INCURSION: Faeblade (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 2)

by Bryan Donihue

  Ghost raised his hand, "What's the time frame on this op? When do we leave?"

  "You will have a mission planning and background briefing this afternoon at fifteen hundred hours." Smith looked at a slim note that he had in his hand. "We'll meet back in this briefing room. You will finalize equipment load out tonight and leave for Michigan tomorrow morning. Take the rest of today to prep your kits. Any questions?"

  Heavy spoke up from the back of the room, "Yeah, boss. What happens if this thing goes pear-shaped? What do we need to know to hurt fae?"

  Smith frowned slightly. "I sincerely hope that things do not go... 'pear-shaped' as you say, Mister Murphy. If they do, however, then regular ammunition and weapons do not work nearly as well on the fae. As mentioned before, cold-forged iron or steel weapons will not only injure the faerie, it will allergically burn them as well, much like the reaction of werewolves and silver. Beyond that, I'm sure Norbert will be able to provide some new toys. Any further questions?"

  The supervising agent looked around the room and found no raised hands. He looked at his watch and spoke, "Dismissed. I will see you at fifteen hundred hours, then."

  As the team got up and started to leave, Smith spoke up again and said, "Mister Vanhof, Doctor Sorenson. Would you please stick around?"

  ON HER WAY back to the team's quarters, Boomer decided to detour by the Knightfall training area. As she walked through the now-familiar corridors, she reflected on her journey to Section 28. Rebekah "Boomer" Callahan grew up in Norfolk, Virginia as a Navy brat. Her father retired as a Chief Petty Officer, and there was little he could do to slow down his daughter. She raced cars by the time she was tall enough to sit behind the wheel and moved to boats as she grew older.

  When she graduated high school, Rebekah immediately joined the Navy. Fresh from high school, her enthusiasm and knowledge combined with her skills to propel her into demolitions. As a freshly minted female EOD tech, she worked her way up through the ranks for the next five years to become a Senior EOD technician. Then her life changed.

  She was on the dive of a lifetime, diving in Scotland's Loch Ness when she had a close encounter with a large underwater creature. Even though she had no proof, her story made her fodder for the tabloids and conspiracy theorists. This soon caught the attention of headquarters staff, and Rebekah's promising career ended prematurely. Fortunately, her story caught the attention of Section 28, and Agent Smith soon recruited her to join Knightmare, where she was given the call sign "Boomer."

  On their first mission as a team, they fought a large vampire incursion, and she was scratched by a new, genetically engineered breed of the creatures. She soon found out she was infected with the virus and had been learning to control her inner monster since then. It was on that same mission that she had rescued the person she was trying to find, a young Hannah Cresswell.

  Boomer approached the Knightfall living quarters and talked to one of the new recruits. She found out that Hannah was undergoing her final field service qualification exercise in the training center, and the explosives expert went to watch.

  THE DARKNESS no longer freaked her out. Hannah Sedano (née Cresswell) calmly closed her eyes and quieted her mind, listening for any telltale signs around her. There, off to the left, a dripping pipe. Slightly behind and to her right she heard a low hum from a computer power unit. Then she heard the scrape of a shoe across the concrete floor. About two yards away and slightly to the left. Remembering the layout of the room from the plans, she launched a kick in the direction of the footstep.

  She felt a solid thud as her kick connected to someone's gut, and she heard a harsh exhale as the person dropped to the ground. She knelt and felt for the person's head. She felt a bulky night vision set, grabbed a hold of it, and yanked it off.

  Hannah placed the goggles against her eyes and did a quick scan around the room and did not see anyone else sneaking up on her. She glanced down at her feet and saw one of her hand-to-hand instructors. He was still bent over, clutching his stomach, but he managed to flash a sign at her that showed he was "unconscious" for the scenario.

  She kept the goggles against her forehead and walked quietly to the door against the far wall. Hannah knelt and placed her ear against the door, listening intently. She heard small sounds of movement behind the door.

