Orano shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. So what’s the plan?”
As usual, they didn’t have much time to prepare. They would be going up against a demi-god with no backup and no clear plan of attack. As a group, the six of them made a formidable team, but whether that would be enough was anyone’s guess. Another problem became evident when Beck Googled the area Daedric wanted to meet. Although the market was an ancient archeological site, it sat in the middle of the city. Apartment buildings surrounded the ruins on three sides.
“How do we go up against a demi-god in a place where thousands of people could be watching?” Mirissa asked. “Not to mention Flip.”
“It’s too dark for anyone in those buildings to see anything. The noise will be the real problem,” Steve said.
Beck stepped forward. “If I can cover the area in a shield, it should deaden most of the sound.”
Beck’s ability to create energy shields had saved Mirissa’s life more than once, but she’d never seen her make one that large.
“Can you cover the entire market?” she asked.
Beck smiled. “I guess we’ll find out.”
********
Mirissa placed her hand over the key hanging around her neck. She’d always known the day would come when it would be necessary to use it, but she’d never expected an innocent person to be kidnapped over it. She’d just met Flip and didn’t have any real reason to grow attached to the odd little man, but she still felt responsible for him. She’d made a promise to keep him safe, and instead she’d put him in jeopardy.
Trying to bury the guilt she felt, Mirissa approached the ruins from one of the many deserted streets running through the area. At that hour, all but the homeless were safely tucked away in their beds and would hopefully stay there. Heavy gray clouds joined the strange red ones haunting the skies, as a wicked electrical storm brewed. The lightning would hopefully keep any late night partiers indoors, and the thunder all but solved their noise problem. “Any sign of them?” Mirissa spoke to the team through her comms device.
“Negative.” Her father’s voice crackled from her earpiece. “I’ve got a pretty good view of the entire market and I don’t see anyone.” Steve and Myrine were perched atop one of the buildings on the east side, keeping a watchful eye through high-powered binoculars.
“There are too many hiding places for us to cover. We’ll have to draw him out,” Myrine said. “Orano, are you in place?”
“I’m here.” His voice crackled over the comms.
“Beck, be ready.” Myrine paused for a moment before continuing. “Our objective is to rescue Petrakis, but under no circumstances can we let Daedric get to Mirissa or the key. Understood?”
Mirissa listened as everyone gave their positive response. She, on the other hand, remained silent.
“Mirissa?” her mother questioned.
“I’m ready,” she said, sidestepping Myrine’s question. Mirissa had gotten really good at hiding her insecurities from her team. If they knew how much the thought of failing terrified her, they’d have her in therapy. “Let’s do this.” She stepped onto the stone wall surrounding the site. The market itself lay mostly underground, accessed through a dozen archways lining the long path running below her feet. Daedric would most likely be hiding inside.
Mirissa jumped down to the gravel path and called out, “I’m here, Daedric.” She waited for a response but, when none came, tried again. “Daedric, I’m not waiting all night.” The scrape of gravel brought Mirissa’s attention to an archway twenty yards to her right.
Daedric emerged, grasping Flip like a human shield. “So, we meet again,” he said while sporting his best used-car-salesman smile. “I didn’t think I’d have the pleasure of seeing you so soon.”
“Me neither. I thought for sure your Daddy would have kept you locked away so you couldn’t embarrass him anymore. Guess we were both wrong.” One side of Mirissa’s mouth turned up in a taunting grin as she sauntered forward, closing the distance between them to a few yards.
Daedric’s eyes narrowed at her approach, and his smile evaporated. “Give me the key.”
“I don’t think so, half-breed. Let Mr. Petrakis go first.” Mirissa cringed when Flip let out a snorting laugh at her comment. Geez, doesn’t he have any self-preservation instincts? A bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky followed by a deafening thunderclap. The hairs on her arms rose as electricity filled the air.
“You want him? He’s all yours.” Daedric released Flip and, with arms spread, stepped back, allowing the little man to walk away.
