No Mere Zombie: Deathless Book 2

by Chris Fox

  “Ah Ka-Ken, so much spirit. Would that I could convince you to join my cause. You’d be legendary, my wrath made manifest in this world,” Irakesh said, bending Liz almost double so her head was near his own. His eyes twinkled malevolently.

  There is no hope. As long as Irakesh holds the key, he is as a god. The beast rumbled, sadly.

  Blair’s eyes widened. What if he no longer held the key? The Mother had designed them. She’d been meticulous in her planning, to the point where she’d modified the racial memory of their entire species. Would she have designed the key so that it could be used by her enemies? Of course not. If Irakesh was able to use the key it must be because the key assumed he one of the Mother’s children.

  You are cunning, Ka-Dun. I grasp the heart of your plan. It may work. Shape his helixes. Change him, that the key will see the truth.

  Blair staggered from the hood of the car, using one partially healed leg to fling himself awkwardly in Irakesh’s direction. He nearly missed, straining so that his outstretched hand just barely grasped the deathless’s foot. The moment he touched it Blair blurred, accelerating his consciousness for the feat he was about to attempt.

  Relax your vigilance, Ka-Dun. Let me guide you. I will show you the way.

  Blair did. He allowed the beast to guide him, amazed as his perceptions shifted. He rode the signal his body somehow broadcast into Irakesh, so intricate that it penetrated his very DNA. It shifted and changed, proteins re-arranging as Blair somehow altered the deathless. Irakesh swung to face him, releasing the hilt of the sword he’d rammed through Liz. He reached for Blair, his eyes promising a swift death.

  Too late. Blair achieved some sort of critical mass, some change in the very fiber of Irakesh’s being. His electromagnetic signature, or maybe aura was a better word. It shifted from a pale blue to a deep, sickly green.

  “Nooo,” Irakesh shrieked, diving towards Blair. He never made it. Brilliant silver light burst from every pore in the deathless’s body, forcing Blair to avert his eyes. It washed over him, somehow familiar and comforting like a night’s rest after a day that refused to end.

  Blair shielded his gaze, watching in awe as the bits of light drifted skyward. They formed a bright orb about a foot above Irakesh’s head, pulsing and flowing like a miniature silver sun. Was that the key? It was breathtaking.

  The orb shot towards Blair, searing his chest and face as the energy penetrated him. The agony was incredible. Unforgettable. The only time he’d ever experienced something like this had been in Peru, when he’d first grasped the hand of the past. When he’d accepted the key to the Ark.

  The pain subsided. Blair couldn’t remember when he’d felt so alive. He looked down in wonder, finding his body whole and undamaged. Lurking somewhere at the edge of his consciousness was a vast reserve, an ocean of light that he could tap into if he just reached for it.

  Chapter 74- Hope

  The lack of oxygen crowded Liz’s vision with black spots. That was hardly a surprise, given the two-foot span of golden steel jutting from her chest. It should have been slick with gore, but a detached part of her realized that the blade was pristine, somehow free of any stain.

  She was vaguely aware as the arm slid free of her neck, allowing her to topple onto the charred pavement. Liz pressed her chest against the ground, gritting her teeth as the point of the sword dug into the pavement. The blade was gradually forced from her body, eventually clattering to the ground next to her.

  A moment later her chest filled with the familiar fire of healing. Blood began to pump again, sluggishly but enough to keep her conscious. What the hell had happened? She’d been aware of Irakesh’s attack, but had no idea why he’d suddenly released her. She shifted her body, turning her head until she was forced to shield her eyes against a brilliant silver glow.

  It emanated from Blair, his silver fur composed of light. It should have been impossible to look upon, but the longer she stared the easier it became. Her hand dropped, no longer necessary to shield her eyes. The light was clean and pure, bathing the area in its wonderful warmth. She could feel the strength of it, how similar it was to the light that she’d just pulled through the blade when she had finally laid Cyntia to rest.

