“It’s like they’re testing the strength of the wards,” said Sepia.
“Gan was thinking the same thing. We have a team going into the park today to see if we can find something called ward stones. These stones are supposed to make sure the wards don’t fail. At least that’s what Hep says,” said Cade.
“How many on this team?” she said.
“ ‘Teams.’ We are one of three. Each team has a hunter pair in it. We get the lowest stone, around Seventieth Street. The other two are midway in the park and at the top. It’s one team for each stone,” said Cade.
“Why now? I thought we had close to a year?” said Sepia.
“Gan’s man on the inside says Marks is planning something with the ward stones. For some reason Gan doesn’t trust Overseer Marks. I am inclined to agree with him,” said Cade.
“We aren’t going to see Gan, are we?” said Sepia.
Cade didn’t answer her.
“What did he tell you? He told you not to take me to command.” She was getting angry now.
“He said it made no point discussing what was done. We need you here. You’re one of the best hunters out here.”
“That stubborn old man. You don’t know what he did,” she said.
“You know you can’t change his mind anyway. Stubborn doesn’t even begin to define him,” said Cade.
“You and I are going to have some words when we get back,” said Sepia.
“If we get back,” said Cade with a smile.
“Aren’t you the fucking optimist,” said Sepia.
Cade laughed as Sepia looked out the passenger side window. A small smile crept across her face.
They drove in silence until Cade pulled up to the 68th Street entrance.
“This is us. Let me contact the other teams,” said Cade. He input some commands on the dashboard computer and all of the teams were connected via their coms.
“I didn’t know we could do that. That would make patrolling much easier,” said Sepia.
“We can do this only because we are so close. Once we enter the park we will lose the other teams. Each one is on its own,” said Cade.
“This is Alpha. We are in position,” said Cade.
“This is Beta. Roger that, we are in position,” said a female.
“This is Omega. We are in position and ready to go,” said a female. Sepia recognized that voice: Red Jen.
“Red Jen? She hates my guts,” whispered Sepia.
“She’s good and she is about fifty blocks away. It’s a non-issue. Let’s focus, Blue,” said Cade.
“You’re right.” She nodded apologetically. “What’s the plan?” said Sepia.
“According to Hep, we get to the ward stone and each hunter realigns the stone then we get the hell out. Sounds like a walk in the park,” said Cade.
“How am I supposed to align the ward stone? Did Hep go into that?” said Sepia.
“I was getting to that. You weren’t at the briefing or you would know this already. You need to insert your sword into a placeholder in the ward stone, and align through the stone. That’s supposed to do it,” said Cade.
“How long is that supposed to take, Cade? It’s not like we have all day here. This is the park remember? Full of the Unholy who want us dead?” said Sepia.
“I don’t know how long it takes, that’s why I’m coming with. Hep couldn’t get that info from the book. Bottom-line is we do this, the wards don’t fail and we get to have a nice city with the Unholy contained. We fail, it’s game over,” said Cade.
“Then let’s make sure we don’t fail,” said Sepia.
“Okay, Hep tells me these coms will work in the park on burst transmissions only. That means lag time between your transmission and any response,” said Cade.
“So basically we’re on our own,” said Red Jen.
“Pretty much, yeah,” said Cade.
“That just the way I like it. Try not to fuck this up Sepia,” said Red Jen.
“Beta is going in. We’ll see you on the other side” said the female.
“Who’s on Beta? She sounds familiar,” said Sepia.
“That’s Lisa and Xavier. Gan called them in,” said Cade. “Jen got some new guy, since she lost her gunman recently. His name is Charles--goes by Chuck,” said Cade.
“This is Omega. We’re going in,” said Red Jen.
That must mean that Gan called in three named blades for this op, thought Sepia.
“This is Alpha. We’re going in,” said Cade “Good luck, people. Remember, no cavalry is coming to save our asses,” said Cade.