Mirissa grabbed Flip’s hand and pulled him to her. “No matter what, Flip, stay behind me.” She turned back to Daedric and saw a look on his face she couldn’t quite read. He’d just given up his only bargaining chip, yet still looked confident. He had something up his sleeve, but she didn’t know what. On the bright side, they’d gotten Flip without having to reveal their special abilities.
“I’ll take that key now, Mirissa,” Daedric said.
Her father’s voice crackled in her ear. “I’ve got movement to the east. Looks like … dogs. Lots of them.”
Mirissa glanced to her left but saw only the underground market. Whatever her father was seeing would be above her. Keeping an eye on Daedric, Mirissa focused on expanding her auditory capabilities until she could hear every blade of grass being crushed by the approaching animals. How is he controlling so many animals?
“Beck, cover them,” her mother said.
Daedric teleported to her side the instant before Beck’s shield took form.
“Now it’s just the three of us,” he said from beside her.
Before she could answer, a pack of snarling beasts bombarded the shield, their teeth and claws desperately trying to break through. From behind her, she heard Flip yelp, then saw him fly against the inside of the shield.
“I can do this all night long, Mirissa. Give me the key and I’ll let him live,” Daedric said, tossing Flip around with a flick of his finger.
Mirissa used her own telekinesis to blast the half-god in his chest. “Two can play at that game.”
“Sure, but who do you think will last longer?” To make his point, Daedric bounced Flip off the ground and into the invisible barrier with even greater force.
He was right. Flip wouldn’t be able to withstand that kind of power for very long. Daedric, on the other hand, could handle it for as long as he wanted to. “Beck, take the shield off me and cover Flip with one small enough to ensure he stays alone.”
The response from her parents echoed in her ear. “No.”
“Damn it, Beck. Do it. I’ll be fine.” Mirissa waited for a response, but got none. Flip flailed around like a rag doll and looked about ready to pass out. “Beck? I can take this shield down with my blade like I did on Ortega, but I need to know you’ll cover Flip.”
“Fine,” Beck said.
The familiar pop of the shield dissipating was followed immediately by a deluge of angry hounds. Mirissa glanced toward Flip. A small force field covered him, but he looked horrified. He’s safe. I’ll deal with the explanations later. Daedric, on the other hand, calmly stepped away, as if readying to watch a show.
Dozens of snarling beasts leapt from the upper platform. She swung her arms left and right, pushing them with her powers to keep them from landing on her, but there were too many. It took mere seconds for them to surround her and, as though they were working from choreography, they attacked en masse. Soon, blood seeped from dozens of cuts and scrapes on her extremities.
Mirissa’s Amazon ring vibrated on her finger, signaling its desire to get in the game, but she suppressed it. Her blade would have been useful, but she couldn’t bring herself to kill the dogs. They weren’t attacking her by choice, rather by Daedric’s command.
A streak of light flew passed her, slamming into several animals and sending them sprawling backward. Their yelps of pain filled the air. “Don’t kill them!” she yelled at her teammate. Orano had the ability to crea
te deadly energy balls. She’d seen him topple trees with their power, but she’d also seen him play at shocking his friends with energy no more powerful than static electricity. At that moment, she needed him somewhere in the middle. “Think stun gun from Star Trek,” she called out.
“I see you brought more friends with you. Thank you. I was getting bored.” Daedric stood no more than fifteen feet away, calmly watching the scene play out in front of him. His cold blue eyes locked on hers as though daring her to attack.
Mirissa left Orano to deal with the beasts while she focused on the real problem. The loose gravel at her feet rose into the air in front of her, swirling until it formed a cyclone that towered over them. She hurled the debris tornado toward Daedric, who simply batted it away with a smile. She sent another, and another, until so many bombarded him that the pile of debris at his feet reached his ankles.
She needed to keep him occupied. She’d seen him strangle men with no more than a thought. That particular trick didn’t work on Mirissa—a lesson learned at her first confrontation with the demi-god at Ortega—but it would work on the others.
