Yuir’s words became hysterical. “No! Why did you kill him?”
Major Zorin shrugged. “I was not in charge of the questioning. It seems our superiors were a little too eager to get the truth out of him.”
Yuri got up and started to wail as he moved forward in a last desperate show of anger and defiance. Major Zorin instantly drew his pistol and shot the old man in the forehead. The gunshot reverberated across the room as Yuri’s corpse fell backwards into the dusty concrete flooring.
Leonid backed up closer to where the oven was as he dragged Ilya in front of him. “If you shoot me, you will hit the boy! Do not shoot!”
Major Zorin calmly stepped over Yuri’s corpse as he got closer. “You do not stand a chance. Give it up.”
Leonid gasped as more than a dozen laser beams were pointed to his head. No matter which way he tried to duck and cover, the red tracers continued to follow and blinded his eyes. He cried out in despair as he used one free hand to try to wave the beams of red light away but to no avail. “Stop! Stop it!”
“This organization you work for,” Major Zorin said. “It’s called the Temple, right? What exactly is it about?”
“It’s the Temple of the Black Sun,” Leonid said tearfully as he pushed the boy away from him and held up his arms in the air. “They are supposed to be a group of magicians based in Germany. One of them was an American, he told us about the two children and made us forward information to the military here so they knew where the kids would be.”
“So we captured the kids for your masters,” Major Zorin said softly. “But what happened to the convoy with the American girl in it?”
“I don’t know! All we did was relay the information to the Temple, and they said they would take care of the rest! The American’s name was Solomon! The head magician is a German named Orlok! I don’t know anything else!”
“Very interesting, thank you,” Major Zorin said to him before looking up at his men. “Do it.”
The moment he heard those final words, Leonid cried out in terror as several subsonic rounds instantly passed through his head and he fell forward, blood gushing from the multiple holes. Ilya whimpered as he crawled forward, away from the convulsing corpse.
Major Zorin walked over to the boy and held out his hand. “Let’s go, boy.”
But Ilya stayed down on the ground and merely looked up at him. “I’m not going back to Moscow with you, please let me go.”
Major Zorin sighed as he holstered his pistol. “I’ve got my orders, either you get up now and come with us, or my men will grab you by your little balls and drag you with them back to the compound. Colonel Denikin wants you back right away, so let’s go, you little shit.”
“Such language, you shouldn’t say such rude things to a child like that,” a high-pitched voice from the far side of the room said.
The men of the elite Alpha Group were stunned as they started aiming their weapons in every direction, trying to find where the source of the voice was. Major Zorin instantly crouched down and grabbed Ilya by the shoulders. The boy struggled but the Spetsnaz officer was too strong for him as he started to drag the boy towards the entrance.
One of the commandos aimed his silenced battle rifle at the raven perched on top of the tractor. “It’s that black bird!”
Most of the other soldiers laughed in apparent disbelief as several more of them aimed their weapons at the raven.
Major Zorin instantly put one arm up while keeping the other one on Ilya’s shoulder. “Hold your fire!”
The raven didn’t seem too concerned. It just kept on looking at them despite the multiple laser beams that were pointed all over its body.
One of the other commandos shook his head. “Is this a joke?”
The first soldier was adamant. “I’m telling you, it was the bird that was doing the talking!”
For a few seconds there was nothing but total silence other than the crackling fire in the oven. Nobody moved as they continued to stare at the black bird while it ruffled its feathers, still perched on top of the tractor.
The raven smoothed its wing feathers with its beak before looking at them. “Okay, you got me.”
Major Zorin continued to gesture at his men to hold their fire. “We were expecting a talking dog but now we got a talking bird instead.”
“A lot of birds talk,” the raven said. “Perhaps you just weren’t listening hard enough.”
Ilya looked up at the bird. “Coyote? Is that you?”
“More or less,” the raven said.
Even though the situation was serious, the boy couldn’t help but smile a little. Despite all the betrayals and the odds, he had succeeded in meeting up with the trickster.
Major Zorin smirked as well. “So the magical, talking dog turned into a magical talking bird. I feel like I am back listening to my babushka tell her folk stories while I sat on her lap as a child.”
“You should have listened more closely to her,” the raven said. “There’s a certain amount of truth to those stories.”
Major Zorin gestured at one of his men and the door to the outside was quickly sealed shut. “This is fortunate for I have orders to take you with us as well, little black bird. Do not worry, my men will not harm you this time.”
“Oh, I have no doubt of that,” the raven said. “But we’re not going anywhere.”
Major Zorin looked confused. “You aim to take the boy with you? I don’t think you realize that I have almost three squads of Spetsnaz, and their weapons are all pointed in your direction. Do you want this to end up like the last time?”
The raven shifted sideways slightly as it ruffled its feathers. “Yes, I must admit you surprised me the last time because we had just entered your world, so I wasn’t expecting an ambush then. But this time I brought along some help.”
Major Zorin and a few other men instantly began to look around the garage. A Spetsnaz trooper who was closest to the side of the tractor soon noticed that there was something near the back of the old vehicle, hidden in the shadows. As he raised his assault rifle and took a look through its night-vision optics, the soldier let out a cry of alarm as his finger squeezed the trigger of the gun.
