The Morrígan stood before Scout. He dropped the bow and tried to draw his knife. The Irish goddess was faster. She reached out and grabbed Scout by the throat, her delicate hands seemingly made of steel as he began to choke. She lifted the archer off of his feet and held him impossibly high, dangling eighteen inches from the ground.
She looked at the young agent for a few seconds, taking measure of who he was. Scout's eyes were wide with fear as the oxygen was cut off to his lungs. With one last desperate measure, he drew an arrow from the quiver and physically jabbed it toward his captor.
Her free hand was fast, intercepting his thrust and viciously twisting the wrist until it snapped. He cried out and dropped the arrow. The Morrígan looked down and spotted the half-full quiver attached to the fed's belt. She smiled cruelly, coldly, and walked the young fed over to the truck of a large oak tree.
Boomer slowly regained her senses and watched as the Irish goddess slammed Scout against the tree trunk, hard enough to bruise him, but soft enough to leave him conscious. Pinning him against the trunk, she reached down and grabbed one of the arrows. She slammed it through his shoulder and into the tree, pinning Scout to the trunk.
"Now you know how it feels. I believe we need to teach your companions not to interfere in my affairs. And you will be the perfect object lesson today."
She slowly drew another arrow from the quiver and slammed this one through his other shoulder. The Morrígan methodically repeated the process until there were four arrows in Scout's torso and one each in his arms and legs.
When she released Scout's neck, his body hung, pinned to the tree like a giant trophy for an entomologist. He gave a few shuddering breaths as his airway was released and then spasmed.
The Morrígan turned to the look at the slowly moving vampire agent. "Warn your companions. This is what happens when you attack a goddess."
The Irish goddess turned and walked back toward the open meadow in the forest. As she reached the edge, she shifted into a giant crow. Between steps, she turned from beautiful woman to large crow flying away from the ground. In seconds it was up and over the tree line on the far side of the meadow and gone from sight.
Boomer stared in horror at the body of her partner. She felt pain as her back began to heal itself, and her torso straightened involuntarily, her spine aligning back into place as her accelerated healing mended her body. She could tell it would be several minutes before she would be able to really move again. She keyed her microphone, tears choking her words.
"Boomer to Spooky. Scout's down and I'm busted up. We need the rest of the team here."
Twenty-five minutes later, Boomer heard the sirens of Alpha Team's SUV screaming into the park. It cut off abruptly with a chirp, and she could hear Heavy shouting questions. She tried again to rise, and she was able to get up to her feet while leaning on the tree trunk that broke her back. The vampire was sore, and she knew she would need to feed after this, but she could finally stand.
Heavy was the first to burst through the trees and find her. Ghost, Doc and Dancer followed close on the big fed's heels. When Dancer saw her, the young agent rushed to Boomer and embraced her in a tight bear hug. Tears flowed down the young agent's face, and she missed Boomer's wince as she hugged her mentor tightly.
Doc, on the other hand, did not miss the wince. "Are you all right?" She looked concerned.
"I'm fine. Can you help Billy?"
The priest turned and went to the agent pinned to the tree. She reached up and felt for a pulse. After a long minute, she shook her head. "The only way I can help Billy is to provide last rites. I'm sorry. He was going to die the minute he was pinned like this to the trunk." She stepped back after closing the agent's sightless eyes. "What happened?"
Ghost stepped forward, looking around the scene. The pain in his eyes showed for a brief moment before his self-control slammed that gate shut. When he spoke, his words were soft, but cold. "Yes, Rebekah. What the hell happened?"
Boomer sat back down on the ground and put her head in her hands. Then she looked back up, refusing to hide from the results of her choices and actions. She watched for a moment as Heavy broke each arrow that pinned Scout's body to the tree. He was choosing a point just outside the skin and snapping the arrows with his brutish fingers. Little G walked into the scene and held the archer's body while Heavy removed the arrows.
