Into the Darke

Darke Day happened. It wasn't a nightmare, as much as it looked like one. Or maybe we just weren't lucky enough to wake up, I don't know. What I do know is that the Danger Teens were disbanded, Queen City was destroyed, and the Knights were lost, maybe dead. Alex Westwood, who I considered my best friend, headed east as soon as he heard. He was looking for his father. I left less than a day later, to make sure he was okay and to see it all for myself.

The drive wasn't bad, but the anticipation was terrible. The news was all over what happened, but they didn't offer many answers. There were plenty of pictures, though. The center of Queen City was gone, decimated, and even in direct sunlight there was a thick shadow over the downtown area. I stopped looking it up after the first day of driving. I figured I could wait to see it for real.

I stopped every few hundred miles to let Irago out for a bit. Whenever he took over, I could really relax. We'd been together since I was a kid, and we knew each other really well. It's hard to hide secrets when you share a body. I tried to find secluded areas for him, so he could get some exercise in without distraction. I was a nobody, certainly, but Irago was a cult icon. We were known as Broken Boy out west, and word had started to spread thanks to our work with the Danger Teens. Plus, he was hard to miss. He was nearly seven feet tall, grey-skinned, and his eyes were a glowing red. Even people who had never heard of us would stop to see him in action.

We made our way across the country on an old Indian motorcycle, and rolled into the Queen City area in just under two days. We stopped in Palemount, the western-most suburb, and spent the night. Whatever we were looking to find, Irago and I agreed, we needed to look with fresh eyes. Even in the small town, tensions were high. Rumors had started to spread around, saying that the Knights were responsible for it all and that they had turned on the public, things like that. I didn't believe a word. I'd known members of the Knights, several of them, and I can tell you they were nothing but good people.

As you can imagine, Broken Boy wasn't the only hero on the way to the city. There had been reports all around about them coming, independents and teamers alike, to see if they could help. The city was closed completely, and I doubted we'd be able to drive right in. Even if the Danger Teens were still together, we didn't have the kind of reputation that the others had. Not this far east, at least. We were gonna have to find another way inside.

I tried calling Alex the next morning, but I didn't get an answer. I didn't really expect him to. If he'd made it into the city, he'd either found his father or hadn't, and either option would make it easy to ignore a phone call. I sifted through my contacts for a while, sitting on the bed in my motel room, trying to put together some kind of plan. Irago and I were never planners.

Then there was a knock on the door. It scared me more than it should have. After all, we hadn't done a thing wrong. We were the good guys. But there had been a worry ever since the disaster that the public would turn on us, all of us, and that our entire purpose would be ripped away.

I got up slowly and pulled the door open. The guy on the other side was about 20, like me. He was Middle-Eastern, a little taller than me and bulging slightly around the shoulders and arms. A hero if I'd ever seen one. He nodded 'hello' to me and held out a hand to shake. I took it, slightly confused but intrigued.

"Mesut De Priest," he said. He was carrying a duffel bag over one shoulder. "Jack Walton," I said, and he nodded again. "Yessir, I know. Can I come in?" he said, and looked at me like he knew it was an

awkward question. "I think we might have similar goals, you and me. Well, and the big guy." I laughed lightly, but Irago thought it was hilarious. I worried about the risk briefly, but figured I had nothing to lose.

"Ok, yeah," I said finally. He came inside and dropped his bag. I sat down on the bed and he took a seat at the table on the other side of the room. He collapsed a little bit when he sat down, obviously worn from travel. We sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Pretty rough, huh?" he said. "We're lucky it wasn't worse." "What do you know?" I asked, trying not to sound overanxious. "There's a lot of people dead," he said, staring at the floor, "A lot of them heroes. A lot of

them Knights." He shook his head, torn up about what he was saying.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know, really. All my info is a day old now. I haven't..." he stopped, overwhelmed for a second. "I've got a friend in the city. She went quiet yesterday."

"Damn," I said, leaning forward. "So you're trying to get in, just like us." He nodded slowly. We sat there for a while, not talking. Eventually, I stood up.

"I've got a friend inside too. At least, I think he made it inside," I said, grabbing my jacket. "You got a plan?"

"There's a road a few miles north of here. Leads right into Karlewud, North District. I know the cop who's stationed there, she'll let us through."

