Destroyers of the Lost Garden (The Lost Garden Trilogy Book 3) (5 page)

Chapter Eight

One of the helicopters landed on Eden’s soil, surrounded by several armed Iranians. The sliding door opened to reveal Sulina and Alexey Konstantin. Both of them hungered for the moment when they would step foot on that hallowed ground. It was the first time for Alexey, but Sulina was reminded of a lifetime before when these plains and forests were her world. She was the first to set foot off the chopper and feel the ground beneath her feet.

She savored every second of that feeling. Her smile was practically orgasmic as she closed her eyes to complete the experience of finally returning home.

“Oh Alexey. You have no idea what this does for me. I have been in exile from this place for so long. There were times I never knew if I would make it back. I must thank you for making this possible.”

Alexey’s hair was blown about by the helicopter blades, while the men prepared to enter the dense forest. Amidst everything going on around him that would be distraction enough, he saw this beautiful former Daughter of Eden with her shoes off standing on the ground that he knew would soon be his. The wind blew Sulina’s hair away from her face as she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed deeply.

She was never more attractive to Alexey. He stood motionless admiring how she tilted her head slightly and smiled as if she had found her own personal Heaven.
Maybe she had.

Alexey noticed that he was not the only one who was entranced by this vision in front of him. Some of the soldiers couldn’t help but be lost in the sultry swaying of the woman who had been nothing but a stinky bitch up to that point. The fact that she had that putrid smell didn’t help her cause when she ordered people around.

But then.

The soft sensuality of her femininity had taken over as she bonded with the land she had known for most of her life. She crouched down on all fours and proceeded to kiss the ground, as a sailor would do who had been lost at sea for quite some time.

Alexey could think of nothing but this goddess as she stood up and stretched out. He stepped onto the ground and expected to receive the same sensation she had. He didn’t.

She looked at the pilot of the helicopter and gave the thumbs up gesture. He took the helicopter to the air once more as Alexey approached her.

Sulina could see the sparkle in his eyes.

“Are you ready for this, Alexey?”

He smiled.

“I am always ready. That was smart getting rid of the helicopter so that there would be no chance of our enemies being able to hijack it and use it to get away.”

“Sure,” she said. “Okay. That’s a good reason too. We’re on hallowed ground, Alexey. From here on in, we do things my way.”

It didn’t take long for her to get back to her bitching, did it?

***

Eden was larger than anyone could have anticipated. The clear area, that had only a few trees and bushes scattered about, was actually about a mile wide. The biggest area, of course, was the forest. It was filled with all kinds of plant life, including vines, trees, and various types of brush. The ecosystem in Eden was different than any other place on earth, the types of plant life that grew there were not known to occupy the same area in the outside world.

It seemed that conditions in Eden had never been affected by the world around it.

The forest that appeared to be only a few hundred yards long, was actually several miles in length. Once someone entered it, they had better know their way around or they could easily have gotten lost. The Daughters of Eve knew the forest well.

Alexey tried to prepare for any eventuality. He had listened to Sulina’s description of paradise more than once and had gotten a better feel for what weapons he would need to bring to win his war. When in a forest, flamethrowers would be the weapon of choice.

Alexey had the only flamethrower, to make sure that the fire didn’t get out of hand. He was handed the backpack and the gun as soon as the helicopter was out of sight. One of the men helped him to put it on and activate it.

Alexey felt extremely powerful with the flamethrower at his command.

“Well, Sulina? You know the forest, yes? Guide me and I will clear a path for us.”

Sulina looked curiously at the forest.

“It is not in the same configuration as I remember it.”

“What?” Alexey exclaimed, in disgust. “What the hell good is it to bring this damn thing if we can’t use it? We are sitting ducks if we go into the forest without something big to aid us!”

“You have me, Alexey,” Sulina rebutted. “I definitely count for something. We need stealth.”

Alexey roared with laughter.

“Stealth? The Iranians parachuted down by the dozens! The helicopter landed in the most visible spot imaginable! What the hell do you mean…
stealth
?”

Sulina looked around the area while she ignored her partner’s outbursts. She saw something on the ground about 60 feet in front of her. She walked away from Alexey who continued to rant without her as an audience.

As Sulina closed in on the object, she could make out a familiar shape. It was a Daughter of Eve.

“Alexey!” She screamed out. “Why didn’t you tell me that we had injured a Daughter of Eve already? This is important! Call in every single one of them that had already landed.”

Alexey ran up to where she was, which was no easy task considering how much weight was on his back.

“What?” He asked.

He finally saw the body on the ground.

“Why wasn’t I notified of this? Damn it! I will not tolerate any more communication problems from anyone in the future!”

As he continued to berate the men around the body, Sulina crouched down to inspect the fallen sister. She searched her neck and any place where she might have hidden something like a vial of healing oil.
Nothing.

She turned the body over and looked relieved.

“This is Ellisia IL Eve. Her oil has been removed. I better not find out that it was stolen by one of the Iranians, Alexey.”

“I will make sure of it myself,” he replied, angered at the concept that one of his men might have taken the oil.

