Three escapes from moving cop cars and six hours of foot chases later and the fun had waned some.

I made it back to the rented house in the hills with a good distance between myself and the horde of reporters and law enforcement.

It hadn’t taken me long to figure out I was being tracked by my energy signature, as the only times I’d get a moment to breathe was when I was barely channeling energy through my core.

“Guess I’m leaky. Who woulda thought?” I said, opening the door and walking inside, darkness enveloping the frame moments later as Natasha and Sophia walked out.

“I’ll need some things for that room in case this happens again.” Sophia said, slapping a piece of paper against my chest as she walked past me.

“And we need some way to communicate.” Natasha added.

I looked over the paper and found a list of books and other entertainment items.

“The hammock was a nice touch, though.” Natasha added.

***

Natasha and I were sitting on a patio couch overlooking the city below the hills, the sound of sirens near constant.

“Are they still trying to get up here?” Natasha asked.

“Nah, they tried after I had the shadows puncture all their tires, but going on foot proved a little too risky for them after the first few teams went missing.” I replied with a grin, enjoying myself.

“You’re enjoying this a little too much.” Natasha said, frowning up at me.

“Can’t help it. This reminds me of denying an enemy advance. The petty strategies and grinding their efforts to a halt. I love it.” I said, giddily.

“They haven’t shared any info with the people on the ground, so they think we’re either shooting out the tires or have spike strips hidden somewhere.” I said.

“Do they know who or where we are?” Natasha asked.

“Nope, there’s like a couple of liaisons who seem affiliated with something like Special-branch on site. The rest are asking questions, but they’re being stonewalled. They seem to be tracking my energy signature.” I explained.

“Oooh, they’re bringing in an AFV!” I said excitedly as a shadow showed me the military vehicle with treads like a tank.

“Suddenly the militarization of police departments doesn’t seem that unwarranted.” Natasha muttered.

I ignored her as I ordered my shadows to move under the vehicle and cut the treads as I watched them roll off, leaving it digging into the asphalt of the road.

They were still over a mile away, blocking only a single entrance to the neighborhood. Most civilians choosing to drive around them and take one of the other many roads leading up here.

I wasn’t blocking any civilians from approaching, only military and police vehicles, didn’t want to inconvenience the neighbors.

I also made sure not to break the accords at Katya’s behest.

No smog monsters or creatures made of shadows. Any action taken was subtle and plausible.

Sophia came storming outside and handed me a phone, practically glaring daggers at me.

I took the small device offered and held it to my ear.

“Yes?” I asked with a hint of smugness.

“You sure you want to continue this?” Naomi asked on the other end.

“I’m reactionary. I simply respond to stimulus, like twenty armed undercover operatives trying to abduct me and two of the few people I actually care about in this world.” I responded jovially, although my mood was still slightly soured by the experience at the pier... Even if the current situation was quite entertaining.

“That wasn’t my department.” Naomi tried to argue.

“Uhuh, never is, is it? Well then, I’m sure your call was purely out of worry and completely without any intentions of parlay. I’m doing quite well, Ms. Winters. The sea is doing wonders for my mood, along with the amusing siege I’m currently engaged in, do drop by if you’re ever in the neighborhood.” I said, hanging up and handing the phone off to Sophia.

I squinted at the clouds, feeling the buzzing sensation of being observed, and willed one of my shadows to rise from the ground, taking the shape of an archer.

“I don’t like the way that one is looking at me. Keep firing until the debris are small enough not to cause problems.” I said, pointing at the seemingly empty spot in the sky.

The shadow nodded its understanding and walked a small distance from us before firing repeated volleys of shatter-shots at the spot in the sky.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Natasha asked from beside me as she looked after Sophia, walking inside in a huff.

“Which part?” I asked with a smile.

“Both.” Natasha responded flatly.

“I’m tired of them being able to do what they want to us, while we have to hold back as to not cross the line. I’m not gonna break the accords, but I’m gonna make some trouble for the trouble they’ve caused me.” I replied as a ball of fire ignited in the sky.

At this distance, few, if any, people would notice it, except of course the people operating it remotely.

“Oh, they’re doing another approach on foot!” I exclaimed excitedly.

***

Sophia walked back inside, closing the sliding door behind her before continuing her conversation.

