Red Smoke Rising

By Rick Anthony

Over a hundred years have passed since the invaders came to steal the drug, since Mia's homeland was occupied. Once they understood the drug's secrets, the Nor army was unstoppable, superhuman. Mia's people were overwhelmed and defeated - slaves in their own lands.

In the time that has passed, Mia and the Underground have stolen the drug, along with the knowledge of how to use it to create an army of their own. Now, the time has come for the resistance army of shapeshifters, Masters and Trademasters to stand against the Nor Empire and take back their homeland... before their chance is gone forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9780986666117

Book preview

MIA

The two men lurking in the shadows of the alley stopped their transaction and craned in Mia’s direction. Their junkie eyes tracked her as she walked. She lowered her head to avoid their stares, continuing past them without making a sound. Her pace quickened; her heart thumped. Mia fixed her eyes on the ground until she was content the men were far behind her and sure no footsteps followed. It wasn’t until she left the alley for the main road that she allowed herself to look up and exhale a long, slow breath of air.

You’re too paranoid, she thought with a nervous chuckle.

The crisp, morning air worked its way into her bones as she continued along the cobblestone street and left the alley behind her.

She quickened her pace to work out the chill but slowed abruptly when she saw a man approaching from the end of the narrow road.

The Empire Myrmidon looked tired as he walked. The soldier stood almost eight feet tall. His beige uniform was so soiled from whatever tasks he had been performing that the red Empire emblem adorning his chest was barely distinguishable. The stain looked like blood. It probably was.

The augment’s oversized, muscular arms swung lazily in time with his sword as he plodded in Mia’s direction. His square jaw matched his massive, square physique. Even from a distance, Mia could see the deep creases that lined the man’s face. His profession was taking a toll on him.

She walked across the street to avoid crossing paths with the hulking soldier. The trouble his kind could bring was worse than she might have found in the alley. Fortunately, his cold eyes remained fixed on the ground; he paid no attention as she passed.

Mia let out another sigh. Paranoid. She tried to relax as she drew nearer to the campus.

The ground was damp and clouds loomed overhead. The late fall cold had begun to set in. Mia pulled her long, black coat around her slender frame and up under her chin, trying to keep out the chill. She shivered as she walked past another row of narrow houses springing up from the cobblestone. The tall, brick structures cast cold shadows all around her. She hated the cold, the province, too, but the city of Ipswal most of all. She couldn’t wait until her studies were complete; only then could she leave the dirty, dangerous place behind.

She carefully skirted a man sleeping on the road and hurried on. She glanced backward to make sure he hadn’t followed—just to be sure.

Ipswal wasn’t any worse than other Empire cities. Most were ugly places diseased by crime and corruption despite the heavy-handed Myrmidons policing them. If she had a choice, Mia preferred places on the outskirts of the Empire’s control. Unfortunately, universities like Ipsamesh didn’t exist outside of that control and for the time it was where she needed to be.

A hard life had driven the young woman down an unlikely path to the university. She had spent six years there and could boast of amazing accomplishments, though she went to great lengths to keep them secret. It was safer that way.

Mia entered the school grounds and left the city behind, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the arch at the entrance. She looked up. The pinnacle of the arch stood more than eighty feet high. It appeared to be made of pure glass, transparent to light despite its solid steel construction. It was an architectural masterpiece made possible by techniques taught at the university.

Not far from the archway stood the equally impressive Master Studies building. Mia walked between the huge stone gargoyles on either side of the entrance and reached for the front door. As her fingers made contact, a strange noise escaped from behind it.

She paused. Her attention snapped back to her surroundings. Her brow furrowed; she squinted her grey-blue eyes as she cocked her head to listen. The sound emerged a second time, louder than the first.

A scream? Her stomach sank.

She wrenched open the massive door and slipped inside in search of the sound, listening for another. Her delicate fingers stroked the fur band around her left forearm as she crept down the ornate marble corridors.

What she heard next was not a scream, but the sound of an argument somewhere down a distant hall. She broke into a jog, tracking the sound to one of the classrooms further down a side hallway. Onlookers had gathered around the room’s open doorway. Their murmuring grew louder as she neared.

Let us go! The words rang down the hall. It was Vi. Mia’s heart skipped when she heard the shrill panic in her friend’s voice. They were as close as sisters and Mia knew something was terribly wrong.

Back off! Let her go! Vi’s brother, Kale, growled.

