Raven, Red

by Connie Suttle

  "Or we could order to-go and somebody could go pick it up," Ari suggested. She and Nico broke apart to turn toward Laronda.

  "I think I like that idea best," Laronda said. "There are plenty of chairs out here—we could have our dinner and watch the water at the same time if we want. Come back in—we can look at their menu online and place the order. We can strategize while we eat."

  "They just looked at the ground and then rushed you out of there?" Teresa Moore, an investigative reporter from San Antonio, sat across from Jeff Walker, the park ranger who'd driven FBI agents through the wildlife refuge earlier. They'd chosen a popular beer and burger restaurant in Corpus Christi to have their meeting.

  "Yep. Didn't say a thing about what they saw or what they were looking for—they just ran back to the bus, told me to get everybody out of the park and shut the place down," Jeff replied.

  "Are they planning to go back later?"

  "That's the idea I got," he shrugged. "I really shouldn't be talking to you about this, but we lost two of our own to whatever this is, and it pisses me off that they really didn't go any farther than the first crime scene."

  "Do you think it has anything to do with those zombie attacks?" Teresa pushed Jeff for an answer.

  "Those zombies will leave human footprints behind. We didn't find anything like that, and neither did the police."

  "What do you think they saw, then, that spooked them so much?"

  "I didn't say spooked," Jeff lifted a thick-cut French fry, loaded it with ketchup and stuffed it in his mouth.

  "What do you think they saw?"

  "No idea. Nothing around there but animal tracks, you know. Maybe a cow or two wandered in—we saw their tracks."

  "What happened to the cows? Did you find them?"

  "Wasn't looking for any, and nobody reported them missing. Maybe afraid to. Don't worry—if they travel into the marsh, they'll end up as alligator bait."

  "You think they'll go back tonight? The FBI agents?"

  "No idea. I did hear them discussing reinforcements—to do a wider search."

  "How many did you take into the refuge?"

  "There were eight. One was barely old enough to be an agent, I think. They all had badges though, so I didn't ask questions. The lead agent—he looked like he'd snap my head off if I asked the wrong questions anyway."

  "I don't suppose you got any pictures?"

  "No. Why the hell would I?" Jeff sputtered.

  "Never mind. Did they close off Matagorda Island, too?"

  "Yep. The whole refuge is shut down until they say it's safe to open again."

  "What about boats—are they keeping boats from passing by?"

  "They didn't say anything about that. I figure somebody could rubberneck from a boat, but they'd need powerful, night-vision binoculars or a good video camera with a telephoto lens and a night mode setting to see anything worthwhile."

  "Is there someplace close by that sells those things?"

  "There's a sporting goods store just west of here, off South Padre Island Drive."

  "Know anybody who'd rent a boat to me?"

  "I do. A close friend of mine has a big fishing boat. He'll drive it, too, because he knows where he's going. He fishes around there all the time."

  "Good. We'll take my car. I'll drive; you call your friend. We'll go on a night fishing expedition, to see if the FBI shows up at the refuge tonight."

  "Now that was a decent low-country boil," Erly said, patting his stomach. "Dirty rice was real good, too."

  "It was all good," Lance said. "I'll have to remember that place if I'm ever in the area again."

  "Claudio and Renault are on their way," Del stepped onto the balcony, closing the sliding glass door behind him. "They're flying on a private jet and bringing a few friends with them. Should be here in less than two hours."

  "Gonna be a late night, then," Erly said, rising from his chair. "Think I'll take a cat nap before they get here."

  "Lance, I need to see you, Mona and Ari for a quick meeting," Del continued as Erly made his way past Del and into the beach house.

  "Where?" Mona asked.

  "There's a study off the kitchen. We can go in there."

  "All right." Lance rose; Ari and Mona stood, too, ready to follow Del.

  "Tight fit," Mona said as the four of them crowded into the small study, most of which was taken up by an empty computer desk.

  "Two of you will have to stand," Del apologized.

