Shadow Of The Ring: An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure (The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone Book 16)

by Michael Anderle

  A Zmeu leapt at James, his blade held high over his head. James impaled him in midair and tossed him to the side with a sneer.

  The pain of James’ earlier wounds continued to diminish as he methodically stabbed and sliced and diced the monsters swarming around him. For all the resistance of their scales to his bullets and grenades, his symbiont blade cut through them with ease.

  He’d give the Zmeu credit. They were brave bastards. Stupid bastards, but brave.

  Are these fuckers nanoforms, Whispy? Or are they actual monsters?

  All sampled enemies are non-nanoforms. Biological origin confirmed.

  Another batch of Zmeu emerged from the fog, but with each monster that arrived, the surrounding fog grew sparser and its light dimmer.

  I can win this shit. Just need to keep thinning the herd.

  James roared and charged the new arrivals, ignoring his residual pain. He split an enemy in half before smashing one over his knee and cracking its head open.

  The Zmeu tried to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. Some dropped their blades and leapt toward him, trying to bite his armored limbs. One sliced at his neck, drawing blood although not wounding him seriously, and James cut the creature’s arm off before removing its head. His counterattack continued, his armor now coated with blue blood.

  This is fucking pointless. Where the hell is Shay?

  James growled and stabbed through two Zmeu with one attack. Their allies, convinced he was vulnerable, rushed him again, but he pulled his weapon out of the dying monsters with ease and slashed at the ones rushing him.

  Hisses and screeches filled the air as enemy after enemy fell to the ground. The last of the Zmeu finally perished, a victim of James’ armored fist this time rather than his blade. He looked around for more fog, enemies, or Shay.

  James let out a low growl. The fog had completely dissipated. He was now surrounded only by piles of dead dragon men and a forest floor coated with blue slime.

  Regeneration sealed the holes in his armor and closed the wound in his neck. The pain from his earlier, deeper wounds had all but disappeared, so he didn’t bother to go for a healing potion. Of all the improvements in Whispy’s functionality in the last year, the increased regeneration had proven one of the most useful and obvious.

  Whispy’s happiness from the new adaptations suffused James’ mind.

  You like that shit?

  Engage new and stronger enemies for maximum adaptation.

  With the enemy defeated, James concentrated on his surroundings. He needed to find some sort of clue to figure out where Shay had gone.

  He narrowed his eyes. The density and positioning of the trees were different from when he had been with Shay.

  “Damn it, I’m not in the same place. What the fuck? Am I the one who fell into a portal, not her? That was what you meant. I got teleported.”

  James marched over to one of the trees and frowned. If he could fall through a portal or be teleported, he could easily get lost. He needed to take precautions. He carved a large number one into one of the trees.

  “Where the fuck are you, Shay?” he muttered. He glanced down at his backpack and decided to leave it on the forest floor for now. It wouldn’t fit easily over his armored shoulders.

  James concentrated for a moment and took deep breaths. He didn’t even bother asking Whispy directly. Instead, he imagined sharp points on his elbows, and the armor responded. A few more piercing options might help him in the next fight. He suspected he was far from done with sampling the forest’s bounty.

  He looked around, deciding the largest number of Zmeu corpses formed an implied arrow to the source. He set off in that direction.

  “Shay!” James bellowed. “I’m coming for you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Okay, this is just fucking annoying as shit,” Shay muttered. “James?” she shouted. “You out here? Where the hell are you? You better not be hiding with that armor of yours.”

  This is why I prefer jobs that are in old ruins. A nice contained area, not hundreds of acres of fucking trees. It’s not even that big an area in terms of perimeter, but it’s still annoying as fuck.

  She sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out, clenching and unclenching her hands several times. When she’d taken the job, her only concern had been the relative strength of the creatures in the forest, not being separated by random magical events.

  Shay looked around and saw nothing but more damned trees. Although she had a good idea where she was, she was annoyed with the fact that she had not the faintest clue where James might be.

