He dropped it onto the current, watching the mooring line go taut. Good, it would hold for now.
While the dragon used its teeth to hold the raft in place, he and Jen lowered themselves over the edge. Once they had secured themselves, it was Fafnir’s turn.
“Easy now,” he cautioned. “Your weight could capsize us.”
The great beast hesitated, snorting steam.
“Come on.” Jen extended her hand. “We’re here for you. You can do this.”
Paz glanced at the rope. “I’d hurry if I were you. That won’t last much longer.”
The dragon crouched and rolled onto the raft. The whole contraption dipped into the water but then rose again to bob in the current. The rushing water strained their cable to its limit.
Already wet, Paz tied a safety line around himself and Jen and anchored it to a knot he’d created for that purpose.
“Ready?” He signaled the dragon to burn through the mooring fibers. His heart pumped rapidly as he remembered their last dunking in the sea. They’d been spewed from a serpent’s belly that time. Was this ride destined to be as wild as that one?
Time to find out.
The last few fibers split apart, and the current slammed them downstream.
Chapter Eighteen
Jen clutched the safety line as their raft dipped, swirled, and plunged through a series of dark passages.
Hey, it’s no worse than a water plume ride at a theme park.
Yeah, right. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming.
Sitting beside her, Paz swayed as they skimmed down a slough. He bent with the motion like a piece of supple fabric, whereas she held herself rigid, her heart galloping, and her breaths shallow. Terror filled her at the thought of slipping into the cold depths.
If only she could wish them somewhere else, but squeezing her eyes shut and praying for deliverance had no effect.
How did the damn watch work, anyway? She needed to learn how to control the vector device as soon as possible. That would be one of her first priorities if they survived.
Paz’s presence loaned her an iota of confidence. His courage facing adversity never faltered. He’d expect nothing less from his partner.
When did it happen that she felt lost without him?
Water sloshed her face and soaked her clothes. They whooshed around a curve, danced on the current, and then slewed down a tunnel toward a roaring noise that made her pulse leap. She didn’t even have time to take a breath or warn Paz. In the next instant, they were sailing through the air over a waterfall.
Miraculously, their craft landed right side up, bounced, and crashed onto the current with a spray of foam. The water calmed, and they floated toward the opposite bank of an underground lake. Glowworms on the ceiling illuminated the cavern.
Jen pushed her sodden hair out of her face. “We have to be near the outlet, but I don’t see any daylight.”
Fafnir snorted. “If we are trapped here, I will fry you before I eat you. This had better end soon.”
Paz gave Jen a reassuring pat. “Just hold on. It can’t be much longer.”
Was that a note of doubt she heard in his voice? She glanced in the direction the current was pushing them. The river disappeared into another dark passage.
“Maybe we should get off at the opposite bank and try to find a way out of here on dry land.” Her voice sounded hoarse in the echoing chamber.
“That might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately, we have no oars, and we’re picking up speed.”
Something rammed into them from below and nudged them toward the opening at the far end. The ceiling narrowed overhead, and Fafnir had to duck as the water sluiced them onward.
They entered another tunnel, careened around a curve, and raced down a slope.
“Look, there’s light ahead,” Jen cried.
The current slowed, and the flowing river narrowed into a stream heading toward a growing brightness.
When they burst into the fresh air and late afternoon sunlight, she threw her arms around Paz.
“Oh, thank God. We made it.” She buried her face in his neck.
They came to a jarring halt against a rock barring their progress. The brook continued on, presumably toward an outlet by the sea.
Paz disengaged himself, and Fafnir burned through the rope they’d used as their safety line.
The dragon didn’t wait for their thanks. He leapt to the riverbank and turned his fiery eyes on them.
“You have kept your word, humans. I owe you a debt, but I repay it by not consuming you. Pray we do not meet again.”
He flapped his wings, and with a mighty bellow, lifted into the air. By the time they reached dry land, he was a distant speck in the sky.
