Shade Cursed: A Druidverse Urban Fantasy Novel (The Shadow Changeling Series Book 1)

by M. D. Massey

  The line of iron filings eventually wound into the Hill Country, toward the area on the map where the line of salt had ended. Within a period of approximately forty-five minutes, Griff’s line ended precisely where the other line did. And there it was: the location I needed to investigate next.

  Now having a clear objective, I gathered my things, preparing myself for a battle. I gave Nameless, Xanthe, and Culloden instructions on how to guard the farmstead in my absence, leaving plenty of food and water for each of them. Then, I hopped in my car and drove off to find the wizard.

  19

  As I had suspected, the location on the map was in the midst of rather rugged wilderness terrain, on private land adjacent to a public park run by the state authorities. This was convenient for me, as it allowed me to access the land by means other than busting down the front gate to the private property and strolling my way into their domain.

  Instead, I waited until after dark, using magic to open the gates to the park. I then cast a concealment spell on my car and drove with my lights off in the darkness until I could find a place to hide my vehicle that was close to my destination. Once that was settled, I grabbed my things and headed off at a brisk walk towards the area of the map my tracking spell had indicated I should go.

  Although I preferred avoiding physical combat, I was actually in excellent shape, as I kept up with the habits and training methods I had adopted during my time in Underhill. Mother was quite clear in her instructions to the trainers she had assigned me while I was living in her castle. They were to teach me all manner of combat, subterfuge, and tactical training. Anything that might help ensure I successfully carried out my missions was fair game.

  Thus, I was trained to keep my body in peak physical condition—not through such mundane and plebeian methods as lifting weights and bulking up, but instead training as the fae. This meant staying lithe and limber, and training my body to be nimble and deceptively strong.

  I was also trained in all manner of hand-to-hand weapons, and in the use of poisons to both incapacitate and kill a target. To this day, I kept myself in shape with daily sessions of stretching and breathing that were very similar to the human practice of yoga. I also frequently engaged in solo weapons practice and practice with shadow constructs, fighting with armed and empty-handed methods.

  Having no illusions that I could be the equal of a fae assassin who spent their entire life dedicated to the arts of physical combat and treachery, I gave even more of my attention to magic. I had been trained by the Black Sorceress and her top soldiers, and I took every advantage of their training, as it meant my very survival to do so.

  In a fair fight, even without my magic, I stood a chance. And with my magic? Against one or two fae, the outcome was almost certain.

  However, fighting Griff would be another matter. The wizard was fae-trained, and he had a dangerous familiar at his beck and call. It was quite possible that, if I was not at the top of my form when we met, I might suffer defeat at his hands. This was unacceptable. Therefore, I would not be facing him in a fair fight. Instead, I would use treachery and subterfuge to ensure I had the upper hand in our next meeting.

  As I snuck through the woods, using shadow magic to conceal any sign of my passing, I paid close attention to the internal map within my mind that told me when I neared my ultimate destination. I was headed for a draw between two tall hills that led down into a valley. There, a spring-fed stream quietly and softly bubbled and burbled as it gave life and sustenance to the local area.

  The fae often chose the most picturesque locations in which to work and place gateways to Underhill. This again was part and parcel to the treachery that came naturally to the sídhe. They knew humans enjoyed the beauty of nature and thus would seek out such places, with some accidentally stumbling through portals into Underhill.

  Once I had the entire area in view, I perched in a tree atop the rise observing the valley below, as well as the area from which the stream emanated. After an hour of seeing no movement in the valley, I made my way slowly and carefully toward the draw where the stream originated. As I had suspected, moonlight revealed a small cave as the stream’s source. I approached the cave with all due caution, making certain none would see me, should a guardian or some other creature be on the lookout.

  Just as I was about to enter the cave, I heard movement from within—soft footsteps that indicated someone who was human and trained in stealthy movement, but who did not have the requisite grace of a fae. I ducked around the side of the cavern, hiding myself in shadow as I waited for whoever was within the cave to exit.

