Into The Fire: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Caitlin Chronicles Book 2)

by Daniel Willcocks

  Well, almost. There were small bald patches around his paws, and his tail was crooked. Caitlin put that down to the difficulties he had explained in transforming and how, since the Madness had come, Weres struggled to keep the transition smooth.

  “Ready to go?” she breathed.

  Kain nodded and nudged at her legs.

  “You want me to ride?”

  “Maybe when this is all over, you two should get a room,” Mary-Anne jibed.

  Kain growled a response. Jaxon sniffed around him before bursting into his own barks.

  “Come on, then,” Caitlin said and climbed cautiously onto Kain. “What about Jaxon?”

  “He’ll slow us down,” Mary-Anne said as she sped off into the smoke.

  “Jax, go find Dylan, okay?”

  Jaxon cocked his head, one ear raised as if he listening, but he did not move.

  Kain growled and barked at Jaxon. The next thing Caitlin knew, Jax was off, running towards the shouts and the voices.

  She gripped tightly into Kain’s fur. He turned his head around as if asking for permission to go. “All yours, Mr. Cornswaggle.” Caitlin winked. A small gasp escaped her as Kain took off, running so swiftly that her breath caught.

  Figures hidden in smoke whirled past them. Caitlin closed her eyes to avoid the sting. They heard another explosion—nearer now—and headed in that direction.

  Soon enough, the houses came into view—or what parts of the houses were left. Everywhere Caitlin looked, there was nothing more than rubble and flame. The houses which had stood proudly in the sun on the day she had snuck into Ashdale and met Jamie were now nothing more than memories. She saw beds and memorabilia sizzling in the fires. Occasional mini-explosions boomed from liquor and old flammables caught in the chaos as the hungry fire consumed all.

  And still, they ran on, not quite catching up with Mary-Anne but following the governor’s trail. As terrible as the destruction was, there was a strange satisfaction in knowing that Trisk made the trail easy to follow.

  After a short time, Kain slowed.

  “Why are we stopping? I can’t hear…” Her words faded away as she, like Kain, cocked an ear.

  Someone was singing—a jovial song, something Caitlin hadn’t heard before.

  It seemed a strange contrast, the jolly melody of the governor’s song lilting against the backdrop of carnage and destruction. She saw him up ahead, merely a faint outline at first as they crept forward, doing their best to remain on the edge of visibility in the smoke. Trisk skipped and sang, laughing between words. As he reached another house, he plucked an orb from the box he dragged behind him—now apparently half empty—and held a torch to a length of string dangling from between the orb and the lid, then threw it.

  And explosion boomed and was met with raucous laughter from Trisk, who seemed oblivious to all else now but his fun.

  “Easy now,” Caitlin said quietly as Kain growled. “Wait for Ma, first.”

  But where was Mary-Anne? She looked around her, but it was near impossible to see her friend with the flying debris from the bombs and the smoke whirling around them.

  The governor clapped excitedly, a delirious expression on his face. His tongue darted out of his mouth and licked at the liquid oozing from the sores on his lips. Another bomb. Another explosion. Another whoop.

  Where is she?

  “Yoo-hoo!” Mary-Anne’s voice called out from somewhere ahead.

  Trisk froze midway to grabbing an orb. He sprang up suddenly, looking in all directions as Caitlin shrank back into the veil of smoke.

  “Hey! Blubberguts, come get me,” Mary-Anne teased.

  Whirling in panic, Trisk lit the fuse and launched the bomb in the direction he believed the voice to come from. Mary-Anne appeared from the opposite direction, streamed past him, and booted him in the stomach.

  He stumbled backward.

  “Bitch!” he cried, lighting another bomb and tossing it after her.

  Caitlin and Kain moved quickly out of the way, feeling the air push with heat against them as they dodged the trajectory. Mary-Anne sped past them and muttered, “Whenever you’re ready, guys.”

  She tore back towards the governor, knocking him aside once more. Despite her speed, Caitlin could see she was careful to only touch him with her shoes, obviously not wanting to make contact with the sores and blood on his skin unless she could help it. One misaligned hit and who could say a drop of pus or blood wouldn’t fly through the air and into one of many orifices?

