Alex halted in front of Cassie then turned and grabbed her elbow, pulling her in close to him. “Take this.” He handed her his pistol.
She only hesitated for a moment before taking the weapon. “Is there a—”
“Yes. There’s a round chambered, but the safety is on. Please be careful.”
“You’re chasing a giant fire-breathing death-gaze lizard…” She slipped the weapon into the large cargo pocket in her combat pants. The angular features of the weapon dug into her skin through the fabric, but she was just happy to be armed at all even if it was just a pistol. “And you’re worried about me shooting myself?”
“It’s my ass if you do.”
“Don’t worry.” She slapped him on his butt as she walked past him. “We wouldn’t want anything happening to that ass, now, would we?”
She breathed in the cool night air, feeling her senses come alive. She was still terrified—only a moron wouldn’t be. But as the adrenaline coursed through her, she also felt energized.
That goddamned thing had killed Alice, and it needed to be stopped. If anyone had any chance of doing that, it was these guys. And they had taken down the hellhounds easily enough. But it isn’t just a fire-breathing dog, is it? It’s a freaking giant monster that rips buildings apart and destroys tanks.
They pushed on through the woods at a fast pace. Her breathing became more strained, and she began to lean into each step, forcing herself to keep up. If nothing else, she was definitely getting her fitness groove back.
* * *
Maelhrandia and Gazekiller didn’t go far into the woods before she stopped to assess their situation. Through the mind-tether, she could still feel the effects of the manling poison on Gazekiller’s consciousness, clouding his thinking, making him want to lie down and sleep. Once again, she focused a weave of magic into the basilisk’s blood, trying to burn away more of the drugs. She had to be so careful, though: too much magic, and she might hurt the basilisk, maybe even kill him. Damn those evil manlings to the Red Ether!
They had come so close to capturing Gazekiller. His Death-Gaze had failed, and she didn’t understand why. It had never—not ever—failed before. Had it not been for her… she shook her head, feeling a cold spike of fear run through her. That had been a near thing but necessary. Still, she needed to be more careful. It was too soon to reveal her presence. She was the first of her kind to return, and she was alone here, vulnerable. What would happen if she failed? Would her mother send other scouts? Of course she will. I would.
This was the Old World. It belonged to the fae seelie. They would not abandon it now that they had found the path back again.
Her eyes narrowed. She had heard something. Ordering the still-groggy basilisk to remain, she leapt into the branches of a tall tree and lithely climbed to its top. From its summit, she saw the lights of the manlings as they moved through the woods behind her. They were tracking Gazekiller.
She wasn’t surprised. After all, she had goaded them for just that purpose. Still, this night had not turned out as she had expected, and Gazekiller, it seemed, was vulnerable to their weapons. She needed to be very careful.
From a pouch within her cloak, she removed the Shatkur Orb and stared into its dark depths. She’d create another local Gateway for her mount, just as she had done after trying—and failing—to kill that golden-haired mage. This time, though, she’d send Gazekiller behind the trackers. A sly smile crept across her delicate features. She dropped back to the ground, held the orb before her, and began to draw magic, sending the weaves into the orb, empowering it.
Despite the setbacks, her plan might still work after all.
Chapter 32
Cassie stopped abruptly. Paco and Alex turned to stare at her.
“Something just used mana.”
“Where?” Alex asked.
“Ahead of us.”
“The basilisk,” Paco said. “It must be. That’s what you’re sensing.”
“I don’t know,” said Cassie. “This felt… different. It’s hard to explain.”
“Could it be that creature you saw at the riverbank, the ape thing?” Alex asked.
Cassie paused. “Maybe. I don’t know. This is all new to me. But something just used mana.”
“Well,” said Alex, “how far?”
“Just ahead, not far. I think—”
“Wait.” Alex raised his hand to his ear. After several seconds, he acknowledged the radio message he had just received. Then he looked up at Cassie. “Elizabeth just felt it as well, but she thinks it was the basilisk.”
“How would she know? She’s never even seen it.”
“Let’s go. Everybody be ready.” Alex pointed at Ramirez, who had moved closer to listen to their conversation. “We get a chance, use the tranq gun. If not, we’re going to put it down with everything we’ve got.”
Ramirez shook his head. “That’s not what Buck—”
“I don’t give a damn. We have civilians with us, and I’m not risking lives on the chance we might be able to weaponize this thing.”
Weaponize this thing? Cassie stared at him. Is he kidding?
Ramirez opened his mouth to argue, but Alex had already turned away to address the others. “Okay, kill the white lights. We go with night vision from this point on.”
Paco stepped forward. “I’m not sure I can track it with—”
“It’s cool, Paco.” Alex reached out and gripped Cassie’s shoulder. “Our little blond mine canary will let us know if it gets too close.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think—”
He squeezed her shoulder. “Yes, you can. So just do it, all right?”
Sighing, she nodded.
They strapped their GPNVGs on and turned off their flashlights. Cassie was amazed again at how well she could see with the night-vision device. The hunting party moved forward again, more carefully this time. After a few minutes, she saw a clearing ahead of them. Even she could make out the massive tracks the basilisk had made as it crossed the open ground. Paco dropped down on one knee, examining the ground.
