The Bringer of War (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 2)

by Dylan Birtolo

  When she bent forward to remove one of his bandages, Richard’s arm shot out and grabbed her by the wrist. He yanked hard and she stumbled forward. He twisted her wrist to the side, making her turn in midair before colliding with him. Clenching his jaw against the pain, he brought his free arm around her head and clamped his large hand over her mouth. Her nostrils flared as she took rapid breaths. Her eyes were wide and searching around for a sign of help.

  “Don’t scream.”

  Squinting his eyes shut and grunting from the effort, Richard stood up and brought his captive with him. Jason rose on shaking legs and walked to the open door. He eased his head out until he could see just beyond the frame. He looked in both directions and then waved his newfound comrade forward. The nurse in Richard’s arms moved along without protest. Richard held one arm twisted behind her back. She waved the other one around for balance as she walked.

  Further down the hall, Richard saw a couple of Shadows perched over a desk engrossed in a card game. The guard at his door was seated and playing with the others. The entire hall was a long stream of closed doors. The guards had not noticed them yet, so they crept down the hallway in the opposite direction. Richard walked backwards, keeping his eyes on the Shadows.

  “Do you know how to get out of here?”

  The nurse nodded as best as she could manage in Richard’s grip. He had no choice but to follow her directions as they navigated the crisscrossing corridors. After climbing a flight of steps and walking down another long hallway, they found their way to a small alcove that looked out into the front lobby. They had been lucky so far and didn’t see any Shadows roaming the halls and heard no alarms. It was too easy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

  At this point, all that stood between him and freedom was a single guard behind the desk. The large windows that looked out at the streets of the city were black and only lit up when a car turned the corner and bathed the entrance in its headlights. While they watched, Richard felt sweat bead underneath his hand. His captive strained to look at him with wide eyes.

  “Relax. We don’t want to hurt you. We just want to walk through those doors, and then you can go.”

  Despite his attempt at soothing words, the woman continued to border on hyperventilation. He didn’t dare risk removing his hand from her mouth. In his current condition, he was not ready for a fight.

  “How are we gonna get past that guard?”

  “I see three options. First, we walk out with our hostage and hope he doesn’t call the police.”

  “I don’t like that option.”

  “Second, we attack him and try to subdue him before he’s able to push the silent alarm that I guarantee is within an arm’s reach.”

  “I don’t like that one much either.”

  “Otherwise, walk out like we belong here and hope that he’s a slack security guard who doesn’t care much who leaves.”

  “It’s gonna be hard to avoid questions with us looking like we got the crap kicked out of us.”

  “That’s why we’re still here. If you have an idea, I’d love to hear it.”

  They stood at the entrance to the hall, watching the guard. He spent the majority of his time watching a portable television resting on the desk. Every few minutes, he’d glance at the security screens, but he barely spent any time on them. He opened his mouth in a huge yawn and stretched, leaning back in his chair until it squealed in protest. With his head tilted back, one of his hands rubbed the back of his neck, massaging it.

  “What’re we gonna do? We can’t stay here all night. They gotta know we’re missin’ by now! And when they do, they’ll find us. They’ll call the cops.”

  “We’re going to wait. Can you think of anything you want to try? I’m not going to come this far and then make a stupid mistake. The halls were empty. It must be early in the morning or late at night. If an alarm sounds, we make a run for it. It’s that simple.”

  “They’ll have cops waiting outside if that happens.”

  “They won’t do that. They’ll want to keep this internal. Think they want to explain the situation to a bunch of police?”

  Richard hoped his voice sounded more confident than he felt. If the Shadows had us much influence as he feared, then the entire precinct could be outside and it wouldn’t matter. The whole incident could be swept under the rug.

  “What about our hostage? What if we use her and threaten to break her neck or something?”

  The nurse stumbled in Richard’s grasp as her knees caved. She remained standing because of the strength of his grip, but that was fading. The adrenaline was wearing off and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he collapsed. He felt water splash on the back of his hand. Tears trickled out of the corners of her eyes. They were cold as they ran across his skin.

  “No. These Shadows don’t give a damn what happens to her. Plus, I won’t sink to their level.”

  Time droned on as they waited and tried to think of an alternative plan of action. To their surprise, the guard got up, stretched his arms to the sky hard enough to make his back crack, and walked to the nearest bathroom. As soon as Richard saw where the guard was heading, he let go of his captive’s wrist and instead wrapped his arm around her neck. He tightened down, cutting off her air supply. She kicked and clawed at the hand over her mouth. She tried to scream, but Richard’s hands didn’t give her an inch. Her struggles stopped and she became a rag doll in his arms. He loosened his hold on her neck and eased her to the ground. She would have a headache when she woke up, but she would wake up.

  The two men left the alcove, running for the double doors. This final effort was too much for Richard. His gait was more of a stumbling shuffle as he made his way across the floor. Jason came back and grabbed Richard’s arm. Richard draped it across the younger man’s shoulders. Together the two of them made it to the front door. Jason held it open and pushed Richard through. They turned the corner, trying to get out of sight from the desk in case the guard returned. Richard took a glance over his shoulder and made a mental note of the address. They trudged down the street as fast as they could manage in their current state. Once they were a block away, they stopped and leaned against the building for support, panting from the effort.

