Dark Flight (The Shadow Slayers)

by Cassi Carver

  Clinging to the baby, Kara felt her spirit unraveling. Where could she leave this boy? Could she drop him from her arms and will him to land safely, or was it too late, would he be sucked into the Abyss right alongside her?

  Mazeki. He would be safe there. The black-wing had hidden Kara when she was born, he could do the same for Gavin’s baby. Mazeki, she thought. Please. If there is a Maker, please take this baby where he can be safe.

  Suddenly, Kara plunged into a warm liquid. She inhaled a lungful of water, and instinctively began to kick for the surface. When her face broke the top of the pond, she coughed and blinked, the bright day burning her eyes. A small sound got her attention, and she looked down. The baby’s eyes were wide and his face was red. Still not understanding what had just happened, she held him above the water and swam for the shore.

  She ducked under the falls and pulled herself up on the dirt embankment, then brought her hand down flat on the baby’s back. He coughed and whitish fluid appeared at the corner of his lips, but once his lungs were working again, he let out a cry the likes of which Kara had never imagined.

  Casting a frantic look over her shoulder, waiting for Brakken to appear any second, she raced for Mazeki’s red door and pounded hard. “Mazeki! Help me!”

  He opened the door, looking surprisingly unsurprised to see her. “Help you? You seem to be doing just fine, Kara. But come in.”

  She darted past him and almost collapsed on the floor. “Stripey!” she called, and the pillow waddled out and stood at attention. “The baby,” Kara told him. When he came to her side and flattened out, she laid the child in the center of the brown-and-gold-striped pillow, and then she truly did collapse.

  The baby continued to cry, but Stripey bounced him gently, and the sounds got softer and softer as Kara simply maintained her face-plant on Mazeki’s rug.

  Holy shit. Was she alive? Had she actually escaped Brakken’s lair and found her way to Mazeki’s kingdom? Had Mazeki somehow flashed her here on his own when he felt her calling out to him?

  “Amazing,” he said, his sandaled feet appearing in her line of sight. “They aren’t quite what I expected, but they are unique.”

  “Huh?” Kara asked, her mouth moving against the rug. She was too exhausted to do anything but revel in the fact that for the moment, she was safe and so was Gavin’s boy.

  He spoke louder, like she was hard of hearing. “Your wings. I said they’re amazing, but not what I expected.”

  Eyes bulging, Kara scrambled to sit up. “My what? What are you talking about?”

  Yes, her back hurt, less now than it had before, and it felt itchy, but that feeling couldn’t be wings. Females didn’t have wings. Everyone knew that.

  “Kara. Take a look.” He pointed behind her.

  Feeling like an idiot, Kara threw a glance over her shoulder—and screamed. “What in the bloody flippin’ hell is on my back? What are those?”

  Mazeki frowned and poked her back, then pinched one of the things between his fingers and pulled it taut. “Well, my dear, I’m afraid these are your wings.”

  “Those aren’t wings! It’s like someone strapped a pterodactyl skeleton to my back! Why do I have bones sticking out of my back, Mazeki?” Whatever they were, they’d torn right through her black shirt.

  “Calm down, Kara. The structure is completely normal. You simply haven’t grown the flesh or the feathers yet. Still, they got you here, didn’t they?”

  No. Had she flashed here on her own two wing-things? “That’s not possible. Females don’t have wings.”

  “They do now.” Mazeki shook his head and picked up a large book from the nearest table, then he sat in his chair, kicked up his feet and began to read.

  “What is that? Does that book tell about how a female can sprout wings?” If she could even legitimately call the bony protrusions on her back wings.

  “No. This happens to be a thriller. I was just getting to the good part when you arrived.”

  Kara darted a quick glance at the baby. Stripey already had him sound asleep. She reached down and gave the pillow’s golden fringe a pat, then she strode to Mazeki, took the book and closed it for him.

  “We’re in the middle of an emergency here! Brakken’s put Rachel and her friend Darrinda into a state of regeneration, and now that I escaped with the baby, there’s no telling what he’ll do to them. And remember the Sanctiáre and the feather? They never gave me one! How am I supposed to help Julian now?”

