Emergence (The Infernal Guard Book 1)

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Emergence (The Infernal Guard Book 1) Page 35

by SGD Singh


  “Yeah, but—”

  “You said that flash portals…” Lexi said. “Whatever.”

  “Does Shaan have full security access?” asked Asha.

  “Yes he does,” Uma said. “We're working on changing the locks and making new rings, but it's never been done before—never needed to be done before—so that's why there's discussion about giving you all full access rings, until the threat has passed. Personally, I'm against it.”

  “So we'd better find him,” said Lexi.

  “Yes, thank you, Hewitt,” said Uma, walking along the stone bridge toward the fort. The spikes of the elephant door came into view slowly, like a giant sea monster opening its dark jaws.

  “This door is virtually unbreakable,” said Uma, “besides being poisonous to Underworlders.” She touched her ring to it, and they entered through the small door that opened within its enormous side.

  “The rest of it you know.” She motioned to the stone door at the right. “Only rings can open these doors, and they don't work if they're removed from your hand.”

  “Do they work if your hand is cut off?” said Lexi.

  “No. They do not.”

  Uma and Chakori spoke quietly for a minute, Chakori nodding.

  Stepping forward, Asha said, “Let us look for Shaan. We might be able to find something in his office that connects to him.”

  Lexi and Nidhan nodded, but Uma frowned at them. “We'll find him, okay? We don't need to send inexperienced Trainees to do our job for us. Thanks just the same.”

  Asha and Aquila both started to protest, but Uma held a hand up, her dark eyes glaring. “Would you say you have a basic understanding of our security here, Sandhu? I have other things to do.”

  “Sure, yeah.”

  Uma and Chakori nodded at each other in silent understanding and disappeared along the veranda.

  “It seems to me,” Nidhan said, “that a hell of a lot depends on the holy water flowing to this place. If I were an Underworlder trying to break in, that's what I'd focus on.”

  Aquila said, “You'd have to get through the acid forest before you reach the water.”

  “What about the sunlight?” said Lexi. “I mean, even if you got rid of the holy water, and through the acid forest, you'd still be fried by sunlight.”

  Nidhan argued. “If there are sunlight bombs, there are darkness bombs.”

  “Darkness bombs? Seriously?”

  “I'm just saying,” Nidhan said. “Whatever you'd call it, pitch missiles, shadow blankets, night bullets?”

  Lexi laughed. “Just stop.”

  “What we can invent, they can invent the opposite of, right?” Nidhan crossed his arms, looking at the three of them. “It's like fingerprints. Now criminals know to wear gloves. They try not to leave DNA, or burn evidence, or whatever. I'm just pointing out that we shouldn't rely on the sunlight always working, that's all.”

  “So what's your solution, Mister Optimistic?”

  “Did I say I have a solution? I'm merely pointing out that we should be ready for any contingency if we do find ourselves under attack, which Asha thinks will happen on the Winter Solstice. Which is only eight days away. And with the locks compromised by this possessed Shaan dude…”

  Everyone turned to Asha.

  “What the hell do I know?” she snapped.

  “You are a Seer, Asha,” Lexi said. “Can't you, I don't know, meditate or something?”

  Asha rolled her eyes and turned to the stairs. “It doesn't work like that, Lexi. Seers just—realize things. I just know something for certain, without a doubt, the same way we know the sky is blue and fire is hot. I… I'm still not realizing what Ranya is doing right now. She's… complicated.”

  Lexi snorted. “Yeah, I gathered that.”

  “Wait,” said Nidhan, and everyone froze. “Why are we going upstairs? Isn't it lunch already—ow!”

  Chapter 46

  The next six days passed quickly.

  Finally taken off kitchen duty, Asha joined a grueling schedule of near-constant training, stocking ammunition, and lessons on various ways to kill Underworlders. Only a bare minimum of time was spent on individual Talent classes now, and with Janu gone, leaving the Zen garden deserted and dark, Asha spent the extra time in Jodha training with the majority of the class.

