Tesser: A Dragon Among Us (A Reemergence Novel)

by Philbrook, Chris

  The caller ID told the Captain who it was. "Yeah? Spoon?"

  "Hey, I'm on Beacon Street. I'm sitting here looking at a trio of heavy-duty black SUVs double-parked, and there's about ten guys dressed up like a breaching team at a house. They aren't BPD SWAT and they aren't identified with any kind of unit or bureau markings. Do you know anything going on here? Can you find out fast because something is about to go down."

  "Yeah, hold on." Spoon's boss put him on hold. Spoon's sixth sense was flaring hard and he pulled his cruiser over and double-parked it, the same as the suspicious trucks. He got out of the driver's seat and went to the trunk. His Kevlar was in there, as well as his own department-issued M4. Spoon sat his phone down in the trunk and put it on speaker as he started to get his SWAT gear on over his tee shirt and shorts.

  As Spoon put his helmet on, his Captain came back, "Hey, Spoon?"

  Spoon took the phone off speaker and held it to the bottom of the helmet, "Yeah, Captain?"

  "I just checked and we've got nothing. Either it's an off-the-record-hit that BPD HQ doesn't know of, or something fishy is going on."

  "Can you get some black and whites over here right now? We need a uniformed presence here stat. I got bad vibes, Captain. I dunno why."

  "You're a cop. We get those kinds of feelings as a profession. Put that shit on your resume. Okay. I'll make a few more calls too. Don't approach Spoon if you're in civvies. I don’t want you to-"

  Gunfire erupted at the door, drowning out the Captain's voice on the phone's speaker.

  Spoon's mind immediately flashed back to the valleys of Afghanistan against his will, reminding him of all the war he'd fought there. The high-powered weapons created a rapid-fire staccato of echoes that reverberated up and down the city street and set off car alarms in every direction. The muzzle flashes lit up the darkened street and caused Spoon to squint slightly. He ducked behind the end of his car.

  "Shots fired, Captain, gotta go!" Spoon said into his phone before hitting the end call button. He slid a magazine into the well of his weapon and chambered a round. With his thumb he flicked the weapon off safe. Spoon tossed his phone into the trunk of the cruiser and took off at a full sprint towards the melee, his weapon up high, ready to fire. When he got closer, he fished out his badge, held it high, and started to holler out, "Boston Police Department! Cease fire! Cease fire!"

  One of the men who had been at the hood of the first SUV facing the gun battle at the door turned towards Spoon and raised his weapon in Spoon's direction. "Boston Police! Lower your weapon!" Spoon yelled again. He hoped his badge and the giant BOSTON POLICE on the front of his vest would be sufficient identification to avoid being shot.

  The man in the tactical gear fired a three-round burst at Spoon, and by some freak stroke of good luck, all three bullets whizzed through the air around his body. It was almost like something deflected them away from hitting him. Spoon felt them buzz by, and a fraction of his mind drifted back to his time at war.

  Motherfucker. Spoon shouldered his weapon and squeezed the trigger twice, putting both rounds center mass, high. The man crumpled to the ground, and Spoon kept running at his collapsed form. The rest of the men present in the street were still shooting at the house and whoever was inside with Tesser. The cacophony in the street was incredible.

  What the fuck is happening?

  Spoon assessed the situation at the door as the men in tactical gear opened up a hellacious amount of gunfire on the house. Windows shattered immediately adding more nightmarish noise to the scene unfolding in the Boston neighborhood. He took a knee and reached down to check the pulse of the man he'd just shot, but when he felt downward, the man's neck wasn't where it was supposed to be. Spoon looked down, and all that remained of the man he'd shot was a blank uniform and gear. Right out from under Spoon's hand, his body had evaporated into the chaos of the night.

  Spoon's mind immediately flashed back to the scene in the alley with Tesser and the young man. The garbage flying about, the wind picking up from nowhere. His rational mind had fought for days now to dismiss the supernatural origins of that event, but here and now, looking at a set of empty clothes that should've been on the body of a man he'd just shot, he knew the truth of it. He had been right all along, and something was fucked up in the world. Real fucked up.

