The Ghoul Vendetta

by Lisa Shearin

  Roy had wandered over and looked at the six-foot-eight vampire with approval. Then he glanced at Moreau. “Permission to share a little, sir?” The Cajun commander grinned. “Seeing that I think he and his friends are going in regardless of whether we want him to or not.”

  Moreau nodded. “Agreed. Though he knows about Janus taking Ian, just not the details.”

  “Then you know we’re going in there to rescue one of our own,” Roy said to Vlad. “Janus will be using those relics to boost this ritual he’s doing, which involves him sacrificing our agent. Chances are the relics and our man will be in close proximity, meaning we’re all heading for the same place.”

  “And you intend to kill anything that keeps you from getting there?” Vlad asked.

  “That’s the plan. I sure as hell don’t think they’re gonna step aside if we ask nicely.”

  The vampire’s pale eyes glittered. “I was not going to ask.”

  Roy grinned. “A man after my own heart.”

  “I will be going in with my people,” Moreau told Vlad. “We can increase our chances of success if we act together. Yasha Kazakov tells me that you are a man of honor, a man whose word, once given, is his bond.”

  “If you do not have honor, you are not a man.”

  “Wisely said. I propose an alliance. You and your friends help us retrieve our agent; we will assist you with the relics. It is in everyone’s best interests if all of the stolen relics are returned to their families. That is your intent, is it not?”

  “It is.” The vampire grinned. “Any day I can maintain my honor and make a profit is a good day.”

  • • •

  The sun had gone down behind Storm King Mountain.

  Our section of the park was empty, as had been confirmed by our park ranger friends.

  Time to get ready to go.

  “Makenna.”

  I stopped.

  Alain Moreau’s voice hadn’t been loud. It didn’t need to be. The entire conversation we were about to have had just been summed up by using my first name rather than “Agent Fraser.” I’d heard the same on numerous occasions from my mom or Grandma Fraser when I’d been on my way out of the house to do something I had no business getting into. Though if it’d been Mom or Grandma Fraser, they’d have used “Makenna Anne” or “Makenna Anne Fraser.”

  Alain Moreau was about to strongly suggest that I stay on this side of the river tonight. Actually, it’d be more like an order. Though orders came from mere managers. Commands came from managers who were also vampires.

  And I knew all of this from the sound of my name.

  Vivienne Sagadraco could read my thoughts; and when she allowed me to, I could read hers. Alain Moreau had that vampire mind-reading thing going on. As a vampire—and me as a human—he could also influence my thoughts.

  I knew he wouldn’t do that.

  “I have to go, sir,” I said quietly. “Please don’t ask me to stay away.” I paused and gathered my nerve for what I had to say. It’d been running through my mind in a near-constant loop, but it was time to say it out loud. “If we can’t get Ian back, and there was something I could have done to help, I’d never be able to forgive myself. At that point, I might as well be dead, too. Can you understand that?”

  It was hard to read emotion on a vampire. It wasn’t that they didn’t have any; they had plenty. My theory was that when you didn’t breathe, your facial muscles simply didn’t move all that much.

  Alain Moreau wasn’t moving now.

  I would rather it if he did.

  “I understand,” he finally said. “You understand that it is my job to keep my people from needless risk.”

  “This risk isn’t needless, sir.”

  “I know. Not for someone who is qualified to take that risk. You’re not qualified. You know this.”

  It took everything I had to keep my voice level and calm. “Yes, sir, I do know. I’ll be with Rake. He’s already tried to talk me out of it and knows that he can’t. Our commandos don’t need to watch out for me. I’d never jeopardize a mission by being a burden on our people. And I know I’m not qualified to go up against any of those Fomorians. What skills I do have probably won’t be needed—but they might. If they are, and I’m not there to help . . . well, sir, like I said, I’d never forgive myself.”

  “I don’t doubt your bravery, Makenna.”

  I half smiled. “I’m glad one of us thinks I’m being brave right now. Truth is, I’m scared to death of what’s over there, and what’s between us and what’s over there; but I can’t and won’t let that stop me from doing what I know is right, what I know I have to do.”

  Moreau was looking over my left shoulder.

  I half turned.

  Rake stood in the shadows, leaning against a tree.

  “I see you’re not having any better luck,” the goblin noted wryly.

  “You expected me to?” Moreau asked.

  “Not really.” Rake pushed away from the tree with his shoulder, and walked over to us. “Though not due to any lack of persuasiveness on your part, but due to Makenna’s determination.”

  I snorted. “At least you didn’t call me stubborn.”

  “I was being diplomatic. I’ll see to it that Makenna won’t be involved in any ground fighting,” he told Moreau, “and will be able to retreat quickly, if need be.”

  Rake and Moreau exchanged a look. The vampire almost smiled and nodded. “Very well.”

  I glanced back and forth between them. “Ground fighting? As opposed to what?”

  33

  RAKE led me, Roy, Sandra, and Moreau to a clearing the size of school baseball field.

  It was empty, but Rake held up a hand and we all stopped on the edge of the tree line, waiting for what, I had no clue.

