eleanor.

  Charlene knew Eleanor for five years now, and in that time they had become good friends despite their age gap. Charlene still remembered fondly how they had met. Rosewater's parents had moved out of the city and bought the neighboring property. Best friends since they were three, Charl and RW were inseparable and wanted to fight the Prouza family's decision to relocate, potentially breaking the nine-year bond of their close friendship. On Charlene's first visit to the new Prouza home, the two friends decided to teach their parents a lesson and run away for a few days.

  They packed bags and set off into the Bear Mountain Reservation for a weekend of camping without telling anyone. They wanted it to look as if they had run away. As city kids, who had never been camping before they had no experience, but they had the confidence of youth on their side. They had a pop-up tent, some bottles of water, beef jerky, bags of trail mix, potato chips, a few chocolate bars, and sodas. They figured they had enough to last a week in the wilderness.

  But, the girls had chosen a bad weekend to run away from home. Rain clouds came down from the North and the heavens split open before the girls could find a suitable camp site. By the time their tent was up, they were drenched and the inside of the tent had a layer of water on the floor. It was a cold and miserable night. The next morning, it got worse. They realized that they had no idea from which direction they had come the night before. They were lost and their cell phones had no signal. So, they stayed put and hoped that someone would find them. Their salvation came in the form of Rosewater's new neighbor, Eleanor Kraye.

  When Eleanor found them, they were still wet and shivering. They were ready to go home, never to repeat the experience. Eleanor, at home for summer break from college, took an instant lik
ing to the two audacious youngsters who braved the wild in order to make a point. The youngsters also took a liking to the older girl who saved them from the wet and cold and guided them safely home.

  Eleanor ended up brokering a deal with both Prouza parents and Charlene's mom. The girls promised to never run away again, but in return, Charlene would visit every summer for as long as the girls wanted. And if they wanted to go camping, they would go with Eleanor - an experienced camper, who promised to take them.

  Now, five years later, the three of them knew each other pretty well and Charlene could tell that something was bothering Eleanor. She kept giving furtive glances from side to side in the crowded subway car. Because it was so crowded, they didn't have much chance to talk. The journey to the next change-over was only fifteen minutes anyway and they killed the time with inconsequential small talk about school and work. Charl's subtle attempts to get information from Eleanor were ignored.

  The quick change at Fulton Street led to more strange behavior from Eleanor, as if she was concerned that someone might be following them. Again, they boarded quickly.

  Another ten minutes was spent between Fulton and Grand Central, this time in something of an awkward silence and Charlene was convinced something was wrong. As soon as they were on the train, they would have a little more than two hours in each other's company, and Charlene was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

  It was very much a tradition by now that Charlene would stay next door during most holidays, but especially during the summer. Eleanor had watched the two girls grow year after year, and over the last three years, once she had decided to move permanently into her parent's house, she had bonded with the girls even more. They actually became good friends and would have movie sleepovers, would go out for dinner sometimes, and had even gone on a few camping trips and a three-day hike together.

  Rosewater seemed to be the stronger leader of the two, but that was only because she was the popular one and was used to getting her way. With an ex-supermodel socialite mother, and wealthy father that bowed to Rosewater's every whim and fancy, that was to be expected. The kid was still sensible, and a big reason for this was her friendship with Charlene. Charl kept RW grounded and modest. It was tough keeping the captain of the cheerleading squad and future prom queen from being completely self-absorbed.

  Charlene was a good kid and Eleanor couldn't help but feel protective of her. She had caught a glimpse of something at the subway station on Parkside Avenue, but it had been fleeting. It could have been her overactive imagination playing tricks on her. She didn't want to take chances though. She had her young charge and she was going to take care of her. She looked at Charl and smiled. It had been almost eight months since they had last seen each other. They still kept in touch via social media and the occasional phone call, but Charlene had changed in the last few months. The physical changes were subtle. It was the emotional changes that were more evident. Charl seemed to have grown up.

  She didn't possess Rosewater's obvious striking looks, but possessed her own subdued beauty. The fact that she did little to accentuate her looks, made her even prettier in Eleanor's eyes. With a bit of makeup, the right clothes and a new hairstyle, Charl would be able to turn even more heads.

  A shiver coursed through her as Eleanor thought of their meeting a few minutes ago. When they had hugged in greeting, as good friends do who only see each other every so often, she had felt at ease. The moment the hug was broken however, the hairs at the back of her neck involuntarily stood erect. She had an overwhelming feeling of being watched. She fought down the urge to turn around, fearing that she would see the thing. She didn't even want to entertain the thought that it was following her. Like a little child, she wanted to close her eyes and just pretend that nothing was there.

  She had looked at Charlene, hoping guiltily that the teen might see something behind her, but Charl had been all shy smiles and didn't let on that anything was out of place. That was one of Charlene's strong suits. She never showed what bothered her. She had an incredible poker face. Eleanor was sure however, that even stone-faced Charlene would have shown something if she had seen a monster.

