“She holds an artifact?” Izumi said. “Are you insane? You need to end her now. Why aren’t the Unholy mobbing us right now, trying to get at her?”
Izumi manifested a sword. Calisto remained still and took a deep breath before speaking.
“Put that away, I’ve masked her. As for killing her, we can’t.”
“Why not?” Izumi asked. “It’s not like she’s immortal. We can take her together.”
“Her power eclipses ours combined, she just doesn’t know it yet. If you attack her, the artifact will just protect her. Do you want to face that?”
“Not without an army, no,” Izumi replied and dissolved her sword. “And when she finds out and starts to use it? Then what? By then it will be too late—she will turn into a Nightmare Lord. A Nightmare Lord with a dark blade and an artifact. Shoot me now, this is bad.”
“Now you understand why we need your father,” Calisto said. “To prevent the change and to unbind the sword.”
“Will that even help?” Izumi asked. “The artifact is part of her. She’s bonded with it. He’s going to tell you the same thing—erase her now while it’s still possible.”
Calisto shook her head. “Fuma owes me a debt, he will do this,” she said. “Or we’ll all die when she turns.”
“He owes you?” Izumi asked in disbelief. “My Father owes you? Impossible. My father never allows himself to be indebted to anyone.”
“He will do this,” Calisto said, her voice firm. “Did she pass the test?”
Izumi grunted and nodded. “She didn’t give in to the power in her,” she said in admiration. “I’m sure she wanted to and I gave her plenty of incentive, but she didn’t succumb, except to find me. Means she’s still in control—for now.”
“Where is he?”
“You aren’t going to like it, and it’s going to be a bitch to get to him.”
“Where?” Calisto snapped. “Izumi, you are trying my patience, like always. Just tell me where he is.”
“Are you sure you don’t have a Ward Master capable enough to remove the mask?”
Calisto let her power flow from her. The charged air crackled with power.
Izumi put her hands up in mock surrender.
“No need to go nuclear,” Izumi said. “You never did have a sense of humor.”
“Does this situation look humorous to you?”
Izumi grew serious. “No, you’re right,” she said. “Father is in the chasm.”
“The chasm?” Calisto whispered as she reined in and dispersed her power. “Are you certain?”
“Do you remember it?” Izumi asked. “Deep, hidden, and full of nastiness?”
Calisto gave her a withering stare. “Of course I remember it,” she said. “What is he doing there?”
Sepia began to stir.
“What he usually does when he isn’t creating some earth-shattering ward,” Izumi replied. “Working on the deeper things, as he calls them.”
“But the chasm?” Calisto said. “He couldn’t do that somewhere less suicidal?”
“You know him, if it’s not a challenge he gets bored,” Izumi answered. “When are you leaving?”
“To the chasm?” Calisto said, looking at Sepia. “As soon as she regains consciousness.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“Calisto, don’t play stupid—not with me.”
“She isn’t ready,” Calisto answered. “Gan hasn’t even told her.”
“You’re both playing with fire. You need to tell this girl who and what she is.”
“After we unbind the sword and remove the mask I will tell her.”
“You still have to get past Father’s defenses. You may want to tell her before you go see him—just in case she doesn’t make it.”
“She’ll make it,” Calisto said. “We can’t fail, not now.”
“Tell her—tell her who her father is and what her mother was, or you won’t live to regret it,” Izumi said. “I need to go check a fluctuation in the park wards. Be gone when I return.”
Izumi pressed a ward on the wall and vanished.
“That was pleasant,” Calisto muttered to herself. “Sepia, you need to get ready.”
Sepia opened her eyes and shook her head slowly.
“Did I pass?” she asked groggily.
“Yes, but you may wish you hadn’t,” Calisto replied. “We have to go somewhere—unpleasant.”
“Where?”
“Do you remember the rift and where it was?”
Sepia nodded. “We have to go back?” she asked. “Tell me we don’t have to go back there. I still remember my head trying to split open.”
“No, we don’t have to go back,” Calisto said. “We have to go deeper. The rift is a small portion of something much larger, something called the chasm.”
“And Fuma is there?” Sepia asked. “How can he survive that close to the rift? I was miles away and it felt like my brain was melting.”
“Fuma is a Ward Master, probably the first one ever,” Calisto said. “Being close to the rift or its source doesn’t bother him. Long ago, he built a hall like this one close to the chasm. He also created a series of passageways to allow his disciples to travel to and from the Hall.”
“How many of these Halls are there?” Sepia said, looking around. “Where’s Izumi?”
“She needed to attend to some matters regarding the wards around the park,” Calisto replied.
A fluctuation in the park wards is not good, thought Calisto.
“Hello? Halls?” Sepia asked. “How many?”
“Sorry, three. The one near the center of the park, which became the Hunter’s Hall after your mother took it over,” Calisto answered, “this one, and the one we need to go to. Except I’m sure by now the passages aren’t safe.”
“Which means we can’t get to it?” Sepia asked. “Will the chasm affect me?”
“The artifact and mask should allow you passage,” Calisto said. “But it won’t be easy or painless.”
“Why would he build it so close to the rift?”