  “Thanks for the help, kid. You should start running and get away from these guys. They’re bad news.”

  Jason spun to face Richard, his eyes wide. He bent his knees and leaned forward, almost reaching out to grab Richard’s hand.

  “Please don’t leave me! I got nowhere to go. They know where I live and crashed my apartment. If I go back there I’m dead.”

  “Then leave town.”

  The words sounded empty to Richard. If the Shadows already had a bead on the kid, changing towns wouldn’t help him any. Once they caught onto your scent, they never let go until the binding ritual was completed or destroyed.

  “I can’t. No money and no car. Please, Rich, you gotta take me with you. You’re gonna go after these guys, right? I can help.”

  Richard looked at Jason, unsure of how to respond. He knew that he should say no, and send the kid away. But he also knew that if he did, the kid was as good as dead. Most shifters couldn’t make it on their own without outside help. Even Darien needed his assistance to break free from the Shadows.

  “Please, Rich. I’ll do whatever you say, just don’t leave me behind. I don’t wanna go back in the cell.”

  Richard didn’t say anything. Instead, he hailed one of the few cabs driving around. He held the door open and gestured for Jason to slide inside. Richard climbed in after him and gave the cabbie the address where he hoped to find Susan and Darien. Both the passengers were too tired to talk as they rode across town.

  Chapter 16

  Bridget parked her car next to Richard’s black pickup truck. They faced a side entrance to the hotel. Susan stood in front of the door, squinting as she peered into the headlights. When Bridget turned them off, Susan’s face lit up and she ran to the passenger door. Darien still had one
leg in the car when Susan wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him once on the lips and then held on with her chin on his shoulder.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  Darien squeezed Susan around her middle hard enough to make her gasp. The other door slammed shut, shaking the two out of their greeting. Susan stepped back and looked over at the other woman. Her eyes scanned Bridget from head to toe as she came around the front of the car. Susan extended her hand.

  “Thanks for saving his ass when I wasn’t there to bail him out.”

  The corners of Bridget’s mouth turned up in what she hoped was a convincing imitation of a warm smile. As far as she was concerned, Susan was an annoyance. A nuisance that needed to be tolerated until Darien realized she would never be able to keep up. Bridget reached out and grasped the offered hand. “It was nothing. I imagine he would’ve done the same for me. I saw that he was in trouble, so I helped him out. People like us need to stick together.”

  “I’m just curious, what were you doing in the sewers in the first place?”

  The note of suspicion in her voice bordered on accusation. Bridget glanced over at Darien, but based on his expression, he either ignored it or was oblivious. “Keeping an eye on him.”

  “Well, I’m just glad you were there.” Susan went back to Darien and pulled him into another embrace. When her mouth was near his ear, she whispered into it. Bridget saw her lips move, but couldn’t make out the words.

  Bridget glared at the couple, but averted her gaze before either of them noticed. She turned around and kicked at a few stray rocks lying on the pavement. The two friends let go of each other and Susan led them inside, holding Darien’s hand as he trailed behind her.

  “Have you heard from Richard?”

  “No. He hasn’t called the room or my cell. I tried to call him, but it switches right to voicemail.”

  “I know. I tried to call him on the way here. I want to go look for him.”

  Bridget reached forward and put her hand on Darien’s shoulder. With a soft tug, she got him to turn and face her.

  “You can’t, not right now. You need rest. When I found you, you couldn’t even stand. If you go out now, you’ll only get yourself killed or caught. It’ll have to wait until morning. Besides, if he calls, you want to be around to get the call.”

  The other two were silent. Susan nodded her agreement. Darien dropped his shoulders and did not argue. When they got to the room, Bridget sat on the bed closest to the door while Darien and Susan took the far one.

  “So, Bridget, who are you? Where do you come from? And why were you keeping an eye on Darien? How long have you been following us?”

  She knew that Susan would be suspicious, but the barrage of questions was more than she felt like dealing with. She looked over at Darien with a questioning glance, hoping he would intervene.

  “It’s okay. She may not be one of us, but she’s the most trustworthy person I know.”

  Unfortunately, he misinterpreted her body language.

  “First of all, I’m a shifter like Darien. I don’t follow the Arm or the Shadows. As far as I’m concerned, they’re both two sides of the same coin trying to run your life and make you do all sorts of things because they think it’s what’s best. I’d rather be the one in charge and live as normal a life as I can. As for your other questions, I’ve been keeping an eye on Darien off and on for about three months now—ever since he first came into his abilities. I wanted to make sure he was safe.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he and I have a lot in common, on many different levels. But, you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t want to share my entire life story with a complete stranger. I appreciate that you’ve earned Darien’s trust, but I don’t know you. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share that information with her either, Darien. What we talked about is trusted information that I’d like to remain our secret for now.”