“No one would want to save your ass anyway, it’s too ugly,” said Xavier.
“Yours isn’t much better X,” said Lisa. Laughter erupted on the coms.
“What was that about the doctors slapping your face when you were born? Some kind of confusion there, X?” Cade said as they exited the truck. Sepia and Cade walked into the park. Sepia felt the crossing of the wards like an electrified field.
“Gan’s not pulling any punches,” said Sepia as they walked in.
“This is it, Blue. If we blow this, poof there goes New York, there goes the U.S. and it’s only a matter of time before it’s another Unholy war everywhere,” said Cade. All mirth was gone from his voice now. His only focus was the mission and its completion.
“What’s the worst case scenario?” she said.
“You mean besides the one I just described where we all die and the world is overrun by the Unholy?” said Cade.
“Yes, besides that one. I’m talking about the aligning of the ward stones. What happens if we can’t align them?”
“Hep says a secondary failsafe kicks in, but he didn’t find out what it was. When I left him he was still in that book,” said Cade.
“This is the best shot we have. We have to take it. I for one do not want to see another Unholy War start because we fucked up,” said Cade.
“Neither do I. I’m just concerned about the alignment part. This thing with the blade has been getting dicey,” she said.
The park looked idyllic. The sun streamed through the leaves and Sepia could envision a past when people walked on the paths to enjoy their days. It was sad that such a beautiful place was home to such ugliness. We did that. We caged them in here. If I was a Nightmare I would be pissed too. A jail is still a jail even if it’s beautiful. She shook her head clear of the thought.
“You okay? According to the map, says we have under a click to go, that way,” said Cade as he pointed northeast.”
The silence of the park fell on them like a warm blanket.
“Something’s off, Cade. The park is never this quiet,” said Sepia.
“This is Omega! We have company. These guys look like Order mercs.” It was Red Jen.
“This is a fucking ambush! My gunman is down, repeat, Charles is down. Shit,” said Jen. “These guys are doing something to the ward stone. Applying some kind of paste to it,” said Jen.
Gunfire erupted in the background and then the com went silent.
“This is Beta. I’ve got eyes on five on the ground around the stone. I don’t know how they got here before us,” said Xavier. Silenced gunfire followed and Xavier came through the com again.
“These guys are trained. I only managed to drop two before they took cover. They were doing the same thing, some kind of paste on the stone,” said Xavier over the sound of rifle fire.
“It’s Marks, he sent those guys in. He doesn’t want to fix the wards he wants to destroy them!” exclaimed Sepia, running toward the last ward stone.
“Sepia, wait, don’t rush in!” said Cade as he ran after her. They found the obelisk standing alone.
“This is Alpha. Our stone is clear. Examining the stone now,” said Cade.
Sepia walked around the ward stone. It stood close to seven feet tall and was covered in symbols. On one side of the obelisk, the symbols surrounded the shape of a sword.
“These symbols, Cade, I can read them,” said Sepia.
&n
bsp; “What does it say?”
She pointed to one symbol and then another.
“This one here means ‘blade’. This one means ‘protector’. That other one means ‘joined’,” said Sepia. “I think it’s referring to the aligning of the stone.”
She drew her blade and the obelisk began to hum.
“Let’s go, no reason to think they won’t be coming for this one too. Do what we came to do,” said Cade.
Another burst in on the com. “This is Omega. The paste is some kind of acid –it’s dissolving the stone. I repeat, acid on the stone,” said Jen. “I’m heading out. I have four on me. I’m going to ground and taking them out. Get it done, rookie.” More gunfire erupted in the background and then silence.
Sepia stood in front of the stone and was about to place her sword in the shape on the obelisk when Cade pulled her down to the ground forcing the air out of her lungs.
“Can’t let you do that, little lady,” said Dietrich.
Sepia looked up to see the bullet hole in the obelisk where her head was seconds earlier.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me yet, these guys look like they’re serious,” said Cade.
