The Hunter in the Shadows

by Joab Stieglitz

  “Dr. Feldman,” the man said in an unusual English accent, wary of Cletus’ hostility, “I am Dr. Cornelius Lyton of the Royal Society.” Feldman glared at Anna, and then stood and met the man at the door.

  “Eliezer Feldman,” he said. “At your service. And this is Dr. Anna Rykov.” Lyton paused for a moment, as if frozen. Then he regarded Anna coldly, almost clinically. He dropped the duffel bag on the floor with a thump and sat in Feldman’s other guest chair.

  “Your costume is most distinctive,” Anna said, still fighting to stifle her amusement. “I hope that you were not attempting to be unobtrusive.” The newcomer did not seem to understand her comment.

  “I have traveled a long way,” Lyton said with irritation, after a moment, “by a most circuitous route, to avoid detection by a most dangerous adversary.”

  He turned to Feldman and was about to speak, when Anna said, “Are you referring to Wolfram von Juntz?” At the mention of the name, Lyton stood and backed himself into a corner. Cletus rose in response, and Anna tightened her grip on his leash. Lyton froze, and then glanced from Cletus to Anna to Feldman and back to Anna.

  “You are in league with him aren’t you?” he said in disbelief.

  “I have no knowledge of him,” Anna said, “aside from both you and he appearing in a dream of mine last night. In it, you and I were allies against von Junzt. I had shot him and was in pursuit.”

  Lyton seemed to gaze through Anna for a long moment. It was almost as if she was speaking a different language and he had to interpret what she said. Anna and Feldman held their positions and waited, studying the man in return. Then the Englishman slowly returned to his seat, wary of Cletus.

  “What do you know of von Junzt?” he asked.

  “I read in one of the journals,” Feldman replied, “that Dr. Wolfram von Juntz, an archaeologist representing the German Thule Society, had discovered the existence of a prehistoric civilization that had occupied the Yucatan Peninsula before the Mayans.”

  “What is so noteworthy about that?” Anna said flatly. “There were many tribes in that area before the Mayan supremacy there.”

  “Von Juntz claims” Feldman said with a theatrical flourish, “that the evidence that he found suggests beings that preceded the dinosaurs.”

  “Surely he must be referring to Neanderthals. It is widely believed that they hunted for mammoth and competed with the saber-toothed tiger.”

  “From what I’ve uncovered,” Feldman continued, “Von Juntz believes he found the remains of reptilian beings that existed in the Paleozoic era, four or five hundred million years ago.”

  During the conversation, Lyton sat quietly, observing the other two intently. It gave Anna an uncomfortable feeling that Cletus sensed. Finally, Anna stood, holding Cletus back, and confronted Lyton.

  “Why are you here!” she demanded. The newcomer did not immediately react to Anna.

  “I could ask the same of you,” Lyton finally replied. He turned to the librarian. “Dr. Feldman, why is Dr. Rykov, and that animal, present for our conversation?”

  “You mentioned in this telegram,” Feldman said, holding out the paper, “that you required ‘special talents.’ Dr. Rykov possesses such skills. Before you tell us why you sought me out, please tell us how you came to be aware of the Longborough Foundation for Ethnographic Research? We’ve only been in existence for a few months.”

  “We have common acquaintances,” Lyton replied after a furtive moment.

  “Who?” the librarian countered. Lyton froze again as if dazed.

  “It is best that they remain anonymous, for their own safety,” Lyton responded.

  Feldman was not satisfied, but did not pursue the matter. “Dr. Lyton, what can the Foundation do for you?” the librarian asked pointedly.

  ◆

  The Englishman stiffened at Feldman’s direct question. Again, he froze for a moment before responding.

  “To begin with, I am not Dr. Cornelius Lyton.” Anna braced herself to respond to anything unfriendly. Cletus responded to her tension with a low growl. “That is to say, this is the body of Dr. Cornelius Lyton, but the intelligence with whom you are speaking is not.”

  “You are claiming to be something that has possessed his body?” Feldman said with skepticism.

