“And the hospital?”
“That one’s as much on you, kid,” he said. “I’d given them strict orders not to shoot until we knew who you were and why you were with the woman, but you ran into my guy out there and before anyone could make sense of the situation we were in a scrap. Fortunate no one got hurt that go round. Well, not seriously hurt anyway.”
“So, you think we’ve been led together and we’re cut off from the Cabal?”
“There’s some serious magic at play here. The type of shit most wizard folk only ever hear rumors about. Whatever the hell is going on, the pricks behind it are some badasses.”
“I met one of them. Spoke to another.”
“Your friend told me. Any idea who they are?”
I shook my head. “All I know is that the shadow man said he was coming here. He wants Eva. I don’t know why.”
“And she claims she don’t remember nothing.”
“Right. And I never sensed any magic on or around her.”
“Well, hell, kid,” he said, shaking his head. “Guess, I better tell you the next part.”
“Which is?”
“We’ve picked up her trail again.”
“Where now?”
“She’s still here, in this area, an aura bright as the sun. We’ve identified the location as a cave outside of town. Used to be a tourist spot but it’s been closed down for a number of years. She’s in there shining like a beacon. Just waiting for us to come for a visit.”
“A trap,” I said.
“A trap,” he agreed. “Sounds like it, anyway. I’ve got a good group of armed men, even if a few are trigger happy, as you’ve seen. You’ve got a half-man half-ass and an ass. I don’t like those odds. And I really don’t like walking into an ambush.”
“But we’re going to, right?”
He grinned at me. “We’re Blade Mages, ain’t we?”
Chapter 17
Outside of the camper, Byron’s people had several more RVs and a plethora of other vehicles. I didn’t know how many troops he’d brought total, but it was an impressive number. I’d only seen the Cabal use this many people on a few occasions. Of course, they were all human recruits. We had our fair share in the Cabal, but apparently it was even more common in the Southern Circle. Byron had explained that a lot of the guys with him were combat veterans who’d needed work. These in particular were mostly newbies he was training. He reassured me again, though, that if he’d have known the level of nasty he was going to encounter, he’d have left the kids at home and dragged along an army of battle mages.
They’d established something of a forward operating base at a local campground outside of town under the guise of government-issued training exercises. The spot was secluded and there weren’t any nosy people around, which was why Paeter was sitting out in the open and visiting with a group of human soldiers.
I heard a sharp burst of laughter and turned toward the other side of camp, were Axel was amusing a larger group. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he had them rolling.
I started toward Axel while behind me Byron made a sharp whistle and ordered all of his men back to him. As the troops began to gather around their leader, Axel noticed me and ran over.
“Hey, Wyatt!” he shouted. He pointed at the combat fatigues he now wore. “Aren’t these guys the best? They gave me combat gear! And they said I could shoot their rifles.”
“Clearly they haven’t spent enough time around you,” I said, shaking my head. “You do remember these guys tried to kill us earlier, right?”
He waved the notion away with a snort. “All whiskey under the bridge, man. They’re really cool. And Byron is a Blade Mage. Did he tell you?”
“He did.”
“How cool is that?” he asked. “Another Blade Mage.”
“It is pretty cool,” I admitted. “Did they tell you they’ve located Eva?”
“That’s the word. Byron wanted to wake you up before he made a decision about what to do. I’m guessing he has?”
“We’re going after her.”
“Sweet,” he said, pointing at his gear again. “I’m ready. I have combat fatigues.”
“You know this is going to be really dangerous, right? Like we’re almost certainly going to have to face the white-haired man and maybe the shadow man and his creatures.”
“Combat fatigues,” he repeated, still pointing at himself.
“And it’s almost certainly a trap.”
“Wyatt… Combat fatigues.”
“Yeah, okay, Axel. You’re in. I get it.”
“I am as well,” Paeter said from behind me. I hadn’t even heard him approach.
