Taken By Storm
Page 31
“Up there, Marduk. Is that her?” The sky god pointed over the crush of people.
Marduk was momentarily unable to answer, overwhelmed by the “feeling” of humans brushing against him. Not to mention the hard, solid ground beneath his now supple boots, tactile feelings he hadn’t experienced in centuries.
Stop! He breathed in real air. He had to ignore the compelling sensations swamping his body, and force his mind to the important task of finding the girl. He followed Anshar’s finger.
Marduk knew the very instant she became aware of his gaze. She grabbed an absurd bag to her chest and fled, insinuating herself frantically into the stream of traffic. Up the cement steps and down the next aisle, she exited by a ramp several sections away, obviously hoping to lose him.
“I’m going after her.” Marduk was speaking aloud for the first time in centuries, and his voice sounded rusty with dis-use.
People in the vicinity heard his voice as a painful resonance and covered their ears in distress. Marduk grimaced. Surely they wondered what that horrible sound had been and who he was talking to, but after taking one look at his scowling face they all declined to ask. He launched himself toward the bowels of the ballpark, uncaring. “I’ll catch you later.” His voice exploded back to Anshar.
“Are you kidding?” Anshar yelled at his departing back. “I wouldn’t miss this for all the darkness in your heathen soul.” He paused and located the girl. “She’s headed out the exit to the right!” Marduk didn’t offer a verbal acknowledgement to his friend, nor did the crowd, but then again, invisible guys didn’t often get acknowledged.
Tess knew she had to hit the street, and glanced up at the scoreboard. Great. The Sox had finally pulled ahead five to four in the sixth. What lousy timing this guy had. She wove her way expertly around the surge of humanity lined up for sausage subs and clam chowder, focusing instead on the gates that led out to Yawkey Way.
Once free of the park, it wouldn’t be far to the Kenmore T and, as soon as she was on the train home, she’d feel a lot better. She imagined footsteps pounding behind her as she turned the corner onto Brookline Avenue, and fought her way through the crowd milling outside the hottest new brew pub. Couldn’t people see that she was in a hurry here? One guy planted himself right in front of her, purposely interrupting her flight.
“Wanna come in for a drink, honey?” He postured and slurred in a way that only a Southie boy, born and bred, would dare. “I’ll make sure I give ya a little somethin’ extra with it.” He wiggled his eyebrows hopefully.
“Oh, please,” Tess groaned sarcastically, with a preoccupied laugh. “Is that the best you’ve got?” She scooted around him and he good-naturedly let her pass. She looked back over her shoulder and wished him luck trolling for a companion. He was sending her a jaunty salute when the big dude who was chasing her smacked right into the guy’s arm. Tess grinned. This was good! The would-be Romeo wouldn’t put up with that for one second. Tess picked up her pace in the opposite direction.
Marduk, intent on the little body getting away, was stunned to have someone address him. “Hey buddy! Watch where you’re going or I’ll kick your ass.” The native Bostonian postured brilliantly.
Marduk pinned the fool with a raw glare. His prey was fast disappearing into the crowd. “Get out of my way, or I’ll be happy to oblige your ass with the blunt end of a bar stool.”
Dorchester dropped his in-your-face stance at the raw aggression that oozed from Marduk. He could obviously see that the god meant business. As he moved to the side, Marduk didn’t spare him another glance, but took off down the street with the nasty cold wind of Anshar following close behind. He knew that the Bostonian would have heard the deep chuckle in the swirling aftermath.
Marduk growled. God blast it, why were the streets so crowded? He’d better get more adept at this moving-through-people thing. Being corporeal really had its down side.
He spotted his target up ahead about to turn another corner. How could such a little bit of a woman move so quickly? Well, fast or not, he wasn’t overcome with emotion like he’d been on the beach earlier in the week, and he wasn’t about to let her get away before he had some answers. He still had some tricks up his proverbial sleeve, and it was about time he used them. Without so much as a blink, Marduk called on the clouds for a quick thunder squall. Water began cascading from the sky.
