The Bringer of War (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 2)

by Dylan Birtolo

  Several tunnels ahead she caught a glimpse of a flickering beam of light. Bridget didn’t hesitate, shifting into an alligator and sliding into the fetid water. Twitch never used a flashlight, preferring to walk around in the darkness and not draw attention to himself. Bridget counted two different beams of light before they both switched off in quick succession. They were close to another one of Twitch’s hiding spots. Perhaps someone had found the old man. And here she thought this would be a boring visit. Bridget coasted forward, moving at a steady pace and trying to keep from generating any ripples. Up ahead she saw the small alcove where Twitch paced back in forth in front of a flare. The glow made his features look even gaunter. He chewed on his upper lip as he paced and glanced down each passage with wide eyes. He often stopped and cocked his head to one side and sniffed the air.

  A fish leapt out of the water to beach itself across from Twitch. The man shifted back into his human form, blocking off Twitch’s access to the sewer water. The second shifter was someone she recognized—Cameron. He blocked one of the side tunnels while a third Shadow and a cat stepped out of the darkness on the far side, surrounding Twitch. The tortoise shell cat walked into the circle of light with her tail twitching back and forth. Twitch knew her. Mary. Her green eyes reflected the orange light with an eerie malevolence.

  Twitch screamed and jumped backwards, striking his head against the wall. The cat crouched, muscles in her back legs tensing in anticipation. Twitch closed his eyes, but when Mary uttered a low growl, his eyes snapped open and he looked at his assailants. When his eyes fell upon Cameron, he forced a smile, showing off the few teeth that remained. Bridget remained where she was, amused and eager to see how this would play out.

  “Cameron! I, uh, haven’t seen you in ages. The ages go by and by and where does the time go? I’m sure I don’t know. Why have you come down? Down into the filth? It’s too dirty. You should go. Yes, you should. Nothing for you here.”

  The three men tightened the circle, but stayed just out of arm’s reach. The cat paced back and forth at his feet. Twitch began to shake, his knees knocking together. His hands were a blur as he wrung them.

  “Twitch, you shouldn’t have left. You’ve been difficult to find. Now, I’m in an unfortunate position.”

  “Unfortunate? Yes, yes, it’s unfortunate you had to come here. Unfortunate I had to run away. I ran and ran, but still you find me. I run, but still you’re there. Always there. Why can’t you leave me alone?”

  “You know I can’t do that. Not yet. First there’s something we need from you. Isn’t that so? There’s something you took that we need back.”

  His eyes grew wide and he locked stares with Cameron like a mouse with a snake before the moment it strikes. Twitch lost a bit of his stutter and his words were slower than normal when he spoke.

  “Took something? Yes, I did. I hid it. I hid it somewhere safe. She doesn’t know, he doesn’t know, no one knows but me. You know I took it, but you don’t know where it is. Do you know what it is?”

  Bridget’s tail swished back and forth in the water in her annoyance. He was holding out on her! When she heard the splash, she forced herself to be still. It didn’t seem like any of the Shadows heard the disturbance. She clenched her jaw and continued to listen.

  “Where is it, Twitch?”

  Twitch rolled his head back so that he looked at the ceiling and shifted it from one shoulder to the other. “Lost; it is lost. I lost it on purpose. I didn’t want it. I don’t want it, but I know people who do—people who’d hurt me if I knew where it was. They’d hurt me to make me give it to them, so I don’t know. I must be safe and not know. Then I’m safe.”

  “But you can find it, can’t you?”

  “Oh yes, I can find it. I can find it for you. You’ll be happy and then you’ll leave me alone? That would be good. I can give you the secrets; the secrets you‘re looking for. You and her. She’s looking for it too, but she doesn’t know where it is. She doesn’t know you’re here. If she did, you’d be gone.”

