Page 11 of Merciless
I recognized the guy, even though his head and mouth were covered in black cloth. Only his eyes were visible, brown eyes with dark, bushy eyebrows. I had met those eyes before, shook those hands that now threatened me with a rifle. He was dressed entirely in black rather than a general’s uniform, but I never forgot the one man who’d betrayed me and eluded me for so long.
“General Tash,” I said, my tone full of contempt. “Or his impostor, rather.” Keeping my gaze averted as he instructed, I angled my head toward the strange, cloaked person in the middle. “And therealgeneral, I presume.”
“Ahahaha…”
The laughter was soft, nothing more than an amused chuckle, but it made every hair on my body stand on end. That was the exact same laugh we all heard, the oppressive force in our heads that tried to break our sanity, and had succeeded in so many others.
Forgetting all decorum, I stared directly at the black hood in front of me. “What are you?”
Ifelt, rather than saw, the thing smile. Like Hades, its power seemed to fill the room like it’s own atmosphere.
“I am the Sha. General Tash is simply the moniker I use when necessary. When I must be perceived as…human.”
“And I’m supposed to know what the fuck that is?”
Only then did it pull back its hood.
And the face underneath…didn’t make sense.
I stared at a long snout, somewhat like a dog’s. So that was why it sounded so weird. Black lips pulled back in a smile, revealing canine-like teeth. Its skin was a dark gray with black fur in some areas. Eerily human eyes sat below two pointed, triangular ears that were narrow where they attached to the skull and widened at the top. The creature pulled back its sleeves to reveal long, black claws at the ends of its hands, and those were indeed paws instead of feet that I saw earlier. A tail flicked forward in an almost playful manner, forked in the middle to create two shorter tails at the end.
“I don’t…” My eyes drifted all over this thing, trying to make it make sense in my brain, but it just wouldn’t. “I don’t understand. Are you a god?”
“I am the physical manifestation of Set.” The Sha grinned. “I do not make sense to you because I am no true animal that has ever existed. Chaos, by definition, does not make sense.”
“Set?” Shadow repeated in a whisper, speaking up for the first time.
“Yes.” The creature turned to him. “Has my brother ever told you about me?”
“Brother?” I remarked.
“Horus and Set are brothers, according to the mythology.” Shadow looked just as unnerved at the sight of the Sha as I was. “They battled for nearly a century. Horus lost his eye, but he won.” Shadow’s features hardened as he stared down this thing in front of us. “Because the chaos, the violence you represent, it destroys everything. Even you. Do you realize that? If you win, you will annihilate humanity, the very source of your power.”
The Sha turned its eerie gaze to him. It was smaller and not as broad as Shadow, but there was no mistaking the heaviness and concentration of energy that radiated from this animal-person-thing. It made Shadow suck in a breath and press flatter against the wall.
“Do you really think I’m bound by the rules of the tangible universe, human? You believe the laws of physics apply tome?” The Sha’s lips pulled back in an unnerving smile. “If I did, then I would not be standing here. I am not meant to exist, but I do. Doyouunderstand that?”
The Sha turned its snout toward me, pinning me with those creepy eyes. “Your companion gods all have real-animal counterparts and roles compatible with humans. But I,” the Sha brought a clawed hand to its chest, “am not the same as your pet gods. Disorder and violence flourish in theabsenceof humanity.” The Sha lowered its hands to its side, angling its gaze to Shadow. “So you are incorrect, I will not be destroyed. I will thrive.”
“That’s…impossible,” Shadow whispered.
“Of course it is.” The Sha grinned. “Iamthe impossible, in the flesh. Also,” the Sha tilted its head in a curious, dog-like gesture. “I can see the attempt at repairs my brother has made onyourfractured mind, human. It’s stapled and knitted together so crudely, it’s no wonder your madness escapes in your dreams. But don’t worry,” the Sha assured him with fake cheer. “Let me in and I’ll undo all of that. Your thirst for violence will be set free, no longer caged up like you once were.”
Shadow paled, and for the first time since I’d known him, he looked genuinely frightened. Not his normal nervous-because-women-were-around, but actually fucking terrified.
And then it was gone, his face morphing into a cold mask as he stepped away from the wall, pulling on his chains. The restraints stopped him six inches away from the Sha’s snout, and Shadow snarled, “Release me now and I’ll show you how violent I can be.”
“In due time.” The Sha appeared unfazed by Shadow’s bulk towering over it.
“Why are you torturing us?” I blurted out in a quick demand. “You want us all gone, why not just kill us and get it over with?”
“Because you, the leaders of the resistance against me, will be more useful to me in my army.” The Sha leveled its gaze at me and I felt a sensation like a rough jabbing in my brain. “The bonds with your pet gods offer some protection against my methods, but the best minds always take time to break. And it will besosatisfying putting you on the front lines against your own people.”
I tried to hide the shudder up my spine at that. So this instance of being miraculously healed wasn’t likely to last. He would start up the torture again, bring me to the brink of death, heal me, and start the horror show all over again. At least, that’s what I would do if I wanted to break someone’s spirit.
Even knowing that, my own self-preservation wasn’t the only thing on my mind.
This thing seemed to enjoy talking, so I wondered how best to ask about Mari. Did it have her captured and imprisoned somewhere else? Seeing her suffer would be the fastest way to us losing our shit, so I wanted to believe she was still free.
