Shades of Death

by Ramy Vance

  Cire groaned as he touched his wound tentatively. “Orcs aren’t used to pillows. It will be something to learn.”

  For a moment, Terra thought she shouldn’t speak. It would be easier to let this go unsaid. Maybe it would shrivel up, and she wouldn’t have to ever deal with it. But that’s not what she wanted. “I was scared…I thought you were going to…you know, die or something.”

  Cire smiled sweetly. “That tends to be what warriors do. We die.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean…fuck it.”

  Terra leaned over and kissed Cire, holding him as close as she could, letting herself melt into him as he did the same. When she finally pulled away, Cire looked as if he’d been punched in the face.

  Cire released a heavy sigh. “This is the best way I’ve ever woken up after a fight.”

  “Consider it payback for all of those ‘sessions’ you gave me.”

  Myrddin was sitting silently, his breathing heavy and haggard.

  Abby was sitting beside him, watching the old man breathe. In the entire time she’d been waiting with him, there had only been a few visitors, mostly nurses and mages. She couldn’t understand why Anabelle and Terra hadn’t stopped by to see the wizard.

  Myrddin looked emaciated as if all of the life had gone out of his body, reducing him to a sheet of paper. Abby suspected that she could have pushed her finger through his forearm and it would have come out through the other side.

  He was dying; Abby knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Whatever the lich had done to him, it had left a lasting impression. It was not something the mages or nurses could overcome.

  She wondered if she could solve a problem they hadn’t.

  An image of Abby’s father flashed in her mind, but she pushed it away. It wasn’t helpful. Nothing would be solved by thinking about it, but her hands trembled still as she held them over Myrddin’s chest. “Martin, scan for anomalies and cross-reference with everything in the database. Everything.”

  Martin answered, but he sounded hesitant. “When you say everything, you’re just talking about HQ, right?”

  “No. Break into every system. I want to know it all. How long do I have to wait?”

  “Already done. I got a couple of things you might think are interesting.”

  Abby pulled up Martin’s list. “What are they?”

  “There is an anomaly in Myrddin’s wound. Some kind of black contagion. It’s similar to the material within the shard that was transported from the Wasp’s Nest. It also shares a host of similarities to readings taken from Persephone. I don’t quite know what to make of it yet.”

  “Pull it up. I want to see.”

  Abby stared at the holoscreen projecting from her HUD. There was a pattern, and all of it was connected. She was going to find out what linked them together.

  Myrddin wasn’t going to die on her watch.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The next few days at HQ were quiet. Anabelle didn’t see much of the DGA other than in passing. She visited both Myrddin and Cire in the medbay. That was the only time she saw Terra, who had barely left Cire’s side. Abby was watching over Myrddin, but Anabelle still had other duties to take care of, which restricted the amount of time she could check in on the old man.

  Anabelle found herself in the medbay with Myrddin more often than she had expected. It was never like she intended to go visit him either. She’d wake up, meditate, grab breakfast, and start walking. Then she’d look up, and realize she was in Myrddin’s room.

  The wizard was still in critical condition. The nurses and mages hadn’t been able to figure out exactly what had been done to him. His wounds had healed, but there appeared to be some kind of residual magic working in his body, keeping him sick.

  Creon had been back and forth to Myrddin’s room as well. He thought there might have been a technological aspect to the problem, but he hadn’t found anything.

  Anabelle sat on the opposite side of the room, watching people come and go, watching Myrddin struggle for life. She had never seen him like this before. The wizard’s skin looked as if it had aged a hundred years. He looked thin. In his sleep, he muttered in a language Anabelle couldn’t identify.

  She thought about her first few years under Myrddin’s watch. Those had been trying times for the elf, having only finished her training as a Traveler a few months prior. She’d been excited about joining the war effort, but Myrddin’s plans for her had not been what she had wanted.

  Regardless, as a Traveler, she knew it was her duty to serve the common good in whatever way it presented itself. So Anabelle had done what she’d felt was necessary.

  The two had butted heads constantly. Myrddin had not expected her to be as vocal about her issues with him as she had been. But it seemed like Myrddin also treasured that about her. Or at least tolerated it.

  Over the last few months, since the creation of the DGA, Anabelle had felt that she and Myrddin had been repairing their relationship. She wouldn’t have gone as far as calling it a friendship, but it had been more than just business.

  But that hadn’t changed any of Anabelle’s growing doubts concerning what Myrddin had been planning. She’d assumed Roy and Myrddin’s relationship was much more transparent than it had been. Now that Roy was meant to step up to the wizard’s position, both he and Anabelle had discovered Myrddin possessed a wealth of secrets that Roy was not privy too.

  Even more disconcerting was that, despite having received the wizard’s credentials, certain information had not been instantly available to Roy when the change in leadership had occurred.

  Information Roy needed right about now.

  It was as if Myrddin couldn’t fathom a situation where he was not in charge. It was frustrating to think their leader had been so full of hubris.

  That being said, Anabelle couldn’t help but feel a large measure of respect for the old man. He had risked his life, knowing full well he probably wasn’t going to live, just to give her and the other DGAs a way to escape.