And then Cassie felt something. She looked about herself and then up into the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. Puzzled, she stared into the branches of a tree, near its summit. It was hard to describe, but she felt as if something were watching her. A presence she couldn’t explain pulled her attention to the branches of that one particular tree. She opened her mouth to say something to the others but then closed it again. There was nothing there. Her imagination was playing tricks on her. That was all.
Paco stood up, looked over his shoulder, and nodded at Alex. Alex led them into the clearing, and Cassie, still feeling… something drawing her attention to that one tree, followed.
* * *
Maelhrandia, cloaked in Shadow-Soul, watched the manlings enter her killing ground. Her plan was simple. The best ones always were. As the manlings reached the center of the clearing, she’d cast Drake’s-Gift among them. When they ran about, burning, Gazekiller—now behind them thanks to the Shatkur Orb—would charge into them and feast. The manlings might be able to somehow resist his Death-Gaze, but there was no defense against his claws and fangs.
What a travesty it would be for the manlings, she thought, smiling to herself. Why, then they’d have to bring in someone important to take charge—a leader or a war chief. They’ll bring their leader to me.
She smiled as the manling hunting party approached. Now, they wore their strange masks again, but she still recognized the hideous golden-haired mage. Good.
This time, the mage wouldn’t escape. She briefly considered taking her alive but discarded the idea almost instantly. Her mother hadn’t sent her here to capture a lowly mage, particularly one as weak as this. The manlings, led by their tracker, came closer, and Maelhrandia drew magic within her, preparing her spell.
* * *
Almost halfway into the clearing, Paco stopped again and stared at the ground before him.
“What is it?” Ale
x said from behind him.
Cassie paused as well, still staring intently at that damned tree. There’s nothing there, so why—
“The tracks are gone,” Paco said, the confusion clear in his voice.
Cassie tore her eyes from the tree to examine the ground in front of them. It didn’t take an expert to see that the giant paw prints that had torn the soft ground up just stopped abruptly as if the basilisk had just vanished in the middle of the clearing.
“This is all wrong,” said Alex, looking around. “We’re too exposed out here. We’ll pull back and—”
Magic flared into being.
“Look out,” Cassie screamed. “Someone’s channeling!”
* * *
Filled with magic, Maelhrandia prepared to loose her spell. The manlings were less than a hundred paces away, right in the open. Her senses, all charged with the forces of magic, were now hyperaware. She felt a lightness in her chest and a feeling of breathlessness. This was the moment she loved, just before the kill. She’d cast her spell at the female mage, killing the most dangerous opponent first. But before she could release the spell, she felt magic well up from the forest just behind her.
She was the one being ambushed! Only the razor-sharp instincts honed from survival amongst her sisters saved her life. In an instant, she refocused the magic she had been about to cast, turning it into Egis’s-Shield instead, sending it behind her. A bolt of brilliant blue Storm-Tongue arced up into the tree, striking her poorly formed shield and shredding it, throwing her from the branches to the ground.
Merciless Mother—no one is that powerful!
She landed on her feet, despite falling a dozen strides, and spun to face her attacker, already weaving another shield.
Once again, a massive bolt of Storm-Tongue cut across the ground, smashing into her new shield and throwing her back through the air again. In the glow of the strike, she had the briefest glimpse of her attacker: a giant bipedal beast with long limbs and a shaggy coat of fur.
An Ancient One, she realized with horror. They still live!
She lay on her back, gasping for air, her skin clammy. Pain pulsed through her skull, making it difficult to think. Her spell—though poorly formed—had still managed to blunt the worst of the attack, but she couldn’t possibly survive another.
In desperation, she called for help through the mind-tether.
Come to me, mighty one. Save me!
* * *
Pandemonium erupted in the clearing. Cassie fell to the ground as a bright flash of lightning lit up the night. It was so powerful it washed out their GPNVGs. Then—from the woods just behind them—came the snapping of trees, the unmistakable staccato roaring of the basilisk.
She tore away her now-useless night vision glasses, dropping them, and stared about herself wild-eyed, still seeing nothing but spots. At that moment, another bolt of lightning erupted from the trees in front of them, turning night into day again. The basilisk burst from behind them, smashing several trees down, coming straight at them. She dropped to the ground and covered her head with her hands. The stench of ozone burnt in the air, and the ground shook under the pounding of the basilisk’s charge. It barreled through them. One of the others flew through the air like a bowling pin. A long burst of automatic fire lit up the night. Alex was screaming orders, trying to control the situation.
Cassie lost it. In terror, she jumped to her feet and ran for the trees, not knowing which direction she was going and not caring.
* * *
Once again, the Ancient One launched Storm-Tongue at Maelhrandia. It was so powerful, so strong. Again, her shield ruptured under its impact. The legends were true. Maelhrandia had never believed them before, but they were true nonetheless. Aeons ago, these monsters had driven her people from this realm. They were still here, still all-powerful.