  Mazeki pulled the book from Kara’s grip back into his lap. “I told you the Sanctiáre would give you what you needed to help Julian defeat Brakken, and they have. I expected feathers, to be honest, but they can’t change your DNA, they can only speed up the process.”

  “What are you saying? You sent me there knowing it was me they’d be working on?”

  “I had my suspicions, and they were confirmed when you began the metamorphosis. Let’s hope you’re over your craving for blood now. Biting your friends isn’t very ladylike, if I do say so myself.”

  Kara went slack-jawed. “No. It can’t be. The Sanctiáre said something weird on the mountain. They called me a female Aniliáre. Is that what I’m becoming? Or could I be a silver-wing? I don’t understand any of this.”

  Mazeki drummed his fingers over the book’s cover. “A female Aniliáre? Now that would be curious. Still, I doubt it. And a silver-wing? Perhaps. I wish I had the answers for you, my girl. I suppose you will have to wait and see what becomes of those wings. What’s important for now is that the Sanctiáre have granted you flight. Feathers or no feathers, you will be able to flash and fly like one of us.” He leaned forward, and the tip of one black wing dipped in Kara’s direction like a hand waving in greeting.

  “If you thought there was even a small chance of this happening, why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”

  “You would have simply told me I was crazy. Even with wings protruding from your back you barely believe me.”

  “So my part in the battle was to get the baby to safety?” It was surreal that she’d been able to—with her wings. She had real, honest-to-goodness wings. Well…sort of.

  “No, bringing the child here has little to do with sending Brakken to the Abyss. Your work has yet to begin, Kara. Rest and regroup, then go do what you must.”

  “But what am I supposed to do?”

  He ran his hand over the cover of his book. “You’ve heard the prophecy of the Shadow Rising?”

  “Uh, yeah. I saw it. You know that.”

  “Yes, but I’m speaking of prophecies. Have you studied them?”

  Kara rubbed her elbows, suddenly feeling a chill. “No, I haven’t studied them. It’s not like I grew up in a Demiáre school for the gifted. This is all new to me.”

  He clutched the book and reclined further. “Well, many were thought to be silly myths. With the fulfillment of the Shadow Rising, now some are rethinking their position.”

  “Seriously, Mazeki, this is way over my head for what I’ve just been through. You’re obviously getting at something, so can you just break it down for me?”

  He paused, seeming deep in thought. “There is still the prophecy of the Shadow Slayers to be fulfilled—three creatures that will arise when the Shadowland is on the verge of a great evil that may bring about the destruction of both realms. And as one—a triad—these men or women…these Shadow Slayers…will restore order to our worlds.”

  His strange words came back to her. The last time she was here he’d called her his “little shadow slayer”. “What are you getting at? I’m not a creature. I’m not part of a triad.”

  Mazeki laughed. “Are you not?”

  Kara shook her head. She wasn’t ready to listen to random musings and musty old prophecies. “That’s really interesting, but for now we should be talking about how to send a black-wing to the Abyss.”

  He shrugged, slipping his fingers back between the pages of his book. “It’s not an easy task, but the concept is rather simple. You must trap Brakken in
the place between the two realms and then blast him with enough energy to close the portal.”

  “How do you trap a being that can flash between here and the surface with no problem?”

  “Depleting his energy would be a good start. Julian is stronger than I imagined he would be, but he’s just starting to explore his gifts. I’m not sure he has what it takes to battle Brakken long enough to deplete the older Aniliáre’s reserves.”

  “Then how is this going to work? Sure, I found my way here to you, but that doesn’t mean I know how to flash. And as of yesterday, Julian couldn’t even travel to the surface.”

  “Don’t worry about Julian. And as for you, your instincts brought you here. Trust them, Kara.”

  “Instincts? I think you mean desperation. I’m pretty sure that’s the only thing that got me here. How do you expect me to manipulate that in-between space well enough to slow Brakken down?”

