by Jason Wilcox
“I have urgent news for you,” Tagen said as he crouched before Snyp. He hoped his information might at least earn him some trust with Snyp, and maybe even a meal of a soul or two. With the thought, he became even more aware of his weakened state.
“I’m in the middle of listening to a message from Lord Triaad, so this better be important enough for you to come barging in here interrupting,” Snyp growled.
Tagen clicked his claws. “It’s about the woods. Three demons have escaped,” Tagen said with a little hesitance, beginning to wonder if Snyp would deem it newsworthy enough.
“Demons, huh? How interesting. I wonder what would motivate them to dare leave the protection of their woods.” Snyp said. He began to pace around his dark shadowy servant. “Did you kill them?”
Swallowing his anger, Tagen tried to speak calmly. Snyp knew the task was beyond his ability in his current condition. If Snyp didn’t keep him so weak, he might have killed at least the two weaker demons. “Kaz was one of them.”
“Even more interesting.” Snyp stared at Tagen for a moment. “I take it you didn’t do anything about it.”
“I cut one of them up pretty bad.” Tagen nervously rubbed his oily arm. “But no, they’re still alive.”
Snyp’s dark red eyes shifted back towards the messenger. “Go and report this information to Triaad, and hurry back to tell me what he wants done.”
Tagen tried to let Snyp know he had more information, but Snyp was too caught up in getting the Messenger on his way. Besides, Tagen wondered if he really should tell Snyp about his findings at the cabin. He didn’t know if it had been Mauldrin or not. Seeing him there made no sense, and if he gave a wrong report, Snyp might punish him for the misinformation.
The Messenger tilted his large rat-like head, his ears flopping to one side. “You don’t want to hear the last part of the monthly report? I haven’t finished it.” His booming voice filled the room.
“Your report isn’t as important as informing Triaad about the demons that are now loose, especially since Tagen didn’t kill them. You can finish telling me when you come back to let me know what Lord Triaad wants us to do about the demons and possibly others leaving the woods,” Snyp ordered. His oily body moved towards the Messenger to usher him out.
“As you wish.” The beast rose to his full height and ran back towards the gate, shaking the ground. The smooth liquid in the large gate swallowed him as his body vanished out of sight.
Snyp looked back to Tagen. “I’m displeased with how you handled this matter.” His claws flickered. Tagen knew his news wasn’t taken well, and he began to worry he might be attacked for his lack of action.
“There’s more news though, even more important,” Tagen spoke up, now hoping the news about Mauldrin might rectify the situation. He would make sure to sound confident about the report and make himself look good for the finding. “I found Mauldrin in the woods on my way here.”
The room’s ambient noises were silenced as Snyp snarled. “How? Are you sure it was Mauldrin?” he asked, moving close to Tagen.
“Yes, I’m positive. His face is not something I’ll forget any time soon,” Tagen remarked, feeling a little unsure of himself, but did his best to sound confident. Snyp had never met nor seen Mauldrin; he had to rely on Tagen who was one of the few dark souls that had ever seen him.
“We definitely need to tell Lord Triaad. He’s often speculated and wondered if he or the others would reappear.” Snyp paused for a second, his red eyes searching around the dark room. “Did he see you?”
Tagen hesitated before answering, knowing that Mauldrin had looked right at him, but he believed he hadn’t seen him. “No, he was asleep in a cabin in the woods not too far from where the witch lives,” Tagen explained. Snyp flinched upon hearing information about the witch. “And as peculiar as it may sound, by how he acted, I don’t think he has any knowledge of who he is.”
Snyp lowered his head, his brow furled in deep thought, his skin looking almost a dark gray. “What made you come to that conclusion?”
“He acted like the rest of the weak humans we deal with, ignorant and unknowing about what goes on around them.” Tagen thought back to the way Mauldrin had pulled a gun and just stared, unable to see him.
