Shadowstrut

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  Fluffy fired several small, black orbs my way. I deflected one, sliced through another and let my duster take the third. The impact lifted me off my feet, launching me back several meters. I landed hard and slid for a few meters more, coming to a stop with a grunt.

  “Ow,” I muttered, standing unsteadily. “That wasn’t fun. Can we not do that again?”

  “Duck!” Koda yelled. I dropped to the ground as a fan sliced through the air above me, removing two rummers closing in on my location. “Graceful as a brick, old man.”

  I drew Fatebringer and dropped two more rummers. The rummogres remained next to Fluffy, like enormous bodyguards. Four more rummers burst into dust around us as Koda’s anger transformed itself into a lethal fan dance of death.

 

 

  I formed several orbs. The casting squeezed the back of my neck like a vise as I unleashed them. The orbs whirled rapidly, moving in tandem, cutting through the groups of rummers and dispatching them. In the commotion, I ran at the mage.

  The rummogres mobilized to intercept me. The pain from the casting threatened to knock me off my feet. The lack of caffeine in my system was becoming a liability.

  I managed to dodge one enormous fist and slid around a life-ending stomp as I closed in on Fluffy.

  “Stop him!” Fluffy yelled as he backpedaled, casting another spell. “Kill him!”

  The mage was bleeding from his eyes and I knew this host was almost done. I closed the distance and sliced his arm at the shoulder, turning as I cut and slid right into a massive rummogre fist. New levels of pain flooded my body as I became airborne again.

 

  I sailed across the grass. A tree graciously refused to move for me, stopping my flight with bone-jarring force. I slammed into it back-first, sliding to the ground and ending up on my back. I groaned as I realized my everything hurt. If I survived this night, I’d have a talk with Aria about creating an anesthetic rune for the duster.

  I stared up at the night sky. It was moments like these when you analyzed and questioned your life choices. Clearly, I had made some dubious ones to get me to this point. Maybe it was time for me to retire.

  “Grey! Move, old man!” Koda yelled in my direction. “Get out of the way!”

  The urgency in her voice, coupled with the micro-tremors I felt, must have been the rummogres closing in on me to complete the retirement-squashing ceremony. That’s when the power flooded my body.

 

  TWENTY-FOUR

  I rose to my feet effortlessly as energy thrummed through Darkspirit in my hand. It felt like holding a large tuning fork that had just been struck.

  Black tendrils of power raced around my body as the rummogres closed on my position. All the pain was gone. The only thing I felt was power, rage…and darkness.

  Sweet darkness.

  The first rummogre closed in and swung a fist designed to remove my head. I ducked under the fist and swung Darkspirit, removing the arm at the shoulder. The rummogre howled in pain, its screams filling the night. I walked toward Fluffy.

  The second rummogre rushed at my position in a football tackle. I raised the blade overhead, letting the power coalesce, and stood my ground. When the rummogre was two meters away, I sliced downward, bisecting the creature with a dark scythe of energy.

  I kept walking toward Fluffy, who was now desperately casting what I could only assume was a nasty Warden disintegration spell. He flung several orbs as he kept casting. I deflected them with ease. The host body was bleeding profusely now. His eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were covered in blood.

  I formed a black orb as I closed the distance.

  Fluffy released his casting—a dark spell of obliteration. I let Darkspirit absorb it.

  “Impossible,” Fluffy said. “You…you should be dead.”

  “I said release him.” I unleashed the orb I held—an energy shunt. “Now.”

  It hit Fluffy in the chest and jettisoned the dark energy from the mages’s destroyed body. The first rummogre ran at me from behind. When you’re large enough to make the earth shake on your approach, frontal attacks are usually your best bet. I flung Darkspirit behind me, impaling the rummogre in the chest, and stopping it in its tracks. A second later, it burst into dust with a groan.

  “This vessel was weak, Warden,” Fluffy said into the night, “but I will find the right host and destroy you, your apprentice, and everything you treasure.”

  I looked into the night and unleashed the darkness within. I felt it fill the space around me.

  “I don't know what you really are, and I don't know what you want. What I do know is that I have a very particular set of skills—skills I have acquired over two centuries as a Night Warden. This makes me a nightmare for creatures like you. If you don’t return to where you came from, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will destroy you."

  Laughter echoed through the night.

  “Good luck, Warden,” Fluffy replied, its voice growing fainter. “I will see you again, soon.”

  Koda approached, and I stared at her impassively. The darkness had me in its grip, and I was reluctant to let go. I knew the moment I did, the pain would return.

  “Grey?” she said, waving a hand. “You in there? Is your brain taken?”

  I looked around at the piles of dust that would be gone by sunrise. That’s all humans were…dust, powerless, deserving to be ruled and controlled. I shook my head.

  “Hell no,” I said, gritting my teeth. “We will not be going on any power trips today.”

  I absorbed Darkspirit and released the remaining dark energy. The pain embraced me immediately, making me gasp and fall to my knees. I then staggered back to my feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I didn’t trust her. I needed to find a solution to this sword situation before I really did go on a dark mage rampage and try to take over the world.

