by Doug Burbey
Chapter 6 - Dreams
The trip up towards Jennings, Maryland took longer than Kayter expected. Between road construction, a flat tire, replacing the tire, and three campgrounds being full, she found herself still a day away and exhausted. The small campground ahead had a space reserved for her. She'd called ahead and paid for the extra days; she pulled in, shutting off the engine with relief.
A night to sleep and get some rest, then she would be in Jennings tomorrow to start investigating. Rising out of the driver's seat, she stretched to try and remove the stiffness the last few hours had caused. Even taking a shower right now seemed like too much effort but her workout couldn't be postponed. If anything, she needed it more now than usual.
Her parking spot faced the woods and the nearest camper couldn't see the small clearing she stepped into. With a picnic table and a fire ring, her workout would be constrained but that made for good practice. The air held so much moisture she felt her skin grow damp even before she started to move. The long-familiar patterns and rhythms to her workout soothed and calmed. Even as her heart rate increased and she started to sweat in earnest, the nagging annoyance and frustration siphoned away. By the time she finished an hour later, her center had returned, and she knew sleep would find her quickly.
Fifteen minutes later, after a quick sponge bath, Kayter hopped into her hammock, pulled the blanket up over her, and fell into dreams.
"DK, I swear by every last drop of blood in my body, if you don't get that stick out of your ass about mages, I'm going to shove another one in there."
"Sir, with all due respect," Declan started to say and John Reynolds cut him off.
"Screw the due respect crap. What the fuck is your problem, DK? Magic is a damn tool and we can't afford to not use a tool, just cause it might bite us at some later point. If we don't do something now we'll all be dead, so it won't fucking matter." John's close-cropped silver blond hair glinted as he got in Lieutenant Colonel Declan Kenner's face. "Figure out which stick is more painful to remove, the one you have, or the one I'm going to shove up your ass." The last words came out as a growl.
"You haven't seen what it does, you don't know the cost," Declan stared back, circles under his eyes, the sun reflecting off his scarred shaved skull.
"And I don't care. There is no cost if we don't fucking survive."
The two men glared at each other and Declan threw up one hand in a sharp gesture. "Fine. I'll let my men know it's available. I'm not fucking using it and there is no goddam way you can order me to, sir." The last word almost a snarl as the men stared at each other.
John sagged, rubbing his hand over his face and feeling the two days of rough stubble. "Understood."
A loud chorus of roars caused both men to turn and look into the distance. A blood harvester started edging through the newly formed portal and the demons surrounding it did their equivalent of cheering. Blood drained from both their faces and John closed his eyes for a brief second, then snapped them back up.
"Go, let them know of the offer. Then let's go send those bastards back to the hell they came from."
"Yes, sir! And John?" Declan said as John Reynolds started to turn away.
John glanced back, arching an eyebrow.
"Thanks for the offer."
"They're my men too, Colonel. Now, go make sure they pay for every drop of our blood they harvest."
"With pleasure, sir." Declan strode away. John followed his path with his eyes and saw him making straight for his men and the cluster of pick-up warriors they'd grabbed as they went through.
John shook his head and headed for the small group of mages. They snapped to attention as he approached.
"The last of the word has been spread. Expect people coming in. Move through as fast as you can, then get ready to do what you can to make sure my men live long enough to extract their piece of flesh. "
"Yes, Commander. Are you ready now?"
"Yes." John sat down in the chair they had waiting, his eyes on the tanks sitting in what used to be a park. The crumbled remnants of swing sets and other playground equipment sat to the side in a twisted and warped parody of their original form.
"Think of whom you want the message to go to. Create an image in your mind of that person, then the message."
John sat there, his eyes closed, face serene.
"Tell us when you have it created." The mage kept his voice low and steady while his hands started to glow a color somewhere between blue and the sound of crying.
"Done," he said, his eyes still closed.
The color sound sparked and the mage sagged. "The message is sent."
"Any idea when she'll get it or how?"
"Best we can figure, in the next few hours. It will be like a vision or a dream but everyone is different and we don't know for sure. But the tests have proved hopeful."
John's mouth pulled up on one side. "And at this point, hope is all we have left." He rose, giving the mages a brisk nod and pulled on his cover, the silver eagle turning red with the reflected light of the portal. With sure steps he headed towards his already positioned tanks. The men stood waiting, alert but not at attention as he headed towards them.
"Ready, Commander?"
"Yes, Sargent. Let's go blow some holes in these fucking harvesters. We're going to make sure they pay dearly for every drop of blood they've claimed.
He climbed up onto the tank, a smile chasing away some of the darkness that shadowed his face. The men sprang up, a rumble of turbine tank engines starting, and the seventy-ton tanks headed towards the glowing portal.
Kayter sat up straight in her hammock, almost tumbling out, as she thought about the scene she'd seen. She'd heard of the pick-up warriors. People in the cities the demons had gone through who'd joined the armed forces, fighting with everything they had to try and stop the demon hordes. Most had died, a few hadn't, but all of them had become folk tales - local legends of the prices people paid to stop the hordes.