  He stood noble and majestic like some benevolent god come to heal the world. It was without a doubt the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Tears fell unheeded down her cheeks as she sat mesmerized. It took some time to notice the figure at Blair’s feet, a familiar dark-skinned man garbed in loose white garments. Irakesh shielded himself with his arms, covering his face and balling up into a fetal position. This was the villain they’d been afraid of for so long?

  Liz rose to her feet, still unsteady but markedly better now that the healing had begun. She glanced around, spotting Jordan’s crumpled form. He’d been bitten repeatedly by zombies, terrible wounds in his arms and back. Yet the zombies had fallen back, cowering at the edge of the magnificent glow coming from Blair. Jordan groaned, struggling into a sitting position. He was alive.

  She caught movement from the other direction, not far from Blair. Steve’s battered body lay next to what may have once been a luxury sedan, his face twisted into a mask of hatred and rage. He glared at Blair but didn’t seem willing to approach.

  Where was Trevor? She craned her neck, peering wildly around the bridge. There. His still smoking body had made an impact crater in the hood of a Focus. She rushed over, feeling his wrist for a pulse. There was none, of course, and she felt like a fool.

  “Did…did we win?” Trevor wheezed, tilting his head in her direction. His face was badly burned, the hair charred to ash. It was a miracle he’d survived.

  “We won,” she said, resisting the urge to put a comforting hand on his charred shoulder. It would probably be agony for him.

  “What’s that light?” he whispered, trying to peer in the direction of the silver glow. “It hurts.”

  She glanced in that direction in time to see Blair kneel next to Irakesh. He hoisted the deathless aloft with one hand, peering directly into his eyes. “You’ve killed my friends. Murdered innocents. All so you could seize control of this Ark and begin your unholy empire. But you failed. How does it feel, Irakesh? How does it feel knowing we beat you, that in the end all of your plans account for nothing?”

  “Just kill me and be done with it,” Irakesh spit on the ground at Blair’s feet.

  “I’m not going to kill you,” Blair gave a wicked grin, dropping Irakesh. “I’m going to delve your mind until I’ve gleaned every bit of useful information about this world. Then I’m going to turn you over to the Mother. It’s only fitting that she decide your fate.”

  Irakesh didn’t reply, instead glaring sullenly at the ground. He seemed to grasp the futility of his situation, yet Liz could take no joy in it. Not after everything they’d lost.

  Blair raised a palm, aiming it towards the zombies clogging the remainder of the bridge. A thousand tendrils of silver flame burst forth, flowing around her and the others. The light spun into the zombies with incredible fury, rivaling the bomb itself. When it faded, nothing remained save piles of ash. The remains of the bridge were completely free of zombies. Liz stared in awe as Blair walked over and picked up Irakesh’s sword, examining it for a long moment. Then the weapon melted, flowing up his arm and disappearing as their clothing did when shifting.

  Blair turned towards the group, taking them all in. His eyes held a weight she knew must be mirrored in them all. He cleared his throat, pausing for a long moment before speaking. “We’ve won and I think that entitles us to a little rest. I have a lot to learn about controlling an Ark, but some things have already been explained to me by the beast. Hold still. This will feel a little odd.”

  A pulse of silver light radiated from Blair, bathing them all. Her skin tingled, warm and prickly like static electricity. Then the flash grew brighter and there was a feeling of vertigo. She was blind. Her heart quickened. She’d always been a little claustrophobic and part of her screamed out to escap
e.

  When the light faded she stood in a wide chamber that mirrored the Ark in Peru, identical to the central chamber save that the statues and murals had clearly been created by a different hand. Blair had teleported them. Was that even scientifically possible? Just how advanced had the ancients really been?

  The others gaped openly, Jordan’s rifle clattering to the ground as he examined his surroundings. Trevor braced himself against the side of an obelisk, but kept his feet. Steve simply sat down with his hands in his lap. Yuri seemed less phased than the rest of them, removing a candy bar from his jacket and tearing open the wrapper.

  It was Trevor who finally broke the silence.

  “Listen, everyone. I know that there’s no way you can forgive me for everything that happened. I know what you have to do,” he said, staggering over to Blair and dropping to his knees. “Before you end it, just know that I’m sorry. For everything. I wish it could have been another way, that I could have fought with you.”

