At First Sight (Persephonii Waters Book 1)

by Melanie Brown

  Though the Lamia could be considered Greater Kindred, since she could maintain a human shape for a short period of time, the instincts and thought process of the Lamia where more animalistic, based on camouflage and learned deception, not true intelligence and thought. The Greater Kindred consisted of those Paranormals or Paras that where once human but could no longer be counted among them, such as the Wyr and Vampires. Those that could pass for human, though they were not, including Elves, dragons and Wraith. And finally, those that were not human but held intelligence and thought, like the Naga, whose numbers were few in times past and whose existence faded into legend with the increase in human kind. Of course there were also creatures that the Elves had not classified into their Kindred system due to their obscurity or those rare occurrences when they defied classification, but in general the humans and other Greater Kindred tended to use the system as a means of categorizing what would otherwise be a great mess if based on physical characteristics alone.

  The Lesser Kindred were comprised of the other races that were ruled by animal instinct, dark desires and often hive or pack like minds, the Lamia included. Persephonii occasionally felt sorry for those creatures who had unknowingly broke Law and hunted humans. The Lamia had no knowledge of the Accords between the Greater Kindred and that their lives were subject to the Laws between Para and Human within the human realms. This Lamia should have been in one of the forest realms, living off of smaller Lesser Kindred and animals, not hunting down humans and their children. Within the other realms Paras often exhibited different behaviors, it was upon entering into the human realms that instincts turned to darker desires, including the taste for human blood. Whether it was due to lack of their normal diet or the magic involved from unguided crossing between realms, Percy felt a pang for the creature and the subsequent chaos it brought with it. Sadly the time of sparing the Lamia and her offspring, possibly of returning them to another realm had gone. Stealing children was cause for deportation as long as they remained unharmed, killing a human was a death sentence. Feasting on human flesh while mating would make the offspring crave human flesh, creating killers from day one.

  However, it was no time to speculate the ifs or could haves, both of the circumstances nor her dashed hopes of good plans gone to waste. Percy prayed that the caves held up under the onslaught long enough to get the surveyors out. It appeared that the rescuers needed rescuing and their backup was an underfed boy and a miffed paranormal consultant/private investigator. Surprisingly, despite her issues with the turn of events, she was feeling rather optimistic about their odds. As they continued to walk, an updated plan emerged, one that would hopefully leave few casualties and get the survivors to safety. Detonations in the front caves meant that Yeong would have to take the children and the remainder of the men out the back passages, where she would block the way behind them. Leaving Percy to move forward toward the Lamia, her Knot and the troops stationed at the network's entrance.

  The best way to destroy them at once, would be to lure the Lamia into the cave where she had laid her eggs. A small charge, from the few sticks of old fashioned dynamite she had picked up from the locals could ensure Yeong's escape while igniting the dragon fire cartridge. Effectively sealing the Knot and Lamia into the cave where the fire would be contained and turn the lot into little more than ash. The hard part would be moving the wounded in enough time to make sure no one was trapped in the cave or close to it once the explosion took place. She would then have to navigate the caves, unsure if the passage ways to the entrance had been blocked by the explosions.

  Following the small metaphysical thread tied between her and the protection bracelet she had made for Chase, she could tell that he was alive but not if he was severely hurt. Not liking the lack of information from the bracelet, she would get little else from it at this distance. The bracelet would provide protection from the Lamia's enchantment, but could not protect him from fire or the cave collapsing around him if an explosion went off nearby. They would have to hurry in order to make sure the new plan had enough time to be put in effect. As she shared her thoughts with Yeong, she watched as his shoulders firmed and his head raised, renewed with a plan and purpose.

  Inside some Mountain in some Jungle, Asia. 1:43 AM PST.

