Embracing the Shadows (5 page)

When the glass exploded out, the unsuspecting
hemos and guards ducked and covered their heads. They watched,
stunned, as Viggo reared back with Evan's limp, bloody body and
smashed the other door. All at once, the army of rats surged
forward and into the building. The hemos and guards stood
statue-still while the rats swarmed around and past them. They
remained tense even after the last one scurried by. In the
following calm, I could hear the consistent bleat of a security
alarm.

Viggo casually tossed Evan's blood-stained
body out onto the glass-littered cement; it skidded a few feet
before coming to a stop. My commander then stepped forward under
the large doorframe as shadows began to eerily gather and shift
around his body. With his rumbling tombstone voice, he stated, "The
Doyenne hoped to take one of my minions. I give her legions. Let my
generosity be noted."

The guards ran; I would've too if I were
them. Dupree, apparently braver than he was smart, impulsively
slashed at my commander with his cane sword. I lurched forward to
protect him, but there was no need. Viggo caught the blade in his
hand; I don't think it even cut his palm. Turning his head toward
the awestruck Adept, he rotated his grip and bent the sword until
it snapped. Dupree glanced at Tomasino and took a few quick steps
back. I grabbed my discarded gun and waited to see how it played
out.

Longsword still in his hands, Tomasino said,
"Your minion . . . So Mr. Beck is not a servant of Ragna?"

"He is not, and never was."

"Then who are you to lay claim, if I may
ask?"

Instead of answering, Viggo said, "Please
sheath your sword, Mr. Tomasino. I do not wish to offend your pride
by taking it away from you." I think Tomasino had an idea of the
power he was dealing with and reluctantly slid his weapon back in
its scabbard. "Because of your noble conviction," Viggo continued,
"I will only be taking Mr. Dean and Mr. Aoki when we depart. Were
you of low character, the van would be crowded. Alas, Mr. Dupree's
integrity is still in question, but I am tolerant. Tell the Doyenne
that I will introduce myself to her when I deem the timing
appropriate."

"You plan on taking Mr. Dean?" Tomasino
asked, not sounding very surprised. He slowly reached for his sword
again and said, "Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to do that." I
got the impression that his heart wasn't in it.

"As a matter of self-preservation," Viggo
replied calmly, "perhaps you should find some leniency in your code
of honor. Besides, it was your Lady Le Meur who initiated an
abduction of her own this evening. I am responding in kind - an eye
for an eye, as they say. Unlike what she would offer, I give my
word to return Mr. Dean to the care of his faction in due course,
and in better condition than his current one."

Tomasino took a second or two to think it
over. "Very well," he finally said, dropping his hand away from the
sword hilt. It was obvious that in any scenario, Evan would be
taken.

"It is good to see that you employ wisdom
with your position as the Doyenne's enforcer, Mr. Tomasino. Until
we meet again - and we shall - I bid you farewell."

I took that as the signal to get busy. I
hurried over to Evan and simply dragged him back to the van, as
well as the shackles that were meant for me. Viggo slid into the
passenger seat while I threw Evan in the back. I locked the
shackles on Phillip and gently rested him next to the disfigured
douchebag. Coming around to the driver's door, I saw Tomasino still
standing there in front of Realm Tower. I felt sort of embarrassed
for him, although he really didn't have a choice. When it came to
Viggo, no one did.

THUNDER

Phillip was to remain a 'lodger' at my new
place, in the same room I was kept in. At least it was in better
condition for him than what I had to deal with. Viggo suggested
that Milo could fetch supplies and deliver food to Phillip, but I
said I'd do it myself. I was advised to have little to no
interaction with my houseguest; solitude would encourage clarity of
mind. I knew the truth of that.

Before Viggo left with Evan's body late that
night, he told me to keep an eye on my Planner for changes in my
schedule. I couldn't say that I minded if a sewer maintenance chore
got pushed back, but I was a little anxious about what it would be
replaced with. I had a feeling that after the chaos at Realm Tower,
the stakes had somehow been raised.