Sit down, a third voice boomed. The crowd hushed. We’re under orders. Your sister needs to answer some questions. She isn’t cooperating, so she’s coming with us—simple as that.

Let her go! Kale snapped back. We’ve done nothing wrong!

Bring him too, the voice ordered.

Mia ran as fast as she could. She tried to process what she heard as she pushed her way through the onlookers. By the time she shoved her way through to the classroom door, the situation had disintegrated. Four Myrmidons held her two friends captive.

The Empire men were unmistakable. All four wore matching beige uniforms with Empire crests on their chests and swords at their hips. All were much larger than normal men, each of them over eight feet tall and bulging with muscle. One of them was larger and more muscular than any Mia had ever seen before. He stood a full head above the other three.

Two of the behemoths held Kale against the wall where he struggled in vain to break free. Another held Vi by the wrist, while the biggest one simply watched. When he heard enough, he drew his sword from its brown, leather sheath and pointed it toward Vi’s abdomen.

Stop! he bellowed at Kale. Or I’ll skewer your sister. I’m not kidding.

The threat was real; Myrmidons were known for their cruelty. They maintained order and enforced Empire law without question, protest or pity. Vi wouldn’t have been the first to die at the whim of a Myrmidon keeping peace.

Kale stilled immediately and allowed himself to be pinned against the wall. One of the giants buried his elbow deep into his captive’s neck. Kale’s face turned red. His eyes bulged.

Mia couldn’t believe it. The largest Myrmidon moved in to tower over Vi, though his eyes were locked on Kale’s. Interfering with the Empire is a crime and I’m not feeling particularly patient today. If you insist on getting physical with us, I’m going to kill your sister. Then you’re next. Got it?

Kale writhed in the much larger men’s grip. His haughty behaviour had landed him in trouble in the past, but Mia still couldn’t imagine how he had managed to get himself into such a mess.

Kale was a big man, strong as an ox, but he was helpless against the augmented Myrmidons. The giant held him by the throat and his eyes began to glaze over. The Myrmidon pressed harder until Kale’s feet lifted from the ground, his fingers desperately tugging at the man’s hands. His face took an even darker hue. Mia flinched as the second Myrmidon struck him. The sound of cracking ribs echoed through the room.

Vi shrieked. The fair-haired woman instinctively fought back, scared to death that the men would kill her brother, kicking at the man before leaping at him to dig at his eyes with her fingernails. The Myrmidon raised an arm to cover his face. When he did, Vi wriggled free of his grasp and scrambled toward her brother. As she dashed across the room she spotted Mia.

Vi stopped dead in her tracks, stood straight up and looked directly at Mia. Her panicked voice pierced the shocked silence as she screamed to her friend. Run! She shrieked. They’re here for you! Her words were cut short by the blade of the largest Myrmidon’s sword.

Mia felt her gorge begin to rise. The Myrmidon had stabbed her friend without a moment’s hesitation, his thick blade ripping through her torso to protrude from her chest. A steady stream of Vi’s blood ran from the tip, staining the floor at Mia’s feet. Behind her, the crowd screamed and ran.

Vi looked down for a moment in shock. She didn’t blink as she stared at the length of the sword sticking out of her. She looked back at Mia. Her pale lips moved as though to speak but no sound came out. Run! her mute mouth urged again before she collapsed on the floor.

Kale flailed and shoved, trying desperately to help his sister as he kicked at the guards. The massive men had no trouble controlling him. The more he struggled, the harder they pinned him to the wall. The Myrmidon hit him again. The blow was like a hammer to the head. Kale went limp. Blood streamed from his mouth, nose and eye. The man hit him once more before Kale fell to the floor.

Mia was frozen with fear and shock. There was an ugly sound as the Myrmidon slid the sword from Vi’s body. He fixed his gaze on Mia. The four Myrmidons advanced on her in unison.

Mia’s body reacted more quickly than her mind. By the time she realized she was being chased she was already in full flight, her long, dark brown ponytail trailing after her as she ran.

How? she wondered. How did they find out? Her mind flashed between the vicious attack on her friends and the men who were chasing her.

She scrambled back toward the entrance, but two more Empire men blocked her path and joined the pursuit. She turned and fled down a side hallway, dashing away from the bulky men as fast as she could.

Too late came the realization that she had taken a wrong turn; she had run deeper into the school. The only exits were behind her and the way was blocked. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed over her shoulder.

