San Francisco Covens: Crucible

by Manuel Tiger

  The caravan of vehicles pulled up behind one of the tallest buildings in what passed as the town center of the village and lined up in the dirt parking lot.

  Carmen’s brother Luis was already waiting for us having been called by Carmen earlier when she gave our estimated time of arrival.

  He was a tall, stocky fellow thick with muscle and possessing a bull neck. He was dressed in desert camo pants, a black shirt and bandanna around his head. A pair of mirrored sunglasses sat perched on his face. He pushed off from the motorcycle he was leaning and strode forward when Carmen emerged from the truck. He smiled revealing one gold tooth that caught the fading sunlight and glimmered brightly like a beacon.

  He lifted his hand into the air and people began to emerge from the building as Daman and I climbed out with Sophia and joined Carmen and Luis.

  “What’s the news?” Carmen asked after she hugged her brother.

  “They are getting ready from last report I received,” he said as he led the way around the building. “Is this all in your group? No new recruits?”

  “Just Daman and Henry,” she said. “They have friends that were captured and being held by La Bruja.”

  “It is said a woman with purple-red hair was seen as well as an American man with a beard.”

  “That’s Heather and Scott!” I said moving forward. “How are they?”

  “Worse for the wear I’m told,” Luis said removing his sunglasses. “But alive, at least for now.”

  I could have done without hearing that last part. Daman took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and I could only offer a half-hearted smiled. At least they were alive, which relieved some fear and worry.

  “We have several boats ready,” Luis said as we started across the street and headed for the beach where several boats sat bobbing on the water near a rickety looking dock. “I already have the witches in place. All they need is a word from you and we can set out.”

  Carmen came to stop at the foot of the dock, hands on her hips. “Then tell them to start,” she said as Luis nodded. He rattled something off in Spanish to a young woman that was dressed in similar attire as he was that had been staying at his side. She nodded and slipped away, hurrying back toward one of the buildings.

  “This is the layout of the island we have put together from aerial surveillance,” Luis said pulling a folded up piece of paper from his back pocket. He unfolded it and showed it to us. “Our best option is to arrive at the island’s south side as it’s just a sheer cliff face. But it will allow us an element of surprise. From all reports in the last hour preparations were under way in the movement of captives from the cells under the mansion to the large courtyard behind the mansion.”

  “So,” Carmen said eyeing the map. “She is not waiting for the moon to be at its apex?”

  “It would seem not,” Luis replied. “And there is something else you should know.”

  “Which is?” she asked.

  “She has a C-17 transport plane docked by her private pier. She seems ready to leave after the ceremony is completed.”

  Carmen cracked her jaw and twisted her lips. She locked her gaze on the island that rose up out of the ocean like a jagged broken tooth belonging to a giant.

  “Then we waste no more time,” she said. “We move now.”

  “Are there any questions before we depart for the island?” Luis asked looking at the gathered group.

  I raised my hand.

  “Yes?” he said with a half grin.

  “There’s at least a hundred of us,” I said spreading my hands around. “There’s only four boats and they look like they can only hold ten people each. Won’t coming back and forth to get the remaining groups delay us?”

  “Maybe you should just watch,” Luis said and whistled.

  At this I heard the sound of rustling, flapping wings and spun around to see at least fifty golden eagles suddenly shooting up into the air around us. Where humans had once stood was now just piles of clothes.

  The eagles were larger than a giant candor. There was so many in the sky it cast us in shadow for a moment before they soared higher and then banked toward the island.

  “Wow,” I whispered in awe.

  “They will arrive at the south side and clear out any threats before we get there,” Luis said. “You, witches,” he said to Eve and the others standing off to the side. “You’ll be riding with me.”

  Eve’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t say anything. She just nodded her head and spoke to the others in a low tone. They gathered up their duffle bags and filed after him once he started toward the boats.

  It had been decided on the way over after Daman had expressed his concern about their behavior coupled with what I had said earlier about how out of sync they seemed to be with the witch council’s principles of seeking peace among the witch and vampire covens that they would be under Luis’ watchful eye.

  It may be nothing, just their typical behavior and attitude. I imagine being the guardians, the protectors, of the witch council and the line of work they did, it would harden anyone.

  Still, I felt better for this having been done as I wanted nothing to go wrong once we reached the island.

  “That was pretty epic in a The Hobbit movie kinda way,” Daman said watching as the eagles soared out across the ocean.

  “The Hobbit?” I replied.

  “You know, that scene in the book and in the movie where the Boeing sized eagles come to save the wee folk with the hairy feet?”

  “I know the scene,” I said with a grin. “I read the book to you once, but you feel asleep.”

  “I was merely resting my eyes,” he said with a grin.

  “Come along Old Man,” I said bumping his shoulders. “Before you start dozing where you stand.”

  He fell into step beside me, held his hand out and I slipped mine into it.

  “Speaking of hairy things,” he said as I looked at him. “Anything starts going that way on the island? You stay close to me, okay?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  He squeezed my hand.

  “Good. Didn’t get you back to see any harm come to you,” he said.