  “Exactly,” the Englishman replied, seemingly oblivious to the librarian’s tone. “Mine is a race of scholars who travel through time and space learning about the multiverse by exchanging our own bodies back in our time with those beings whose existence we wish to study.” He eyed Cletus nervously. “Please contain your animal. I would not wish my host’s body to be damaged.”

  “Why should we believe you?” Anna said.

  Lyton froze again. When he revived again, he looked at Anna appraisingly.

  “You are the agent of the Junazhi,” he said. “You are the one who released Utgarda.” Anna hid her surprise.

  “How could you possibly know about that?” Feldman said with astonishment.

  “My race shares a collective consciousness,” he replied. “What one sees, all experience.” He turned to Anna. “You encountered one of my kind in the astral projectionist’s domain.”

  Anna’s eyes narrowed. “You are the Ancient Enemy,” she hissed.

  “My kind are not in opposition to the Junazhi,” Lyton explained. “Our purpose is only to learn. The Junazhi seek to hoard knowledge. We exist at cross-purposes.”

  “But you steal the lives of those you ‘exchange bodies’ with,” Anna spat. “Your method may be temporary, but your subject still has no choice.”

  After his usual momentary pause, Lyton said, “While it is true that we do not ask for the consent of our guests, the Collective does not suppress their consciousness and steal their bodies. We place our own bodies in their care, and offer them access to all that we have learned over countless millennia.”

  “How do you select beings to swap with?” Feldman queried.

  “The subjects must bring themselves to our attention.” Lyton froze again, this time for an extended period. Anna and Feldman glanced to each other. When he again was present, the Englishman said, “In the case of your species, our guests have been scholars of advanced mathematics; what you might call magic.”

  “Or occultists,” Feldman added, pausing to consider this. “Why do you pause before you speak?”

  “I am in contact with the collective,” Lyton replied, “but my communication with them experiences a delay across the time and space between us. I have consulted the collective consciousness in order to respond to your queries.”

  “So you exchange minds with individuals involved with the occult.” Anna was concerned, “which we consider to be dangerous, and share with them secrets otherwise beyond their access.”

  “Interesting,” Lyton said. “Your response to this free exchange of information is to suppress it.” He paused again, and then said, “I see. You believe those who pursue such inquiries to be beyond your species’ acceptable norms of behavior.”

  “We call that insanity,” Feldman said pointedly. “And in most cases, people who pursue the occult arts have motives contrary to the wellbeing of our species, our world, and or our universe. One of the goals of the Longborough Foundation is to investigate and address such threats.”

  “And that is why I sought you out,” Lyton said with finality.

  Chapter 5

  March 9, 1930

  “Before you explain yourself,” Feldman said, “how should we address you?”

  “We have found that being addressed as the host eliminates confusion, “the newcomer said. “I am in the body of Cornelius Lyton, so refer to me as him.”

  “Very well,” the librarian replied.

  “How did Dr. Lyton attract your attention,” Anna asked.

  “Cornelius Lyton was not the intended subject,” Lyton replied. “My actual target was Wolfram von Junzt. He is an advanced practitioner of the magical sciences, as you call them. His predecessors have a history of such study
, and the current incarnation is pursuing very dangerous researches.”

  “Do you mean that this man is the descendant of Friedrich Wilhelm von Junzt, the author of Unauspreschlichen Kulten?” Feldman said, dismay evident in his voice.

  “That is correct,” the Englishman’s occupant replied. “But Wolfram von Junzt is not merely cataloging groups engaged in occult practices as his ancestor did. He is pursuing a line of research that will make the upcoming catastrophe even more profound.”

  “What upcoming catastrophe?” Anna and Feldman both said in unison.

  “A disaster that will affect your entire world is imminent. Over a trillion creatures will die. Over one hundred million of them will be human. If von Junzt completes his current line of inquiry, it will be even worse. Humanity, and possibly all life on your planet, will be extinguished.”

  “What does he intend to do?” Anna asked.

