Pinnacle

by Lynn Veevers

Anissa walked to where Josh stood and kissed him on the cheek, then took over the conversation. “Well, it just so happens I have the answer to that. I always prepare for the basic things. I have matches, kindling, and a bit of newspaper for a fire just in case we needed one, a can opener, some canned goods, and a couple bags of jerky, just to name a few things, but more importantly, these!”

  She pulled out a bundle of eight-inch sticks, probably a dozen or so.

  “What are those?” Kaya asked, pointing at the bundle Anissa held in her hand.

  “These are industrial-grade glow sticks. Dad and I use them for diving after dark. However, that is not why I brought them. I brought them so we had a form of lighting that was not as obvious as the beam a flashlight gives off. It turns out we will be using some of them for their intended purpose after all. They will only last about six to eight minutes, so we need to be fast.”

  After a few minutes to make sure everyone understood their part, they entered the water and submerged with all of them protected by Josh’s barrier. He rode Kaya once again, only in smaller stature. Her normal Lycan size would have been much too big and Josh still had to lie down on her back. She could feel his hands grasping fistfuls of her fur to the point of almost being painful. Josh was scared, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

  When they came to the underwater entrance, Anissa indicated it by pointing and they entered in single file, Anissa leading the way. She had one of the glow sticks, Quinn held another, and Art, who brought up the rear, had a third. This was the most trying part of the journey into the caves for Josh because he had to change the shape and strength of his barrier to shield everyone through the passage leading to the mouth of the cave.

  About four minutes later, they broke the surface of the water inside the cave. Kaya looked around and found it weird seeing all her Lycan brethren in Human Form in a situation like this.

  “Do you feel that?” Anissa said in almost a whisper.

  They were all confused by her hushed statement. When no one answered her question, she spoke up again. “There is a definite breeze. Chances are there is another entrance somewhere along these structures.”

  Cole came to stand beside Anissa and said, “I hate to disturb your brilliant skills of observation, but we are not going to be alone for long. Three are coming from the tunnel to the left.”

  All of them dashed as quietly as possible into the right tunnel. They made it there just seconds before a pair of Afflicted and a hound-like creature that looked like it had ascended from the depths of hell materialized in the opening of the left tunnel. Everyone remained deathly still and completely quiet in the shadows of their hiding place. The two surveyed the area and the hound sniffed the air before the trio turned and retreated to the depths of the cavern again.

  Everyone had assumed Pure Form during their retreat to the right cavern. Samantha ventured around the corner and into the main chamber in full camo mode to be sure the three had returned to where they had come from.

  Kaya’s skin had gone cold, and her breath had almost completely ceased when she caught Owen’s attention and whispered, “Oh my… was that a… Cusith?”

  19

  Truths to Be Told

  Owen walked over to Kaya and said, “It appears that way.” He looked completely defeated and that’s when Art walked to stand next to his identical bear. He had the answer to Kaya’s question.

  “Not quite, dear brother. That is stage one in the process, probably coming up on stage two. We will need to make sure if we happen across any like those that are immobile, that we kill them immediately. It means they are in the last stages of becoming a Cusith. They would feel safe making the change here among their afflicted brethren. Not only would there be ample protection to complete the change, but no Natural Lycan in their right mind would venture in here because they have picked up the scent. This place wreaks of Afflicted…hoards of them. Our need to survive would outweigh our drive to kill the creature. Hmm, I guess that makes us crazy, doesn’t it? I hate to even think this, but the immobile ones will be highly protected because I have a hunch Senka may be purposely making Cusith. That is not good for anyone, not to mention she is courting elimination. The Cusith that she creates will very likely kill her in the end. This place may have more defenses than we thought.”

  “Well, we are here and now we know we will have to move quickly in between encounters so there is no chance of them warning the others and spoiling our element of surprise,” Anissa said.

  The rest of the group concurred with her way of thinking and then Samantha said, “The night is not getting any younger. Let’s get going.”

  Owen and Art both stepped to the front of the group and in unison said, “No!”

