by LJ Vickery
Moving silently forward, and keeping to a dense grove of scrub pines, Huxley saw two more pairs to his right and also to his left, then a klatch of three individuals in a huddle, straight ahead. One of those had to be Dagon, Huxley assumed, from the description he’d been given. He crept back to the fallen man’s position and took out his cell phone.
“Fourteen individuals confirmed,” Hux spoke in low tones to Marduk, and gave him exact coordinates. “I’m assuming there could be twice that, if the group in the center has covered their flank.”
“Group in the center?” Marduk questioned.
“Two males and a female. Looks like Dagon and maybe the woman Tess described as her abductor, as well as a tall light-haired guy with his right hand in a cast.”
“That’s the one that stuck me in the kidney.” Marduk also recalled that the man named Matthew had put his hands on Tess. He would savor his revenge against that one.
“Stay put,” Marduk ordered. “We’ll be there at three.” He tapped off his phone and turned to Tess and Dani-Lee. “I want you two to be very careful.” He wasn’t certain that the pair should make the trip to the hospital for medical supplies, but he knew the need might be greater than his fear, and the bad guys should all be busy in Plymouth. He ran a distracted hand across his jaw, making a decision.
“I’m sending Emesh with you.” Emesh! he called, and the god was instantly by Marduk’s side.
You rang, your supremeness?
Tess snickered and, at Dani’s puzzled look, she turned and whispered. “Nobody treats Marduk with what I’d call total respect.” Tess had already told the doctor that the group was an irreverent bunch. She hoped Dani would get the chance to see all these gods in the flesh one day.
“I want you to accompany the ladies to the hospital to, uh, borrow some supplies. Make sure a sizable donation gets tucked under the door of their HR department,” Marduk ordered.
A pout appeared on Emesh’s face. But that means I’ll miss all the action in Plymouth! I was looking forward to a little intimidation, ghost-style.
Marduk commiserated. “Join us after you’re finished, but not before Tess and Dani are safely back at the compound.”
Emesh clapped his hands and bowed to Tess. Genie-boy at your command, he flourished grandly. Let’s make this quick so I don’t miss the fun!
The three headed to Tess’s car. Emesh ghosting above as they took the nearest fire road.
“How are we going to get all the things we need out of the hospital without security all over us,” the doctor asked Tess once they were on their way.
“Remember how Marduk and Enlil showed you their ‘acquiring’ skills,” Tess replied. Dani nodded quickly.
“Emesh will be acquiring the things we need.” Tess laughed. “All you have to do is tell him what you want, and he does the rest.”
****
Back at the compound, forty minutes remained before the gods had to make their appearance. Marduk, now in non-physical form, had a map of Bloody Pond and the surrounding area spread out on the table in the meeting room. The group crowded around to get a better view.
“According to Huxley, we have confirmed humans in the places I’ve marked.” He pointed to the X’s.
“Dagon and his two sidekicks are here,” he continued as he pointed to marks he’d made in the center of a half circle. “And there are probably twice as many making up the rest of a complete circle at Dagon’s rear to surround our meeting point. I’m sure Dagon is counting on our not being able to see the humans, even though he’s aware we’ll be suspicious.”
Enlil, also non-corpus, at Marduk’s side offered, “I’ll take care of the mortals at Dagon’s back. That means I’ll remain far enough away from Hux that I don’t materialize. Lahar, Absu, Kulla—you’re with me.” He received three nods.
“Right,” Marduk agreed. “And while I’m confronting Dagon…”
“With me beside you,” Ishkur’s voice brooked no argument.
“And me,” Enten chimed in.
Marduk approved with another nod. “…Shamash, Ninurta, and Dumuzi will join Huxley.”
Archie’s tail thumped on the floor at the mention of his favorite god.
“That’s it then.” Marduk glanced at his cell phone. “We have half an hour to weapon up. I suggest a lot of throwing stars and small blades. Hux said he saw no guns. I’m sure Dagon doesn’t want the local humans to hear anything and come looking for trouble.”
As the group broke up to handle various tasks, they were taken aback when Emesh materialized in the doorway. One look and they knew it wasn’t good.