  “The consequences of his actions are not his intention,” Lyton said. “He believes that he is conducting harmless research. He seeks to prove that his tribe is descended from the ancient masters of planet Earth. What he does not know is that those ancient masters were not human.”

  “How are von Juntz’s activities dangerous?” Anna asked.

  “Von Junzt recently uncovered artifacts that somehow survived millions of years and geological turmoil. These artifacts are the remains of the Xuxaax, the original, primal, indigenous species on Earth. If we are not successful, von Junzt will reveal these artifacts in Berlin in three weeks.”

  “What happens if he makes this announcement?” Feldman asked.

  “He will acquire the attention of the Xuxaax who, live in secret at this time.”

  “You mean that some of these ancient masters of Earth have survived to this day?” Anna said.

  “No,” Lyton said, shaking his head. “They have not survived. But individuals transported themselves across time shortly before their civilization was destroyed. They were charged with constructing the means to bring the rest of their kind forward to the present.”

  “And their arrival would be inimical to humanity,” Feldman said flatly.

  “Yes, it would be,” Lyton replied. “But there are other more likely outcomes that would be equally devastating.”

  “And what would they be?” Anna queried.

  “If the Xuxaax were able to construct such a device or devices, the energy required to bring their race forward in time would be immeasurable. Even if they were to attempt to bring small groups to the present, each attempt would cause irreparable damage to space-time and likely destroy this dimension, or at least make it uninhabitable.”

  “What does this have to do with von Junzt?” Anna pressed.

  “Once he makes contact with the Xuxaax, he will bargain with them. His political benefactors will acquire weapons and technologies in exchange for the seemingly innocuous materials the Xuxaax will need that will eventually devastate this world.”

  “And we need to intercept von Junzt before this contact is made,” Anna stated.

  “No,” Lyton said, to her surprise. “We need to eliminate the Xuxaax who will facilitate this destruction.”

  “How do you know who, when, and where this meeting will take place?

  “My kind have traveled the length, breadth, width, and height — to use your terminology — of the multiverse and experienced the potential outcomes of all possibilities. We know the identity of the being that von Junzt makes contact with.”

  “And you know where this being is now?” Anna said.

  “Yes,” Lyton replied. “He is in Boston.”

  ◆

  “You seem to know all about this being,” Feldman said, “so why do you need our assistance?”

  “I need you to kill the Xuxaax,” Lyton said simply. “You have had some experience with this kind of operation.” The latter comment was directed to Anna.

  “What makes you think that I can complete this task?” she said, crossing her arms.

  “Don’t be modest, Nygof,” Lyton said. “You were able to elude numerous situations and entanglements to facilitate the dispatch of the rogue wizard Goh-Bazh. And the Xuxaax intends to sacrifice your sister.”

  Anna was taken aback. The visitor knew intimate details of her journey to Kreipsche, and of her fictional family. She sat in disbelief for a long moment.

  “How can this Xuxaax sacrifice my sister? I do not have any siblings in real life, and Sobak only existed in Brian Teplow’s imagination.”

  “Just as you are not the same person that the Junazhi sent to that dimension, other elements of that reality have been transported into this one. You may not know your sister’s alternate identity, but she is in Boston, and she is in grave danger.”

  “So you are saying that Sobak, my sister in that alternate reality, is actually in Boston?”

  “That is correct.”

  “And just as Anna did not know she was here,” Feldman said, “this woman does not know that Anna is in this dimension.”

  “And why would this Xuxaax be interested in my shadow sister?” Anna asked.

  “It knows her potential,” Lyton replied.

  “What do you mean, ‘her potential’?” Anna said.

  “You were able to alter reality in the realm of Goh-Bazh,” Lyton said, “and you are the Nygof of that world now.”

  “So you think that I can make whatever I wish happen here now?” Anna said sarcastically. “Let me assure you that this is not the case.”

  “Perhaps your transformative abilities are limited here because this is your home dimension,” Feldman interjected. “Whereas, since Sobak originated in the other dimension, she may have similar powers here.”

