Sepia Blue- Nightmare: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 3

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  Jas nodded and checked the magazine in her gun.

  “I’ve got explosive rounds,” Jas said, “I don’t know how effective they’ll be on her but it will be noisy.”

  “How did you get ex-rounds?” Reed asked. “I doubt you have the Order clearance for them.”

  “I don’t work for the Order,” Jas answered.

  Reed gave a short laugh. “We all work for the Order, so don’t kid yourself into thinking you’re some kind of free agent,” he said. “The noise those things make will bring backup, so that’s good.”

  “Or she will get help.”

  “Yeah, there’s that, but I’m willing to risk it if we can get info out of her.”

  “You mean if we beat her,” Jas said.

  “When we beat her,” Reed said. “You ready with your distraction?”

  “Yeah, I just need a few seconds,” she said, adjusting her holster. “Once I start, it’s going to get crazy in here.”

  “I’m responsible for your safety, so once you do whatever it is, you get safe and let me handle her, Sister-in-training,” he said. “Got it?”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. In seconds, the alarm of every car around them went off. Reed stood and began firing as he closed on the Shadow. The first few shots hit her and spun her around. Jas stood and fired, hitting the car next to the Shadow. It exploded and sent it flying across the garage floor.

  Reed looked at her, his lips set in a line.

  “That car you just shredded?” he said.

  “You know I’m feeling these explosive rounds,” Jas said, excited. “Did you see how it melted that car?”

  “I did,” Reed said. “That was totally badass. It was also my car. Gan is going to be pissed.”

  “Oh,” Jas said. “Sorry about that. I’m sure the Gray will get you a new one if you explain it was in the line of duty.”

  “Except that I don’t use explosive rounds so how am I supposed to explain that?” he said, pointing at the burned-out husk that used to be his car.

  “Tell Gan it was me,” Jas answered. “I’m sure he will be okay.”

  A few seconds later, the alarms died down and went silent.

  “That’s a neat trick. How did you manage it?”

  “It’s sort of like a reverse EMP wave,” she said. “Instead of shutting down electronics, it wakes them up. I just need the frequency.”

  “So you targeted the alarms, but you could have turned on the cars too?”

  Jas nodded. “If it’s electronic or tech, I can use it, figure it out or destroy it.”

  “You are a dangerous young woman,” he said.

  Jas smiled. “I know.”

  “Let’s go check. Between my shots and the car exploding, it should be finished,” Reed said.

  They walked over to where the Shadow landed but found the area empty. Reed looked around but there was no trace of it.

  “No way did it survive that,” Jas said. “You shot it and it was right next to the explosion.”

  “Jas, I think you’d better back up,” Reed said slowly as a figure approached. “Go get help.”

  “That hurt—you little bitch,” the Shadow said. “I’m going to finish him and then I’m coming for you.”

  Reed fired again with no effect. Jas fired but her bullets only staggered it.

  “Reed…I think we both need to get going,” Jas said as the Shadow closed and she backpedaled to the elevator. “We need the stairs.”

  “I agree, but the stairwell is on the other side of it,” he said as he pressed the call button.

  “I’m good with the elevator, then,” she said as the Shadow advanced.

  They both fired their weapons with little effect.

  “We’re going to die, aren’t we?” Jas whispered.

  Reed holstered his gun and pulled out a ka-bar knife from a leg sheath.

  “Not if I can help it,” Reed said and set his jaw. “When the elevator opens, you jump in and get upstairs.”

  “Where the hell is it?” Jas asked as the Shadow lunged in and slashed at Reed. He jumped to the side and avoided the slash as it entered a defensive stance.

  The Shadow laughed. “You still don’t get it, you both die here today,” it said. “I am sorry to inform you that the elevator is temporarily out of service.”

  “Shit,” Reed said. “She isn’t alone. Someone disabled the elevator.”

