At First Sight (Persephonii Waters Book 1)

by Melanie Brown

  “I wouldn’t suggest it. Without any hard restraints or a gurney on which to brace him, the slightest movement could kill him at this point.” She began gathering up her supplies, to move to the less wounded men.

  “I’m afraid to move him, I’ve treated his wounds as well as I can, but even that is ...” she paused looking at the four men. “I’ve done all I can for them,” she turned and motioned to the less wounded men sitting on the other wall.

  “Patch up everyone you can. Let’s make sure these cuts don’t get infected, then we have to be ready to move. If we can reposition a few of the bounders from the cave in we can better block off this entrance. We may have to come back for those who can’t be moved quickly.” Turning with her, his gaze swept over the ragged group. They all had bruises, and scrapes a few of the men had some worse injuries like a broken hand and some rather deep looking abrasions.

  “There has to come a point where the living are more important than the dead, after all... the dead can wait.” Which also brought up the point of if and how they would get the bodies of the soldiers and villagers back to their loved ones, something Chase was more than content to leave with the professionals. It was one of the major points that both Percy and he agreed upon, that the shitty part of their job was that they came in at the end, where the death tolls were high and with bodies piling up.

  “We can’t just leave them here!” Cooper’s voice echoed throughout the tunnel. Chase was getting myriad looks from the others, he wasn’t proposing abandoning them, but holing them up in the cave and sending others to check out the situation.

  “They’re not dead yet!!” Cooper’s appalled expression matched her tone. He could see that she was getting worked up and chose to interrupt her before she got started. This was hard, but hard decisions were going to have to be made.

  “At this point we can’t move any of them. Carson’s and Davies are at death’s door,” his arm swept out gesturing to the caves beyond. “We have no idea how to get back through to the entrance, we do know that the way we came in is blocked. The Lamia is faster and more suited to hunting us down in this environment.” His voice was calm and even, it almost felt like he was channeling Percy as he stated the facts, he paused thinking about the situation.

  “As things stand, at least one of us will have to try to explore the caves to either move forward or try and make it back outside.”

  “Our best chances lay in reaching the others, regrouping and coming back at this thing with a plan that won’t blow up in our faces.” His tone implied the ‘like this one has,’ but he left it unsaid. Looking around he could see the others nodding.

  “I like the idea of leaving anyone behind as little as you do,” he met each of the men's eyes as he spoke, coming to look at Cooper last.

  “But we have to move quickly and might be in the tunnels awhile... We’ve lost our G.P.S and maps, we have no backup copies, all our tech is down and we’ve had to discard what was left of the explosives.” He looked down at his own gun.

  “Shooting at her just made her more angry. That leaves us with knifes, which quite frankly I’ve been that close and would prefer not to be there again.”

  At this Daniels spoke up, “how did you manage to escape that She-Demon's clutches? The ...what are we calling it again...” Daniels looked around for conformation.

  “The Lamia, sir,” Peterson supplied.

  “Right. The Lamia was right on top of you.” The Captain’s tone insinuated there was something that Chase wasn’t sharing with the rest of them. Which he wasn’t, but how to explain metaphysical and magical bracelets when he had barely listened to Percy as she explained it to him. Taking off his left glove and rolling back his sleeve he show the ‘room‘ the black and silver bracelet he had kept on since Percy placed it there nearly four years ago. It still looked the same as when he had opened it, despite years of wear, the inscribed silver scale mail was tightly woven into the leather.

  “Percy...” he stopped and started again. “Ms. Waters had a protection cuff made for me a few years back,” he refused to call it a bracelet, he jiggled his wrist while turning it, as the silver reflected the light off his glow-stone.

  “From what she’s said... and I’ll admit at the time I wasn’t really paying much attention,” at this a few of the others laughed.

  “It prevents certain types of magic and spells from ensnaring me,” Daniels interrupted, “Then why didn’t she make some for us, before we came in here?” It was clear to Chase that Daniels was seeking to blame someone for his plan going to hell, since Percy wasn’t there, she provided a good target, but damn if Chase was going to let that happen.

  “The process is long, the components expensive and, if you'll remember, she did try and give you some protective amulets.” These had been small rune carved stones, strung on leather cords that had been made by the local wise women for the villagers. Percy had verified that they were the real thing and had tried to pay the women for their work. They had refused payment as she had told them they were for the men that would be going into the caves, they had simply said that she had already repaid them by helping. After such a large gift, Percy had tried to convince the other men to wear them but they had scoffed along with Daniels. While not at the level of his cuff, the amulets probably would have saved at least the three ensnared men's lives. A change in subject would be better than following this line of conversation.

  “Our best bet is to scout the caves, and make a break for it once an exit is found. We have no radio...” at this Lance the radioman shook his head to confirm.

  “No means of staying in contact with each other or getting information from the team outside.... It will take days to get the crews and equipment in to remove the rubble blocking the entrances, and we just don’t have the time or supplies to wait it out.” He could see from the expressions on their faces that they agreed with his assessment.

