Supernatural Games (21 page)

“
J
ason, we are being followed. I suggest we put up a shield and establish a defensive perimeter.”

“Shamus, bring the men inside, set the shield, turn on the motion sensors, and advise everyone to put in their ear plugs. We won’t hear them, but can monitor their entry. Remember what Lauren told us. They will try to terrorize us, hoping we will run into their trap. Hold your fire until we see if Lauren’s clear. Fire only when fired upon, and maintain radio silence until I give the all clear.”

“The team is set and ready when you are.”

“Make sure everyone has taken the cure Lauren gave them. Now we’ll settle in and wait for them to come to us.”

Jason and his men went silent. Their locations were cloaked and shielded while they waited for who knew what. They didn’t have long to contemplate their dilemma. Long before they saw or heard anything, they felt a malevolent energy descend on them like fog along the coast. It crept silently and steadily over the area until they were immersed in it. Whatever the mist of lethal life force was, it seemed to overtake them, smothering them in panic, terror and anxiety. It sickened their souls. Men clawed at their throats, eyes bulged, screams caught in their throats. Then just as suddenly, they gasped for air, hearts pounding, and sweat pouring off them. Then nothing but dead silence. Time seemed to stand still as if the universe was holding its breath. That’s when all hell broke loose. Screams, shrieks, and howls of terror pierced the night, sounding like someone freed the hounds of hell. No one moved. The only sound was the thundering of each person’s heart in their own ears. Hearts that threatened to leap from the chest of each terrified team member.

When it had been silent for what seemed like an eternity, Jason motioned to his team, signaling them to check in with a thumb up or down. Satisfied that everyone was accounted for, he motioned for his scout to scour the immediate area. The man scampered forward and inched his head above the rock he used as a shield. He’d barely moved when fire erupted, splintering the rock and sending him diving into the dirt. Jason motioned for him to stay down. Realizing a decoy was necessary to see what they were up against; Jason sent a holographic image of himself up twenty feet from where they were entrenched. Lucky for them, this was only an image, because whoever was still out there blasted it into extinction.

Pinned down and not spoiled for choice, Jason racked his brain, trying to decide how to extricate themselves from this situation. Limited options caused Jason to instruct his team to wait until the next attack before taking Lauren’s serum to rebound their curses at them. It seemed like time stood still; no sound or movement to tell them what was about to rain down on them. Jason crawled forward, sweat dripping down his face and blurring his vision. His men maintained radio silence, aware Ker was prepared to shower death and destruction on them. This god inflicted despair, dread, and gloom on his victims, hoping to steer them mindlessly into harm’s way, where Moros would stamp out their existence.

Jason’s mind raced as he tried to figure a way out. The moment he was ready to admit they were S.O.L., an idea seeped to the surface. He franticly reached for his radio and sent his team an urgent message. He was either right, or his entire team would be dead in moments. On the count of ten, Jason and his team jumped into action. They sprang up and rained a hail of bullets into the surrounding area, then threw themselves face down onto the ground, extracted their emergency blankets and unfurled them. Pulling them up and over their bodies, they created a protective circle of reflectivity. Silence descended for a moment, before the agonizing gasps, groans, and sounds of death ensued.

It was silent so long, Jason was afraid to trust it. Waiting as long as he dared, he signaled for everyone to fan out and check the immediate area. It didn’t take long for the all clear to sound. Jason sent out a scouting group to check the area for hostiles, living or dead. He didn’t have long to wait before his men reported they found the mummified remains of Ker and Moros. There wasn’t a single enemy combatant alive. This part of the saga had reached its conclusion.

“Tokem, our mission is complete here, and we’re heading out. Ker and Moros are truly dead. Is there any news from Lauren and the games?”

“Jason, the games concluded without any serious injuries. We are tallying up the scores to see who won. Lauren and Corbin entered the portal and were in pursuit of you. We haven’t heard anything, because they are maintaining radio silence. We’ll call her and give her the good news.”

“Tokem, thank you. We’ll be in shortly.”

Tokem immediately placed a call to Lauren to fill her in. No one answered. He tried again and still no answer. Maybe they were out of radio contact or too deep underground to get a signal. Unfazed, Tokem returned to tallying scores and verifying the game’s outcome. It took over an hour to watch the footage and total the day’s scores. It looked like the fae had inched out the vampires with the wizards in a close third.

“Tokem, any word from Lauren?” Jason radioed.

“No, I haven’t tried recently. I’ve been totaling scores, rechecking everything, and determining where everyone placed. I’m sure she and Corbin are fine. I’ll try them again in a little while. Are you and your team on your way in?”

“We are. Let’s get the crew together as soon as we get back. Give it thirty minutes and we’ll meet in the conference room.”

“Jason, I’ll let everyone know. We’ll meet back here in thirty.”