  Just how powerful was the lich? Anabelle wondered. Myrddin killed an Elder One…those things are practically gods. But he couldn’t kill Rasputina, and she was able to do this to him.

  Anabelle was wondering if this war against the Dark One would have to switch to Rasputina. Then she remembered that the lich didn’t appear to have any motivations, no reasons for the chaos she was sowing. It made her erratic but was also a blessing. She wouldn’t be raising any armies anytime soon.

  Someone cleared their throat, and Anabelle looked over her shoulder. Abby stood on the threshold. “Mind if I visit, too?”

  Anabelle motioned for Abby to sit beside her, and the child obeyed. They sat there in silence for a bit, both lost in their thoughts, watching Myrddin from afar. “You think he’s gonna die?” Abby asked at last.

  Anabelle felt something tugging at her chest, and she choked on her words. “He better not.”

  “Me and Creon been looking through our credentials and everything. Looks like the only way Roy gets full access is when Myrddin dies. Then it all reverts to Roy.”

  “Any way to work around that yet?”

  “We’re trying to figure something out.”

  They fell back into silence, Anabelle thinking about how close Myrddin and Abby had grown over the last few months. He was becoming a surrogate father, much like Roy. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be for Abby to lose another parental figure.

  Anabelle stood and straightened out the creases in her pants. “I need to go meet Roy. He’s supposed to be officially making the announcement about Myrddin and the change of command in a little while.” She turned to go but caught herself. She couldn’t leave Abby like this, even if this sort of shit wasn’t her strong suit. “Uh…I’m not really good at this kind of stuff. You know that. But if you need to talk…about anything, let me know.”

  Abby, who hadn’t looked away from Myrddin, nodded dully, and said, “Thanks. I will.”

  Anabelle walked out of the ro
om, leaving the child alone with the ailing wizard.

  Anabelle stood at Roy’s side, Terra at hers, as Roy addressed the marines and the main agents of HQ. He explained Myrddin’s injuries and his condition and informed them he would be stepping in to take over the position until the wizard recovered.

  The marines cheered when Roy said, “We will not be defeated by the Dark One. He might strike at us, but we will not yield. None of our sacrifices will be in vain. Victory will be ours. Fuck this lich, and fuck the Dark One. The realms will know peace again.”

  The marines were dismissed, and Terra, Anabelle, and Roy retired to the war room. Roy’s armpits and brow were stained with sweat. He collapsed into Myrddin’s chair. “How did I do?” he asked.

  Terra and Anabelle sat with him. “You did great. Very Helm’s Deep, ” Anabelle said. “Besides, the men love you. Myrddin might be the brains of this operation, but all of those soldiers know you. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  Terra nodded her agreement. “So, what are we doing here? Don’t tell me you already have missions for us.”

  Roy nodded as he pulled up the holoscreen. “Yeah, I do. Nothing big, though. Without access to some of Myrddin’s main strategies, we’re kinda fucked in that department. But we have a lot of collateral damage to take care of, either way. We haven’t heard anything from any of the fronts other than the usual, and Creon said there have been no energy spikes from potential gates. The Dark One is probably preparing for another push. Which means we have some time to figure things out.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “Creon and Abby are upgrading all of our equipment, and I have intel coming in on how to deal with this lich. But you two will have your own assignments. Terra, we’re keeping you on the news circuit, once Cire is able to get out there with you. It is imperative that we don’t let public opinion change about what’s happening, and after New York, you know it’s going to have swayed straight to shit.”

  Terra sighed and nodded. “He should be up by tomorrow. He’s been getting a lot better. We’ll have security, right?”

  “As much as we can spare. But after New York, I’m starting to think it won’t matter. But that brings me to you, Anabelle.”

  Anabelle braced herself for whatever shit assignment she was about to get. Roy hadn’t given her any inkling of what it could be, and she was already annoyed. Taking orders from Roy was going to be a tough one.

  “The battle has left a good chunk of that area of New York in shambles. Over a billion dollars of property damages. We’re having our alchemists on that already, and we’ll be able to fund the restoration process. But I need a face there—you. You’re going on a work/press show tomorrow. On the ground floor, meeting with people, helping out where you can. Pure politics, but it’s something we need to do.”

  Anabelle believed her talents would have been better suited someplace else, but she held her tongue. This was Roy’s first mission briefing. She could give him shit about it after he got used to all of this. Or she could just talk to him later when they were alone. “Okay. I can take care of that. Anything else?”

  Roy looked surprised that Anabelle had taken her assignment so easily. “Oh, okay. Well, you’re dismissed.”

  Anabelle and Terra got up and left. As they walked away, Terra said, “You went pretty easy on him back there.”

  Anabelle laughed as she flipped her hair out her face. “He’s a sensitive guy. Don’t want to ruin his first day. We’ll wait until he does something stupid first.”

  The two women walked off laughing.

  Abby was in the lab before most people in HQ were awake. Generally, she rose before dawn, but since returning from the battle with the lich four days ago, she was getting out of bed early even by her standards.

  There was a problem that needed to be solved: Myrddin wasn’t getting better. Cire had been released from the medbay without complications. Myrddin, on the other hand, was still under twenty-four-hour surveillance.

