Shades

ELEVEN

Bedrik knelt in the center of the graveyard, carefully scrawling marks into the ground at his feet. He took caution to make sure that they were correct, every nuance and curve, every line and squiggle. He disliked this part, using his hands. He much preferred to have his minions do the grunt work. He favored magic through concentration, cause and effect through mental strength rather than physical. But sometimes, a magus had to get their hands dirty—or bloody. Or both. Like cutting up sweet Dana in his basement; or what he was doing now—scratching symbols of protection into the soil.

The sky promised more rain. Thick clouds covered the moon. He’d need light for what was about to occur, so he’d once again summoned the lightning bugs—calling them in from far away. Had there been any pedestrians on the street, and they happened to look towards Gethsemane, they’d have thought it was snowing insects. Thousands of fireflies descended on the cemetery, blanketing the treetops with their mass. Now, dazzling balls of luminous green-yellow light hovered over the graves.

Finished with the last symbol, Bedrik stood. He brushed the dirt from his hands and looked at the designs, nodding with satisfaction. Only three people in town would be able to see them—him, and the two who were on their way. Bedrik raised his head, feeling the breeze. He felt them drawing nearer. Felt the boy’s anger and the old man’s apprehension.

He turned to his subordinates, the former Sam Oberman and Tony Amiratti Junior. They stood next to an old, moss-covered crypt, the white stone graying with age and pitted from exposure to the elements. The boy’s mother was tied to the stone with black silk ropes. The silk was a crucial element—a requirement, as was its color. She was naked, her mouth gagged, eyes blindfolded with another swath of silk.

“Mr. Rammel,” he said to Amiratti, “when they arrive, you will stand by the woman. You will not act unless I command you to, and then you will act swiftly. If I tell you to do it, you will pick up that onyx blade and cut her throat.”

“Got it,” Edward replied. “You want I should call some of Amiratti’s men and have them on standby, too?”

“No need,” Bedrik said. “However, have you noticed that your speech patterns are becoming more and more like Tony’s?”

Rammel shrugged. “I’ve been practicing.”

“Very good.”

“What about me, master?” Oberman stepped forward. “What will I be doing?”

“You, my friend, will play a very important role. Come here. I’ll whisper it to you.”

The possessed night watchman walked towards him. Bedrik pulled him close. As Oberman leaned in, Bedrik flattened his fingers and hand like a knife blade and thrust it into the man’s chest. Fingertips parted flesh like butter, cleaving bone and muscle and ripping through the soft organs inside. The shade inside Oberman—Thomas Church, the drunk driver—screamed as it oozed out of the shredded corpse. Bedrik sucked the spirit into himself, breathing it in through his mouth and nose like it was fog.

He wiped his bloodied hand on the wet grass and sighed with satisfaction. Then he looked at Rammel and grinned.

“I needed that. I’m tired. It’s been a very long day.”

“Couldn’t you have just had a cup of coffee?”

Bedrik laughed. “Indeed. The effect is quite similar.”

“Won’t you need Oberman to keep people away from the cemetery?”

Bedrik shook his head, gazing down the hill at the sleeping town. “No more. After tonight, I’ll be done with the cemetery. All those names I recited earlier? Those are the remaining inhabitants. Every soul that is buried here. I’ve summoned them all. They merely await Gustav’s arrival, as do we.”

Rammel pointed to the entrance. Car headlights bloomed in the distance.

“Doesn’t look like we’ll have to wait much longer.”

“Good,” Bedrik said. “Now remember, stay beside the woman. And most importantly, whatever you do, don’t break the circle. Your shade can traverse it, but if your physical form breaks it—even an inch, even just your toe—we will lose this game.”

“No sweat,” Rammel said. “I got it.”

“Do not forget who you’re speaking to, Edward. You may inhabit the body of that Mafioso, but I know your true name. I can send you back at any time. Show a little respect.”

“I’m sorry,” Rammel groveled. “Seriously, Master. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.”

Bedrik smiled. How quickly the dead man returned to his own mannerisms, rather than those of his assumed identity.

They fell silent and waited.

789

Gustav stopped the police car and turned the engine off. His hands hovered over the steering wheel, and for a moment, Danny thought he saw them shaking. Then the old man sat up straight and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He smiled and gently patted Danny’s leg.

“Let us go.”

“Shouldn’t we wipe off our fingerprints or something?”

“Nyet. When we are finished here, we will take care of car.”