  “That you, old man? Or am I dealing with the psychosword?”

  “Of course it’s me,” I growled. “If you were dealing with the sword, I would have sliced you to pieces by now.”

  “Good to know,” Koda said with a shudder. “Welcome back. You look like ogre-stomped shit.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “You’re not looking so great yourself.”

  “Yes, but I have an excuse. I was fighting overwhelming numbers. You only fought three creatures,”—she held up three fingers—“two industrial sized ogre-rummer things and one wasted mage.”

  “I seem to remember taking out some of those rummers.”

  She propped me up by one shoulder as we walked to the Beast.

  “And you clearly suffered some head trauma. I saw you bounce off that tree, the ground, the big ogre’s fist and the—”

  “I get it,” I said, interrupting her. “I got my ass kicked.”

  “Ass kicked? Oh no, this was an O.S.B.D.—old school beatdown.”

  “Look at that, learn something new every day,” I said. “Can you stop talking now? Even my thoughts hurt.”

  “Should I call Haven?”

  “Haven,” I said, remembering suddenly. “I need to speak to Roxanne. That thing is going after Street.”

  I placed the call and patched it through my connector.

  “Grey?” Rox’s voice came over the comms. “Where are you?”

  “Where’s Street?” I asked, ignoring her question. “Tell me he’s still there.”

  “We released him an hour ago,” she said. “I had no reason to hold him. You know how he gets
if he’s kept in here too long.”

  “Can you trace him?”

  “No, why would I need to do that?” she asked. “I mean, given enough time I probably could. Tell me what’s going on. Is he in danger?”

  “Later. Right now I need to find Street. Wait, can you trace my beacon?”

  There was a pause. “Yes, faintly, but yes, near the bridge.”

  “There’s a body here, a young mage who was used and then killed. Can you have your team pick him up?”

  “Yes, did you—?”

  “No,” I said. “The Tenebrous killed him. Burned right through his body.”

  “Grey, you sound terrible,” she said, sounding concerned. “Why don’t you come see me and recuperate from whatever it is you’re doing?”

  If I agreed to that, she’d have me in a bed for days. I knew Rox meant well, but she took the mothering thing too seriously. I wasn’t insane enough to tell her that to her face, though. She was still an insanely powerful sorceress.

  “Right after I’m done.” Or dead. “I need to find Street, which means I need Frank.”

  “I’ll have my morgue team pick up the mage. Call me when you can.”

  “I will, promise.”

  I ended the call and dialed The Dive on the regular line. If the Light Council was watching The Dive, they wouldn’t expect a call on this line. They’d expect a call on my private line.

  “You’ve reached The Dive, where no one knows your name or cares. Cole speaking.”

  “I need the lizard, now,” I said and hung up.

  TWENTY-FIVE

  A few minutes after my call, an arc of electric energy hit the ground near us. This was quickly followed by a thunder clap and the pungent smell of chlorine. A string of curses that would make a sailor blush could be heard throughout the park.

  “How does something so small curse so immensely?”

  “I’m bigger on the inside,” Frank retorted, orienting himself. Next to him, on the ground, was a large thermos. “Do not underestimate little things. Atoms are small things, until you split one. Now, stop bitching. I’m here, aren’t I? By the way, Cole sent Deathwish—you’re welcome.”

  “I think you just saved the city,” Koda said, as I grabbed the thermos and drank deeply from the warm javambrosia. “He’s been at maximum crankyass for a few hours now.”

  “Took you long enough,” I said, sipping more Deathwish as Frank approached. “You take the scenic route?”

  “The Dive is crawling with Light Council. How did you manage to piss them off? I thought you were already persona non grata with them after your Fahrenheit 451 move at Dragonflies after, you know…?”

  “I know,” I said, not wanting to get into it. “Still am, this is just the seasoning on the KOS order.”

  “Oh, I understand, you’re going for a record to see how many of these groups you can effectively piss off in one lifetime. Got it.”

  “It’s my special warden skill. Listen, we have a situation.”

  “What the hell are you doing way the hell out here?” Frank said, looking around and then paused. “Holy hell, you look like you should be in Haven—for at least a month or two. Ugh, Lockpick too. Have you two taken up underground fighting? What gives?”

  “Hey, my bruises will heal,” Koda fired back. “Tomorrow, you’ll still be a lizard.”

  “Enough, we don’t have time for this,” I said. “Frank, no BS, I need you to locate Street, now.”

  He must’ve heard the tone in my voice, because he grew serious and flicked his tail.

  “Move back…now,” he said and turned in a circle. “What fresh hell have you unleashed now, Grey?”

  “I didn’t unleash it, but I’m sure as hell going to put it down,” I said. “Did you find him?”

  “Did you lose him?”

  “Not exactly. He was at Haven, Rox just discharged him about an hour ago.”

  “Okay, that helps…now, shut up and let me work.”

  I stepped back and leaned on the Beast. I had a severe case of B3—battered, bruised, and beaten. The only reason I was still in one piece was because of my duster. I was sure Koda could say the same thing about her leathers.