  I thought I was so clever with the secondary tracker, but I never thought to put one on him, or vice-versa. Great, so now he could be anywhere in this forest, and that’s assuming he’s still in the forest.

  She’d been standing with him when the glowing fog had appeared and something hissed inside it. A jagged portal appeared to their side, and the fog and James had disappeared in a flash. She had spent the last hour searching the area where the fog had appeared, but she couldn’t find any trace of the bounty hunter. At one point, she’d thought she’d heard someone yell in the distance, but she couldn’t place its direction and wasn’t sure it wasn’t the wind playing tricks on her ears.

  With our luck, he’s in the World in Between, but for now, I’ll proceed on the assumption that he’s somewhere else in this weird-ass and annoying place. No wonder the Fixer didn’t want to come here. Correk, you lazy sonofabitch, I’m going to tell you that the next time we talk face to face. Isn’t this shit like the very definition of your job?

  “James!” Shay shouted. “Can you hear me? Get your ass over here. We’ve got a job to do. This isn’t a fucking camping trip, and I don’t have time to spend all day looking for your barbeque-obsessed ass.”

  Huh. I definitely don’t want my wedding in or near a fucking forest. Crossing that shit right off the list.

  Shay frowned and tapped her foot. Even though her fiancée instincts filled her with worry, James had already bonded Whispy, which drastically lowered the chance of him facing any real physical danger. If anything, he was probably the single most dangerous being in the forest. Between her weapons and her shields, she wasn’t concerned about much either.

  Should I just keep looking for the cobza and try to find James after that, or should I look for him first? I don’t have a decent plan to find James other than wander around blindly.

  Damn it, I’d kill for a working drone and active support right about now. Got to figure out some sort of solution that works when we are in interference situations.

  Shay grimaced and dropped her hand to the hilt of her sword, her shoulders tightening. She sensed someone or something watching her from behind. Even if she’d gotten a little softer in recent months, her killer instincts never truly went away.

  Whoever or whatever is watching me, it’s not James.

  She spun around, ready to draw her weapon, but blinked at the source of surveillance. A pale, handsome man with a dark beard and mustache stood several yards away, his hands folded behind his back and a cheerful smile on his face.

  “Huh?” Shay managed.

  The man’s red loop-button coat, wide-legged black pants, and high boots were a few hundred years out of date, but the large sapphire set in the middle of his forehead was the most striking detail. It matched local lore concerning at least one type of creature.

  Okay, I’ll let him run his lines to give him a sense of security, then I’ll make it clear who is in charge.

  “Who the hell are you?” Shay asked.

  The man opened his mouth and started talking and gesturing. Shay didn’t understand what he was saying, but it sounded like the man was speaking some sort of Romanian dialect.

  She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and pressed the button to turn it on, but nothing happened.

  “It was worth a shot. So much for translation.” Shay stuck the phone back in her pocket. Even if she’d managed to get the phone on, the chance of her ge
tting a decent connection in the forest was likely slim to none.

  Those guards had a decent connection, though. Who knows? Maybe Peyton has some ideas about boosting signals reliably.

  The man eyed her quizzically and spoke a few more sentences. He gestured to her and then to him.

  Even if this guy can’t speak English, I bet he can lead me to the cobza or James, even if he is what I suspect.

  Shay shrugged. “I speak a few languages, but Romanian, and probably an older dialect of Romanian at that, is not one of them. Sorry, pal. We’re gonna have to figure something else out for communication.” She pointed to her mouth and then her ear.

  The man tilted his head with a frown and the sapphire flashed.

  “Can you understand me now?” the man replied in perfect English, a faint hint of a New York accent, of all things, in it. “It’d break my heart if such a beautiful silver-glowing woman couldn’t understand me.”

  Okay, that’s weird, unless he’s drawing off me somehow with some sort of direct translation spell. I might suppress my accent most of the time, but it’s still there when I’m not being guarded.

