“Not…my…Order,” Gan said between breaths. “How?”
Onyx walked up to him and grabbed his face by the chin. He punched him in the stomach once. Gan grunted in response.
“Do I have your attention now?” he asked. “It was almost impossible to find this Hall.”
“It was supposed to be impossible,” Gan whispered. “It was abandoned for a reason.
“I know it was,” Onyx said and he stepped close to Gan’s ear. “And I know what you abandoned here. Placing it in an interstitial ward path was a stroke of genius. Was that your idea?”
“Then you know why it was abandoned,” Gan answered. “Let me guess, you think you’re strong enough to control it.”
“Not I,” Onyx said, putting a hand to his chest. “I’m sure it would kill me, but I know a certain Regional Guard—Velos, I think his name is—wielding a dark blade who would be a perfect candidate.”
Gan’s face paled. “No, you can’t,” he said.
“I can and I will, Ganriel,” Onyx said. “I will see your world burn, and when there aren’t any of you left then we will be free.”
“You’re wrong. He will end everything,” Gan said. “If you give it to him, you give him the power to destroy it all.”
“I like the sound of that,” Onyx said. “Do you know why I brought you here?”
“Yes,” Gan said. “You need the key—but I don’t have it.”
“I know you don’t, but you know who does and you will give me that information,” Onyx said.
Gan started laughing. “You aren’t going to like my answer,” he said. “You may as well kill me now. I don’t think I will be sharing today.”
“You remember the dragondust?” Onyx asked. “Well, the Akitsu were kind enough to lend me one of their best to help get this information.”
“The Akitsu would never help you,” Gan said. “Besides, they were wiped out at the end of the Unholy War. I should know, I was there.”
“So I heard,” Onyx replied. “It seems you missed some.”
Onyx gestured with his hand and a figure moved in from the corner of the cell. A dark hood covered the face but Gan could tell the figure was female. He could see the telltale pattern of dragonflies decorating the silk hood as she stepped closer.
“Hello, Ganriel. It’s good to see you again.”
That voice…No.
Gan clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as tears streamed down his face. “Impossible,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “You’re dead.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Onyx said. “I need him alive or she won’t find him and I need to have her here. I need to meet a certain guard.”
“You will bring him here, so this transmission can be complete,” the woman said. “He won’t last long after I begin.”
“Don’t do this,” Gan said. “He will destroy you.”
“The only male to hold and bond to a dark blade in a century without going insane,” Onyx answered. “I’m looking forward to his upgrade. I hear he hates Hunters and the Order as much as I do.”
Onyx bowed and left the room as the woman stepped closer to Gan.
“Do you remember me?” she said. “You left me to die on the battlefield.”
“It can’t be—that’s not true,” Gan said. “I went back for everyone.”
“Liar!” she yelled and placed a palm on his chest. His screams filled the cell.
She pushed back the hood. Long black hair framed her face. She looked up at him and parted her hair. Scars covered half her face. “You didn’t come back for me or my people, even after we sacrificed it all to help your precious Order.”
“I went back,” Gan said. “I went back.”
Screams filled the cell again as she placed a hand on his chest, manipulating his energy pathways.
“You will not lie to me again, Ganriel,” she said. “Today your past has become present.”
“Belu, kill me,” Gan said.
“No, my love,” she said and gently caressed his face. “First you will see all those you love die. You will have your heart ripped out over and over. Then I will destroy those who believe in you. In the end, death will be a mercy denied to you like it was to me. Once despair has set in, I will give you hope and then snatch your life.”
Gan smiled, his mouth bloody. “Belu, you won’t find what you are looking for,” he said. “That information is inaccessible, even to me.”
“I’m not looking for anything—except justice,” she said. “The information the Unholy seeks will come—in time, but first I will extract payment.”
“This is not justice,” Gan answered as blood escaped the sides of his mouth. “This is vengeance.”
“No, Ganriel, you only see it as such because you haven’t suffered my pain,” she whispered. “Today you will share in my pain. Today I will balance accounts.”
She placed a hand on his chest and his screams filled the cell again.
TWENTY-FOUR
“Hello, Hunter,” Velos said. “Please understand this is not personal, but I need your sword.”
“You want what?” she said, stepping back from the black smoke that surrounded him. “If you have a shot, take it.”
Several shots rang out but disappeared into the smoke around Velos.
“Whatever that stuff is, I can’t shoot through it, Cesca,” the voice over the com said. “Get away from him.”
“That’s actually sound advice, but it’s too late for that now,” Velos said.
He extended his hand and some of the smoke traveled down his arm, solidifying in his hand. Retribution gleamed in the night as he held it lightly, pointing it at the Hunter. The smoke continued to swirl around him as he stepped closer.
“I don’t run from the Unholy, and I’m not going to start running now,” Cesca said. “Get yourself safe, Hector.”
“I’m not leaving you, so take his ass down,” Hector said. “Finish this punk.”
“Touching, but pointless,” Velos said and began laughing. “Hunters are obsolete and I will prove it to the Order.”
He let the smoke completely envelop him and ran forward. Cesca stepped to the side and narrowly avoided the slash. Smoke crept around them. She stepped close to attack and slashed through the smoke but hit nothing.
