She was beautiful beyond words, with wide almond-shaped yellow eyes and long white hair. Her skin was painted purple, contributing to her savage, otherworldly air. Jean stared at her as she stepped in close to him, only then realizing her skin wasn’t painted. That was its real color.
Sharp, biting pain ran through his midsection. She leaned in closer, almost breathing into his mouth. There seemed to be sadness in her eyes, and her beautiful wide lips were parted and wet. She jerked her hand across his body, and he realized she had stabbed him beneath his bulletproof vest, cutting his stomach open.
Jean collapsed to his knees and fell over just as his vision faded.
* * *
Maelhrandia watched the manling, a soldier of some type, die. Nearby, Gazekiller devoured the remains of the other two, noisily crunching their bones. It ate them clothes and all and would later vomit up the stone exterior. Maelhrandia looked about, but the manlings had all fled.
No matter. She wasn’t interested in battle; she had merely wanted to test them. And the manlings had been surprisingly effective, arriving much faster and in a more coordinated fashion than she would have thought them capable of. Threatening their younglings had indeed stirred them up; it always did. Lesser species became so emotional, so irrational. Of course, she didn’t enjoy killing younglings. She was no monster—in fact, she rather enjoyed little ones, especially Redcap babes—but she had a mission, a duty, and there was no place now for softness or weakness.
Manlings, including their younglings, were a lesser species—of no real importance other than her mother’s plans for them. They were clever, though, far cleverer than she had at first realized. She had no idea how they had managed to make that stream of water appear. It wasn’t magic, but it had been impressive—for a time. Even now, the strange hose they had been holding danced about wildly on its own, like a snake, spewing a seemingly unstoppable amount of water. But effective as it had been, nothing could stop Gazekiller. The water stream could only momentarily frustrate the noble beast.
She squatted down and ran her fingers over the dead manling’s weapon. It was cold and smooth, so very alien, far beyond what even a dwarven smith could fashion. She stood up, holding the weapon by its end, the long tube. The other manlings had carried such fire-weapons as well. They were far more dangerous than they appeared, throwing metal darts that could rip and tear from a great distance, akin to crossbows but much faster. But they were entirely mundane, so they were beneath one such as her, a daughter of magic. She dropped the weapon onto the street and approached Gazekiller just as he slurped up the last of his foes.
For five days, Maelhrandia had remained hidden in the woods, silently observing the manlings. Today, she had decided it was time to take a risk and stir them up. Even now, she heard their alarms. If she remained, she’d be overwhelmed, and perhaps even Gazekiller would be unable to fight them all off. No doubt, they’d arrive better prepared for battle, with larger and more forceful weapons. Their little fire-weapons had no effect on Gazekiller, but then, basilisk scales were so very, very strong. She could heal him if he were hurt, but she didn’t want to take the chance.
And then, for the very first time since her arrival, she felt someone else using magic. She spun in place, seeking an enemy mage. Was she ambushed? No. No threat, not here. The mage was far away, to the east—near the great town she had been watching from the woods.
So, the manlings weren’t entirely mundane. They did have mages, after all. Interesting. Her mother would want to know more. Maelhrandia would have to test them.
She leapt atop Gazekiller. He raised his great horned head and shrieked once in challenge before turning about and loping away toward the tree line.
Chapter 12
Alex rapped his knuckles once against the door to McKnight’s office then waited.
“Come in,” McKnight’s voice called out from inside the room.
Alex opened the door and waited in the doorway.
The colonel was at his desk, his jacket off, his sleeves rolled up, papers laid out before him. When he saw Alex’s face, he pushed the papers away and leaned back. “Okay, Captain. Go ahead.”
“There’s been another attack. A police officer has been killed… among others.”
McKnight’s face didn’t change, but his posture became more erect. “Where?”
“About six k from the farm site.”
“The dogs… the hellhounds?”
Alex shook his head. “This is something new, something big, some sort of… dragon.”