“They’ve got Tess.”
Fear flowed through every channel in Marduk’s being. His body didn’t morph slowly. He reached fully enraged proportions in seconds.
“What went wrong,” he demanded, and to Emesh’s credit the summer god didn’t flinch as he told the story.
“They must have been watching the hospital, maybe followed you there earlier when you went to look for the doctor.” Marduk was beyond impatient, waiting for the crux of things.
“Dani and Tess had put together a pile of supplies and, as I was acquiring the last bunch, the ladies preceded me out to the car. By the time I got there, Dani was on the ground and Tess was gone! There was nothing I could do for Dani except pull the fire alarm and hope somebody would come help her. She didn’t look badly hurt, just angry. Smart woman, she knew I had to be nearby and, before the humans came, she told me that the two guys who took Tess mentioned a meeting in Plymouth. I’m sure they plan to take her to Dagon.”
“Dagon couldn’t have been certain about being able to abduct Tess, but now that she’s in the mix,” Shamash voiced what everyone was thinking; Marduk would now be corporeal when he confronted Dagon. “It will change his plans.”
“Well, our plans don’t change.” Marduk’s voice was hard. “After we have incapacitated all of Dagon’s minions, I will deal with that bastard and bring Tess home.”
“Emesh.” Marduk knew the god must be blaming himself for Tess’s abduction. “It wasn’t your fault. Do you have the keys to Tess’s vehicle?”
“Still in the ignition.”
“Go acquire them and set them in front of Dani-Lee. When she sees them, she’ll remember that we need her here.” He swallowed convulsively. “Let’s hope that her skills aren’t needed more desperately than before.”
The clock had never moved more slowly. By the time three o’clock finally chimed, the gods were ready to jump out of their virtual skins.
Marduk emerged in the clearing, not having regained his body. Tess was not within 100 yards of the central arena.
“Where is she,” he fumed at Dagon, nearly consumed with anger.
“The girl wasn’t part of the deal, but—” Dagon’s voice grated on Marduk’s every nerve.
“Lenore,” he spoke to a curvaceous platinum blond. “Go retrieve Ms. Abelard and have her join us.” He indicated a spot in the distance that Marduk’s men hadn’t covered.
“That’s Lenore,” Dagon said, conversationally. “She’s my first in command and a very tough lady, although you wouldn’t know it to look at her.”
Marduk’s eyes followed Lenore and, just over a hundred yards away, Tess was being led forward into the woman’s hands from behind an enormous root ball. The male who accompanied his Chosen, was vilely familiar. Tess’s hands were once again bound, and a swath of tape covered her mouth. A few steps forward was all it took for Marduk to feel his body materialize around him and, in his severe state of agitation at seeing her restrained, he not only materialized but grew exponentially.
Dagon feigned a yawn behind his hand and continued with introductions.
“That is my vice president, Matthew.” Dagon’s voice held a slight edge. “Say hello, Matthew.”
The man mumbled something unintelligible to Marduk as he came within close proximity, eyes glued to the now towering god.
Marduk turned malevolent eyes to the one who’d abused Tess an
d stabbed him, noting that besides the broken wrist Matthew’s body had been quite thoroughly roughed up since he’d last seen him. Served the asshole right.
Dagon reclaimed his full attention. Remember I agreed to swap my new toy for the information I wanted? Now it looks like I have a better bargaining chip. Marduk wondered why Dagon didn’t say this out loud. Was he hiding something from his right…and left hands?
“I had thought to use this on you.” Dagon fingered his knife, now talking out loud. “I said I’d let you have it,” he smirked. “I just didn’t say how,” Dagon continued. “The only problem was that I knew you wouldn’t give me any information if you became incapacitated and were sent back to the Underworld.”
Marduk’s nostrils flared. The asshole dared to look disappointed.
The thunder god’s sensitive ears caught the sounds of bodies falling and knew that Dagon’s humans were seeing weapons materialize out of thin air just before being embedded in jugulars and wind pipes. Dagon heard it too.
“I sense we don’t have much time,” he sighed. Let’s see how well you can keep your mouth shut as I carve up your little girlfriend.