  It gave Reed a short bow and lunged again. Reed parried the lunge late and the Shadow cut his arm, slicing across his bicep as it rotated around him and slashed at his leg. He blocked the lower slash and executed a palm-heel strike that hit it square in the face. It turned with the momentum of his strike and unleashed a spinning back-kick that caught him in the leg and forced him to his knee. It followed up with another slash to his back that cut through his jacket and back.

  He rolled forward and stood as he shrugged off his jacket and faced it.

  “You’re good,” he said.

  “Yes, I am,” it said and closed in. “Let me show you.”

  Its movements were grace and energy expressed in an intricate, lethal dance. It slid to the right and then shifted to the left, pulling him off balance. He slashed, but it rotated around his attack, his blade grazing the Shadow’s body as it smiled.

  The Shadow lunged and switched hands at the last possible second. He parried, but realized it was a feint when it cut his thigh and buried the blade in his midsection. It stabbed him several times and let him collapse to the floor. The chime of the elevator caused it to turn.

  The Shadow looked at the empty elevator, perplexed.

  “How?” it said as the whistling of several knives cut through the silence of the garage. Each of them gave off a faint glow as they buried themselves in its chest.

  It looked down at the knives in disbelief. Wake materialized behind the Shadow and sliced through its neck. It collapsed to the floor, the head rolling away from the body. Seconds later, they both became dust and disappeared.

  Wake sheathed her sword and walked over to Reed, who lay in a pool of blood.

  “Your timing sucks,” Reed said and coughed. “Is it dead?”

  “Yes,” Wake said. “I had some difficulty reaching you. There were other Shadows to deal with.”

  Jas ran over to Reed’s side. “Can you help him?” she asked.

  Wake looked at Reed’s wounds. He gave her an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

  “He’s lost too much blood and it seems the blade was covered in Dreadwolf venom,” she said. “There’s nothing we can do for him now.”

  “Make sure she’s safe,” he said. “Gan wanted her safe.”

  “I know,” Wake said. “That’s why I tracked you from the medical facility.”

  “You’re just going to let him die?” Jas asked as her voice rose with anger. “He helped me, saved me!”

  “He did what he was instructed to do,” Wake replied, her voice soft. “We all know the risks going in. He’s a Gray Agent. He knew he could lose his life.”

  Reed nodded and motioned for Jas to come closer.

  “Listen, you need to go help Sepia now,” he whispered. “My part is done. She will keep you safe, safer than I could, anyway.”

  Jas grabbed his hand and squeezed. He squeezed it back for a few seconds and then his grip went slack. Tears formed in Jas’s eyes as he died.

  “This place isn’t safe, Jas,” Wake said and put a hand on her shoulder. “We need to go.”

  “I’m not going back to Anna or the Sisters,” Jas said, her voice hardening. “You take me to Sepia or leave me alone and I’ll find her on my own.”

  Wake looked at her and remained silent a moment as she checked the garage.

  “Anna won’t like this,” she said. “We’re going to need a vehicle.”

  “You’re going to help me?” Jas asked in disbelief. “Will you get in trouble?”

  Wake walked over to a black Audi A8.

  “This should do,” she said.

  “Do what?�
�� Jas asked.

  “Can you open the doors, please?” she asked. “We really need to be gone.”

  Jas focused and the door locks clicked. Wake opened the door and waited, motioning for Jas to get in. Jas shook herself out of her reverie and ran to the passenger side of the car, getting in.

  “I’d better say this now before it all goes to shit,” Jas said. “I’m sorry if you get in trouble over helping me.”

  Wake looked at Jas and pointed to the dashboard.

  “I don’t have the keys to this car, Jas, and we really need to go,” Wake said.

  “Oh! Damn, sorry,” Jas said quickly.

  She closed her eyes and focused again. It took several seconds before she was able to turn on the car.

  “Thank you,” Wake said and pulled the car out and headed up the ramp and out of the garage.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Jas asked. “The Sisters are going to be pissed. Especially Anna.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Wake replied as she pulled onto the street and entered the flow of traffic. “I’m the one she calls when the only answer is trouble. Let’s go find your Hunter.”