  Moments later, the half-fae wizard exited the grotto, alone and unencumbered. Now, I had two choices. I could either attack him while I had the advantage of surprise or allow him to leave and see what was inside the tunnel.

  If I were to attack, I could hopefully subdue him while keeping him alive so I could interrogate him later. This came with several difficulties. First, there might be more fae inside the cave. If that were the case, I could find myself in a position of being caught between two attackers trained in the high arts of magic. That would put me at a definite disadvantage. I could handle most wizards on my own, but fighting two magicians was another story.

  If I waited for Griff to leave, I would then need to make certain there were no other visitors within. My hunch was that there was a portal to Underhill hidden inside the cavern. If that were the case, the fae I had seen earlier had likely already left Earth and headed back through that portal, leaving the cave unattended.

  I decided the second course of action was my best bet, and I waited in silence as I watched Griff retreat up the hill, toward the access road that led off the property. After I heard a vehicle’s engine fade in the distance, I left my area of concealment and entered the cave, moving as stealthily as possible.

  The cavern itself wasn’t much to look at, just a hole in the limestone that had been made over many centuries by water flowing from a spring at the far end of the cave. A small pool of water sat at the back of the cave, maybe ten feet wide, taking up most of the floor space inside the grotto. There were no other passages shooting off the main tunnel, and other than the pool at the terminus, it was a dead end.

  However, I knew quite a bit about how the fae tended to hide passageways to Underhill, and I suspected theirs was at the bottom of that pool of water. After again ensuring I was alone, I dove into the pond, swimming to the bottom and searching with my mage sight for any abnormalities in the rock below. The water was quite shallow, maybe just over my head if I were to stand on the bottom of the pool. Yet, the bottommost surface was not what it seemed—a glamour had been cast over it, to make it look as though it were solid stone. As I suspected, the fae had created a portal between our world and Underhill, and the entrance was right here at the bottom of the pool.

  I swam to the bottom, probing it with my hands to make certain that it was exactly what it appeared to be to my mage-trained eyes. As soon as I touched the glamour, it wavered and gave way, leaving in its place a large, circular, shimmering emptiness, through which I could see a fantastic rocky landscape on the other side. The magic had obviously been used to repel the water in the pool, keeping it from falling through the portal, but that magical barrier was not designed to keep humans and fae from passing through.

  With a strong kick I swam through the portal, rolling and landing somewhat awkwardly on the other side. Once there, I had to reorient myself due to the difference in gravitational fields between our world and Underhill. After figuring out which way was up and which down, I stood and scanned my surroundings.

  I was inside another cavern, but this one looked nothing like the Earthside cavern I had just left. The walls were made of glimmering stone in shades of purple, pink, and green, colored by the various fungi and moss that had grown on those surfaces. Each gave off a soft, luminescent glow that lit the cavern quite well, precluding the need for magical enhancements to my vision. Choosing precaution over speed, I took a moment
to listen for any movement further down the shaft.

  The tunnel itself was roughly ten feet tall and twenty feet wide, and it continued for approximately fifty feet before making a turn, beyond which I could see little of what lay ahead. I wanted to find out where this tunnel led, and also to discover who in Underhill was directly involved in the trade of humans, be it my adopted parents or other royalty in Underhill. Thus, I silently crept further down the tunnel, slowing as I reached the next bend, where I paused to peek around and see if I was indeed alone.

  No sooner did I look around the corner than I heard the low, ominous growl of a large canid. It was a sound I knew quite well, as my adoptive mother had utilized such animals to guard her castle and grounds. Although she was a skilled necromancer who preferred to use the undead—ghouls, zombies, and the like—as her foot soldiers, such creatures were dumb and could only follow simple instructions. Thus, for more delicate guard work, she sometimes used the supernaturally intelligent Cŵn Annwn, more commonly known as hell hounds, that were native to Underhill.

