Siege of Shadows

by Sarah Raughley

  “It got hit!” Chae Rin looked out her window, eyes wide as the phantom that had been following alongside us barreled high into the sky, screeching with agitation, its tail burned off. “The phantom! The phantoms are being attacked, not us!”

  But we were, even if not intentionally. Just as one blast shot off the head of a phantom, another one blasted off the helicopter’s tail rotor. The helicopter shuddered and shrieked out its warning, the loud, dull sound bleating against my eardrums. We were going down.

  James was clicking buttons desperately, but we were spinning out of control too quickly.

  Gulping in air with short, desperate inhales, I grabbed Lake. “Get us out of here!”

  Lake could barely breathe; she tried lifting her arms up to still the air, but that required concentration she didn’t have with the helicopter flinging out of control.

  “Jump!” she screamed. “Jump now!” Grabbing her bag, she started unbuckling her seat belt. “Trust me!”

  There was no time for debate. Belle pulled a petrified James out with her into the night, Chae Rin, Lake, and I following close behind. Holding my breath, I plummeted through the sky, the cold wind biting my skin. Below us, two halves of a smoking, bloodied phantom crashed into the mountainside, but I was too far up to see who’d hit them.

  Another phantom went down with a well-aimed shot, but there were more circling back toward us with gaping jaws. Belle and I attacked at the same time, one phantom bursting into flames and the other falling back down to the earth, encapsulated in ice. The wind rushed past my ears as I continued to fall to the mountainside.

  “Lake!” I heard Chae Rin scream, but we were already starting to slow down. The wind rushed up to meet me but softened to a caress as it pillowed my body. The farther we descended, the clearer the figures below became. For the first time, I could see the people who’d killed the phantoms. There were three of them bundled up in thick jackets and climbing boots: a woman and two men—no, not two men, but one man and one kid. I couldn’t see their faces properly, but I did see the smoking barrels of their giant, body-length guns flashing with blue electricity.

  Guns aimed at us.

  “Stop!” I cried, but they weren’t looking at us. One last phantom. I could hear its screeching drawing closer to us from above. Our feet touched the ground just as two more shots were fired, but they both missed their target. Belle already had her sword out, but it was Chae Rin who rushed forward and, leaping, caught the phantom’s thick neck in her arms with her incredible strength. It pushed her back, but as she slid across the rocky terrain, she held the phantom’s gaping jaw in place. With her magic, the earth caved in and snatched the phantom’s tail, pulling him in like a sinkhole. She had to let go of its snapping jaw and jump out of the way so that the stone and soil could do their work, swallowing it up and crushing its body. By the time the earth had finished shifting, the phantom’s horn was all that was left peeking out of the soil. Chae Rin kicked it off.

  That’s when I heard the click behind my head.

  “Who are you?” a female voice, deeply inflected with a Spanish accent, rumbled in a low and throaty tone as the gun pressed against the back of my head.

  “I thought that would be obvious,” I answered coolly, even as I raised my hands in the air. “Seeing as we just smoked a few phantoms for you.”

  “Abril, enough,” said the man to my right. His face was hidden behind a blue scarf, but from his Scottish-inflected voice I could tell he was young, maybe a bit older than us. I recognized the huge, long-range weapon he’d used to fire at the phantoms in the sky. The metal covering, the electric blue bars that slid up the sides as it powered up—it was the same weapon Howard had used to fight off the phantoms in New York. A Sect weapon. The design was exactly the same.

  The man rested it against the ground while his hands fumbled in his bag, searching for something. He took out a metal stick that, when he tugged at it, stretched out in new sections. “We need to set up protection or we’ll get eaten out here. Put your gun down. This isn’t over.”

  He was right. I could feel the rumbling beneath my feet.

  “They’re coming!”

  The kid. He’d pulled his scarf down long enough for me to see his olive-skinned face before he turned around again and aimed his weapon at the mountain peaks. Several phantoms, as black, rotted, and smoking as the rest, crawled over the hills on thin, towering spider legs. They were moving too rapidly toward us, even despite the weight of their giant, cicada-like torsos.

