Foreboding Skies (The Skybreaker Saga Book 1) (12 page)

I left my body behind along with all its pain. Dark and silent, it was exactly what I had been expecting. Except that I was still thinking. I still had my sense of self. I couldn’t be fully immersed, but it was still possible for me to be the regular kind of dead and wherever I happened to be was a waiting room for the afterlife. Perhaps I had already been judged and sentenced to an eternity of nothingness. It wouldn’t have been a terrible afterlife. After an interminable amount of time passed my senses began to return. I discovered that I was lying on my back, on a grassy hillside. The air was chilled and smelled stale, as if it had been years since even a small breeze stirred it. My sight returned before my ability to move. I sat up and was treated to a pleasant scene of grassy rolling hills with the occasional stand of trees. Everything was bathed in a soft twilight. But
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there was no moon, there were no stars, or any noticeable light source at all. The sky was a blank black slate. At that point I was rather sure that I had died.

Out of the twilight walked a hazy figure. I could make out no features of the figure as the shadows hugged them too closely. The figure said nothing as they approached and I didn’t really feel like asking anything. The shadows rapidly fell away with every step until a man in a slick business suit stood over me. I never pictured the grim reaper wearing a suit. His face made me do a double take. The man’s face looked stitched together from the discarded pieces of other faces. Like one of those collages that are made up of numerous other pictures that form a larger image when looked at from the right distance and angle. Except I was too close and at an unfortunate angle. I didn’t see the intended image, just the stitched up pieces. It was disturbing.

I didn’t want to be treated to that view anymore, I stood up and put a few paces between us. He didn’t react to my movement at all. He continued to sweep his gaze through the area around me, as if he were searching for something that had to be there. But I couldn’t decipher what was going on behind those fish eyes. Dead fish eyes I made certain not to make direct contact with, I didn’t know what the ‘guy’ actually was. I quickly grew tired of waiting to find out. “Am I dead and are you here to take me away?” He looked briefly startled before focusing on me. I didn’t think he was initially aware of my presence.

I’m sure his smile was meant to be reassuring in some way. I was concerned for my safety. I doubted a legitimate agent of death would drag my passing out this long. I had to consider that I was faced with an entity far more sinister. “Please, be at ease. I will not harm you.” He sounded perfectly reasonable. I didn’t perceive any menace from him. He was still creepy as all get out. “I have been looking for an opportunity to speak with you.”

“I take it you are not here to ferry me to the afterlife? That is somewhat disappointing.”

“That you are not dead is fortunate for both of us, as was the near death experience that allowed us to finally meet. I do believe this is a fated meeting. One that will change everything.”

“Let’s just start with who you are and where we are.”

“We are in your mind. Your deep subconscious to be exact” I swore I heard thunder in the distance, but I couldn’t find any clouds in the sky. The suit gave no indication he heard anything. “Who I am is a far more complicated matter.”

“Well, simplify it. Let’s start with a few questions. How did you get inside my mind?”

“I have always been with you. Always.” A disturbing notion.

“Ok. Are you a figment of my imagination?”

“I assure you that I am quite real. As is the power I offer, you must only reach out and take it.” It was sounding like a come to the dark side speech because we have cookies speech if I ever heard one. But, I didn’t feel threatened by the entity standing before me.

“What are you?”

“I am a source of tremendous power.”

“I heard you the first time, but I do not find that to be a satisfactory answer. Anyone or anything can claim they want to help me.” I was certain I heard thunder again. The suit reacted slightly as well. I still couldn’t see any clouds.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Holy shit I’m alive!” Those words continued to zip around my mind like drunken flies as I sat and panted. My elation at being alive only lasted a few precious seconds as I realized there was a gaping hole in my memories. Of more immediate concern, I didn’t know where I was. I was completely naked and could see none of my possessions within the… Victorian era room. Clichéd. How many people would go through the effort of collecting such a tired and worn out style? My answer came as a shirtless Alewyn streaked into the room and attempted a daring body slam on me.