  TWENTY-TWO

  “Wake up,” Calisto said and gently shook Sepia. “It’s safe for the moment.”

  “What happened?”

  “You absorbed a shockwave of energy meant for the obelisk,” Calisto replied. “It should’ve killed you, but I can’t say I’m surprised it didn’t.”

  “Ugh, I feel like I’ve been stepped on by a herd of angry elephants,” Sepia said as she moved into a sitting position on the floor. “Is that it?”

  She pointed at the large obelisk in the center of the floor. Arcs of electrical energy ran up and down its surface, making it look like an ancient Tesla coil. The wards on each of the four sides pulsed with light as the arcs of electric energy touched them.

  “That’s one of four,” Calisto said. “They surround the park and power the wards around it. When the second failsafe kicked in, they diverted power to the named blades.”

  “And now?”

  “You said Jen was dead,” Calisto said. “What did you mean?”

  “The rift is below us?” Sepia asked, standing.

  Calisto nodded. “Did you feel her die?”

  “Why is my head not splitting open like last time?” Sepia said. “How far below us is it?”

  “Several thousand feet still,” Calisto replied. “The chasm is closer. Can you tell me what you felt?”

  “I felt her sword-bond break,” Sepia said. “That means she’s gone, doesn’t it?”

  “Hmm,” Calisto said. “Usually, but we have entered a realm of possibility I don’t quite understand. How did you know it was this Jen who died?”

  “I’ve been close to her and her sword before, so I just know it was her sword,” Sepia replied. “It felt familiar.”

  Calisto walked over to her and examined what remained of the mask. No light spilled from the cracks and the wards on it were dormant.

  “It seems the obelisk siphoned most of the excess energy,” Calisto said. “I don’t know how long it will last, but for now you should feel normal.”

  Sepia closed her eyes and felt for her sword. It was there just beneath the surface. She tried to access it and searing pain shot into her face. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath.

  Calisto rushed to her side. “I said you should feel normal, not that you are back to normal.”

  “I got that,” Sepia said between breaths. “I can feel my sword but I can’t access it without it feeling like my head is being ripped off.”

  “The inhibitor mask works like advanced Hunter restraints,” Calisto said and helped her to her feet. “It uses your own power against you, neutralizing it. The more you try and use, the more backlash.”

  “I didn’t try and use any that time,” Sepia said. Her breathing was still ragged but she was steady on her feet.

  “Every time you try and manifest your weapon, power is used,” Calisto replied. “Now with the artifact in the equation, that power is multiplied by several orders of magnitude.”

  “So basically if I try and use my sword, I fry my brain?”

  “Something like that, yes,” Calisto said. “At least while you still have part of that mask on.”

  “I’m going to have to remember to thank Hep and Gan for this later,” Sepia said.

  “They were only doing what they felt was the right thing to do.”

  “Hobbling me and leaving me defenseless was the right thing to do?”

  Calisto grabbed her by the arm.

  “When you were unconscious and in the Keep, your sword manifested twice,” Calisto answered. “I don’t think you were aware of it. The power and what it tried to do… if not for that mask…that mask saved your life, not to mention the lives of Hep and other Warders.”

  “And almost got me killed more than once,” Sepia answered, looking away. “How do we get to the chasm from here? Tell me we don’t have to take a ward path.”

  “Do you understand what’s at risk if you remove it?” Calisto asked. “The power of the artifact with a dark blade…”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Without that mask, the artifact’s power—the keystone—is unleashed,” Calisto said. “It will overtake the sword and you and twist you into a being of darkness. You will cease to exist.”

  “What if I can harness it somehow, control it?”

  “It’s an Unholy artifact,” Calisto said, “and you won’t be the first to have tried.”

  “I can do it,” Sepia whispered. “The power—it feels familiar.”

  Calisto slapped Sepia hard across the face, making sure to avoid the mask.

