Supernatural Games (5 page)

“I am aware of Mab’s vendetta against you. She is rumored to have raised a considerable army of demons and Kelpies. Queen Aerlene of the Seelie fae is raising her own army.”

“Why haven’t we heard anything concerning this? And why let the fae host this if they’re preparing to go to war?”

“You know as well as I do they’ve battled for ages and it is their turn to host. We couldn’t refuse based on rumors and speculations. Besides, we thoroughly vetted their design team. We found nothing on any of them. Do you want to fill me in on what you’ve found so far?”

I went over what we’d established and what we suspected. By the time I brought Jason up to speed, Corbin had returned.

“Hello, Corbin.”

“Hi, Jason.”

“What did your father have to say? Was he aware of anything that might shed some light on things?”

“He doesn’t think the White Court or Jade Courts would have anything to do with this and nothing to gain. He isn’t sure what the Red Court is into, but he doesn’t think they’d profit from sabotaging the games or even disrupting them. He ruled out the Black Court. Yet, he can’t rule out a lone wolf. There are likely agendas he’s unaware of.”

“Jason, what about the wizards?”

“Lauren, if there are any, they are acting on their own accord. The council would have nothing to gain and much to lose if anything goes wrong while they are providing security. It would certainly reflect badly on us. Yet, as Corbin said, it doesn’t mean someone isn’t acting independently. How do you plan to handle this going forward?”

“We are waiting on the autopsies to find out what killed our guards and we are placing security outside the universe until we know what we are up against. Things are still proceeding as planned. Until we get to the bottom of this, nothing changes. We are still preparing to have the wizards move the universes once we inspect them all. Tomorrow we are proceeding to the second one. If we don’t run into any more trouble we may get through the third.”

“Let me know if you need more help and keep me posted.”

T
he next morning, we met in our conference room. The autopsies came back on the two dead guards. As we expected, both died from broken necks. The first man had claw marks on his shoulders. Jaguars are excellent climbers and it would appear one killed the guard. The autopsy did not determine how he was drained. He had no puncture wounds. The only way I know it was possible is with a spell. Elves, fae, and wizards use incantations, even though the council forbids dark spells.

“We are running out of time. There are still three universes to inspect. I suggest we table this for now. We won’t know for sure unless we catch someone in the act. Now we have confirmed magic was used in some fashion. I’ll set my bracelet and staff to alert us to the presence of any new magic. Unless anyone else has a better idea.”

“Lauren, what is the second universe?” Corbin asked.

“It is a desert environment. Everyone should suit up and we will meet at the transport in half an hour.”

The design team had provided us with one piece suits and facemasks. If you asked me, we looked like a hazmat team. The design team had no sense of style. These things were about as sexy as the Michelin tire man. The only thing hot about these things was my skin. By the time we got to the transport, sweat was dripping down my back. We boarded the vehicle and were shown our next mode of transportation. It was all we had to convey us around this God forsaken hellhole. The description of this place warned of gruesome menaces. There was no way I was putting my toe on that sand. Why in the hell did the design team feel the need to supersize every lethal snake, scorpion, or thorned plant?

When we reached the cargo compartment, I couldn’t believe what they expected us to travel in. It looked like one of those airboats they use in the Everglades. This one seated four, and everything except the giant propellers was encased in a fiberglass looking bubble. The hull was also glass-reinforced plastic. I looked at Traygen and he raised his eyebrows in question. Corbin didn’t look much happier. Tokem, of course, seemed oblivious, as he would be flying. All I could think was,
hell no
. One of the transport guards was explaining to Traygen how to operate the thing. Once the man finished, Traygen checked out the boat. When he seemed satisfied, we climbed aboard. No one needed to tell me to buckle up.

The transport flew low over the desert and then ejected us out the back of the cargo hold. I nearly wet my pants when we sailed through the air. Traygen turned on the giant propellers and we shot forward until we hit the sand. We bounced a few times until Traygen got the hang of the thing. It was like riding a giant snowboard or surfing the sand. When I finally pried my fingers from the armrest, I took my first look around. There were sand dunes as far as I could see in every direction. The seemingly endless dunes were occasionally sprinkled with haphazardly placed boulders, or a thorny patch of barbed cacti. We were carving up the sand like snow on a downhill run.

Our instruments told us the temperature was a balmy 120 degrees. We still saw no signs of life. When we crested the next dune, we spotted small trees and shrubs on a thin strip of land below the dunes. Traygen headed us in that direction. As we descended, we had to avoid several large depressions or craters. As we climbed out of one, a giant scorpion blocked our path. The transport was equipped with artillery and Corbin prepared to fire if needed. I personally would have blasted first and asked questions later. Fortunately, for the scorpion it made no move in our direction.

