Shadow Born

by Jamie Sedgwick

  Gabriel was impressed. “What other kind of stuff can D.A.S. do?”

  “We make great sandwiches,” Jodi said.

  Gabriel grinned. “Really…”

  “Yeah. Get your butt back to the cabin and make me a sandwich. I’m starved.”

  Gabriel thought about making a smart comment, and then thought better of it. After all, Jodi was the pilot. He wandered back to the cabin and started digging through the fridge.

  “So what do you think of all of this?” Mr. Oglesby said. He was sitting in the front row of passenger seats. There was a small TV mounted on the wall at the front of the cabin, and he was flicking back and forth through the channels. He seemed to have settled somewhere between a show on shark attacks and an old black-and-white film starring someone named John Wayne.

  “What do I think about the airplane?” Gabriel said. “Or about D.A.S.?”

  “D.A.S.,” Mr. Oglesby said with a grin. “I already know the airplane is cool.”

  “It’s pretty crazy. I never would have believed this stuff if I hadn’t seen it.”

  “Isn’t that the truth? I felt the same way when I discovered D.A.S., or rather when they discovered me. It hardly seemed like any of it could be real.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “The important thing is that you know when to set your doubts aside. You do understand why we’re going to Canada, don’t you?”

  Gabriel nodded. “To stop them. The shadowfriends.”

  “Exactly. Once we’re there, we have to focus. There might be fighting involved. In fact, it’s almost certain, and you won’t have time to hesitate. What I’m saying is, the shadowfriends won’t think twice about killing us. If it should come down to that…”

  “I understand,” Gabriel said. What Mr. Oglesby meant was that they might be facing a life or death situation. The truth was, Gabriel had no idea what he would do. He knew he was capable of fighting, and possibly even of killing. He’d seen the results of what he could do.

  “Good for you,” Mr. Oglesby said. “You’re a strong boy. When it’s all over, we’ll have a beer and talk about all the crazy stuff we saw.”

  “Uh, yeah,” Gabriel chuckled. “I’m twelve. I don’t drink beer.”

  Oglesby gave him a wink. “I meant root beer.”

  Gabriel made Jodi a sandwich with cheese and mustard. There wasn’t much else in the fridge, except for a box of crackers and some coffee grounds. He gave it to her and then went back to the cabin before she had time to complain. Fortunately, Julia was in the copilot’s chair keeping her company.

  Gabriel settled down in the seat across the aisle from Mr. Oglesby to watch some TV. The elderly man had an obnoxious habit of switching the channels every few minutes, and Gabriel soon tired of trying to keep up with the programs. He ended up staring at Oglesby’s cane. There was something about it that drew his attention, but Gabriel couldn’t put his finger on it. He had to admit that the thing was pretty cool, with its snarling wolf’s head handle. The wolf was so life-like it almost seemed it would move if he stared long enough.

  Mr. Oglesby’s hand went to the cane, and Gabriel blinked. “That’s nice,” he said. “Can I see it?”

  “I don’t think that would be wise,” Mr. Oglesby said. “The crazy thing seems to have a mind of its own. I wouldn’t want to lose it.” The smile on his face said he was joking, but there was something serious in his eyes. He sure was a strange old man.

  They fell silent, and eventually the drone of the engines lulled Gabriel into an uneasy sleep. His dreams were dark and disturbing. No wonder, after recent events. Shadow creatures, a dragon, and the death of a close friend do not make for happy dreams.

  “We won’t have much time.” It was Julia’s voice that woke him, and Gabriel opened his eyes to see her and Mr. Oglesby standing at the counter next to the fridge. “We’re going to have to work fast. I brought extra UV and infrared lights, and some EGGs that we might be able to integrate into their system. Hopefully Canada has a security guy as good as Pete.”

  “How many agents do they have now?” said Mr. Oglesby.

  Julia shook her head. “I have no idea. Last time I was there –about four years ago-they had seven field agents and an office staff. Finances weren’t as tight back then, so there may be less.”

  “I hope they’re good at what they do,” Oglesby said.