McKnight rubbed his palm against his face aggressively. “Okay,” he mumbled, perhaps to himself. “Do we have eyes on?”
Again, Alex shook his head. “Gone.”
“A dragon? Gone?”
“That’s how the eyewitnesses described it—a giant eight-legged lizard creature the size of a truck.”
“Eyewitnesses?”
“At least a dozen, maybe more. It’s in the press now, going huge on all the major channels, the Internet. Someone recorded it with a cell phone. This is no longer containable. It… it attacked a school bus full of children.”
“Oh my God. Any—”
Alex shook his head quickly. “No. They’re all fine.”
“Why a school bus?”
Once again, Alex shook his head.
“And now it’s just… gone?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where’s Major Buchanan?”
“Already out with a team, looking for it.”
McKnight pushed himself up, turned away, and walked to his window, where he leaned against it, looking out over the river and dam infrastructure and the vast tracts of woodland.
Alex waited silently.
“There’s more I assume, Captain,” McKnight said without turning around.
Alex bit his lower lip, uncertain how to broach this. “Sir… two of the dead, the victims… witnesses said the monster… turned them to stone with its gaze.”
McKnight stared at him. “A giant eight-legged lizard that turns people to stone?”
Alex nodded.
“God help us,” McKnight whispered, almost too softly for Alex to hear. “I fear we’re going to need help. All the help we can get.”
“The civilians?”
The phone on McKnight’s desk began ringing, an incessant two-toned discord. Washington or Ottawa? Whichever government it was, the other would be calling as well.
McKnight rested a hand on the phone. “If you don’t mind, Captain.”
“Yes, sir.” Alex closed the door, thankful this time that he wasn’t the one in charge of Task Force Devil and Operation Rubicon.
Chapter 13
Cassie sat propped up on her bed, absentmindedly flicking through the channels of the crappy little television that hung from the ceiling. All the channels were talking nonsense anyhow about some big dinosaur thing—clearly a big network joke. Alice sat on the bed with her, reading. Elizabeth sat in a chair by the window, reading a Bible.
Seriously. Who actually sat around reading the Bible? That was just about all Elizabeth ever seemed to do. She had no interest in anything else. And she clearly wanted nothing to do with Cassie. In fact, Cassie couldn’t remember the last time someone had had such scathing contempt for her.
Cassie had been there for five days, and she’d had more than enough. So far, the series of tests had revealed nothing. Zip. Nada. And although the doctors, including Ireland, wouldn’t admit it, Cassie knew they didn’t have a clue as to what was wrong with Cassie and Elizabeth.
Someone knocked on the door, and all three women glanced toward it at the same moment. The hospital staff didn’t knock. Alice got up from the bed and opened it. Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged black man. Just behind him, peering over his shoulder, was a much younger—and very good-looking—young man with short dark hair and intense eyes. Beside him stood a young woman with red hair tied up into a tight bun. All three wore dark business suits. The middle-aged man smiled at Alice and held his
hand out. “Hello. You must be Mrs. Heller. My name is Oscar McKnight. I’m with the government. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
His hair was short and gray, not much more than a crew cut, really. His bearing was erect and proud, giving him the appearance of being much taller than he actually was. And he radiated confidence, reminding Cassie—she realized, with a momentary throb of loss—of her father.
“The government?” Alice asked, confusion in her voice. She looked over her shoulder at her sister. Cassie nodded then glanced quickly toward Elizabeth who was staring at the man, her eyes narrowed. “Please come in,” Alice said, stepping out of the way.
McKnight entered, but the other two remained outside. Even in business attire, Cassie could tell they both had athletic builds. They radiated the same aura of confidence and professionalism that McKnight did. They looked, Cassie decided, like police officers or bodyguards.
“Are your friends coming in?” Cassie asked.
“No, let’s just talk amongst ourselves for a bit first,” McKnight said. The young man pulled the door closed while the woman stood staring down the corridor—exactly like bodyguards.
