The Dark Rider (Fading Light)

by Andrew Critchell

  ‘No,’ Paul cried desperately trying to force the images from his brain. ‘That was not me.’

  Again Paul heard the soft chuckle, like an echo in the wind.

  ‘I’m afraid you are quite wrong.’

  A movement caught Paul’s eye and he turned his head to see one of the Serenti detach itself from the circle and step towards him.

  ‘Let it approach,’ Myrkur’s voice commanded.

  Paul froze as the monster came towards him, its armoured skin glinting with frost.

  ‘You face a choice Rider. The new Warder still lives. The one you call Nicola.’

  Hearing her name Paul felt pain lancing across his chest as his heart tightened.

  ‘Do the wolves have her?’ he asked trying to suppress the fear rising within him.

  ‘No. But it is of no consequence.’

  ‘How can that be?’

  ‘Do you want your sister to live?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good.’

  The Serenti was close now, so close that the stench of its breath filled his nostrils and Paul fought the urge to gag. It stopped and towered above him, dilated pupils fixed on him, eyelids drawn back in an expression of terror.

  ‘I will send you back with your sister. The wood warrior will bring the other to you as he promised.’

  The shock hit Paul in the stomach.

  ‘You saw this?’

  ‘I see everything.’

  Paul felt dizzy, rapid breaths shallow to his lungs.

  ‘The feathered one will only bring Nicola if he senses you both.’

  Paul tried to comprehend the choice he was facing.

  ‘It is this or your sister dies now.’

  Paul nodded feebly, crushed by the inevitability.

  ‘Let the Serenti touch you.’

  The beast raised its massive clawed hands and touched, ever so gently, Paul and Alex’s foreheads.

  ‘Now matters will end.’

  Paul felt a sudden surge of power within the clearing and he opened his awareness to the taint feeling it surround and envelop them so quickly that he had no time to control it and suddenly his body felt like it was on fire. Throwing his head back he let out a piercing scream as the fabric of the worlds shifted and he felt his reality compressed into a single point of light. Around him the taint flowed and shifted, strands weaving themselves in complex patterns as Myrkur’s presence took control of them. They surrounded Alex, probing her mind and mending the broken neural pathways where they could and after a few moments the weaves withdrew. All that was left was silence.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Nicola sat on the bed, her unfocused eyes staring into the space where Paul had been before. She had not moved since that moment when his body seemed to turn briefly translucent and then disappear into the shadows of the room. Her mind was in shock, unable to accept what was happening to her. Paul had haunted her dreams but now they had become nightmares and she did not know where to turn. The wolves were real. The bruising around her neck was testament to that. And what of Paul? She did not know what he was anymore, what he had done. Could it be true that he was some being from the dark? She shivered. All she knew was that her heart still ached when she thought of him, that he still made her tremble by just being near her. How could such an intense love be a product of something evil?

  A sudden knock on the door made her jump out of her skin. She sat rigidly on the bed unable to move or react, her wide open eyes staring in stark fear.

  The knock came again and the she heard a voice.

  ‘Nicola. Are you there?’

  Her brain struggled to place it yet it was recent, familiar.

  ‘Nicola. It’s me, Jason.’

  Recognition hit her. The boy from the bus. The one who had saved her from the wolves. Swinging her legs round she jumped off the bed and went quickly to the door. Before she had really thought about it she opened it to find him standing there alone his hand raised ready to knock again.

  ‘Jason,’ she said in surprise which quickly turned to concern as she took in the deep cut across his nose and the darkening rings around his eyes.

  ‘What happened to you?’

  ‘What?’ he asked and then, as if remembering something of no concern, he touched his nose briefly.

  ‘Oh that. It’s nothing. Just walked into a wall at home.’

  Nicola stared at him not quite believing him.

  ‘So, how’s things?’ he said and then stepped forward. Nicola had to move out of the way as he squeezed past. He went to the window and turned back to look at her.

  ‘How have you been? I was so worried after you ran off, you know, that those weird guys would find you again.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ said Nicola closing the door hesitantly. She turned to face him, something about his behaviour beginning to spook her.

  ‘Jason, what are you doing here?’

  ‘As I said I wanted to make sure you’re ok. They were pretty nasty. I didn’t want to find you having run straight back into them.’

  Nicola tried to meet his eyes but as soon as she did he looked away avoiding her gaze.

  ‘I found my friend,’ she said warily. ‘He said they wouldn’t be able to find me here.’

  Jason took a step back until he was leaning against the wall, the window directly on his left.

  ‘That’s great news, I’m happy for you. Where is he? It would be great to meet him.’

  It was then Nicola realised what was so unsettling.

  ‘Jason.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘How did you find me?’

  Jason shifted on his feet. Nicola began to speak again but then her stomach lurched suddenly, the feeling of dread she had experienced on the bus returning with the same intensity as the presence within her mind began to scream again at her to run. Looking back at Jason she saw him pulling the curtains aside and looking down into the street. With tremors running through her body she fought the nausea and sickness that was enveloping her. Barely able to stand up she stumbled over to the window pushing Jason’s hand aside, his mouth opening in protest as she did so. With dread filling her she looked down to see a silver BMW stopping in the street below. Both front doors swung open and out stepped ponytail man and his companion, both checking the street before they made their way quickly to the hotel entrance below her and out of sight.