  I batted Abril’s gun away with my hand, and though her face was covered with a red scarf and a thick hood, I could see her eyes rounding in fear at the sight of the phantoms. Shoving her gun back into her holster, she dove for her Sect weapon on the ground.

  As big as the phantoms were, they were fast enough to dodge the blasts, scuttling back and forth. The kid jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the sharp edge of a phantom’s leg as they came for us.

  One leapt out from behind us so quickly, Lake and James didn’t have time to react. Lake screamed as the phantom smashed its leg into James hard and he flew back, landing on the ground with a heavy thud, out cold. I couldn’t see if he was breathing or not.

  Belle ran, ducking to avoid Abril’s hectic blast, and slid, cutting off two legs in one go. Chae Rin created another sinkhole in the mountain, which took a phantom down, but she had to be careful—the Scottish boy had to run and duck out of the way to avoid being taken with it.

  It was chaos. With a great yell, Lake managed to push one of the phantoms back, but there were two more coming around the corner. Rushing forward, I summoned every bit of strength I had to set them on fire. I managed to burn off some legs, though there were so many trees nearby, I had to be careful not to start a wildfire.

  Off to the side somewhere, the Scottish boy was busy fiddling with that stick he’d pulled out of his bag while his partners shot blue electricity from their Sect weapons. But one phantom slipped through the perimeter just as I heard a weapon jam with a series of frustrated clicks. Spinning around, I saw the boy a few feet away eyeing his weapon in terror, desperately trying to shake it awake. As a phantom lurched toward him, I was already running for him.

  “Derrek!” Abril yelled, but she was too busy fighting off her own phantom to go to him.

  Derrek screamed and dropped his weapon, falling back and covering his head with his arm. I threw a wave of flame at it, but it brushed it off with a shake of its shelled head. It raised its needle-sharp leg and brought it down on Derrek’s head so fast I barely had time to think. On instinct alone, I slipped underneath it, blocking its attack with my arm and crying out in pain as the thin point pierced through my flesh.

  My blood dripped down the needle onto the forehead of a terrified Derrek, who lay flat on his back looking up with wide, blue eyes at the two of us monsters, Effigy and phantom, struggling over the fate of his life. Grabbing the leg with my other arm, I sent a tunnel of fire scorching up its length until the torso was aflame. Then, with a heave, I pushed it over and hit the ground even before it did, grasping my bloodied arm.

  “Are you okay?” Derrek sounded Eastern European somehow. He had that harsh lilt to his voice, but it felt mixed with many things, as if he’d been moved around too much before his voice could settle anywhere. When he pulled down his scarf, I could see his thick pink lips and his rounded cheeks. He took his cap off, revealing the pincer-straight black hair covering his ears. “You . . . you saved me.” He looked at me in utter awe.

  “I need a bandage,” I told him, but there wouldn’t be any time for first aid, not when there were more phantoms coming.

  “It’s done!”

  The Scottish man. He was finished setting up his trinket: a tripod that glowed from the metal feet to the glowing tip that reached just above his head. A few swift clicks and it was operational.

  “Take this, you little fuckers,” he swore. The moment he turned it on, a wave of blue light flashed out in a circle, evaporating the phantom
s in the area as far as I could see.

  We were safe, but it didn’t seem like there’d be any time to rest. The Scottish man pulled down his scarf and pushed off his hood with a flick of his head. His brown eyes matched the dark chestnut hair curling over his forehead in ringlets. His jaw was square and straight, his jawline defined as he surveyed the mountains.

  “All right, everyone move your arses. This isn’t going to hold forever.” He looked at me and grinned. “That is, unless you Effigies come with APD systems built into those indestructible little bodies.”

  “Not indestructible,” I said, holding up my bloodied arm.

  “And not little.” Chae Rin approached him slowly, looking him up and down. He didn’t seem to mind. Seeing a disheveled Chae Rin approach him menacingly only made his grin turn wicked. “Who are you?”

  “Traffickers.” It was Belle who’d answered, though her gaze was on the weapons they held. “Sect grade. You’ve stolen these.” She looked at the three of them. “Is this what you trade in?”

