“Open the back door,” she said. “Someone’s coming with us.”
Williams nodded then did as she ordered, swinging the heavy metal rear door open.
They didn’t have long to wait. No sooner had they opened the back hatch than Porter, one of the American Deltas, ran up to her MRAP, an odd-looking rifle under his arm. In his other hand, he clutched a metallic briefcase. Major Buchanan—Buck—was with him, and while Porter climbed into the back, Buck ran to Jennifer’s door and yanked it open again.
His face was flush with excitement. “You take my man with you. This is the basilisk. It’s come to us.”
Jennifer nodded, swallowing nervously.
He leaned in. “He’s in charge out there, you got it?”
She hesitated only a moment. “Yes, sir. What do you want me to do?”
“Get him within range of that thing. He’s got a tranq gun, so he needs to get close, a hundred meters or less. Better with less.”
“A tranq gun? Are you kidding me? This thing is dangerous.”
Buck glared at her, the contempt clear in his face. “You’re in an armored vehicle, honey. I think you’ll be fine.”
She felt her anger rise, but she nodded. “Yes, sir. We get close.”
Buck stepped back. “Don’t fuck this up, split-ass.” He slammed the door shut and pointed toward the hangar entrance.
Dickhead, she thought.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Porter was ready, his tranquillizer gun held across his lap. Williams was yanking the locking lever on the rear door into place.
“Move,” Jennifer ordered Rico.
Rico put the MRAP into gear and stomped on the gas. In moments they were outside. Jennifer pointed toward the perimeter breach, and Rico left the road and started driving cross-country. The MRAP jumped and bounced over the rough ground. They’d be there in less than a minute.
* * *
From where she hid near the ruined fence, Maelhrandia could hear the discordant wailing that could only be an alarm. How had they known she and Gazekiller were there? She was certain no one was close enough to see the basilisk, yet alone her, cloaked as she was in magic. Yet just the same, the manlings were already aware of her attack. Impressive.
They’d be there quickly, she knew, in one of their war chariots. Their defenses were better than she had thought. She considered fleeing but only for a moment. She was a princess of the fae seelie court. She didn’t run from manlings. She had a plan, and she needed to follow it. That plan came with risk. She exhaled, steeling herself. No coward, she would do her duty.
* * *
Jennifer’s MRAP quickly vectored in on the security breach. The TOC reported they still had eyes on the basilisk. It was actually waiting near the ruined fence.
And then she saw it. “Holy shit.” She leaned forward in her seat.
The basilisk stood in place, watching the MRAP approach. Behind it, an entire segment of the perimeter fence had been trampled and torn down. Jennifer fought the panic she felt. It was so much bigger than she had realized, easily thirty feet long, with eight articulated, spindly legs. She had heard the stories, seen the news reports, but still hadn’t fully understood until that very moment. In the green glow of her night vision, the creature’s demonic horned head faced them, its eyes glowing. She could see why others were calling it a dinosaur. It was as big as their MRAP—far longer with its spiked tail!
“Fuck me,” muttered Rico beside her, terror in his voice.
She reached over and gripped his forearm. “Slow down, stop. Here, stop here.”
Turning around in her seat, she faced Porter. “Close enough?”
Porter, also wearing his GPNVGs, nodded. Then, he stood up and opened the roof hatch before climbing up onto the bench, leaving just his lower torso within the MRAP. Williams handed the tranquilizer gun to him. Jennifer returned her gaze to the basilisk. The creature began to walk toward the vehicle as if it were only curious. On Rubicon it’s an apex predator, Jennifer realized. It wasn’t afraid of them.
But this isn’t Rubicon. “Do it,” Jennifer whispered.
At about fifty meters away, the basilisk halted and raised itself up onto its back legs, lifting its massive head high above the MRAP, glaring down at it. Its eyes began to glow brighter. She remembered the task-force intelligence officer said that this thing could turn people to stone, that it had some form of death gaze. She was about to yell a warning to Porter when the sudden flaring from the basilisk’s eyes washed out her night vision.
