by Неизвестный
Talon saw Ramsay Gallagher come through, too. Then he disappeared from sight.
The main body of the soldiers dashed toward the invaders, probably confident that they could take them down. But they didn’t know what was in store for them.
Ross and Lance, who had already put on gas masks, waited until the warriors were thirty feet away, then lobbed tear gas grenades at the advancing troops.
At the same time, Kenna and Savanna, also protected by masks, rushed to the waiting werewolves. The life mates each put a mask on a wolf.
Talon watched the unfolding scene with awe. He had studied the effects of tear gas. He knew it caused burning skin, lungs, and eyes, but he’d never actually seen it in action.
As the white cloud hit the soldiers, they began to cough and sneeze, their noses running as they clawed at their faces.
Many cried out as they dropped their spears and knives and tried to run.
But the wolves were ready to prevent their escape from the field of battle. They leaped on the backs of the warriors, knocking them to the ground.
Grant, Lance, and Ross ran forward, shooting their automatic weapons.
The battle was over almost before it had started.
Talon knew the effects of the gas would wear off quickly. With his paw, he pushed the edge of the mask aside. When he felt no ill effects, he clawed it off his face.
Kenna, who had also removed her mask, came up beside him. Kneeling down, she threw her arms around his neck.
He heard her make a low sound. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know soldiers would be in the cave.”
He pawed the ground, wanting to tell her that it wasn’t her fault.
“Now we’ve lost the element of surprise,” she murmured.
Talon gave a wolf’s shrug, turning his attention to the men scattered on the battlefield. Had they taken out all of them? Or had Vandar left some of his troops to guard the cave where the slaves lived?
As he started forward, a great winged shape appeared in the air above them.
Vandar!
The monster roared as it circled above the massacred troops.
AS the defending dragon appeared on the scene, Ramsay Gallagher felt a thrill of anticipation.
Renata believed that he and the other dragon had been born into the same body. Now he would find out if it was true.
He wanted to step into the open and wave his arm to attract Vandar’s attention.
But not yet. Not until he found out how his other self would deal with the invaders.
WHEN Vandar spotted Kenna and Talon, he roared and changed course, aiming for them. Swooping low, he sent out a stream of fire that singed the already blackened ground in front of them, the hate-filled expression on his face making Talon’s blood run cold.
With a growl, he put himself between his mate and the monster, urging her back toward the safety of the portal cave. But the fire wasn’t the only weapon at Vandar’s disposal. As Talon led Kenna toward shelter, a bolt of pain slashed through his head. It felt like someone had cut through his skull with an ax, hacking away at his mind, each stroke almost bringing him to his knees.
He stumbled, then fell.
“Get up,” Kenna cried out, her voice high and strained. “You have to get up.”
In a daze, he turned his head toward her, amazed that she was still on her feet when the pain inside his skull almost wiped out rational thought.
But she must be able to shield herself, at least partially. Catching him under the front legs, she tugged him back toward the portal. Before they reached its shelter, another bolt of fire shot from the beast’s snout, this time singeing Talon’s fur.
Kenna cried out as the monster wheeled around, preparing to come at them again with another blast of brimstone. This time it was going to fry them both.
Before the beast could muster more firepower, a mighty roar made it turn in the air as another dragon came winging out from behind the mountain, its silver scales glinting in the morning sun.
Vandar screeched in shock as he saw a mirror image of himself bearing down on him.
His full attention was now on the new enemy, and to Talon’s profound relief, the pain in his head suddenly cut off.
Vandar recovered quickly, this time directing his fire toward the dragon that had invaded his territory.
Did he have any idea who it was?
Transfixed, Talon watched the two beasts circle each other, both of their tails whipping, both of them sending out a stream of fire, and both of them missing the other as they maneuvered for position.
Talon wanted to stay focused on the battle, but he knew that Gallagher was giving them the chance they needed.
In back of him, the rest of the invading force came out of the portal cave, and they went into the formation they’d agreed upon. The women clustered in the middle, and the wolves and men formed a circle around them, guarding their front, back, and flanks.
As they advanced across the blackened land, Talon glanced behind them to make sure all of the soldiers were neutralized.
When one of them staggered to his feet, Talon turned and raced back, knocked him down, and gouged out his throat. Then he pawed among the other warriors. A few were still alive, and as soon as he made sure that they were no threat, he raced back to the main group.
As they approached the cave where the slaves lived, about forty men and women, all clad in white, stepped from the shadows. Three men stood defiantly at the front of the group. They must be the ones Kenna had mentioned: Swee, Barthime, and Wendon.
One of the leaders shouted, “Go back.”
“Vandar is finished,” Ross answered. “Surrender before it’s too late.”
The man looked toward the sky, seeing the two dragons circling each other. For a moment, Talon thought the adept might cut his losses. The notion evaporated as his face turned grim with determination.
