Trespassing on Hallowed Ground (The Tes Simms Anthology, Book 3)

A Heated Battle

Holly and I stare in awe as the two superpowered men fight each other in broad daylight.

Don't tell me we're in another post-apocalyptic world. I'm not sure I could do this again.

The man dressed in all black sends an array of dark, stealthy tentacles to his opponent, binding him down. He screams in agony, his own powers having a fit. A sound wave emits from his mouth, visibly rippling the air in front of him.

"Maybe we should go find cover," Holly whispers to me. "I'm not convinced they won't try to attack us at some point, and we don't have powers."

Don't have to tell me twice. I move toward cover—a large building to our right made of dense-looking concrete. If they've noticed us, neither has given any indication.

Another round of tentacles spears up from the ground, threatening to pierce the man with sonic and matter powers. How does it work, anyway? How can he just create matter like that?

How can either of them do what they're doing?

And also, who are we supposed to be rooting for?

It seems like a pretty evenly matched battle for another couple of minutes, though it's clear they're both getting worn out. We don't even know why they're fighting. Already a million questions about our new surroundings have formed in my head, all hesitant to be answered. I really don't want an Omega Centauri repeat. Or a Hindenburg repeat.

The sound man summons two long, golden chains from the ground, which wrap around the tentacle man's arms. The man yells, apparently powerless to do anything about the crushing force.

"Yield, Necromancer," the chain man shouts to his foe, "or I will make this your end."

A lone tentacle spears straight out of the crumbled sidewalk and runs right through the chain man's chest. His eyes go wide, and the chains shatter and dissipate into the air, freeing the man called a Necromancer.

"I'm afraid not, Cados," the Necromancer replies, recalling the tentacle. Cados' lifeless body hits the ground.

I glance over at Holly. She has the same dumbfounded expression as me. Aurora, on the other hand, doesn't seem phased.

"Are you two going to come out now, or am I going to have to make you?"

Still wearing wide eyes, Holly is the first to step out into the open. "We mean no harm. We're just passing through."

"Just passing through? Where's your card?"

"My card?"

"Your ID?"

"Oh, um, of course. My ID card. Well, funny story—"

"Damn rebels. Show your card now or meet the same fate as him."

"You're never going to believe this, but we don't have cards. We're actually—"

The Necromancer sends a lethal wave of the inky black tentacles at Holly, who flinches at the attack. As she does, a dark purple wall of energy pops in between her and the tentacles, frying them all on impact.

She takes a moment to notice the development. She stands upright, looking for the source.

"You're a Necromancer, too?" the man asks. "Why didn't you lead with that? And also, why didn't you help with the fight?"

"You seemed more than capable," Holly says, her voice shaking a little. Did she really just make that wall? Did she get superpowers? Does that mean I have them, too?

"Is that your partner, then?" the Necromancer asks, pointing to me.

My shoulders tense up a little with the movement.

"Yeah, she's with me. Why?"

"Because we'd have to kill her if she wasn't? Duh?"

"I've gotta admit, that doesn't feel like a given course of action."

"What's your name?"

"Holly."

"Where are you from, Holly?"

"America."

"Funny. Where are you from, Holly?"

"No, really. We're both from America. There's been one big misunderstanding, and we don't belong here. We're just trying to make it home."

"Well, Holly, here in Carmsborough, the Necromancers make the rules. If you want to make it home, we'll have to talk with the council. You're a strange situation for sure, but since you're a Necromancer, I'm sure they'll hear you out."

"That's actually great to hear. How soon can we do that?"

"Here, follow me. I'm headed back that way, anyway."

I hesitantly reappear from behind the concrete building, Aurora in hand. I sure hope whatever power I have, if any, will keep me alive long enough for us to find a generator and get out of here. Now that we know what we need to do to get back home, I'd rather do it right away.

"So, uh, a little confused by the dynamic going on back there," Holly says, as the Necromancer heads our journey to the "council." Personally, I've about had it with councils.

"What about it? We're Necromancers, he wasn't, end of story. Hey, while we're at it, why don't we do some tourist attraction stuff?"

We step into a park area labeled "Maxima Park," which seems rundown and deliberately trashed. A statue in the middle of a woman crushing a man under her boot has both heads taken off, and the fountain attached to that is completely drained.

"Maxima Park. I'll be honest, a little tragic about what happened here, but those rebels gave us no choice other than to desecrate their figure of hope."

"Who is Lady Maxima?" Holly asks, running her finger across the plaque underneath the statue.

"Some champion who lived like a thousand years ago or something. She could change her size. One of a kind aura."

"Huh?"

Any explanation the man would've given is interrupted by a whistling sound, which is immediately followed by three shimmering arrows impaling the man in the chest, head, and foot. He dies on the spot, and yet no blood comes from his body.

I roll for cover again, while Holly stands still, frozen with fear. Up ahead, three people emerge from a maze-like garden of bushes. Two of them are younger-looking warrior types, while the third is...

"Wait," Holly says. "Haven't we seen you before on the Hindenburg?"

"What's the Hindenburg?" Agent Ike says, stepping forward. "And who are you two?"