A tactic, Jerome thought. Is this what you have decided to call this suicidal leap?
“True strength would draw followers without needing to resort to torture!” I shouted. “You cannot prevail. I will not surrender. The mayor will not surrender. The city will not surrender.”
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME WHO RESIST. Duffy’s neck stretched out until his head was close to the mayor. Then, without warning, he opened his mouth and breathed fire. The mayor screamed, and shades who’d been close scattered backward. The mayor's body, wreathed in flames, rolled over twice, then stilled. His heart-wrenching scream lasted another heartbeat, then that, too, died.
I started forward, then stopped, knowing there was nothing I could do.
THE PEOPLE OF LUSTEER VOTED HIM CITY MAYOR. HE THOUGHT THAT MEANT HE WAS IMPORTANT.
Heat coming from the burning body touched my skin; the stench of burning flesh was sickening. The dragon leaned back on his back legs, black smoke hugging his body. His front legs rose into the air, and his wings opened up, though not to their full width—even this massive room didn’t allow Duffy to display his full wingspan. Still, he was big enough to make the place feel as claustrophobic as a sealed coffin. The fire from the mayor’s body cast a red light that made the dragon’s scales glow.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED. NOW ALL POWER COMES THROUGH ME. IT’S TIME FOR A CHOICE, RUNE RUSSELL. SUBMISSION OR DEATH?
Sensing shades closing in, I summoned my fireswords.
YOU SAID SIZE DOESN’T MATTER. YET YOU SEEK TO THREATEN ME WITH SWORDS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO PENETRATE MY SCALES. AND YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE A CHANCE OF REACHING ME.
Every shade in the room charged me.
Chapter 16
Thursday 20:55
I fled, keeping my head half turned to watch what was coming. The chasing shades were striking out at each other, fighting to be the first to reach me.
“Run up the ramp!” Persia shouted.
I tried to, but within moments, a flurry of fireballs forced me to dive to the side. Shifters were transforming as they ran toward me, turning into lions, giant snakes, man-sized phoenixes and an assortment of other beasts. I climbed up the crossbeams, swinging back up onto the ramp halfway up. Fireballs continued to whiz through the air; I dodged those I could avoid and used my fireswords to block the ones I couldn’t as I continued to sprint upward.
“Am I aiming for the roof?” I shouted.
“No,” Persia said. “Look for me.”
I scanned the wall to my left, looking through jagged holes into meeting rooms and offices until I located the corridor where Persia stood, holding a gun pointed at the ceiling. She fired it. I realized what type of gun it was and why it was aimed upward when a spike embedded itself in the ceiling, a rope dangling from it. Persia didn’t hesitate; she immediately swung toward the upper reaches of the ramp.
Sensing an attack, I dived to the side. A shifter-lion landed just beside me. From my back, I kicked out with both legs, knocking the lion off the ramp, then leaped back to my feet and charged further upward. Shifters bounded upward alongside me, and I struck out to either side at once with my fireswords, keeping them at arm’s length. The top of Persia’s arc took her above all of us. As she began to swing back, I put in a burst of speed to outpace my pursuers and leaped. For a moment I thought I’d mistimed and was about to fall into the milling group of shades below.
Then my arms snagged Persia’s waist, and we both swung away from the ramp. Unfortunately, by latching onto Persia, I had slowed the momentum of her swing, and, as we begun to slow, I realized that we weren’t going to make it back to the wall. Still hanging onto Persia’s waist, I flipped my legs backward behind me, and then, when the swing ended I threw them forward and upward. My sentinel acrobatics didn’t fail me—I landed feet first on the edge of the corridor, teetering for only an instant before gaining my balance. I turned around to see Persia swing back toward the ramp and the awaiting shifters. One creature—a vicious looking thing with mouthful of sharp fangs—leaped for her. She twisted in mid air to avoid his bite and managed to get both feet on his chest to kick away from him.
