by J. C. Diem
“Only faeries. Their magic is stronger than mine.”
“That makes sense,” Mark murmured to himself. None of this made much sense to me, but I was still new to this compared to him. He took some more notes then slid his tablet back into his jacket. He took his cell phone out, checked the screen and shook his head. “We’re too deep in the forest to be able to get a decent signal. We’ll have to move closer to the road.”
Reece and Flynn picked up the golem’s head. It was far too heavy for humans to be able to carry it, but they lugged it without any trouble.
Back at the road, the wreckage of the van was still smoldering. Mark found a blanket that had been thrown clear. Reece and Flynn put the head down on the ground and Mark draped the blanket over it. It didn’t do much to muffle the low growls that were coming from the chimera. It sounded exactly like an angry housecat that was letting its displeasure be known.
Mark took his cell phone out to call for help again, but paused as a truck approached. It slowed down and pulled to a stop next to us. Staring at the smoking ruins of our van, the driver turned to look down at us through his window. Somewhere in his fifties, he wore a grimy ball cap and a sweat stained white singlet. A toothpick poked out of the corner of his mouth. “What in the name of God happened here?” he asked.
“I’m afraid we’ve experienced some engine trouble,” Mark replied with a bland expression.
“It doesn’t look to me like you even have an engine anymore,” the bewildered man said. “All I see is scrap metal. It looks like someone blew your vehicle up with a bazooka.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Kala said. “Can you give us a lift?”
“Where are you headed?”
“To Wardel.”
He tilted his head to the side doubtfully. “From what I heard on the radio, it sounds like all hell has broken loose there. Are you sure that’s where you want to go?”
“Not really, but we don’t have a choice. A mad half-faery is hell bent on killing all humans and we’re supposed to stop him.”
He blinked a few times then let out a dry chuckle. “I don’t know what you’ve been smoking, miss, but you’re definitely on something.” He didn’t seem to realize that no one else was laughing with him. “I’m headed near there, so go ahead and hop in the back. We all have to die sometime, right?” His grin was decidedly sunny considering he was about to drive towards a disaster zone.
“Thank you,” Mark said with his usual politeness. “We appreciate your assistance.”
“I guess dying doesn’t really apply to us anymore,” Kala said quietly as we headed to the back of the truck. “We’re apparently going to live forever.”
“There won’t be much reason to live forever if we don’t stop Kurt,” Flynn pointed out. “The world will be an empty place with just us in it. Besides, you wouldn’t have anyone to have sex with if all of the humans die.”
Her expression turned to something close to horror at that prospect. “We need to take this weasel down asap.”
Reece and I shared an amused look. Being denied sex was a powerful motivator for a werecat.
₪₪₪
Chapter Five
Mark opted to sit in the cabin with the driver while the rest of us rode with the golem head in the back of the truck. The driver was transporting a load of whitegoods, but there was enough room for us as well.
Only a small amount of light filtered inside once the door was shut, but to most of us it might as well have been flooded with sunlight. Only my father blinked blindly in the darkness. I sat with Reece on one side and my father on the other. Zeus sat in the middle, guarding the stone head. Ava’s tree roots were holding its mouth shut and we weren’t in any danger of being set on fire. It rocked from side to side, uttering muffled mewling noises.
“Can all nagi and nagas control plants and the weather?” Flynn asked Ava.
She nodded. “It is our innate gift and we are all born with it.”
“That thing you did with the tree roots was pretty awesome,” Kala told her.
Ava smiled slightly. “Thank you. I am glad that I was able to be of some assistance.”
Enclosed in a small space with us, she’d crammed herself into a corner so she could watch us all at once. Her eyesight seemed to be just as good as ours. The only person she wasn’t wary of was my father. It was probably rude to ask, but my curiosity had always been hard to deny. “Why are you so afraid of shifters?” I asked.
Drawing her knees up to her chest, she clasped them with her hands. “I was born five thousand years ago,” she began. We all gaped at her, but she went on as if she hadn’t said anything unusual. “Our species are rare, with only two new offspring being born every five millennia or so. Even if we are born half a world apart, we are always destined to find each other. Wherever we meet is the area where we become guardians of the land and waters.”
Her expression turned wistful and haunted. “Something went wrong when I was born and a male wasn’t born at the same time as I was. I am apparently destined to be alone. Since I do not have a place of my own to protect, I have spent the past five millennia wandering and searching for a purpose.” I felt bad for her and Kala’s expression was just as sympathetic as mine. That was a very long time to be alone.
“Somewhere between two and three thousand years ago, I found myself in a cold, inhospitable land. The people were fearsome, brutal warriors and I steered clear of them for the most part. I remember standing at the edge of a frozen lake when I saw a gigantic vessel appear in the sky.”
Her gaze went distant at the long ago memory and her face became drawn. “I hid in the trees as it landed on the frozen lake. A door opened and a small army of strange beings disembarked. Much larger and far more hideous than humans, they had gray skin and red eyes and wore sinister black clothing. Armed with weapons that this world still has yet to invent, they marched on the closest village. They slaughtered everyone, right down to the smallest infant.”
