by Dark, Raven
“We were fooling around,” Steel reported as Doc moved from Setora to him, squatting with his kit beside him and inspecting Steel’s hand. “I gave her the drugs. I thought she was asleep, and then suddenly Julian was…” Steel shook his head again. “He was there and fighting me like a fucking demon. She tried to leave, and when Hawk and I wouldn’t let her, she got a hold of Hawk’s blade and slashed him with it. It took Hawk and I both to bring her down.”
I widened my eyes. It took both of them?
Steel massaged the back of his nape. “I can’t believe I hit her in the fucking head.” He scowled at the broken fingers Doc had just splinted.
I ran my hand down my face and looked at Doc. He gave his report before I even had to ask.
“She has a hell of a bruise on her head, and a dislocated shoulder, but otherwise she seems fine. I gave her enough doxerine—a much stronger dose than I used before—to put down a two-ton manatore, and I’ve got a slow drip of it going into her now. She won’t wake for hours even after I stop it. If Julian can get through that, we’re officially fucked.”
“Did Julian do that to her?” Pretty Boy’s face was livid. He pointed at the sling on her shoulder. “Did he make her do that to herself?”
“No.” Hawk slumped into a chair beside Steel. “I did it.”
Pretty Boy and I both stared. Hawk glanced at him, waiting for Pretty Boy to lose it, his eyes filled with regret.
“You dislocated her shoulder?” I barely heard my own voice over the hammer of my heart.
Hawk swept his dark hair out of his eyes but didn’t answer. He looked more exhausted than I’d seen him look in a long time. His eyes also looked unfocused.
Far from losing it on him, Pretty Boy shook his shoulder and took another chair beside him. “By the looks of you and Steel, you did what you had to, Hawk.”
Hawk shook his head. He tried to push up from the chair, but his legs gave out, sending him slumping back into it.
I made a face at him. “What the hell is the matter with you, I thought you said you were fine?”
When Hawk didn’t answer, I glanced around at Steel and Doc. Doc was finishing up with the splint on Steel’s fingers.
Doc cleared his throat. “I kind of shot him, Sheriff.”
I rolled my eyes.
“It was an accident!”
I sighed.
He cleared his throat again. “By the looks of you both, you’re lucky to be alive,” Doc added. “They’re broken, all right,” he told Steel, “but they’ll heal. Hawk, let me look at that cut.” He stood up.
“I’m fine, Doc. I said it’s just a scratch.” Hawk’s words were slurring.
“Humor me, Hawk.”
He growled but put his head up to let Doc examine his cut.
“I don’t know how you aren’t out cold. That dart I hit you with had a full dose of doxerine in it. You should be out cold for hours.”
“It’s a Yantu thing,” he slurred without elaborating.
Doc looked over the cut, but he must have determined it wasn’t serious, because he nodded and sat on the bed at Setora’s side, quickly checking over the drip on her arm.
“Fuck, this is getting old,” Pretty Boy said, jerking on his ponytail. His eyes were fixated on Setora, once again lying unconscious. “Did she really fight you both?” He glanced between Steel and Hawk.
“Yeah.” Steel’s voice was hushed—with shock, I thought--as he stared at his fingers.
Hawk nodded. “It was fascinating. I’ve never felt anything that strong.”
“It was like fighting a raging manatore, Sheriff,” Steel added.
I sighed and took a seat on the other side of the bed, opposite Doc. Running my hand through Setora’s soft bangs, I tried to calm the rage for Julian in my blood. She looked so peaceful, so innocent. She’d fought my two strongest fighters. Son of a bitch. What the hell did we do now? That damned specialist wouldn’t be here for two days. Two days, of this?
“Sheriff.” Hawk waited until I looked around at him. “There’s something you need to know.”
Everyone waited.
“This Julian…he’s not Yantu. I was right about that. But he’s something.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, he’s a trained warrior. She…he made her fight me. The way a warrior does. She could have killed us both.”
