“What the hell happened?” Cham shouted, surveying the scene, his gaze stopping on the doors hanging from their hinges. It was nearly impossible to see past the threshold as the smoke was even thicker beyond the doors.
“A big fucking diversion,” Annie said, still focused on Emerson’s broken wrist.
“He got the orb. Gibbs is following him now.”
“I’m okay, Annie,” Emerson said as she tried to sit up.
“You’re lucky it’s not worse than this. You stay put until you’re ready.”
“So that was the plan. Create a diversion so he could steal the orb?” Jack said as smoke continued to pour from the law department.
“In a nutshell.”
“He has no idea you hid from him?”
“Nope.”
“Is there a fire in there?” Cham asked.
A pair of Wizard Guards from the northern satellite office named Shiff and Brite, who had joined the team after Rathbone left home, offered to check.
“What the hell?” Milo muttered from behind Annie.
“He’s keeping us away from Artifact Hall. The orb’s gone, as we expected.” Annie checked on Lial, whose head was clearer but who still couldn’t walk without stumbling. “You okay to walk out?”
Jack and Cham helped him as they wheeled Emerson out on a chair, since she was still unable to stand without dizziness.
Twenty-three Wizard Guards, one manager, and one FBI agent streamed out of the building and into the courtyard.
“Always happen like that?” Jack asked when they reached the open air. He took in a deep, clean breath.
“Are you okay?”
Annie sat on one of the many picnic benches scattered throughout the gardens; Jack sank down across from her.
“Yeah. What’s next?”
“We wait to hear from Gibbs and hope he’s found the zombies.” Cham joined them at the table, drenched in sweat from the heat inside. His hair clung to his face, he was covered in ash, and he smelled of smoke. Forgetting the Wizard Guards and Wizard Hall for a moment, Annie absently wiped some of the ash away from his face. He reached for her hand and held it as medical personnel from the hospital wing tended to Lial and Emerson. When they finished helping Lial, the medics approached Annie and Cham.
“Are you okay?” Cham asked Lial.
Lial held up his hand. “Yes. I need permission.”
“Go home.”
“I can still do my job.”
“Can you balance on one foot?”
The Guard did so, held steady, and for good measure touched his nose a few times. Cham turned on a flashlight, verified that Lial’s eyes weren’t unfocused, and said, “Fine. Teleport out if it’s too much, or I’ll do it for you. We need everyone at their best.”
Lial nodded his head before returning to Emerson, sitting beside her on the gurney.
“That’s your test?” Jack said.
Cham shrugged. “Can’t stop him if he wants to go. I just need to make sure he’s not a liability.”
“You’re a little loosey-goosey with rules,” Jack said.
Cham rolled his eyes. Annie glanced at him with a warning look before he could respond. She placed a hand on his knee.
“Actually Jack, we’re really, really well trained, and we trust that training to help us. If Lial was unfit, he’d sit.”
“Yeah, right,” Jack said.
“I’m not leading this investigation. I stopped because I’m too close. I’m only the liaison with you. I took myself out of the alpha role. I did that, not my boss.”
Jack regarded her carefully and held up his hand in surrender. “Fine. You handle things differently. I won’t put my preconceived ideas of law enforcement on you.” He cracked a smile. Annie offered her own in return, though it felt forced.
Cham’s phone rang. After glancing at the screen, he answered and shook his head a few times. “Uh-huh. Okay.” He nodded again. “Where are you waiting? Okay. We’ll meet you there.” Turning toward Annie, he said, “The orb and Rathbone are at an abandoned building in central Illinois. Like a grain warehouse. There’s a lot of activity in the building, though he doesn’t have eyes on the bodies. But there’s a large truck on the premises.”
“He transported them with a truck?” Jack asked.
“Yeah. It’s a lot of energy to teleport a lot of items or bodies. Sticking them all in the truck and teleporting that would be a lot easier than going back and forth several times,” Annie said as Ryan walked up to the crew from behind.