“Liberation?” Velos said from behind her. “A good strong name.”
Cesca froze in place for a second as she heard her sword’s name. It was a second too long. Velos plunged Retribution through her midsection, twisting it as she fell forward, spitting up blood.
*******
Velos let the smoke cover her as she dropped her sword. He removed her com as the smoke gathered around them.
“Allow me to free you,” Velos said as her body disappeared, leaving only Liberation on the ground.
“Francesca!” Hector yelled over the com.
Velos put the com in his ear.
“I’m going to kill you, you bastard!” Hector screamed. “You’re dead, you hear me?”
“This isn’t personal,” Velos said as he looked up and scanned the buildings. “The named blades are too dangerous to be out in the streets any longer.”
Several shots rang out. Each hit the smoke with a muffled thud and disappeared, leaving Velos unharmed.
“Tell them I’m coming,” Velos said. “Tell them I bring Retribution. Tell them I bring the end.”
He crushed the com, silencing Hector’s voice, and walked off into the night.
TWENTY-FIVE
“How long do we have before Anna unleashes the Sisters on us?” Jas asked.
“Unleashes?” Wake said. “We aren’t a pack of wild dogs.”
“Sorry,” Jas said. “I’m just a bit freaked.”
“You should be. Listen, I have something to tell you about when the Black Hunters attacked the compound.”
“Is everyone okay?” Jas asked. “Did you see Cyn?”
“Anna won’t be sending any Sisters after us because the Black Hunters—it’s only
Anna and Shanti right now. Most of the others…”
“What do you mean it’s only Anna and Shanti?”
“The Black Hunters killed everyone who was in the compound that day,” Wake said. “They even got Lexa.”
“Cyn?” Jas said.
Wake nodded as she drove.
“Fuck!” Jas screamed as she pounded the dashboard. “No! It’s not true! Tell me it’s not true, please.”
The electronics in the car began to flash as the car skidded to a stop. Every light on the display flashed. Smoke began to waft out of the dashboard as Wake opened the door and got out. She walked over to the passenger side and pulled Jas out of the car.
“Let’s go,” Wake said, looking around. “The electrical system is fried. We need to go…now.”
Jas shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said as she ran her sleeve across her face and wiped the tears. “This thing…it gets away from me sometimes and I lose control.”
“I noticed,” Wake said. “We need to get to the Keep. If anyone knows where Sepia is it’ll be Mercy. That was the last place I saw her before she slammed me against a wall.”
“We’re not far away, we can walk from here,” Jas said. “Right?”
“No, it’ll be dark soon and we won’t be going into the park at night,” Wake said. “We can go in the morning. In the meantime I know a few places where we can stay overnight.”
They headed to Columbus Circle and then walked a few blocks west to a non-descript building. Wake spoke to the door attendant and he let them enter.
“What is this place?” Jas asked as they entered the high- ceilinged lobby.
“Questions later,” Wake said. “Let’s get a place to sleep.”
The building was designed in an Art Deco style. Filigrees and scrollwork decorated the lobby—reminders of an era gone by. Ornate statues adorned each of the corners. A large circular Persian rug dominated the center of the floor. When Jas looked carefully, she could see wards interwoven in the designs. They walked to a large reception desk where a woman waited for them. She was dressed in business attire: a dark blue suit with a crisp white shirt. Her nametag said Elaine.
“Two for the evening?” Elaine asked.
Wake nodded, opened her pack, and handed her a card. Elaine took it and ran it through her machine. After a few seconds, she handed the card back to Wake with another black card embossed with a large M in the center done in a gold script.
“Everything seems to be in order,” she said, “Enjoy your stay, ma’am. Do you require a wakeup call?”
“No, thank you,” Wake said as she took both cards and headed for the elevator. “This is an Order hotel. It’s called Midnight. It’s a neutral location for any of the Agents. We should be safe here for the night.”
“What floor are we on?” Jas asked. “This place is a little over-the-top.”
“Top floor?” Wake said, distracted. “Why would she give us the top floor?”
“I’m sure the view is incredible,” Jas answered. “Maybe she likes you?”
Wake gave her a withering look. “I never stay here for the ‘view,’” she said. “And I never stay on the top floor. I don’t like it.”
“Should we leave?” Jas asked, worried. “I thought you said the Order made this place neutral territory?”
“Right now the Order is in flux,” Wake said as they approached their room. “After they lost an Overseer, things are not as structured as they should be. We need to be concerned with Regional.”
“Regional, why?”
“Think of it this way—if the Order is what makes the rules in the city, Regional is what makes the rules in the country,” Wake said. “They will send in the Guard, if they haven’t already, and then everything gets complicated.”
Wake opened the door and entered the room, followed by Jas. “Wait here,” she said and kept Jas by the open door while she scanned the interior. She took several steps inside and waited. She stood still for a full minute before moving back to the door. “Come in, but don’t get comfortable.”
Jas stepped in and sensed the devices in different locations through the room. “The room is bu,”—Wake placed a finger to her mouth and shook her head—“beautiful. Are all the rooms like this one?”