  Caitlin and Kain geared up, ready to run. They paused as Trisk picked up the box, emptied the orbs all around his feet, and crouched down low.

  “Next time you come near me, I’m blowing you to kingdom-fucking-come,” the governor declared, holding the torch precariously close to the pile of bombs surrounding him. “Come and get me, bitch.”

  Dylan hadn’t felt this alive in years.

  Having had to sit on the fence during the last battle, he felt the adrenaline race through his body now. This was what it was like to feel alive. Fighting for justice. Helping those in need. Destroying evil. Not sitting in prisons or hiding behind the walls of Silver Creek while his sister led the charge. It was this. The feeling of—

  Argh! Bitch, Dylan moaned as he looked for the culprit who had thrown the knife. It had whizzed by him, catching his skin so that a small patch of red now bloomed on his shoulder.

  The woman grinned, tossing another knife between her hands. She was pretty, standing in her black cloak with her dark hair about her. But Dylan figured she’d be prettier lying unconscious on the floor.

  She chuckled and tossed the blade.

  Dylan had been prepared for that one. He reached for his sword—a gift from Mary-Anne after the battle—and blocked it mid-air, sending it clattering to the floor.

  He smiled as her face dropped. She held up her hands.

  “Please. I didn’t mean it.”

  “What do you mean, you didn’t mean it?” Dylan said. “You tossed two knives at me.” Despite himself, he couldn’t help his eyes wandering to her chest where a teasing eyeful of cleavage was exposed. The woman noticed this and leaned forward to exaggerate the effect.

  “I panicked,” she said in a slow, crooning tone. “I couldn’t tell the good guys from the bad guys.”

  Dylan advanced, his sword held in front. She recoiled and fell onto her ass as she tried to scurry away.

  “No, please…”

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, extending a hand to help her up.

  The woman looked into his eyes a moment. She accepted his help and rose to her feet. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it. Now, just help us calm these fucknuts down. We need to gather water. Quell the flames. Not running around in a panic with our heads in the smoke—”

  Dylan cut off as the woman’s eyes widened. He was confused until the woman fell once more to the floor, wrestling with the creature which had attacked her. She struggled and then stilled, the knife which she had hidden and intended to stab Dylan with in a sneak attack resting loosely in her hand.

  Dylan marveled at the bite marks around her neck as Jaxon barked and shook his body. She struggled and gurgled in the dog’s grip until she eventually stilled.

  “Well… Good boy?” Dylan said.

  Jaxon barked.

  “Come on, let’s round up the others. Can you sniff them out for me?”

  As if understanding every word, Jaxon turned and ran into the smoke, pausing long enough along the way for Dylan to follow as they left the Firestarter dead on the floor.

  He couldn’t believe what a mess the damn place was. As he ran through the smoke, he managed to calm a few townsfolk down. He worked as quickly as possible to get the message to spread, talking to any who would listen to tell them that Trisk had gone. Also, he urged them to gather on the outskirts of town where they’d be safe—at least in the short term.

  Dylan assigned several Revolutionaries the task of leading those who needed help and to pr
otect them on the outskirts. Along the way, he took down several folk in black cloaks with expressions on their faces so determined he knew that if they didn’t die, he would. He heard the report of a shotgun as the strange, deranged fellow they’d met in the woods sent bullets flying.

  Through the smoke, he spotted Vex and Belle whirling around each other, working as a team to take down those who fought and to talk to those who wanted nothing more than safety. He even saw Ash and Alice fighting back to back with the pretty newcomer not too far away, her hair whipping in the wind. They fought with a couple of people who, after a second glance, Dylan realized displayed glowing red eyes as they reached and clawed for their faces.

  Great. It’s not enough to have a psychopathic governor and a band of twisted Firestarters, but we’ve drawn the attention of the Mad, too?

  Though, as he made his way around the chaos, he only saw a few Mad, and they were taken down easily by the Revolutionaries—apart from one who chomped on the body of an old man who had fallen to the floor.

