All Chapters of Shadows Of The Heart: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Returning to Tommy’s house with the supplies the bomb maker had asked for, Vanadine found the wreck of a man mixing something that looked a lot like wet rice in a bucket. The stench of petrol filled the room and Vanadine’s nose wrinkled at the smell.“Ah, excellent,” Tommy said as he looked at the items Vanadine had brought. “You got the cash too?”Vanadine threw a wad of notes on the bench beside Tommy, held in a roll with a rubber band and handed him the bags he had brought back.“What do you need all this for?” Vanadine asked as Tommy opened the pair of mobile phones Vanadine had bought.Tommy stared at him as if he was an infant, his eyes larger than they should be through the glasses he wore.“Your bomb?” He asked as if this should be obvious. “Ooh, coffee!”Vanadine handed him the cup and sipped at his own, feeling the hot liquid flow down into his stomach,Last time I had coffee I was with her. He thought as anguish grabbed his chest. Anger fought with sadness as thoughts of Ca

A wave of hot pressure exploded from the thin a few seconds after he kicked the suitcase into it. The wave knocked Vanadine back a few feet, scorching his face with the intense heat. He landed on his ass and stared at the thin, his eyes picking out the strange wobble in the air as it shimmered in place.Hope it’s still okay. Vanadine thought as he threw himself at the phenomenon, hoping the other end was still intact.At the end of his endless fall through the thin, Vanadine’s feet hit the ground in Elaris and he rolled once before standing and turning to see the devastation Tommy’s bomb had wrought.The grass had been ripped and burned away in a semicircle from the edge of the thin leaving bare, blackened earth. After that the stems that did remain were flattened and singed. A three foot deep crater had been blasted from the ground where the bomb had gone off, throwing soil and grass up and out in all directions. The blast had carved a ragged circle in the landscape with the exceptio

“Cash, now!” The large elf before him grunted.The trio had surrounded him on a desolate stretch of street, the light from the few surrounding buildings and the stars overhead the only illumination. With Vanadine’s superior vision, however, he was able to see perfectly. Sadly, he knew, so could his attackers.“I haven’t got time for this,” Vanadine stated flatly.“Then pay and leave,” the elf said.The same height as Vanadine and almost as bulky, the elf looked fairly well fed and cared for, his clothing was relatively clean and looked after, patched here and there but serviceable. Long, straight hair fell from his head, around his shoulders and down his back. He had managed to find and wear a few pieces of armour, scabby looking pieces of hard leather that had not managed to save his face from what must have been a savage cut. Ragged and raw, the scar ran from just below his right eye, down his cheek and curled beneath his jaw. His eyes glinted from beneath his brows, their colour lo

Panic grabbed Vanadine’s chest as his left hand fell from the pavement. He hung by his right for a few seconds before his fingers gave out and he was scrabbling for purchase, fingers ripping at the soil and rock as he picked up speed falling down the almost vertical surface. All thoughts fell from his mind as his brain focussed entirely on stopping him from certain death. There was nothing to grab, nothing to catch hold of and he felt the phantom of death hovering at his shoulder. The drop would be over soon, the impact sudden and his death brief, leaving his broken body for the scavengers.Somehow Vanadine managed to retain enough sense to drag the machete clear and plunge it into the side of the crater. His shoulders wrenched painfully as his fall was halted abruptly, both hands wrapped around the handle. Vanadine hung there panting hard and trying to will his terror and panic away. He opened his eyes and waited for his vision to adjust to the almost complete blackness. Little light

Heart racing, Vanadine sought the source of the growl, eventually picking out a shape in the gloom. The shadow of the citadel hid a great deal but enough light penetrated to allow him to see the creature that was stalking him. The syphia was one of the largest Vanadine had ever seen, roughly equivalent in height to a pony on Earth. Muscles rippled beneath its sleek, black and white fur and teeth peeled back from inch long fangs that would meet and cross in a scissoring action, rending flesh with ease. Eyes the colour of midnight skies regarded him with dispassionate hatred.Slowly, Vanadine drew the machete, letting it hang from his side in his right hand. With his left he prepared the magic that would bring fire if needed, channelling the power of Elaris up through his body and into his flesh. His skin tingled with the pressure of it and he knew from experience he would have to release it soon or risk it hurting him.Stay calm, non-threatening and it might let you go. His mind said.