McKnight approached Elizabeth, his hand out. “You must be Elizabeth. How do you do?”
She stood up and shook his hand. “Who are you again?”
“My name is Oscar McKnight, and it’s truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He turned from Elizabeth and approached Cassie and her sister, still holding his hand out. His grip was firm and strong, and despite her trepidation, Cassie found herself liking him. He made an excellent first impression. He smoothed out his pants and sat down in one of the chairs, facing all three women. The two sisters sat down on the edge of Cassie’s hospital bed. Elizabeth pulled her chair over as well.
McKnight placed his hands in his lap. “This must be very challenging for you.”
“Are you with the province, Mr.… McKnight?” Alice asked.
“No, I’m with the federal government, ma’am. I run a research facility in the area.”
“There’s no federal research facility around here,” Elizabeth said, crossing her arms as she regarded him.
His smile only faltered a moment. “Actually, Miss Chambers, there is. We’re just very discreet.”
“What research facility?” asked Cassie. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here, Miss Rogan, because your country needs your help.”
Cassie stared at him. “Excuse me?”
McKnight grimaced. “I just heard how that sounds. Let’s start over. Five days ago, on the third of May, at exactly 8:25 p.m., a number of people around the Peace River Valley collapsed into comas at the exact same moment. Most of those people died. You two haven’t.”
“We know all that,” said Cassie. “What happened to us?”
“We’re not entirely sure,” said McKnight, “but the fact that you’re still alive is very interesting to us.”
“It’s pretty goddamned interesting to me as well,” said Cassie. “But what’s this got to do with the government? What’s going on?”
“We don’t know,” said McKnight. “And that’s the simple truth. What we do know is that five days ago, unprecedented weather patterns developed over the Peace River Valley area and nowhere else.”
“What are you saying, Mr. McKnight?” Alice asked.
“I’m saying you just don’t get electrical storms localized like that. It should be impossible. Something we don’t understand took place five days ago. Understanding what happened, and how it affected the two of you, has become a matter of national security.”
“Bullshit,” said Cassie.
“Have you considered that there is a very simple answer to all of this?” Elizabeth asked, “and that all this is God’s design for us?”
McKnight turned to face her. “Perhaps it is God’s design, Elizabeth, but we need to find out, and quickly.”
“Why?” asked Alice. “What does it matter to the government?”
“People have died,” said McKnight.
“Oh, I get that,” said Alice, waving her hand at McKnight. “I understand why the province would be concerned. This could be the beginning of an epidemic or something. What I don’t understand is why the federal government cares. Fort St. John is a long way from anywhere important.”
“Everywhere is important,” said McKnight.
“It’s the Lord’s will,” Elizabeth said.
Cassie frowned at Elizabeth then turned back to McKnight. “What does this have to do with me?”
“Both of you, actually,” McKnight said. “You two survived. Whatever affected you may have left some trace elements, something that can be measured and examined. If we can determine what’s affecting you, we might be able to help others if this phenomenon resurfaces.”
“So far,” Elizabeth said, “the hospital hasn’t been able to determine anything.”
“We have resources this hospital doesn’t.” McKnight steepled the fingers of his hands and rested his chin on them. “Plus, not to insult this facility, but we don’t think they are… best equipped to help you.”
“Where are your resources?” Cassie asked. “And help us how, exactly?”
“I’d like the two of you to come with me to our research facility. We’ll run tests and maybe discover what’s going on. You’ll be our guests, and I can guarantee you’ll be better taken care of than here. At the same time, you’ll be doing a community service, helping others who may become afflicted.” He paused and let his gaze travel from Elizabeth to Cassie. “I understand, Elizabeth, that you have already demonstrated some… telepathic abilities.”
“Not telepathy, miracles,” Elizabeth said. “I’ve been chosen.”
“Indeed,” replied McKnight. “Could you show me something now?”
“Excuse me,” said Alice. “How do you know that? Isn’t this confidential information from hospital records and that sort of thing?”