  One lop with the sword and she was taken care of.

  After finding himself back at the church for the third time in a row, Dylan began to grow concerned. He was sure he’d searched everywhere when the fight was taking place, but he had seen no sign of Caitlin, Kain, or Mary-Anne.

  Where are you, sis?

  Ash ran out of the smoke, gasping for air. The sounds of the fight were fading, but the crackle of fire continued all around. “I’m pretty sure that’s most of them,” he said. “I’ve sent Vex, Belle, and Alice to search the field once more, and Tom and Laurie have gone back with the others to keep the townsfolk in order. They’re terrified, like sheep watching their field burn.”

  “Have you seen Caitlin?” Dylan asked.

  Ash shook his head. “Nope. I haven’t seen Kain or Mary-Anne, either.”

  “Shit,” Dylan said.

  “They’ll be fine,” Ash encouraged him, though the confidence in his words didn’t reach his face. “They’ve made it this far.”

  Dylan jumped as several more explosions sounded somewhere in town.

  Dear God, I hope so.

  “Not so big now, are you?” Trisk grimaced. “Amazing what fear can do to paralyze the enemy, eh? I’ve used that tactic most of my life, and it’s served me pretty well so far.”

  Caitlin hardly realized she was holding her breath. The governor was crouched so low it looked like he was some kind of bird squatting and protecting his eggs. The fire burned in his hand, so close to the bombs that Caitlin couldn’t believe they hadn’t lit and exploded.

  Kain whined beneath her.

  “Steady, now…” she whispered.

  Caitlin felt Mary-Anne’s presence before she saw her. The vampire materialized at her side.

  “Great kick. No goal,” Caitlin said.

  “You try kicking a hundred-pound football. See how far that gets you.” Mary-Anne held her sword tightly in her hand. “Give the word, Caitlin, and I’ll slice that fucker’s face off.”

  “We can’t,” she replied, thinking hard. “If you do that, the flame will drop and the town will explode anyway.”

  “Then what do you suggest, Kitty-Cat?”

  When the idea hit Caitlin, her face lit up. She looked down at Kain and said, “I’ve got it. Ready to tag-team, boy?”

  If Caitlin didn’t know better, she’d say the werewolf smiled at that.

  “Come and get it.” The governor laughed—his loudest and craziest yet. He scratched his head, and a large chunk of flesh slid into his hands. He looked at it with a dead expression and tossed it on the floor.

  After a rapid briefing from Caitlin, Mary-Anne set her feet firmly in the sand, turned to the others, and nodded to show that she was ready.

  “On the count of three,” Caitlin said. “One. Two. Three.”

  Mary-Anne and Kain sped into action. The surprise on Trisk’s face was hilarious in itself. Had it not been for the imminent threat of the fire touching the orbs and creating an explosion so large that it might have swallowed the entire town, she might have laughed.

  “You sons of bit—”

  But that was as far as he got. Like a baseball player from the old world, Mary-Anne tore at him, managing to smack the torch out of his hand so fast and hard that it flew through the air, extinguishing its own flame from the revolutions as it spun.

  It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Trisk grasped his hand in pain, his eyes widening as he saw Kain running straight at him. Caitlin knew he made a terrifying sight. Saliva coated his jaws, his snarl terrifying as he bent low to the ground before pouncing and soaring over the dumbstruck man. The governor craned his neck and watched her sword flash silver. Beyond the gleaming sword, looking down on him, was a face that Caitlin could see filled was with rage and hate.

  “Caitlin fucking Harrison.” An excruciating mix of emotions bubbled across his face before the blade cut through his skin, cracking bone and slicing his brain in two.

  There was no pain and no screaming, only instant blackness and death.

  Kain landed so softly it was hard to believe that a moment ago, they had been several feet in the air. Caitlin turned to look at Trisk but could hardly recognize him as he crumpled in a bloody pile amongst the orbs.

  “You did it, Kitty-Cat,” Mary-Anne said, appearing at her side.