Wake nodded and walked back to the main room with a yellow legal pad. “They’re pretty much the same,” Wake said as she wrote something down. “Try and get some sleep. It’s been a long day. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jas looked down at the pad.
Attack imminent, get ready.
Wake unholstered her gun and pulled two daggers from their sheaths. She motioned for Jas to go into the other room and wait. Jas shook her head no and moved to the other side of the sofa behind Wake.
“I’ll take the sofa,” Wake said and turned it so it faced the door. “Goodnight, Jas.”
“Goodnight,” Jas said, drawing her gun as she crouched behind the sofa and took aim at the door.
Wake turned off the living room light and sat on the large sofa and waited. Thirty minutes later, the door whispered open a fraction of an inch and stopped. The silenced muzzle of a gun was the first thing to cross the threshold. Wake remained motionless. When the figure entered the room fully and closed the door, Wake released her blades.
Silently they found their marks, burying themselves in an arm and leg. The assassin froze in place and remained silent as he scanned across the room. Wake had left the sofa and stood next to the door. She put her gun against the assassin’s temple as he started to move. The assassin shifted his weight but Wake pressed the gun firmly against his head.
“Your gun,” she said. “Slow—thumb and forefinger only.”
“You’re better than they say,” he said as he handed over his gun. She took it and switched weapons, pointing his gun at him. She removed both blades and sheathed them in less than a second.
“Who sent you?” Wake asked. “I’m only going to ask once.”
“You know, I really didn’t get to see—” She pulled the trigger. He crumpled to the ground, dead.
“You killed him?” Jas said “Why? Why did you kill him?”
“He was stalling,” Wake said and searched his pockets. “Did you think he was paying us a hospitality visit? Checking in to see how the room was?”
“Did you have to kill him?” Jas asked. “We could have tied him up or something.”
Wake felt something in the lining of his jacket and used one of the blades to cut it open. A single card fell out.
“This is a Gray ID,” she said. “How did they find us?”
She looked at Jas and then back at the card. “You’re bugged,” she said. “This is typical Gan.”
“I’m what?” Jas said.
“Strip,” Wake said as she dug in her pack for a spare Sisters uniform and threw it to Jas. Jas looked at her, dumbfounded. Wake grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her once. “In about five minutes this room will be full of Gray Agents, like him, looking to retire you. You can stay and wait for them, or strip and change your clothes.”
Jas grabbed the clothes and ran into the bedroom. Two minutes later, she wore a Sisters uniform. Wake waited for her by the door. She glanced out into the corridor and motioned for Jas to join her. She signaled to herself and then to Jas and then pointed up. Jas looked surprised. Wake stepped out of the room and ran for the nearest stairwell.
Wake leaned against the door and pushed it slowly. For a few seconds she remained still, closed her eyes, and listened. Several floors down, someone was trying their hardest to come up the stairs quietly.
“The roof?” Jas whispered. “But we’ll be trapped. There’s no way off the roof, unless we can fly.”
“They won’t expect us to go up,” Wake answered. “And right now we need every advantage we can get.”
She pulled Jas in and they headed upstairs without making a sound. Wake pointed at the corner of the door. Two sensors faced each other.
“Can you disable that?” she said, poin
ting at the roof access alarm. “We need to buy some time.”
Jas reached out and placed a hand on the sensors. Nothing happened.
“What did you do?” Wake asked. “Did you disable it?”
“No, I boosted the signal,” Jas said. “You can open the door, but the sensors will think they are still in contact.”
Wake smiled. “Nice move,” she said. “How long before they implode?”
“Not long,” Jas replied. “The circuitry is crap so we have about five—or ten minutes before it melts.”
Wake pushed the door open just enough for them to get through the space and closed it behind them. She took one of her blades and rammed it into the doorframe, securing the door.
“That won’t keep them out for long once they realize the roof access has been opened,” Wake said. “C’mon, we need to get off this roof.”
“I don’t think you have enough rope in that pack to get us to the ground floor,” Jas said as she followed Wake to the edge.
Wake looked over the edge and down. Adjacent to the building stood another large structure. She pointed at the building across from them.
“That’s our way off,” Wake said. “Are you ready?”
Jas looked over the edge of the parapet. “Ready for what?” she said with a hint of hysteria. “Are you seeing stairs I can’t see? Because all I see is a gap with the sidewalk waiting for us at the bottom.”
Behind them, they could hear pounding on the door. Wake walked over to where Jas stood and pointed again. Below and across from them were large windows that made up the top floor of the adjacent building.
“That window wall is our way off,” Wake said. “Hand me your gun. You still have ex-rounds?”
“Ex-rounds?” Jas feigned surprise. “How would I get my hands on ex-rounds? Those things are way above my level of—”
Wake held her hand out. “Give it to me,” she said. “You got them the same way you get everything else, by using your considerable tech skills.”
Jas gave her the gun as the pounding grew louder.
“I don’t think this is a good idea, Wake,” Jas said. “If they work for Gan maybe we can talk it out.”
Sepia Blue- Nightmare: A Sepia Blue Novel- Book 3 Page 9
