by Mary Fan
Surrounded by almost complete darkness, he felt blind, and the stillness, disturbed only by a light breeze, chilled him.
He heard something. Behind the rustle of the leaves, he detected faint, unintelligible whispering. Though it was soft, it sounded vehement, like people arguing.
Specters? He slowly walked toward the sound, holding his sword out before him.
The whispering stopped.
A black blade came crashing down toward him. Alarmed, he raised his weapon, blocking just in time. “Aurelia! It’s me!”
Aurelia stared at him, her eyes round. She lowered her sword and threw her shin into his thigh, kicking him hard.
“Ow!” he cried. “What the hell?”
“Screw you, Flynn!” Aurelia stabbed the ground. “I nearly killed you! Why did you follow me?”
Before Flynn could reply, a yellow light flashed behind one of the trees. “What was that?” He raised his weapon and started toward the spot where he’d seen it.
Aurelia grabbed his shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“There was a light behind you, like someone goldlighting.” He tried to take another step, but Aurelia firmed her grip, holding him back.
“You’re nuts. I didn’t see anything. Anyway, let’s go back before something nasty finds us.”
“I know what I saw. There—”
“Then it was just some little creature with glowing parts, probably a lone baby scorchrat.” She gave Flynn a slight shove in the direction of the Citadel. “Best thing for us to do is get back inside the perimeter before something bigger comes along.”
Flynn had never seen a scorchrat—rodent-sized creatures known to live in colonies and reduce people and animals to piles of bones with their small but powerful teeth. But he was pretty sure a supernatural the size of a rabbit couldn’t cause a glow that large. “I don’t think—”
“Who knows more about monsters, me or you?” Aurelia seized his wrist and dragged him forward. “Let’s go.”
“Knock it off!” He tried to twist free, but her grip was too firm. He looked back at the spot where he’d seen the glow but didn’t see anything. If something dangerous had caused it, surely Aurelia would know. And she was right about being safer inside the perimeter. With a huff, he let her lead him toward Citadel. “Can you let me go now?”
She released his wrist. “What were you doing out here anyway?”
“I thought you needed backup!”
“Pfft. As if.” Aurelia froze abruptly and looked around, an anxious look creeping into her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Flynn asked.
“Run!” Aurelia raced toward the Citadel then abruptly changed direction and ran back into the trees.
Flynn struggled to keep up with her. “What’re you doing?”
A hideous, glowing grin and a pair of malicious red eyes appeared out of the darkness, swooping down toward Aurelia. Flynn recognized the face of a wraith. Enormous bat-like wings stretched behind it. Their bony structure and the edges of its tattered black cloak gave off a faint red glow. He rushed to stick his sword back in its sheath. By the time he’d seized his pellet gun from its holster, Aurelia had already grabbed her second sword and was in the middle of slashing through the evil spirit. The thing let out a screech and disappeared.
Before Flynn could even exhale, three more appeared in the sky. Oh, hell…
Strange energy coursed through him—a disorienting mix of bold courage and icy fear. Spirits couldn’t hurt him, but Aurelia—she was vulnerable. Firedragon or not, no Norm could defeat wraiths.
The spirits swooped down. Flynn fired at one, spraying it with silver pellets. It opened its mouth, revealing the flaming inferno behind its teeth, and its high-pitched cry shook him to the bone. He fired again. It disappeared into wisps, but his victory was short-lived. It reappeared almost instantly. No matter how many times he pulled the trigger, the wraith was relentless, rematerializing almost the same moment it dissipated. Its nasty, rotten grin and wicked red eyes, which looked disembodied in the darkness, seemed to mock his uselessness. He kept firing anyway. What else could he do?
Meanwhile, Aurelia slashed the other two wraiths’ ghostly figures with her silver-edged blades, but she wasn’t having any better luck. Her swords would force them to disintegrate, but they would reappear before she even had a chance to finish her strokes.