"We found the target. He was talking to a big black crow in the middle of that meadow. The crow was perched in that tree." She indicated the lone tree in the center of the meadow. "We listened for a bit and caught a little of their conversation. The crow was supposedly some harbinger of death, so Billy thought he'd oblige it. He aimed for the target, not the crow."
She grimaced at the memory. "In hindsight, it was pretty stupid, but he took the shot anyway. It was right on target, except that crow shifted into a really pretty redhead. This lady caught his arrow, then looked at us. Before I could stop him, Billy shot two more arrows at this new woman. She caught the first one, but the second slipped through and hit her in the shoulder." Tears flowed again as Heavy and Little G gently pulled the body down from the tree and placed it in the waiting body bag. Heavy made sure to put the Navajo archer's bow and quiver in the bag with him.
Boomer continued her story, "She got pissed, and told our target to run away. She then stalked us. That's how it seemed, anyway. Billy kept shooting arrows at her, but she wasn't letting anything get through again. She claimed she was some goddess. I tried to stop her, but she smacked me with a backhand and I hit this tree here. I think my spine broke, and I passed out."
Finished with Scout's body, Doc approached Boomer and knelt beside her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Boomer gladly accepted the gesture and continued her story, "I woke up just as she was putting Billy against that tree. She rammed the first arrow into his shoulder. Then she just grabbed arrows from his quiver and pinned him to the tree with them. She ran out of arrows.
"That bitch then told me that we shouldn't interfere with goddesses and left. She walked about three strides into the meadow, turned into a crow and flew away. That's when I called for help on the radio."
Ghost stood, looking down at his broken demolitions expert. "Did you catch a name? Who was she?"
"She called herself the 'Morrígan.'"
Ghost let out a string of curses. He looked at Doc and apologized before turning back to his demolitions expert. "I was afraid you would say that. We need a secure line to Smith." The DHS team leader pulled out his SSP and placed a call to his boss.
28
GAUNTLET
GERALD R. FORD, INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
It had been another somber trip back. Before the team had left the park, Heavy and Ghost had taken two portable torches back to the spot and torched the tree and the ground around the tree to get rid of any bloodstains or signs of struggle. They had been careful to only burn the surface, and to not set the park ablaze. After a small, but necessary, use of the handy fire extinguisher, the two men had left the area with a charred spot, but no signs of battle or death.
The team was in the conference room of the MCC, and Smith's face showed up on the wall. Ghost worked his way through a recap of Alpha Team's efforts, including the firefight at the Unseelie safe house. When he was finished, Boomer recounted her tale, trying to leave no detail unsaid. When she was done, Agent Smith leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, deep in thought.
Smith leaned forward again. "Let me assure you, Ms. Callahan, that there was nothing you could have done differently in that situation. Even Norbert's special rounds in your lovely shotgun would have only made the Morrígan more upset. I'd have lost both of you, instead of only Mister Buckhorn. How are you feeling, now? Are you operational?"
"I'm fine, boss. I'm still a bit sore, but it sure beats being paralyzed. Who is this 'Morrígan' bitch, anyway?"
"She is the goddess in charge of doom and death in battle, especially battle for the Tuatha Dé Danann and their warriors—the Cel
ts." The team recognized a lecture when it started. Smith recited the facts. "The Phantom Queen is also the goddess of sovereignty. She can often appear as three sisters although it is just as much the norm to meet her singular aspect. She is known as a rather temperamental goddess, and mortals tend to turn up dead when she is in one of her moods."
Heavy spoke up from the far end of the table, "That's great and all. But how do you kill a goddess? Does Norbert have some special ammunition for us?"
Smith shook his head. "No, Mister Murphy. Norbert doesn't have anything that will offer that much damage, at least that I know about. In this case, we will have to approach that one carefully. I hope that the Morrígan will not decide to play favorites here, but we won't know that until later. I've had some dealings with her in the past, and I hope we can work past this."