"Why not just go yourself?" I asked, and he grinned sadly. It was one of his habits, I'd find later on. He stood up and walked over to me.

"This disaster, whatever it is, is going to change things, Jack. The people like us have a job to do, and we might not be able to do it alone. Not anymore."

"Sure, yeah. But why me?"

"Because I think you're here to help," he said, heading for the door. I followed him. "Plus, I'm a big fan of your other half."

"I like this kid, Jackie. I like him a lot," Irago said in my head. He laughed the whole way out to the parking lot.

****

It was mid-afternoon when we reached the road to the city. I was on my Indian and Mesut rode a custom bike I recognized. It was deep blue, classic but sharp. That's how I figured out that I'd heard of him. He was Victory Blue, a teamer from the Poison Youth in Hiro City. He'd come through Angel City once or twice in my time there, but I'd never met him one-on-one.

We weaved through the abandoned traffic all the way down Whitman Road, which Mesut hoped would be our way in. I had doubts, especially when I saw who was standing at the roadblock.

"Shit!" I said, and skidded to a stop. Mesut circled me and pulled up close. "What?" he said, and I pointed to the cops. "Jackets," I said. "There's no way." The cops were dressed in black, with long coats and fedoras. I'd seen them before, and I knew how cutthroat they were toward people like us. "It's okay," Mesut said. "I know these guys. Don't believe everything you hear." He pulled away, heading toward them. I sat idling for a few seconds, unsure. "It's no good, Irago. They're trouble," I thought. "I know. But we must get into the city." "What if Alex isn't there? What if this is for nothing?"

"Then we'll find others. There are many who need help today," Irago said, and I sighed. For a demon, he was pretty noble.

"Yeah, ok," I thought finally.

We rode up to the road block, into the view of the Black Jackets. There were maybe ten of them, all armed and on-edge. Mesut got off his bike and walked toward them. I stayed back, letting him take care of it.

"Be ready, big guy. Just in case," I thought, my eyes locked ahead, but nothing exciting happened. Mesut talked to one of the Jackets, a lady that must've been in her 30s. He returned a few minutes later and hopped on his bike.

"We're golden," he said, smiling.

"Old flame?" I asked, and he shook his head. The road block was opened up for us when pulled through a few seconds later. We waved to the Jacket lady as we passed. "Thanks, Wick!"

"Be careful!" she called after us.

"She's my cousin," he said about a mile later, and I grinned. The road to the city stretched out ahead of us, and I wondered if Alex had found his way in as easily. Wherever he was, I hoped I could find him before shit got any worse.

****

It took fifteen minutes for us to reach the top of the road and see the city in full. When we did, we both stopped and stared for a long time. Queen City wasn't destroyed, at least not like they said it was on the news. It was still standing, for the most part, but that wasn't what grabbed our attention. Toward the center, where Knights Tower stood, there was a column of darkness that stretched up all the way. I mean all the way. It was like uptown Queen City had forgotten to switch to daylight mode.

"Damn," Mesut said, and I nodded. We must've sat there on our bikes for twenty minutes. Whatever either of us was looking for, we knew a pretty good place to look first. I turned to Mesut and he nodded in agreement. We set off toward uptown.

"Did you see it in there?" Mesut said a couple minutes later. "What?"

"Knights Tower, I mean," he said, shaking his head. "I don't think it was there." I didn't believe him. Knights Tower had stood in Queen City as long as I'd been alive. In my mind, there was nothing in the world that could topple it. Even if there was, the Knights would stop it.

"Unless they caused it," Irago reminded me.

Mesut and I rode carefully into the city. There were no citizens out and about, since most of them had been evacuated the day before, but the going was slow. Cars were abandoned all over, and the debris from uptown had settled down onto the streets. The terrifying darkness loomed ahead of us, and we grew more and more nervous as we got closer. "I've got a bad feeling, Jackie. A familiar feeling," Irago said. I slowed down, and Mesut followed my lead. "This is Dhrell."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Sure about what?" Mesut asked, and I realized I'd said it aloud. I pointed to an alley and we pulled in. We shut off our bikes and rolled them into the shadows.

"Irago says this is Dhrell. A demon lord. Bad news," I said.