We slowed near the trees and looked around, and now I understood why the scorpion had ignored us. He had backup. There among the trees I spotted at least two other scorpions. Traygen saw them too, and he started to move out of their way. Unfortunately, they were extremely fast, and before we could get clear of the nearest one, it hit our vehicle with its tail. I was sure our bubble would shatter, and it cracked. Corbin took several shots at it and it fell back, but not before I saw the runes.

“Traygen, make another pass over our scorpions. Try to get their attention.”

“Are you out of your mind? No, scratch that, I know you are. Did you see what that thing did to our bubble?”

“Tokem, I need to get a picture of the scorpion’s stinger.”

“Lauren, there is no need to be rude.”

Traygen didn’t say a word as he made a wide circle around the scorpion and dove low over it, strafing it as we flew by. I got what I needed, and we moved away from the arthropods.

“Let’s get out of here. I think we’ve seen enough.”

Traygen called to have the transport pick us up and we were back in our conference room within the hour. I gathered my thoughts and then I told them what I suspected.

“I think we’ve been going about this all wrong. The universes are already compromised. I saw runes etched in the rocks near the scorpions. We found familiars in the first universe and there are likely familiars in all of them. These familiars can be activated from the outside, so moving the universes is pointless. We need to focus on who is behind this. Any ideas?”

Traygen had been quiet during the ride back on the transport and during my explanation. He looked lost in thought. If anyone would have valuable insight, it would be Traygen. He was over a hundred years old and his family had a vast research library. I used it when we were searching for him. His people also had an extended and turbulent history with the fae.

“Traygen, were you going to say something?” I prodded him.

“As Lauren knows, my family has a long and stormy past with the fae. My ancestors banished the Seelie to the underworld. It is my understanding their foes were half demons that they encased deep in the earth. The demons were called Fomorian warriors. They were a giant race of brutal semi-divine killers. They used magic and were particularly adept at using the natural forces of fog, wind, storms, and disease. A nasty bunch that have vowed to exterminate the Seelie, and if they have aligned with the Unseelie and Mab, it would be war.”

“There is only one way to find out. Corbin, would you be willing to speak with Queen Aerlene? She will know if there is anything going on. You can use your rank as a prince of the Black Court. She will not harm you for fear of causing trouble with the vampires.”

“I will request an immediate meeting.”

“When you get your reply, let me know and I’ll teleport you to the meeting. I cannot enter their realm. Although I have no quarrel with Queen Aerlene, I can’t risk Mab finding me anywhere in their territories.”

“Lauren, you are about as welcome as the plague.” Tokem quipped from well out of my reach.

“It will take a flick of my wrist and a small spell to silence you.” For emphasis I sent a small jet of water at his head. He had to jump to avoid getting hit.

Corbin dispatched his contact to Queen Aerlene, and I decided to read up on the Fomorian’s. I needed to teleport myself to the library at Traygen’s ancestral castle. I nearly collided with Prince Trevor when I popped in unannounced.

“Lauren, how nice of you to drop in on us,” he said with a chuckle. “How are you and Traygen?”

“We are fine, and I apologize for dropping in unannounced. I was hoping you had something in your library on the Fomorian warriors.”

“They’re a horrible lot, and I’m sure you can find something. I’ll show you where the books on the fae are located. How is Traygen?”

“He is wonderful, and he suggested I check your library, which is why I didn’t send word beforehand. How are the king and everyone?”

“Lauren, we’re all well. Please give our love to Traygen.”

He showed me to an area of the library devoted exclusively to the fae. It looked like this might take a while, so I called in reinforcements and summoned my husband. Traygen arrived several minutes later. I told him I could use his assistance. He sat down and started.

“Not so fast, Love, I just spoke with Trevor. You should say hello to everyone. This can wait until you return. Besides, maybe your father can direct us to something and narrow the search for us.”

“If you insist, I won’t be long. Have I told you today that I love you?”

“Not often enough.”

He gave me a hug and went to find his family. I looked at the books to see if they were in any order. Not that I could tell, so I pulled books from the shelves and thumbed through them. I had skimmed a few when Traygen returned and went to the shelves and pulled down books.

“My father suggested these four. We can split them and maybe we can direct our search more efficiently.”

We both took a book and began skimming. I could tell immediately this was more what we were looking for. My book gave a history of the fae and how they ended up in the underworld and why they split into two courts. I read for an hour before I found my first reference to the Fomorian warriors. It seemed their two Gods were Morc and Legon. Morc was the god of Chaos; Legon the god of Wild Nature.

