“Take her downstairs. We can use the tunnels to get her past the wards,” Calisto said. “I’m going to need a moment.”
Mercy extended a hand and narrowed her eyes at Calisto.
“You’re poisoned and you continued to use your power?” she said.
“No choice,” Calisto replied. “There was a behemoth and Ursa is down.”
Several women came and lifted Sepia onto a gurney. Calisto headed to the bench and closed her eyes. She let her energy flow inward as she searched for the source of poison.
“Mercy, I need you to use a cleansing ward,” Calisto whispered. “When I tell you, let it surround me.”
“In your condition it can do more harm than good,” she said. “Your defenses are weakened.”
“How long can you maintain that layer around Sepia?” Calisto asked. “Before she overpowers it and combusts?”
“Not long, half an hour, one at the most,” Mercy said. “The artifact has grown stronger. Soon the inhibitor mask will be useless.”
“I need to get her to the obelisk before that happens,” Calisto replied. “If she breaks through that layer in here, the wards will be compromised.”
“Meaning unwelcome visitors,” Mercy said. “I will try to maintain the layer, but it will fail eventually.”
The sound of cracking caught their attention.
“What was that?” asked Mercy, looking around.
“That was the sound of us running out of time,” Calisto said as the mask on Sepia’s face cracked, spilling green light into the room.
Mercy stepped to Sepia’s side and placed a hand on her forehead, calming her. The cracking in the mask stopped as she entered a deeper sleep.
“That will keep the power in check for a short time,” Mercy said. “But I’m at my limits. After this she will be beyond me.”
“Trace the cleansing ward before she wakes up,” Calisto said. “We need to find an alternate route to the obelisk.”
“You can’t, without Ursa it’s next to impossible,” Mercy said as she traced several wards. The final ward she traced on Calisto herself. “Even with Ursa its risky, it could kill you both.”
“We don’t have a choice, Calisto replied. “Ursa is out of commission and if we don’t siphon off her power, she will transform. By then it will be too late.”
FIFTEEN
“We’re approaching this the wrong way,” Velos said as he sat on the edge of the roof looking down at the street. “We need to bring this Hunter, this Sepia Blue, to us instead of looking for her.”
“How are we going to do that, sir?” one of the men beside him asked.
They stood on the roof of one of the many townhouses that surrounded the park. The five of them were dressed in black combat gear and blended into the shadows. Below them, the sound of fighting echoed through the night.
“Simple really, now that I have this,” Velos answered. “Like attracts like.”
Velos stepped away from the edge and extended his arm as he closed his eyes. Black smoke enveloped his hand and solidified into a long curved blade. When he opened his eyes, three of the others stepped back.
“I hate it when you do that,” the man closest to him said.
“Don’t fear what you don’t understand, Brios,” Velos said as the sword became smoke again and disappeared. “It’s only energy and this just another method of expressing that energy.”
“I prefer my energy in bullet form, thanks,” Brio answered. “I understand it and I control it.”
“Control is an illusion,” Velos said and laughed for a moment, then grew silent as he approached the edge again. Below them, a Hunter in red leathers was dealing with a group of Unholy.
“Not in my world,” Brios answered. “I pull a trigger and end a threat. No need for arcane abilities or swords that vanish and reappear whenever you want.”
“What do you see down there?” Velos asked as he pointed with his chin.
Brios looked down and saw the fighting. “It looks like a Hunter fighting Unholy,” he said. “Typical patrol around the park. Nice leathers, though.”
“Indeed, but there is nothing typical about this Hunter,” Velos said. “This is an opportunity. Find her gunman. He’ll be in a close line of sight. I’ll introduce myself.”
Brios nodded and the men fanned out in search of the gunman as Velos watched them move. They leaped from rooftop to rooftop, silent as shadows. He turned back to look down at the fighting.
She’s skilled and holds a named blade. This will be interesting.
He jumped off the roof of the townhouse.
*******
“Cade, shoot them already,” Red Jen said. “We don’t have all night.”
“I would if you would get out of the damn way,” Cade answered over her com. “My bullets don’t curve.”
The three Unholy converged on her. Their misshapen bodies masked their speed and agility. Jen ducked under the slash of claws aimed at her head. She whirled around and brought her sword across, removing its head. A shot rang out and the second Unholy burst apart as an explosive round found its mark. The third lunged forward and slid left, running toward the park.
“Shit,” Jen said. “Cade, do you have a shot?”
“I’m afraid he doesn’t,” Velos said from behind her.
“Jen, get out of there, now! Get—” Cade’s voice cutoff.
“Who are you?” Jen said as she entered a defensive stance.
“No one of consequence,” Velos answered. “I was just admiring your swordplay and was wondering...if you wouldn’t mind a dance?”
“I don’t have time for this,” Jen said as a dagger sailed past her too fast to see, slicing through her leather and cutting her arm. Jen remained motionless as she bled.
“Make the time,” Velos said, his voice hard. “Brios, have you secured her gunman?”
I didn’t even see him move.
“We got him,” Brios said over his com. “He’s good, probably one of the best. We just happen to be better.”