I instinctively commanded a gust of wind to knock him of his course. Then I vomited and struggled to maintain consciousness as Alewyn sailed overhead and collided with a bed post. Had a fully functioning mining operation not been going on inside my skull I would have found the situation hilarious.

“Vlad wasn’t kidding. You really look like shit.” The mention of that literal bloodsucker reminded me of a crucial question I needed answered.

“Why am I still alive? And why are you here? And where is here?” Alewyn gave me his best sassy bitch sigh that said I should already know the answers to my stupid questions and parked himself on the edge of the bed. He was excelled at strongly implying you were dumb without saying so.

“You are alive because Vladimir wasn’t really trying to kill you moron. You should have noticed that.”

“The hell are you talking about? What do you mean he really wasn’t trying to kill me?”

“Uuuuuuugh. If he wanted you dead you would be dead. Vladimir Rurik isn’t the kind of man to pull punches or stop to gloat. He will kill you. And while you may be gifted for a Shaman of your age he could still mite you with ease. Simple right?” This was not simple at all. “What exactly do you remember other than your fight with Vlad?”

“Umm. I was at warehouse with…you? Then there was a fight. And that’s when Vladimir showed up and tried to kill me. Right?” I could tell from his expression that I was not as right as I originally hoped. “Well, are you going to insult me with your face or are you going to enlighten me?”

“I am insulted that you think I am limited to doing only one of those things at a time. Well I suppose I’ll start with your extremely questionable decision to let those two humans in on the big secret. I don’t mind personally, but a lot of ancient and powerful entities would be less than pleased to hear about it.”

Shit. Gousie was at the scene, with blood. A lot of blood. “Why did I do that and where are they. Are they still alive?” I had no idea why Hemy and Gousie were involved. No memory of my decision to bring them in remained. My guts twisted sourly. I really wasn’t that good at remaining emotionally detached as a good Shaman should.

“The Fed lady is mostly fine. Only minor physical injuries. The biggest issue is that her partner has been kidnapped by her sexy boss and you tried to kill her.”

“Wha…” was all I could get out before the vomit choked of my voice. This was a harsh acidic puke, the kind you have when you’ve already up chucked everything else. My training as a Shaman kicked in and I was able to get myself under control before I had a full-fledged panic attack. “Please elaborate on that last part.” I couldn’t think of any reason why I would try to kill her. I typically didn’t kill people I liked.

“You nearly killed her in whatever distorted state of mind you were in. I was only marginally conscious at the time so I can’t speak much to that. And that epic douchebag fellow tried to kidnap me and the cop you like, Joseph right? I can see why. He cuts a dramatic figure.”

“I think I remember you being in pretty rough shape. How did you escape?”

Alewyn gave me a mischievous grin. “I may not have as much magical muscle as my Fae cousins do, but I have enough to distract some humans while I throw myself out the window. I am more physically capable than an Olympic athlete. It was lucky that Vlad’s people were nearby to pick me up. It saved me the trouble of finding them.”

Okay. Okay. The situation was bad. Hemmingway was now a hostage to confirmed villain Goodwin. I tried to kill Lucy. And Vladimir apparently wasn’t trying to kill me. That last bit still needed clearing up.

“Vladimir had no intention of killing me? Are we in his house right now?”

“One of his houses, yes. And as for intentions, well I think he would have killed you if you hadn’t snapped out of whatever trance you were in.”

“You keep saying that. Why can’t I remember anything after my face to face with Goodwin?” Had I been drugged somehow? I didn’t know what drug could make me act the way I apparently did. Or why fighting with Vladimir would nullify its effects. If an external trigger didn’t cause my episode of mental instability then it must have been a severe internal issue. The truly frightening thing about that is how I had no way to tell if I was disconnected from reality or not. My perception and memory were too distorted.

