Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14) (45 page)

Olivia opened her eyes. "Marina! You're back!"

"Yes, and I have a treat for you."

"What?"

"It's a surprise. Get dressed." Marina looked at Yang. "When I call for her, bring her to me, and stay close. The treat might be dangerous."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

She vanished.

* * *

This is nice,
Iris thought.

She, Grupo, and Laurence were eating at a table big enough to seat fifty people comfortably. The plates were made of beaten gold, and the silverware was real silver. Five servants in spiffy red uniforms attended each diner. The brown-faced men and women were cowering fearfully as they stood off to the side.

Real oil paintings decorated the walls of the large dining room. Iris wasn't an art aficionado, but she knew expensive things when she saw them. She actually recognized a piece by Velazquez.

The banquet fit the setting. There was corned beef hash with eggs, exotic fruit salad, smoked salmon, fresh-baked cinnamon buns, pancakes with maple syrup, Spanish omelets, waffles, and so on. There was ten times more food than they could possibly eat.

Iris was starving after her long journey. She began to fill her plate without waiting for an invitation. Laurence frowned at the food instead. He was a notoriously picky eater, and most of the dishes were much too fancy for him. He eventually grabbed some slices of plain white bread.

The door of the dining room opened, and the last person Iris expected to see walked in. It was the woman with red hair and green eyes from under the Golden Gate Bridge. She was a member of the Gray Spear Society.

A man accompanied her. He was tall, very muscular, and handsome. He had straight brown hair and a strong jaw. Heavy eyebrows cast dark shadows over his eyes.

"What a delightful breakfast," the woman said. "Mind if we join you?"

Iris stood up and screeched, "Kill them! Kill them both!"

Ten armed guards drew their guns. The woman made a sweeping motion with her hand as if she were shooing a fly. Black bullets shot from her fingertips and hit the guards in the foreheads. All ten died before they had a chance to fire. Iris couldn't believe her eyes. The woman obviously had incredible powers.

"Sit down," she said in a stern voice. "Stop being so rude."

Shaking with fear, Iris returned to her chair.

"Who are you?" Grupo demanded in an offended tone. "What's going on?"

"Where are my manners?" the woman said. "I should introduce myself. I'm known as the Lady of the Society, and this is my husband, the Lord. We've come to punish you for crimes against God and man, and I promise the punishment will be severe."

The Lord and Lady sat at the table. They toyed with the food but didn't seem interested in actually eating it.

"The Gray Spear Society?" Grupo said.

"Technically, no, but close enough," the Lady said.

"I don't know how you got in here, but you won't get out. I have an army of soldiers who are absolutely loyal to me. There are deathtraps on every exit."

"Yes. We already made a quick tour of your facility, and I have to say, it's quite a slice of Hell. My
legionnaires
are rectifying the situation. The innocent will be set free, and the guilty will be put to death." She looked at the servants. "Get out of here. Return to your families. Go!"

The servants ran out of the room.

Iris wanted to run after them. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of a way out of this mess.

"This is a good day," the Lady said. "We bagged two Pythagoreans for the price of one, and we completed a mission."

"What do you want?" Grupo said. "I'm the most powerful man in Brazil. I can give you anything. Let's negotiate."

"All I want from you is information about the other Pythagoreans. Ipo, take the two men to Tawni. Tell her to start working on them."

A brown boulder appeared in the dining room. Undersized arms, legs, and a head stuck out, and they looked ridiculous. Ipo grabbed Grupo and Laurence by the arms. All three of them vanished without a trace.

Iris realized she was alone with the monsters.

"How are you doing that?" she said in a weak voice. "Some kind of magic trick?"

"Teleportation is just one of our new powers," the Lady said. "Erika went to Chicago to stop the change. She failed."

Iris swallowed. "You seem like a reasonable person. Let's discuss this like adults. I'm sure we can come to an understanding."

"To be honest, I'm more vengeful than reasonable. Hanley, bring Walfred."

A creature made of white armor and black flames appeared, and it was holding Walfred by the hand. Walfred's shoulders were slumped over, and his eyes were half-closed from exhaustion. His brown hunting outfit had dirt stains.

