Braiden pushed the door open slowly and peered inside. The floor was rough, covered with rocks and dust. Old graffiti covered the stone walls. Pentagrams and crude beasts with horns. An electric lantern rested on the floor next to a jagged cave entrance across the room. It looked like someone had smashed through the wall with a sledgehammer. As Braiden inspected the cave entrance, a short man stepped out from the darkness of the cave’s mouth. Pockmarks and scars crisscrossed his face, and his clothes were tattered and ripped. He fumbled with a flashlight, turning it off before looking up. At the sight of Braiden, he spun and darted back toward the cave. Braiden struck like a bolt of lightning. One moment he was in front of Jack and the next, he had his arm wrapped around the small man’s neck. A second later, the man fell to the floor, lifeless.

“Oh God,” Greg said.

“Easy,” Sarathen said, stepping past them into the room. Her cloak stirred dust up into small clouds around her boots. “He was a Taek.”

“A what?” Jack said, pulling his own cloak around him. Sarathen gave it to him moments before, and it would take time to adjust to its weight.

“Horde members chosen by their master to evolve have a Taek stone embedded in their brains,” Sarathen said. “It helps the Nostshi control them, and it eases the infusion of Nostshu blood into their system. Many still die or end up as Nostmara, but it helps.”

“Oh god,” Greg whispered, backing into the far corner.

“You just…” Graves paused, pulling in a long breath. “You just committed murder.” She held her handgun lowered in front of her, but it looked like she wanted to point it at Braiden.

“Easy,” Sarathen said again. Jack felt a calming wave of emotions run around the room and he lifted a wall against it. He wasn’t sure how he did it, but it came naturally. Graves only relaxed slightly and Greg stopped shuffling backward, but he still stared at the corpse with wide eyes.

“The Taek are cursed to a life of service,” Braiden said. “They spend their time kidnapping, raping, and murdering for the horde. When they are evolved, they either become powerful Nostshi, Nostmara monsters, or die.” He stepped past the body, into the mouth of the cave. “They lost their humanity the moment that stone was placed inside their skull.”

“Where do you find a Taek stone? What does it look like?” Pete asked, taking a step closer to the corpse, staring.

“It’s Shu tech,” Braiden said, twisting the name in his mouth as if it left a foul taste.

“I don’t understand,” Graves stepped up beside Pete. Greg was still standing in the far corner.

“The Shu can still create some things, but the Shen have lost the knowledge,” Sarathen said. “We use the relics we find. The gauntlet Braiden wears, that Jack to from the Order, is old tech. It gives the Nost wearer incredible strength. It’s not first age ancient, but old, thousands of years maybe. The Order probably found it in an attic or an old dig site.” Braiden held up his metal-clad fist to show the group as he covered the body with a filthy blanket he dragged out from the corner. He nodded to Sarathen before disappearing into the dark tunnel. Jack assumed he was scouting their route. His movements were graceful and silent, a deadly enemy to have. “Can you imagine how much power he would wield if he had the entire suit?”

Jack had not considered that.

“It sounds like magic,” Graves said.

“It’s not magic. We are biologically connected to our tech.,” she said.

“So you have biotechnology that makes you superhuman,” Pete said. “Do any of your gadgets work for humans?”

“Some,” Sarathen said. “It depends on their coding.”

“Why can’t you create new technology?” Greg asked. He took a few steps closer to the group. Technology fascinated him. At work, in what felt like a different life now, Jack worked in computer server support roles while Greg developed software and designed new applications. He was deep into his Ph.D. studies.

“After the Burn,” Sarathen shifted her scarlet eyes to Jack, “we were scattered. And after countless generations of rebirth, our knowledge has become fragmented. But the Shu are immortal. They are as strong as they were in the first age and they carry the knowledge of all the Nost.”

“That’s why the Shen Council signed the Nost Accords,” Jack said. Sarathen nodded. “It’s only a matter of time before the Shu find the Isle, and Lab, and a way into Haven.”