  Mazeki took his bookmark between his fingers, fiddling with the corner with his thumbnail. “I find it hard to explain. If it was ever difficult for me, it was so many millennia ago that I’ve long since forgotten what it feels like to navigate between the realms for the first time. It may be to Julian’s advantage that he became so close and intimate with the fringes of the Abyss after his Shadow Rising. As for you…” He narrowed his eyes as if deliberating something.

  “Yes? Me, what?”

  “You need to speak with a female who has had to learn to live permanently in the Shadowland without being consumed by the Abyss.”

  “Does she have wing-things, like me? I thought all females eventually had to travel to the surface to rest and repair?”

  “No, she does not have wings. That has simply never happened before. And she doesn’t have a silver-wing to transport her, so she’s learned to pull herself back from the edge when the darkness comes for her.”

  Kara wasn’t sure what to think of that. If it was such an oddity, Mazeki seemed to be handling it fine. “So you think she’ll be able to tell me something more about how the in-between place works…or the portal, you called it.”

  “If she’s willing to help. With no way to travel, she is extremely vulnerable. If you fail and Brakken hears of her aiding you, he will kill her without a doubt. She would be risking much, so I insist that you do not pressure her. She usually prefers not to get involved in matters of the Shadowland, and that is her choice.” His brows rose slightly. “She’s so reclusive, she makes me look like a social butterfly.”

  “Wow. What’s her name?”

  “Hexa.”

  “Hexa the Hairy?”

  His chin dipped low, and his eyes narrowed. “Oh, wonderful. You’ve heard of her on the island. I wouldn’t mention that title if you choose to seek her out.”

  “How do I find her?”

  At that, he crossed his ankles on the footstool and leaned farther back in his chair. “I have no idea. She used to inhabit the caves on the edge of the Land of Desolation. You could start there.”

  “Okay. Sounds good.”

  “Yes, except that they extend for about fifty miles in either direction.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “But if you find her, would you do me the favor of telling me her location. I’m a few hundred years overdue for a visit. And I think…er…rather I hope, that she might be pleased to see me. We were almost old friends once.”

  Kara had no flippin’ idea what that meant, but it didn’t matter right now. “Of course. If we find her, we’ll let you know.”

  Mazeki smiled. “This is so exciting, I almost wish I could accompany you on your quest to smack down that bastard.”

  “You’re invited. We could use you.”

  He opened the book and started to read. “No, thank you.”

  “You’re giving up that easily? Isn’t there some Aniliáre code that says if another black-wing promises his daughter to you, you have to fight on her side?”

  “If there isn’t, there should be. Too bad I was lying about that.”

  “What?” Kara sputtered. “What do you mean, lying? You were putting out the creepy sex vibes!”

  “Child, I haven’t had sex in eons. There came a point hundreds of years ago when I’d simply seen it all and done it all. What else was there? Nothing new. No, Kara. Your virtue is safe with me.” He laughed, and she couldn’t help but find it slightly offensive.

  “So my dad didn’t pay you? All that stuff about the basket… Everything was a lie?”

  “Of course he paid me. I was his friend—not his indentured servant. And yes, there was a basket. A lovely basket. I used to keep it right here to hold my favorite books. And, by the way, if you’re going to be so ungrateful about the basket, I’d like it back.”

  Mazeki clapped his hands and a chest floated down from one of the top shelves in the library, so far up on the wall that it looked figurine-sized from a distance.

  Finally, the large trunk came to a rocky stop on the rug between Mazeki and Kara. When Mazeki snapped his fingers, the lid sprang open and the brilliant jewels inside made Kara want to shield her eyes. They weren’t like jewels on the surface. These seemed to glow with energy unlike anything she’d seen.

  Her mouth gaped. “He paid you with an entire frickin’ chest of jewels, and you still lied to me?”

  The dark-skinned black-wing nodded. “Yes, I did. And it’s not only jewels; your father threw in some other very interesting items. As for the lie, it was wonderfully effective. I’m not sure Julian would have been angry enough to access his power any other way. You’re welcome.”

  Holy crap. He was crazy. But she was glad he was on her side. “Okay, then…I’d better hurry. I have a hairy recluse to find.”

  He waved a hearty goodbye. “Best of luck. And don’t forget your baby.”

