by J. D. Brown
He glanced at me like the answer should have been obvious. “Then I will drown them.”
My jaw snapped shut. I couldn’t think of a valid argument.
Jesu stripped to just his clothes and shoes, and then hopped aboard the dingy. He held out a hand and helped steady me as I stepped across. The wood creaked under my feet and my stomach flip-flopped.
“Hold for confirmation,” Tancred said. Then he lifted the intercom to shoulder level and waited. Two nerve-wracking minutes passed before a soldier’s voice cracked over the other end.
“Sir, Group Two has landed on the island. Surveillance located an unmarked building about twenty kilometers inland. There is no activity in the jungle. We believe the enemy is inside. Groups One and Two are in position to move in. Over.”
“Copy that. The weapon is on the boat and about leave the mainland. Hold your positions and wait for further instructions. Over.”
“Copy that, sir. Over and out.”
“You’re changing the plan,” said Nikolas.
“Just one minor detail of it, sir. There could be a trap waiting for us in that building. I think it’s best we get Ema on the island before we move in. We’ll keep her outside until we have visual confirmation of the target. That way, if it is a trap, Group Three can depart. But if Apollyon is inside, then we can bring the weapon in and advance quicker.”
Nikolas nodded. “Carry on.”
Tancred faced the remaining group. “Soldiers… shark-up.”
Everyone except Maria, Jesu, and me, stripped off their weapons, armor, and clothes. Better prepared this time, I averted my eyes while the soldiers packed their things into tight bundles and then shifted. Their legs fused together as bone and muscle tore apart and then reformed, bringing the men to their knees. Their bodies doubled in size and grew fins. Gills appeared along their necks, and their jaws elongated, sprouting extra rows of sharp teeth. Before I knew it, six great white sharks lay on the beach sand. One by one, they swallowed their gear and then shuffled into the sea. It was astonishing to watch… and a bit insane.
Maria eyed Jesu and me. “Take care of each other.”
Jesu nodded. Maria crouched over his discarded armor and weapons, and touched a finger to them. The gear disappeared, their atoms dissolved into thin air. Then Maria phased herself, her body and armor shimmering until she faded into a dark cloud, leaving nothing more than the strong scent of nitrogen in her wake.
Jesu untied the rope and the boat immediately shifted to the side, falling in line with the tide. I quickly sat so we wouldn’t tip over. Jesu settled into the other end and gripped the oars. He started rowing, but as my gaze trailed to the water, I noticed the tide had somehow reversed. The sea carried us away from the beach, toward the horizon, doubling our speed. My jaw dropped and I glanced at Jesu.
“Are you…?”
He looked to the side, at the blue horizon. The hint of a smile played on his lips as a few dark clouds rolled in from the east. The wind picked up and blew a few strands of loose hair across his cheeks.
“Never mind, don’t answer that,” I said. I recalled thinking once that Jesu liked the wind. In fact, he probably loved it as much as he loved swimming, playing with fire, and spending countless hours painting the earth.
Jesu isn’t the calm in a storm. He is the damn storm! I’m the calm in the middle of his hurricane.
I clenched my jaw, baffled by my own epiphany, and glanced at the water. Sharks were circling our boat. This was going to be one hell of a night.
Chapter 28
Palm trees rose from the sea and the island came into view. I squinted, using my super vampyre vision to zoom in and get a good look of the shore. Brown bloated lumps dotted the beach. I thought they were seals or dolphins, but then I noticed the hair… the faces… I turned away and cupped a hand over my nose and mouth.
Jesu glanced over his shoulder. He worked his jaw and then faced forward and dipped the oars into the water. The lapping waves righted themselves, pointing back to the mainland and slowing our advance, but Jesu kept on rowing us closer to the sandy grave.
“Do not look at them,” he said softly. “Breathe through your mouth.”
Too late. The stench of decay hit, and I couldn’t hold back. I bent over the side of the boat and retched into the water. I heaved until my insides ached and my hands trembled. I stared at the dark sea for a long moment, mesmerized by the waves without really seeing them. A hollowness overwhelmed my empty stomach and crept into my bones.
Those innocent people are dead because of Apollyon. How long before we join them?
