by Greg Howard
Wayne reached up and touched his shoulder. “Did you have any trouble getting her out?”
Cooper shook his head. “All of a sudden, she was just gone.”
Miss Ida stood and brushed the creases out of her dress with her hands. “That’s because Eunice was an unwilling subject. Blue will be quite different. I am not nearly as concerned with Blue’s ability to get in you as I am of getting him out of you.”
Cooper stared up into the woman’s deep-set gray eyes. “So how do I get him out if he doesn’t want to leave?”
Miss Ida clasped her hands in front of her. “The Bokor power inside Blue, inside you, feeds on hatred and rage. When he was alive, everything he loved was taken from him. He suffered grave injustices. He has spent over one hundred fifty years trapped inside a dark and troubled soul. The only chance of getting back to yourself will be to repel that darkness with love.” Miss Ida smiled and touched his shoulder. “The great love your grandma had for baby Charlotte once gave her the power she needed to expel Blue, but she was too late to save the child from Alexander’s clutches. Find and embrace the great love inside you, Cooper. Hold on to it for dear life and don’t let go.” She poked her finger in his chest. “That will restore your soul.”
Cooper ran his fingers through his hair. After a decade of pushing people away and building up walls of emotional defense, he prayed to God he really did have that kind of love inside him. He wasn’t so sure. But if anyone could pull it out of him, it was Randy.
Cooper stood up and faced her. “One more thing. How can you be so sure that Blue will use me and my power to go after Alexander?”
Miss Ida clasped her hands together and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve probably heard all your life about how Blue led a slave rebellion at Warfield and set the manor house on fire, killing Sally and her family.”
Cooper nodded. “Sure. Everyone around here has heard that ghost story.”
“That’s the thing with ghost stories. They’re never as scary as the truth.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Cooper checked in on Lillie Mae a final time before leaving her in the care of Miss Ida and Wayne, and he joined the others in the sitting room. Joshua stood in front of the fireplace with his eclectic group of soldiers gathered around him, looking very much like the God-ordained prophet he once was. Betsy and Odessa flanked the front window, tension thick between them. One of the Amazon twins from the kitchen sat in the blue wingback chair, the other stood behind it. Eudora and Eunice were nowhere in sight. He’d likely pissed them off royally with his little possession experiment.
Rafe stood by the back wall. Cooper sidled up next to him and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I need you to do something for me tonight. At Warfield.”
He leaned in close, and Rafe scrunched his face as Cooper whispered his request. He glanced over at Joshua and then back at Cooper before finally nodding in agreement. Joshua surprised Cooper by waving him to the front of the group. He crossed the room and stood beside the Manheeg.
Joshua cocked his head at him. “Well, are you ready to share this plan of yours with us?”
Cooper nodded and faced a roomful of icy stares. “The changelings won’t hurt me. They will charge me, try to frighten me, even knock me out of the way, but Alexander won’t let them kill me. I am the only one here who can get past them and close to Alexander.”
The Amazon twin in the chair leaned forward. “They may not be able to kill you, but they could take you.”
“No. Thanks to my grandmother’s wards of protection, they can’t do that either. Not against my will.” Cooper crossed his arms and widened his stance. “I can take care of myself with the changelings, trust me.” He looked into a sea of unconvinced eyes. “When I get to Warfield, Alexander will pick up my scent. He’ll think I have given up and come to trade myself for Randy. You guys need to stay back until I get close so he won’t detect an ambush. I’ll need all of you to keep the changelings busy while I get in and take care of Alexander.”
Odessa strode forward and stopped behind the sofa, directing an icy glare at him. “And if you fail? What then? We’ll all be sitting ducks.”
Cooper shoved his hands in his pocket and stared at her. “I won’t fail. I know what I have to do to kill him. It won’t be easy, but I think I can do it.”
Betsy moved around the sofa and stood beside Joshua. “Not good enough.” For once she and Odessa agreed.
Cooper shrugged his shoulders. “Like I said, you are going to have to trust me. I am the only one here who can get close enough to Alexander to end him once and for all.”
Odessa threw up her hands and stalked back over to the window, cursing in some foreign tongue he didn’t recognize.