Pretty Boy’s brows went into his hairline. “Holy shit.”
“Oh, shit,” Steel added. “Sheriff. Her mother. Did the same thing happen to her?”
“I don’t know, but on our way here I told Mayhem Julian had showed up. Mayhem’s with her now. He’ll tell us if she’s experiencing the same thing. Steel, Hawk, did Setora—Julian—say anything that might help us stop him?”
“Nothing useful,” Steel said. “It was all the same stuff as before. ‘My army is coming, tide of change, you can’t stop it, blah blah blah.”
I ran my hands through my hair, allowing myself a moment to think, and then sat back. “All right, here’s what’s going to happen. Doc, find Stitch. Ask Mayhem to let us borrow his panic room. He told me all about it; it’s lead-lined and security-locked. I want Setora secured in there until this doctor shows up and gives us answers. Chain her to the damn wall if you have to.”
“That could be days, Sheriff,” Steel pointed out.
“I don’t care. Julian isn’t using her to hurt anyone else, or herself. And I don’t want anyone in there with her unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Doc nodded and left the room.
“I want three of the strongest men there are watching that room at all times in shifts, Hawk. Start with you, Reaper and Beast. All of you are to be armed with that doxin, or whatever it is Doc’s pumped her with.”
“Doc said he was out,” Hawk said, standing up to go find Beast and Reaper.
“Then get more!” I snapped.
Hawk nodded as if I hadn’t bit his head off, then left.
“Guys.” Steel leaned back in his chair, speaking to Pretty Boy and me. “I’m sorry, man. This is on me. I should have done more. I should have been able to stop him.”
“How?” Pretty Boy shook his shoulder as he’d done with Hawk. “What could you have done, pal?”
Steel shrugged. “I dunno, but something. This can’t keep happening to her.”
“I hate this, Sheriff. It’s like we’re fighting a ghost or a shadow or something,” Pretty Boy said.
I leaned over Setora, holding her hand in mine. I knew exactly what Pretty Boy meant. We knew so little about Julian, we couldn’t see him, we didn’t know where he was or when he would pop up. He was an enemy without form and yet able to infiltrate and control Setora at will. There had to be a way to stop him, but it was as if we were trying to trap a phantom.
I was about to tell the men we’d figure it out when someone rapped on the door.
“Enter,” I said.
Bear put his head into the room. A look of concern crossed his bearded face when he saw Setora. “Er, General. Mayhem’s out here wanting to talk to you.”
I told Pretty Boy, Steel, and Bear to stay with Setora, then slipped out of the room to find Mayhem waiting in the hall. His hard face looked drawn and tired, his eyes dark with worry.
“Mayhem, is D alright?”
He raked his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “She’s fine, Sheriff. Whatever Julian did to Setora, D seems unaffected, but she’s in the panic room just in case. Speaking of which, Doc said you wanted to put Setora in there.”
“Yeah, but if D’s in there, it’s not such a hot idea. I don’t want them in the same room. If Julian surfaces again, he might make them kill each other.”
“I agree. And besides, I don’t want D knowing about Setora until she’s rested.”
“Right. Do you have another place that’s equally secure for Setora?”
“I do. D’s in the panic room in my suite, but I have a second one under the Hold. It’s usually used for the men during an attack, but we can hold
Setora in there for now.”
“May I see the room?”
“Yeah, come on. This way.”
I followed him down hall after hall and down a set of stone steps to a basement where a single large cell stood, all steel and something he called “hard glass.” A security lock was on the only door. There was a bed against a wall where a set of chains hung, and a shelf with some dried food. The room looked bleak, no better than a prison cell, but it was the only choice we had.
“This isn’t much of a containment, Mayhem. All that glass. Setora managed to get out of her cuffs. If she gets out of them in there, she could break that glass.”
“No, she can’t. You’ve never seen hard glass, have you?”
“No.” I studied the security lock. It was electronic and must have been powered by a similar thing to the heating system in this place. Lights glowed on it, and a thick bolt held it closed.