"Demon lord?" he said, and flashed his sad grin. "Guess we should suit up." He pulled off his shirt and revealed the skin-tight blue underneath. A panel opened up on the side of his bike and he pulled out a pair of matching swords, sliding them into place on his back. He pulled his mask over his face, so that only his mouth was exposed.

"That's a good look, Blue. Real heroic," I said, and he laughed. "Just so you know, when the big dude takes over he controls the talking. Sorry in advance," I said, and closed my eyes. Suddenly, Irago and I were switching places. It's like two people squeezing through a doorway in opposite directions. He pushed past me and...

****

It felt good to stretch my legs. Jackie likes the motorcycle, and most of the time I don't mind, but I love to run. Victory Blue and I covered the next few blocks in no time at all. The darkness drew me closer, but the feeling was hot and hateful. Dhrell had been in the city, no doubt about it. He wasn't close now, but that made me even more nervous.

We were about a mile from the darkness when a group of people stepped in our way. There were four of them. Human, with abilities. They were wearing matching grey jumpsuits, each with a white 'M' stitched to the chest. Victory Blue and I stopped short.

"Easy, demon," one of them said. He was scaled like a reptile, and he had wings sprouting out of his back. He was wearing a grey jumpsuit, same as the others. He held up a hand and stepped closer, then looked at Victory Blue. "What are you doing with this demon, mister?"

"You better be careful, friend," Victory Blue said. "That demon is Broken Boy."

"Broken Boy?" the man said. His friends began stepping forward to join him. The others were a young woman, maybe 25, a big man with metal legs, and a small man that bent forward with every step. I watched them closely, trying to judge the best attack. "I've never heard of you," he said.

"Looks like one of the bad guys to me, Drakos," the little guy said. His voice was soft and muffled. He met my eyes for a moment, but immediately dropped his gaze to the ground.

"You've seen others like me?" I asked, and the man called Drakos laughed.

"That's cute," he said. "But if you haven't noticed, our whole damn city is a war zone. I don't much care for cute." I turned to Victory Blue.

"Dhrell's forces have been here. There's a good chance there are others. We must find and destroy them," I said. Drakos stepped closer.

"Agreed," he said, and turned his head.

"Left side," Jackie told me, and I turned to see the woman leaping toward me. Victory Blue leapt at the same moment, one sword drawn. He shoved it through the woman, but the blade hit nothing but air and he fell forward. Her body turned to smoke as he passed through. When she reformed, she was swinging a fist at me.

It hit me hard in the cheek but I caught her second swing and threw her across the street. She hit the side of a building and burst into smoke, then came back after me. Victory Blue and Drakos collided, fighting and rolling away from us.

The man with the metal legs attacked me from behind, kicking me hard in the back. I fell forward, but was able to deflect the smoke woman's next swing. I rolled and jumped up in time to knock the metal man backward, but he was fast. He hit me twice before I caught his foot and slammed it into the street. The smoke woman swooped at me and started to lift me off the ground, but I held tight to metal legs. Our combined weight was too much and she dropped us, disappearing and reforming a few yards away.

Metal legs stood and headed for me again, but he didn't stand a chance. I'd had enough. "Do it," Jackie said, and I caught the man by the shoulders. He swung a leg at me, but before he had fully extended he was flying through the wall beside us. He hit six walls before one could stop his momentum.

The smoke woman stepped backward as I turned to her. I growled angrily and she readied herself. I started to run at her, but my body froze before I could. I saw the small man walk up behind her. His eyes were locked on me. He held me motionless with a power I had never felt. I looked further and saw Drakos, cut up and bleeding. Victory Blue was all over him, keeping him fully occupied. And then it was dark. Total dark. I felt the small man's power release me and I fell to my knees.

"No! Not again!" the smoke woman said, and I heard her footsteps as she ran past me. Within seconds, I was alone. The light slowly returned, and I saw Victory Blue stand up down the street. He looked over to me and nodded, telling me he was okay, then headed for a shadowed area behind the nearest building.

"Danika!" he called, pulling off his mask. He disappeared into the dark. "Better let me drive, buddy," Jackie said, and I let him push to the front.

****

I ran after Mesut and found him behind the building. He was walking slowly through the shadows, looking for something. I caught up and he gestured for me to be quiet.