* * *
Excitement coursed through Maelhrandia as Gazekiller turned its magic on the occupants of the war chariot. One of the manlings had actually exposed himself by standing up in an opening through the top of the vehicle. She knew what would happen next: Gazekiller would soon be feasting on petrified prey.
But nothing happened. She felt a sudden coldness rush through her being. Gazekiller’s magic had failed. Impossible.
The exposed manling was now aiming a long weapon at Gazekiller. The basilisk just stood there. She could feel his confusion through the mind-tether. When the manling weapon fired, it barely made any noise—more like a bolt from a crossbow than the thunder that usually accompanied their fire weapons. Something struck Gazekiller: a dart.
Within moments, she began to feel the effects of the dart, a poison of some type, flow through her mount. Panic swept through her. They’re going to kill Gazekiller!
Still cloaked, she stepped forward, drawing in magic, sending it into Gazekiller’s body, negating the effects of the poison. Though she was a poor healer at best, she could at least do this.
But her plan of attack had failed, and she needed to get Gazekiller away from there. Through the mind-tether, she ordered the basilisk to flee. The noble beast roared in outrage and indignation but did as she commanded, whipping about and bounding away toward the safety of the woods. The war chariot roared in pursuit much faster than she would have thought possible. It would seem the manlings were not as pathetic as she had first believed and could pose a threat after all.
Damn them to the Ether. They will not have him!
She sprinted forward, placing herself between the fleeing basilisk and the war chariot. The evil vehicle sped right at her, unaware she was even there.
Now, in the thick of combat, she felt no fear. She was a true daughter of the fae seelie. She drew in magic, warping it into Drake’s-Gift.
Chapter 31
Jennifer’s excitement spiked when the basilisk turned and began to flee. “It’s making for the woods.”
“I’m after it,” Rico said.
“Hit it again,” she yelled to Porter. “Before it gets into the trees.”
“I got it, I got it,” he yelled back, his voice barely audible from outside the vehicle.
She squeezed Rico’s shoulder. “Slow down; give him the shot.”
Rico nodded, taking his foot off the gas. The MRAP decelerated quickly, stabilizing.
Just ahead, the basilisk slowed, glanced back over its spiked back. Jennifer smiled and shook her head. “No way, T. rex. You’re not going anywhere.”
And then the night lit up in bright flame, completely overwhelming her GPNVGs, searing into her brain. She screamed and swore as she ripped the headgear from her eyes. The windshield of the MRAP was covered in roaring flames. She could literally feel the heat surrounding the vehicle. Porter screamed but only for a moment, and then a jet of fire poured through the open hatch. The flames rushed over the occupants of the MRAP like a fiery waterfall.
I’m burning! She screamed, but then the fire cooked off the ammo within the MRAP, creating a series of explosions that ripped the top of the armored vehicle open, mercifully ending her torment.
***
When Cassie and Elizabeth felt the tremendous amount of mana being channeled, they jumped to their feet and ran to the window to see what was going on. A large fire blazed near the edge of the woods. Something really bad had just happened; Cassie was certain of that. They stoo
d there like that for some time, staring out at the fire. Was it still coming?
Some minutes later, they heard pounding boot steps in the hallway. They turned as Alex rushed through the doorway. He wore body armor over his uniform and held his M4 in one hand, his face white.
Something had happened.
He looked from Cassie to Elizabeth. “I need you both dressed in combat clothing and ready to go in five minutes.”
“What’s going on?” Cassie heard the panic in her own voice. She hated herself for it but couldn’t help the reaction.
“The basilisk ran off, but we’re going after it.”
Cassie stared at his face. There was something in his eyes, something he wasn’t telling them. Elizabeth jumped to her feet without a word and ran for her room, leaving Cassie alone with Alex. She glided up to him, putting her hand on his forearm. It was trembling. “What’s happened?”
Alex didn’t look her in the eye, staring at his hands instead. “There’s… there’s been… an incident with the reaction team. They were killed. The soldier in charge was a friend.”