  Aquila spent nearly all of his waking hours joining other active Guard in the search for either Shaan, Ranya, or Mamono. But as the nights grew longer, and the moon disappeared toward darkness, there was still no sign of them. In fact, since their search had begun, there had been no sign of a single Underworlder across the entire country. It was as if they had all vanished. By the end of the week, civilian law enforcement had convinced themselves that the threat of otherworldly criminal activity had passed, that they had overreacted, panicked, and even imagined the whole thing.

  The IGP of Ludhiana managed to get the money together for Mamono, but the elusive Goblin never showed up for the pickup. Uma told the inspector to hold onto the money, at least until the Expo. She tried to persuade him that Mamono would most certainly return, but even he had begun to convince himself that Mamono was a figment of his previously nonexistent imagination.

  † † †

  Two days before the winter solstice, Asha and the other Trainees sparred in the cinnamon orchard, under the watchful gaze of Barindra. After two hours in the chilly fog, the various interspecies signals had begun to give Asha a headache and she tripped over someone, her sparring sticks clattering to the ground from her numb hands. Uma's voice called, “All right, people, take a seat around the fire.”

  Asha settled between Wei Feng and Fria, and sat cross-legged on the ground in front of the orange glow. She was soon warming her hands around a mug of hot ginger milk. She noticed that Aquila, Kelakha, and Ursala were huddled together in the shadows, Ursala gesturing angrily.

  “Okay, listen up!” Uma shouted, pacing.

  “As you all know, we are concerned about a threat on the Engineering Expo in Ludhiana. The threat is very real, and we have decided to send all available active duty Guard members to meet it.”

  Loud protests erupted from the Trainees. Asha had shared with all of them that she thought it was a diversion, and they sided with her.

  Uma raised her arms, silencing them. “The threat is real, people. And I suggest you all read up on the last Zombie apocalypse if you think it's worth the risk of ignoring.” She looked at their disbelieving faces in the fire light and cursed. “Kelakha, tell them about yesterday. Yes, right now, goddamn it!”

  Kelakha moved away from Ursala and Aquila, and stood next to Uma, looking harassed. His dark clothes were torn and bloody, and strands of hair had come loose from his ponytail, framing his dirt-smeared face. Something slimy glistened on one leg of his pants and his revolver shone in the firelight where his jacket was torn completely away on one side. He cleared his throat. “So… yeah. We got a call from the cops in Ludhiana about ten o'clock. The prisoners from some drunken brawl they brought to the overnight jail were really sick. Like, not drunk sick, but weird sick. One of the cops was smart enough to call someone who knew to call us instead of sending the prisoners to the hospital. Lucky, because that jail holds about two hundred people, and the closest hospital treats eight hundred a day. Anyway, so we get there, and it's barely before too late to heal these guys. They—”

  “Who wants to guess what was wrong with them?” Uma said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That's right. They had been infected with the disease that turns humans to ravenous, highly contagious Zombies. And do you want to know what else we found?”

  Everyone looked at her in silence. Aquila's head jerked up and he looked at Asha, eyes flashing with sympathy.

  Flowers, real poppies this time, and another note with your name on it. She wasn't supposed to spring this on you, Asha. Sorry.

  It's okay.

  Uma looked at Asha, seemed to realize that she already knew, and threw a red and gold card at her. Asha reached across th
e dirt for it and read out loud, “Hello Asha. The price has doubled.”

  Kelakha looked at Asha and then the ground, then returned to stand with Aquila and Ursala.

  That was the moment Barindra chose to swoop down from the tree, a giant eagle hawk shifting to a man in the blink of an eye as he landed in front of the class, the firelight glinting eerily off his yellow eyes.

  “All combat duty Guard will go to Ludhiana tomorrow, with the exception of Kelakha and Aquila. Tanvir will stay as Asha's second in command, along with Arihan and Prabhnoor. Senya will join us, as well as Avinash and Dhevan.”

  Barindra had finally called her Asha, and she looked at Aquila to see him grinning at her.

  She stood up. “We will need Avinash. And Ursala. Sir.”

  Uma stepped forward, eyes flashing dangerously, but Barindra held an arm out, smiling. “It seems our Seer finally sees something.” He crossed his massive arms. “All right, Asha. You can have Avinash and Ursala. Arihan will join us.” Pointing at her, he added, “And I expect a report within the hour.”