"She's here, Jack," he whispered, "She's good at hiding." "Who?" I asked, scanning the edge of the building. For all I could see, we were alone. "Shadowthief," a voice said from above, and someone dropped down between us. Mesut spun around, one hand ready to pull a sword. The girl slowly stood up, and I could see she was about my age. She was wearing a black hoodie that covered her arms almost entirely, but I could just see the edge of a tattoo on her wrist.

"Danika," Mesut said, and hurried to her. They hugged, but it was a short one. "Where's Jalal?" he said, and she looked at the ground. Mesut waited for her answer, but quickly realized she was hesitating. He grabbed her by the shoulders, but I stepped up and raised a hand at him.

"Easy, Blue," I said. He nodded and backed up. "I found him," Danika said, looking up, "But it's not good." "What's going on? Who's Jalal?" I asked. Mesut seemed worried. They looked at each other, probably debating whether or not to tell me the truth. "Jack, this is Danika Darke. I hired her to find my brother," Mesut said. "That's why I'm here." He looked at me and smiled a silent apology. I nodded. "I tracked him to the..." Danika started, but trailed off. It was a few seconds before she continued. "He was teaming up with some local thugs. Angelos, maybe. Not sure." "Sounds about right," Mesut said. He ran a hand through his hair. "Jalal's never been much of a law-abiding citizen. What happened?" "I got distracted," Danika said sharply. "Family stuff. By the time I got back to where they were..." she said and shook her head. Mesut turned pale. "What?" he said softly. "Say it." "Demons took the district. Fast, too. I barely got out," she said, and turned away. "But I never saw a body. He could be out there somewhere. We could..." "No," Mesut said loudly. Danika turned back to him. "No, it's okay. There are more important things right now. Where's your dad?" "I don't know."

"He's the only one who could've put that shade over uptown," Mesut said, pulling his mask back on. I wondered if he was getting ready to leave or hiding the pain on his face. Danika nodded slowly.

"Danika Darke," Irago said to me, "There's another Darke around here." "Dr. Darke," I said suddenly. "He's your dad?"

"Irago help you with that one?" Danika said, smiling. "I looked for him, but I couldn't get to the crater. There were too many demons."

"Crater?" Mesut asked.

"The tower's gone. Obliterated. The Knights too, as far as I know," Danika said. Mesut and I shared a look. A world without the Knights was something no one had prepared for.

"Have you seen Archer Anonymous?" I asked quickly, remembering Alex. Danika looked at me and shrugged. "Carries a bow, wears all black, creepy execution hood?"

"Haven't seen him," she said. "But if he's in the city, the crater's a safe bet. It's where all the fighting is."

"I guess we have a destination," Mesut said. "You might wanna stay human for this one, Jack. Don't wanna get confused for the baddies."

****

We headed for uptown at full speed. Mesut and I stayed on the street, weaving through the destruction. Danika stuck to the rooftops, keeping an eye on us. I tried a few times to spot her, but she was too quick. I guess that's what made her a good thief.

When we reached the edge of the darkness, we could see immediately that it had been a battlefield She whistled and waved us up to a nearby rooftop, where we could get a better look. The entire uptown district sparkled with the lights of a hundred burning fires, stretching as far as we could see.

"Damn," Mesut said quietly, and I nodded. We stared out at the scene for a few minutes, unable to wrap our heads around it. I immediately remembered my first (and only other) visit to Queen City, back when I was a kid.

My mom was from the city. I remembered her excitedly showing me around, pointing out things I didn't understand. I always smiled anyway, because it made her smile. We visited all the popular places, making sure to see just enough before we floated off to whatever was next on the list. We were most excited for Knights Tower, just like every other tourist ever. I remembered she laughed when I pretended to be Supreme Commander, copying a huge mural on the wall of the first floor. That's the last happy image I have of her, and it's burned into my memory like a branding iron that was never pulled away.

"Take it easy, Jackie. There's work to do."

"What's the plan?" I said, pushing back the thought. Danika pointed south, toward the cloud of destruction that used to be the Tower.

"We gotta get to that crater," she said, "If any other Knights made it, that's where they'll be." She looked back and forth between the two of us, hoping for input.