  I didn’t have to wait long for my clue—or to be nearly knocked to the ground by a sudden burst of wind and stink of sulfur as something massive blocked out the moon and soared overhead.

  Dragon.

  The last time a dragon had swooped that close over my head, it’d been Vivienne Sagadraco’s dragon sister Tiamat nearly roasting and eviscerating me in the middle of Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

  No one else threw themselves to the ground, so I held still.

  I did, however, duck my head when the next one came in for a landing.

  “Where are they coming—”

  “They’re with us,” Rake assured me with a fierce smile. “Janus isn’t the only one who can play with portals.” He walked a little way out into the clearing, turned and pointed up.

  The night sky was dark, but a square of starless black was open in the sky just above the trees. It was about the length and height of a tractor trailer—just wide enough and tall enough to admit the dragons as they flew through the portal from wherever they’d come from.

  In their dragon forms, Vivienne Sagadraco and her sister Tiamat were as tall as three-story buildings. The dragons and their riders that were coming through the portal at the rate of one every thirty seconds were smaller, but no less awe inspiring.

  “Your transportation, Commanders,” Rake said with a flourish. “As promised.”

  “I must admit,” Sandra said. “They are impressive.”

  “We call them sentry dragons,” Rake said with no small measure of pride. “Fire-breathing, nimble, and intelligent. They’re used by the military and law enforcement back home.”

  I think my mouth had fallen open. “What the NYPD wouldn’t give for some of those.” Then my eyes widened to match my gaping mouth as I realized why Roy hadn’t been concerned about getting over to the island without being attacked by the kraken.

  “We’re flying over on those.” I didn’t ask it as a question, more as a statement of disbelief.

  “Yes, we are.” Rake started across the clearing toward the line of eleven sentry dr
agons. Their armored goblin riders had dismounted, and the one who had been the first to come through the portal waved to Rake.

  “Captain Calik Bakari,” Rake told us by way of introduction as we got closer. “A friend, and one of the best dragon pilots you’ll ever meet.”

  “And the others?” Sandra asked. “Are they police, or—”

  “Rheskilian Royal Fighter Squadron,” Rake replied. “Calik and his squad patrol the area off the coast of Davans Perch back home. Calik and I have known each other almost all our lives. They’re similar to the Coast Guard here.”

  “And their commander approved this?” Roy asked.

  Rake grinned. “That would be Calik; so yes, he did.”

  The goblin captain removed his helmet, revealing a boyishly handsome face with a cheerful smile—that is if anything with fangs could be described as cheerful.

  “Based on what Rake said you needed done,” Calik said, “I thought a quarter of my people would be sufficient. We can’t exactly run off for a few hours and leave the coast unguarded right now.”

  Rake frowned. “Problems?”

  “Probably. The Khrynsani found some new friends to play with. Off-world friends with their own army.”

  Rake started to ask another question, but Calik raised his hand. “Later. Come meet your transportation.”

  And with that, I got closer to a sentry dragon than I’d ever wanted to be.

  Their bodies were the size of Clydesdales, each bat-like wing the width of a two-lane road. The eyes were saucer-sized with a slit pupil, and they contained way too much intelligence, an intelligence that seemed to be wondering what barbeque sauce would go best with me.

  The sulfur smell came from the dragon’s insides. The insides of his nostrils glowed orange with restrained flame. If he’d have sneezed, the goblin holding his reins would’ve been toast.

  “They’re nimble, and quick enough to fly and land pretty much anywhere they want to,” Calik told us. “They’re popular with our military and law enforcement in our larger cities.”

  “I can see why,” Sandra said.

  “You did say you had a way to get us over there,” I admitted to Rake.

  “Yes.”

  “This was it all the time.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I knew you wouldn’t like it and it’s the best option we have.”

  “If I survive this, we’re gonna have a discussion about your forthrightness.”

  “You will survive, and I’ll look forward to it.”

  “No, you won’t,” I muttered.

  Rake’s out-of-town friends were armored, but it wasn’t like any armor that I had ever seen. Roy and Sandra coolly assessed the newcomers. They’d never seen their like before—at least not in our dimension.

  The dragons and their riders were armored and equipped for getting Ian off of that island, and leaving no survivors after they’d done it. They were in black from head to toe, including boots that came up to mid thigh. Their armor was leather and matte black steel; they were wearing blades anywhere and everywhere they had room, and both men and women wore their long black hair pulled back in a single goblin battle braid. They were Death personified; that is, if Death wore really hot boots.

  I had a feeling that once these goblins got within killing distance of Fomorians, things were going to get real ugly, real fast.

  It would be beautiful.

  Rake’s eyes scanned the line of dragons and stopped when it got to one that was missing something very important—a rider. He smiled and hurried over. I ran to catch up.

  “Uh, where’s its pilot?” I asked.

  Rake’s smile broadened into a grin. “You’re looking at him, lovely Makenna.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m going to the island. We’re going to the island—unless you come to your senses between now and then.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Then how could we possibly get to the island without transportation?”