Tokem recalled his entire squad, and they continued the tedious process of reviewing and authenticating every team’s placement. Double-checking to make sure no one broke any rules, it took the better part of an hour. Wrapping up the results, double and tripled checked, Tokem was on his way to the conference room when his radio squawked.

“Tokem, here. What’s up?”

“Tokem, it’s Traygen, have you seen or heard from Lauren?”

“No, they went in without radio contact. They were headed toward Jason and his team. I know Jason and his crew have killed Ker and Moros. She should be back anytime.”

“You are probably right. Let me know when she checks in.”

“Will do. Where are you headed?”

“I’ll help Jason and his group wrap up the recovery of Ker and Moros’s remains. He wants to figure out what killed them, but think he’s wasting his time. I don’t expect enough will be left from the burned remains to tell us much.

“Do you want me to come over and lend a hand? I might see something on film...”

“Tokem, I know you could. Jason thinks it’s better if you continue to score and confirm the standings. The sooner we get these supernatural gems of decorum and fair play on their way home, the better.”

“Roger that, Traygen. He has the right man. I’ll have everything totaled up and the paranormal prime time players, placated and primed for the closing ceremonies.”

“Good man. Holler if you need anything.”

“Traygen, go make sure there is nothing left of their godless asses to return to Tartarus.”

“Consider it done,” Traygen said as he went to find Jason and his team.

“Jason, Tokem is checking and authenticating the order of finish. How can I help?”

“Traygen, we need to trace where these two have been. I want to make sure they have no reinforcements left out there.”

“Will do?”

“I would like to know who put them up to this. They rarely act on their own initiative. I need to see if it was Erebus or Nyx behind this. It’s doubtful we will ever be certain unless we can goad one of ringleaders into speaking.”

“You might get Erebus’s goat, especially because he can’t stand the fact Lauren bested him.”

“Let’s get on with it then. My team is wrapping things up in the field.”

Jason settled in to sift through the debris his team recovered. Most everything was charred to a crispy mess, rendering it nearly impossible to find clues. They’d need a forensic anthropologist to examine the bone fragments.

“Have you found anything yet?”

“Not yet. We might never know who sent them,” Jason replied. He opened a bottle of water, took a long swig, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and sighed in appreciation.

“There is water in there if you are thirsty. Help yourself. Any word from Lauren?”

“No, I’m a little worried, but they are probably fine. They most likely can’t get a connection down there.”

“You’re undoubtedly right. Let’s just pray there is a clear winner and no one contests it. Then all we need to survive is the closing ceremonies.”

“Traygen, I appreciate your optimism. I only wish I shared it, but I’ve seen too many of these to get my hopes up.”

A
fraid to move, twitch, or wipe away the cold sweat trickling down my face, my eyes burned. I hugged the ground for all I was worth. My senses were going off the charts and my Uroborus bracelet throbbed on my wrist. We weren’t alone, and something told me this wasn’t a friendly visit. This felt like Moro’s handiwork, but I never expected him to be this far from the portal, especially since he leads the attacks. Just about the time I was ready to break and run, a small pop by my ear announced Corbin’s return. I sure as hell hoped it was him. Before I could imagine too many creative ways to punish him, his wet nose brushed my cheek. He would pay for that if I lived through this.

He flapped his wings and hopped a step or two away from me. Great, charades was my least favorite game. It looked like he wanted me to follow him. Dropping my shield, I crawled forward as quietly as possible. Trying hard not to dislodge any rocks, or make noise to announce my position, I slithered after Corbin. We were in dense, thick brush and very little light penetrated the surrounding darkness.

Corbin moved steadily away toward my right. I hauled forward using my elbows and knees. It was tough sledding, and I was almost ready to confront whatever was emitting the evil energy. Then to my relief, I felt the ground leading downward. It felt more damp, and moss covered the ground. The further down I slid, the damper the moss got. I was now sliding along behind Corbin at an impressive pace. My bracelet was still warm, but we had evidently put distance between us and the evil emissary stalking us. Then the ground under me gave way. I tumbled down an embankment and landed with a splash in shallow water. Spitting, sputtering, and splashing, I hauled myself to a small rocky ledge at the edge of a lake or river. I couldn’t see far enough to tell.

Corbin buzzed over, hovering just out of reach, checking to make sure I was okay. He shimmered for a minute, and then he turned back into a wolf. He trotted off along the water’s edge in the opposite direction from our pursuer. I struggled to my feet and moved after him. I was definitely walking along a stream stretching to fill most of this section of the cave. Darkness shrouded the area until I rounded a bend in the river, and a bright shaft of light illuminated the area. The river sparkled with tiny beams of light dancing like fireflies on the water. As I approached, I saw the light shine from an opening high in the cave’s ceiling. It acted like a natural skylight bathing the area in light, and revealed huge stalactites. They resembled giant icicles descending into the water.

