Loyalty Oath

by Edmund Hughes

  She closed her eyes for a moment. Jack waited for a few respectful seconds before continuing the conversation.

  “We might not have to attack them head on,” he said. “If I can get to Mezolak, it’s possible that I can force him to call off the incarnates. I just need a distraction during the time when I’m confronting him.”

  “A distraction.” Margaret laughed bitterly. “I suppose I could lend the aid of what’s left of my men to that. We might do better at distracting than we did at fighting. But how will you get to Mezolak in the first place?”

  “Mira and I will sneak onto the island using our abilities,” said Jack.

  Margaret scowled slightly, more at Mira than at Jack.

  “Handy, isn’t it?” asked Mira, in a mocking tone. “Perhaps you should consider whether blood mages make better allies than enemies in the future.”

  “We are not allies, nightwalker!” snapped Margaret.

  Jack stepped in between them before anything could happen, holding both arms out.

  “Easy, now,” he said. “We’re all on the same side, working together. We can’t let the stress get the better of us.”

  Mira was still smiling, but she nodded, and so did Margaret.

  “We have a few advantages here,” said Jack. “But time is not one of them. The longer we wait before moving, the more deaths there’ll be on the island.”

  “Agreed,” said Margaret. “How will we know when to move in and provide the distraction you need?”

  Jack looked over at Katie. “If you stay with Margaret and the Order, I can reach out to you with the Blood Sight when it’s time.”

  Katie nodded. “That’s fine with me. As long as Margaret has no objections?”

  “You’re still suspended,” said Margaret. “But I have no objections to working with you to free the island.”

  There was tension in the air between them, but Jack didn’t feel like he had the time to do much about it. Instead, he looked over at Ryoko.

  “Can you bring Mira and I to shore in the boat?” asked Jack. “You’re probably the heaviest hitter, outside of the two of us, so head back and stick close to Katie and Margaret, afterward.”

  “Of course, sir,” said Ryoko.

  “Let’s move,” he said. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

  A grunt of agreement came from everyone on deck. Katie made her way over to Jack’s side, pulling him into a quick hug.

  “Be really fucking careful,” she whispered. “This is as dangerous as it gets.”

  Jack grinned at her. “Danger is my middle—”

  She flicked him on the nose, cutting him off, then gave him a long kiss. Katie only reluctantly pulled back from him, and Jack fell into step with Mira and Ryoko as they made their way back over to the rope ladder and down onto their boat.

  “Let’s go,” said Jack.

  He and Mira stayed low, less for the sake of aerodynamics this time and more to keep from being visible. Ryoko swam in the water underneath the boat, silently gliding it forward. She brought them onto the island’s beach in a spot that was a short distance down from the town, out of sight.

  “Don’t do anything stupid, sir,” whispered Ryoko as Jack climbed out onto the surf.

  “I’ll do my best,” he said.

  She also gave him a hug, her body pressing against his and feeling wet, cold, and vulnerable. Jack ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead.

  “Keep everyone safe, okay?” he said. “I’m counting on you, Ryoko.”

  Pride flashed in her eyes, and she gave him a quick, confident nod before disappearing into the water. Jack looked over at Mira, who had a serious expression on her face.

  “Are you ready, my sweet Jack?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

  CHAPTER 45

  They didn’t need to rely on their blood magic immediately. Jack led Mira through the outskirts of Lesser Town, moving from building to building as they passed through the silent streets.

  If he hadn’t known in advance about Mezolak and the incarnates, he might have just assumed that the town’s seemingly abandoned state was still due to the aftermath of the apocalyptic storm it had endured a few months earlier. There were only a few signs of damage that didn’t fit. Burn streaks from magical blasts of fire across the cement. Buildings with supernaturally neat holes ripped through their walls.

  The first incarnates they encountered were near the center of town. Jack held Mira back from rounding a corner that he knew would leave her exposed. She locked eyes with him, and he was amazed by how confident she seemed, despite the circumstances. She nodded slowly, and they both cast Shadow Form in perfect unison.

