The Belial Sacrifice

by R. D. Brady

  Sergei Yanovich smiled. He’d always liked Manila. The congestion, the poverty, the desperation. It was never difficult to find people to do just about anything for a little money. He couldn’t trust any of them, of course, but for his tasks up to this point, trust had not been necessary.

  That was not the case today.

  He was in an alley, standing underneath an awning that kept him dry even as it produced a constant flow of water behind him. Nothing seemed out of place. In fact, he’d been in the Philippines for two days without any concerns. Of course, he had done his best to make sure that no one knew he was in the country. He had laid low since returning to Calevitnia, making sure no one was watching him. He’d entered the Philippines through Tuy Hoa on the coast of Vietnam, after a trip through Burma and Thailand.

  He hadn’t arrived at one of the main airports. He’d come through a smuggling route out of the Ilocos region of Luzon. Even with all those precautions, he waited, scanning the street one more time. He had survived this long by being cautious. Changing any of those habits would only result in failure. And failure for him at this point was death.

  Finally satisfied no one was paying him any attention, he slipped into the pedestrian traffic before crossing the street and zigzagging through the cars. Without hesitation, he stepped into the alley between the pharmacy and the hair salon and headed down the alley to the back of the pharmacy. It was a straight shot to the next street, a second alley cutting through at the back of the pharmacy.

  In the alley to his right, an old woman sat with a bowl in her lap. She yelled back at the door behind her before muttering to herself as she continued to stir the black beans in the bowl. She yelled again, this time at a cat that sat on the garbage can across from her, its tail swishing back and forth.

  He could see the traffic on the streets, but no one stepped into the alley or even glanced through. He knocked on the door in front of him, a rusted screen along the top half.

  A small peephole slid open. “Not open.”

  The peephole started to slide closed.

  “Manny sent me.”

  The slide halted before opening again. “You have money?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me see.”

  Sergei pulled a brown paper bag from underneath his jacket and unrolled it. He opened it, showing the contents to the voice at the door.

  The peephole slid shut. Locks rattled before the door opened. A thin man in his fifties, cigarette dangling from his lips, glasses perched on the end of his nose, waved him in. “Come, come.”

  Sergei stepped inside. The man quickly locked the door behind him before hustling down the hall, his sandals slapping against the old tile floor.

  Sergei followed him. They passed two rooms. One was a bedroom with only a mattress on the floor, and the other was a makeshift kitchen.

  The man stopped at the room at the end of the hall. He took a seat at a long table. Old lab equipment dominated one half of the room, including an old china cabinet filled with vials. “What you need?”

  Sergei pulled the formula from his pocket and handed it over. “I need you to make this.”

  The man took the paper and scanned it. “This not easy.”

  “Can you do it?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Complicated. Expensive.”

  Sergei grabbed half the bills in the paper bag and placed them on the table. “Half now, half when it’s done.”

  The man eyed the stack before nodding. “Come back one hour.”

  Sergei pulled out a stool and sat down. “I’ll wait.”

  Chapter 5

  Tariji, Bolivia

  Gerard had been right. The flight to Bolivia was quiet, and they landed at a farm on the southern portion of Bolivia with no issues. The mother of the family that owned the farm was Nephilim, as was one of her daughters. They kept an eye out for law enforcement and kept the plane in their barn.

  The farm was only one of five landing locations they had within driving distance of their hideout. They changed locations often; the only thing they had in common was that they were out of the way. As was their procedure, they flew in only at night, further shielding them from anyone who would notice their comings and goings.

  From Tariji, it was a twelve-hour car ride. Laney, Drake, and Gerard took turns driving every few hours. There were closer places for them to land, but Laney preferred to leave those locations for the other teams. She’d rather they were closer to getting home if there were any problems.

  Dusk was only an hour away when they rolled into the outskirts of La Paz. They made their way to a small farmhouse and bunked for a couple of hours. No one was allowed to go near the entrance of the hideout until midnight.