A shadowy figure emerged from the tunnel behind Daedric, skulking toward him. Mirissa pulled the pile of gravel at the demi-god’s feet into the air and created a massive vortex around him. Every time he broke through, she reformed it, increasing its speed. When the advancing figure was close enough, she let it fall.
Greco reached out and grabbed Daedric’s shoulder with his left hand, throwing a mean punch with his right that connected with the base of Daedric’s skull. Anger flared in the demi-god’s eyes but, before he could retaliate, Greco was thrown to safety by an unseen force.
“Now!” Myrine’s order bellowed through Mirissa’s earpiece.
Orano turned his attention away from the dogs and began firing energy balls at Daedric. Their power, although lethal to men, wouldn’t be enough to do anything more than annoy the half god. But Mirissa would change that.
She raised her hands to the heavens and pulled at the enormous amounts of energy created by the electrical storm. Mirissa’s ability to control the elements allowed her to make use of whatever Mother Nature offered up. The night’s raging electrical storm had been perfect.
As she fought to keep control, she lowered her arms and directed the newly harnessed energy toward Orano. The balls he created immediately grew in size and intensity, their light too bright to look at. Mirissa glanced over her shoulder in time to see the first of them slam into their target.
The initial impact lifted Daedric off his feet. The second drove him into the rock wall. One after another, the super infused energy balls pounded him until he let loose a feral scream, then vanished.
Mirissa collapsed, letting the electricity loose to resume its natural path in the sky. The experience left her utterly drained, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a warm bed.
Orano, on the other hand, stood tall and strong, flexing his already taut muscles. “That was incredible. I’ve never felt that kind of energy before. Can we do it again, please?”
“Maybe later,” Greco said as he approached Mirissa. “I think she might need a bit of a break.” He put his arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her to her feet.
“Um, hello?” Flip’s timid voice brought a smile to Mirissa’s face. “Can I please come out now?” He was still covered by the shield. Beck released him, and he fell to the ground when the invisible wall he’d been leaning on disappeared. “Thank you.”
“Are you okay, Flip?” Mirissa asked.
“I’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about. That was quite a battle.” He surveyed the area, looking at all of the unconscious dogs strewn about. “They’ll be all right, too, won’t they?”
Orano stepped forward. “They’re just knocked out. They’ll wake up soon enough.”
“I see,” Flip said, his gaze darting back and forth as though looking for something.
“He’s gone. You’re safe now.” Mirissa reached out and placed her hand on Flip’s shoulder. “I told you we’d keep you safe.”
A look of confusion crossed his face before he responded. “Yes, you did. Thank you.”
Mirissa thought the odd man handled what he’d just witnessed rather well. Perhaps a little too well. “Is there something you’re not telling us, Flip?” She captured his gaze as he made eye contact, looking for any sign of betrayal, but found none. Instead, she saw sadness.
“No, there’s nothing. This has just been …” He covered his face in his hands. “Can I please go home now?”
Mirissa felt a wave of guilt crash over her. Because of her, Flip had endured a horrific night. He’d slipped into shock, and she’d all but accused him of lying to them. “I think it might be best if you stayed with us for a while. Beck will take you to my mom and dad.”
Flip simply nodded, following Beck and Orano up the stairs that led to street level.
“Did it work?” Mirissa asked Greco.
“Yep,” Greco said. “The tracker’s planted under Daedric’s collar. Now we can follow him wherever he goes.”
Chapter 10
As Flip entered the Omega Group’s hotel room, sandwiched between Mirissa and Orano, he struggled to decide upon an appropriate reaction to the display of powers he’d just witnessed. They believed him to be human, with no experiences to prepare him for such a sight, yet he’d shown little shock back at the market ruins. Orano, who hadn’t trusted him from the beginning, would see that as confirmation of his suspicions. Even Mirissa had questioned his attitude. The last thing Flip needed was to be ostracized by the only people who could get him what he wanted. He needed them.