  Spoon looked over at the front door of the home just in time to see an enormous flash of light inside. A tremendous explosion ejected the men at the doorway from the building and down the steps. It was an explosion unlike Spoon had ever seen. The men got to their feet again and once again approached the door, firing inside at targets that weren't firing back. Tesser stepped into the direct line of fire and sent a haymaker into the chin of the suited man as he reached the top of the steps. The punch hit with the force of a bomb, and over the gunfire that had to be hitting Tesser's body, Spoon heard the neck and jaw of the man in the black suit break with a crunch. His body caught air from the blow and sailed the length of the stone steps, stiff as a board, landing with dead weight on the sidewalk ten paces away. It was something from a movie.

  Then the man in the black suit sat up.

  I don't know who to fucking shoot anymore.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Tesser

  Tesser had never been shot before. The last time he'd gone toe-to-toe with a human, he'd been struck with axes and swords, and as you would expect, those weapons failed against Tesser's inhuman body. In the time between seeing the Legion police-creatures squeeze the triggers of their guns and the moment of impact of the bullets against his body, he found himself very unsure of how his body would fare against the lethal modern technology.

  As the first hail of bullets pierced his Deadmau5 shirt, he had enough time to worry about both Matty and Kaula. If I die here, they die with me, I fear. When he felt the tiny metal projectiles pancake against his immortal flesh, he realized fully that there was no danger from the insignificant weapons.

  Tesser then heard Abe grunt in pain and fall to the floor behind him. FUCK. Tesser turned and dove towards where Abe's body had fallen without hesitation. Tesser's draconic brain was working overtime, slowing the passage of time to watch the flight trajectory of the bullets heading towards Abe. Tesser inserted his form between their lethal path and Abe, saving his friend from a hissing rain of metallic death. Tesser felt the bullets snap against his back and thighs, further ruining his clothing.

  "Abe!" Tesser barked down at his friend. Abe's skin had already taken on a funereal pallor. He was hit twice in the abdomen. Abe was already covered in sweat and blood.

  Mr. Doyle was out of the angle of fire from the men at the door. He looked down to Abe's limp form. Tesser could sense the boiling sorcery in the old mage, near to exploding.

  Finally.

  Mr. Doyle spoke, and sent forth a burst of arcane fury he hadn't summoned in far too long. "Rejicio!" He snarled, holding his Asmodean watch towards the door and the invaders at it. A disc of bright white energy coupled with the sound of a thunderclap left his watch and rolled down the steps. The men standing in the doorway were tossed backwards as if a tidal wave had struck them, and they tumbled down the stone steps.

  "ABE!" Tesser screamed into the young man's face. Abe's eyes were glazing over and rolling upwards. He is dying.

  "Go! Deal with them. I have a spell that will sustain him. Go! Send them back across the Veil!" Mr. Doyle shuffled as fast as his old legs would take him down the stairs of the home that was being shot apart. Dust flew everywhere as Mr. Doyle's prized possessions were torn apart by the assault.

  Tesser looked up at the old man and knew he spoke the truth. Their best solution to saving Abe's life was killing Legion at the door. Tesser stood as the living room windows blew apart in another burst of weapons fire. Tesser glared out the window as more of the Legion bodies shot at him.

  There are many of them. Killing them all will be difficult.

  Tesser walked to the door, his gold eyes burning red with anger. As he crossed the thresh
old the men with the guns below were getting to their feet. They fired at him as soon as they could, discarding the safety of the Legion body in the suit. The Legion mouthpiece started to speak again, but Tesser beat him to the punch, quite literally. The dragon brought a fist up from low and put all four knuckles into the jaw of the suit before he could say anything else. He felt the bones, teeth, and neck collapse against his fist as the suit's body soared upwards and away. Tesser was shot a dozen more times before the body fell to the ground at the sidewalk.

  "Ellen!" Tesser barked at the tree near the door. The tree suddenly twisted, turning towards the walkway of stone where the other armed man-things stood. They looked up at the tree as a two-inch thick branch came down like an over-handed Big Papi homerun swing. One of the Legion soldier bodies swung his weapon up to counter the branch but it was too late. The hamadryad's blow crashed down with the force of Mother Nature had given the creature and shattered his frail body. The evil construct from beyond reality burst into nothingness as the branch smashed against the earth below, leaving nothing but black smoke, empty clothes, and weaponry behind.