  "Don't worry about it—I've been sitting too long as it is," Ari replied.

  Mona ended up with the extra chair, while Del occupied the one behind the desk. "We have news about where the bomb came from that destroyed Blue Taco," Del said. "Lara already knows about it."

  "What's the news, then?" Lance asked.

  "We found the bomb maker," Del stated flatly. "After his rotting corpse drew flies and the neighbor's dog."

  "He supplied the bomb and got knocked off afterward?" Mona asked.

  "That's the current theory."

  "How did he die?"

  "This is the weird part," Del said. "His torso has a big hole in it. Like he was gored to death by a longhorn."

  "Huh?" Ari frowned at Del.

  "Forensics is working on the body now. They'll let me know if they find any foreign material in the wound and what it's made of."

  "Anybody we know?" Lance queried.

  "I figure you've heard of Louis Breckinridge."

  "Damn. He's been off the grid for how long?" Lance leaned in to catch Mona's eye.

  "At least fourteen years," Mona nodded. "Asshole."

  "Dead asshole, for three weeks or so, as best we can determine," Del said.

  "Right around the time the restaurant was bombed," Ari breathed.

  "So they got enough to bomb the restaurant and the house—do you suppose they have more bombs than that—to use later?" Mona demanded.

  "No idea. Breckinridge's house looked as if a hurricane went through it and blew every scrap of evidence away."

  "So we couldn't tell how many bombs he made. What about supplies and receipts? Is there a money trail?" Lance asked.

  "I guess it was all cash or stolen," Del shrugged. "No credit cards used or receipts anywhere, but we're checking sales of the proper components locally, and looking into reported thefts."

  "It still gets us no closer to who actually commissioned all those bombs," Ari pointed out.

  "We can't go around asking about beings who kill with horns, now can we?" Mac stepped into the study and shut the door. "Laronda brought me up to speed," he added.

  "Does Nico have any ideas?" Ari frowned at Mac as she crossed arms defensively over her chest.

  "He suspects the horn theory may be correct, whether they find evidence of it or not. I figure he's right."

  "As do I," Ari snapped.

  "We don't need conflict within the ranks," Del warned.

  "I know." Ari dropped her arms and turned away from Mac.

  "We're still working out why certain people were targeted by zombies," Del went on. "So far, we have no theories about that."

  "Removing the competition," Mac replied. "Nico and I have discussed that, and it's the only logical conclusion we could find. The people who were attacked? All of them were potential replacements if Nico goes down."

  "Nico will not go down," Ari hissed at Mac.

  "Fucking hell," Lance swore. "Are you kidding me?" he added.

  "As long as Nico or a replacement holds the stone, the gate will remain closed. If the Adversary gets his hands on it, then we're all doomed." Mac jerked the door open and stalked out of the study, shutting it hard enough that a photograph of seagulls trembled on the wall.

  "Nico will not go down," Ari repeated through clenched teeth, before exiting the room right behind Mac.

  "What the hell are we even talking about?" Mona demanded. "What gate? Where?"

  "No idea," Del sighed. "Rest up if you can. We'll go back to the wildlife refuge right after the vamps arrive."
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  Chapter Fifteen

  "Arianne, we have not spoken since I was injured," Renault said softly as he sat beside her in the back seat of the van the vampires arrived in.

  "You don't have to thank me," Ari began.

  "No, you misunderstand. How good is your night vision in this form?"

  "Much better than a human's," she replied.

  "Can you see this?" Renault held up his right hand.

  Ari could see it, all right. She looked from the shell imprint to Renault's face and then back to his hand.

  "How?" she whispered.

  "I cannot say. I have guarded two others who have held your position in the past. Neither of them passed the image to another."

  "Did either save your life?"

  "No. In those cases, I saved theirs."

  "Maybe that's the difference."

  "Perhaps. I feel as if it is—a badge of honor, I believe you would call it."

  "Then wear it proudly," Ari bumped her shoulder with his, before recalling that vampires as a rule didn't like to be touched.