Turning toward him, I said, “You don’t have to do that, Paeter. This isn’t your fight.”
“Nonsense,” he said. “Mary Beth is on her way as well.”
“This is dangerous, Paeter. Almost certainly a trap. We have no idea what we’re walking into. You don’t have to do this.”
“I know,” he said, taking a serious tone. “But that shadow creature… He’s dangerous. He must be stopped. Mary Beth and I are both trained warriors. She can do magic and we both can help with the injured. We won’t get in your way.”
“I’m not worried about you getting in the way,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m worried about either of you getting hurt.”
He chuckled. “Worry not, my human friend. As scary as this all has been, I think we both needed the excitement. We’ll be all right.”
Before I could argue further, Byron yelled, “Listen up!”
I turned around to see that he was addressing the soldiers. There had to be close to thirty of them in all. So, on the plus side, we had a small army.
While he waited for his people to fall in line, Byron took out his can of Copenhagen and added a little extra pinch. Once he knew he had the crowd’s attention, he spit a glob out on the ground and said, “All right, as you all know, we’ve located the target. We’re going to move on her location. This time will be different, though. We haven’t lost her scent and we know exactly where she is right at this moment. However, all indications suggest that we’re walking straight into a trap.”
There were some murmurs at this.
Byron raised his voice. “Shut the hell up, ya bunch of peckerwoods. We’ve got company for fuck’s sake. The least you pricks could do is pretend like you have some discipline.”
There were a few scattered laughs, but they were quickly subdued.
Byron pointed at me. “This man here is Wyatt Draven. Blade Mage of the Ozark Mountain Cabal and the son of Connor Draven. Now, I know that name won’t mean shit to a lot of you newbie pricks, but look at the faces of your team leads and those few experienced men around you. Point is, we may be walking into a trap, but we’ve got two Blade Mages, enough hardware to start a small war, and enough combat experience to win one. We’re going in to recover a woman who goes by the name of Eva. At this time, we don’t know whether she’s our killer, but clearly she’s who we’ve been tracking. Based on the fact I’m pretty sure this is one big pot of fuckery, it’s unclear whether this is an assault or rescue mission. Until we tear this bullshit apart, we’ll assume Eva is on the side of the angels and attempt to rescue. Any hostiles we face, though…” He paused, glancing around at all of them. “We put them down, and we put them down fast. Some of you have already faced the shadow creatures. Some of you lost friends and comrades. You know what we’re up against. So, bring a lot of ammo and flashlights.”
There was no humor in the crowd now. I didn’t think it was just the reminder about what they’d lost so far. It was also the acceptance of what we were about to do.
Byron continued, “Look around at the men beside you. Remember their faces. Once this starts, that’s all we have. Each other. There’s a good chance not all of us are going to walk out of this. Play it cool. Play it smart. Watch each other’s backs like you’d watch your own. Let’s get in there, kick some ass, and get the fuck back to Texas. We roll in ten.”
With that, Bryon’s speech was done. The troops separated like a pile of ants, moving to get their gear and prepare for the battle to come. My friends and I stood by like a bunch of jackasses while the others worked.
Byron moved over to us. “You ready?”
I nodded. “That was some speech.”
“Bullshit,” he said, spitting on the dusty ground. “It was a shit speech. I ain’t built for talking pretty. I’m built for killing monsters.”
I decided, then and there, that I liked Byron Walker.
Chapter 18
The cave had once been a tourist destination, but it hadn’t stayed in business long. Caves were a dime a dozen in the Ozarks. This one was tucked away on a lonely dirt road outside of town. The poor tourists probably had a hell of a time trying to find the place. But for evil bastards with dark magic and wicked plans, it was the perfect vacation destination.
We rode along with Byron’s convoy. They’d been kind enough to put us in a troop transport that was big enough for Paeter.
