Supernatural Games (22 page)

“I’ll set a few traps for whoever is chasing us. Make sure you fly, and when I’m done you can find me up in one of these old pine trees. It will give me the element of surprise, and a great view of anyone approaching on foot.”

Corbin flew off. I checked the immediate area and found the opening to a slot canyon. There was debris partially concealing the opening. It looked like only three feet between the walls, less in places. I scrambled over the loose rocks, under tree branches and moved back into the canyon. It appeared to stretch for a half mile or more. There wasn’t enough time for me to check it without risking being trapped in it. Fortunately, as I studied the area, I found what I was looking for high up on the south side of the canyon.

I had no time to spare as I retraced my steps and left the chasm. I skirted away from the canyon and toward the south side, detouring well wide of my destination before moving diagonally toward the ravine. When I reached the large stand of pines towering over the area, acting as silent sentinels, I scrambled higher and higher until I reached the crown of the tree. My luck was holding and the branches of the trees overlapped. Now came the tricky part. Would the branch hold or would it snap and send me tumbling to the ground? I flung myself toward the next tree and wrapped my arms around the branch. The limb dipped, groaned, squeaked, and finally stopped swaying. Miraculously, I held on and pulled myself closer to the trunk without plummeting to my death. Once my breathing stabilized, I climbed up next to the trunk to see what was below me.

To my dismay, I still needed to spring over one more time to the next tree. I wanted to be adjacent to the south canyon wall. Luckily, this tree was bigger and closer than the first two trees I slammed into. I walked as close to the end of the limb as possible before the branch I held started to dip. Springing up and over, I landed on a broader limb that barely quivered. Grateful to God for small miracles, I scampered over to the trunk and surveyed the area below me. It was what I was looking for. I had a clear line of sight to the canyon opening, and was high enough, so unless someone looked up, they would never find me until it was too late.

A quick visual inspection confirmed my initial impression. Boulders and rocks littered the ground along the lip of the canyon, teetering on the brink, definitely signs of a recent slide. There were a few stunted trees and small scraggly brush on the north side of the canyon. The south side was free of rock, and covered by the stand of pines I perched on. Before I could make more plans, a small pop announced Corbin’s return, and the branch we were standing on swayed dangerously. When I pried my fingers off the trunk, I glared at Corbin. He signaled for me to remain silent, and held up three fingers, then pointed to the area near the mouth of the canyon. We didn’t have long to wait as three Red Court vampires scuttled into view. They were hideous looking, and if I had to guess, very old. If you ask me, vampires have many things ass backwards. The older and more powerful a vampire is, the more revolting they appear. These had fangs like tusks, with so many wrinkles, they looked like nine miles of bad roads. I felt their magic radiating from them. These were powerful vampires. They wouldn’t go down without a struggle, and we needed to dispose of them quickly to prevent alerting whoever assisted Moros and Ker to our presence and location, if they didn’t already know.

Signaling my plan for Corbin left a good deal to the imagination. Fortunately, he knew me well enough to get the gist of my proposal. He nodded his agreement before he wisely moved up and over to the opposite side of the canyon. This wasn’t ideal, because when the fit hit the shan, a stray blast from my bracelet might rebound onto him. Satisfied he was up high enough to avoid random strikes, I refocused on my three targets. While I was making sure Corbin was safe and out of range, they worked their way down the canyon. They were wedged in so tight, they looked like they were playing twister in a few spots. Still, I waited. I wanted the three stooges to be jammed in so tight they couldn’t defend themselves.

Vampires are ancient, arrogant assholes who falsely believe they are the finest predators on the planet. Pride, as they say, goes before the fall. Taking careful aim at the rocks teetering on the lip of the canyon, I sent blast after blast into the side of the ravine. A loud crack sent a river of rock cascading on top of them. They were wedged in so tight, they couldn’t raise their arms to shield themselves. I motioned for Corbin to fly down to see if they’d get out before the millennia. He darted down into the cloud of dust billowing up out of the chasm. A short time later, he rocketed up and gave me a thumb up. I knew they would eventually dig out, but it would hold them long enough for us to take care of the deranged and determined leader of the deceased gods.

