Alex turned and locked the door behind them. He slipped his backpack from his shoulders and set it on the floor, dug through the contents, and pulled out a grenade. “We’ll throw these and ‘kaboom’,” he said opening his hands to mimic the explosion.
Kate and Michael readied their grenades too. “Once the explosions start, I can whip the fire into an inferno. They won’t know what hit them.”
“Let’s do this,” Michael said. He stepped over the dead Nephilim and pressed his ear to the door. It was quiet in the hallway.
The three paced down the hallway, clearing the dorm rooms as they went along. They eased open one of the doors and found a Dolum reading on the bed. Headphones covered his ears and muffled their presence, but he caught a whiff of them and startled, tossing aside his magazine. As he stood to grab his weapon, Michael sunk a knife deep into the Dolum’s heart. He pulled the knife free and shoved the Dolum back onto the bed. His eyes grayed over as death overtook him.
At the end of the hallway, they came to double doors. To the left of the doors was a stairway that led to the upper floors. Kate wanted to go up. She wanted to clear the floors before destroying the building, just in case an innocent was trapped up there. “I’m going up,” she whispered.
Alex didn’t like the twisting in his gut. The easiest thing to do would be to destroy this building with fire and then go help Nick and the others in the fortress.
“I can clear the floor alone,” she said, determination blazed from her eyes.
Alex wasn’t ready for her to go off alone. She was powerful, but he didn’t know how she’d handle a large group. Would she become overwhelmed? Could she be caught in surprise and killed? “No, we stick together,” Alex said.
“Okay,” Kate replied with a shrug. She pushed open the door and stepped into the stairwell. She pressed herself against the banister in order to look up the empty center of the stairs. No one was above them, but when they came to the landing on the second floor, she heard voices. She slipped a grenade from her belt and held it up for Alex and Michael to see.
They both nodded in agreement. All of them pulled on their face masks. Alex and Michael lifted their own grenades. Kate opened the door and they tossed the grenade towards the Nephilim. She quickly shut the door before it exploded.
Shouts and curses pierced their ears in unison with the explosion. The fire powder poison burst in a cloud and covered the Nephilim. They couldn’t breathe without inhaling the fire powder. They fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
Kate exited the stairwell first, followed by Alex and Michael. The Nephilims and Dolums in the hallway rubbed their hands against their eyes and bent over, trying to shake off the powder. They were shell-shocked and easy pickings for the small band of Asteri. The trio slashed through the defenseless monsters, but unfortunately the explosion had alerted others to their attack. Nephilim and Dolum flooded the hallway from the door at the end of the hall.
As the beasts filled the hallway and continued to pour in, Kate knew that they couldn’t kill them fast enough. Soon they would be overwhelmed. Kate yelled to Alex and Michael and signaled with her hand to get out of the way. The two Asteri took off for the stairwell behind her.
Kate cupped her hand to her mouth and blew over her palm. Fire flowed from her hand as if it was a flamethrower. Screams and moans broke out as the fire licked over the monsters’ bodies and the walls drank in the flames.
The smell of burning flesh sickened Michael. The foul odor flashed him back to his time in Charleston during the war. The busy seaport town had burned to the ground. Fires had consumed building after building. He’d lost count of the dead that lay scattered on the ground, but now he tore his mind from the past and stumbled as he raced towards the safety of the stairwell.
Alex shoved open the door and dragged Michael into the stairwell with him. Michael inhaled the fresh air and looked over his shoulder for Kate. “Come on,” Alex yelled as they raced up the stairs. “We don’t have much time.”
Michael cursed himself. He knew he needed to get it together. He had to have Alex’s back. They were a team. He needed to shut down the flashbacks, or they might not survive if he couldn’t get his head out of the past and back in the here and now.
Kate bounded up behind them as they stepped out of the stairwell and collided with trouble. The room they entered was similar to the storage room at Daevas’s castle. Metal shelving lined the room, dividing it into sections. The shelves contained weapons and protective gear.
“Incredible,” Alex said. He walked down an aisle between large metal shelves that ran the length of the massive room. “These are hardcore weapons.”