  “What? I can’t take a baby into battle! There’s no way! Can you watch him for me, please?”

  “Now you go too far.” His gaze scanned over the child, and he grimaced. “He’s smelly and extremely loud after being submersed in water.”

  Kara squeezed Mazeki’s arm. “Please. I’m begging you. I know you can do this. You did it for me, remember?”

  “Yes, but I was paid handsomely for it.” He gestured to the chest. “If I help this lad, twenty-five years from now he’s going to come back here with another infant, like a never-ending chain of diapery doom. I have to stop the cycle sometime, Kara.”

  She snorted. “Sorry, but he’s not wearing a diaper.” She could have sworn that Stripey glanced up, pure terror wrinkled into his fabric face.

  Mazeki shot to his feet and a disposable diaper misted into his hand. “You have crossed the line, Kara Reed!”

  He bent and unwrapped the blanket from the boy, then gingerly put the diaper on him. When Gavin’s little guy started to cry, Mazeki picked him up and sat back down in his chair. With the baby in one arm, he opened the book with his other and started to read. “You owe me, as they say—big time.”

  “Yes, I do,” she agreed. “I have a pair of pure, sterling silver earrings at home that are going into that treasure chest just as soon as I get back.”

  Mazeki rolled his eyes, and the page of his book flipped without him touching it. “Keep the earrings. I will take Hexa’s last known address instead.”

  “You got it.”

  Kara walked to his door, trudged back through the water and then stopped at the edge of Mazeki’s land. Trust her instincts, Mazeki had said. More like she needed to trust him to even begin to believe she could do this.

  She closed her eyes and envisioned Julian’s home in the Land of Desolation. She wasn’t sure it would work, but she thrust all of her brain juice into it and the next thing she knew, she was spiraling toward nothingness.

  Kara was sure it was the right location, even with her apartment gone. In its place was a field with a lone poplar tree and a smattering of heavily armed warriors. When she appeared, she was literally still spinning in circles from her rudimentary attempt at flashing, and by the time she came
to rest, she was surrounded by men with swords pointing in her direction.

  She thrust her hands up and dug her bare feet into the earth. “It’s me, guys!”

  One warrior nudged her shoulder with the tip of his sword, and a small splotch of blood bloomed on her skin. “It could be him!” the warrior cautioned. “She couldn’t have traveled here on her own!”

  “Ouch! Asshole. It’s me! Lady Kara.” She still hated calling herself a lady, but it seemed an apt time to bring up her position in the clan. “Get me Jaxon or Gavin. Hurry! Lord Aiden has my charms. I can’t summon them.”

  “A likely story,” another warrior said.

  “Will you look at this?” As she heard the words, she felt the sting of another blade scraping past her bony wings and piercing her skin.

  She whirled and bared her fangs. “Stop that. Just find Gavin for me. Hurry. I have news about his baby.”

  At least one gargantuan warrior tackled her from behind, and with his knees in her back, another put a dagger to her throat. “Pop the Monster’s head off, fast, before he can flash!”

  “It’s me!” she ground out the best she could with some two-hundred-pounder bruising her ribs. “There will be no popping of my head whatsoever, understood?”

  “Lady Kara?” said a voice moving in her direction.

  She could barely turn her head to see the warrior, but then he came into her line of sight. It was the man who’d walked her to see Gavin during construction. “Ted?”

  “What in the name of the Maker is sticking out from your back, my lady? It’s like someone burned your wings to the bone!”

  When the guard adjusted his position, grinding his knee into Kara’s back, she coughed. “Ted…get him off me.”

  “Let her go!” the eager warrior shouted.

  “It’s Brakken in disguise!” another shouted back.

  “Brakken doesn’t know me from a hole in the ground. He’s not telepathic, and he wouldn’t know my name! Besides, if he’d found Lord Julian’s lair, we’d all be dead by now!”

  With worried and confused glances, the men began moving away from Kara to give her space. She stood and squeezed Ted’s shoulder. “Thank you.” Then she turned to the group. “Gavin, Jaxon, Aiden, hell, even Julian. Pick one, and get him now, please!”