  It felt a little strange to have a partner in crime while in the spell. He could feel Mira’s incorporeal form alongside him, sticking close by as he slipped through the darkness around the edge of the town’s center square. He stopped himself from wondering too much about how it would feel if they tried to interact with each other more directly instead focusing on their enemies.

  The incarnates looked almost normal in the dark. Jack couldn’t guess at what their powers might be, but one of them had green skin and larger-than-normal eyes. They were walking a slow, meandering patrol, and from the direction they were headed in, it seemed as though they were guarding the mayor’s mansion.

  It was easy enough to bypass them. Jack reformed on the far side of the square, in an alley that left them hidden from view. Mira materialized an instant after he did and grabbed his arm.

  “Over there,” she whispered.

  She pointed not at the mayor’s mansion, but toward the sheriff’s office, further down. A single light was on inside. Jack scratched his chin, considering whether it was worth investigating.

  “Can you watch from here?” he whispered. “If either of these incarnates leave their patrol route, come find me.”

  Mira nodded. Jack slipped away into the darkness, moving with swift but silent steps. He reached the door to the sheriff’s office after a couple of minutes and peered in through a window to get a sense of what was going on inside.

  A large, muscular incarnate with a slackened jaw and piercing blue eyes stood in front of the door to the jail cells. The incarnate seemed alert enough, if a little detached from what it was supposed to be doing.

  Jack silently unlocked the door using his handy Spectral Lockpick and then waited. He watched through the window until the incarnate was looking the other way and then made his move.

  He opened the door as silently as he could and sprang forward, summoning his Spectral Sword and stabbing it through the incarnate’s back in a series of smooth motions. He was not above assassination, especially when it came to monsters. In fact, he preferred it.

  Unfortunately, the incarnate was more durable than he’d assumed. Jack gritted his teeth as the monster pushed itself forward, pulling loose from his sword. It let out a low gurgle as it turned around. Jack slashed, trying to cleave its head off. It dodged under the blade with supernatural speed.

  If the incarnate made a commotion, their entire plan would be compromised. Jack watched as it inhaled, preparing to let out a grunt or guttural cry. He cast Spectral Hand, reaching out with the tendrils as quickly as he could. He looped them under the incarnate’s chin and snapped its mouth shut, limiting it to a muffled grunt.

  Jack attacked with several quick cuts, severing an arm and a hand. The incarnate blundered forward, slamming a shoulder into him and knocking him into the wall hard enough to very nearly go through it. Too loud, he thought to himself.

  He dodged the incarnate’s next strike and lopped its head off as he continued past. The monster thrashed once, and then fell to the ground, unmoving. Jack didn’t move, either. He listened, praying that the commotion had not been overheard in the otherwise silent town.

  Nothing happened, and he took that as the universe’s approval to continue with what he was doing. The door to the jail cells was unlocked. All of the cell
s were empty, save for the one at the very end.

  “I knew you were something else,” said Sheriff Jessie. She was in uniform, and a rough, purple bruise had formed on one side of her face, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

  “Sheriff,” he said, with a nod. “What’s the situation? Where is everyone?”

  “They aren’t dead,” said Sheriff Jessie. “Well, a few people did fall during the initial attack, including Mayor Stinson, but most are either hiding in their homes or off in uninhabited portions of the island.”

  “Damn,” muttered Jack. “Alright. How did you end up in a cell?”

  “I surrendered,” said Jessie. “It wasn’t out of cowardice, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “I wasn’t,” said Jack.

  “I could tell that we were fucked, even with the help of those ‘Order of Chaldea’ people.” She shrugged. “By the way, they didn’t stick around for long once all hell broke loose. I figured that I might be able to talk the two that seem to be in charge out of a complete massacre. The girl, at least, almost seemed reasonable.”

  Reese. Having confirmation that she was on the island with Mezolak gave him another advantage, albeit a slight one.