Joshua edged forward and took over with resolute authority in his voice. “Lex will transport Cooper to Warfield.” He looked at Cooper. “Lex will be your fastest mode of transport, and we want your scent to distract Montgomery from ours right away. We will be right behind you.”
Cooper nodded. He knew he was the catnip to keep Alexander distracted while the Jericho soldiers fought through the changelings. Bait.
Joshua pointed to Odessa who stepped forward and took center stage. “Rafe and I discovered tunnels that run from the harbor to all the plantations in the area. We were lost down there for a while, but we think we found the one that leads to Warfield. The changelings have plowed quite a path back and forth in that one.”
Cooper shook his head and rolled his eyes. Oh. So she and Rafe discovered the tunnels—all by themselves. How clever of them.
Odessa sauntered over to the fireplace and stood on Cooper’s left. “Half of you will come with me through the tunnel that leads to Warfield. There’s a large changeling nest down there. We eliminated a lot of them, but we don’t know how many are left, so keep your eyes open and watch your backs.”
Joshua pointed to a young blond Divinum boy leaning against the back wall. With his stringy bleached-blond locks, torn jeans, and tie-dye T-shirt, he looked like he would be more at home riding the waves at Myrtle Beach.
“Taj, you and Rafe will enter the plantation grounds from the rear by way of the canal behind the manor house.” He nodded over to the Amazon twins. “Daria and Marissa will lead the rest of you through the woods and flank the property.”
All the point leaders nodded obediently.
Joshua shifted his weight and scanned the room. “Betsy, Lex, and I will cover Cooper until he gets into the house.” He glanced over at Cooper. “You’ll be on your own in there until we can put down the changelings and join you.”
Cooper swallowed hard and nodded.
Joshua looked back at his soldiers. “Any questions?” The room was silent. Things always seemed to be definitive around Joshua, so not surprisingly, no one had questions—only murmured, small group discussions about their orders.
The Manheeg faced Cooper and crossed his arms over his mountain of a chest. “Rafe says you do not need a dagger.”
Cooper didn’t know what to say. He was a little flattered by Rafe’s confidence in his Divinum combat abilities. He shook his head and straightened his spine. “I did okay without one.”
Joshua took his hand and placed one of Betsy’s daggers in it. “Well, I would feel better if you kept one on you this time around.”
Cooper turned the cold blade over in his hand and grabbed it by the handle, surprised by how good it felt in his grip. He looked up into the Manheeg’s black eyes. “Obviously you didn’t die at the battle of Jericho. And for some reason, I don’t think it was you who slaughtered the surviving women and children of the Israelite tribe.”
Joshua’s nostrils flared, and he looked down. “Caleb would have killed me too, if the Anakim of Jericho had not already turned me. I was a coward. I ran. I didn’t understand what had happened to me—what I’d become or why God had so infinitely abandoned me. I deserted my tribe, and Caleb slaughtered his own people. Feasted on them all over the course of a night. Not one innocent
soul survived his bloodlust. So I built this army to atone for my sins and make the Anakim pay for theirs as well.”
Cooper nodded. The distant shadow passing over Joshua’s eyes told him that was all he was willing to share. He looked around the room and glanced in the faces of each Jericho soldier, counting them silently, small as they were. Less than twenty. Holy hell. Randy’s life hung in the balance, and this had all the makings of a pitiful bloodbath.
“Seems like we will be seriously outnumbered out there,” Cooper said to Joshua, trying not to sound disrespectful. “Do you have more soldiers on the way or something?”
Joshua looked around the room. “This is it, I’m afraid. At least all we could spare for this mission. There are still a few hot spots around the world with rogue Anakim activity. At the height of the war, our numbers topped half a million strong. Now, with the success of the Sterilus-A virus and advances we made in the war, there are only a few hundred of us left to hunt the remaining Anakim. To be honest, we weren’t prepared for this kind of situation.” He looked back at Cooper. “No matter our numbers, we must prevail here.”
Cooper nodded. “We will.”
Gliding forward with eerie grace, Lex stopped in front of Cooper and extended his hands.
