Interra (Awakened Series Book 5)

by Harley Austin

  All of them soon came the end of the small section of the corridor. It abruptly ended into a natural cave like crevice in the rock not much larger for someone to pass through and onto a short rocky cliff ledge where all of them now gathered and stood.

  Serena quickly willed the light within the crystal to fade. It obeyed her, becoming dark once again. Their natural ledge was toward the top of a vast domed cavern so immense they could barely see the far side in the dim light several miles away. From their cliff-like perch, the deep cavern plunged a dizzying several miles, straight down.

  But it was what they could see below them that took their breaths away.

  Skyscrapers.

  Colossally tall and spread out for miles, scores and scores of the most elegant buildings any of them had ever seen, many of them thousands of feet tall.

  “Interra—” fell out of all of their mouths, almost at once.

  The city beautifully illuminated the entire colossal cavern with a light all its own.

  Surrounding the city’s towering buildings while seemingly meandering through it was a vast and lush green forest, almost park-like, with lakes and ponds. Beautiful ornate paths, streets, and elevated highways snaked through the lower elevations of the city like well-designed art.

  From the side of the cavern, several mile-high cascading waterfalls fed into rivers that flowed through the city’s interior from different sides.

  But they could also see other lights as well. All along the interior walls of the great cavern, dotted here and there, high and low, the cavern walls were lit, vestiges of the Seven who’d been lying in wait as they no doubt attempted to discover any way possible to enter the ancient city of the gods.

  “It’s beautiful.” Serena’s eyes widened in amazement.

  “And deadly.” Jerrod cautioned.

  “Not to mention that this forest is probably crawling with Wraith right now.” Elle could sense something in the dense forest below and it didn’t feel very inviting.

  “So close and yet so far,” Aramis lamented.

  “What do we do? The Wraith have empaths. There’s a good chance they know we’re trying to find our way down here.” Beau looked at Jerrod.

  Jerrod sighed nervously. “Heading into that forest the way we are right now is suicide. We need weapons.”

  “Not.” Elle dissented. “We have weapons. We’re all psionic, are we not?”

  They all nodded.

  “Let’s stop thinking like Ra and start thinking like the people we are.”

  “Good point,” Aramis agreed. “There are six of us.”

  “And there are hundreds, probably thousands of them.” Jerrod countered.

  “So?” Elle folded her arms. “I’ve taken out dozens before, Jerrod. I’m betting you could take out a lot more.”

  “That’s not a safe bet.”

  “Of course it’s not. That’s why it’s called a bet.”

  All of them watched as Serena began descending the face of the cliff.

  “Hey, Serena! Stop! Where are you going?” Jerrod demanded.

  She stopped as all of them looked over the side at her hanging off the side of the cliff. “I’m not waiting around for all of you to have a meeting. I’m going to find Rion and God help the first person who gets in my way.”

  Elle raised her brow at Jerrod, and then stepped over the side to catch up with Serena.

  Jerrod sighed. Then they watched as Aramis headed over the side as well.

  “That figures.” Jerrod grumped, watching Aramis catch up with the girls.

  Next Ian head over the side.

  “Well?” Beau smirked at Jerrod.

  Jerrod rolled his eyes. “Princess bitch is going to get all of us killed,” he telepathed privately to Beau.

  “Probably,” Beau headed over the side. “But, you have to admit, she’s determined.”

  Jerrod fumed and followed him over the side.

  47

  W hile descending the cliff, the group encountered one of the many rivers gushing from the side of the cavern, its waters falling into rain-like mists that fed the many pools and streams below. Using the cascading current to conceal themselves, they descended the wet cliff rock behind the massive falling waters. The cool sprays felt good and washed the soot and grime from their skin while cleaning what remained of their clothes. The waters then misted and rained like a torrential downpour among the lichen-covered rocks that then fed the waters in bubbling streams that all confluenced into a new flowing river that wandered into thick a jungle-like forest.