The Lady pointed at Iris. "That's your Goddess. You may speak to her."

Walfred raised his eyes, and they were smoldering with rage. He walked over and slugged her in the face, knocking her to the floor.

Iris wiped her lip and found blood on her fingers. "Calm down. There's no need for violence." Her head was spinning.

"You betrayed me!" he yelled. "I had faith in you! All of my men died for you!"

"I can't help it if you put your trust in the wrong person. At least you weren't alone. All those idiots in San Francisco had faith in a laser light show and a book written by a lunatic. Now they're fish food."

"That was different."

"How?" She staggered to her feet.

"It wasn't me!"

Walfred clenched his fists and advanced on her. She ran around the table to escape.

"Listen, I'm in the business of fooling people. I've been doing it my whole life. I'm very good at it. I even fooled her." Iris pointed at the Lady. "It's not a big deal."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Walfred growled. "I'm not even a special kind of fool? I'm just an ordinary one?"

"I helped you! Before I came along, you were just a bloodthirsty sadist with no clear purpose. Your Warriors were just a ragtag bunch of thugs. I paid for your equipment and training. I got you organized. I made you into an effective team. I gave you reasons to kill. I'm sorry you got wiped out, but if you want to play with the big boys, you sometimes have to pay the price."

Walfred charged her. She grabbed a chair and swung it to force him back.

"Enough!" the Lady said. "You've had your say."

She pointed a finger and shot Walfred in the head with a black fingernail. The top of his skull exploded, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Iris stared at the body. She couldn't help but think she was next.

"What now?" she said softly.

"My people just reported they're done cleaning up," the Lady said. "Grupo's victims are safely away, and the rest are dead. This place will be your tomb."

Iris heard an ominous rumble which sounded like tunnels collapsing.

"I have useful information," she said weakly.

"The man who came with you will tell us everything we need to know. We also have Grupo, Erika, Dr. Eppinger, and several others. That's plenty. I can have fun with you. Hanley, restrain her."

The thing in white armor flashed across the room and grabbed her arms from behind with a painfully tight grip. She struggled, but he had the strength of a steel vise.

"Yang," the Lady said, "you can bring Olivia now."

A monster made of yellow crystals and white flame appeared with Olivia.

"This is the woman who wanted to kill you," the Lady said. "Look closely at her. Study the face of the enemy. It won't be the last time somebody threatens your life."

Olivia approached Iris, and Yang stayed very close to the girl.

Hanley whispered in Iris' ear, "If you make the slightest move, I will break you in half."

Olivia looked up at Iris, and the girl's black and white eyes were eerie at close range. They seemed to contain ancient wisdom.

"Why?"

"It wasn't personal," Iris said. "A benefactor promised me a great reward that would've made me enormously powerful. I don't hate you. I don't even know you."

"What about all those people who jumped off the bridge?"

"It was a necessary part of the plan. I had to make the Society come to that spot under the bridge. It worked, too."

Olivia furrowed her brow. "You don't feel bad?"

"I don't like the way things turned out, but I'm ready to move on. I'll even change teams. I'm sure the Society could use somebody with my talents. I never really liked being a Pythagorean anyway."

The Lady shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. Olivia, make her feel shame and regret. I want her last moments on Earth to be full of guilt."

"What?" Iris said.

Hanley forced her to drop to her knees. Olivia put her small palm on Iris' forehead.

Crushing guilt struck Iris like a sledgehammer. Suddenly, every decision she had ever made seemed wrong and evil. She was despicable scum, the lowest of the low. Her countless sins weighed her down like anvils hung from her neck.

Hanley released her, and everybody backed away.

Iris looked around for a way to end the torment. Her gaze settled on a silver steak knife on the table. She grabbed it with both hands and positioned it over her stomach. After a hesitation, she thrust the knife into her gut. The pain was horrible, but she deserved every bit of it. She stabbed again and again until blood was gushing out. She didn't stop until blackness consumed her.

She slumped to the floor and died.