Seconds later, a blast of psychic energy hit Talon. It was something like what Vandar had thrown at them, but different. This was more diffuse, aimed at his whole body, not just his head. It wasn’t as intense, but the blow was enough to stop him in his tracks.
The others also stopped, then staggered as another bolt hit them.
“Quickly,” Rinna called. “They have great power. Close ranks.”
The whole group moved into a tighter formation so that they were all touching.
Talon could feel the others in the invasion party pressing in around him, and he could also feel the women sending a wave of psychic energy toward the adepts at the cave entrance.
In defense, they also pulled into a tighter formation.
“Swee,” Kenna called out. “I’ve escaped from Vandar. If I can do it, so can all of you. I’ve brought people to help you.”
“Only Vandar can help us,” the man shouted back.
IN the sky above the blackened land, Ramsay Gallagher circled the other dragon.
At first they had simply struck out at each other with fire and mental jabs. But as they wheeled in the sky, he heard a silent question come from the other beast.
Who are you? Where did you come from?
I am you. From the other universe.
Impossible.
Who else could I be? As he spoke, he opened his mind to his other self, sharing his thoughts with an intimacy that he had never experienced before, not even with Kenna.
He caught the silent gasp as Vandar took in his early history.
The same.
Yes.
How?
This world changed.
He focused his thoughts on the last part of the nineteenth century.
When Vandar understood where their lives diverged, he roared, wheeling in the air, his tail lashing. I suffered at the hands of the new psychics. They hunted me down like an animal. They caged me. I barely escaped with my life.
We have both suffered over the years. Don’t make this all about you.
You. Me. We are the same. Thank the gods you found me. Now we can rule this world together. A
nd the other world.
I have no desire to rule. Especially not with you. I know what you have done here.
I survived.
By making slaves of people you stole from their homes.
I paid them back for what they did to me.
Not the people down there. They didn’t have a chance against you.
Vandar roared again. You are either with me or against me.
I will not join you.
Then die! Vandar lunged in the air, tail lashing as he shot a stream of fire at the invader. Ramsay had been prepared for the attack. As he dodged aside, Vandar shot past him.
Turning, Ramsay took off, leading the other dragon away from the people. He didn’t know if he could win the fight. He had been ruthless in his time, but he had changed, and he recognized that he lacked the killer instinct of his other self.
AS the two dragons flew toward the mountain, Renata raised her hand toward the sky. At this distance, it was impossible to tell which was which. But her voice held the conviction of the righteous. “Your master cannot survive.”
“He always survives,” the adept spokesman answered.
They all watched as one of the dragons caught up with the other, spewing out fire.
Was Vandar fleeing? Or had Gallagher found out he was no match for the other beast?
When the two dragons had disappeared from view, Talon turned his attention back to the adepts at the mouth of the cave.
The Marshall women were strong, but there were more of Vandar’s people, and they must have practiced for an attack. Or they were more desperate because they feared that if they failed, their master would kill them in his horrible way.
Talon had thought he was prepared for this conflict, but he hadn’t really been able to imagine the reality of a battle that was fought with bolts of energy rather than tooth and claw—or guns.
His whole body felt as though it had turned to boiling lead. At the same time, a terrible hopelessness gripped him. Even as it wrapped him in its embrace, he knew that the adepts were sending it toward him.
Fighting the sensation, he bent his head, maneuvered the whistle into his mouth, and blew a long blast. Then he broke away from the group, staggering toward the slaves, thinking that he could take some of them down and weaken the attack.
Lance caught up with him, and they both struggled toward the cave where the defenders looked at him with alarm.
“Go after the wolves,” the spokesman shouted.
The adepts changed the focus of their attack, aiming for him and Lance. Somehow the two of them kept staggering toward Vandar’s people, who were now advancing on them, sending out a steady wave of energy. The pain was almost too much to bear, yet Talon knew that at least he and Logan were taking the focus off the women, who might be able to do something if they weren’t under the worst of the attack.
Before he reached the adepts, he went down on his front paws.
Behind him, someone shouted, “No,” and he was sure that Kenna had tried to break away from the group and get to him, but he knew that she had to stay with the others. Together, the women had a chance. If they lost contact with Kenna, their strength would diminish.
The defenders gave Talon and Logan one more blast, and he rolled to his side, unable to move.
Then they must have turned their attention back to the women and their mates, because he heard groans and cries from the Marshalls.
They’d thought they could conquer Vandar’s adepts, but they’d been wrong.
Talon struggled to turn his head. When he did, he saw the other invaders going down. Across the blackened land, his eyes met Kenna’s. Her lips moved, but he couldn’t catch what she was saying. He thought it might be “good-bye.”
He wanted to howl in sorrow, but even that was beyond him now.
ON the other side of the portal, Mitch Sutton crept closer to the place where the group of people and a couple of the dangerous big dogs had disappeared. It looked like they’d used a magic trick. Making a piece of rock wall vanish. Or maybe it hadn’t actually been rock.