At Byron’s order, each vehicle took the time to turn around in the dirt road so we could face back the way we came, just in case we needed to make a quick exit. I also noticed each of the drivers left plenty of room for the vehicle in front of them. They might’ve been newbs when it came to hunting monsters, but as Byron had said, most all of them were combat veterans.
One of the soldiers in the troop carrier kicked open the back door and stepped out into an early evening sky.
Mary Beth approached cautiously from the forest, having arrived before us. Now she was wearing a dark hood pulled down over her eyes and wore a saddle-like suit of armor over the back of her body. Over one shoulder she had a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Attached to the saddle, she had a mage’s staff.
She and Paeter embraced, then she led him into the trees without explanation.
“Where do you think they’re going?” Axel asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe they realized this was an idiotic idea and decided to turn back.”
Then Axel and I stood around like useless jackasses while Byron’s people prepared for our infiltration.
Between giving orders, Byron made his way over to us. “I’m thinking we leave a big enough contingent outside as a rescue party in case this goes sideways. Just in case we need ‘em to come save our sorry asses. What do you think?”
“You’re asking me?” I replied with genuine surprise. “Listen, Byron, I spent some time on a Cabal strike team, but most of the planning was done by better minds. As I’ve been told, I’m really more of a wrecking ball.”
“You’re a Blade Mage,” he replied absently as he checked over his gear. “It’s time to get over this woe-is-me bullshit. The blade wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t worthy.”
“Praise the lord and pass the ammunition,” Axel said from beside me. “I’ve been trying to tell him that, but he’s too stubborn. Maybe he’ll actually listen to another Blade Mage.”
“So, what do you think?” Byron asked, ignoring Axel.
“I think that’s a reasonable plan,” I replied, meeting his gaze. After a moment, I added, “But if this is really a trap, they must assume we’re smart enough to know it’s a trap. So, either it isn’t, or they’ll expect us to leave some people behind.”
“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s shaved asshole,” he replied, slapping Axel on the shoulder. “Your Blade Mage ain’t a complete moron after all.”
“Just partial,” Axel agreed with a nod.
“Don’t see much else we can do about it, do you?” Byron asked.
I realized he was testing me to some degree. I thought it over for a moment and asked, “How many mages do you have?”
“Including myself, we’ve got eight.”
“Combat mages?”
“Other than me, just my tracker and the team lead of the mages. The rest are fairly new recruits with very little experience.”
“Okay,” I said, thinking it through. “Leave your tracker and two of the least prepared mages behind.”
“You expect me to leave Zedidiah behind?” he asked.
“He’s the older one?” I asked. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I’d picked him out earlier.
Byron nodded. “He’s got some years on him, but he’s still hell on wheels in a scrap.”
“I think we may need a rescue party. And if we end up dead, we’ll need some mages to explain the situation to your Circle and my Cabal. I don’t know what your group is like, but with mine, they’re more likely to listen to a mage than a Norman. Besides, my guess is that you’re the strongest mage here, and, if I’m not mistaken, you’re considerably stronger than all of the recruits combined.”
He grinned. “Not bad, Wyatt. We’ll leave a few of the troops out here as well. Not sure what we’re walking into. I’d like your pal Paeter and his lady to be on medic duty with my staff. If someone gets seriously injured, they’ll be able to get them out a hell of a lost faster than any of our humans can.”
“I’ll ask as soon as they come back from lollygagging in the forest,” I replied. “I’m sure they’ll be good with that.”
Byron nodded. “When we go in, I want you with me. Our blades can hurt the shadow creatures.”
“I don’t think it’s the shadow creatures that have her.”
“Just the same. We’re Blade Mages. That makes us the vanguard. We lead the pack.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’m with you guys,” Axel said. “I might not have a magic sword, but I do have a killer light show.”
Byron gave Axel a questioning look, then glanced back at me.
I shrugged. “He does have a killer light show.”
Byron shook his head and moved away to bark orders at his men.
