by Joshua Roots
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “What’s up?”
“You guys gotta see it to believe it. Follow me.”
“Are the Trolls here?”
“No.” The darkness in his voice startled me.
Crap. “Okay, lead on.”
Pip appeared next to me. “No luck, boss. The head librarian won’t budge. Everything is to be stored and locked until this mess with the Minotaurs is over. I know a couple folks that might be able to sneak me in or may be willing to search the vaults for us, but I have to find them first.”
Steve shook his head. “You guys need to see this as well.”
The Bookworm whistled, and the other two from our party appeared. Once we were all gathered, Steve led us back into the tunnels. This time, however, the darkness wasn’t as oppressive or terrifying. The fear of the unknown and the memories of nearly drowning slipped away, all because I was holding the hand of my fiancée.
Calling her that was both wonderful and odd. Given time, I’m sure I’d get used to it.
Well, time and repetition.
We exited the caves into the barely brighter world of the Bookworm compound. I drew in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of winter in Tennessee.
The farther Steve led us into the Bookworm camp, however, the more uncomfortable I became. Where were the fires, the patrols, the noise? There was nothing, just the stillness of the night and the beating of my heart in my ears.
He stopped us when we reached the living quarters area. Small huts made from twisted branches lined the muddy streets. Like the perimeter wall, they were only shoulder high on me, but would have been palaces for the tiny imps.
“Tour the area,” Steve said quietly. “Tell me what you see.”
The Bookworms dashed through the town.
“Some broken arrow shafts and bloodstains, but that’s it,” Pip answered when they zipped back to us.
“No Minotaurs?”
Pip shook his head. “Not even a corpse.”
Steve nodded. “Exactly. There should at least be some defenders. We don’t attack a place, then just up and leave it for no good reason.”
The uneasiness grew in my chest. What in the world was Makha up to? Figuring out his tactics was like trying to hold a cloud. In fact, with the exception of making his preemptive strike on the Centaurs, everything he’d done seemed counterintuitive. Attacking species that held little tactical or combative advantage? Devoting the majority of his forces to engage an enemy that, for all intents and purposes, shared their sense of isolation? Abandoning a camp after conquering it? If his goal really was to keep us off-kilter, it was working because nothing he was doing made any sense.
And where the hell were the Trolls?
“Dammit,” I muttered. “We have no information, no army and no enemy. It’s like Makha wanted us to come down here.”
“For what?” Quinn asked. “To find an empty camp?”
“I don’t know,” I said, frustration building. “But I’m starting to wonder if he even has a plan at all or if he’s just bored.”
Steve huffed. “Makha is too smart to waste resources, but even I have no clue why he’d abandon this place. All he accomplished here was forcing the Bookworms to move tomes into their vaults and pissing off a handful of his enemies.”
“Right. A handful. The Bookworms weren’t going to put up a fight outside the library and it’s not like our little gang here would have been a threat or anyth—”
Aw hell.
“Dude?”
“He didn’t know.”
Steve frowned. “Know what?”
My heart sped up. “Makha. He didn’t know we’d come here.”
“The guy is a professional tactician. He had to assume the Council would send a response.”
“I mean he didn’t know we, the six of us, would come here. Makha’s no moron, so you’re right, he would undoubtedly plan for some sort of response. And he got it. Actually, he got two. Only, one was through a channel he didn’t expect.”
Steve glowered even more, then his eyes widened. “The highway.”
“Exactly. Everything Makha has done so far has been inside the paranormal world. His homeland, the Centaurs, the Fae, the Satyrs and the Bookworms, all operations conducted within the confines of battlefields he knows and understands. But our trek down here was off his radar because we traveled by Normal highways until reaching the Smokies. Our support unit, however, went a different way. A way that the paranormals, including Makha, are familiar with.”
“Multiple gods, the Trolls...” Steve whispered.
“Are marching directly into the teeth of the Minotaur forces.”
Quinn inhaled sharply. “This was a trap.”
“This, the attack on the Fae and Satyrs, hell, even the assault on the Centaurs. We weren’t supposed to find an abandoned camp because we were never supposed to make it this far.”
Steve swore violently.
Pip scanned the camp. “I still don’t get why. His forces are strong enough to take our ramshackle armies on directly, so why pull our troops down here, Florida, or anywhere else in the first place?”
Bile filled my throat. “He’s sending us a message. He wants us to know we’ve been defeated.”
My buddy grimaced. “We’re the centipede.”
Hells bells.
“What do we do?” Pip asked.
“The only thing we can do,” I said, pointing at Steve’s fanny pack. He unzipped it and handed me my replacement sat phone. “We send a message of our own.”
Chapter 18
Into the Breach
“Mortally wounded, Asterion prayed to the gods for mercy and forgiveness. For once, the gods listened.”
—The Legend of Ariadne
“This is suicide,” Pip whispered as we slunk down the dark corridors of the Nashville node of the Underground. Thanks to the trio of Bookworms, two of whom had returned home to continue searching for a solution to the Minotaur magic, we’d covered the distance between their camp and the city in no time. But we were taking our time moving through the paranormal back alleys.
