by J. C. Diem
Chapter Thirteen
~~~ Violet’s World ~~~
VIOLET’S PHONE RANG and Reynolds’ name appeared on the screen. All conversation halted when she answered it and put him on speaker. “You have news?” she said.
He sounded weary when he replied. “Yeah, but it isn’t what we expected.”
“What do you mean?” Sophia asked. She wished she hadn’t lost her clairvoyance. Catching glimpses of the future had assisted them many times in the past.
“Our Captain has set some of our geeks to scouring the internet to search for anything to do with domes. One of them found something else just as strange and brought it to our attention. When I heard about it, I knew I had to alert you guys.”
“What is it?” Brie asked with a hint of impatience. She hated to be kept waiting.
“A teenage boy uploaded a photo of a hedge that he claimed appeared around his town ‘like magic’,” he replied. They could hear the quotation marks in his tone.
“When was the photo uploaded?” Violet asked.
“Last night. It must have happened shortly after Loki and his friends closed the gates to heaven and hell.”
“Has anyone checked on the town yet?” Lexi queried.
“We’ve tried calling the local Sheriff,” Reynolds said. “No one answered.”
Violet’s expression became grim. “We need to check this out. Do you want to come with us?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’m on my way to you now. I’ll be there soon.”
It would have been faster for her to teleport to him, but it would only take him a few minutes to reach their base. The police headquarters was only a few blocks away from the store. They waited in tense silence until he arrived. Seeing everyone waiting for him, he shut and locked the door. Without the angelic spells and Elijah’s blessing, their base had once again become vulnerable. Unfortunately, the spells weren’t compatible with their new allies.
Violet didn’t want to leave the place undefended while they were gone. “I’m going to have to ward the building while we’re away,” she said. “I’ll need everyone to give me some of their blood.”
Nat and Lexi exchanged glances, but the angels and humans didn’t seem to be worried. Sam headed to the kitchen and returned with the container of rancid demon blood. Violet used a paintbrush to construct two symbols on the wall. Everyone took turns to prick their fingers and add their blood to the runes. Taking their turns to dab their blood on the symbols, Nat and Lexi stepped back to watch what was going to happen next.
Smearing demon blood on her palm, Violet pressed it against the runes. They flared crimson when they became activated and the blood dried instantly. Neither of her new friends gave any signs that the demonic magic was harmful to them.
“What do these spells do?” Lexi asked.
Violet pointed to the one on the left. “That one stops anyone from being able to teleport in or out who doesn’t have their blood mixed in with it. The other one stops everyone but us from being able to open the doors.” There was an angelic spell that could also lock the doors, but she couldn’t use it while her new friends were here.
“Neat,” Nat said in admiration. “Can anyone perform these sorts of spells?”
“Nope. Only demons can activate them, just like only angels can activate angelic spells.”
Nat’s face fell a bit. “That’s a pity. It would have been fun to try some of them out.”
Sam’s expression of horror was almost comical. “You would not say that if you knew how perilous the runes can be.”
“How dangerous are they?” Lexi asked.
“Most of them are pretty destructive,” Violet told her. “Think fireballs, pools of acid, tornados and other fun things like that.”
“Awesome,” Nat said wistfully and Brie looked at her askance.
“Your idea of fun is very different from mine,” Lexi said.
“Are you telling me you aren’t tempted to try to fry something with a fireball?” Nat demanded. Seeing the indecision on the werewolf’s face, she grinned. “Admit it, Lexi, you’re just as curious as I am.”
“Fine,” Lexi conceded. “It would be cool to try it, but I think I’ll give the acid one a miss.”
“Good call,” Violet said dryly. “I accidentally melted my hand off the first time I let Sy use it.”
Nat, Sam and Leo all sniggered and even Lexi had a hard time controlling her laughter. Brie was the only one who wore a sour expression. Either her sense of humor was almost non-existent, or she kept it so well in check that it rarely manifested itself.
“Where is the town that you think has been attacked?” Nathan asked Reynolds as he crossed to Violet and placed his hand on her shoulder. It was their unspoken rule that he would go with her wherever she went, except when it came to hell. Angels couldn’t survive in the underworld and demons couldn’t survive in heaven.
“To a small town in Nebraska called Oakdale,” the detective replied.
That was all the information Violet required. Calling on her celestial magic to hone in on the town, she teleported them to its outskirts. It was the middle of the day now, but no sound or movement came from within the town. Most of the doors to the houses stood open. Some had been kicked open from the looks of it.
Standing in full sunlight, Nat was relieved when she didn’t burst into flames. The sun didn’t seem to affect her at all in this dimension. She wouldn’t have to suffer through the indignity of becoming an unanimated corpse during daylight hours this time.
Nathan studied strange footprints in the soil of a nearby yard. “Whatever creatures made these did not come from this world.” The footprints were humanoid, but they were subtly different.
“I don’t see any signs of a magical hedge,” Brie noted.
Reynolds pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed them the photo that had been posted online. The shrub was dense, was at least twenty feet high and sported wicked looking thorns. “It was here,” he said as he looked around. “But it’s gone now.”