Corbin and I stayed high on the ridge while we searched for whoever was behind Moros and Ker’s attack. The burned, twisted trees and debris strewn around the area confirmed they had engaged Jason’s team. We hiked farther toward the gate holding the portal. The closer we got, the greater the destruction. It looked like there had been a pitched battle. Corbin darted back, indicating the leader of the two gods was close. That’s when I felt a wave of despair hit me squarely in the chest. My heart raced, and I was hyperventilating. Trying hard to control my breathing, I struggled to rein in my emotions. On some level, I knew this wasn’t Moros. He was dead, and someone else was trying to scare us into a trap. Stumbling forward and frantically motioning for Corbin, I threw a shield over us. My heart hammered in my chest, and blood pounded in my ears. It was a war of wills to wrestle control of my emotions from the wielder of this foul spell.

When my body relaxed, I slid down until my butt hit the ground. Sweat drenched my shirt.

“Lauren, thank you for shielding us. Whoever applied that dread nearly caused my heart to leap from my chest.”

“Corbin, I’ve never felt anything so terrible. We need to end that guy. Now I know how they caused those participants to flee in fear. A few more seconds and I’d have been a goner.”

“How do you want to handle this? We need to draw the person out so we can deflect their curse back on them. We will get only one chance.”

“Agreed, and we don’t want to bounce the curse back onto Jason and his team. I think you should let Jason know where we are. See how he wants to handle this. I can project my hologram for them to attack, but it will work only once.”

“Let me scout the area and determine where everyone is. It might help us tell when or where to send the hologram.”

“Corbin, good idea. I’ll wait for you before doing anything.”

I watched as Corbin shot out of sight. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I had a growing sense of foreboding. It must be a powerful entity sending this negative energy at us. I just wanted to get Corbin back and get this over with. This wasn’t my first rodeo. My team and I had disposed of more than one pathological maniac or two in our career. This force was demented, deranged, and dangerous. What else was new. As the wizard of L.A., this was just another day at the office. Logically, this was a fact, yet my senses were on high alert, and I couldn’t quell the queasiness in my gut. Where was Corbin? He should have been back by now.

“Jason, Lauren asked me to check where everyone is. I figured out whoever is behind this is east of the portal. They are between our locales, but we can skirt them if necessary. Any thoughts before I fill Lauren in?”

“Corbin, Moros and Ker are dead. We were checking the area to make sure they didn’t leave any of their cronies. We’d hoped to find out who sent them.”

“Damn, if it isn’t Moros and Ker, then we’ve got a seriously evil entity. We couldn’t tell how many. We have three Red Court vampires temporarily trapped. I’ll let Lauren know what we are dealing with. I’ll get back to you as soon as we settle on a plan. I am giving these guys a wide berth. We don’t want them to know we are in communication.”

“Be safe,” Jason cautioned as I departed. I flew in the opposite direction, and then made a wide circle well away from where we expected the newest peril to be waiting to pounce on us. I was almost back behind the point where I’d left Lauren, when I spotted movement below me. Rather than encounter a surprise we weren’t expecting, I dove down to check. I left the protection of the clouds, diving low enough to get a clear view. It probably wasn’t safe, but I felt certain I left a wide enough space between me and whatever the latest peril produced.

I couldn’t see anything, and I was ready to head back, when I heard a click, and then a net knocked me out of the sky. What in the hell? I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me, and couldn’t move. I was caught in silver netting. Silver neutralizes my powers. I was stripped of my defenses, helpless and entangled. This wasn’t good. A noise from behind alerted me to the approach of someone. I couldn’t even turn around to see who or what was approaching.

Then darkness enveloped me. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. What I felt were rough hands yanking me up off the ground and onto something solid. My guess was, it was a wagon, cart, or something transporting me to god only knew where. My senses flooded with the odor of vampires. I feared the three vampires we buried somehow freed themselves from their rocky trap. If these were the same Red Court vampires, they wouldn’t have much use for me, or keeping me alive. I conserved my energy, because I could do nothing about until I escaped the snare. Hopefully, Lauren would realize I was missing and come looking for me. Until then, I was SOL.