While I was buying gas station food for
Phillip about an hour before dawn, a question came to my mind. I
texted Viggo on the way home, asking how he knew where I was
earlier when Le Meur beckoned me. His answer was to the point.
'Audra called - I checked GPS tracker app that was downloaded into
your phone before giving it'. Orwell's 'Big Brother' had some
competition, not that I minded. And yes, before you ask, '1984' was
one of the paperbacks given to me during my own captivity. I read
it twice.

Since the Planner hadn't changed when I
checked it the next day, I went shopping. Besides groceries for
Phillip, I got myself a punching bag, workout equipment, and a nice
home gym. After setting all of it up in one of the empty offices
and then fixing myself some dinner, I didn't have long to wait
until sundown.

I lounged around for a while with a drink or
three, surfing the net to catch up on local news. There was no
mention of a break-in at Realm Tower, let alone shots fired or a
rat invasion. No surprise there; the Adepts most likely had the top
brass of the police in their pockets, and maybe the media too.

Then I saw a report with a name that caught
my eye. Following a tip, police found the bodies of bank owner
Stanley Everett and his wife in a packing crate in a warehouse. One
of the pictures that were included with the story was a shot of the
building; the sign on it read, 'Trade Solutions Import/Export'. I
knew that name; hell, I had a business card for it. That was Declan
McKenna's company. I wondered if Gwen knew any more about that
whole thing.

Giving enough time for night to settle in, I
checked the 'hemo-net' for any updates in the Planner. Sure enough,
there was. I was to attempt being unseen again until two further
successes were achieved to strengthen my skill in that Gift. Any
other duties were contingent on the completion of that one. The
flag note told me to begin as soon as possible, and for detailed
reports to be made.

An hour later I stood in the parking lot of a
nightclub, next to a light pole with a dead bulb. I picked that
particular club because Cordell mentioned in the past that he went
there once in a while. Unless I made myself ignored, the
predominantly black patrons were sure as hell gonna notice a white
guy standing near their cars. On the bad side, Cord didn't stop in
that night so I didn't get the chance to at least see him. On the
good side, though, none of the clientele coming or going gave me a
second look.

Checking the sewer map after I got home, I
saw that the Water Department had a routine sewer line inspection
planned for the next day. Even better, it was only about two miles
from me. I put some ham sandwiches through the slot of Phillip's
door the next morning; I ignored his loud demands for answers and
went down to the basement to use my personal sewer access. The
inspection was set for an area that I hadn't explored yet, so I had
to scout it beforehand.

Finding a niche where one circular tunnel
connected to a larger one, I pressed myself back into it when I saw
the beams of flashlights further down the pipe. The workers' lights
passed over the side of me once or twice, but they kept moving
while they talked about a coworker finding a shitload of dead rats
and shattered glass in a downtown pipe. When they walked past, one
of them looked right at me but didn't even hesitate. I went home
again, washed the stink off, and typed my second report with a
smile.

An encrypted message from Viggo was waiting
for me when I checked that evening. He first gave me short but
strong praise for adapting to the Gift of Shadows so quickly. I
think my military stealth/stalk training helped out quite a bit,
but it felt good to get Viggo's approval no matter how I earned
it.

Viggo's message also told me to expect Mr.
Merritt to visit later that evening; he would be "delivering items
for further testing, as well as information". I liked Barnabus,
although I couldn't figure him out. From what I was told, he came
from a very rustic and unsophisticated beginning. That clashed with
the Barnabus I knew, who came off as more of a philosopher or
college professor. Granted, the deer pelt pullover he always wore
didn't go along with my scholar concept, but still.

Barnabus called before he showed up; I opened
the parking gate and let him pull in. I greeted him as he got out
of his sweet ride - a sky blue 1951 Chevy truck in perfect
condition. He had me help him bring two big boxes inside, saying
they were mine to keep. Sitting in the break room, I opened the box
in my hands and found all sorts of pet supplies and food. Barnabus
opened the other box, and a big cat lifted its head out to look
around.

That thing was fucking huge, three times the
size of what I imagined a normal cat to be. It had a gray and white
coat of long hair over its broad frame, and felt solid when
Barnabus handed it to me. I figured it was an altered minion cat by
its size, although it seemed mellow and friendly . . . and didn't
have any weird mutations. "Is this one of yours?" I asked him.