  On the other side of the cave system, Chase Argent was wondering what the hell had gotten into him that he had agreed to go with the now obviously senile plan. Percy had made it quite clear that going in full bore was a bad idea and that magic and technology did not mix. He was only glad that the Lamia, for he was sure now that Percy was right, though why he doubted her after so many years working together was a mystery to him, was not old enough to have the guns misfiring as well. The she-creature had slithered past them snatching at the edges of their group. Hissing and the occasional screams of the Lamia as the explosions rocked the very earth around them were some of the more terrifying sounds he'd heard in a while, but paled in compassion to the groaning of the rock around them.

  They had lost four men in the first explosion, which had happened as Team One, a three man team placed the devices further back in the caves. The fourth man had died from the resulting cave-in. About seven more were wounded during the explosions aftermath from falling debris. The severely wounded were the major issue, the majority of which had sustained their wounds from the Lamia, two of which he was sure would not last much longer. The groaning of both man and earth was disconcerting, but more so was the fact that they very well could be trapped in the caves with the creature, unsure if the caves around them were blocked from the explosions. Three other men had been lost to the Lamia, the first lured away under her enchantment, the other two snatched from the edges of the scattered group.

  Out of twenty people, five were relatively unharmed, him included. Three were wounded but able to walk, four were severely wounded and a total of six were dead, with three more unaccounted for. That left four other men and one woman, six in total to tend to the others, deciding to either move forward, trying to take out the Lamia, or find a way through the smaller passages back to the entrance and additional men waiting outside. Daniels talking into his radio could be heard over the echoes from the recent blast. The machine was barely working as the now desperate captain tried to contact someone for help. Another visit from the Lamia and he was sure their radio would be out as well. He wanted to have Daniels ask where Percy was, but knew relaying whatever information they could give the backup troops would be more useful.

  Up close without the enchantments and magic to camouflage the creature she was a sight to behold. The human-half of the Lamia was more snake than woman, with large dark green scales transitioning into a smoother scaled skin a lighter version of the tan of the local villagers. Her hair was stringy and wet looking, whether from the humidity or the dampness of the caves, he wasn't sure. Dark green almost black slitted eyes reflected the light from the small personal lamps they had strapped to them. Watching the creature sent the air with her tongue sent shivers down Chases' spine. Either way, the other men had been enchanted, he had been worried. He knew he could thank Percy's protection bracelet for both the scare and the save. He had been close… within a few feet of the Lamia, so close he could feel the wild magic reaching for him. Had it not been for the bracelet he would have been counted as one of her recent kills, lured away from the others into her deadly embrace. While he had always wanted to go in the arms of a beautiful woman, this was certainly not the time or place.

  They had been in the cave system for about three hours, the first hour had been spent checking the larger forward caves, clearing them before moving further in. It was slow going as the thermal imaging was thrown off by the heat in the caves and kept malfunctioning due to the Lamia. The three groups setting explosives had worked their way deeper into the caves ahead of the S.A.R.[2] team, two teams had made it back unscathed before the first explosion. The team deepest into the network, closest to the Lamia had radioed back, more static than words, with news of their tech malfunctionin
g, then a few minutes later the first explosion rang through the caves. If the Lamia hadn't known they were there before she certainly took interest in them then, picking off a few of the men standing further away from the group at the edges of the dark. The other fifteen men formed a circle around the medic and equipment, stood facing outwards lights trying to pierce through the darkness.

  Now they were trying to assess the situation, the young Captain was clearly out of his depth, having misjudged the creatures threat level. Without a plan, pronto, she may not get out of the caves, but very likely neither would they, let alone the men and children they had been trying to save. A quick thought that Percy would be less than amused that the rescuers would need rescuing, had Chases' training finally kicking in, as if he had been under a spell himself, following Daniels orders where trouble seemed to follow. Now he barked out commands taking charge and assessing their circumstances, the nearby caves, the Lamia's location and what items they had left. Sadly, the majority of tech the soldiers were used to relying on had been wiped out by the Lamia and wild magic, even stronger now in the deeper caves. Night vision goggles were gone, the radios were out, the guns were questionable, the majority of the S.A.R team didn’t carry guns and the military teams had been killed or wounded so badly they were out of action. Any sort of G.P.S. or digital map had gone down on the last Lamia pass, leaving them blind. Which meant that it was up to intelligence and cunning, both of which Chase had in spades.