“But…”

Gustav looked at him expectantly. “But what?”

“But what if we don’t make it back.”

Gustav shrugged. “Then it doesn’t matter if they find our fingerprints, no?”

He opened the door and got out of the car. After a moment, Danny followed. The graveyard was silent. No owls or birds, not even a whippoorwill. Even the wind had ceased. Overhead, the sky threatened rain, yet no showers fell. No lightning flashed, and the moon was a dull, silver halo. Despite this, there was light—too much light. Gethsemane glowed with will-o-wisps. Hundreds of phosphorescent balls floated over the graves, turning night to day.

“What are they?” Danny whispered.

“Ghost lanterns,” Gustav said. “Bugs.”

“Gross.”

“Yes. But he needs them.”

“For what?”

“The shades of the dead, they are like shadows. They need light. He is making sure they have it.”

They started down the path. Gustav warned Danny to stay behind him at all times, and to not speak to Bedrik, even if the man spoke to him. “Say nothing. Only watch.”

“But how am I gonna help if I’m just watching?”

“You will help. You will see.”

“What about my Mom?”

“He will have her protected in circle. Cannot break the boundaries. Do not approach her, no matter what. Not until I say. You do, and she will die. You understand, yes? Like in the books?”

Danny nodded.

“Good.”

Gustav pulled the salt shaker from his pocket and sprinkled some on his hands. He had Danny do the same, and then advised him to save the rest.

They continued down the path, passing tombstones on each side of them. Gustav glanced over his shoulder once, but when Danny looked behind them, all he saw was darkness. Even the police car was gone now, swallowed up by the night.

He was familiar with Gethsemane. He’d goofed around here before with Ronnie, Chuck, Jeremy and Matt—sharing an Old Milwaukee they’d stolen from one of the older kids or smoking cigarettes and looking at the stars. But somehow, it all seemed different now. There was nothing reassuring or familiar. Shadows loomed everywhere, and when he looked straight ahead, Danny was sure he saw them moving out of the corner of his eye. When he’d look, they stopped.

“No,” Gustav muttered. “Your eyes do not deceive you. The dead have come out to welcome us.”

“Can they…” Danny swallowed. “Will they attack?”

“Nyet. Not yet. They will wait.”

“For what?”

Gustav pointed. “For him.”

Ahead of them was Mr. Bedrik, dressed as if for school in a dark suit and tie, and a long, executive-style overcoat. Another man stood near him, someone Danny didn’t recognize. But he recognized the woman lying next to the man. His eyes widened. He stopped walking and curled his fists.

“Mom!”

“Stop,” Gustav hissed. “Remember what I said. Is important. You say nothing, do nothing. Must control your power, not waste it.”

“Fuck that.”

Danny didn’t walk towards the teacher. He stormed. With every step he took, the anger inside of him grew brighter, a smoldering ember that soon blazed as bright as the lightning bugs all around them. Gustav reached for him, but Danny was quicker. Energy leaked from him, marking his path. Each footstep wilted the grass overtop the graves, or weakened the asphalt path as if a giant had stepped there. The leaves fell from the trees.

“Boy,” Gustav yelled, “Get back here. You must conserve your power.”

Ignoring him, Danny continued on his way, feeling the power swell inside of him with each step. His rage grew hotter, more focused with every breath he took. The sight of his mother lying naked and helpless on a stone crypt, the memories of Matt exploding, of the look in Val’s eyes—all of it was fuel for the fire. His fury was a blind, living thing inside of him, a monstrous, cancerous creature that knew no boundaries.

“Hello, Danny,” Bedrik called, his tone friendly. “You’re out awfully late for a school night.” he looked over the boy’s shoulder. “Gustav, you really should be more prudent with your young apprentice.”

Danny didn’t respond. Not because he remembered Gustav’s instructions, but because his rage had muted him. He stepped closer and saw a white circle of powder surrounding Bedrik, the other man, and his mother. Mystic sigils glowed in the firefly light. More lines were written into the trees, and the headstones that surrounded them. He noticed something else, too—and it filled him with dread. Danny knew where they were. He recognized this portion of the cemetery. Recognized the tombstone Mr. Bedrik was leaning against.

It was his father’s grave.

“Yes, Danny.” Bedrik smiled. “It’s a family reunion. You. Your mother. And even your dear, sweet, departed daddy. Come say hello.”

“Enough.” Gustav pushed past Danny and approached the edge of the circle. “Boy is not part of this. It is you and me, Bedrik.”