Michael ran his hand against the barrel of a huge gun. “These are for fighting Asteri? That makes no sense.”
“Not for Asteri,” Alex said, everything clicking into place. The fire powder poison wasn’t just about destroying Asteri. There was a bigger plan in mind. “Kahan wants to take on humanity. If he can get rid of us, he’ll be unstoppable. The Nephilim have always wanted to rule the world, and it appears that they’re gearing up for it. If they can destroy us with the fire powder poison, then they could arm their human minions and the world would be thrust into unbridled warfare and destruction.”
Kate walked down on of the aisles. Boxes of ammunition for all kinds of weapons filled the shelving. “We’ve got to get rid of this,” she said. “I can start a fire and this artillery,” she waved her hand at the aisles of ammunition, “will destroy this building. We can decimate it.”
Alex nodded in agreement.
Nephilim and Dolums flooded the room from the other end in a frenzy. They raced to the protective wear and grabbed poison laced weapons
“We’re out of time,” Kate whispered to the guys as a Dolum slipped a protective leather shirt over his head. The magical leather adjusted to his body like a second skin. His muscles bulged in the tight leather. His black opal eyes locked on Kate as he sneered, finally noticing that they were not alone.
“Hey!” the Dolum shouted and pointed in their direction. The other monsters stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the Asteri in the room.
“Kate,” Michael said. He pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it into the swarm of monsters that threatened to overwhelm them.
“Got it,” Kate said. She threw fire at them, igniting their grotesque bodies.
The Asteri trio turned to go back down the stairs, but smoke filled the stairwell and ash floated in the air. Flames danced up the stairwell. “We’re blocked!” he yelled.
Alex grabbed Kate’s hand and turned, hating that they had nowhere else to go. They rushed back into the room full of burning monsters and ammunition. “There’s a window,” Alex barked. He guided them through the ash and smoke and unlocked the window and forced it open.
Fresh air flooded the room but dissipated quickly into the smoke and ash that sought out the cool night air. Alex pushed Kate to the window. “You first,” he yelled. Saving her was his top priority. He’d lost the love of his life once already; he wasn’t going to lose her again.
Kate didn’t bother fighting. She wasn’t about to waste the time. At any second the fire could ignite the ammunition and explosions would rip through the building. She hopped up on the window ledge and jumped. When she hit the ground, she rolled and looked up just in time to see Michael and Alex land in the grass near her.
Fire and smoke billowed from the windows. Glass shattered and the explosive pops and bangs of the detonating ammunition overpowered every other sound.
“Let’s go!” Michael said. “We need to find Nick and the others.”
As they raced to the fortress, the outbuilding exploded. Stones and debris flew through the air and littered the magnificent grounds.
~ ~ ~
“What the fuck!” Kahan raced to the window and watched as the outbuilding erupted in flames. Minor explosions continued to destroy the building as the stash of weapons exploded. The stone walls crumbled and the floors caved in
on themselves.
Kahan didn’t hold affection for the warriors inside the building, but he recognized that their loss was detrimental to his power. When this ridiculous Asteri tantrum was over, he’d have to clean up this mess and rebuild. He would need to gather more minions and warriors to stand by his side. He was all too aware that some of his cohorts would see this as an opportunity to assert their own power and try to topple him. As he looked at Daevas, he considered his own need for Vires. He never should have gambled with the ring. His pride had cost him dearly when he arrogantly wagered the invaluable ring. Now Kahan didn’t know if Daevas would align with him or use this as a chance to claim more power for himself.
Daevas strode to the window and peered out. “They’re here,” he barked. He’d known the day would come, but he didn’t think it would be this dramatic. This little band of warriors was upsetting the balance of power. He didn’t consider for a moment that the Asteri could defeat him. He wore Vires. He was indestructible, but she wasn’t.
