Shadow Born Read online

  Chapter 1

  Everything you are about to read is true. Should you ask, anyone with knowledge of these events will deny they ever happened. Likewise, they will deny the existence of preposterous things like Shadowlords or the secret organization known as D.A.S. Above all else, should you ask about Dark Matter, they will simply state that although it may exist, its very nature is a mystery. You however, are about to learn the truth.

  It all began on a lonely stretch of highway, on a cold and stormy night, with the distant rumbling of thunder…

  The old gray van backfired once as it pulled across the shoulder of the road. It slid under the canopy of ancient towering redwoods and parked, idling. The driver flicked the headlight switch to the off position and rolled his window down.

  “It’s a beautiful night, now that the rain’s gone,” he said in a whiny voice. “Smell that clean, fresh air?”

  “It’s freezing, you moron,” said the burly man in the passenger seat. “Roll that window back up.”

  “Take a hike, it’s my van!”

  “Do I have to thump you again?” the passenger said. He cracked his knuckles menacingly. The driver grunted and rolled the window back up. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood to be thumped again.

  Twelve-year-old Gabriel listened silently from the back seat, a frown shaping his young features. He heard the men speaking but couldn’t seem to understand their words. Their voices sounded like they were talking underwater. His thoughts were muddled, confused, almost as if he had been drugged.

  Gabriel felt an odd, repulsive stirring in the air next to him, and he recoiled. The darkness in the van pulsed and shifted like a cloud, and then it congealed into a solid mass. The shape was not unlike that of a man, but this creature was larger, and it oozed with vileness. Darkness seemed to radiate from the thing.

  The Shadowlord turned to face Gabriel, its ghostly white face almost human in the darkness save for the glint of starlight against its dead, black eyes. A slight smile twisted the corners of its mouth, and a row of sharp teeth appeared behind ice-blue lips. Gabriel’s instincts commanded him to run, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest, but he sat frozen, immobile. He couldn’t move.

  “It’s time.” The Shadowlord said. Its voice was hoarse, rasping like a file against metal. The men in the front seat jumped at the sound. They gave the creature an uncomfortable glance, and then looked at Gabriel.

  “Get out, kid,” the driver said. His husky companion stepped out of the van and opened up the long, sliding door. He motioned at Gabriel. Without willing it, Gabriel’s body began to move. He was like a marionette, every motion under complete control of the Shadowlord.

  The Shadowlord guided Gabriel to the front of the van and placed him in the center of the road. “Now, sleep,” it whispered.

  “Forget…”

  The darkness swelled around him and Gabriel lost all sense of time and being. The men, the van, and even the Shadowlord disappeared. Suddenly Gabriel was alone.

  The night washed over him and Gabriel blinked; glistening blue eyes peaked out from under his wavy golden bangs. The air was cold and scented with the musty odor of the woods, of moss and earth and the recently passing rains. The full moon hung like a medallion in the sky, its silver light flashing in the beads of moisture on the grass at the side the road. A gust of wind tossed leaves and debris across the pavement. A barn owl stirred among the branches overhead and vanished into the sky.

  Up ahead, Gabriel saw two hypnotic lights dancing across the horizon. They moved vertically, like the swaying of a lantern on the bow of a ship, and he couldn’t help but watch them. He gave no thought to the cold that seeped into his tattered clothing or to the moisture that crept up through the holes in the soles of his shoes. He simply watched the lights as they flickered and danced, growing ever brighter…

  A moment too late, Gabriel realized what the lights were.

  He caught his breath as the big black Hummer locked up its breaks and roared past him. It missed him by an inch and then slid several yards across the wet grass on the shoulder of the road. The passenger side of the vehicle scraped noisily across the trunk of an oak and it came to a stop.

  A man leapt out of the driver’s seat. He rushed to Gabriel’s side and grabbed him by the arms. “You all right, boy? What’s the matter with you?” His voice was deep and booming, and his dark eyes shone with an almost tangible power. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair.

