The Bringer of War (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 2)

by Dylan Birtolo

  Gregory reached out and unclasped the bonds that held Twitch to the chair. His body remained limp and threatened to slide to the floor. Gregory walked behind the desk and pushed the button underneath to summon the guards. The door to the chamber opened and both men came back into the room. The hallway beyond was empty; all of the gawkers had other matters to attend to or were chased off.

  “Take the traitor away and lock him in the holding cells. I want no possibility for escape, regardless of the circumstances.”

  The two Shadows bowed and picked Twitch up by his shoulders. The chair toppled with a crash as they carried Twitch out, his feet dragging across the floor. When they left, Cameron closed the door behind them, and then went back to the chair. He picked it up and centered it in the circle of light.

  “Are you planning on letting him live?”

  “No, I am not. His death is necessary. When it comes, it will be swift. Consider it a payment for his loyal services before his departure from the fold. Before that happens, he will be useful. I know what Bridget wants, and she will need his help to get it.”

  “Is there anything else you need of me?”

  “Not at this time.”

  “What about the missing tome?”

  “I recovered it.”

  Cameron’s eyebrow raised in surprise. For him, it was a momentous tell. He tried to bow to hide the reaction, but not before Gregory saw it. So Lisa had not found his secret chamber with the missing tome after all.

  Chapter 20

  “Just a second, I need to check something,” Bridget said as she and Darien walked past the entrance to the Crescent Court Hotel.

  She ducked into the front lobby, leaving him on the street. Inside, the floor was polished marble with inlaid mosaics. Large pillars held up a vaulted ceiling over twenty feet above. Bay windows lined the front wall and stretched to reach the top of the room. Bridget walked to the front counter with a determined focus. The young woman behind the desk gave her a welcoming smile. She wore a cleaned and pressed uniform.

  “My name’s Bridget Ellison. Do I have any messages?”

  The keys clattered as the desk worker’s fingers flew across them. Bridget looked over her shoulder and saw Darien entering the building and coming up to her. She didn’t expect him to wait on the street. No one else seemed to be paying her any attention.

  “No, I’m sorry ma’am. You don’t have any messages.”

  “Can you tell me if the message I left was picked up?”

  “Who was it for?”

  By now Darien stood next to her. She didn’t want to mention Gregory’s name in front of him, especially considering her encounter in Darien’s dream. She still didn’t know the connection between the two.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just check back later.”

  She reached out and took Darien by the hand, pulling him away from the counter as the woman behind it gave her apologies. Her pulled his hand free but followed her as they left the lobby and returned to the noise of the city.

  “What was that about?”

  “A business associate is supposed to be staying here. At least I think that’s what he said. So, I left him a message and wanted to see if he left one back.”

  “Why didn’t you try calling his room or something?”

  “I don’t have his room number. Like I said, I’m not even sure this is the hotel he’s staying at. But that’s not what we need to talk about, is it?”

  “No, you’re right. Come on, there’s a park near here. It might feel good to walk.”

  She knew the park he was talking about, so she took the lead through the streets as they walked together. The park followed along the Colorado River, providing a small break of green between the city and the flowing water. Regular trees helped to block the noise of the nearby street. During warmer months, this park would be completely packed with joggers and bikers. At this time, the park was less popular with only a few people walking down the paths, bundled up in multiple layers. Darien and Bridget passed a young man walking his dog. The lab stopped and sniffed at the two newcomers, with his tail wagging. Darien smiled, reached down and pet the canine as they walked past. The owner had to pull on the leash a few times to resume his walk.

  “I think we need to talk about Jason. Why is he spending time with Richard? I told you he was a Shadow. I saw him spying on you.”

  “How can you be sure? He could have been with the Arm, or anybody for that matter.”

  “No, they were definitely Shadows. And even if they weren’t, the guy’s not telling the truth. The part about the burn on his hand? The Shadows don’t mark like that when they’re trying to do their ritual. They always mark the chest.”

  They paused the conversation as they passed an older couple sitting on one of the benches watching the birds. The woman had a loaf of bread and tore off small pieces to toss on the ground. The pair smiled as Darien and Bridget passed. Once they were beyond earshot, Darien spoke.

  “How do you know about their rituals?”

  “I learned a lot from Twitch about the Shadows and their ways of doing things. He used to be one. He wanted to get out—I’m sure you can imagine why. So, I helped him escape and I’ve kept the Shadows from finding him.”

  “You’re the reason Shadows keep showing up dead in the sewers.”

  “Yes. You don’t think Twitch could hold them of on his own, do you?”

  Darien stopped and turned to look at his companion. She followed suit and gave him her full attention. She couldn’t believe that he had an issue with her murdering Shadows considering that he embarked on a self-proclaimed crusade to eliminate them.

  “Just to be blunt, you’re as new to me as Jason is. I have no reason to trust you any more than I trust him.”