I caught a fleeting scent of guilt from her, presumably because she’d done nothing to stop them. “When the villagers had been subdued, the alien creatures fired syringes of bright yellow fluid at the corpses. To my horror, the bodies stirred and returned to a semblance of life.”
“Does this mean that aliens created the first zombies?” Flynn asked.
“I believe so. I’d never seen a corpse come to life before then.”
“Who were the aliens?” I asked. “Where did they come from?”
Ava shrugged. “They called themselves Viltarans. They did not last long enough to become part of folklore, but the beings who came in pursuit of them did.”
“I have a feeling this is going to be good,” Kala said.
“A few days after the first beings came, I saw a dazzling burst of light near the spaceship,” Ava continued. “The second army was very different from the first. Very similar to humans, most were attractive and favored bright, gaudy costumes and long cloaks. Despite their vanity, they were adept warriors. I knew they were just as dangerous as the beings they’d followed to our planet. Arrogant and proud, they marched on their foes using knives, swords, axes and hammers as their weapons.
“Some also wielded magic. One of these beings stood out from the others. He preferred to wear dark, almost somber clothing. He was fond of using illusion to dazzle and bemuse his opponents. His magic was different from his brethren’s. It was darker and more malevolent. He used it to transform some of the brutish villagers into half-man, half-beasts.
“It was the first night of a full moon and thousands of warriors were turned into shape shifters of all descriptions. Their task was to hunt down the zombies while their masters battled with the Viltarans. Ferocious and ravenous, it took them only three nights to decimate the horde of undead. With their task completed, they returned to their human forms.
“When the Viltarans were vanquished, the second army didn’t leave immediately. After destroying the spaceship, they stayed long enough to become leg
end. Stories are still told about them to this day.
“When they finally returned to their own realm, some of their magic remained to taint this world. The shape shifters who had been called in to battle were doomed to become monsters with each full moon. Filled with an insatiable hunger, they would eat anything that came across their path.
“Over time, they learned not to prey on humans, but I have seen far too many of them succumb to the temptation. As you know, any shifter that tastes human flesh is forever cursed to hunt humankind. I believe it was an order given by their creator simply because he knew that it would cause strife after he was gone. In a way, it was his dark legacy.” She said this with a grim smile that held no humor at all.
“Who was this second army?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.
“They called themselves Asgardians.”
“I thought you were going to say that,” I said with a small sigh. “I read something about them in Thomas’ journal.”
“Really?” Kala said and perked up. Her eyes had started to become glazed at the long history lesson. “What did it say?”
“Not much. He was paid a quick visit from an Asgardian woman called Zisa. She warned him that a war was coming and that he would play a part in deciding the outcome, but the war never happened.” I wasn’t about to tell her that Zisa had taken Thomas’ virginity. That would send her into a sulk for sure.
“Are you saying that shape shifters were created by one of these Asgardian magicians?” my father asked. He’d never been the type to be interested in myths and legends. He probably knew as much about Asgard as I did; which was practically nothing.
“Yes. Monsters have always existed in this world, but both zombies and shifters were introduced to our planet.”
“Who was the guy that created us?” Flynn asked.
“His name is Loki,” Ava said with a twist of her lips. “He is also known as the God of Mischief. He is a deceitful, conniving being who craves power and recognition.”
“Gee, who does that sound like?” Kala said with heavy sarcasm.
“Kurt Jorgen does indeed share some similarities with Loki,” Ava agreed. “But the half-faery is even worse than the Asgardian. He doesn’t just seek to cause chaos. He wishes to utterly extinguish mankind.”
“If the Viltarans were completely destroyed, how is it that humans can raise zombies?” Reece asked.
“Not all of the syringes that had brought the corpses back to life had been shattered. A small group of drunken warriors stumbled over some. Ever curious, they broke the vials open and drank the bright yellow fluid. They were sent into a stupor that lasted for three nights. When they woke, they seemed normal at first. But, their souls had grown evil and twisted. They eventually learned that they could raise the dead. True born necromancers are direct descendants of these men. Bokors and other people who can raise corpses come from a more diluted lineage.”
Reece met my eyes and my father put a hand on my knee as we all came to the same conclusion. I was a product of both of these alien races, with a dash of vampire thrown into the mix. No wonder there had never been anything like me before.
Without Fate’s meddling, my mother would never have bitten me as a baby and imbued me with vampirism. A blood transfusion had diluted the vampire toxin just enough for me to remain mostly human while growing up. I was already a true born necromancer when Reece had turned me into a shifter. Once he’d bitten me, I’d become infected with both of the alien viruses.
Werewolves had been created to kill zombies, which explained our instinct to hunt them down. They were polar opposites and it shouldn’t have been possible for me to become both. My vampire blood enabled them to exist together within me. It was hard not to be impressed with the convoluted scheme that Fate had come up with to ensure that I would be the perfect blend of monsters.
“You should tell Mark about this,” I suggested. “He’d love to hear about our true origins. Nothing makes him happier than learning about supernatural creatures.”
