Dark Glass: A Montague and Strong Detective Agency Novel

by Sanchez, Orlando A.

  I glared at Monty, but had to dodge to the side to avoid the lumbering beast swiping a set of razor sharp claws in my direction.

  “These things are still as ugly as I remember,” I said, taking aim. “I still prefer the tiger versions. Am I imagining things, or is this one bigger than the ones we fought before?”

  Rakshasas were a mash-up of every child’s worst nightmare. They came equipped with huge fangs that would make a saber-tooth proud, and claws that would give even Wolverine a run for his money. As it stared at me, its eyes pulsed neon red, like the moment right before one of Peaches’ baleful glares.

  Around its neck it wore a polished silver chain. From the chain hung a glowing violet orb about the size of a grapefruit. Runes covered its body and these too glowed with a faint violet light.

  “These appear to be stronger than the ones we encountered,” Monty said, holding the swords in a guard stance. “It’s certainly larger.”

  “Oh,” I said, sliding across the courtyard with Peaches in tow. “What gave it away?”

  “The orb around its neck is exponentially more potent than the ones we faced,” Monty answered. “I also don’t recall them being covered in runes.”

  “Rhetorical question!” I yelled as I rolled to one side to avoid a foot stomp, and then had to dodge backwards, causing the creature to narrowly miss making me half the man I was. “Need a little help here.”

  Monty clashed his swords together, causing the Rakshasa to momentarily turn in his direction with a growl, before returning its focus on me.

  “Why is it staring at me?” I asked, firing twice before ducking behind a stone obelisk to avoid another swipe. It sheared off a section of the obelisk as if it had been made of paper. “Not a fan of the attention. FYI watch the claws…they’re sharp.”

  “Perhaps they only zero in on the ‘Chosen of Kali’?” Monty said from behind another obelisk. “Maybe they’re your welcoming committee.”

  “Not…feeling…welcome,” I said, moving around another column and down a passageway…into the line of sight of another Rakshasa. It sniffed the air around it, then locked onto me. “Really not feeling welcome.”

  I pressed the main bead on my mala bracelet, activating my shield.

  “Entropy rounds seem ineffective,” Monty yelled out. “You may need your blade.”

  “Pass,” I said. “No way am I getting that close to those claws.”

 

 

 

 

 

  I almost chuckled at the remark. If it hadn’t been for the massive fist bearing down on my location, I would have. I barely had time to react, and raised my arm with the shield. The force of the impact launched me across the courtyard. I had two thoughts as I sailed across the temple complex: How did something so large move so fast that it snuck up on me, and this was going to hurt.

  I smashed into the mountain on the other side of the courtyard, dropping to the ground a second later with the wind knocked out of me.

  “Ow,” I said with a groan. “Last time I fly Rakshasa airlines.”

  “The orbs, Simon,” Monty called out, as I heard his sword parry and deflect claws. “Destroy the orbs.”

  “Got it,” I said. “I hear your sob story swords. I’m heading to you.”

  I circled around the closest monster, and dashed between two obelisks as I made my way to Monty. I peeked around the corner to see him deflect, slide to the side and slash with one of his swords. They may as well have been made of cardboard for all the damage they did.

  “Feel free to jump in any time,” Monty said, ducking under a swipe and stepping behind a wall that became rubble, a few Rakshasa punches later. “It’s not like I’m in danger of evisceration or anything.”

  “Well, when you put it that way,” I said, running towards the creature closest to Monty. “Distract it.”

  I rolled to the side as Monty stepped in, plunging a Sorrow into its flank. The creature roared in pain, swinging an arm and nearly decapitating Monty. I materialized Ebonsoul, took a breath, and plunged the blade into the violet orb around the Rakshasa’s neck.

  The orb shattered into dust as Ebonsoul continued downward into the creature’s massive chest. Violet energy exploded outward from its runes and siphoned into Ebonsoul.

  The creature roared one last time before falling to its knees and then collapsing, reverted to dust a few seconds later. In my hand, Ebonsoul vibrated with violet energy. The runes along its length glowed red and violet as I looked up to see real fear in Monty’s eyes.

  “Simon, let go of the blade,” Monty hissed, reabsorbing his own blades. “You have to let it go, that’s too much energy for your unstable signature!”

  “What do you think I’m trying to do?” I yelled back. “I can’t let go!”

  Another Rakshasa rounded the corner, bearing down on me, and I felt time dilate. Monty had made the decision before I could react.

  “No,” he whispered softly, and outstretched an arm. “You will not touch him.”

  A beam of black and red energy shot from Monty’s hand and blasted the creature in the chest, obliterating it. Another Rakshasa appeared, and Monty unleashed a barrage of orbs that punched into its body, disintegrating it where it stood. Two more monsters dropped down from one of the shrines on either side of us, claws drawn.

  Monty extended both arms in their direction.