  She turned to look into Jason’s eyes, the guilt written on his face.

  ‘You,’ she cried out incredulously, fear searing through her.

  ‘What? What do you mean?’ he asked trying to sound innocent.

  ‘You brought them here you bastard,’ she hissed at him and then turned, looking around the room in wild eyed panic. ‘I have to get out of here.’

  She went to move to the door but something was gripping the flesh of her arm. Looking down she saw Jason’s grubby hand wrapped tightly around the top of her forearm. He had a sickly grin on his face, his eyes a mixture of fear and determination.

  ’Let me go,’ she cried out as she struggled against him. He pulled her back towards him trying to pin her other arm around her back.

  ‘You have to stay,’ he giggled back at her as he grabbed at her free wrist. She tried to pull away but he was too quick for her.

  ‘Let me go,’ she cried out again as she struggled, panic gripping her, for surely they would be at the door any second, but his grip was like iron.

  ‘They will be pleased,’ he said. ‘They’ll let me live.’ He was grunting with the effort of containing her, sweat beginning to form on his skin.

  In desperation Nicola kicked out trying catching him on his shin. For a second his grasp lessoned and Nicola pulled with all her might and suddenly her right arm was free. Instinctively she swung her fist with all her might connecting with Jason’s already broken nose with a sickening crunch. He fell to the floor clutching his face, howls of pain escaping from between them. Without hesitation Nicola turned and ran to the door and pulled it open wildly. Movement caught her eye t
o the right and, with her body already half way out of the door, she turned her head to look and then froze in terror. Coming up the corridor towards her was ponytail man and his companion. Their eyes locked and recognition crossed his face, dark malevolent fury filling his being. Gripped by paralysis Nicola watched in abhorrent fascination as the man launched himself into a run and began to pound along the corridor towards her. Suddenly something snapped inside of her and she turned and pushed herself off, sprinting up the corridor and away from her pursuers. She reached the end quickly and skidded around the corner to find another long corridor in front of her. With desperation filling her she ran on without pausing, the sound of the men’s footsteps getting louder as they rounded the corner behind her. Ahead the corridor turned again and she slammed against the wall and then pushed off again, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks and then to her left she saw a fire exit and she hit the bars across the doors at full pelt and they clunked downwards, the twin doors swinging open with a clang and she fell through them and tumbled onto the floor.

  With trainers slipping on concrete Nicola turned and scrambled desperately for the doors pushing them back towards the centre. Already ponytail man had reached the corner and as he came round his body seemed to shimmer and fade into shadows and then suddenly a large wolf was loping towards her, yellow eyes locked onto her, jaws open in a snarl. Terrified Nicola pushed the doors shut finding a large metal pin dangling on a chain by the lock. She fumbled for a split second and then slid the pin across just as the huge mass of the wolf slammed into the other side of the doors with an ear splitting crash of splitting wood and screeching metal as the doors buckled inwards and the pin bent alarmingly close to breaking. Snarling furiously the wolf picked itself up and then leapt against the doors again, pushing them open another inch. Nicola forced herself forwards and with trembling hands wrapped the chain around the bars of the door just as the second wolf appeared. Like lightning, its paw jabbed through the gap and Nicola screamed as razor sharp claws raked her leg and she stumbled back and fell onto the floor. She looked down in disbelief at the shredded leg of her jeans, blood already flowing out of four shallow lacerations in the flesh of her calve.

  Again the first wolf charged the door and the pin snapped, the doors jerking open another few inches with a protesting rent of metal only to stop as the chain took up the slack and became stretched tightly between them. A mouth full of teeth thrust through the widening gap, the wide open jaw snapping ferociously. Just in time Nicola pulled her legs back and, rolling onto her side, pushed herself up. Stabbing pain shot up her leg as she put weight on the damaged limb but the adrenaline kept her going. With her back pressed against the wall she edged around the snarling jaws as the wolves continued their onslaught against the door and then half ran, half hopped down the stairs, each step sending jarring pain through her system. She reached the next floor, the continuous barrage of noise from above ringing in her ears so much she could barely think. The only thing she knew with certainty was that the chain would not hold forever, that at some point in the next few moments the wolves would be free and they would come for her and then she would die.

  No.

  She refused to believe that it was all over. Somehow the chain would hold. Somehow the pain in her leg would lesson and she would be able to escape. She just had to keep going.

  She pushed on down the stairs passing another level and then in front of her, along a narrow corridor, was a solid white door with a quick release handle across it. She ran forward just as a loud crash from above signalled that that the chain had finally given way. With terror gripping her stomach she slammed against the door and pushed it open, stumbling out into bright sunlight.

  She was on the edge of the square. It was still early morning and there were not many people about except for at the far side where a coach was parked and about forty tourists were in the process of disembarking, the majority milling around the front where their guide was giving out instructions.