Though the two of them hit the wraiths over and over, the spirits didn’t seem to get any weaker. We can’t keep this up forever. Knowing they’d need help, he reached for the flare in his pocket.
A high scream tore through the night.
Flynn whirled. Two wraiths grabbed Aurelia with their pale, dead-looking hands. Her swords fell to the ground; she appeared paralyzed. A yellow glow surrounded her, and the light emitting from her body disappeared into the wraiths’ empty black faces. They were draining her—they were killing her.
“Aurelia!” Flynn fired, but he might as well have thrown a twig for all the good it did. Meanwhile, the third wraith spread its black wings and swooped toward her.
Flynn sprinted at Aurelia and wrapped his arms around her middle, cutting through the wraiths. The air filled with their earsplitting screeches. He pulled her to the ground, using his body to cover her.
“Get off me!” Aurelia tried to shake him off, but he kept his grip tight.
“For God’s sake, Aurelia, stay down!”
Two wraiths flew at her. Flynn didn’t know if his grabbing her would spread his Untouchable nature to her, but he wasn’t about to take any chances. He sprang up and managed to angle himself to make both wraiths crash into him. Whirling, he looked around for the third. He caught a glimpse of the Citadel between the trees, but it seemed so far away.
Aurelia grabbed her swords but remained crouched. A wraith approached her, and Flynn arched himself over Aurelia to ward it off then spun and lunged at another.
How long could he keep this up? With three relentless spirits apparently hell-bent on draining her life, one might find an opening if he lost focus for an instant. And there were other creatures in the woods. If one of them attacked him now, how could he both fight it off and shield Aurelia?
We need help. He reached for his flare again.
Aurelia jumped up.
He grabbed her shoulder. “Aurelia! Stay—”
“Spiritus evanescat!” A male voice rang through the air, and a blinding light erased the darkness in a wash of light, forcing Flynn to close his eyes.
The shrill, demonic screeches of three wraiths ripped through the air. Flynn cringed. That spell—it was the same one Williams had used to banish the specters in the library all those months ago. But had it worked? And who’d said it? The voice had sounded somewhat like Tamerlane’s…
Flynn opened his eyes. The vestiges of light lingered before his vision, but whichever way he looked, he saw nothing but tree trunks. He let out a breath. The wraiths were gone.
Aurelia was already sprinting toward the Citadel. He ran after her, but even mustering every bit of speed he had, he couldn’t catch up. He’d never seen her run so fast before. She didn’t stop until she reached the steps of the Citadel. She leaned against one of the columns, panting.
Flynn stopped in front of her, out of breath. Now that she was safe, a sudden rush of anger surged through him. He’d nearly lost her to those wraiths—and for what?
“You want to know why I followed you?” He thrust his hand in the direction of the woods. “In case that happened! Even the Firedragon can’t gank a wraith.”
Aurelia scowled. “You think I don’t know that?”
“If I’d done something so dumb, I’d never hear the end of it. You’d better have had a damn good reason for going out there!”
“My reasons are none of your business!” Despite her defiant stare, she appeared shaken. Her fists remained clenched around
her swords, and her usually golden complexion had faded to a sickly pallor. “I heard something. I went to check it out, and things went wrong. It happens. I’m fast, not perfect.” She sank down to the ground. “I saw the wraiths coming, thought I could outrun them. I’ve done it before but… I guess I was wrong this time. I’m sorry I screwed up, okay?”
Flynn suddenly felt like a jerk for yelling at her, and his anger faded. “Don’t apologize. It just freaked me out, seeing those wraiths nearly get you.”
“Trust me, it freaked me out too.” Aurelia bit her lip and stared at the ground. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, Nighty. Never needed backup before. But with all the supernatural craziness that’s been going on lately, I guess it’s not such a bad idea. So… um… thanks.”
“Hey, you’ve saved my life enough times.” Flynn sat down beside her. “Does this mean we’re even?”
Aurelia smirked. “Not even close.”
