Alex’s pistol lay just in front of her, and she picked it up before dragging herself back to her feet. Using the flashlight’s weak beam, she began to make her way toward the source of the mana use. The sensation grew in potency as she got closer. The smell of ozone was much stronger than before, as was the stench of burning wood. Just ahead, the trunk of a tree smoldered and burned. She tentatively touched its singed bark, amazed that the entire tree wasn’t engulfed in flames. This must be where the lightning flashes were coming from. That meant she wasn’t far from the clearing, which meant the others must also be nearby. What happened here?
She jumped back, almost falling, when she heard a groan of agony only paces away, a sound that did not come from human lips. Pointing both the flashlight and the pistol in front of her, she scanned the ground. The basilisk must have been there, because entire trees had been smashed down and lay in scattered fragments across the area. Among the wreckage, a large form moved—too large for a human but too small for the basilisk.
She stood frozen, staring at it, her pulse pounding in her ears. The form moved slightly, and a cry of agony hissed through what had to be a broken body. Without realizing what she was doing, Cassie stepped closer.
Gasping, she almost dropped the light. It was the same creature she had seen watching them after the ambush of the hellhounds. Simian in form, its fur was now glistening with its own blood. It resembled a nightmarish cross between an ape and a man and could only be one thing: this was the legendary Bigfoot, a Sasquatch. It looked exactly as described in the tales. Impossible though it seemed, it fit right in with giant lizards that could turn people to stone and fire-breathing wolves—and wizards. These days, impossible was normal.
The creature was dying. She could tell that right away. Its long legs were bent at an obscene, impossible angle, and its entire left rib cage was caved in. It watched her with strangely intelligent eyes, focusing on her face. It tried to raise its head but cried out in agony instead. She dropped to her knees beside it, all the while aware that only an idiot would approach a wounded animal. She laid Alex’s pistol down beside her, reached out, and ran her fingers across the beast’s bloody forehead, smoothing its glistening fur. She had her Camelbak and, for a moment, considered giving it something to drink. But with its extensive internal injuries, drinking would only bring it more pain. Judging by its caved-in chest, she was amazed it still lived at all.
And then, somehow, it managed to raise its massive, elongated arm—an arm that was twice the length of hers. It dropped an object into Cassie’s lap. She stared down in confusion at what looked to be a glove of some type, made of dark leather and silver chains. The creature reached forward again—impossibly fast—and grabbed the nape of her neck with a hand so large it could almost wrap its fingers all the way around her head. Terror suddenly gripped her as she realized it could crush her skull in a moment.
Its huge yellow eyes stared into Cassie’s, and its fangs glistened. The Brace, an alien voice whispered within her head. Focus, it whispered again.
She heard human voices calling out her name. The others were looking for her. They’d be here any moment.
Please, the creature thought to her. Help me.
“What do you want me to do?”
For a moment, she felt its pain lance through her, unimaginable currents of torment. Gasping, she gripped its enormous hand, still holding her head, with both of hers. Her eyes filled with tears.
Please. Please.
Suddenly understanding, she glanced down at the pistol that lay beside her and shook her head. “I can’t.”
Please. Release… free me.
She heard Alex and the others calling for her. They were closer now. They must have discovered the smoking ruins that lay about them. They’d be here in moments. What would happen when the army discovered this creature?
They’d keep it alive as long as they could, even if they prolonged its misery. After all, it might be valuable to them.
Please.
Tears running down her cheeks, she gripped the pistol in both hands and placed the barrel against the creature’s skull.
“I’m sorry.” She pulled the trigger.
Part 3: Hunting Monsters
Chapter 34
Cassie knelt by the dead creature, her shoulders trembling. In a daze, she placed Alex’s smoking pistol on the ground—right next to the glove-like object, the Brace, that the creature had given her. She sat there, staring blankly at the creature’s body.
What have I done?
She heard the others approach and saw their lights through the trees. They must have heard the gunshot. She glanced down at the glove bound in silver chains. Without understanding why, she carefully folded it and slipped it within the cargo pocket of her combat pants, hiding it. Paco found her first, calling out to the others. She shielded her eyes from his flashlight, wiping the tears from her face.
“You all right, little sister?” When he saw the corpse of the creature on the ground in front of her, his body stiffened and his eyes went wide.
“I’m not hurt.”
