The Awakened World Boxed Set

by William Stacey

  Tec made a noise in his throat that could have been equal parts growl and sigh. He handed the binoculars to Ephix, but she shook her head. He glanced to Angie. "Is this normal, this level of activity?"

  "No. But they were just on an operation, so..."

  "There," said Ephix, pointing into the sky to the southeast. "Is this what you suspected—an attempt to move the prisoners?"

  At first, Angie saw nothing, but then she made out the shape of an aircraft, little more than a speck in the sky, too far away to hear the engine yet. But it was an aircraft, almost certainly a very old prop-driven one. After the Awakening, when every modern unshielded aircraft had been rendered inoperable, the survivors had taken to raiding museum pieces. Anyone with even a smattering of aircraft maintenance skills who could help put the old chicken-wire-and-nuts-and-bolts aircraft back into the air and keep them there had been guaranteed a place of prominence within the new walled settlements. But eighteen years later, there remained very few aircraft in North America, and those that could fly were constantly in demand.

  Moving the Seagraves had to be of critical importance to the Tzitzime.

  Tec used his binoculars to examine the approaching aircraft. "It's Aztalan, all right. A Caribou, a Canadian bush aircraft designed for short takeoffs and landings." He snorted, shaking his head slightly. "That thing is old, from the sixties. I have no idea where they found it, but those babies always were tough. I imagine most of the original parts have long since been replaced."

  "You're sure?" Angie asked.

  "Flew in an Australian one during Vietnam."

  Angie stared at him. Vietnam? The country or the war? Obviously, he means the country. "And you know for a fact it's Aztalan?"

  He nodded. "Technically, it's reserved for use by the boy emperor, but in practice, Smoke Heart and the Tzitzime are the Aztalan emperor. He does as he's told."

  "They're that powerful?" she asked.

  He lowered the binoculars. "More who they serve, but yeah, pretty powerful."

  He handed her the binoculars, and she examined the approaching aircraft, now hearing its propeller engines. The green-and-black cargo plane, the Caribou, was large and squat, built like a fat mosquito. Two propellers kept it in the air, its narrow wings sitting atop the fuselage, just behind the high domed cockpit windows.

  She handed the binoculars back to Tec as the aircraft banked and prepared to land. Black smoke drifted up from the dirt runway as the soldiers lit the oil drums along its length.

  "How long do we have?" she asked.

  "I'd guess an hour, maybe two. Not much more than that. They'll need to refuel and perform some maintenance. That thing is a flying antique."

  "That's not much time."

  "And pretty strong security to get past," he added. "You worked here, right? Any ideas?"

  "I can get anywhere I wish without being seen," said Ephix simply, not bragging but just stating a fact.

  Tec nodded. "Where would they be holding the Seagraves?"

  "Inside the Bunker, but if they're going to fly them out, then—" Angie paused, seeing a single cargo truck with a canvas canopy on its bed approaching the hangar, a cloud of dirt in its wake. A second vehicle, an HMMWV, followed the truck, and this one was filled with guards. The guards ran from the second vehicle to the tailgate of the truck.

  Moments later, they began to hustle prisoners out of the truck, their limbs secured with flashing chains. Each of the prisoners had to be led, as if they were blindfolded, but Angie, anger coursing through her, knew they weren’t; they had been blinded. One of the prisoners had long red hair: Erin. The prisoners were led inside the hangar under guard.

  "Well, now we know where they are," she said bitterly. "I imagine Nathan and Mother Smoke Heart will be there as well." Is Marshal also there?

  "And the demon," Ephix said.

  "And the demon," Tec echoed, now biting his lower lip. "That thing is going to be a problem, even for me. I can shift, but..."

  "Don't worry," Ephix stated bluntly, a coldness in her voice. "I will kill it."

  "Don't think you can. Best we can hope for is to tear it to pieces, damage it enough that it'll be forced back to its own realm."

  "Then I shall rip it apart."

  "You'll need help," Tec said. "Even you." Ephix made a noise like a growl, but Tec continued speaking. "I count at least a couple dozen soldiers, especially near the hangar. How many troops on this base?"

