“Does he know what you do?” I ask. “Or what you did?”
“That I kill people?” Kat says. “He thinks I’m a dancer for a cruise line. Correction, he thinks I’m a clumsy dancer for a cruise line. Explains the long times I’m out of touch and the occasional injury. No one in the family knows the truth.” She looks at Em. “Well, except for you, I suppose.”
“If you’re worried about what they’ll think of you,” Em starts, “I can always tell them about the things I’ve done, and you’ll look like one of those little animals.” She motions toward Edinnu with her head.
We all take a look back at the garden. The lush, glowing paradise stretches out as far as I can see. I feel its pull on me even now. “We should go,” I say, the words just a whisper forced through my lips.
Without a word, we turn and walk away from the garden, new friends and the birthplace of the human race. As the darkness surrounds us once more, and Kat takes out her blue, green and yellow crystal, my thoughts turn to the story of Adam and Eve. Whether they were the first man and woman created by God himself, or the leaders of the first human tribe that evolved in the garden, I don’t know, or care, but if they really did get the human race kicked out of Edinnu so long ago, I think they’re a couple of jerks.
The journey upwards is long and tiring. There are no downhill slopes or waterslides to help us along. My knees feel it first, then the rest of me. I’m in good shape, conditioned for this more than most, but I think leaving Edinnu made me more keenly aware of my physical discomfort. Kat seems a little more tired than usual as well, but Kainda and Em are struggling even more. Not only are they feeling the effect of leaving the garden, but the anger and pride of hunters that kept them from expressing their tiredness, even as a facial expression, are now gone.
When we finally reach the massive cavern containing the doors to Tartarus and I suggest a rest, Kainda and Em both sit without saying a word. I’m tempted to point it out, but I don’t want them to feel any regrets about their freedom. There are other kinds of strengths that can replace the darkness that was removed, they just need to discover them.
We gather near one of the cavern’s entrances, but don’t enter. I can see the bone mounds clearly, and though I neither see nor smell any danger, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. Part of me wants to return to the location of our last battle with the warriors and see what happened with the bodies of Hades and Cerberus, but we’re actually miles away from that scene and the distraction would waste time, energy and quite possibly lead us into a trap.
The more I think about it, the more I’m certain a trap is unlikely. Now that I have the Jericho shofar, the Nephilim and their hunters will be at a severe disadvantage in the underworld, where sound carries and numbers are limited by the size of the tunnel you’re in. No, I suspect we’ll find our path to the surface all but empty. It’s on the surface that the real danger lies. With all that empty space, the shofar, for all its supernatural power, won’t be able to turn away thousands of Nephilim warriors.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, stepping into the giant chasm.
“Where are you going?” Kainda asks. She might be tired, but she’s still vigilant.
I sigh. She won’t believe any answer but the truth. “I have to pee.”
She couldn’t care less. Hunters are accustomed to pretty much dropping their pants and doing their thing wherever and whenever the urge strikes, unless they’re trying to conceal their scent or in one of the citadels. “Don’t go far.”
“I won’t,” I mutter. It’s a lie. I might be a fellow ex-hunter, but I’m still me. Even when I had access to a bathroom with an actual door, I couldn’t go if someone was standing outside the door. My solution was to turn on the fan, if one was available, run the water and sit on the seat, rather than standing. When I confessed all this to Justin, he laughed and teased, but when I pointed out that he had to run home every time he had to go number two, he dropped the subject.
I walk maybe fifty feet away and stand behind an outcrop of rocks. They won’t see me, but all three women have good ears. I’m going to have to angle this against the wall just right, I think, and then I spread my feet apart so the ensuing puddle doesn’t reach me.
After one last look around, I start to pee. I close my eyes in relief. I’d been holding it for a while.
“Solomon!” The voice is so loud, so close, that I shout out and stumble back, stepping in the little river of urine. I look back, but no one is there.
“Are you okay?” Kainda shouts. I can hear her running toward me. Actually, I hear three sets of feet coming quickly. I rush to put myself back together, momentarily forgetting about the voice.