“Ema,” Jesu whispered in a harsh tone. “You need to get a hold of yourself. Now.”
I winced as my gaze went to the dorsal fins and undiluted shadows of our sharky companions. Those over-grown fish were real men, people who were risking their lives for me. They counted on me to keep my head in the game, just as I counted on them. I couldn’t be the weak link in the chain. I couldn’t let myself fall apart over a few bodies. I had to be stronger.
I cupped my palm and dipped it into the water, bringing a handful to my mouth to rinse with before sitting upright again. “I’m good. I’m all right.”
Jesu scanned me and then continued rowing. I don’t think he believed me, but we both knew it was too late to turn back now. The nose of the dingy hit the wet sandy shore. Jesu pulled the oars out of the water and laid them in the boat. He jumped overboard. I waited for the splash, but it never came. Jesu waded through the shallow water without a sound and pulled the boat further up the beach, out of reach of the tide. I hopped out. My boots hit sand and seaweed with a sinking plop. I envied Jesu’s control of the earth and his silent grace.
A dead body lay no more than a foot away from my shoes. Its clammy skin bloated and tinged bluish-gray. It didn’t bleed. There was no more blood left to lose. Its vacant stare reminded me of the mountains of bodies in hell. Could that be where this person was now? Did their soul lie in a heap of other dead souls, staring at a crimson sky, wondering when their salvation would come?
Jesu grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him, yanking my attention back to the present, but only for a moment before I noticed another body, and then another and another. They continued all the way up the beach, into the jungle. My chest constricted with the urge to scream.
Focus on breathing.
At least the salt in the air masked some of the stench.
Maria materialized and handed Jesu his armor. The sharks swam ashore and spat out their packs before shifting back into their vampyre forms. They got dressed, strapped on their armor, and re-attached their weaponry.
Tancred found his walkie-talkie and held it near his mouth. “Jaguar to Red Wing, Group Three is on the island. Any changes in activity? Over.”
“Copy that, sir,” said Red Wing. “Negative on activity. We are awaiting instructions. Over.”
Tancred shifted his gaze to Nikolas and Brinnon, and then to the rest of the group. Jesu, dressed and assembled, stood at my side, as did the others. They formed a tight circle around Jesu and me, their blades held at the ready. Jesu unsheathed a sword. Tancred spoke into the intercom once more, but I missed what he said as Jesu placed his free hand on the back of my neck and pulled me close.
“Remember what I taught you.”
I nodded. “Anything can be used as a weapon. Don’t be afraid to use my armor as a shield—”
“Do not play the hero,” Jesu hissed. “Get in, get Apollyon, and get out. Phase, shift, do whatever you need to do.”
“I got it,” I said, rolling my eyes. “To hell with you and the…” I almost said baby, but caught myself and started over. “To hell with you and everyone else, right?”
“Just survive, Ema. That is all I ask.”
I nodded again. By this point, I was sure I qualified as a pathological liar. I couldn’t help it. Jesu’s plan sucked. I didn’t want to live thousands of years if he and Maria weren’t going to be there.
Jesu’s gaze darkened. “
I mean it, Ema.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but was cut short.
“Move out!” Tancred ordered. I thought he was talking to Red Wing over the intercom, but then my circle of bodyguards began marching toward the jungle, and Jesu pushed me forward along with them.
We left the beach and weaved through the dense forest at a faster pace than we did in the mainland. Every now and then, another dead body turned up in our path. My breath hitched each time. The farther we went, the more violent their deaths became. Some had gashes in their necks, the flesh torn off. Others were missing limbs. Some had their guts spilling out or worse—their organs dragged feet away from their torsos and left to hang in the tree branches. Nausea knotted my stomach and, for the first time in a while, it had absolutely nothing to do with being pregnant. The scent of rotting flesh made my head spin. I clamped a hand over my mouth and nose, but it was pointless. Nothing could mask the brutality surrounding us.
“He did this to scare you.” Jesu’s breath pooled against my temple as he gently guided me past yet another body. “Do not pay attention to it. Do not let him under your skin.”