  The suited man's body sat up and his eyes billowed out an emptiness so foul that it scalded the soul. Tesser's memory flashed again, bringing him back to a moment in time long ago when he'd faced down this Legion before. But now was not the time for the past.

  Tesser roared with all his strength at the soldier-copy, stunning its senses long enough to close the distance. As the thing's weapon came up to fire again Tesser grabbed its burning barrel with his left hand and yanked the gun free, tossing it away like an unwanted toy. He brought a right hook into the face of his foe, and a cascade of teeth flew out, scattering across the ground. He brought his left hand back and punched it into the throat of the daemon. Its entire body burst into black smoke and nothing, evaporating as if it had never existed. Tesser strode down the stone walkway towards the suit-wearing daemon.

  I'm going to rip that thing's fucking head off.

  "WHERE IS MATTY?!" Tesser bellowed into the face of the suited man. Windows down the street that had withstood the noise of the gunfire broke from the sound of his voice. Tesser was fury given purpose.

  Automatic weapons fire rained at him from what felt like every direction. His shirt was ripped apart and his pants were rags. He could hear a deeper, throatier blast coming every so often and thought it was a shotgun. When those shots hit his body they felt like a prickling sensation, and not an attempt at being stabbed. They were less effective at hurting him, but far more efficient at destroying his clothes.

  My clothes are as important to me as the bodies Legion has created are to him. Discardable.

  Beyond the suited man, Tesser saw a familiar face. It was the police officer that questioned him at the pizza shop. He was dressed as the others, but looked out of place and bewildered.

  Sergeant Spooner?

  A bullet rocked Tesser's skull, striking him directly in the forehead. He took a step back just as the suited daemon reached him and began to pummel Tesser’s body with blows. These strikes were far more dangerous than bullets. The daemon could summon power from beyond the Veil, from the realities just outside of belief and sanity. Tesser could feel claws at the end of the suit's hands form and slash at his human flesh. Against reason, the claws were starting to sharpen against his skin, and if he didn't rally his balance quickly, the daemon would actually manage to hurt him. The other gunfire abated as the suit pressed his sudden onslaught.

  "Die dragon filth! This is OUR world now! Your time is over!" Legion screamed from all the uniformed mouths present. The chorus of voices rang a note that could whiten hair.

  A single gunshot snapped the press of the daemon, halting the tearing at Tesser's flesh. The round came from behind the daemon, and struck it in the back of the neck, blowing its head clean off. The body gone, the black suit tumbled to the ground empty, no longer dangerous. Tesser took another step backward and saw the man named Spooner in the distance. He had his own weapon pointed at Tesser. He was the one who had rescued him from Legion. He had fired the shot.

  Thank you, Sergeant.

  The rest of the daemons opened fire on Spooner, sending a hundred high velocity rounds his way. The Boston Detective dropped to the ground immediately, thanks to reflexes honed in dusty, bloody battle. Spooner looked out of his mind to the dragon, and he wanted to help.

  Let's end this.

  Tesser started to run at the end SUV where three of the daemon soldiers had taken cover. Half were shooting at Tesser and the other half in Spooner's direction. Tesser gave them no chance to run, hitting one of them at full speed, bludgeoning the man-form like a battering ram. He landed on his back and skidded away into the street, his weapon lost. One of the other things turned his weapon and fired it point blank into Tesser's face and mouth, sending sparks and errant ricochets into the neighborhood. Behind them, Tesser could hear the earth breaking apart as the hamadryad uprooted her tree body to lend more assistance.

  I hope she's strong enough after her sending. I don't want her to die too.

  Tesser spat a bullet into the face of the thing that had shot him and followed it with a jackhammer punch. The skull collapsed like broken pottery under his strength and the body disintegrated like all the others had. More equipment fell to the ground.

  The two false men at the rear of the SUV near Tesser turned from Spooner's direction to deal with the furious dragon. They too pulled triggers that spat out useless bullets at the dragon. Tesser literally tore them limb from limb, bursting their ethereal bodies apart in a spray of smoky evil.