Bedrik laughed. “Oh, Gustav, you’ve watched too many American movies. Who do you think you are, Chuck Norris? Clint Eastwood? The boy is a part of this. His family, too. They all are.” He gestured towards the town. “All of them, every man, woman and child, alive or dead. They belong to me.”

“Nyet. I will not allow it.”

“You have no choice.”

While the two men faced off, the energies inside Danny built to a crescendo. He closed his eyes and pushed, visualizing Mr. Bedrik flying backwards through the air, as if he’d been struck by a giant, invisible hand. The magic leapt from his body and raced towards the teacher.

“No,” Gustav cried.

Bedrik did not move. He simply smiled.

The wave reached the circle, crashed against the barrier and flowed back to its source, knocking Danny to the ground. When he was younger, Danny had once licked a nine volt battery on a dare from Chuck. He remembered how the charge had tingled his tongue. That was his only run-in with an electrical shock until now. The sensation that now coursed through his body was like that, but a thousand times worse. It felt like ants were crawling under his skin and spreading through his muscles, eating everything inside of him as they advanced. He tried to scream but nothing came out. He struggled to his feet, and glanced at Gustav. The old man was chanting something. His eyes had rolled up into the back of his head.

“Stay,” Bedrik whispered, making a motion with his hand.

Danny tried to step towards Gustav and found that he couldn’t. He grabbed his leg with both hands and tried to move his foot but it was stuck firmly, as if he’d stepped in cement.

“Gustav,” he shouted. “Do something!”

His teacher didn’t respond. He seemed oblivious, lost in a trance.

Bedrik shook his head. “He can’t hear you, Danny. He won’t be able to for another thirty seconds or so. It’s a very old spell, one I have no defense against. However, I don’t intend to let him finish it.”

“Let me go!”

“Oh, I can’t do that Danny. I wish I could because I genuinely like you, but I have things to do and you’re the solution I’ve been looking for.”

“What do you mean?” His heart was racing; his eyes frightened.

“I can control this town on my own. But to expand my boundaries, I’ll need more power. I’m going to take it from you.” He made a slapping motion in the air, as if striking the boy. Danny’s feet finally left the ground as he was knocked backward.

The man standing over his mother laughed. Danny wondered again who he was. Another possessed person, like Matt? An empty shell inhabited by a dead person? He didn’t know, but that didn’t stop him from hating the stranger, too. Danny stood up, but once again his feet were paralyzed.

“Do you like being helpless, Danny?” Bedrik snarled. “Of course you don’t. No one does. That’s what all the markings are about, you know. I’ve seen what you’re capable of and I couldn’t take any risks. But enough of this. Your mentor is almost finished; just one more stanza to go. I can’t allow that.”

He raised his hands to the sky, palms upward, fingers splayed, and called to the dead. All around them, the shadows moved. The shades came forth, drawn by his summons. The darkness in the cemetery solidified as the shades broke free of their graves and rose through the earth and into the sky. The shadows floated for a second and then soared toward them, screaming.

“Don’t cry, Danny,” Bedrik said. “Your father is here, too, and he can’t wait to be reunited with you.”

A shadow rose from his father’s grave. Danny’s eyes widened.

“Mr. Bedrik,” Danny screamed. “I’m gonna kill you!”

His teacher laughed as if the threat was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Oh, Danny, you’re a prize. All of that power and emotion just waiting to be used. I will drink you like a glass of water.”

Gustav’s eyes snapped open, flashing in the darkness.

“You’ll do no such thing.”

“Finished with your spell, old man? It won’t help you. It takes time for the charge to build, and you do not have time. You won’t breach the circle. The dead are coming. In a minute, you’ll belong to me, as will the boy.”

“No, he will not.”

The shades raced towards them. The night grew blacker. The shadows’ density muted the light from the fireflies. A dark shape hovered over Danny.

Son…

Danny gasped. “Dad? Daddy?”

Son…the pain…I can’t…

“Danny,” Gustav shouted. “The salt. Use it.”

The shadow reached out with one hand and tried to force his mouth open. Still unable to move his feet, Danny clawed at it with his hands. His fingers slipped through the darkness. The shade was cold.

“Dad,” he cried out. “Please…”

I’m sorry…son…let me in…

Danny shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the salt shaker. She sprinkled some on his father’s shade, and the shadow immediately recoiled.

“Bedrik,” Gustav shouted, “leave him.”