“What do you want?” she said. “Who are you?”
“You wield a named blade,” Velos said. “Don’t bother denying it.”
“How…?” Jen asked and took a step back. “How could you know that?”
Velos let black smoke wrap itself around his hand again. In seconds, it became solid. A curved blade glistened in the night as he held it vertically, admiring it.
“This is how,” he said. “This is Retribution. I think the name is apt considering what my mission is.”
“You’re bonded to a named blade,” Jen said. “How are you still alive?”
“Aren’t you wondering why I told you its name?”
“No, that I know,” she replied. “Only one of us gets to walk away from this. Let my gunman go.”
“You defeat me and you both walk away,” Velos answered.
“And if I don’t?”
“He dies a second after you,” Velos said with a smile. “No pressure.”
“Salvation,” Jen said and removed her hat, tossing it to the side. “That’s my sword’s name.”
Velos nodded. “Excellent. Now I know you’re serious,” he said. “I know how you Hunters feel about divulging who wields what.”
“I was serious the moment I saw your sword,” Jen said and released the power within her. An aura of red energy wrapped itself around her.
“Impressive,” Velos replied. “A class-one Hunter, at that. I think I am going to enjoy this.”
“Not for long,” she said and advanced.
Velos parried her first attack, a downward slash, and kicked at her knees. She stepped to the side, disregarding the feint and reversed the direction of her sword, slashing upward. He closed the distance and met her sword on the upswing, stopping it. She released a wave of energy and slammed him back through several parked cars. The windows shattered from the impact as his body punched through the vehicles and cratered the last car, stopping his momentum. His sword vanished as the vehicle folded i
n around his body.
Jen took a step toward the vehicle when the car began to unfold, revealing an intact Velos pushing apart the two sides. He stepped away from the destroyed vehicle and shook the glass out of his hair while laughing.
He’s laughing when he should be dead, she thought.
“That was invigorating—thank you,” he said. “Do you know why they never released the dark blades to the Hunters after the last war?”
“The dark blades were a mistake,” Jen answered. “That’s why they removed them from circulation.”
“A mistake?” he said. “Oh no, not a mistake.”
He walked toward her, black smoke coalescing around his body until he was completely encased. Jen drew her gun and fired. The bullets entered the smoke and disappeared without harming Velos.
“What the hell is that?”
“This is what makes dark blades so dangerous,” he said, extending his arm and compressing some of the smoke into a sword again. Tendrils of black smoke remained floating around him. “I can tap into power you’ve never experienced.”
Jen closed with a flurry of attacks. None of them penetrated his defenses. She reached deep inside and released all of her power. Blinding red light flooded the street. When the light subsided, Jen stood in a five-foot crater. Everything within the circle was vaporized. Steam rose slowly from her body.
“I expected no less from a Hunter of your caliber,” Velos said as the black smoke dropped away, revealing him crouched near the edge of the crater.
“Impossible,” she whispered, confused.
He skip-stepped forward, moving too fast for her to register, and buried his sword in her midsection. She slashed across, aiming for his neck, but the smoke around his body hardened, stopping her attack.
“Thank you for this dance,” he whispered as he pressed his cheek to hers. “I’m afraid I have to cut this short, as there are more Hunters to retire.”
“You won’t beat her,” Jen said. “She’s stronger than you.”
Anger flashed in Velos’s eyes for a brief moment as he pushed his sword in deeper, causing Jen to groan in pain as she slumped forward.
“It’s a shame your sword couldn’t live up to its name for you,” he replied. “Goodbye, Hunter.”
“Go to hell,” she said and spat in his face. “She’ll take you down and I’ll be waiting for your sorry ass.”
He smiled as he pulled out his sword and she collapsed before him.
“I’ll let those be your last words as I take your life and your sword,” he said and released the smoke around his body. The black cloud enveloped Jen for several seconds and then dissipated, leaving only her sword on the ground.
“Is the gunman still secure?” Velos asked over his com.
“Yes,” Brios said. “What are your instructions?”
“Finish him.”
SIXTEEN
Mercy traced wards around Sepia. Each one vanished faster than the last. Calisto sat on the floor on the other side of the room. She began tracing wards on the floor before her.
“If you have a solution, I hope you have it ready,” Mercy said. “She’s spiking and I can’t stop it.”
“This isn’t easy,” Calisto said with her eyes still closed. “Without Ursa I need to map a path to the obelisk that doesn’t get us lost or killed.”
“Hurry,” Mercy said as she cast more wards at Sepia’s prone body.
Calisto traced several more wards in the air before her. The last one traveled to the center of the room and remained floating as it pulsed a deep purple. She exhaled and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“That’s it,” Calisto said. “It should take us to the obelisk.”
“You don’t sound certain.”
“Because I’m not,” Calisto answered as she stood and stretched her legs. “This is the best chance we have. If I don’t take her there and drain off the energy, it’s over.”
“What will that do to the obelisk?” Mercy asked. “Have you given that thought?”
“I don’t know, since they aren’t ward stones like the others,” Calisto said. “These are the reservoirs. It should be able to handle the power exchange.”