“Everyone okay? I just heard,” he said.
“You shouldn’t be here!” Annie cried, even though four Wizard Guards followed him everywhere.
Ryan ignored her and turned to Jack. “So you must be Jack. I’m Ryan Connelly, Annie’s godfather and I happen to run this crazy show.”
Jack shook the outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“So what’s the status?”
Cham updated him, finishing with, “We’re gonna head out soon. And you’re going home, right?”
“I have no choice. They’ll be pulling me away from here. I just want to make sure everyone is relatively okay.”
“Besides Lial and Emerson, we’re fine.”
“Be careful.”
Ryan passed Annie, squeezed her shoulder, and walked away, followed by his bodyguards. He turned back toward the teams, and with firm hands on each of his shoulders, they teleported Ryan to his hidden location.
After Ryan safely teleported away, Cham passed out cards with numbers to the remaining members. When he had finished, the leader climbed one of the picnic tables in the garden and stomped his foot, calling for their attention.
“Gibbs is at the coordinates located on the card. We’re heading to some sort of grain shed in the middle of a cornfield. The number assigned to you will be your teleport and sweep number. Any questions?” When no one raised a hand, he nodded. “We start in five minutes.”
Chapter 31
Since Jack had only recently learned of magic’s existence, the idea of teleportation still seemed to be a fantasy dream. Curious, he said nothing as the pretty, young Wizard Guard wrapped her arms around him and placed her leg behind his, securing him in her grasp. Annie took a deep breath, and the nonmagical FBI agent felt himself being yanked upwards before his body floated in peaceful stillness, not really moving or even there. And then he felt the rush back to earth, his body falling back into space against the hard ground with a jolt, making his head pound and his stomach lurch. He landed roughly, one foot landing on an ear of corn. Annie managed to hold on to him as they both crashed to the ground.
“You okay, Jack?” Annie unwrapped herself from the agent, who doubled over with dizziness and nausea. His muscles shook, his breathing heavy.
“Splendid.”
“You’ll get used to it.” Annie helped Jack up; his pale skin glowed in the moonlight.
“I get to do this again? Great.”
Air popped around them as the Wizard Guard team arrived in groups of two. They landed just inside the stalks, which shook and rustled as they landed in a randomly spaced order. The sounds were similar to the wind blowing over the fields.
“You gonna be all right? I can send you home if you need me to.”
“Not a chance. I want to see this bastard go down. Could’ve warned me about the teleporting, though.”
“Sorry, not every nonmagical gets sick. I should’ve said something.”
After straightening up and regaining his composure, Jack realized just how many Wizard Guards arrived to the site. It was more than those who had left Wizard Hall.
They must’ve called reinforcements.
Cham went to work, splitting up the entire Wizard Guard present into three groups, which each separated themselves into their own areas. Remaining silent, they waited for Cham to speak to each of them; Cham explained the plan, gesturing with animated hands. The first group teleported immediately, and from what Jack heard, they landed a mile from the grain building o
n the other side.
The second group walked toward the building in various directions. The stalks rustled and then stopped.
The third group stayed in position right where they were. Cham issued final orders to the last group and then joined Jack, Annie, Gibbs, Spencer, and Milo, “Ready?” he asked.
“To do what?” Jack inquired. They hadn’t been given orders yet, and he guessed this team always worked together and knew what was coming.
“Fair question, since you’re new to the group.” Cham pointed to Gibbs, silent permission for the older Guard to enlighten Jack.
“Just so you’re clear, man, we’re the scout team and enter the scene first,” Gibbs explained.
“You’ve seen the zombies here, or are you assuming that they’re here because Rathbone is?” Jack asked, thoughtfully running his hand over his jaw.
“He came here with the orb. It’s an assumption.”
“Before we go, can I ask something? Do you know how the orbs are supposed to work?”