"That's barely a plan, but it's all we've got," Mesut said. He sighed and kneeled, pressing his palm onto the rooftop. He closed his eyes and his breathing slowed. I watched him meditate for a few seconds. "May those who stand against us fall bravely, and may our final opponents take a rain check." He stood slowly, eyes still closed.

"Rain check?" I asked, smiling. "Never been good at prayers. Let's go." We dropped off the building and charged into the darkness. The daylight was extinguished in less than a second, and the thick black of uptown swallowed us up. I immediately realized why Mesut had closed his eyes. The dark hit me hard, and my vision fell away. Thankfully, Irago kept me on course until I could adjust.

In the meantime, I quickly estimated the distance to where the Tower had been. It was about two miles directly, almost three on street-level. We covered the first in no time at all. Mesut and I followed Danika into an alley, and she led us up an emergency ladder onto an old railroad bridge.

"This is where it gets tough," Danika said, crouching. We followed her lead. Up ahead, the street was filled with shadowed figures duking it out. Some of them looked familiar.

"Demons," Irago said to me, "These are Dhrell's soldiers."

A group of figures came closer and we dropped down on the tracks. We watched from above as two costumed men chased a horse-like demon down Rush Boulevard.

"That's a soldier?" I asked Irago.

"No. That creature is unnatural," he told me, "Whatever allowed Dhrell into our world, it was messy. And big. Something's not right here, Jackie." I watched the demon horse until it was out of sight.

"We can't get any closer without a fight," Danika said, her eyes on the street below us. Mesut nodded in agreement. I crawled forward, far enough to see the crater in the distance. "Whaddya think, Jack?" she asked.

"Looks doable. Not easy, but doable. We'll have to go into Danger Mode," I said, and suddenly felt like I was back in Angel City. Minus the sunshine, of course.

"Danger mode?" Mesut asked, smirking. I nodded and looked back. "Drop everyone. We don't have time to sort the crowds." "No kills," he said. "Take them out of the fight, that's it. We can't know who's who."

"Agreed. Three fronts. Thin 'em out, take 'em out," I said, dropping to the street below. "You ready?" I thought. "Always."

****

I landed on the street and waited. It didn't take long for me to be noticed. I realized quickly that the demons and the heroes both wanted to harm me. It was a useful fact, particularly in what Jackie calls "Danger Mode."

I was attacked from behind first. I tossed two figures aside, making sure they landed just hard enough to knock them out. It didn't like to kill, anyway. Those days were long behind me, and that's what separated me from the demons surrounding us in the street. Another came from the front and I shoved him down. I roared and he scrambled to his feet. He took off into the dark, running for his life.

There was a group of fighters about thirty yards down the street, and I made quick work of them. I had the element of surprise, after all. I leapt in, breaking up their fistfights and throwing them to the side one after another. Someone landed a pretty clean shot to my ribs, but I was able to sling her onto the sidewalk before he could try again. I grabbed a lamppost and bent it over, pinning her down.

"If you're any good, you'll get out," I said, smiling. "But take your time."

I turned to check on the others. Victory Blue had kept his swords sheathed and was parrying attack after attack from the street fighters with only his fists. Even so, it wasn't a fair fight. I watched him take out six or seven before I looked toward Shadowthief. She was having similar luck, using the darkness to confuse and incapacitate waves of enemies.

I ran ahead. We were getting close to the crater, and the enemies were coming in greater number. I tried my best to tell the heroes from the demons, but there was no use. It was nearly impossible, even with my natural night vision. I kept swinging, knocking them down in twos and threes. Victory Blue and Shadowthief quickly caught up, and it wasn't long before the road was fairly clear.

"All of these guys are amateurs," Victory Blue said as we jogged toward the crater. "I thought you said this is where the big players were?" He looked to Shadowthief. She nodded.

"I did, yeah," she said, looking around. We were at the edge of the crater now, and a dark hole was all that was left.

"So you were just wrong?" Victory Blue said. "Danika?" He was getting angry, but he tried to conceal it. Shadowthief avoided his gaze. She began to walk down into the crater. "Danika?" Victory Blue tried again, sharper this time.

"We have to get down there," she called plainly. She continued walking.

"Not until you explain," Victory Blue said. He was very angry now. Shadowthief turned to him and sighed. She was tempted to cry, it seemed, but she didn't. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but it wasn't coming out.