“In Haven, we are complete and strong. The Shen council decides for the whole. They decide who downloads to form the council in the physical. Those who manage to bond and awaken, organize the Shen from a network of safe-houses and institutions. In those places lies our only remaining knowledge. Books and notes kept through the years to make us whole.”

“It’s time,” Braiden whispered from the darkness. Greg jumped. He had been leaning forward, intent on Sarathen’s words.

Jack stepped into the tunnel with Braiden. Pete picked up the electric lantern and followed. It cast a yellow tint on the stone around the companions as they walked single file. The cave was much older than the church. The walls were smooth, and he thought he saw lines and shapes: symbols that reminded him of headstones in the cemetery. In a few moments, Braiden came to a stop and Sarathen pressed past him, her battle cloak brushing the smooth wall. She still wore the same white peasant shirt and tight blue leather pants. Her boots were surprisingly quiet on the rough floor. She stood next to Braiden in front of a solid wall etched with symbols along the top and sides.

“What kind—” Greg started to ask, but Braiden silenced him with a raised hand. Jack could see that Greg was nearly bursting with questions. He willed his friend to be calm, afraid that his excitement about ancient technology would override his caution.

“Here,” Braiden said, placing two fingers on one of the symbols. He flinched and his face contorted. “Shu,” he said under a breathy gasp. Sarathen placed her hand on his shoulder and he relaxed. A moment later, the stones shifted and a deep voice rasped through the tunnel.

“Let all who enter, serve Darean our lord and guardian.”

Jack shivered, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Braiden and Sarathen stood back, letting the wall open up to reveal a well-lit tunnel beyond. Jack could not tell where the light source was coming from.

“He’s so dramatic,” Braiden said, shaking his head.

“Our lord and guardian,” Sarathen said with a snort.

Jack shivered.

“How did the wall do that?” Graves asked.

“A simple animate crafting,” Sarathen said. “The wall is meant to open and close when someone activates its trigger. It was set for a Shi to activate but most of these are simple to get around. You can bet Darean has better defenses around his stronghold. Wherever that is.”

“You hacked it,” Greg said, peering at the settling stone.

“Something like that,” Braiden said as he took the lantern from Pete and turned it off.

“At least we know we’re in the right place,” Jack said.

“Quickly,” Braiden said, “the wall won’t stay open long.”

The group stepped through and the stone shifted back into place behind them. Without Sarathen and Braiden, they would be trapped, Jack thought, unless there was another way out. They walked through the smoothly carved tunnel until it ended in a large natural chamber. Stalactites reached down from the uneven limestone ceiling above. The huge cavern must have formed thousands of years ago. Jack wondered if the cemetery owners knew it was down here. And when was that tunnel carved? It was older than the church. From what he could tell, the church was maybe a hundred years old, early 19th Century probably.

Braiden peeked around the edge of the tunnel quickly and turned back to the group. “At least twenty gathered around a horde master.” Jack closed his eyes and focused on the emotions coming from the cavern. Fear, anger, greed, desperation. “Suffering,” Braiden said, looking at Jack as he opened his eyes. “Desire and addiction cause suffering and the Shu use it to control them.”

“Careful,” Sarathen whispered. Jack swayed on his feet. “It can sweep you away,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons Shen must bond. We need another to ground us in the present.” Her lips pressed close to his ear, her words a whisper just for him. He imagined her lips, painted red to match her eyes, her hips and thighs pressed into blue leather, standing a finger’s width away from him. He glanced at Braiden, but the other Shen had returned his attention to the scene around the corner.

Graves slid past them, pistol at the ready. “The cave is at least forty feet long, half as wide, with a twenty-foot ceiling,” she reported.

“Got it,” Jack whispered, pushing away the thought of Sarathen’s red-painted lips and the feeling of her breath on his skin.

“There is a bonfire with a tall boulder next to it,” Braiden said.

Sarathen leaned back from him and closed her eyes. “And it looks like they have a sacrifice. A young woman,” her jaw clenched. “She is Shen, not bonded, not very powerful.”

“They’re going to kill her?” Greg asked.