“Based on what we know about casting a spell through a large group, we think if they space them out around the zombies, one spell can be cast and reanimate all of the corpses at the same time. Since they’re zombies, though, it’s actually a magic-fueled virus they’re going to deliver. Why they’re waiting for the Day of First Sun is beyond us because we all get a power boost, not just the dark wizards. Well, that is unless that day changes magical polarity and works in evil’s favor. We haven’t found that in any of our research. Rathbone probably brought the orb to test it, and when it doesn’t work, he’ll be pissed. We should get moving if we’re walking to the grain shed,” Annie said. She pulled out several vials of potions and handed them to Jack. Confused, he took them and stared at the ten small vials, all of which barely fit in one palm.
“Liquid spells. When you feel danger, throw one. Aim low to the ground. Doesn’t matter what the spell is. They all will help protect you.” She then handed him a necklace hanging from a silver chain. Its round amulet was engraved with a spell. “That is a protection amulet. Make sure it’s on, and hide it inside of your shirt. Also, you do have your gun?”
He nodded, placed the vials in his pocket, and dropped the amulet around his neck.
“If you come across a zombie, shoot it through the brain.” Annie pointed to the center of her forehead.
“What about a vampire?”
She summoned a final vial, longer and wider and filled with a clear liquid. A loop of Velcro was attached to the lid. Ripping apart the Velcro, she slid the material around the loop on Jack’s pants and closed the loop. “Holy water will burn their skin. Throw it hard against a vampire or on the ground beside them.”
Annie summoned a stake and held it against Jack’s chest. “Through the left side of the chest, directly into the heart.” She shoved the sharp stake down the back of his pants and un-tucked his shirt over it. “And lastly, this is a farm. Any sharp implement can behead a vampire. That’s a sure kill.”
He nodded rapidly, shoving the rest of the vials into his pockets. They jingled when he walked. To keep him safe, Annie ran a palm across the front of his pants, activating a muffling spell.
“Okay. You’re ready.” The small scout group took off, maneuvering through the thick stalks.
*
Wizard Guards surrounded the farm on all four sides, a quarter mile from the main building, waiting for their signal while the scout team trekked through the corn stalks toward the grain bin. Just inside the corn, they examined their surroundings.
A large tin building sat in the middle of the corn. Its walls were red, and it had unpainted panels for a roof. Various farm vehicles parked in the clearing: an animal hauler, and a tractor. No other cars were parked as far as they could see.
Working in teams, Gibbs and Cham headed around the building, trudging through the thick stalks.
The building lacked electronic surveillance, but was protected by two large henchmen who wore black shirts and pants, blending well into their surroundings. Each man shoved a stake inside the back of their pants.
Not vampires—wizards, thought Cham. He exchanged a quick glance with Gibbs, and they readied themselves, each Wizard Guard throwing a heavy jinx that hit the henchmen in the backs. The large men fell to their knees and crumpled to the ground.
Cham and Gibbs ran toward the guards, grabbing them underneath the arms and dragging them inside the corn. When the men were well hidden, they tied them together and covered their mouths with a muffling spell.
As quickly as they had come, they swept through the corn back to the scout team.
“Anyone else out there?” Milo asked.
“We’re clean,” Cham responded.
Annie slipped outside of the corn with Jack following so close behind that she could feel his breath on her neck. They stopped behind an animal hauler, presumably the vehicle that had brought the zombies to the farm. She poked her head around the edge and stared into the building’s window. A man barked orders as two others followed anxiously. Two average-sized men and one large woman bent over, reached out, and dragged a heavy object.
Probably positioning the zombies.
Reanimated zombies limped aimlessly across the building, their soft moans escaping through their rotted mouths. The inhuman sound carried on the wind. Annie shuddered.
“It’s busy in there,” she whispered.
Crouching low, Annie and Jack scrambled for the window, squatting below the sill. Carefully, she stood and peered inside, putting a person, vampire, or zombie to the sound of pulling, dragging and moaning. Workers were positioning the bodies in rows of ten, spacing them evenly both vertically and horizontally. Several vampires took pleasure in ordering humans about and laughing at them. Many took time to kick and poke the dead bodies—playing with them as if they were toys. Annie cringed, her hands balled to fists. Cham lightly touched her hand from behind.