  The forests surrounding Interra felt deeply wild, vastly old and untouched. The gods quickly bounded over the surface of the river flowing into the edge of the rain forest.

  It was still slightly raining from the falls as they moved along the shore. They soon discovered that the old forest was more than just trees, but it was alive with wildlife. Birds chirped and flew while primates and even a large panther watched them quietly from a thick tree branch high above.

  “It’s like it’s own little eco system down here,” Beau marveled, completely astonished.

  “The Masters knew what they were doing, Beau.” Elle pulled her drenched hair back, wringing it into a thick pony tail to let it dry. “The city provides the light for the forest and I’m sure the forest gives the city something it needs.”

  “Natural oxygen.” Jerrod walked ahead of all of them now. “I’m sure the city could generate its own, but it’s all dormant.”

  “Guys—I’m getting a bad feeling about this place.” Aramis warned. They were all suddenly feeling it.

  “Quickly! Into the trees! Hide!”

  Serena watched as each of them leapt into the tree canopy, disappearing into the tall foliage, nearly a hundred feet above them. She leapt hard trying to reach a big branch higher than she knew she had ever be able to reach. Jerrod telekinetically caught Serena as she sailed uncontrolled past the big limb. She half stumbled into him as he caught her and then held his body over hers against the huge tree trunk, concealing her and himself in a psionic stealth that rendered each invisible to the sentries far below.

  “Where are they?” Each of the gods could hear the halfblood Wraith soldiers talking far below.

  “Where’d they go?” another asked moving through he underbrush.

  “They’re gone.” One of them held up a large portable device, turning slowly looking at the touch screens readings.

  “How could they be gone? They were just right here. On the bio scan.”

  “Well, they’re not here now,” another informed, using the same kind of device and seeing nothing.

  Serena could feel what Jerrod was doing. How his mind was focused on keeping them concealed. She was pretty sure whatever devices the Wraith were using were actually detecting them, but somehow, their mental cloaking was messing with the soldiers’ minds, not allowing them to see what was really happening on their devices’ screens. Even looking right at them, high up in the canopy, the soldiers never saw the newblood gods.

  “Shhh,” Serena heard Jerrod quiet her in his mind. Not in an authoritative way, but in more of a caring, nurturing way. With their skin touching like this Serena felt, really felt, Jerrod for the first time. The gruff façade covered a deeply concerned, gentle, and compassionate gentleman.

  Jerrod felt Serena’s feelings digging deeply into his own. Her own stealth was on full now. He smiled at her. The girl learned quickly. He felt her hands slipping up his bare, still wet chest while he continued to cover her, holding her against the tree to keep her from falling.

  “I think these things are broken again.” One of the soldiers groaned. “I know I saw six people coming across the river. Now? Nothing.”

  “Why is it these things never work right when we’re hunting newbloods?”

  “I think it’s bad calibration. Someone at core-tech needs their asses kicked to finally fix these things. I hate this.”

  “Maybe they teleported.” Another suggested. “I’ve heard some of them can
do that.”

  “You guys believe way too many rumors. No one is ‘porting or gating with their tech down. Obviously, it’s a calibration issue again.”

  Both Jerrod and Serena looked into the eyes of each other. She could feel Jerrod’s feelings flowing warmly, deeply into hers.

  “God you smell nice, Serena.”

  “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  “I don’t think—I’m, OH, Jesus, Serena—”

  Serena drew a soft breath.

  Jerrod took a deep quiet breath as well—just before their lips instinctively locked onto each other’s.

  “Alright. Spread out. Search the area. They can’t have gotten far.”

  “What if they reach the shield?” One of the female soldiers asked.

  “So what? Then they’ll be just as dead as the rest of us.”

  Jerrod’s eyebrow lifted as he heard the soldiers’ banter, but his lips were still being savaged by Serena’s. God the woman could kiss. If she didn’t slow down she was going to get a lot more than just kissed. She was already rocking her half-exposed panties against an already firming bulge in what was left of his ribbed crop shorts.