  Asha sat back down, aware that all the other Trainees were staring at her.

  Ursala raised a fist in victory, grinning behind his mother's back as she stepped forward. “Commander! Ursala—”

  “It's what he wants, Uma. I'm sick of arguing about it, and that's the end of it. Ursala stays.” He turned back to the group. “Full security rings are waiting down in the Forgery for each of you. They will only work for eleven days, so don't get excited.” He motioned to Uma and stalked inside the building.

  She glared at both Asha and Ursala before she followed him.

  Aquila sat behind Asha, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned into him, staring at the fire.

  “I don't get it,” said Asha. “Why does she want her son put in danger?”

  Aquila sighed. “It's an insult to be left out of battle. Plus, she's furious 'cause she thinks he wants to stay here out of fear.”

  “Ursala? Afraid?” Asha turned to look at him. “Wow. I guess she really doesn't know him at all.”

  “She does, it's just—the whole idea of anyone consciously avoiding a dangerous situation is foreign to her.”

  Asha laughed. “If she only knew how dangerous it is to stay…”

  “Then she'd be staying, too.”

  Chapter 47

  “He's expecting you.” Kairav opened the door, turning away without meeting Asha's eyes. “On the balcony.”

  Nodding, Asha walked through the apartment and stood at the French doors, watching Avinash. The Werewolf sat staring into the fog, his bleached-out eyes unfocused. Although she knew his heightened senses made him aware of her presence, he gave no visible sign.

  After a long minute and without turning, he grumbled, “Kairav insists on going to Ludhiana. She hasn't forgiven herself for turning you away the night Janu died… I guess she hopes to make up for it by dying.”

  “She won't die,” Asha said, and he turned to her. “One thing I do know is this whole thing at the Engineering Expo is bullshit. No one there will die.”

  He straightened. “Did you tell Barindra that?”

  Asha had the Werewolf's full attention now. He motioned her into a chair.

  “Yeah. More than once. He did a double and triple check of our security systems and still believes ignoring the Zombie threat's not worth the risk. After the second letter and all those infected men, I can't say I blame him.”

  “You think the real target is Headquarters,” Avinash said, turning back to the fog.

  Asha nodded once. “But it's still unclear. And that's not good enough for Barindra.”

  “Don't tell Kairav. It's better if she goes to Ludhiana…” He exhaled. “Being a Werewolf has turned me into a selfish asshole. I never would have even thought something like that before. Now… knowing I'll live so much longer than her…”

  They sat in silence, looking out at the blank view. After a few minutes, Kairav brought tea, set it on the table without a word, and left them alone.

  Asha held her mug, its warmth welcome against the damp cold. “We need you. When the Underworlders attack, which they will, we'll need all the help we can get. Werewolves—”

  Bursting into laughter, Avinash said, “Oh, that's what this is about? Why you told Barindra I had to stay?” He looked at her in awed disbelief. “You want to, what? Put together a unit of Werewolves by tomorrow night? Behind Barindra's back, no less. Are you out of your mind?”

  Asha sipped her tea silently.

  “What are you thinking, anyway? There's just a bunch of Werewolves waiting to follow your orders like a pack of dogs? And even if I did want to do it, which I'm not saying I do, most of the Wolves I know are unregistered! Do you even know what that means? It means we could be executed, Asha!”

  “I know what it means,” she said, bringing her eyes to his. He flinched almost imperceptibly, and she knew they were glowing. “What do you think will happen if Ranya opens a portal? You'll have one more night. One more night of tranquil peace, secure in your warm, cozy beds. And then what? A war is coming, Avinash. And war is decided by the anguish of the brave. Now is when you decide. You and every Werewolf you know. You can fight for something… or you can die for nothing.”

  Avinash looked down at his unscarred hands. He shook his head. “What do you want from us, Asha? Huh?”

  Asha looked into the fog without a word, as the seconds turned to minutes, hardly daring to breathe. Her tea had gone lukewarm, but she still held the mug. The wind blew her hair across her face, but she didn't move.

