Angela’s face twisted in anger. She pulled a gun from behind her back and levelled it at Shilpy. “There doesn’t need to be any more loss of life tonight. If you come with us, we’ll leave. We can use the Star on your friend. Find a cure. Or you can be selfish, and we’ll take it from you. I don’t want that, Miss Chopra. I don’t think you do either.”
Shilpy shook her head but didn’t move. She couldn’t go back to the sisters. If she did, she’d never get away again. If she didn’t, though, how many more people would lose their lives in this insanity?
Angela edged closer, until she was on Shilpy’s side of the road. She never lowered the gun. Shilpy backed up. “Ms. Chopra, you will—”
A low, guttural growl interrupted Angela. Shilpy spun in time to see two shadows blur past the streetlights. Angela and Denise froze.
“Run!” Shilpy screamed.
Angela fired into the air, but the shadow grabbed her and threw her back across the road. Denise remained where she was, spinning in a slow circle, trying to locate the source of the noise.
Shilpy spotted something moving in the nearby light, streaking towards Denise. She intercepted it and swung the sword up and into a low arc. The demon whimpered once, and a powdery substance exploded in the air where the monster had been.
The growling grew louder. The shadow that had Angela moved into a pool of light, and Angela was thrown up and into the air. Denise’s eyes widened in horror.
“It’s real. Your visions—”
“Never mind that. Keep her safe. I’ll get the dog.”
Angela swung back and forth through the air. Denise dashed into the street trying to catch her before she could hit the pavement. As the two women crashed to the ground, Shilpy leaped into the light and brought the sword down. There was a loud howl, and then the creature was gone.
In the distance, a dozen more howls and barks echoed back.
“Go!” Shilpy screamed.
“But Thomas . . .”
“Get back.”
Another creature advanced into the light, growling. Angela staggered to her feet. When she saw the black shape, she shrieked before turning and running for a nearby wooden fence.
The shadow made a move for Angela. Shilpy stepped forward and swung the blade, but the shadow retreated several steps and disappeared into the darkness again.
Angela rolled inelegantly over the fence and disappeared with a thud.
“Shilps . . .”
“No time. I haven’t abandoned Thomas. Please trust me—”
The creature darted back again, and Shilpy was pulled to the concrete. Another shadow joined the first, but Shilpy brought the blade down. Both beasts retreated. She was free again.
Swearing, Shilpy shuffled backward.
“Shilps—”
“Go!”
Denise’s footsteps echoed down the street, and then the shadows surged towards Shilpy a second time. The blade sliced through one, leaving dust behind. Another three appeared to surround her, but they stopped short.
They must be afraid of the sword.
She swung at the air in front of her, but the beast she was aiming for slipped into the darkness again. Shilpy retreated several steps and gasped as she bumped into someone behind her.
“Is that what I think it is?” Terry asked Wolf.
Each of the boxers lowered a gun and aimed at her. “Who the hell are you and how did you get that sword?” Wolf asked.
Oh god! If Wolf got the sword, then her vision of him fighting Dusk in the alley would come true. Forgetting the bag for the moment, Shilpy raised the blade defensively and stepped sideways, trying to keep both men in sight. She noticed a moment too late that Wolf’s shadow had fallen into the streetlight.
A dark shape leaped at him, and the boxer cried out in pain before the monster threw him into the lamp. Without thinking, Shilpy charged forward and took the shadow dog out. It evaporated into dust.
Something hard struck her across the jaw, and she was on the ground. Dazed, Shilpy shook her head. Terry stood over her holding the sword in his bloodied hands.
“Dude, not cool,” Wolf said, climbing to his feet. He turned to Shilpy. “I don’t know who you are, or how you got this, but I’m assuming you’re with the Keres Ter Nyx.” Shilpy didn’t answer.
Terry handed him the sword.
Wolf inspected it carefully, turning the blade around in his hand and examining each marking.
Terry put his hands on Shilpy’s shoulders. “If she is Keres Ter Nyx, we can’t trust her, Dennis.”
Wolf ignored him. “You’re the one who bought the sword at the auction. I heard about you. Where’s Anderson?”