Snyp chuckled. “If Mauldrin doesn’t know who he is, then he could be very powerful in the right hands.” He paused in thought. “Very powerful indeed. Very powerful for us. Others would bow before us.” A crooked smile spread across Snyp’s oily, black face. Even though Snyp emphasized the word ‘us’, Tagen was not deceived and knew what ‘us’ really meant.
Tagen cringed. “I don’t like that idea, sir. If Lord Triaad found-”
Before he could finish, Snyp pounced on him, plunging his claws into Tagen’s chest and throwing him to the ground. He stood over Tagen, hissing through his sharp, black teeth.
“Lord Triaad will not find out about this, and you will not tell him,” Snyp snarled. “I want you to find Mauldrin, and make sure he knows nothing. Test him to make sure. Once you know for a fact, come back and report. We’re going to capture him.” Snyp stopped talking for a moment and looked at Tagen with one eye slightly squinted. “Don’t let anyone know about this.” The menace and the threat in his voice sharply accentuated his vicious appearance as he stood over Tagen, ready to kill him if he refused the order.
Tagen knew Snyp could easily overpower him, especially in his underfed and weakened state. Even though he didn’t like the idea of following the orders, fighting back would only get him killed. “I’ll check the cabin first and see if he’s still there. If he’s not, it might take me awhile to find him, but when I do, I’ll do as you ask,” Tagen said.
An evil smile crept over Snyp’s face as he slowly removed his claws from Tagen’s chest. Tagen moved quickly to get up, but in his haste, he struggled to get to his feet. The dark, sandy soil squished around his fingers as he pushed up, going at it twice before standing.
“I expect you will keep me updated on your findings.”
Tagen nodded, holding his pain-filled chest. Snyp continued to smile as Tagen headed toward the exit. Before he could leave, Snyp spoke again, “If you ever let a demon get past you again, I’ll be the first to tear you apart and eat you.”
Tagen nodded obediently and exited the cave, not wanting any further arguments. The moist air of the tunnels blew on his oily skin as he exited the cavernous room. The muscles tightened in his belly, and his teeth let out an audible grind as he bit down. He hated serving Snyp. There had to be a way to get back on Triaad’s good side. Possibly, if he was cautious in how he handled the situation with Mauldrin, he might do something significant for once and be exonerated.
Slimy skin smashed into Tagen from behind, knocking him into a large rock that protruded from the cave’s wall. With fast reflexes and amazing agility, Tagen spun around. The oily ground made a slurping noise under his feet. A young dark soul, normally referred to as a youngling, stood in front of him, backing up quickly. Obviously, the youngling hadn’t been paying attention and ran into Tagen.
A deep-throated growl vibrated in Tagen’s chest as he clenched his fists. The air thickened to almost non-breathable, and the blackness in the cave became alive, physically tangible to the skin.
The smaller, dark soul never had a chance to say a word. The eyes darted all over looking for help or escape as Tagen gripped the youngling’s throat with clawed hands. Tagen’s red eyes blazed in the darkness. The only audible noise was the youngling’s labored breathing. Rage from his encounter with Snyp fueled Tagen, pushing him to the limit. As the youngling dropped to his knees, Tagen let up. The air cleared. The thick blackness dissolved. Without saying a word, he walked off feeling slightly better. He felt the momentary pleasure of almost killing the youngling.
As he exited the cave, a thought struck him, Tagen’s red eyes widened, and he stopped in his tracks, knowing he had found the solution to everything. That’s it. I’ll kill him. I’ll kill Mauldrin, and drag his body ba
ck to Triaad. Then Triaad will trust me once again. Tagen couldn’t help but smile as he picked up his pace, exposing his sharp black teeth. His future was beginning to look brighter.
CHAPTER 4
“So you’re really leaving in two days,” Bridget asked, “and you think you might be back in six months?” She placed her hands on her thin waist and walked in front of the TV to get Caden’s attention.
Caden leaned his head back on the sofa. He loved how she looked when she got upset, the way her nose and eyebrows crinkled. “Yeah, that’s what we’ve been told,” Caden responded calmly. He laid the remote down on the couch cushion, the soft fabric brushing the rough skin of his fingers.
