Blackbow

On the old coast road there is a city.

In that city, there is a story.

A legend.

An urban myth.

They say the city has a guardian.

They say he slips between the shadows and appears from nowhere.

They say he has watched over the city since the days when the dragons walked the Earth.

Of course, “they” say many things.

How many of those things ever turn out to be true.

***

The police had Mace surrounded.

It was supposed to be a simple smash and grab, just the kind of job guys like Mace excelled at.

Now, with the thumb drive safely stashed in his holster, all he had to do was take out a dozen pigs to get his payday.

Mace wasn’t the smartest guy on the cell block, but when he went to work with his namesake weapon, well, there was nobody better.

He let out a horrific wail and raised his weapon over his head.

And then his hand went numb.

Mace watched as his weapon dropped from his dead hand to the sidewalk.

He looked at the blood running down his arm.

He saw the black arrow sticking out of his forearm and he cursed.

That was the last thing Mace did before the second arrow hit.

This one slammed into his bandolier and sent an electric charge coursing through his body.

Mace’s body convulsed and fell to the ground.

The cops were on him in an instant.  He could only watch as they kicked his weapon away.  He couldn’t do anything as they cuffed him and threw into the wagon.

“I really hate that guy,” he thought as the wagon rolled away, taking him back to his cell.

***

On a rooftop across the street, a figure clad in black slung a bow across his back.

“Mace is taken care of,” he said, keying the head set inside his hood.  “What’s next?”

“The heroin shipment is coming in just like we thought.  The docks are swarming with ninjas.”

The briefest of smiles crossed the mystery man’s face.

“I’m on it.”

Then he slipped into the shadows and disappeared as if he’d never even been there at all.

***

Everyone in the city knows the stories.

Everyone knows someone who knows someone who has seen him

Many of them claim to have seen him themselves. 

They all rest safely knowing that he’s out there watching over them.

The name is legend.

Blackbow.