Book 3, Chapter 103 - Jailbreak

Atlas Umbra did not become second in command of the Court of Shadows by chance . Even young, he was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with potential and was widely considered to be the future patriarch of his family . He was the right hand man, both for his family and for the Court, but he was not second strongest of the Umbras .

Something happened in the past three years that had catapulted him to new heights .

Were it not for Cloudhawk’s anti-a.s.sa.s.sination abilities, and his body’s special condition which protected him from Deathstalker’s poison, his death at Atlas’ hands would be all but certain . He didn’t think he had the faintest glimmer of a shot against that a.s.shole’s boss . So he submitted himself to the Court of Shadows, and watched helplessly as they took all of his equipment .

Nearby the mist gathered, and within was a silhouette . No one could see his features, much less his age, but it was obvious who this man was . If there were a list of the most terrifying people in Skycloud, this person ranked in the top three .

Shadowmaster of the Court, a man with a name as strange as his legend: Ja.n.u.s ‘Many-Face’ Umbra .

Ja.n.u.s ‘Many-Face’ was a name as well as a t.i.tle . He was a man of many faces, though none knew his true visage . Upon materializing in this dark corner, the great a.s.sa.s.sin raised his head to the sky . He sensed something . Reaching out, he languidly extended his palm as though to pluck a falling leaf from the air .

Overhead there was a flash of yellow . A small, pudgy bird with a stone in its mouth was in flight . Suddenly it faltered and came shooting down as though caught in a vacuum . Before Oddball knew what was happening, it found itself caught in Ja.n.u.s’s grip, and could not get free despite a valiant struggle .

The man’s face was inscrutable, but there had to be a look of ridicule somewhere in those shadows . This sort of trickery might work on the young and inexperienced, but him? Laughable .

Pale fingers reached forward to pluck the stone free, when he was interrupted by Atlas and the innocent-faced girl . “Patriarch, these are his things . Should we take them all?”

Felina stared at this near mythical figure, her heart thudding with a mixture of anxiety and excitement . For as long as she could remember she had held Ja.n.u.s aloft as an idol . It was her first time being so close to the Shadowmaster .

It was just like the legends said . His face was hidden behind the mist, so that nothing of his features could be gleaned .

Nothing of Cloudhawk’s was particularly rare or interesting, besides perhaps his cloak which might come to be of use to the family . After all, the Umbras were masters of stealth, someone would certainly find it helpful .

With Skye Polaris a.s.sailed from all sides, Atlas was certain he wouldn’t come to Cloudhawk’s defense . This time, his brother’s killer was destined for death .

There was no enmity between them but for that, but it was a fact he never forgot . There was no love between them, but at least he could appreciate the unwitting gift of a decent cloak .

Ja.n.u.s was about to nod his a.s.sent, when suddenly he paused as he something caught his eye . A lone syllable wafted from the mist . “Mask . ”

Felina’s eyes glimmered as she drank it all in . He was impenetrable, mysterious . Nothing about the voice – from gender to age – was discernible . Its raspy hiss was uncomfortable, like it wasn’t coming from a human throat .

Among Cloudhawk’s things was indeed a mask . Atlas plucked it from his other belongings and handed it to the patriarch . He didn’t ask why . Apparently, ‘taciturn’ was a shared trait in their family .

Ja.n.u.s held the mask in his hands and regarded it in quiet contemplation for a time .

Felina didn’t know if it was her imagination or a trick of the mist, but for a brief moment she thought she glimpsed her idol s.h.i.+ver . He gently stroked the mask as though reliving old memories before eventually throwing it back . He apparently had no intention of keeping it for himself . “Skyden . ”

“Yes . ”

None of the orders were questions . Atlas simply complied, leading their quarry away .

Ja.n.u.s raised his head and looked toward the sky . His hand loosened, allowing the small bird to go free . Oddball raced off in a headlong sprint, desperate to get as far away as fast as it could . The a.s.sa.s.sin made no effort to stop it . The mist he hid within danced in the breeze, and then as a gust came through it carried it all away . The Shadowmaster was gone, as though he had never been .