She raced to the basement stairs. There the winding, branching corridors would give her the chance to hide and regroup. At the very least, the passages were narrow enough to prevent more than two of the men from advancing on her at the same time.

She ran full out, slamming into the basement door and forcing it open. She stumbled as she took the stairs two at a time—the steps came at her faster than she could see them—somehow her legs managed to carry her forward and keep her from falling. The heavy footsteps were getting closer.

The university’s basement was a maze of aisles and storage rooms containing a mundane array of goods. She had spent a great deal of time in the quiet nooks during the past six years. There were no weapons or other items of consequence stored in the basement, but weapons wouldn’t have helped anyway. There were ample places to hide, but she knew she would eventually be found. There was no possibility of escape without confrontation. She needed to prepare.

At the bottom of the stairwell her pace quickened once her long legs had room to run with full strides. She hoped she was putting distance between herself and the Myrmidons, but her heart pounded so loudly in her ears she could no longer hear them behind her. Her eyes clouded with tears of frustration and grief as she struggled to see where she was going.

Exhausted as she was, she lost no speed as she rounded the last corner. At the end of the long, narrow hallway stood a sturdy wooden door. Beyond it was storage. A dead end.

Mia raced through the doorway and flung the door shut. The heavy oak made an impressive slam that echoed throughout the basement.

If the Myrmidons lost my trail, she thought to herself, they know where I am now.

She gasped as she pulled at a heavy shelf piled with jars and bottles. With a heave, it fell, its contents shattering and littering the floor around her. Mia flinched at the deafening racket. It worked. The door was blocked.

Her eyes darted back and forth as she walked backward, moving away from the door to the far wall of the storage room. Her slender fingers reached behind her belt and from it they plucked a small, tightly rolled tube of paper. She grabbed a box of wooden matches from a nearby shelf, tore them open and removed a single match before discarding the rest on the floor. Despite her trembling fingers, she struck the match and lit one end of the paper.

She tried to catch her breath for a few seconds. Between sobs and gasps she put the lit cigarette to her lips and inhaled the pungent red smoke that wafted up from it. The tip glowed as she inhaled. The tube burned down, leaving a slender ash in its place.

Mia closed her eyes as the smoke filled her lungs. She allowed the weight of her body to slide down the wall. Her lungs burned; she choked, holding the nasty smoke inside as best she could. When she couldn’t stand the burning in her lungs any longer, she pursed her lips and blew out a haze of swirling, ruby-tinted smoke. She panted for a few seconds, watching it curl in and out of the slivers of light interrupting the darkness.

As her breathing slowed she wiped the tears from her eyes and took another drag of the cigarette. Again and again she inhaled the red smoke, holding it in a little longer each time, only to spew it out into the confined space around her. Soon all that was left was a mess of black ashes on her chest, a small roach burning her fingers and a red haze all around her.

Mia flicked the remains across the room and slid her thin frame up the wall in one fluid motion, clenching her eyes shut. Her breathing became more controlled, more deliberate. The Myrmidons were coming. Her fear melted away, giving rise to a newfound confidence as the drug surged through her system. It made her stronger, bolder, angrier. She chuckled as she opened her eyes.

***

What’s on the other side of this door? one of the Myrmidons yelled back through the halls as he rattled the handle of the door Mia had barred.

A storage room. It’s a dead end, Lio told him, trotting to keep well ahead of the three Myrmidons trailing him,

The biggest one grabbed Lio by the collar, yanking Mia’s professor upward.

This one may know this place and he may know the girl, the enormous Myrmidon informed the others, but if he keeps up the lip kill him anyway.

Yes sir, Adan, one of the Myrmidons responded.

Lio shook his head. It’s just a storage room, he repeated.

Unlock it! the Myrmidon demanded.

I can’t, Lio whined. It doesn’t lock, it’s just for storage.

The large man moved his sword to Lio’s throat.

"I can’t! I told you it’s not locked. Something must be jamming it." Lio sputtered.

You, the impatient Myrmidon demanded of another. Open it.

The man bowed to Adan, sheathed his sword and approached the door. He tried the handle. No luck. He positioned his hands near the top hinge and pushed.

Lio winced in anticipation of the sound of cracking wood. He waited for the door to give under the pressure, but quite the opposite happened.

The door blew off its hinges and into pieces. It flew outward toward the Myrmidon and sent him sprawling backward amidst a chaotic mix of debris. The man hit the ground and didn’t move.

