Flynn Nightsider and the Edge of Evil

by Mary Fan

  “Yeah, the Lord really screwed dead people over.” Aurelia pulled an arrow from her quiver. “But that’s how it’s been forever, and there’s nothing we can do to change it. You’re talking about cosmic forces, here.”

  That can’t be all there is to it. Flynn walked between the headstones, glancing at all the specters who used to be as human as he was. There must be some kind of justice at the end of life.

  Perhaps someday, once the Rising had triumphed, he could search for an answer.

  Aurelia slapped the arrow against her bow and fired upward. A razorbird came crashing down from the sky. “This cemetery must be a nesting ground for those supernatural suckers.” A specter appeared before her, and she jumped.

  “What are you afraid of, my dear?” The man’s skeletal face barely looked human, and his brown clothing hung off his emaciated frame. He reached one bony hand toward Aurelia.

  Flynn stepped in front of her. “Get outta here!”

  The specter’s hand dissolved against Flynn’s shoulder, and the spirit turned his empty eye sockets toward Flynn. “How’d you do that? What are you? Where did you come from?”

  Flynn raised both hands and pushed forward as if shoving the specter by the shoulders. It let out a cry and dissolved.

  “Stay close to me,” he said to Aurelia. “They can’t get you, not while I’m around.”

  “I know, dummy.” Aurelia spoke sarcastically, but her eyes betrayed anxiety, and her lack of protest told Flynn that the spirits actually spooked her more than any monster with fangs or claws could. When it came to spirits, even the Firedragon was vulnerable. There was nothing she—or any Norm—could do other than repel them with silver.

  Aurelia grabbed another arrow. “Once we make it across the cemetery, it’s not far to the road. Tamerlane’s probably already waiting with the vehicle.”

  “Got it.” Flynn slung the sword off his back and pulled it from its sheath, figuring it would be better to have some range the next time a specter approached. His arms were only so long.

  Aurelia seized Flynn’s shoulder, yanking him out of the way a split second before a knife-sharp razorbird feather pierced the ground. She fired, taking down the crow-like creature. Whirling, she fired two arrows in quick succession, and two high-pitched screeches rang out. “Run!”

  She raced across the cemetery. Flynn stayed close behind her, watching for specters. Each time one got close, he slashed through its translucent form with his blade. Aurelia continued firing off arrows as she ran, striking razorbirds left and right—some from the sky and some as they appeared from wisps of black smoke.

  Seeing a black fence ahead, Flynn searched for a gate he could open but didn’t find one. At least the fence was low enough to climb. After hopping over, he landed on a bed of leaves. Dark forest lay ahead.

  “I can’t cross that,” Aurelia said, a mix of fear and annoyance in her eyes.

  Flynn cursed. He hadn’t thought of that. “Are you sure?”

  “Look!” She rammed her bow into the air above the fence. Red sparks appeared, and she stumbled backward as though something had punched her in the stomach.

  Dammit. Flynn dragged his gaze across the fence, wondering what to do. Thin metal posts spaced about a yard apart held up the flat bars standing between him and Aurelia. Several teetered at crooked angles, and some looked close to falling over. If he opened up a section, maybe Aurelia could follow him through it.

  He kicked the fence as hard as he could, and it wobbled. Before he could try again, a razorbird materialized before him, trailing black smoke. He tried to dodge but wasn’t fast enough, and a sudden, sharp pain exploded through his left upper arm. A cry escaped him, and he grabbed the wound, dropping his sword. Hot blood seeped between his fingers.

  “Flynn!” Aurelia cried. The razorbird lifted its wings to fire again, but an arrow pierced it through the middle. At least her weapon could cross the barrier. Her eyes filled with worry.

  “I’m fine.” Flynn clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the powerful stinging. Judging by the three long cuts beneath his fingers, at least three feathers had sliced him.

  “Keep pressure on that arm.” She strung an arrow and glanced around.

  Spotting his sword on the ground, Flynn released his wound to grab it and put it back in its sheath. Fresh pain shot through him, and he did his best not to cry out as he gripped his arm again.

