Hell Bent

by Marie Bilodeau

  “They were trained, too, Clay. Maybe not just in fighting, but they weren’t without defenses.”

  I had no clue what those defenses had been, and wished I’d have asked a few more questions at the briefing.

  “Ya, but still—a bunch of scholars with their noses in books,” I could practically hear his shrug.

  “So, we’d get slaughtered less fast? I mean, we have to be careful, Clay. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “I get that,” he said, some of the brashness tempered from his voice, though I hoped it wasn’t just for my benefit. “Listen, Tira,” he said, a slight hesitation in his voice. I sat up straighter. Clay rarely hesitated. When he did, it was usually because he knew I’d get mad.

  “Are you sure the Guild of Shadows isn’t behind this?”

  I choked out a laugh. “Behind the slaughter? Clay! Come on, you know we didn’t do this!”

  “Not you!” he said quickly. “But, like, your Guild isn’t good. It kills people, Tira.”

  “So does yours!” I tried to keep my voice level. This argument was not only tired, it also just kept getting more and more annoying. And it was worse knowing my Guild was listening. Clay wasn’t an idiot – he realized they would be. Why the hell was he putting me in this position?

  “Just people who step in the arena,” he said, an edge to his voice.

  “Like me?” I snapped back, referring to his Boss throwing me in there as a punishment.

  “You didn’t die,” he said sheepishly.

  “But you did,” I finished softly. He’d died, kind of, because Ian had poisoned him. Kept him down, quiet, until he could be revived. To give himself a chance to pull me out. But the sight of Clay falling, turning sickly gray, not moving, my screams echoing in my head…I closed my eyes, took a deep breath.

  “I’m okay,” he said, as though sensing my angst over the phone. Which he probably could. Clay could be thick, but he knew me. He was my best friend, and looked out for me, in a way no one else did. Just like I did for him, which was why we were both worried for one another.

  What else could we be?

  “I wish we were together,” I said softly.

  “Me, too.”

  “Be careful.”

  “You, too.” He paused, “we’ll meet up again soon, ‘kay?”

  “Sure,” I said, feeling the weight of his distance pressing down on my chest.

  “Maybe I’ll come your way.” I smiled at that thought. But I knew he wouldn’t. I’d have to go to him. And I would, again and again, as often as necessary, to see him.

  “Sure,” I said again. “See you soon.”

  He repeated the same words to me, but they felt empty. We hung up, and I felt no better for having chatted with him. I mean, I felt better knowing he was alive, sure. But the rift between Clay and I seemed to be growing, and it wasn’t just physical anymore.

  I hoped he was right, and that we’d see each other soon. Being friends with Clay had been easier when he was right there, and my only friend.

  That realization made me feel much worse.

  “We’ve got a mission,” Ian’s voice made me jump.

  “How long have you been standing there?” I asked, a bit more of an edge to my voice than I’d intended. It’s not like I didn’t know that I’d be watched.

  “Do you want to come?” He ignored my question.

  “Wait. You want to bring me on a mission?” I stood up, fatigue lifted by the thought of getting out into the field – of doing something useful.

  “It’s not super exciting,” Ian said, “but I think you’re ready for a test outside of the Guild.” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make me regret this, Tira.”

  “I won’t,” I grinned at him. “This is exciting!”

  “It won’t be, but don’t screw it up anyway,” he said darkly. I smiled even more widely.

  I didn’t care if it was exciting or not. I needed some fresh air, and a change of venue.

  Anywhere not here was bound to be more exciting.

  Chapter Four

  We stepped outside the Guild, and the city’s perfume filled my lungs: fast food and cars, sequins and leather, fears and hope.

  I’d missed this. This Guild of Shadows outpost, a temporary one from what I’d been told, stood at the edge of several interesting and diverse neighborhoods. I really wanted to visit them more, but I didn’t exactly have an all-access pass to the outside.

  This would have to do.

