He was rocked by the sweet taste of soft warm lips pressed against his own, and then so much more, a fierce, passionate kiss she seemed as startled by as he was. A pretty flush raced across her features. She cleared her throat. "I'm glad to see you're alive and in one piece, after taking out that horror." Her smile was almost winsome. "Thank you for saving my life, John Reacher."
John smiled into those golden eyes of hers, catching her intoxicating scent, and didn't care whether anyone was looking on when his arms wrapped about her waist and kissed her back, at that moment wanting nothing so much as to claim the beautiful woman in his arms. A master warrior, a brave commander, a tender mother. A part of him could all too readily imagine her holding a little bundle of joy in her arms.
Twenty years was more than enough time. A lifetime he could imagine sharing by her side, no matter that he had only known her for a handful of days.
Her cheeks blushed prettily. She smiled and stepped back, taking a deep breath, golden eyes twinkling. "If anyone were to tell me this could happen, I would think them fools," she whispered.
John flushed and lowered his head. "That you could fall for someone like me?"
"With someone so young, John."
He shrugged. "I'm about to turn eighteen. In my world? I'm almost a man. And you look and feel like a girl only a handful of years older." He gently squeezed her hand. "I don't care that you've experienced so much more than I have, Agneta. If I age like every other Terran, we'll both look about the same in twenty or thirty years. Heck, I don't even know if I can use your rejuvenation vats. You might end up outliving me, even if we never touch the things."
She swallowed, gazing down at their now clasped hands. "I... You've given me a lot to think about." She flashed a shy smile as she lifted up her gaze. "How soon till you truly become a man by the laws of your world?"
The blood roared in his ears even louder than when in battle, minutes ago. "Less than a month."
And she was fast, darting forward to taste his lips, a playful bite as she smiled and pulled back. "If, in a month's time, you still feel the same way about me..." she shrugged, suddenly looking incredibly nervous. "Then maybe we'll see." Her beautiful gaze pierced his soul. "Just promise me you'll always be honest with me, John. I can't tell you how important that is to me. Whether we become the best of friends, or far more than friends. More than anything else, never, ever lie to me with your heart."
John solemnly nodded, his hand squeezing her own. "I swear it."
The moans and cries of injured men registered on his heightened senses once more. He frowned, realizing he no longer had a sense of every piece on the board, that the strange awareness that had saved his life just minutes ago was now gone as if it had never been.
Suddenly nervous for Agneta's sake, he led her back into the central clearing. Her eyes lit with concern, then wonder, his psyche bare before her. "How did you learn... My goodness, your power is already blossoming!"
John blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Ego Crush. You witnessed my use of Mindblade, and truly I'm impressed to find you learning how to Castle so quickly, for all that I feared having pushed you too hard, too fast, proving all the rumors about Terran adventurers to be true." She chuckled warmly. "Though perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. You're as much a Highlord as I."
John flushed at that. "I..." he lowered his head. "I'm a mutt. Half human, half asshole."
She smacked his cheek, lightly. "Don't insult your sire, Johnathan." she then lowered her gaze, almost in apology. "Such a thing is never done in our culture. You owe him your life, just as your mother does her safety. And though only your sire has the gift, that makes you no different than me. Less than half of all Highlords have two Psionicists as parents, their prides orchestrated to assure fertility at least as much as raw power." She flashed a teasing smile. "Though, with me in your arms..."
He grinned. "I'd love you in my arms."
She flushed, John realizing that they were, in fact, amidst the men, and everyone was carefully paying absolutely no attention to their captain flirting with a Terran adventurer.
"Marcus. Status?"
"Fortune favors us, my lady. My magics have brought our injured back to full fighting health."
She gave a relieved smile. "That is good. And you know damn well it's captain, not lady. I claim no Highlord rank. Though I had feared with the shouts..."
"Made by healthy lungs, full of vigor still."
Agneta chuckled. "Indeed."
