“Let’s find out,” Calisto said. “Do not draw on your sword, whatever you do. Do you understand?”
“I do,” I said, wondering how I was supposed to deal with an attack unarmed. “What if they attack? You want me to use my words?”
“How can they reach you, if you remain behind the ward circle?”
“Good point,” I said. “Didn’t you say the stronger Unholy would be able to get through the protective wards?”
“Only the most serious threats,” Calisto answered. “Chimera and those close to his power level can do so with difficulty.”
“Are you sensing him outside?” I asked. “I’m not feeling that kind of threat.”
“No, but let’s pretend the Unholy outside are fairly strong,” Calisto said, stopping at the main door. “Then you go out there with your Sepia thickheadedness and manifest your incredibly powerful sword, releasing more power into the currently powerful Unholy. What do you think will happen?”
“I’m hearing plenty of power being thrown around.”
“Precisely. The currently strong Unholy become even more formidable thanks to the power you have bled out into the Park,” Calisto said. “Not only that, but any of the Unholy attuned to higher levels of power, like Chimera and those close to him— the real threats—will feel drawn to your location. Could you see how that would be a bad thing?”
“Completely not a good idea.”
“Excellent,” Calisto said with a sigh. “So glad we have an understanding. Remain behind the ward circle and we should be able to resolve this without much difficulty.”
“That actually sounds great. Unrealistic considering my history with the Unholy, but great,” I said. “Let’s do this.”
Calisto opened the large main door just as the ward circle exploded with violet light. A large pack of Dreadwolves bounded toward the Keep, behind some creatures with four arms. Each of the large creatures were armed to the teeth, figuratively and literally, and were currently trying to shish-kebab a short man who impressively dodged or parried all of the incoming attacks.
Crouched at the edge of the ward circle I saw a woman, probably the one responsible for the wards failing. She looked up, glanced at me, unsheathed a pair of blades and ran off toward the man dodging the four-armed creatures.
She jumped into the fight and managed to hold her own against the creatures, while avoiding becoming dog food for the Dreadwolves.
I took in the scene. The pair were good—better than good, but they were outnumbered and out-armed. The three large creatures had some kind of invisibility power and were fading in and out of sight.
It was difficult to fight at any time, but it was a serious disadvantage, facing them at night in the Park. Calisto put her hands together in the fashion of prayer and separated them, forming her own sword. I started to reach within for Perdition.
“No,” Calisto said, smacking me with her voice. “Do not even think about creating your blade. The ward circle is down. Why not fire a flare and announce to the entire Park that the Jade Demon is visiting?”
“I just wanted—”
“If the Unholy know you are here, we are in for a siege—one we will lose. Stay inside the threshold of the Keep. If things get worse, step back, secure the door, and call Mercy. Repeat my instructions.”
“If things go south, I go inside and close the door, and then call Mercy.”
“Good,” Calisto said and whistled low. A loud roar filled the night as an enormous polar bear bounded in from the other side of the Keep. “Stay close to the Keep.”
Calisto ran towards the Unholy with the enormous bear by her side.
TWENTY
I stood at the doorway, anxious to get out there and help. I was so focused on the attack that I didn’t hear Mercy approach.
She sidled up to me and gripped my arm with a vise-like grip of destruction which took me by surprise. The tall woman appeared frail and delicate as I looked at her.
Her white silk robe flowed with the evening breeze; the wards inscribed all along its length pulsed with deep blue energy. Mercy, her long blond hair pulled back into a tight braid, stood majestically next to me, her dark expression one of quiet resolve.
She was a healer, but for a brief moment I sensed she wanted to go out there and wreak havoc on the Unholy. The impression lasted half a second, but I could sense the threat she posed.
Mercy was dangerous.
She quickly composed herself, glanced at me and gave me a tight smile, before returning her focus to Calisto and the Unholy. Mercy was a picture of calm grace even as mayhem and madness were being unleashed into the night several hundred feet away.
“You should be out there,” Mercy said, quietly. “They need your help.”
“Calisto was adamant about the ‘Sepia not participating’ part,” I said. “She said it would attract more Unholy.”
“Really?” Mercy asked, turning her head to look into the Park. She pointed beyond Calisto. “Listen and tell me what you hear.”
I remained still and focused my hearing. In the distance, I heard the rumblings of small earthquakes, followed by more howls and roars.
Behemoths and more Dreadwolves—those were the creatures I could hear. There were plenty of the Unholy that could approach silently.
“Shit, that doesn’t sound good.”
“Do you really think your presence out there will make much of a difference now?”
“But Calisto—”
“The ward circle is compromised, which means the Keep is in danger,” Mercy answered. “Do you intend to watch as we get overrun?”
“Calisto specifically wanted me to stay back.”
“She is looking out for your well-being,” Mercy said. “She can be as stubborn as a certain Hunter I know”—Mercy glanced my way—“refusing to see the obvious. She needs help. Are you planning to watch her die?”
“No,” I said. “I won’t let that happen.”
“From here?” Mercy asked. “How? The battle is,” she said, pointing to Calisto,“over there. Do you have some new Hunter skills I’m not aware of?”
