《Ashen Dawn - Book One of Divine Blood》


 Prologue

    The soldier and his companions charge screaming into combat, brimming with adrenaline and misplaced optimism. Nervous for his first real fight, his more experienced squad sweeps him along like a leaf in the wind, his sweating hands wrapped in a death grip around his rifle. He''s not even sure what they''re fighting for; visions of gold and glory aside, all he knows is that when Chief says jump, the only appropriate answer is to leap for the sky and wait for permission to come back down.


    From somewhere up ahead the sound of gunshots mingles with swords clashing and the occasional scream. The soldier rushes forward, eager to reach the action.


    He rounds the corner of a building and his legs suddenly go watery and numb. Men and women continue to flow past as his feet just simply refuse to carry him forward any further. The ground is carpeted with bodies, both the Chief''s troops and the city guard. The street is slick and red with blood and worse things. A trail of corpses lies clear to the next bend in the street and he does not want to know where they lead. It''s only the thought of what will happen to him if he deserts that keeps him moving.


    He sprints forward to catch up and finds his squad engaged with a lone enemy swordsman. The man should be hopelessly outnumbered, and yet- The soldier stumbles to a halt. Half his squad are on the ground, dead or dying, and the remainder stand in a whirlwind of blood. The lone man twirls and slashes, hot sun glinting off a blade that''s grotesquely oversized even for his tall frame. The soldier doesn''t understand how he can possibly wield such a monstrous sword with such graceful ease. It''s nothing more than a silver blur, spatters of red flicking off it in arcs of gore. A little whimper escapes the soldier''s throat as he begins to understand how well and truly fucked they are. The enemy''s Talented, has to be to have survived this long much less even lift that enormous blade, and he hasn''t even started throwing magic yet. As if hearing the soldier''s thoughts the man launches a burst of flame, incinerating the last of the soldier''s squadmates.


    It''s not a quick death, or an easy one. Bile rises in the soldier''s throat, threatening to choke him, and he swallows hard. The enemy swordsman snaps his wrist, spraying blood casually off his blade, and then turns to look directly at the quaking soldier. He stalks forward, sword held horizontally out to one side, unhurried. The soldier fumbles his rifle up ¨C and freezes, overwhelmed with horror as the man comes close enough to see his face. The enemy''s eyes, shadowed under his long, unruly black hair, are glowing the spine-chilling, eerie red of a magical Talent in the grip of bloodlust or anger.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    When he was very small, the soldier''s grandmother had often muttered an incantation against evil. A superstitious woman, she read too many legends and saw angels and demons around every corner. He and his siblings had always laughed at her stories. He isn''t laughing now. A half-remembered prayer wails through his mind.


    The man pauses an arms-length from the soldier, seemingly waiting for something. The world goes quiet as the demon and the soldier experience a moment of stillness. Even the background sounds of battle fade away as he stares into those awful red eyes, even now clearing to a deceptive jewel blue. With a start he remembers himself and jerks his rifle to his shoulder.


    ¡°Pfft.¡± The demon makes an amused sound and scribes a half-circle in the air with his blade. His gun knocked away, the soldier finds himself sprawled on his backside, gasping for air with the demon''s blade a line of lethal ice at his throat. The demon speaks for the first time. ¡°You''re just a pathetic kid. Why did they even let you out with the rest?¡± Without waiting for a reply he withdraws the sword and plants his booted foot in the middle of the soldier''s chest, sending him flat out onto the ground. ¡°Killing you''s not worth it.¡± The man turns his back to walk away.


    Anger chokes the soldier for a brief second, his fear of the demon washed away in a flood of pure untainted rage. He spots his dropped rifle and he rolls, scrabbles for it in the dirt, taking comfort from the feel of the molded grip. The demon is still walking away and he takes careful aim from his prone position. One shot, to the back of the head. He''s wearing body armor but even a demon can''t be completely immune to a bullet through the brain. He squints into the scope, his own ragged breathing too loud in his ears, his entire world narrowed and concentrated to the view through the tiny square of plastic.


    Holding his breath, the soldier licks his lips and squeezes the trigger, bracing for the crack and recoil. The only thing that happens is a sad click as the rifle jams. Panic begins to claw its icy way up his spine as he tries to remember what to do, a quick five-minute overview of the weapon and a couple of weeks'' sporadic practice his only experience with it. He wrestles with the gun, desperately trying to clear the jam for another shot before it''s too late.


    A cold shadow falls over him, blocking out the light.


    He looks up.


    The demon stares down.