  "Within the Bunker," Angie said, "hundreds. Once the alarm goes off, they'll all pour out and assume stand-to positions. It’ll be like kicking a hornet’s nest." She paused, the stirrings of an idea coming to her. "Unless..."

  "Unless what?"

  "The Bunker's blast doors are designed to close automatically if the exterior sensors pick up a sudden increase in heat, like say during a nearby nuclear detonation."

  "No humans in the decision chain?" Tec asked.

  "We're too slow," Angie said. "The doors will slam shut, and anyone inside will be trapped for at least an hour, maybe longer."

  Tec grinned and then reached over and squeezed her hand. "Well done. All we have to do now is find a way to simulate a nuclear explosion."

  "I have an idea," Angie said, her gaze locked on the fuel truck parked at the end of the runway. "If we can move that fuel truck and set up a timed explosion somehow, maybe we can—"

  "Leave it to me," Ephix stated. "You focus on the warehouse and save the prisoners." She looked past Angie, meeting Astris's eyes, and then removed the pouch she had slung over her shoulder, handing it to the nymph. "Can you do what must be done?"

  Angie watched them in confusion, her gaze darting to the pouch. "I can, Night Mistress," the nymph stated. "Easy as kissing."

  "Then let us prepare," Ephix said, rising into a crouch.

  Chapter 31

  Within minutes of Ephix leaving them, Angie lay on her belly behind thick bushes, peering at the approaching Home Guard patrol, two soldiers on horseback. They came over the same worn patrol path they always did this close to the perimeter fence and down into the stream-lined gully and copse of trees, where Angie, Tec, and Astris waited for them, out of sight of the towers and other patrols. Along the base of the rock-strewn gully, a stream flowed through the trees, and Astris, nude, her wings folded behind her back, stood in the shin-high waters, waiting for them, a look of helpless surprise on her beautiful features.

  The patrol froze, their mounts stamping in place, the eyes of the two soldiers wide.

  Angie knew these two men, Corporals Taylor and Mills. Good men. A twinge of guilt stabbed at her, but she pushed it down. Erin needed her. It was that simple.

  She felt Astris use her nymph sex appeal, flooding the area with pheromones. Astris smiled shyly, raising one hand in greeting and using the other to cover her exposed genitals, as if she had only now forgotten about them, one shapely hip cocked to the side. The smile was impossibly alluring, as was the desire to kiss her perfect red lips. Angie wasn't into women at all, but even she had to force her gaze from Astris's face, her pert pink nipples begging for—

  Angie squeezed her hands on her rifle as tightly as she could, using the pain to focus her thoughts. Even for a nymph, Astris was something else. It must have been worse for Tec, because she heard him grinding his teeth from where he crouched nearby.

  Corporal Mills, a young black man, his face dark with desire, his eyes wide, sat atop his mount, his lips opening and closing before finally settling on the obvious. "Who ... what—"

  Before he could finish his question, Tec was charging forward. He was at Mills's side in a moment, grabbing him and hauling him from the saddle, and the only reaction Mills made was to gasp before Tec slammed him into the ground with so much force the air left his body. Angie rose and charged the second man, but before she could take two steps, Astris flew into the air, spraying water behind her, her insect-like wings buzzing, her arms raised above her head. Taylor's mount reared, throwing Taylor to the ground. He hit hard, and when he tried
to sit up on his elbows, Angie butt-stroked him in the forehead. He fell back, his eyes closed. Angie dropped beside him, wracked with guilt. I've killed him.

  She hadn't. He was just unconscious. Thank you, God.

  As Tec joined her, hauling the unconscious Mills by his collar with little effort, Angie saw Astris alight upon the back of the horse she had just frightened. She calmed the animal in moments, no doubt with more nymph magic, and then used it to corral the other horse, bringing both back to them.

  Angie looked about, but there was no one within sight, and no alarm had been raised. Such a simple plan, but it had worked. All they had needed was a naked nymph.

  Tec made sure both men were out cold and then tied their wrists and legs securely before dragging them into the bushes. "Don't know how long we've got," he said.

  "Thank you for not killing them."

  "I don't kill without need."