  Good thing he doesn’t get what the silver glow is. I can use that to my advantage. Well, and I have this long-ass sword.

  “Yeah, I can understand you.” Shay frowned and kept her hand on her sword’s hilt. “Who are you?”

  “Don’t worry about my name, beautiful if unusual maiden. You’ll learn in time. First I want you to appreciate everything I have to offer.”

  Shay blinked. “Huh? Are you serious right now?”

  The man smiled but remained stiff, his hands still behind his back. “It’s rare that I see a striking and unusual beauty such as you enter this place. I don’t know why you would disguise your natural gifts with such mannish clothes, but they don’t conceal the glories of your feminine form and face. I see you’ve received magical blessings from others, but I can provide more; much, much more.”

  Shay rolled her eyes. This was so not helpful, especially if the man was what she suspected.

  “Look, your lordship or whatever, I don’t have time for this,” Shay replied. “I’m already spoken for, and I need to know where James is. You might have seen him already. He’s got on a bulky gray coat. Big guy. Lots of tattoos. He might be wearing something that kind of looks like silver-green armor.”

  “James?” the man echoed. “This crass James can’t provide you what I can, even if he is a warrior. I can give you a life of wonder and riches and introduce you to nobles, and even the king.” The last few words came out uncertain. “Or whoever the grand leaders of your homeland are.” He nodded, the full smile returning to his face.

  Ok, you’ve only got the one spiel, and you’re still learning to adapt it for modern times, aren’t you? I wonder if that means you’ve been waiting around a long time or just don’t see people all that often.

  I suppose it doesn’t matter, but if this wasn’t an artifact raid, I’d love to ask you more questions.

  “I…” Shay frowned and stared at the man, her eyes narrowing. No reason to let someone continue with obviously suspicious behavior. “Why won’t you show me your hands? You’ve had them behind you the entire time.”

  The man scoffed. “It’s more elegant than simply letting them hang to the side like a commoner. I’m showing you respect.”

  Shay shook her head. “Show me your hands. That’s how you’ll show me respect.”

  The man’s face twitched and he lowered his hands to his sides. Long white gloves covered his arms almost up to his shoulders, but the fingers in the gloves were unnaturally long, and she assumed the fingers inside were too. Unusually long fingers in human form were another legendary characteristic of the type of creature she suspected he was.

  Damn. The Romanians apparently got a lot of shit right. Wonder why the vampire shit seems so off? Maybe the vampires were aliens, and they left back in the day.

  “Is this sufficient?” the man asked, with a deep frown and offense in his eyes. “A suspicious manner doesn’t suit a beautiful woman.”

  “Wait, are you seriously trying to tell me you think a woman shouldn’t be suspicious of a random weird guy in the middle of a forest with a reputation like this one has?” Shay laughed. “Oh, come on. Even you can’t believe that makes any fucking sense, given the circumstances.”

  The man sneered. “You have a very active tongue, woman. A very foul one, at that.”

  Shay shook her head. “See, here’s the problem, asshole. You’re used to dealing with a different sort of woman. I’m sure your spiel worked on peasant girls in the twelfth century or whatever, but I’m a modern woman, and I’m already engaged. I’m actually surprised you haven’t updated your tactics a lot better, but you could have just woken up, for all I know.” She waved a hand. “Not only that, but I know what you are, so if you don’t want to get your ass kicked, Zmeu boy, you better back the fuck off and help me out. I’m not here to cause trouble, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring it.” She patted her sword hilt.

  The man scoffed. “Spare me. You aren’t able to use that blade. Beautiful women spend their time and effort concentrating on frivolities such as makeup and fashion. You’re no warrior.”

  “Believe what you want, but yeah, I’m no warrior. I’m a tomb raider, and I used to be a killer.”

  The man’s face twisted into a hungry grin. “And you claim to know what I am?” He looked her up and down, a mixture of fascination and faint irritation on his face. “What kind of creature are you, then? Your silver glow comes from some sort of beauty spell, I assume, and I doubt you’re a human if you know what I am and show such little fear. Are you trapped here as well?”