“You would need to talk to our host about that. Our dear bloodsucker did not feel like enlightening me as to what he thinks is wrong with you. He is busy at the moment but he said you can use the button to summon his staff and they will take care of anything you need. Like clothes and food, or cleaning up puke. And when you are ready you can talk to him, just ask one of his people.”

I didn’t know what button he was talking about. I assumed there was one sitting around there somewhere. Wait. “Downs. What happened to him? How did he escape?” Alewyn had to have seen something even if he had been taken by surprise.

He looked over my head and sighed again before answering bashfully. “I can’t remember a thing that happened. Seems like amnesia is going around these days.”

“Anything at all? A sound or even a smell?” I cringed a little internally when I realized I sounded like Vlad when he grilled me over my visions.

“Blinding light. I have the impression of blinding light instead of memories. Can’t say why that is. Vladimir and I are working on it. You have your own memory problems to deal with.”

“Blinding light? Like a flash bang? Or a spell? But you are largely immune to mental magic. It would have to have been a strong spell and that should leave traces.”

“Settle down. As I said Vladimir and I are working on it. Let’s talk some more about you. I have been reviewing the significant events that have occurred over the last several days and I came across the hospital records for the members of Downs’ crew that the police picked up. Their injuries were severe.”

“Those guys? So what? I didn’t kill any of them. That’s not entirely true. Well, I didn’t kill anyone that Justice didn’t want me to.”

“How noble. And you actually didn’t kill anyone. The guy you punched in the throat is still hanging on. Though he probably has significant brain damage from oxygen deprivation. We both know you could have taken them down in far gentler manner.” He was right about that. I hadn’t made a conscious decision to be brutal. It just happened, it was the natural response. “Especially when you consider how most of them were hapless pawns in a game they never had a choice of playing.

“This issue is a long running one. You have gotten progressively savage over the years. Granted you have always been on the angry and petty side.

“…” I had nothing to say to that. But I felt that I had to say something in my defense. “I’m not petty.” That sounded weak even to me.

“You are one of the most petty people I have ever known. If someone cuts you off in traffic or tells you off on the street and you act like they have offended your great ancestors. And I know, some of that is your whole power from rage deal. Look…I have known you for a long time and have watched you make some amazing leaps. But those leaps have come at a price. You built a skyscraper with a weak base and its starting to crumble.”

“Crumble? I’m structurally unsound?”

“It’s a metaphor.”

“No it’s not.”

“It’s something so shut up and listen. I was there the night you obtained your badger spirit. I saw how brutal that was. The problem is that you never fully bonded with the badger or ratel or what have you. The tension has been building ever since.”

“Come out and say it.” I didn’t like the direction the conversation was taking.

“Fine. The problems you have been experiencing are caused in part by the dissonance between you and your power.” I did not like getting lectured by anyone. I definitely didn’t like getting lectured by someone who had no idea what they were even talking about.

“I’m the  Shaman here! You don’t think I can account for myself?” I didn’t want to have any responsibility for what happened. Alewyn was smart and experienced and was usually right.

“You are young and reckless! You are not the first Shaman I have seen poison themselves. You over stepped yourself and now the backlash is hitting in full. I know there are other factors in play, and I’m sure Vladimir will inform of them, but you need to strongly consider the implications of what I’m saying.” My anger fizzled faster than it came. I felt exhausted.

I nodded as Alewyn slipped quietly from the room. I flopped myself back onto the bed to brood. I needed a good brooding. No that was a terrible idea. Brooding only let the worst parts of your mind run wild and weighs you down. It had been more than a century since I allowed myself the luxury of indulging in self-pity. If I was going to sit around waiting till I didn’t puke at every sudden move I made I might as well be productive. It should have easy for me to do. I had done it numerous times before and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to turn my gaze inwards. I was terrified of what I would find.