  Chapter 26

  Canada HQ turned out to be a private ski lodge next to a lake. Gabriel looked down on it as they circled in for a landing. A paved pathway led from the lodge down a steep wooded hillside to the lake. Though it rested at the base of a mountain, the land surrounding the lodge was mostly flat. Even though it was the first week of June, patches of snow remained.

  Jodi brought the Albatross in for a surprisingly smooth landing on the choppy surface of the lake. It was another first for her. She cruised the plane across the water to a boat ramp and up onto the beach. They rolled to a stop at the base of the hill beneath lodge. Julia congratulated Jodi on a great flight as Jodi shut the engines down.

  Crisp mountain air washed over them as they piled out of the Albatross. “It’s a bit of a hike,” Julia said. “Bring as much as you can carry. We don’t want to make too many trips.”

  That, of course, meant that Gabriel and Jodi got the lion’s share. Mr. Oglesby carried his personal pack and an extra bag, which wasn’t bad for an old man with a cane, but it wasn’t half of what Gabriel ended up carrying. Julia’s load equaled Mr. Oglesby’s, and it looked overwhelming on her slight frame. Every one of them had broken a sweat when they finally crested the top of the hill.

  The lodge rose out of the landscape up ahead like a watchtower. Gabriel noted that the building’s placement afforded a clear view of the surrounding countryside all the way to the lake. It was not only a beautiful view, but also a strategic location in terms of defense. Strangely, however, there was no indication of any defense in place.

  “No guards,” Julia observed as they approached. “No cameras, no UV lights. Either they’re very good at keeping security out of the public eye, or they didn’t take our warning too seriously.”

  Gabriel glanced around nervously. It was dark enough now that they wouldn’t see a Shadow creature standing ten feet away. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he said.

  Mr. Oglesby sniffed, and nodded in agreement. “Something smells fishy,” he said.

  The front door stood wide open and pale light came streaming down the steps. Gabriel dropped his pack and crept up to the lodge, peering through the windows. He made his way all the way around the building. He saw no sign of occupants or intruders. At last, he threw caution to the wind and leapt through the front door.

  “You can come in,” he called out. “The place is empty.”

  The main room was a large lobby with a stone fireplace and vaulted timber ceilings. The furniture was in a bit of disarray, with the couches out of place and one of the chairs shoved up against the wall, but nothing terribly damaged.

  “There was a scuffle,” Mr. Oglesby observed. “Doesn’t appear that they put up much of a fight.”

  “They must have been surprised,” Julia said. “Come on, the elevator is down the hall.”

  It was hidden behind a bookshelf. Julia pressed inward on a leather-bound copy of poems by Dylan Thomas and the wall slid away, revealing the elevator. “Do not go gently into that good night,” she said. “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

  “Indeed,” said Mr. Oglesby.

  The elevator didn’t have walls. It was the old-fashioned kind made of steel bars and a collapsible iron gate. The floor was an iron grating, and Gabriel couldn’t help but stare at the yawning darkness that stretched out below. Julia cringed as she looked down.

  “I don’t like heights,” she said apologetically. “Or dark holes. Or old elevators…”

  “We get the idea,” said Mr. Oglesby. “Deep breaths, Julia. Think of the beach on a sunny day.”

  They gathered inside and Mr.
Oglesby pressed the button. Julia steadied herself against Gabriel as the concrete walls sped by. It was dizzying, and a little frightening. Gabriel could have reached between the bars and touched the walls outside. He didn’t try it of course, because he might have lost his hand.

  “What do we do if it’s a trap?” Jodi said.

  “Well we have lots of weapons,” Mr. Oglesby said grimly, “they’re just all bundled up in our packs.”

  At last, the elevator stopped and the doors quietly slid apart. They stepped into a long, rectangular room with bare concrete walls and a row of cheap particleboard computer desks. There were no monitors on the walls. In fact, there were no flat screens at all. The computers all looked like relics from the nineteen-eighties. They probably didn’t have enough processing power to run a calculator. Canada HQ was a bit underwhelming, especially compared to Julia’s operation.