Paeter returned a moment later, only now, he too was clad in armor. He wore a chain mail hood and held a large metal knight’s helm in one hand and a spear in the other. It occurred to me that I was rather glad he hadn’t been equipped like this during our little tuft, or that might’ve gone a whole other direction.
“Dude,” Axel said, staring him up and down. “I mean… Dude.”
“It has been a long time since I wore this armor,” he said, glancing down at his own body. “I’m glad to see it still fits. I’ve gotten a little complacent these past few years.”
“You look like a total badass,” Axel assured him.
“That you do,” I replied.
Mary Beth moved up alongside her husband. “It has been many years since we’ve answered the call of battle. We are ready.”
I glanced around at my allies. All of Byron’s people were in combat gear. Paeter and Mary Beth were clad in knight’s armor. Even Axel had procured some combat fatigues. Only Byron and I were dressed in civilian clothes. Both of us were in jeans, but instead of western wear I wore a plain black t-shirt and my trusty Chucks. I like to think that we were just trying to set a brand for Blade Mages everywhere, but I couldn’t help but to feel a little underdressed for the occasion. Also, I was still wearing the same clothes from the day before. If I couldn’t fight or out magic my enemies, maybe I could defeat them with my stench.
Chapter 19
Byron led the way with his flashlight. I was just behind him. Axel was just behind me. The others followed.
The entrance to the cave had an old run-down gift shop at the front that had been boarded up with plywood to keep the riff-raff out. It had been ripped away and tossed on the ground. Clearly, someone had been inside.
There wasn’t much left of the gift shop, save the ancient ticket counter and a bit of trash scattered about the floor. The dark entrance to the cave had been cleared as well, leaving us a clear path in.
Byron stopped before the mouth and grunted. “Looks like our host has left the door open for us. A straight path into the bowels of darkness.”
“I always wanted to be a proctologist,” Axel said in a serious tone. He shrugged in defiance of our collective scowls. “It’s a shitty job, but they
pay you an ass load.”
Byron grunted again as he drew his double-barrel from a holster on his back. His sword was already drawn. “You’re a real comedian, Axel. Shame you didn’t choose that line of work.”
“Don’t get him started,” I replied, drawing my sword and staff as well. “He takes sarcastic comments as genuine feedback. You know how they say some people see the glass as half full while others see the glass as half empty? You could hand Axel an empty glass and he’ll swear there’s a gallon in it.”
“That’s not true,” Axel protested. “I’d pee in the empty glass and show you it’s full.”
“Right,” Byron said, shaking his head. “About this whole bad guy thing we’re doing…”
“There’s no telling what’s in there,” Axel said, excitement in his voice. “This is like Christmas.”
“You must’ve had some fucked-up Christmases,” Byron replied, then glanced toward me. “I see what you mean. Pretty sure he’s pissing in my glass right now.”
“I’ll rinse it out,” Axel promised. “Just as soon as we’re done spelunking.”
“Jesus Christ,” Byron said, shaking his head. “There’s some evil part of me that hopes whatever foul beast awaits us is hungry. I’ll let the damned thing eat you. Or, better yet, when they spring their trap, I’ll just have you start talking to them. They’re sure to surrender.”
Axel replied with an enthusiastic nod. “I’m really good at de-escalating tension.”
“I bet you are,” Byron replied and started forward. “Let’s get this over with before you talk me to death.”
The other Blade Mage stepped forward, and it occurred to me then that Byron Walker was indeed a Blade Mage. I was damned near trembling in fear. I kept my feet moving forward, but every instinct told me I should run. Moving forward was worth something, I guess, but Byron didn’t seem to have an ounce of fear. Despite the dangers of our situation, he didn’t hesitate. We were all following his lead. He might’ve looked like an old cowboy, but he held himself like a Blade Mage. Not like my father. I doubted I’d ever meet another like that, but Byron embodied the essence of what it meant to be Blade Mage. He was the real deal.
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