Shilpy turned away. Wolf studied her but then dropped his head.
“I see. Was it you? Or Ms. Wick?” Shilpy cringed. She’d never been a good liar. “Neither, then,” Wolf said. “Who killed him?”
“Take your hands off her!” Dusk shouted from the other end of the street. Shilpy’s gaze moved from Dusk to Wolf, who still held the sword.
It was happening.
Chapter 16
“No!” Shilpy moaned, raising her arm towards Dusk. Hadn’t there been enough death? “Run. Please run.”
He scowled.
Wolf glanced from Shilpy’s outstretched arm to Dusk and back again. He frowned as his mind worked it all through.
“Let her go,” Dusk commanded.
“Why?” Wolf asked, pacing back and forth with the Sword of Ponos held tightly in his right hand. He rested the flat of the blade against his broad shoulder. Based on how the man moved his feet, Shilpy could see he had skill. “Were you trying to steal the sword for yourself?” he asked Dusk.
“I could ask you the same question. Why is Mestor chasing after a weapon that can defeat the shadowpack?”
Wolf stopped.
“So you knew,” Dusk said.
“A moment ago, the shadowpack attacked me,” Wolf said. “Maybe Mestor was right to be concerned.”
Terry gripped Shilpy’s shoulders tighter. She winced and glanced back and up at him. His gaze was locked on the two men, and he was all but shaking. Something one of them had said must have hit a nerve. Which meant he was distracted. Good.
“I don’t control the shadowpack,” Dusk said.
“No, you control the man they obey. Or maybe you don’t.”
“Hond is loyal.”
“Not to me. Where’s Anderson?”
Dusk shrugged.
“Like that, is it?” Wolf’s face darkened.
Dusk took several hesitant steps closer. “I’ve always respected you.”
“This entire situation is disappointing,” Wolf replied. “We hoped for more—”
“You hoped that I would be more. A better killer? Is that why you pulled us out of Africa? To do your killing because you couldn’t stomach it? I’ve tried walking away from the fighting, but you keep manipulating me, herding me back here.”
“We wanted a leader.”
“Fine.” Dusk nodded to himself. “Terry, take the girl’s bag and then let her go,” he said, his voice full of authority.
Wolf’s head snapped around to his companion. Dutifully, Terry pulled the bag from Shilpy’s shoulder and pushed her forward.
“Terry . . . what are you doing?” Wolf said, his mouth going slack.
“What are you doing, Dennis?” Terry retorted. “Dusk practically won the war for us.”
Wolf was rooted to the spot in the centre of the road. He continued staring incredulously at Terry, who looked away but kept talking.
“He saved my life more times than I can count,” Terry said, his voice full of anger. “You talk about protecting your men, but when do you actually do it? What’s Mestor ever done for me? When the cops leaned on me last year, where was Mestor? Where were you? Dusk and Hond at least have my back. “
“Terry—” Wolf took a careful step towards the larger man. He didn’t see Dusk charging him until it was too late.
Wolf moved like a fighter,
and while it seemed he knew how to use a sword, it clearly wasn’t his preferred weapon. The conversation with Terry had lowered his guard. Had he been unarmed he might have been able to recover, but reflexively, he tried to defend himself with the weapon at hand.
Dusk tackled him before he could get the blade up. The two men crashed into the asphalt, and the Sword of Ponos clattered towards Shilpy and Terry. The men immediately started trading blows. Dusk, on top, had an edge, but Wolf trained people to be fighters. He wouldn’t go down easy.
With the sword only half a dozen metres away, Shilpy knew this was her chance. Terry moved to intercept her. He was bigger than she was, and a boxer, which meant he could no doubt go the distance when he needed to.
Her one advantage was that he didn’t know she could fight. He closed the distance between them, his hands out. “You need to leave now,” he said. His wasn’t expecting much resistance. Taking the opportunity, she fired a right front kick into his belly. Terry fell back half a step with a grunt. His hand covered his solar plexus, and she followed up with a left side kick, which he knocked away with his fist.