Unlike DC, which seemed to bounce between blatant pompousness and uptight aloofness, Nashville basked in a glow of affability and authenticity. Folks greeted one another, customer service people called you “sir” or “ma’am,” and folks seemed to genuinely mean it when they told you to have a nice day. It was the kind of place I could easily move to if my life wasn’t so wrapped up in the crazy political world of my home town.
The Underground version of Nashville, however, was nothing like its Normal side. Dark and quiet, the welcome mat hadn’t just been put away, it’d been shoved in a trunk and buried. The air, which should have felt homey, was heavy with the fear that was bleeding from the inhabitants.
“Explain to me again why you three aren’t looking for Minotaur tomes anymore,” Pip muttered, keeping well behind me, Steve and Quinn.
“Because our mission has changed,” I replied. “We’re the closest people to the Troll forces, so if we can get to them, Devon wants us to give them the order to retreat back to the DC node. Considering the complex alley system in the Underground, we should be able to find a way around the Minotaur army faster than going back to DC along the highway.”
“Hang on,” Pip said in a low voice, “your plan is to sneak through the lines of a superior enemy in order to reach our allies because it’s faster?”
I frowned at him. “When you say it like that, it doesn’t sound as brilliant.”
He shook his head. “Suicide.”
“You, Trixie and Carl have done more than your fair share by hauling us to your camp and transporting us to Nashville. So if you’d rather head back to the library and help them, none of us will think less of you.”
&n
bsp; He grinned. “Nah. This may be crazy, but it sure isn’t boring. Speaking of crazy, I can’t believe the Trolls don’t have comms of some sort.”
Steve grunted. “You said it yourself, Pip. Not every species has caught on to the beauty of modern technology. I mean, I have. Because I’m awesome. But everyone else? Not so much. Hell, even Makha is operating old school.”
“Morse code?” I asked.
“Runners.”
Now that job would suck. I hated running to begin with and only did it to keep in shape. Doing it as a profession? A living nightmare.
“Where the heck is everyone?” Quinn asked as we cautiously rounded another corner. Although warmer, the streets of the Nashville node reminded me of the ones in Maine. Shops were closed and the population was nowhere to be seen. Almost like they knew what was coming.
Had the residents of Maine known as well?
Deeper we pushed into the silent belly of the Underground, passing darkened porch steps and shuttered windows. A frigid breeze blew through the alleyways, rustling trash. It was the only sound other than our footsteps and heavy breaths. A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with the weather.
Steve hit the brakes as we moved down another dark alley. He pressed against the cold stone wall. We followed his lead.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“Movement.”
I reached out with my senses but came up blank. “I don’t feel anything.” Just saying those words caused my skin to crawl.
Steve turned to Quinn. “Concealment, please.”
She inhaled and closed her eyes. Her Skill hummed as she focused the energy. There was a slight whoosh of air, then the world around us went a misty gray. When she opened her eyes, they were pools of swirling clouds.
“Stay inside the bubble and keep to the shadows. It won’t fully protect us from prying eyes and ears, but will dampen both enough that someone will have to work hard to find us.”
“Thanks,” Steve said, then waved us forward. Slowly we moved down the wall, keeping ourselves hidden within the dimness of Quinn’s spell. As we neared the end of the alley, I could hear low grunts and whispers.
Steve poked his head around the corner, then pulled back. “Contact. Small unit of rear guards.”
My stomach flipped as I pulled everyone into a huddle. “Okay, Nashville doesn’t have the same sub-structure of old tunnels like DC does, so from here on, we’re going to move fast. Steve, take us on a reverse course of the path the Trolls were following, but stick to the side alleys. Assuming they entered from the DC node, we’ll find them closer to that end of town. We can’t afford any delay, so avoid patrols at all costs.”
“Check.”
“Quinn, we need all the help we can get flying under the radar, so keep up the Shadow Dancing.”
“I’ll try, but it takes a lot of energy to conceal this many folks.”
“Understood. Let me know when you’re starting to tire. Hopefully we’ll be behind friendly lines before that happens.” I turned to the imp. “Pip, you’re our speed demon. If anything happens to us, you go directly to the Trolls with their orders. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.”
He frowned. “You don’t want me to come get you all?”
“You bet your ass I want to be rescued. The second you give them their marching orders, you get a team together and come save us.”
He grinned. “Got it.”
“Everyone good?”
Nods all around.
“Steve, roll us out.”
He moved like lightning, racing across the open gap of the alleyway. We were close on his heels and I risked a glance as we cleared the crossing point. Sure enough, a small squad of Minotaurs stood in a circle, conversing quietly. My Skill pinged them, but again, I felt nothing.
The absence of energy from them sent red flags up in my mind. I should have been able to read at least residual energies from each creature, especially considering our close proximity. Yet when I probed the area, all I felt was a blank slate.
What. The. Hell?
I nearly slammed into Steve as he slowed on the far side.
“Dude, pay attention.”
“Sorry.”
