Scorched Shadows (The Hellequin Chronicles Book 7)

by Steve McHugh

  “What if the people who came here searching knew about this?” Fiona asked.

  “No other scents,” Remy confirmed.

  “Remy and I will go first,” Diana said. “The rest of you, keep back, and try not to get hurt.”

  “Have I ever told you how much I love your motivational speeches?” Remy asked. “They inspire such confidence.”

  “I can throw you down the hole, if you’d prefer.”

  Remy winked and darted into the darkness beyond, vanishing from sight within seconds. Diana followed soon after, leaving the rest at the mouth of the cave peering in.

  “You see anything?” Morgan shouted.

  “I can see all,” Nabu said, and stepped into the cave.

  Morgan and Mordred shared a look of surprise. “What is he?” Morgan asked.

  “An och,” Mordred said. “To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what he can and can’t do. He doesn’t talk much about himself.”

  “Are you all coming down here?” Diana shouted from somewhere inside the cave.

  Mordred walked into the cave with Morgan and Fiona beside him and used his air magic to gently lower all three of them to the ground, then immediately wished he’d brought a torch.

  The light from Morgan’s phone illuminated a massive cavern. Several things moved on the walls, and Mordred was sure he didn’t want to get too close to them. There weren’t a lot of animals in the UK that would kill you, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t give a bite, and Mordred knew for a fact that some of those bites hurt like hell.

  “So, any idea where she went?” Fiona asked.

  “The perfume is still fairly strong in here,” Diana said, sniffing the air. “It’s maybe a week old.”

  “How long does the scent last?” Morgan asked.

  “Two weeks and it’s gone,” Diana said. “Before then it depends on the air, moisture, other scents. But down here, there are insects, bat shit, and the perfume. It’s easy to pick out the one I want. Elaine’s scent is here, too, but it’s too faint to be really useful.”

  “I found something,” Remy said from the darkness. Fiona removed her phone and turned it toward his voice, the phone’s torch moving over Remy. “Yeah, blind me, that’s a good idea.”

  Fiona moved the light slightly but didn’t apologize. “Better?” she asked, her tone hard.

  “Sorry,” Remy said to Fiona, seemingly remembering why she was there. “But you guys need to see this.”

  “So, you do notice when you piss people off?” Mordred asked as he followed Remy through a large crack in the cavern and down what appeared to be steps.

  “Elaine made this,” Remy said. “Or had someone else with earth magic do it. These steps aren’t a natural formation. And neither is this.”

  Remy was pointing toward a small stone hut at the far end of another large cavern. There was no door or windows on the small stone building, but it was obvious what it had been created to be: a place to hide, or hide something important.

  Water trickled down the walls, and stalactites had formed throughout the cavern, bisecting the entire place. Some of the stalactites were so long that anyone over six feet high would have to duck down to get under them, making it difficult to get to the hut on the other side.

  “I think they had some help, too,” Morgan said as she joined them.

  Fiona walked over to the stalactites and was about to touch one when she stopped herself. “They’re sharp—I can tell even from a distance. These aren’t made by nature.”

  “So, how do we get past them?” Diana asked.

  “I’ll go,” Remy said, and dropped to all fours, darting under the stalactites and into the hut.

  Remy emerged several seconds later—although to Mordred it felt much longer—with a small metal box in his mouth. He made the trip back over to the group and dropped the box on the ground.

  “Any chance that Elaine booby-trapped this?” Morgan asked.

  Everyone stared at the small gray box. It was six inches long, and five wide, with a small handle on top. It was three inches deep, so whatever was inside wasn’t large, but a booby trap didn’t need to take up much space.

  “Let’s take it outside and open it,” Diana asked.

  There was a crunching sound, and Morgan flashed her phone’s light toward it and discovered Remy chewing on something.

  “Food,” Remy said. “I’m part fox, remember? Foxes eat pretty much anything you give them, and bugs are a good source of protein.” He bent down and picked up a dark beetle, popping it in his mouth.