Hayden didn’t like the way Daevas turned his gaze onto her. His eyes took on a new level of hatred. She watched out the window as the flames licked at the building and the smoke billowed into the air. Whatever was happening, she was too afraid to hope for freedom. Confliction warred within her. After all this time she couldn’t understand why Nick finally came for her. She’d prayed for a miraculous rescue, but now that it was here, frustration at Nick’s hubris to attempt such an impossible feat angered her. She couldn’t bear to hope and see her freedom snatched away along with Nick’s life. Hayden’s heart ached as the fear of Nick’s death ate at her core. Didn’t Nick know he could never defeat them? Didn’t he know that she’d rather die than see his death? Hope and anger consumed her.
Kahan tore his eyes away from the destruction and stalked towards Hayden. His fingers slid through her tangled hair and tightened. Her head pulsed as his grip threatened to rip her hair from her scalp. “This is YOUR fault!” Kahan raged. He shoved Hayden’s head and she toppled over. Her head crashed against the marble and new pain shot out in tendrils from her head and traveled through her body. She literally felt the pulsing of her nerves as they heralded the pain.
Suddenly the doors to the great room burst open. A Dolum entered the room, displaying great hutzpah for barging into Kahan’s sanctuary without an invitation. Hayden studied his markings. They told a gruesome story upon his glowing body. He’d killed more than any Dolum that she’d ever seen before. When his eyes turned on her, she went cold.
“What?” Kahan thundered as he turned his gaze upon the intruder. “Ergo,” Kahan hissed through gritted teeth as he stepped closer to him. “Why are you here?”
The Dolum knelt before Kahan, showing his subservience. “We are under attack. I must get you to safety.” Ergo raised his eyes to look at Kahan from where he knelt.
Kahan turned his back on Ergo and stared out the window. He slowly shook his head as the flames continued to grow and brighten the sky. He needed to think this through. Others would be plotting to overpower him while some would rally to his need.
Daevas didn’t trust Ergo. He fingered Vires and rotated it upon his finger. If he were Ergo, he’d use this opportunity to kill Kahan and try to claim more power for himself. But with Vires on his finger, Ergo could never defeat him. Daevas couldn’t help but smirk at the kneeling Dolum. There was no way that Ergo would get Vires. He would have to pry it from Daevas’s cold, dead hands. And Daevas’s smile grew as he delighted in the fact that death was impossible as long as he wore Vires. That ring would be his salvation.
“Thank you for the update,” Kahan said dryly. He pointed out the window. “Do you think I am so stupid that I didn’t notice?” he roared. “No wonder you were demoted,” he added dismissively.
Ergo saw red. He was loyal to Kahan, but he wasn’t a sycophant. He believed in the chain of command too much to praise the bad advice that Kahan had received, and that was why he’d been demoted. Even now he wondered if Kahan realized the absolute insanity of not following his guidance on the first attempt to capture Alex and Kate. If Kahan had followed his advice and sent more soldiers, they may not be in this position right now.
“Are you aware of the attack on the cerberi?” Ergo added soberly. “They are destroyed. The unicorns are free.”
Kahan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His patience was nearly gone. The situation was worse than he’d imagined. It had taken him over a century to develop and perfect the fire powder poison that he used to hide the kidnapped Asteri and coat the weapons. The biggest achievement was when he’d discovered the protective qualities of the unicorn leather. Everything was finally coming together, but this band of Asteri threatened his empire.
In frustration, Kahan clucked his tongue and said, “Explain.” He didn’t want to appear uninformed, but Ergo’s news bothered him greatly. Replacing the cerberi would be another hassle he would have to deal with when this charade was over. This little band of Asteri needed to be put down quickly. If word got out about their success at attacking him in his fortress, there would be hell to pay from his rivals.
Ergo rose from kneeling. Hayden noted his height and the breadth of his chest. He was the most impressive warrior she’d seen, even more impressive than Kahan. “The Asteri have used magic to create ancient beasts that we destroyed long ago,” Ergo said.
Daevas interrupted, “What beasts?” He knew of only a few beasts that had been exterminated. Most of them had been slaughtered without much hassle.
“Silvestri,” Ergo said.