  “Don’t you dare—that artifact was designed with a specific purpose,” Calisto said. “According to the texts, it’s to ensure the transformation to a Nightmare Lord. It’s not meant to be wielded as a weapon.”

  “Gan told me about the transformation, but I think I can handle it,” Sepia said as she rubbed the side of her face, which now throbbed with heat.

  “No, Sepia, he didn’t tell you everything.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Chimera wasn’t always a Nightmare Lord,” Calisto began. “He once worked for the Order.”

  “He did what?”

  “This was before I knew Ganriel,” she said. “He and the man who would become Chimera were both in the Order and the first Unholy war.”

  “No, he’s Unholy, a Nightmare Lord,” Sepia said. “I fought him—watched him kill—he killed my friends.”

  “Yes, and he has done much worse,” Calisto said. “That is what the artifact can do—without the power of a dark blade.”

  “Who was he?” Sepia whispered.

  Calisto turned and made her way to one of the tunnel entrances that led away from the obelisk. She read the wards surrounding the entrance and nodded to herself.

  “This one will lead us to the chasm,” she said and began tracing wards. “It won’t be easy and Fuma has the passage filled with lethal traps.”

  “Tell me,” Sepia said.

  Calisto placed a hand on the tunnel entrance and sighed. She turned to look at Sepia.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I only know he was close to Ganriel and Emiko, your mother. He’s also the reason you can wield Perdition.”

  “What, how?” Sepia asked. “How is that possible?”

  “Gan never told me the details,” Calisto replied. “There are some things he’ll never discuss with me. I believe that’s one of them.”

  “He will tell me,” Sepia said, her words laced with anger. “How could he have kept this from me?”

  “If he did, he has his reasons.”

  “He should’ve told me,” Sepia answered. “I deserved to know.”

  “We need to focus on the task at hand, unbind that sword before you become something unspeakable,” Calisto said. “And the only way to do that is through this tunnel.”

  “Fuma,” Sepia said. “He can
unbind Perdition without it killing me?”

  “Yes, Fuma—if anyone can, he can,” Calisto said. “I assure you he won’t be pleased to see us, though.”

  “He doesn’t get a choice,” Sepia said. “If I don’t unbind Perdition, the artifact will turn me.”

  “True, but there is always a choice,” Calisto answered. “You just have to be willing to live with the consequences that result from them.”

  “I need to speak with Gan,” Sepia said. “All I have is questions and he has the answers.”

  TWENTY-THREE

  “You have the answers I need, Ganriel,” Onyx said. “I expect your full cooperation.”

  Gan was shackled against a wall. His arms and legs were restrained with thin metal bands that were attached to the wall. Each of the restraints glowed with a faint violet light. The room was dimly lit and devoid of any furniture. The cold stone gave off a low hum, which indicated that the room was warded.

  “Where did you get the dragondust?” Gan asked. “You can’t exactly get that online.”

  He didn’t bother struggling. He knew the bonds would prevent any kind of movement from the energy around his body.

  “You’d be surprised at what is available online these days, Onyx answered. “But you’re correct. The Akitsu apparently hate you more than I do.”

  “The Akitsu have been gone for a quarter-century,” Gan said, looking around. He ignored Onyx as he examined the room. He surreptitiously tested the bonds every few seconds as he mentally traced the ward lines around the cell. He allowed the power within to flow outward in a controlled fashion and felt the intense pain punch into him. He screamed in agony as the wards around him activated in response to his probing.

  “I thought you looked distracted,” Onyx said. “Those restraints are custom made—for you. The wards in this room are also custom made. Something about power-dampening reciprocating wards. I don’t know the details—I just know they cause great pain.”

  Gan gasped in pain as the intensity of the wards lessened.

  “How did you find it?” Gan said. “It was sealed off after the war.”

  “Oh, the Nameless Hall?” Onyx asked. “The one you and your Order wanted to keep away from prying eyes and the Unholy?”