Marcus's soft brown gaze was filled with concern. "You are putting your men before yourself, Captain. Please, let me take a look at your own injury."
She grimaced but nodded, turning to her second.
"Staven, the Terran and I both lost our helmets in the battle. Please pull free replacements."
"At once, Captain," the man said, hurrying to their pack mules dragging carts filled with all sorts of supplies, dried rations, and gear, and not for the first time John thought all RPGs should have a mule-cart option. Why should it take multiple runs to clear a dungeon when you could just bring a cart? Auto-clearing dungeons with the help of eager assistants looking for a cut should be a given in all games, as far as he was concerned.
But this was no game. And if he, or the woman he had enjoyed kissing way too much were to perish, there would be no second chances. And unlike Mason and Sophia, yelling parachute would do nothing to save them from the predators to come.
John gave a worried shake of his head, though he happily donned the padded barbute helm he was handed that just might save his life. Made of whatever exotic metal alloy the Dominion seemed to favor, the modified T-slot allowed for excellent peripheral vision and airflow, even if the tang of metal was now in his mouth. It was lighter than he expected, allowing him to snap his head around as fast as ever. He could only hope it was as sturdy as the steel armaments he wore.
The helm, Agneta explained while donning its twin, was part of a shipment made in northern factories back before Southern Central Command became riddled with nepotism and incompetence, her immediate CO demanding that it, along with all other nonregulation gear, be retired from use immediately. Of course, Agneta had stored the armaments at her sister's keep rather than destroy it. Being specially designed to counter melee weapons and crossbow fire, it forewent any pretext of blocking laser fire, and thus was perfectly suited for their present class of foes.
Agneta chuckled softly as John helped her don the half-plate she had worn while demonstrating her skills back at the keep. "Of course, my regulation armor's bio-seal is now utterly ruined, so there is no longer any point to wearing it when kitting up in steel is so much more effective against tooth and claw." She flashed a rueful smile at their healer. "I can only hope my brother-in-law can get to me in time, if these horrors end up infecting me."
John grinned, glad to see that most of the soldiers were now wearing an assortment of mail hauberks, breastplates, and brigandine armor, with helms much like the one he was now wearing, Agneta having planned ahead for a worst-case scenario as carefully as she could. The virtue of her foresight was obvious, Dominion trooper armor having been all too easily shredded or perforated by revenant claws and teeth. Even John had found himself the proud owner of a sturdy jack of plates. Though it was perhaps the oldest piece, the leather jacket had been well-cared for, and all of the steel plates were securely fastened.
"Sorry, this is the last of our gear," Agneta said.
John just smiled and shrugged. "Not your fault my Dominion armor got totaled, and it's your duty to take care of your men, first and foremost."
"True," she said. "But your armor was destroyed only after you went head-to-head with that abomination." She swallowed, her eyes pinning his own. "Saving my life."
John quirked a smile. "Consider it an investment in the future." He was amazed at his own bold words. How am I falling for this woman so quickly? But one look in those startled eyes, and he realized it didn't matter. All that mattered was the way she made him feel, wi
th dreams of the future that didn't involve climbing any corporate ladders.
She flushed and grinned, turning away, and John was certain she knew exactly what he meant.
12
"John. Status?" Agneta's voice, authoritative and concerned.
He frowned as they approached the gloomy heart of the woods, all wildlife silent once more, the scents of ancient leaves, loam, and evergreens overladen with a curious stench he could not quite define, save that it stunk of death and rot, filling him with an odd horror, mixed with burgeoning rage.
He so wanted to lie to the captain, to lead them away from the path his nose unerringly led him along. But he knew that the moment she figured out the ruse, he would both earn her ire and forever lose any chance of winning her heart.
And how could he blame her? Children's lives were on the line, her niece among them. Assuming they were even alive, Elowin's desperate hopes aside.
His reservations only grew as they continued on.
Yet when he met her gaze, he knew there was only one answer he could give. "To the right of the clearing we're approaching. I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain we're close to a cave complex. I think that's where we'll need to go."