 Chapter One

    Vertigo dragged his boots along the dusty path. This was the type of small town he favored over the loud and boisterous cities they often chose to work in. He didn''t need to be told that they held far better prospects than these rundown settlements on the edge of the wastes, but he hated the crowds, he hated the noise, and he hated the attention Commander''s reputation brought them. Here they were just another nameless group of mercenaries, and he was only another person strolling through the town at the crack of dawn, the red rising sun just barely peeking over the horizon. The air still held a hint of the night''s chill, even as the day''s warmth began to spread. The tough jacket underneath his cloak would become too much soon, but he wasn''t interested in parting with it just yet.


    His eyebrows furrowed together. Some nameless emotion weighed heavy on him. Not loneliness ¨C he''d sought out this solitude, after all. There were thoughts to ponder and nightmares to sort. Being alone was unremarkable; while his presence in the corps was hardly unwanted, he simply didn''t work in a team with any of them. Being un-Talented, there was just so little they could offer in terms of protection or even assistance. There were of course the other two members of Commander''s elite squadron, but they were problematic in an entirely different way.


    This ache was less familiar, a sense of being unsettled, displaced. The past five years blurred together under the morning light and it all seemed so pointless. Vertigo ran a hand through his hair, a sigh slipping past his lips. Out of pure habit he scanned the horizon with critical eyes, watching for any sign that could potentially mean incoming trouble.


    The hair on the back of his neck prickled in warning. There was a presence behind him, swiftly moving to--


    Vertigo hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. He rolled over onto his back, only to receive a kick to the side. ¡°Bliss! What the f-¡±


    ¡°That''s for wandering off without tellin'' anyone.¡± The blonde woman crossed her arms, one eyebrow quirked in exasperation. ¡°You keep doin'' shit like this, and I keep having to call off the search party to find your sorry ass. Is it so damn hard to leave a note?¡± She planted her boot on his chest, frowning at him. ¡°I should totally drag you to Commander''s tent and let him kick your ass for all the bullshit you create.¡±


    Vertigo said nothing, just glared up at her.


    ¡°So what are you doing out here?¡± She crouched down, foot still resting on his chest. Narrowed eyes searched his, chin propped on her hand. ¡°There''s no bar open at this hour, nobody''s gonna be selling food yet and hardly anyone''s awake. Thinkin'' about robbing someone? You shoulda done that last night while it was still dark.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking...¡±


    ¡°Heh. You?¡± She reached up and flicked his forehead. ¡°Well give it a rest or you''ll fry your brain.¡±


    ¡°Bliss...¡± he snarled through clenched teeth. ¡°Lemme up.¡±


    ¡°Shush.¡± She moved to sit on him, purposefully letting her ample chest brush against him as she shifted her knees to either side. ¡°I expected you''d still be in my bed this morning, and your stupid self is out here wanderin'' around her doin'' who knows what, when you could''ve been waking up next to me.¡± She trailed her fingers up his chest, hazel-green eyes gazing calculatedly at him from underneath sandy lashes. ¡°I''d''ve thought you''d be too tired to be up this early, anyways...¡±


    ¡°Grr....¡± He grabbed her hand as it reached his face and threw her off of him. ¡°Stop that.¡±


    Bliss rolled nimbly and landed on her feet, smiling like a fox. ¡°Anyways, Commander''s already awake. He wants to see you.¡± She brushed herself off with exaggerated gestures. ¡°And try not to make too much noise? People are sleeping.¡± Bliss sauntered away, taking extra care to put a sway in her step.


    Growling to himself, Vertigo hauled himself to his feet and shook the dirt from his cloak. He drew his scarf back up to cover the lower half of his face, what little peace he''d been able to find in the quiet morning utterly gone. His eyebrows knit sullenly together as he turned around and stomped back toward the camp, making sure to give Bliss plenty of lead time.


    The soldier on watch nodded to him as he entered the camp, which he returned with a cursory jerk of his head. Despite the early hour, many people were already up and moving about. Smoke from campfires and cookstoves wafted into the air; solders sat about cleaning weapons, chatting, or sipping coffee. Vertigo snatched a chunk of bread as he wandered past the cook''s station, stuffing it into his mouth and waving a cheeky thanks without looking back in response to the complaint from the man on meal duty. He made his way through the neat rows of sturdy framed tents, nodding in response to the occasional greeting, and stopped outside a tent in the center of the camp.


    Cautiously, he rapped on one of the wooden supports; he hadn''t seen Commander go in there with anyone last night, but that didn''t mean anything. Regardless, he had learned his lesson about just barging in long ago. ¡°Come in,¡± a rough voice answered from within.