I nodded and continued straight ahead, following the group. The humidity in the air thickened. Loose wisps of hair curled into frizzy tendrils and stuck to the sides of my face. My armor itched. Sweat beaded beneath the heavy nylon and across my brow, attracting several hundred mosquitoes. I swatted at them. Jesu snatched my wrist and gave my arm a firm tug. I turned deadpan eyes on him.
“What?”
“Pay attention.”
“I am paying a—”
A loud bang ricocheted through the jungle. Everyone dropped to the ground. My heart lurched into my throat and, for the first time in my life, I knew what fear tasted like. I lifted my gaze, first to reassure myself that Jesu was still crouched next to me—he was—then to see what had made that noise. But I couldn’t see anything other than Nikolas’ hulking backside.
“That was Group One and Two,” Tancred whispered to his king. “They’ve entered the barrack.”
“By busting the door down?” I asked.
Everyone looked at me like I was insane for speaking. Maybe I was.
A voice cracked over the intercom, but this time it wasn’t Red Wing. A man spoke in German. He sounded frantic. Fighting sounded in the background; the clang of metal on metal, of guns being fired, of yelling and gutted cries of terror.
Tancred’s gaze widened. “He’s there. Apollyon. The Saga-Giga. The incubus. They’re all there.”
“We continue as planned,” said Nikolas.
Tancred nodded. “Yes, of course.” His gaze locked with mine. “Have that bracelet ready.”
Screw the bracelet, what was the spell? I squeezed my eyes shut, struggling to remember. Something, something, by name? Jesus Christ, this was the worst possible time to forget my lines. My muscles stiffened and my lungs kicked into overdrive. If I didn’t get a grip on my nerves, I was going to hyperventilate and have a panic attack. Screw it. I opened my eyes and said the first thing to pop into my head. “Let’s bring that bitch to his knees.”
Tancred grinned. A real, genuine grin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile. It was kind of creepy. “On my signal,” he said, speaking to the group as a whole. He faced forward and then raised three fingers into the air and silently counted down, lowering one finger.
My stomach did a flip-flop. I faced Apollyon twice in the past, and narrowly escaped both times by no means of my own. The first time, when Leena and I freed him from his confines in hell, I didn’t know any better. The second time, I learned my lesson. I never wanted to see Apollyon again as long as I lived. Yet here I was, about to knock on his door like a girl scout.
Tancred lowered another finger. Only one remained. My breath hitched. I touched my arm cuff at the wrist, where the sapphire gem bore into my skin, but even its persistent buzz of energy could not reassure me now.
Tancred lowered his last finger. Go time.
Just like that, my legs were running. My feet flew at warp speed, keeping pace with the circle of soldiers. My boots crunched over God-knows-what. All I could see was a blur of green and brown whizzing overhead. The soldiers ran shoulder to shoulder, forming a tight wall of black armor on all sides.
In moments, the jungle canopy darkened and then disappeared, replaced by a tin roof and the occasional dangling light bulb. My breath caught as I realized we had breached whatever compound Apollyon hid in. I swallowed short panicked gulps of air. This was all happening too fast. I wasn’t ready. Where was Jesu?
As if he could sense my terror, Jesu’s hand found mine. Our fingers laced together and he squeezed my palm. His sword flashed in the dim light, swinging back and forth as he pumped his arm, running. I tried to feel comforted by the weapon, but it really only made me nervous. I prayed nothing would put Jesu in the position to use that sword, but I knew the odds were against us. The clash of metal echoed through the hallway. Shouting, running, guns firing. It all grew louder the farther we went.
“Halt,” said Tancred. We froze, standing shoulder to shoulder in a pitch-black corridor. The cramped space smelled of rust, sour body odor, and hot garbage. I cupped a hand over my mouth and nose, but whether to mask the smell, or quell the fear mounting in my ragged breath, I didn’t know. I tried to focus on breathing. On the rise and fall of my chest. On the sound of Jesu’s heartbeat. But the effort was futile. The sounds of battle raging not more than a few feet away drowned out everything else. Everything, except my own heartbeat, which pounded painfully hard against my ribs.