  He nodded and Susan broke her stare down with Bridget to turn to him.

  “Think about it. I can understand where she’s coming from. It’s not like I want some random person off the street to know what I can do.”

  “But you know you can trust me with anything.”

  “I do, but it’s not my secret to share. It’s only fair I don’t abuse the trust she put in me. You know I trust you—I’m asking you to trust me with this.”

  Susan grunted in acknowledgment and conceded defeat. Bridget viewed it as a point in her favor that Darien trusted her at least that much. Regardless, she did not feel up to more inquisition. She forced herself to yawn, reaching up to cover her mouth with the back of one hand.

  “I’m sorry. I’m still exhausted from everything that happened today. I need some rest. Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don’t feel up to the drive back. I doubt I’d be able to make it without dozing off behind the wheel.”

  Susan started to say something, but Darien cut her off. “Not a problem. Don’t sweat it. We can head downstairs to talk about what we’ll do in the morning.”

  “You can talk here. With how I feel, I’ll sleep through it all.”

  “No. You’ve earned some peace and quiet. We’ll go down to the lobby. It’s abandoned at this hour anyway. Thanks again. We’ll be quiet when we get back and try not to wake you. I hope you sleep well.”

  “Thank you, Darien. I’m glad we finally met in person and had the chance to talk.”

  “Me too.”

  He and Susan got up and walked to the door. He offered a smile and a nod before turning off the lights and easing the door shut behind him. Bridget waited for a count of three, and then bolted upright in bed. She had work to do. Putting her ear against the door, she heard nothing. They still had to be in the hallway. She shifted into a fruit fly. Bridget crawled underneath the door and buzzed after the couple walking to the elevators. She entered the cabin just before the doors closed. From her current vantage point in the corner of the elevator, she could see and hear everything.

  “I don’t trust her, Darien. I can’t place my finger on it, but there’s something about her that puts my nerves on edge. She says that she’s following you, but won’t say why. Or is that part of the secret between you two?”

  “Don’t worry. I don’t trust her as much as I let on. We talked a lot at her place and while we were in the car. I think she’s telling me part of the truth, but not the whole thing. I’m willing to take a chance on her, because if everything she told me was true, I think we can trust her. Besides, I can’t just write off the fact that she did save my life. She had the opportunity to kill me or capture me when I passed out from the tranquilizers, yet, here I am.”

  “But how do you know she’s not just trying to manipulate you? From what Richard says, that’s the Arm’s specialty. Just because she says she’s not with them, doesn’t mean she isn’t.”

  “Personally, I think Richard’s a little judgmental. He has issues. But, regardless, I’m confident Bridget isn’t with the Arm based on some of the stuff that she doesn’t want me to share.”

  Susan sighed and closed her eyes. Her body melted into Darien’s while the elevator carried them to the lobby. When they arrived at the ground floor and left the elevator, neither of them noticed the fruit fly buzzing along behind them.

  The front lobby was almost deserted. A single staff member stood at the counter, typing away at a computer. He looked up when the two guests entered the room, then went back to his typing when he saw they were not headed in his direction. They walked over to where two couches and a couple of chairs were arranged around a small coffee table. The soft couch sank comfortably underneath their weight, and Darien leaned his head back to rest on the cushions. His eyes closed and his left hand idly played with loose strands of Susan’s hair.

  “What are we going to do about Richard?”

  “What can we do? It’s not like we can call the cops. I can see it now. ‘Yeah, officer, one of our friends went missing in the sewers. What were we doing there? Well, you see, there
’s a group of people that can change shape and walk around like animals.’ How long do you think it would take for them to call the men in white coats? Either that, or wrap us up and hand-deliver us to the Shadows.” Darien paused, dropping his jovial mask. He dropped his head so that it hung over his knees. “I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll go look for him in the morning. It’s not like we have much choice. I want to go now, but I know you and Bridget are right.”

  “I want to come with you.”

  “You do know those tunnels are insane and go on for miles, right?”

  “Are you suggesting we just wait for him to show up and hope everything’s okay?”

  “No, I’m not. I’m just… We need to have a bit of realism about our chances. We’ll go first thing in the morning.”

  Both of them rested on the couch, saying nothing and just looking at each other. Darien drifted off into a light sleep, his eyes closed. Susan traced meaningless designs on his chest as she watched him sleep. Bridget felt it was time to drive another wedge in between the young couple. She wanted Darien to feel like he had no one but her to turn to, and this was not helping. She flew out the door and went to her car. Once she was there, she shifted into her human body with blonde hair and pulled out her cell phone. She paged through the numbers as she opened the trunk to the car.

  Inside the trunk was a bag containing an identical set of clothes to the ones Darien was wearing. She began to change, ducking behind the back bumper so she wasn’t in full view of the street as she stripped down. As she was pulling on her pants, she called Sean and tucked the phone into the crook of her neck. He was more than a little infatuated with one of her personas and had some influence with the Arm. These traits made him useful.