He nearly fell to his knees as the first cooling drops of moisture hit his face. Oh gods! To feel rain again after so many years! He hadn’t counted on his own reaction. Wonder suffused his whole being and, looking up, he marveled at the sensation.
By the look on Anshar’s face, his companion was suffering piercing shafts of jealousy at Marduk’s new-found faculty. If he could only find out why the woman had turned him corporeal, maybe Anshar would soon be able to join the physical world again, too. Only a strong resolve brought Marduk’s feelings back under control. He turned his attention back to his prey. The well-timed storm had done the trick and slowed her down.
Damn, Tess realized she wasn’t going to make it to the T station. Where had this blinding rain come from? She didn’t want to cross the street in the drenching dark and risk being hit by a car. She looked to her right. The best she could hope for was to slip into the fast food burger joint on Commonwealth Avenue and surround herself with people.
Water made her glasses almost useless and she stumbled, then pushed back her hair, cleared her eyes and bolted for the fast food haven. She scooted through the entrance with feet to spare, sensing the palpable, hot impatience that reached the door right behind her.
She whipped around, body poised to face her giant well-proportioned stalker, and saw him paused outside. What was he waiting for? Tess was ready. She might be small, but she was not to be messed with. Her brother had taught her some great survival skills, and she was ready to use them. Bring it on, asshole.
Marduk ended the storm as quickly as he had started it. He had no interest in expending energy to keep the rain going, his whole being was now focused on the presence waiting behind the glass portal. How should he approach this? Anshar glided to a stop beside him.
“So now that you have the little mouse trapped, what’s your agenda, big man?”
“Shut up, Anshar.” Marduk hadn’t actually thought this through. This was the first human contact for any of his group in more than 350 years. Sure, they had mingled, invisible, with people during their bodily exile, keeping up to date on language, styles, and technology, but it wasn’t as if he had actually talked to anyone during that time…except maybe the guy he’d threatened a few minutes ago on the sidewalk. But Marduk had yelled at him, which came easily for a thunder god. Now he had to attempt a normal conversation.
“I’m going to enter and converse with the human. How does this sound?” he posed the question to Anshar, and his voice rolled out with a loud, vicious rumble.
“It sounds like thunder, dick head.” The sky god shook with mirth at Marduk’s consternation. “You’re going to scare her with that shit-for-gravel sound coming out of your mouth.” He calmed his laughter and took pity on his friend. “All right, all right. Try for something less like storm and more like light rain.”
Marduk conjured up an image of gentle mist and tried his vocal chords again. “How do I sound now?” he asked.
“Pretty as a friggin’ feather, ya pansy!” The guy with a hard hat behind him was clearly disgruntled that Marduk was blocking the entrance. “Either go through the door, or get outta my way.” Marduk quickly moved aside and looked over at Anshar who was once again convulsed with laughter.
“You should see the look on your face…” his friend howled, “…you freakin’ pansy!”
Marduk didn’t make the mistake of speaking again, but simply glared his displeasure at his companion, looking like he wanted to rip someone’s face off. This caused a few would-be patrons to move on to an alternate feeding spot.
Anshar cut him some slack. “Okay, okay. Your voice was fine that time. Just k
eep the volume low and you shouldn’t scare the shit out of her too badly.”
Marduk expelled an anxious breath and reached for the door handle. He needed to use all of his godly restraint and command to be friendly, lull her into trusting him before he kidnapped her and found out what kind of powers she possessed. His lips curled back. He would succeed. The stakes were too high not to discover why this woman had the capability of changing him into a solid form.
To say that Marduk had been worried since the dawn of the manufacturing age was an understatement. Humans had rapidly been changing the environment over the past hundred years, and not in a good way. The gods had always been able to keep nature in balance, but without human synergy, he and his companions were ever closer to reverting to their barbaric elemental beginnings.
This boded ill for them, and even worse for the world that was experiencing changing weather patterns, more violent storms, and the inevitable downward spiral in the fertility of the earth that sustained them all.
Gaining their bodies would stabilize their emotions and allow their continued benevolent dominion over the world. This little mortal could very well be the key. The gods had been impotent for far too long.
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