But the soldier was too late as the creature closed in on him with a speed of a thunderbolt, using its clawed hands like a battering ram as the Spetsnaz commando was thrown backwards like a rag doll, his rifle flying across the room. At first glance, it seemed to resemble a man but its pale white skin was tough and leathery, like a crocodile’s. It didn’t seem to wear any clothes as they could see that its broad feet ended in talons. The creature’s head was completely hairless; the nose was still somewhat visible while its mouth was filled with black, razor-sharp teeth. But the most inhuman aspect was its eyes; they were completely blood red and glowed in the semi-darkness.
The other Alpha Group troopers instantly reacted as they brought their weapons to bear on the intruder, but the creature was too fast as it began to systematically tear into them. A few commandos ended up getting shot by their own colleagues as the monster fought against them at point-blank range. The commandos in the other side of the room opened fire from the opposite direction but even their armor piercing, subsonic rounds only seemed to make the creature angrier as several more of their own went down.
Ilya watched in horror as the creature made short work of at least a dozen men before leaping up into the air and then landed on top of another group of soldiers at the opposite side. Within less than twenty seconds, almost all of the Spetsnaz commandos were either dead or incapacitated. As the boy tried getting up, somebody grabbed him from behind and held onto his shoulder.
Major Zorin drew his pistol and aimed it at the boy’s head while standing behind him. “Stop you attacks or I’ll kill the boy!”
The creature slowly turned in his direction as it wiped the blood from its maw using one of its wiry arms. Only the three of them were left standing.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Major,” the raven said. “My frie
nd you see, he is quite fast and you’ll be dead before you can even squeeze that trigger on the halfway mark.”
Major Zorin said nothing as the creature faced him and started moving in his direction. The Spetsnaz officer took a few steps back as he dragged Ilya along until his back hit the wooden garage door.
The raven kept staring at them. “Last chance, Major.”
Major Zorin spat at the creature before he pushed Ilya to the ground and then aimed his pistol at his adversary. “I am a commander in Alpha Group, we never surrender!”
The creature’s kick was a blur as its foot connected with Major Zorin’s chest before he could even fire the pistol. The force of the blow sent the major flying into the air as his body smashed through the wooden entrance and flew back for almost thirty feet before landing near a distant copse of trees with a muffled thud.
Ilya’s mouth was open as he saw the creature take a glance at him before moving through the man-sized hole in the door so it could take on the supporting troops that were outside. A few minutes later, the boy heard distant sounds of shouting, gunfire, and explosions before several loud crashes and then finally an eerie silence.
The raven flapped its wings and flew up into the ceiling for a bit before landing beside the boy. “We need to get going. Tara is in trouble and I need your help,” it said.
Ilya got up and dusted himself off as he saw that the creature was heading back towards the entrance. “What is that thing? Is it some sort of a demon?”
“He used to be an American soldier,” the raven said. “He goes by the name of Patrick Gyle.”
16. Skyship
Germany
Achim Lange frowned when he noticed that his dark red beret had a tiny stain on it. He quickly took it from the table and placed it back on his head. After picking up his fork he resumed eating again. The mess hall was serving his favorite dish, a plate of currywurst and French fries, yet he didn’t have much of an appetite because of what was happening in Europe. So instead of putting food in his mouth, he just started to stir the fork back and forth, making strange patterns with the curry sauce on the plate.
His co-pilot, Matthias Seidel, noticed what he was doing. “What is it, Achim?”
Lange looked up at him as he put the fork down again. “For the first time in weeks, you finally call me by my first name.”
Unlike his colleague, Seidel had a hearty appetite as he kept on chewing. “We’ve been acting professionally for months now because of this crisis, but I think it’s better if we take a little pressure off by calling each other by our first names again, don’t you agree?”
Lange looked out into the window. The skies were overcast even though it was high noon. “What difference does it make? We’re about to be overrun anyway. If not by those Fomorians in the west, then by hordes of giants and demons from the east. My grandfather fought in the war and he told me how he felt about it before he died. I have the same feelings now.”
Seidel gave a low whistle. “Oh, don’t be so glum! The Fomorians may have conquered most of France, Britain, and Ireland, but they have yet to cross our borders. It seems that they are not making any headway in Spain either. I think they have overstretched themselves and the tide is now turning.”
“They are not advancing into Spain because that country has its own demons,” Lange said. “I was in the Costa del Sol last year with my girlfriend, and I heard they are worshiping strange gods down there. Central Spain isn’t any better because I heard there is a war between a group of witches and an army of Catholic fanatics.”
“Fine, be that way. I won’t join your sour graping. I will remain optimistic. How is your girlfriend, by the way?”
Lange’s cheeks were beet red. “She and her family evacuated to Hannover weeks ago! I told you this already!”
Although the dining hall was half empty, a few heads turned in their direction. Both men looked away from each other and said nothing for the next few minutes.
Seidel smirked. “I’m sorry, Achim. I guess I just forgot. I was just trying to make you feel better, that’s all.”