When Bridget sat down, he caught a whiff of her flowery perfume. She stared at him with pleading eyes. “You just got back, and now they’re taking you away for six months? Why can’t the company let you try out equipment here? You’re not supposed to leave on these trips for another two to three months.” Bridget waved her hands around in frustration.
Caden anticipated her response and knew part of her frustration was the fact she didn’t fully know who he worked for or the details of what he did. Even though he wanted to tell her, it could potentially cost them both their lives, so he kept his pledge to secrecy.
Bridget came close to finding out about the organization a couple of times, which always made Caden nervous. He hated the constant lies to keep his job secret, but he knew there was no other option. Besides, he loved his job.
“The project’s bigger than the others. I have to go in,” Caden said, hoping Bridget might understand. “You’ll have Mags. She’ll take care of you.”
Bridget’s mouth tightened. “Very funny. I want you here. I don’t want your dog to be the one taking your place. In fact, why don’t you find a new job that doesn’t make you travel all the time and leaves me worrying about your safety?”
Caden looked at her for a moment; he knew she was digging. She had already made it clear a few years back that she knew he was in some type of military or espionage work, which he had acknowledged at that time, but he didn’t tell her anything else. “I’m not going to do that. This is a good job that doesn’t come around every day. Why don’t you invite friends over and have some parties?” Caden spoke with a smile trying to get her off topic. He hated when she started pressing him for answers. “You could party to your heart’s content.”
Bridget’s nose flared. “How old do you think I am? I’m not a teenager. I’m not going to throw parties because you’re gone,” she snapped.
Caden’s smile increased ever so slightly. The tactic worked again. “It was just a thought. I figured you could have fun. Throw parties. Have all of your girlfriends over and do whatever girls do.”
“Caden, all of my friends are married. They like doing couples things. They aren’t going to come and hang out with me because my boyfriend is gone and I’m missing him.”
“I’m sorry,” he said as he grabbed her hand. “Look, I’ll call you every night.” He gave her his lost puppy dog look when he knew he pushed the topic too far. “Will that help at all?”
Bridget stood and walked away. Caden jumped up and followed her as she headed for her room. Before she entered, she turned to face him. “How about you marry me as soon as you get back? That would make me feel better.” Bridget’s dark brown eyes stared stern and strong, almost looking right into Caden’s soul. She leaned on the doorframe waiting for his response.
Marriage. The thought scared him more than anything else in the entire world. He loved Bridget and had come close to asking her to marry him numerous times, but he always chickened out. His adoptive parents fought all the time, nights of screaming, bottles smashing against walls, and him crouching under the bed. He pushed the thought away to keep it from interfering with his relationship.
“Well, how does this sound? I’ll think about marriage while I’m away, and then we’ll talk about it when I get back. But I promise I’ll-”
“You’ll think about it!” Bridget yelled. “Holy crap, are you serious? I mean, what is that even supposed to mean?” She took a breath and calmed herself down. “Caden, all of my friends met their husbands and within a year they were married to the men they loved. You and I, on the other hand, have been together for years and we still aren’t married!”
“Bridget, we’ve talked about this…” he let his voice trail off. What is wrong with me, why can’t I commit? He saw his father’s face, the smell of alcohol on his breath, his mother crying at the kitchen table. “I just need time. I’m not ready yet,” Caden said humbly.
“Well, your time’s run out. Figure it out. Either marry me, or we’re through. I’ve waited for eight years and I’m done waiting.” Bridget slammed her bedroom door.
Caden placed his hand on the doorknob. He thought about asking her to go with him to his condo. He would brush off the dust on the chest in his closet and pull out a beautifully crafted diamond ring. Then he would turn to her with one knee on the floor, and ask her to marry him.