“And if it can’t?”
“If it can’t—my guess is that it’ll reverse the exchange and fry us on the spot,” Calisto answered. “All I know is that we can’t approach the chasm with her in this state and we have to go to the chasm.”
“No!” Sepia screamed and sat straight up. “Jen…Jen is dead.”
A wave of energy exploded from her and filled the room. The stones in the wall began to crumble as green light spilled from the cracks in the mask.
“How could she possibly know that?” Calisto asked. “Can the artifact establish a bond to the named blades?”
“More importantly,” Mercy said, looking at the walls, “we need her to stop...now.”
Calisto stepped over to Sepia, grabbed her hand, and extended her other arm to the ward floating in the room.
“This seems so dangerous,” Mercy whispered as Calisto released power, activating the ward.
“No choice,” Calisto said. “Take care of yourself and thank you. She traced the last ward and Mercy was left alone in the room.
SEVENTEEN
Reed and Jas arrived at the Gray HQ to a scene of chaos.
“Tom, what’s going on?” Reed said as he grabbed an agent by the arm. The agent wore an ill-fitting Gray uniform. His spiky brown hair looked like it were trying to escape his head and pointed in every direction.
“The medical facility uptown was attacked,” Tom said, the excitement evident in his voice. “No one knows why. We’re sending several teams over there now. I’m going too.”
“In the field?” Reed asked. “Since when?”
“Gan requested me personally, something about a golem,” Tom said. “Can you believe it? They tell me the facility is wrecked. Were you there?”
“It’s not good,” Reed said, giving Jas a look. “Hey, I need one of the vaults. Are any available?”
“A vault?” Tom asked. “What for?”
“Gan asked me to secure an item,” Reed answered. “Wanted it done ASAP.”
Tom walked over to a computer terminal and punched a few keys. After a few seconds, he turned the screen to Reed.
“Vault six is free,” he said hurriedly. “I have to go. Where’s my bag?”
“Tom, listen,” Reed said, stopping him. “This isn’t a video game. You need to be careful out there.”
“I know, Reed,” he said. “I may not be a kick-ass agent like you, but I passed field training. I’ll be okay.”
Tom grabbed his bag and hurried off, joining the rest of the field team.
“He seems real excited,” Jas said. “Doesn’t get out much?”
“He’s a forensic tech,” Reed muttered. “I don’t understand why Gan would have him in the field.”
“Probably has to do with the golem that crashed through the wall,” Jas answered.
They headed down the corridor to the stairwell. Taking several flights down, they were on the vault floor. The door to the level was reinforced steel. Reed put his hand on the sensor next to the door and it clicked open after a few seconds.
“Why were they after you?” Reed asked as they walked down the corridor. They arrived at a large door with a red number six stenciled on the surface.
“I thought these were vaults?” Jas asked. “Where is the security?”
“It’s not like you’re much of a threat,” Reed said.
“Excuse me?”
“No offense, really, but I don’t understand why they would want you,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense…unless...”
“Unless what?”
“Shit, we need to get back,” he said as they headed up the stairs at a run.
“What? What is it?” she asked as they took the stairs two at time.
They stopped at the ground level and Reed held the door closed. “Who is the most important person to Sepia?�
�
“You mean they weren’t after me,” she said. “I was bait?”
Reed nodded and swung open the door. They ran outside to the HR-V he left parked in front of the building, but it was gone. He went back inside and bumped into a woman walking by him who was holding a clipboard.
“Can I help you, Agent Reed?” she said.
“Yes, Agent Davis,” he said, looking at the name on the left of her uniform. “Where’s my car? I need it now.”
“Our new policy states that all vehicles left in front of the building for more than ten minutes are to be taken to the garage,” Davis said. “Your vehicle must have been out there for a while if it’s gone, Agent Reed.”
“Goddammit, we need my vehicle,” Reed said. “When did this policy start?”
“Would you like me to have someone bring it up?” she asked.
“No, that would take too long,” he said and turned to Jas. “We need to take the elevator to the parking level. Let’s go.”
He headed to a bank of elevators at the far end of the floor with Jas in tow. “If you’re the bait, who’s the target? Who would guarantee Sepia would come no matter what?” he asked.
“Sepia isn’t close to anyone like that,” Jas replied. Reed pushed the call button and waited, his foot tapping the floor.
“Think harder,” he said. “I can name a few she would come help out of duty, but there’s only one person she wouldn’t think twice about.”
Jas remained silent for a moment. Then her eyes opened with the realization of the truth.
“Wait,” Jas said. “Are they insane?”
“It’s not a matter of being insane,” he said. “It’s the only way to flush her out. I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”
“They would need an army to take him,” Jas whispered.
Reed nodded and jumped in the elevator once the doors opened. He pressed the garage-level button and the elevator began to descend. The doors opened to an immense underground garage.
“The agent parking is over there, I think,” Reed said, pointing off to the right.
“You aren’t sure?” Jas asked. “Don’t you work here?”
“I never use it,” he said. “I usually just leave it out front.”
Sepia Blue- Nightmare: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 3 Page 6