“Do you want to see a miracle, Alexey?” She asked, with a tease in her tone.

She opened Ellisia’s mouth and bent over her as if she was going to try C.P.R. She placed her mouth around the dead Daughter’s lips and proceeded to blow.

“She’s dead,” Alexey proclaimed. He wasn’t sure what that meant to a Daughter of Eve, considering what he had seen in the hospital.

Sulina kept breathing into Ellisia’s mouth. After a few moments, Ellisia’s hands started to twitch. Then her arms. Her entire body started to convulse as if she were having a seizure. Sulina pulled away and wiped her mouth as Ellisia’s convulsions started to subside.

Alexey and the men around him were shocked as Ellisia’s eyes opened wide. They were even more surprised when she sat up. She coughed up large chunks of coagulated blood and then struggled to her feet.

“Sulina? You saved me?”

“I wouldn’t say that I saved you as much as restored you,” Sulina explained, with a cheshire grin. “Congratulations, Ellisia. You’re with us now. It’s a shame that you didn’t even get a chance to fight. Can you remember anything?”

“No,” Ellisia replied, while disoriented.

Sulina let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh well. That is to be expected, you will remember only what you need to. Welcome to the battle. You are now one of the Fallen.”

Chapter Nine

Sulina smiled at the thought of Alexey being in charge of anything, let alone a small army.

“You surprise me, Alexey. Or perhaps it is your army that surprises me.”

Alexey had his flamethrower positioned to burn down as much of the forest as he needed to.

“I am a man of many surprises. Are you ready to see Eden burn?”

Sulina restrained her laugh.

“By all means. First I must take Ellisia with me for a small but essential task to aid you on your quest.”

He knew she humored him. She thought nothing of his prowess, whether it was in bed or on the battlefield.

“Save your sarcasm, witch. Stay close, I want to see your eyes when I conquer these women.”

“I will be close enough, Alexey,” she answered, with a growl in her voice. “Do what you must. I don’t understand why you must burn all of the forest though.”

He laughed.

“It would take all year to burn every tree, Sulina! I will burn enough to get me to the Trees of Life and Knowledge. They, as you know, do not burn so easily.”

Sulina was shocked that he knew that about the trees.
Was he going after the Tree of Knowledge as well?

“We will be back soon. Have fun.”

She looked at Ellisia, who nodded and then followed behind Sulina’s long strides.

Alexey nodded to several of his men. Five of them followed Sulina at a distance.

“I will, Sulina. I will.”

His grin was sinister as he turned and looked at the forest.

***

Geronimo parked his tank about 100 yards away from the trucks. He made sure to point the barrel of the tank gun in their direction just in case there were any more surprises.

He checked on his prisoner and then started to explore the remaining vehicles while humming a Pharrell Williams tune. He did a little dance as well, where he bobbed his head and moved his hips. It accomplished two things. It made him more relaxed about possibly discovering more of the Iranian’s friends and it also alerted any other
surprises
that might have been laying in wait for a possible ambush. They would assume that he didn’t expect more men, because of his inability to remain quiet during his search; that he was satisfied that all he would find were the two men.
If there was anyone else there, of course.

Geronimo kept his backpack open as he searched each truck. He suspected that there would be supplies left behind, considering how well the trucks were packed.

He looked back at his hostage before and after he searched each truck. Jess had informed him and Knight that once they were inside of Eden, communication would be almost non-existent with the outside world. He sighed for every walkie-talkie he left behind in the trucks. He took four just in case.

Geronimo became more nervous the further he was away from the protection of the tank. After the way he felt driving that monster to Sahand, he never wanted to feel anything else around him.
Well, except for the loving arms of his wife.

He reached the seventh truck in his search and found mostly gum wrappers, cigarette butts, and a couple of Russian porn magazines. He couldn’t explain those to Molly, so those got left behind. He opened the door to the cab and felt his heart race.

He’d found a military munitions box.

Geronimo could tell it was Iranian by the distinctive writing. He opened the box thinking he would find shells of bullets and instead found it packed with locally made copies of the German M-DN 11 hand grenades. Again he knew they were copies because of the writing on them. There were fifteen to be exact. He removed his backpack and carefully placed each grenade into it after first wrapping each one in clothing and seat covers. After he loaded the last one in his backpack, he slowly put the pack back on.

He shook his fist in victory at the exact same time he felt the barrel of a gun being pressed up against his side.

His hands went up slowly as he heard, “American bastard! On your knees!”

He looked around to see three Iranian soldiers pointing their handguns at him. Geronimo smiled while he gritted his teeth. “Hey pals. Want to see what I have in my backpack?”

***

The members of the Spetsnaz, who have been watching Geronimo, looked on through their binoculars. The first man tilted his head and asked, “Should we assist the American?”

Before the second man could answer, the truck where Geronimo was cornered blew up in a fierce fireball. It was odd how the adjoining trucks only received blackened paint.

The second man calmly put his binoculars away and said, “I don’t think that will be necessary. He seems to have taken care of it.”

Both men laughed as the first one pulled out his phone to make a phone call.