  Far in the past, hell hounds had been mundane creatures, descendants of dire wolves and other such species that had lived tens of thousands of years ago all over Earth. It was said that Donn had captured some, altering them with magic and breeding them to guard Tech Duinn. Now, there were dozens of wild packs that roamed all over Underhill, all prized for their intelligence, loyalty, and ability to kill.

  The deadliest of those species was looking at me from a distance of no more than ten feet away. Unlike Culloden, this particular species was a creature of the Underworld, and not one born out of darkness. Therefore, I had little chance of cowing it into submission.

  Before I could react, the pony-sized hound leapt at me, catching me with its paws on my shoulders and driving me to the ground and pinning me. As I landed my head struck the floor of the cavern, only partially cushioned by the moss that grew there. Momentarily stunned, I could only defend myself by extending one hand up underneath the dog’s muzzle, grabbing the loose skin and fur there, locking my arm to keep its slavering jaws from ripping off my face.

  Shaking off the disorientation caused by my minor concussion, I gathered my magic. Just as my arm fatigued and collapsed, I grabbed the dog around its neck with two shadow tentacles, tossing it against the far wall of the cavern. It bounced off the wall, shaking its head then rolling back to its feet with a loud woof. Instantly, the hell hound’s cry was answered with a matching bark that came from further down the tunnel.

  Perhaps discretion really is the better part of valor.

  Realizing it was time to regroup, I cast a net made from solidified shadow across the cave’s entrance. With the hell hounds ripping and tearing at my hastily constructed barrier behind me, I made a hasty retreat through the portal and back to Earth.

  The phone rang twice before someone answered. “Waara’s House of Horrors, where we consider your entertainment to be a grave situation.”

  “Hemi?” I asked, not sure if I’d dialed the right number. It was remotely possible there were two Waaras living in the Austin area who both spoke with a Kiwi accent. Perhaps I’d contacted another by mistake?

  “Yeah, mate.”

  “Oh, well then. This is—”

  “Crowley, eh? Way ahead of you.”

  “Ahem,” I said, not sure how to continue. “If you don’t mind my asking, what was that all about?”

  “Maki and me are thinking of opening a haunted house. But with real magic to fake the horrors. Figure it’ll make a bundle.”

  I gasped audibly. “That’s a horrible idea.”

  “Why?”

  “While it would indeed draw quite a crowd, it would also draw much of the supernatural community. Certainly you can see how that would be a problem.”

  “Damn. Never thought of that. Back to the drawing board,” he said in a genuinely disappointed voice. I was relatively certain his other half had considered it, but I kept that to myself. When Hemi next spoke, his tone was sunny as ever. “So, what’s up?”

  “Hemi, I need a favor.”

  “You got it.”

  I paused for several seconds, not sure if he’d heard me correctly. “Don’t you wish to find out what exactly it is I need from you, before you agree to help?”

  “Yeah-nah.”

  Now I was quite confused. “Is that a yes or a no?”

  The big Maori chuckled. “Means, I know you’re good for it. ’Sides, you’ve chipped in your fair share. Time somebody helped you, aye?”

  I honestly didn’t know what to say. “Well, thank you.”

  “Just tell me where, and I’ll be right over.”

  Approximately forty minutes later, Hemi showed up at my location in the woods, on the ridge overlooking the cavern. How he found me so quickly was beyond my understanding. Perhaps he used cell phone and GPS coordinates, or maybe he used some sort of demigod magic to locate me. Either way, I was impressed with the speed at which he arrived.

  “So, what’s the problem?” Hemi asked.

  “Down there, at the bottom of the draw. There’s a cavern guarded by a couple of hellhounds on the other side of a portal to Underhill. I need to get through, and to do so, I need backup.”

  Hemi scratched his chin as he considered the situation. “Hell hounds, you say?”

  “Cŵn Annwn, specifically—rather large and unfriendly black hounds. One of them nearly had my head for supper.”