Smith let that sink in momentarily. "As to the present, work with the Seelie Court. If this triggers a war, it will collapse the Accords and humanity will be swept up in it. I've updated this to a Priority Black mission, so you have full access to all resources. I will dedicate a team to standby here, and will gather the remnants of Knightfall and Knightsdawn to have them ready for deployment.
"I cannot stress this enough. Work to solve this one before it becomes a shooting war. If the fae go to war, humanity will lose. I have to go brief the Director. Keep me informed." Smith signed off the conference.
The team looked at each other around the table, dumbfounded. Several long seconds went by before Spooky cleared his throat, "So. Now what?"
Ghost's SSP buzzed in his case. He retrieved it and did not recognize the number. "Special Agent Vanhof."
Ghost nodded as if the caller could see him, and then said, "I understand. We are to be there as Signatories and witnesses, but we are not to offer assistance unless asked. We will be there."
He disconnected and looked around the table. "That was the Seelie Queen. She has proposed a settlement for the Tribunal, and the Unseelie King, the Oracle, and the Praetorian have all accepted. Apparently they are doing something ritual called 'Gliairecht' to determine the prevailing party." He turned to Gretchen.
She shrugged her shoulders, "I've never heard of it. Let me send a note to the boss." She started poking at her own SSP.
Spooky looked up from typing on his wrist pad. "I've got it. It means 'Gladiatorial Combat' or more loosely translated as a more ritualized combat. Think of a trial by combat. The winner determines the winner of the dispute."
He looked up from reading on his wrist computer, "That's bad, isn't it? What if the Unseelie win?"
Gretchen answered, "Then the Unseelie win. We will still have a mandate for the capture of Oude Rode Ogen, but power will shift to an unfriendly side."
Ghost spoke up, "Everyone gear up. We'll be fully armed and armored when we reach the site. Sling your rifles, but take what you need. If this turns into a shooting war, we will win it here. The trial is in three hours. We leave in two."
At that, the team broke up and prepared for action. Now that they had a plan, the team was distracted from their losses, and they were moving with the efficiency that Gretchen knew. By the appointed time, everyone was ready to go. As they walked down the stairs from the MCC, Gretchen dialed the number for the local DHS SAC and let him know that there may be fireworks from an upcoming op.
The Wunder Buggy pulled into a dirt and gravel drive with the sign out front advertising a local concrete contractor. They were waved to a parking spot in the large lot next to the main building. As they climbed out of the truck, Heavy looked around the gravel and dirt lot. There were a lot of high-end sports cars and luxury cars in the lot. A couple panel vans also sat off to one side, their wide side doors open and empty.
The human guard who parked them walked over and said, "Welcome honored guests. Please proceed down that path to the trial grounds. Refreshments have been provided." The man left their proximity when another vehicle pulled into the lot. The human guard walked over to greet its occupants.
Knightmare walked toward the path they were directed to, and Boomer caught the faint whine of drone engines spinning up to speed. She glanced back to see one fly off the roof. She knew Spooky was monitoring both satellite imagery and the drone footage.
Around a bend in the path, the team came out to a wide expanse of a sand and gravel pit. Across from the path, about a hundred yards away, a blue-green reservoir bordered the far edge. Ghost realized that this entire area was surrounded by strategically placed mounds of dirt. He causally pointed out the highest of such small hills to Little G, and the sniper nodded.
The former HRT sniper split from the rest of the party and climbed the small hill. At the top, Little G took a seat and pulled out a compact pair of binoculars. He carefully laid his rifle across his lap and scanned the growing crowds for threats. He clicked his radio mic, "Little G in position." He received a single click of acknowledgement.
A khoztak dwarf approached Ghost, "Welcome Special Agent Vanhof. Is your companion not sitting with you? You do realize that this ritual would be disrupted if your man was to act against one of the participants?" The dwarf's voice was accusatory.
Ghost nodded, an expression of innocence written on his face, "Of course I realize that. He's just up there to make sure that the attacks from the last Tribunal are not repeated."