***

Sulina and Ellisia arrived at the sealed metal door that led to the Mountain of God fortress. It could have proven a turning point for the Daughters in the war, if not for the betrayal of one of their own.

Sulina folded her arms in front of her and placed her index and middle fingers on her lips while she examined the puzzle before her.

“Ellisia, I hope that you have some ideas on how to get inside. I understand that since the doors operated on some sort of electronic mechanism, it could be a chore to open it.”

Ellisia didn’t respond as she felt along the edge of the door. The doors slid open and closed when they worked. She inserted her fingers into the thin slot that the door slid into as Sulina saw the five soldiers that Alexey sent to spy on her. She was about to talk to them when suddenly there were three whooshing sounds. Three of the soldiers had blank expressions as they started to make gurgling sounds. Blood squirted from each of their necks as their head slid slowly off of their bodies. Each one hit the ground with a splat.

The bodies of the men soon followed suit as they slumped to the ground. The other two men panicked as they raised their weapons toward Sulina. A tall blonde woman appeared before one man. In a blur of speed, she sliced through his neck with her machete.

She was a Fallen.

She then did a back roundhouse kick to the other soldier, when two more Fallen appeared and cut the soldier to pieces with their own machetes. After the man was dead they proceeded to feast on his flesh like wild animals. They tore his skin apart with their teeth as the blonde walked up to Sulina.

Sulina shook her head.

“You started my war with Konstantin earlier than I wanted by killing his men, Morina.”

Morina embraced Sulina after being separated for too long. She breathed a sigh of relief and pushed back, so as not to smother her leader.

Morina then looked up into the afternoon sky. She laughed and lifted her arms into the air. Her joy was as real as her confusion.

“Is this your doing, my Queen? How is it that the Fallen are able to stand in sunlight? A miracle?”

“Don’t go that far,” Sulina snarled. “We are in Eden. We are
of
Eden. Put us back into Eden and we gain strength and…certain immunities.”

Morina glared at Ellisia.

“What of the Daughter? She is a Fallen now? Did she eat of the Tree of Knowledge?”

Sulina laughed.

“Foolish Morina. I am the sister of Myora IL Eve and the first Fallen. I am the only one who can turn the Daughters without the assistance of any tree.I turned her for one reason only. Newly Fallen, her strength is incomparable and I have a task for her.” She looked at the three Fallen as her laughter ended abruptly. “What is this, Morina? Where is Gandil? Where are the others?”

Morina lowered her head. “Forgive me, my Queen. We are all that escaped. Evan Knight proved more than formidable. He was aided by a Daughter. Jessima IL Eve.”

There was a fire in Sulina’s eyes as her anger reached a height that Morina had never seen before.

“Evan Knight? In trying to stay one step ahead of Konstantin, I almost forgot about the supposed Chosen One.”

Morina, Ellisia, and the other Fallen dropped to their knees and were not prepared for what came next. Sulina grabbed large clumps of her own hair in frustration. She then let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded more like the cry of a banshee.

All in Eden heard the cry. Shala stopped near the cleansing pool of water and turned toward the sound. Alexey and his men who made their way through the forest froze in their tracks. Alexey smiled almost as if he knew the origin. The Daughters heard it as well, but continued to find places that would gain them an advantage in the battle to come.

Sulina breathed heavily. “Get up my Fallen. We have work to do. Ellisia, take care of the door to the Daughters’ lair.”

Without a thought, Ellisia wedged her fingers into the thin metal track that the door slid into once again. She then pulled back with considerable difficulty. The track started to give as Morina looked on in shock at the power of the Daughter. Every muscle in her arms strained against the superhuman feat. Metal creaked and eventually cracked as Ellisia fell backward. She rubbed her arms, took a breath, and then went back to work. She slipped her fingers into the new opening that she had created and placed each fingertip against the door. She then followed the door with her fingers and pushed on through to find the door’s end. The skin on the back of her fingers was being slowly scraped off as she let out pained grunts. She didn’t stop, no matter how painful it was. The others moved to help her but Sulina raised a hand to stop them.

Ellisia’s arm muscles once again were taxed to the limit. She leaned back and placed one foot on the edge of the door frame to brace herself as she pulled the door toward her. They watched her intently.

The metal door started to give, to the amazement of the others, including Sulina. The metal started to bend just a bit as Sulina saw the opening. It was about an inch, but it increased with each breath by Ellisia. Once the opening was about a foot, Ellisia reversed positions. She placed her back against the edge where she had her foot and started to push the door out. It slid another foot before it bent downward. There was just enough of an opening for a human being to get through…or a Fallen.

“Well done Ellisia, you do not disappoint.”

Sulina stepped halfway through the opening and looked back at her followers.

“I want Morina to bring up the rear. The rest can come in in whatever order.”

Ellisia walked up to Sulina before she disappeared into the lair. Blood dripped steadily from her knuckles.

“Are we going to reactivate the lair?”

Sulina smiled as she placed her hand gently on Ellisia’s shoulder.

“My dear. The virus should have taken that option away from us. Our task is much different. In order for my takeover of Eden to be complete, I need to know if my good-hearted sister is still alive.”