“No,” I said through clenched teeth. “Unless you count the Jade Demon.”
“You can’t use the Jade Demon, but you can use your sword,” Mercy said, resting a hand on my forearm. “The anchors do not preclude the use of your sword. In fact, they make it nearly impossible for the Jade Demon to manifest.”
“Which means I can use Perdition?”
“Precisely.”
“Calisto said not to use Perdition.”
“Is that what you will say when you stand over her lifeless body?”
“Shit, what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Have you ever fought the Unholy?”
“On more than one occasion, yes,” Mercy said. “My skills now are to preserve life, not destroy it. That, and maintaining this Keep is my purpose.”
“Calisto wanted me to stay here, behind the circle.”
“What circle?” Mercy said, looking around. “You mean the one that’s been disabled?”
“Well, yes, that one.”
“Do you know how to cast a ward circle?” Mercy asked.
“No, it’s not something I ever learned.”
“Calisto wanted you to remain in the safety of the circle,” Mercy said, looking into the distance. “That safety is gone. I will stay here and repair the wards. Until the wards are restored, we are all in danger from what comes.”
“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”
“Not in the least,” Mercy said, placing a hand on my shoulder and pointing to where Calisto and the other two people were engaging the Unholy. “Calisto will never admit it, but you can help her here. Stop thinking and start doing. Go. I will make sure the Keep’s defenses do not fail.”
Part of me knew she was right. This was who I was. I couldn’t just stand by and let Calisto put herself in danger. I needed to help her. I turned to thank Mercy but she had moved to the ward circ
le and began creating symbols from golden energy.
I reached inside me for the power of Perdition. The anchors around my wrists felt heavy, but not so heavy that I couldn’t manage the weight. I needed to do this without unleashing the power of the Jade Demon. The anchors were supposed to stop that, but I remembered my glowing green eye.
Why hadn’t the anchors stopped that from happening? I felt the cold presence of Perdition deep within, coiled and waiting. I grabbed hold of the sensation and felt it wash over me. The cold raced up my spine and lodged itself at the base of my neck with an unrelenting grip.
Green and black smoke raced down my arm, coalescing at my hand as Perdition formed. Power, incredible power, exploded within me as more roars and howls filled the Park.
This party was just getting started and I was going to be the guest of honor.
I ran past the now dormant ward circle faster than I had ever moved before. Calisto glanced at me and shook her head before I joined the fray.
It was too late.
TWENTY-ONE
“I’m afraid we may have treated him too late, Director,” the Doctor said. “We performed the recall procedure successfully, but he hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Rafael peered at the Doctor’s name card. It read: Doctor Gahlif Reyan Huu. The doctor was a tall man with a wild mane of hair and a full beard. He had an air of urgency and calm mixed together to produce an atmosphere of uneasy ease.
“Doctor Huu,” Rafael said calmly. “I understand you’ve done this procedure before?”
“Several times,” Huu replied, “but never on a patient this far along. We can make him comfortable, but you should prepare for the worst. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Rafael said. “Can I see him?”
“Of course,” Huu replied. “Nurse Stern will take you to his room.”
A nurse glided over to where Rafael stood and motioned with a hand. She was a short squat woman who moved with the practiced grace of a brawler. As they headed down the corridor, other nurses gave her a wide berth or paused while she walked past them. Whether it was out of respect or fear, Rafael had no way of knowing. He figured it was a mix of both.
“This way, Director,” she said, heading down the final corridor. “He is a few rooms over.”
“Were you part of the procedure team?” Rafael asked.
“Yes, sir,” the nurse answered. “I was the primary, assisting the doctor.”
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” Rafael asked, refusing to believe Gan, his friend was gone. “Anything?”
The nurse looked around as they reached Gan’s room. She stopped at the door and stepped close to Rafael.
“There is one thing,” she said, glancing to the side quickly. “Everything was progressing smoothly when we started the recall.”
“Until it wasn’t?” Rafael asked. “Did something go wrong?”
“The recall procedure, once started can’t be stopped,” the nurse said. “That’s why we have several med teams on hand, in case of emergencies.”
“What was the emergency?”
The nurse hesitated. Rafael was certain she’d been given instructions not to divulge what happened to Gan, but he needed to know all of the details if he was going to be able to help his friend.
“I don’t think—” the nurse started but then shook her head.
“What’s your name?” Rafael asked, looking at her name tag. “Nurse Stern?”
“Deborah,” she answered. “Deborah Stern.”
“How long have you been a nurse with the Order?”
Rafael knew the answer, the same way he knew her name was Deborah. It was his job as Director to know these things. He’d also made it a point to gather as much information as he could about every member of the medical team performing the recall procedure. Deborah, Deb to her friends, had been a nurse for twenty-two years with the Order. She was one of the best, if not the best nurse on the staff.
“Twenty-two years,” Deb answered. “All of them with the Order, but in several departments. I’m in neurological now.”
“Makes sense, especially with your degree in ward-related injuries,” Rafael said. “You were the ideal nurse for the recall procedure.”