  “Quit being such a little bitch, Trevor,” Liz said, giving an exaggerated eye roll as she slugged her brother in the arm. It made her smile, just a hint of the camaraderie they’d shared during their trip to Peru not so very long ago.

  Chapter 75- Bad News

  Jordan allowed himself a smug smile as the thick bronze bars flowed from the ceiling, trapping Irakesh and Steve in the same cell. Energy crackled between the bars, little arcs of unfriendly blue and white lightning. He turned toward the others, all of them clad in shimmering white clothing. That had been a neat trick. Blair had simply willed their old clothes out of existence, and had replaced them with garments similar to those Irakesh wore. It made him feel like an extra in The Mummy, but damn if they weren’t comfortable.

  “You’re sure you want to leave them alive?” Jordan asked, turning to glance at their prisoners. Steve stared sullenly at them, but Irakesh had already slumped against one wall and refused to look at them.

  “They’re not getting off that easily,” Blair said, offering a satisfied smile. “I’m certain the Mother is going to want to have a word with each of them. Besides, their combined knowledge could be really useful. The Ark gives me a lot more power than I had before. I should be able to delve them easily enough, and I have a feeling we’re going to need what they can teach us.”

  “If it’s knowledge of the past you want, couldn’t you get it from the pair upstairs?” Liz asked, leaning against the wall next to the cell. That sword was really starting to look as if it belonged over her shoulder.

  “She’s got a point,” Trevor added, folding his arms. Jordan still didn’t trust the deathless, but knew telling the others that would be useless. “Can you touch their minds while they’re sleeping?”

  “Probably,” Blair replied, scrubbing at his hair as he considered. “Honestly though, I’d rather wait. I can use the Ark to contact the Mother before we decide anything. It would be nice having her here before we rush to any decisions.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Liz conceded with a shrug. “How soon do you think she’ll arrive?”

  “Now that this Ark is active we should be able to light walk to her almost instantly,” Blair replied. It was mind-boggling that they could cover thousands of miles in seconds. That kind of tactical advantage would be critical in the days to come. “I figure we head down there, explain the situation and then come back after she’s weighed in.”

  “All right, but I still think killing them both is the smart thing to do,” Jordan said. “A dead enemy is no threat. A live enemy has a chance to become one.”

  “Liz?” Blair asked, turning to the copper-haired woman.

  Jordan liked that she’d stepped so seamlessly into a leadership role. They definitely needed one. Democratic discussion got people killed.

  “It’s a risk, but I think you’re right, Blair. It’s a minimal one. I think we’ll be okay until the Mother arrives to deal with them,” she said, rising from the wall and eyeing the prisoners. Steve had sat down on the far side of the cell from Irakesh. He too was ignoring them now.

  Beep, beep. Beep, Beep.

  Jordan tensed, hand shooting to his breast pocket. He removed the smart phone Yuri had given him just after they’d escaped Mohn. Incoming call, number unknown. He answered it, blinking when he saw The Director’s face appear on the tiny screen. The phone was at an awkward angle, as if his hands were bound and he were propping the phone against a leg.

  “I don’t have long,” The Director said, glancing over his shoulder. “I still have a few people loyal to me, but that’s not going to save me.”

  Jordan went cold as the implications set in. “You’re a prisoner?”

  “The Old Man had me arrested. I’m being transported to London to meet his 'master.' Someone he calls Usir,” The Director explained, shooting another glance over his shoulder. He turned back to his phone. “I don’t know who or what he serves, but whatever it is this thing controls Mohn Corp through the Old Man. Something big is going down in London, and I have no idea what.”

  “We’re not in a position to launch any sort of rescue,” Jordan replied, still reeling with the news. He was aware of the others clustered around him, totally silent as they listened to the conversation.

  “I’m not expecting you to. Apparently, this master is something called a draugr. It can control minds, and I don’t expect to be myself for much longer,” The Director replied. His face went grim. “From here on out, you need to consider me and Mohn as a whole the enemy.”

  “Acknowledged,” was all Jordan could muster.