“Enough!” a voice shouted above the din as the last of the bodies were dragged from a trailer, parked near an open garage door to Annie’s left.
A door squeaked as the wheels rolled through the tracks. When the garage door hit the ground, a lock clicked shut. Rathbone entered their view, carrying a velvet-covered box that he placed on the floor beside the first row of bodies. From inside his cloak, he pulled out the fake orb, which cast speckles of light on the ground and across the bodies.
A smirk crossed his lips; he was relaxed and unaware of anyone else’s presence. With light steps, Rathbone headed toward the window. Annie ducked as the wizard glanced into the darkness. Jack squeezed closer to her and held his breath; Cham grasped his arm.
“This will be the greatest test!” Rathbone shouted, turning away from the window. “Come, come. I want the first row only. No use wasting the bodies before the Day of First Sun. Is everyone in position?”
Rumbles ensued and heels bounced against the cement as the employees took their place around the first row of dead. Each of them, including Rathbone, held an orb in their palm, readying for the spell. Rathbone poured a liquid on the orb.
The zombie virus.
Wind whipped through the corn. Rathbone stopped and turned back toward the window. Seeing nothing he returned to his task and finished pouring the virus. He chanted,
“O, ancient spirits,
Send to us your gifts.
Reanimate these vessels to
Do your bidding.”
Annie and Gibbs exchanged glances, Cham held her hand as they waited for the epic failure about to come. Rathbone’s voice grew louder and more forceful as the rustling grew closer. The rest of the Wizard Guards adjusted their position.
“O, ancients spirits
Hear this cry.
Let these vessels contain
All that you have.”
Anxiety hung over the four men as they waited in silence for the spell to reanimate the bodies. The longer they all waited, the more Annie burned with anger at Sturtagaard’s capacity for evil, furious that the demon would be set
free.
All those bodies, murdered for nothing.
When the zombie army lay still lifeless on the cement floor, Rathbone showed his anger and cast a spell striking down the man to his right. The body crumpled in a dead mass on the floor. Annie jumped in horror.
“Stonewell!” he roared.
The orb felt like the others, smooth and clear, perfect in its shape, the glass unblemished and beautiful. Yet it didn’t work. Rathbone held it closer for a better look. Spotting the only imperfection, he rubbed the sphere furiously.
“It’s fake! Damn it!”
Furious, he threw the orb across the shed, shattering it against a wall. As glass rained down, a sound vibrated through the tin building, a sound much like a sick dog wailing into the night. The two men beside Rathbone held their ears to protect them from the noise. Wizard Guards poured out of the cornfield.
A flame shot through the air, hitting a vampire. The demon convulsed—his body twitched, dropped, and quivered on the floor. Steam wafted from his eyes and ears as the creature burned from the inside. The vampire screamed as the fire consumed its body, leaving a pile of ash. Its screams still echoed in the building.
Gibbs shot the next jinx, hitting Rathbone in the shoulder. Rather than engaging in battle, the dark wizard ran through the growing skirmish. Panic gripped Annie with Rathbone’s escape. “I’m going in.” She climbed through the window. Jack threw a leg over the sill to follow, but Cham grabbed his collar and shook his head.
“You’re with me now.”
The Wizard Guards rushed the building.
*
Jack sighed, pulled his frame through the window, and trailed Cham into the fray. Wizard Guards reached for and grabbed vampires, plunging thick pointed stakes plunged through their hearts. Gibbs ran grunting through the commotion, throwing punches at one of Rathbone’s men who wore a blue suit with a purple ascot. The man’s head popped backwards; sneered and etaliated.
Watching the melee, Jack grabbed the amulet under his shirt. It offered no comfort.
“You okay, Jack?” Cham asked, anxious to join.
The Day of First Sun (Annie Loves Cham Book 1) Page 31