* * *

Marina looked down at the corpse of her foe.
That was enjoyable,
she thought.

Marina turned to Hanley. "I want you, Ipo, and Katie to finish up here. Destroy everything. Make sure no evidence is ever found."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"And you did a great job. Well done."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Marina walked over to Olivia. The little girl was staring at Iris with an unreadable expression. It was the first time Olivia had ever used her gift to kill.

"I'll take you back to the hotel," Marina said.

She took Olivia's hand and teleported back to the bedroom in the Paris hotel suite. Aaron and Yang followed an instant later.

Jia was in the final stages of getting dressed. She had put on a red shirt and blue jeans, and she was brushing out her hair. She jumped in surprise.

"Hello, ma'am!" She looked at Aaron. "It's nice seeing you again, sir."

"Same here," he said.

"Yang told me he wants to marry you," Marina said.

Jia nodded timidly. "Is that possible?"

"I'm still considering it. There are implications. What if other
legionnaires
want to marry in the future?"

"Oh."

"Ma'am," Olivia said in her sweet voice, "you should thank the witches. We would've died without their help."

"I'll do that right now," Marina said.

She held hands with Aaron as they left the bedroom and entered the main part of the suite. There was an entertainment area, a space for formal meetings, and a dining room. The place was big enough to serve as a home for a large family.

Rachiel and her coven were eating breakfast at the table. The witches had showered and had washed their hair, but their dresses were still dirty. Min Ho, Corrie, and Imelda were seated with them. A generous meal of eggs, bacon, granola, pancakes, and fresh fruit was laid out, and Marina guessed it had come from room service.

Rachiel turned, stared at Aaron and Marina for a moment, and then slid off her chair. Rachiel placed her face and hands against the floor.

"Great Mother," she moaned, "protect me! The Lord and Lady of Desolation have come." She was trembling with fear.

"Stand," Marina commanded. "We won't harm you. I want to thank you."

Rachiel hesitantly stood up. She was still shaking, and she kept her eyes down. Her coven left the table and gathered behind her.

"I'm told you saved the lives of Olivia and my friends," Marina said. "For that, you get a reward. What do you want? You can have anything."

Rachiel finally met her gaze. "Anything?"

"Yes."

"I don't know." Rachiel looked to the other witches. "We were happy in the mountains. We don't need much else. Saving the Bride of Light was its own reward."

Marina thought for a moment. "How would you like to meet the Beacon of Light?"

"I can do that?"

"Certainly, and I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you. We might as well bring Olivia, too. It will be a nice reunion. Come over here, both of you. Aaron and Yang should also come, of course."

Rachiel and Olivia came over to Marina and grabbed her hands. Rachiel was still pale and shaking. She was barely willing to touch Marina's skin.

Marina knew Norbert was Wesley's permanent guardian, so Marina merely had to find Norbert. As Lady of the Society, she could locate any
legionnaire
at any time. Marina teleported with Rachiel and Olivia.

Marina looked around and realized she was at the east end of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC. The Washington Monument obelisk stood to the east. The Lincoln Memorial and its reflection were to the west. Trees lined the sides of the pool along its entire length of a third of a mile. It was a chilly winter day, but the sky was clear, and a morning sun burned brightly.

Aaron and Yang arrived at the same time. They had already switched to normal human forms.

"Hi!" Wesley said. "Right on time."

He and Norbert were standing on the sidewalk with smiles on their faces. The Voice of Truth was wearing a brown jacket over jeans and a sweater, and the outfit was a shade too formal for a child his age. Norbert had taken on the form of a kindly old man. He was obviously pretending to be Wesley's grandfather, and Norbert had even adopted the same sparkling blue eyes and brown hair. He was leaning on a real wooden cane. The pretense was ironic for a man who was strong enough to move mountains.

Olivia ran to Wesley, and they hugged. Marina smiled at the show of affection even though the kids were a little too young for it.

Rachiel bowed her head. "This is the greatest honor of my life."

Wesley walked over and shook her hand. "You must be the witch. I'm very glad to meet you. I owe you for saving Olivia's life."