“What do you think of this place?” Jason asked.
“I think we’re better off discussing other things,” I said pointedly. “We don’t know whether the walls have ears or not.”
“Good point,” he said, dropping onto one of the sofas.
There were four rooms—two bedrooms, a sitting room, and a bath. They were furnished in the best velvet and leather money could have bought, but a tsunami and a decade had left them shabby and worn. I felt like we were in a tableau of a fading memory, and it occurred to me that while UnderBarrow and Willow Wood were thriving and felt vibrant and alive, here, everything felt worn and stifling.
There was a knock on the door, and when Elan opened the door, a servant brought in a handcart with a large metal basin filled with hot water, along with towels and soap. He lifted the tub onto the bathroom counter, and then silently left, trailing his cart behind him. He was a hefty man, but the collar he wore told me he was definitely in servitude to Kython.
I washed up first, along with Elan, and then Kendall and Shawna. After that, the men took turns. We were just finishing up when other servants arrived with dinner. I took a sniff of the soup to make sure it smelled like tomato—though I didn’t think Kython would try to play a grisly practical joke on us. But it was definitely end of the season tomatoes, and I wondered where he got his produce. The bread was a little stale, but the cheese was fresh. We dug in, eating through the entire spread. Finally, our bellies were full. While I was still feeling chilled, we were protected from the rain and the zombies. We decided to turn in.
“I’m going to sit up for a while,” Thor said.
I waited till the others went to bed—the women in one room, men in the other—before joining Thor in the main room. We sat in the dim light, not speaking.
After a few minutes, Thor waved his hand in the air and a mist descended around us in a whispering hush. Another moment, and he leaned back, looking more relaxed.
“Nobody can hear us now. I didn’t want to do this earlier because with everyone awake, if they heard no noise, they’d be suspicious.” He rested his hands on his belly and let out a wide yawn.
“Are you tired? I can keep watch for a bit.”
“Tired? No, just a bit weary.” He paused, then added, “Kython has changed, hasn’t he? I noticed your demeanor toward him changed.”
“I believe he has. He wasn’t…evil…before, not exactly. But now, he seems to be taking his leadership seriously. I think the years since the shift have brought his Theosian nature to the surface again, though he tried to bury it.” I tried to think of how to explain what I meant. “He’s vampire, through and through, but Coyote isn’t a malign god, even if he does dabble in chaos. I think the destruction of Seattle, and watching civilization fall away from those thin veneers it masks itself with, brought out a side of Kython that he would have expressed fully if he hadn’t been turned. Do you know what I mean?”
Thor scratched his beard. “I believe so. Sometimes a jaded nature is assumed, and sometimes it’s brought on by circumstances outside your control. He played games with authority before, the cynical, flamboyant vampire. Now, he knows how much is at stake and his leadership isn’t for show.”
“Something like that.” I frowned. “Kython is dangerous but he’s reasonable. Karl Shefford—Gino? He’s dangerous, and he’s power-hungry. It occurs to me that we really would do well to blow up the land bridge that connects our side of the inlet with his. We don’t want him gaining easy access. I have a feeling he may be a problem in the future, if he continues holding onto that little throne he’s built for himself.”
“I concur. I’ll discuss this with the other gods when we return to Willow Wood.” Thor pointed to the bedroom with the other women. “You should get some sleep. I’ll keep watch. Don’t worry. I’m a god. I don’t need to sleep very often.”
I pushed myself up from the table. “Thanks. Thank you for everything, Thor. You help us out more than we have any right to ask.”
“No, you have the right to ask. I don’t answer every request. I can’t, and too often, the requests are petty and self-serving. But something like this, for the greater good of the community? I’ll help if I can. Like it or not, the gods are intricately bound up in the lives of mortals—and those like yourself, who walk between the worlds.”
That brought up another question. I had once asked Hecate—long ago—about it, but I knew every god’s answer would be different.