Cassie’s hand rose to her mouth. “I’m sorry. This is my fault, isn’t it? That thing has followed me here.”
Alex shook his head. “No. It’s our…” He paused, pain in his eyes. “It doesn’t matter now. Get dressed quickly before it gets away. The trail is fresh right now. Paco and Clyde will track it, but we want you and Elizabeth along just in case. For… well, for whatever it is that you can do.”
Cassie nodded, still watching his face. She squeezed his forearm and turned away. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” Her pulse was racing as she ran for her room. She felt sick and excited at the same time. They were finally going after the monster that had murdered Alice. This was her chance for revenge.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Cassie was sitting in the rear of an MRAP following another one as it sped across the rough terrain toward the base perimeter. Once again, they were divided into two teams: Elizabeth and Paco accompanied Buck in the first MRAP, and Cassie and Alex followed in the second. Cassie gripped the nylon webbing on the vehicle hull, hanging on as the MRAP jumped in the air. She looked about the interior of the armored vehicle, watching the faces of the other occupants. There was a grim determination in their eyes, but they made no easy banter this time. Their friends had died. The soldier sitting across from Cassie held a long, odd-looking rifle between his knees. She watched him remove a dart the length of his hand from a metal briefcase near his feet and insert it into a loading chamber in the rifle, locking it in place.
A tranquilizer gun? Her heart began to pound wildly. What was he thinking?
She leaned forward, snapping her fingers to get the soldier’s attention. “Hey! You need something bigger—a lot bigger. That’s not going to work.”
The soldier frowned at her and then looked away, ignoring her.
Cassie leaned back in her seat, staring at the rifle. They’re not trying to kill it, she realized. They’re trying to capture it.
She released her seatbelt, got out of her chair, and almost tripped as she made her way to the front of the vehicle where Alex sat with the driver. He glanced over his shoulder, annoyance on his features. Before he could say anything, she spoke first. “You’re trying to capture that thing? Are you insane? Don’t you remember the hospital?”
His eyes narrowed. “Cassie, go sit down before you get hurt.”
She was about to say something else when she saw the flames of the burning MRAP through the windshield. The fire shot out the top of the vehicle. Huge clouds of black smoke obscured the stars in the otherwise clear night sky.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Three other vehicles were already on site, illuminating the scene with their headlights. One of the vehicles was an ambulance, its red-and-blue lights flashing. The second was a fire truck and the third another MRAP. The soldiers already on site stood back from the burning MRAP, spraying it with a water hose. As their MRAPs maneuvered around the scene, Cassie saw what looked like a charred body hanging from the destroyed vehicle. They drove past the carnage, heading for the perimeter fence, which had been mangled and torn loose and now lay across the ground.
“Cassie!” barked Alex.
Her focus darted back to him, and she realized he had been talking to her.
“Get your ass back in your seat!”
At that moment, the MRAP hit a rough spot and jumped into the air again, almost knocking her down. She grasped at the back of Alex’s seat and nodded, before making her way quickly back to her bench. She didn’t want to be there anymore. Despite her need for revenge, she knew this was going to end badly. None of the other soldiers looked at her as she sat back down again.
They’re all afraid, she realized. Good.
* * *
Maelhrandia followed quickly behind Gazekiller, pausing only long enough to make sure the manling war chariot had been destroyed and no further dangers loomed. Then she turned and ran through the night behind her mount, her heart pounding wildly. Her plans had fallen apart so quickly.
* * *
The MRAP rolled to a halt. The soldier sitting in the gunner’s chair used his joystick to move the turret gun and infrared camera to sweep around their vehicle. Cassie stared over his shoulder at the television monitor and its green display, but all she saw were trees. Without a word, Alex and the other soldiers rushed out of the MRAP, their weapons held ready. Only Cassie, the gunner, and the driver remained within the vehicle. She peered through her side window, watching the soldiers set up a defensive perimeter. Each soldier had one of the powerful flashlights attached to the barrel of his carbine, and the beams swept across the broken ground.