“Fuma is—a bit peculiar,” Calisto said. “He felt being close to the rift and its source of power would allow him to develop the most powerful wards.”
“Did it?”
“It did,” Calisto said. “He developed some of the most powerful wards in use. Many of them—like the wards around the park—are still in effect.”
Sepia got up and tested her balance. Once she was certain she wouldn’t topple over, she put on her ruined coat and tied on her holsters. She checked her guns and tightened the holsters around her thighs. She made sure the blades around her arms and thighs were secure in their sheaths as she headed for the door.
“I need to get this mask off my face and the sword unbound,” Sepia said. “I’m ready to go if you are.”
“Are you certain you feel well?” Calisto asked. “We need to travel to the obelisk first.”
“A little rough around the edges but I’ve been worse.”
The artifact is accelerating her healing beyond what her ink can do. We are running out of time.
TEN
Jas began to pack her things.
I don’t care what Hep says, I need to get out of here now.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Emelia asked, pushing in a cart. “You aren’t cleared for discharge so get back in bed, young lady.”
“I can’t stay here. I just got a visit from the king of sleaze, and I’m not waiting to see if he comes back.”
“You can’t leave,” Emelia answered as she fixed the sheets. “You need to be discharged and only Director Gan can do that.”
“Shit,” Jas cursed under her breath. “You need to let me go.”
“Language,” Emelia warned. “I don’t need to do anything except make sure you remain here and heal. Now, lie down and rest.”
“Where’s Gan?”
“Director Gan doesn’t answer to me,” Emelia said. “I’m sur
e he’s busy doing what directors do. Most likely at the Gray HQ, taking care of his responsibilities. Just as you need to—”
The shattering of glass filled the corridor as the door rattled on its hinges. Screams filled the hallway followed by the sound of running. A low growl rumbled into the room.
“Shit,” Emelia said as she reached down into her cart and pulled out two large guns and a bag full of small explosive devices. She pulled out a third, smaller, gun and handed it to Jas. “You firearm-trained?”
Jas nodded. “Two years on the range and one on the—”
“I don’t need your resume,” Emelia said impatiently. “Yes or no?”
“Yes,” Jas said.
“Good. That has explosive rounds,” Emelia said. “Don’t be fancy. Aim for center mass and don’t miss.”
Jas nodded. “That sounded like a Dreadwolf, but that’s impossible,” she said. “The park is on the other side of—”
Another crash filled the hallway, followed by more screaming and silence. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the building.
“I need you quiet and behind the bed—now,” Emelia whispered. “Go.”
Jas jumped over the bed and knelt on the other side. She held her breath and aimed her gun at the door. Emelia stayed to the side of the door and motioned for Jas to get down. Jas ducked as the door bulged for several seconds and then exploded inward, sending shards of wood and glass in every direction. Several of the shards impaled the bed and the wall above where Jas hid. She peeked over the edge of the bed and a cold sweat trickled down her back. Outside the room and down the hallway, the growls intensified. She could just make out two Dreadwolves padding closer to her room. Behind them, what appeared to be a man-sized Behemoth approached slowly.
“One of the Hunter’s pack is here,” said the black wolf on the right. “I can smell her and another.”
A large gray wolf stood next to the black and sniffed the air. They parted for the creature behind them, which appeared to be made of stone. Each step it took left a small crater in the floor. Two burning embers in its head gave the impression of eyes and they were turned to the room where Jas hid.
“That can’t be,” Jas hissed. “I read about them, but I thought… I thought they were all eliminated.”
Emelia looked around the ruined doorframe and gasped.
“Oh…shit,” she said, ducking back into the room. “Change of plans. We need to go.”
She aimed her guns at the window and fired. The first shots caused the window to crack and spiderweb, but the window remained intact.
“Goddamned reinforced glass,” she said as she fired more rounds into the glass, causing the cracks to spread out over the surface. She hefted a chair and slammed it into the window, shattering it with a crash. She reached down and lifted Jas to her feet.
“Out you go,” she said as she pushed Jas out the second-story window and down to the parking lot behind the building. Jas landed and began moving away from the building. Emelia landed next, rolled forward into a crouch and turned with both guns drawn, facing the window.
The Dreadwolves appeared in the window first, followed by the stone creature. They stared at Jas but remained motionless. They sniffed the air some more. A low growl started as the stone creature came to the window and looked down at Jas.
“That’s…that’s a golem,” Jas said as fear laced every word. “It’s not supposed to be here—they’re supposed to be gone. Hunters wiped them out a century ago.”
“Seems they missed this one,” whispered Emelia as she backed up. “Why are they just standing there? Not that I’m complaining.”
The golem disappeared from view for several seconds.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Emelia said. “Let’s get some distance.”
The sound of heavy footsteps grew louder as the golem ran through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. Bricks and debris exploded in every direction as it fell to the lot with a crash. A crater the size of an SUV filled the space where it landed. It took one uncertain step forward, then another. The Dreadwolves bounded after it and landed gracefully outside the crater beside the golem. All three were focused on Jas.