“Thor, how do you feel about Theosians? We’re not true gods or goddesses—we’re minor gods on one level, but we weren’t born among yourselves. Do you see us as mutants? As worthy? Why do you accept us into your service?”
“You’re in a thoughtful mood tonight, aren’t you?” He broke off a chunk of the remaining bread and bit into it.
“I suppose so.” I wasn’t sure why I wanted to know what he thought, but Thor was one of the gods I interacted most with and his opinion mattered to me.
“When we were called back to Earth after the first World Shift, Gaia gave us the responsibility to watch over your kind again. Not direct orders per se, but it had become clear that you didn’t do very well watching over yourselves. When the first Theosians were born, she summoned us and told us that since you were born from the remnants of the World Shift, the gods had a responsibility to guide you. It’s not your fault your DNA was changed. So we accepted your existence into the new order. Without us, the lot of you—or at least most Theosians—would be at war with one another. Trust me when I say this—you cannot be left to your own devices.”
I nodded. “That’s pretty much what Hecate said. It still doesn’t answer how you feel about us, though.”
He laughed. “I feel about you—and other Theosians—the way I do about most mortals. Some I am fond of, you included. Some I would rather see put out of the gene pool. Now run on and get some sleep. Tomorrow we face the city and while the ghouls won’t be walking above ground, the zombies will still be a terror to fight, and the bog-dogs. You need to be in top shape.”
With that, I said good night and returned to the bedroom, where I curled up in a big bed next to Elan. Next thing I knew, morning had broken and she was waking me up.
KYTHON WALKED US to the outskirts of his compound. He had offered me his arm and I had taken it, though it felt weird as hell. But he would see me out as a queen, and I would show his people that I was, indeed, one. It was still an hour till sunrise, but we wanted to get an early start.
We reached the gate. There, Thor’s chariot waited.
“Be cautious once you exit here. Go directly south, and you will find the address you are seeking. There are ghouls still prowling—but they will dive for cover around sunrise. But the zombies will be out hunting, and they are ravenous and continuous. They neither sleep nor rest, but simply wander the streets until their bodies disintegrate and they can wander no more. By now, a number of them are merely bags of rotting flesh, and others are reduced to skeletons. When the bones weather away, or are broken asunder, they chatter about in the remains, so watch out for skittering hand bones and jaw bones with teeth that can still bite and gnash.”
I grimaced. “Sounds delightful. I think this will be our last trip.”
“Then mayhaps I shall have to make a journey to your village to see you again.” He winked at me, and I had a sudden vision of Kython and his followers descending on UnderBarrow and Willow Wood.
“Notify us first so we can prepare our people. We have become a fierce community of our own and we guard against invaders, though we still welcome the weary and the worn, as long as they follow our rules.” I straightened my shoulders. “We strive to be a safe haven.”
“But only for those who follow your lead. Your Majesty,” he said, and this time there was no hint of sarcasm or teasing in his voice. “You are just as harsh as I am. Just as harsh as the man you warned us about to the north. You would evict someone in an instant if they broke the laws. Correct? You would destroy
someone who tried to destroy your people. Correct?”
I nodded, staring again into his eyes. The crimson was from the color of blood, from his transformation into the dark journey of the underworld. But behind the color, his soul was still Theosian, vampire or not.
“You know the answer to that,” I whispered. “Thank you, Kython. I would like to consider you an ally, if it comes to that.”
He inclined his head. “And I would consider you our ally, as well. We’ll speak more on this at a later time. We will meet again, Queen Kaeleen the Fury. Trust me. And with all good luck, it will be a welcome meeting. Now go, for we must get back into the bunker. Our guards will shut the gate after you’ve left. Be safe. Be swift. Be alert.”
He turned and marched back toward the bunker with his retinue in tow. The guards on the outer gate waited for us. While they were human, they wore no collars, but I expected they still belonged to Kython and Kython alone.