And then she was swinging back and away from the shifters. My sigh of relief was cut short when I realized she was going to stop well short of me. I reached to the side with my left hand and fumbled with the loose plaster at the end of the wall until I got a firm grip on something solid, then leaned forward and stretched out my right hand. “Grab hold!” I shouted.
Persia, spinning slowly, reached out with one hand. The closer she got, the more she slowed, until, with our fingers agonizingly close to touching, she began to drift away from me.
“Crap!” I exclaimed. Persia was swinging straight back toward a group of shifters which were leaping up and down in anticipation, and I couldn’t help her. My fireswords were useless at a distance. I could draw on my fire magic, I thought, then I dismissed the idea. My magic would draw elementals from Brimstone—despite the Searing, that hadn’t changed—and Duffy was an obtrusive lesson on the dangers of that.
I had to do something, though, as Persia swung back toward the ramp. Two giant phoenixes, their wings flapping rapidly, had taken to the air, and several lions and other werebeasts watched with slavering jaws as Persia, unable to slow her momentum, headed directly for them.
She almost didn’t make it that far as a fireball blazed toward her. She kicked her legs upward and to the left, managing to get her body to sway clear of the fireball. Then she drew one of her crossbows from the holster at her side, and she shot at one of the lions. She managed to hit him in the shoulder, which was an incredible shot considering how much she was swaying and spinning. The lion went down with a howl. She threw her spent crossbow, and that hit another werebeast in the nose. She drew her second crossbow, aiming it at each of the front row of waiting creatures. They backed away, or merely hesitated—either way, she came to the end of her arc unharmed and began to swing back once more. The days and hours she’d spent training had certainly not been wasted; it had been an incredible escape for someone with no supernatural power. However, as her swing brought her back toward me, she still needed help—one of the phoenixes was diving toward her, and with each swing she was losing momentum.
I knelt down and grabbed one of the electricity cables which dangled from the floor. I gave it a strong tug; it pulled free. Cursing, I chose another cable. I tugged, though not quite as hard as the first time; it held. It wasn’t something I wanted to trust both our lives to, but I didn’t have much choice. I reeled in the cable until I held the far end in one hand, then I threw myself off the end of the corridor and at Persia.
Seeing me coming for her, she holstered the crossbow.
“Grab hold of me!” I shouted just as I collided into her. The impact almost made me lose my grip on the cable. Persia let go of the grappling gun. One hand grabbed hold of my shirt, and as we both tumbled downward she managed to wrap an arm around my waist.
I couldn’t spare a hand to help her hold on. My left held onto the cable, and I summoned a firesword with the other and swung it at the giant phoenix which had been coming up behind Persia. I hit a wing, and the phoenix fell away from us.
We jolted to a sudden stop. Then the electricity cable gave, and we spiraled downward once more. It stopped us again, and this time held—though for how long, I had no idea. I dismissed the firesword, reached down, and grabbed hold of Persia’s forearm. “Let go of me,” I said.
“I can climb up you,” she said.
“Let go,” I repeated. “You won’t fall.” Two snakes were slithering up the nearby wall, and below, a lion jumped up at us and just fell short. The second phoenix was waiting for a chance to strike from above, and the fire sorcerers would undoubtedly be preparing more fireballs. “We don’t have any time.”
With her face upturned, her eyes scanned my face. Then she gave a sharp nod and released my waist. My grip on her forearm kept her from falling. I swung her back behind me, then forward, then back again, further this time.
Once her momentum brought her swinging out in front of me for a second time, I used all my sentinel strength to thrust her upward. I anxiously watched her ascent, hoping I had judged correctly; I needed to throw her a floor and a half to get her back to the corridor.
I had actually thrown her too hard, and she crashed into the ceiling of the corridor and tumbled to the floor—better than leaving her short.
Hand over hand, I rapidly climbed up the cable. Within seconds, I had reached Persia who, seemingly unhurt, scrambled to her feet, then fled down the corridor. I turned back to see a phoenix diving for me, but he swooped away once I summoned my fireswords.