"Help her," Jackie told me. "You know what it is. You sensed it."

"This darkness," I said, and they both turned to me. "It isn't the demons. Dhrell doesn't have this power. Only one person does." Shadowthief looked at the ground. "Where is your father, Shadowthief?" Victory Blue's anger fell away instantly. Shadowthief shook her head, still refusing to show her emotion.

"I don't know," she said. There was a long silence between the three of us. "I came here as soon as I heard what happened. I made it to this spot," she said, turning toward the dark hole below us. "But I couldn't go any further."

"Did he do this?" Victory Blue asked.

"I'd like to say he'd never do this. I really would," Shadowthief said. She turned to us. "I'm sorry I lied to you. Both of you. But I need to go down there, and I can't do it alone." She studied both of our faces, the demon then the masked man, hoping to read us. "I need to know what happened. What he did."

"Let me take this," Jackie said. I agreed.

****

"Dr. Darke is a hero," Mesut said quietly. "He's a Knight. I mean..."

"He's an old man," Danika said. She took a deep, labored breath. I shook off the cold chills that usually came after I switched with Irago and stepped down toward the crater.

"Come on, you two," I said, heading further down. They both watched me, unsure how to react. I smiled, despite the bleakness of our surroundings.

"Just like that?" Danika asked.

"I'd answer you, but I left six years ago," I said, crouching down to fit underneath the debris. "Hurry it up." She looked at Mesut and he nodded. They both started down after me. I stopped in the center, where the earth fell away into a pit we couldn't come close to seeing the bottom of. I turned to Danika, hoping her powers might help. "Any chance you can pull some of the darkness out? Let us see what's down there?"

"You know what you get when you pull away darkness, Jack?" she said. "More darkness. It's pretty much a fact." She knelt down and ran her hands along the edge of the pit. "Besides, it looks like someone's made an easy way down." I reached down where she'd felt and realized there were deep indentations cut into the side.

"A ladder. Sort of," I said. "After you."

The cavern below us was surprisingly large. We made it to the floor in a few minutes, carefully climbing down the makeshift ladder. It wasn't particularly difficult. The indentations were amazingly well cut, and I knew immediately who had made them.

"Don't look threatening," I told Danika and Mesut as we started through the chamber. "Don't look like you're here to fight." Mesut looked back at me.

"Ok. Why?"

"Because you'll lose. You'll lose fast, before you have a chance to ask for mercy," I said. My companions looked at me, then each other, wide-eyed.

"What do you know, Jack?" Mesut said, and I put a finger to my mouth.

"Stay here," I whispered, gesturing for them to stay low. They dropped down. I stepped forward, careful not to hurry. "Alex?" I said, quietly. Then, louder, "Alex, it's Jack!" There was no answer. "Alex?" I tried again. There was a sound in the darkness. Slight, but noticeable to demon ears.

"Why are you here?" Alex Westwood said, stepping out into the light. He looked tired, his skinny frame bent over slightly and his face paled. His black execution hood, the one he used to scare the baddies back in Angel City, was hanging from his right hand. His bow sat cradled in his left, and a single arrow was hooked under his finger.

"Good to see you too," I said. He smirked.

"Tell your friends to give it up, I could've killed them ages ago," he said. I turned and waved Mesut and Danika over. They came slowly.

"This is Mesut De Priest, aka Victory Blue, and Danika Darke, Shadowthief," I said as they walked up. "Guys, this is Archer Anonymous, better known to me as Alex Westwood." Alex shook hands with both of them.

"Westwood?" Danika asked. "As in Huntsman's kid?" Alex nodded. "Yep," he said, his gaze dropping to the floor in front of him. "Strange," Danika continued, "I'd think we would've met. Our dads certainly spent plenty of time together. He never mentioned you." She blushed, realizing how it sounded. "That's no surprise, really," Alex said, waving it off, "We were a long-distance family."

He turned and started toward the middle of the cavern. We followed. "Until now." The three of us gasped when we saw what he had found. In the exact center of the cavern (which I suddenly realized was a perfect circle) there was a seal. It appeared to be metal but held a thick, foreboding aura. Pressed into it, almost impossibly, was a shield. A blackbird was emblazoned upon it, its wings outstretched.

"The Darke family crest," Danika said stepping up to it.

