The entrance to the cave was wide enough for three people to walk side by side, but from what little research Byron’s people were able to do before we started, we knew it would lead into a much larger chamber. According to the Internet, it had been on one of the largest caverns in the whole state. That was saying something, because Arkansas has a lot of caves.
Ahead of us the path began to widen, and I knew we were approaching the open area. There was still no sign of trouble. In fact, other than heavy breathing, footfalls, and the occasional drip of water, the cave was completely silent.
As we entered the large cavern area, Byron’s troopers formed a tight circle. The guys in the back walked backward, keeping their weapons trained on the direction we’d come from.
Despite our flashlights, we still didn’t see another soul.
Then Byron leaned in close to me and asked, “Do you sense that?”
I was about to tell him no when it hit me. Magic. I hadn’t felt it a moment earlier, but now it was thick in the air. Someone had been using magical energy.
I nodded my reply.
Then, in a single instance, flames lit up all around the cave. It took me a moment realize what was happening.
Torches.
All around the cavern, a sea of torches fired to life in unison.
And we were surrounded.
They were dressed in black armor and robes, their faces hidden in the shadows under their cowls. Some had swords. Others had staves.
A few surprised shouts went up from our group, along with a lot of nervous shuffling.
Byron’s voice cut through the tension. “Hold!”
His men obeyed his order.
I turned in a slow circle. There were too many to count.
Axel nudged me and pointed ahead. The white haired man stood at the other end of the cavern beside an old table. There wasn’t any other furniture to be seen.
Eva was on the ground behind him. She wasn’t bound and didn’t seem hurt, but she looked scared as hell. Couldn’t say I blamed her.
Instead of a hospital gown, they’d given her a dark robe to wear as well. She sat huddled in it, trying to hide herself. Then she saw us and her face lit up. Something like hope.
“Welcome,” the white-haired man said. “I’m glad you could all make it.”
I glared at him, half tempted to start toward him. I didn’t know if I could take the bastard, but seeing Eva huddled scared on the floor just pissed me off. If it was a fight he wanted, that’s what he’d get.
“Ah, the Blade Mage,” he said, noticing me. “Come to save the little miss. What a daring hero you are. It’s adorable, really.”
I started forward. Metal scraped metal as the creatures around us began unsheathing their blades. I halted.
“Careful now,” the man said, laughing. “I wouldn’t want to start the fun too early.”
I glanced at Byron. He leaned in close and said, “Careful, Wyatt. Don’t rush to action. He wants something. Play it cool.”
I nodded at the more senior Blade Mage and turned back to the white-haired man. “Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want with Eva?”
“My name is Nicolo. And it is not what I want with the woman, but what my master wants.”
“And who is your master?”
“You spoke to him on the phone, no?” he asked, a grin stretching across his stupid face.
“Oh,” I replied, glancing at Axel. “This dipshit works for that asshat. Makes sense, I suppose.”
“So bold is our little Blade Mage,” Nicolo said, “yet he doesn’t know the manner of being I serve. He doesn’t understand the power he dares defy. My master is that which even the shadows fear.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, then risked a glance toward Bryon to see if he thought I was pushing this too far. His face remained impassive.
“It means he’s of a cast your feeble little Cabal doesn’t even believe exists anymore. A being beyond the mortal realm. A living god.”
Axel decided to chime in then, and for once, I was glad. He asked, “So, what? Is he like a vampire or something?”
Nicolo laughed again. “He’s that which vampires tremble before. A veritable god to the undead.”
I didn’t like where this was going. I’d hoped the shadow man had been bluffing, but I had a feeling I was about to find out he wasn’t. I didn’t like it one bit.
Axel, on the other hand, didn’t seem impressed at all. “So, like a super vampire? Or is he like a were-critter of some kind? Please say ‘were-critter.’ I much prefer to die at the hands of a were-critter than a vampire.” He paused to look at the nearest of our black-clad foes. “No offense, if you’re a vampire or whatever. I just think werewolves are cool because they’re furry.”
Nicolo’s face twisted in a series of different ways, as though he couldn’t quite find the emotion he wanted to display. One part anger, one part annoyance, and bit of utter confusion, like, what the hell just happened to my moment of grandeur?
Byron leaned in close to me again and said, “Hell, I was just jokin’ about sickin’ him on the enemy, but now that we’re here, it was all worth it. Poor bastard doesn’t know what to think.”
“That’s why I keep him around,” I replied.
Axel was still talking out loud, sharing his thoughts about his favorite vampire and werewolf movies. “I mean, the werewolves in Underworld were definitely cooler than the vampires. I think we can all agree on that. But, if you watched Thirty Days of Night, those vampires were pretty rad. Oh, and did you know the dude from The Walking Dead was in Blade Two? He was like the guy, who like, you know, he took care of the car or whatever. He had that mark on his lip. Oh, and we can’t forget Interview with the Vampire. That’s a classic. Umm, oh and did you know Gary Oldman was in Dracula? That guy is in everything. Sometimes I wonder if all the actors in every movie ever are just Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis. Seems like those guys are in everything, am I right?”