Engrossed in the beauty of the area, I didn’t heard Corbin approach. He nosed my hand, and I nearly fell into the water. Damn you, Corbin. He was so going to pay when we got out of here. Then he turned and trotted farther down the underground river. The minute we left the range of the natural skylight, we again plunged into darkness. I followed along behind Corbin. As we moved downstream, the terrain once again transformed.

The river remained on our left, but the area alongside became rockier, resembling waves on a wind-driven ocean turned to stone. Corbin stopped and sniffed the air for God only knew what. I squatted to examine the new surface. Lava? Could it be? It sure as hell felt porous, rough, grainy and very coarse to my fingers. That is when I found that something or someone had blasted and burned small areas on this surface. It looked recent, as the ash was still powdery. It coated my finger when I touched it. The surface was definitely sprayed by fiery blasts. I was startled by a small pop in front of me. Peering into the darkness, I barely detected the shape of a man walking in my direction. I aimed my bracelet in the general vicinity when I spotted Corbin.

“Lauren, there are periodic signs of an intense battle, more brutal the deeper into the cave we go. I flew for twenty minutes without finding the end of this cave. There are a few more openings to the outside where the limestone eroded, leaving the area above open to the sky.”

“Do you think this is another trap by the freaky gods? Or are they slugging it out with Jason and his team?”

“I think it is a series of skirmishes between the two teams. It doesn’t look like we’ve found the main battle.”

“Then who in the hell is behind us? Do you think Moros and Ker split up?”

“Lauren, that isn’t their M.O., and I see no reason why they would deviate from their routine. I will tell you the vampires are behind us.”

“What? Why in the hell would they be here? The vampires were either winning the competition or in second. What possible reason would they have for being down here? They know this is grounds for disqualification.”

“I’m sure they know the rules. It isn’t the vampire team from the games down here. If I’m not mistaken, these are Red Court vampires, and there’s only one reason for them to pursue us. Erol.”

“Do you really think he hates me enough to chase us during the games? If he is caught, he will be killed.”

“That may be so, yet his hate is blinding him enough to risk everything to kill you and me. He wasn’t happy with my father for letting us go. I think we should assume Erol or Red Court vampires are pursuing us.”

“Great. We are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If we are lucky, maybe we can get them to kill each other.”

“Lauren, you might be on to something there. Neither group knows about the other. Jason and his team will be firing away at Moros and Ker. They will not expect an attack from behind them. Do you still have one of your holograms?”

“Yes, but I don’t see what...”

“If you have a hologram and you can get the Red Court vampires to blast it, they’ll fire into the back of our freaky, devilish duo of dysfunctionality, otherwise known as Moros and Ker.”

“Corbin, you may be onto something, but I can top that. Once the vampires blast their ungodly asses into oblivion, we use our talismans to bounce the vamps fire back into them. It will require precise timing, so we aren’t caught in the crossfire. What do you think?”

“I am glad I’m not on your bad side. Nevertheless, a little Red Court flambé works for me. Lead on.”

“Corbin, why don’t you fly ahead and see where everyone is, and if it’s at all possible to clue Jason and his team in on what we are trying to accomplish. I’ll see if I can get a better idea of who is after us.”

“Lauren, be careful.”

“I will, Corbin, and watch yourself.”

Once Corbin changed into a bat, he was off. I placed a few obstacles in our pursuer’s way to slow them down enough to observe them. I needed to know who was trailing us. I sprinted ahead to an area where I could let my hologram go and still keep it out of firing range from our trackers. We were heading into a deep canyon where the river had eroded into a yawning divide. The vamps would either have to climb up and over or get wet. I had my money on them climbing up and over.

I waded across until the log I was clinging to shot downstream as if I was in a pinball machine. I prayed it wouldn’t take me over a waterfall or down rapids beyond my ability to navigate. For someone short on praying and shorter on divine intervention tokens, I was contemplating becoming more spiritual. About the time I was ready to pray in earnest, I was washed up on a small sand bar, eternally grateful to land in one piece on this small strip of sand. I nearly kissed the ground. I steadied my breathing and checked out my immediate surroundings. There was nothing for me to hide behind on this desolate little strip of sand.

The visibility was so poor, I couldn’t see more than a few feet in any direction. Running out of options, I pushed off the bank farthest from my pursuers and hopefully closer to the opposite bank. That is when I shot down a side channel as though on an e-ticket ride at Disneyland. White water washed over me and swirled me around more than the spin cycle on my washer. The moment I was prepared to confess my past transgressions to God, I noticed a dead tree clinging to the embankment, and lunged toward it with all my strength. I thought I’d missed it, but managed to grab the end of a branch.

