The unicorns worked as a team and positioned their bodies in a circle with their horns appearing like spokes off a wheel. Their stance removed the advantage of surprise. Nothing could sneak up on them from behind.
Zoe held her short sword. She’d kept her blade razor sharp. She’d have no trouble killing an attacker.
Gabriella saw the dark body streak through the air as it lunged for Justin. She didn’t waste a moment. Justin turned to see the saber-toothed cerberus fly at him. He blocked the attack with his arm, but the beast’s sharp claws tore into his flesh. At impact, the heavy cerberus knocked Justin to the ground. All Justin could see was the beast’s dark head and mane as he struggled to keep the monster from gouging his face.
Gabriella jumped into the fight, slicing the snake-tail from the cerberus’s body. Then she jabbed its abdomen. The cerberus shrieked in pain as blood oozed from its wound and dripped onto Justin. She then drove the sword into the heart of the beast. It let out a final, pitiful cry and collapsed. Justin quickly shoved the animal off of him, and then the forest lit with red eyes.
They were surrounded.
Kate nocked her arrow, preparing to fire. She noticed the pair of red orbs trained on her a second before the monster lunged. She let the arrow fly, and it pierced the heart of the cerberus. The beast fell to the ground, dead at her feet. She swiveled her head to assess where to strike next.
The cold metal of the sword felt odd in Michael’s hand. He used to be good with a sword, but after all this time he wondered how he’d fare in this attack. The pair of cerberi stalked towards him. Drakkar’s hooves stomped the ground and rumbled a warning, but the two cerberi growled back. They leapt towards Michael and Drakkar.
Michael focused on the cerberus speeding towards him. He ducked and slid his sword into the soft underbelly of the cerberus as it leapt in attack. Then he forced his sword upwards and sliced a deep gash into the flesh under the mane of the cerberus. The beast’s head thunked on the ground.
A shrieking howl rang through the air. Michael turned to see the unicorns fighting fiercely. Impaled on Drakkar’s horn, a cerberus yelped and clawed, trying to get at Drakkar’s face. With a swift turn of Drakkar’s head, the cerberus flew off the horn and smacked into a tree before falling to the ground. Drakkar lowered his horn and stabbed the cerberus through the head. When Drakkar withdrew, blood trickled from his horn. Drakkar let out a low rumble and looked around and stomped his hooves.
Evan stood with his bloodied sword ready to strike again. Around their little group lay dead cerberi. The attack happened fast, but the monsters’ deaths happened even faster. “Is anyone hurt?” Evan asked.
“No,” Justin replied as he healed his wounds. He was thankful Gabriella asserted herself. He gave her a quick nod and smile.
Nick cleaned the blood from his sword. “That’s just a sampling of what awaits us,” he said. He slid his sword back into the sheath.
“We must be getting close,” Alex said. “That was a big group.” He’d killed three cerberi himself, and the ground now lay littered with the monstrous corpses.
“Hade’s Well is just over that ridge,” Nick said. “Listen carefully and you’ll hear it.
Kate made out the faint sound of rushing water in the distance. She strode purposefully towards it with Blaze by her side. As she crested the hill, she stopped short. Never before had she seen such an amazing sight. Blood red water cascaded down rock formations that looked like steps. The crashing water pooled in a large canyon and then flowed out in a wide river. “It’s red,” she mumbled. She hadn’t expected red water, let alone the pink foam that collected where the waterfall collided with the river.
“Yes, quite a sight to behold,” Alex said, stepping beside her. “Not everyone gets a view like this. I’ve seen pictures, drawings really, but to see it in the flesh is another thing completely.”
“Is it poisonous?” Gabriella asked. The unicorns needed water before they could lay siege to Kahan’s fortress.
“No,” Nick replied. “The water gets its color from rare minerals and microorganisms that thrive in this area. As the water joins up with fresh springs and rivers, it lightens until it’s diluted enough to look like your typical fresh water.”
Alex cleared his throat and added, “Some suggest that while the water is not poisonous, it does have special properties.”