I
was worried. Corbin should have been back by now. I wasn’t sure how long it would take those vampires to dig their way out. Tired of waiting, I headed toward Jason and his team. I kept to the ridgeline to provide a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area. I sent out my senses to find any hint of Corbin. It took a while, but I picked up a faint signal coming from behind. Certain it wasn’t good news, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction. The farther I went, the clearer Corbin’s energy became. He was ahead of me, and wasn’t moving. I didn’t like this. The direction I moved, sent me closer to where we buried the Red Court vampires. I was also getting farther and farther away from Jason and his team. I wouldn’t be any help if Moros and Ker attacked. It didn’t matter, I wouldn’t abandon Corbin. He saved my life too many times to count.

Picking my way through the brush and rocks, I was getting closer. This was good, but it was a mistake to continue in this direction. It would take longer, but it was better to circle around and approach from the opposite direction. Whoever it was, they wouldn’t expect me to be coming from behind them. I doubled my pace and was nearing Corbin’s current location. I was close, so stopped to send my senses out to find Corbin. He was nearby, and I propelled a telepathic message to him. We hadn’t used it much, but we connected after traipsing and trudging through the vanishing vampire courts. That’s when I felt a strong response directly in front of me.

Slithering through the brush as quietly as possible, I spotted Corbin and his captors. I was stunned. It wasn’t the three Red Court vampires we buried earlier in an avalanche of stone. If I had to guess, I’d say this was their rear guard and not too smart. They had placed a sentry on the path where they assumed I’d approach, but there was no one covering their ass. I sat down and debated the best tactic. These weren’t seasoned soldiers. They were green, and I’d hazard a guess they were untested. I pulled out my talisman and activated my staff. Locked, loaded, and ready to fry vampire ass, I set my bracelet to stun and took careful aim at the two vampires guarding Corbin.

They were down and out before they twitched. Waiting to be sure I didn’t miss anyone, I approached their campsite. They didn’t appear to have any friends. Hurrying over to Corbin, I removed the silver net that ensnared him.

“Lauren, thank you. I owe you. That silver had me disarmed and trapped.”

“Are there any others with them?”

“No, I think they were the last line of defense. I tried to circle around to get behind Moros and Ker when I stumbled into them. They hit me with the net before I knew they were there.”

“We better get moving. Jason and his team must be preparing to confront our attackers. Lauren, FYI, Moros and Ker are dead. I’ll fill you in later. It’s time we get to higher ground so we can catch whoever is tailing us amid our teams and bounce their own curses back on them. Do you want me to take to the air and check out the area?”

“No, we should stay together. We know the two worst are dead. Whatever else is menacing us, they’re more or less caught between a rock and a hard place. I suggest you keep a lookout for any of the familiars from the games. We can’t be a hundred percent sure who left those.”

“Okay, I’ll watch for supersized frogs, spiders and jaguars. I think we can rule Frosty’s out, he’d melt.”

“What we need to do is keep our senses on high alert. We will no doubt sense whoever is tailing us before they get close enough to strike. I think it’s time to drink our cure. I’d hoped to use mine on our deceased gods. But if we are lucky, we can take out a relative, or fry a Red Court vamp,” Lauren said as she reached in, snapped open the small vial, and drank it down.

“Geez Lauren, are you trying to kill us? This stuff is vile. I’d hoped your brews were better than your cooking.”

“Dream on, Vamp Boy, it’s time to get serious. We use only silence and hand signals from here on in. You stay two clicks to my left. I’ll keep my right side up against the edge of the ravine.”

Nodding and angling to my left, Corbin melted noiselessly into the cover. He wore fatigues and face paint, so he blended into the landscape. I could always sense Corbin, so knew he was staying abreast of my position. We inched silently forward. The area was eerily quiet, too quiet. No animal sounds, no insects, and no birds. Our attacker must be close. The wildlife had gone to ground, hiding, hunkering down. Sweat dripped into my eyes, my palms were clammy, and fear pricked at my consciousness.

Where are you? I know you’re out there. I feel your slim, sinister, soulless spirit. Show yourself. A wave of fear washed over me, and I crouched and froze where I was. I didn’t bother to look. I closed my eyes and relaxed my breathing. Like sonar on the bottom of the ocean, I pinged the area looking for Moros. I knew he was close. He was to my left between my position and Corbin. Great. I needed to be careful not to miss and risk hitting Corbin. Satisfied that he hadn’t yet detected my presence, I inched forward on my elbows and knees. My staff was primed and slung over my back. Not handy in this brush. It didn’t matter, because my bracelet was activated, and I could fry him from my prone position as I hugged the ground.