"Not at all," Barnabus said airily. "Per a
request of your lord, I had one of my own minions visit an animal
shelter and pick out a pet befitting the circumstance. I believe a
fine choice was made."

"Wait," I said, looking away from its green
eyes to his mismatched ones, "this is a normal cat?"

"He is a Maine Coon breed," Barnabus
explained as he began setting the pet supplies on the table. "They
are the largest of domestic cats. The shelter employees named him
Thunder; he seems to respond to it well enough. However, that can
be altered if you choose."

I didn't know shit about cat breeds,
especially that one. "No, Thunder sounds like a good name, I
guess." I set the big cat on the table and turned back to Barnabus.
"Not that I don't appreciate it, Mr. Merritt, but why did you get
me a cat?"

Barnabus leaned back and crossed his legs.
"There were two reasons for that," he said. "The first, as I stated
a moment ago, was because a request was made to find you a suitable
pet. The second reason filtered my choice. Given the vague
parameters, I asked Ms. Page what type of animal she thought you'd
be inclined to favor. Without hesitation, she said that you wanted
a cat. She was correct, I presume?"

"Huh, yeah, she was. But," I said, petting
Thunder while he sniffed at the supplies, "you said something about
befitting the circumstance. What circumstance?"

"The circumstance of a pioneering endeavor,"
Barnabus replied with conviction. "Thunder is not merely meant to
be a pet; he is also the focus of your continued training. That I
am aware of, you will be the first minion to put effort into
learning the Gift of Fauna. The attempt itself is an auspicious
occasion."

"Fauna . . . you mean like how my commander
controls rats, or how Ragna can do some wild shit with her dogs?
I'm supposed to learn how to do that?" I asked skeptically. The
Gift of Shadows was one thing, but becoming a 'beast master' like
that stupid 80s movie? "Look, Mr. Merritt, I get along fine with
cats and dogs, but I didn't really grow up with 'em. I'm out of my
depth here."

"Then if only to appease your lord," Barnabus
said evenly, "you will strive to attain an understanding of it."
His voice was calmer when he added, "My own ability of that Gift is
laughable compared to that of your lord or elder Ragna.
Nonetheless, I can offer a few simple instructions that may set the
course for your initial approach."

I huffed out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that'd
be great, thanks."

"Afterwards, your lord will assume the duties
of your education. On that note, he also asked that I give you some
details of historical value this evening."

"History was never my best subject in
school," I said with a frown. "But if he wants me to learn it, I'll
do my best."

Barnabus nodded. "I believe that there are
two elements to help a student succeed. The first is a proper
attitude, which you at least somewhat possess. The second is an
interest in the subject matter." He leaned forward, aiming that
bulging red eye at me, and asked, "Do you have any idea what 'the
Veleti' actually refers to?"

I only had a vague notion that the Veleti was
a tribe or clan or something, and that Viggo was once one of them.
I'd always wanted to ask him about it, but he seemed reluctant to
divulge anything. I was being given a chance to learn about my
commander's past, so hell yes I was interested in the subject
matter.

HISTORY

I set up the litter box and food bowls for
Thunder and left him on his own to explore his new home. Not long
after Barnabus and I went upstairs to the lounge to relax for my
history lesson, the big shaggy cat joined us. Apparently, he wasn't
the solitary type. I didn't mind that at all.

Barnabus first explained why he was giving me
this information rather than Viggo. It was a matter of perspective,
he said; my commander felt that a third party would offer the facts
with more objectivity. Fortunately, Barnabus was one of the very
few beings in existence who knew those facts.

Viggo was born in the mid-fifth century CE in
an area that is now eastern Germany. He was brought up in a time
when his parents joined with other Slavic common folk to repel the
last remnants of Roman oppression from their lands. That group
formed into a strong tribe, calling themselves the Veleti. They
ventured north to expand the holdings of the tribe's growing
numbers. Coming across smaller tribes, the Veleti either
assimilated them into their ranks or conquered them if there was
resistance.