Eight of Hearts: The Rift Blade - Book 1

Chapter 3

Jonas felt a sudden chill, realizing that the darkness had thickened. Fog had piled up far more than it should have in mere moments, obscuring most of his view as he peered about, trying to discern the cause of the change. He held his breath, listening carefully as unearthly sounds echoed around them.

Adriana winced as her pounding headache renewed its assault. "Would you two shut up? My head hurts."

"Hush!" Jonas whispered sharply.

"K-k-k-k-k-k-hhhhh..."

The eerie sound echoed through the empty street, like the gasping sound of someone choking. Jonas carefully straightened, moving deliberately so as not to provoke whoever was here. "Who's there?" he called out.

The sound of approaching footsteps added to the tension, but they still couldn't see anyone in the fog. Jonas took a deep breath to try and calm his racing heartbeat. He had taken self defense classes, so he at least should be able to fend off an attacker. Isaac on the other hand had never needed to learn self defense, and Adriana was certainly in no position to fight. If someone attacked them now, he couldn't guarantee their safety.

"Hhh-k-k-k-k-k-khhhhh..."

Suddenly a hooded figure loomed out of the mist, its body completely invisible beneath the cloak it wore. It clutched a small knife, holding it out threateningly as it came closer.

"We don't want any trouble, so back off!" Jonas shouted, bracing himself.

Adriana grunted, still clutching her head, oblivious to the danger. "Seriously, could you keep it down."

Isaac stood, placing himself beside Jonas. "I don't think you're getting through to him. Let me try." He cleared his throat, cupped his hands over his mouth, threw back his head, and let out an ear-splitting scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Adriana leapt to her feet, grabbing Isaac by the collar. "Hey! Are you trying to kill me?"

Isaac pointed at the ghostly figure, "No, but I think he is."

In the same moment that Isaac screamed, the invisible man charged. Jonas made a grab near the knife where his wrist should have been, his hands closing on very real flesh. He held tight as the attacker tried pushing past him, clearly more interested in the two weaker targets.

"Hey...?" Adriana repeated.

"I know, right?" Isaac said in a voice full of indignation. "Aren't you going to introduce us, Jonas?"

The assailant struck out at Jonas with his free hand, but Jonas held on firmly with one hand and used the other to defend himself. "You could be helping, you know!" he shouted back at Isaac.

Jonas grabbed the assailant's other wrist as he struck again. He felt strangely calm as he put his mind to work analyzing his opponent for any weaknesses.

"Let's see, you're easily over six feet tall, somewhat heavyset, if I had to guess..." Jonas grunted with the strain as the assailant tried to break his hold. "Very strong too."

"Shouldn't you be helping him?" Adriana asked Isaac.

Isaac grinned cheerily. "Nah, the future says this next bit's hilarious," he said.

"Given the coat and complete absence of other clothing, I'm guessing you're not wearing a protective cup." Jonas said. "Let's find out!"

He suddenly drove his knee into the middle of the empty cloak. The assailant made another choking noise, and the knife fell from his grasp, clattering in the street. With a grunt, he ripped free from Jonas' grasp and stumbled away. In seconds he had vanished into the fog.