  “I need to leave now,” Morgan said, and took the lead as the group left the cavern.

  It didn’t take long to get everyone up out of the cave, with Morgan using her earth magic to create a set of stairs that allowed the group to just climb out with ease.

  “Why didn’t you do that in the first place?” Fiona snapped when back outside.

  “I didn’t know what was below,” Morgan said. “Can’t start moving things around when I can’t see what I’m moving.”

  “You could have moved those stalactites, though,” Remy pointed out.

  “You didn’t give me a chance to do anything.” Morgan turned to Fiona. “Look, I get that you miss your husband. That you’re worried. But if you’re going to keep snapping at people, you can go back to Tommy and wait.”

  Fiona took a step forward. “You’re welcome to try and make me.”

  “I can’t believe I’m the one saying this,” Remy started. “But grow the fuck up, both of you. Fiona, you’re pissing off everyone with your attitude. I know you’re scared, but we are trying to help, and you’re being a—”

  “Bitch,” Morgan finished.

  “And you’re not helping,” Mordred said. “Fiona, if you can’t deal with this, you really should go back home.”

  “I can’t,” Fiona almost whispered. “I can’t just sit there and do nothing. I’m sorry for snapping.”

  Diana picked up the box, turning it over in her hands. “I don’t see anything dangerous.” She grew one nail until it was long enough to pry the lid off the box. There was a moment of concern followed by curiosity when the box didn’t explode or start spewing noxious gas.

  “We’re not dead, right?” Remy asked. “I feel okay.”

  “All of those bugs probably saved you,” Morgan said.

  “So, what’s in the box?” Mordred asked.

  “There’s a USB stick, a folded piece of paper, and a second piece of paper with a map on it. I think it was printed off.” Diana removed the contents, dropping the box on the dirt. She passed the folded paper to Morgan, the map to Nabu, and held the flash drive in her hands, turning it over as if looking for something special about it.

  “Is there a computer on the helicopter?” Morgan asked.

  “Let’s go find out.”

  “What does the paper say?” Mordred asked as Morgan read it.

  “I love you, little nephew,” Morgan told him.

  “So we know this is Elaine’s,” Mordred said. “She called me that on occasion. She thought it was funny.”

  Mordred took the note and carefully folded it up before placing it in his pocket. “So, what about this map?”

  Nabu passed it to him. “I have no idea what it is.”

  Mordred recognized it instantly. “It’s a satellite image of a small town that doesn’t exist.”

  “What do you mean it doesn’t exist?” Morgan asked. “There are houses, and there’s a car—it’s red. There’s a black X on part of it, though. I don’t get that bit. Are we meant to go there?”

  “The town doesn’t officially exist,” Mordred clarified. “It’s on no official maps and has no official name. It’s to the east of St. Petersburg, north of Sviritsa. It’s called the Hamlet. Not named after Shakespeare, before anyone asks.”

  “It’s Avalon-run?” Diana asked.

  Mordred nodded. “That X is where a hundred years ago I tore off a man’s arm, killed his best friend, and burned his home to the ground. When
the ashes were cold, I salted the earth. I mean that literally.”

  “So, we need to go to this small village?” Fiona asked.

  Mordred shook his head. “No. When I last spoke to her, she mentioned that the man I almost killed now lives in Moscow. I thought it weird at the time. I wondered what possible connection he could have to the prophecy, but she told me to leave it alone until she confirmed things. Looks like he’s where we need to go.”

  “And Moscow is where my husband went missing,” Fiona said.

  “Yeah, looks like we’re going to get even colder,” Mordred said with a sigh. “And this might get a lot messier.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Mordred

  The flight to Moscow didn’t take a long time, but it was long enough to make Mordred concerned about the reception he might receive. The last time he’d gone to Russia, he’d been more interested in hurting Avalon than helping anyone. Hopefully the fact that Mordred was with people like Nabu and Diana would make people think twice about attacking, because he was sure that no one was going to believe that he’d turned over a new leaf. Hell, he wouldn’t believe that if someone had told him, and it had taken him several years to make those he sat with trust him. He pushed the thought aside and sighed—too late to worry about it now.