Flynn suddenly realized that in his distraction over Aurelia, he hadn’t stopped to wonder where that spirit-banishing spell had come from. He glanced around, wondering why Tamerlane—that’s whose voice it was, right?—hadn’t shown up. Then he remembered what Tamerlane had said once: “Magic words don’t matter—it’s the power and intent behind them. I could yell spiritus evanescat at a wraith all day, but I’d barely make it flinch. I’m just not strong enough yet. Specters I can handle, though.”
Tamerlane can’t banish wraiths… So who was it? Flynn turned to Aurelia. “Hey, did you see who cast that banishing spell?”
“Williams, duh.” Aurelia pushed a strand of black hair out of her face. “I’d recognize his voice anywhere.”
“Williams?” Flynn furrowed his brow. That voice hadn’t sounded like the professor’s—too young, not low or gruff enough. Then again, Flynn hadn’t exactly been listening carefully, and Aurelia had sharper senses. Besides, she had no reason to lie about it—did she? “How’d Williams know we were in trouble? I never sent up the flare. And why isn’t he here, lecturing us for going past the perimeter?”
Aurelia shrugged. “We weren’t exactly hard to find, with all that screeching. Williams is probably still out there, double-checking the perimeter. I’m sure we’ll get our lecture soon enough.”
Flynn frowned. It seemed weird that Williams would show up out of the blue to rescue them then not confront them for being idiots who went outside the barrier.
Aurelia nudged him. “Why the mad face?”
“I just find it strange that Williams isn’t here right now.”
“Sheesh, you’re suspicious of everything today! I think all this Riser stuff’s making you as paranoid as Calhoun.”
“Maybe. Just seems like there’s a lot going on that I don’t know about.”
“That’s life. Paranoia’s good for monster-fighting, but don’t let it get to you when it comes to people.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, staring out into the night. There was a funny look in her eyes, as though she knew something more and wasn’t telling him.
The Lord curled his lips in satisfaction. All the pieces were falling into place for his inevitable return. His underlings had faced some dangers, and he’d taken many risks, but they had all paid off. Destiny could not be denied, and the earth could not avoid its fate. It was written in the stars, whispered from the mouths of Precognitive Ones: the Lord of the Underworld would return, and none of the Triumvirs or their Sentinels could stop him.
But ninety-three years was a long time to be bound, unable to access that which had once made him great. The tantalizing power he saw in his creatures was almost too much to bear. He ruled them all. The growing might of the Underworld should have been his to wield. Why, then, did he remain trapped and unable to tap into what rightfully belonged to him?
Soon. All I need is a little more patience. Patience was the reason the Lord had everything he needed, after all—except one thing. One little object stood between him and total victory.
And what stood between him and that object? Tydeus Storm’s stubbornness. If Storm would cooperate as he once had, the Lord’s return could occur as soon as the next day. But the man who had once been such a loyal follower had caused nothing but problems recently. Nevertheless, he would not stand in the Lord’s way. The Defiants, he called his followers. He didn’t even realize what he was defying!
The Lord deepened his grin. Yes, thanks to the Triumvirate’s incompetence, he had all but one thing. And Tydeus Storm would hand that thing over soon enough. After all, his dark powers were nothing without the Lord.
Chapter 21
Out of Whack
Aurelia glanced around the Citadel’s main hall, counting the Risers who’d shown up for the next mission to rescue those who had been arrested during the Salvator City rally. Calhoun had finally gathered enough intel to put together a plan of action, and it was a good one. But it was only possible because of the Triumvirate’s cruelty.