  Avinash stood abruptly, towering over her, his colorless eyes glinting. “I'll see who I can get,” he growled, and left.

  The door of the suite slammed a moment later.

  That went better than I expected.

  Asha raised her mug and bowed her head at the sparrow hawk as it landed on the railing. “Quoting General Patton. Works every time.”

  Aquila shifted, grinning. “May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't?”

  “Damn right.”

  Chapter 48

  “Ursala and Kelakha are meeting us in your room,” Aquila said, hanging up his phone as they hurried along the veranda. “The ammunition's been divided up. Li Tsia, Lexi, and Nidhan are—”

  Rounding the corner, they saw Wei Feng and Hua Tseng pacing impatiently outside Asha's door.

  “Anything?” Asha said, grasping Hua Tseng's outstretched hands.

  She nodded, beaming up at Wei Feng.

  “It took some looking. Someone cleaned that office pretty thoroughly.” He grinned, holding up a small envelope. “But we found a hair.”

  Kelakha and Ursala joined them in time to hear the announcement.

  Opening her door, Asha snatched the envelope. “Let's find him then.”

  Blinking, Asha scanned the near-pitch darkness of the Zen garden. The familiar sound of the stream flowing through it echoed in the empty stillness.

  Running along the stone path, Asha searched the darkness.

  No time, no time!

  Movement like a dark phantom caught her eye near the pavilion and as her heart lurched in her chest, Asha closed her eyes.

  Jumping out of her chair, Asha swayed, catching a bedpost. Aquila put an arm out to steady her, but she was already moving to the door, the others scrambling to follow.

  “The Zen garden!” Sprinting down the veranda, Asha took the stairs three at a time and was almost to the stone door before Kelakha got in front of her, holding an arm out. “Asha. Let us handle this.”

  Aquila and Ursala moved to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kelakha, blocking the door.

  “Move, then!” she shouted. “We don't have all night. Perdida de tiempo machista!” She shouted after them as they disappeared down the narrow staircase.

  Wei Feng and Hua Tseng stood waiting. “What do you want us to do?” said Hua Tseng.

  Running a hand through her hair, Asha took a deep breath. “Cover the exits from the third level, and I
'll call Jiao Wan to Healing. Maybe she can get Prabhnoor to the hospital before…”

  It turned out Prabhnoor was already in Healing with Jiao Wan, preparing emergency supplies. If Asha's worst case scenario actually became a reality, they knew they would find themselves shorthanded, and they needed to prepare ahead as much as possible.

  Hua Tseng and Wei Feng covered the staircases on either end of the Moroccan lamp-lined hallway and Asha stood in front of the herb lab door, pacing impatiently, barely able to stop herself from entering. Her hand went to open the door just as a piercing screech filled the room, and Kelakha, Aquila, and Ursala burst through the door, a thrashing man barely held between them.

  “Asha?” panted Ursala. “If you could knock him out now, that would be fantabulous!”

  Raising her hand, Asha focused, pulling life from the thrashing figure. Shaan suddenly went limp in the Guards' hands, and they stumbled, cursing in Punjabi.

  “Did you shoot him with the golden bullets? Why is he so…”

  Kelakha swore as Shaan's bloody shoe came off in his hand. “We shot him five times in the legs, but he's…”

  “He's in bad shape, Asha,” said Aquila, moving sideways to the hospital door, holding Shaan's shoulders, the Collector's head hanging to the floor. “We have to get this thing out of him. And even then, I don't think he'll be in any kind of condition to want to live.”

  Wei Feng rushed to open the hospital door and they carried Shaan into the nearest room.

  Jiao Wan and Prabhnoor joined them as they lay the unconscious Collector on the bed.

  Tearing his pants at the seam, Prabhnoor revealed the bullet wounds. “Five shots? That didn't seem a little excessive to you guys?”

  Ursala made a very Punjabi sound of irritation, waving an arm in disgust. “I've never seen anything like it, yaar! Gold bullets sedate a victim possessed by a Revenant, right? Well, either there's something wrong with our bullets, or that's a load of crap. Sedate, my ass! We had him cornered, shot, bleeding all over the place, and he was like a crazed orangutan, I shit you not!”

 

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