by Erik Lynd
The dragon reared back its head to breath fire. Silas looked around; there was no cover, nothing to protect him. He held up the club, hoping it would do something. He didn’t know any Lenape chants, so he did the next best thing. He spoke a minor spell to protect from heat, but he didn’t have a sympathetic link to the magic, so he doubted it would do much good. The dragon let loose its breath.
Flame surrounded him like walls of heat, but he didn’t burn. The flame had parted where it met the club leaving him singed, but unharmed. He felt the words of his spell being sucked into the club as well as some of his strength, just a trickle, but enough for him to be creeped out by it. Now he knew what Leonard meant by using the wielder’s strength.
The dragon saw that he was unharmed and roared in rage. It thrashed about in a tantrum, sending more of the ceiling falling to the ground below. Then it charged.
Silas had no time to move before the huge creature was on him; a gigantic claw snatched him off the ground and brought him up toward the beast’s mouth. He wouldn’t be able to get a good angle for a blow this way. The massive jaws lined with three-foot teeth opened in front of him. Well, if he could survive the chewing maybe, he could give it a nasty case of heartburn. He was going to miss this world.
Suddenly, the dragon howled and whipped its head around. Behind it Abigail was stabbing its tail with her stilettos and screaming. Leonard and Lily were pounding ineffectively on it with rocks, and even Coth had found a knife and was stabbing at it. The dragon shook its tail, sending them all flying. Abigail and Lily landed in a heap near the passage they had come through; Leonard hit a rock head first leaving a red streak; and Coth was flung onto the remnants of a large, demonic war blade. He was killed instantly as the blade erupted through his chest.
This was his only chance. Silas swung the club down at the claw that held him. The club flared and the dragon roared again in pain. The claw went slack and Silas leaped with all the strength he had right into the face of the dragon as it opened its jaws to rip him in two. The club connected with the dragon’s head just above the eye socket in a fiery burst. The dragon fell back as though hit by a great blow, and Silas went spinning to the ground.
Ignoring his cracked ribs and countless other injuries, he jumped to his feet and charged again at the dragon as it writhed in pain. This time he didn’t bother going for the head; instead, he swung at the soft underbelly just below the neck. Again there was a flare, and Silas felt a tug on his strength. The dragon fell back against the wall, shaking the cavern.
The dragon’s head spun around looking through its one good eye for Silas. It found him and opened its mouth to breath flame. Silas jumped and brought the club down on its head just as the flame boiled out from its mouth. There was an explosion. The jaw snapped shut and flames shot out in all direction and through its nostrils as its head slammed into the ground.
Silas hit the ground and got to his feet for one last blow. Blood was dripping from numerous slices and gouges covering his body. In places his skin felt charred and crispy, but he ignored the pain and approached the beast. The dragon eyed him helplessly through its eye, too exhausted to fight. It growled at him.
“In rock and roll it’s all about the stamina, bitch.”
He swung with his last strength, hitting the dragon right in the center of its head. Light burst out and the ground shook. Silas collapsed, dropping the club.
When Silas awoke, the ceiling was moving. It took him a moment to realize the ceiling wasn’t moving, he was. Somebody was dragging him by his jacket. Scratch that, two somebodies.
Abigail saw that he was awake. “Thank God. There was no way we were going to carry you out of this cavern.”
Silas tried to sit up and winced; the world spun briefly, and it took a moment for him to get his bearings. They were still in the cavern. The dragon lay in a heap in the middle of the room; rocks and dirt were falling from the ceiling, and the whole cavern shook. He must have been out for just moments.
“The dragon--is it dead, or just unconscious?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to find out. The cavern is about to collapse. We have to get out of here.”
“Leonard?”
“Dead,” Lily said. “I would take him to be buried, but I don’t think we can take the time.”
Silas could see tears in her eyes. The ground shook again, and Silas crawled to his feet gingerly. Demonic fury or not, he was in a lot of pain. With one last look at Leonard, they crawled out through the passage, moving as fast as they could, but none of them were in any shape for running. They had made it several hundred feet up the tunnel when they heard a large crashing noise and felt a debris cloud billow up from behind them.