  Elle dropped to their tree limb on all fours with the stealth of a cat. She stood.

  “You two need a room?”

  Both reluctantly pulled back from their intense lip-locking, but not before each caught a parting hot kiss with Jerrod releasing her lower pout wet from his own.

  “Jesus, you need to be fucked, Serena. Hard.” He telepathed.

  “I know—” Her wanton gaze piercing deeply into his own, she left Jerrod with no uncertain feeling of exactly who needed to be the one to do it.

  Both were still taking deep breaths as Elle approached them on the huge moss-covered branch. The front of Jerrod’s briefs were thickly tall and totally indecent now.

  “I told you she was intense,” Elle quipped.

  Jerrod nodded his now deep understanding. “Yea. Thanks for the warning.”

  “My attraction?” Serena couldn’t help but notice now the thick tenting spire pushing out from beneath Jerrod’s half torn trunks. She could easily see the guy was built like Rion beneath them.

  Both Beau and Ian quietly leapt onto their tree from another nearby one. “What do you think, Ian. On a scale of one to ten?”

  “Hmmm, that kiss was definitely an eleven, Jerrod. How come you never kiss me like that?” Ian grinned.

  “Because I don’t kiss guys, Ian.” Jerrod quipped. “You know that.”

  Elle giggled. The truth was, they were all deeply attracted. But Jerrod just couldn’t bring himself to being with the other guys—well, not totally. He had definitely found himself waking up with all of them now and then, but Jerrod was really only interested in Elle when things got heated between the five of them. Five? Six!

  “Hey, where’s Aramis?” Elle looked around trying to keep her empathy concealed.

  All of them looked around. But Aramis was nowhere to be found.

  * * * * *

  Dark’s plane was one of the last to surface in the marine bay along with scores of others. The cockpit slid open and he leapt out onto the buoyant concrete dock as flight crews descended on the plane. Carson was already standing in the fighter bay. Both began walking toward the locker area where the other pilots had already headed.

  “You keep beating the hell of our planes, I’m not going to have any left.”

  “You’re complaining to the wrong department, Carson. You need to talk to the manager of Religious Fanatics; I only work in Breakage.”

  “That was a helluva fight, Dark. You look terrible.”

  “Not half as bad as that last carrier that tried to rush into Bethlehem.”

  “That was a close call. They’re not even trying to hide their forces from the population anymore.”

  “They’re savages, Carson. They attack anything and anyone that moves, for no reason.”

  “Worse than Japanese Zeroes?”

  “Not by much.” He frowned.

  Dark found his locker among the throngs of other pilots zipping out of their flight gear. Attendants moved through the large locker area and collected the used suits and other gear for cleaning and maintenance.

  Standing now in his birthday suit, another pilot got Dark’s attention as she walked past in hers on her way to the shower.

  “Darkblood—”

  He lifted his palm high above his head as the busty pilot smacked it with her own.

  “That’s three now I’ve had to shoot off your wicked ass. I don’t have time for this shit. Next time you get in my way, I’ll blow you out of the sky myself.”

  Dark grinned a half smile. Both men watched her not even look back as the halfblood fighter pilot headed buff into the shower steam.

  “I see you managed to piss off Debra,” Carson handed him a towel.

  “I had the better carrier shot and she knew it. She let me have it while she covered me. Wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t have been there.”

  “I saw,” Carson nodded.

  “We spanked them pretty hard, Carson. Tech or no tech, I think they’re realizing it’s not wise to go after the Dominion. They’ll be licking their wounds for a while. A few hours at least.”

  “I’m sending up fresh patrols just in case. I’ll see all of you in the debriefing room once you’re a bit more rested. You just saved the lives of four million people, Dark. Bethlehem is cheering.”

  Dark flung the towel over his shoulder. “Just doin’ my job, Carson.”