  “Monty, no!” I yelled, “Don’t!”

  It was too late.

  Two more beams of black energy shot from his hands, the red was nowhere to be seen. They slammed into the remaining Rakshasas, blasting them into the far wall of the courtyard. Even after they had been launched, Monty kept blasting them until there were only two large craters where the creatures had been seconds before.

  Monty fell to his knees grabbing his head. It was the schism.

  “You need…you need to stay away, Simon.”

  “We’re here,” I pleaded. “We can find Kali and she can help you. Just hold on!”

  “I…can’t…my skull feels like it’s splitting,” Monty said, through gritted teeth. He looked up at me, and I could see the despair in his eyes. “It’s too late.”

  “Kali! Where are you?” I screamed, turning to the walls of the courtyard. “Show yourself!”

  “Don’t…don’t come…after me,” Monty said, as I felt the surge of energy build up behind me. “Stay away from me, Simon. I…don’t know…what I could do.”

  I turned to see Monty in the center of a black teleportation circle. The runes along its edges raced around its circumference.

  “Monty, no,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “It’s me. Hold on.”

  The sclera of his eyes had become shot through with black veins. Black energy raced along his body and funneled into the teleportation circle.

  “If you seek me out,” Monty said, his voice strange, “I will end your immortal existence.”

  I ran to the circle as it exploded in black energy.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Monty!” I came to my senses with a start, hoping it was all a nightmare. “Monty!”

  Peaches sat by my side and gave off a low whine.

  “He is gone,” said a female voice behind me. “Are you certain you want to pursue him? He has become consumed by darkness.”

  I recognized the voice.

  Kali.

  “Where were you?” I said, whirling in her direction. “You could have saved him!”

  “You are in my domain,” she said, her eyes glowing a deep violet. “You will show respect.”

  “You want to know what I think about your respect?” I said, standing as I seethed in my fury at losing my friend and family. “You and your respect can go fu…”

  She waved a hand, and I became an instant ballistic
missile, hurtling towards the mountain at speed. I smashed backfirst into the wall, shattering every bone in my back. My body became an inferno as it tried to mitigate the damage with ample doses of agony.

  I remained adhered to the wall, twenty feet off the ground, as Kali walked over to where I was and looked up. She then floated gently into the air until we were eye to eye.

  “You were saying?” she asked.

  I could barely see through the pain, but the rage coursing through my body was stronger.

  “You…let him…you let him become dark,” I managed. “You could’ve saved him.”

  “I let him?” Kali said. “He did not ask for permission.”

  “What are you saying? Are you saying he wanted to go dark?”

  “I’m saying, he made his choice, Simon.”

  “He was saving me from one of your monsters.”

  “Which you managed to kill,” Kali added. “You didn’t appear to need saving. You wielded enough power to end the threat on your own. You still do.”

  Kali didn’t appear like the many-armed goddess I was so used to seeing in images of her. She was dressed in a loose-fitting, magenta robe, finished with golden brocade. Indecipherable orange runes flowed around its surface. Her black hair danced around her head, pushed by an invisible wind, and her blue skin glistened with a deep undercurrent of power.

  I was held immobile against the wall where she had smashed me. The presence of an enormous weight pressed against my body prohibited any major movement. The amount of energy I sensed from her was indescribable. I realized in that moment, that she could have erased me from existence with a thought.

  “You could’ve helped him,” I said with a struggle. It felt like two or three elephants were sitting on me. “Why didn’t you help him?”

  “He didn’t want help…he wanted power.”

  “No,” I said. “Monty is not after power. He is better than that.”

  “Is he?” Kali asked. “He knew what would happen if he chose to cast. You yourself warned him several times.”

  “He was saving me.”

  “No,” Kali said. “Open your eye”—she pointed to her forehead—“he made a choice.”

  “No, it was Evers—she put something in the runes at the skywalk,” I said. “Something that influenced him, made him go dark.”

  “It’s not that simple. He wasn’t forced to cast or to go dark. He made a choice.”

  “To save me.”

  “To save you?” she answered with a laugh. “You weren’t the one that needed saving.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “Why are you here, ‘Chosen of Kali’? A horrible title by the way,” she said. “I much prefer ‘Kali’s Cursed’.”

  “I didn’t pick it,” I said, trying to shift my arm to scratch my nose. “Do you think we could have this conversation somewhere non-crater like?”

  “If you can understand what respect means, possibly.”

  “I apologize,” I said. “I was angry, frustrated and confused. Still am. I meant no disrespect.”

  “It seems you can learn,” Kali said with a nod, as we slowly descended to the ground. “It took some head pounding, but something made it into that thick skull of yours.”

  “What did you mean by ‘You, weren’t the one that needed saving’?”

  “Will you go after your friend?” Kali asked, forming benches out of the stone as we landed. They formed under us, and we sat opposite each other with a small table between us. I had to make sure they were stone because the bench felt soft, like a large cushion. “He has made it clear he will attempt to kill you if you do so.”