Clyde began barking, and then Cassie saw the German shepherd and Paco moving back and forth across the ground. The dog’s nose was down low, sniffing.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on her surroundings, seeking some sign of ongoing mana use, but felt nothing. She had sensed when the basilisk had used its petrification gaze, recognized it from the hospital attack, but now it seemed it could also breathe fire like the hellhounds… like a dragon. She wondered what else it could do.
Paco was right. They had to be aliens. But how had an alien that large gotten here? From outside the MRAP, she heard Clyde whining. Clearly, he didn’t want to be anywhere near this thing. Smart dog.
She could no longer see Paco or his dog from where she sat, so she moved to the front of the vehicle and peered through the windshield just in time to see Clyde’s rear end going under the chassis of the MRAP in front of them. Paco was on his hands and knees, trying to coax the animal back out.
The hell with this. She climbed out the back of the MRAP, through the still-open rear door. She knew they didn’t want her out there, but she didn’t really give a damn. One of the soldiers guarding their perimeter turned and glanced at her, frowning. He touched the side of his ear and began talking.
Tattletale, she mused as she approached Paco.
He looked over his shoulder, resignation in his eyes. “He won’t come out. The second he caught the scent of this thing, he freaked out.”
Cassie dropped down on her knees beside him and peered under the MRAP at Clyde’s terrified features only a foot away. The poor dog was actually shivering. “He’s the only one around here that gets it.”
Paco sighed and looked at the ruined perimeter fence and burning MRAP. “I think you might be right, little sister.”
“Maybe Clyde should stay in the MRAP.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Paco’s normally exuberant face was troubled. “As long as the trail doesn’t just disappear again like it did at the hospital. This thing is so big, ain’t no way I can’t track it by myself.”
They heard boot steps behind them and turned to see Buck and Alex approaching, followed closely by the soldier carrying the tranquilizer gun.
“What up, Tonto?” Buck asked. “We goin’ after this thing or not?”
Paco grimaced and reached u
nder the MRAP, grabbing Clyde by his collar and pulling the whining animal out. Holding the cringing dog, Paco glared at Buck for a moment and then nodded. “I’m gonna secure Clyde inside the vehicle. Then I’ll track this thing for you.”
Cassie stared out at the dark woods before them. There was no way the vehicles would be able to move through those trees. Alex must have been thinking the same thing because he said as much to Buck, who nodded knowingly.
“Okay, on foot,” Buck said. “We’ll move in two teams. You take the cover team and go with Tonto.”
“His name is Paco,” Cassie snapped. “And he’s here to help you.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” snarled Buck. “You can go with the Injun as well, Blondie. Try to not be in the way this time.” He turned back to Alex and started jabbing him with his finger as he spoke. “Don’t get too far ahead. I’ll be in the second leg with the other mag-sens.” He glanced disdainfully at Cassie. “The one who isn’t useless. Take Ramirez with you.” Buck indicated the soldier beside him carrying the tranquilizer gun. “You get a shot; you put it to sleep.”
“That may not be an option,” Alex said, meeting Buck’s stare. “This thing might be too big for the drugs.”
“Well that’s the mission, isn’t it? You don’t like it, you stay here. We clear?”
Cassie felt the heat between the two men. After several uncomfortable moments, Alex nodded. “We’re clear.”
Buck grinned. “Well?”
Alex sighed and turned to face Cassie and Paco. “Secure the dog. We’re moving out.”
Minutes later, they headed out into the woods, Paco leading, Alex and Cassie right behind, and four other soldiers—including the one with the tranquilizer rifle—taking up the rear. They moved with flashlights so Paco could see the basilisk’s sign, but they still wore their GPNVGs around their necks. The night was bright, with an almost-full moon, so they moved quickly. No tracker, Cassie saw the passage of the basilisk easily enough: giant paw prints smashed into the ground and snapped branches. That thing didn’t care if anyone followed it. So, why had it run away at all?
Starlight (The Dark Elf War Book 1) Page 25