  He picked up the USB stick from beside him and looked at it. There hadn’t been a computer on board the helicopter, so it would have to wait until they got to Moscow, and hopefully someone there could help them. Presumably after trying to kill them, as was seemingly the more likely of the two actions.

  Mordred placed the flash drive back beside him, keeping a hand on top of it.

  “It’s okay, you know,” Morgan said. “We’ll find out what’s on it.”

  Mordred nodded and looked over at Fiona, who had the manner of someone filled with an exceptional level of anxiety. He looked around and found a small screw on the metal floor of the helicopter. Mordred’s first thought was Where the hell did this come from, and is it needed to fly the helicopter? but he quickly told himself that it was probably nothing, and picked it up, throwing it across the cabin toward Fiona, who looked up at him.

  You okay? Mordred mouthed.

  “I’m fine,” Fiona said through the headset, making everyone else in the group aware of their conversation.

  “Just checking,” Mordred told her.

  “Well, don’t. Not you, not ever.”

  Mordred felt the gaze of several of the helicopter’s occupants on him. “Ah, I assume the man I used to be wronged you.”

  “Wronged me?” Fiona snapped, turning toward Mordred with fury in her eyes. “You murdered, you tortured, you did unspeakable things to innocent people because they were your enemy, or they were in the way, or just because you damn well felt like it.”

  “Your husband aided me on occasion. So, are you angry at me for what I did, or angry at him for his aid?”

  Fiona reacted as if it took every ounce of self-control not to launch herself at Mordred. “You murdered a friend of mine in Berlin over a century ago. An LOA agent. You tortured him for days for what I can only assume was fun on your part. Do you even remember his name through the hundreds of bodies you left in your wake?”

  Mordred took a deep breath.

  “He doesn’t have to explain anything to you,” Morgan snapped. “He was out of his mind when he did those things. He was broken by Baldr and the people we now hunt. They took him, and for a century they tore him apart, let him heal, and then did it all over again.”

  Mordred leaned over to Morgan and placed a hand on hers. “It’s okay.” He looked over to Fiona. “I’m sorry about your friend. I remember all of them. Every single person I killed because I thought it was necessary. Every one of them. Your friend would have been . . . Eugene Lord, yes?”

  Fiona nodded curtly.

  “He died because he was sent to try and kill me, and I thought he might know where Merlin or Nate were. I killed him because I thought he needed to die. I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things, and I’m trying to make up for all the horror I inflicted over the years. Just like your husband, Alan, did after he married you. I heard about that, by the way. Alan told me about two years ago. I assume he didn’t tell you that he’d been to see me.”

  Fiona shook her head.

  “Nate set it up at my request. I wanted to apologize for my past, and I knew that he would want to ensure I wasn’t playing games. I think he left satisfied with the answers he received. I wish I could take back every evil thing I did. But wishes don’t mean shit, so instead I’m trying to make things better. I’m trying to ensure that Baldr and those who helped him create me are never able to do it again.

  “Morgan and those who helped her keep me prisoner did the best they could, but I always escaped, and then the race was on to try and stop me before I did something awful. I’m truly sorry for your friend, and for many friends and loved ones I hurt over the centuries. Maybe one day you can look at me and not see the murderer who inhabited my mind for so many years. But then again, maybe not. I know I still have trouble every time I look in the mirror.”

  “I don’t want to hate you,” Fiona said. “Everyone says you’re different. Everyone says you should be judged based on the person you are, not the monster you were forced to become. It’s not that easy.”

  “Nor should it be,” Nabu said. “I dealt with Mordred when he was crazed, and I’ve dealt with him now. They are not the same person. As hard as it is to reconcile the man who shares our quest with the one who would have done anything to destroy it, it’s important that you allow yourself to believe in Mordred. If you do not, if we do not trust one another, this cabal will tear us apart.”