  Eleanor snuck in a few glances to the sides and back as she helped Charlene pick up her duffel bag. Eleanor looked at the people in front of her, and spied at the people to her sides from the corner of her eyes. None of them seemed perplexed or outright terrified of an evil presence. No one let on that anything was out of place. She couldn't see anything, either.

  They boarded the subway train and made themselves as comfortable as they could between the press of humanity.

  Unable to have a meaningful conversation, Eleanor took a moment to think about it. The thing was evil, there was no doubt about that. She could feel it in her bones. Her marrow turned to ice just thinking of the thing. It had killed a person without hesitation, as if it had been something inconsequential. It was as if the monster had taken a human life at a whim, as if bored. Like a naughty child pulling the wings from a fly and then crushing it underfoot. The wink (if that is what that hideous thing had intended), was a sure sign that the thing felt no remorse. That it might even have been entertained at killing a human being.

  But what could it have been?

  You're assuming that it is real, the internal cynic piped in again.

  “You okay?” Charlene interrupted her train of thought.

  “Hmmm?” Eleanor offered.

  “You look worried.”

  The kid was too smart, Eleanor thought. If I lie to her, she'll see right through me.

  “Sorry,” Eleanor offered a reassuring smile. “It's nothing. I'm just being silly.”

  She pretended to brush it off and engaged in small talk about work and school. But she kept getting distracted. She couldn't shake the feeling that the thing was still following her, even though she couldn't see it.

  Before she knew it, they were at Fulton Street for their change. As they got out, standing on the platform and looking towards the back of the train, she could have sworn she saw something at the very back of the last subway car. But it was too quick and furtive for her to be sure. It was like a shadow had pulled back behind the train, hiding there. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin.

  She had one of two choices: walk to the end of the platform and look at the back of the train, or brush it off, blame it on frayed nerves and move on. In the end, she decided to move away and go to the next line. How would she explain her sudden curiosity to Charl if she walked to the end of the platform to inspect the train and tracks? What if she actually found the thing? That would be infinitely worse. No, it was better to just keep her head down and get out of the city. She obviously still had way too many demons here.

  They didn't have long to wait for the number 4 green line towards Woodlawn. To pass the time, Eleanor asked about the latest book Charlene had read. They shared a common love for mysteries and crime noir, although Eleanor didn't care much for Charlene's love of thrillers that bordered on horror. There was enough horror in the real world, Eleanor didn't have to spend her free time reading about it, too.

  Before they boarded for the short ten minute trip to the Grand Central Terminal, Eleanor scanned her surroundings again and sighed with relief when they got on without any more fleeting shadows or half-glimpses of monsters. She managed to ease her breathing and even pay attention to Charlene's account of the latest Stephen King novel she had read.

  At Grand Central, they had a short walk towards the correct platform, followed by a ten minute wait, which passed thankfully without incident. Once allowed, they boarded the New Haven 6534 that would take them to Havensford.

  They chose the second car from the front and sat down in the third row from the back, across from one another. Charlene's bags were small and compact, so they managed to store them beneath their seats.

  They sat down and Eleanor was feeling a little more relaxed when movement from outside on the platform caught her eye. As soon as she looked, she wasn't sure wha
t had triggered her head to whip towards the window. There was movement everywhere as people were milling about in one of the busiest train stations in the world. Movement was to be expected. So, what had caught her attention?

  “What's up?” Charlene broke her thought process.

  “What do you mean?” Eleanor asked innocently, trying her best not to submit to the magnetic pull of the window and the platform beyond.

  “You have a massive frown on your face and a worried look in your eyes. Something wrong?” The seventeen-year-old looked genuinely concerned.

  Eleanor managed a smile and made an effort to get rid of the frown. She hoped that her eyes were playing along.

  “Oh, no,” she smiled. “Nothing major. I was just,” she paused. She couldn't use the sunglasses excuse again, as they were on her head. “I was thinking of a problem that Dan and I discussed for the new book. I was just wondering if it was going to work out,”

  “Tell me!” Charlene was always interested in Eleanor's work for the world-famous author. She even helped Eleanor at times come up with dialogue for younger characters.

  “Well,” Eleanor began.

  She didn't mind talking to Charlene about work, especially since it would help focus her mind on something other than ghosts and shadows.

  For the next half-an-hour, they spoke about the handsome, hero detective and how he could outwit the killer in the next installment of the Jake Harlow book series. They discussed solutions, looked at them from all angles. Once they identified flaws, they would approach the problem from a different angle.

  Eleanor was in the middle of a sentence, explaining why Jake could not open the door to the murder room, when the metal sliding door at the far end of the carriage opened. Eleanor froze as the monstrous thing squeezed itself through the small opening and into their compartment. It was looking straight at her, and its extended jaw lifted in the air in victory, a smile spreading across its hideous face.