Skyden was no ordinary prison .

The dungeons were a place where ordinary offenders were housed, but those who needed special accommodations were brought here . Many of the unfortunate souls in Skyden were demonhunters or other powerful men . Years ago it was the place Gabriel had called home, before Frost came to offer him a job . Because of its dangerous clientele, the prison was much more heavily guarded than the city dungeons .

In recent days, the Skyden had come under new management .

The new Overseer was very young, but strong and from a n.o.ble family . He was gallant of visage, and his station as Overseer spoke to considerable personal apt.i.tude . His other… idiosyncrasies were a closely guarded secret . Some of the more handsome guards – and even a few of the prisoners – were known to receive the Overseers special attention .

It was no surprise that a man like him would be delegated to watching over a prison . Engaging in such hobbies elsewhere was asking for trouble . If word got out his family could never walk the streets of Skycloud with their heads held high .

Of course, he was also capable at this profession . He was an adept interrogator with particular skill in physical and mental torture . So far none of the prisoners under his care had managed to withstand his methods . His effeminate features belied the cruel techniques he favored . He was crueler than any of the previous Skyden wardens .

Many wondered where the Overseer had learned his trade . Once, in a brief moment of carelessness he spoke about a place called h.e.l.l’s Valley . None of the prison guards had heard of the place . With a name like ‘h.e.l.l’s Valley’, how was it a part of Skycloud?

“This job is getting rather tedious . I’m beginning to miss those old days . ” The Overseer idly cleaned his nails while complaining of his boredom .

“Overseer . The Court has brought in a dangerous criminal . A girl with them wanted to ask you to come personally . ”

“A girl of the Court of Shadows? Why, that must be the Demon Kitten! She’s one to hold grudges . Her prey was probably someone who offended her long ago . I’m sure she’ll want me to pay him special attention . How bothersome . Does she imagine I’m so easily ordered around? I might consider it if the request came from Gabriel . Or, perhaps Cloudhawk . But her? Hmph!”

“O-Overseer… I don’t understand . ” His muttered rants made no sense to the prison guards .

“Never mind . Take me to her . ” He stopped picking at his nails . There wasn’t anything for him to do anyway, he might as well see if he could have some fun .

The guard led him to the furthest reaches of the Skyden, which surprised the Overseer . In his time here they had never consigned a guest to one of these cells . More and more it appeared the girl’s enemies were becoming serious . He had to admit he was somewhat t.i.tillated . “Are we here?”

“In front,” the head guard timidly answered . “Anyone locked up back here is dangerous, relics or not . Regulations state we should them chained around the neck to prevent escape . Do you want to wait until he’s chained or would you just like to go in?”

“It isn’t necessary . I’m certain it is impossible this fellow will escape my grasp, especially without relics . ” The Overseer rolled his eyes and swaggered into the cell . “Now let’s see who our unlucky-”

His words trailed off . Stunned, he swallowed the rest of his thought . He merely stood there, staring at his latest charge .

Surprise took the jailors too, who stood nearby with hooks and chains . They were all acutely aware of the Overseer’s peculiar hobbies, and they looked at each other with uncomfortable stares . This newbie was young, and reasonably good looking . Probably…

The Overseer snapped back to reality . “W-what… what did he do?”

The head guard placed a stack of paper into the Overseer’s hands . “This is the report . He’s a special case, it’s been three years since we’ve had someone like him . We need to keep him under the strictest guard, to make sure there aren’t any problems . ”

The Overseer glanced over the doc.u.mentation . Beads of sweat broke out across his forehead . “This can’t be right . That… we’re fine here . Disperse, I need to ask him some questions . ”

Everyone was aware of the Overseer’s hobbies . They fled the moment he gave the word .

Once they were alone the prisoner opened his mouth and spoke . “I was wondering why Felina sent me here . This place is being watched over by a f.u.c.kin’ sissy boy now, huh?”