  They got the Oteros settled before Laney stumbled down the hall to one of the other bedrooms. She couldn’t understand why sitting in a car always proved to be so exhausting. She crashed almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. It felt like it was only minutes later that Drake was shaking her awake. “Time to go.”

  Laney blinked her eyes a few times before glancing at her watch. 12:15. “Okay. The Oteros?”

  “They’re ready. We’re just waiting on you.”

  Laney got to her feet, stumbling. Drake caught her. “When we get home, you are taking a very long nap.”

  Laney wanted to argue, but instead she just nodded her head. She was useless this tired. “Agreed.”

  Laney followed Drake out to the waiting station wagon and climbed in the front seat. Drake climbed in next to her with Gerard at the wheel and the Oteros in the back. Jordan had taken the motorcycle to scout ahead.

  As Gerard pulled away, Laney turned around to the Oteros. “How’s everyone doing?”

  “Good,” Mariana said. “But Nicolas is feeling a little dizzy.”

  “It’s the elevation. We’re about three thousand feet higher than you were in Bogota. It will take his body a little time to adjust, and then he will be fine.”

  Mariana nodded, pulling a pale Nicolas toward her. “Thank you.”

  Laney nodded, turning back to the front. No one spoke for the twenty-minute drive. And then it was a new voice that rang out through the car.

  “You guys there?” Jen Witt called over the radio.

  Laney grabbed the radio from the dashboard. “Jen, why are you on duty? You should be—”

  “Right where I am. The last tourists left five hours ago. The site is clear. Come on up.”

  “That’s my cue,” Drake said.

  Gerard slowed the car. Drake opened the door and disappeared. Or at least, he looked like he disappeared if the gasps from the back seat were any indication.

  “He’s just going ahead to pave the way,” Laney assured them.

  Gerard drove carefully, slowing next to a long, old brick wall before pulling to a stop. “All right. Here we are.”

  There were no lights, no buildings. The ancient site of Tiwanaku was completely in darkness. Even in daylight, the site required a great deal of imagination. All that was left were a few walls and two stone arches: the Gate of the Sun and the Gate of the Moon.

  Mateo leaned forward. “But there is nowhere to hide out here. Tourists come here every day.”

  “That they do. But they can’t go where we’re going.”

  Mateo and Mariana exchanged a look.

  “I promise it’s safe. I know it’s been a rough trip, but I just ask that you trust me for a little bit longer,” Laney said.

  Another long look passed between Mateo and Mariana before Mariana spoke. “Okay.”

  Laney stepped out of the car, stretching her back. She grabbed the basket of fruit, tucking it into her side.

  A small hand slipped into hers. She looked down at Gabriella in surprise. “Hey there.”

  “Hi.”

  “Would you like to walk with me?”

  Gabriella nodded.

  Laney led the little girl through the ancient site, explaining some of the landmarks as she went. “This was the capital of the Tiwanaku empire about tw
o thousand years ago. Back then, their empire stretched from Peru to Bolivia to Chile.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “No one’s really sure. But like all great civilizations, they came to an end.” Not liking the rather dour turn this tour was going, Laney shifted gears. She pointed to the south. “That is Lake Titicaca.”

  Gabriella giggled. “That’s a funny name.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is. The lake was once considered the center of the world. Well, there was a god named Viracocha, who according to the legend, created both the sun and the moon from that lake. All around, there are magical places.”

  Finally she stopped in the front of one structure set off on its own. “This is the Gate of the Sun.”

  The Gate of the Sun stood roped off behind metal wires. Measuring nearly ten feet tall and thirteen feet wide, it was a single rock facade with an arched top. A doorway was carved into its center, winged figures etched on the rock face. Above the doorway was carved a sun god holding two staves with what looked like tears on his face.

  Laney pointed to the central figure. “Some people say that that figure there is Viracocha, the first teacher. Others say he is a sun god, or a weeping god due to the tears on his cheeks.”