  He ordered the others to holster their guns, if they went deeper into the caves they very well could misfire, not to mention they were useless against the Lamia, who had been more annoyed at them opening fire on her than hurt. The bullets had been flying and it was amazing that none of them had been hit by ricochets or friendly fire. The smoke grenades were fairly useless in such tight dark quarters, but the flash grenades could be used to drive the Lamia back. They had switched from their bright battery powered lights to mere glow sticks in a variety of oranges and greens, that left an eerie splash of color on the walls. Chase had pulled out his glow stone, placing it inside a mesh pocket where it could shine without blinding him. Another thing to thank Percy for, he felt like he should start one of her lists.

  The radio man who had some nasty bruises from being thrown by the Lamia’s tail, was working on moving closer to the entrance and seeing if he could get a signal using a combination of radio gear and luck. They had dragged the men into a smaller side cave where they could defend themselves with a solid wall behind their backs. It had been about ten minutes since the last swipe at them. Chase was hoping that the explosions triggered by the Lamia moving about in the caves, had forced her to return to her nest in favor of guarding her eggs. Hopefully, it would give them time to regroup.

  Percy had argued that a combat medic be assigned to the team, one of the few concessions that Daniels had given her. The Search and Rescue team was limited in their training and consisted of a few men trained in C.P.R., but mostly able bodies who would be able to carry in supplies and out wounded. It looked like the young female medic would be using the supplies for the abducted on the soldiers, and even then would need more than she currently had on her. Gathering what personal supplies the men had on them, including those found on the bodies of two of the men whom she seemed to have ensnared then left on the cave floor, he decided now would be a good time to talk.

  Chase moved closer to the medic, ready to have a difficult discussion about the wounded men. Moving swiftly between her patients, leaning over the three heavily wounded men, the fourth appeared to be suffering from some sort of bite, it would just figure that the Lamia would be poisonous, Medic Cooper was focused on her task. Watching her work on the men propped against the cave wall, dust and blood covered, he wondered briefly if it was passion or fear that drove the small medic to work so fiercely on the three men, when clearly it was a losing battle.

  Anger surged through him at the thought that Percy’s plan would have saved such needless death. Pausing to push the 'what if' thoughts down with the anger when it would serve no one any good, he cleared his throat, for once unsure as how to talk to a woman. Finding no good way to start, he handed her the pile of first aid supplies and watched as the bright white light of his glow-stone revealed what the glow sticks could not.

  Annalisa Cooper, recent transfer to the base from Wheeler had come with the C.I.D. personnel sent over to investigate the disappearances. Chase doubted that the brown haired, blue eyed medic had thought the transfer permanent. But knew that the medic’s schooling in Para attacks and medical background had garnered her a one way ticket to the Asian pacific. Looking at her face as the light from the glow-stone revealed a starker truth than even he would have guessed, he felt a pang of guilt for including her in this mess, but knew that she was now their biggest medical resource. Apart from the Captain of the S.A.R. team, who was currently one of the three severely wounded men she was treating, no one else had extensive medical knowledge.

  “So you come here often?” It came out without warning, a ploy at lightening the now dismal atmosphere between the two. In that moment Chase felt like he could have slapped himself, briefly wishing Percy was here to do it for him. Focused on the man in front of her, Chase’s comment elicited a desperate laugh, more hysterical than amusement. He could very well relate. Glancing over at the nearest man, Second Lieutenant Peterson, whose own face seemed to smile at the bad pick up line through the dust and pain, Chase shared a moment of camaraderie. Peterson had pulled the First Lieutenant, a Davies from the rubble and carried him back to the cave whom he now sat beside, grim faced as the medic worked. He too had looked taken aback at his friend’s state, but didn’t have the heart to tell the ‘Doc‘ to stop.