  ‘Help,’ cried out Nicola as she ran towards them. Heads snapped round to stare at the dishevelled young woman who was fast approaching them, her clothes crumpled and dirty with rips and bloodstains down one leg.

  ‘Please, there are wolves, you have to help me.’

  ‘Stop, Police, stop her.’

  More shouts came from behind. Nicola turned her head in fear to see the two men now running across the square after her. Ahead of her open mouths were closing. Some of the men were weighing up the situation as they found themselves suddenly thrust into possibly having to apprehend this mad looking woman.

  Seeing some of the faces harden Nicola tried to change direction and skid round the outside of the group but two of the men came forward and tried to grab her.

  ‘Get off me,’ she screamed at them, punching and kicking against their attempted hold on her. Some of the woman started to cry out. One screamed as a strangled voice cried out ‘they’ve got guns.’

  Nicola’s head snapped round. Both men had pulled out mean looking handguns and were now half way across the square. With all her strength she pulled away from the men and waded through the rest of the crowd which was now scattering away from her. Somewhere she heard a motorbike revving hard.

  ‘Stop or we will shoot,’ called out ponytail man.

  Nicola broke away from the last of the tourists and sprinted towards a side road. A sudden bang echoed across the square and she felt something whiz past her head. Startled out of her skin she stumbled and fell forward. Trying to keep her balance she landed heavily on her injured leg which gave way and she fell to the floor in a tangled heap. She tried to push herself up turning her head to look back to the square where ponytail man was raising his gun again in her direction but some of the panicked tourists were running across his line of fire. It was then that she saw out of the corner of her eye the motorbike hurtling across the square, the rider’s unmistakable flash of orange hair making her gasp in relief.

  Turning in rage ponytail man raised his gun towards the oncoming trail bike but he was too late and Falk pulled the front wheel up and clipped his head as he passed, and the man’s body spun round to lay unmoving on the cobbled floor. The second man was raising his gun to fire but Falk skidded and turned behind the coach and within a couple of seconds he was next to Nicola gunning the engine furiously, his hand held out towards her.

  Grabbing his hand she hauled herself up behind him on the bike and they were off, accelerating hard across the narrow gap towards the side street. As they zipped past the entrance a puff of mortar and brick dust erupted from the side of one of the houses and then they were out of sight of the second man. The road was narrow and twisted immediately around a corner. As they came round a car was filling the street in front of them, a detachable blue light flashing on the roof.

  ‘Hold on,’ shouted Falk over his shoulder as he gunned the throttle and pulled up on the handlebar with all his body weight. The front wheel came up and they hit the car, the back wheel slamming into the grill and pushing them up onto the bonnet. As they did so Nicola just caught a glimpse of the two occupants, a man and a woman, their faces grim, and then they were past. The bike weaved dangerously and Falk fought to keep control as the back wheel shattered the front windscreen of the car and then tried to grip the smooth surface of the roof. He pulled up again and they were in mid air for a second before the bike slammed down onto the road and they were off. Nicola turned her head to see the man and woman already out of the car. The woman was kneeling on the road, a gun raised towards them but before anything could happen they were gone from view as the bike roared around another corner.

  They headed along the narrow winding streets and up out of the town.

  ‘Are you injured?’ shouted Falk over his shoulder.

  ‘No,’ Nicola shouted back, totally forgetting her leg as the adrenaline coursed through her veins. ‘Were they wolves too?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Christ,’ Nicola muttered under her breath. ‘Look, I’m sorry I
ran off.’

  Falk didn’t respond and she thought he could not have heard.

  ‘How did you find me?’ she shouted as loudly as she could.

  ‘I made a deal.’

  He turned for an instant and she saw bitterness on his face.

  ‘Who with?’

  He was facing the road again.

  ‘Your friend, the Rider.’

  With that he opened the accelerator hard as the road flattened out above the town and they surged forward.

  Nicola’s heart leapt into her mouth.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she shouted.

  ‘To finish the awakening,’ Falk called back. ‘Shit.’

  Up ahead two police cars were blocking the road. Officers were standing on the pavement either side ready to deploy a stinger unit to shred the bikes tyres but they were still setting up. Swerving viscously Falk mounted the pavement driving head on at the officers who jumped out of the way in panic as the bike flashed past. Nicola caught a glimpse of uniformed flailing limbs and then they were back on the road and accelerating hard. They hit the main road and Falk was flat out. Every few seconds Nicola saw him turn his head to check behind them. She risked turning her head against the force of the wind smacking in her face but saw nothing behind her. Then, after a minute or so, Falk turned again and his expression hardened. Nicola checked behind them and saw several specks in the road getting larger by the second. Soon she could make out two saloon cars and three police cars in hot pursuit, blue lights flashing on the roofs of all the vehicles.

  ‘What now?’ she shouted to Falk.

  ‘We’re almost there,’ he replied.

  Nicola checked behind again. The cars were much closer and she could see ponytail man in the front, a large gash on his forehead, his eyes fixed on her with total fury. Their car surged forwards and the man put his arm outside the window, gun weaving around in the slipstream as he tried to steady his aim.