She recognized the landscape that had been her dad's last fight. Where he died, a huge explosion had taken out the battalion, and him. He had started the war as a brigade commander, but after staggering losses, he commanded less than a single battalion of what remained of his heavy brigade combat team. He led the 1st of the 66th Armor Battalion on his, and the Iron Knights, final day of combat.
The message had been for her. She received it probably hours after he sent it. It seemed like a waking dream, him sitting there, smiling at her. A real smile, not the guarded ones in the dream.
"Fight, train, stay safe. You are my legacy to the world and you are the key to saving all of us."
No words of love, or sorrow, just his voice and confidence in her.
Kayter reached up to rub eyes that hurt but she lay back down, going over the dream in her mind. Why this dream, why now, and how much of it was real and how much images her mind put together?
Sleep came in fits and starts for the rest of the night. By the time she rose she had no answers but the need to get to Jennings ratcheted higher than ever.
Chapter 7 - Dumb and Dumber
Once again, Kayter blessed her dad's foresight in buying the lifetime membership to three different camping organizations as she pulled the RV into the small spot. The engine shut off and she sat there, window rolled down and listening. The only sounds were birds starting back up and the chatter of some people in the distance. No screams, no gunfire, no scent of blood on the air. As things went, it indicated a better than normal day.
Stretching, she rose and headed to the back of the small RV. Barely bigger than a standard van, it held everything she needed to survive. Guns, ammo, reloading bench, a tiny shower and kitchen, and her weapons.
Habit made her do another spot check before she stepped out of RV, one hand on her hip where her .45 always rode. After ten years of practice with it, she felt naked without it, even to the point of sleeping with it on her hip.
The area remained quiet, and even after listening closely there didn't see
m to be anyone close. With a groan she flowed into multiple strikes and kicks, working out the kinks and stiffness in her body. This continued, her still in the leather pants and long sleeve shirt she'd been wearing to drive here, for the next hour. A fine sheen of sweat coated her as she moved, no music, no loud shouts, just hard fast strikes as she moved in the small area.
Her long braid whipped back and forth, a small weight at the end of it hitting her occasionally, but she expected it and ignored it. Finally, the stiffness of driving gone from her muscles, she stepped back into the RV grabbing her sword. The well-worn scabbard attached to her back, and then she shrugged into a loose-fitting leather coat. Practiced movements made sure she could pull her .45 or sword in single swift movements; she locked the door and set the wards. Anyone who tried to get into her RV while she was gone would be in for a deadly experience. Kayter headed to the back where her Indian motorcycle, Midnight, sat on its small trailer. The Indian Dark Chief had been a find a few years back. She'd rebuilt the engine and put tires on it to handle rougher terrain. It responded to her every move, especially since she had an enchantment or two put on it, a payment for killing some demons. Never needing gas had been worth giving up the payment on that ring three demon; when you added in the silence spell, it made her bike a weapon.
A quick flip of the key and the bike purred to life, a low rumble she felt more than heard as she straddled the seat, pulling on a helmet.
"Come on, Midnight. Let's go see if I can get the lay of the land."
Pushing off, the bike headed out of the campground as her eyes and ears listened and cataloged everything. She headed for the crossing to make sure the gate remained closed and that no one had gotten the bright idea to try and open it. Then if that looked good, she would head over to Hunter Gear, and see if her introduction was still good.
When the government had figured out that portals were opened on Ley line cross points they'd set up a system to monitor the minor and major ones. Minor qualified as four or fewer lines and major as five or more. While they didn't make the monitoring system open to the public, they also didn't make it very secure. That allowed anyone with a bit of interest to get access to the site. Outside the major sites, there was always armed personnel, just in case. But the minor only had sensors as they didn't seem capable of supporting large portals.
The problem was that a few demons didn't need a large portal as they'd found out during the war. But any demon appearing on this side meant someone had called it here. The treaty had tied both hands but people were stupid. And the more powerful the mage the less crossing lines they needed.
The address of the portal, that had set off the sensors, appeared up ahead and Kayter slowed, pulling into an empty lot about a half mile before the address. She would walk up so she could check out the area and maybe catch someone unawares. Parking Midnight, she slipped off, checked her gun and her sword, then moved towards the portal location… listening, smelling, to see if she could sense anything.
While her blood sense wasn't the best, there was something about demon blood that stung her nose. Though with almost a week gone by, unless there had been a large amount of blood there wouldn't be anything left to find. But safe was always better than sorry.
Kayter didn't pull her sword, that would get too many people's attention even in this quiet area of town, but she kept her hand on the butt her.45 as she walked. During the height of the war, everyone went armed as the panic about running into a roving demon band had sent everyone running for weapons. Every state but Hawaii instituted open carry laws. During those years, humans weren't what you feared.
The only thing she heard was normal night sounds, but she hoped to find evidence of mages opening the portal.
