by Steve McHugh
“I know you lied to me,” she said softly.
Caleb stopped washing his face and looked up at her. “About what?”
“You always said you only killed murderers, rapists, people who hurt others. But that’s not entirely true, is it? You killed people who committed financial crimes, who were burglars, people who used no violence but still got away with their crimes, and you couldn’t have that. You needed a fix. They’re not in the official numbers, are they? I did some research after you came to Greenland and discovered there were, I’m pretty sure, quite a few you never admitted to killing.”
Caleb’s smile faltered. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Another lie,” Layla snapped. “You make yourself out to be a vigilante who wants to stop bad people, but you tortured people to death. You took your time. And you didn’t even only kill people who fell into your safe little Venn diagram of crimes.”
“You never said anything.”
“No, I didn’t. I knew you’d lie again. I knew you’d try to make me feel like I was the one who was seeing things that weren’t there. You’re a manipulative little bastard. And I’m done with you. When we’re out of here, I’m done being the one you work with. I wanted you to know that.”
“Then no one will find the people in my head.” Caleb winked at her.
“We’ll find a way that doesn’t involve you,” Layla said. “I thought I could bury all I know for the greater good, but I can’t. You’re a sadist, a murderer, a torturer, and frankly a piece of shit. And we’re done.”
“Girl, I’m your father.” Caleb took a step toward Layla. “You can’t honestly think that after all we’ve been through, rebuilding the bridges, you’re just going to cast them all aside. Cast me aside.”
A low growl emanated from the panther.
“Dad, if you take another step toward me, it’ll be your last.”
Caleb froze and stared at Layla, who didn’t blink.
Layla made her way back to the rest of the team, who were rescuing as many prisoners as they could find, helping them out of huts and settling them in the courtyard. Most of them wore sorcerer’s bands, which Layla helped remove after finding several keys in the hut belonging to the commander of the prison. He had been a large blood elf with fearsome scars across his bare chest and arms. He had picked a fight with Sky, who had used her necromancy to rip the creature’s spirit in half. The screams of the commander echoed around the prison even after it had died.
They found Nabu in the hut furthest from the entrance. Nabu was barefoot and had been the subject of considerable torture. His bloody face and chest showed a wealth of cuts. Once his band was removed, he sighed with relief as his body set about healing itself.
“Hades isn’t here, is he?” Layla asked.
Nabu shook his head. “They took him to Helheim.”
“How was he . . . treated?” Persephone asked.
“They didn’t hurt him,” Nabu said. “Elizabeth said something about needing him uninjured for when they gain access to the Yggdrasil tree, and from what I understand that’s not going to happen until they’ve taken the city where Hel’s people are stationed. Hades was treated well, almost like he was guest of honor.”
“What was their plan for all of you?” Layla asked.
“They were taking prisoners to sacrifice so they could activate the elven realm gate,” Nabu said.
They released fifty-seven prisoners, but at least a dozen more had been taken to the realm gate.
“We need to get to that elven gate,” Layla said. “Zamek, take the prisoners and anyone who wants to go with you back to the dwarven realm gate. It’s already linked to Shadow Falls so will work fine.”
“Sky, I entrust my father into your care,” Layla said, looking over at him, but continuing to speak to Sky. “If he does anything you don’t like, do whatever you need to.”
“Will do,” Sky said.
“Dad, you will go to Helheim, and you will help them find Hades.”
“Anything for my little girl,” Caleb said.
“Chloe, Tarron, Dralas, and I,” Layla said, ignoring the nausea that sat in her gut, “will go to the elven gate and use that to get through to Shadow Falls.”
“Me too,” Nabu said. “I’m already healed, and frankly I want to help bring this place to its knees.”
“If you are in any way impeded, you leave,” Persephone said.
“We’ll be fine,” Layla promised her. “We’ll go save the world together. Okay, that’s five of us.”
The saber-tooth panther snorted.
“Fine, six,” Layla corrected. “Alright, see you in Shadow Falls.”
Several of the rescued looked over at Persephone. “You heard her,” she said. “She’s in charge of this mission—what she says goes. We head back to the citadel and leave.” She stood and stretched. “Do not dawdle, Layla. Even without the vast majority of blood elves, this realm is still dangerous.”
“We’ll wait for you all to leave and cover your journey,” Layla said.
“Then we’d best be off,” Sky said. “I don’t want to stay here longer than necessary.” She looked at Layla. “And I don’t want you to stay here longer than necessary either.”
Within ten minutes, everyone was ready to leave. Zamek, Persephone, and Sky took up the vanguard. The human prisoners were helped by those who had already healed. From the looks on their faces, they were ready to fight anything that came along. Layla hoped they’d get back to Shadow Falls safely, but considering how things could have gone, the fact that they still had a chance of getting there at all was something to be happy about.
Nabu stood beside Layla and watched as the last of the group disappeared up the tunnels to the dwarven city. “I’d really like one day where my life isn’t in danger,” Nabu said.
“Just one?” Layla asked.
“Well, no, a lot more than one, but right now I’d settle for the one.”
“I’d settle for about an hour,” Chloe said from behind them.