  He watched Dark head into the steam.

  * * * * *

  His psionic cloaking deliberately inactive, Aramis moved through the trees and away from the others. His bio signature now fully visible to them on their equipment, the troop of soldiers began following him as he leapt, swung and moved like Tarzan all but concealed in the thick foliage of the canopy above them.

  In the distance, Jerrod and the others heard ionic gunfire.

  “Son of a bitch!” Elle cursed. She turned to go after him.

  Jerrod suddenly understood. “NO.” He grabbed her arm.

  Elle tried to pull free, but Jerrod’s grip was stronger than she was.

  “You want to lose that arm? Dammit, let go of me!”

  “Elle. Aramis is cunning. Leave him be. He knows what he’s doing.”

  “He’s gonna get himself killed,” She argued.

  “Not.” Beau agreed with Jerrod.

  Elle jerked her arm out of Jerrod’s grip. “It was a stupid move.”

  “No. It wasn’t.” Serena looked at all of them. “We keep making decisions by committee. It’s gonna get us killed. Aramis just bought us some time to get into the city. Jerrod, you’re in-charge,” she autocratically decreed.

  “Says who?” Elle mocked.

  “Says the Princess of Interra,” Serena glared.

  “Fine by me,” Beau assured.

  Ian was nodding as well.

  Elle rolled her eyes. The fact was, Serena had a point. She rolled her eyes, groaning.

  “Well?” Jerrod asked, looking for her buy-in.

  “Ohh—” Elle groaned.

  “Elle.” Serena’s hot little feelings were all over inside her.

  “Alright.” She agreed. “You are so going to owe me after this Serena—if we survive.”

  “Okay, fearless leader,” Elle turned her attention back to Jerrod. “How about getting us the hell out of here before they call for some reinforcements?”

  Jerrod pointed, then leapt to the next huge limb not far away.

  * * * * *

  By the time the time the five of them had reached the edge of the forest, Serena’s skills at leaping and swinging through the thick foliage of the trees felt almost natural. She was a little surprised at how well her newly awakened mind and body adapted to the acrobatics.

  Serena landed almost silently on a large limb next to Jerrod as the rest of them followed close behind, perching quietly on the huge limb and well conceal
ed by the forest jungle below.

  “They have patrols.” Jerrod spoke telepathically to all of them. He nodded toward a number of well worn paths that crisscrossed a short meadow about a hundred yards wide that seemed to encircle the city, like a kind of nicely mowed no-mans-land. On the inside edge of the meadow the forest seemed to abruptly continue.

  “Somewhere close to the edge of that forest on the far side is a death trap,” Elle warned.

  “That’s what the soldiers we saw earlier were talking about, some kind of invisible defensive barrier.” Ian stood to get a better look through the leaves. But he still couldn’t see that anything was there.

  “Do you think that field surrounding the forest is mined?” Beau asked.

  “Maybe. But since they’re running patrols, that would be a stupid thing to do.”

  “Not.” Elle corrected. “Proximity fuses are triggered to go off only if you’re not wearing the right RF gear. Look at their name badges. I’m betting those are passive keys. We’re going to need one of those to cross that field.”

  “So let’s telekinetically grab one.” Ian offered.

  “Right, and you think he won’t notice? Even if we could pickpocket one of them, boom, he goes up with the first mine.”

  “Lure one of them into the woods. Then we take them out and make a b-line for the other side.”

  A flash of hot light missed Ian’s head as his danger senses kicked into high gear and he ducked with inhuman speed. The tree trunk exploded into splintering burnt wood knocking all of them off the big limb and tumbling down into the thick forest underbrush below.

  Crude bi-ped bots lifted out of the soil and foliage. The mechanized arms were slow and awkward, but they were armed with 360-degree swivel targeted plasma rifles that were now blasting at everything that moved.

  “Those things aren’t going to be affected by our invisibility,” Jerrod warned the rest of the group. “They’re just machines.”