Paz turned to Jen. With her hair plastered to her head and droplets of water running down her face, she looked like a pale waif caught out in the rain. She shivered in her wet clothes, her teeth chattering.
He drew her into his arms to share his warmth. “Are you all right?”
She nestled her head on his shoulder. “I’m not cold, just glad to be alive. You?”
He grimaced. “I’ll be fine, although I could use another application of Dragon Balm.”
She sprang back, her eyes wide. “Omigod, do you know what we just did? We took away the source of the secret ingredient. Ra Mat Shlom won’t be able to produce any more of the miracle drug.”
“Likely Shlom will keep manufacturing it anyway. Who’ll know the difference?” He took out his PIP but like their backpacks, it was soaking wet. Neither one of them had thought to pack their supplies in waterproof materials. “Great, this is useless. Where are we?”
Jen peered at their surroundings. “I think we’re on the other side of the mountain. What do we do now?” She checked the vial. Fortunately, it was still intact. “I’d better keep this in my pocket for safekeeping.”
“Dikibie said he’d meet us at the entrance to the gardens.”
“Ugh, I hope there’s a shortcut. I don’t relish walking around while sopping wet.”
He stepped closer, putting his hands on her shoulders. “You did good, leera. I can think of no one else I’d want by my side.” Bending his head, he kissed her.
****
Jen’s blood warmed as she stood in his strong embrace. She let him plunder her mouth, tasting salt on his tongue and sniffing the lingering scent of hemp on his body. Mist swirled around her, turning into the all too familiar white haze blocking reality from view.
When it cleared, another vision met her eyes.
Wind whistled at the wharf where she stood in the arms of her husband, a Viking warrior. He patted her hair and murmured soothing words into her ear. About to leave on a long journey, he’d provisioned their dwelling for the winter, but she’d left the safety of their hut to see him off.
Her belly prevented their bodies from fully touching. She looked down at her pregnant form with a sense of fear.
“What if you’re not back in time? I cannot raise a babe without its papa.”
“You’re strong, wife. You’ll be fine. If you doubt my word, consult the Book of Odin. The All-Father has recorded his wisdom there. You who share his blood need not be afraid. Our babe will have the gift and will pass it on.”
“But I am afraid for you…”
“Jen, what’s wrong?” Paz’s sharp tone snapped her back to reality.
She must have frozen, because he’d broken off their embrace. He stood a few paces away, staring at her with concern.
Jen gazed into his steadfast blue eyes. “I had another vision. I was on the wharf again, and I wasn’t alone. M-my husband was there, about to sail off on a Viking ship. He mentioned a Book of Odin.”
“What do you think it means?” Paz wrung out his shirt. Droplets of moisture spewed everywhere.
Hopefully, the warm air would dry out their clothes soon enough.
Jen shrugged. “Who knows? Let’s talk about it later. We need to fulfill our bargain with the dog.”
“It may be too far to walk, especially in our condition. Let’s find a road and ditch a ride.”
Her mouth curved in amusement. “You’re still getting it wrong. It’s hitch a ride, tiger.”
Dragon Balm Gardens had closed for the day by the time they made it back to the park entrance via public transport. No one would stop to give them a ride in their bedraggled state, but they’d found a bus. They exited at the designated stop, the sole visitors at seven o’clock in the evening.
Loitering by the ticket booth, Jen observed the setting sun glint off the harbor and the spectacular cityscape below. Her shoulders slumped. If they had to stay at a hotel again, they’d have to go shopping for more supplies.
She glanced around, wondering why the Trolleks left them alone. General Morar had unfinished business with Paz, and Algie wanted Jen for her experiments. Was the enemy holding off for some reason?
A breeze lifted the hair on her arms and brought a floral scent her way. All she’d cared about before meeting Paz was how she looked in front of the mirror and what impressions her fashions made on the world.
Now as her glance slid toward the silent warrior at her side, she thought about what he could teach her. Weapons and combat skills. How to infiltrate enemy territory. What weaknesses to exploit among the Trolleks, if any.