  Samantha was shocked, but obeyed all the same. She shrunk back sat on her haunches and waited for further instruction.

  “We are going to wait for the rovers to come back and ambush them on their next run. Then we will head in the direction they came from.”

  No one dared question either man; they were, after all, the Alphas of this group with Art being the Head Alpha. So, they took up their instructed spots and waited until Cole signaled he could hear them coming back again twenty minutes later. Everyone waited, alert and on edge. Dahlia and Owen stood in plain sight, dead center of the large opening to the caverns, ready to charge as soon as the trio could be seen.

  When the sentries made it back to the opening of the left cavern, they were so focused on Owen and Dahlia that they did not notice the rest of them on either side of the opening, obscured in the shadows. Kenneth, Quinn, and Cole took the Afflicted on the right while Samantha, Kaya, and Eric took the one on the left. Anissa had climbed up to a ledge just above. She dropped down on top of the hound-like creature right as Owen and Dahlia started their charge on the same target.

  Anissa landed on the snarling creature’s back and, quick as lightning, snapped its neck. Before the hound could fall limp to the ground, she did a reverse summersault off the beast. Dahlia and Owen attacked the still form of the creature ravenously and pulled away from each other, one at each end of the hound, effectively ripping it in two. Dahlia came away with the creature’s head and spine dangling from her mouth while Owen tossed the hind quarters onto the heap of dismantled sentries the rest of them had already ended. The sentries had not known what hit them.

  Josh had stood in the shadows, a spectator to the gruesome onslaught from within the protection of his bubble. He walked over and rejoined the group, and they silently walked down the corridor of the left cavern.

  They must have walked for fifteen minutes or so when the cavern, with its twists and turns, came to a much larger cave. This area seemed to be the heart of the natural rock structures. It was multileveled and Kaya could hear the trickle of water traveling down the far walls and into an enormous cave lake. In the center of this lake was a small mass of land about the size of a basketball court. A platform lifted a central canopied structure off the island’s surface. On either side of the fancy, canopied area was a large cage made of some type of heavy-duty metal. In each cage lay a shadowy hound creature with seething eyes the color of blood rubies, and they did not look happy. Samantha’s trait kept their scent hidden, but that did not seem to be enough because the two hounds got to their feet and Afflicted Lycans seemed to materialize on the lowest level. There were far less than Kaya had suspected, only about forty, but their group was still greatly outnumbered. After a moment of observation Kaya realized it was not her group that had caused the sudden shift in activity.

  A tirade of howls and yips ensued and went on for several minutes, and then it ceased and the hounds dropped to their haunches. Every Afflicted went down on one knee, head downcast. From beneath the canopied area, a large silver-colored Lycan stepped forward, not an Afflicted, but a Natural Lycan.

  Kaya couldn’t shake the feeling she’d seen this Lycan before, but couldn’t fathom how it was possible. Every Lycan she’d ever known was accounted for. No matter how she tried, she just
couldn’t shake the feeling.

  Then Kaya realized it wasn’t one she’d seen before, but one who had been described to her in vivid detail. Kaya glanced over at Eric and found he was already looking at her. He nodded his head slightly, indicating yes, and she knew she was right. This Lycan was the love of Senka’s life, and he’d kept his word to his love.

  It was Miguel. He must have been over one hundred years old now. Clearly he was the Alpha, even though he was not an Afflicted. There was yet another shift in the masses as a Lycan with exquisite, burnt-sienna fur stepped forth from the canopied area. She was an extraordinary specimen, probably the most beautiful Kaya had seen yet. The Afflicted crowd came to a complete bow, heads to the floor, for this Lycan as it approached the edge of the platform. The Lycan took a half step in front of Miguel and raised its head in a glorious howl, a regal queen addressing her loyal subjects. Every Afflicted remained perfectly still, unmoved, as if the slightest movement meant death. With a half step back, she returned to her mate’s side and affectionately nuzzled his snout with her own. This was Senka; Kaya knew it in her bones.

