Shey Thrudesh-Vo #3
People screamed and rushed past him, away from where most cracks and breaks in the road were forming.
Cars, lampposts, and even fire hydrants were disappearing into the blackness.
He didn’t know if any of this was real or an illusion cast by Haru’s magic, but he couldn’t take the chance.
He whipped the bike around and headed down a side street, dodging trash cans and stray dogs.
Two blocks over, he turned right and went south again, moving through the lashing power of nightmares.
Guilt ate through him like acid. He wanted to stop and help his frantic people, but the fastest way to help them all was to find Adrian and take him to Haru.
Two more blocks.
It felt like he’d been fighting through the bleak darkness and chaos for hours, but it was likely that only minutes had passed.
His muscles burned from maneuvering the bike and dodging innocent citizens.
Sweat coated his skin, leaving his clothes sticking to his frame, although an icy wind blew through the city.
Three more blocks and Shey pulled the bike to a stop on a lonely corner. He was sitting on the edge of Ash Row. Still straddling the bike with the visor lifted on his helmet, he pulled out his phone and examined the series of text messages from Rayne.
Olive Lane.
Yawning Dog.
The Dapper Shoe.
Pearl Street.
The Codfather.
The street names didn’t help him as much as he’d thought they would, but The Codfather lit up bright in his brain. It was a tiny mom-and-pop fish restaurant that served the best beer-battered cod and salty fries he’d ever had. Washerlane District in Ash Row. He knew exactly where it was.
After tucking his phone away, Shey revved the engine and raced forward, heading to the restaurant. As soon as he turned, he realized Adrian was weaving his way northwest, heading toward Haru.
There were fewer people on the street in Ash Row, but the streets were dangerously narrow, with cars abandoned in the middle of the road or even half on the sidewalks, slowing Shey’s progress.
He swore and swerved here and there, fighting forward.
Until a screeching roar sliced through the blackness.
Shey jerked on the brakes and slid the bike sideways, threatening to fly out from underneath him.
Just ahead was a giant purple squid with tentacles as long as buildings were tall, and a bright-yellow eye as big as a person dominated one side of its head.
Its beaklike maw snapped open and closed, letting out pained cries.
It was a monster straight out of a nightmare.
Specifically, the nightmare of a dragon who hated the ocean.
“Get out of here! Run!”
Silver knives flashed through the darkness and hammered into the squid, though they appeared to make no dent in the massive creature. Adrian had placed his body between the monster and the citizens who were attempting to flee the surrounding buildings.
Shey ran to him, grasping the thread of power that ran with him.
While pulling on all the energy he could muster, he threw out his hand much like he’d seen Adrian and Caelan do.
He was hoping for a sword made of ice. What he got was a thick spike of ice that flew like a shot through the air and sliced one of the squid’s tentacles, severing it.
It fell to the ground with a thick, wet flop.
The creature screamed and cringed, pulling its remaining tentacles close to itself.
Adrian twisted around, revealing a heavily bruised and swollen face. Dried blood streaked his brow, but his gaze was clear. “Shey?”
With a grin, Shey ripped off his helmet and tossed it aside. “About time I found you.”
Adrian opened his mouth to reply, but the squid cried out, reclaiming their attention. Shey pummeled the monster with spikes of ice and covered its tentacles with thick layers of ice, freezing it, while Adrian sent more knives into its body until the thing stopped moving.
“Sharks…and now this thing…” Adrian panted, waving a limp hand at the dead sea monster. “Haru and I are going to have a very, very long talk.”
“Or at least teach him to swim.” Adrian started to laugh at Shey’s quip, but he swayed as if his legs were giving out on him.
Shey lurched forward and grabbed him by both arms, steadying him. “What the hell happened?”
Adrian winced. His left hand clutched Shey’s triceps, steadying himself. “Explosion. I don’t remember it, but I heard my captors talking. I think they were trying to get Haru, but they lost him in the chaos. Ended up with me. I…I don’t know. Everything’s fuzzy. Probably from the concussion.”
“My friend, under any other circumstances, I’d be rushing you straight to the hospital—”
Adrian’s eyes flashed open, and his hand tightened painfully on Shey’s arm. “No! I need to get to Haru!”
Shey’s thoughts exactly. He turned Adrian toward the motorcycle. “Think you can hang on to me?”
“Even if I couldn’t, I’d demand that you tie my body to yours. Let’s get going.”
Shey scooped up the helmet he’d thrown aside and shoved it at Adrian. The man already had a concussion. He didn’t want to risk his brain anymore.
Adrian lifted the helmet to the top of his head and hesitated. “Where’s Tyche?”
“He went to find Haru.”
All the color leached from Adrian’s face, and he swallowed hard. “We need to hurry.”
Shey nodded and climbed onto the motorcycle without another word. He wasn’t sure if Adrian was more worried about Haru or Tyche. In truth, Shey wasn’t sure who he was more worried about, either.