Blood, Blades and Bacon (Thorns of the Shadow Book 1)

by Matthew Roys

  Retrieving its club, the Spartron took its place again then began its countdown. KT prepared for its initial charge but it surprised her by moving back then circling around her. She turned to keep it in view but it doubled back then zigzagged at speed for her.

  She jumped back and swung horizontally to meet any point it could attack from, spinning in the air with the swing to avoid smacking herself in the gut with the other end of the blade. The Spartron blocked the attack easily and pressed on. KT parried with one blade then countered with the other before kicking out with her foot. She too was lacking in skill but where Kai used an animalistic passion, KT flowed like a raging river. The two blades of her doublesword never stopped and nor did her body. Her legs kicked in lunges and sweeps, assaulting any area the blades were not. The Spartron’s single club couldn’t keep up with the flurry and eventually slumped in defeat from the sheer number of attacks.

  Kai took on level six and managed to beat it after a hard fought battle. He came out of the ring with several bruises and was breathing raggedly. KT matched his performance and came out of the ring a while later, battered but still standing.

  They took a break to eat before coming back to take on level seven. The countdown ended and the Spartron wasted no time in striking out at Kai. The force of the blow was nearly enough to take the axe clean from his hands. He cursed as another swing followed immediately that jarred the muscles in his arm painfully. He hastily jumped back but was offered zero respite. The club cut up toward Kai’s face. He blocked but his axe was knocked high by the force of the impact. Before he could recover the Spartron swung low to take Kai’s feet out from underneath him. He hit the ground struggling for breath.

  KT tried next and attempted to avoid the dummy’s attacks rather than defend against them. She dodged, ducked and spun but never had a chance to launch an attack of her own. Eventually she tripped on her own feet in her haste to backpedal and was rewarded with a club to the ribs. She dropped, gasping for air.

  “Damn it!” KT said through gasping breaths. “How are we supposed to stand against Annis if we can’t even beat a stupid dummy? Before we were dead weights but now Déaþscúa expects us to be the muscle. Dad and the others are depending on us! Christ, the entire world might be!”

  It was at that moment Déaþscúa returned to the room. He watched with a sly smile as Kai helped KT back to her feet. He stayed by the door and beckoned the teens to him. He took in their sweaty, dishevelled appearance and nodded approvingly.

  “Wheels are in motion. Everything is as ready as it can be until Jearl gets here. Now we just have to prepare ourselves. What level kicked your ass?”

  “Seven,” Kai answered sourly. “If I wasn’t injured I’d beat it no problem.”

  “Seven is impressive, especially for two teenagers who aren’t fighters. I’d almost say miraculous. The Protectors train at level eight as a standard and they're the trained soldiers of the Grand Moot. If you can both beat level six without any real training then what you could achieve with some guidance would be astounding. Something to note though, I never said you had to train one on one. You’re going to be fighting together when we leave so training together might be a good idea. Numbers can make up for individual power.”

  KT and Kai looked to each other. They nodded in unison before both stepped into the ring once again.

  “Level seven,” they said as one.

  Once more the Spartron whirred into action, lunging straight for KT. She threw herself back but at the last second the machine darted instead for Kai as he rushed to flank it. Club met axe then span to meet sword blade. The top half of the dummy moved like a spinning top to keep up with the attacks from two sides.

  KT tried to think ahead and plan out how the fight would go but the dynamics between the three of them were so different than in a simple two man duel. When it was just you and your foe there were only three factors to keep track of. There was your own movements, those of your opponent, and the environment and surroundings. By simply adding another person, everything changed. Even with that person being on her side she realised that she couldn’t simply focus on what she was doing and what the Spartron was doing. Her moves affected what Kai could do as his moves affected her. It was like a balancing act. Only, balance was not enough. They needed combat synergy.

  She dropped back, leaving Kai to hold off the machine for a few seconds while she circled around behind him. She reared her arm back.

  “Duck then uppercut!” she shouted to Kai. “Now!”