  “Sharp eyes,” said the Scottish boy.

  Traffickers. They usually weren’t any of the Sect’s business—we battled monsters, not humans, as sick as those humans may be. But they were criminals nonetheless, setting up hubs for their networks through Dead Zones, smuggling and transporting anything from drugs to people—but I didn’t see either.

  “We’re not bad guys, you know,” the man said, putting up his hands as a sign of peace.

  “You shot at us,” Chae Rin said.

  “By accident!” he insisted. “We were shooting at the phantoms. Come on, seriously, we’re not bad people. Believe me, we’re not your run-of-the-mill group of villains and criminals, and we’re not out here hurting anyone. Never would. Our wares—”

  “Sect wares,” Belle interrupted.

  “—this antiphantom technology,” he tried again, “is going to places and people that need it. And we’re not a threat to you, obviously. I didn’t get in this to fight any damn Effigies.” He straightened his back. “But since we did just save one another’s lives, let’s all of us calm down and clear things up on the way, yeah? Derrek, Abril. You okay?”

  “Yeah, Lucas.” Derrek stood up. “This girl saved me. But she’s bleeding bad.”

  “Ah, she can handle it. Don’t you Effigies heal fast?” Lucas laughed.

  “Yeah, but as you can see, despite that, I’m still bleeding.” I doubled over. “Actually, I think I’m going to faint.”

  “Sorry ’bout that.” Lucas picked up the tripod. “But I’m sure you’ll be fine. You gals can take care of yourselves.” He turned from us, waving Abril over before giving us a quick farewell salute. “Well, we’ll be off now.”

  He took several steps before pausing and looking back. “Don’t suppose you’re just going to let us go, are you?”

  “We have to go with you,” Belle said. “Not only for medical attention. There’s somewhere we’re heading and we can’t get through these mountains alone.”

  Lucas cocked his head to the side. “Sorry, but I don’t believe I asked you to come along.”

  “I don’t believe I was asking for your permission,” Belle answered flatly.

  Abril’s hand looked like it was itching to fly to her gun.

  “You think we’re going to come down on you for selling Sect stuff, right?” I said, wincing from the pain of my wound. “We won’t. Seriously, we don’t care. We’re just trying to get out of here. And you could use the extra muscle, right?” I said this as mine felt like it was about to burst apart like an overheated sausage.

  Lucas, Derrek, and Abril exchanged glances. “Fine.” Lucas threw his arms up in exasperation. “I’ll take your word for it, though it’s my arse on the line if you go back.” He shook his tripod. “We’re taking this with us until we get to the campsite. Actually, now that I think of it, our leader, Jin, is probably going to be interested to see you guys.”

  “We need to get him medical attention too,” said Chae Rin, flicking her head at James. Lake had already gone to pick him up.

  Lucas sighed. “Well, come along, then. We’ll patch your friend up, too.”

  He walked ahead of us, Abril and Derrek picking up the equipment and bags and following. Exchanging wary glances, the four of us followed the traffickers down the rocky mountain path.

  • • •

  Out of the three of them, only Abril was from around the area, but she didn’t speak much, merely grunted every once in a while, whenever her name came up. I suspected she was more comfortable with barking threats and pointing guns at people.

  Lucas was the chatty one. And flirty. Didn’t matter which girl. I caught him checking me out a couple of times, and I doubt it was to make sure my arm was any better after Derrek had tied it up with one of the bandages he’d found inside his bag. I couldn’t imagine why a thirteen-year-old would be out in the mountains as part of a criminal gang, but I’d seen stranger things.

  As they explained on our way down the mountain, they, like so many others, were an insular, nomadic group that sometimes picked up strays as they traveled—like Abril. She was an orphan and an escapee of a pretty vicious gang herself.

  Usually these smaller groups were part of bigger organizations that transported illegal wares through these networks. But some groups, like this one, worked alone, setting up their own pathways, making their own money at the risk of their own lives. The three of them had been sent out by their leader, Jin, to scout a new route through the mountains, but their APDs crapped out at the wrong time. Dangerous life.