  The seventeen-year-old reached down and drew a small pistol from the holster on her thigh. The Walther P99 pistol was matte black, and Hannah loved the ergonomics of the grips. She raised the muzzle of the gun and gently turned the doorknob.

  As the door moved a fraction of an inch away from her, light spilled around the frame, and she dropped the night vision goggles to the floor. She squatted and palmed open the door. Letting it swing fully open. The young trainee raised the muzzle of her handgun and pulled the trigger twice, sending the rounds into the chest of one man who was just turning toward the open door. She shifted her aim slightly and squeezed the trigger twice more. This time, both rounds missed and her new target began firing back.

  The short burp of a suppressed MP5 sent rounds flying over the crouched girl's head. Before he could adjust his aim, Hannah corrected hers and two rounds found him in the chest. The young woman rose from her crouch and carefully walked into the room. She scanned all around her for threats as she edged toward the raised pedestal in the middle of the room.

  A book with a wrinkled leather cover that almost looked like a face in horrible pain sat on a red velvet pillow atop the pedestal. The young woman paused momentarily before taking the familiar-looking book. She double checked pedestal and found a small, nearly invisible wire leading from the small pillow to the top of the stand. She carefully took her wire clippers and clipped that final wire, disabling the alarm.

  As she stood back up, she grabbed the book and held it over her head. She smiled and said, "Klaatu... barada... necktie."

  Lights came up all around the room as clapping and peals of laughter spread throughout. The men Hannah "shot" stood and rubbed their chests where the wax rounds had hit.

  A middle-aged woman with a cane hobbled out from around a corner, surrounded by four other teenagers. The woman clapped and said, "Well done Hannah. Great thinking grabbing Scott's night vision gear, that was a great way to even the odds."

  The young woman was still breathing heavily from the stress, and she had her "prize" tucked up underneath her arm. "Thanks, Amanda. So who's idea was it to make this the Necronomicon?"

  A young African American boy shyly raised his hand, "I guess that would be me."

  Hannah turned and gave him a thumbs up gesture. "I loved it! I just wish I had the shotgun and chainsaw to go with it."

  "I'm sure Norbert can come up with something for you." A familiar voice came from behind the young woman.

  Hannah spun around and rushed to hug Boomer, throwing both arms wide around her mentor and losing the prop in the process. The young woman finally released the explosives expert from the bear hug and stepped back, exclaiming, "I'm so glad you could make it. When did you get back? I haven't seen you for a couple weeks. Did you see the trial?"

  Boomer nodded and said, "I caught everything from the darkened room on. Great move with the night vision headset. Way to think on your feet."

  Hannah gushed with joy. She spoke up, "So, when did you get back? How did your last mission go? Can you stick around for the final selection? How long are you back in town"?

  Boomer was almost overwhelmed by the sheer speed and mass of the questions from the young woman. She raised her hands in surrender and tried to break in, "Let's talk about that later. We ship out tomorrow on a new op, but I wanted to see you before that. When do you get final selection?"

  Hannah spun to ask her team leader, "Amanda, when will Norbert and Russell be ready? Any way we can move it up to right after lunch?"

  Special Agent Amanda "Bad Wolf" Watkins was nodding as she pulled out her phone and began to dial Logistics. She knew how close the young woman and the older agent had grown, and she would personally ens
ure that Hannah's Final Selection ceremony would take place after lunch.

  Two hours later, Agent Smith and Agent Watkins both stood in front of Hannah. Smith began, "Hannah Sedano. You've successfully completed your trials — the first among your team. And while your training is never done, you have come upon a special ceremony we call Final Selection.

  "Here in Section 28, we sometimes acquire items that have a particular power. For some reason, these items seem to determine who their eventual wielder will be. New agents are offered the chance to peruse a selection of the items. Most new agents are never selected by any of the items, and they still go on to become phenomenal agents, keeping the darkness at bay. Occasionally, an item will choose a new agent. That agent is entrusted with the care of that item until their service to Section 28 is done."