“Yes,” Netra said. “There is a legend among the Oracles that the water from Hade’s Well grants supernatural power to those who drink from it. According to the legend, an ancient group of Oracles met here. No one lived here at that time. It was a barren land. Nephilim and Reapers roamed far away. This area had little dangers at that time. So the Oracles debated and practiced all kinds of magic. They inscribed their findings in scrolls and hid them from their enemies.” She flicked her wrist. “Anyway, it is believed that the Oracles created new microorganisms. It is those microorganisms that color the water.”
“Hmm,” Kate murmured. She wasn’t sure how credible Netra’s story was, but she’d seen some pretty amazing stuff. Could the Oracles create life, or did they only alter it?
“How does it taste?” Zoe asked. She was thirsty, but she still had plenty of fresh water that they’d collected earlier. She wasn’t so sure that she wanted to drink blood-red water. Her mind couldn’t get over the strange color.
“Try it for yourself,” Netra said. She carefully climbed down the tiered rocks and stopped beside the raging falls. Onyx’s hooves clomped against the rocks as he followed her. The unicorn stopped short of the river and whinnied. The sound of the rushing water intensified and swirled around her.
Michael walked carefully as he went from rock to rock. Red spray dappled the stones surrounding the falls. He knelt and scooped the red water in his hand, bringing it to his nose. It didn’t smell bad, but it did smell different from most water. It smelled like the air after a storm. To think of the smell as “fresh” or “clean” would be accurate. It made Michael’s mouth water.
Netra eyed Michael as he sniffed the water. “Smells good,” she stated and confidently scooped a handful to her mouth. The cool water washed over her tongue and went down like sweet cream.
Nick watched for Netra’s reaction. He wasn’t sure how much weight he’d give to the old legends, but if the water was safe to drink, he’d drink it.
“Fantastic,” Netra said, her eyes bright as she looked at her friends. Then she scooped another handful to her mouth and relished the taste.
Kate didn’t want to hear about the microorganisms living in the water. She already pretended that the water she drank back home was pure, just 100 percent Hջ0 without anything extra floating around in it. But the smell that wafted through the air and the cool mist that fell on her was too tempting. She decided to give it a try. She knelt and scooped her hand into the water and sniffed.
Alex knelt beside Kate and watched her as she tentatively sipped the water from her palm. She glanced up at him and smiled. “It’s great,” she said.
“So if it’s poisoned, it’s a slow working poison,” Alex teased. Kate cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at his joke
“It’s not poisoned,” Netra stated. She pulled a canteen from her bag. “It’s magical.” She unscrewed the cap and submerged it in the red water.
Li had heard about the magic, but he didn’t believe it. He’d never felt any different after sampling it. Sure, this water tasted heavenly, but water is water.
The unicorns spread out among the rocks and drank their fill. Nick spotted a high rock formation at the top of the falls. It leveled out at the top and had some vegetation which could provide a hiding place. “Meet me there,” he said, and he started climbing. They were getting close to Kahan’s fortress, and he needed to plan.
Kate and Alex watched Nick head towards the rocks. They each knew how important this mission was, and Nick had their full support.
Nick lay on his belly at the top of the plateau looking at Kahan’s expansive fortress. Thoughts swirled in his h
ead as he contemplated the massive undertaking that capturing a castle that size would be. The main fortress’s floorplan was massive and four floors high. Then shooting off from two of the fortress’s sides were impressive buildings that complemented the main fortress. Doubt ate away at him. Was their group too small for such an undertaking?
When he’d heard that Netra had a powder that could render Vires useless, he felt such hope. He’d pushed the possibility of failure from his mind, but now that the overwhelming size of the fortress was evident, he didn’t know how they would be able to overcome the numbers that were required to run such a fortress. Kahan must have hundreds of minions meeting his needs.
Alex lay beside Nick on his belly and studied the fortress before them. The massive walls were constructed from blue granite. The stonework was impressive. Patterns were formed by various types of granite, creating visual beauty to the otherwise sharp features of the fortress. Even in the weak light of the moon the beautiful attention to detail was evident. Towers rose into the sky. Turrets ran the periphery along the perimeter. The two outbuildings were constructed from the same granite, but were not nearly as fancy. This assault would be a challenge. He sensed Nick’s concern. “We’ve been in more difficult situations,” Alex said, hoping to encourage Nick.