“I really don’t like your friend,” Nicolo said, staring at me. “I have a mind to put him down.”
“Oh, just give him a minute,” I replied, waving the notion away. “He’ll run out of gas eventually.”
“Will he?” Byron asked in a whisper.
“Of course not,” I replied.
“Oh, and we can’t forget Twilight,” Axel said. “I have to admit, I’m not a fan. But it’s not because I don’t enjoy a good romance. I mean, who else cried at the end of The Notebook?” He raised his hand and glanced around the room. “Come on, guys. Let’s get real here. I am not the only person in this room who cried at the end of The Notebook. Don’t be shy. It’s okay, no one is judging you.”
One of the other soldiers with us actually raised his hand, but dropped it again as soon as Byron glared at him.
“Enough!” Nicolo shouted. “My master is a Revenant. A god among the undead.”
“Woah!” Axel said, eyes widening. “No. Fucking. Way.”
“Yes!” Nicolo hissed, finally garnishing the response he wanted. “Are you afraid now, you chirping little twerp?”
“Fuck yeah!” Axel replied happily. “That’s terrifying. Like a real, honest to God, supposed to not exist, mythical Revenant? You’re not making that up to sound cool?”
“No, I’m not making it up.”
“Wait a second,” Axel said, glancing around at our foes. “And these guys are?”
“His children.”
“So, they’re just vampires, basically?”
“They’re more than just vampires,” Nicolo replied with a hint of disgust.
“How are they different?” Axel asked, then another thought seemed to strike him. “Wait, so, if I remember correctly from training, a Revenant was like a legendary vampire-like being, no?”
“Essentially, yes,” Nicolo said. “But much more powerful.”
“So,” Axel said, crossing his arms and glaring. “When I asked if he was a ‘super’ vampire, technically I was right.”
Nicolo gritted his teeth. “You can find out yourself. He’ll be here soon.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, so I decided to get back on topic. “And what does he want with Eva?”
“That’s not really what you should be concerned about,” Nicolo replied. “There’s much more important things to consider.”
“Such as?” I asked.
“Such as the shadows,” he replied, his smile returning. “They’ve not given up their hunt. They’re coming, too.”
“Son of a bitch,” Byron said, speaking for the first time. “That’s why you lured us here.”
Nicolo’s grin spread.
It took me a moment to catch up, but when I did, I cursed. I glanced back at Nicolo and said,
“You lured us here to fight them for you, didn’t you?”
“That’s right,” Nicolo said. “If you had just handed over the woman when we first met, I could’ve returned her to my master then. But no, you had to stubbornly play at being a hero. Now the Shadows have tightened their circle around us. There are powers at work you can’t comprehend. My master staves off the shadows for us, even now. Yet, he is also on the way here. And so are the shadows.”
“I’m not sure I’m following,” I replied.
“I am,” Axel assured me. “I’m pretty sure it’s like a Zen thing… Or it’s like this one time, when I was in grade school, I got into a fight on the playground with another kid. The teacher yelled at us and told us to stop fighting over there. So, we picked another spot and continued fighting. We ended up in the Principle’s office and he asked us why we didn’t stop fighting when the teacher told us to. I explained that the teacher had told us to stop fighting ‘over there,’ so we complied and picked a different spot. Pretty sure this is basically the same situation.”
“Call in the rest of your men, Blade Mage,” Nicolo said as he drew his sword from his back. “The first wave is coming. It’d be best if they weren’t caught out in the open.”
“You think we’ll fight for you?” I asked, shaking my head. But when I glanced over at Byron, I didn’t see the reassurance I wanted. His face was drawn in a hard scowl.
“You don’t have a choice,” Nicolo said. “You could try to run now, but you’d have to fight your way through my men to escape. And you’d have to leave poor sweet Eva behind. Can you do that, Blade Mages? Can you leave this poor woman behind?”
This time I didn’t reply.
“Oh, come now,” Nicolo said, shaking his head. “You are Blade Mages, are you not? I only ask you to do that which your station demands of you. Help us push back the shadows or we all die. It’s that simple.”
I turned to Byron again, hoping he might have some brilliant idea of how to get us out of this situation, but he just spit a glob of tobacco on the ground and cursed. He closed his eyes for only a moment, but I knew he was giving a message to the others outside.
Nicolo’s grin spread further. “That’s a good boy. Tell them to come on inside and join the rest of us. I believe you still have a few mages who could be of use. The humans may even prove to be a distraction.”
Several seconds passed before Byron finally opened his eyes. This time he was the one smiling. “Fat chance, fuck wad. My boys are already back on the road, getting the hell out of dodge.”
“That was a foolish mistake,” Nicolo said, scowling. “You could’ve improved your odds of survival.”
“That’s a fair point,” Byron replied, opening his can of dip for another pinch. “Unfortunately, I just don’t give a good goddamned.” He paused and turned to glance around at the rest of his troops. “All right, boys and girls, you heard the leather pants man. We got some real nasty shit headed this way and I’ve sent the others to the house. That means it’s just us. Sounds like we’re all going to get the pleasure of dying together. No getting out now, so let’s cowboy the fuck up, and give ‘em hell.”