  “Yes,” I said without hesitation. “He is my friend and my family. I’m still going after him and bringing him back to his senses.”

  “Very well,” she said with a nod. “You have one question…ask.”

  “One question?”

  Kali raised an eyebrow.

  “Wait, wait, that wasn’t the question,” I said, quickly holding up a hand. “I can ask anything? Again, not the question, just trying to determine the parameters here.”

  “One question, and I will answer. Choose wisely.”

  “How do I bring Monty back from being dark?”

  “A good question,” she said. “Worthy of a friend and shieldbearer. I will answer this question and then send you on your way. Return to my domain at your peril.”

  “Can we do it without a teleportation circle? They don’t agree with me.”

  “The answer you are seeking is contained within the ripples of purpose,” she said, making no sense. “Open your purpose, and you can help your friend find his way back to the light.”

  “That doesn’t really make sense,” I said after a pause. “Can I get a do-over?”

  “Would you like me to smash you into the wall again?”

  “No, thanks,” I said. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “I truly hope you do,” she said, her eyes gleaming with power. “Goodbye, Simon, Kali’s Cursed.”

  She nodded slightly, and the temple disappeared in a violet flash.

 

  Peaches had dropped his bowl at my feet. He missed my toes by an inch. It took me a second to get my bearings. I was back in our office and Monty was still missing. Shit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I drew Grim Whisper and made my way to the conference room. Sitting in the chair farthest from the door, was a woman.

  She was dressed in a black leather jacket that was a cross between police uniform and combat armor. Her short, black hair framed her pale face. Green eyes stared at me over the mug—my mug—of coffee she was drinking. Next to her on the table, sat the hourglass Evers had materialized, the sand slowly descending. The runically charged sand had turned black. Red energy pulsing around the hourglass.

  On the woman’s lap was the largest black cat I’d ever seen. If she pulled a Bond villain and started petting it while issuing threats, I would feel obligated to shoot first, then ask questions.

  She put my mug down, and slowly reached into her jacket, pulling out a small card.

  “Who are you?” I asked, aiming at her with Grim Whisper—which didn’t seem to faze her at all. “Why are you in my home?”

  She picked up my mug, took another sip of coffee and slowly pushed the card forward.

  “My name is Jessikah Onuris, Black Orchid, Farsight Division.”

  “This is relevant to me because…?” I asked, picking up her card and confirming the information she had just shared. The card was a made of thin metal, with the etching of her name and position over the silhouette of a feline head on one side, and on the other, a flower I could only assume was an orchid. “Anyone can have one of these made.” I tossed the card back on the table. “Are you serious?”

  “Not like that one,” Jessikah said, retrieving the card and putting it back into her jacket pocket. “Those are only given to officers of the Orchid.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’m here to apprehend one Tristan Montague, dark mage and practitioner of blood magic.”

  “Apprehend or terminate?”

  “That depends on him,” she said. “Do you know of his whereabouts?”

  “Even if I did, and I don’t, what makes you think I would
tell you?”

  “Because I know you want to save him,” she said. “Because he’s a victim here. You see this hourglass? It’s a darkglass. I’ve seen it used before. The last mage to fall into her trap wasn’t so lucky…we found him too late. Tristan still has time.”

  “What happens if the sand runs out?” I said, dreading the answer. “How long does he have?”

  “Three to four days max,” Jessikah said. “If the sand runs out before we find him, my orders change from apprehension to termination.”

  “I won’t let you kill him.”

  “Then I suggest you help me find him so it doesn’t come to that.”

  “How do I know you want to help him? I heard Black Orchid was the mage police. You guys are a glorified hit squad.”

  “The only people who say that are those who don’t know our true purpose,” she said. “Especially that of the Farsight Division. I can’t force you to help me, but if you do, I can find him with enough time left to reverse his condition. If not, I may catch up to him when he’s run out of time and options. Either way, with or without your assistance, I will find him. It’s your choice if I stop him or drop him.”

  “You will not be dropping him.”

  “Then help me find him while we can still stop him. Before it’s too late.”

  “He’s much stronger now,” I said, processing her words. “How do I know you have the firepower?”

  “I’m very capable at what I do, Mr. Strong. Help me do my job and we can save him. Stand in my way, and you jeopardize his life, as well as your own.”

  “My life is rarely in jeopardy, trust me.”

  “Get in my way and it will be.”

  “You let me speak to him first. You take no aggressive action against him until I’ve had a chance to speak to him,” I said. “You want my help? Those are my conditions. You can accept them, or you can see yourself out.”

  She took another sip of coffee, looked down at her beast of a cat and nodded.

  “Those conditions are acceptable,” she said. “How soon can you mobilize?”

  “I’m already headed out the door,” I shot back, leaving the conference room. “Keep up.”