  “I’m going to get you out of this cell,” said Jack. “Are you healthy enough to make an attempt at helping people?”

  “The monsters are patrolling the town,” said Jessie.

  “I have some friends who can help out with that,” said Jack. “They’ll be enough of a commotion for you to move around. Grab anyone you can find and get them out of Lesser Town.”

  Jessie nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression taking hold on her face.

  “He knows you’re coming,” she said. “I overheard them talking while they were putting me in the cell. This entire attack… is because of you.”

  Jack closed his eyes. “I know.”

  The guilt was hard for him to shake off. He’d run from Mezolak, and because of that, his home had borne the brunt of the demon’s fury. He would make him pay.

  “The island’s going to need you if we make it through this alive,” said Jessie. “Don’t do anything heroic. Or suicidal.”

  “I’ll do my best,” said Jack.

  He found the key to Jessie’s cell in the other room and let her out. She recovered her gun, and the two of them paused in front of the entrance.

  “Stay here until things start to get crazy outside,” he said. “It should only be a few minutes.”

  Sheriff Jessie nodded, and Jack headed back out into the night. Mira rejoined him as he turned the corner toward.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  The heavy iron fence that surrounded the mayor’s mansion now served a practical purpose. The courtyard felt like the outside of a military compound, with seven incarnates standing at attention, waiting for orders.

  Jack and Mira stood watch from behind one of the nearby buildings. He double checked his count of the incarnates he could see, running through the numbers in his head. He’d killed one in the sheriff’s office, and if he had to guess from the task he’d been given, it was probably the weakest of the bunch.

  There were two more patrolling the town, which meant that if Margaret’s count was correct, there were two incarnates inside the mansion itself. Even just two would probably be enough to overwhelm him and Mira, but what choice did they have?

  “We’ll push inside the mansion as soon as the courtyard is clear,” said Jack.

  “Is this the part where our reinforcements come into play?” whispered Mira.

  Jack nodded. He closed his eyes and reached out with his Blood Sight. Katie was still on the ship, conversing with Margaret and Ryoko.

  It’s go time. Don’t attack directly. Be annoying and try to lure the incarnates out of position.

  He sensed Katie giving him a nod and a smile before letting the connection fade.

  “We’ll wait a few minutes,” whispered Jack. “It should be obvious when to make our move.”

  The moment of truth came about ten minutes later. A loud bang came from the direction of the beach, along with a flashing plume of light that reminded Jack of an intense firework. The incarnates in the courtyard began to stir, and Mezolak appeared in the mansion’s entranceway a moment later, carrying Zedekiah’s Scepter.

  As tempting as it was to make his move, then and there, Jack knew that he had to wait. He watched as the gate opened, and all seven of the incarnates in the courtyard filed out, heading for the disturbance. Mezolak hung back and eventually reentered the mansion. It was as perfect as a setup as Jack could have possibly hoped for.

  “Come on,” he whispered to Mira. “Let’s do this.”

  CHAPTER 46

  They used Shadow Form to bypass the mansion’s fence and headed in through the front door. Jack stopped making much of an effort to conceal the sound of his approach. There was no avoiding the battle that was to come. It was do or die, and the next few minutes would decide the fates of his friends, the island, and himself.

  And his father. He tried to ignore the desperate, burgeoning hope that had nestled within the crevices of his pounding heart.

  The mansion’s entrance hall was empty. Jack had a feeling that he knew where Mezolak would be, and as he and Mira pushed through the doorway into the ballroom, his suspicion was proven correct.

  Mezolak sat in a comfortable leather recliner at the far end of the room, leaning back in it as though it was a throne. He was smiling and seemed unsurprised by Jack’s sudden entrance. Reese, clad in a faint blue sundress, stood on one side of him, and she was flanked by all five of her big cats. Jack tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn’t look at him, and it was hard to get a sense of her.