  “One last thing. Other Arks have returned. The one in Egypt is the largest, and it’s also the center of a lot of activity. Whoever controls it is gathering a massive army of the dead,” he continued.

  There was the rustling of fabric, then the phone canted at a crazy angle. It tumbled to a metal floor, and went black for a moment before it was picked up again. When it stopped moving it showed a different face. A familiar face. “Ahh, Commander. I’m so pleased to see you survived your encounter with Irakesh.”

  “Mohn,” he growled, eyes narrowing at the triumphant smile on the Old Man’s face.

  “Mark is indisposed at the moment. You’ll have to try again in a few hours, after I’ve introduced him to…an old friend,” the Old Man said. His eyes twinkled, then the phone went dead.

  Jordan turned to the others. There was a moment of silence before Blair spoke. “Usir is a name I know. It’s ancient Egyptian, a synonym for the god of the underworld. Most people know him as Osiris.”

  Epilogue

  Steve waited until Blair and the other fools had strode up the corridor before turning his attention to Irakesh. He studied the deathless, an unassuming black man about an inch shorter than he was. Well, unassuming if you didn’t count the razored teeth or glowing eyes.

  “I’m guessing you don’t want to be here when Isis arrives,” Steve said, rising to his feet. The deathless didn’t answer. He paused for a long moment, then continued. “I’m not eager to be here, either. So I’m leaving. You’re welcome to join me, for a price.”

  That got his attention. Irakesh’s head came up, eyes narrowing as he stared hard at Steve. “How exactly do you propose to do that? We’re locked behind a stasis field. Any energy directed at it will simply rebound back at us. There’s no way to escape.”

  “No way that you know of,” Steve shot back. He crossed to the bars, raising a hand to within inches of the crackling energy that surrounded them. “Humor me. Let’s just say that I had a way to get past the bars. Would you be willing to help me escape?”

  “Very well, I’ll indulge this folly,” Irakesh said, rising to his feet. He stalked to the bars, folding his arms as he stared up at Steve. “Let us say you have a way to open the bars. How would you escape the Ark? We’d be crushed by the ocean if we sought escape.”

  “Are you familiar with an ability called light walking?” Steve asked, giving Irakesh a sly smile. The deathless's eyes widened.

  “I
know it, but only Ark Lords possess the ability. How do you even know of it? No one in this age should,” Irakesh asked, eyes narrowing again as he eyed Steve with a calculating gaze.

  “I am an Ark Lord, thanks to Blair,” Steve said. “I delved the mind of Isis while she slept, and learned a great many things. Blair is new and untrained. He has locked us in this cell, but if we light walk, then the bars won’t matter. We can bypass the stasis field.”

  “Why would you bring me? We’re enemies, you and I,” Irakesh replied, but his expression had softened. He was curious.

  What you suggest is madness, Ka-Dun. Repent, and the Mother will spare you. Continue with your mad plan, and she will hunt you to the last corner of the world. There will be no escape. His beast rumbled. Steve ignored it, as he often did. The creature was noble, possessed of a morality he simply didn’t share.

  “We were enemies,” Steve replied, smiling. “Now we are allies, like it or not. As you can see, Blair and the others are no friends of mine. Nor do I wish to be here when Isis arrives. I’m willing to take you with me, but as I said, there is a price.”

  The deathless was silent for a long moment before speaking. “Name it.”

  “Your mother rules the Ark of the Cradle in Egypt, does she not?” Steve asked. He knew the answer, of course, but Irakesh would be less reticent if he felt on equal footing.

  “She does, and I begin to grasp your plan,” Irakesh said, finally smiling. “You wish me to accompany you, so that my mother will not slay you upon our arrival.”

  “Precisely,” Steve replied, giving his most devious smile. It felt good not having to hide it. “This new world is a far different place than the one you came from. There is much I can offer the mighty Ra, not least of which is the key to the Mother’s Ark.”

  Irakesh blinked once, then extended a hand. Steve shook it. Blair thought he’d won this little encounter, but he was about to find out how wrong he’d been. Steve reached deep into his well of energy, and willed the two of them away from the Ark of the Redwood.