  “Hide us,” Ian instructed as he walked beside me. I grinned. I hadn’t been able to fold my shadows for over a month, encouraged to learn new skills beyond my vanishing act.

  There were three other initiates with us, including Rachel. I grinned at her. I was glad she was here.

  I’d never folded my shadows over so many people and indicated with a quick movement of my hand for them to get closer to me. They obliged, though a few of them looked uncomfortable and confused.

  It was nighttime. There were few lights, and plenty of shadows danced beyond their boundaries. I pulled them as tightly as I could, folding them around us until we vanished. I didn’t feel as successful as usual.

  I squinted and stopped.

  “One second,” I said, and closed my eyes. I reached out more deeply. Not just to the surface of the shadows, the ones cast with sharp edges to the light, but to the shadows hidden in eternal corners, unwilling to ever bend to the light. Holding ground, refusing to let it go, shadows cast centuries ago when stones were set and buildings erected.

  No, the city wasn’t old enough. The shadows were maybe a hundred years old, and deep, piercing, wizened. They were slow and sluggish, unwilling to move to my whim. Comfortable in their corners, in their homes, they stayed put and didn’t heed my call.

  I reopened my eyes. The shadows were still folded around all five of us, but not as thickly as I wanted them to be. On close observation, we would be revealed.

  “It’s good enough for where we’re going,” Ian said.

  I nodded. He’d been testing me, to see how much my shadows could stretch effectively. I suppose it was better to test it now than in a battle situation.

  “What are we going to do, anyway?” I whispered. My shadows didn’t hide sound.

  “Let’s get there, first,” he said, not unkindly, and led us down a second dark alleyway. Rats scurried by, feasting on garbage that was waiting for a pickup that never came. Not a soul lurked in sight, which I found distracting. Had they cleared the alleyway before we left the Guild of Shadows?

  “Okay, concentrate,” Ian whispered, squeezing my upper arm, making it clear he spoke to me. And I could see why. The alleyway gave way to a busy, well-lit street. I knew that street, and my heart skipped a beat. I used to come here with Clay, after capers, and we’d watch people go by. Well, I would. Clay would usually be thinking about the battle we’d just had, or the one we’d head into next. Knowing him, that’s what I imagine he’d been doing, anyway.

  But not me. I loved watching the people go by, living their lives. Their outfits all color and shine, and their shoes! So far outside the realm of my usual black outfit and combat boots.

  And how confidently they walked in the light. I mean, they were all human, but still, they owned their space so freely! Wearing patterns and big hair like a shield against the night.

  “We need to get on the other side of the street,” Ian said, “without being seen.”

  “I don’t think I can do that,” I said, looking at the well-lit street, cars slowly going by, pedestrians flashing down the sidewalk. It was busy, and bright.

  So very bright.

  “Maybe if I take one of us at a time?” I offered.

  Ian shook his head. “No, we need to see how far we can push your shadows. Don’t shy away from this test.”

  “I hate tests,” I mumbled.

  “I know,” he said matter-of-factly, but a smile tugged at his lips before he looked away.

  Grea
t. I’m glad one of us is enjoying this.

  Everyone gathered around me. Rachel nodded her head to me, though I could tell she really had no clue what the hell I was doing.

  Well, that was fine, because neither did I.

  I glared at the light as I pulled the shadows to me – from the alley surrounding us, from the cracks in the pavement and the holes between the bricks. From under scurrying rats and our own feet.

  It wasn’t enough.

  I took a deep breath, reaching further. I could sense the shadows all around me. They comforted me in a way that nothing else could, not even Clay. They promised safety, and warmth, and acceptance. And, more importantly, they promised invisibility. To keep prying eyes from my purple skin and devil horns. From my differences, so piercing, so noticeable, so judgment-worthy.

  I appealed to them to cover my friends, some of whom looked human but others who were unmistakably Traded, too. To keep us safe. To welcome us into their fold.