  “Now it's up to us to decide which path to take. Do we send a team out to survey the caves, leaving the others to look after the wounded? Or do we try and move as one and try to take everyone with us?” Sending out a small team would mean more time and supplies used, both of which were dwindling. More men meant they could explore more sections of the cave at a time. Leaving behind a team they would have to occasionally backtrack to report back to those left behind. Neither scenario was very pleasant.

  Well, the talk had gone about as well as expected, with little to no decisions made. They were discussing the pros and cons of each side, when the Lamia made a surprise attempt to enter their cave, Chou who was closer to the mouth of the cave was wounded from a swipe from the Lamia’s claws, but luckily didn’t seem to have been hit with the toxin.

  Still in the middle of internally debating how he would get everyone including the wounded men out, Chase was wondering 'what would Percy do'? He was leaning toward regrouping outside and trying another go at this, by another team which did not include either him or Percy, later…like much later. They had been hired to find the men and the means of their disappearances, not hunt down the creature in question. Chase was determined that if they made it out alive, he was going to make sure they doubled their final fees.

  In the end Chase, Roberts, and Moore made up the three man team to head back to the tunnels around the main cause way and see if they could find an opening large enough for them to get back through. If so, they were going to get back to H.Q. and give them a rundown of the events and come back with reinforcements. Daniels had insisted he be part of the three, but even with his long rebuttals, they decided Chase’s training, equipment and the protection the bracelet afforded him would be a better fit. Daniels seemed to calm down after they explained that the Lamia would likely think them a better target, and would come after them.

  So once again Chase found himself out in the cave tunnels, this time leading a small group, back toward the way they’d come, hoping to find an opening, or the very least a section they could open to make it through. The new mission had him recalcul
ating their service fees which had now tripled. If he'd wanted to run down crazy Para's for low wages he would have stayed in the F.B.I.'s Para Unit

  Middle of the Lower Cave Network; SouthernEnd of the Sobeak Mountain Range, Asia. 1:05 AM PST.

  The small tunnels leading to the larger center cavern system seemed to stop rather abruptly, opening into a large cave, whose temperature was a great deal warmer than those leading to it. As Persephonii had been using her sight to track the energy signatures the closer they got to the main caves, she barely noticed the change, owning to the fact that her body temperature was one of the first things to plummet when using her gifts. So close to the lair, she could tell that Chase was alive and well, if not...feeling a good case of self loathing. Her proximity to the bracelet now let her monitor Chase more closely than she had let on when she gave it to him. She often rationalized this as a trade off for her having to get him out of so many scrapes, this one included. For the majority of the time she respected his personal space and left the emotional link, through the bracelet alone.

  Moving closer to the far most wall, whose entrance would put them no more than a cave or two from the lair, Persephonii could see Spar deposits, their crystallized forms glittering in the glow-stone light, hung from the area near the ceiling and entrance, like beautiful chandeliers. Spar formed along cave walls in the presence of water, the humidity of the caves had caused gypsum to form crystalline structures along the edges of the cave entrance. From the humid but relatively dry climate of the more recent caves and tunnels, Persephonii could guess that the innermost caves where more than likely fed by an underwater spring, a hot underwater spring by the looks of it. It made sense since, snakes liked to lay their eggs in very warm environments. Unfortunately that also meant that things could get quite a bit wetter, which might prove a challenge when lighting the dynamite. Luckily she had placed the sticks and ignition cord in a water tight container. She would have to limit the explosives contact with water until it was time to place them, hopefully they would stand up to the watery environment long enough to ignite the dragon fire cartridge.

  From her readings, she remembered the use of dynamite in the illegal practice of blast fishing, where fishermen would throw dynamite into the water where the explosion would stun and kill the fish. However, the dynamite was dry upon being lit and the fish were killed by the concussive blast more than the explosion. In any case, the dynamite would have to do as the explosives the Captain had raved about using could literally blow up in the setters face. Her mental sarcasm was rather thick as she congratulated the inventor of such a fine explosive.

  Traditionally magic interfered with equipment in such a way that the parts tended not to work, any digital timers or incendiary devices simply refused to go off. In this case it seemed that the ‘improvements’ made to the detonators caused them to activate when the magical energy became too great, a sad result for those men placing them.

  Speaking of which, she glanced down at her digital equipment, turning off the wrist unit, and pulled out the lead lined case she kept it in, when so close to magical interference. The case provided protection from magic and water but could cause the unit to overheat, especially in warmer temperatures. It would stay off throughout the majority of the caves system, in case she needed it later.

  Yeong, paused at the cave entrance looking up at the spar chandeliers in wonder. The light from their glow-stones made the crystalline structures sparkle. She kept her voice down as she explained that the combination of trickling water, heat and gypsum had created the flaky jewel like structures and that they would likely be encountering quite a bit more water if the rising humidity were any indication of the environment further in the caves. He seemed to take the news that the way into the caves could be underwater rather well. She decided now was a good time to recheck and secure their packs and paused before entering the Lamia’s lair.