“You are fond of Danny,” Bedrik gloated. “You see yourself as some type of surrogate father to him, don’t you? That’s your weakness, Gustav, and that’s why I lured the boy here. You were so eager to confront me that you never stopped to consider why I’d want your apprentice here, too. So listen up and listen well. Stand down and accept your fate. Allow yourself to be taken over. If you don’t, I’ll kill the boy and his mother, as well. And you know that will be just the beginning of their sufferings.”

The first group of shades reached Gustav and swirled around him. Blue energy flared across his body. The shades fell back. So did Danny’s father.

Gustav grinned. “I did not care why you wanted boy here. I wanted him here, too.”

Bedrik frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Boy is not my apprentice. Is not even magic. He is just my battery.”

Both Danny and Bedrik stared at him. They both said it at the same time.

“What?”

Gustav’s smile grew wider. He pointed one hand at Bedrik and the other at Danny. Then, sucking in a breath, he uttered a single word. Power flowed from Danny like water from a spigot, crackling in the air as it rushed from his body and into Gustav’s. Danny felt drained. Empty. The surge lanced through the shades and they dissipated, fading away to nothing.

The bolt leaped through the graveyard, zipping from shadow to shadow. It burst through Danny’s father.

Danny… I love…

Danny watched in horror as his father faded away.

With the shades outside the circle defeated, Gustav focused on Bedrik. The power slammed into the invisible barrier. The opposing energies flared, bathing the cemetery with a bright, white light. Danny closed his eyes and saw spots. When he opened them again, a solid stream rocketed from Gustav’s outstretched hand and ripped Bedrik’s shield apart, breaching the circle of protection.

Quickly, Bedrik fell to his knees and uttered a quick spell. The energy flowed over him but did not harm the teacher. Instead, it raced throughout the rest of the circle, disintegrating the shades inside the barrier. Edward T. Rammel didn’t even have time to scream as he was torn from the body of Tony Amiratti Junior. Danny’s mother writhed on the stone slab, untouched by the light.

Danny felt the last of his power drain away. The flow of light sputtered and then stopped. Gustav dropped his arms, panting.

“You son of a bitch,” Danny muttered. “You were just using me all this time? You’re just like every other adult in my life.”

Gustav did not reply. His expression was grim.

Bedrik stood up slowly and brushed the dirt from his pants. “Is that the best you have, old man? You’ve breached my circle, destroyed my shades, but I’m still standing.”

“Not for long.”

Bedrik laughed. “Oh, Gustav, come on. You’ve no power left. You’ve drained both yourself and the boy. You can’t possibly win. Stand down.”

Gustav wiped sweat from his brow. “Danny was not just a battery. He is also an anchor.”

Bedrik’s smile vanished.

“Edward,” he hollered. “Kill the bitch!”

“No!” Danny struggled against his invisible bonds.

The man standing next to his mother picked up an onyx knife and lowered it to her throat.

“You are too late, Bedrik,” Gustav warned. “This is your end.”

Behind Gustav, the night surged forward, a massive, obsidian sheet that blocked out the tombstones, the trees, even the sky. The darkness had a human face—Martin Bedrik’s. Danny felt a familiar fear. This was what he’d encountered the night he’d left Gustav’s, and at his home. He heard the sounds again, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. This time, they were much louder, and when the darkness spoke, it was like thunder.

MICHAEL…

“Oh shit.” Bedrik scrambled backward.

“You wanted family reunion, yes?” Gustav stood unmoving as the darkness flowed around him and raced towards the other magician. “Your brother found Danny. He has been anchored to him ever since. Following him around like a lost puppy. Not always able to breach the gulf, but tonight, I give him help. Get enough power from the boy to bring your brother through.”

MICHAEL… YOU LEFT ME THERE… SO COLD… WHY…

“Martin,” Bedrik stammered, “you have to understand. You have to—”

YOU ARE THE BAD TWIN, MICHAEL…

Without another word, Bedrik turned and ran. The darkness raced after him, enveloping him like a shroud. Bedrik shrieked. His face reddened as the black energies wrapped around him. He staggered backwards, trying to pull it off, but the shade seethed and swarmed, coalescing into a maelstrom of shadow intent on only one thing—revenge.

Danny watched in horror, and realized that Gustav was laughing.

Michael Bedrik screamed again as the darkness smothered him. A mouth formed of shadow and lashed out, biting deep into his body and ripping away the flesh. It bit down again and again, devouring him with an insatiable lust, a gluttonous spirit incapable of mercy and vengeful to the last. Bedrik looked at Danny, his eyes begging for help. A moment later, the blackness feasted on his eyes, too.