We crossed another alley, bypassing more Minotaurs. With each succeeding backstreet, the groups grew in numbers, but not in Skill signatures. My skin crawled with that knowledge. If I couldn’t feel them, any fight would find the cards stacked against me.
Yeah, best to avoid them.
That sounded great in theory, but it was getting harder and harder to do it in practice. Quinn didn’t say anything, but the sweat beginning to form on her brow meant we were running out of time for our concealment. Worse, we were out of lateral movement space.
We ran into a large wall that reached well over Steve’s head and extended in both directions as far as the unnatural illumination of the wall sconces allowed us to see. To our right was a large gathering of Minotaurs. To our left, nothing but a long passage that led away from the Troll forces.
Steve swore softly. “End of the road.”
Pip looked around. “Maybe we backtrack to the first alley. See if we can bypass that small group instead.”
“Guys,” Quinn said, her face flush. “I can’t—”
The misty gray around us vanished before she could finish the sentence. The sconces filled the fading darkness, bathing us in amber light. Grunts of alarm echoed down the alley.
“Oh hell,” I muttered, as the Minotaurs perked up.
Steve shoved us back the way we came. “Move.” We scrambled forward, sprinting for all we were worth. Behind us, the enemy rounded the corner in hot pursuit.
“Pip, go,” I shouted.
The imp gave us a pained expression. “Sorry.” Then he was gone.
“Steve, what’s the plan?” I asked as the alley behind us filled with Minotaurs.
He threw himself against a door. It blasted inward, ripping from the hinges. “Inside.”
We poured through the opening, stumbling into what appeared to be a paranormal clothing store. Racks of shirts for all shapes and species filled the floor while various accessories from hats to clutches occupied the cubbyholes along the wall. We plowed through the designer fashion with reckless abandon.
We’d almost made it to the back when the small group of Minotaurs crashed into the store. Steve spun and charged them. The lead attacker barely had time to raise his sword before he took one of Steve’s fists in the face. My buddy jerked his opponent’s weapon from his hands, then kicked the unconscious enemy into the group. Attackers scattered as the body flew into the wall.
“Flank,” I shouted to Quinn, who’d already drawn her scimitar. She raced to Steve’s left, spinning and dancing as her steel clashed with one of the attackers. She was a streak of beauty and death, her movements fluid and graceful.
I, however, was a lumbering elephant as I moved to Steve’s right. Tapping my Skill, I hurled an air ball at the pair of Minotaurs in front of me. It connected with the closest one, slamming him onto his back. His head bounced off the floor with a loud crack and he went still.
Energy pulsed from the second guy and I felt the twinge of an arrow being released a heartbeat before it reached me. I twisted around the shaft, then boosted myself forward with a burst of Skill. I drove my blade down as I descended, but the archer parried it with his bow. The impact rattled the bones in my arms, but I maintained my focus enough to cushion my landing. I landed, rolled and spun to avoid another swing of the bow. Charging my body with power, I slashed at the weapon, splitting it in two. The Minotaur staggered backward, so I pressed, driving my blade into his leg. He cried out, dropping to a knee. I tried to pull my sword free, but he grabbed my jacket and jerked me toward him. I powered up a fist, driving it as hard as I could into his chin, and
was rewarded with a satisfying pop as his head rocked back. He went limp, collapsing to the floor.
As I jerked my blade from the downed Minotaur, I realized that I’d somehow been able to sense these guys. But I’d have to wait for an answer until after the fight was over. I spun to see where my help was needed.
Apparently it wasn’t. Three bodies lay at Steve’s feet, all leaking blood. Quinn’s attacker sat motionless, eyes glassed over, against the far wall.
Steve stared at his victims, his face devoid of emotion. Quinn placed a hand on his arm.
“This must be hard on you, killing your clansmen.”
The muscles of his jaw tightened. After a moment, he inhaled, apparently shoving aside whatever demons were tormenting his soul.
“Travel is going to be difficult,” he said, grabbing an enormous blouse with multiple “arm” holes off a nearby rack and wiping the blood from his newly acquired sword. “Now that they’re alerted, we’re going to have a hell of a time getting through their lines.”
Quinn bit her lower lip. “Any chance we can head back to the Normal side of Nashville?”
Steve tossed the soiled rag on the floor. “No. The Minotaurs will know how we accessed the Underground now, so they’ll send units to block the exit. Even if we could, without Bookworms to transport us, it’d take us a day to drive to DC. This part of the war will be long over by then. For better or worse, we’re committed to the here and now.”
“Well, the here and now sucks,” I grumbled, “because we don’t have any good options for reaching the Trolls.”
“True,” Steve said jogging to the door in the back. “But while they may not be good, per se, we do have options.” He kicked the thing open, revealing a large storage room filled with paranormal outfits of fine silks and expensive wools. We followed him, exiting the store into a darkened alley. It was barely wide enough to fit Steve.
“You knew this was here?” I asked.
“Assumed, yes. A lot of Underground shops back up to passages like this. My bar certainly did. The enemy likely won’t bother sending troops into them. Too confined and limited visibility, which is a deadly combination. They’ll stick to the main streets and large alleys.”