  Astris pulled her oversize clothing back on and laced her too-large boots. "Next time, you get naked, Angie."

  "Not gonna happen." She slung her rifle and shifted Nightfall so that she could mount the same horse as Astris, riding in front of the nymph, who gripped her around the waist.

  Tec mounted the other horse, turning it about with the practiced ease of a master horseman, and looked over his shoulder. "You ready?"

  "As I'll ever be," Angie said as she adjusted her field cap, making sure the wide-brimmed hat was pulled low to mask her features.

  From a distance, they'd look like a returning patrol—she hoped. With Astris's small frame, she might not even be seen until they had gotten within a hundred yards of the gate through the perimeter fence and its guard towers. After that, there'd be no hiding the fact there was a problem, and the moment anyone was close enough to recognize her...

  She took her fears, forced them into a tight ball, and buried them. No one had said this would be easy.

  Tec led the way back to the gate. If the tower guards saw Astris, perhaps they'd suspect the patrol was bringing a prisoner in. It happened sometimes. They got closer than she had expected without raising any alarms, and then her radio chirped.

  "2 Delta, this is Delta Control. Send sitrep, over."

  She waited a moment, hoping that 2 Delta was another patrol and had nothing to do with them.

  "2 Delta, this is Delta Control. Why are you returning early, over?"

  She exhaled and then keyed her radio, using what she hoped was a deep voice. "Delta Control, this is 2 Delta. I missed your last. Say again, over."

  They came within fifty yards, the sentries moving to meet them, opening the gates, as whoever Delta Control was repeated their request for details. The second time they asked, Angie cut them off, transmitting over them. "This is 2 Delta. You are unreadable, say again all after ‘why,’ over."

  She could hear the radio operator's growing frustration in his momentary silence, and now they were almost close enough to make out the faces of the gate sentries, which meant the sentries could see their faces as well. She pulled her wide-brimmed field cap lower, noting the barrel of one of the tower's heavy machine guns was fixated on them. The Other would protect her and Astris, but it wouldn't do anything for Tec, and she didn't think there was enough magic water in the world to save him if he was cut in half by a 50-caliber bullet.

  And then she felt Astris use her magic once more, sending out waves of desire to wash over the sentries. They hesitated, their faces confused. The heavy machine gun no longer followed them but remained fixed on where they had been.

  Way to go, Astris.

  Behind the gate, hundreds of meters away, the fuel truck they had seen on the runway earlier drove along the dirt road that led to the Bunker, a long dust cloud in its wake as it picked up speed. Ephix!

  Then they heard the alarm siren from the Bunker as the soldiers recognized the threat. The gate guards spun away, pointing and staring at the fuel truck but too far away to do anything other than watch. From a distance, someone began firing; the guards at the Bunker entrance were shooting at the fuel truck. The gunshots cracked and echoed across the base.

  Tec hollered and kicked his horse into a gallop, and Angie's mount followed with a lurch, Astris hanging onto her waist. They ran past the open gate and the sentries who were facing the other direction. Hundreds of meters away, they saw the fuel truck pick up speed, only moments from the dark tunnel entrance.

  The truck disappeared in a white-hot flash. A vast orange fireball rose into the air. A tremendous shock wave followed, sweeping past them and blowing smoke and dirt and dust, yet somehow Tec kept his mount charging toward the hangar at the airfield, and Angie's mount followed with her and Astris.

  They were on the base, unchallenged, black smoke and flames covering the entire hill into which the Bunker was buried.

  Oh my God, she thought. There's no way anyone could survive that inferno, not even Ephix.

  Angie, Tec, and Astris galloped across the base, unchallenged in the madness following the explosion and fire. Angie stared in wonder at the fire that consumed the entire front of the hill containing the Bunker, the smoke so thick there was no trace of the entrance visible. No one could come close to that inferno, but soldiers still congregated as close as they could, still hundreds of meters away. Tec, Angie, and Astris rode past soldiers and technicians, but none of the onlookers paid them the slightest notice, and soon they approached the hangar holding the Seagraves.