“I wish I was gay like you, then I wouldn’t have to worry about others so much.”
Seidel frowned. “You think because I’m gay it means I don’t care? You are so stupid.”
“You don’t have a steady relationship, nor do you seem too concerned about the casualties we’ve taken either.”
“As I’ve said, I am just optimistic about all of this, that’s all.”
Lange sighed. “Believe what you want, I don’t want to hear about it.”
A lieutenant entered the NCO mess hall and walked up to the two of them. “Staff Sergeants Lange and Seidel report to the main briefing room immediately.”
The two men stood up and saluted before heading out.
Lange continued to adjust his beret as he walked out the door. “What do you suppose they want us for now?”
“Perhaps they will tell us the war is over,” Seidel said softly.
Colonel Anton Wegener ran his fingers through his close cropped silvery hair and looked at the map once more. The headquarters staff of the Rapid Force Division was woefully understaffed and would normally be commanded by General Langsdorf, but the CO and most of his command staff were missing after their helicopter went down last month near Poland. All attempts to recover the wreckage were met with failure due to reports of demonic attacks coming from the east as well as the ever encroaching cold front. Wegener was the commander of Kommando Spezialkrafte, the elite special forces unit of the German Army, and now he was placed in charge of protecting Berlin from an unknown threat.
His aide, Captain Paul Huff, walked into the headquarters room and handed him a piece of paper. “Colonel, I’m afraid we only have one Tiger gunship available for reconnaissance.”
Colonel Wegener could barely hide his disappointment. “What about unmanned aircraft?”
“We have no drones left, Colonel. There is a squadron of Tornados near Stuttgart, but it is less than full strength. I could request that they-”
Colonel Wegener shook his head. “No, no. EUCOM needs that squadron against the Fomorians. We will have to make do with what we have.”
EUCOM was the European Combat Command of the US military; they had been cut off from the American mainland so all remaining US forces in the European Union were transferred to their command and deployed along the French border with Germany. Most of the German Army along with the remnants of the French, Dutch, and Belgian forces were now under their control as well. The only major forces guarding Germany’s eastern borders were centered around the 1st Panzer Division, less than 10 miles east of Berlin. The few reconnaissance units that had been sent into Poland had not returned.
The German government was in an acute sense of panic. Most of their parliament ministers in the Bundestag, along with the president, had been hastily transferred over to Hanover when the Fomorians overran Ireland, the United Kingdom, and most of France. Only the chancellor and his staff had stayed in the capital city of Berlin for it was too close to the eastern border. Although Bonn was the seat of government during the days of the German partition, it was now considered too close to the French border to be secure. Refugees from all over Europe were fleeing towards the center of the country despite the fact that there were no safe areas to go to.
A staff member who was working the computer information systems uploaded the latest photographs onto the main monitor at the center of the room. It showed a very dense cloud formation that looked like a gigantic grey island in the sky.
Colonel Wegener crossed his arms as he stared at the pictures. “How close is that cloud from Berlin?”
“Based on our meteorological estimates, the formation should be skirting over the eastern edges of the city, sir, latest reports have it over Muncheburg,” a staff sergeant said.
Colonel Wegener stared at his aide. “Can we get a remote camera feed from the gunship?”
Captain Huff nodded. “Yes, Colonel. We can have the live vid
eo feed up on the monitor.”
“Okay, send the Tiger up,” Colonel Wegener said softly.
Minutes later, a Tiger attack helicopter piloted by Sergeants Lange and Seidel had taken off from their base in the southern outskirts of Berlin and flew on a steady course towards a mysterious cloud formation that was nearing the city from the east. The Tiger gunship was Germany’s answer to the US military’s Apache; both helicopters had four blades on their rotors as well as dual turbo shaft engines and with an almost identical weapons system. Achim Lange was sitting in the forward pilot’s position in the tandem cockpit while his colleague Matthias Seidel occupied the gunner’s chair, which was slightly elevated behind him. Both men could operate either the weapons or the flight controls from their own respective chairs in the event of an emergency, though in most situations, Lange would handle the flying of the aircraft while Seidel concentrated on the weapons.
“Tiger One to Base,” Lange said as he activated the Tiger’s communications array. “Enabling live video feed now.”
“Base to Tiger One,” the voice from ground control said. “Affirmative, we are receiving your video feed, over.”
Lange banked the control stick due east as the Tiger accelerated close to two hundred miles per hour. The skies were already overcast and had been for weeks. He could count the number of days in the past few months in which a few rays of the sun had actually shined over the city. Within minutes, both the pilots in the air and their regional headquarters could see the massive cloud formation floating less than three miles ahead of them.
“My god,” Seidel said.
It looked like a gigantic, towering mass of grey cotton candy and was at least several miles in diameter. As the Tiger helicopter approached, it seemed to resemble a tiny gnat on a collision course towards a ghostly giant that floated in sky.
Lange kept his eyes on the display as he focused on the sensory data. “Range to target, less than two miles. Target altitude at eight thousand feet at its base and twenty thousand feet at the top of its formation.”
Canticum Tenebris (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 2) Page 20