“So are the humans who lived here,” Elijah said in sorrow. Clutching himself, he shivered. “Can anyone else sense that?”
Lexi and Violet felt it as well. “It’s magic,” Lexi said and put her hand on her gun. “It’s everywhere.” It clung to the very air and it was almost thick enough to swallow.
“It feels evil,” Sam said. He’d changed dramatically from the imp he’d once been, but he hadn’t lost all of his former skills. “Whoever these beings are, they are at least as malevolent as demons.”
“Great. That’s just what we need,” Violet muttered and leaned against Nathan. He put his arm around her and held her close. They still didn’t know who Loki’s new allies were, but they seemed to be just as dangerous as she’d expected.
Reynolds loped off to investigate the town and they all spread out to help search. An hour later, they met outside a deserted coffee shop on the main street. “There were few signs of violence and no bodies,” the detective reported.
“Loki doesn’t intend to kill the humans,” Violet said. “He plans to enslave them.”
“The captives have probably been sent to Asgard, or to the world where Loki’s new allies live,” Nat added. Her tone was serious for once. “There’s nothing we can do for them now.”
Violet’s friends were disheartened to hear that. They’d hoped to quell the invasion quickly and easily, but that hope had just been dashed. Several hundred humans had already been lost and many more would surely follow.
“Put magical plants that appear from nowhere on your list of things to search for,” Violet advised Reynolds.
“I’ve already passed that information on to my Captain,” he said grimly. The cyber geeks were working overtime to locate any towns that had been affected by the invaders few even knew about. He expected there were more victims that they weren’t aware of yet.
Chapter Fourteen
~~~ Violet’s World ~~~
AFTER STRIPPING OAKDALE of its people and m
etal that could be easily carried away, Loki and his allies headed to another small town. When the bulk of their army had leaped through the portals to land in their new location, Rho’s remaining shamans began to transfer the devices through. In short order, a single portal remained. Leaning through one of the devices that was still aimed at Oakdale, Loki reached out and used his magic to draw the lone portal to himself.
So far, they had left little trace of their presence behind. It would be a mystery what had happened to the missing souls until he was ready to attack a larger city. Then the entire world would soon discover that they were under threat. Loki was rather looking forward to his notoriety. It wouldn’t exactly be a new experience for him. He’d been well-known on Asgard, and many other worlds, for his trickery and malice.
Once again, the Grimgorg and faeries spread out to subdue the townsfolk. They went about it much more stealthily this time. Loki had seen the small devices most of the humans seemed to have near to hand even when they were sleeping. They were clearly used for communication. He didn’t want news to spread about their invasion just yet. The devices were sent to Asgard, along with other metal objects. Rho’s shamans were crafting more of the magical collars by melting down whatever scraps of metal they could find.
Nifirial and his kin used their magic sparingly as they joined small groups of Grimgorg magicians and warriors. They helped prevent the humans from fleeing, but they were far more circumspect this time. Creating a twenty-foot hedge to surround an entire town had been a statement of their power, but it wasn’t something they could duplicate over and over without draining themselves. Instead, they used their innate glamour to bedazzle the hapless humans. One look into their strange, pale eyes was enough to captivate them. Humans were ridiculously easy to bend to their will.
Watching Loki from the corner of his eye, Nifirial knew he wouldn’t be as easy to beguile. He planned to collect the most attractive specimens of each world that he conquered. Loki was handsome enough to become one of his playthings. Unfortunately, the Asgardian’s mind was far too strong for him to control. That might change once he’d consumed enough Grimgorg magic. Nifirial didn’t discriminate between males and females when it came to sex. He enjoyed both equally. Picturing Loki naked, bound and helpless gave him a thrill he could barely contain.
Catching the faery lord watching him, Loki saw his unmistakable lust and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He’d been propositioned many times by many different types of men, women and even alien creatures. With all of his magical power, Nifirial was a slave to his impulses. It was almost disappointing to discover his new ally possessed such a basic flaw. It was also something to keep in mind. While he wasn’t sexually inclined towards men, he wasn’t above flirting with them to get what he wanted.
Rho observed the byplay between Loki and Nifirial and shook his head in contempt as he entered a house in search of captives. His kind were above petty emotions such as lust. The strongest warriors and shamans bred with the hardiest of their females to produce as many offspring as possible. Their world was dying, which is why he’d leaped at the chance to become allies with Loki when he’d appeared so suddenly in a swamp near his village. They needed a new home that wouldn’t implode sometime in the next thousand years or so. Asgard was suitable, but there were many more planets out there that the Grimgorg could colonize. With the aid of billions of human slaves, they could use the portals that Loki had altered and take over every world that they’d discovered through spying.
Distracted by delusions of grandeur, Rho started when a human leaped at him from the shadows of a bedroom. He managed to raise his staff in time to deflect the knife that had been aimed at his face. Activating the staff, poison spewed from the tip. Rho was immune to the toxin, but the human choked on the green mist. Clutching his throat, his skin turned blue as he fought for air. He let out a muffled scream as his insides became liquified. Eyes bulging in agony and horror, he was dead within seconds.