John could hear murmurs among the soldiers.
"How the hell could he know that?"
"Terran adventurers. Wildcards, all of 'em."
"Hope he doesn't get us killed."
"Silence!" snapped the captain. "He's led us right so far, so let's see this through. Unless anyone has a better idea where we can find these abominations?”
Mason chuckled softly, punching John’s shoulder. "Looks like they don't trust your nose, boy scout. Guess you'll have to prove 'em wrong, again."
John shrugged. "As long as we can get through this alive, Mason. That's all that matters to me." He supposed he was happy that Mason had reverted to his old rough camaraderie after John had bested that final nightmare horror during their last encounter, though he wished the man didn't enjoy getting a rise from anyone in authority quite so much, let alone roping John up in his declarations. The last thing John wanted was to start trouble or alienate the soldiers under Agneta's command when they might soon be fighting for their lives.
But when they turned right, per his instructions, and actually found the forest sinking into a bog that wreaked of death, rotting trees opening up to reveal a swampy clearing right before a massive series of caves, John felt no triumph. Not even when Marcus flashed him a relieved smile, commending his knack.
All he felt was a growing sense of dread.
"John? Are you all right?"
He smiled into the captain's concerned gaze. "Right as rain."
Her gaze narrowed. "Bullshit. You're worried about something, and you're Castling even now."
He shrugged. "I think maybe the queens are Psion sensitive, like you and me. I don't want to give away my presence."
Her eyes widened. "Good thinking. We might lack a Dauda's dark arts, but no reason to alert sensitive foes that powerful minds approach, or leave ourselves open to attack. Now relax, John. You and Mason have both done a wonderful job of aiding my men. We haven't lost a single soldier, and not one of us has transformed into a horror. Perhaps it was Marcus's doing, or perhaps these Plague Queens, as you put it, are not quite so fearsome as we had feared."
John grimaced and looked away. The scenes of horror and madness he had caught glimpses of on Susie's phone said otherwise. But maybe Agneta was right. Maybe it was simply a matter of being on a world that had access to warding spells and healing magic. If no undead or dark seed could cross and infect a man... maybe it was as simple as that.
Or maybe not.
John grimaced as she rapped his helmet. "Are you ready?"
He forced himself to nod. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"Then lead on."
13
The entrance to the cave was almost pitch black, though John's eyes quickly adjusted to the gloom.
Agneta turned to the healer in their group. "If you would be so kind, brother?"
Marcus whispered a few quiet syllables and John could almost taste the stream of magic flooding into the healer’s open palm; peppermint and almonds and the spicy tang of power in the air. The passage was suddenly lit by shadowless pink light as they traversed down a winding tunnel of limestone and gypsum, flecks of brilliant quartz shimmering in the odd light.
John's eyes widened when the tunnel eventually opened up into a vast cavern, struck by the sight of numerous stalactites and strange crystals jutting out of the cavern ceiling, sparkling like obsidian fire, giving the chamber a soft green glow. He frowned, peering up at ledges, surprised to find the cavern so vast.
"Captain!"
Agneta nodded. "Yes, Staven, I know. Those crystals. We're near a point of significance. But if we're this close to a portal..."
"Understood, Captain. Our unit is free of cybernetic implants." Her second whispered curt commands to the men. It seemed that if anyone was carrying any sort of high-tech device, it was to be powered down immediately.
John frowned. "What’s going on?"
"The pretty glowing rocks above our heads are actually Elementium crystals,” Agneta said. “It’s generally considered to be one of the most valuable minerals in the entire galaxy. Each refined kilogram is worth about two million credits, give or take.”
Mason whistled at those words. “That’s twenty million US dollars! We’re fucking rich!”
Agneta shook her head. “I’m afraid not, friend Mason. Right now there are just a few shoots, with no good way to harvest them at present, especially if they’re still out of phase. In a few centuries, however, it will be worth a goddamned fortune and well worth the weight. That's assuming the cave is still here, of course."