Are you ready, Cooper?
Cooper glanced over at Betsy, who stood guard by the front window with her arms folded over her chest. Her eyes, thick with worry, made him think she was hiding something. He knew she was the only one in the room who really cared if he or Randy made it out of this alive. So he had no choice but to trust her. He nodded at her and she back at him. Cooper reached out and took Lex’s nearly translucent hands in his. When their skin touched, a hot surge of energy passed through Lex’s palms into his. Cooper flinched and tried to pull away, but the albino’s grip was tight.
Don’t fight it, Cooper. Close your eyes and relax. We will be at Warfield momentarily.
Cooper looked up at him. “Don’t fight what?”
A low hum emanated from the center of Lex’s chest and grew in Cooper’s ears like the rumble of an oncoming train. The floor spun under his feet, getting faster by the second. Lex’s chest glowed through his robe like his insides were on fire under his skin. His whole body lit up—a seven foot tall statue of glowing light. Cooper looked down at their fused hands, Lex’s skin melting into his. It was the way he felt inside, all of his internal organs becoming one. His vision blurred as the Jericho army, the sitting room, and Phipps House all slipped away.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Everything was still. Cooper and Lex stood facing each other, hands clasped together. A chilly draft brushed Cooper’s cheeks and ears. The room was mostly dark, lit only with streaks of moonlight creeping in through the cracks of warped boarded walls and gaping windows. The cold night air spilled in, chilling him to the bone. He hadn’t thought to put on his coat before they’d disappeared from Phipps House. He peered up at Lex who posed like a flagpole in front of him.
“How did you…” The question seemed silly at this point, so Cooper stopped and rephrased it. “Can all Divinum do that?”
Lex shook his head and released Cooper’s hands. Only pure-blood Divinum are capable of teleportation.
Cooper nodded. “Teleportation, huh? I’ll bet that comes in handy.” He could have saved himself the embarrassment of a few early-morning walks of shame with a talent like that.
He looked around. Four windows anchored the barren space, two on each sidewall. Leaves, sticks, and a few traces of man-made debris like crushed beer cans and cigarette butts littered the wood floor. At the far end of the room, an unassuming wooden pulpit stood elevated on a six-inch raised platform. A simple cross hung on the wall behind the pulpit. Tilted lower on one side than the other, it looked slightly sacrilegious. Like something unholy announcing it had the upper hand there.
Cooper knew the place from his childhood memories and nightmares. They were in the old slave chapel at Warfield Plantation. An unexpected wave of sadness washed over him as he stood wondering how the hell a hundred fifty slaves managed to cram into that small room. Or why they would even want to worship a god that had forsaken them so. Cooper swallowed hard, his eyes edging with tears. He swiped them away with the back of his hand. Another icy chill gripped his bones, and he shuddered.
Allow me. Lex put a pasty white hand on his shoulder, penetrating his chilled skin with a jolt of ancient power. A wave of heat spilled over Cooper’s entire body, warming him down to his bones. The bitter wind swirling around him had no effect, though it no doubt picked up his scent and delivered it to Alexander Montgomery. That was the plan.
“Thanks,” he said, eyeing Lex with wonder. The albino gave a slight bow of his head.
The others will be here soon. Follow me. The Anakim will know you have arrived, but my scent is undetectable to him.
Cooper’s legs responded before his brain had a chance to, and he followed Lex out the door of the chapel down two rickety wooden steps. The bell tower loomed in the moonlight to his right, a muted ring sounding out as the wind jostled the bell around. A flood of anxious childhood memories rushed into his mind. The ringing bell. The rocking chair. Blue. His ancestral guardian had awakened the dark power inside him for his protection that day. It had taken him a lifetime to finally feel grateful for that burdensome gift. It just might save his ass tonight. And Randy’s.
Sensing Anakim presence behind him, Cooper spun around and crouched defensively. A swirling cloud of black smoke billowed with a soft rustle of fabric and sand. Betsy and Joshua appeared.
Joshua gave the slave village an uninterested glance and moved toward them. “The others are in place.” He looked at Cooper. “Montgomery will have picked up your scent by now. Are you ready?”
