The Shadowed Manse (9 page)

“Oh, guess I just absorbed it — I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“Valet,” said Vassalus, “is named for his position. All the servitors are.”

“When you say valet,” Arthur said, “do you mean valet?” He pronounced it val-ay instead of val-it like Vassalus kept doing. “Like someone who parks a car?”

“You moron,” Morgan said. “He’s a personal attendant, and you can pronounce it either way.”

“Oh.”

“Valet will see to your personal needs, Master Paladin,” Vassalus explained. “He will help you dress and arm yourself. He will fetch anything you need.”

“But he can’t talk?” Arthur said.

“None of the servitors can,” Vassalus answered. “Though they can respond silently.”

“How many others are there?” Arthur said.

“Five,” Vassalus replied. “Valet, Cook, Maid, Priest, Librarian, and Arms.”

“Are the servitors robots?” Morgan asked.

“Not exactly, my dear,” Vassalus answered. “They are Aetherial constructs.”

“And that means …” Arthur prompted.

“That they are, like us, made of solidified light,” said Lexi. “Just as the shades you just fought are constructs of darkness.”

“Solidified light?” Morgan said. “That’s not possible.”

“It is not the common sort of light you are familiar with,” said the wolf. “It is Aetherial light, just as the shades you encountered were made of Entropian shadow.”

“So how long were we asleep?” Arthur asked.

“About an hour,” answered Lexi.

“Sixty-three and a half minutes,” Vassalus corrected.

“Lady Ylliara said we should rest a while before daring the Grand Hallway,” Arthur said. “Guess we should rest some more, huh?”

“Oh, sounds good to me!” Lexi said. She curled up into a giant fluff-ball next to Arthur, and immediately began softly purring … or maybe snoring.

Vassalus shook his head. “I would not take too long. Maybe another hour. Nap if you like. If you need help with anything, do not hesitate to ask me.”

Arthur looked to Valet who was simply staring at him. “Do you need rest or anything?” Arthur asked him.

Valet shook his head no.

“Are you any good with that sword?”

Valet drew the blade. It was a long, thin sword — a rapier. He went through several attack routines, swished the sword with a flourish, and returned it to the scabbard. He stared at Arthur, who, not knowing what else to do, nodded in approval.

“All the skill of a long-retired, septuagenarian fencing instructor,” Vassalus muttered. “But beggars cannot be choosers.”

“Will your sword hurt the shades?” Arthur asked.

Valet pointed to the sword on the floor that Arthur had used and shook his head. Well, that was too bad.

“Can they hurt you?” Morgan asked.

Valet nodded yes, and Vassalus said, “Oh, they can hurt all of us.” He bared his teeth. “Though, we can most certainly hurt back.”

The way Valet just stood there watching them made Arthur nervous. “Valet, could you guard the door. Just in case they break through.”

Vassalus eyed Arthur, but said nothing as Valet walked over, drew his sword, and faced the door. Arthur picked up the other sword, since it was all he would have to work with until they reached the Armory. He flopped into one of the big armchairs. Lexi woke, followed him, and curled up at his feet. She was soon fast asleep again.

Morgan retrieved her backpack and took the armchair opposite Arthur. She rummaged through her pack. Vassalus stood beside her, gazing on with interest. Arthur felt a pang of jealousy. He couldn’t help but think that Morgan had gotten the better numen.

Morgan examined her ThinkPad, and booted it up. A minute later, she sighed with relief and sank back into the chair. After sorting through various cords and what he thought was an extra battery, she checked her iPhone with the shattered screen. “It’s still working, but obviously there’s no signal. And of course, you can’t see the screen very well. Probably good that I packed light today.”

“That’s light?” Arthur said.

“Well, most days I’d have my iPad and my Chromebook with me as well.”

“Your backpack must weigh a ton.”

“I’ve gotten used to it. I’m stronger than I look.”

“And you really need all those devices at once?” Arthur said.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“You could try explaining it to me.”

“Don’t you think you’ve had your mind expanded enough for one day?”

Arthur chuckled. “Know what’s funny?”

“Haven’t a clue.”

“We’re talking! You know, like how actual friends do.”

Morgan stared at him as if he were something completely alien, and then almost smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever talked this much in a single day before.”

“See, it’s not that hard.”

“Are you kidding? It’s making my skin crawl. I’m running on pure adrenaline, and if I don’t have some down time all to myself soon, I’m going to start having panic attacks.”

“Ah, see, you’re even joking with me.”

Vassalus shook his head, and Morgan sighed, “That was
not
a joke, Arthur.”

“Oh — okay.”

He didn’t say anything else. It was probably best to leave her alone for a while. Unfortunately, that meant having to sort through his thoughts. He’d almost rather go ahead and charge into the hall full of shadows, even if it meant dying, than to have to think over all that he’d been through … everything he’d learned today … everything he’d seen … from the terrifying to the absurd …

He just might have a breakdown soon, as well. He really needed days, weeks … maybe even years to absorb all of this.

He’d been right after all. He
was
meant for something more. He
was
supposed to be learning something more than Algebra and Spanish — only this was far more than he had expected — and it was too much, too soon. The entire universe — the Multiverse! — depended on
him
, Arthur Primus Paladin. All that weight on his shoulders, and no one had prepared him. Was there something wrong with him? Was that why his dad hid him away without training him? Or had his dad just been trying to keep him from getting assassinated like his mom?

Arthur angled the sword across his lap and gazed at his reflection.
I’m the only one left.
He looked at Morgan fiddling with her computer.
And it’s up to me; not just to take on the bad guys throughout the Multiverse, but to get Morgan back home safely … or at least keep her from getting killed.
He couldn’t let her be like … like Derek.

