Fade Into Black - Shadows of the Night 5

Chapter 34

Hi,

The ravens, oh the ravens in the night sky! That's where the last chapter ended and that's where we begin. It's common knowledge that a raven is a bird of ill omen. So, what will it be for Anna? We all know she could use some luck right now... 

Lara

_______________________________________________________

Chapter 34

My eyes snapped to the Invisibility Cloak's headquarters, slipping underneath the veil to second sight, scanning the shields around the building. The five outer rings of protection were tight and thick with magic, blurring against auratic gray. No motion, no breach. No rogue witches.

The question was if the shields and rings of protection were tight enough to withstand the magical backlash of a null bomb. Then again, I was pretty sure the Raven would come with more than just one null bomb in his pockets. No matter what, I had to stop him before he managed to use any null bombs or whatever else he had up his sleeves.

A sound burst into the bubble of silence. Like a gash leaking blood, the stillness came undone in the plane of aerial matter. I widened my range of vision, peered through the veil of sub-realities into second sight. Dark auras on the tops of the buildings around me.

The Inri Brotherhood had shown up. As expected they'd positioned themselves on surrounding rooftops.

While I was with them, the Raven always chose two or a maximum of three spots on which the rogues entered to descend on their target. If the Raven managed to set off a null bomb, I would have no chance of stopping him. The odds were no one would have.

I frowned. This time I detected five spots of entry.

The rogues had positioned themselves on five rooftops. From which one were they going to attack?

My eyes went from one to the other, stilled on the one closest to me. There, between the dark-red spots of aura, a solitary red one. The aura of a witch. Was that the aura of Katie Trench, the Force member they abducted?

It was a gamble, but I was pretty sure the Raven was going to let her ­ or whoever that witch on the rooftop was ­ do his dirty work. If someone was going to set off a null bomb, it was probably that witch. Another victim. Just like I was.

Motion on the magical plane, like the stir of a spoon in lukewarm coffee. There, one rooftop over. I froze, then widened my range of vision. Katie Trench, if that was her, wasn't the only witch the rogues had brought. There was a red spot on each of the rooftops they occupied.

Five rooftops. Five witches. Why five?

Five.

My eyes snapped to the Cloaking Department's headquarters. The answer was there.

The building had five magical rings of protection. What if the Raven was planning to break through the rings one by one?

My hand flew to my mother's pendant. I had no idea how, but I had to stop this.

Now.

I stepped into the portal, welcoming the interdimensional chaos. Time and space whirled in an interstellar rollercoaster, closing in on me. The portal opened and my feet hit the ground in a soft thud. I was on the first rooftop.

I crouched low, hiding in the shadow of a wooden water tank. Wind whipped back and forth, caressing the building in a deadly whistle. The rooftop was dotted by ventilation shafts and chimneys shadowed by the massive water tank, nooks and crannies that could be used to hide behind.