  Reminding Yeong to drink more water as the temperatures rose, she uncorked her own water flask and drank deeply, mentally patting herself on the back for the recent purchase. The small inscribed silver flask filtered and held gallons of water, despite its light weight and small size. Chase had written it off as another splurge item, but she had bought him one as well, and hoped he had found it in his own pack. Caring gallons of water around was no easy task, but magical items such as her flask and glow-stones provided well needed advantages when faced with uncertain environments and magical entities.

  Un-strapping her helmet, Persephonii took off her knit hat and shoved it in the bottom of a side pocket in her pack. It was time to get out the ropes and climbing gear, prepping them in case they were needed. She hoped not, evacuating the children could prove much more difficult, especially for Yeong and the younger children if repelling and climbing were part of the escape. Unfortunately the scans couldn’t tell them the exact elevations of the caves, just relative depths, density of the rock beds and fluctuations in the surrounding heat signatures. Their supplies included two light weight flexible aluminum rope ladders, one ten-foot long in Yeong’s bag and one twenty-foot long in hers. She had wanted to take a zip line kit, but knew that practicality had to win over precautions. They would have to secure any lines or ladders in place and leave them for the trek back if they needed to maneuver shafts or came across a change in elevation. She had a small hammer and a pack of self drilling bolts in case they needed to place anchors, Yeong’s pack held more bolts, but she had packed his bag with his age in mind. They would have to use the equipment and supplies sparingly. So far the terrain had been rather even and maneuverable if not a bit cramped, but they were just entering into the main section of caves.

  Strapping on a pair of tactical gloves along with elbow and knee pads, she was on the receiving end of a concerned look from Yeong. Smiling at him as if to say, 'preparation is everything', she was not one to be daunted by others criticism, especially from a ten year old who had refused his own set of caving attire. Truth be told, she hadn’t been able to find much to fit him, and had given him her spare gloves and helmet. While there hadn’t been any caving suits available the two were bundled up to protect them from the cave walls which could be unforgiving. Moving into a damp environment the layers could become a hindrance, especially as the temperatures rose and they needed to move more swiftly.

  Running her hands over her jacket pockets and utility vest she once again mentally checked off the items as she went. Upper left arm pocket held a pencil and water proof paper, along with a small map of the cave system. It didn’t provide much detail, but she had included it to use with her compass readings and to check her headings deeper into the caves. The other arm contained an extra smaller glow-stone, wrapped in its leather case. The Top left breast pocket held a pop-top waterproof container with a power bar, gum and some electrolyte squares. The lower left and bottom right pockets contained a whistle, the compass with mirror and the pocket for the wrist tablet respectively.

  Her more regular items were housed in the double utility belts around her waist. The pockets and loops housed an variety of items including her weapon of choice a highly warded and specially built taser. Along with items she tended to keep on her such as the dragon fire and vaporized silver-water cartridges, a few silver throwing knives, and especially duct tape. A rotating assortment of other broad-spectrum protection, detection and identification items that tended to be staples in her line of work. Looping the para-cord and hooking a string of carabineers to its end around her torso, she readied the caving gear, slid the hammer into a hook in her utility belt on her right side, and filled her left main pocket with the self-drilling bolts for easy access. In the other main pocket was a large roll of glow in the dark, sticky trail tape and a large wax pencil, for writing on the cave walls. Hopefully there would be enough time to continue to mark their trail the closer they came to the Lamia, if not she had at least marked the way back through the caves.

  Along with the caving gear, a large but compact medical kit rested in the bottom of her durable water
proof roll top pack, as did a zip lock containing a number of protein bars and a stack of Dixie cups so she could feed and hydrate any survivors, or in case they had an unplanned extended stay in the caves. She’d included a few rescue and fire blankets, but the humid atmosphere and high temps made the first relatively useless, while she hoped she would not need to pull out the later. All in all she’d probably packed more than she should but so little was known about the interior conditions, the state of the survivors and now the rescue team, that she couldn’t bear to leave too much behind.

  Feeling that she had a better hold on her supplies, and that they were ready to venture deeper into the caves, she strapped back on her helmet and pack, and took the lead.

  Main Tunnel, behind a crap load of boulders, Under some Stupid Mountain, Asia. 2:31 AM PST.

  Enough time had passed that Chase was getting a bit anxious that the Lamia hadn’t come to try and finish them off. Despite the relative calm, his instincts were screaming that something was up, and whatever it was, it was not good. The groaning of the earth around them had quieted, the breaths and small movements of the two other men sounded loud to Chase’s ears. Their small cave created by the cave in was long and narrow, the opening facing off of the right corner, across from where Chase stood, alternatively watching the men and glancing out into the darkness of the tunnels beyond. It felt like that was all he had been doing since entering into the cave system, looking over his shoulder, scanning the darkness... tunnel vision. They were coming closer to the seven hour mark, the other two were running out of glow-sticks and steam. They’d left a few of the green glow sticks to mark their passages through the caves. Smart except for the fact that their supplies were finite and had barely made it back to the main cave in.