“Hard glass is comparable to what they used to call transparent aluminum in the Old World. I don’t know how it’s made that way, but you could shoot anything you wanted at it and it wouldn’t break. I tested it.”
I sighed, but reluctantly nodded. “It’ll have to do. I’ll have Setora brought down here as soon as she’s ready.” We started back up the stairs to the main floor.
“I never thought I would go through this much trouble for a woman, Sheriff.” Mayhem closed the doors to the basement, and we headed back toward Steel’s rooms.
I grunted a laugh. “I hear you.”
“I don’t want Julian messing with D again, any more than I want him doing so with Setora. He didn’t surface in D this time, but he could do so at any time.” He stopped in the hall and blew out a breath. “A General is never supposed to admit it if he doesn’t have a plan, Sheriff. But I honestly don’t know what to do.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll just have to hope we can keep Julian at bay until your specialist gets here. And that we find these Ladies of Sha Nah Whatever sooner rather than later. That’s the best we can hope for.”
Heading back to Steel’s room and to my woman’s side, though, my thoughts raced. Anger made my fists clench. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but privately, I knew we were in a hell of a jam.
There was no guarantee the doctor we were all waiting for would have any answers, or that we would find those women at all. And if neither panned out, none of us had any idea what to do next.
For the first time since this whole mess with Julian started, I was seriously beginning to think we were fighting a battle none of us could win.
Which is why I did something that, until that moment, I would have expected from Steel.
I threw my fist into the nearest wall.
Chapter 7
Real
As soon as the dream began, I knew I was in trouble. Wherever I was, it was somewhere I didn’t want to be.
All around me, gleaming white walls rose up hundreds of feet, their surfaces resembling ice, or perhaps white crystal. I glanced up to where they met the ceiling, a vast, vaulted expanse that reflected the same polished sheen. About the room, massive columns the size of thick tree trunks connected floor to ceiling, all of them carved in intricate mosaics of vines, leaves, and strange overlapping scales. I had the impression of a gigantic grand hall in some far and distant palace.
Other than the carvings on the pillars, the room had no further décor and not a splash of color, giving the place an unsettlingly cold, empty feel, one that was nonetheless haunting in its stark beauty.
I’d certainly never seen anything like this place, and yet there was a familiarity about it, something I couldn’t quite remember. Something that scared me.
The familiar fear and dread that always accompanied these dreams flooded my veins. I wanted to run, but instead, my feet carried me further into the room, moving forward of their own accord.
As in my garden, my feet were bare, the polished white floor chilling my skin. Maker, this whole place felt as cold as it looked, enough to make me shiver and rub my bare arms.
Bare. For one terrifying moment, I thought I was naked. I stopped, glancing down at myself. I almost gasped.
Far from being unclothed, I was draped in a flowing, snowy-white gown that was tight about the waist, dipping low on the neck and billowing out in a shimmering skirt. The dress had no sleeves, but the shoulders were pointed upward at the tips. There was also a thick gold band around my waist. The style of the shoulders and that sash looked familiar, too, but from where? I couldn’t remember, but the sight of it nearly had me running back the way I’d come.
I glanced behind me, expecting to see a door where I’d entered from but there was only another mountainous, ice-like wall.
Fear snaked up my spine. Looking around, I saw no exits and not a single window.
I felt suddenly trapped, as if the walls were closing in.
I continued through the room, my footsteps much quicker.
At some point, the room changed to a corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. Huge statues stood every few feet, carved from the same solid, ice-like material as the walls. Standing nearly fifteen feet tall, they reminded me of giant knights in a castle. Except instead of swords, they held long spear-like staves, the tops carved into something that looked a little like a half-closed flower, with the petals slightly open to reveal a glittering orb at the center. How I knew, I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling that if the staves had been real, those orbs would have been pulsing with electric light.