Rho’s small entourage of five shamans came at a run when they heard a struggle. They stared at the deceased civilian, then looked at their leader for orders. “Leave him,” he said. “It will be a lesson to the humans, warning them what they will suffer if they dare to defy us.”
Bowing obediently, they searched the rest of the house, but it was empty of life. They trooped outside and stealthily broke into the house next door. This time, they managed to subdue the inhabitants without resorting to killing them.
Stripping the town of its civilians and metal, they moved on to the next one. Their stealth attacks netted them several thousand captives before dawn. It also gave them the opportunity to learn how to work with the fae.
Loki kept a close watch on his allies to see how the faeries and Grimgorg interacted. It helped that his allies could use spells to communicate with each other. Although heavily outnumbered, the fae were clearly a force to be reckoned with. They integrated with the small green aliens well, but they couldn’t quite hide their contempt for the hideous Grimgorg. In return, Rho and his kin stoically tolerated the faeries’ presence. Loki had no doubt they would all turn on each other in an instant if they felt threatened.
Seeing Nifirial leaving a house with a collared girl following at his heels, Loki noted she was sporting bruises and her face was tearstained. About fourteen in human years, she was undeniably beautiful. Her hair was short, black and framed a heart-shaped face. Her lips were almost too full and her body was curvy. “Isn’t she a bit young?” he said when he sauntered over to the faery lord. Even deeply beneath the spell, she seemed a little more dazed than usual.
Flicking a glance at his prize, Nifirial grinned slyly. “I like them young and pure. Unblemished females are particularly satisfying.”
“What about unblemished males?” Loki said with a raised brow and a suggestive smile. “Do you not find them to your liking?”
Nifirial’s reply was cynical. “Is any male truly unblemished? Even if their flesh is untouched, their minds usually become corrupted at an early age.”
Loki’s certainly had been and he chuckled. “Perhaps you are right,” he said flirtatiously. “We men do seem to revel in carnal thoughts far earlier than females.”
Ensnared by Loki’s beauty, Nifirial had to tear his gaze away from the Asgardian’s face. His Queen had cursed him so that an impossible type of undead creature would be his undoing, but he secretly wondered if sex would be the key to his end. He’d allowed his baser instincts to rule him for most of his lengthy life. It was his darkest desires that had allowed him to be caught and banished by Odin. He couldn’t allow his attraction to Loki to become his ruin again. “They say that women are the more treacherous gender,” Nifirial said. “In my experience, men are far more dangerous.”
Loki understood the unspoken message that the faery lord wasn’t going to fall for his games and mentally cursed. The fae were intelligent and were far more sophisticated than most species he’d dealt with. They wouldn’t be as easy to manipulate as Rho and his ilk were. He would have to tread more carefully in the future.
Chapter Fifteen
~~~ Violet’s World ~~~
REYNOLDS RECEIVED A call before Violet could whisk them all back to their base. “What have you got for me, Gomez?” he said. His partner, Angelica Gomez, had been possessed by a demon during their last disaster, but she’d survived the ordeal. Instead of falling into the depths of despair at the horrible things she’d been made to do, she’d rallied herself. She’d been cleared to return to work and was currently manning a desk. Soon, she would return to field duty.
“Several more towns have gone dark near Oakdale,” she said. He’d put the phone on speaker so they could all hear her. Gomez was a Latina and spoke with a slight accent. “We have tried to contact them, but no one is answering.”
“Which towns?” he asked and flipped his notebook open. She rattled off four names and he jotted them down. “We’ll check them out,” he said when he was done.
“Be careful,” Gomez warned him
. “We don’t know who, or what we’re dealing with yet.”
They hung up and he slipped his phone back into his jacket. This time, Nathan provided their transportation and teleported them to the first town on the list. Like Oakdale, this place was deserted. Once again, they spread out to look for clues.
Nat and Lexi had paired up to search. They were approaching their third house when Lexi smelled something rank. She grabbed Nat before she could open the door. “Do you smell that?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Nat replied and wrinkled her nose. “Something is very dead in there.”
“There’s more than just putrefaction,” Lexi said in an almost clinical tone. “I’m picking up on something else.”
Violet materialized beside them, making them both start. She’d been on the far side of town, but it was so quiet here that she’d heard their conversation. “You found a body?” she asked as the rest of her friends appeared. Sophia had paired up with Reynolds and Nathan had been escorting Elijah. The humans were too fragile to be left alone.
“It might not be safe to enter,” Lexi warned them when Reynolds took a step towards the door. “I think some kind of poison killed whoever is in there.”
“She’s right,” Nat said. “I can’t smell any blood, just a horrible stench like rotting vegetables.”
“Someone needs to take a look,” the detective said grimly.
Nat forced out a sigh and held her hand out for his phone. “I’m the only one who doesn’t need to breathe. I’ll go in and take some photos of the corpse.”
Handing his phone over with a grateful look, Reynolds motioned for everyone else to step back. Angels were impervious to most harmful substances, but there was no need to put them at risk. Sending the only fully undead creature among them into the house was their best option.