Hayden felt the atmosphere in the room shift. She didn’t know what the Silvestri were, but noting the affect their name had upon her captor, her hope began to outweigh her fear. If Nick had somehow gathered the magical power to renew beasts that sent a chill down Kahan’s spine, then perhaps Nick was better prepared for this battle than she thought.
Needing an estimate of what force he still had at his disposal, Kahan asked, “What are our confirmed numbers?”
“Unknown at this point,” Ergo said. “We are enveloped by chaos. Let me lead you to safety while there is still time.”
“Ha!” Daevas bellowed, stepping between Kahan and Ergo. “You are not taking Kahan anywhere. He is safe with me.” Daevas still hadn’t decided what he wanted to do with Kahan. Should he let Kahan die in this uprising and usurp his kingdom, or should he be the faithful friend?
Ergo could not hide his hatred of Daevas. His eyes twitched at Daevas’s prideful claim. Without the power of Vires, Daevas would be dead within seconds. Ergo knew of numerous competitors who would love to flay Daevas, and as far as Ergo was concerned, Daevas was a child playing at being a grownup. “Do you think you could stop me?” Ergo asked.
“I won’t have to,” Daevas said, rotating the ring upon his finger. “I am invincible.”
Ergo’s laugh echoed off the walls of the great room. “You are not invincible. Vires is.”
“Men,” Kahan barked. “We have something they want.” He pointed to Hayden. “They want her so badly that they summoned the Silvestri. Truly this is unsettling news. They clearly have more power than you anticipated.” Ergo noted how Kahan shirked responsibility for this lack of preparedness. Kahan continued, “We have two options. Flee with the female Asteri, or kill her here and now, and let them come upon her lifeless body.”
Daevas giggled. “There’s actually a little macabre romance in that scenario.” He gripped Hayden’s arm and pulled her up against his body. His fingers gripped her chin as he forced her to face him. “How would your lover like to find your body still warm from the life that flowed through you? Would he weep? Would he follow us to his death?”
Hayden tried not to breathe as his wretched breath fanned her face. She knew there was no right answer to his question, so she remained speechless. She needed to bide her time. She prayed he wouldn’t kill her; she was almost free. Courage pulsed through her. Seeing how these three reacted to the attack only fed her will to live and ignited her passion for lif
e. For so long she’d lived as a dead woman, pacing through a monotonous existence as Kahan’s prisoner, but now she realized that she could thrive among the living again.
Daevas laughed. “She’s speechless.”
Kahan was tired of this needless banter. “Leave her be,” he ordered. “She’s still valuable.” He grabbed her arm and led her to a column. “Get the chains,” he ordered. “We’ll keep her close.”
Daevas went to the chest that sat in the alcove and retrieved the chains. Then he marched to Hayden’s side and threaded the chains through her shackles, securing her to the column. “Stay,” he said condescendingly as he patted her head.
Since Daevas wore Vires, Hayden wasn’t sure how he’d die, but she was determined to try to end his life. She’d gladly sacrifice herself for her rescuers.
Screams, roars, and the noise of battle barraged the great room. Ergo threw his hand out towards double doors that led to the hallway and used his powers to slam them shut. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he pushed a chair under each elaborate handle.
“That won’t keep them out,” Daevas said with a laugh as he fiddled with Vires. He wasn’t too concerned. If the Asteri made it through the doors, there wasn’t much they could do to him.
Ergo craned his head and glared at Daevas. “Consider me enlightened,” he spit out sarcastically. He spread out his arms before him. “Since you are invincible, please show me how to fight and defend this fortress.”
Daevas despised the arrogance in Ergo’s voice. He didn’t appreciate Ergo speaking down to him in front of Kahan. Daevas enjoyed the power he held, especially since he was the one who’d screwed Ergo over. He’d relished the taste of Ergo’s fall from glory. Perhaps when all of this was over, he’d send Ergo to the Pits. That would put the Dolum in his place.
Ergo sped to Kahan’s side. “Please, you must leave now,” he pleaded. “We have mere seconds.”
Synchronicity (Scintillate Series Book 3) Page 28