Into the Darkness (Darkness #1)(13)

So I watched in horror as the Leather Man slid down the Boss’s back, leaving scores deep in the leather coat. The Boss thrashed, having cut through the insect hoard, and now reaching back with his gold bladed dagger, slicing the left leg of the lithe monster.

With a screech that made my teeth grind, the Leather Man convulsed, half its leg falling, turning to wisps of smoke before it hit the ground. The rest of its body flew skyward, hovering for the briefest of moments like Spiderman as gravity grabbed hold, then landing five feet away, claws outstretched. The now-lopsided creature teetered before falling to the ground. It was enough time for the Boss to shrug out of his shredded leather duster, revealing a leather vest underneath with six gaping tears, red oozing out.

Vivid blue tattoos circled his arms like serpents, before flashing a burnished gold along his skin. He crouched, coiled, and sprung all in one elegant, oiled movement. He slashed at the struggling Leather Man creature, his blade slicing a diagonal line through its chest.

The high-pitched scream echoed again, making me clamp my hands over my ears. A red slash burnt across the Leather Man’s middle, tendrils of smoke rising where the sword had passed through.

The Boss, not resting, plunged his knife downward, business end stabbing through the creature’s head. It started to shake violently, but I couldn’t let my eyes remain. A strange chanting penetrated my awareness.

Still huddling on the ground, I stared at the bull creature. It was making foreign sounds; strange guttural incantations with a peculiar tongue lilt. It certainly wasn’t English, and it definitely was dangerous.

As that last thought tumbled through my head, a blue cloud rolled and boiled around it, almost like an aura encompassing its chest and head. The blue cloud, like a heavily pregnant stomach with an active baby, gave the impression of shapes moving within.

“Where are they?” the Boss spat, turning from a strange puddle in the street, like tar with a metallic surface. His eyes swept toward me. “Run Sasha! I won’t let it follow you. You’ll be safe. I’ll find you after.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the remaining monster.

I could feel that pulsing blue cloud, as if it fanned a spark deep within. It sang to me, hinting at wonders so divine a mortal would be hard-pressed to live after experiencing them. Wouldn’t want to. Wouldn’t want to exist in a life devoid of the power and majesty within that blue cloud.

I felt my heart reach out, as if extending from my chest. My body started to flush, then heat, prickles sticking my arms, my chest and my head—just like acupuncture—and awakening my senses. Something in my middle blossomed, expanding outward until my skin felt stretched over it. I wanted to laugh so hard, my face cracked and my teeth loosened. I wanted to jump so high, I sailed over God; dance so hard, I broke a hip.

The liquid pulsed and heaved, gaining momentum, but weakly. I had no idea how I knew, but it held only a trickle of power. A card house outdoors; all one needed was a light breeze.

I didn’t know how to blow.

The Boss ran at it, slashing. My eyes hadn’t left the monster.

The bull beast had stepped out from behind its creation. The flow of power stopped and tied, allowing the creator to move freely, leaving its creation to carry out its duty. The bull beast was headed my way.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God.” My voice sounded frail and weak, a poor representation of the budding strength within my chest.

The bull beast stepped up onto the curb, its eyeless face pointed at me. It was expectant. Hungry. Its clawed fingers were moving excitedly, talons clicking together as it approached.

“Run Sasha!” the Boss shouted.

Reality snapped like a ruler against the inside of a wrist. Run!

“I can offer you great rewards.” Words came out in a garbled cluster of syllables, but I understood it. Its power pulsed. Reaching for me.

Something within my chest tried to reach back.

“Oh crap!”

I feinted right like a boxer and bolted left, running smack into an immovable object. I ricocheted off and flew head over heels into a pile of rotted crates, my foot falling through a stack of three and getting stuck at the bottom. “Oh no!” I cried in panic, trying to shake my foot free with a hand on the slimy wall for balance.

A giant man was standing in my path, sword drawn, red-orange blade. The tip swung backward before it slashed down, nearly poking my eye. I hunkered down, leg forgotten, just trying to not get killed by friendly fire.

Glowing blade slashed again. The dance of warfare took the giant guy throughout the alley, slicing off pieces of the monster one at a time. Another shape rushed in, huge and bulky, just like the others.

With three against one, plus a weird blue creation, the fight was over in less time than it took me to realize my trapped foot was in a puddle of sludge currently soaking into my sock. Yanking it free, losing some skin off my ankle in the effort, I finally looked up. Then cowered again.

The three mountainous men were staring at me in semi-circle, swords loosely at their sides. The blades were all silver again, making me wonder if they were actually light sabers and this was all an elaborate joke on the human.

“Her again, Boss?”

I recognized that striking face. Charles. The third addition to this group was unfamiliar, with a mild case of the handsome disease and the same overbearing, yet mouth-watering body.

“Yes.” The Boss’s tone was curt and his chest puffed slightly, trying to bend his shoulder blades back to ease the tension on the middle of his back.