Sweat poured down his face as he gripped the handle a little harder, getting ready to push the door open. It would be so easy. Memories flooded through his mind of times his father would smash down doors to get to his mother. Whenever his mother shut a door, it guaranteed the fight was going to get even worse. He remembered the times his father beat his mother for slamming the door, leaving her in a bloody and bruised state. He had tried to protect her, only to be tossed into a wall or knocked down. He could almost taste the blood from those horrible nights. He let go of the handle. Bridget sobbed softly on the other side of the door, and it tore into his heart. He hated his inability to take action.
With one snap of his fingers, Mags followed him out of the house. They got into the car and started on their way to Caden’s condo. The image of the diamond ring taunted him. He pounded the steering wheel. Fear that he would turn into his father made it hard for him to act on his desire to marry Bridget. He bought the ring many years ago, even before he began working with SDS. It was the same month his adopted mother died from a brain tumor and the last month he ever talked to his father.
Halfway to his condo, Caden pulled off the road and stared down the dark empty street. In the rear view mirror, Caden could see Mags lounging on the back seat. The idea of going to his place felt so lonely and cold. He really wanted to just go back and be in Bridget’s arms. Cars passed by while he sat there stuck in indecision. Finally, not wanting to return to his place and knowing he would only make matters worse if he went to Bridget’s, he abruptly turned the car around. Mags moaned from the sharp U-turn.
It took about five minutes to get to the office. When he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Matt’s fancy, red car parked in front. The moon shimmered on the spotless surface. Caden thought it was rather odd that Matt would still be at the office unless he was really that bothered by the mission. Normally Matt would be off on a date with some new girl. Neither he nor James stayed at the office if they didn’t have to. Caden remembered he had given the assignment for Matt to find out who sent him the email. Possibly, he was still there working on it.
As Caden headed through the building, something didn’t seem right. The hallway lights were turned off and Matt’s office was locked. Caden knocked, but no one answered. Maybe he went home with James. Even though Matt gave James a hard time about being married, he still begged once in a while for a nice home-cooked meal.
Caden headed to his office. The lights were on in the hallway and his office door was ajar. Muffled talking could be heard, and Caden came to a stop. He immediately reached into his black jacket and pulled his gun. With his back against the wall, Caden slowly approached his office. The muffled voice sounded like Matt as Caden inched closer to the door. Why is Matt in my office? He tightened his grip around the gun handle as a precaution.
“We’ll meet in the usual spot…yeah, we don’t have much time. This is pretty serious,” the voice said. Caden peeked through the crack of the door and saw Matt sitt
ing at his desk talking on his cell phone. How in the world did he get in my office, and why is he in there?
“Okay, I’ll see you at 6 a.m. sharp,” Matt said. He hung up his cell phone.
Caden pushed the door open, still holding his gun. Matt made a quick move for his own gun until he saw that it was Caden. He smiled and let out a nervous laugh. “What are you doing here?” Matt asked as he got out of Caden’s chair.
“What am I doing here? I think the question should be what are you doing here?” Caden put his gun back into the holster, but he still felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right.
Matt sat down on the windowsill with the moonlight on his back, darkening his face. “Well, I was staying late to finish some things, when I realized that I had forgotten papers up here in your office. I figured you had left for the day, but in the small chance that you hadn’t, I came up to see if I could get the papers.” Matt nervously chuckled.
“The door was unlocked? I don’t ever leave the door unlocked,” Caden said as he sat in his leather chair.
“Yeah. I thought it was rather strange because I know how meticulous you are about security.”
“I’ll have to ask Sally about it in the morning. She double checks everything before leaving the building.” Caden scratched his shoulder and then leaned back in his chair. “So, did you find your papers?” he asked, noticing nothing in Matt’s hands.
“No, I didn’t. I’m perplexed about where I left them. I came in and started looking around, but as clean as you keep your desk, I knew it was a long shot that they were even here.” Matt scratched his head and looked away. “And then right after I started looking, I got distracted because my new girlfriend called and talked my ear off. So I just sat here and enjoyed your comfortable chair, and that’s when you walked in.”
Caden bit his lip, feeling that Matt wasn’t telling him the whole truth. “Want me to take a look to see if I can find them?”