Nick worked the muscle in his jaw as he thought. “I’m not so certain of that,” he replied. “Our numbers are small.”
“Yes, but we are powerful,” Netra said, joining the men on the ground. She adjusted her position to avoid a stone protruding from the dirt. “We have advantages they can only dream of.” The last of the unicorns and fellow travelers stepped onto the plateau.
Kate stared at the massive structure that Kahan called home. She’d never seen such an enormous fortress. “That’s where he lives?” she asked in awe. She watched Nick’s facial muscles flex as he clenched his jaw. “What’s the plan? Divide up or present a unified attack?”
Nick inhaled a deep breath. “We can’t wait too long. Night provides us with cover. We need to divide up. There’s just too much ground to cover if we stick together. Plus we’ll appear larger if we simultaneously attack from different positions. It will be harder for them to guess our numbers. They may panic or work themselves into a frenzy.”
Evan spoke in a hushed voice, “I agree. Divide and conquer. We need to throw them off-balance. If we stick together we risk trapping ourselves in with no one to support us.”
“What do you want us to do?” Netra asked Nick. She wasn’t a skilled warrior, but she could work her magic.
“Kill them all,” Nick replied. “They deserve death, and we will hand it to them. But first we must free Hayden.” One fear Nick had was that they were too late. He had no proof of life. He had no idea where she was on Kahan’s compound. They knew so little that planning strategically was like throwing darts in the dark at a moving target. His best attempt would have to be good enough. They didn’t come this far to fail.
Nick stood and gathered some stones and twigs. He set them on the ground in the same formation as Kahan’s fortress. “Each of these stones represents a location on Kahan’s property,” Nick said. “Here’s the main house.” He pointed to the largest stone in the middle. “The twigs represent the corridors that connect the outbuildings to the main fortress. Most likely, the outbuildings are support,” he said as he stole a look at the group huddled around him. “One of the buildings probably serves as the barracks. A fortress this large requires massive uptake and servants to do the work. Kahan has to feed and house them somewhere. My guess is that the other building is a barn of some sort. Daevas’s castle was stocked with unicorns in order to make the protective wear. My guess is that Kahan also has unicorns under his thumb.”
“How should we divide up?” Alex asked. “How many teams? Where do you want us?”
Nick studied the group. He knew how most of them would react in a fight, but he wasn’t sure about Michael, Gabriella, or Li. Michael was still recovering from his imprisonment. That kind of nightmare wasn’t easily forgotten. And even though Michael appeared whole, Nick knew there were wounds that were well concealed in Michael’s mind. But even with those wounds, Nick considered Michael a valuable ally.
“Kate, Alex, and Michael, you begin at the west wing of the compound.” Nick pointed at the rocks that represented the building closest to them. Then he pointed to the other rock. “Zoe, Evan, and Netra will go to the east wing. Justin, Gabriella, Li, and I will start at the main house.”
Li felt relief at hearing his name called along with Gabriella’s. If he wasn’t with her, he would’ve complained. She was his responsibility, even if she disagreed with him. Justin may have her interest now, but Li still needed to be a blip on her radar. He had history with her. That had to work to his advantage.
“Wait,” Alex said. He pulled out the dagger he’d removed from the safe.
Netra instantly recognized the dagger. It had disappeared long ago. The Oracles had searched everywhere, but no one could find it. They feared that a mighty Nephilim had seized it. When she first heard of Hayden’s capture, she knew magic was involved. She wondered if the dagger had been used in whatever ritual was preventing Hayden from scintillating or escaping.
“May I?” Netra asked, holding her hand towards the dagger.
“Of course,” Alex said. He placed the dagger in Netra’s open hand.
Netra felt energy sizzle from the dagger. Warmth penetrated her flesh, and she knew she held the true Telum. Copies had been made by pretenders hoping that if they waved around a dagger that looked like Telum they could overpower their enemy. But copies were never the same as the original. Only the original warmed at the touch of an Oracle.