The finger of land we were on tapered to a point looking into the ravine below us. At least now, we knew where they planned to ambush us. I hoped Corbin had figured this out and took to the air. Jason and his team wouldn’t have a clean shot, but we would. My cover was thinning out, so soon I’d need to cloak my presence. I muttered a few words and was once again invisible. I slowly rose to my feet and advanced swiftly and silently toward the edge. I found a large rock to use as a foundation to fire from. I had my staff primed and pointed at the source of the evil energy. While I waited, I sent out my energy to determine if Corbin took to the air. He had. As I looked, I spotted an area where the air appeared to shimmer like a mirage. A faint pop and Nyx stood in all her sinister glory. What in Tartarus was she doing here? Apparently, her boys were a chip off her bad-assed, attitudinally challenged self.

She was smaller than her sons, but still over six feet. If looks could kill, I was a goner. Fortunately, I would shoot first and read her rights her later. Just kidding, we would not be reading her a damned thing. Satisfied I was well shielded, I took careful aim and sent every ounce of energy I had at her. She staggered and roared. The hit spun her toward where I thought Corbin was, and sure enough, he fired until Nyx hit her knees. We were ending her. I sent wave after wave of energy into her until she burst into flame. I thought of the Wizard of Oz where the wicked witch melts. Corbin flew down to make sure she was dead. He gave me a thumb up before he flew over and landed on my shoulder.

“I didn’t expect this turn of events. Jason told me to let you know they blasted Ker and Moros to ashes. I guess we made it a family affair.”

Corbin dove over the cliff and toward the floor of the ravine. I took two steps and jumped over, pulling my wing suit open as I glided down behind Corbin. It was a shame we had no more angry gods to kill, because it was a beautiful day. I felt almost invincible since we had removed those three from among the living. Almost as wonderful as flying on my favorite dragon, I rode the currents until I landed lightly behind Corbin. I hurriedly gathered up my suit before the wind could pick me up again. I stowed it under a tree until I had time to pack it. Then we raced back down the gorge where Jason and his team waited. I couldn’t speak for Corbin, but I was feeling euphoric knowing those three were dead. As we raced forward, I had Corbin fly ahead to look for any traps Ker might have planted. We had no clue where or if he’d left any surprises. We knew he was the god of violent death. A charmer that one, I didn’t want to test the theory. While Corbin searched, I sent out my senses to find out where Ker might have set traps. Nothing, nada, zip. Where the hell had he set them? Stumped, I motioned for Corbin to check with Jason, and settled in to wait. I thought about zipping my hologram around like the bunny in the greyhound races to see if anything blew it up. Fortunately, Corbin returned before I could act.

He motioned and mimed that Jason had no clue. Great, this was like looking for a live wire while wading in water-the outcome would be shocking. I decided to pass on that plan, and Corbin and I took to higher ground to wait. That is when all hell broke loose. We were caught in a hail of gunfire, explosions and small arms fire. I fired first and asked permission later, but something made me take a T.O. This was not Ker’s style. He would have left traps, snares etc., but wouldn’t use gunfire. This wasn’t the handiwork of the gods. I didn’t like these loose ends and questions. Maybe he put these amateurs up to this hoping we would expose our positions. I sent Corbin to instruct everyone to hold their fire until we figured this out. I settled in to wait and see who tipped their hand first. It was looking like hell might freeze over before we got an answer.

I nearly nodded off in my little trench while waiting for the combatants to tip their hand. By now, I believed the gods were not responsible. Maybe the Red Court vampires were firing on us. We knew they were after me. Maybe the three we’d buried had freed themselves and were now on the offensive. My musings were cut short when a thunderous explosion and the resulting concussion sent me sprawling face first to the ground. I knew our team wasn’t throwing any live ordnance. It looked like the guests of honor had arrived. Better late than never - I was over these fools. I motioned for Corbin to do a fly by to check it out. He streaked past, and I rechecked my weapons. I was locked, loaded, and ready to rumble. Before I could fire a shot, I was hit by a serious cramp in my stomach. I didn’t have time to find a bush to throw up behind. Without so much as an if or by your leave, I emptied the contents of my stomach. When I guessed there wasn’t anything left, I rolled over and sat back against the nearest tree trunk. I hoped I wasn’t exposed to poison or bad water. I rarely threw up. I felt shaky, but better. I watched as Corbin circled the area before turning back and landing on my shoulder.

