by Peter Glenn
I turned my attention back to her. “Sure thing. Just need to do one more thing first.”
She raised one eyebrow. “What’s that, big boy?”
Without warning, I slugged her on the cheek as hard as I could, laying her flat. It felt so much better than it had any right to.
Allie crumpled and fell to the ground, cradling her cheek. She looked up at me with a confused expression on her face.
I glared back down at her and cracked the biggest smile of my life. “That.”
10
A few hours had passed, and we were sitting at a local restaurant eating some dinner. It was a spread of Mexican food—some tacos, lots of beans and rice, and a few other things I didn’t recognize. But at the moment, I didn’t care. I’d been through a lot today and was completely famished, so it could have been half rotten, and I still would have wolfed it down.
The really crazy thing, though, was that I actually liked it. Was I just so hungry that anything would have tasted divine, or was real Mexican food just that much better than American Mexican food? That was an experiment I’d have to try one of these days.
Isaiah was sitting across from me with a spoonful of something raised to his lips, about to eat it. Allie was sitting a little off to my other side, brooding. She had an ice pack on her face. A nice, shiny bruise was starting to form right where I’d smacked her. Even just seeing a peek of it made me smile all over again.
Hey, she deserved it after betraying us. Don’t judge.
Besides, I felt better about things now. Somehow, even that small action had eased my tension regarding her.
“Done gloating yet?” Allie asked. There was a hint of a smirk on her face.
I guess some things would just never change. “Maybe.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Well, when you’re done, let me know. We still have an artifact to go steal back, in case you’ve forgotten.” She glowered at me for the last little bit.
“Me? Forget?” I pointed at my chest. “Never.”
Isaiah set down his spoon and sat up a little straighter. “Listen, I’d like to get the Jade Jaguar back as much as the next person, but we have no idea where Kedron and the others took it. We’re just going to have to chalk this one up to a loss.”
Allie opened her mouth, then closed it a second later. She chewed on her bottom lip a little.
“Got something to add?” I asked her.
She paused for another moment. “I might know where it is,” she whispered, “if they haven’t finished moving it yet.”
My ears perked up. That was different from what she’d said earlier after I’d smacked her. “Oh yeah? Where?”
Allie folded her arms across her chest. She scoffed. “Why should I tell you?”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks and reared my head backward. “Hey! You’re only still alive because we let you live after you betrayed us! You’d better start acting nice or…”
“Or what?”
“Enough, children!” Isaiah spat. He put out his arms in between Allie and I to keep us from going at each other’s throats again. “Arguing will get us nowhere.”
“Thank you,” Allie whispered. Her eyes flitted to mine, and she stuck out her tongue, then she looked back at Isaiah and nodded.
Oh, that girl. She could still get me hot in all the wrong ways. “Fine,” I said at last, not taking my eyes off Allie for even a second. “For your sake, I’ll be nice.”
Isaiah eyed us both coolly. His lips curled downward into a deep frown. After several seconds of nothing more happening, he finally nodded. “That’s better.”
He let out a long sigh. “Now, Allie, I’d very much like to know whatever it is you can tell us. But first, I need to know why you’re turning against your former allies. Why should we believe you this time?”
Good question. I found myself wanting to know that, too. I probably should have led with that.
Allie’s eyes darted over to Isaiah’s. Her glib expression faded into something more dour. After another few seconds of silence, she let out a deep sigh. “It’s a long story.”
“They always are,” Isaiah told her. “But we have time, and I’m not going anywhere else with you until we know the truth. All of the truth.”
“O-okay,” Allie said. “I’ve known Kedron for several years now. He was a friend of my parents back when they were alive, and he’d kind of been like a mentor to me when I was growing up. I hadn’t known back then that he’d been working to start a cult. That information only came out much later, and by then, I’d seen too much of his good side to think anything bad about it.
“After my parents died, the cult kind of became my family. They were there, offering aid during my darkest moments, so it was only natural that I joined them when I came of age. Once I was a member, I learned about Kedron’s obsession with the Jade Jaguar. It was said to give the user their heart’s desire, or at least that’s what he told us. He spent years and every ounce of his free time looking for it. Most of us did, too.”
She slumped against her chair a little. “Heck, who wouldn’t want something like that? Kedron had promised me that if I found the artifact for him, he’d let me use it however I wanted.”
A distant look appeared in her eyes. What did she want, anyway? Her parents back? That was a common wish. But she wasn’t so common. I wondered what she’d want bad enough to potentially kill for it. But I didn’t ask.
Allie’s eyes shifted back to Isaiah. “So when I overheard that you guys were after it, too, I pounced on the opportunity to prove myself. How was I to know that Kedron was going to turn on me the second I succeeded?”
She huffed. “I should have known better. He was way too obsessed. The past year or so, ever since we’d learned the general location, he was like a madman. Completely different from the person I’d grown up with.” She smiled at Isaiah. “I guess it’s true. You never really know someone completely.”
Her words cut into me deeply. Was she right? Was LaLuna harboring secrets from me? Was our relationship going to blow up at some point? Nah, that couldn’t happen. Allie was just a little jaded. LaLuna wasn’t like that.