Cade rolled over to the side to get to a flanking position. “I’m going to get their attention; you do what you need to do.”
Cade began firing as Sepia stood and placed the sword in the obelisk. The sword remained fixed in the obelisk as if magnetized. She waited a moment.
Nothing happened. Sepia looked at Cade who stared at her in disbelief. They both looked at the obelisk.
“You failed, hunter. Drop your weapons, gunman, before I tell my men to kill you where you stand,” said Dietrich. The men began to walk closer to them. Cade dropped his guns.
“Sepia, now would be a good time to, you know, align?” said Cade out of the corner of his mouth.
Sepia calmed her breath and reached out to her sword. Power flooded her body. Her awareness expanded until she could sense the entire park, every tree, every blade of grass, every stone and pebble. She was rapidly going into sensory overload. It was too much for her brain to process. The ground began to tremble and the obelisk began to sink into the ground. The sword hovered in the air before her as she stood at the epicenter of a shockwave that rocked the area around her. Cade managed to pick up his guns as he, Dietrich and his men were flung to the side.
Her awareness snapped back to her body and she focused on her blade. She placed a hand on her blade and it liquefied, pouring into her hand, disappearing. Then the wards dropped.
**********
“Do you feel that, witch? The wards guarding this pen have fallen,” said Chimera. “It’s only a matter of time now before I am rid of you.”
Calisto could feel the wards around the keep weakening.
“This can’t be. How could they fail?” said Calisto.
“Because they are human, and like all humans they function best when told what to do. What more do you expect from cattle?” said Chimera.
“They cannot fail,” Calisto whispered. Despair crept into her voice as she thought the unimaginable. The world would fall to the Unholy. Humanity would be slaughtered for sport. It was the end of everything.
Chimera stepped close to her side and spoke into her ear.
“They can and they have. I feel stronger with every passing second,” said Chimera. “In fact, I think I’m going to go for a stroll.” Chimera opened the door to the keep and stepped outside. The wards surrounding the Keep flickered and flared. Chimera looked down and saw them slowly fade away. He took a step over the threshold and stood past the area where the wards had been.
“This is our time now. Humans just became an endangered species. They just don’t know it yet,” said Chimera.
Calisto could only look on from inside the keep. Even now she felt her power fading away. If she dared to go outside she would be gone. Even in this form I cling to life. I must warn the others. She walked outside, growing weaker with each step. She stopped at the threshold that no longer contained wards. Chimera now several feet away turned back and smiled at her, his eyes shifting hue.
“Do you feel it, witch? Power, raw power. The ward stones have been destroyed and now that power is mine.”
Calisto felt the power and underneath it a current of something else. The wards began to glow beneath her feet and she smiled. Her power returned.
“You were a bit premature, Chimera. You may have escaped this keep but you have not left the park yet,” said Calisto. The wards continued to increase in intensity until they were bright amber, burning into the ground and solidifying.
“No, no! We are so close! I will not be defeated, not now,” said Chimera. He turned and focused on the source of the power. He closed his eyes and Calisto could see the energy coalesce around his body.
“What are you doing?” said Calisto, alarmed. The energy was so great she could feel its presence move her back.
“Ahh, there she is, and she has aligned the stone and her sword. This is my moment to strike. Good bye, witch, in time I will return to erase you and this wretched keep from my grounds. Right now I have a hunter to kill.”
His eyes were twin orbs of green fire as he looked at her and laughed. She took several steps back unsure if the wards surrounding the keep could stop him.
“My brethren and I will be free today, witch,” he said as he ran towards Sepia’s location.
Calisto could feel the wards of the Park begin to reassert their presence. It was the slow buildup of a wave gaining force and momentum. If he struck before they were fully reformed they were all doomed.
**********
Sepia felt the power coursing through her. Her blade was in her, part of her now. The ward stone was channeling energy through her sword, through her. She placed her hands on the floor and the obelisk began to rise again. Higher and higher it went until it stopped at fifty feet.