“That’s it then. The chamber just collapsed, burying the beast forever. If it wasn’t dead before, it sure is now,” Lily said.
Silas looked down at the club tucked into his belt and wondered.
15
It was almost midnight, and Silas was nowhere near drunk enough. It had only been a few hours since they had climbed out of the sewer after having saved the world… again. He healed fast, but he was still in a lot of pain. The liquor was medicinal. The waitress brought over another two shots and a beer, which he downed almost immediately. He looked up at the deserted stage. No show tonight. The band was cool with that; they all could use a night off. But tomorrow they would be rocking the house once again. He smiled at the thought. Then he looked at Mort and the smile disappeared.
“So that’s everything? You’ve told me everything that happened down there?”
“Yep. Have you talked to the others? It should match up. Should make a nice little report for Moreales. And I am expecting a nice little deposit in my account for all this.”
“Well, there is the little matter of burning an apartment building to the ground,” Mort said.
“Now wait a minute…”
As he spoke, the door opened and Lily walked in followed by Michael, and Steve. Mort had Steve take Lily home to clean up and then bring her back. There was some unfinished business. Mort had been making a lot of calls as Silas tried to drink himself into a stupor.
“So the dragon is dead?” Mort asked.
“I don’t think so,” Silas said.
“There is no way anything could survive all that rock covering it, even a monster that big,” Lily said.
They had all seen the news of a giant sink hole opening up in the middle of Columbus Park. Still, Silas didn’t think it was that easy.
“I don’t know. When I used that club I kind of got to know it, and I don’t think it was ever intended to kill. In fact, I think that’s why it hated me, because it’s in my nature to kill and destroy.”
“Does that mean we have to somehow get down there and check?” Lily asked. “I don’t think that’s possible; the tunnels have all collapsed. We might be able to find a new route, but the actual cavern is probably gone.”
Silas smiled--that was what he was hoping to hear. “No Lily, we can’t go back down. I have another solution.” He pulled the club out of his belt and handed it to her. He could feel it grow warm as she gripped it. “Nataepu.”
She looked up at him, confusion on her face.
“Leonard is gone, but the dragon might still live. There needs to be a new guardian, one who understands the danger and can pass it down to other generations.”
“Me? But I don’t know anything about the Lenape, I mean other than what I read in those books.”
“This isn’t about the Lenape anymore. You heard what he said; they had mostly forgotten. He was the last. This is about guarding against a great threat to all humans. Somebody needs to take over the job. And frankly I hate humans, so I don’t think that would work out.”
She stared at the club as it glowed once and then faded in her hands. It seemed the club approved.
“Well now, that’s settled. I just want to tell you how happy Moreales is about the team you have assembled—”
“Whoa, whoa!
Team? No, I work alone.”
“Nonsense. Steve here now works for the Inquisition Project; going forward he will be your driver. We will, of course, outfit a new limo with some enhancements appropriate for your line of work.”
“What about my bike?” Silas asked. He did not like where this was going.
“Michael here will be staying with Father Deluca, but he has proved to be a great resource for intel on the streets, so he will stick close to you.”
Michael was grinning ear to ear. His brother had been one of the reluctant converts in the back of the cavern. When the demon horde had invaded, he had been able to escape. Of course, as a half-formed monster he didn’t know where to go. When Webb died, though, he had changed back and had enough of his humanity to make it back to his brother; he had been one of the few lucky ones. More than half the transformed humans had been killed by demonic soldiers or burned to death. He had said it was the knowledge that he had to find Michael that had helped him retain his sanity. He was currently resting in a bed at the mission.
“And Lily here, well you already named her Nataepu. She has already requested to be part of the Inquisition Project.”
Silas slammed back another shot and put his head in his hands. A kid, a moron, and a bookworm, just great. He thought of something and looked up at Mort.
“Speaking of teams, where’s Abigail?”
Mort pursed his lips and looked down at his hands.
“Mort? Where is Abby? She’s late.”
“Silas, she’s gone,” Mort said.
“What? Why? What do you mean she’s gone?”