Isaiah regarded Allie for several seconds, saying nothing. I stayed quiet, too. He had a much easier time dealing with her than I ever did. It was probably for the best if I let him continue to do the talking for now.
Finally, he spoke. “That’s quite the tale. Thank you for sharing it.” He glanced down at something in his hands that I couldn’t see. “And it has the ring of truth to it. I believe you.”
“Thank you,” Allie replied. She gave him a slight smile.
“Yes, well, it’s a fine story, but where’s my guarantee that you won’t just go running back to Kedron at the earliest opportunity anyway?” Isaiah asked. “Like you said, he was something of a mentor to you. That kind of relationship doesn’t just go away.”
Man, Isaiah was on fire today. I could learn a thing or two by watching him.
Allie chewed her lip again. “You don’t, I guess.”
Huh. I hadn’t expected that. Actual honesty. It was a good look for her. She should wear it more.
“But I can give you my word that if I turn on you guys again, you can kill me. I won’t even argue.”
My blood chilled at her words. That was quite the promise. From what I could tell, she actually liked the concept of living. Or at least she wasn’t okay with dying just yet. How weird.
“Like I said,” Allie continued. “Kedron isn’t the same person he was before. The hunt for the Jade Jaguar has changed him, and not for the better. If I can take it back and keep him from it, maybe he’ll revert back. Maybe I can finally talk some sense into him.”
Isaiah put one of his hands on top of Allie’s. “I can’t promise that, of course, but I agree he shouldn’t have the jaguar. Anyone willing to kill for it needs to be stopped. We’ll go with you.”
“Good,” Allie said. “Now, we don’t have a lot of time. Kedron will want to get back stateside as soon as he can. An
d with the jaguar in tow, he won’t be able to use a regular airport. Which is good news for us, because it means I know just where he’s headed.”
Isaiah stopped the car well short of the actual field that contained the makeshift airport. We didn’t want to alert the enemy to our presence just yet, and nothing said “hi there” like driving a giant SUV right through a gate.
We piled out of the car. The sky had darkened considerably in the short time it had taken us to get out here. The moon was barely visible over the horizon, and I could see a few stars peeking out in the sky. It was beautiful, really. I didn’t think I’d get over how amazing the sky looked for at least a little while longer. I’d had more than enough of being stuck underground over the past few months.
Our destination was pretty obvious. A tall chain link fence ran off in both directions, blocking off access to a large runway strip just beyond it. The runway was well lit, and even from this distance I could see a few people milling about, loading up a singular plane that sat at one end of it.
That meant our prey hadn’t left Mexico just yet. How much longer it would be until they did was anyone’s guess, but at least we’d have a chance to get the artifact back now.
“Okay, I’ll admit, you did good this time,” I told Allie, whispering.
She gave me a smug look. “Told you, big boy.”
Ugh. She was even petty when I complimented her. I couldn’t wait for this whole episode to be over. Just a little bit longer, and we’d have the Jade Jaguar back in our possession. Then we could ditch her.
“What’s the plan?” Isaiah said as he made his way around to my side of the car.
I rubbed my chin while I surveyed the area. There was a gate not too far away from us but breaking through it would make a lot of noise. It’d be better if we didn’t have to do that. Not that I saw many other options. LaLuna wasn’t with us, and she was the only person I knew that could fly.
Even once we got past the gate, there were plenty of other obstacles. There were at least four groupings of cultists milling about. Kedron and the Jade Jaguar could be in any one of them. In the semi-darkness, I couldn’t make out any of their faces well enough to know who was who.
The worst part, though, was that some of the cultists had guns.
Swords and knives, I could deal with. Even magic wasn’t so bad from time to time. It gave me a run for my money, but I’d handled worse. But guns? Those things were truly dangerous. They could turn even the weakest attacker into a deadly machine. By my count, there were a good half a dozen rifles interspersed throughout the groups, and that was just what I could see from here. There could be other guns hidden under clothing.
We’d need to find a way to disarm as many of the cultists as we could as fast as we could if we were going to make it out of this thing in one piece.
And sadly, even I wanted to make it out alive this time. What had the world come to?
“Okay,” I said, sizing up the groups of cultists one last time. “First, we climb the fence. Nice and slow and quiet-like. Don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Then you...” I pointed at Isaiah. “You try and figure out a way to jam those rifles. Use whatever magic you have at your disposal to take them out of commission.”
Isaiah nodded.
“You,” I pointed at Allie, “see if you can figure out a way to stop that plane from taking off. Try and stall it as long as possible.”
Allie gave a curt nod. “What about you?”
“Me?” My lips curled into a broad smile. “I’m going to do what I do best—wreak some havoc in there and get back the artifact.”
“That’s it?” Allie scoffed. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “That’s your grand plan?”
“Hey, I’m just making this up as I go along. You got a better one?”
Allie rolled her eyes, but eventually turned and shook her head. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. But you’d better not get me killed.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?”
Allie scowled at me, and I put my hands up defensively, chuckling slightly. She wagged a finger at me, but ultimately did nothing.