Netra fingered the thick leather that sheathed the dagger and grazed her fingertips over the ornate gold detail that adorned the two ends of the sheath. Oracles did wonderful work. They believed in harmony and beauty. The sheath reflected that. She gripped the ivory handle and pulled the dagger free. The curved blade had a red hue because it had been forged in the magical water of Hade’s Well. Elaborate scrollwork followed the double curve of the blade.
Netra tore her eyes from the dagger and looked at Alex. “Where did you get this?” she asked and then focused on the beauty of the dagger again.
“You know I can’t answer that,” Alex replied. “Some things must remain a mystery.”
“Hmm.” Netra disliked the answer, but she knew it would do no good arguing with an Asteri. If they’d hidden the Telum, then they must have had a good reason. “Thank you for returning it,” she said. “Many have searched for this.”
Nick watched Netra as her emotions played out on her face. Awe, wonder, and hope switched through her expressions. “Can you do something with that?” Nick asked.
Mischief danced through Netra’s eyes as her lips formed a wide smile. “I can do lots of things with this. But I know the first thing I must do. I will need to stay here to work a spell.”
Zoe spoke first, “If it’s important enough, we can stay here with you, delay our attack on the outbuilding.
Nick didn’t like it. Their numbers were already too small. “Is it worth the delay?” he asked, staring at Netra. “Will your magic prove valuable?”
Netra nodded with confidence. “They shall see the fire of Hell seconds before they arrive at their eternal destination,” Netra replied.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Nick said. “Follow along as soon as you can.”
17. Bloodletting
Nick huddled in the woods and watched Alex, Kate, and Michael head for the outbuilding. He trusted Alex’s leadership as the group headed to the west side of the fortress. Nick led his group of four to the exquisite garden maze that covered the well-manicured landscape. They paced through the maze, stopping near the fortress. The fortress was even more impressive than they imagined. Impressive scrollwork added details to the already beautiful granite walls, statues dotted the elaborate grounds, and guards kept a steady pace as they patrolled the area.
From their hiding place, a wall of bushes that made up a section of the garden maze, Nick watched as four guards patrolled the back side of the fortress in small sections. This was good. Small numbers would give them a chance. He wasn’t surprised to see that the guards were covered in unicorn leather. Nick’s group needed to kill the posted guards without giving them time to raise an alert. Speed and accuracy were critical at this point.
Nick whispered his plan to Justin, Gabriella, and Li. They were to spread out and hide amidst the shrubs of the garden maze. Nick would give the signal, and they’d each send an arrow into the exposed neck of their target, hopefully silencing them. Then they’d rush their targets and take their heads.
They double-checked their weapons. Then Nick watched his friends scurry to their posts. He tried to calm the beast raging within him. Seeing the Nephilim guard the fortress ignited his thirst for blood and justice. Their hideous features stoked the ever-present embers that simmered under his well-maintained visage. Nick could see their red pupils as they scanned the area. As an Avenger, he knew he had to be patient to succeed in his kills, always looking for the best opportunity. He wouldn’t rush this and destroy his chance to free Hayden.
Nick knelt by the bush with his bow and arrow resting by his side. He could move quickly if he needed to, but he waited to give everyone the time they needed to get to their place. Slowly, one-by-one, the others signaled with an owl call that they were set.
Nick raised his bow and locked on his target. He gave the signal, and his arrow sped through the air. The arrow pierced through the Nephilim’s neck and rendered him mute. In synchronicity, the four guards dropped their weapons and clutched at the arrows in their necks.
The shock and fear of his prey fanned the flames of retribution that burned within Nick as he raced to the guard. He drew the poisoned sword and sliced off the guard’s head. Wanting to leave no hint of their attack, he tossed the head into a nearby planter box. He grabbed the guard under the arms and dragged him out of sight. The only sign of trouble was the giant blood smear left on the patio. He hoped that with the darkness of night that the smear would remain unnoticed. They needed whatever advantage they could get. Nick ripped the arrow out of the guard’s throat so he could reuse it. With the guard concealed behind a patio bench, Nick hid in the shadow of a pretentious statue.
Synchronicity (Scintillate Series Book 3) Page 25