Whatever caused me to lose my memories and attack Gousie was inside of me. And I couldn’t face it. I didn’t even understand what the ‘it’ in question was. But Vladimir did. From what Alewyn said Vladimir knew, or had some idea, about what was wrong with me. But I didn’t want to ask him about it either.

When I thought he betrayed me it cut deep. Deeper than I would have liked and deeper than a respectable Shaman would have allowed. My teacher would have said it was my own fault for relying on others, especially a Vampire. It turned out that far from trying to kill me Vlad had been trying to save me, he had saved me. And Alewyn. And Gousie. I didn’t want to talk to him because I doubted him and legitimately tried to kill him.

Three strong knocks sounded at the door. I assumed it must have been one of the staff. But like every other assumption I had made the past few days, it was wrong. Lucy Gousie, a hilarious name for a bombshell of a woman. She even looked good rocking an oversized Lions shirt and sweet pants. Then I remembered that I tried to kill her. I was able to stop myself form vomiting this time, the lingering smell didn’t help.

“I see you are not doing as fine as …Alewyn said you were. We need to talk about what happened.” No shit. But like with Vlad this was a necessary conversation I desperately wanted to avoid. Of course, why would I start getting what I wanted now?

“Unfortunately I don’t have a great grasp of what happened. You should talk to Vlad, whom I assume has introduced himself by now. How long has it been anyway?” I should have asked Alewyn about that.

“It’s been two days since what happened and Vlad explained some things to me. I already knew that supernatural creatures existed but I never imagined such an extensive world existed or the level of influence your Community wields. I mean your friend’s company is a leading defense contractor. I’ve even worked with some of his people before.”

“I’m sorry about getting you involved in this. When I made the decision to tell you and Joseph about my side of the tracks I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I had no right.” Lucy wasn’t superhuman, but never underestimate the force a pissed off women can pack into a punch. A full-fledged closed fist put your weight behind it punch.

“I never imagined that you would be the self-pitying type John or Dragomir or whatever the hell your real name is. I joined the FBI because I wanted the power to do something to help, to challenge people who acted like they are above the law. When I was made the offer to join a top secret government task force investigating what killed my partner and other impossible things I didn’t hesitate. You were right when you said you don’t have a right, you don’t have the right to belittle my choices and Joe’s choices as well. Whenever you feel like getting up and acting like a cold hearted bastard, let me know.” And she tore out of the room leaving me with a stinging face. At least she didn’t mention how I tried to kill her. I imagined that would come up at some point in the future. The cold hearted bastard part was a surprise. People don’t often beseech others for aid by calling them cold hearted bastards.

At any rate her explosive entrance and exit signaled that my brief reprieve was over. I had to rise to the challenge as they say. If the proverbial ‘they’ could see the challenge I had to deal with they might not be so eager to rise. I threw myself out of bed, grabbed a pair of sweats and a plain white tee out of the dresser that was probably older than I was and took a tentative peak outside the ornate door, it was probably hand carved like everything else in the house. I didn’t see or sense anyone. I would prefer to avoid bumping into any of Vladimir’s underlings human or otherwise. It was mainly the otherwise ones I didn’t mesh well with. They were both openly hostile and looking for a fight and didn’t bother hiding it or far too fascinated in me for my liking. No matter how benign it may seem a Vampire’s attention is rarely a precursor to anything good.

I followed Vladimir’s scent through the mansion. It definitely qualified as a mansion or maybe as an estate. Vladimir would have an estate. I didn’t care for such large dwellings as they always felt far too empty. I picked out the few scents I knew, Alewyn, Lucy, and Vlad, but only a spattering of Vampires though. Unfortunately, one of the scents belonged to a Vampire that I was eager to avoid. The majority of the scents belonged to the legion of cats that inhabited the place. Vampires and cats, a diabolical alliance. Crap, I picked up the scent of fresh meat and two Vampires heading toward me and entered stealth mode by loosening my ties to the physical world.