  Rather than being offended, Renault chuckled. "We are friends, yes?"

  "Yes."

  "Then we may bump shoulders or fists," he smiled. "Whenever warranted."

  We'll stop outside the visitor's center and get out there. No need to alert anyone to our presence by driving in, Mac informed Ari.

  Right. Will Nico be with you or me?

  I'll take him in with me, but he'll know if we're close to the enemy's minions. We'll give a warning, so be ready.

  What do you want me to do?

  Find demons. Kill as many as you can.

  Good. That's what I want to do.

  The vamps will go in first—you can stick close to Renault if you want. He may need protecting again.

  I doubt the demons will have guns, Ari replied dryly. That was Mitchell's last shot. He got lucky, hitting Renault like that.

  You got lucky when you removed the bullet. I didn't think your power had developed that much, and Renault could have died anyway from a half-formed effort.

  Are we back to that again? Look. Just—send a warning if it's necessary. Otherwise, stop talking to me.

  "Something wrong?" Renault spoke to Ari quietly.

  "No," Ari lied. "Just—thinking about what we may find in the wildlife refuge."

  "We are seven vampires, in addition to the others. We will strike a blow against these enemies and show them we are not helpless."

  Renault, tell me if you can hear me, Ari sent a silent message.

  "Ari?" Renault's eyes widened.

  You have the shell imprint. I think it recognizes you and this is part of its power, she told him. We will tell Nico after tonight's battle.

  We must tell Claudio, too.

  That's your decision to make.

  "You ready for this?" Lance handed Mona a Colt M4 Trooper rifle and extra clips before taking one of the weapons for himself. Del already had one slung over a shoulder.

  Laronda and Erly had shucked their clothes and were now coyote and jaguar. Both waited patiently for their human counterparts to lead the way.

  Ari, on the other hand, remained in human form and stood near, but not next to, Mac and Nico. Beyond those three, Claudio spoke quietly with six vampires, Renault included.

  "Am I imagining things, or does the air feel—heavy?" Mona asked Lance as she shouldered her weapon.

  "Something's up, that's for damn sure," Lance whispered. "Shoot first, ask questions later, okay?"

  "As long as you do the same."

  "Shouldn't feel this hot," Del stepped back to talk with Lance and Mona. "Wind's off the gulf and should be fresher than this."

  Lance watched as Mac and Nico walked toward him. "It's a hatching ground," Mac breathed. "That's why the air feels like it does."

  "That doesn't sound comforting," Mona muttered.

  "Come, the vampires are ready. They'll lead us in," Mac explained. "Make sure to hit demons and not vampires."

  "I think we know that," Lance said.

  Renault, if you see anything, let me know—I'll help if help is needed, Ari sent to the vampire.

  Of course. Claudio and I have already decided that it would be appropriate to inform you if we find our enemy. We are about to move, now. Keep a safe distance unless you hear from me.

  You got it.

  Ari watched as seven vampires lifted lightly off the ground and floated toward a stand of oak trees. Ari understood their mode of travel and choice of direction—the scent coming from there put all of them on edge.

  We were right to shut down the refuge—things would have gotten much worse, Nico told Ari.

  The itch between my shoulders is like fire, Ari replied.

  Be ready, Nico warned.

  Demons! Renault shouted.

  The night sky exploded with shrieking, flying creatures.

  Ari relocated in an instant.

  "What the hell?" Jeff Walker rushed to the front of his friend's boat to get a better look at the creatures erupting above the trees in the wildlife refuge.

  Behind him, Teresa recorded the event with her new video camera. Neither were prepared for the flash of light and resulting boom that shook the boat. Teresa was knocked off her feet by a swell of water that nearly capsized the vessel. Jeff grabbed the railing and hung on as another swell hit them.

  "We need to get out of here," Mike Rafferty, the boat's owner, shouted as he revved the engine and turned the wheel, steering the boat around and into the gulf. Another swell lifted the back of the boat as Teresa struggled to rise.