  Darkness crept into Kaya’s heart once more and she wanted nothing more than to rip Senka to shreds and be done with this. Kaya was no fool, though, and knew rash actions would mean death for her, the pack, and her friends, so she summoned the control to keep her wits and better judgement.

  The howling ceased, and with a short, clipped yip from Senka, the horde of Afflicted rose to their feet. Kaya couldn’t help but stare. None of what she saw made any sense. Senka didn’t look like other Afflicted Lycans; her fur was glossy and smooth rather than mangy and coarse.

  Senka must have sensed Kaya’s gaze because she looked directly at her, and in that moment, something passed between them. Kaya knew that Senka knew she was there and tried to rip her gaze from Senka’s but couldn’t. Her eyes were like none Kaya had seen before in Afflicted or Natural Lycans. Rather than the radioactive green or the blazing yellow to yellowish-orange she’d seen, Senka’s eyes were a mix of reddish-orange with dark, fern green rings around the red.

  If Kaya’s hunch was right and Senka did know they were there, she didn’t let on to anyone else. She just sat there and waited as two of her sentries brought forth two Mystics, a male and a female. Their struggle did them no good. They were hopelessly overpowered.

  They were placed on their knees in front of Senka, who leaned down and sniffed the female. Senka sat up with ruler-straight posture and assumed Human Form. She placed a hand over the woman’s chest and lifted her from her knees to her feet and then into the air. Senka’s eyes started to burn with blood-red, fiery intensity and the woman’s screams were lost in her throat as Senka drew a blazing white light out from the woman’s chest. It was as bright as a thousand-watt bulb and traveled from the woman’s chest up to her shoulders, her neck, until it illuminated her face. Her head glowed with the pure white light, as it slowly exited her body through her mouth.

  A bright orb left the woman’s body completely. Senka dropped the lifeless corpse to the ground and extended both arms toward the orb. The ball of light was blinding and seemed to dance with bronzed glitter. Slowly, the orb descended and vanished into Senka’s chest. Her whole body began to glow. She repeated the same process with the man, drawing it out longer than she had for the female. When it was all over, two corpses lay on the ground and Senka appeared at least a decade younger than when she had started.

  A muffled thud to Kaya’s right had her jumping. Everyone else had taken stock of the noise as well. When Kaya saw Anissa standing over the body of an Afflicted whose neck she had just snapped, Kaya took a step back. After a moment of reflection, Kaya realized she had not seen Anissa pass her, and knew for a fact she had been to her far left when they’d entered this place. Slowly, Kaya searched the level they were on and noticed eight or so of the sentries’ bodies crumbled on the floor. Kaya had been so riveted with what was going on below them that she hadn’t realized Anissa had been cleaning house. She had literally come full circle, taking out every sentry on the level single-handedly. Anissa joined the rest of the group with a smug grin for Quinn. He just rolled his eyes in disbelief.

  “Let me go and clean up your mess by finalizing them,” Quinn said.

  Anissa jumped in front of him and whispered harshly, “Are you a freaking idiot? You can’t do that!”

  Quinn returned Anissa’s aggravation in a low menacing growl. “Why not?” he asked in a quietly clipped tone.

  “Because you spill their blood and you spill the scent of death, a homing device to our exact location! Come on man, you’re supposed to be the strategic one!” she said with a sarcastic scoff.

  They knew the Afflicted were not ended in the final way, but they were certainly out of commission. It took hours, according to Owen, for an Afflicted to reanimate itself after a killing blow, so Anissa’s method was sound logic. The thought of being able to experience death over and over again, but not really dying until someone killed you correctly, made Kaya’s skin crawl. Quinn grunted and turned away from a satisfied Anissa. She had one-upped him yet again.

  Two of Senka’s minions stepped forward with a wave of her hand. She pointed to the deceased and then pointed to the water. Without saying a word, they gathered up the bodies and took them to the edge of the island. Kaya watched in disbelief as they threw the bodies far into the water. Within seconds, there was a violent turbulence as the bodies were torn limb from limb in a bloody, violent display.