  “And it’s that easy, is it?” Fiona snapped.

  Nabu shook his head. “No. Wisdom is never easy. That’s the point of obtaining it. If it were easy, we’d all be wise, and we’d all do the right thing all the time.”

  Fiona looked out of the window for a few seconds before speaking. “I’m here to find my husband, Elaine, and everyone else who was taken. Doesn’t mean I have to trust Mordred.” She turned to face Mordred. “If you step out of line, I will end you. And there’s no one who will stop me.”

  Mordred bit back his reply and sighed. “You do what you have to do. And I’ll do what I have to do, and hopefully it’s the same thing. Right now, for example, I’m going to sit here with you people and hum ‘Super Mario.’ You’re all welcome to join in.” He started humming but caught the smile on Morgan’s face as Fiona switched off her headset.

  “You really need to get some new tunes,” Remy said.

  “From video games? I know Zelda, and a few Final Fantasy ones. You pick it, I’ll hum it.”

  Remy laughed. “Let me think on it.”

  No one spoke for the rest of the journey, although they did switch off their headphones after several minutes of humming from Mordred.

  Eventually the helicopter landed in a small private airfield just outside of Moscow. The moment the helicopter door was opened, and the freezing air rushed inside, Mordred wished he’d brought a much bigger coat.

  The group moved outside, where they were greeted by a tall woman wearing a very thick and comfortable-looking orange jacket, the hood of which was pulled up, allowing very little of her face to be seen as fresh snow continued to fall.

  She motioned for the group to follow her. There was little point in trying to have a conversation next to a helicopter, especially when the winds were beginning to pick up, so the group followed her off the runway and into a small building nearby.

  The woman removed her coat and draped it over a counter while everyone else took a seat on the metal folding chairs provided.

  “My name is Polina,” the Russian woman said, running a hand through her blond hair and shaking off bits of snow. “I work with the LOA in Moscow. I received a call from Olivia telling me to expect you. She did not, however, explain why you are here.”

  “We’re looking for Elaine Garlot,” Diana
said. “She vanished several weeks ago, and the team sent to find her was last seen in Moscow. We have a lead that suggests someone here might know what happened.”

  “And that lead?” Polina asked. “Do they have a name?”

  Diana glanced over at Mordred. “We’re not sure yet,” she continued. “We need time to look around and hopefully figure out where we need to be.”

  Polina looked between Diana and Mordred before nodding. She was obviously unhappy with being kept in the dark. “If you need something, come to me first. Lots of people in Moscow who work for Avalon aren’t always working with Avalon’s best interests at heart.”

  “That seems to be the norm everywhere these days,” Fiona said with a touch of anger in her voice.

  “Yes, well, you should still be aware.”

  “We’re looking for Viktor Egorov,” Mordred said. “There, now you know why we’re here, and now I know who to come looking for should anything happen to us or him before we find him.”

  Polina’s expression remained neutral, but the anger in her eyes wasn’t so easily concealed. “I am loyal to Elaine. I have always been loyal to Elaine, and I will not allow anyone to suggest otherwise.”

  “I’m not suggesting anything,” Mordred said as he got to his feet. “I’m just making sure we’re all on the same page. Do you know where Viktor is?”

  “Probably in his home.”

  “And where’s that?” Remy asked.

  “I can take you.” Polina held Mordred’s gaze. “I promise not to put any bullets in your head before we get there.”

  Diana chuckled, and Mordred smiled. “Sounds fair,” he said. “Is it a long ride?”

  Polina shook her head. “Not really. We’re not far outside of Moscow, but is he going to be happy to see you?”

  “Judging from what Mordred told us about him, not even slightly,” Morgan said.

  Polina smiled. “Excellent. He’s an annoying shit. I’ll make sure to capture this moment on film.”

  She put her coat back on and escorted the group from the small building to two waiting Mercedes SUVs. Fiona, Morgan, and Nabu got into the rear one while Polina, Remy, Diana, and Mordred got into the front car, where several coats, scarves, and hats waited for them.