  Each dragon had a saddle that would carry two riders. We had twenty commandos; there were ten dragons. Two trips over for each dragon. We could have everyone on the island without kraken interference in less than five minutes.

  Okay, this could work.

  Rake must have seen on my face that he’d won me over.

  “Not so fast, flyboy. Just how good are you on this thing?”

  “Been flying sentries and their smaller cousins since I was a boy. I was raised in Davans Perch. Its cliffs overlook the Sea of Kenyon and are surrounded by mountains much like these.” His dark eyes were sparkling with gleeful anticipation. “I’m good at many things.” He lowered his voice. “I’m exceptional at a few. Flying sentry dragons is but one of them. Did you bring the extra flight armor?” Rake called back to Calik.

  Calik sauntered over and glanced down at me with a toothy grin. “I did. And I think it’ll fit her perfectly.” He handed me what looked like a leather cat suit. “That’s the base. Put that on and Rake can help you with the rest.”

  Oh boy.

  Rake propelled me toward a rhododendron hedge with a hand at the small of my back. “You can change over there. If we’re going to die in battle, we goblins believe in leaving behind a good-looking corpse.”

  34

  IT took about half an hour, but when I’d gotten strapped and buckled into all the pieces and parts of the goblin flight suit, I was armored enough to help keep me alive. I had to admit, it was comfortable. If I couldn’t actually be a badass, at least I could look like one. I didn’t think it’d be enough to fool a Fomorian, but I could hope. As to armaments, bullets might or might not work against the types of Fomorians we found on the island. I had two guns on me, but while my shooting skills had improved a lot, that was on SPI’s firing range, not in a combat situation. There was a whole world of difference, a world I wasn’t qualified to participate in. My guns were strictly for defense; I’d leave the offense to the professionals.

  In addition to my usual daggers, Sandra had pulled me aside to give me a present from Harald Siggurson—a leather scabbard for the spearhead. I had it strapped to my thigh like a dagger; and in a pinch, I could use it like one. Nothing happened when I touched it, and like on the island, it wasn’t giving any indication that anything was going on, which made it worthless for anything but stabbing Fomorians. Though on the upside, at least it didn’t mind that I wasn’t Ian. I was carrying it now on the off chance that I could get it to Ian, and now that the spearhead had made Ian more than human, he could use it somehow. Of course, any of that was unlikely with Janus keeping Ian drugged and helpless, but I wasn’t about to leave anything behind that might be of use.

  I was as ready as I ever would be.

  I went to find Rake.

  Calik had to point him out to me. Even then, it was next to impossible to see the black-clad, gray-skinned goblin concealed in the trees next to the shoreline.

  Only a thousand feet of the Hudson separated us from Pollepel Island—and Ian.

  Twigs snapped and leaves crunched beneath my boots as I made my way down to the river’s edge where Rake stood.

  “I make more noise than a bull in a china shop.” Even so, I kept my voice down.

  “You’re human,” he said as if that explained everything.

  It did.

  Rake was a goblin dark mage, a master of magic who moved with the stealth and intense focus of a panther on the prowl. I was still fumbling with my new magical skills, and my movement? See above regarding bull in china shop.

  We were an odd couple, yet Rake kept insisting that we were a couple.

  And I was kind of starting to believe him.

  The reflection of the full moon on the river made it look more like twilight than full night. It’d make it easier for the humans in our group to see. Howeve
r, it also made it easier for whatever guards Janus had posted on the island to see us, and who knows what lurked between us and the island.

  I gazed out over the river.

  Including what swam just beneath the surface.

  There was no wind, so the river shouldn’t have been moving like it was. Something was causing the surface to ripple and swirl. Just because we couldn’t see it didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

  Not only had Janus picked a castle, he’d found one with its own nature-made moat.

  “Do Calik and his people know about the kraken?”

  “They do.”

  “Good. Cause that’d suck to get snatched out of midair.”

  “It most certainly would.”

  “Though the Fomorians—and anybody else around here—will see dragons flying over the Hudson. You wouldn’t happen to have a fix for that in your bag of tricks, would you?”

  “As a matter of fact, mounted into the dragons’ chest harnesses are ward stones that can put a veil around both dragons and riders.”

  “Nifty. What happens if or when we have to get off of the dragon?”

  “Then we’re on our own.”

  I looked back over at the island.

  It had changed.

  There was what looked like a halo around it, like the haze you’d see around the moon. It extended out into the river in all directions a couple of hundred feet, and even higher into the dark sky above the island itself.

  “What is that? Can we get through it?”

  “Oh yes. It’s a gift from the Fomorians,” Rake said. “I’ve been standing here watching it go up.”

  “I wouldn’t call anything from a Fomorian a gift.”

  “This one is. That light makes the island look deserted, quiet.”

  “Too quiet.”

  Rake nodded. “Which is their intention. They don’t want to attract attention. It’s a shield that will make any mortal who looks at the island this night see what they expect to see; and even more important, hear only the normal sounds of the night.”