Deborah raised an eyebrow and nodded.
“No one is supposed to know about my ward studies,” she said. “It makes the doctors nervous.”
“My impression is that most nurses know more than the doctors they’re assisting,” Rafael said, conspiratorially. “Besides, as Director, I’m supposed to know these things.”
“You’d be the first.”
“Can you tell me what happened, Deborah?”
She nodded.
“The patient flatlined for five seconds before we started, and then came back before we could start CPR. He flatlined again, this time for three seconds, and then returned again before we could administer epinephrine. By the time we completed the recall procedure, his vitals were stable, but he remained unresponsive. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I have,” Rafael said, pushing open the door to Gan’s room. “Thank you, Deborah. Do you plan on doing anything with that DNP you hold?”
“Not enough space in my department for someone like me,” Deborah answered. “They tell me I’m overqualified.”
“We need more overqualified nurses, then.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Deborah said with a wave of her hand. “Too many chefs in the kitchen spoil the stew. I’m fine where I am. Besides, if I’m not here, who’s going to keep an eye on the doctors?”
“I have a feeling a few of those chefs will be needed elsewhere,” Rafael said. “When that happens, I’ll be looking for you. Thank you again, Deborah.”
She gave Rafael a short nod and headed down the corridor, leaving him alone with Gan.
Rafael closed the door behind him and approached the bed.
TWENTY-TWO
The old man hobbled over to the nimbus of black energy that coruscated with silver light. He touched the nimbus with his cane and it slowly dissipated, revealing the figure of a wounded man at its center. An angry red scar ran across one jaw.
Velos.
Velos groaned as the nimbus dissipated.
“Who…who are you?” Velos asked, looking around and touching his face. “The Hunter?”
“Gone. Good thing, too.” The old man pointed to Velos’ face with his cane. “Any longer and they may have finished the job. They wounded you.”
“A error in judgment on my part,” Velos said as he slowly stood. “I underestimated their tenacity.”
“Errors in judgment can shorten your life,” the old man said with a few nods. “Yes, sir. Making the wrong assessment at the wrong time…Well, that can get you right killed.”
“Who are you?” Velos asked, regaining some of his composure. “What do you want?”
“I’m the Smith, and you’re late. ” The old man pointed at Velos. “You were told to come straight to me, not go hunting.”
“I will not be chastised by some senior citizen,” Velos said flatly. “I have a Hunter and gunman to dispatch.”
“No,” Smith answered in his gravelly voice. “What you have is a delivery to make, so make it.”
“What, here?” Velos asked. “Now?”
“Two named blades and one Nameless,” Smith replied, leaning on his cane with both hands. “Now would be a good time, yes.”
“The two named blades are yours, but I will hold on to the Nameless.”
Velos extended an arm and two blades materialized on the ground next to him: Liberation and Salvation.
“You planning on bonding with it, then?” Smith asked matter-of-factly as he stretched out an arm and disappeared the two blades. “You’re bonded to a named blade—a dark blade. Can’t work both ways.”
“I’m planning on holding onto it until I see fit,” Velos answered, glaring down at the old man. “I may not be able to bond to it, but it’s too powerful to relinquis
h.”
“I see,” Smith said. “Did you understand the conditions when you were given the named blade?”
“Of course I understood the conditions,” Velos snapped. “I’m to destroy Sepia and her Hunter comrades patrolling the streets, while procuring the named blades they wield.”
“Sounds about right,” Smith said, rubbing his forehead. “Know what I don’t hear in those conditions?”
“What?”
“You keeping the Nameless for yourself,” Smith answered. “So I’m going to do the polite thing and ask again. You know why? Because it always pays to be nice first. Once you’re not nice, well, then it’s quite difficult to get people to believe you can be nice. Know what I mean?”
Velos formed Retribution.
“Are you senile, old man?” Velos asked as the dark nimbus of energy formed around him. “Are you looking to die tonight?”
“Did you understand the conditions of your employ?” Smith asked again. “I’m just trying to be thorough, here. Wouldn’t want there to be a misunderstanding. You did say you were keeping the Nameless?”
“Yes, I understood,” Velos said, losing his patience. “Yes, I’m keeping the Nameless. I also understand that you have asked your last question.”
Velos slashed horizontally, aiming to cut down the old man. Smith raised his cane and stopped Retribution without effort.
“Now, normally, when a young man such as yourself, full of vigor and bravado, issues a challenge like this—well, I feel it’s an obligation to respond,” Smith said. “However, like yourself, I have a sword to acquire, so I’m going to ask one more time. Will you hand over the Nameless, please and thank you?”
“Not tonight, old man,” Velos said, unleashing the nimbus of energy. “Tonight you die.”
The black cloud enveloped Smith, obscuring him from sight. Velos allowed the cloud to completely surround Smith for a span of ten seconds before removing it. When he did, Smith stood in the center of the black energy, untouched.
“You know what I was thinking,” Smith said, raising his cane and tapping his temple. “I’ve been remiss in my manners. I haven’t properly introduced myself; allow me to do so now.”
Sepia Blue- Nameless: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 4 Page 10