Light from the fire sent shadows dancing across the far wall, and chanting voices echoed around the chamber. It was only a matter of time before they were caught standing in the tunnel’s mouth. And Greg had never been in a fight, Jack knew. Unless fifth grade counted. But even then, it wasn’t much of a fight; Ron Crinsley had shoved him to the ground and tossed him into the recycling bin after stealing his iPod. “Relax,” Jack said, shaking off Greg’s memory and fear. He tried to push a feeling of calm toward him. “You don’t have to go in there. It’s not your specialty. You’re the brains. We can handle the fighting. Stay here with Pete and Graves, keep an eye out.” Jack hoped that was true. Could three Shen take out twenty horde members? He couldn’t even make his blade appear and he didn’t have another weapon.

“What are we going to do if someone finds us?” Pete asked. “Throw a rock?”

“We need a plan,” Graves said.

“What’s the goal?” Jack asked Sarathen.

“We need to know where Darean’s stronghold is because that is where Ann will be,” Sarathen said.

“A horde is usually close to its master,” Braiden said.

“We can’t just go up and start asking questions,” Graves said.

“And we have to save the girl,” Jack said. “Across the way, there is a side tunnel or an alcove,” he said, pointing. “Graves, you take Pete and Greg over there and keep an eye on the entrance. Sound the alarm if any more come through. And you’re armed, so if it goes sideways and we can’t handle it, you cover our retreat.”

“It’s not my favorite,” Graves said. “But I don’t have a super gauntlet, so I won’t argue. But you owe me after this, Jack.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll make it right, I promise.” If I live through this, he thought.

“The horde master is a Nostshi,” Braiden said.

“Horde masters always are,” Sarathen said. A ripple of static danced down the side of her cloak. He concentrated on his own for a moment and felt its energy envelop him. That’s why the Nost don’t use projectiles, he thought, it takes too much power to pierce the shield of a battle cloak.

“If we remain undetected and get closer, I should be able to find the information we need,” Sarathen said. “I can read some weaker minds from here, but I must be closer to touch more important horde members. They’ll know where Darean’s stronghold is. I’ll need you.” She looked at Braiden, who nodded.

“We’ll go left, down the side of the cavern. You,” Jack pointed to Graves, “go right and set up a defensive position in the alcove. Hopefully, we’ll be down and back without having to fight the whole horde. We’ll be moving fast because once Sarathen gets the information she needs, I’ll grab the girl and make a break for it.”

“And if it goes sideways?” Graves asked.

“Kill the Shi,” Braiden said. “If he falls, the rest of the horde will be reluctant to fight.” If it gets that bad, Jack thought, Sarathen and Braiden better survive because they were the only ones who could open the secret wall. Graves, Pete, and Greg made their way around the cavern until they were in the dark alcove across the way. Pete gave them a thumbs up before ducking into the shadows. Jack, Sarathen, and Braiden stepped into the cavern, making their way along the wall in the opposite direction. The chanting covered the sound of their footfalls.

The horde master stood on the large boulder. Below, in front of him, the flames lashed out, casting his shadow onto the wall, distorted, like an enormous beast writhing in stone. There must be a hole in the ceiling, Jack thought because the smoke was rising in a steady stream. As the companions made their way closer, he could see a bundle heaped beside the fire and assumed it was the girl. The young woman’s body was twitching, a slight movement under a dirt-stained blue dress, dark hair splayed out around her face. Her black knee-high boots lay haphazardly beside the fire. Pale skin shone through the tattered remnants of blue leggings. What remained clung to her calves and thighs. Jack tried not to think about what they had done to her. He reached out, searching for her emotions, but the room was a roiling pool of excitement.

“As you have seen me rise from the flames, so shall you,” the horde master screamed to the chanting crowd. “Those that are worthy, those that believe, will be granted unending power and everlasting life!” He had short black hair and caramel-colored skin with blank gray eyes that seemed to absorb the fire’s light. His tailored black slacks and charcoal silk shirt clung to his sinewy frame. The horde members chanted and swayed as he bellowed over their heads. Drug addicts and homeless, Jack thought, plucked from streets to fill the ranks, waiting to be culled. It was like a human farm from the Origin war, except they brainwashed these people instead of capturing them or breeding them. He wondered if any of them knew what awaited them, or if they would care even if they did. Braiden abruptly froze in mid-stride and Jack felt a wave of panic wash over him, but it was too late. “Filthy Shen!” the horde master bellowed, pointing at them. The chanting died away. “I sense your judgment!”