“This is not good, we need to go now—run!” Emelia yelled as the Dreadwolves came at them. Jas took off at a sprint as the Dreadwolves veered away from Emelia and gave chase. Emelia unloaded a magazine at the wolves but the bullets bounced off them, causing little to no damage. The impact knocked them on their sides, buying Jas a few precious seconds to put more distance between them.
“It must be the golem. It’s shielding them somehow,” Emelia yelled to Jas as she began shooting at the golem with no effect. “This just went from bad to worse.”
Emelia stopped shooting and ran after Jas. The golem turned, ignored Emelia, and focused on Jas.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Emelia said as she closed the distance.
She reached in her bag, pulled out an explosive, and attached it to the golem. The golem swung and connected, sending her flying. She landed several feet away and scrambled to her feet. Her arm hung at an unnatural angle as she ran to catch up to Jas.
“Eat that,” she said as the device exploded behind her.
Dust and debris filled the lot, obscuring the location of the golem. Emelia drew a bead and shot the black Dreadwolf. The explosive rounds punched into the side of its body and exploded. Parts of the wolf flew in different directions before turning to dust.
The remaining Dreadwolf sensed the threat and turned to face Emelia. It bared its fangs and growled. She could see Jas coming back.
“What are you doing?” she said when Jas drew close. “Get as far away from here as you can.”
“You’re hurt,” Jas said. “You stopped the golem?”
“I don’t know—I think so,” Emelia said. “The dogs aren’t bulletproof anymore.”
“You can’t stop us,” the wolf said. “We will take her and force the Hunter to serve us…or die.”
“Your bodyguard is down,” Emelia said. “I’m going to make sure you follow him.”
“Stupid human, do you really think us so simple to kill?”
Jas fired several times. The Dreadwolf fell on its side before disintegrating into a cloud of dust.
“That seemed too easy somehow,” Emelia said. “I expected more resistance.”
“You called that easy?” Jas asked and sat on the ground, letting out a breath. “I really don’t want to see what you think is hard.”
“I think it would look like that,” Emelia said as she pointed to the dust cloud behind them.
The golem approached them, surrounded by three Shadows.
“Oh c’mon, really?” Jas said as she stood. “That’s just not fair.”
Emelia grabbed her by the arm.
“You need to run,” Emelia said. “Don’t stop until you’re safe. They want to use you against Sepia. You can’t let them.”
“But your arm—”Jas started.
“Listen to me,” Emelia hissed. “They’ll kill you, but they‘ll hurt you first. Run now or die here—your choice.”
“It seems you’re having difficulty, let me help,” a voice said from behind them.
“No,” Emelia said and turned to shoot. The hum of a blade sliced through the night as her arm sailed across the parking lot. She fell to her knees, her face tight with pain. Defiantly, she looked up into the eyes of her attacker. The tattoo of a chimera danced across his neck. Beside him stood two more Shadows.
“Shoot first, ask later? How rude,” he said. “Imagine my surprise to find a Gray Agent here, of all places?”
“Onyx,” she said and spat blood on his shoes. “So the lapdog has been let off his leash. Where’s your master?”
One of the Shadows leaned close to Onyx.
“Hunters draw near, my lord,” it said, its voice a harsh whisper. “We must leave.”
The muscles in Onyx’s jaw flexed for a few seconds before he looked down at her and spoke.
“I want you to
die with the knowledge that you failed,” he whispered. “Your best just wasn’t good enough, Agent.”
“Fuck…you,” she said as she reached behind her and activated an explosive from the bag strapped around her body. A split-second later she stood and lunged at him. He stepped to the side to avoid her, but she grabbed his arm and held on. He brought his sword forward and thrust, burying it in her side.
“That was stupid and futile,” he said as he looked down at the bag. His eyes opened wide in recognition. “You absolute bitch.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Hunters are going to sweep up what’s left of you.”
“This will stop nothing, you can’t stop us,” Onyx said. “No one can.”
“Sepia can,” she whispered. “That’s why you want Jas.”
Her face was locked in a rictus of pain as he ripped the sword out of her side in an attempt to dislodge her. He thrust again, but she stepped inside the strike and wrapped herself tighter around him.
“Run, Jas!” she yelled, her face pale. “Go find the Hunters.”
He finally managed to pull her off him, holding her at arm’s length, when an audible click came from inside the bag.
“No—” he said and shoved her away. Behind him, Jas scrambled away.
“Time to die,” Emelia said. She closed her eyes and smiled as the world came undone.
ELEVEN
The Sisters compound was dark. Light shone from only one room at the top of the structure. Three women sat in the conference room.
“What are you saying, Anna?” Shanti asked.
“We can’t allow her to live,” Anna said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“She is a Sister,” Shanti answered, her melodious voice filling the small conference room. “We don’t hunt our own.”
Anna turned to Wake.
“Good to have you back, and I’m sorry about Bernice,” Anna said. “We’ve lost many good Sisters. Can you tell us what happened at the Keep?”
“I did as you asked,” Wake said, holding a blade between her thumb and forefinger. “I kept watch. I even warned her not to leave. Then she unleashed some kind of power that slammed me into a wall. That’s the last thing I remember.”
Sepia Blue- Nightmare: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 3 Page 4