  Jeff turned around as the boat raced at full speed away from the wildlife refuge. The boat's engine drowned out the shrieking sound as he watched another explosion of flying creatures rise above the distant trees.

  "Bullets aren't slowing them down," Del shouted at Lance, as they fired into the night sky at screaming, angry demons.

  "Nobody told me they could fly," Mona took aim at another over her head.

  "I'm not sure they knew," Lance shouted back as another flash of light and subsequent earth-shaking boom tore monsters apart overhead.

  "Get out of the way," Del turned and began running as chunks of demon began falling among the trees.

  Mona and Lance ran with Del; limbs and trees were damaged behind them by the grisly fall of demon flesh.

  "Your army is dying," Belhar's glowing red eyes bored into Darnell's. "You need to do something about it before they are all destroyed and I am forced to make new ones. Time is short."

  "What am I supposed to do?" Darnell had been lifted from his bed by Belhar, and now faced him in the dimness of his own kitchen.

  "Call them. Send them to your new compound."

  "I have no idea how to contact them."

  Belhar breathed an annoyed sigh. "I see I must teach you everything," he growled. "When I say the words, you repeat them mentally. Do you understand?" Belhar's eyes glowed brighter.

  "Fine," Darnell snapped. "Tell me what to think."

  "Ah, now you understand," Belhar sounded pleased. "Repeat these words. I command my servants to rise and come to me now. I have a new kingdom. You will meet me there. Together, we will make a new world."

  Darnell thought each sentence as Belhar instructed, until he reached the end. "There. All done. Did anything happen? I didn't feel a thing."

  Belhar reached out with a clawed hand and sank the tips of his nails into Darnell's chest, surrounding his heart.

  Darnell drew in a ragged, pain-filled breath as the visions hit him.

  Ari stood beneath a third stand of oaks while Nico reached out to mentally search for more monsters. Nico and Mac had caught up to her, while vampires had taken a protective stance and now stood in a ring about them. Ari had no idea where Erly and Laronda were and hoped they were safe—from both the monsters and the fall of their flesh after she blasted them.

  There are more here, Nico sent a mental image to Ari, who dipped her chin in understanding.

  Are we close
enough for you to target them? Mac asked.

  Yes.

  We must hurry—I feel, Nico didn't finish.

  Nearly a quarter mile away, another legion of demons burst into the sky. Ari aimed her blast and launched, only to have it explode into empty air. Nico fell to his knees with a cry.

  A burning pain hit between Ari's shoulders at the same moment, doubling her over in agony.

  "The Adversary has taken his first soldiers," Mac hissed as the air around them became so cold Nico shivered. "Nico, we've done as much as we could. Come, we will go back, now." Mac lifted Nico to his feet and pulled him away, leaving Ari to fend for herself.

  Renault stepped forward to help Ari. "How many?" Ari breathed as she straightened with Renault's help.

  "My guess is that three hundred or so escaped. There were three legions festering here. We destroyed two of them," Claudio came forward to report. "Without your help, that would not be true, and more would have escaped to join their master."

  "Let's go back." Ari turned to watch Mac and Nico walk away. She could have gotten all of them back to their vehicles with no trouble; Mac chose to walk. "We need to find Erly and Laronda," she added, shoving thoughts of Mac from her mind.

  "Spread out," Claudio indicated three of his vampires, who quickly dispersed.

  "They will find our colleagues," Renault told her. "Shall we?" he gestured toward the visitor's center, which was far away from where they stood.

  "Yeah. Let's go." Ari hunched her still-aching shoulders and began the long trek to the van.

  It's better if I push her away. And keep pushing her away, Mac reminded himself on the long walk back. He'd been rude and he knew it—and felt bad because of it.

  He had to keep her at arm's length, or the prophecy would manifest. It was easier at first, thinking that she wasn't qualified and another would be selected. That theory had been proven wrong. Why did Nico have to choose a female? Why was that female Arianne Leone?