“I’m fine!” I shout back. “No worries. No big deal.”
I finish cinching my leathers around my waist just before Kainda arrives. She’s got her hammer out and ready, looking for an enemy to smash. All she finds is me, glowing red from embarrassment.
“What happened.” It’s not a question. It’s a demand.
That’s when I remember the voice. I replay the sound in my head, remembering it perfectly, and recognizing it instantly. “Xin.”
“Where?” Em asks, coming into view, knife in hand.
I look around, but I already know the answer. “In my head.” I turn my thoughts outward. Where are you?
Coming, Xin replies. He sounds casual. Almost friendly. Not that we’re not friends. We are brothers. I trust him more than most. But he’s serious. He knows what’s at stake and he’s been actively pursuing our mutual cause on his own despite not being accepted or trusted by the other hunters who have pledged themselves to me.
Why did you frighten me?
Apologies, Solomon, he says. I found it...humorous.
I can’t help but smile. That Xin finds anything funny is in itself, funny.
“What...are you doing?” Kat asks.
“Huh?” I say.
“You’re just standing there,” she says. “And you’re making faces like you’re talking to someone or hearing voices.”
“I am,” I say.
“Which one?”
“Both. Xin,” I say aloud and think at the same time, “say hello to Katherine Ferrell.”
Hello Katherine. I hear the voice, and I know that the others do too because they all jump and look around. Greetings Kainda, daughter of Ninnis. Greetings Emilee, daughter of Tobias.
“Where is he?” Kainda asks, sounding irritated.
Look to the north.
Despite being in a sunless cave, Kainda, Em and I all turn to the right, instinctually knowing the direction.
Kat turns with us. Though she lacks our subterranean sense of direction, she can see much further in the well-lit cavern. “I see something, just beyond the large pile of bones.”
For a moment, I see nothing, but then a shaky line of green emerges. The line grows bigger, stretching across a large portion of the cavern.
“What the hell is that?” Kat asks.
“No idea,” I say. Xin, should I be worried?
Only if you are against us.
The line collapses, bunching up, and then slips behind the bone mound.
A vibration reaches my feet. The floor is shaking.
A mass of green bodies round the bones and the truth is revealed.
Cresties. A herd of them. No, not a herd, an army. There’s a few hundred of the subterranean apex predators. A large male leads the pack and as the others slow to a stop, the big one pounds forward. The green and red cresty is a giant. The crest on its head, just behind its eyes, is nearly a foot tall on its own. It’s at least thirty feet long from snout to tail, easily as big as Alice, if not bigger.
Kainda shifts uncomfortably. Alice nearly killed her, after all.
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “I recognize him.”
Kat looks surprised. “You do? Just so you know, a pack of these guys nearly killed us.” She’s got her hand on her holstered pistol.
I nod. “They like to eat people. Bu
t this one won’t.”
She points to the rest of them, lining up next to each other like soldiers in formation. “And them?”
I shrug.
The big cresty stops with a final stomp of his foot, sending a vibration through my body. I reach a hand up. “Hello, Grumpy.”
The big dinosaur lowers his head until my hand rests on his snout, just between his eyes.
“It’s him?” Kainda asks. She was present the first time I petted Grumpy like this. Alice nearly killed Kainda, but she terrorized her own hunting pack. After I killed her, Grumpy became the pack leader.
I just look at her and smile. She steps up next to me and places her hand on the dinosaur’s snout. He sniffs her. She says, “hello.” It’s not exactly a Kodak moment, but hunters and cresties are bitter enemies. This is big.
A clicking sound comes from behind the dinosaur. I glance to the side and notice that it actually has reigns around its neck. The dinosaur rears up and turns to the side. Sitting on the dinosaur’s back like some kind of alien cowboy, is Xin. But he’s not alone. Clinging to his back is a second rider.
Luca.
28
“Luca!” Em says, surprised and happy, but then quickly repeats his name, this time with fear and anger, “Luca, what are you doing here?” She turns to Xin, “Why is he here? Why is he with you?”