  He drew a breath, pretending he didn’t feel like three knives were in the middle of cutting off his arm, and turned his gaze back to the fence. One hard blow would finish the job. Energy sprang up from his toes, and he drove his heel into the post. It fell over, bringing down a section of the fence with it. “Aurelia!”

  Aurelia poked her bow through the opening. When nothing happened, she stepped through and darted into the darkness, gesturing for him to follow. Flynn ran beside her, clutching his arm and concentrating on his breaths.

  Aurelia froze and held out her arm to stop him. “Wait…”

  A moment later, Tamerlane emerged from behind a tree, barely visible in the light of his wand, which glowed blue. He aimed it in the direction of the cemetery. “Spiritus—”

  “Don’t banish the specters!” Aurelia exclaimed.

  Tamerlane furrowed his brow. “What?”

  “Why do you think there are no Sentinels on our tail right now? They don’t want to mess with those specters either! We could use the distraction.”

  “And all that supernatural energy’s throwing them off your essence.” Tamerlane nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “Is that why you led us in there?” Flynn asked Aurelia.

  Aurelia shrugged. “Wasn’t like there was anywhere else to go.”

  “Well, we’ve gotta get out before they figure out where we’ve gone.” Flynn headed into the trees.

  Tamerlane glanced at him. “What happened to your arm?”

  “Just a nick.” Flynn tightened his grip on the cuts.

  “We’ve got bandages in the vehicle. Hurry!” Tamerlane rushed past him.

  As Flynn picked up his pace, he chanced a look back. The specters swirled through the opening he’d made in the fence, flying up into the sky. Some looked like translucent people, more confused than frightening. Others barely looked human with their skeletal limbs and distorted faces. Flynn couldn’t help wondering what would happen if someone summoned the spirits of his fallen parents. Would they be like that little kid back in the cemetery, trapped between worlds?

  Only the dim blue light projected from Tamerlane’s wand broke the blackness. Seeing one of the long blue Xs Tamerlane had marked the trees with earlier, Flynn headed toward it. An uneasy feeling haunted every step, and he thought about pulling out his pistol in case the razorbirds followed. But if he fired or if the razorbird screeched when it fell, the noise would attract the Sentinels. Besides, he could barely aim with two functioning arms. Trying to shoot with only one hand on his weapon wouldn’t go well.

  He wound his way through the trees, following the Xs. After what felt like forever, the black form of the vehicle became visible.

  Flynn automatically headed for the driver’s side, but Tamerlane got there first.

  “I’ll drive,” he said. “You get yourself bandaged.”

  Flynn wasn’t about to argue. Meanwhile, Aurelia climbed into the back seat and slid across to the other side to make room for him. Flynn entered and slammed the door behind him.

  A moment later, Tamerlane revved up the engine. The vehicle rocked violently across the bumpy ground, and Flynn’s hand jerked across his wound. A bolt of pain shot up his arm, and he winced.

  “Hey.” Aurelia held up a bandage roll, which she must have fished out of the seatback pocket. “Give me your arm.”

  “Thanks.” Flynn angled himself so his injured arm was closer to her then slowly released his grip. His cuts stung, and he clenched his teeth.


  Aurelia unrolled part of the bandage and leaned toward him. Biting her lip, she wrapped the white cloth around his arm. “This bandage has antibiotic stuff in it, so you don’t have to worry about infections.”

  “That’s good.” Flynn expected her to say something snarky about how he’d been too slow to avoid the razorbird’s feathers, but she continued wrapping in silence.

  “Sorry I can’t help,” Tamerlane mumbled.

  Flynn thought about the many times he’d seen Tamerlane flick his wand and make minor injuries disappear, and he grimaced. This wasn’t the first time he’d experienced the downside to being Untouchable, but it was so far the most painful. He reminded himself that as much as his arm hurt, the cuts weren’t actually that big a deal, and he was annoyed at himself for letting them bother him so much. At least being Untouchable meant I could get the map the Rising needed.

  A raw, stinging pain shot through his arm as Aurelia kept winding the bandage around his arm, and he balled his fists, determined not to flinch again. He didn’t need one more reason for her to see him as weak. But she didn’t make any of the biting comments he’d come to expect from her.