  She threw the doublesword. It span through the air like an oversized shuriken. Kai heard her and ducked low. The Spartron battered the double sword away but had left itself open for the shortest of moments. Kai’s axe flashed upward and thudded into the dummy’s chest. While he was still half knelt, KT ran and used his back as a springboard. She kicked out in mid-air, slamming her foot into the Spartron’s head with enough force to snap it sharply to the side. She landed behind it and swept her legs low just as Kai stood and drove his axe into the machine’s side. Together they toppled it, watching in satisfaction as it hit the floor limply.

  “Easy, eh?” Déaþscúa said, sharing in their satisfaction. “It’s all just a matter of practice. Except if you're just born with unnatural talent. Then I suppose it’s not a matter of practice. The sentiment still stands though. Which on that note, I have the space of an afternoon to catch you up on everything you need to know about what may lay before you. A quick, well stocked brain is usually more useful than an abundance of muscle.”

  They left the training room and walked along the wide corridor. KT admired the art and objects that they passed but came to a stop in front of a tall manikin between two cabinets. A black cloak was draped around it with the hood up over a smooth yellow mask with a smiley face carved into it. It looked like someone had taken the Grim Reaper, stood it in an alcove then covered the skull with a silly face. Something about it drew KT’s attention. She reached out to touch the mask and the head tilted to the side to look at her in a curious manner. She yelped and jumped back.

  “Don’t mind old Fred,” Déaþscúa told her without any sign of concern.

  “Who the hell is it? Why is it just stood there in your house?” KT questioned shakily.

  Déaþscúa paused and looked at the cloaked figure. “The question is more ‘what is it’ really. He, I call it a ‘He’ but I don’t really know, just kind of… appears every now and then. He’ll just stand somewhere and stare at me. I’ll look away and he’ll be gone again. When I first saw him I tried to kill him but I couldn’t hurt him at all. I’ve gotten use to him now I guess.”

  “But what is he? Why is he watching you? It’s bloody creepy,” Kai said. He was keeping as much distance as he could from the creature.

  “I don’t know really,” Déaþscúa admitted. “From what I can piece together, I believe that it’s a creature that lives outside of time. It’s akin to Death but instead of seeking out lives that are ending it follows people who fundamentally change the world. I think he feeds off of destiny, if that makes sense to you. Great heroes and despicable men and women have reported seeing a strange, black robed figure throughout history. He scares the hell out of me but then I started calling him Fred to make him feel more cute. I see him as a pet cat now. He wanders in and out without my knowledge, follows me but doesn’t talk. Just ignore him.”

  He continued down the corridor, leaving the strange being behind, and took them to a small room with half a dozen armchairs circled around a large table that took up most of the space. Flames burned in a fireplace which gave the room a comfortable warmth. Books, papers and an assortment of objects were already laid out on the table. Elizabeth sat in one of the armchairs.

  “You seem to have combat down already,” Déaþscúa was saying as they took their seats. “What you don’t know can kill you though so I guess this is Survival 101. Elizabeth,” he nodded to the woman.

  Elizabeth pointed to an intricate diagram of the human body that was scraw
led with notes. “As you both know, the human body can be toned and improved. A fat man and an athlete of the same age will perform very differently. This is also true of the mind. Powered humans train their minds to use magic and other abilities but the Powerless can also use their mind to achieve unbelievable things.”

  “I am sure you have heard tales of mothers lifting cars to save their children or the like. Determination can be measured and does have a physical impact upon a body. If you two can sharpen your minds and learn how to focus your thoughts you can push your bodies past their natural limits. This will obviously be useful when fighting things that are beyond your scope. I can’t teach you much but this book should help,” she said, sliding a thick volume across the table.

  Déaþscúa picked up where Elizabeth had left off. “As well as your bodies and minds, you can also use other people's minds. Gadgets, enchanted items, potions, anything that can give you an edge. Always have tricks up your sleeves. Be unpredictable. Find what fits your style and integrate them into your plans. A lycan can smell you in the dark so use stink bombs. Goblins hate light so use flares. A ring that can shoot a laser once per charge can still turn the tide of a fight if used correctly. You two are weak by our standards but the weak have strengths of their own.”