Jack stood up straight, cursing himself for not trying to block the Shi’s senses. Instead, he had been reaching out, fascinated by the desperate humans around him. He raised his arms out in front of him, his totem held loosely between the fingers of his right hand. He desperately tried to recall Sarathen’s instructions: breath, clear your mind, imagine the blade, ask it to manifest, be grateful. “Nobody move,” he said. The people closest to him backed away, murmuring and hissing like animals. The crackle of the fire echoed through the chamber. Braiden and Sarathen, standing beside him, were invisible to his senses, but the horde radiated fear and the Shi was eager for a fight.

“Take them!” the horde master roared.

A hand full of followers rushed toward them, but Braiden slammed the gauntlet into the cave floor. Cracks twisted through the stone as the earth shook. The charging figures slid to a stop, staring wide-eyed, chests heaving with excitement. Unsure what to do, they turned to glance at the horde master.

“That’s right, nobody panic,” Jack said. “We’re just here for information.” And the girl, he thought.

Sarathen lifted her hands, palms up, and slowly brought them down, palms to the floor, softly murmuring. Braiden stepped in front of her. Many of the horde members sank to the floor, eyes sliding closed. Jack caught a glimpse of the girl lying beside the fire as the horde members sank to the cave floor, asleep. Her back was to him and he couldn’t tell if she was breathing.

“No!” the horde master bellowed and leaped from the large stone. The remaining horde members charged. Jack reared back, swinging his fist. His knuckles connected with the assailant’s jaw, sending the attacker to the cave floor. White light exploded from Braiden’s hand and lightning crept up his arm and out to the air in front of him to form a silver staff. The quarterstaff was a blur as he whirled it in a wide arc, keeping the attackers away from Sarathen.

Jack focused on his own totem, willing it to become a blade of light as he had seen in his memories. Nothing happened. Braiden and Sarathen stepped in front of him. A few horde members swung pipes or other blunt objects, but most of them were barehanded. Jack felt the will of the horde master propelling them forward. And he felt Sarathen’s will making the others sleep.

“Form, damn you,” he muttered, shaking the totem in his fist.

“You must surrender to it,” Sarathen said beside him.

“How the hell do I—”

A shot rang out. He looked up in time to see a woman in a filthy tank-top stumble backward, blood flowing down her breast. The long knife she clutched fell to the cavern floor as she collapsed. Graves strode up to the melee, her sidearm held at the ready. Greg and Pete stood behind her with wide eyes and open mouths. Braiden nodded to her as he slowed his whirling staff. The remaining horde members backed away.

“Now,” Jack began, “we just want to know—”

His words trailed off as the horde master’s fingers wrapped around his throat. His companions were sailing backward through the air, away from him. The Shi’s face was smeared with gore. White lightning sparked wildly in his gray eyes. “I am full of her lifeblood, Shen, and it will be your death.” As Jack fought for breath, the horde master’s touch ignited a bridge into his memories. The creature was called Tangu now; his human name had been wiped away after he was culled from the horde for evolution. Tears welled up in Jack’s eyes and he slammed his arms down on the Shi’s, trying desperately to break the grip on his throat. As his vision blurred, the horde master’s face slipped away, and he saw the snarling visages of Darean’s followers overpowering the young woman as she kneeled in front of a fresh gravesite. A small rational voice in his mind wondered who she had been visiting.