Layla and Nabu both turned around. “You good to go?” asked Layla.
Everyone said that they were.
“You going to be okay?” Layla asked Nabu.
“They beat my feet,” Nabu said. “With a metal bar. Not enough to break anything, just enough to hurt. I’m all for anything that will make me feel better about what happened. Besides, I’m an och, I heal better than any of you, and I’m not very good at sitting things out.”
“Let’s go then,” Layla said, and the group set off toward the elven realm gate they’d seen a few hours earlier.
To begin with, they moved slowly, unwilling to disturb anyone who might be close by, but once it became clear that there were no nearby enemies, they increased their speed and started jogging down the tunnel. They stopped at the mouth and looked down on the cavern where only a short time ago there had been tens of thousands of blood elves. Now it was littered with the bodies of thousands of blood elves.
They walked down the steep slope into the cavern, and Layla’s eyes watered as the putrid smell of thousands of blood elves hit her.
“They’re all dead,” Tarron said, crouching over a decapitated corpse on the ground.
“They fight between one another a lot,” Nabu said. “We discovered that the last time we were here. There’s a hierarchy, a bit like predator animals, and when there’s a challenge it can end with the death of one or more of them. It’s quite common, apparently. We don’t see the results often because . . .” He turned to Tarron and paused.
“Because what?” Tarron asked. “I think we’re beyond trying to spare my feelings.”
“They eat the dead,” Nabu said. “Blood elves eat corpses. Doesn’t matter who the corpse used to be. Dwarven, human, elf. I had an extensive library on the subject back in Greenland. I saw it as a useful way to gain an insight into the enemy. I didn’t foresee us being attacked and taken prisoner.”
“Speaking of foreseeing,” Chloe said. “When you were in Sa
nctuary, did you see the Fates?”
“The three women?” Layla asked.
“Cassandra, Grace, and Ivy,” Chloe replied. “They remained in Sanctuary when we left this realm.”
“I didn’t see anything but dead dwarves,” Nabu told her.
“Hopefully they escaped,” Chloe said. “I can’t imagine being a prisoner of these people for so many years.”
“There are a lot of variables,” Nabu said. “Let’s deal with one thing at a time.”
The team continued on through the cavern until they reached the steps that led up to the dais where the realm gate sat. Blood pooled at the bottom, and there were corpses of humans on the steps, forcing the group to step around them. Layla stopped by each one to see if she knew them, but none were familiar to her.
“Human prisoners,” Chloe said. “They have a lot of them here.”
“What about the prisoners they took with them?” Dralas asked.
“Good question,” Layla said. “Maybe they took them to Helheim.”
“Whoever activated this gate didn’t know you don’t have to drain the people to death, or didn’t care,” Tarron said.
They reached the top of the dais and saw that the realm gate was partially drawn on the ground and partially on the rock behind it.
“Interesting design choice,” Nabu said. He looked over at Tarron. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Tarron nodded. “It’s so a large number of people can go through while the gate stays open. The marks on the floor provide power to the marks on the wall. It’s only the wall that actually activates as a gate. It was a design I knew was being worked on, but I’ve never actually seen it in practice. This could stay open for hours without the need to recharge.”
“How long to change the destination?” Layla asked Tarron.
“Not long to change the writings that are etched here, but longer to use my own power to charge them up. Maybe an hour or two. And we will need someone to bleed on this.”
“Two hours out here, exposed?” Chloe said. “That doesn’t scream good idea.”
Dralas sat on the stairs and looked across the cavern. “At least we’ll see anyone coming.”
Layla was about to tell Tarron to get started, but he was already kneeling beside one of the pieces of elven writing that made up the realm gate.
“Okay, so you get started, and we’ll look for a blood elf corpse that still has some actual blood left,” Layla said.
“Check the humans too,” Nabu said.
“No,” Layla almost snapped. “They suffered enough just being in blood elf captivity for so long.” Layla paused and looked over at Tarron. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that the shadow elves who were turned here didn’t suffer.”
“It’s fine,” Tarron said, looking up from his work. “These are not my people. My people died out a long time ago. Whatever remains of the shadow elves, I assure you I see nothing of it in these . . . creatures that they became. Find one, bring it here. Its blood will help power the realm gate.”
Layla turned to the panther. “You stay here, okay?”
The saber-tooth cat lay on the ground and let out a large sigh.
Chloe, Layla, and Dralas descended the steps to look for dead blood elves. It didn’t take long to find one. The blood elf commander had been stabbed in the back, and the blade had pierced its heart. Someone had stamped on the back of its head, crushing its face into the stone ground, making it almost totally unrecognizable.
Dralas slung it over his shoulder and headed back to the dais. Layla and Chloe were both grateful that the search was over and made it halfway up the stairs when the sound of laughter echoed through the chamber. They sprinted up to the dais, drawing their weapons as two dozen blood elf commanders flooded out of the tunnel.
“Can we win this?” Dralas asked, getting to his feet.
“No,” Layla said looking out over the fifty blood elves. There were several saber-tooth panthers among them.
“This is bad,” Nabu said.
“If we die, we die swinging,” Chloe said.