  We quickly boarded the boat that Carmen was going to captain. Once everyone was loaded up we set out for the island with Luis leading the way.

  IV

  I watched as the moon began to rise in the sky and hoped we was arriving in time before anything went down. I couldn’t help but notice that the closer we got to the island the more I could sense a static sensation in the air that was nearly palpable.

  “La Bruja’s magic,” Sophia said as we stood at the bow of the boat. “We would probably feel it stronger if the witches weren’t casting a concealment and protection spell on us.”

  “So this is her home base?” I asked. “She doesn’t like have any other villain lairs lurking around Mexico?”

  “It was said once she rose to where she now is? She fire bombed the village she grew up in,” Sophia said as the island began to loom up in front of us. Carmen cut the boat sharply to the left, causing me to reach out to grip the side to steady myself. “No one knows why. But someone as cold hearted as she is? Must not always have been at one time and that reason for her change? Must have resided in that village.”

  I nodded and said nothing more.

  The white cliffs of the island’s south side appeared gleaming like chalk in the gathering night. They were high, very high. I would not want to fall from that height, even as a vampire. Eagles were already perched at various levels while more flew above. As I watched several eagles suddenly dived toward the top of the cliff vanishing from sight for a brief moment.

  When they emerged again several were carrying what looked like struggling armed men. They zipped upward, higher and higher into the night sky, making that height in a matter of seconds. And just like that, they released their prey. Each man landed with a loud splash. Those that didn’t resurface merely floated on top of the water before slowly sinking out of sight.

&nb
sp; “From that height?” Daman said as Carmen began to slow the boat as we joined the others that were anchored now at the base of the cliffs. “Would be like falling off the Empire State Building.”

  “Ready the grappling hooks!” Luis ordered as several of the people in his boat reached into the floor of the boat and produced large three pronged hooks with a length of rope tied to the end. They swung them and then released the hook into the air.

  Several eagles flew by, catching the hook in their claws and began to attach them to the face of the cliff.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Daman muttered. “That’s fucking cool.”

  “And makes climbing easier,” Carmen said as she removed her cap and sunglasses. “This is where we get wet.” She stepped up onto the edge of the boat and dived into the water. Several echoing splashes filled the air as Daman and I followed after.

  The water here at the base of the cliff was not too deep and I felt the bottom after a few strong strokes.

  I waded through the shallow section as I grabbed the nearest dangling rope. Beside me Daman grabbed the one hanging nearby and with a gleam of challenge in his eyes began to quickly climb up the rope.

  “Showoff,” I said shaking my head, but gave into the challenge. At some sections I simply used my hands, climbing up the cliff face in pursuit of him, not daring to look down. However, he reached the top of the cliff first and leaned over the edge holding his hand out to me.

  “How’s that for an old man?” he asked with a grin as he pulled me up and against him.

  “I’m just rusty is all,” I said as he chuckled.

  We waited for the others and once Carmen, Luis, Sophia along with Eve and the others had joined us along with the rest of the soldiers we set out toward the mansion that I could see above the tree tops. Overhead the eagles flew forward, keeping just a few feet above the trees before diving down, possibly taking out any threats.

  I watched as one shot up with another solider, swiftly climbing to that great height again before releasing and dropping the person into the ocean.

  “Will the eagles be attacking first?” I asked Luis in a whisper. The jungle-forest was quiet, not even birds sung here and I had to wonder if it had anything to do with the throb of power I was still detecting.

  “Upon my order they will,” he replied. “We want to keep to the element of surprise,” he added. “Not risk losing anyone.”

  I nodded then noticed that here and there, peeking through the dense foliage, was what looked like ruins. Despite the vines and vegetation all but consuming the ancient stones I could make out toppled pillars and sections of walls that leaned precariously outward over us, the vines the only things that looked to be keeping them upright.

  “It looks like there was a complex here at one time,” Sophia said. “I can detect a trace of very, very old magic.”

  “Maybe that is why she built her mansion here,” I suggested, noticing a stone face peeking out at us from between a pair of trees.

  “This island is rumored to have been a place of worship for Mictlantecuhtli,” Luis said. “Very dark deeds were done here in the waning days of the Aztec empire. The priests supposedly called upon dark spirits in hopes to stop the conquistadors.”

  “I take it that it didn’t work?”

  “To a degree it did,” he replied. “But they were dealing with very ancient spirits that were older than the gods. They could not control such powerful spirits and some escaped into the world or are said to still reside on this island.”

  I threw a glance around us half expecting to see one of those dark spirits staring back from the shadows, glowing red eyes and gleaming teeth on display.

  Thankfully I saw no such faces peering back.

  Luis suddenly held up his hand. “We are at the walls of the mansion,” he spoke in a whisper. “Jaguar warriors,” he said turning to look back at the group behind us. “Get into positions. Wait for my word.”