  “Crocodiles. She has crocodiles in the water,” Anissa said in a whisper.

  Kaya watched as Anissa stood staring at the violently splashing water as the crocodiles fought fiercely for a piece of the meal.

  “Why does it have to be big lizards?” Anissa breathed.

  As Kaya watched her just stare, she realized Anissa did have a fear after all.

  “Anissa, you don’t like reptiles, do you?” Kaya asked cautiously.

  Anissa replied decisively. “Nope!”

  A few moments later, the water stilled. Senka and Miguel retreated to their canopy, but then stepped out behind it and followed a long, thin, land bridge to a dark cavern in the distance. Kaya had not seen it before and could barely make it out now. It wasn't lit. She quietly complained because even when she assumed an animal or Pure Form, she hated the dark. Kaya liked everything to be in plain sight. Kaya looked back to the island and beyond to see what the activity down there had turned into, and was surprised to see only the creatures in their cages.

  Art came to her side and said, “Those are Cusith, but it doesn’t make any sense. No cage would be able to hold a being like that.”

  Josh broke the silence he had kept with an explanation. “Those are no mere cages, Art. They are glowing with barrier magic. I assume the female Mystic Senka stripped the core from earlier was the one who put them there. I have not mastered placing and leaving a barrier around an object without having to hold it there the whole time. The woman obviously did. Senka was stupid to kill her because without her or another barrier Mystic, the barrier cannot be undone. Those creatures will die.”

  Art scoffed because he knew better. “No, they won’t. They are immortal in the truest sense. They are spirits of death. They kill with their baying. Unless you find sanctuary by the third bay, you are dead. Being in Pure Form will protect us from the Cusith’s bays, no one knows why it just does.”

  “Well, OK, now the barrier type makes sense then. Not only does it keep the creatures in, but it is also a dampening barrier. Any noise made on the inside of the barrier stays in the barrier. I could probably pull the barrier off, but I don’t think I want to after what you just said,” Josh said uneasily.

  The beasts did not look happy in their confinement. Kaya felt genuine pity for these diabolic creatures. She was taking in what she could when the beast closest to their side of the cavern looked at her and made direct eye contact. Its red eyes fixed on Kaya and changed from deep blood-red to fathomless pools of black.

  The c
reature reared his head back and opened its mouth, but no sound ensued. Again the creature opened its mouth, but nothing. On the third attempt, still nothing happened and the creature looked to Kaya again, looking pathetically defeated and hopeless.

  Kaya took a step in its direction. When she went to complete the step forward, she teetered then fell over the ledge. She plummeted down, passed one level then a second, and was coming up fast on the third when she finally snapped out of her state of shock.

  Kaya morphed into a cat and changed the positioning of her falling body, then morphed into a red-tailed hawk and swooped up into the air right as contact with the ground seemed imminent. She soared around the cavern and took in anything she could about the lay out from this vantage point. Then, after she was certain there were no Afflicted in the vicinity, she landed in front of the shadowy creature who had distracted her in the first place.

  The Cusith had watched Kaya the entire time and regarded her now in a way that surprised her. Curiosity was evident in its attentive gaze. It didn’t look like a bloodthirsty beast of destruction. These creatures were not bad—Kaya could feel it.

  She squawked at the Cusith and it sat unmoved, still regarding her. Kaya realized maybe this was not the best form to try to talk to this creature, so she dug deep and tried to take his form, but couldn’t. Still he sat and observed her, only now he seemed to smile with amusement. Kaya heard a splashing sound over in the water and without thought, morphed into Pure Form to keep from being effected by wrought, just in case the splash was caused by an Afflicted.

  A look in the direction of the noise revealed it was the crocodiles. They had submerged again when she saw them.

  “They will not be a problem. They are mere pets for her, much like my sister and I, Little One,” Kaya heard inside her head. She slowly turned back to the Cusith in front of her.

  “What? What did you just say?” Kaya asked.

  “I didn’t say anything, but thought it, Little One. While you are in this form, you can hear my thoughts and I yours,” he said in a voice that sounded distant.