  “Who do you think he is?”

  Laney smiled. “I think he is a friend. And that he watches over us and keeps us safe.”

  Mateo stepped up next to them with Nicolas in his arms. Mariana and Gerard were right behind them. “Where are we headed?”

  Laney shone her flashlight on the Gate of the Sun’s doorway. The light shone right through to the other side. “We’re here. This is the doorway.”

  “But . . . but there is nothing here,” Mateo said, panic beginning to rise in his voice.

  Laney smiled. “People have said that about the Gate of the Sun for eons. It’s a gate to nowhere. But there are others who argue that this is a star gate that leads to the land of the gods.” Laney paused letting her words sink in. “Drake.”

  As if by magic, Drake appeared through the doorway. Laney handed over the basket of fruit. Drake disappeared through the doorway, returning seconds later.

  Mariana stumbled back, making the sign of the cross.

  Laney unclipped the metal wires guarding the doorway. “It’s all right. It leads to our hiding place. Only Drake and myself can get you through.”

  The Gate was one of the early hiding places for the Tree. Drake thought it could once again be used as a hideout.

  Laney held out a hand to Gabriella, who quickly took it. She extended her other one to Mariana. After a moment’s hesitation, Mariana took Laney’s hand.

  Laney led them to the doorway. She paused in front of it. “Ready?”

  Gabriella nodded, bouncing with excitement. Laney looked at Mariana, who stared at the door with apprehension before also nodding.

  “Let’s go.” Gripping their hands, Laney stepped through.

  Chapter 6

  Manila, Philippines

  Sergei did not take his eyes off the man for the entire hour. The man stood up at one point and stretched his back and started to leave the room. Sergei stepped in front of him. “Where are you going?”

  “Bathroom.”

  Sergei shook his head. “Not until you finish.”

  The man frowned. “What? No, I go.”

  Sergei pulled the knife from the sheath under his jacket, holding it along his thigh. “Not until you finish.”

  The man’s eyes went wide.

  Sergei nodded toward the table. “Back to work, please.”

  The man grumbled under his breath but went back to his work station. He hunched back over his test tubes, measuring and mixing. Fifty minutes after he started, he pushed back. “Finished. You pay now.”

  Sergei stood up and walked over. The substance was blue. He wasn’t sure why that surprised him. Sergei nodded at one of the test tubes. “Drink it.”

  The man balked. “What? No.”

  Sergei grabbed the man’s mouth with one hand and the substance with the other. The man squirmed, trying to break Sergei’s hold, but he was no match for Sergei’s strength. Sergei poured the contents of one of the tubes down his throat. The man gagged, some of the substance dripping from the side of his mouth even as Sergei crushed his mouth shut.

  He pushed the man back, and he slammed into the lab table, coughing and spluttering. “You, you crazy! Get out!”

  Sergei ignored him, watching the man. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see. He only wanted to check and make sure the man hadn’t tried to poison him. But he wasn’t running for the sink, trying to dilute the substance.

  Sergei picked up the other tube, tilting it toward the man. “Sláinte.” He drained it in one gulp.

  The other man stared at him. “What are you doing?”

  Sergei licked his lips. There was the slightest hint of berries. That was unexpected, but he felt nothing else. Perhaps he had not outsmarted Elisabeta after all.

  Then the tingle began at the end of his toes before spreading up his body. The man held out his hands, staring at them. “What does this do?”

  Sergei smiled, feeling strength surge through him. He grabbed the man and twisted his neck nearly completely around. His eyes bulged, and he went limp. But Sergei knew he wasn’t dead.

  He dropped the man on the table, pulling out his knife. Killing a Fallen was not an easy task, but removing the heart should do it. Sergei hummed as he worked, picturing exactly what he would do with all the money that would be coming to him.

  Thank you, Elisabeta.