  When she finished, she tucked the bandage roll away and smiled. “Congrats, Nighty.”

  Flynn tilted his head. “For what?”

  “You survived your first real mission.” She looked out the window, turning away from him. “I guess you have your uses.”

  “Um… Thanks.” Flynn pulled the green crystal out of his pocket. He held it up to the window, but there wasn’t much to see, since Tamerlane kept the vehicle’s headlights off and was apparently using his wand to navigate. All he could make out were a few gleaming angles under the pale moonlight. Hard to believe this little rock held the secrets of the Palace of Concord and could prove critical in bringing down the Triumvirs.

  Flynn leaned back in his seat, and a mixture of exhaustion and relief made him feel as though his muscles had turned to liquid. A sense of pride kindled in his chest. For the first time in his life, he’d done something that really mattered. Even if he’d screwed up a few times, he’d still helped bring the Rising one step closer to triumph.

  Silver mist shimmered outside the window as the vehicle crossed the Citadel’s perimeter, and the wide gray-brown building burst into sight, the tattered red flag fluttering atop the tower. Eager to stretch his legs, Flynn accelerated. He’d taken over for Tamerlane a few hours back. The vehicle lurched off the rough path through the woods and onto the grassy field before the building. A great tension released his shoulders. He’d gotten himself and the others back in one piece. Well, mostly.

  He glanced at Tamerlane, who leaned out the passenger-side window, wand in hand. “Hey, relax. We’re through the perimeter. No one’s following us anymore.”

  Tamerlane twisted in his seat, looking back at the dark forest behind them. “There’s still a chance my decoys didn’t work.”

  “Are we there yet?” Aurelia mumbled from the back seat, where she’d been napping for the past hour.

  Flynn glimpsed her rubbing her eyes in the rearview mirror. “So Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake.”

  Aurelia stuck her tongue out at him.

  Flynn veered around the Citadel, heading for the lot behind it, and parked beside a line of similar black vehicles. He got out and stretched. Oddly, he wasn’t the least bit sleepy, despite it being about two in the morning.

  Aurelia climbed out of the back. “Hey, can I see the map thingy?”

  “Sure.” Flynn pulled the crystal out of his pocket and handed it to her. As soon as he released it, it glowed green.

  She peered at it. “How’s this a map?”

  Tamerlane aimed his wand at the crystal. “Here, I’ll show you.” Knitting his eyebrows, he whispered, “Reveal the lights that lie within.”

  Glowing lime-green mist appeared around the crystal, which levitated from Aurelia’s hand and hovered a few inches before her face. Flynn took a step back, not wanting to interfere with whatever abracadabra Tamerlane had activated. The mist spread, forming a sphere about two feet in diameter, and undulated for a few moments before taking on the shape of the Palace of Concord. Sharp peaks and angular towers jutted over high walls. Flynn walked around the three-dimensional image, fascinated.

  “I used to study similar maps back at university.” A hint of wistfulness clung to Tamerlane’s tone. “This method of storing a location’s information isn’t exactly common, but it’s not rare either. Watch this.” He tucked his wand into his pocket and put his hands on a section of the Palace’s outer walls. Pulling his hands apart, he stretched a section of the image into a closer view.

  Curious, Flynn leaned in for a better look. Above the rectangular gates, several circles lined the upper edge of the wall. He’d never been close enough to the Palace of Concord to have seen that section in person, but from the images he’d been shown in class, he was pretty sure he’d never seen those circles before. He nodded at them. “That’s new.”

  “Razorbird nests,” Tamerlane said. “Looks like there are a bunch hidden in the walls.”

  “That’s… not good.”

  “They’re the least of our worries. As long as we bring enough Azur Shields, we’ll be fine.”

  “Azur-what?”

  Tamerlane reached into his pocket and pulled out a six-inch-long cylinder of black wood. Intricate carvings covered the surface in complex swirls. He placed the cylinder against his forearm and tapped the end with his finger three times. “Activate.”

  A black strap shot out of one side, wrapped around his arm, and connected with the other. A translucent rectangle, blue in color and reminiscent of glass, appeared before him. Flynn recalled having seen the Risers use shields like that during the Defiants’ attack three months back.