“Yes, he’s certain they had support from a circle.” Sophia confirmed. She could practically hear the gears turn in Katya’s head across the line.

“And you’re sure you weren’t their target.” Katya asked once more.

“We weren’t even a thought, Ma’am. They were after him.” Sophia said.

“The identities of the witches he’s captured aren’t from a dark circle. They’re sanctioned and affiliated with a larger coven. This isn’t like the gala, something’s going on and I don’t think I’m gonna like it.” Katya muttered.

“Should we return?” Sophia questioned.

“No. Moving now would only open you up to another attack. Follow his lead for now. He might not seem it, but from what I’ve gathered, this is a form of warfare he’s very experienced with. Just try to keep him from escalating.” Katya ordered.

“Understood Ma’am.” Sophia replied crisply.

***

I watched as the column of SWAT members moved up the steep hill-roads, changing their side of the road as it banked and snaked, to keep their cover.

That’s when I sent out a small spiderbot. It scuttled underneath nearby cars and bushes, keeping out of sight until close enough to drop the canister in its grip before hurrying off.

What followed was a deafening blast and blinding light from the midst of the column. Panic and chaos ensued as they spread out to take cover and gather their wits.

But instead of retreating from the unseen danger, they bunched up once more and moved forward.

“Well, that’s new.” I said, leaning forward.

More drones moved out of my shadow, scurrying towards the approaching law enforcement, each carrying a canister of their own.

“You really enjoy doing this shit, don’t you?” Natasha said, staring at me.

“You kidding? I used to live for this, one of the few pleasures I had.” I said, my eyes still distant as my attention remained elsewhere.

The first drone reached the column, dropping another canister, however this time, the moment the soft clank of metal hitting pavement was heard, the teams dove for cover, closing their eyes and covering their ears.

They waited for a dozen breaths, then slowly rose and looked around, one of them carefully approaching the canister, looking at it quizzically before picking it up and holding it aloft for his comrades to see.

Natasha watched through a pair of binocular beside me.

“Oh, now that’s just cruel.” She muttered as she saw the harmless spray-can be held aloft.

“Harass and Destroy. Your goal isn’t victory, boy, it’s being the biggest damned nuisance these sorry sons of bitches will ever meet. I want them to curse your name with every waking breath. I want them to hate you more than any other unit in this legion. You will be the bane of their existence, the reason for their thirst and hunger, the thing that keeps them awake at night and dulls their senses in the day... Your mission is to grind down the enemy to the point of surrender.” I repeated in the mock voice of my sergeant.

“You know... A lot of things are starting to make a lot more sense now,” Natasha stated in realization.

“How so?” I asked as another drone dropped a paint can at the approaching team’s feet, making them dive for cover again.

“Well, your whole deal. You’re custom made to be a thorn in people’s side, and I’m guessing by what you’ve told us, wars weren’t always thought openly or on battlefields, more like between rivaling lords in the middle ages.” Natasha clarified.

“Pretty much, although there were a few big battles.” I answered, thinking back, images showing miles of bodies, blood and mud smeared against towering walls of pristine white stone as clashes thundered above our heads.

Natasha looked a little pale when I came back to myself, the sensations of a battlefield likely having brought back similar memories of her own.

“I’d forgotten the feeling of artillery hammering overhead, like god hitting an anvil.” Natasha said, shaking her head as if trying to force the discomfort out.

I looked at her for a moment before picking her up, my sudden action making her yelp.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

“I’m done playing war. I think I’ll go take a nap... and you’re coming with me.” I said with a cocky smile as the sound of a flashbang going off echoed in the distance.

Natasha frowned at me for a moment before I clarified.

“Real sleep, the kind we dreamed of getting once we returned, the kind where you don’t have to sleep with one eye open or see your buddy’s face when you close your eyes.” I corrected somberly, before I felt Natasha’s head lean into me as she held on to me in my arms.

“That sounds nice.” She said in an uncharacteristically small voice.

***

“I’m not risking any more of my men without knowing why.” A man in light tactical gear declared.

“I’m not at liberty to-” Agent Chambers started

“Yeah, yeah. Listen Spook, it’s been nice.” The SWAT commander interrupted before turning around and leaving the tent. “Pack it up boys, we’re leaving!” He yelled as he came outside.