Her brow wrinkled. Why did that last thread stimulate a figment of memory?
Arf, arf.
Her head lifted. A small dog bounded in their direction.
“Dikibie, this way.” She clapped her hands, skidding sideways to intercept him. He scooted past, dodged an oncoming bus, and aimed downhill. Not the Gatekeeper, then.
“Maybe we should just go to the airport,” she said with a resigned sigh. She barely had the energy to move, let alone haggle with airline personnel. Nor did Paz have a passport.
Frantic barking came from her left, and she whipped around. A familiar mutt scampered toward them, a pretty brunette on its tail. The woman had murder in her eyes and a weapon in her hands.
“Come here, Dikibie.” The female waved her gun. “You’re not getting away this time.”
The dog zigzagged toward them. “Stop her,” he said. “She means to kill me.”
Paz thrust Jen behind him. “It’s that Trollek woman we met in the fabric shop. She’s got an immobilizer. Stay out of range.”
Jen gazed around but they were quite alone. The bus had moved on, disgorging no one. Birds twittered overhead and leaves rustled. An insect buzzed her ear.
Paz’s eyes narrowed at the same time that Jen noticed the Trollek’s attention changing to them.
“Ah, look who we have here. General Morar will be pleased.” She swung her weapon at the Drift Lord.
Paz attacked in a flying leap, kicking the immobilizer from her hand. She responded with a roundhouse kick. He dodged the blow and brought his elbow up toward her nose. She twirled, rebounding with a thrust, and aimed at his gut. Paz parried but wasn’t fast enough. Her next kick caught his injured thigh.
He grunted, his legs crumpling. Jen stared, horrified, as he went down. The woman leapt forward, stooped, and grasped his forearm.
“You will obey me. Heed your kabak.”
“I don’t think so.” Leaning on his elbow, Paz sneered at her. “I’m a Drift Lord. Your spells don’t work on me.”
He swept his arm behind her ankles and yanked her off her feet. She tumbled to the ground.
Jen spotted the gun where she’d dropped it and scooped it up. The metal piece felt heavy in her hand. It had a long barrel, but where was the trigger?
“You, daughter of Odin.”
Jen spun toward the source of the voice.
“It is I, Dikibie. Did you obtain the dragon’s blood like I asked?” The scraggly dog tilted its head, peering at her with large, somber eyes.
“Yes, we did.” She moved out of range of Paz and the Trollek.
Torn between wanting to conclude her business with the Gatekeeper and helping Paz, she tucked the weapon into her waistband. Getting home was paramount once Paz defeated his adversary. Thankful he still possessed some immunity to the Trollek mind spell, she focused on the shapeshifter.
“Part the fur between my shoulder blades,” Dikibie instructed. “Take the blood and dribble it onto my bare skin.”
Jen withdrew the vial from her pocket, yanked off the stopper, and did as directed.
Nothing happened for the first few seconds. She jerked back when the air around the dog suddenly rippled.
The ripple turned into a mini cyclone that swirled around the creature from its feet upward. Higher and higher the dervish flew until an older man stood before her in his naked glory. A bearded man, with a wrinkled face and a thin body.
A pontifical look on his face, he stretched his arms toward the heavens. “At last, I am free.”
Jen’s face colored. Spying a seagrape bush, she stalked over and plucked a couple of large, round leaves. “Here, you might want to use these until you get some clothes. Now, about our reward…”
“My thanks, mistress.” Holding the leaves in place, he combed through his hair with his other hand. His fingers produced a folded paper. “Here is your prize. Go to the water’s edge, and announce where you want to go. As soon as the ship unfolds, climb aboard.”
“That’s it? A piece of paper? You’ve got to be kidding.”
He puffed out his chest. “Do you question my gift?”
Afraid he’d withdraw the offer, she snatched the item from his hand. “No, of course not. Thank you for your generosity.”