  “You think he’ll find him in time?” she asked.

  I nodded. “It’s not the finding I’m worried about,” I said under my breath. “What do we do after Frank locates him?”

  “What do you mean?” Koda asked, resting next to me against the Beast. “We keep him safe.”

  “Street may be mentally challenged, but he’s a powerful mage. I’m not looking forward to fighting him on a regular day, much less one where he’s being controlled by Fluffy.”

  “Shit,” Koda said. “He won't stay at Haven. Is there anywhere else?”

  I looked north, past the bridge. “Yes, but he isn’t going to like it.”

  “Aria?”

  I nodded.

  “If I can get him behind the Cloister walls, she can keep him safe until we deal with this threat.”

  “Why does this sound near impossible?”

  “Because it is, “I said. “I think I have a way to get him there, but I’m going to need the equivalent of chocolate gold…the good stuff.”

  “Hershey’s?” Koda asked, confused. “Why are we discussing chocolate like it’s drugs?”

  “No, not Hershey’s…Knipschildt—Madeline au Truffle, about two pounds. And for these beings, chocolate is better than drugs or money. They won't take anything else.”

  “You’re serious?” Koda asked in disbelief. “You’re going to pay for something with chocolate?”

  “This isn’t just chocolate, this is an experience,” I answered. “I think I still have some in stasis. Just need to check my duster. This would be a perfect time for a warden bag.”

  “I found him,” Frank said. “Bastard is moving around so fast I can’t get a lock. Grand Central Terminal is where I sense him.”

  “Why would he be moving around fast?” Koda asked.

  “Good question,” I said. “Can you track what level he’s on?”

  “You do realize Grand Central is immense? And we’re—where the hell are we, anyway?”

  “GWB,” Koda said, pointing up. “Hudson River”—she pointed right—“and we’re standing in Fort Washington Point.”

  Frank glared at me and spat. “Why are we standing under the GWB?”

  “Can you pinpoint further?” I asked, ignoring the question. “It’s not like Grand Central is the hub of the subway system with thousands of people going through it each day or anything.”

  “My name is Frank the dragon, not Roger Easton,” Frank snapped. “You wanted Street found. I found him.”

  “Grand Central isn’t good enough, dragon,” I said, my voice hard. I took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. “I need his exact location. Find him and bring him to Track 61.”

  “Who’s Roger Easton?” Koda asked. “Is he joining us?”

  “Do your homework,” I said, and turned to Frank. “Can you get Street or not? Is this beyond your capabilities, mage?”

  Frank squared off and blue sparks flew off his body in every direction.

  “Are you challenging me?”

  “A first-year neophyte can handle this, it’s that simple.”

  “I don’t see you casting any teleportation circles.”

  He was playing dirty. Fine.

  “As soon as you perfect your transmutation casting, I’ll start teleporting.”

  “Fuck you, Grey.”

  “You first, Frank.”

  “Guys?” Koda asked, concerned.

  “So now I’m Frank the ferry?”

  “Do you want to track down and convince a Transporter to relocate Street?”

  “I’ll bring him,” Frank said with a shake of his tail. “Sucks to be you.”

  I nodded. “Meet you at 61.”

  Another arc of electric energy hit the ground, and Frank was gone.

  TWENTY-SIX

  “What the hell was that?” Koda asked,
jumping into the Beast.

  I started the engine and let the roar die down to a rumble.

  “Sometimes he needs to be reminded he’s a mage.”

  “You two have a strange relationship,” Koda replied, attaching her seatbelt gingerly. “You motivate each other with insults?”

  “Hey,” I said, “thanks for the assist. How banged up are you?”

  She waved my words away. “I’ve had worse. I worked for Hades, remember?”

  “True,” I acknowledged with a short nod. “Sorry about that. Just that you look how I feel.”

  “No wonder you make so many friends, your choice of words is astounding.”

  “It’s a gift,” I said, reaching into a pocket and pulling out the card Ronin had given me. The sun was creeping over the horizon as I raced downtown before the morning rush. “My friends call me Grey the Friendly.”

  “What friends?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Grey,” Koda started, her voice hitching, and I knew where she was going, “I’m sorry about freezing up back there. It caught me off—”

  “You beat it,” I said, cutting her off.

  “Barely,” she said. “I felt it. The walls…”

  “We don’t have time for a pity party. This isn’t the time to start second-guessing yourself. That kind of doubt gets you dead.”

  “I almost bought it out there,” she whispered. “When we face it again—”

  “You’ll kick its ass…again. That’s all I care about. Everyone has fears. Not everyone is willing to face them. You faced yours and overcame them—at least for tonight.”

  “How come it didn’t affect you?”

  I knew this question was coming. I could feel her eyes on me. I wanted to say something befitting my station as a Night Warden, something memorable that would bolster her in those dark moments. I thought back to the moment with Darkspirit. It came close this time with its ‘observations’ about humans.

  “I’m one bad day away from an afternoon of the apocalypse,” I said, grabbing the thermos and taking a long pull. “There is nothing out there that’s scarier than my losing control and laying waste to everything.”