“You don’t trust me?” Xin asks, squinting his serpentine eyes. It’s a challenge as much as a question. He taps Grumpy’s sides with his heels and the big predator crouches down.
“No,” Em says. “I don’t.”
“It’s okay, Em,” Luca says. He’s smiling and fidgeting, clearly eager to get down. He waves at me. “Hi, Sol!”
“Nor do I,” Kainda says.
Kat just looks mystified, probably by the large number of dinosaurs and Xin’s alien appearance. His white scaly skin, yellow eyes and slender, but strong frame look inhuman. But his blood runs red, the same as mine. Exactly the same as mine.
Xin takes Luca’s hands and helps the boy down. Once his toes reach the chamber’s stone floor, he’s running at Em. She bends down to greet him, sweeping him up for a tight hug. She might not be pleased by Luca being in this dangerous place, but she’s still happy to see him.
As am I. Luca dives at me next, and I lift him from the ground in a great bear hug before planting him back on the floor. He looks at Kainda and says, “Hey Kain,” and then at Kat, “Hi Kat.”
Kat scrunches her nose. “How does he know my name?”
“This is Luca,” I say. “He is one of my...twins.”
“Yeah, I can actually see that, but—”
“I can see through his eyes,” Luca explains. “I saw the sword. And Ookla. And the garden. And Nephil. But you took care of him. And—”
“We both saw,” Xin says. “He through you and I through him.”
Kat turns toward Xin. “And you’re Xin? The other...twin?”
He nods. “We saw what happened to the others. We also witnessed your success. That is why we came to greet you.”
“You could have waited on the surface,” Em says.
“I make the outsiders uncomfortable,” Xin says.
“And the hunters,” Luca adds with a smile.
Xin actually smiles a little bit. “And the hunters.” He stretches his arms out, motioning to the massive, empty cavern. “Nephil has retreated to the surface to prepare his forces. The underworld is empty, and safe. And we were very well protected.”
“I left Luca in Adoni’s care,” Em says, still angry.
“Adoni is busy,” Xin says to Em, but then turns to me. “Your forces gather at the coast. Hunters and outsiders alike.”
“The prisoners we set free?” I ask, assuming he’ll know what I’m talking about if they made it.
“They were received a week ago, weakened and down fifty men, but perhaps the most eager and willing to fight. They have been telling of how you slew the mighty Pan. But stories can only bolster their strength so much. They need you. Soon.”
I look back at the dinosaurs. “That’s why you’re really here, isn’t it? Transportation.”
Xin smiles.
“You’re smiling,” I note.
“A side effect of spending time with our brother,” Xin says. “He softens the heart.” He nods to me. “Much like you.”
“Hey,” Luca says, sounding excited. “Em! You’re hair!” He looks at Kainda. “Yours too!”
“Guess you didn’t see that part,” I say.
“Uh-uh.”
Xin inches closer to Em. He reaches out a hand to touch her hair, but she flinches away. He seems to not notice and whispers, “It works...”
I take the shofar from Kat and carefully unwrap it. Xin marvels over it, but doesn’t touch it. What would the horn do to Xin? I wonder. He’s part Nephilim, but he’s also part human. He has no hair to speak of, but the Nephilim corruption is no doubt rooted in him as well.
“You can be free,” I say, raising the horn toward Xin and placing it to my lips. I close my eyes and fill my lungs.
“Wait—” Xin starts, but I’ve already begun to blow. The sound echoes through the chamber. The cresties respond to it with roars, but they don’t move.
When I open my eyes and lower the horn, Xin is gone. For a second, I think I’ve somehow obliterated him, but then I hear a shifting sound to my left. Xin steps out from behind a tall, stone outcrop.
Can you hear me? he asks in my mind.
Yes, I reply.
He seems relieved by the answer.
“Why did you move?” I ask.
“We don’t know what effect the Jericho shofar will have on me. If it removes the Nephilim corruption fully, I could die. I could lose my mental abilities. When the battle is won, we can see what happens. Until then, I must remain as I am.”