Thor ushered us into the chariot, and as the doors closed behind us, we began to move.
A SHORT TIME later, Thor opened the chariot doors again. “We’re here. Come quickly. I don’t like the feel of this area.”
We scrambled out, surrounding the staircase down to the basement. Sure enough, the doors were closed by a heavy padlock, and a spray-painted symbol marked the spot. It was the same symbol that Elizabeth had drawn for us. The steps leading down were broken and looked dangerous, but at least it was only twelve steps to the bottom and there were still railings on the side that we could use to steady ourselves.
“Did Argent or Elizabeth tell us any more about the basement these things are in?”
“It was the basement of some building that caved in during the tsunami,” Elan said, pointing toward the mass of rubble that lay strewn to the sides. “Possibly an urgent care clinic or medical warehouse. I’m not sure.”
“Then that means we need to be careful, because there may be another entrance in the ruins. We can’t know for sure.” I turned toward Thor. “What are your marching orders? I’m taking my lead from you on this one.”
“Let me think for a moment.” Thor cast a cautious eye along the street.
We were on top of a steep hill in the northern part of the city, though by now, the ruins and rubble were so strewn about that I couldn’t begin to place what district we were in, or what streets we were on. Here and there, the skeleton of a building still stood, but everything looked gray and precarious in the overcast morning, and it took only a few moments before we spotted a zombie wandering our way. It didn’t seem to have noticed us, but if it kept coming in this direction, it would smell us before long. Or see us. I wasn’t exactly clear on what caught the zombies’ attention, but it had to be something.
“Over there,” I whispered, nudging the god’s elbow.
He glanced across the street. “Where there’s one, there will be others. Get down there and start working on that padlock. I’ll ward this fellow off if he tries to come at us.”
Before I could head down the steps, Hans slipped in front of me, along with Zed. Elan and Jason were next, and Tyrell and Wheel brought up the rear. Kendall stayed up top with Thor, Fortune, and Shawna to fend off zombies.
Hans examined the lock. “Did they, by any chance, give you the key?”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask.”
“I asked,” Elan said. “But in the scramble to get to Willow Wood, they dropped it. We’ll have to either bust the lock open or pick it.”
Wheel cleared his throat. “Let me take a stab at it. I learned to pick locks when I was younger.”
We shifted positions. Wheel sorted through the gear in his belt-pack and pulled out a set of lock picks, quickly going to work on the padlock while behind us, Tyrell and Elan kept a watchful eye up the stairs. A moment later, I heard a faint click and the padlock opened up. I held my breath as Wheel slowly opened the door. The creak of the hinges sounded loudly in the morning air and the next moment, Kendall peeked down at us.
“Get a move on. The zombie heard that and he’s coming this way. There are a couple more figures behind him and I have no doubt they’re Meat-bag’s pals.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Thor says we’ll prevent them from coming down the steps, but if you would hurry it up and find what you’re looking for, he’d much appreciate it.” She rolled her eyes, but then vanished back out of sight.
“Zombies. Come on. We need to get a move on.” I motioned for Wheel and Zed to enter the basement. “Keep your eyes open and listen for anything that sounds like it shouldn’t be here.”
A cold breeze passed through me and I shivered. It wasn’t gusting much, even with the rain. I looked around, but couldn’t see anything.
Queet, are you here?
I am, Fury. So are the ghosts. There are more spirits here than I’ve seen in a long while.
Did one just pass through me?
Yes, the poor soul looks lost. I think she senses the fire within you—she’s drawn to it. She’s hungry for life, hungry for comfort. You need to be cautious, because she’s following you and so are several others. I can try to run them off, if you like.
Please do.
I waited, wondering whether he was having any success. The hairs on my neck were standing up and I could feel the tension around me. But my attention was immediately diverted when Wheel yelped from just inside the door. He drew his sword and with one word, shook me out of my worry about ghosts.
“Zombies. They’re in the basement. Your Majesty, get back now!”