She only found the Ley point because of the small sensor the government set up at the point. It worked like a seismic sensor, going off with any detection of magic. From there she spiraled outward looking for a circle.
Found you.
The electric thought sparked as she saw the faint remains of a candle, a few drops of human blood dried brown, and scratches in the soft soil where the circle had been drawn. Clear and easy to see.
Fucking idiots.
She moved back to the portal point and crouched, looking at the ground carefully.
Huh, small points. So, one of the smaller ones. But I can't tell how many.
Rocking back on her heels she thought, then started to spiral again. When she came across the faint remains of another summoning circle. This one was much older and only because she knew what to look for did she see it at all: a break in the soil making a curve, the impression of boots in a confined area, and a mostly burned black candle.
At least these idiots don't know how easy it is to open a portal and still think they need all the protection and trappings. Makes them easier to track.
Licensed mages were the worst of the worst as far as Kayter could see. No oversight like the military had and too much arrogance because of their blood.
Rising back up she headed back out, the signs were clear, but nothing there to lead her to anyone. The sound of two voices made her pause. The odds of anyone being in this area were low. It wasn't good for making out or hunting and there was no reason to cut through. It really was just land that hadn't been turned into a strip mall yet.
Kayter leaned back against the tree and waited, listening. After a minute the voices got close enough that she could make out words and guess the gender.
Males, it is always dumb males.
"I can't believe they actually want us to summon demons - lesser, small ring one demons, but still. Most other places would arrest you for even thinking about it. And here the government is giving us permission. How fucking cool is that?" The voice came across as young and male, her mental imaged added acne and stringy hair. Kayter cringed just thinking about it.
"I know. They keep telling us we can't summon demons, hah. They just don't want us to know how powerful we are. This is going to be great experience and it will prove to them we are people they can rely on." This voice, just as young, but a bit deeper with no cracks on the high notes of excitement.
Please tell me they are acting out a movie, please? Surely no one can be this stupid.
"With this experience we'll be shoe-ins for the Journeyman license, then we can get jobs that make mad money." The first voice again.
"Please, that is all boring enchanting stuff for the corporations. I'm going to go for my Master's and be part of the demon teams. Oh, maybe we should pull in an extra one to practice some offensive spells on?"
The enthusiastic agreement had Kayter wanting to beat her head on the tree she leaned on.
Nope, they are just apprentice idiots. Yay, me.
As they approached her tree she stepped out from behind it, her hands hanging loosely by her side.
"Gentlemen, I think we need to talk about what you think you are about to do."
They both squawked, reminding her of chickens as they stumbled backward. Both had long black robes on with symbols that she knew meant nothing embroidered on the lapels. One was young. If he was legal to carry a gun she'd be surprised. The other was a few years older, with a small bit of muscle under his robe and dark brown hair matching the scraggly caterpillar of hair under his nose.
"Who the hell are you?" The one that fell on his butt with acne and stringy blond hair squeaked.
Ha, got it. Nailed him in one.
"Someone who knows that summoning demons is illegal, and the penalty of being convicted for it is death. So, tell me why I shouldn't just kill you two right now?" She crossed her arms as she waited, and she saw both pairs of eyes dart to her chest.
Testosterone and males, they never change.
"Cause we have authorization, from the government?" The older one, voice two, the one with the caterpillar.
"Is that a question or a statement? Because unless you have authorization from the DoD, you don't have authorization."
"The who?" Voice one climbed back to his
feet trying to appear taller, even if he still didn't come up to her shoulder.
"The Department of Defense. They have to authorize all interactions with the Hell realm."
"Well, this guy said they had authorization, had a real badge and everything with the letters ICE on it, maybe. He said they needed patriots like us to summon smaller demons to keep people on their feet, remind them that demons weren't gone - but small ones that couldn't kill anyone, just scare them."
"Yeah, so this is none of your business." The blond said, puffing up his chest.
Kayter's patience snapped. With a fluid motion and a twist of her wrist, she snapped the scabbard off her back and snapped it out at the blond. The sword, still in the scabbard, snapped across his forearm snapping it. As she pulled her arm back she elbowed brunet in the nose, breaking it. The twin screams of pain had a sweetness to it that she enjoyed. Blond sank to his knees holding his arm and the other held his nose, now soaking the caterpillar with red blood.
"Now that you understand the power dynamic here, tell me everything you know about who contacted you and what exactly they wanted."
Blondie whimpered too much so she turned her attention to the one still standing. "Really, we were contacted by some ICE guys, or CER, or something like that. They said they needed a little chaos, that people were getting complacent. Just get them a few tiny demons, enough to eat some pets but nothing that would kill anyone." His babble came out fast and hard and Kayter seriously thought about unsheathing the sword and lowering his blood count a little.
"There is no such thing as tiny demons. They are all deadly to humans… hell to anything on this planet. What the fuck were you thinking? Give me your licenses." They both looked at her eyes, theirs wide in horror. If she took their licenses and they were caught casting spells without them, the automatic penalties were steep and getting a magic license replaced made the DMV seem simple and streamlined.