  He considered the situation for several seconds, then he shrugged. “Alright, let’s go meet these dogs.”

  The big Maori warrior trotted off down the hill, strolling along at a leisurely pace and whistling to himself as if he had nothing to worry about and not a care in the world. I hadn’t told him to be stealthy, but apparently he had decided it didn’t matter. To be truthful, I had seen no trace of Griff nor any other fae since the wizard had left the cavern earlier that evening. So, I wasn’t very concerned we would be found out due to Hemi’s very un-stealthy approach.

  I jogged down the hill to catch up with him, fighting to match his ground-eating stride. “Do you have a plan for dealing with these hounds?” I asked. “One of the reasons why I wanted backup is because I really don’t want to hurt them. These animals are intelligent, but often they are placed under a geas, a magical compulsion that makes them much more aggressive and territorial than they normally would be in the wild.”

  “No big deal. Lead me to ’em. I’ll handle it, nice and peaceful.”

  I certainly didn’t doubt the confidence in the big Maori’s voice, but I wasn’t certain if I agreed that it would be “no big deal.” Still, I led him into the cavern and all the way to the back of the cave, where we found the pool waiting for us.

  “There’s a portal hidden at the bottom of this pool of water,” I said.

  Hemi crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I see it. Kind of obvious.”

  “Obvious perhaps to someone of your lineage. But perhaps not to the average human passersby, which is why I’d like to get through this portal, find what I’m looking for, and then close it on our way out. I should hate to think that some hapless human would stumble into this cavern and end up falling through the portal at the bottom of that pool.”

  Hemi nodded with a grunt, then he dove into the pool with no fanfare or warning. With a loud, frustrated sigh, I followed soon after, shadow magic held at the ready as I once again crossed over the portal barrier and into Underhill. This time I was ready for anything, having already oriented myself to the differences in gravitational direction. On crossing over, I rolled into a standing position, taking up a combat stance with spells at the ready.

  But instead of being attacked by the two large black hounds, I was greeted by the sound of Hemi’s laughter coming from the tunnel further down. Following the noise around the corner where I’d been attacked previously, I found the big warrior tussling playfully with both of the dogs. They seem to be quite focused on wrestling with the Maori demigod—that is, until they saw me. At that moment,
both hounds turned, lowering their heads and letting out deep threatening growls.

  “Hey now, cool it, yeah?” Hemi said, clucking his tongue at the hounds that stood beside him.

  And just like that, both let out a soft whine before laying down with their chins on their forepaws, just like chided pups. Meanwhile, I stared in awe at the scene before me for several long moments. Finally, I gathered up the presence of mind to speak.

  “How in the world did you manage to turn those two formerly slavering beasts into oversized playmates?” I asked.

  Hemi waved away my question with a shrug. “Me mum’s a death goddess. Taming creatures like these is second nature, aye?”

  “I—honestly, I hadn’t thought of that. Now, if you would wait here and keep these hounds off my back while I explore further, I would be more than obliged.”

  “Sweet as, mate. Be here when you get back.”

  And with that, I gave the big Maori warrior a nod of recognition, then I trotted off down the tunnel.

  20

  With the sounds of Hemi softly cooing to the hounds fading into the background, I continued to jog at an even pace through the dimly lit tunnels searching for an exit. I did progress with caution, however, keeping my mage sight active and searching for wards and traps all along the way. This task was quite a bit harder here in Underhill, as the entire place was made of magic. The background noise tended to camouflage any magical workings—which meant only skilled practitioners could spot deftly hidden magical traps.

  Thankfully, Grythelias had placed his faith in the hounds rather than in magic, and I advanced without delays. Soon, daylight appeared ahead in the tunnel—or what served as daylight in Underhill—telling me the exit was near. While I didn’t know if it would be my final destination, I would at least have some idea as to which part of Underhill these players were based. That would again give me a better idea of who I was dealing with—besides Griff the half-fae wizard, of course.