  The shadows thickened around me. Like a veil throbbing with energy and anxiety, with my fears and worries, with my need to get them across a street.

  The shadows lightened again.

  “Damn it,” I muttered, trying to call them back. But my hold was tenuous, and I knew it. Sweat slid down the side of my face.

  “Stay close,” my voice strained in my ears.

  I started walking. It was now or never.

  The others stayed close. Rachel and Ian were the closest. A tall man whose name I didn’t know was behind me. A shorter woman walked beside him.

  I really had to get better at remembering names.

  As I thought this, the shadows lost some of their density.

  Damn it.

  We neared the light.

  Almost there…

  The darkness ended abruptly just a few steps ahead, a streetlight slicing it away.

  I took another step, focused intently on keeping the shadows around me. They throbbed with impatience, wanting to retreat back to their natural habitat, afraid of the light.

  Stay, I commanded.

  I imagined tucking them near me, like a comforting blanket. They fought me a bit less.

  At least, until the next step, when they pulsated around me, as afraid of the light as I was. A headache sliced through my brain. I winced and stared at the light.

  Just one more step ahead of me.

  I can do this. I can keep everyone hidden.

  But the other side of the street seemed ridiculously far. It wasn’t, I knew on a practical level. Only maybe fifteen steps. The road wasn’t even double-laned. But there were a lot of people, and so much light…

  A man walked by, thigh-high boots glittering with multi-colored gemstones, and the shadows vanished. No warning. Not even a chance to hold them back.

  I gasped.

  “Scatter,” Ian said, and pulled me back into thicker shadows.

  I barely noticed, so stunned by my inability to keep the shadows wrapped around me.

  By the time I focused again, we had ducked back into a small alley, and only Ian remained.

  “Where did the others go?” I asked, my voice weak. I tried (rather unsuccessfully) to hide my embarrassment.

  “They’ve gone to their posts,” he said, not unkindly.

  “They didn’t need my help to cross the street,” I said. A test. I thought the test would be of my fighting abilities or my stealth skills. Well, I supposed it had been about stealth.

  “No,” he said. “But you needed their help to see how far you could push your shadows.”

  “I couldn’t do it,” I whispered. I looked into the shadows around us. They seemed to retreat from me, staying just outside my grasp. Like I’d scared them by forcing them. I’d never felt them shy away from me like that before.

  I hated it.

  “You okay?” Ian asked, not like an instructor, or the second-in-command of the Guild, but like a friend. It had been a while since I’d seen that Ian.

  “I miss my friend,” I said.

  “You can’t go off to see Clay tonight.”

  “No, I meant you.”

  “Oh,” realization dawned on him. He gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. But I must train you and the others, first. It’s my job.”

  “It’s more important than friendship,” I said, half-asking, half-not. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but feared that maybe I already did.

  “I don’t think so,” he said, more softly. “I just want to push you to stay safe.”

  “Sounds like something a friend would do,” I said more to myself than him, feeling better. Momentarily. “Why can’t I keep the shadows wrapped around me?”

  Ian seemed to ponder it for a few moments. “Do you like the other initiates who were with us?”

  “I don’t know two of their names,” I shrugged.

  His eyebrows shot up. “You’ve been training with them for three months.”

  “I don’t need to know names to give and avoid blows, Ian.”

  “I guess not,” he said, though I felt I’d disappointed him. Well, he could join the club. He redirected the line of questioning. “Did you find it difficult to stretch your shadows across two people before?”

  “It’s definitely tougher,” I said. “So, I guess five is too many?”

  “Mmmmm,” Ian said, non-committal.

  “I guess it’s back to the Guild for me,” I said softly, pondering for a few moments if I could escape and go meet up with Clay. But Ian could change into a wolf and stop me, and chances were that the Guild would come after me.

  “That was a test, Tira, not the mission,” Ian said, observing me closely, as though expecting me to explode or run.