They’d arrested ninety-eight people that night—innocent citizens frustrated by the nation’s injustice who only wanted to listen to someone speak of a better world. Yet even though they hadn’t actually done anything, they were all sentenced to life in the mines. She scowled, hating the thought of all those people doomed to hard lives because of their beliefs. While “the mines” used to refer to actual silver mines—the Triumvirate needed a lot of that to fight the supernaturals—the term had evolved over the decades to mean any form of prison labor dedicated to collecting the metal. Nowadays, that mostly meant gathering scraps from the ruins of lost towns—sifting through crumbled buildings in search of silverware and such or cleaning up the sites of previous battles to recycle silver pellets and whatnot. Prisoners were forced to work long hours and fed next to nothing. Many died within a few years—either from mistreatment or from monster attacks. The Triumvirate didn’t exactly give them top security. Aurelia hated that so many people had been doomed to such a fate because of the Rising—and partly because of her. But now, she would set them free, and she couldn’t wait to get started.
From the excitement in the air, neither could the other Risers. Twenty-nine people had shown up—the best turnout she’d seen yet. It was almost twice as good as for the mission three months back to free the Untouchable One. Who thinks he’s literally untouchable just because he ganked a monster and hasn’t gotten himself killed yet.
She huffed, equally mad at Flynn and herself—Flynn for becoming an arrogant idiot, and herself for giving a crap. She’d done her job. It wasn’t her fault that teaching him a few tricks had made him more eager to rush into danger. And if Calhoun wanted to keep risking his secret weapon on dangerous assignments, that was his call. Sure, she disagreed with him sometimes, but he was still the Rising’s leader—and a good one at that. Not only had he kept his word about freeing the prisoners, but he was personally leading the mission. Bet the Gold Triumvir would never do anything that hands-on.
Aurelia looked around for Tamerlane. He was usually early to missions, and his absence made her uneasy, especially since the Rising was depending on Enchanters like him to get the prisoners to safety.
A team of Risers led by Nossiter had recently discovered their location. The good news was that all ninety-eight had been sentenced collectively and were being kept in the same prisoner unit. The bad news was that they’d been sent to an abandoned, unprotected town to gather any scraps of silver that remained in the ruins. According to the intelligence, the Sentinels had created an enchanted barrier to keep the supernaturals out and to prevent anyone from goldlighting in. Though their enchantments would not confine a person, anyone who tried to escape would be vulnerable to the monsters and suffer a worse fate than forced labor, and the Sentinels would be watching from above. That meant the Risers had creatures to worry about in addition to the Triumvirate’s goons.
If all went according to plan, the Sentinels wouldn’t notice the Risers were there until it was too l
ate. The plan was to sneak the prisoners out, one by one, through a complex sewage system beneath the town. Once beyond the barrier, the Enchanters among the rebels would goldlight the prisoners to the Citadel. And the more people with magic who were around, the faster it would go, and the less chance there was of anyone getting gored by a hellhorn while waiting in the untamed wilderness. Which was why they needed Tamerlane. Where is that guy?
She spotted a lanky, redheaded figure walking toward the stairs, and she rushed to grab him. “Tamerlane!”
Tamerlane spun. “What is it?”
“Where are you going? We’re heading out in a few!”
“I’m not coming.”
“What?” Aurelia gaped, half-expecting him to say he was joking. “We could really use you out there!”
“Couldn’t you use me, too?” Flynn descended the staircase.
Aurelia raised one eyebrow. “The last mission you went on, you nearly got yourself and the rest of us caught. Besides, everything you’ve tried your hand at has gone wrong.” The last words came out nastier than she’d intended, but she wasn’t about to apologize for something true.
Flynn stopped. “Just thought you could use everyone around.”
“You don’t count as everyone. You’re special, remember? Besides, we can’t be making a five-hour drive every time something needs to get done because of your Untouchable-ness.”
Flynn grimaced, annoyance clouding those usually bright blue eyes of his. Instead of responding, he turned and went back up the stairs.
Tamerlane gave her a funny look. “What’s with you?”
“Someone’s gotta take him down a peg. Next time, his luck might run out.” Her chest clenched. It was bad enough that she had to deal with Flynn’s recklessness. That Calhoun seemed eager to deploy his secret weapon made it ten times worse. But at least he’d agreed that the Untouchable One had no part in the present mission. “Calhoun’s with me on that. You, on the other hand, are needed. So why won’t you come?”