Nicolo shook his head. “Better prepare. They’re coming.”
Chapter 20
A million cats shoved in bath tub.
It was that screech again, only this time it sounded like so many more bath-hating felines, I thought my ears would bleed. And it was our only warning that the shadows had arrived. They’d be on us in moments.
We spread out from wall to wall to create a firing line. Nicolo’s vampire wizards and warriors took the two ends. Our group filled the gap, with Byron and me standing in the center.
Behind me, Axel had a can of spray paint and was carefully making symbols on the stone floor.
“Is your light show going to be ready?” I asked.
“Maybe,” he replied. “I’ve really upgraded it, but I’ve got to get this just right. Don’t bother me.”
“Dare I even ask?” Byron said.
“It’s for the rock concert he’s going to have someday. The shadow creatures are big fans.”
“Right,” he replied. Then to his men he said, “Flashlights at the ready. Hold your fire until I give the order. Just get your lights on them to start with.”
I’d explained to him how the first group we’d faced weren’t big on direct light. The streetlight hadn’t really bothered them, but Axel’s magic had burned them alive. However, the second group had appeared in near daylight, but as the clouds had darkened the sky they’d begun to materialize. There was no way to know what surprises they’d have for us this go around.
They came like a tidal wave. One second there was nothing, then shadow men poured into the cavern. They were the same as the ones we’d met that first night. The lanky human-shaped ones. Only now there were hundreds of them. They charged straight for our line, screeching as they came.
“Lights!” Byron ordered.
Every flashlight in the room turned on the horde. Some of the soldiers had powerful LEDs mounted on their assault rifles. Others held up actual flashlights. Some did both.
Much to my surprise, everywhere a flashlight struck, it seemed to melt the shadow men immediately, sizzling them as Axel’s light show had. They died in droves, none of them getting near our line.
It was over in seconds. All that remained of our attackers were smoldering piles of ash. Bryon’s men killed every single one of them.
A cheer went up from a few of our guys, but I was reluctant to join the excitement. Something told me that wasn’t the end of it.
As if to confirm, Nicolo said, “I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. That was merely a scouting party. The next wave won’t be so easy.”
“What are they?” I asked, turning back toward him. “What the hell are these things?”
“You don’t know?” he asked with a smirk. “It’s not my job to teach you, Blade Mage.”
“Do it anyway, asshole,” I said. “We’re all going to die, right? Might as well know what it is that’s coming to kill us.”
“They are but mindless impressions of our greater foe,” Nicolo said. “Little bits of his being he’s chipped away and sent to do his bidding.”
“And what is he?”
“He’s a Valravn,” Nicolo said, as though that was supposed to mean something to me. “A creature of shadow. The next group he sends will have a more solid form. The closer to real constructs they become, the less effective your lights will be against them.”
“Like the second group we met,” I said, glancing back toward Axel. It looked like he’d finished setting up his sigils and was now carefully looking over his work. I turned back to Nicolo. “If they become full flesh, can bullets hurt them? Or magic?”
He shrugged. “Wait and see.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “Real helpful.”
“Make no mistake, they are all of one singular purpose and he loses nothing by their destruction. The closer he gets the more powerful they will become. Only my master holds back the true weight of his ability, otherwise he would wash over us like a wave.”
Previously, guns had been useless, but if the creatures became solid in form, maybe the guns would do some damage. I could only hope.
Nicolo turned to Eva then. “This can all be over if you’ll but accept this gift from my master.”
It was hard to tell in the dim light, but it looked like he was holding a small coin.
“All you have to do is accept this,” he said as he held it out toward her. “Accept this and the shadow creatures will leave you alone. This, I promise.”
“Your promise means nothing to me,” Eva said, defiant despite her obvious fear. “I’ll never accept a gift from you or your master.”
“As you wish, my lady.” Nicolo shook his head and sighed. “Then perhaps we’ll all die here, after all.”
“Maybe so,” she said and looked away from him.
Her eyes met mine for only a moment, then she looked away from me as well.
There had to be some kind of way to get her out of here. Both the Valravn and Nicolo were after her, but clearly they were enemies. So, I just needed to figure out how to get Eva, Byron, all of his men, and my friends out of this trap, then pit our enemies against each other. Sounded easy enough in my head, but in practice…I didn’t have a clue. Nor did I have the time to think it through.
Another screech sounded from the front of the cave.
“Round two,” Byron said from beside me.
“Axel,” I called over my shoulder. My eyes were glued on the dark tunnel ahead. “You ready?”
“Oh yeah,” he replied. “Locked and loaded. This is going to be epic.”
Chapter 21
My old pal, Shadow Bird led the shadow horde into the cavern. It swooped into the torchlight, screeching as it flew.
Next was Lizard Kitty, and behind it was a sea of blackened shapes creatures of every shape and variety. There were more of the humanoid shapes, but some were giant-sized, and others were thin and spindly. I spotted a car-sized shadow spider, then a giant shadow tortoise, and even some kind of shadow shark creature with legs.
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