  Twitch giggled, and bounced on the balls of his feet. He put his fist in front of his mouth and mouthed the word “poof” as he opened his hand and spread his fingers. Cameron reached out and brushed Twitch’s hand out of the way like he was shooing a fly.

  “How can you find it?”

  “I left clues—clues to where it may be. A path, yes, a path to follow. Find the crumbs, and they’ll lead you there. Follow the crumbs through the rat maze. We are all rats!”

  He stood up straight and gazed at something above and beyond his oppressors. The cat stopped cleaning her paw to glare at Twitch after his last statement.

  “Follow the clues; follow the pieces of the puzzle. Put them together and you have what you want; what everyone wants. There’s still some who don’t know they want it, but they will. Ones like him.”

  Cameron reached out and laid his hand on Twitch’s shoulder. The older man cringed from the touch, but Cameron took a step forward to maintain the contact. His voice was tight and he squeezed his fingers as he spoke, making Twitch wince.

  “Why do we need you?”

  “Because I’m the only one who knows! The clues. You could look at a clue, but not be looking at it. Your eyes won’t see it. You don’t have my eyes. You need my eyes to see; you need me to find the way. I can do this for you, do it for a price. Always a price. Everything has a price. I paid my price!”

  “What’s your price?”

  Twitch dropped to his knees and looked up at Cameron with his hands held out. On a normal man, the gesture would have looked pitiable. With Twitch, it was disgusting.

  “Alone. I want to be left alone. Leave me in the dark; in the dark, but not the shadow. I don’t want the Shadows anymore. Shadows are cold, I like the dark. The dark is warm. Give me darkness, I want my darkness. I won’t bother you, just give me my dark.”

  “Is that all? Agreed. Now tell me where it is.”

  “It’s not that simple. Don’t you remember the maze? First we must become rats. Rats in a maze, following the crumbs. Yes, I know where the first crumb is, and from there we’ll find the second. We’ll follow the crumbs and hope they weren’t eaten. Maybe the birds ate the crumbs. Then it would be lost, lost forever. She would be mad, wouldn’t she? That would be very bad.”

  “Kevin, go back to the conclave. Inform the Dark that we found Twitch and he has agreed to be cooperative.”

  The man nodded and grabbed one of the flares on the ground. He walked down the hallway towards Bridget. She glided over to the edge of the water, waiting for him to come within reach. Twitch called out to the Shadow.

  “Don’t get too close to the water! The water bites, bites into the flesh. It drags you beneath the surface and lets you drown as it continues to chew you up.”

  She wondered if Twitch knew she was there and how prophetic his words would be. Kevin walked right next to her head, oblivious to her presence. She lunged forward with a splash, clamping her jaw around his leg. Before he had a chance to scream, she pushed off the channel edge and twisted, yanking him under the water with the flare still in his hand. He struggled to free his leg, but his thrashing only tore up his leg against her teeth. Within a matter of seconds, his body was still. Bridget gave an extra tug for good measure, but he didn’t response.

  When she came back up to the surface, Bridget looked for the other Shadows. Cameron and the other human Shadow had covered half the distance to her and crept forward. Cameron had his head turned to the side, straining to listen. She watched the other Shadow shift into a lizard and crawl up the wall towards the ceiling. Back in the clearing, the cat paced around in Twitch’s lap as he leaned as far back from her as humanly possible, eyes wide with fear.

  Bridget eased herself back to the edge of the narrow walk and shifted into a rat. She scampered forward, making no attempt to be stealthy. Cameron saw her and lunged forward, trying to grab her body, just like she wanted. In mid-stride, Bridget shifted into a stag, dropping her head to pierce him
with her antlers. He managed to get his hands up in time to fend off the worst of the assault. He reached down and grabbed her antlers where they met the skull and held on as she tossed her head to the side. His hands were wet and slid off as she flung him off, tearing several holes in his shirt and jagged gashes across his skin. He landed on the ground with a solid thump and looked up at her with a dazed expression.