  Movement slowing as Medic Cooper took a closer look at her patient, whose last breath could be at any moments, then back over to her limited supplies, she spoke.

  "I'm C.M.T.1 certified and finished my B.A.T.L.S.[3] course a few months ago," was said as if to explain her presence here. C.M.T.1 status was a feat for any solider let alone a woman so young, it meant that the medic had passed their training to be able to work alone. Chase’s empathy kicked in, knowing that her training courses likely didn’t cover Lamia’s and cave exploration. The litter with the extra supplies had been buried under the last cave in, taking with it the majority of caving gear, medical equipment and nearly crushing the S.A.R Captain.

  Chase found himself slowly nodding his head as if in understanding. Sure that Cooper didn’t need a reply. However, he needed to quit stalling, but luckily the situation was dawning on the tired medic. Waiting for her to continue he focused on Peterson, who was nodding off despite the surrounding danger. It seemed not just the mission’s events were getting to the men, who were not used to the late night and odd hours. This was the time Percy and he were regularly up, working on little sleep and long hours this time of year.

  “I can make them somewhat comfortable, knock them out, but that’s about it.” Forced from the course of derailing thoughts, he turned back to Cooper who was shaking her head as she looked at the two other men. The S.A.R. captain was in the best shape despite his injuries. Chase could tell from his coloring that he was in deep shock. Compared to the first lieutenant and the last man from Team Two, he looked rather healthy.

  “The stones from the cave-in have broken bones in his legs and he has a compound fracture in his left arm, but it appears that no internal organs have been damaged,” giving her assessment as she misinterpreted his intense look as concern for S.A.R. Captain Craig.

  “First Lieutenant Davies,” she bowed her head as Peterson leaned forward, her voice quieted as she started again, looking Peterson in the eye. “Davies has severe head and chest trauma including a punctured lung, but appears to be in no pain.” The last was said in a tone that made it clear that the head trauma had likely caused him to become comatose from which, even if he were less wounded, he would never wake from.

  “Private Walker from Team Three likely has a spinal column
injury, his lower extremities are slow to respond, and he too seems to have come in contact with a neurotoxin of some sort. He’s out now but is responsive.” Walker looked to be sleeping, but had been found seemingly flung over the edge of a ten foot depression in the cave floor. One of his team mates had thought to bring a type of snake repellant with them and dowsed the area before throwing the whole bottle at the Lamia. From their accounts she hissed and spit at them but left the area. Walker didn’t seem to have been bitten, but might have ingested some of the poison during the close quarters encounter. Laying father out, was the last man alive from Team Two, Private Carson.

  “Private Carson.... Private Carson,” Cooper sighed and shook her head with an expression of utter dismay. “I’m not sure what exactly is going on with Carson.”

  “He has a large bite wound on his arm and is exhibiting all the signs of being injected with some sort of fast acting neurotoxin. At first he was having delusions and then quickly partial, than almost full paralysis set in. It’s effecting him on multiple levels, with enough in his system that he started having seizures almost half an hour ago and is now completely unresponsive.” Everyone was now looking over at Carson.

  “He’s breathing, but I’m not sure for how much longer.” Carson’s two other team members had been taken by the Lamia, only one had been left behind, Team Two’s demolition specialist, whose body they were forced to leave behind, buried under tons of rubble. Captain Craig had been trying to examine the specialist when the large cave in occurred.

  Talking over the injuries with Cooper, Chase hoped that with more information he could form a plan that included moving the wounded men.

  “Carson is beyond all help. Walker... can we move him if we stabilize him? Do we have anything that will stabilize him enough for transport?” They had lost the gurney, but perhaps they could fashion a littler to carry him out? Looking around he though surely there were enough brains in this group to construct something. Fatigue and shock seemed to be getting to all of them, and Chase could see Cooper was already shaking her head.