Lio dove for cover. He shielded his eyes, peeking out from under his elbow as he watched the events unfold.

A huge shadow loomed just inside the door. The two soldiers nearest the doorway brandished their swords and approached it with caution. The large, dark shape changed almost instantly into something much smaller. Perhaps in the dusty, dark hallway the Myrmidons couldn’t tell what it was or perhaps they were just foolhardy. Whatever their reasoning, they continued their advance.

Lio, however, knew what they faced. His throat closed as he watched the terrible scene. Anxiety weighed on him. He struggled for breath.

The Myrmidons charged the storage room at the end of the hall. Mia rose swiftly in response, lunging at one of the soldiers, striking like lightning.

The Myrmidon landed in a heap, knocked over by the single blow that sent him rolling out the doorway. Blood poured from multiple gashes. The man squirmed as he choked out his last few breaths.

When he saw what happened, the third Myrmidon stopped dead in his tracks and backed away. Adan grabbed Lio’s arm and ripped him up to his feet like a doll.

Stop! he demanded from behind his hostage. Or I’ll pop the head clean off your little teacher here. The shadowy form in the darkness paused and refocused, calculating. He’ll be dead before you get past me, Adan warned. One by one my men will kill everyone in this place, including your friend’s bloody brother upstairs. When I’m done with him I’ll find your family.

Mia didn’t move.

Enough people have died because of you today, the Myrmidon chastised. If you had simply come with us without all this trouble, your friend would still be alive. Tell me, how many more will have to die to save your skin?

The dark form in the shadows looked from Lio to the large man who restrained him. She was weighing her options. The thundering of Lio’s heart was relentless. Sweat rolled down his face.

Mia approached the light, shifting back to her human form before stepping out of the shadows. The Myrmidons never even caught a glimpse at the beast that had killed two of their own.

Lio breathed a sigh of relief, but a sick feeling rushed over him. Mia would be captured, and her fate would be cruel. So would his.

Mia scowled up at her would-be captors with clenched fists and wild eyes. Slowly, she left the dim storage room and raised her hands in surrender.

"What are you?" the Myrmidon asked. It was the last thing Lio remembered before the Myrmidon raised his boot and the world went black.

REALITY

Lio’s eyes snapped open, his mind scrambling as he choked for air. A vague terror gripped him like a nightmare as he struggled to remember.

Thoughts and images flooded his mind, but they were incoherent scenes of reality and nightmare.

What the hell happened? How long have I been out?

Slowly, his thoughts aligned themselves. The images racing through his mind solidified as he tried to focus.

A searing pain in his forearm interrupted his moment of clarity. Lio cringed and twisted in the darkness.

He was on a cold floor. Using his good arm to determine the extent of his injuries, he worked his fingers down his shoulder, whining when he reached his elbow. The pain was almost unbearable; he couldn’t stand the pressure of his own fingertips. His hand brushed something hard sticking out from a tear in his cuff. He realized it was bone before he passed out again.

When he awoke the second time, his mind cleared more quickly. A more complete once-over revealed that his arm was the worst of it—all digits and appendages were accounted for.

His mind sharpened a little more. How did this happen?

Myrmidon, he muttered to himself, and a big bastard too.

Adan had fired Lio into the cell so hard that Lio’s arm had snapped like a twig. He wasn’t sure if the bone had broken on impact with the wall or the subsequent connection with the floor, but one of the two did him in.

The Myrmidon was unbelievably strong. Even for an augment, Lio thought to himself. The man had been well crafted.

How did I get to this point? Why was a Myrmidon even after me? He wished he could pass out again.

He wished for some time until it became apparent that wishing wasn’t going to cut it. And since the thought of jabbing himself in the arm-bone again was more than his stomach could handle, he took stock of his surroundings instead.

Painstakingly, the professor righted himself against the wall. The cell was dark, though light trickled in through a tiny hole in the exterior wall behind him. It provided enough illumination to make out a door on the far side. The glint of steel was unmistakable. Beneath the door Lio could see the dim flicker of torchlight. He was encased in thick, solid brick.

Brick was a building material used liberally throughout his newfound surroundings. Other than the foul-smelling bucket in the corner of the room, the entire cell was comprised of solid brick. It was a far cry from the accommodations he had become accustomed to at Ipsamesh.

Curious, he scanned the brick floor as he fished around in his pocket with his good hand. He retrieved a small coin and scratched at the strangely smooth bricks, digging as hard as he could, raking the coin across the surface