“Normally, yes, Mrs. Heller, but these are special times. Trust me; I have clearance for everything.”
“Well, Mr. McKnight,” said Alice. “This is all happening very fast. Where exactly is your facility?”
“I’m sorry. That’s confidential. But trust me—we will take excellent care of your sister.”
“Confidential?” Cassie asked. “You want me to go off with you to some secret lab somewhere so you can probe me?”
“It won’t be like that,” McKnight said. “We’re not going to probe anyone. We’re not talking Area 51 nonsense. We’re going to help you.”
Cassie shook her head. “No. You’re not. I have no intention of going anywhere with you.”
“Cassie…” Alice reached out a hand and placed it on her knee. “This is the government. Maybe you should think about—”
“I’m not thinking about anything,” snapped Cassie. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m perfectly happy here. The answer is Hell no, Mr. McKnight.”
“Cassie?” Her sister was staring at her.
“No.” Cassie crossed her arms over her chest. “No way.”
“I’ll go,” said Elizabeth. “I’ll help you, Mr. McKnight. The Lord has chosen me for a reason. It would be a sin not to help others.” At that, Elizabeth glared at Cassie.
Cassie was really tempted to flip her the bird. Instead, she snorted and shook her head. “Well you two have fun. I haven’t been chosen for anything, and I’m not going off to some secret research lab.” She turned to Alice. “I want to go home. Besides, I don’t have any telepathic powers. I blacked out—that’s all.”
McKnight was watching her very closely. “Miss Rogan, we really are your best—”
Cassie raised her palm up to his face, cutting him off. “Thank you, Mr. McKnight. Have a nice day.”
At that moment, there was a commotion just outside the door. Cassie turned and stared. She could hear Dr. Ireland’s irate voice on the other side of the closed door, demanding to be let in. McKnight got up and opened the door.
Dr. Ireland, her face r
ed, was poking her finger into the chest of the young man who had accompanied McKnight and was now blocking her entrance into the hospital room.
“… can get the hell out of my way before I have you removed.”
“Alex, please let the doctor in,” McKnight said.
The young man stepped aside, and Dr. Ireland stormed into the room.
“What is going on here? Who are you people? If you’re with the press—”
“My apologies, Dr. Ireland. My colleague can be a bit overzealous. My name is McKnight, and we’re with the government.” He pulled an identity card from his jacket and handed it to her.
He knows her name. Why does he know the name of one of my doctors? She could understand McKnight knowing her and Elizabeth’s names, maybe—and it was a big maybe—her sister’s name as well, but the name of a patient’s doctor? Who the hell was that well informed? No one, Cassie realized with a burst of revelation. The only people that well informed were spies. McKnight was a spook of some kind. This was some Area 51 bullshit.
Dr. Ireland snatched the card from his hand and stared at it. “Health Canada? You’re from Health Canada?” Cassie saw the doubt clearly in the doctor’s face as she stared at McKnight.
McKnight took his card back. “A special advisory task force, Doctor. Please contact your hospital administrator. You’ll find she’s already aware of me. We’re here to help.”
“What are you doing here?”
“He’s here for me,” answered Elizabeth. “I’ve been chosen, and I’m going with him.”
“Chosen for what?” Dr. Ireland turned and stared at Elizabeth. “Nobody’s going anywhere until I know what’s going on.”
“Dr. Ireland, we’ll wait here until you’ve spoken to your administrator, but Elizabeth has volunteered to serve her country, and she’ll be leaving with us.”
“The hell she will! I’m contacting security.” The small woman shoved past McKnight, forcing him to jump back, as she stormed out the door.
McKnight frowned. “Trying times. People can be very emotional at times like this, but you’ve made the right choice, Elizabeth.” He turned to face Cassie. “If you change your mind, young lady, you can reach me at this number.” He handed her a business card with a phone number written on it. “We really can help you. Perhaps we’re the only ones who can.”
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