Chapter Sixteen

Wyn

We leave the apartment and Ashley stops, taking a moment to carefully lock up behind us – as if that's going to do any good. I can feel him out there. I can feel his rage. Feel his anger.

And worst of all, he knows I'm here too.

I'd stashed my gear in a janitorial supply closet before going to Kaitlyn's apartment. And now, I'm thanking myself for having the foresight to bring it. I almost hadn't. Moving quickly to the closet, I open it and grab my bag.

“What in the hell is that?” Ashley says.

I motion for her to be quiet as I sling my blades over my shoulders. The last thing I want is for her neighbors to walk out and find us like this. Kaitlyn simply stands there staring at me with wide eyes, saying nothing.

“My equipment,” I say softly.

I hang my daggers off my belt and then shrug into my long coat, situating myself so the blades strapped to my back will clear it.

“This is so not even close to normal,” Ashley says. “I've been in LA a long time and I've seen some weird shit – but I've never seen somebody running around strapped with swords before.”

My smile is wry. “If you think this is weird, just give it a couple more minutes,” I say. “It's about to get a whole lot weirder.”

“If you were trying to make me feel better,” Ashley starts, “you really suck at it.”

I shrug. “Where are you parked?”

“Back lot,” Kaitlyn says.

I lead them down the back stairwell and pause at the door that will take us to the lot. I can feel their tension and smell their fear and try to block it out – I can't afford the distraction. Outside, I can sense the presence of the Ba’Chul. It's strong. Powerful. Dark. Malevolent.

Nyro.

But I can also feel the presence of his Gahan outside in the parking lot. I don't know exactly how many out there, but I imagine there are a few. Nyro has no desire to see me abscond with his sacred vessel – or his seed along with her. He'll do what he can to stop me – if he can.

“Do you have your keys ready?” I ask.

Kaitlyn holds them up. “Ready.”

Her heart is racing and her aura is more vivid than before. But what disturbs me is that mixed in with the vibrant colors swirling in the aura around her, there are the splotches of gray and black. Those weren't there before. And as I focus on them, I feel the dark, greasy feeling of evil – the feeling of Nyro. The seed within Kaitlyn is already gaining strength and power.

Their eyes grow wide when I unsheathe my swords and they are fixated on the long, curved blades.

“Listen to me,” I say. “Outside these doors are creatures like you've never seen before. They're going to be scary and you're going to want to freak out. Don't. Keep your head and keep moving to the car. I'm going to be there and I will make sure we get there. Whatever you do, just keep moving.”

“What kind of – creatures?” Kaitlyn asks.

“They're called the Gahan,” I reply. “They're hideous, ugly little things. Think – Gollum from the Lord of the Rings movies.”

“You're kidding me?” Ashley says.

“Wish I was,” I reply. “I'll fill you in on everything later. Right now, we have to go. Nyro is out there somewhere and he's coming for you, Kaitlyn. We need to get you somewhere safe.”

“For me?” she asks. “Why is he coming for me?”

“Later,” I say, my voice a little firmer. “We don't have time for explanations. Right now, I need you to keep your head down and keep moving when I open that door. You got it?”

They both look at me, eyes wide, and then nod.

“Good.”

I have Kaitlyn open the door for me and when she does, I move through it quickly, my blades at the ready. The Gahan are out there, lurking among the shadows, but when we step into the parking lot, they turn and head in our direction.

“Where is your car?” I ask.

Kaitlyn raises her hand and pushes the button on her key fob. A few rows over, I see the lights on a Volkswagen Jetta blink and hear the alarm chirp.

“Stay behind me,” I say.

I quickly move through the lot and don't have to wait very long for the action to begin. Ashley and Kaitlyn both scream as a pair of Gahan emerge from the shadows like malignant spirits. Their big eyes and pale skin give them a horror-movie look and the high-pitched chittering noises coming from their mouths makes your skin crawl. It's hard to believe these things were even human at one point.