Then, out loud again, so the woman could hear him, he commanded, “Lenore, bring the girl to me. Quickly.”
That was it. For some reason, Dagon didn’t want the female to know Tess was to be a victim. Marduk held his tongue. Perhaps it could be used to their advantage.
Lenore dragged Tess forward and stood next to Dagon, keeping Tess on her far side, her own dagger drawn.
Marduk’s men emerged from the woods, having dispatched their targets.
“Tell them to stand down.” Dagon spoke for all to hear, waving his lethal blade in a wide circle before continuing his private duologue with Marduk. If they so much as move in our direction, I will kill her!
Marduk commanded his men to stay back, barely able to hold himself in check. If Dagon touched her with his blade, Marduk would not be responsible for the carnage that ensued.
“Remove the tape from her mouth,” Dagon ordered.
Lenore turned to Tess and gently began peeling back a corner.
“Oh for God’s sake!” It was clear Matthew was impatient and, reaching from behind, he ripped off the tape with one quick yank, sending Tess spinning and sinking to her knees in the process.
She screamed in fear, “Marduk!”
A bellow of rage tore from Marduk’s throat as thunder filled the sky, only to be drowned out by a far louder and more primitive sound emerging from the woods behind Dagon. They turned as one to behold a monstrous being—half man, half bull—rampaging through the trees toward them.
“Call him off, Marduk,” Dagon cried, recognition dawning. “Call Enlil off, or I kill the girl, now!” Dagon had forgotten to speak to Marduk on their private channel and, as his words emerged, Lenore looked like she’d been slapped. Clearly she’d not known that Dagon was prepared to kill Tess.
Dagon lunged with his dagger toward his captive. Enlil advanced unchecked, fast approaching the tableau. Marduk missed his grab for the knife, and Lenore, acting on her own, incredulous at Dagon’s actions, threw herself in front of the defenseless girl. Dagon’s blade, meant for Tess, deflected and ripped a long gash down Lenore’s arm, and suddenly the entire tableau froze.
Dagon stared at Lenore, as did everyone else in the clearing. Then all eyes shifted to Marduk whose shoulder was glowing bright red. Marduk stared down. Gods damn it! Without risking anything, Dagon had his answer. Marduk was furious with himself. Now their enemy knew that the gods would become flesh when they had found their Chosen! Bringing veracity to Marduk’s fear, Dagon gave a maniacal laugh and, rising into the air, he misted from the scene, leaving an eerie echo behind along with the river of blood he’d spilled.
Tess looked up from under Lenore, who still crouched over her, shielding her with her body. Despite the deep wound in her arm, her protectress was snarling at everyone to stay back. She even seemed unwilling to back down from the bull…guy…thing that was Enlil.
“Woman,” Marduk’s deep voice called out, wrapping around Tess. He too, was unable to approach without the possibility of feeling the sting of Lenore’s blade. “What are you doing?”
“I’m keeping her safe,” Lenore hissed. “Don’t any of you come near her!”
Tess spoke from her position on the ground. “Umm…you don’t have to protect me from them.” She moved a scant inch while she attempted to mollify her shield. “These are my friends.” Tess knew that all Lenore saw was an over-sized glowing being—a golden horned bovine wonder—and some random blond guy approaching fast.
“And that’s my brother, Huxley,” Tess assured the confused woman, as Lenore cautiously allowed her to rise. “Dagon, the bad guy? He’s gone.”
Tess hadn’t been paying any attention to Matthew, and obviously no one else had either. Going unnoticed, he had crouched down behind the women. Before she made it all the way to her feet, he knocked into Tess with an odd jolt, gave a quick grunt and keeping low, slunk away. No one followed as he lost himself in the trees.
Tess, shaking off an odd trepidation, watched Lenore falter and shift when she, too, stumbled and inexplicably lost her footing. Lenore, dripping blood profusely, succumbed to her injury and without warning, dropped on her like a rock.
“Looks like Dani-Lee has a new client.”
Marduk moved Lenore’s still form off Tess, and handed the blond off to Hux. He reached for and lifted Tess, which Tess knew should have felt good, but she seemed oddly weightless. What was going on? Why did she feel so strangely weak? Something was wrong.
