Vesik 04 - This Broken World (35 page)
Read Vesik 04 - This Broken World Online
Authors: Eric Asher
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Paranormal & Urban, #Unknown
***
I paused when I reached my ’32 Ford. A patrol of National Guardsmen crossed the street nearby. They’d become a common sight since returning from Gettysburg. One of the men at the front raised his hand in greeting, and I waved. They’d all been cordial enough since being deployed, but I worried what their presence meant for the future.
I took a deep breath, closed the door, and my car rumbled to life. I wanted to see a bear about a girl, and it wasn’t long before I pulled off at Hampton and crossed over into Forest Park.
I left the SUV in a questionably legal parking spot and stared at the birdcage. There was a man there, talking to Vicky.
“Damian!” Vicky said when she saw me approaching. She ran up and hugged my ribs half to death.
I realized the man was Mike the Demon when he turned around.
Vicky leaned against my side while Mike walked closer. He held out his hand and we traded grips.
“You did well,” he said.
I shook my head. “We failed. That was disastrous.”
You are wrong,
Happy said. The bear faded into view, trundling away from the birdcage.
Mike watched, unmoved as the bear became the man.
“You are wrong,” Shiawase said. “There is still a world to fight for. We lost millions, yes, but do not forget the billions we saved.”
“The bear’s right,” Mike said. “Ezekiel had the power to reshape the world as he wanted it.”
“You knew he wasn’t a bear?” I asked, completely changing the subject.
Vicky giggled and Mike laughed. A small ghost flickered into being beside Mike.
“I may have spoiled the surprise,” the little necromancer said.
“Apparently she has known for over a century,” Mike said. “It just ‘wasn’t important.’ ” He raised an eyebrow.
“What brings you here?” Shiawase asked, turning to me.
I shrugged. “Just driving. Saw the exit and thought I’d stop.”
Vicky pulled on my arm. “You just wanted to see us.”
I flashed her a smile and squeezed her shoulders. “You know it, kiddo. And … I talked to Glenn about the Burning Lands.”
“Really?” Mike asked as he crossed his frighteningly muscular arms. “This just
happened
to come up?”
“Yep,” I said. “I hear it’s a good hunting season for devils.”
“Damian,” Mike said as he glanced at Vicky. His eyes snapped back to me. “Do you mean?”
“Yes, I do,” I said. “Interested?”
Shiawase chuckled and Mike smiled.
“Crazy as ever.” Mike knuckled his eyes. “Let’s talk about that later.”
“A wise idea,” Shiawase said. “Do not doubt that we are with you, but for now, let us enjoy our company.”
I stayed for a while, talking to the bear, the ghost, the demon, and the child I would do anything to save from becoming the Destroyer.
***
Even walking across my own street, I saw another small patrol of guardsmen standing around what looked to be a personnel carrier.
I sighed and slid down a short embankment before splashing into the shallows of the Missouri River. I ran my thumb over the blue obsidian disc in my hand, sat it beneath the water, and waited. The river began to bubble a minute later, and Nixie’s face rose up through the dark waters.
“Damian,” she said, the smile on her face a welcome sight.
“I saw the news,” I said. “They’re calling you heroes.”
Nixie nodded. “It is … odd. Some good has come of this. Several more undines have deserted the Queen.”
“Why?” I asked.
“The Queen wanted the tsunami to make landfall, to kill as many commoners as it could.”
“I’ve seen the photos with the tsunami. It was beautiful, Nix.”
“It was,” she said. “There are few beautiful things in the world that are not capable of great destruction.”
I dragged my fingers from my nose to my chin as I blew out a breath. “How are your people?”
“I am safe, Damian. The Queen is not so dimwitted as to attack us now.”
“Am I that obvious?”
She laughed, and a genuine smile crossed her translucent face. “Always.”
“What are you doing tonight?” I asked.
“Planning for a new fortress,” Nixie said. “Alexandra has an idea to build a stronghold in the Burning Lands.”
I raised my eyebrows.
Nixie nodded. “It is insane, but it does have merit.”
“Any dinner plans?”
“No. Why would you ask?”
“Well, Frank’s watching the shop. Foster’s watching the cu siths. Ashley is lording over some huge gathering of every coven from here to Canada. Sam’s—”
“Damian!”
“Yeah?”
“Why would you ask?”
“Oh, that.” I smiled and bent down to pick up the blue obsidian disc.
“What are you doing?”
I reached over my shoulder and pulled the hand of glory out of my backpack.
“Damian?”
“I’ll be there in five.” I winked at Nixie as I intertwined my fingers with Gaia’s and stepped into the Abyss.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers. For more about Eric, see
www.daysgonebad.com
.
VESIK, THE SERIES
You might also like these from
ReAnimus Press
:
The Eye in the Stone,
by Allen L. Wold
[Author's Official Site]
Vengeance of Orion,
by Ben Bova
[Author's Official Site]
Predators and Other Stories,
by Edward Bryant
[Author's Official Site]