  Tamerlane held up his arm. “This is an Azur Shield. It’ll stop any physical projectile and most simple spells.”

  “Too bad I can’t use them.” Flynn turned to Aurelia. “Why didn’t you bring one on the mission?”

  Aurelia shrugged. “Didn’t need one more thing slowing me down, and it’s not strong enough to guard against the Sentinels’ power.”

  “The light also attracts monsters.” Tamerlane tapped the cylinder again, and the blue shield disappeared. “But when we invade the Palace, the monsters will know we’re coming anyway, so that won’t be an issue.” He left the black cylinder strapped to his arm as he waved a hand against the misty green image of the Palace of Concord, which rotated at his command. “Looks like we’ll be facing bloodwolves as well.”

  Flynn tried to see what he was seeing, but he couldn’t make out anything but a cluster of bright-green lines, certainly nothing that looked like bloodwolves or even cages. “How are you reading that thing?”

  “Yeah, how?” Aurelia said.

  “I know what to look for.” Tamerlane rotated the image again, quickening his movements into a flurry of fingers. “Took months to get the hang of it, though.” Eyes fixed on the map, he twisted and stretched the map into what looked to Flynn like a jumble of blobs and symbols.

  “What else do you see? Wraiths?”

  “No, thank God.” Tamerlane swiped a section of the Palace. “I don’t think there’s a spell in the world that can control spirits.”

  “You’re back!” Calhoun approached from the Citadel’s back door. A wide grin spread across his face. “I see you succeeded. Good job.” He glanced at the map. “Put that away, Brooks. I know you’re excited, but now’s not the time to poke around.”

  “Sorry.” Tamerlane reached for the hovering crystal. A strange look crossed his face. He paused then shifted the misty image. “That can’t be right…”

  “I said, put it away.” Calhoun’s tone became firm.

  “There’s something—”

  “I will be handling the analysis.” Calhoun snatched the crystal from midair. “Deactiv
ate.” The image of the Palace dissipated. He gave Tamerlane a stern look. “Your job was to obtain the map. Leave the rest to those with more experience.”

  Tamerlane’s expression hardened, but he didn’t say anything.

  Flynn gave Calhoun a funny look, wondering why the old man was so snappy. “I don’t see why—”

  “Flynn!” Calhoun clapped Flynn’s shoulder. “Glad you made it back, kid.” His gaze fell on Flynn’s bandaged arm. “How’d you get all bloody?”

  “Razorbird—just a scratch.” Flynn shrugged, though his arm still felt like hot needles were scratching his skin every time he moved it.

  “Guess it would’ve been too much to hope you’d come out of your first mission unscathed. Good thing you’re a tough one. Come, I’ve got something to show you.” Calhoun walked back to the Citadel.

  Wondering what it could be, Flynn followed Calhoun up the steps to the door. It still bothered him that Calhoun didn’t seem to want Tamerlane—or Flynn and Aurelia, for that matter—looking at the Palace map. Sure, the old man was paranoid and liked his secrets, but something didn’t feel right. “Hey, Calhoun—”

  “Wait till you see what I’ve got for you.” Calhoun pushed the door open, revealing a corridor leading to the main hall.

  At the end stood a slender girl with long blond hair whose back was to Flynn. Flynn blinked. Could it be? No, there’s no way…

  As he drew closer, the girl turned. Wide brown eyes and gently arching brows against a delicate-featured, olive-complexioned face—a face from the past. A part of the life he’d left behind.

  He ran the rest of the way then stopped, flabbergasted, a few feet in front of her. “Kylie?”

  Chapter 20

  Arrows and Shadows

  Flynn stared, feeling as if someone had ripped a memory from his head and planted it before him. He’d told himself that his chances of ever seeing his Academy friends again were basically zero until after the Rising had succeeded—and maybe not even then. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten them. It was… he’d accepted that he had to move on without them. The last time he’d seen Kylie, he’d just decided to break into Everett’s office—that one reckless act that had torn him from his old life forever. She was a nostalgic memory, the girlfriend of the best friend he’d left behind. What was she doing at the Citadel?