“Sepia, I don’t think this is a good place to be right now. Maybe we should back up,” said Cade. Dietrich and his men had retreated away from the obelisk that now towered over them.
Sepia ignored Cade and drew closer to the ward stone. It was a magnetic attraction. The power called to her. Her left eye flared a green flame as she took each step.
“It’s the power. It calls to you. Embrace it, accept it. This is who you are, what you are. You are one of us,” said Chimera.
“Weapons free, men!” shouted Dietrich. “Cut them down!”
“Excuse me a moment,” said Chimera. The bullets had no effect on him. Cade noticed that they were being stopped before they reached the Nightmare Lord. As Chimera turned to face the shooters he swept his arms with the fingers extended. It was a casual gesture. A green wave shot across the ground rushing toward Dietrich and his men. Cade sprinted away and dove behind some trees, barely escaping it. Dietrich and his men were enveloped in green energy, which slowly broke their bones as it crept up their bodies. Their screams echoed through the park.
“Now, where was I?” said Chimera as he turned back to Sepia. She was transfixed before the ward stone, the power a palpable force enveloping her.
Cade had evaded the wave of destruction. He could see Dietrich and his men spasm as their bodies contorted, suspended a foot above the ground, bones breaking.
“Shit. That’s inhuman.” He shot Dietrich’s men in the forehead before they went through more agony. He left Dietrich for last. Dietrich didn’t cry out, even though the pain must have been unbearable.
“Thank you,” said Dietrich a moment before Cade put a bullet between his eyes.
If Chimera realized what happened he gave no indication. He was focused on Sepia.
“C’mon, Sepia, snap out of it. Don’t let him win,” said Cade to himself.
“It’s wondrous. With this power no one could stand before you. You could rule. Take it, it is your birthright,” said Chimera.
He’s right-- with this power no one could touch me. I would be invincible. I wouldn’t need
the Order or the Sisters or anyone.
Sepia, her hands on the stone began siphoning more power into her body. Blood flowed from her ears and nose. Her ink flared but she kept drawing more. The power was too much for her body to contain and still she drew more. She couldn’t stop.
“Yes, you see it now, don’t you? This power is yours. It belongs to you. Take it all. Surrender to it, let it enter you completely,” said Chimera.
“I hope she forgives me for this,” said Cade. He took aim with his rifle and put Sepia in his sights. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the trigger. The bullet dug a groove in her cheek as it continued on its trajectory past her. She placed a hand on her face, breaking the connection to the ward stone. Chimera took a step back and looked in Cade’s direction.
“No more interference from you,” said Chimera. He extended his hand and the air around Cade began to solidify, crushing him. Sepia was still dazed and shook her head.
“Blue, wake up!” said Cade. It was his last breath. He fell to the ground, clutching at his neck, unable to breathe.
“Leave him alone,” said Sepia, still uncertain.
“He is nothing --a speck of insignificant dust,” said Chimera.
“Leave him alone,” said Sepia.
“Do you see how he squirms? He is not worthy of breathing the same air as you. I am actually doing him a favor, ending his pitiful existence,” said Chimera.
Cade’s face was mottled as he thrashed on the ground trying to breathe. Sepia slammed her fist into the side of Chimera’s head, sending him back several feet. Cade lay motionless, but breathing.
“I said, leave him alone,” said Sepia.
Chimera rubbed his jaw as he faced Sepia.
“What? Do you care for that? He is dirt, less than dirt!”
“He is my friend, my family. You don’t fuck with my family,” said Sepia. She clenched her hands into fists.
Chimera rubbed the side of his head and smiled.
“You should have never taken your hand off the ward stone. Your end would have come and you would have died basking in power as your body melted away. Not a bad way to go, all things considered. Now I have to kill you. That will involve large amounts of pain, for you,” said Chimera.
Rise of the Night (Sepia Blue Book 1) Page 17