They come at me from two sides and I spin to the right, my blade slicing through the air as I go. I feel it bite into the neck of the first Gahan and then pass through it like the proverbial hot knife through butter. The creature's head hits the pavement with a wet, meaty thud and rolls away – which makes Kaitlyn and Ashley scream even louder.

“Get to the car, goddammit,” I shout. “Now. Go.”

Moving quickly, I spin in the other direction, and get behind the second Gahan as it lunges at the spot I'd been standing in before. I drive the points of both blades through the creature's back, grinning in satisfaction as they burst through its chest. The Gahan lets out a loud rattling noise that I guess is a scream of sorts.

I turn and see another pair of the creatures descending upon Kaitlyn and Ashley. Although I know they won't hurt Kaitlyn, I have no assurances about her friend – and I'd like to keep her alive if at all possible. I plant my foot in the middle of the creature's back, driving it forward as I remove my blades from its body. The Gahan falls and I'm already in motion before it even hits the ground.

On the run, my blades whirling, I pass the girls and engage the creature emerging from behind a parked car. My sword is cutting a murderous arc through the air that catches the creature across the midsection. The slice is clean and opens the Gahan up, spilling its insides all over the pavement and filling the air with an acrid smell. I feel the second creature closing in on me from behind. Leaping up, I land on the hood of the car and flip backward, landing on my feet behind the creature. It turns around, an angry snarl escaping its lips. I drive the points of my blades forward – one through each eye. I withdraw my blades and let the beast fall.

“Wyn,” Kaitlyn calls.

I turn and see that she's standing by the open door of her car. Ashley is already in the passenger seat and is screaming for Kaitlyn to go, go, go. I turn and sprint toward them, sheathing my swords as I run. I'm five feet from the car when I feel his presence behind me. It's a dark, brooding presence filled with nothing but hostility and hatred. His presence is heavy. Oppressive. It seems to displace the air around me, replacing it with something noxious.

I turn to face him, gripping the hilts of my daggers.

Nyro stands in the middle of the parking lot, his eyes blazing a bright golden color, his long white hair blowing in the evening breeze. He looks angry. Stares at me like he wants to gut me right there. He's formidable now, but not nearly as formidable as he'll be if he's allowed to power up – something I have no intention of letting him do.

He raises his hand and faces his palm toward me. I feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck and somehow, instinctively know what's coming next. I raise both of my hands and draw in my own magic, taking as much of it into me as I can.

And when the lance of green energy is unleashed from Nyro's hand and streaks toward me, I summon a wall of light in front of me. It shimmers with a pale blue color and bends around me like a shield. When Nyro's energy hits the wall, it crackles and pops, tendrils of the green energy crawling across its surface. But it holds.

I look at it stunned, not really sure how I did it – but thankful that I did. A moment later, the tendrils of green fade and I dispel my magic shield. Nyro looks at me and nods.

“You have a strong command of your people's magic,” he says, his voice slick and smooth. “You would make an excellent commander in my army.”

I'm not going to tell him it's beginner's luck. That would only encourage him to continue testing me and eventually, I'd falter.

“I do,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel. “I have a very good command of it. And I appreciate the offer, but I've already got a job.”

“Surely, you know that I'm far more powerful than you,” he says. “You may have an advantage with a blade, but even you know you cannot beat me in a magical duel. It's only a matter of time.”

“I guess we'll have to see about that.”

“Leave my vessel,” Nyro says. “And I will let you live.”

“Does anybody ever actually buy that?” I ask.

Nyro shrugs. “The hopeful,” he says. “The foolish. But no, never a warrior like yourself.”

I hear Kaitlyn's car roar to life behind me and I shoot a quick glance back at her. The look of terror on her and Ashley's face is absolute and there are half a dozen Gahan surrounding the car, banging on the windows.

“You can save us all a lot of trouble if you just kill yourself now, you know,” I say.