"Danika, wait," Mesut said, and Danika saw why. She looked above the seal, and saw two figures frozen in battle. They seemed to be carved from metal, just like the seal below them. The one nearest her was a fat, slobbering demon that stood nearly twelve feet high. The other, a human, was of average height. He held a knife in one hand and a crossbow in the other. Danika observed them, walking in a circle around the seal.

"It's the Huntsman," she said finally. She turned to Alex. "It's your father. I'm so sorry." I moved closer with Mesut. We both didn't have anything to say. I tried my best to come up with something for my friend.

"Damn," I said, shaking my head, "Is he dead?" The whole cavern went silent. I was never good at that sort of conversation.

"Connor Westwood is not dead," a voice said from somewhere in the dark. We all turned, surprised. Several heavy, metallic footsteps brought the voice closer. "He has been sealed, just as the portal has been sealed." The figure broke out of the dark. It was a suit of armor, tall and shining despite the lack of light.

"Knightron!" Danika said, running to him. She hugged him briefly, ignoring his indifference. "Where are the other Knights? Are they okay?"

"Connor Westwood is at the seal," he began, but she shook her head.

"No, we know that one. Where is Dr. Darke?" she asked loudly. Alex stepped up and tried to gently pull her away, but she wouldn't budge. Knightron took a few long seconds to answer her question.

"Unknown."

"What?" she said, and slammed her hand into Knightron's chest. He didn't react. "C'mon, where are they? Where's Supreme Commander?"

"Unknown." "Solar Queen?" "Unknown." "Gryphon?"

"Unknown," Knightron said again, and Danika collapsed. Mesut ran to her and helped her stand. "They're all dead, aren't they? They're all gone..."

"Incorrect," Knightron said. Danika looked up, her eyes full of anger. "Connor Westwood, The Hunstman, remains alive. All others..." he hesitated, searching for any sign of his team, "...unknown." Danika nodded slowly. She collected herself and turned away.

"But he sealed it. He sealed the hell portal," she said quietly. "He saved the city." She looked to Knightron. He nodded.

"Yes," he said. She smiled a little bit, then got back down to business.

"Okay, how do we get Huntsman out of this mess?" she said, walking back to his frozen body. Alex was there, staring at the beast that was attacking his father.

"I know that creature," Irago told me. "Helhog. One of the worst in Dhrell's army."

"Helhog," I repeated to the group. They all turned. "Irago knows him. He's bad news," I continued, looking around the cavern. "Not a fight we want to have in a confined space like this."

"They can save Huntsman," Irago said, "Pull him away from the seal." "Get him away from that seal," I said. "You can..." "Yeah. I know," Alex interrupted. "Moving him will break the stasis." I stared at him for a minute, surprised. "You're not the only one who knows about demons." "So why haven't you done it?" I asked, and Alex leaned back against the wall. "Look at him," he said quietly. I moved closer, studying the frozen man. It took me a little while to see what he meant, but I finally did. His back leg, the one all his weight was resting on, was nearly severed through. It was hard to see in his metallic state, but it was there. I stepped back, suddenly nauseated. "He wasn't about to win that fight, Jack."

"There's another problem," Mesut said. He was leaning over the Huntsman, observing him. He sighed and stepped down. "Helhog's got quite a grip. I don't think we could pull him away without the big guy coming too."

"So what do we do?" Danika said, and looked around for someone to answer. "I could get him out of the way, assuming the demon was distracted. But that's only one of our problems." She looked to Helhog and sighed. "That's the big one."

"How long would you need?" I asked, and she shrugged. "To get him all the way out from under it? Three, four seconds." "You got it," I said. I turned to Alex and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's up to you, Alex.

If you want to do this, we're all in. Right?" I looked to the others. They both stepped forward, nodding. Knightron joined behind them.

"Ok," Alex said. He took a deep breath. "Ok."

****

The first three seconds went beautifully.

Knightron pulled the demon backward, dragging the two frozen figures away from the seal. They began to unfreeze, coming back to life with a terrifying mix of growls. Danika rushed in, slipping Hunstman out of the demon's grasp and pulling him to the side. By the time he was fully out of stasis, she had wrapped him in a shroud near our only exit.