  “No,” Caitlin said, feeling a wave of relief washing over her. “We did it.” She looked down to examine her sword, now slick with the governor’s blood, and wiped it clean on governor’s shirt and smiled.

  “You know, Moxie, every good sword which has achieved great deeds needs a name,” Mary-Anne said.

  “Moxie,” Caitlin repeated with a smile as Kain began to transform back into his human form. “I think that’ll do just fine.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ashdale Pond, Old Ontario

  The town worked together to quell the flames. Carrying buckets of water from a large pond just outside the town, they passed them along in single file, working hard through the night until the smoke cleared and the final embers died.

  Caitlin worked with Mary-Anne, Kain, Dylan, and Christy to lead the town on the cleanup effort. Those who were injured had their wounds taken care of as best they could. Those who had died were buried around the wreckage of the church. The few remaining Firestarters who had the sense to join the good guys before it was all over lent a hand where they could.

  “It’s going to take a shitload to rebuild all of this, Kitty-Cat,” Kain said, standing by Caitlin’s side. There was more hair on the backs of his hands now, a reminder that his transformation days were limited.

  “So?” Caitlin replied.

  “So? You’ve seen how many houses the governor blew up, right? It’ll take forever to put this all back together and give the people their homes back.”

  “So?” Caitlin repeated. “These people don’t deserve to have their lives back and live in peace? They don’t deserve help from their fellow man to have a decent standard of living? Are we wasting our time helping them?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  Mary-Anne chuckled.

  “What?” he said defensively.

  “Look at you bow down to the human girl. Anyone would think you hadn’t just turned into a gigantic wolf and helped tear the governor’s face off.”

  Kain frowned and growled at Mary-Anne.

  “Whatever it takes, we’ll help them,” Caitlin said.

  “But, how?” Dylan chipped in. “We’d need more wood, which means more woodchoppers. We’d need more weavers for clothes, more carpenters…the list goes on. And we’ve got to get back to Silver Creek at some point. I love Sullivan, but I had only planned on leaving him for a week or two at most. This could take months.”

  Caitlin grinned, staring out toward the edge of the town and the line of trees where Silver Creek forest began.

  “What’s the smile for?” Dylan asked.

  “Kitty-Cat’s got a plan,” Mary-Anne said, pulling her
hood over her face as the morning sun struck the horizon in an explosion of oranges and golds.

  “We connect the towns,” Caitlin said. “Cut through the forest. Fell the trees. Open up a road between Silver Creek and Ashdale. We can use the wood to rebuild the houses. We can make the route faster and send our men and women to help. We have merchants and traders who could help. Let’s join the two. Let’s open the world up again.”

  She looked out over all the people bustling around Ashdale Pond. She could see her Revolutionaries helping townsfolk, men and women working together to collect treasures and debris from the rubble of houses. She saw Joe standing nervously in a crowd of strangers, clutching his gun close to his chest. It all made her smile—so many people now joined by a cause and soon, their cause would be all the greater.

  But first, there was one thing left to do.

  “Call together the CoR,” Caitlin said to Dylan and Kain. “Meet us at Mabel’s in ten.”

  As they walked away, Caitlin heard Dylan say, “Who’s Mabel?”

  To which Kain replied, “Oh, you’re in for a treat.”

  Mabel and Jamie’s house stood a few houses away from the devastation. She hadn’t realized it at the time, what with the amount of smoke and fire, but the house had been barely several bombs away from total destruction.

  As they approached the front door, they heard the sounds of furniture falling and items smashing to the floor. Caitlin’s heart stopped as her mind went to the worst-case scenario.

  Oh shit, the pastor has escaped. He’s attacking them both. What if they’re already dead?

  Caitlin had sent the Mary-Anne to find Jamie, Mabel, and Andrews after the fighting but struggled to believe that they’d be back at the house already.

  What the…

  But she needn’t have worried. For as she opened the door to the house, Jamie cried out in alarm. “Hey! Woah, hey!”

  She paused in the doorway, stunned. Mary-Anne and Kain stepped up and sniggered behind her.