  The sparse décor consisted of two gothic suits of armor near the outside wall. A pair of crossed swords hung between them.

  A single high-backed chair rested in the center of the room, facing away from them. Gabriel realized quite suddenly that someone was sitting in it. He signaled for everyone to stay back. He lowered his center of gravity and crept stealthily forward. He didn’t make a sound, but halfway there, the chair spun around. A young man faced him, approximately seventeen years old, with long, bleached bangs hanging over his eyes. A whip lay coiled across his lap, and his fingers absently stroked the oiled leather handle. A cynical smile twisted the edges of his mouth.

  “Hello, Gabriel,” he said.

  Gabriel’s blood froze as a tidal wave of memories washed over him. In an instant, he remembered everything. The dungeon, the other children… it all came crashing down, and he felt his equilibrium slipping away…

  They were captives. Gabriel couldn’t remember how long they’d been there. It seemed like forever that the Shadowlords had been toying with them, working through their defenses. Pain and hunger were constant companions, especially to Gabriel. Suffering, torture and torment they had inflicted upon him. Why did they do that? Because he was oldest, and because he was the most stubborn. If he fell in line, the other children would have followed his example.

  The shadowfriends had tried everything, from starving him to beating him within an inch of his life. They’d given him nice things only to take them away and destroy them right in front of him, and then they’d threatened to hurt the other children if he wouldn’t submit. But still, he fought. He fought them every step of the way. There were times he could have escaped, if he wanted to, but they knew he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t leave the other children behind. He was their only protection.

  He remembered it all now, quite clearly… and he especially remembered one person.

  “Victor.” He spat the name like bitter food, and Victor’s smirk grew even wider, if that were possible.

  “You’ve been a big help,” Victor said. “I suppose I should thank you.”

  “I didn’t help you! You brainwashed me! And it didn’t work anyway. They saw through your trick.”

  “On the contrary,” said Victor. “It worked perfectly. You see, you weren’t the saboteur, you were just the decoy. Everyone was taken in by you, distracted, unsure of how to handle you. They were so busy worrying about you, Gabriel, that no one even suspected we had gotten to Jodi.”

  Chapter 27

  Gabriel’s heart almost stopped. His mind reeled. Victor had gotten to Jodi? What could that possibly mean? It was some sort of trick, it had to be. It was another one of their mind games, designed to get him off guard.

  “Liar,” Gabriel said. Then he heard a whimper coming from behind him. He turned around to see Jodi crying. Tears streamed down her face, and she turned away from his gaze. It was true, he suddenly realized. The terrible, heartbreaking truth was that somehow Jodi had betrayed them.

  “Why?” was all he could say.

  Laughter erupted from Victor, and he rose from the chair. The whip trailed along behind him as he paced slowly in front of Gabriel. “You haven’t figured it all out yet?” he said. “It figures. All the time I spent trying to break you, and now I can’t get you to remember! Ha. Kind of funny, in a pathetic sort of way.”

  Gabriel glanced around the room. Jodi was on her knees, sobbing pathetically as Julia tried to comfort her. Mr. Oglesby clutched his cane with white knuckles, his face a mask of defiance.

  “The Shadowlords said there was something different about you Gabriel,” Victor said. “I didn’t really believe it. I don’t believe much of anything a Shadowlord says. I figured they were making excuses, because they had a heck of a time breaking you. When they finally said it worked, I hardly dared believe it.

  “Of course by that time, we already had this other plan worked out, and it was so good I just couldn’t let it go. So, we used you as sort of an experiment. That was a stroke of genius, if I say so myself. You see, all along everybody thought it was all about you, but it was Jodi. She was our ace in the hole.”

  Julia had been listening intently as she held Jodi. Now she took Jodi by the chin and brought their eyes together. “Why, Jodi? Why did you do this?”

  Jodi looked miserable. It made Gabriel feel sick to watch what was happening to her. He didn’t know what to think. Had everything been a lie? How long had she been planning this?