  Agent Watkins spoke next, "Hannah, you passed your final field trial. It is time for you to go through Final Selection. Enter the room behind us. Feel free to touch the items located on the tables. You are able to pick any of them up. If something selects you, you will know about it, and your geas will react well. If not, come back out here."

  Smith and Watkins stepped aside, and let Hannah enter the open doorway. Her eyes roamed up and down the tables, stopping occasionally on a small item here and there. Several bladed weapons, some firearms, and even a few items that Hannah could not identify were all laid out on thick black velvet, spread across several tables. As her eyes roamed over the items, she noticed a slight gleam of light.

  The young woman walked over to a table about halfway around the large room. On the table, she saw a short sword with an intricate hilt and pommel and a slim blade. It lay next to a similarly ornate scabbard. The bright silver of the metal gleamed in the overhead lights, polished to a fine sheen. Etched into the blade near the base was a design of flowing lines and patterns. Nestled among the design were the words "fion-fhuil" in a beautiful flowing script. She felt drawn to this blade ,and she placed her right hand on the hilt. As she closed her hand around the hilt to lift the sword, she felt a small pinprick, and then energy flooded through her arm.

  A deep rumble seemed to echo in her mind, Who has awakened me?

  6

  UNCORRUPTIBLE

  IN THE VOID

  Hannah was standing on a small hill surrounded by rolling fields and meadows. The grass was almost two feet tall around here, and it was bowing with the wind that was sweeping her hair back out of her face. The sun was bright in the clear azure sky and warmed her face softly. She looked down at herself and jumped. Her standard blue jeans, t-shirt, and leather jacket were gone, as were her combat boots. Instead, she was in a light cotton peasant dress with soft leather boots that laced up to her knees. The young woman looked around frantically trying to figure out where she was, how she got there, and most importantly, how she would get back to Section 28.

  A deep rumble seemed to echo in her mind, "Who has awakened me?"

  Hannah whirled her head about frantically trying to locate the source of that voice. When she realized that no one else was around, she called out, "Who's there? This isn't funny anymore."

  Again the deep bass voice sounded, this time like it was next to her.

  "This is my home. Twelve hundred years ago, this was my domain. I believe you would call it 'England'." Hannah felt a hot puff of air over her right shoulder as the speaker continued, "Your kind was afraid of me and my kin. Your legends tell of your mighty heroes sallying forth to slay the monster. They don't tell you that the monster won most of the time." The voice took on an amused tone.

  The young woman turned to her right and came nose to... snout with a very large reptilian head. That head was about the size of her torso, and was attached to a long, serpentine neck. The scales from the neck blended seamlessly into the large body at the base of the neck, and large wings grew from the creature's back.

  "You're a dragon? How are you in the sword?"

  The creature smiled, showing too many razor-sharp teeth. "Yes, I am what you would call a dragon. As to how I was trapped in the sword? I had a rather energetic disagreement with a wizard who had objected to me eating his apprentice. His final death curse trapped me in this sword. Thankfully, I still get to choose whom I serve."

  Hannah studied the magnificent beast. Bronze metallic scales blended with deeper, copper colored scales to form a beautiful hide. The outspread wings and large tail of the creature were also the darker metallic scales, but the scales on the underside of the dragon were smaller and lighter. The dragon's deep black eyes seemed to glow a soft greenish glow.

  "What do you mean you get to choose who you serve?" her voice rose with the question.

  A low rumble began in the belly of the dragon, and small puffs of smoke began leaking out of the dragon's mouth. Hannah shrank back, but soon realized that the creature was laughing.

  "What's so funny?" The young woman demanded. "Why do you get to choose who you will serve?"

  The dragon stopped laughing when it realized that the young woman was serious. It spoke in a calming voice, as if to smooth over hurt feelings. "Please, young one. I meant no offense. Pardon my laughter. You must have been Called only a short time ago. You likely do not even know your heritage."

