The Bringer of War (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  He heard the carpet tear to his left. She must be on the ground. Without taking the time to look at his prey, he jumped and twisted his body in midair to turn and face her. He saw the bird turn her head to regard him with dark eyes, but it didn’t dodge. Right before he landed, Bridget shifted and he let out a howl of pain as several sharp points pierced his chest. The stag underneath him bowed her head from the force of his fall, and he slid off the sharp antlers, leaving streaks of red across the floor. Looking down, he saw the blood soaking into his white and gray fur in at least four places.

  The stag walked over and stood above him, chest sticking out in pride. Bridget remained far enough away that he couldn’t reach her with a swipe of his paw. Closing his eyes, Darien shifted. Bridget waited until Darien finished his transition to a cobra. The venomous creature lunged out in an attempt to sink dripping fangs into a foreleg. As the mouth closed down, it felt empty air as Bridget shifted into a mongoose.

  She was a blur of brown fur as she evaded the snake’s attack and then circled around to look for an opening. Darien tried to turn, but the wounds in his body made him wince and slowed him down. Bridget took advantage of the situation and raced in like a shot, getting behind his head. She bit down on the reptile’s body, holding on as he thrashed about to either break free or bite her.

  Darien stopped and dropped to the ground, the mongoose still with her teeth deep into his neck. It took longer than before, but he forced himself to calm down to the point where he could once again shift. Bridget found herself on the back of an alligator with her teeth no longer in Darien’s neck. Before he had the chance to move, she shifted as well. The alligator pushed with his legs and snapped his tail hard enough to crack the wall, but was pinned underneath the bulk of a hippo. Only the reptile’s tail was free. It lashed about, knocking holes in the drywall.

  After a few moments, the struggle ceased as Darien gave up. His anger was put out by the hopelessness of the situation. Bridget was faster and more experienced than he was. He willed himself to shift back to human, just wanting to collapse on the ground. When he shifted, Bridget stood up, taking her bulk off of him. Darien’s clothes were torn and he bled from several places in his chest and neck. Through the rips in his shirt, it was clear that his entire chest was bruised.

  Bridget resumed her human form as well, and the change was instantaneous. She stood over Darien, a sneer on her face.

  “Face it, Darien, you can never beat me. I can shift more than you, faster than you, and have been doing this longer than you.”

  Darien coughed in response, spitting blood onto the floor. He pushed himself up to a sitting position and crawled backwards until he was resting against a damaged wall. Half-heartedly, he reached up and wiped the blood off of his lips with the back of his hand. Her face softened as Bridget walked forward and stood in front of him.

  “I tried to help you. There’s so much I could teach you.”

  “You’re a manipulative bitch, you know that?”

  Darien’s words were weak, but his eyes burned with an intense hatred as he looked at the woman across from him.

  “And you don’t appreciate the power you have. Anyone who gets in our way deserves what happens to them.”

  Darien let loose an inhuman howl as he found his rage again and shoved himself off the wall. He lunged at Bridget and tried to grab her shoulder. She stepped back, and Darien fell to the ground with a hard thump. He was unable to suppress a moan, but tried to rise once again. His hand slipped, and he dropped to the ground. Standing off to the side, Bridget leaned forward to whisper in his ear as he forced himself to all fours.

  “You’ll never stop me.”

  Her words cut off sharply as she jerked back and fell to the ground. Her body curled up and she began to cough and spasm. Once again, her form became indistinct as it did in the Shadow’s fortress. Darien saw her losing control and the sight gave him the energy to stand upright. He towered over her. He limped over to the gun on the floor. He took aim and fired a dart at Bridget’s leg. After it injected the sedative, she closed her eyes and her body relaxed. She solidified in her human shape and slept.

  He stood over her, looking at her helpless body. It would be easy to kill her right now, and some part of him wanted nothing more than to feel her heart stop. The weariness overcame him, and he stumbled, catching himself with a hand on the railing. Looking down at Bridget once more, he shook his head. Darien dropped the gun and crawled over to the bag, using the railing as support. Both books were inside. He lifted it over his shoulder with a heavy grunt. He staggered to the door, taking Bridget’s car key hanging on the hook next to it. He went outside and shuffled to the car in the driveway. With a sigh, he dropped the bag into the back seat and leaned with his arm flat on the roof of the car. It took him almost a minute before he felt strong enough to crawl into the driver’s seat. He just needed to stay conscious until he reached the hospital.

  Chapter 29

  Darien sat in the chair by Susan’s side, his eyes halfway closed. The bag with the ritual books rested at his feet. His chest and neck were patched with small squares of gauze held down with white medical tape. The entire front of his chest was bruised, and the doctors said he was lucky to not have any broken bones. Even though it had been several hours since he fought with Bridget, he was still exhausted. But he refused to give in to his exhaustion until Susan woke up again.

  With a groan, Darien stood up. He grabbed the bag and placed it over his shoulder, not wanting to have it out of sight. He got up, wanting to check on Richard. The walk would help keep him awake. Once he was outside, he saw Alyssa standing and looking through the window to Richard’s room. He walked up to her and she didn’t notice him approach.

  “Hey, Alyssa.”

  She turned in response to his voice. As her face came around, he saw bags under her eyes and wet tracks down her cheeks.