Legon could harness the forces of nature much the way I could, but it was Morc who got my attention. As the god of Chaos, he was as funny as a heart attack. He was one of the main reasons Traygen’s father had banished the fae from Ireland to the underworld. Morc’s warriors were giant demons that used their magic to kill and plunder Ireland. Then I found what I was looking for. The Seelie Court entombed the Fomorian warriors in the center of the molten earth core. They hadn’t been seen in over a hundred years. They were bound to the earth by a series of spells. I skimmed through the second book but didn’t find anything to add to what I had already found.

“I may have found something here,” Traygen said. “It says Queen Titania and her wizard bound the warriors and left them guarded by a swarm of stone dragons. If either warrior breaks his bond, the stone dragons will come to life and kill them.”

“That’s basically what I found. There is a reference to the Fomorian’s being entombed in the center of the earth and bound by spells. I also found a reference to them using familiars in battle. I have a bad feeling about this. We better get back.”

When we arrived at our staging area, Corbin still hadn’t returned, so we got something to eat and waited for his return. He was back within the hour.

“Well, did you find out anything from Queen Aerlene and her wizards?”

“It’s more what she didn’t say. Her highness was very evasive when I asked her if there were problems brewing in the fae realm. She wanted to know why a Black Court vampire would have any interest in fae realm politics. I’d already told her I was there to represent the council. Her warlock assured me nothing in their kingdom concerned the vampires.”

“Interesting, are you sure it was a warlock and not a wizard.”

“Yes, she introduced him as Grayson, warlock of the Seelie Court. The guy is creepy and power radiates off him, the air vibrates and thrums around him. I felt his presence crawl over my skin when I walked in. Basically, they shut down my inquiries and ushered me out before my butt hit the chair.”

“This can’t be good no matter the reason. Grayson is a seriously twisted demon. He oozes dark, dangerous, and forbidden magic. The one time I met him, I needed a bath to wash the black off my soul. I think it’s safe to say something is going on with the fae. Jason and your father assure us all is well with the vampires and wizards. The lycan don’t use that kind of magic, although they could pay someone I suppose.”

“Corbin, are you up for one more royal meeting? I think you need to meet with the lycan alpha in case I’m wrong and they’re somehow involved. We need to make certain they aren’t by hook or by crook somehow involved.”

“I think it might be wise for me to accompany Corbin. The vampires and lycan have warred for centuries.”

“Good idea, Traygen. While you two make your visit, Tokem and I’ll do more sleuthing.”

Once Corbin and Traygen had departed for their visit with the lycan alpha, Tokem and I headed to the transport room. I wanted a look at the two remaining universes and now was as good a time as any.

“I’ll bite Lauren, what’s behind universe door number three?”

“It’s a volcanic world and we will need to stay inside the insulated hovercraft or we will be crispy, chard and crunchy just before we turn to ash and blow away.”

“What are we looking for anyway?”

“Magic or runes of any kind. I want to confirm all universes have been altered. The fae have sworn they didn’t place any runes or portals in the universes when they designed them. The mere fact the Queen had Grayson with her worries me. I think they know much more than they’re letting on.”

We were sealed within our hovercraft and dropped into the furnace. This placed looked like hell. No,
really
. It reminded me of the description of Dante’s Inferno, complete with the river Acheron. This place was seriously creepy. It glowed with incandescently super-heated air. There were molten streams of lava, volcanic eruptions, and geysers shooting fire into the air. Still, if that wasn’t bad enough, I was sweating bullets, so unladylike.

“Lauren, look out,” Tokem screamed.

I looked around to see what had scared him. Right in front of us stood a giant stone man. He was on fire and looking to swat our transport out of the air. I pulled us into a steep climb and managed to evade his grasp. He roared in frustration as he spewed fire like spittle, splashing globs of fire in our wake. I zigzagged to keep us from being fried. Once we were up and away, I exhaled. I didn’t have much time to consider my good fortune because it started raining rocks of all sizes. Oh great, now we have Mt. Vesuvius spewing rock and ash into the air. Boulders and rocks of varying sizes were soaring through the air, smashing into and pulverizing everything in their path. I climbed until we seemed to be out of reach. Once we got beyond the volcanic eruption, the area below us looked like a lunarscape. The area was pitted and rutted from falling rock. The surface almost looked like the dimpled pattern found on a golf ball. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any life other than our stone man. We continued on until we came to a dormant crater. I flew down for a closer look.