  Hannah heard the capital "C" when the dragon called her "Called." She made a mental note to ask about that later, and then pressed on, "Seriously. You can simply choose not to be used by anyone? How would a sword keep from being used? Do you burn whoever holds you?"

  It was the dragon's turn to study Hannah, and the pause made her nervous. The creature's deep black eyes were liquid pools of darkness and gave no hint of what it was thinking. It gave a small nod and spoke, "Yes, child. I choose the ones I serve. For those few, I let them perceive me. Those who are not worthy of me do not even know that I am here."

  The dragon let that sink in for a moment and then continued, "And you, child, have been chosen to wield me. As long as you remain worthy, of course."

  "Hannah. My name is Hannah Sedano, and I am not 'your child' or any other condescending term of endearment that you want to use. My name is Hannah. Do you have a name?"

  The dragon's lips twitched in a semblance of a smile. Its tone was bemused as it responded, "Well met, Hannah Sedano. I am called Vellath. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must beg your pardon for my speech, as I have not chosen a warrior for over fifty of your years. The vernacular seems to have changed quite a bit since that time."

  The creature moved, slowly, carefully positioning itself so that it stood in front of Hannah. The dragon made an elegant, if somewhat strained, bow, dipping its head below Hannah's shoulder height, and spreading its wings to lay the leading edge on the ground in front of her. "I, Vellath, Guardian of the Noa't, am humbly at your service, my lady. I shall remain to serve you until you are killed in battle, or choose to become unworthy of my service."

  Hannah was unmoving. Having this large creature bow to her and tell her that he was in her service was very disconcerting. Before she could ask the creature what it was talking about, the dragon continued, "We will talk later, Hannah. But in the meantime, you should probably leave my world and go back to your own. We have much to do."

  Abruptly, Hannah was back in the selection room, staring at the sword in her hand. She lifted the scabbard from the table and slid the blade home until there was a barely audible "click." She shook her head as she turned and walked back toward the door.

  Outside the room, Smith, Watkins, and Boomer had all watched with Norbert as Hannah had walked among the tables. As she suddenly had walked toward one table, Smith had not seen any items on that table. He had turned to Norbert and had motioned him over. He had then leaned in close and had said, "What is on that table? I see nothing there."

  Norbert had clicked a switch on his small glasses and the lenses had turned a pale blue. He had looked a little shocked when he turned back to Smith. "It looks like she's picked up fion-fhuil."

  Smith looked at the young woman who was now walking
toward them. She looked like she was carrying something about the correct size for a short sword, but her hands appeared empty. He muttered, "Interesting," and turned to talk quietly to Agent Watkins.

  Hannah walked out the door and immediately asked, "How long was I in there? It felt like at least an hour. It must have happened when I picked up this." The young woman held her palms up as if balancing something across them. "What is this thing? I think it's possessed or something."

  Just inside her head, Hannah heard a now-familiar deep rumble, Of course it's possessed, young one. I possess it. We just talked about this.

  Hannah looked at the sword in her hands, and those around her saw her stare at her empty hands. She frowned and spoke to her empty hands, "Shut up. You can't be real. I can't start hearing voices."

  Smith stepped toward Hannah and spoke softly, his calm tones reassuring. "None of us, except Norbert with his glasses, can see the object in your hands. It seems like you picked up fion-fhuil. Vellath introduced himself to you?"

  The voice rumbled inside her head again, If this Norbert fellow can see me, I may need to speak with him to ask precisely how he can accomplish that.

  Hannah did not think at all when she spoke, "Seriously, stop talking until I can figure this out." She then realized that she had answered the sword verbally again. She looked at Agent Smith with pleading eyes, and mouthed the word, "Help."

  Hannah looked around the room and saw her mentor, her new team leader, and her boss staring at her. Her eyes widened and she slowly shook her head. "I'm not crazy—this thing is talking to me." She turned her frightened gaze to Smith and pleaded, "You believe me, right?"