    Vertigo pushed back the entrance flap and slouched into the tent. Commander sat reclined in a camp chair, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand. Various papers and maps strewed the low wooden table in front of him; Vertigo hardly bothered to spare them a glance. It was a familiar sight and either way none of that was anything he needed to worry about. Commander''s boots were also propped on the table, with total disregard for the documents they lay upon.


    ¡°Morning, Vert,¡± Commander greeted him. ¡°Coffee?¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Vertigo grunted.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Commander took a large gulp from his mug. The two remained in silence for a moment. ¡°I hear you wandered off this morning,¡± he said finally.


    Vertigo made a noncommittal noise, arms crossed over his chest. It hadn''t been a direct question.


    Commander shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee. ¡°You know to stay out of too much trouble with the locals.¡± It was half statement, half order.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Yessir,¡± Vertigo mumbled.


    Quirking a golden eyebrow at him from over the tops of his sunglasses, the other man chuckled slightly as if to himself. ¡°I''m not asking you for an explanation. It''s not as if I''m not familiar with these moods you get into. Hell, I''m practically your father.¡± He set the mug down on the table and stretched. ¡°And you were such a cute kid, too. I wonder what the hell happened.¡±


    Familiar with Commander''s style of banter, Vertigo just rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Well, wander off all you like, so long as you keep things under control. You might let Bliss know once in a while though. You know how she worries.¡± There was still heavy sarcasm in his voice, along with veiled irritation.


    ¡°I don''t give a shit what she thinks.¡±


    Commander chuckled again. ¡°Ha! Well, don''t tell her that. Or if you do, do it outside the camp. I''d like to keep everything standing.¡± He got to his feet and began to pace, hands behind his back. ¡°In any case, I wanted to let you know we''re going to move out today. I''d like to see what we can get for our latest acquisitions in Asapaco.¡±


    Vertigo sighed internally. The thought of yet another large city made his skin itch.


    ¡°Don''t give me that. We could use the cash, and besides...¡± Commander grinned. ¡°Think of all the lovely ladies just pining away for the companionship of handsome, successful men like ourselves! Poor lonely things!¡±


    ¡°You know me better than that,¡± Vertigo growled. ¡°We''re not all into whoring ourselves around.¡±


    ¡°You might be in a better mood if you did, hmm?¡± Commander elbowed him in the arm and dodged Vertigo''s return swat easily. ¡°Pack it up. We''re leaving before noon today.¡±


    Disgruntled, Vertigo left the tent to obey. He kicked at the dirt under his feet, already dreading the long trip to Asapaco and the city itself. Without consciously willing it, the palms of his hands began to tingle and burn. Softly he snarled to himself, sinking his teeth into his lower lip. The sun had fully crested the horizon now and was beginning its long climb into the sky, adding to the heat prickling at his skin. He took a deep breath and willed it to subside. Slowly, the sensation faded. He pulled himself deeper into the shelter of his wide scarf as though for protection, a little tired from the effort, and continued on his way. He passed through the cloth-lined maze of tents, no longer bothering to return any greetings directed toward him.


    He wanted the dark, quiet solitude of his tent for a moment before he had to think about anything else. As he rounded a corner and saw Nathan leaning against the wood-framed structure, he knew he wasn''t going to get it. ¡°Hey,¡± he acknowledged the other man grudgingly, more out of obligation than any desire to do so. ¡°Did you need something?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nathan responded, ¡°just getting some fresh air.¡± He hesitated, shifting his slight weight and brushing dusty hair from his eyes, and admitted, ¡°I figured wherever you''d gone, you''d end up back here. What''d you do to Bliss? She went out looking for you and came back a little bit ago grumpy like someone drank her last beer.¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Vertigo braced an arm against the tent, glaring into the distance. ¡°She''s pissy because I went for a walk instead of staying leashed to her like she wants. If she wants a good little bitch she should get a dog.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dark eyes troubled, Nathan watched him without moving to go. Vertigo sighed.


    ¡°Look, just because she bitches to you and she sleeps with you occasionally doesn''t make you an expert on how I should deal with her, okay? Back off and let me handle it,¡± he snapped. ¡°I don''t need both of you on my ass every time I take two steps away from camp.¡±


    ¡°I''m not your babysitter. Clearly. Just trying to let you know that Bliss is acting pissed off. I don''t know how you stay together without killing each other.¡±


    Vertigo stared at him. ¡°I''m not keeping her from you, Nathan.¡±


    Huffing a frustrated breath, Nathan just knotted his brows together. ¡°Vertigo,¡± he started in the tone of a man who knew he was on thin ice, ¡°Tina''s gone. She''s not coming back. Maybe you should give Bliss a chance to get closer to you.¡±


    Red shot through his vision and Vertigo grabbed Nathan''s arm in a bruising grip. ¡°I don''t want to hear that name out of your mouth ever again. Got it? Now are you going to go pack or are you gonna push your luck any further? Commander''s gonna be pissed if we''re late.¡±


    ¡°Like you''re any better.¡± Nathan yanked his arm free. ¡°Half the time you don''t even listen to Commander.¡±


    ¡°That''s because I don''t need him to hold my hand and wipe my ass for me,¡± Vertigo snapped. ¡°Commander damn well knows I work best alone. If he needed a team player, he wouldn''t have chosen me. I follow orders where it counts and that''s all that matters.¡±


    Nathan shook his head. ¡°You work well enough with us. That''s not exactly alone,¡± he pointed out.