  He paused and studied the two teens. “What do you want to learn about first? A rundown of creatures is usually a good start.”

  KT hesitated for a moment before asking “What are you? The real answer this time. You survived being reduced to literal pulp. You fought using your own bones. You’re like nothing I’ve ever heard of.”

  Déaþscúa sat in silent contemplation. After a few seconds he sighed. “I am both many things and just a simple man. If you really want a label then I suppose I’m known as an Addonexus.”

  “Addonexus?”

  “In simple terms, I was born under the passing of Halley’s Comet. For reasons that would take too long to explain, the comet affects newborn babies at a genetic level. Rather than having a magical well that can be tapped into, our magic is infused into our very body. I can use magic but would be considered fairly weak by most powered standards. In return my senses and reactions are superior in every way and my body heals at a dramatic rate. I can also control my bones.”

  “I don’t remember ever reading about an Addonexus,” KT said slowly.

  “There aren’t many of us. Only children born in a one or two day span every seventy five years are Addonexus. Of those, many die when their body spirals out of their control. Puberty is when most realise they're special because their bones begin to shift and fevers wrack their bodies,” Déaþscúa stated. “Puberty is hard at the best of times, let alone when it involves your bones shredding your own innards.”

  “What’s so special about a flying space rock anyway?” Kai asked.

  Déaþscúa shrugged. “No one knows yet. The comet has been in the skies for thousands of years though. Many believe that it was actually the star that the wise men followed to find Jesus.”

  “Wouldn’t that make Jesus an Addonexus too?” KT said sceptically.

  “All I am saying is that he was born under a shooting star, used magic and was nailed to a cross, stabbed with a spear and left to die yet walked out of his burial cave right as rain.” He shook his head to refocus himself. “But what I am isn’t important right now. What’s your next question?”

  They talked over everything that could be remotely useful long into the night. When they finally retired to their beds, KT found her mobile phone and tried her luck at getting it to work. She hadn’t even looked at it in days. It turned on, a miracle in itself after all that the phone had been through. The battery was low but a wireless signal was available. This surprised her because of their remote location but she had hoped that Déaþscúa would have an internet connection.

  Tucked up in her covers she searched the term ‘Addonexus’. It took some looking but she found a few scattered mentions of the word but only one fragment told her anything beyond Déaþscúa’s own description.

  She read the line aloud in a whispered tone. “Heralded into life by the comet's light, heralded into death when the light again is seen. Those of the Addonexus live but in the space of Halley’s passing, seventy five years of youth.”

  She made a quick search of Halley’s Comet, her brows furrowed in confusion. The last comet was in 1986. That would mean that Déaþscúa was only a few years older than her and Kai. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, not in his twenties. More than that though, he had known Ava. The dates didn’t add up with what he had said. She would have to fact check him in the morning. With questions still spinning in her head, she soon managed to drift off into a reluctant sleep.

  Her fitful slumber was shattered many hours later by a thunderous blaring noise from outside the house. KT shot from her bed, grabbing her doublesword that was leant against the wall, and rushed to throw open the curtains. Her window looked out across the gardens and woods at the back of the house. She couldn’t see anything that may have caused that noise.

  Noting that her tailored clothes had been left on the set of draws, she quickly changed then rushed downstairs. The front door stood open and Déaþscúa and Elizabeth were outside, staring down the path out of the valley. Grumbling angrily, Kai stomped down the stairs and joined his sister. Together they left the house to see what was happening.

  Parked a short way down the path was a giant, black SUV that was all sharp edges and angles that seemed to somehow flow, curved and elegant despite the deep lines. It had four doors, tinted windows and wheels that looked more at home on a sports tractor. KT had thought it impossible but it made the last vehicle look like an old lady’s mobility scooter. If the last SUV was a military vehicle then this one was from some demonic world of war.