Cooper nodded and scanned the length of Oak Alley. It seemed much longer than he remembered. “Ready as I’m going to get.”
Betsy stepped up to him and put her hand on his arm. “You’re sure about this?”
Cooper swallowed hard and nodded. There was no room for mistakes tonight. Randy could wind up in the cross hairs.
Betsy’s dead black eyes transfixed him. “If you run into trouble, we can get to you in seconds. Lex even faster.”
Cooper took a deep breath. It would only take a changeling half a second to rip his throat out if they wanted to. He hoped to God he was right about being immune to their attacks.
Lex appeared at Betsy’s side. With any luck, Odessa’s team will clear the tunnels of changelings before Montgomery summons them. Stay focused and alert.
Cooper turned to Betsy and Joshua. “And Randy?”
Betsy rested her hand on the handle of a dagger tucked in her belt. “We’ll find him.”
Cooper nodded, shrouding his thoughts from them. Hell if he would leave Randy’s fate in their hands. He would find Randy himself. He faced the long, lonely trek ahead before him. The enormous oak trees lining the road waved spidery branches at him, limbs creaking under the weight of dead Spanish moss, beckoning him down the road to the manor house. He took a deep breath and walked forward, coaching himself with every step. One foot in front of the other. Slow and steady. Betsy had his back. Lillie Mae’s veil of protection would keep him safe. Randy was in there somewhere. He had to end this tonight.
The urgent bark of a dog echoed somewhere in the distance, and the wind howled through the spindly branches. Just keep moving forward, he told himself. A tight fist of anxiety gripped his heart and squeezed. He rubbed his chest without thinking. The manor house drew him forward. He was halfway there. A rustle sounded in the branches above him. He froze, not daring to look up. It stopped a moment later. Must have been the wind. He exhaled and took another step forward. Again, tree limbs above him crackled. Again, he stopped. Slipping a hand under his shirt, he gripped the handle of the dagger tucked in the waist of his jeans. Wood snapped and splintered overhead. His heart raced, and the breath caught in his throat. No way that was the wind.
His instincts told him to make a run f
or the manor house, but his feet did not respond quickly enough. A rabid changeling dropped out of the trees with a chilling thud just three feet in front of him.
Chapter Forty
The creature was enormous. Rotting flesh and tattered rags of clothing hung from exposed bone. Blood red eyes oozed dark fluid from the corners of their sockets. Long, crooked teeth jutted out of its mouth like a handful of razor-sharp ice picks, and the right ear dangled from the side of the monster’s head, attached only by a flimsy tag of flesh. The changeling crouched and hissed at Cooper. Mirroring the creature’s stance, he stared it down, not quite sure what the thing was allowed to do to him. Maim him? Break a few bones? He didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out. He was just steps away from the manor house—and Randy. The standoff continued, one waiting for the other to blink.
Then the thing lunged at him.
Cooper didn’t hesitate. He spun on his heel and kicked his right leg high in the air. The pointed toe of his boot caught the creature squarely in the jaw. Bones crackled, and the changeling stumbled back, momentarily stunned. The grotesque thing could not have been any more stunned than Cooper. He’d never been in a physical fight in his life and had no idea he could kick like that.
Emboldened by his successful first strike, Cooper reached for the dagger tucked in his jeans, closed his fingers around the handle, and pulled it out. The changeling shook its head and wobbled on its feet. Cooper charged, drawing the dagger underhanded and up into the beast’s stomach. The entire length of the dagger and Cooper’s whole hand sank deep into fleshy bowels.
He yanked his hand away, leaving the dagger submerged inside. The changeling staggered back, eyes bulging out of their sockets, and crumpled down to the ground in front of him. Cooper stood over the remains of the dead changeling and wiped his soiled hand on the leg of his jeans—disgusted, yet feeling a little more confident than he did when started the trek. The branches above him came alive with movement from the first tree to the last, running the entire length of Oak Alley. Cooper peered up, a wave of dread washing over him. The trees were full of them, every branch occupied with the slithering, snapping monsters. Alexander knew they were coming, and he’d already assembled his army.