  I looked at the white washed wall that rose at least twelve feet before switching my attention to the two story mansion of white stone that rose up on the other side of it that shone brightly in the light of the rising moon. It was uniquely designed, looking more like a scaled down version of an Aztec pyramid. I wondered if there was some reasoning behind that design, although it did lack the trademark stairs leading up the middle of it and the shrine at the top.

  My attention was drawn to sleek bodies rushing around us that leapt to the top of the wall, revealed to be the were-jaguars. Unlike the bulky muscular build of werewolves, the were-jaguars were slimmer, wirier. They were built for agility, yet the claws that tipped their hands looked capable of tearing through metal, flesh and bone. Despite that, they were beauty in motion just like their real life counterparts.

  “Beautiful,” Sophia said beside me and I couldn’t agree more.

  I watched as the remaining soldiers shifted around us and moved forward scaling or leaping to the top of the wall before slipping down on the other side, some already scaling the mansion walls.

  “Behind the mansion is an open courtyard that overlooks the ocean,” Luis said. “It is there that they were seen gathering.”

  As he finished speaking he shifted into his leopard form just like that. One moment he was human the next a fluid transition to a larger, bigger were-leopard that looked down at us.

  “You vampires and witches ready?” he asked in a deep rumbling growl, peeling off the remains of his shirt that he dropped to the ground.

  “Been ready,” Sophia said as Eve and the others nodded. Carmen had not changed as the others had. She merely nodded her head as Luis turned and leapt to the top of the wall in a single bound.

  “We shall finish getting into position,” he said disappearing from sight on the other side of the wall.

  “This is it,” Carmen said. “Be alert. Be prepared for anything.”

  She stepped toward the wall and placed her hands against it as Sophia joined her, the two of them reciting some spell in Spanish that caused the wall to separate. The bricks simply fell away, landing with soft thuds onto the ground, leaving behind an opening big enough for us all to walk through.

  “Let’s go,” Carmen said as we filed in after her and Sophia. We stepped onto a cobblestone drive-way that circled around the house. I couldn’t imagine what vehicles could be needed on this island, but gave it no further thought as we moved quietly across it and up toward the front doors. A were-jag greeted us at the door opening it for us quietly.

  “There was several guards patrolling,” it said in a purring tone. “The rest are being taken out. La Bruja and her coven are already starting the ceremony. They have the captives ready to be sacrificed by her soldiers.” It stepped back to allow us entry through the front door.

  “We are the danger here tonight,” Carmen said as she strode through the front door followed by Sophia and the witches.

  I hung back for a moment taking in the interior – which admittedly was impressive and spoke of great wealth – not to admire the décor, but because my ring began to hum, to pulse upon my finger. I held my hand out and the reaction from the ring grew stronger toward a room to my left. I walked over and paused in the doorway and stared at what was spread out before me.

  “Henry?” Daman said coming over to me. “We need to catch up with Carmen and…and oh.”

  The room was a display room filled with ancient artifacts lining polished teak shelves or under glass in display cases in the middle of the room.

  Very old books, in fact, codices, and that of medieval manuscripts resided on row after row of bookcases made of the same wood which took up the back of the room while marble statues of the Nine Muses were placed before each bookcase.

  I stepped further into the room turning in a slow circle feeling the pulse and hum of old power that filled the room thickly.

  That is, very, very dark old power.

  I could hear soft whispers, sighs and beneath them, lower, was that of screams, of tortured voices emitting from a wall of w
eapons directly across from me.

  “What is it, Henry?” Daman asked touching my arm gently yet I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  “T-This room,” I whispered calming myself back down. “Is filled with items of dark magic, power. Items that were used to take lives or steal them.”

  “Then we shouldn’t be in here,” he said but I was already moving toward an obsidian sword on the wall as if pulled by invisible strings. It had a carved handle depicting a pointed snake head. The rest of the snake’s body wrapped around the hilt with the tail running the length of the sixteen inch blade.

  I reached out and rested my hand on the hilt and was instantly given a vision of a warrior in ancient garb using the sword, of seeing arcs of blood flying through the air followed by the sound of breaking bone and screaming that seemed to go on forever.

  I jerked my hand back as if I had placed it into fire. I did not know if this was some new ability suddenly deciding to emerge or something that only happened due to the ring, though I felt it was the latter.

  “Let’s go,” I said wiping my hand on the front of my jacket. It felt sticky, uncleaned now. “I need to tell Alistair about this room once we defeat Aadya. He needs to gather these items and store them away like he does similar artifacts of this nature.”

  Daman merely nodded, casting a curious glance at the sword before we both turned to leave the room when a familiar figure stepped into the doorway brandishing a sword covered in a blood, the head of one of the were-jags in the person’s other hand.

  “Why am I not surprised to see the two of you here together?”

  I stared in shock while Daman let out a few choice words beside me.

  It was Bryan.

  Chapter Nine

  The sight of Bryan made my left hand twinge with pain I did not think was possible to feel. For a brief moment I was taken back to the Heaven Falls Gazette offices, to him grabbing and crushing my hand, reducing it to a pulpy mess of shattered broken bones and torn flesh. I brought that hand up against my chest as Daman placed himself in front of me.