  “Reeves, gently. He’s lost.” A slight, slender woman appeared at his side. She wore a long wool overcoat and a black business dress. She stepped in closer and Gabriel saw that her hair was graying at the temples.

  “Are you hurt?” she said. Her voice was gentle, soothing. “Do you know where your parents are?” Gabriel shook his head.

  She turned to her companion. “Reeves, we’ve got to get him warmed up.”

  “All right, then. Get the door for me, Julia.”

  Reeves scooped Gabriel up and set him in the back seat. “Buckle up, kid,” he said.

  Gabriel frowned, pondering the meaning of the words. Slowly, deliberately, he reached for the seat belt. He’d almost forgotten about seat belts. How could he have forgotten something like that?

  Suddenly, Gabriel realized he couldn’t remember much of anything. Questions flooded his mind. Who was he? Where had he come from? What was he doing standing in the middle of the road?

  The only thing he seemed to know for sure was that his name was Gabriel. He searched his mind for something, anything about his past, but came up empty. “I don’t know who I am,” he said suddenly.

  Julia shot him a worried glance and then looked at Reeves. Reeves returned her look with a flat, indecipherable stare.

  Gabriel stared at the shadowy silhouetted mountains outside his window and tried to hold back his tears. He was lost and afraid, and very, very alone.

  Chapter 2

  A few miles down the road, Reeves turned off the highway and pulled up to a pair of tall wrought iron gates. He pressed a button on his sun visor and the gates parted. Gabriel watched in silence, afraid to ask where they were going as Reeves pulled through the gates and followed the narrow road into the woods.

  Shortly, the dense forest of gnarled old oaks gave way to scattered maples and broad, grassy lawns. Clear lights twinkled up in the tree branches, and lampposts lined the drive. Gabriel raised his eyes to see a four-story mansion at the end of the drive.

  They circled a fountain with a statue of a Spartan warrior in the center, and pulled up in front of the house. Julia glanced back at Gabriel and smiled. “Welcome to Winschfield Manor,” she said. “Let’s get inside and get you warmed up.”

  “This is your house?” Gabriel said.

  “Yes, it is,” Julia said softly. “My husband built this house, much of it with his own bare hands.” Gabriel looked at Reeves.

  “You built this?”

  Reeves chuckled. “No, I’m not Julia’s husband. My name is John Reeves. I’m the butler. Julia’s husband was Alfred Winschfield.”

  Gabriel glanced back and forth between them. Julia’s husband is dead, he realized. Julia was a widow. She must have seen the question on his face. “Alfred disappeared while he was on Safari in Africa a few years ago,” she explained. “Now Reeves helps me look after the place.” She managed to force a smile, but Gabriel saw pain in her eyes.

  They piled out of the Hummer and Julia led the way inside. Reeves held the door open. Gabriel’s eyes went wide as they stepped into the main hall. It was a huge room with twin staircases arching up along the outside walls. The back half of the room was a gallery, complete with ancient sets of armor and medieval weapons lining the walls.

  “This way,” Julia said, entering the doorway to the left. Gabriel fol
lowed her and found himself standing in a dining room large enough to be a restaurant. Two enormous tables filled the dining area and there was a breakfast nook at the very front of the room, looking out over the estate.

  “Have a seat while I make you some cocoa,” Julia said. “Reeves, would you fetch a blanket please? And turn up the heat while you’re at it.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Reeves said stiffly. Gabriel was pretty sure Reeves had never said those words before. If Reeves was Julia’s butler, Gabriel was a billy goat. Gabriel watched as Reeves left the room, and something odd struck him. There was a slight, almost invisible bulge under the left side of Reeves’ suit jacket. It was a gun. Gabriel didn’t know how he knew this, but he was sure of it. Probably a large caliber semi-automatic, like a .40 or a .45.

  Also, he noticed something about Reeves’ suit. The suit was extremely well fitted. In fact, it fit Reeves so well (and concealed his gun so completely) that Gabriel was sure it must have been custom tailored. The odd thing though, was that the suit didn’t look expensive. In fact, judging by appearances, it almost looked cheap. It was as if the suit had been purposely designed not to attract attention.