“We done here, children?” Isaiah admonished us both, dressing us down with a hard glare.
I hung my head sheepishly.
“Sorry,” Allie, and I both said in unison.
“That’s better,” Isaiah continued. “Now, let’s get out there and do this before it’s too late.”
I put my hand out in front of me so we could all put our hands in the circle and do a team cheer, but no one else caught on, so I let it drop a second later. One of these days, that was going to work out for me.
Without further thought, we all made our way over to the fence. The chains had big gaps in between them, and there was no barbed wire at the top, so it was easy enough to climb up and over. I made a little bit more noise than I would have hoped, but I was up and over in a matter of seconds. Isaiah and Allie followed suit, and then we were all on the other side.
I motioned at Isaiah and Allie to go their separate ways, and they both nodded and crept off. Then it was just me and Grax’thor left to fend off all the cultists. Exactly the way I liked it.
“Ready, girl?” I asked my blade.
For what? You to fall on your face?
Heh. Every bit as nice as she always was. But I knew she’d still do my bidding.
I crouched low to the ground and crept forward towards the closest group of cultists. They were standing guard next to a bunch of crates. For all I knew, the Jade Jaguar was in one of those crates, though I doubted it. If I were Kedron, I wouldn’t let go of that thing. He probably had it on him.
As I made my way over to the group, I looked them all over. None of them had Kedron’s distinctive look, but all of them looked like worthwhile opponents. Two of them had rifles, and the other two had swords that looked every bit as sharp as my own. I’d have to hope that Isaiah was successful in his efforts.
I was maybe ten meters away from the group now. There was a large floodlight overhead illuminating their position. I was going to get one good shot at this, then it was going to be chaos all over the place.
My hand slid to Grax’thor’s hilt, and I wrapped it around her tightly, pulling her free of her sheath. Time to get to work.
In one smooth motion, I bounded from my spot of relative safety, heading straight for one of the guards with guns. I swung my blade in a wide, deadly arc as I let loose a battle cry and aimed for his head.
The guy’s neck exploded in a hail of blood and bone as his head toppled to the ground, his body following just a moment later.
His friends stood there in shock for maybe half a second before they advanced on me, weapons in their shaky hands poised to skewer me. Meanwhile Rifle Guy bit down his shock and leveled his weapon in my direction. I watched in horror as he squeezed the trigger.
I half-closed my eyes, waiting for the death I knew was going to come. But nothing happened. There was a loud click, and then nothing.
Rifle Guy pulled the trigger a few more times, then smacked the side of his gun and tossed it to the ground.
Thank goodness. Isaiah had been as good as his word.
The other two guards were more than eager to make their mark on me, though. Both of them advanced almost in unison, and it was all I could do to beat both of their blades back at the same time.
I made a low swipe at the guard on the right, and my blade sank deep into his leg. The man howled and went down to the ground a second later.
Left Guard was more skilled. I tried a similar move on him, and he parried the blow with practiced ease. He moved quickly, bringing his blade up and under my guard, and I was forced slightly backward to avoid it.
Off in the distance, a cry erupted from somewhere deeper in the encampment, stealing away my attention for a half second. My eyes darted about only to find the other groups of guards were mobilizing. Seems they’d finally realized they were being attacked and were getting ready to defend the place.
&
nbsp; Which meant I’d have to make quick work of Left Guard if I wanted to get to them before they could get to me.
A glint of metal off to my other side brought me reeling back into the here and now. Left Guard made a high jab with the tip of his sword, aiming straight for my head. I had just enough time to duck to the side before I lost an eye, then batted his sword away right as Rifle Guy came at me with a kidney punch.
Rifle Guy’s fist slammed into my gut, and I staggered backward, doubling over in pain as it lanced up my side from the devastating blow. Wow, that guy could land a punch.
With a hiss, I lunged for Rifle Guy. He put up his arms in defense, but my sword cut through them like nothing was there, passing through muscle and bone and continuing onward until I’d managed to pierce his chest.
Magic blades could be fancy like that.
Rifle Guy let out a grunt of surprise as the light left his eyes. He slumped over and fell to the ground a second later.
One more opponent down. Sadly, Left Guard wasn’t letting up. He made a quick swipe at my abdomen, and I barely freed my blade from Rifle Guy’s ribcage in time to block the strike. I slid my blade up the shaft of Left Guard’s weapon, trying to slice into his hand, but Left Guard batted my sword away before it could find purchase.
Our weapons clanged a few times in the night while we exchanged a quick series of blows. All the while, I could hear the tell-tale sounds of guards racing this way behind me. I knew I didn’t have long.
Finally, I spotted an opening. A hole in Left Guard’s defenses. He jabbed low, and I parried the strike, then I brought my blade up, making a wide swipe for his neck. Blade met skin, and in the space of a heartbeat, Grax’thor was through the man’s throat, sticking out the back of it.
Left Guard fell to the ground in a pile of blood as I pulled my weapon free. Now I only had another dozen or so to go.
Lucky me.
I spun to face the rest of the threats. The rest of the camp was ablaze with action now, with several cultists having almost reached me already.