Staring at one of the statues, the fear and dread melted, and I walked over, gazing up at it. Strange as the weapons were, it was the statue’s armor that baffled me.
The entire suit of armor was carved with overlapping scales like those I’d seen on the pillars from the other room, designed to fit like a second skin. It covered every part of the body and head, except the face. Across the cheeks, forehead, and chin, scales followed the chiseled shapes of the facial features, making the statue look inhuman.
Movement made me look down the hall to my right. Had one of the statues just changed positions? No, all were exactly the same as the one in front of me, with his staff held erect at his side, standing tall, chin raised proudly.
I shuddered and started down the hall again.
Minutes passed, and still no exits appeared. My heart rate accelerated. I must have been walking for ages. It occurred to me I could have been going in circles. That I was somehow ending up back where I had started, even though I knew I hadn’t made any turns. Every hall was the same, desolate and cold, and except for those huge statues, I saw nothing to mark where I was.
The first real bite of panic hit me, and I broke into a near run.
After what felt like an eternity, I turned a corner and entered a hall with thick, red carpet. Finally, something new and different. The hall ended at a doorway with soft, warm light spilling from it and pooling the carpet in gold. I headed in that direction. My feet made no sound on the carpet, and though my breathing felt harsh, I heard nothing.
The closer I drew to that doorway, the more my deadened senses awakened. Low music played from somewhere within the room, and a sweet herbal aroma tickled my nose. I paused a few steps away from entering, wanting to wait before I barged in. The place felt as if it held life, unlike all the other rooms and halls I’d been in. It made my skin prickle with wariness.
Standing in the doorway to the room now, I took in the space before me. It was a study, old fashioned and filled floor to ceiling with shelves of books and knick-knacks. Decorated in greys and burgandys, the room felt cozy and well-used, a favored place to be. I took a deep breath, just about to enter, but stopped just in time.
There was a man in the room, the last man I wanted to see. Reclining on a sofa, his face in profile, he held a book in his hand, his body relaxed. Ignoring the drumming of my heart, I studied him. He looked so different here in this room. His beautiful face had more color, a warm glow coloring his cheeks. His mouth was relaxed, showcasing the fullness of his lips. With
long fingers, he turned a page, and I noticed his clothing. A sleeveless white tunic in silk played up the definition in his muscled arms and matched the pants he wore. His feet were bare like mine.
Julian.
This was his place. His home. Maker, how did I get here? But the bigger question was how did I get out?
He didn’t seem to be aware of me. Heart still hammering, I looked about the room. In the center of the back wall, a fire flickered in an ornate hearth. A large desk made out of that same white stone sat in one corner of the room. The wall adjacent to the desk had two huge windows. What I saw outside them took my breath away.
A pitch-black sky filled one window, and at the center of it, that burning sun. Wispy clouds in all colors lit up the sky with electric pulses. Through the second window, stars as bright as sparkling gems dotted a clear night sky. The sight held me spellbound, terrifying in its beauty.
I quickly turned away from the windows, afraid my grip on my sanity was about to falter at any moment. Julian still sat reading, apparently oblivious to me. I was about to sneak back out into the hallway when a portrait hanging on the wall caught my eye. A majestic man with a crown on his head sat on a throne, regal and handsome. Behind him, a Violet stood with her hand on his shoulder. Her hair was coifed in thick braids around her head, a lovely smile painted on her lips. On the man’s lap sat two blond children, both wearing white gowns. Their hair was styled in such short curls, it was hard to discern their gender. Based on the clothing the four of them wore, I knew this painting was either very old, or the painter was fond of a bygone era. Either way, the painting evoked a family and a home full of life, encompassing love through each stroke of color.
Shaken by the emotions that coiled in my gut, I slowly began to back away.
“Cama Di?”
I turned toward that musical voice, and my eyes met Julian’s amethyst gaze. The surprise on his face was almost comical before it vanished so quickly it was as if I had imagined it. Standing now, his arrogance filled the room. “I am honored, Setora.”
