Page 60 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
“I was just doing my job,” Raymond said. “It wasn’t supposed to go that way.”
“We know that, and they know that, but you know how this works,” Cufio said.
“I don’t know that,” Metice voiced his opinion. “But if that’s what you say, we have no choice but to believe you until it comes out otherwise. Either way, you betrayed the Order, and there is no easy way back from that.”
“The Order?” I asked. It was hard enough following their conversation without them dropping names we didn’t know.
“It’s the organization we all once worked for,” Metice supplied. “One of the strongest in our world.”
“Sounds dark.” Jackie huffed. “But what else would we expect? Dealing with demons and all.”
“Hey, it was actually pretty chill in the Shadow League!” Cufio smiled.
“Shadow League?” I sighed. “Look, if you're going to keep introducing new entities, please accompany them with explanations.”
“It’s the department in the Order made up of shadow walkers,” Raymond offered.
“All different variants working together and using our skills to help the Order succeed,” Cufio spoke with pride, like he would happily join the Shadow League again.
“It was peaceful until Talkeen decided he wanted to run the place,” Raymond muttered.
“He wanted more power, as lots of people do,” Cufio spoke.
Raymond furrowed his brow. “His plans would have destroyed so much. You know that.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off Raymond. He was so different now that the others were there. The relaxed and easy demeanor I knew had disappeared, replaced by a man who looked like he would need heart meds soon. His jaw was hard set, his brow scrunched. He looked miserable. Was this how life was for him in the Bane? If so, it was no wonder he wanted to get away.
“I do, but again, he doesn’t care.” Cufio walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He waved it at me, asking permission before he cracked it open. After a long sip, he continued, “And because of you, they demoted him anyway. He thought if he could take you out, it would put him back in good favor with the boss. When that failed, he ran off on his own. Now, he’s trying to build his own company, one big enough to knock out the Order entirely.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Metice muttered. “We all know that.”
“Who’s on his side?” Raymond asked. “Talkeen wasn’t that popular before. Who would help him now?”
“Pretty much anyone who hates you.” Metice smirked. “Not a short list.”
“That’s why I think our best bet is to go straight to the top and see if we can make a bargain,” Cufio said. “You’ll have to beg for forgiveness, but it's better than dealing with everyone else. If he agrees, he’ll call them off, and they can’t touch you without pissing him off.”
“Beg?” Raymond shook his head no. “I’m not doing that.”
“Raymond…” Cufio sighed. “Put the pride aside, man.”
“What’s this about variants?” Jackie spoke. “Sorry to back you up in this long-winded discussion, but that sounds like something we should all understand. You know, in case they come here trying to attack us.”
“Shadow walkers are fundamentally the same, but some of us have abilities others do not,” Cufio offered while Raymond sat down at the table. “We all share the basic skills. Our powers are tied to the shadows. All of us can enter them, but what we do while we’re there is different. Like my brother and I can cross realms, some shadow walkers can barely cross a city with their abilities. I can create and leave behind shadow portals for non-walkers to use, but Raymond can’t.”
Cufio said it like he was bragging.
“Yeah, my brother got that little gift,” Raymond said and then, to add his own show of skill, his body phased into a smokey being before returning to his solid form. “I not only create my own shadows, but I become them. It’s much more intense and takes immense skill and focus.”
“Lucky bastard. I still have to borrow shadows from other things.” Cufio took a swig of beer and sighed. “This stuff is really good.”
“I know, so don’t drink them all,” Jackie said then clapped once again, calling everyone to focus. “Alright, what’s the plan here, boys? I have backup coming, but I need to know what we’re doing so I can start strategizing.”
“Unless your team plans on going with us, I’m not sure what you can do,” Raymond said. “It’s pretty obvious this isn’t a fight we can have here on Earth.”
“Exactly. You’ll be in hell dealing with whatever mess you left behind,” I said. “That means I’ll be here. Jackie is right. We need to know everything we can. You already said your enemies won’t leave me alone.”
“Which is why it’s better we all go together,” Cufio said. “There’s no way they’ll leave you alone if you don’t come. And I’m sorry, but I seriously doubt you have anything here that can properly defend you from beings who use shadows to attack.”