  “They gave my mom cancer,” Jodi said. “They came to me after she got sick and said they’d take it away if I helped them.” She finished the sentence sobbing, and buried her face in Julia’s chest.

  “They can’t do that, dear,” Julia said. “It’s not possible.”

  “No, its not,” Victor agreed, “but we sure can make a person sick. Mom’s all better now though, right Jodi?”

  Jodi turned to glare at him through her tears. Gabriel recognized the look. If she got half the chance, she’d rip him to pieces. He was feeling about the same way, but he forced the anger down with a deep, calculated breath. Victor was spilling information now like it didn’t matter, and they needed to use that against him. If Jodi could just hold it together a couple more minutes…

  “So what now, Victor?” said Gabriel. “You’ve defeated D.A.S. What are you gonna do now?”

  Victor smiled. “Did you ever wonder what Stonehenge was? Did you ever wonder why there are pyramids all the way from China and Egypt to South America? It’s because this world is full of shadowgates. They’re just waiting for us to open them up.”

  “They don’t work anymore,” said Julia. “All the shadowgates have been disabled.”

  Victor laughed. “You shut them down. You capped them with concrete and bricks and steel, but you can’t get rid of them. You couldn’t if you tried. You could tear the pyramids down if you wanted to, but the gates would remain.”

  Victor was moving back and forth in front of them, pacing like a tiger in a cage. The whip trailed behind him. He flicked it now and then, making little whooshing sounds.

  “The next new moon is in two weeks,” he said. “The sun will set for the last time, and your world will be covered in darkness from which it will never escape. We will open Stonehenge, Giza, and all the others, and shadowkind will flood into the world. A couple months from now, humanity will be living back in the Dark Ages.”

  “Then what? I guess we’ll all be slaves or something?” said Gabriel. “Maybe food for the shadowkind?”

  “Something like that,” said Victor. “But you’re one of the lucky ones, Gabriel. You’re one of us. In fact, when I’m the King of America, I just might make you a general. How’s that sound?”

  “I’m not one of you,” Gabriel said. “And it’ll never happen.” He felt anger welling inside of him, and he forced it down. This was no time to be out of control.

  “I figured you’d say that. You never were very smart.” Victor flicked his wrist and the whip cracked like a gunshot. “Well, that’s enough chat. Your cages are waiting upstairs. If you’ll all get back into the elevator, I’ll try to make this as painless as possible. D
on’t bother fighting, I’ve got fifty men waiting outside.”

  Gabriel settled into a defensive position. “We’re not going anywhere.”

  Victor snapped the whip, and Gabriel flinched. “Come on, Gabriel. You don’t want to go through all that again. Don’t you remember how much it hurts? You must remember that much.”

  “I remember,” said Gabriel. “And I’m gonna feed you that whip.”

  Victor’s eyes burned and his sneer vanished in a mask of rage. He twisted the handle of the whip and the sinuous leather strap became a blur. The energy jolted through the weapon. It became a tsunami of increasing speed and intensity, until it reached the tip and exploded with enough force to smash bones.

  Gabriel’s instincts took over. He vaulted to the side. The whip cracked in midair right where his face had been. Victor roared. He spun the whip around for another shot. This time, as the wave of energy rode down towards the tip, Gabriel did something different. Instead of dodging, Gabriel twisted aside. His hand shot out in a blur of movement. Suddenly, the room went silent. The whip didn’t crack, but instead went strangely mute. Gabriel’s left arm appeared in mid-air, clutching the end of the weapon.

  Gabriel twisted his hand, wrapping the leather around his wrist, and then gave it a good hard yank. Victor stumbled forward, his eyes wide with shock. Somehow, the impossible had just happened. The obedient whipping boy had somehow overwhelmed his master. Victor couldn’t fathom it. This was not the Gabriel that Victor knew.

  Gabriel took a step towards him and slammed his fist solidly into Victor’s face. Victor’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he dropped like a rock. Gabriel and his companions stared down at the older boy’s limp form. Jodi spit on him, and Julia looked horrified.