“I can see where Jason is fanned out on the opposite ridge. The vamps have shown their ugly, ancient mugs. My guess is they have a warren of tunnels under this area.”

“So they think they can pop in and out, harrying us until someone stumbles into one of the traps. Not a bad strategy. Unfortunately, it sucks to be them. We’ve no intention of putting a toe down in that ravine.”

“Which is a good thing, as I spotted at least two booby-traps. Who knows how many pits the gods had rigged to drop us into?”

“Signal Jason and his team to lob concussion grenades on them. Let’s see what we can uncover.”

“Yeah, it’s time to rock their Red Court asses.”

I watched as Corbin signaled Jason’s team. A few seconds later, the whizzing whirr of grenades launched, sounded like a Fourth of July fireworks show, followed closely by the thunder of several explosions. Trees, rocks, dirt, and debris flew skyward, spraying everything in its path. A cloud of dirt temporarily blocked out the sun and an eerie silence made my breathing sound loud in my own ears. Where the hell were they? Nothing, I motioned Corbin forward to check the area for any sign of traps or vamps. He flew a quick pass before coming back to fill me in.

“Lauren, the grenades exposed pits filled with spikes, snares, and what I guess might be pressure bombs. I can’t be sure without getting too close. The vamps may still be roaming free to maim, mutilate, and murder.”

“Signal Jason and his team to launch another volley in a wider radius.”

Corbin nodded and sent several flickers of his flashlight at Jason’s team. A few seconds later, an answering beam acknowledged the signal. This time I asked Corbin to take to the air directly over my position. He might see something from that vantage point, and remain out of the line of fire. This time we didn’t have long to wait before the grenades landed and ignited a giant concussive detonation. The ground shook and dirt flew in every direction, nearly burying me. Holy shit! I think we hit the lottery. I brushed dirt off my arms, legs and out of my mouth. I crawled farther from the edge before sitting on my heels. Now I was pissed. It was time to finish these vamps. As soon as the air cleared and we could see again, I signaled Jason and his men to be ready to fire

I muttered the spell to activate my hologram, and sent her over to the edge of the cliff. I had to make this look realistic, so I centered my focus on my holographic twin. I put her through her paces as realistically as possible. Everyone’s eyes locked on mini me as she scampered from the cover of the rocky ledge and dove behind boulders. An Academy Award act, if I were being modest, which I’m not.

Corbin tapped me so frantically on the shoulder I nearly lost focus and dropped my hold of the hologram. I turned to chew his ass, but he flew right at the hologram. What the hell was he thinking? I’d kill him if he screwed this up. What the heck?

Corbin dropped a softball size rock that landed by the back foot of the holographic image. There was a loud snap, and a snare flew forward on a spike-covered catapult. If Corbin hadn’t interrupted, the catapult would have skewered mini me. The vamps would have been on to us. Instead, the impact from the sling triggered a fiery blast. Anyone hit by the trap would have been incinerated. Damn Ker, he had been a medieval homicidal maniac. Hannibal Lecter had nothing on this guy. Thankfully, we were rid of him, even if his traps still menaced us.

Then I felt more than saw a disturbance of the air to the left of the hologram. It’s about damn time. The guest, or guests of honor, were arriving fashionably late. I watched, I admit, with a small amount of admiration. The disturbance shimmered slightly above the ground and spread like fog creeping inland from the ocean. A chill invaded my bones, my breathing picked up, and fear’s grip seized my heart. Sweat dripped down my face and stung my eyes. I had to fight the urge to break and run. A blood-curdling scream filled the air as one of Jason’s men broke cover and ran. The fog engulfed him and he melted like hot wax until his screams died with him. OMG!  I leaned over and my stomach heaved. Stomach cramps wracked my body. I’d never seen a man vaporized.