Dralas stepped in front of everyone, doubling in height. Layla wondered how his armor grew with him, but quickly decided now wasn’t the time for such conversations.
The commanders reached the stairs first, screaming blood-curdling cries as dozens of crossbow bolts fired from all around the dais, taking several of the commanders off their feet and forcing the others to dive aside.
A female dwarf appeared beside Layla, causing her to jump slightly.
“We need to leave,” the dwarf said, running a gloved hand over her bald head as more dwarves ran out of a newly created hole in the wall. The advancing blood elves stopped.
Nabu suddenly leapt in front of Layla. An arrow, released by one of the commanders, slammed into his chest with enough force to take him off his feet. He fell back onto Layla, and the pair crumbled to the floor as it gave way beneath them, and the group fell into darkness.
11
MORDRED
“You want to tell us how you got this jet to Germany?” Diana asked Mordred, as they flew over Europe.
“Favors,” he said. The group had used the dwarven realm gate in Shadow Falls, which took them to Maine, before heading to New York for their flight.
“I’m not saying you should elaborate,” Remy said. “But I think Diana might throw you out of this plane if you don’t.”
“I called in a few favors—turned out Felicia Hales still had a jet in New York. I knew some of the people who scattered after she was killed, and one of them agreed to take us to Germany.”
“I’m sorry about Felicia,” Hel said, looking up from the seat next to Diana. “I know you liked her.”
Mordred nodded. “She was nice. I’m going to kill Abaddon for what she did to her.”
“I think you’ll need to get in line,” Remy said. “I’m quite fond of the idea of going all stabby on her psychotic ass.”
“You have a way with words,” Hel said.
“It’s one of my many talents,” Remy said.
“So, Mordred,” Hel said. “What happens when we get to Mittenwald? How bad is it going to be to fight our way in?”
“Well, it depends on how much fighting is still going on at the Wolf’s Head compound,” Mordred said.
He’d wanted to spend some time talking to Hel before they’d left, but it hadn’t been possible, and not just because he wasn’t really sure how to even start. Every time he looked at her, the urge to tell her what he felt overwhelmed him, and he had forced himself to push it all down, deep inside. It would have to wait until everything was over, or at least until they weren’t about to fight an unknown number of enemies. Besides, Hel had been nothing but completely professional when talking to Mordred, which probably meant she wasn’t looking to have any kind of personal conversation with him. Hopefully it was something he’d have time to discuss with her later.
“That’s not great,” Remy said.
“Unfortunately, it gets worse,” Mordred said. “The town of Mittenwald is pretty much Avalon territory at this point. It’s run by a vicious little asshole named Orcus.”
Diana sat bolt upright. “Ah, no, not him.”
“I have no idea who that is,” Remy said.
“Be grateful,” Diana said. “He was a Roman god who thought he could dethrone Hades. He’s a necromancer with delusions of grandeur. He likes to hang around with Enyo, who is about as pleasant as scabies.”
“Her I’ve met,” Remy said. “She’s a bit too fond of blood magic.”
“She’s utterly addicted to it,” Mordred said. “She’s also a really good friend of Ares, and apparently hasn’t been dealing with his death very well. And by friend, I mean . . . you know. Friend.”
“Yeah, we get it, Mordred,” Hel said.
“I’m talking about sex,” Mordred continued.
“Please stop,” Remy begged.
“Anyway, apart from having sexy time with Ares and Orcus, Enyo is somewhat dera
nged,” Mordred said. “I assume because of her over-reliance on blood magic, and not because of the sex.”
“Why won’t he stop saying sex?” Remy asked. “What did we do to deserve this?”
“Okay,” Diana said, clearly wanting to stop the conversation from getting any sillier, which was always a concern when Remy and Mordred were involved. “So, we go to Mittenwald and do not engage unless necessary. A fight between us and either of those two is going to be a really public fight. And I’d rather not alert the entire Avalon army stationed there.”
“My people in Helheim will not last forever,” Hel said. “Even with Tommy, Olivia, and the others going there to help. We cannot take long. Besides, if we manage to get the Titans’ help, I still fail to see how we combat the combined forces of Abaddon and Mammon.”
“I have a plan for that,” Mordred said.
“Your plans do not inspire confidence,” Diana said.
“This one will,” Mordred assured her.
“You feel like telling us what it is?” Hel asked.
“Not really the time,” Mordred said. “I promise you’ll know once I figure out exactly how I get it all to work. Besides, one problem at a time. Tartarus.”
“Are the Titans going to be pleased to see you?” Hel asked.
“Define pleased,” Mordred said. “They don’t know me for the most part, I imagine. They’ll have heard tales and things, but they were locked away well before I was born. They helped Selene and Nate, so I’m hoping that friendship will extend to me, especially considering Selene and I are friends. At the end of the day, we need help. If they don’t give it, then it won’t be long before Tartarus is an Avalon realm. I think it’s safe to say that no one wants that.”
No one disagreed with him.
The jet landed at an airfield outside of Mittenwald, and they disembarked. Mordred came out last, and after thanking the pilot, he joined the others, his thick boots crunching on the fresh snow.