“Marduk,” her voice shook with the effort required to speak.
“What is it, my love?” He responded to the quiet horror in her voice. “It’s over now. Everything is okay.” He hugged her closer, and Tess watched his face go blank. He slowly brought one hand up from her back. It was covered in blood. His face went slack with horror.
“You’re hurt,” he whispered in anguish.
Tess nodded, finally figuring out what was wrong. She spoke hoarsely “I…I…can’t feel my legs.”
“Oh my gods! That bastard! That…Matthew!” Marduk’s roar echoed through the woods. Tess watched him turn to her brother and the gods, his face inscrutable. “He stabbed her in the back.” Marduk’s lips were stiff as the words slipped through.
Her god held her tighter and his feelings of utter hopelessness moved into Tess. She knew it was bad. Marduk sprinted toward the nearest road, and she realized he was looking for a car, hoping that one of the downed men had left keys. She trusted him to work things out. She had no energy left to think. If anyone could get her back to Dani-Lee, it was Marduk. That was the last thing she thought before succumbing to the darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“They’ve both lost a lot of blood.” Doctor Dani-Lee was trying, yet again, to convince Marduk that they needed to move Tess and Lenore to the hospital. “Tess needs surgery right away if we have any chance at all of repairing the damage.”
After examining the knife wound, Dani-Lee had told Marduk that Tess’s spinal cord had been severed at T9, which would mean she would come out of surgery a paraplegic. Marduk was inconsolable. The doctor was trying ineffectually to keep him calm.
“If I can open her up and see the extent of the wound, I’ll know better what kind of a recovery she’ll have.” Dani-Lee had started an IV and was keeping Tess sedated and hydrated, along with pumping her full of antibiotics. It was the best she could do under the circumstances and with limited supplies.
Marduk glanced at the clock that had been shoved back on the bedside table to make room for gauze, sutures, and IV equipment. Four hours had passed since returning to the compound. Four long hours as they waited for Anshar to return from what had become a life or death quest.
Marduk had called to Anshar as soon as he’d entered the compound, hoping he was back and his mission accomplished. No such luck. Marduk immediately sent Lahar and Ninurta, armed with his and
Enlil’s cell phones, to find Anshar. Shamash heard from them at the top of every hour, and still the sky god had not been found.
“Another hour.” Marduk’s command to Dani-Lee for more time had the good doctor right up in his face.
“I’m calling an ambulance this very minute if you don’t tell me what the hell you’re waiting for!” She pulled the stubborn god from the room where Tess lay, determined to make the call. Marduk knew she meant business. Where to begin? He exhaled deeply.
“We god’s have one woman in all of eternity who is known as our Chosen.”
Dani looked impatient, waiting for him to continue.
“We each have an amulet deeply embedded in our bodies above our hearts. When it is activated by the presence of the female meant for us, which mine has for Tess, it takes on a luminescence so we know the female is truly the one.” Marduk saw that Dani was following along.
“Tess has agreed to become my other half and not, like humans say it, metaphorically. During a special ceremony, my amulet will be uncovered and cut in two. One half will be placed into Tess. With it, she becomes immortal. Her injuries will heal, just as you’ve seen Enlil’s wound close up.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Dani-Lee groused, finally getting the bigger picture of why she had been brought to the Blue Hills. “So you want me to do these amulet operations…and then what?”
“It’s not that simple.” Marduk was worried and distracted. Part of him was still waiting to sense Anshar’s return. “First of all, only a knife made from a special element is strong enough to cut the amulet in two. Second, we’re awaiting the arrival of just such a blade.”
“You don’t have one here?” Dani got red in the face. “That’s just piss poor planning!”
She seethed visibly at what she must consider their stupidity. “You’ve had how many frigging centuries all by yourselves to go get some of this metal and it just, what, slipped your mind that it might come in handy?”
Marduk grimaced as her words hit the mark. “You have to understand. In all of our thousands of years of life, never has one of us found our Chosen.” Dani started to interrupt but Marduk continued.