  There were also two incarnates standing between Jack and Mezolak. One of them was wiry, with huge black eyes and odd proportions. The other was tall and muscular, with shockingly red hair and a glowing red aura around its body.

  “Hello, Jack,” said Mezolak. “I’ve been expecting you.”

  Jack had to fight to keep his nerves under control as he stepped forward. Despite being out from under the thumb of Mezolak’s control spell, the residual afterglow of being forced to obey the demon’s commands still hovered over his awareness.

  “It’s over, Mezolak,” he said. “I didn’t come alone. Give up.”

  “In case you didn’t notice, I don’t fight alone either, mortal,” said Mezolak. “I have a dozen incarnates under my command. And I’ll have more, as soon as I can increase my rate of production.”

  “Eleven,” said Jack.

  “What?”

  “I’ve already killed one,” said Jack. “And the rest will soon follow.”

  Mezolak pursed his lips. The demon looked comfortable in his body. In Jack’s father’s body. It infuriated Jack more than ever, and he felt his hand itching to summon his Spectral Sword and get the fight underway.

  “I have no desire to fight you,” said Mezolak. “You served me well enough. I know that you’ve found a way to free yourself of your loyalty oath, but I would accept your surrender and welcome you back into the fold, if you so choose. I’d let your friends come with you this time.”

  “It’s not happening,” said Jack. “But I’ll give you the same offer. Stop fighting, call off the incarnates, and maybe this won’t have to end badly for you.”

  Mezolak sighed.

  “We both knew it would come to this, eventually,” said Mezolak. “I expected it. And I also sensed it in the heart of my host. This fight will not be a winnable one for you, Jack. It was never intended to be.”

  “We’ll see about that,” said Jack.

  “The two incarnates I have with me are two of my most powerful,” said Mezolak. “Fascinating specimens. The one on the left is a Mithridian vampire, one of the most powerful I’ve ever encountered, and made stronger by the magic of the scepter. The one on the right is a Mage Inquisitor, with a specialization in pyrokinesis. Fitting, really, as I suspect that its pr
ogenitor once hunted vampires in life.”

  Mezolak waved his hand, and the two incarnates took their cue to rush forward. Jack glanced over at Mira, and they immediately moved to stand back to back.

  The Mithridian incarnate rushed toward Jack, traveling across the floor with strange, jittery movements. Jack swung his sword at it, but the slash went wide, and the monster sneaked in under his guard. He saw it opening its mouth wide to take a bite out of his shoulder and only just managed to kick out in time to prevent the blow from landing true.

  “Look out!” shouted Mira. She pulled on his arm, dragging him out of the way of a fire blast released from the Inquisitor incarnate. The two of them landed heavily on the stone floor and scrambled back to their feet.

  Mezolak was laughing in the background of the fight, but the sound of it was almost lost in the pounding crescendo of noise that came from outside the mansion, in the direction of the rest of the town. Katie, Margaret, Ryoko, and the rest of the distraction force had apparently begun to engage with the enemy directly. Jack needed to end the fight fast, for their sake as much as his own.

  The Mithridian incarnate let out a hissing noise and spat a glob of green, gelatinous ooze in Jack’s direction. He cast Shadow Form and let it pass harmlessly through him. Mira had taken to the air with her Shadow Levitation and was drawing the attention of the Inquisitor incarnate’s fire blasts, giving them both a chance to fight one on one with their opponents.

  Jack lashed out with his sword, hoping to overwhelm the Mithridian incarnate. Each time his blade neared its body, however, the monster contorted out of the way. He tried casting Spectral Hand and using shadow tendrils to hold it in place, but it was like attempting to get a lasso to tighten around an oiled snake.

  The Mithridian incarnate opened its mouth again, shooting its tongue out this time instead of spittle. The disgusting appendage clipped the side of Jack’s arm. It wasn’t acidic, but he felt a wave of dizziness hit him, along with a numbing sensation at the point of contact. He took a slow breath, blinking away double vision. He suspected that if he got a large enough dose, he’d start to hallucinate.