  “Hello, Darien. Is he…”

  “He’ll be fine. Lost his eye, but otherwise nothing permanent.”

  “I heard… I was worried.”

  Darien stood there and said nothing for a while. He had never seen Alyssa like this before. She crossed her arms and turned her head so she could look through the window again. She took one hand and reached out to put it on the glass. After a moment, she coughed and turned back to Darien. He smiled and handed her the bag.

  “This is for you. I think it’s best if you have them.”

  She opened it and looked inside. “You know what these are?”

  Darien nodded. He whispered, “Do you know how long I have?”

  “No one knows. Three years? Five?”

  It was sooner than Darien expected, but it did not change his mind. He pressed his lips together and offered a weak smile before turning to leave. Alyssa reached out and touched his shoulder.

  “Thank you, Darien.”

  Darien reached up and put his hand on hers for a moment before walking away. He resumed his vigil at Susan’s side. He tried to keep his eyes open, but they fluttered of their own accord. His head drooped and landed on the edge of the bed.

  The next thing he knew, he woke up with Susan stroking his bangs out of his face. His eyes met hers and she smiled. A warmth spread through his body that had nothing to do with temperature. Leaning forward, he kissed her gently on the lips. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and it was a while before they let go of each other. They heard the door open, so they let go to see who entered. Richard stood in the doorway.

  “It’s good to see you come back to us, kid. When I found you in the hall, I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

  “It’s good to be back.”

  “Are we safe?”

  Darien shrugged. He wasn’t sure of the answer. “The police are calling it a gang war and sectioned off the area. They don’t seem to ask too many questions of people on this floor. I guess people will believe what they want to believe. As for the Shadows, I’m guessing they have their hands full at the moment.”

  “Wha
t about Bridget?”

  “She should be out of our hair for a while. The Arm knows where she was. I’m pretty sure she has her own problems right now.”

  Darien dropped it there. He didn’t want to go into details just yet. Susan sighed heavily and her eyes closed. Darien leaned over her bed and gave her a hug. After she fell asleep, Darien continued to watch her for a few breaths before turning around to face Richard.

  “How are you holding up, kid?”

  “Exhausted, drained, and worried about what’s to come.”

  “We’ll deal with it when we get there. Get some rest. I’ll watch your back.”

  Darien Yost was successful during his attack. Due to the high profile of the situation and the amount of losses sustained, I recommend closing the Austin conclave. The Austin cell will be able to claim victory over the Shadows. Recommend arranging for the Shadows to gain ground in Chicago in exchange. The Arm cell in that region is weak and struggling for membership.

  Gregory Marks survived and should be transferred to a new role more aligned with his abilities. Other members of the conclave should be reassigned across the country.

  Mr. Yost acquired both ritual books necessary to attempt a cure for his impending affliction. However, he returned the manuals to Alyssa Bradford. Once he begins to suffer from the affliction, he may be more willing to sacrifice his moral stance for the cure. A note has been made in his psychological profile. Observation continues.

  Miss Bradford brought both tomes to the Austin cell. We will arrange for a transfer of the rituals manual to a conclave to keep the information separated and the power between the organizations balanced. One side cannot emerge victorious for humanity to survive.

  About the Author

  Dylan Birtolo has always been a storyteller, for as long as he can remember. No matter how much other things have changed, that aspect has not. He still tells stories, in whatever format he can. Sometimes that is writing, running a roleplaying game, or even the traditional oral story by the fire. He currently resides in the great Pacific Northwest where he spends his time as a writer, a gamer, and a professional sword-swinger. His thoughts are filled with shape shifters, mythological demons, and epic battles.

  He has published a couple of fantasy novels and several short stories in multiple anthologies. He has also written pieces for game companies set in their worlds and co-authored a gaming manual. He trains with the Seattle Knights, an acting troop that focuses on stage combat, and has performed in live shows, videos, and movies. In addition he teaches at the academy for upcoming acting combatants.

  Endeavoring to be a true jack of all trades, he has worked as a software engineer, a veterinary technician in an emergency hospital, a martial arts instructor, a rock climbing guide, and a lab tech. He has had the honor of jousting, and yes, the armor is real—it weighs over 100 pounds. You can read more about him and his works at www.dylanbirtolo.com or follow him on Twitter: @DylanBirtolo.

  If you enjoyed this book by Dylan Birtolo, you may enjoy one of these other Urban Fantasy books published by Apocalypse Ink Productions

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  My name's Keith Murphy. I specialise in killing things from the Gloom who deserve a few bullets in the head. I'm not a sorcerer, but I worked for one, a guy named Danny Roark who saw me on a bad path and gave me an alternative. For sixteen years, we'd worked together; a two-man unit, the best of the best. Roark did the magic and I handled the guns.

  We just did a job. It’s gone sour and now I’m running. Running doesn’t bother me. Running's a survival trait. What bothers me is the nine multimeter bullet I swallowed, the one with the soul of my last victim trapped inside it. He was the leader of a cult of bloodthirsty monsters.

  His followers want his soul back and I’m their only lead.

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  Apocalypse Ink Productions is an independent press focused on dark speculative fiction and horror in its fiction line and online based writing education in its non-fiction line.

  Please visit our website at http://www.apocalypse-ink.com to learn more about us, and to find information on other books—both digital and print—that we have available.