He started moving from side to side. He was winded, but his eyes were alert and on her. Damn, he was big! Big and long-armed. If his fist even glanced her, she’d be eating concrete.
Shilpy had no choice but to switch to evasive tactics. She scampered around him like a scared rabbit. Yes, he had a longer reach, but if she could stay back, he couldn’t do much with it. He charged, she dodged. He threw a punch, she danced away. He gave chase and she punished him with another front kick.
His left fist came rocketing towards her, and she only just managed to drop in time. Unfortunately, he followed up with his right, which connected with her shoulder. Pain exploded through her arm, and she stumbled back and out of reach.
Eager, he tried to follow up but she kicked him again, forcing him to give her more distance. They were both breathing heavily now, and watching each other warily. Shilpy had lost the feeling in her arm, but she could still move it.
She waited. He threw an experimental punch, which she barely had to move to avoid. He tried again, and she kicked him in the ribs. Terry swore and then backed away. He was getting frustrated.
He came at her hard. It was all she could do to keep the distance between them as he swung and jabbed at her. She had no time to return a kick, and the constant movement back or to the sides left her entirely on the defensive.
Then, at last, he overextended himself. Shilpy dropped and struck him in the knee from the side. He crumpled to the ground, and his scream echoed up and down the street. She spun and, as hard as she could manage, kicked him across the jaw.
Terry’s skull cracked against the pavement. He didn’t get up.
Panting, Shilpy stumbled back towards the sword. Wolf had managed to wrestle himself away from Dusk. Both men were on their feet but clearly slowing down.
Together, they’d drifted closer to the sword, and even now each had one eye on it. Shilpy made her play, but before she’d run three steps, sharp teeth dug into her heel. The shadow dog pulled at her. Shilpy cried out and hopped once before hitting the cement stomach-first.
Intense pain radiated through her as the creature dragged her off the concrete and onto a shadowy patch of grass separating the road from a nearby property. Another invisible dog bit her hand, and it too pulled her painfully. Shilpy tumbled over and over until she was splayed out on the pavement in front of Hond.
His face looked almost cadaverous. Small drops of blood slid off the bony fingers of his left hand. The wound in his shoulder was still bleeding, and he hadn’t stopped to bandage it.
Dark shadows prowled back and forth or sat ready for Hond’s instructions. Shilpy cried out in pain when two more beasts fastened onto her shoulders.
Nearby, she could hear grunts and cries. Wolf had managed to get his hands back on the sword, and he and Dusk were wrestling over it. The shadow dogs darted back and forth, but when Dusk cried out in pain, Hond hissed and they dropped back. They surrounded Hond until the light from the street lamp went dark.
New police sirens started up somewhere in the distance. Hond turned towards the sound, and several dark shapes shot off down the street, back the way Shilpy had come.
She gritted her teeth. Would the police be able to fight these things? It seemed unlikely. The more she saw of these monsters, the more she hated them. This might not be her war, but if she could find a way to destroy them, she would.
Wolf managed to pull away from Dusk and the two men fell backward, breathing hard. Dusk’s shirt was torn, and Wolf was staggering. Darkness surrounded them as they paced back and forth.
She’d seen this image, this moment, before. Countless times her visions had brought her here. The shadows would consume Dusk shortly, unless she could stop the scene. She had to.
Hond kneeled beside Shilpy, and his hot breath tickled her ear. She tried pulling away, but one of his monsters held her firm. “Magnificent, isn’t he.” He looked over at Dusk, who was pulling off his torn shirt. “You were never going to win, though. You don’t know him like I do.”
The creatures attached to her limbs dug their fangs into her flesh a little bit harder. Shilpy suppressed a scream. Tears rolled from her eyes, blurring her vision.
“You’re wrong,” she said, through clenched teeth.
“It’s who he is. He’s a warrior, a leader, Eris’s chosen. It’s who he was always meant to be.”
“That’s who you want him to be. Who you need him to be, otherwise you’ll be on your own. He doesn’t want it. If you gave him the choice—”
“Choice?” Hond chuckled. “The Star of Fate that you’re fighting so hard for. Is that what choice looks like? What good is it to be able to change your fate? Who’s to say one person’s future will be better than yours?” He spat a thick globule of phlegm into her hair.