Chapter 8
“I CAN’T, THEY’RE fighting zombies up top. We’ll have to take care of these ourselves.” I swung my scabbard around to my side, smoothly withdrawing Xan, the hilt pulsing in my hand as I wrapped my palm around it. I’d kept up practice, though I hadn’t had much call to use her for a while. I sensed a faint quiver of excitement and realized that I was glad to be back in the thick of things for a change.
Zed looked at me, then nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. Please be careful.”
“I’m not stupid. I won’t play the heroine unless I need to.” I motioned for him to move in. “How many are we looking at?”
“I think there are at least five or six.”
And then we were in the building and spreading out. It was dark, but Jason cast a Light Up spell and the room lit up enough to see what we were facing. There were stacks of supplies, shelf after shelf of them, but between us and the cache were several figures—all zombies from what I could tell. Though come to think of it, ghouls could be hanging out down here, given the darkness. But when the light had come on, I hadn’t heard any shouts of pain so most likely we were just facing zombies.
I quit thinking then as Zed went in swinging, along with Hans. They took on one of the creatures as Greta and Tyrell tackled another. I nodded to Elan and we headed off another zombie while Jason and Wheel took on another. There were still three coming our way.
Elan and I took opposite sides, and I brought Xan around at shoulder level, aiming for the neck or what there was left of it. The zombie had half-rotted away and was looking pretty ripe. I wasn’t sure what kept them together so long, but it had to be something in the virus. Whatever the case, the zombie had almost no guts left to digest anything, but was still ravenous. He—it had been a man—was gnashing his teeth, arms out in front, trying to reach us. The zombies moved fairly slowly compared to the living, but they never stopped, never tired, and eventually, they could run down just about any creature that needed to rest. They could also climb steps, though climbing trees was more difficult.
The side of my blade bit deep against its neck. I kept Xan razor sharp. She clipped into him and smoothly took off the head. It rolled on the ground toward Elan, eyes still moving, teeth still gnashing away. The body suddenly flailed, but didn’t fall. That was one of the problems with zombies. They kept going until they were a hundred tiny pieces. I brought Xan around for another swing at the torso, attempting to c
leave it in two while Elan began slicing through the head. There was no splatter of blood—but the rancid juices from the slowly decaying corpse were dangerous for any open cut or way into the bloodstream. I dodged a spray, darting to the left when the torso came off the legs.
Elan split the pelvis of the zombie with a well-aimed blow and the legs toppled over, still attempting to move but unable to right themselves. The headless torso was attempting to drag itself along but Elan and I took turns carving it up, taking care to obliterate the hands so that they couldn’t skitter along the floor.
Finally, we had destroyed the zombie.
We looked up to see that Zed and Hans, and Greta and Tyrell were on to their second opponents. Jason and Wheel had just finished taking down their zombie, and there was one left. Wheel motioned to Elan and they darted forward to engage it, while Jason and I regrouped.
“Holy crap,” I said. “I forgot how tough these freaks are.”
“Yeah, me too.” Jason was looking pale. In fact, he looked about ready to faint.
“You all right?” I rested my hand on his arm. “I know this is tough on you.”
“Tough doesn’t begin to describe it, but I need to do this. I’m tired of feeling scattered and afraid. I’m tired of jumping at shadows.” He glanced down at me—Jason was a tall man compared to me. “I never told you about what I encountered out on the realm of Chaos. But it was far worse than these zombies.”
I stared at him for a moment. I had thought he couldn’t remember what he saw out there, but now I wondered if he had just done his best to black out the memories because they were so bad. I glanced back at the others, who had managed to take down the rest of the zombies.
“Can you strengthen your Light Up spell so we can see what’s in here easier?”
He nodded, holding out his hands. A moment later, he whispered a cantrip and the illumination in the room grew brighter, waves of light rolling off his fingers. Looking more settled, he let out a deep breath.
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