She turned wistful again. “I would love to talk to him in depth, but I am afraid Mark still isn’t convinced that I am on your side.”
“Give him time,” Kala said. “He’s still getting used to the idea that he’s immortal. Discovering that the woman he cares about isn’t human and that she’s several thousand years old is a lot to take in.”
Her face reddened slightly. “You really believe that he cares about me?”
“Well,” Kala teased, “he did have a thing for a faery, but I think that was mostly due to her glamor.”
“What faery?” she asked with her eyes narrowed in jealousy. “The fae seldom enter our realm anymore. There are far too many humans and their dreaded iron machines and buildings for their comfort. Only a half-faery like Kurt Jorgen could survive here indefinitely.”
“It was Laurylayne, the Queen of the fae,” I explained. “Fate sent her here and told her she had to decide whether to help us or not. Once she saw a golem and knew what we were up against, she decided to bestow her blessing on us.”
Understanding dawned on her. “The end must indeed be imminent if Fate is taking such direct action. Every world eventually faces a war between the forces of good and evil. I have met several beings who fled here through dimensional portals shortly before their worlds were destroyed.”
“What happened to their worlds?” Flynn asked.
I hazarded a guess. “The champions that Fate chose failed in their tasks, right?”
Ava inclined her head. “They made poor choices that ultimately led to the ruination of their planets.”
Reece took my hand and I squeezed his fingers hard. Discovering that other champions had failed in their missions wasn’t what I needed to hear right now. The fact that there was no guarantee that we would win was a cold dash of reality.
The end game was rapidly approaching and it was crucial for me to make the right decisions. Every choice I made from now on would impact on the possible survival of the entire human race.
₪₪₪
Chapter Six
We slowed down and came to a stop about an hour and a half later. Flynn slid the door up and helped Sabine to the ground. She was petite, but I was still pretty sure she could have jumped down without assistance. He was too much of a gentleman not to help her.
Reece cut a look at me. Are you saying I’m not a gentleman?
I’m sure you could be if that was what I needed from you, I replied. Flynn was a bit too attentive for my liking. I didn’t need anyone to help me into or out of anything.
What do you need from me?
I sensed his vulnerability and sudden doubt that he could offer me anything of value. I need your love, I said simply. That was all I’d ever wanted or needed from him.
You have it. You are my life now and I love you with my entire soul. My eyes welled up at his heartfelt declaration.
Sensing our emotions, Kala rudely pushed between us. “Oh,” she said with false sweetness as she jostled us, “did I interrupt a private moment?”
Reece glowered at her, but she just grinned and leaped lightly to the ground. Her grin didn’t last long once she saw the desolation of Wardel standing in the distance.
Most of the buildings were intact, but some showed signs of damage from the golems breaking inside to let their minions enter. They appeared to be gone now and had taken their servants with them. The news crew who had filmed the attack were either dead or they’d had the sense to flee.
We were too far away to tell, but I feared that there wasn’t a soul left alive. Wardel had once had a population of over thirty thousand people and it had become a ghost town. Bodies lay in the streets in various states of dismemberment. Carrion birds had already descended to pick over their remains. They hunkered on carcasses, tearing off strips of flesh and squabbling over their food.
Mark spoke to the driver to distract him while Reece and Flynn hauled the stone head out of the back of the truck. They carried it over to the side of the road and
dumped it on the ground. As soon as my father slid the door shut, the driver saluted Mark and drove off. I didn’t blame him for not sticking around. No one in their right mind would want to be near a place that had been attacked by monsters.
Mark couldn’t hide his trepidation as he surveyed the small city. We all knew this was just a prelude to how the entire planet would look if we didn’t stop the coming apocalypse.
“What now, boss?” Reece asked.
“We’ll search for a location that will be defensible and wait for Jorgen to reclaim his golem,” Mark said. He slanted a look at my dad. It was an invitation to take point on this mission.
“I’m on it,” my father nodded and turned to me. “Are you coming?”
I jumped at the chance to work with him side by side. “Of course!” Kala looked disappointed at being left behind, but she didn’t complain out loud.
Reece knew I wanted to spend some time alone with my dad, but he didn’t want us to enter the city without backup. Go with them and keep them safe, he said to Zeus through me. The Rottweiler gave a hollow bark of acknowledgment and loped after us. He wouldn’t have stayed behind even if I’d ordered him to. He could smell that the entire city had been overrun with arachnids, reptiles, dogs and their stone masters. They might be gone for now, but there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t come back.
We jogged down a gentle hill and crossed a field to enter the outskirts of Wardel. It was easy to follow the path that the spider golem had taken. Gigantic spider webs covered the buildings and vehicles that had been parked on the streets. Cocooned bodies hung from trees and power lines. The only thing missing was a huge trapdoor for the spider to hide beneath.
As we headed deeper into the city, we saw the bodies of spiders, snakes, lizards and dogs that had fallen during the battle. Not surprisingly, I didn’t see any alligators. They were a lot harder to kill than the much smaller minions, not to mention far more dangerous. The number of dead humans far outnumbered their attackers. We were fighting a war against a faery that was using nature against us and nature was winning.