  It got warmer as we descended, though the air around me was still just chilly enough to keep me alert. Then again, with my lack of sleep, I couldn’t be sure how long that would last.

  “We’re almost at camp. Now, maybe you girls can tell me what you’re doing here?” Lucas hoisted the tripod up as it started slipping down his hands. The field it generated was still going strong. I could only see a slight blue tinge of the waving particles spreading out from around us in a perfect sphere, blanketing the night. The leaves of the trees around us shimmered from its hue: a beautiful sight marred by the foreboding scuttles of phantoms off in the distance.

  “Four Effigies lost in the Urbión Peaks. And I was just looking at your pictures at an awards show not too long ago. Get around fast, don’t you? ’Round the world in eighty damn days.” Lucas’s laughter was as light and rosy as the natural flush of his face. “You each looked quite gorgeous in your photos, by the way.”

  “Thanks!” Lake said very genuinely, her hands gripped around both straps of the knapsack she carried on her back.

  “Yeah, thanks,” Chae Rin grunted while hoisting James higher up her back. Of course, with her strength, she could carry him just fine. But he was a considerably unappealing accessory, especially when he kept unconsciously murmuring delirious nothings in her ear.

  “We’re trying to get somewhere,” answered Belle. “We have to get there as quickly as possible.”

  “You’re on a schedule, huh? Well, aren’t we all. I saw the video that terrorist sent out yesterday. Saul, right?”

  My teeth naturally clenched at his name.

  “He’s given us all seven days to live or some’n like that.” He shrugged his broad shoulders.

  I kept my hand pressed around the bloodied bandage as we descended through the thick of mountain trees. One wrong step and I’d trip over the gray slabs of rock, so I watched every step carefully. “Well, that’s why we need to hurry,” I said. “We need transportation.”

  “To do what?” Lucas said. “You gonna stop Saul?”

  “Yes.” I pushed the word out with a little more force than necessary, probably in defiance to the way his eyebrow arched in amusement. “Of course we are. We’re Effigies.”

  Abril led the pack carrying one of the Sect’s long-range guns on her back. It got warmer as we descended, so she took off her hood and let her shaved, slender head cool off with the slight chill in the air. She was already a few paces ah
ead of us, but even from where I was, I could hear her stifling a derisive chuckle under her breath.

  “You have something to say?” Chae Rin barked as she tightened her elbow grip around James’s knees. Abril, predictably, didn’t respond, though little Derrek nudged her warningly.

  “Come on, you can’t blame her if she’s a bit skeptical, can ya?” Lucas answered for her with a shrug. “Not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but since that video was broadcast around the world, everyone’s been wondering where the hell you are and what you’ve been up to. Hell, last anyone seen of you, you were at some awards show like a bloody girl group.”

  I could feel the warm, wet blood from my bandage seep into my fingernails as I gripped it. “You’re saying people are losing faith?” I asked quietly.

  “People have been losing faith for a while out there. Well, for me it’s not really a problem. We do what we do, never needed an Effigy to solve things for us. But you had Saul and you lost him and now he’s out here killing politicians and doing as he pleases. Isn’t he an Effigy too? Not hard to see why your fan club’s getting a little smaller by the day.”

  The four of us fell silent. The stinging pain of my arm was enough to bear. This was salt in an already festering wound.

  “I’m not,” said Derrek ahead of us. “Losing faith. If it weren’t for you, we’d be dead. I’d be dead.” He turned around so I could see his smile. “If they’re out here, it’s for a good reason.”

  “I wonder about that.” Lucas gave us a sidelong look.

  “There’s a lot going on,” I said as Naomi’s limp body crawled back into my memories. “But we’re doing what we can under the circumstances.”

  “Do you even know what Saul’s planning?”

  Belle narrowed her eyes, her expression graver than usual. “That’s what we need to figure out.”

  The note of finality in her voice made it very clear that the interrogation was over. Except for Lucas, who switched to chatting easily about the mountains, the rest of our party stayed quiet. We ventured down the mountain in silence until we could hear voices.