Anyone else, and the words ‘f.u.c.king sissy boy’ would have inspired the Overseer to snap every single bone in their body . But from the mouth of this man it just made him smirk . “Not because of my reputation, I a.s.sure you . Still, they’ve left me here to rot just like the rest of them . I guess the real question is when the Boss started working with demons . This… my my, this is quite a serious offense . ”

“Bulls.h.i.+t! You believe this nonsense too?” Cloudhawk heaved against the chains that bound his wrists . “I am under direct orders from the commander in chief, General Skye . I’m being framed by those s.h.i.+tf.u.c.ks in the governor’s mansion . Go on, ask Drake if he would still be alive if I didn’t get involved at the Blisterpeaks . Ask who he owes his life to!”

Of course Caspian didn’t believe Cloudhawk was a spy . After the tragedy at the Blisterpeaks, General Skye had taken a serious blow to his influence . It would be no surprise if the governor took this opportunity to try and s.n.a.t.c.h up more power for himself . Besides, Cloudhawk had a somewhat sour history with some members of Arcturus’ group – a fact which lent even more credence to the claim he was being targeted .

“I see, I see . Obvious those… s.h.i.+tf.u.c.ks?… in the governor’s mansion are jealous of the Boss’ talent and good looks . ” Caspian cooed the words with a strange smile on his lips .  [1] He leaned in and lowered his voice . “By the way, how is my dear Gabriel? It’s been so long since I’ve heard word and I miss him terribly . ”

“Look, I don’t have time to reminisce . ”Cloudhawk rolled his eyes at the brazen words of his old squad-mate . This guy wasn’t going to give up his sinister plans for Gabriel . Wasn’t he afraid Naberius might take offense? But whatever, he didn’t have time to tease the sissy anyway . He came right to the point . “Listen, sissy, do you not trust me?”

“Nonsense, the Boss is our glorious leader . Do I look like the sort to play false allegiances? Speak, what do you need from me? Come h.e.l.l or high water, I won’t balk at any request . ”

“Let me go . ”

“Ah?!” Caspian balked .

Cloudhawk didn’t have time for any of this s.h.i.+t, and had no intention of sitting around waiting for a sham trial . If it weren’t for the fact that the Court’s boss had been present, Cloudhawk was sure he could have escaped from Atlas . He definitely wouldn’t have allowed himself to get thrown in here! He would rather be hunted all through the city than let it get blown to pieces .

“Boss, my hero, my lord . Don’t play with me like this! You’re an enemy of the people . I don’t care about being Overseer but the fact is these charges against you can’t be substantiated . I can look after you here, and we’ll just wait for the general to handle all of this himself . ” He paused for a moment . “Do you understand how serious of a crime it is to try and escape from here? Even if you’re completely innocent, I cannot let you do that . ”

Cloudhawk fixed him with a grim stare . “Cut the s.h.i.+t . Are you going to help me or not?”

Caspian scowled . “Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

“I’ve got my reasons, and those reasons won’t wait for me to stand trial . If I don’t do something now then everything is going to h.e.l.l in a hand basket, do you understand?” Cloudhawk’s voice was thick with sincerity . “Relax, I’m not going to get you in any trouble . Just tell me where they put my s.h.i.+t, and I’ll take care of the rest . ”

Caspian was still unsure .

“Hey sissy boy, you make up your mind yet or what? I am out of time!” Cloudhawk’s irritation was bubbling over and he raised his voice . “And if you don’t do me this small favor I’ll make d.a.m.n sure you never see Gabriel ever again!”

Caspian smirked . “Our dear Boss… always causing trouble . Alright, alright . This time I’m the one who takes the bullet . Who put you in charge, anyway . . . ”

The Overseer made sure Cloudhawk’s gear was stored in an easy-to-reach place . He then went back to his room and slept like nothing had happened .

In the middle of the night he was awakened by a pealing bell .

“d.a.m.n! A prisoner has escaped! Hunt them down!”

The Boss knows what he’s doing . Even under tight observation, lock and key he still managed to sneak away .

Caspian turned over and went back to sleep, paying no mind to the chaos outside . Trouble was sure to come his way, but far more of it would fall on Cloudhawk’s head . If the boss wasn’t scared, then what did he have to be frightened of?

1 .  Yup .  

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