And this one was going to kill her. In helpless frustration, she launched her own attack, sending a weak fireball at her foe. But her efforts were distracted by the need to keep re-forming her shield. The monster blocked her clumsy spell, sending the fireball crashing into the trees nearby and catching them aflame. She had been so certain the legends had been false, or that none of the Ancient Ones yet lived. It had been so long ago. If only they had known, she would have begged her mother to send more scouts—or an army.
As her foe launched another attack, an uncomfortable thought occurred to Maelhrandia: what if her mother had suspected the Ancient Ones still lived? Perhaps that was why she had sent Maelhrandia alone: she was expendable. Her presence had drawn out the Ancient One, and her failure to return from this realm would confirm her mother’s suspicions.
One more Storm-Tongue blast hit her, shattering her shield. Exhausted, Maelhrandia could only raise herself up on hands and knees and glare defiance. And now, I die.
The demon stepped closer, and she saw it clearly. She had grown up studying their caricature on the murals of her mother’s palace. Truly creatures of nightmare, they were more than twice her height and at least four times her weight. Long limbed and covered in disgusting fur, its giant gaping teeth were bared, ready to devour her. What a cosmic joke. As horrific and bestial as they were, somehow these monsters were masters of magic.
“Damn you to the Red Ether, demon,” she said as she clutched her dagger before her, intending to die fighting as befitted a princess of the fae seelie. “You may kill me, but we know where you are now. Others will follow, others will hunt you down, and we will eradicate your kind. We are stronger now than we were before. So much stronger.”
It didn’t speak. Perhaps it couldn’t. Perhaps it didn’t understand her words, or perhaps it didn’t care. It raised a long arm and pointed it at Maelhrandia, and then she saw it wore a glove with silver chains. She gasped, suddenly understanding what it was: a talisman! Her people’s ancient texts spoke of this legendary weapon wielded by the foe. No wonder its attack had been so strong.
Trees crashed behind her. Gazekiller!
The Ancient One reacted instantly to this new threat, releasing its bolt of arcane lightning at the basilisk instead of at her. Gazekiller roared in challenge as it leapt over Maelhrandia, crashing into the monster. Basilisk and demon rolled across the forest floor, shattering trees.
In a moment, the forest was silent and dark once again.
Then Gazekiller limped to her. The air stank of charred lizard flesh, and she felt his terrible pain through the mind-tether, but he lived. She leapt onto his back and ordered him to run. He screamed in agony and pawed at the soft ground. Then he took off, leaving smashed trees in his wake. She clung to his neck, too terrified to look behind her, expecting a bolt of magical fire at any moment. But the attack never came.
She had survived a confrontation with an Ancient One, the first of the fae seelie to have done so in living memory. If she survived this night, she’d be a hero, a legend among her people. And she’d have much to tell her mother, the woman who had sent her to her death. Much indeed.
Chapter 33
Lost and becoming increasingly frantic, Cassie stumbled through the dark woods. She knew she had to still be close to the others; there hadn’t been enough time for her to go far. Her night-vision glasses were gone, and she had only the moonlight by which to see. She did have a small flashlight, but she was afraid the basilisk might detect it.
She no longer heard the monster’s roars, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still out there, silently stalking them. She needed a radio. The others all had a radio. She was out there risking her life just like them. Being left out was bullshit. She should have the same gear as the rest of the task force. If she got out of these woods alive, she was going to tear a strip off somebody.
Cassie suddenly remembered the pistol Alex had given her. She drew it from her pocket, being careful not to snag its hammer on the fabric. The last thing she needed was to shoot herself in the foot. Holding the weapon in both hands, she began to move in the direction she thought she had come from, hoping she was heading back toward the oth
ers and not straight at the basilisk.
The cool night air brushed against her sweaty skin. Fortunately, this part of the woods was open with little underbrush; otherwise, moving at all in the dark would have been much harder. Alone, she realized the forest was a lot noisier than she’d thought, and every time she heard the rustling of leaves or a branch creaking in the wind, she almost jumped out of her skin.
How did it get behind us? The basilisk had had them cold and could have killed them all before they even had a chance to fight back. But instead, it had simply charged through them as if they were in its way. And someone had been channeling mana; she was sure of it—an enormous amount of mana. There was no way it had been the basilisk this time. There was someone else out here who could use magic. They had all seen and heard the flashes of lightning in the trees ahead of them. She could still smell the ozone in the air.
Where were Alex and the others? Were they even still alive? She considered calling out for them but immediately discarded that idea. Maybe she’d wait for them to find her. If she kept moving in the dark, she might get even more lost. But she just couldn’t stay put; she was too frightened.
Then, she felt someone channeling. It was just a trickle of mana but coming from close by just ahead of her. It wasn’t the basilisk. When the basilisk and the hellhounds used mana, it felt more… natural. This felt arcane, artificial. She stood silently, gripped by indecision.
What are you doing, dummy? You can’t just stand here. Do something!
Taking several deep breaths, she stepped off toward the source of the channeling—and immediately tripped and fell, smashing her knee and dropping the pistol. Goddamn it!
Sighing, she pulled out her flashlight and turned it on. If she kept stumbling about in the dark, she was going to shoot herself. If the basilisk were still looking for her, it would have found her by now. Probably.
Starlight (The Dark Elf War Book 1) Page 26