  “Powers that the Xuxaax could make use of,” Lyton said. “There are many possible explanations for what its motivations regarding your sistetr, but the matter of prominence at this time is eliminating the Xuxaax before von Junzt can encounter it.”

  “And I can save Sobak at the same time,” Anna said , suspicion evident in her tone. “This does not sound like coincidence.”

  “It sounds like a deliberate series of events designed to get Dr. Rykov and this Xuxaax together,” Feldman said pointedly. “Could this be some scheme by Utgarda?”

  “I do not think so,” Anna replied. “According to Goh-Bazh, his sole purpose was to trap Utgarda in that dimension and prevent Utgarda from affecting this one. If anything, our actions assisted him.”

  “Perhaps the Junazhi are plotting to exact revenge?” Feldman mused. “Maybe they want this Xuxaax to deal with Anna for them”

  “The Xuxaax and the Junazhi fought great wars against each other,” Lyton said. “Their motivations are not compatible. The Xuxaax seek to conquer and dominate, whereas the Junazhi wish to recast all of space-time to their specifications.”

  “Unless the Junazhi are taking advantage of this particular Xuxaax without its knowledge,” Feldman replied.

  “The Junazhi are quite skillful in the manipulation of minds,” Anna added. “It is not inconceivable that they might have compromised this one in some way.”

  “The Xuxaax are genetically keyed to oppose the Junazhi,” Lyton interjected with apparent frustration. “And a Xuxaax who has survived to this time must be one of their most advanced. It is inconceivable that such a specimen could be subverted, even indirectly, by the Junazhi.”

  “Perhaps von Junzt is setting Anna up?” Feldman said

  “Von Junzt does not know of his meeting with the Xuxaax. It is in his future. Only my kind can see possible outcomes.”

  “But the Junazhi exist across dimensions concurrently,” Anna said.

  “But not across time,” Lyton corrected. “They exist at the same time across the multiverse. The Junazhi are unaware of the potential apocalypse that could happen.” He froze motionless again for a long moment, then added, “The consensus of the Collective is that the Junazhi are not involved.” Another pause. “But they believe it is likely that Utgarda is involved in some indirect mann
er, and that the Xuxaax are not predisposed toward Utgarda.”

  “If Utgarda is involved and somehow opposed to the Xuxaax,” Anna conjectured, “then perhaps this Xuxaax’s plans are contrary to Utgarda’s own agenda.”

  “You did enable his return to Earth,” Feldman said. “Utgarda could be recruiting you to foil his rivals.”

  “An outcome that is also beneficial to you and me,” Lyton added.

  “It seems that my pursuing this venture is in the best interest of everyone,” Anna conceded.

  Chapter 6

  March 9, 1930

  “Where do we begin?” Anna asked. “Do you have contacts in Boston who will assist us? Do they know where this being is?”

  “I will not be coming with you,” Lyton said. At Anna’s shocked expression, he added, “I cannot risk causing damage to my host’s body. You must locate and deal with it yourself.”

  “How will I even know where to begin?” Anna asked. “What does it look like? Where would it make a lair? How can I harm it?”

  “Those are all excellent questions,” Lyton said. “There are several things your need to know. In their natural form, the Xuxaax are bipedal and reptilian, with bulbous eyes that sit above their snouts.” He paused while Anna scribbled in a notebook she grabbed from Feldman’s desk.

  “How tall are they?” she asked.

  “The average Xuxaax is —” Lyton froze for a moment and then returned, “— about seven feet tall, and roughly 300 pounds. The weight is on account of thick, scaly, armored skin.”

  “They sound like your crocodile men,” Feldman said.

  “Indeed,” Anna said without emotion. “They were featured in the dream last night with you and von Junzt”

  “Really,” Lyton said with rapt interest. “Tell me what you saw.”

  Anna and Feldman exchanged glances. She recounted her pursuit of the German, her vision of the procession, her sister’s plea, and the giant crocodile man who seemed to be in charge. Lyton listened with complete focus, his smile spreading to a wide grin by the time she had finished her tale.