I scanned the room. In the corner, Fred Hanson and his cameraman continued to record everything. The flames had died away, having reduced the mayor’s body to an ugly lump of charcoal. Strangely, Duffy had returned to a lying position and was watching expressionlessly; since burning the mayor, he’d left everything to his underlings. The snakes on the walls were climbing higher, and other shifters were scrambling for the exits. I fled.
CAPTURE HIM.
Duffy’s thought reverberated through my mind as I caught up with Persia. “Jo!” I shouted. “Where can we go?”
“I’m not sure,” Jo said. “I’m flicking through the camera feeds looking for a safe route, but the shades are spilling into every corridor.”
“Look.” Persia halted at a T-junction and pointed to the left where a young girl was beckoning us—Ally.
“This way,” Ally said.
Persia looked across at me.
“We can trust her,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Persia asked.
I wasn’t, and I didn’t want to make another stupid mistake. “We can trust her,” I repeated.
We ran toward her. Ally, seeing us follow, turned to lead the way, also running. I outpaced Persia in keeping up with Ally, though I made sure not to get too far enough ahead that Persia could lose contact. After dashing down several long corridors, Ally turned into a plush office. She slowed and approached a full sized portrait of a man which had been slashed enough that the face was unrecognizable. She pushed a button on the frame and the portrait swung open. She went through the secret doorway.
The portrait could only be of one person—I could almost recognize the suit and shiny shoes—but I pressed together the pieces of the painting that had been slashed apart until I could see Sulle’s face smiling down at me. Persia was just coming up behind me. “Welcome to my parlor,” I said.
She didn’t reply, just moved past me and into the secret chamber. I followed, pulling the portrait closed behind me. It shut with a click.
We were in a large room that I instantly recognized. Weapons of all types—swords, battleaxes, bows, spears, even a replica of a Klingon bat’leth—hung from the walls. Two shoulder-high wooden partitions ran down the center of the room, each one hold even more weapons. I quickly spotted the pair of crossed short swords which had been the inspiration for my fireswords.
“Where are you two?” Jo asked. “I lost you both.”
“We are in Sulle’s weapon’s room,” I said.
“He has a weapon’s room?” Jo asked.
“He does,” Sulle said. “And there are no cameras inside. Good hiding place.”
“And only one entrance,” Ally said. “And no one here except me knows about it.”
I nodded toward the small elevator at the other side of the room. “What about that?” I asked.
“That elevator needs a special code or key,” Ally said. “No one has been able to operate it.”
“I recognize that voice,” Jo said. “Is that Ally? Rune, ask her how she’s been keeping.”
“Jo says hi,” I said.
Ally nodded. “I better leave you. Be wary. An attack can come at any time.”
“Where are you going?” I asked. Ally looked much older than her eleven years and more tired than any child should ever be.
She gave a weak smile. “To follow instructions and search for you, of course.”
“How come you are able to defy the dragon?” Persia asked. “We just faced a roomful of fire shades who leaped to his bidding like they were under direct control.”
“They were all visible to Beelzebub. When sleeping, he controls every fire shade in the city without problem. When awake, he is focused on what’s happening close to him, so his control of shades not in the immediate vicinity is lessened,” Ally said. “I can still feel a pull. A desire to capture you.” Her face showed a strain. “Right now, though, it’s weak enough that I can resist.”
“You already think of him as Beelzebub?” I asked. Duffy had been serious about adopting that as his new name.”
“As I said, I can feel his will,” Ally said.
“Is it possible that you’ll come to his more direct attention now that the excitement in his reception room has died down?” Persia asked.
Ally nodded. “When I told you to be ready for an attack, I didn’t mean just from others,” Ally said. “It’s why I must leave. If I return, don’t be slow to kill me.”
“You know we won’t harm you,” I said. “This is the second time you saved both of us.” The first time had been during the ambush that had killed Pete.
“Don’t hesitate,” Ally said. “You’d be doing me a favor.”