He chose a seat as far from the others as was possible in the small room, pulling his knees to his chest in a defensive position he’d often taken on Mount Olympus as a child. Acting terrified of beings more powerful than himself wasn’t a stretch for a god with his history.
“Can I get you anything, Flip?” Mirissa asked.
He simply shook his head, refusing to make eye contact. When she placed her hand on his shoulder, though, Flip let her gaze catch his. He needed to straddle the fine line between appropriate fear and terror. If she thought him too freaked out, she might send him on his way for his own safety.
“Are you ready to talk about what happened? You must have questions.” The girl crouched beside his chair with an expectant look on her face.
“I’m not sure what to say. You guys are obviously … special in ways I didn’t even know were possible. It’s a lot to take in.” Flip gulped in a deep breath.
Mirissa gave him the cute lopsided grin he’d already seen on several occasions. “I know what you mean. I learned about all of this stuff a little over a year ago, and it’s still a lot to comprehend. What I can tell you, Flip, is that you have nothing to fear from us. We’re the good guys.”
“I assume the man who kidnapped me tonight is one of the bad guys, then?”
“Oh yeah, but like I said before, we’ll keep you safe. We’ve beaten him before and we’ll do it again.” Mirissa cast her gaze to the floor for that last comment.
“You don’t seem so sure about that,” Flip said.
Mirissa fiddled with the unusual ring on her finger before responding. She appeared to be trying to decide how much to tell him. “I won’t lie to you. Daedric is incredibly powerful. The last time I went up against him, I almost lost everything. If it hadn’t been for them”—she motioned to the others in the room—“I’d probably be dead, and the world would be a much less enjoyable place.”
This time, Flip gave the reassuring smile. “But you beat him, right? Isn’t that what matters?”
What are you doing, horse companion? The voice booming inside Flip’s head was as angry as it was unexpected.
Keeping his facial features neutral, Flip responded. I’m doing what you told me to do, Ares. She’s starting to trust me.
I need that key. Take it from her and bring it to me.
Flip’s eyes instinctivel
y lowered to the open buttons below Mirissa’s collarbone, making him look like some sort of pervert, he felt sure. The top of the key rested on the swell of her breasts. That’s Daedric’s job. Mine is to get close to her so that when your son fails—again—I can bail him out—again.
“Are you all right, Flip? You look like you’re in pain.” Mirissa’s brow furrowed as though actually worried about him.
“I’m fine,” Flip lied. “Just a little headache.” The bolt of pain Ares shot through his brain made him want to scream.
“I can get you an aspirin—”
An unnatural silence filled the room. Frozen in mid-sentence, the girl looked like a statue, as did everyone else. You stopped time?
For a moment. Now grab the key before Chronos senses what I’ve done.
Flip reached for the chain hanging around Mirissa’s neck and used it to gently pull the key from between her breasts. His chest tightened when he caught a glimpse of the concern in her eyes. Concern for his well-being. Is this how guilt feels? Shaking off the foreign sensation, he grasped the key.
“Aah!” Pain like he'd rarely experienced in his thousands of years of existence shot up his arm as the metal seared the flesh of his hand. He released the key, but not quickly enough to prevent the burned, blistering mess on his palm.
Mirissa frowned. “Flip? Would you like one?”
“What?” he answered, squeezing his hand into a fist. Either Ares started time once he saw his plan wouldn’t work, or Chronos had forced him to.
“An aspirin,” she said with a laugh.
“Oh. Yes, please. That would be wonderful.” Flip forced a smile despite the pulsating pain radiating from his injured hand.
When the girl stood, the key bounced against her chest. A brief look of confusion crossed her face before she tucked it safely inside her blouse. When she returned with two small white pills along with a glass of water, Flip gratefully accepted them. He grasped the cup tenderly, pressing his burn against the cooling glass for a little relief, and gulped its contents down. He then put the pills in his mouth.
Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) Page 5