If only he’d known about all this sooner …

Anger bubbled up from deep within. The shadows in here might be responsible for his parents’ deaths — at the very least they were threatening Lady Ylliara and Morgan. They stood in between him and his legacy and the truth.

Arthur stood up and brandished the sword. “I’m tired of resting … tired of waiting. I’ve been waiting my whole life. This is
my
house, and I’m taking it back. Let’s go.”

Lexi woke and sprang up. “That’s the spirit! Let’s get ’em!”

Chapter Eight

To Arms! To Arms!

Arthur stomped over to the doors, with Lexi hot on his heels. Valet stepped aside.

Morgan stuffed her laptop into her bag, but left it sitting in the chair. “Wait up!”

“You should stay here,” Arthur said. “Where it’s safe.”

“Not a chance.”

“Morgan, this isn’t your fight.”

“It is now. I have a numen,
and
I’m your companion. You heard Lady Ylliara.”

“Well … that’s fine, but … you don’t have any way to fight them.”

“I’ll stick behind you, the numina, and Valet. I’ll be the brains of the operation. You’re going to need someone with brains for this operation. I’ll keep my eye out for the Armory.”

“Whatever,” Arthur snapped.

He grabbed the handle to one door, and Valet grabbed the other. Lexi and Vassalus stood nearby, waiting to attack. They pulled the doors open —

A mass of shades charged them. Arthur readied his sword, and the numina bunched their muscles to leap into action.

“Wait!” Morgan said. “Hold your ground!”

Arthur paused. Apparently, he trusted her completely — this surprised him.

The shades neared them. Arthur cringed, and Morgan, despite her command, eased backward. The sigil flared, and the space within the doorway shimmered like sunlight on a waterfall’s mist. The shades struck this energy field, and with a flash of smoke, disintegrated. A dozen perished instantly, clearing the nearest section of the hallway.

The dimly lit Grand Hallway stretched before them, as long as the main hallway in his school, with polished wood floors and a cathedral ceiling. There were at least ten doors on each side and a final door at the end of the hallway. A glowing sigil floated before most, but not all, of the doorways. That was good news. They’d only have to face the bad guys one room at a time. The bad news was that the opposite end of the hallway was packed with shades and at least a dozen similar, but nastier looking monsters — wraiths, he guessed.

“We need the Armory,” Arthur said to Valet. “According to Lady Ylliara, it’s the third door on the right …”

Valet confirmed that with a nod.

“Then let’s go!” Morgan said.

They took off down the hallway, their sneakers squeaking on the polished wood floors as they went. Vassalus and Lexi bounded ahead of them, and Valet followed alongside. The shades and wraiths at the other end rushed toward them. Arthur searched for dark-hearts as they ran wildly toward the third door, but he didn’t see any — they could be almost anywhere in here.

A wraith and five shades, the nearest Entropian monsters, charged toward Arthur and his companions.

“Hurry, they’ve got the angle on us!” Lexi cried out.

“No use hurrying,” Vassalus declared. “They will intercept us before we reach the door. Prepare for battle!”

“HAVOC!” Lexi cried, bounding toward the enemy, with Vassalus sprinting right behind her.

Arthur got a good look at the wraith as it got closer. It was clearly a nasty piece of work. Where the shades were lean and featureless, the wraiths had dimly glowing purple veins, bulging muscles, wicked claws, spiked tails, and bulbous eyes that resembled the dark-hearts.

With a great leap, Lexi pounced onto the wraith and knocked it flat. She bit at its neck and raked its legs with her back claws. The shades surged toward her, but Vassalus barreled into three of them, knocking them aside. Then he bit into the leg of a fourth, tearing the limb free at the knee. As the shade fell, it slammed a fist into Vassalus’ back. Vassalus howled and snapped back. He locked his jaws on the shade’s neck and tore its throat out. Arthur was surprised that Vassalus didn’t have a burn on his back. Apparently contact with the shades didn’t work the same for numina as it did for humans.

The wraith swiped its tail at Lexi. It struck her in the back, and a bright, silvery trickle of blood flowed forth. Snarling, she continued to rake it with her claws. As the wraith began to weaken, she locked her teeth around its throat. She bit down hard and shook her head, trying to break its neck. A shade rushed up behind her — Arthur lunged forward and chopped it in half with his sword.

“Get out of here!” Vassalus snapped at him. “We can take care of these few.”

Valet stepped in and cut into one of the shades. Morgan swung open the door, which was clearly labeled ARMORY, and hurried through the glowing triskelion sigil — before Arthur could warn her to enter carefully. What was she thinking?

She screamed. Arthur ran in to help. Morgan ducked under the vicious swipe of a shade and dropped into a crouch. Arthur swung his sword in a wide arc that severed its head. It staggered back, tendrils of shadow quickly reconnecting its head to its neck. He slashed back-and-forth rapidly, chopping through the shade’s chest and into the next shade moving up. Morgan scooted back into the corner behind the door.

The room was rectangular and lit dimly by low-hanging light fixtures that looked like leftover pieces from a World War II bunker. A door on the opposite side was labeled TRAINING ROOM. Glass storage cases lined the walls, like fancy gym lockers. Dozens of shades were packed inside, so thick they could hardly move around. They pressed toward Arthur.

“We can’t stay in here,” Arthur said.

As Arthur kept slashing, he glanced back out. Valet, Lexi, and Vassalus were backing toward them. Dozens more wraiths and shades were charging toward them en masse.

“We’re doomed,” he added.

He couldn’t keep this up much longer. No matter how good his attacks were, they didn't kill any of the shades.

“Arthur!” Morgan cried. “The dark-heart is just above the opposite doorway.”