This wasn’t the first time the girl had expressed the idea that she’d welcome death. Shades became a harmonized combination of human and elemental, but Ally’s core personality had always clashed with the elemental inside her. I’d thought she’d improved with time, but clearly Duffy had made things worse for her.
“Duffy will be gone soon,” I said. “We’ll make sure of that. Then you’ll be free.”
“I’ll never be free.” Ally sighed. “If not Beelzebub, then Dennis will control me and force me to commit vile acts. We were both born from the summoning crystal in Gorlam Orphanage, and he sees me as a sister, and for him, a sister is someone to torment. His dark whisperings make me feel unclean. I don’t have the strength to resist either him or Duffy.”
“As far as I can tell, you are the strongest fire shade in the whole building,” Persia said. “You are the only one making any attempt to resist the dragon.”
“It mightn’t last,” Ally said. “By defying him, something is tearing inside me, little by little. I better go.” Ally pushed the back of the portrait-door open. “Good luck. This room is pretty isolated—if you don’t make too much noise, you might be able to hide out all night.”
“How did you even find the place?” Persia asked.
“I needed somewhere private to despair.” She exited, and the portrait door clicked shut behind her.
After a brief silence, Jo spoke. “Can you make sure nothing bad happens to Ally, Rune? She has suffered so much and doesn’t deserve any of it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“You mentioned that you are in a weapons room,” Jo said. “Anything useful there?”
“No. They are mainly antiques,” I said.
“Many are old, but nearly all could be wielded to good effect in an emergency,” Sulle said.
“They are not made of titanium, though, so useless against shades,” I replied.
“What are they here for?” Persia asked.
“Just a hobby,” Sulle said. “Though occasionally, they come in handy. You remember the last time you were here, Rune, don’t you?”
“Who forgets the first time they were run through with a sword?” I had gone to Sulle looking for help, and he’d had his bodyguard attack me. During the fight, I’d picked up several weapons to defend myself and in the process found that I had the most affinity for a pair of short swords. Every sentinel’s multani was different, and it was during Sulle’s attack that I learned about my fireswords.
“What you learned saved your life later that night,” Sulle said. “Yet you continue to be ungrateful.”
“Jo, was what Mayor Maxwell said true? About the new laws.”
Those laws are an outrage
, a voice inside my head—not Jerome—said.
“I’ve been researching on my laptop, and I can’t find any confirmation,” Persia said. “However, rumors are circulating among national politicians that big news is com—”
“Are you watching LNN?” Sulle cut in.
“I haven’t been paying it attention,” Jo said. “Checking it now. Oh, shit.”
“What’s happening?” Persia asked.
“Fred Hanson is reporting that Sentinel Order-led shadiers have launched an attack on Verge Tower,” Jo said.
It’s just a ruse, the voice said. The real attack is happening elsewhere.
“Is it just Verge Tower?” I asked. “Are shadiers attacking anywhere else in the city?”
“I’m not sure, and I can’t check now,” Jo said. “I think I might have been spotted.”
“Spotted?” I asked.
“Perhaps I parked too close to Verge Tower. Several men are approaching my van.”
Chapter 17
Thursday 21:50
“Get out of there!” I shouted.
Persia touched my arm. “Not so loud. The girl said this room was isolated, not that it was soundproof.”
I nodded. “You’re right. Let’s stay away from the walls, and keep our voices low.” I hurried between the two wooden partitions, found a blank section without weapons, leaned against it, and I slid down to a sitting position on the floor. “Jo, what’s going on?” I asked in an urgent whisper.
Persia shuffled in beside me.
“I’ve climbed into the driver seat,” Jo said. “Just turning on the engine now. The men are breaking into a run, trying to catch up.”
My heart raced. I’d thought Jo would be safe down in the van, but now she was being chased, and I was too far away to help her.
“The van is picking up speed,” Jo said. “The men are slowing. There are three of them. One is gesturing to the others. Now two of them are going back from where they came. The other is continuing to chase me. The van is picking up speed, but so is my lone pursuer. Christ, he’s fast.”
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