John's eyes widened at those words. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘they’re out of phase?’ And why wouldn’t the cave be here?”
The woman he so admired only sighed and shook her head. "What it means is that we're entering an area with an unusually high electromana field. This can sometimes cause space and theoretically time itself to warp. For this reason, we must be careful. Very, very careful."
She turned to Marcus. "Brother..."
"Don't worry, I know the risks of casting in high mana fields. My spells are mastered, Captain. If anything, the added power now flooding our reality is a boon to me."
John frowned, worried eyes gazing all around, exquisite hearing picking up the faint chittering of spiders echoing strangely through the massive cavern. "From what I read on Readit, it's dwarven ruins that are sometimes flooded with excess magic that makes tech dangerous to use, though the explanation given for why was always a bit confusing."
Mason snorted. "You believe that shit? Endlessly duplicating dwarven cities warping magical fields like a black hole? I don’t see any spots of pitch blackness on any Jordian maps, boy scout. No one enters ruins they suddenly can't get out of. No odd fucking gravity wells are pulling this planet to pieces. It's a bullshit theory. Some areas just have more magic than others, that's all it is."
"Dwarven ruins aren't the only sites where dimensional compression affects the electromana field,” Agneta explained. “There are gateways to alternate realities that do the same."
One of the soldiers blinked. “You mean the Faerie Realms, Captain?”
Several of the men chuckled at that.
"You've been stationed here too long if you're starting to believe Southern superstitions, Ravel," said the man beside him.
The soldier addressed glared at his companion. “I was born here, idiot, and maybe if Northerners like you had a little more respect for things you don’t understand, all our vaunted Dominion hardware wouldn’t be shorting out every three days!”
Agneta abruptly spun around as the mood turned ugly within her guard. “Quiet.” That one word was all it took to still her men, more than one sheepish glance sent her way. After a hard moment’s glare, she finally relented with the slightest tilt of her head, the men exhal
ing with relief. “We have no reason to believe this warping is at all significant, or that we are in any added peril, so long as we take all necessary precautions."
John swallowed and nodded, carefully eyeing the massive chamber, noting the numerous openings of many burrows, almost like looking at a massive wasps’ nest, a thought that chilled John to the quick. Certainly a few of the tunnel entrances looked like they had been carved out of the rock by a massive insectoid race. He felt a growing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. Any creature that could tear through rock so easily would make short work of their armor.
Agneta’s intent gaze caught his own. “Where does your nose tell you to go?"
John took a deep sniff, doing his best to ignore Mason’s chuckle. The air tasted of brackish water and limestone, oddly familiar scents in a world so different from his own. And though he smelled nothing untoward, the answer to her question immediately popped up in his mind. "Straight ahead, down the main tunnel branch."
They proceeded at a cautious pace, carefully examining the spacious cavern, avoiding the pitch black tunnel entrances in the leftmost corner of the vast chamber.
Mason smirked. "Too bad we can't tear out those crystals overhead."
Just then, every light went out, the cavern flooded with absolute darkness.
"Captain!" hissed a panicked soldier. “It’s not just our tech! The Elementium crystals stopped glowing. That’s impossible!”
"Silence! Marcus, if you would be so kind?"
"Of course, Captain." A few whispered murmurs that sent an odd tingle down John's spine and a soft silver glow lit up the chamber once more.
John’s blood ran cold at the nightmare vision now surrounding them. A hoard of giant spiders and a score of hunched-over humanoid figures had manifested together in absolute silence. The revenants’ limbs ended in glittering crimson-tipped claws, with jaws of twisted black flesh elongated like wolves’ maws, and each and every jet black eye was locked on John.
But it was the trio gazing so intently at him from behind the spiders and revenants that shook him to the core. They were true abominations, possessing the lower bodies of arachnids and the upper bodies of what had once been beautiful young women before being covered by a patchwork of chitinous growths. Their eyes glittered with hot malice, grins opening wide to reveal serrated teeth.
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