  “Except that you and I are the same. Why would I lie to you about this? I’ve been trying to keep you safe ever since I found out about you, and that’s what I’m still doing. Remember the dream when we first met? Besides, if I wanted to hurt you or do anything, I had the perfect opportunity in the sewers. The only person Jason helped was Richard, who the Shadows wanted uninjured, remember?”

  They continued their stroll, and Darien ran his fingers through his hair. Up ahead of them, the edge of the park loomed closer.

  “Alright, I might believe what you’re telling me. Regardless, that’s not what we need to talk about. You said you knew about the disease Twitch was talking about. You said you didn’t have much time and needed my help.”

  “Yes. What Twitch said about us getting sick and dying is true. How much do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  They stopped at the last bench before leaving the park and sat down on it. Her hand reached out and rested on his shoulder. She looked at his face, and he averted his eyes from her gaze. She wanted to see his reaction to what she was about to share. It would tell her a lot about how far along he had come.

  “Have you ever had a time when you lost yourself in an animal? Given into the instincts rather than maintaining your own mind? I know you have. We all do when we’re first learning. As the disease progresses, it happens more often and it gets worse. In the end, we lose control of our ability to shift. I don’t know why, but after a while, maintaining a form, even your natural one, becomes a constant effort. It’s slow and gradual, but an inevitable impending doom.”

  The color drained from his face as she explained. He clasped his hands between his legs and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “Is this what’s happening to you?”

  Bridget paused for effect. She let her hand go limp on his shoulder and slip off. It annoyed her to appear weak, but she knew Darien well enough to know how he’d respond.

  “Yes, it is.”

  As she expected, Darien reach out to her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. He turned to her and offered a weak smile.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’d rather have your help than your apologies. I’m running out of time. I told you t
hat there’s a ritual that requires two people. I need someone I can trust, someone who isn’t half crazy.”

  “What have you learned?”

  “When I was with the Arm, I was doing some investigation in the archives. I found out about the ritual, but it was buried in an old book. The book had half of the ritual. According to the legend, the Shadows have the other half. But the Arm wanted to hide it all from me, and that’s why I left them.”

  “Why would they hide it?”

  “They think we’re dangerous. They think that if we’re allowed to live, it’ll mean the end of their world.”

  “How can they possibly believe that?”

  “I don’t know Darien, but they have believed it for generations according to what I read. And every time a Sheynan came along, they made a point to keep the cure hidden. They use us until we are no longer controllable or until the sickness takes us. The Shadows are no better. Every time a Sheynan appeared up in the past, both sides tried to use them as a weapon. If they couldn’t control that weapon, they made sure it didn’t fall into the enemy’s hands. That’s all we are to them, weapons to use in their little war. This is why we have to trust each other. There’s no one else to trust.”

  Darien let go of Bridget’s hand and collapsed against the back of the bench. He looked up at the sky and slowly shook his head.

  “I wish I could say I was surprised.”

  A flock of birds chirped overhead before taking leave of their communal tree. Glancing around, Bridget didn’t see what might have startled them. She watched them to see if they landed nearby, but they flew back down the path almost out of sight.

  “I’m just surprised the Arm isn’t willing to share the cure. They seem more helpful than that, even if they are manipulative.”

  “That’s just the mask they want you to see. They’re not the good guys they pretend to be. They talk about fighting against the darkness that the Shadows would bring, but it’s just a war. They aren’t the good guys and the Shadows aren’t the bad guys. They’re the same.”

  “At least the Arm doesn’t try to enslave you and kill innocent people to get you to join them.”

  “Their methods may be less overt, or violent, but their motives are the same.”

  “I just… Whatever. Moving on. How do we cure ourselves?”

  Bridget’s eyes glinted and her heart skipped a beat when he voiced the question. All of the pieces were starting to come together. She made sure to keep her tone level.

  “We still need the half the Shadows have. It’s in a book in the conclave. With your help, I know that we can get it. Once we do, it should be simple to perform the ritual. I already have the book from the Arm.”

  Darien whirled on her. He slid back to wedge himself in the corner of the bench against the arm rest. She saw the wheels turning behind his eyes.

  “That’s what you took! Alyssa said something about you walking away with one of their prized possessions. I thought you just memorized or copied what you needed. And now you want me to help you steal from the Shadows. Why didn’t you get Twitch to help you if he was part of their group?”

  “I did, and he was able to get the book. Rather, he took one of the books. I found out later that they have several. I don’t know how to tell which one I’m looking for until I get my hands on it. At least there’s a description of it in the Arm’s manual. Unfortunately, someone stole the book from Twitch.”

  “Holy hell. Who stole it?”

  This was going better than Bridget had anticipated. She saw no reason to hold back now. She was confident that Darien would agree to help her.

  “Remember that business associate I mentioned at the hotel?”

  Darien nodded. Bridget gestured with her hands as if to say “there you go.” Darien took a deep breath.

  “Why should I believe anything you’ve said?”