“He clings to his corruption,” Kainda remarks.
“No,” I say. “He loathes it as much as you both did.” I look her and Em in the eyes. “He is making a sacrifice. For me. For both of you. For all of us. I trust him with my life. With Luca’s life. He is my brother, and I expect both of you to trust him as such. We cannot be divided by the hatred of the world we knew. We are better than that, and you both have been freed from it.”
Neither of them reply. They have no argument against what I’ve said, but it’s a bitter pill to swallow and the change will take time, so I let that be the end of it for now.
I give the shofar back to Kat and let her wrap it back up. She’s become its protector. I didn’t ask her to take on the job, but she carries the horn at all times and even rests with it in her arms. It never leaves her side except for when I ask for it. Maybe she simply recognizes its worth, but I suspect she sees the shofar as the object for which Wright gave his life, and now she’s protecting it with hers. Whatever the reason, I appreciate it. “Thanks,” I tell her.
“We should go,” Xin says. “The path to the surface is long. Nephilim forces are gathering at Asgard and I suspect Nephil will strike within the week. It will be our last stand. If we cannot stop him, the war will be lost.”
“We’ll stop him,” I say. “He’s felt the horn’s power.”
“Which is why he will strike with everything he has. Warriors. Thinkers. Gatherers. Even feeders. Every Nephilim tribe and the horrors they possess will be brought against mankind, first for possession of you, and then the world.” He turns his head to the dinosaurs. He says nothing, but four of the larger specimens break formation and stomp toward us. Each is fitted with a seat and a harness.
I let out a laugh. Justin would have loved this.
The dinosaurs split up and stop in front of each of us. When Xin mounts the one in front of me, I give him a quizzical look.
“Grumpy is yours,” he says. “Always has been.”
Kainda grumbles as she mounts the dinosaur provided her, but she looks absolutely amazing once she’s sitting atop its back, like some kind of Edgar Rice Burroughs jungle queen. The dinosaur tilts its head up and r
oars. Perhaps understanding the power she now wields, Kainda grins wickedly. She looks at me and says, “Name it.”
My smile is impossible to hide, but I manage not to tease her about wanting to name animals now. The dinosaur she rides is a female, perhaps twenty-seven feet long. Second in size only to Grumpy. Sticking with my childhood cartoon theme, I say, “Zok.”
“Zok,” Kainda says, testing the word. Then she leans toward the cresty’s head and says, “Come, Zok. To the surface!”
To my amazement, the creature obeys, turning round and heading across the cavern. The rest of us follow, close behind. As we pass through the army of dinosaurs, they split to make room for us, but they don’t let us pass all the way through. Instead, they surround us, a moving protective barrier.
Luca laughs as he clings to Em’s back. This is as fun for him as it would be for any six year old boy—or is he seven now? I’m not even sure when his birthday is. Em looks a little worried, but she’s managing. Kat, riding next to them, looks like her normally focused self, neither enjoying nor fearing the ride on the back of a dinosaur.
I turn to Xin, riding next to me. Thank you, brother.
Anything in service to my king.
Though he hasn’t spoken the words aloud, I still hear the humor in them. He must have heard talk of this on the surface, perhaps from the hunters I sent along with the escaped prisoners. And he knows, without a doubt, how uncomfortable it would make me feel.
I shake my head. King Solomon. Ridiculous.
29
The journey back to the surface is uneventful. The cresties carrying us move at a steady quick pace, far faster than we could have traveled on foot. The path we take—a long since dried up riverbed—rises at a steady incline toward the coast. The cavern is tall and wide, easily accommodating our oversized transport, which is probably why Xin chose this route.
“How long were we gone?” I ask. Wright’s timekeeping trick, while handy, won’t work because we weren’t always walking, and we were far deeper than any of us have been before. Xin mentioned that the prisoners reached Wright’s FOB. Traveling from Olympus, the journey would have likely taken weeks, so I’m prepared for his reply.
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