    ¡°So I do my thing, and he lets me, as long as we get results. If he wants someone to kiss his ass he''s got plenty of options.¡±


    Nathan just sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I just wish you weren''t so damn difficult, Vert, and I know Bliss feels the same way.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Vertigo muttered under his breath, ¡°then you can spend the night making her feel better.¡±


    <hr>


    Asapaco lay nestled in the heart of a river valley, rocky cliffs looming high overhead. Its location, with only one passable road in or out, and the fact that part of it was built right into the cliff made it extremely defensible, and the river provided it with precious resources. Vertigo remembered hearing once that the core of the city had been one of the few places that had weathered the Apocalypse and sheltered some of the tiny, desperate remnants of humanity.


    Vertigo slumped back in his seat. He didn''t understand those who were obsessed with pre-apoc lore; it was done and gone, and there was too much to worry about in the here and now. For example, there was just something about big cities that depressed him, and Asapaco was a fine example of its type. All the buildings had been built over and on top of each other again and again, until they were a mishmash of haphazard structures. The occasional awning or stairway was tacked on, and some of the taller buildings did look almost pre-apocalyptic. There was even power and running water to all of the city.


    Regardless of his animosity toward the city, he was more than ready to be finished with traveling. The roads were bumpy and dusty and the hard vehicle seats were less than comfortable. His ass was going to be sore for at least a day. The landscape itself was boring and monotonous, filled with dirt and scrub and rocks and not much else, and after two and a half days of constant travel with nothing to do or look at he was covered in dust and going absolutely stir-crazy.


    They drove up to the gate and stopped. Out of reflex, Vertigo pulled his cowl higher to cover the lower half of his face. A man in a city guard uniform that almost but not quite managed to avoid looking cobbled together approached the lead car. Even here in Asapaco''s outer districts, where rival factions vied for control, Commander''s name carried weight. Commander conversed with him for a moment and a pouch ¨C likely filled with bribe money ¨C changed hands. The gate opened and the convoy drove forward.


    As a major trade hub, Asapaco kept plenty of space for large groups to camp out. It appeared that several others were in town; mercenaries, treasure hunters, or in rarer cases both, as they were. There was one particularly hard-bitten encampment of men flying a black pennant from an ornate, evil-looking lance that clearly took their military duties seriously. The sentry on watch glared as they passed by.


    The clearing Commander selected in which to set up camp was at least better than camping in the wastes or the wilderness, with water and latrines readily available and a truly ridiculous selection of taverns and brothels. Commander and his officers, including Vertigo, Bliss, and Nathan, received the privilege of bunking in one of the mid-quality inns nearby. The four of them stood in the hot, dusty campground as Commander supervised the unloading of supplies and the trinkets they had for sale. The pre-apocalyptic relics and technology that Bliss had such an uncanny talent for finding would bring them a good chunk of cash.


    ¡°Bliss, why don''t you take your treasures and see what you can get us for them.¡± Commander winked at her. ¡°You''ll get your finder''s fee, so no need to skim off the top.¡± Bliss grumbled at him but enlisted the help of two soldiers to unload her cargo, jealously guarded the entire trip. Commander glanced back to Vertigo and Nathan. ¡°In the meantime, I''ll accompany you two as far as the main square, and we''ll split off from there. We''ll get the lay of the land since it''s been so long, and we''ll all meet back here before sundown.


    Vertigo''s jaw clenched. He''d been looking forward to a nice quiet afternoon with a bottle of vodka while everyone else dealt with the negotiations and information gathering. Commander looked at him sharply. ¡°Problem, soldier?¡±


    ¡°No sir,¡± he bit out, sweeping his cloak over his shoulders to cover his uniform.


    ¡°Good,¡± Commander said mildly. ¡°Move out.¡± Nathan fell in beside Commander, but Vertigo stalked off ahead, cloak and scarf fluttering behind in the wake of his angry strides. Let them catch up; he just wanted to get this over with so that he wouldn''t miss that date with the bottle.