He’d stayed way back until they disappeared. But he’d been watching everything with high-powered binoculars.
The men and women had been in a hell of a hurry. Like somebody was after them.
Was one of the guys Talon Marshall? It was hard to tell, because there was a whole bunch of men, and all of them could have been his brother or his cousin. But he saw someone he recognized for sure. The woman who should have burned up in the lodge. She’d screwed him up, and she was on his shit list, just like Marshall.
Jeez! Maybe Marshall hadn’t turned the money over to the cops after all. Maybe he’d hidden it, and now he was going to get it.
But how had they gone through the wall? As far as he could see, it had something to do with the woman pressing her palm against a spot on the rock.
He hefted the Glock in his hand. They had to come back, hopefully with the money. And when they did, he could cut them down before they knew what had hit them. He was about to head for a screen of brambles when he heard something rustling to his right. Peeking out from behind the tree where he was standing, he saw gray-clad figures coming up the hill at a good clip.
Jesus! The fuzz.
So that’s why Marshall’s friends had been in a hurry. They were dodging the cops, and Mitch had come back at the damn wrong time. Again.
Christ! Was he never going to get a break?
He looked wildly around. Could he get the hell out of here before the guy spotted him? Or was it already too late?
The officer stopped and looked down the hill, and Mitch thought he had a chance for a getaway. Then he saw another cop coming from the other direction, cutting him off.
Shit.
He waited with his heart pounding. When they drew abreast of each other, he ran toward the rock, hoping against hope he was doing the right thing.
Shifting his gun to his left hand, he pressed his right hand to the same place where the woman had pressed, flattening his palm against the stone the way she had. When nothing happened, he clenched his teeth and moved his hand a little to the right, feeling a tingling sensation. Seconds later, the rock in front of him began to change.
It was going away! Just like before. Just like magic!
He stared in wonder at the solid wall that suddenly wasn’t so solid. There was a dark cave beyond. As far as he could tell, it was empty. And farther on, the tunnel seemed to bend. But he could see some light filtering in.
This is spooky. Should he go in? Or what?
Behind him, someone shouted, “Police. Stop.”
Not likely. With no choice now, he stepped through the opening. It closed behind him, and he smiled. He’d been looking through the binoculars and seen the woman press the rock. The cops weren’t close enough to have seen him do it, and they were at the wrong angle to figure out where he’d gone.
Could he be sure of that? Maybe he’d better get out of the cave in case they came through.
When he started down the dark tunnel, he almost tripped over a limp body lying on the ground.
Shit! Something had happened here. Something bad.
Moving more cautiously, he took a few more steps and kicked another body.
Cursing again, he stopped, staring toward the light ahead of him. He wanted to go back, but the cops were probably right outside now. Maybe they’d even figure out how to get in here.
The only way to go was forward. Slowly, Mitch crept to the mouth of the cave where he stared out at a scene that robbed him of breath.
What the hell?
He’d been in the Pennsylvania woods. Now he was staring at a blackened plain, with a bunch of dead guys lying on the ground. They looked like they were actors in a costume drama, only he had the sinking feeling that what he was looking at was horribly real.
Making a desperate decision, he turned and ran back the way he’d come. But the wall had closed behind him, and when he pressed his hand against the vertical surface, nothing happened.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ECKERT AND MILNER ran forward.
When they reached the granite wall, they searched for some crevice where the guy could be hiding.
“Where the hell did he go?”
“The sun was in my eyes, but there was something funny about the way he just vanished.”
When they failed to find a hiding place in the rock, they looked for a tunnel but found nothing.
“Could he have gotten around the other side?”
“If he did, he’s probably long gone.”
“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Marshall,” Eckert said. “Too short and thick.”
“Yeah.”
They split up, one moving to the right, the other to the left, searching the woods.
TALON could see Vandar’s adepts advancing on them, confidence on their faces now, even when the outcome of the battle in the sky was unknown.
With every fiber of his being, he tried to reach out to Kenna’s mind. Then, in that charged moment, he heard her voice inside his head.
Talon, I love you.
I love you.
Making a superhuman effort, he struggled to face her. They had shared paradise on Earth together, and he wanted her to be the last thing he saw. But as he fought to turn, he realized that the ground below him was vibrating.
What?
To the south, he saw a cloud of dust rising. The vibrations grew, and he wondered what was happening. An earthquake?
As he stared at the dust cloud, he made out a group of horses and riders galloping toward them. He didn’t know who it was. Had Vandar stationed reinforcements out of sight?
The slaves turned toward the riders, and the expressions on their faces told Talon that it wasn’t anyone they were expecting.
When he saw who it was, hope leaped inside him. In the lead were Rinna and Logan along with a dark-haired man and a woman with long golden hair. They must be Rinna’s friends, Griffin and Zarah.
As the reinforcements approached, the people around him straightened. The women stretched out their hands toward the cave, and Talon was shocked to see streams of energy flowing from them toward Vandar’s slaves.