  Bridget reared and kicked her hooves, intending to bring them down with the full force of her body and pierce his skull. He recovered quickly and shifted into a centipede just before her hooves hit their mark. Bridget leaned down, turning her head and scampering around, trying to find the small animal.

  As she searched, the other Shadow shifted back into human and dropped on her from above, landing solidly on her back. He wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed, attempting to cut off her air. The staccato clash of bone on stone echoed throughout the sewers as the stag bucked, jumping in turns and kicking at empty air. The Shadow continued to hold on, the veins bulging on his arms as his face grew red from the strain. His entire lower body swung out to either side with each wild kick and his heels struck the wall. He was too strong and she needed to try something else before she blacked out.

  The fur underneath his arms disappeared as Bridget shifted back into one of her female personas—the one Twitch would recognize. The sudden shift caught him off balance—her neck was too small. He was unable to adjust to the woman he found himself hanging on to. Bridget used the moment to drive her elbow hard into the Shadow. It caught him underneath the sternum and he let go, collapsing to the ground in a coughing heap. His hands went to his chest as he struggled to breathe.

  Bridget reached down and curled her fingers into his hair. She jerked back, exposing his neck. She tightened her free hand into a flat plane and brought it around, striking the man with the edge of her hand squarely in the Adam’s apple with a crunch.

  “That’s for touching me.”

  His breathing was ragged as he clawed at his throat in vain. His chest heaved as he tried to cough but was unable to get more than a tiny amount of air past his lips. He collapsed on all fours, but Bridget paid him no attention. She turned her back to him and strode to the circle of light from Twitch’s camp.

  As Bridget entered the circle of light, the cat hissed and jumped to the ground. The fur on her back stood up and she arched her back. Twitch laughed and clapped his hands together like a child. He stood up and hopped from one leg to the other. The cat closed her eyes and focused on her change, but Bridget expected that. She rushed forward so that as soon as the shift was complete, she could attack before the Shadow had a chance to recover.

  Bridget grabbed the woman by the throat and squeezed hard enough for her nails to dig into skin. She drove her victim back until they hit the stone wall. Bridget slammed her opponent against the wall multiple times until all struggles stopped. Bridget added one more blow, and then released her grip to let the body fall.

  Twitch’s laughter bordered on the edge of hysteria. He stopped bouncing to give a deep bow.

  “Thank you, my queen. You are truly the herald of a new age!”

  “Come with me.”

  Bridget reached out and grabbed the old man and dragged him with her. She had no patience for his games or insanity. His feet scrambled on the slick stones as he struggled to keep up with her. She led him away from the circle of light and swung him around so that he was leaning over the sewer water.

  “What was he talking about? What is it that you have?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, my queen. I have no idea what you mean. Would I hide anything from you? How could I hide something from you? I could never. I wouldn’t want to, even if I could. I owe you everything. You’re my savior.”

  She curled her lips back, flashing her teeth as she shook Twitch and lowered him closer to the water.

  “You’re hiding something from me. I heard everything. I want what you have, and I want it now. Anything you think I might have even the slightest interest in, you will tell me. Do you understand?”

  “Of course, of course. It would be my honor. I only live by your mercy and want to be in your service. Please, let me serve you. I’ll tell you everything.”

  Bridget stood frozen, holding Twitch in a precarious position as she considered his words. Twitch whined. It only made her want to drop him in the water more. She reminded herself what was at stake. With a jerk, she pulled him back over the stones and dropped him to the ground. He fell to all fours at her feet.

  “Come with me, now. We need to talk where we won’t be disturbed.”

  She walked away without looking back, and Twitch picked himself up and scampered after her. She knew he would follow. If one group of Shadows already knew of this place, it was likely more would return. She didn’t want any delays. She would get the rituals.

  Chapter 10

  “Wake up, Darien,” a voice whispered in his ear.