Alex shot twice within that time. The first hit the demon's shoulder, which weakened his grip. The second sliced through the fat around his midsection, disappearing into him. Mesut and I rushed forward to attack just after it hit. I reached him first, and he swung an arm at me. I blocked it with one of my own, but the force shot me backward. I hit the wall hard, and by the time I landed Irago had taken control.

I leapt at Helhog with absolute fury. Victory Blue was cutting away at him, dodging his wild, giant arms. As I neared, I saw Helhog's eyes. He looked at me and they widened with recognition. He knew me once, back before I joined Jackie. Back when my existence was one of destruction and fire and pain. The surprise in his eyes gave me half a second of extra time, and I planned to use it.

Another arrow hit Helhog in the throat, making it only a inch or two into his flesh. I made that my first target. I swung at it, driving it fully into him. He roared and jumped back. Victory Blue buried one sword into his chest and used the other to hack at his leg, causing him to fall. He rolled, taking the two of us with him.

I felt him grab one of my horn and twist it, rolling my body around. He threw me forward and I slid to a stop near the far wall. Victory Blue landed a few seconds later.

"He's too strong head-on!" he said. "We have to weaken him!"

"Demons have few weaknesses," I said. Helhog trudged toward us. Victory Blue lunged at him, and I watched Helhog turn his head away as he deflected the attack.

"That's it!" I shouted, and Victory Blue turned to me. Before I could speak, another arrow hit Helhog in the back. He turned, enraged, and took off after Archer Anonymous. "We must get his attention, Victory Blue! We must present his weakness to the archer!"

"His weakness?" Victory Blue called, following me as I hurried forward.

"His eyes!" I shouted. When we reached the beast, he had pulled Archer Anonymous out of hiding and was dragging him along the ground. I grabbed him from behind and fell back with him, flipping him completely over. "One in each eye!" I shouted, and Archer Anonymous scrambled for his bow. He reached it and pulled an arrow. Half a second later, the arrow split Helhog's right eye in two.

There was a tremendous roar, and Helhog writhed in pain. He stood, angrier than ever, and went for Archer Anonymous again. Before the archer could reach for another arrow, they had been crushed under Helhog's massive clawed foot.

"Looks like we're doing it the hard way!" Victory Blue shouted, and leaped onto Helhog's back. He swung his sword around, aiming for the remaining good eye. Helhog predicted it and tossed him off. I tried next, but it was no use. The beast had realized our intentions. He caught my fist and knocked me backward. The impact was far harder than I could prepare for, and I fell onto my back.

He stepped up to me, and I thought for a moment that I did not wish to die. Jackie and I both held our breath, afraid but unable to fight off the attack. I tried to stand, but it was not possible. The strike had disoriented me too much.

And then, just before Helhog finished me off, an arrow ripped through his left eye. He stepped backward, and I had the time I needed to get my bearings. I stood quickly, ignoring the intense headache I felt, and drove my fist into his bloody face. He roared and tumbled backward. Victory Blue was there. He slid a blade into our enemy, ending him in a second.

****

"Two clean shots," I said as Irago and I switched places. I turned to Alex, grinning. He was smiling too, but there was something different. He shook his head and turned to the cavern exit. I followed his gaze. There, held up on one side by Danika, was the Huntsman. He held his crossbow loosely in his hand. I laughed, unable to react any other way. I stepped forward, a little bit starstruck.

"Mr. Huntsman," I said. "Thanks for the assist." He nodded and walked forward. Danika helped him part of the way, but he let go of her and limped his way to the seal. He stood over it for a moment before turning to me.

"You're the demon boy, right?" he asked, and I nodded. "Yes sir," I said. He took a deep breath. "Is there any way to open it?" he asked, kicking the seal lightly. I was surprised by the

question, and I hesitated to answer. "The seal isn't demon magic, sir, I don't..." "Is there or not?" he asked. He wasn't angry at all, but he spoke with intensity. Irago was silent for a second, but his answer was clear when he finally spoke.

"No."

"Hm?" the Huntsman said, and I shook my head. His face fell and he dropped to his intact knee, closing his eyes. It was a long time before they reopened. When they did, Alex had to help him stand. They walked together, father and son, toward the exit. "I've never felt darkness like that," the Huntsman said, and I could see he was fighting off tears.

"What bitter, sad darkness."