  The noise sounded again, coming straight from the car. It was the loudest horn that KT had ever heard. The driver’s door opened and Jearl hopped out, a smirk splitting his face from ear to ear.

  “Mornin’ all. I thought I’d take the liberty to acquire a ride for us. This suit your needs, boss?”

  Déaþscúa laughed aloud. “I think I’ll make do with it. Does it have a cup holder?”

  “Oh yes, guv. And a mini-fridge.”

  “Well then,” Déaþscúa grinned. “Let’s take her for a spin. Does a baptism of fire sound fitting to you?”

  Jearl mirrored his childish excitement. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Got a good first test drive for you too. How does a rescue mission sound to you?”

  Chapter 17.

  They grabbed a quick breakfast then gathered everything they would need and loaded it all into the SUV’s spacious boot. This included a heavy toolbox and several black cases that were handled with delicate care. They climbed inside, Déaþscúa taking the passenger seat while KT, Kai and Elizabeth filed into the back. It was like a limousine inside with heated leather seats and all manner of buttons and compartments. Even stuck in the middle as she was, KT had all the room that she could have wished for.

  Jearl started up the engine and the sound reverberated through the car like the throaty growl of a tiger. He turned it to face back down the path then slammed his foot onto the accelerator. It thundered down the dirt path yet it could have been a slow drive down a highway for all that the SUV shook or bumped.

  “So what are the specifics of the plan? Save Ailia sounds really vague,” Kai asked.

  Déaþscúa nodded to Jearl then leant back in his seat. “Well, after you paid Ailia a visit that was so rudely interrupted by a group of men hired by a Mr Golman, she decided to teach him a lesson. The thing is he was expectin’ her, you see. I don’t know the details but Cathal says she left in the evenin’ and never returned. We can assume that he has captured her and that she is being held prisoner within his compound.”

  “Or she’s dead,” Kai added dryly. “Any good gang leader should know to kill potential threats.”

  “True that, mister,” Jearl nodded. “Savin’ that Roger
Golman is a man who likes to stretch out his victories. He likes power. Anyone has the power to kill but few can hold lives within their hands and force it to their will. He’ll see Ailia as a potential advantage.”

  KT stared at the pistols at her side and ran fingers down the edge of the doublesword. “So we drive to this compound and break her out? We don’t know where she’ll be within that place and it will likely be guarded by armed men. Me and Kai can’t pull ourselves back together after gunshots.”

  “We won’t be engaging with the guards if possible,” Déaþscúa told them. “You two are the only ones who can fight. I don’t like those odds. We infiltrate the grounds then try to locate Ailia. Golman will be expecting any rescue attempt to be by powered individuals, mages or monsters, so will not be looking too closely for regular folk.”

  “Where is this compound?”

  “The south of Scotland,” Jearl answered. “It’s in a remote plot of land but is close to all the necessary transport links. He is a businessman after all.”

  “It’ll be a few hours until we get there. Let’s see what this beast can do,” Déaþscúa said eagerly. He pressed a button and a heavy guitar riff began to blare from a dozen speakers. The noise was almost physical. He inched his head to Jearl and the SUV’s speed doubled.

  The ride went by quicker than KT had imagined. The further north they travelled, the more treacherous and cold the weather became, but inside the SUV it might as well have been summer. Towns and countryside zipped past through the windows and the music drowned out the sounds of the engine and the wheels.

  It was hard to tell what time it was when the SUV finally pulled to a stop on the outskirts of a small town just off of a motorway. Thick clouds boiled overhead casting everything in shadow. They disembarked and gathered around the front of the car.

  Déaþscúa slumped against the bonnet but he tried to make his voice sound as strong as ever. “Jearl and Elizabeth are going to ask around town and see what info they can find. KT and Kai will be with me as we go and do some reconnaissance of the facility itself. We’ll meet back up in that little cafe over there in two hours. Agreed?”