Agent chamber turned to look at the police chief sitting behind him.

“Don’t look at me. You don’t have any warrants, no orders from official channels. You’ve been running this OP through goodwill, and it seems you just ran out.” The police chief said, standing up and straightening her uniform.

“If I were you, I’d give the reporters outside a line about some anti terror exercise due to the recent attack, and then pack it up.” She suggested before heading out as well.

***

I woke up while the moon was still high in the sky, likely not having slept more than a couple of hours.

I had limited my shadows ever since we left the valley.

My recent growth had meant their existence had grown more certain, their wants and needs carrying far more weight than before, and currently there was a deafening call... A call for violence and retribution.

I muffled my thoughts and emotions as I quietly left Natasha and Sophia sleeping on the bed and went downstairs and out onto the deck overlooking the city.

They greedily begged, pleaded, and demanded to be sated. A flood of images washing over my senses.

A woman bound and restrained against her will, men with twisted desires circling and abusing her with unending cruelty, satiating their basest needs through her flesh.

A young boy hugging his smaller sister close, trying to shield her from blows of blind despair. Neither child understanding why their mother was doing this to them, yet they knew of nowhere else to seek love or help. This was simply the life they’d always known.

A teenager treated as an animal, harried by dogs for sport, his mind broken as he attacked the only way he’d learned how, snarling and biting as crowds cheered around him, wagering as his flesh was torn while fighting for his life.

A woman dreaming of a better life, but trapped by the shame of what was done to her, dulling her senses with a needle before repeating her trauma on the street, the perpetrators trading her like a beast of burden.

People of immense wealth and power bartering away the lives of those who put their trust in them, caring little for the pain and suffering their greed would cause.

Peddlers of poison trading in suffering carving up their homes into territories as they slowly suffocate the hopes of those who stand where they once stood.

They showed me monsters, yet not a single one supernatural.

I felt a burning tear roll down my cheek, leaving a trail of scorched, blackened skin as I released their restraints and bid them do as they would.

My only command was, as always, to leave the innocent and pure, leave those on the verge, those who might still be greater, than we were damned to be.

They would move in secrecy, yet there would be no doubt of their presence as they tore a path across the city, roaming in the thousands, the night would be long and bloody, yet as the last voices left me a snort of fire and smoke at my back drew my attention.

As if the world had warped erasing the house at my back, a group of riders now stood, their beasts snorting fire, their hooves ablaze and eyes of burning embers, branded with my mark yet not under my control.

My Wild Hunt.

Their message was clear.

“We will watch over the roaming horrors and dreads. We will see that justice is upheld and evil not be done, but be warned, a price must be paid.”

The foremost rider lowering his head in respect as he passed, riding through the sky into the city of light and shadows, a thundering sound echoing in their wake.

***

I awoke as the light caressed my face, unable to remember how I returned to bed, or if I’d ever even left.

My mind was silent as shadows slumbered deep down in the depths of my domain.

I reached out and hugged the two bodies pressed against mine as calm enveloped me.

Part of me wanted to stay like this for eternity, wished to be able to exist only in this singular moment of bliss.

I knew it wasn’t possible. That this was only ever to be something I experienced for a moment, something that could never truly be mine.

Sooner or later, another battle would call for me, another war come to my doorstep, one more enemy choose me as their adversary, and I was doomed to make them regret it.

That was my cycle.

“You’re cuddly today.” Sophia said pleasantly, her voice gentle as calm water.

She rubbed her eyes and looked up at me as they adjusted to the brightness, her expression changing from playful to worried.

“What’s the matter?” She asked, the tenderness and affection in her voice making my heart ache.

“I’m just grateful for the time I’ve spent with you all... I’m not sure I would have made it if I hadn’t met you and Natasha, if this clan hadn’t taken me in... I... worry that had I not found you, I would have been swallowed by an immense darkness, and become changed by it, becoming something I wouldn’t recognize.”

She leaned up and kissed me.

“You worry too much, one way or another you would have found us and we would see in you what we’ve always seen... Now get dressed, Abigail will be here any moment and I don’t want you strutting around half naked again.” Sophia said, pushing herself up and out of bed.