  “Because I’ve always been honest with you. Because you and I are both Sheynan and we’re the only ones who really understand what that means. There haven’t been any for generations, and now there are two. Someone once told me ‘there’s no such thing as coincidence.’ I need your help, and you need mine. We can do this together.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then whatever we want. Who’d dare to try to tell us to live our lives a certain way or try to kill us if we stood together? This doomsday clock is their trump card. Without it, we could do anything. You’ve only just begun to realize what we can do.”

  She had to focus to keep her excitement from showing too much. She didn’t want to seem too eager. Troubled, anxious, and in a rush? Yes. Darien scrutinized her while they sat there. She could tell he was weighing her words and deciding what to believe. She met his gaze, staring into his eyes without blinking. Darien looked away first and scratched the back of his head. He looked at the now-abandoned tree and became distant. In a quick motion, he snapped back to Bridget.

  “Can you show me the book? I’d like to see it and what it says.”

  “Come on. It’s back at the house.”

  The two got up and walked out of the park. They made their way back to the hotel and climbed into Bridget’s car. They rode in silence on the way back to the house. Bridget glanced at Darien when she thought she could get away with it. He appeared to be digesting everything that she threw at him. Once they got to their destination, they walked in through the unlocked door, and Bridget led Darien down into the basement. The room was empty with the exception of a washer, dryer, and the furnace, all wedged against one wall.

  Turning a corner, Bridget walked to a small drain set into the floor. She bent down and slid her fingers through the holes. Clenching her hands and tensing her arms, she stood up in one smooth motion. The cover came loose and she dropped it off to the side with a loud clatter. She kneeled next to the opening and reached in up to her elbow. Her fingers closed around the thick book wrapped in plastic. She pulled it out and placed it on the ground at Darien’s feet.

  With wide eyes, Darien sat down and unwrapped the manual from its protective shell. After stripping off several layers, he exposed the book. The cover was over a foot tall, and just under a foot wide. It was brown and faded to the point where the original color was indistinguishable. The pages were dark yellow and wrinkled from moisture. The corners of the cover were frayed down to the hard binding underneath. Bridget slid her fingers in between the pages marked by a black bookmark, and flipped the manual open. The page was written in a large flowing script with a decorated border. Animals and people danced around the edge of the page, one flowing into the next. Bridget waited as Darien fumbled through the old English vocabulary, reading about Sheynan and the curse, as well as the potential cure. When he finished, he looked up at her.

  “I believe you.”

  Chapter 21

  Susan sat alone in the hotel room, attempting to read the same page of her book for the tenth time. With a heavy sigh, she tossed the novel onto the table. She collapsed back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. She reached out and turned on the TV with the remote. It clicked on to the preset channel to show commercials for the hotel facilities. Susan didn’t watch it or change the channel. It was just comforting to have noise in the background rather than sit in silence and wait.

  The lock latched open without a knock, and Susan rolled over to crouch behind the bed with her handgun like she had trained. When the door swung into the room, she saw Richard and Jason standing in the hallway, carrying rolled up papers underneath their arms. With only a slight nod for a greeting, they walked in and placed the plans on the unoccupied bed. She put the gun aside and went to help them organize the chaos.

  “I take it you guys were lucky?”

  “We were, for the most part. These plans are from the original construction, but they should give us a general idea of the layout. We won’t know anything about their security or any renovations that were made, but it’s better than nothing. Getting even this much was a chore.”

  “Let me get this straight. You guys w
anna break into the Shadows stronghold, into the lion’s den, and take it down? How are five people gonna take down an entire building?”

  “We don’t need to take out the whole building. We’d never pull it off or get away with it. Even if we could, too many innocent lives would be lost. I’m only interested in the Shadows inside that complex. We’ll hit them strategically, and hard. It should throw them into chaos with what we have planned. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll do some of our work for us in the chaos.”

  “You guys sound like you got this all figured out. What’re you planning?”

  Richard looked at Susan before responding. She understood his hesitation. If Jason was working for the Shadows, then they needed to keep him in the dark as much as possible. She knew Richard would be cautious. Not for the first time, she wondered if the same could be said about Darien with Bridget.

  “We’ll get to that later. Right now we need to figure out how to get into the place. Do you know anything about the interior, beyond what we saw together?”

  Jason shook his head. “I only remember what we saw on the way out. I woke up in the room where they burned my hand, and the next thing I remember is being in the room with you in a whole lot of pain.”

  “So be it. Walking in the front door would be risky. They have a guard at night, so I imagine the desk is manned twenty-four hours a day. Since the door locks from the inside, there’s no way we’d just pass right through. We could try to time it with someone leaving, but then we better have a story if the guard asks questions. We don’t want the police involved.”

  They looked at the floor plans together and Jason flipped over the sheet to show the subterranean floor. He pointed at some small circles drawn over the walls.

  “What about the basement? It connects to the sewers and subway systems. It’s probably still guarded, but it’d be a lot better to try and break in there.”