  The street became quiet for a moment, but a trio of short bursts rang out from near where Spooner had taken cover. Afraid of the worst, Tesser ran around the rear SUV just as the first in the line floored it, and started to drive away down the street. Ellen had reached the road, and with one enormous tree branch arm she stove in the windows on one side of the truck, nearly tipping it over. The truck righted itself and drove on, escaping.

  In the road lay Sergeant Spooner. He clutched at his chest and side, and his face showed pain. Sirens could be heard wailing in the distance, their noise approaching. Tesser ran to the downed cop.

  "Spooner? Are you okay?" Tesser crouched at Spooner's side.

  Spoon looked up at Tesser, fear and confusion in his eyes. "Tesser, what the fuck is happening? Who are these people? What the fuck is going on? Why are these people exploding?"

  "Are you okay, Sergeant? Health first. Information after."

  Spoon gritted his teeth in anger. "I'm fine. Flesh wound to my hip, just below my armor."

  "Good. You'll survive then. Modern medicine is quite able to handle that. Now, I am a dragon, and those were daemons in human form. One daemon actually. I believe they came to kill me."

  Spoon looked at him and clearly had no idea how to respond. From the window of the brownstone home Tesser heard Mr. Doyle holler, "Tesser! Tesser!"

  Tesser stood and looked over at the old man. He was leaning out the destroyed front windows of the house, and he showed as many signs of injury as the home. His sweater was torn apart, and he had blood running down his face from a wide gash in his forehead. He was covered in dust and detritus and was sweating profusely.

  "What? Is Abe okay?!" Tesser shouted back.

  "They took him! They took him Tesser and I couldn't stop them! I'm sorry, Tesser. I tried but my magic wasn't strong enough! I'm not the mage I once was…" Mr. Doyle started to sob angrily as he put his face into bloody hands. The old man had lost another apprentice to violence.

  "Daemons just kidnapped your friend?" Spoon asked quietly, a strong tone of disbelief in his voice.

  Tesser looked down, fury in his face and grabbed Spoon by the bulletproof vest. The dragon yanked the cop to his feet as an adult might right a fallen toddler.

  "Can you drive still?" Tesser snarled into the distance as the black SUV escaped far down the street, turning a corner with squealing tires.

  "Jesus, man. Hell yeah. Want t
o ride with me? Let's go get the fucking daemons!" Spoon said, clearly having no idea what he was asking for.

  "Follow me. You drive. I'll fly," Tesser said as he pulled open the driver's side door of the truck for Spooner.

  "What?" Spoon asked Tesser as he got into the vehicle painfully.

  "Mr. Doyle might not be the mage he once was, but I am most certainly the dragon I have always been." Tesser shut the door and turned to Mr. Doyle. He shouted to the crying old man, "I'm going after Abe."

  "What do I tell the police?!" Mr. Doyle shouted back, wiping tears from his eyes. He looked out the window and up at the massive form of Ellen the hamadryad. She was an animate tree, standing in the middle of the street, and there were police cruisers approaching them rapidly.

  "Tell them the past has come back tonight. Tell them the truth. No more do I hide," Tesser said loudly as he started to run.

  Tesser's feet fell one in front of the other as Spoon floored the truck behind him. He felt the wind in his hair as he picked up more speed down the street, starting to nearly outpace the truck. He lifted his arms high, and let his mask fall free. As his hands came down, massive golden wings sprang from his back, and his arms and legs burst out of what remained of his clothing. His tailbone sprouted the massive growth that would balance him in dragon form, and his face and neck changed, metamorphosed.

  One massive downward buffet of his wings later, Tesser, in all his draconic majesty and terror, took to the night sky of Boston, Massachusetts. This is as it should be. As it once was. The wind in my face and beneath my wings. Let their world unravel. Let it adjust. Let the magic come back. Let them quake in their buildings now instead of their caves so long ago.

  Let them see the fires of dragonkind again.

  Spoon watched as the incredible beast's launch flipped over half a dozen cars and shattered all the windows for fifty yards in both directions on the street. He felt the SUV strain against the wind.