“She wasn’t assigned permanently Silas. This was always just a one-shot deal for her. Moreales wanted her to help temper your methods, give you some subtly. She served her purpose.”
Just like that she was gone. Silas sat back in his chair as the others began talking about the new arrangement. Mort was talking briefly about the training they would all have to go through. They just faded away for Silas. He took another drink.
“Silas,” Lily said and nodded to the door.
He looked over and saw Abigail in the doorway. She smiled at him and then ducked out. He got up from the table, ignoring the others and followed her. She was leaning up against the building.
“Mort said you’d left.”
“Yeah, I have my orders. I’m supposed to head back to Europe right away.”
“Look Abby, I know we didn’t always see eye to eye, but there was something between us right? I mean we work well together.”
“Yes Silas, yes we did.”
“So, what now? You just head out and we never see each other again? Is that how this is going to work?” Silas asked.
“You never know what the future is going to bring. We both still work for Moreales. Who knows what is in store for us?”
“You can’t just leave. I mean you’re the one who corrupted me with your aura, made me feel compassion and icky stuff like that. Now you are just going to go? Leave me all fucked up?”
Abigail looked confused for a second and then smiled. “Silas, I, like you, exude an aura. Where yours is of menace and anger, mine is peace and compassion, but you have no control over yours. Mine only goes where I direct. And Silas, I never directed it at you. Whatever you felt at those times was your own.”
That couldn’t be true. She was just trying to deflect the questions.
“So this is good-bye.” It was a statement not a question.
“Except for one thing,” she said stepping close to him. “My flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow.”
“Oh?”
“Don’t you live a couple of blocks away?”
“Oh!”
She stepped in and kissed him, and it was like fire and ice. He put his arm around her, pulled her close and together they walked home.
“So it looks as though he succeeded,” Father Moreales said.
“Yes sir,” said Christopher, but Moreales heard reluctance in his voice.
“It seems with a little help our Silas can be efficient and maybe even subtle.”
Moreales turned from the stack of reports on his desk and looked at his secretary. They had worked together for almost five years now, and he was a good man. Christopher went to the table that held the tea he had just brought in and poured two cups. He brought one to Moreales.
“I just don’t feel that an uncouth demon is a good champion of humanity,” Christopher said finally.
Moreales sipped from his tea as he gazed down into the courtyard. Some of the new recruits for the Project were down there practicing hand to hand combat. A minimal amount of combat training was required for all members of the Project whether they were agents or not.
“It’s funny, I see it a little differently,” Moreales said. “We are on the side of heaven; we fight to prepare mortals to ascend to heaven when judgment day comes. The Infernal host, they just want whatever they can get and will drag as much of humanity down on that day as they can. Silas doesn’t want heaven or hell to win. He is the only one fighting for humans to stay human and do their own thing.”
Moreales paused and took a sip of his tea. “I think that makes him humanity’s greatest champion.”
Continue The Story
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Silas Robb: Hell Hath No Fury
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Also by Erik Lynd
NOVELS
Asylum
The Collection
THE HAND OF PERDITION SERIES:
Book and Blade
Eater of Souls
The Demon Collector
Rise of the Soulless
SILAS ROBB SERIES:
Silas Robb: Of Saints and Sinners
Silas Robb: Hell Hath No Fury
COLLECTIONS AND SHORTER WORKS
The Long Fall Into Midnight Vol. 1
The Hanging Tree
Dark on the Water
His Devil
Dreams
Siege of the Bone Children
In the Pit
About the Author
Erik Lynd writes novels and short stories primarily in the horror, dark fantasy, and urban fantasy genres. Currently he is in the middle of two ongoing urban fantasy series; Silas Robb and The Hand of Perdition series. He also writes the occasional horror novel such as Asylum and The Collection. He lives in the Pacific Northwest where yes it does rain a lot and no he does not mind it.
For more information…
www.eriklynd.com
[email protected]
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, settings, and dialogue were created by the author and should not be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Silas Robb: Of Saints and Sinners
by Erik Lynd
Copyright © 2018 Erik Lynd.
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