Moments later, they dragged her, screaming, into the church basement. Jack watched through Tangu’s eyes as his followers backed away. Tangu lifted her blue dress, ripping away the top of her stockings. The woman tried to fight, but Tangu crafted just enough calm into her to ensure she was manageable, but not enough to override her terror. A thrill of pleasure ran up his spine as he pinned her wrists to the stone floor and entered her. Jack felt the Shi’s lips peel back in a sneer as the woman’s terrified eyes widened further. She tried to turn her head, but he gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes as he pounded into her. Horde members grunted and cheered around him. Her terror and revulsion washed over him in waves, and he reveled in the sensations.

“Jessica,” Tangu grunted, pressing her down harder into the rough stone. He knew she was Shen, that she could touch the source code. That was why Darean wanted her. Through the terror, under Tangu’s euphoria, Jack felt the rough stone floor grinding into Jessica’s backside as he thrust into her over and over. Through Jessica’s ears, he heard the Shi’s laughter echo around the cavern walls. When Tangu finally released his grip on her chin, Jack snapped back into the horde master’s sensations alone.

The horde master rocked back onto his haunches, smiling, and studied the trembling woman. After a moment, he gestured to her and let those he deemed worthy approach. She no longer needed to be calmed. The Shi horde master was not skilled at delicately crafting emotion, but he knew enough to sense that she would no longer resist. After his followers finished with her, they dragged her into the cavern beyond the basement. Here, Tangue would speak Darean’s truth before delivering the girl to his master.

I was too late, Jack thought, pushing Tangue’s mind away. An hour earlier and… he let the thought go and opened his eyes. Only a second had passed. “Time moved differently in VR,” Sarathen’s words echoed in his mind. “You like blood?” he rasped, feeling his Adam’s apple push against the iron grip of the Shi. How long had it been since he took a breath? Where were his friends? The totem in his right hand scorched his fingers as Jessica’s terror and pain filled him with rage. He pressed the small figurine against the Shi’s chest and gripped the back of his attacker’s neck with his other hand. Darkness pressed down upon him. Was he going to pass out? Not yet, he told himself.

“You like to cause pain,” Jack tried to say, but it came out as another rasping whisper. When the last word passed his lips, he relaxed the grip on his totem and let go with his mind. White flame engulfed his fist before streaming out to form a blade that pierced the Shi’s sternum. Tangu released his grip, but Jack caught the Shi’s hair in his fist, keeping him upright. “Watch yourself die,” Jack growled as blood washed over his hand and arm, “feel this.” Jack sank to the floor with Tangu, connecting with the Shi, showing him his death through his own eyes. When the light finally faded from Tangu’s gaze, Jack stumbled back, letting the horde master’s limp body fall to the floor. He gasped for breath and let his blade dissolve into the small figurine. “I was too late…”

Slender fingers with a firm grip wrapped around his right shoulder and he felt an arm slide around his waist to steady him. The room spun.

“You’re okay, Saeb,” Sarathen said, pausing, “Jack, I mean, you’re okay, Jack.”

“Sarathen,” he whispered, leaning into her shoulder, sobbing. “I was too late.” He could feel the others gather around him, but didn’t care. Let them see his weakness. Fear washed into him from Graves, Pete, and Greg. Braiden was resolute. Sarathen felt like compassion itself and something else, empathy maybe.

“We have to move swiftly,” Braiden said. “The others won’t sleep long.” He looked into the flickering fire and back at Sarathen.

“A gateway,” Sarathen said.

Braiden nodded. “The horde master said he rose from the fire.”

Fire, Jack thought, it’s always fire.

“Wait,” Graves called out with a tremor in her voice. “What do you mean?”

“Follow,” Braiden said.

“Darean might know we’re here,” Sarathen said, nodding at Braiden, who turned and stepped into the flames. Instead of burning in agony, he seemed to dissolve. Graves and Pete gasped, and Greg made a strangled noise deep in his throat.

“Once we’re through, I will heal Jack as best I can.” Her deep red eyes searched his face. Though most of your wounds are on the inside, she said in his mind. He welcomed her presence even as he glanced back at the girl’s body, lying next to the fire. So much fire, he thought.

“Darean will pay,” Sarathen said.

“I’ll burn them all,” he growled, forcing the words out through his damaged throat. He pushed away from Sarathen and stepped into the flames.