“Well, that would be a bit anticlimactic, don't you think?” he says. “And where's the fun in that?”

“You know I'm never going to let you get your hands on her, don't you?”

“I know you'll try to keep us apart,” he replies. “And I applaud your effort. It's admirable. Futile, but admirable.”

I take a couple of steps toward Nyro and feel his power even from where I am. It's a horrible, repellent feeling – like being covered in an oil slick. Having his energy wash over me just feels – disgusting. But more than that, it feels strong. Incredibly strong. If this is Nyro at his base, lowest level of power, I really shudder to think what he's going to be like when he does power up.

It's not hard for me to imagine that if he successfully completes the Rites and assumes his full power, it will effectively end life as we know it – both in Chondelai and the world of man. He's going to be that powerful.

“Sorry that you're still a bit limp right now,” I say.

“A temporary condition,” he replies. “Once I have the power of my seed, as well as my vessel, coursing through my veins, I will be impervious and unstoppable.”

“Yeah, well – a lot can happen between now and then,” I say. “A lot that prevents you from performing the Rites.”

He shrugs, his expression saying he's unconcerned. “Perhaps,” he says. “I think it more likely though, that when the smoke clears, I'll be standing over your ravaged, broken body and this world as well as Chondelai will be mine.”

“I guess we'll have to see, won't we?”

“Indeed.”

I give him a mocking bow and back toward the car. “Until next time, then.”

“Count on it, Ranger,” Nyro calls.

I turn and slide my long daggers from the sheaths on my belt and step toward the Gahan that are circling it. Two quick slashes take the heads off the first two creatures in my way. Even from inside the car, I can still hear Ashley and Kaitlyn screaming in horror as I slice the throat of another of Nyro's guardians, spraying dark, viscous blood all over her windshield.

The three remaining creatures crouch down and cock their heads. It looks as if they're listening to some music only they can hear. Slowly, they start to back away, moving backward until they melt into the shadows of the night. I turn and see that Nyro has also gone, although his dark, oppressive energy continues to linger.

I sheath my daggers and climb into the back seat of Kaitlyn's car. They've both stopped screaming – thankfully – but they're looking at me with eyes so wide, I fear they might pop out of their heads. Their faces are pale and they're breathing is so ragged, they seem to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

Knowing I need to mask Kaitlyn's presence from Nyro, I summon the magic within me. I close my eyes and open myself up, letting the power and magic of the River Clan fill me. It's not long before I'm crackling with energy and open my eyes.

Holding my hands inches apart, open and palms up, I call up a ball of magic that springs to life, hovering just above my hands. It swirls and crackles with energy and I put all of my intention into it. When I'm done, I release the ball of energy and it rises, growing in size until it encompasses us all. Once the ball of energy enveloped us, it fades from sight – but I can still feel it there surrounding us.

“W – what was that?” Kaitlyn asks.

“It's going to keep Nyro from following us or even knowing where you are by masking your energy – essentially making you invisible.”

“But – what was it?” she asks again.

“It's the magic of my people.”

“Y – your people?”

“I'll explain it all to you soon enough,” I say. “Right now, we need to get out of here.”

“That was near the bottom of my list of weirdest shit I've seen tonight,” Ashley said. “And right now, all I can say is, what the actual fuck did we just see?”

I sigh. “It's a long story,” I say. “But rest assured, all of your questions will be answered soon enough. Right now, we need to get off the streets in case Nyro comes back. So, Kaitlyn, if you don't mind?”

She looks at me as if she's coming out of a dream and nods. “Yeah,” she says. “Yeah, sure.”

Pulling out of her parking lot, I give her directions to the training house. Both she and Ashley are terrified and I can't blame them. But overall, they're holding up a lot better than I expected them to.

But, they haven't seen the weirdest thing yet – the thing that may finally push them over the edge. I have a feeling once I show them my true form, it's going to be at the very top of Ashley's list – with a bullet.