After losing two of his team members within hours of each other, Ghost decided to twist that barb a little more. "We figured that the Protectors would want the help after the last failure. Of course, if you can guarantee our safety..." The DHS leader let the sentence trail away. He had set that barb pretty deep, and there was no way the Protectors would guarantee his team's safety.
A scowl deepened across the dwarf's eyebrows. Ghost could tell the creature was trying to restrain himself. "Of course we would welcome all the help we can get. We do our very best to ensure the safety of our guests, but you realize that we cannot make the guarantee of safety."
The dwarf pointed to the observation section for the Signatories and the team wandered that way. On the walk, they were greeted by the Seelie Queen and her Knight. The Queen had a full retinue of bodyguards with her, and all of them were either elves or minotaur. All of them were armed with the large exotic handguns and rifles they had seen earlier.
The Queen indicated a seat next to her, and Ghost sat. They talked about the logistics for this trial, and the DHS agent was willingly learning about its history and heritage. As the hour approached, the crowd filled out and the noise of conversation grew quiet.
Ghost estimated that there were about forty or fifty non-human creatures present, including the Unseelie Court in their viewing section, the Seanachaidh and their Protectors, and a few unaligned fae. He saw two robed and hooded figures in the Unseelie Court and wondered if the Oude Rode Ogen was among them. He noticed an awful lot of trolls and goblins in the unaligned viewing areas.
Beside him, the Queen rose, and Ghost felt a prickle of magical power. "I am Queen Lishe at Merunaré, Sovereign of the Seelie Court and Bringer of Light. I convene this Gliaireacht as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Signatory of the E'Tuatha Accords." Her soft and reserved voice was magically amplified, echoing through the trial grounds.
"The Gliaireacht has been called to settle a blood-dispute between the Seanachaidh and the Unseelie Courts. The agreement is for singular combat between the parties. Each party must offer a combatant as their proxy. Praetorian, as the aggrieved party, who will serve your combat?"
All eyes were on the Praetorian. She smiled coldly, "I will be the combatant for the Seanachaidh, as the Praetorian, it is my duty and honor to serve." A gasp ran through the crowd. Ghost knew from his briefing from Agent Smith that it was rare for a Court member to actually fight in the trial. According to Section 28 records, these trials were often to the death, as yielding over an important manner was considered dishonorable.
If the King of the Unseelie was disturbed at the announcement, he was showing none of it. He stood and called out, "As King
of the Unseelie Court, I, Arkanai t'Nakaót, shall stand as combatant for the Unseelie Court."
If the Praetorian had shocked those that were gathered with her announcement, the King's pronouncement silenced them. In the entire written history of the Tuatha Dé Danann, neither the Unseelie King nor the Seelie Queen had ever personally been in the Gliaireacht. Only once before had the Seelie Court Knight fought in the trials. The Unseelie Knight had fought four times in the written histories, and every one of those trials was against an unaligned fae. It was unprecedented that the King would engage in the battle.
At first, the Praetorian did not believe she had heard correctly. She began mentally reviewing everything she knew about the King and his training, his weapon work, and his capabilities in the field. She recalled that he had been a fearsome opponent on the battlefield before his rise to power.
The Queen of the Seelie Courts regained her composure quickly. "As the challenged party, King Arkanai t'Nakaót, what will your choice of weapons be for the trial?"
The King was basking in the attention. His smile oozed charm and self-confidence. His voice dripped with syrupy sweetness while thinly veiling a cold edge. "My Queen. I shall choose blades. If the Praetorian would like a trial, I shall see that she gets one."
The Praetorian paled slightly. While the King was to be feared in battle, his prowess with a blade was legendary. The King rose and removed his suit jacket. The Unseelie monarch next removed his tie and his crisp white shirt, revealing intricate tattoos running up his arms and over his shoulders.
Boomer had to admit that the King t'Nakaót looked incredible with his chest bare. His slender frame filled out into a muscular torso and arms. The DHS agent shook herself when she realized that she had missed something that the Praetorian had said.
INCURSION: Faeblade (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 2) Page 23