Shilpy struggled, again in vain.
“Magic requires sacrifice, and I,” he ran his hand around his decaying face, “give my sacrifice willingly so that I may serve. What does the Star of Fate require?”
He strode across the grass, stepping over the still-unconscious Terry. Wincing from his injury, he pulled the crystal ball from the bag. Green light spilled onto the road. “Shall we find out?” He strode back towards her, holding the ball out threateningly.
The orb’s light swept over the ground, illuminating the outlines of the surrounding dogs. Something yelped.
Hond recoiled, pulling the Star towards his chest, but it was too late. The shadows shimmered, and the Star of Fate glowed brighter. Each shadow lifted off the pavement and hovered for a moment before flying towards the Star and being sucked into it. The clouds beneath the glass surface darkened.
Hond and Shilpy stared at each other in shock. Of course. The Moirai had said that the Star of Fate was needed to stop the shadows. She hadn’t imagined it could be used literally.
Hond looked down at the Star in his gloved hand. “A sacrifice,” he murmured, momentarily forgetting about Shilpy, who was now free.
She scrambled to her feet and punched his wounded shoulder. Hond screamed, and the Star of Fate and the bag fell from his hands. Shilpy threw another punch, but it went wide. Hond returned the favour by head butting her. Shilpy stumbled backward but stayed on her feet.
He was stronger than she was, and trained—a seasoned killer. However, she was younger, healthier, and hadn’t been shot. Shilpy stepped forward, but a roar of barking and growling erupted around her like a thunderstorm. Shilpy skipped back into the Star of Fate’s light as the shadowpack descended from all directions. Shadows sprang at her, but as soon as they passed inside the green glow, they were sucked up into the Star. One by one they vanished, and as the shadows were swallowed up, the Star of Fate grew blacker and darker.
Wolf, heaving, slashed the sword wildly this way and that, taking out whatever shadows remained before falling to his knees.
Then everything grew a little brighter. The neighbourhood fell in
to eerie quiet after all the noise and chaos. Even the police sirens had fallen deathly quiet, although Shilpy had no doubt more would be on the way.
Still, the shadowpack was gone. If nothing else, at least the shadows couldn’t hurt anyone now. Or could they?
Hond was staring at the crystal ball and smiling. “The power of Eris contained within that ball.” His voice was soft, contemplative. Shilpy frowned. Whatever that look was, whatever he had planned—it wasn’t good.
Wait. He didn’t lure them into the Star on purpose, did he?
“Hond.” Dusk sounded worried. Wolf was advancing towards him with the sword, and Dusk was unarmed. Without the support of Hond’s monsters, Dusk was in trouble.
“The Star!” Hond shouted. “Pick it up! She said it makes people blessed. Well, now it contains Eris’s power.”
Shilpy froze. Eris’s power? Blessed? Then she remembered the vision where the shadows swirled around Dusk and converged on him. They funnelled down into his chest through a green ball of light—the Star of Fate.
Shilpy moved to grab the ball, but Hond intercepted her. “Not for you.” He laughed. “Should have walked away.”
Shilpy led with another front kick, but Hond caught her leg and pulled her off her feet. She landed on her back and the wind rushed out of her lungs. She tried sitting up, but then Hond was between her legs and on top of her.
Out of instinct, Shilpy’s hands snapped out to keep him from pinning her down. Hond screamed when her palm struck his left shoulder.
He slapped her hard across the cheek with his good hand. A sharp pain spread through her face, and her head snapped around, but she managed to maintain her grip on his shoulders. She could feel him pushing between her legs and against her, but he couldn’t get his body down.
Shilpy squirmed and managed to get her right foot onto his hip, just as his sweaty palms closed around her neck. Using a ju-jitsu move, Shilpy pulled her hands away from his shoulders and crossed them over his arms, grabbing his wrists with her hands. Using her body as an anchor and her arms against his wrists, she raised her hips and used her full weight to pin his arms against her chest. The move snapped his hands away from her throat, allowing her to breathe.
The Gifts of Fate Page 14