  A couple of theories floated around in Abby’s head. One thing she knew was that the attack had something to do with the lich, obviously. The second was that it was specifically the lich’s knife.

  At the moment, Abby was waiting for Martin to deliver a compiled list of steps the nanobots had taken to heal her when she’d been stabbed by the lich. So far, Martin was only able to confirm that some anomalies were present that he hadn’t noticed at first. The wound had been healed, but the nanobots had been trying to hunt down the traces of foreign agents in her blood.

  Creon walked into the lab, yawning loudly before using the wall conjurer to get himself a cup of coffee.

  Abby briefly looked up from her computer screen. “You know you don’t have to get here this early just because of me.”

  Creon grimaced as he sipped his coffee. “How bad would it look if my partner was showing up a good four hours before me?”

  “Might look like she’s gone a little crazy.”

  Creon laughed as he booted up his computer. “Won’t find me disagreeing there. I found those research articles you asked about the lich. Emailed them to you last night.”

  “And what about the Old One’s stuff?”

  “That was a little harder to come across. Most of the information we have on the Old Ones is in old Elvish or in the celestial tongue. I pulled whatever I could, but I can barely read Elvish, let alone old Elvish. There’s no guarantee what I got will be of any use.”

  “Martin can take care of that for me. Thanks.”

  Abby pulled up her messages. There were a handful from Creon, as well as two others: one from Persephone and another from Alex, the leader of the Team Boundless of the dragonriders.

  Naturally, Abby wanted to open Persephone’s message first, but the message from Alex was interesting. They had met during the battle to free Terra from the battle arena and had kept in touch since then, but something had recently happened with Alex and her team.

  Apparently, Alex’s team had been disbanded due to mutiny. The details weren’t included in the basic information portal Abby had access to, so she couldn’t tell why. Also, she’d noticed something odd happening every time she tried to remember anything about Alex. It was as if her brain was getting fuzzy, like the vague haziness of trying to bring up a memory from childhood. Then Abby would find herself stuck.

  She opened the email and read through it quickly. At first, it appeared to be a followup about a question Alex had asked earlier, about the way her blood had metabolized draconic fluid. But the further Abby looked into the email, the more it seemed like Alex was hinting at something she couldn’t talk about.

  “Hey, Martin, do you know anything about breaking codes?” Abby asked.

  Martin popped up in the corner of sight. “More than your average computer program. Want me to take a look at this?”

  “Yeah. And I have some old celestial and Elvish texts I need help with too.”

  Martin yawned as his avatar disappeared. “I’ll tell you when I’m done. Ooooooooh, these are long. Might take me a little bit. Half an hour, maybe.”

  As Abby prepared to open her email, she received a visit from Creon. “What’s this?”

  Creon conjured two plates of food: Elkor, a goblin breakfast of stewed intestines served over buttered oats. It had quickly become one of Abby’s favorite meals.

  He placed a plate in front of Abby. “Finally got into Myrddin’s encrypted files—without Martin’s help. Now, just to let you know, this is grounds for a court-martial.”

  “I think they might cut us some slack if they know we’re doing this to help Myrddin. You should also forward these to Roy. Make sure he gets those credentials. Oh, and thanks for the grub.”

  Abby ate while she read through the email and documents. Martin had slowly been increasing the speed at which her eyes could move, allowing her to read faster. At the moment, she could finish War and Peace within fifteen hours. Getting through these documents took no time.

  She couldn’t believe w
hat she was reading. It was a compilation of briefings Myrddin had had with Alex and Suzuki, the leader of a very successful MERC group responsible for war efforts in Middang3ard. He had also been a part of the siege on the battle arena, and his crew, the Mundanes, were legends.

  Alex’s report was the easiest to digest. It detailed a battle she’d had with the Dark One. How a living meteor had almost destroyed Middang3ard, and how Alex had battled it psychically. One thing Abby noticed referenced often was a sickly green color. It was reminiscent of the green aura and the magic Rasputina used.

  Next was Suzuki’s briefing, in which he detailed a conversation with a river god of some kind who had spoken to him about the Dark One and where he came from. Suzuki referred to it as Netherverse, a place outside our time and understanding and the same place the Old Ones were from. But the Dark One didn’t dwell there. Suzuki seemed to think the Dark One was the Netherverse.

  More pieces of information had been included in the package. A description of a weapon left by a psychic alien at the Wasps Nest, the HQ of the dragonriders. The weapon was a shard of some sort, filled with a black liquid that appeared sentient.

  These briefings had been grouped together by Myrddin. He obviously believed they were related.

  Martin interrupted Abby’s train of thought. “Got two things for you, sweet child of mine. Got Myrddin’s toxicology reports back. Turns out, the anomalies we found in your blood are in his as well, but much more. I’m sending the reports on how the nanobots scrubbed you to the technicians. Should have him right as rain in no time.”

  “What’s the second thing?”

  “Incoming call from Persephone.”

  Abby’s heart raced. “You mean, right now?”

  “As in, right now.”

  Abby pushed her hair back and sat up straight, checking her reflection in her computer screen to see if she’d rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Then she patched Persephone through.