  Chapter 7

  Havenville

  Laney released Gabriella’s hand as soon as they were through the Gate of the Sun. Next to her, Mariana’s knees buckled, and she let out a small groan. Laney wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling. “It’s all right. The dizziness will pass in a minute.”

  Mariana clutched at Laney’s hands. A quick glance at Gabriella showed she was not even slightly bothered by the entrance. Her mouth had dropped open, and she looked around with bright, curious eyes. Adults always struggled with the trip through the portal, but children never did. Drake couldn’t explain why, but Laney thought that perhaps it was because kids still believed in magic. For adults, magic was a sleight of hand, but never real. Finding out it was real was too much of a cognitive shock. For kids, though, stepping through a portal was the confirmation of everything they believed and hoped for.

  Laney led Mariana forward to the chairs they’d set up for just such an occurrence. They’d just stepped aside when Drake appeared with Nicolas in his arms and his other arm latched around Mateo’s bicep. Drake released Mateo, who dropped to his knees.

  Drake looked at Laney. “You got this?”

  Laney waved him away as she helped Mariana into a chair. “Go get the other two.”

  Drake placed Nicolas on the ground next to his father. He clapped Mateo on the shoulder before stepping back through the doorway. “You’ll be all right in a few minutes.”

  Mateo stared at the empty spot where Drake had just been. “What? How?”

  Laney helped him to his feet. She could see the doorway clearly, but for Mateo, it looked as if Drake had once again disappeared. No one besides Laney and Drake could see the doorways. And they were the only ones who could go through them. Everyone else could walk through the exact same spot and nothing would happen.

  Laney gently lowered Mateo into a chair next to his wife. Nicolas snuggled into Mariana’s lap. Gabriella hung on the back of Mariana’s chair, bouncing up and down.

  Laney stepped back so she wasn’t blocking their view. “Welcome to Havenville.”

  The portal rested in the back of a cave, but in front of them was a valley bursting with life. Green grass, trees, and colorful flowers spread across the valley as far as the eye could see. The sun shone up ahead in a bright blue sky dotted with a few clouds. And set at the base of the valley was a little town. Cobblestoned streets with homes lined along them drew the eye. It looked l
ike a quaint English town, minus the rain. Even from here, the people walking the streets in small groups could be seen. Two large farms were on either side of the little village. A bell rang out, and seconds later the sound of children drifted up toward them.

  They had named the place their second week here. It just seemed silly to leave it nameless if they were going to spend a significant amount of time here. Drake had some alternative suggestions: Las Drake, Drake Town, New Drake City. Needless to say, no one supported those names. Laney liked Havenville. It sounded old-fashioned, sweet even. And she thought the people living here, especially if it was for a while, were going to need a little whimsy in their life.

  “School’s out,” Laney said as she spied three young children racing through the streets. Two jaguars kept pace with them.

  “How?” Mateo asked again.

  “That’s a bit of a difficult question to answer. To be honest, I think Danny and Dom are the only ones who truly understand the science of it. But to simplify it to a point that would make Danny roll his eyes: We’re in a different dimension a few degrees off the dimension we normally live in.”

  “It’s not a different dimension. We’re vibrating at different levels,” Danny said as he stepped through the portal with Drake.

  “See? Told you I’d botch it. But long story short, no one will be able to find us here.”

  Major Gina Carstairs walked up the path, clipboard in hand. Her posture, as always, was ramrod straight, an aftereffect of her ten years of military training. That career had come to an abrupt halt when she had the misfortune of being sent to help out Senator Bart Shremp. Now she was hiding out with them until they could figure out a way to get her cleared.

  She stopped in front of the Oteros. “You must the Oteros. I’m Gina Carstairs. I’ll show you guys where you’ll be staying and help you get the lay of the land. This is Wendy. She’ll take you down to your place, and I’ll be right behind you.” Gina nodded to the small woman with light brown hair and a welcoming smile next to her.