I held my breath, afraid to exhale and add any weight to the frail excuse for a tree limb that was my salvation. I swallowed several mouthfuls of river water before I felt the tree tugging me back against the current. Yes, I shouted before I inhaled a lungful of river water. I was coughing so hard, I thought maybe I’d expelled a lung or two. Finally, the coughing subsided, and I pulled myself closer to the embankment. When I got near, I lunged for the riverbank. I crawled up on the sand and collapsed. It took several minutes to slow my breathing and sit upright. I checked to make sure I hadn’t lost any gear. I still had my vials and staff. I scanned the immediate surroundings. I scrambled behind a large boulder, the only shelter available. I leaned against the stone and tried to catch my breath and still my thundering heart. I’d barely recovered, when a small pop caused me to jump as Corbin changed from a bat to his human form.

“Lauren, I was able to reach Jason. He and his team are on board with our plan. They are entrenched in a defensible area and waiting for us. They’ve killed the gods, and were looking to see if they’d rounded everyone up. So far, they haven’t found any evidence of enemy combatants. When they get the area cleared, they’ll send up a flare to give us the all clear then will wait to see who we flush out into the open area in front of their current position.”

“Good to know. I’ve been shooting the rapids, and they were easily class four.”

“Lauren, I didn’t know you were into white water rafting.”

“Do you see any raft? You know I hate being in water higher than my ankles.”

“How do you want to handle this? I haven’t had the time to scout the terrain for any points high enough to give us an advantage. We need to get to a place higher than either group to make certain no stray fire hits us.”

“Good to know. I always thought the term collateral damage was an oxymoron. I mean if it’s my ass in the sling, any damage is guaranteed to cause me to rain pain down on the cause.”

“Okay, then. I’ll keep that in perspective while I scout the area. I’ll be right back.”

While Corbin was checking out the terrain, I squeezed as much water as possible from my shirt and jacket. My lips were blue and my teeth chattered. Once I was as comfortable as possible until this was over, I checked my weapons. I was locked, loaded, and armed to the teeth. I settled in to wait for Corbin to return. I may have drifted off, because I jumped when the small pop signaled his return.

“Lauren, I found an outcrop half way up the embankment behind us. The rocks form a natural ledge to provide us with a flat surface to settle on to wait for the fireworks.”

“Is it visible from here? We can’t chance being spotted by anyone.”

“It is high enough so if they aren’t looking they won’t spot it. Once we fire on them, we can pull back from the edge and take cover behind the rocks.”

“Lead the way. I need to get moving. I’m freezing in these wet clothes.”

I followed Corbin as he moved diagonally away from the water. It wasn’t long before the topography changed. There were fewer trees, but boulders of all shapes and sizes dispersed the area. I felt sure we were traversing the talus. This stuff was harder than hell to cross without slipping and sliding. I tried to place my feet to avoid sending rocks careening down the slope. We were definitely leaving a trail a blind man could follow. I didn’t like this one bit.

“Lauren, get down,” Corbin shouted.

I threw myself down as shots sent rocks and dirt flying around me, pinning me down. Corbin was up higher. He crawled behind a large boulder, and I knew he was safe. I threw a shield over me, and immediately felt shots ricochet off it. I turned around to see who was firing at me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see he did the shooting. With no options worth a damn, I dropped my shield and sent a burst of energy into the rocks below. A cloud of dust, accompanied by a loud crack was my cue to make a break. I sprang up and ran for my life up the hill as the avalanche rained down the hillside. The rocks gained momentum as they bounced and careened down the slope. When I gained the security of Corbin’s boulder, I dove behind it.

“Lauren, are you all right? You aren’t hit, are you? Speak to me, will you?”

“No damn it, I put a hole in my new body armor. If those rocks didn’t kill those SOB’s, I will.”

“Good to know you are okay, because we can’t stay here. We need to move now. Our cover is blown, and we don’t know which set of bad asses is after us.”

“Lead the way. We need to distance ourselves from whoever fired at us.”

Corbin moved crossways up the slope at a good clip. He was advancing up and away from where we were pinned down. There were trees and brush as we left the talus behind. Soon we entered woods and wasted no time finding shelter, distancing ourselves from whoever fired on us. We scrambled to seek shelter and move as far as possible from our pursuers. It was hard to see underneath the cover of the trees. Rocks and moss-covered rocks covered the ground. This was a good thing. It would be hard for anyone to track us in here.

“Lauren, I think we’ve gone far enough to lose them for now. Do you have any ideas?”

“Obviously, we need to know who shot at us. Since the shots came from behind us, I’m assuming it was vampires. I think it’s time for you to see who is after us without getting caught. We know Moros and Ker’s army were in front of us.”

“I think I can find out who is tracking us. What are you going to do?”