Danny closed his own eyes, trying to block the images. He couldn’t stop the chewing sounds.

When he opened them again, there was nothing left of Mr. Bedrik, not even his clothes. The swirling black mass shifted again and again, finished with its feast. Danny felt its rage, a cold and bitter furnace of energies.

Gustav stepped forward. “Now you go back to where you came from.”

THE PRISON…

“Nyet. Death is not a prison. You are free. Go to the next place and return here no more.”

Gustav banished Martin Bedrik’s spirit and the shadow vanished. Silence returned to the cemetery. The lightning bugs fell to the ground, dead. Darkness, normal darkness, closed in on them again. Danny took a hesitant step and found that he could move. He ran to his mother and untied her. She was unconscious.

“Will she be okay?”

“Da. She will wake up soon. You should get her home.”

Danny glanced around the battleground. The man with the knife lay at the foot of the crypt.

“Gustav, what just happened here? What was that thing?”

“Martin Bedrik’s spirit has been following you,” Gustav said. “You found each other, yes? It latched on to you. Tried to use your power to come back and get revenge. But it did not know how and neither did you. I helped it tonight. I knew we would need him to help defeat his brother.”

“You used him,” Danny muttered, “just like you used me.”

“Danny—”

“Don’t say another fucking word. I heard what you told Mr. Bedrik. I thought you were my friend. I believed in you. You lied to me. Gave me those presents. Told me I was magic. But I’m not, am I? All this time, all you wanted was my power. You used me. Wanted what I could give you. You’re just like everyone else. Just like Mom stealing my money. I hate you.”

Gustav nodded sadly.

“I wish I’d never met you. Wish I’d never found that stupid body. Wish none of this had ever happened.”

Gustav spoke softly. “You wish to forget?”

“What do you think, you commie asshole? Of course I do. Matt. My Dad…”

Before Danny could react, Gustav reached out and touched his forehead.

“Sleep.”

Danny slumped over, as unconscious as his mother. Gustav caught him as he fell.

“You will fall again, Danny, and the next time, I will not be able to catch you.” His voice choked with emotion. “I wish that I could, but I cannot. Even I am not that powerful, yes? If I could, I would fix it. I would move Hook Mountain for you. You are like son to me. But this will not happen.”

He loaded the boy and his mother into the police car and drove them home. They did not wake as he tucked them into their beds. He collected the presents he’d given to Danny from the boy’s room, and sobbed when he flipped through Danny’s Book of Shadows.

After regaining his composure, Gustav removed all traces of himself from the house. Tomorrow, Danny and his mother would wake up with no memories of what had happened. Bedrik’s death—as well as the deaths of Matt, Amiratti, and many others—would become just another statistic, the violent cost of living in Brackard’s Point. In time, Danny would mend his friendship with Chuck, Ronnie, and Jeremy—whose secret name was Jammer. Gustav knew this, even if the boy did not. They would become friends again, better than ever. Danny’s mother would not drink. She would get a better job and pay attention to her son. None of them would remember any of what had happened. Danny would forget all about magic.

And Danny would be happy for the rest of his brief life.

Gustav returned to the police car and drove into the night. He was tired, but there was still much to do before he went to sleep. He had to take care of the car once and for all. Tomorrow, he would begin hunting down the rest of the renegade shades, the ones Bedrik had placed inside the local government, fire and police departments, churches, and elsewhere. With their master destroyed, the shades were free to act on their own, living the lives they’d stolen. He couldn’t allow the charade to continue. The dead should stay dead.

More people would vanish under mysterious circumstances over the coming days. Then, when he was finished, Brackard’s Point would return to normal—whatever that may be.

He turned on the radio. Music filled the car, and Gustav sang along, his voice full of pain and regret.

“If you could read my mind, what a tale my thoughts would tell…”

Tears slid down his whiskered face.

He’d lied to the boy. Danny was indeed magic. He had the gift. The ability. Magic was a part of Danny and in time, he’d have learned it all over again, with or without Gustav’s help. But Danny would not have that time. The old man’s heart broke. He wept as he drove, and the heavens cried along with him.

Magic had a price.

Magic was knowledge and power and sometimes sacrifice.

Gustav had knowledge of Danny’s fate.

He did not have the power to stop it.

And that was the heaviest sacrifice of all.