  Shay shook her head. “I’m not trapped here. I came from the outside. I’m looking for something—a magical cobza. Would you happen to know where it is? Maybe we could cut some sort of deal.” She held up a hand. “And, no, before you ask, I can’t get you out of here. If I tried, soldiers with anti-magic weapons would kill you.”

  “You want to make a deal?” The man laughed. “You don’t understand what your position is, do you, girl? I don’t care what frivolous power you think you hold.” He licked his lips. “It’s been so long since I’ve tasted succulent flesh. Maybe longer than I thought if I understand what you’re saying. I’m sorry, but you must die. If you come here right now, I’ll take off your head so you won’t suffer. That’s my mercy, and that is the only deal I’m offering you.”

  “Will you now?” Shay raised an eyebrow. “How generous of you.”

  “Yes. I don’t know what has happened, but I’m hungry. So hungry.” The jewel flashed, and the outfit disappeared. A dark-green bipedal reptile replaced the man. He held up one hand and a black metal sword appeared in a puff of thick, dark smoke, a faint pungent odor accompanying the smoke.

  “So you were a Zmeu in the end.” Shay sighed. “I was hoping for something cooler, but I also assumed your kind would infest these woods, from my research.”

  “You came here knowing there were Zmeu? I don’t know if I should praise your bravery or mock your stupidity, girl.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it.” Shay smiled. “It’s not gonna matter very soon.”

  “That is true, girl.” The monster flicked its tongue. “Now come. If you don’t, I’ll eat you while you’re still alive. I find it spoils the meat when the victims scream too much, but I’m also very hungry, so make this easy on both of us.”

  Man, this asshole is really asking for it. It’s like someone recreated Durand in reptile form.

  Shay sighed and walked toward him. A few jagged cracks appeared in the air several yards away, but they vanished without moving either person.

  “Yes,” the Zmeu hissed. “Give in to your fate. You can’t fight me. You must know that, foolish girl. Did you seek a glorious death at the hands of my kind? Is that why you truly came here?”

  “I told you that I came here to get a cursed cobza, but now I’m going to make the forest a little
safer for the next person.” Shay burst into a sprint, drawing her sword as she ran. The Zmeu brought his own weapon up, but it was too late. She swung her blade at his neck, and his head flew off and landed in a nearby bush. His body fell forward and hit the ground with a soft thud.

  “That’s what you get for thinking the sword was for show, and I took your head so you didn’t suffer,” she muttered. She frowned. “Wait. You didn’t think it was for show, did you? You just thought you’d be immune to it. No wonder you weren’t afraid.” A cold snicker followed. “But none of that solves my earlier problem. There’s no way something like you took James out, so that means he’s here somewhere.” She sheathed her sword and considered her options. “But where?”

  I’ve got no good way to track James directly, but I can both get to the cobza and back to the main gate.

  Screw it. James is a big boy. I’ll concentrate on recovering the instrument, then run to any screams of the dying when I hear them because that’s where he’ll be. Or he’ll catch up.

  Shay nodded, satisfied with the new plan.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Trey let out a contented sigh as he shifted under his blanket, Zoe’s warm, soft body next to him in the bed. No matter what happened in Vegas, he was happy that he was able to wake up every morning next to the witch. It’d be a good day. He could feel it.

  There won’t be any crazy-ass bounty hunters or other assholes messing with me today. I just know it. Great day to be alive and working a job I love.

  Zoe’s hot breath fanned his ear.

  Now what’s she up to?

  “Trey, wake up,” Zoe whispered. “I need you.”

  He yawned and picked up his phone. Seven am. Earlier than he wanted to get up that day, but not crazy. They hadn’t stayed up late the night before.

  “Damn, baby,” Trey replied. “I know you want some of this, but I think I need a little breakfast first before anything goes down. Fair enough? I need my protein to fuel my stamina.”