  They had an hour at best, Angie knew. Those inside the Bunker were no doubt rushing to the secondary tunnels, but those entrances were tied to the external sensors as well, and they'd also be in lockdown mode. They'd need to find the failsafe codes and reset the doors. That would take time, even if the new security officer had memorized the codes as Angie had. If she were still the security officer and was in the Bunker right now, she could reset the door codes in short order. But that wasn't going to happen, not after Nathan had kicked her out.

  Karma, bitches.

  At least a half dozen Home Guard soldiers stood about the hangar, with a handful of others Angie didn't recognize and guessed were Tzitzime cultists. Tec led her and Astris toward the rear of the hangar, where a group of clearly frightened horses was corralled. There were soldiers in the tower, but they were staring at the fire that burned in front of the Bunker entrance.

  As she approached, she wondered where Nathan's new combat mages were. She hoped they were trapped inside the Bunker, but somehow she didn't think they could ever be that lucky.

  Angie feared she'd be recognized at any moment. There were only so many women in the Home Guard, and she had been an important one. There was no rear entrance to the hangar, only the large wooden doors at the front and a single side door. There were a series of long windows along the upper level of the hangar, slanted outward to allow air inside the blistering hot metal structure. Unfortunately, even if they could get up there, they'd never fit through the narrow openings.

  But then she realized Astris could do both.

  A handful of guards was trying to calm the dozen terrified, rearing mounts corralled behind the hangar, so none of the guards paid the slightest attention to them as they rode up. While the horses had been trained to keep calm around gunshots and explosions, nothing could have prepared them for what had just occurred, and Angie was surprised they hadn't already broken free. Angie kicked her mount's flanks and caught up to Tec as they neared the frightened horses and soldiers.

  "I know these people," she whispered. "They're not bad guys. They’re just following orders."

  "I'll do what I can," he answered without turning to look at her. "But it's too late to turn back, so get your head straight."

  He was right.

  Erin. She focused on her duty to her friend. Hang in there.

  "I'm gonna need some cover," Astris said.

  As Tec climbed down from his mount, he nodded. "Be ready."

  One of the soldiers rushed over, his face red with excitement, waving his hands as if he could convince Tec and the others
to go away. Angie dropped from the saddle, turning away so he couldn't see her face. Astris was unbuttoning her shirt. The bag Ephix had given her lay empty on the ground, and on Astris's lap was the Anasazi talisman Char had used to force Erin into werewolf form, healing her at the same time.

  The approaching soldier yelled at Tec, "Keep your mounts away from the others, or they'll get panicked too."

  Tec punched him in the face so hard he landed on his back several feet away, his eyes glazed.

  "Go!" he yelled to Astris as he lifted his assault rifle in the air and fired a long burst that sent the already-terrified horses ripping free of their ropes, adding to the pandemonium.

  Astris flew into the air, wearing only pants, the dream catcher in hand. She zipped straight for one of the open windows on the upper level. Angie turned to help Tec, who had just butt-stroked another soldier, slamming him to the ground with bone-crunching force.

  She had never meant to be a traitor, but that choice had been made for her by Nathan.

  One of the Tzitzime cultists, a short, dark, heavyset woman with a hexed machete in her grip, rushed toward her.

  "What's going on?" The woman's eyes went large the moment she saw Nightfall on Angie's hip. Only mages carried swords.

  Angie shot her in the face from only feet away, emptying her magazine in one long burst. The woman's shade protected her, of course, but Angie had already dropped her rifle and drawn Nightfall. She darted in before the woman could recover and stabbed her through the trachea, severing it. It had been surprisingly easy, like pushing a hot knife through butter. With a single backward step, she drew her blade free, and the woman fell. Strangely, Angie felt no sorrow, no guilt, only a sense of satisfaction at avenging Char.

  Tec emptied the rest of his assault rifle magazine into another pair of Tzitzime cultists and then shattered the weapon's stock swinging it against a Home Guard soldier. He drew his kukri knife, his eyes meeting Angie's. The message that flashed between them was crystal clear: the time for holding back was over. She nodded, turning and casting a supercharged Shockwave spell that sent a small knot of soldiers flying back twenty feet.