What happened to my Nephilim genes? Usually, this level of impending death roused my inner beast, filling my blood with a sociopathic joy. Now, when I needed it most, my instincts failed me. I didn’t feel the rush of adrenaline or the craving to kill. Instead, I was scared senseless. My hands trembled like leaves in a tornado.
So much for being a big bad vampyre. And a descendant of that psycho, Apollyon, nonetheless. There had to be a lesson in there somewhere, but I didn’t have time to ponder about it.
Maria pushed to the front of the line. “What are we waiting for? We need to get in there now, while the Saga-Giga are distracted.”
“Just wait,” Tancred snapped. “One. More. Minute.”
Jesu tore his hand away from mine and then grabbed my arm. He tugged on something under the cuff and the soft shhhink of a blade being unsheathed cut through the air. He pressed the hilt of one of the throwing knives into my palm. I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and bit down, piercing myself with my fangs as I closed my fist around the hilt. Satisfied, Jesu wrapped his free hand around my left bicep, ready to pull me forward at a moment’s notice. I gripped one of the straps in his armor and held tight.
“Now!” Tancred shouted. He took off, rounding a corner. My feet were suddenly running again as the group followed him into a large warehouse-like room. Moonlight filtered through a small triangular hole in the center of the high tin roof. My eyes adjusted to the natural light and the scene around us came to life, a horrifying nightmare come true.
My wall of bodyguards spread into a more loosely-formed circle and I could see the war waging all around us. My gaze went everywhere, taking it all in as though in slow motion. Groups One and Two were in active combat with the Saga-Giga. Five of the undead monsters had taken the form of gigantic black cobras. We outnumbered them six to one, but the Saga-Giga were stronger and faster. They were enhanced by Apollyon’s magic, the spells tattooed right onto their flesh. The ancient cuneiform script glowed red against their thick reptilian-scaled bodies. The giant snakes lashed out at the Aplan soldiers, using their three-foot wide tails to sweep the soldiers’ legs out from under them. Some of them wound their slithery snake bodies around the soldiers and crushed their bones, but the majority of the soldiers were defeated in the worst way possible—by bite.
The Saga-Giga’s fangs injected its victims with an acidic venom that burned the vampire warriors from the inside out. One by one, the soldiers disso
lved to nothing, as though they had never existed to begin with. Our numbers dwindled fast. A couple of soldiers from Group Three broke away from the circle in desperation, charging at the snakes only to be crushed or bitten.
“Stay in formation!” Tancred commanded.
“Look out!” Jesu planted his palm against the middle of my back and shoved me hard. I skidded ten feet away from the group before finally coming to a halt. I pushed to my feet and twisted around just in time to watch as Jesu thrust his sword into the mouth of one of the giant snakes. The snake struck the ground right where I stood a second ago. Instead of biting my head off, the creature got a sword down its throat. The snake reared its ugly head back, gagging. Two more slithered over, flanking the first on either side. By this time, my group had completely disbanded. They went after the two snakes in an attempt to keep the creatures from ganging up on Jesu. I stood alone against the tin wall, watching helplessly as it all went down.
Maria suddenly got in my face. She said something and started pulling on my arms, but I couldn’t hear her. I couldn’t think. All I could do was watch Jesu.
The snake that swallowed Jesu’s sword was choking on it, but it still fought back. The reptile swung its tail around in an attempt to knock Jesu off his feet, but Jesu was faster. He drew a second sword, jumped over the swinging tail, and then stabbed the blade into the snake’s neck. The beast flayed its head from side to side, trying to shake Jesu off, but he held tightly to the hilt, using his weight to drag the sword down the length of the snake’s body, causing the wound to widen. Sticky black blood oozed from the gash. Jesu flattened the soles of his boots against the snake’s underside. Then he reached an arm into the gaping hole in the reptile’s neck. Jesu fished around, found what he was looking for, and then pulled his arm out, along with the sword the snake had swallowed. Grinning in triumph, Jesu swung his arm in a wide arch and chopped off the snake’s head.
The reptile crumpled to the ground. Blood pooled over the floor as Jesu pushed to his feet. The dead snake convulsed. Its muscles and bones contorted back into their rightful form—that of a half-rotten headless zombie vampyre.