  I wasn’t sure if I’d do either of those things yet, either. “It wasn’t?”

  “No,” he offered. “There’s another research guild not far from us. We need to keep an eye on it. Hopefully spot trouble before it hits.”

  “Oh,” I said. “I guess that makes sense. Are we expecting another hit?” I looked at Ian. “Oh,” it dawned on me. “Another one’s already been hit.”

  “Whatever this is, it’s moving quickly, and seems to be targeting the research guilds.”

  “Can’t we evacuate them?” I asked.

  Ian sighed, a rare sound of frustration. “Guilds can’t just…move,” he said. “There are deals in place with the Watch.”

  “The Watch?” I asked. That sounded pretty cool, and ominous at the same time.

  “Just keep an eye on the guild,” Ian said, pressing a square device in my palm. It was a weird-looking smartphone. Thin. It had a map on it, with a building across the street marked. I guessed that was the Guild. I clicked on it, and some information came up.

  “It’s coded to you specifically,” Ian said, “and the chips will fuse if it’s separated from you. So, no dying trying to protect information.”

  I nodded, not about to admit that I wasn’t about to die for Guild secrets. Not these ones, anyway.

  “This,” he indicated a button, “will monitor your vitals. If they spike, or you’re injured, we’ll know, and come help. If you need help, you press it twice for immediate evac or assistance. Understood?”

  “Straightforward enough,” I mumbled. “How big are the chances that we’ll get in trouble?”

  “Stay in the shadows. Don’t let the guild even know you’re there. If it’s attacked, don’t engage. Just signal us.”

  “Pretty good then,” I said.

  “This is the guild closest to ours, so operatives will move more quickly to help. We’re rotating the teams so some are getting sleep right now. We need initiates to be our eyes, so the operatives can be combat-ready.”

  “And the other initiates?” I was thinking of Rachel, and her explosive tendencies.

  “Same,” he said. “Just keeping an eye out on other guilds.”

  “How many are near?” I asked.

  He ignored my question. “There are operat
ives close to every guild. But to always be watching carefully and then be full focus for combat is a lot to ask of anyone, and is sure to get our people killed. We need to split the work.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay,” he replied, though his eyebrow raised a bit as though he didn’t believe I’d stay out of trouble.

  “Be careful,” he said, and began to walk back toward the Guild of Shadows.

  “Wait!” I asked. “What about you?”

  He gave me a slight smile. “I need some sleep.”

  I suddenly realized how tired and haggard he looked. He’d probably been on high alert since the Rosetta Guild had been hit.

  “Be careful,” I said for good measure. He nodded, seemed about to tell me the same, but realized he’d already said it several times. He turned and vanished around a corner.

  I focused back on the street. According to the info on my smartphone, there was a good observation point from the top of the Chengzu Guild, which occupied the top two floors of a nearby six-story building.

  Light blanketed the entire street ahead. And I didn’t want to pester the shadows again, skittish at the edges of my power. I had a job to do, which was exciting! But I had to cross the light to do it, which was annoying.

  I sighed. No point in stretching this out.

  I pulled up my hood, lowered my head, and stepped into the light.

  Chapter Five

  “Keep an eye out” wasn’t the most detailed and clear instruction I’d ever received. I’d never spent any time just being out here. How the hell was I supposed to suddenly be judge and jury of what was normal and what wasn’t?

  Maybe I could use that to my advantage? Go explore a bit under pretext that someone was being suspicious?

  “What were they doing, Tira?”

  “They closed their shoe store early! That seemed suspicious!”

  “So, you went in there?”

  “Yes! To keep an eye out, as instructed.”

  “Why do you suddenly have five shiny pairs of shoes?”

  No, there really was no way I’d talk my way out of that. Besides, I’d spotted two cameras already, lower on the building, which had probably been hacked by the Guild of Shadows. They hacked everything else, so why not this? As far as I could tell, they already had eyes on this building.