He sniffed the air, as though he hadn’t quite lost his canine sense. “We’ll meet again, daughter of Odin. So it is prophesied in the book.”
She gripped his arm before he turned away. “What book? I’ve heard one mentioned before.”
He cast her a sly glance. “Seek your sisters. Together with the Drift Lords, you will defeat the coming darkness. So it is written. So shall it be.”
“Wait, it’s written where?” Jen called after him. He’d already started down the hill, giving her a not very tantalizing view of his bare butt.
“Hey, miss!”
Jen whirled around. Now what?
From the corner of her eye, she saw Paz still holding his own against the Trollek female. Huffing up the road from the opposite direction was the man she’d encountered at Manga World. She recognized the scar on his cheek when he got closer.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Pausing to catch his breath, he thumbed toward the woman slicing her arms and legs though the air as she leapt and kicked at Paz. “I’ve been tracking her. I could ask you the same thing.”
“Let me see your badge again.”
This time she leaned forward to read it carefully. It gave his name as Agent Grant Monroe and said he was with the United States Bureau of Anomaly Research.
“What kind of agency is that? I’ve never heard of it.”
His keen gaze regarded her. “No one has, lady. We like to keep it that way. Usually we’re sent out to debunk stories about alien abductions and UFO sightings, but this time─”
He stumbled back as Paz flew past them, thrown by the Trollek female. She wasn’t even breathing hard while Paz looked pale as a ghost and sweat covered his brow.
“Who’s that guy?” Monroe pointed to Paz who picked himself up and lunged at the Trollek.
“He’s my partner.” Her voice held a note of pride. Despite his wound and their recent exertions, he fought like a true warrior.
Munroe’s gaze swung to the weapon tucked into her waistband, and his eyes narrowed. “Where did you get that?”
“It belongs to that woman. She dropped it.”
“May I?” He extended his hand.
Jen stepped back. “What do you want with her?”
“We have questions to ask.” He took out a device from his pocket and frowned at it. “Tell me about your friend.”
Jen bristled at the implied threat in his tone. “Look, if y
our business is with that woman, we won’t stop you. Just keep in mind that we’re on the same side.” And with those words, she took out the immobilizer and tossed it to Paz in one of his free moments.
He shot the Trollek. She slumped to the ground. Then he aimed the weapon at Grant Munroe.
“Who is this fellow? Is he confounded?”
Like before, Monroe wore clothing that covered him from head to toe. Clearly, he knew what Trolleks were capable of doing to people.
“I’m an agent of the United States government.” He flashed his badge. “We should talk. I know your girlfriend isn’t vulnerable to these creatures, and we’d like to know why. As for you,” he squinted at his device, “I’m getting an anomalous reading. Who are you, and why were you fighting that alien?”
Paz’s eyes glittered right before he fired the weapon. “Sorry, I don’t have time to answer questions.” Now two bodies littered the street.
Jen gasped. “Did you kill them?”
“No, immobilizers only stun. They’ll be out for a few hours. We should hide them.” Grunting at the effort, he dragged their unconscious forms into the bushes. “There, that should solve the problem for the moment.”
“You can’t let Monroe wake up next to that Trollek. She might confound him when he’s too groggy to resist.”
“You’re right, but we don’t want Agent Monroe to capture her either. It sounds as though his agency believes the Trolleks to be aliens. Best they should stick to that belief.”
“Oh, you think it’s better they should think aliens from outer space are invading us rather than evil trolls from another dimension?” She glanced at him askance. “What about your team?”
His mouth curved into a sexy grin. “We’re helping humanity. We don’t need interference, especially if your people are provoked into what you term a witch hunt.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late if our government has caught onto the game. Anyway, we can worry about it later. I got the magic ship from Dikibie.”
His face brightened. “Supernova.” He tucked the immobilizer into his belt. “I’ll separate these two. Then when they wake up, they won’t be near each other. Too bad I don’t have my gear.”
“Why is that?”
Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series) Page 21