  Now why would Reeves do something like that? Why would he go to all the trouble of buying a tailor-made suit, but purposefully choose to make it look cheap? And why the gun? Why would a so-called butler need a gun? The answer was obvious. Reeves wasn’t a butler. He was security; possibly a bodyguard. He was there to protect Julia.

  Naturally, that realization led to a whole slew of questions. Why would Julia need a bodyguard? Was it simply because she was rich, or was she involved in something nefarious? Was she in danger?

  As Reeves disappeared around the corner, Gabriel sat stunned. He was shocked by what he had just noticed. How had he known to look for those things? What was the meaning of it? Who was he?

  Reeves returned a minute later with a thick wool blanket. He draped it over Gabriel’s shoulders. “Thanks,” Gabriel said hesitantly. Suddenly he wasn’t sure if he could trust Reeves and Julia.

  Reeves nodded and settled into the chair opposite him. “So tell me,” he said, “how is it that you ended up in the road? We almost killed you, you know.”

  Gabriel stared down at his hands. “I don’t know. I don’t even remember how I got there. It’s like I just woke up standing in the middle of the road.”

  Julia appeared at the edge of the table with a large steaming mug of cocoa. “Drink this,” she said. “It’ll warm you right up.”

  Gabriel thanked her and took a long swig. It was thick and chocolaty and very sweet, and Gabriel got the feeling he hadn’t tasted anything so good in a long time. He took another swig, and Reeves and Julia exchanged a smile.

  “You look hungry,” Julia said. “Should I fix you a sandwich?”

  Gabriel set the cup down but he misjudged the distance and it turned over, spilling hot chocolate all over the table. “Ssssorrry,” he said. The word came out all slurred.

  That was when he knew something was wrong. Gabriel suddenly realized his legs and hands were tingling, and his equilibrium was all screwed up. He felt dizzy. He tried to stand, but just found himself tilting back against the chair. His legs hadn’t even moved.

  “There, there,” said Julia. “You’re very tired. Why don’t we get you to bed?” She nodded at Reeves. He stood and lifted Gabriel out of the chair.

  Gabriel tried to struggle, but he had no strength. He felt like an infant, totally helpless, totally under their control.

  “What’re you doooooing?” he mumbled. His head lolled as Reeves carried him out of the kitchen. Reeves didn’t answer.

  They started up the staircase, and Gabriel caught his breath. He saw something in the shadowy corner under the opposite stairwell. It was a small, heavyset creature with shiny obsidian skin and beady black eyes. It was very similar in size and shape to a human infant, albeit a chubby one. The creature’s mouth split into an evil grin, displaying rows of sharp, yellow teeth. It was almost transparent, like mist or smoke, and it seemed to blend in with the darkness.

  Gabriel’s heart pounded in his chest and he hardly dared to take a breath. There was no way he could be seeing what he thought he was. “Waaaaaiiiitt!” he tried to shout, but his voice was barely a whisper.

  Gabriel’s mind tried to piece it all together, but he couldn’t think straight. His eyelids were heavy and his whole body felt numb and tingly. He felt sleep overcoming him. He fought it. He struggled to keep his eyes open, to deny that warm feeling that washed across his skin, but it was impossible. Gabriel’s eyelids slid shut and dark, shadowy dreams crashed over him.

  Chapter 3

  Julia was sitting next to the fireplace in the library when Reeves entered the room. She was studying a newspaper and had a dozen more stacked on the end table next to her recliner. The stack came every day, scores of papers from around the world. The flavor of the moment was Great Britain. Reeves’ eyes slid across the headlines of The London Times as he approached her.

  “You should really have more light when you’re reading,” he said.

  Julia dropped the paper into her lap, and stared at him over her wire-rimmed reading glasses. “I don’t think I’m quite prepared for a lecture from you on unhealthy habits, Mr. Reeves. Did you find it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, let’s have a look.”