  Darien snapped his eyes open and regretted it, raising his hand to shield himself from the sun overhead. The long grass brushed against the bare skin on his arms and lower legs. Far off in the distance, birds sang the same songs they had known for centuries. Pollen was heavy on the air, thick enough to taste, and the sun made his skin sweat just enough to make him find the breeze cool and refreshing.

  “Who’s there?” he asked without sitting up.

  Darien shifted his head so that he could look around but still keep his eyes sheltered from the glare. When the voice responded, it was further away and no longer a whisper.

  “Gregory. I returned because it appears that you’re about to embark on another journey into our mutual past, and I would like to see what unfolds.”

  “Another memory? So much for getting a few hours decent sleep. At least it’s peaceful here. So peaceful it’s a little eerie.”

  Darien pushed at the ground, using his arms to prop his body up. He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath through his nostrils.

  “That’s because we’re no longer in an age where you have all your senses assaulted by hundreds of stimuli demanding your attention and distracting you every time you turn around. We’re in a much older time. Some would say that it was a simpler life, but that is a debatable term. Simplicity is not necessarily a life where a mother and father have to bury several children. But that is philosophy, not history. We should discover where you will lead us today.”

  “Relax. I want to take a moment to enjoy the serenity. Besides, if I remember correctly, this is my memory dream that you’re trespassing in.”

  “I mean no offense, just pointing out that tarrying in this place will teach us nothing. I am here to learn and believe that the lessons I seek would benefit you as well.”

  His knees cracked in protest as Darien gathered his feet underneath him and stood up. He arched his back, reaching his hands to the sky and letting out a groan that mixed with a yawn. He shook out his arms when he dropped them to his sides. Gregory stood before him with his long hair flowing out to the side in the wind. Every muscle in his body seemed taut, ready to jump into action. Darien wondered if he was always like this.

  “I suppose we might as well get going.”

  The land around them was flat in three directions, a near endless plain that journeyed off to meet the horizon. In the far distance, Darien saw mountains. They were so far away that they barely formed purple shadows against the blue sky. As they faced the mountains, a thick dark forest lay to their right. The trees were larger than any Darien could remember seeing anywhere in real life.

  “Which way? You’re the expert, right?”

  “I’m not sure, but considering the lack of options, the most viable choice would be the forest. It’s more likely to conceal something that we’re meant to see.”

  They formed up, walking at a steady, unrushed pace. Darien glanced at the older man out of the corner of his eye, trying to be discreet. Gregory seemed to have his attention focused on the trees, ignoring the rest of their
surroundings.

  “Gregory, something doesn’t make sense to me about all of this. I‘ve been thinking about this dormant memory thing ever since I first met you. If this is a memory, why does it feel like I can change things? Why does it feel like I can move around and decide where to go? What if, for example, in this memory the person went to the mountains? Why can I go to the forest? There’d be no memory of that, so it wouldn’t make sense.”

  “I could offer multiple theories. The most classic of which is also the most popular: the thought of destiny. I could tell you that it was unavoidable that this path would be the one that we would walk, because this is the path that your ancestor walked. If we chose to walk toward the mountains, it would’ve been because he or she chose to walk toward the mountains. In short, perhaps you do not have a choice at all in which direction you can go, it only feels like you do.”

  “Then let’s go to the mountains.”

  Darien turned to his left and took a couple of brisk steps. Gregory remained where he was and continued as in uninterrupted.

  “However, I do not believe that to be the correct explanation.”

  That caught Darien’s attention and he stopped, turning his head to glance behind him.

  “Have you noticed the blandness of everything around us? It’s true that you can hear the birds, you can see the mountains, and you can smell the air, much as it probably was during this time. What about everything else?”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Look at the field before you. Besides the forest, what do you see?”

  “Nothing. Just an empty field and some mountains in the distance.”

  “Now, let me pose a query to you. What do you remember from this morning, before you entered this dream? What do you remember of your surroundings in the real world where your body remains?”