  Reeves handed her a small clear vial. Inside was a metallic object about the size of a piece of pencil lead, and about a quarter of an inch long. “They’re getting better,” he said. “Another two or three generations and we might not be able to find them at all. This one was under his fingernail.”

  “And you’re sure it’s not a decoy?” Julia held the tracking device up to the light. “If they can make one this small, they might already have something better. Are you sure you didn’t miss anything?”

  “I don’t think so. The scanners didn’t find any biometrics. Besides, I know they’re not that advanced.”

  “Don’t get too cocky, Reeves. The bullet that kills you is usually the one you didn’t expect. Is he in bed?”

  “Yes… There is something else you should see.”

  Julia gave him a suspicious glance. The stubborn look on Reeves’ face told her he wasn’t going to say any more. She’d just have to see it for herself. She thumped the paper down on top of the stack. “All right then. This better be worth it.”

  Gabriel was lying flat on his back with his hands folded over his chest when they entered the room. “He looks like his eyes are open,” Julia said. “You’re sure he won’t remember any of this?” They were in fact partially open, his dilated pupils peering out between the slits in his eyelids.

  “He may be observing us at the moment, but it will all be forgotten by tomorrow. He probably won’t even remember the ride home. The anesthesia I used is known for its neuron-interfering properties. His brain can’t process any of this into memory. He’s like an infant.”

  Julia shivered. “That’s creepy, Reeves. What did you want to show me?”

  Reeves turned the blankets down and pulled up Gabriel’s shirtsleeve, revealing what appeared to be a scar in the shape of a star on his shoulder.

  “What is that?” Julia said. “Did they burn it onto him?”

  “No. I tested the tissue. It’s genetic.”

  “You mean this marking came from his DNA?”

  Reeves pursed his lips and ran a hand through his hair. “There’s something different about this kid. His DNA isn’t normal.”

  “What do you mean, Reeves?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t say right now. The equipment I have here isn’t up to the task. I’m going to give the professor a sample and see what he can come up with. Here, you should see this too…”

  Reeves turned Gabriel’s limp form onto his side, and pulled up his shirt. Julia gasped as she saw dozens of angry red scars, crisscrossing one another. “No scabbing,” Reeves observed. “The newest scars have been there at least a month, some of them f
or a couple years I think.”

  “Good Lord! What have they been doing to him?”

  Reeves returned Gabriel to his back and pulled the blankets up to his chest. “This kid’s a mess. He’s malnourished.”

  “And otherwise?”

  “His health is fine. In fact, he’s surprisingly strong considering. The only physical issue is the fact that he’s been tortured.”

  “What about his mind?” Julia mused. “What else might they have done to him?”

  “Whatever they’ve done, it might be irreparable. And it’s not safe to keep him here-”

  “First of all Reeves, we don’t know what they’re up to, and he may be our only chance to find out. Second, if you’re suggesting I throw him back like an undersized trout you’re out of your gourd. Whether we need him or not, he obviously needs us.”

  “It’s not safe, Julia. There’s only one reason we found him, and you know it. They sent him to kill us.”

  “Maybe,” she said softly. “It is possible that he’s just a spy. Either way, we’re stuck with him now. We’re just going to have to wait and see.”

  “I figured you’d say that.”

  “I trust you, Reeves. You know your job. I’m sure you’ve taken precautions.”

  Reeves nodded. “I have. But you know this is bad timing, with London and everything.”

  “London will have to take care of London right now, Reeves. We don’t have the manpower. And we can’t get along without you, so don’t get any ideas.”

  “I guess it’s settled then.”

  “It is. Will you shut down the house, please? I’ll tuck Gabriel in.” Reeves nodded. He made no sound as he left the room, disappearing down the hall like a ghost into the shadows.

  Julia reached down and pulled the blankets gently up to Gabriel’s chin. She stroked his hair back and a sad look came over her face. “I’m very sorry, Gabriel. I don’t know what they’ve done to you, but I’m afraid there’s worse to come. Be strong dear boy. Be strong.”