Alex joined them. Wordlessly, he reached down, took his pistol from the ground, and stared at the dead creature, his gaze flicking to Cassie. “You all right? Did it hurt you?”
She shook her head, looking away, unable to look him in the eye. Heat rushed through her body, and her cheeks burned. “I… I had to. It was dying. It was in agony.”
Paco knelt beside her. He reached out a trembling hand toward the carcass then stopped as if afraid to touch it. “This is no alien. I think this might be Chiye-tanka, the Great Elder Brother.” He looked up at Alex, his face white. “This is bad. This is really, really bad. What the hell is going on here? What have you people done?”
“I think it was trying to help us,” said Cassie in a small voice. She pointed to the devastation around them—to the smashed trees, now lying like tinder. “I think it fought the basilisk.”
“Is this the same creature you saw spying on us the other night?” Alex asked.
Cassie inclined her head. “Yes.”
More lights moved through the trees. They heard the diesel whine of the MRAPs and saw the powerful headlights as Buck and the rest of the team arrived, slowly maneuvering the two vehicles through the trees.
Alex spoke into his radio. “Roger, acknowledge your last.” He paused for a moment, staring at the carcass of the creature. “We need to get the boss here. We have a… situation.” He paused again for a few moments as he listened to the transmission in his earpiece then sighed. “You need to see this for yourself. It defies explanation. Out.”
Paco climbed to his feet, distress in his eyes. He wiped a hand across his forehead. “Alex, listen to me. Buck is too stupid to understand how important this creature is. If this is Chiye-tanka—and I think it is—it’s important, really important. Not something you can disrespect. You can’t drag his corpse back to some lab to be dissected.”
Dissected? Adrenaline spiked through Cassie. She jumped to her feet and spun on Alex. “Is this a joke? You’re not really going to do that, are you? This isn’t… wasn’t an animal. It spoke to me.”
Alex’s head jerked back. “It spoke to you?”
Cassie paused. “Well, not exactly. I… I heard it in my head.”
“In your head?”
“Listen to her,” said Paco. “This is a supernatural being, one that lives between this world and the spiritual. Chiye-tanka always shows up during times of trouble to help the people. He has powerful psychic abilities and could easily communicate telepathically.”
Alex sighed. “So what did it say?”
Cassie opened her mouth to answer but then considered the object that was hidden in her pocket. “Well… it didn’t exactly talk to me… but it could.”
Alex stared at her for several seconds then shook his head. “You’re killing me.”
The headlights of an MRAP lit up the trees as Buck and the remainder of the team arrived. Soldiers poured out from the
rear of the vehicles and began to move about, securing the area. Buck, his GPNVGs sitting on top of his helmet and his M4 held nonchalantly across his chest, approached. Elizabeth, looking small next to him, followed behind like his shadow. When Buck saw the dead creature, he stopped in his tracks, staring at it. He snorted then nudged its large hairy head with his combat boot. A spasm of heat flashed through Cassie.
“Boss,” said Paco, his voice trembling with rage, “listen. This isn’t one of your aliens. This is something sacred.”
Buck held his palm out toward Paco’s face, cutting him off. He turned to Alex. “Report.”
Alex sighed. “We were tracking the basilisk, crossing a clearing when… we saw what looked like lightning strikes in the trees ahead of us.”
Buck frowned then glanced up at a starless sky.
Alex continued. “Next thing we knew, the basilisk came on us from behind.”
“It got behind you?” Buck asked, glaring at Paco.
Paco, his lips tight, nodded, but Alex answered. “Yes, but it didn’t attack us—just barreled through us like we weren’t important. I think maybe we were in its way. Grandi’s hurt, though. He’s going to need medevac.”
Buck nodded, as if such a thing were unimportant, and waited for Alex to continue.
“In the confusion, Cassie got separated.”
“Separated or wandered off?”
“Separated,” said Cassie. But screw you.
“She was the one who found the creature,” continued Alex. “As near as I can tell, the basilisk did this.”
Buck’s lips twisted into a macabre smile. “The basilisk put a round into its head?”
Alex paused, glanced at Cassie. “No. I—”
“I shot it,” she blurted out. “It was dying, in agony.”
Buck stared at her in surprise and was smiling cruelly. “Goddamn! Hey everybody, keep Blondie away from Grandi.”
An uncomfortable silence followed.
“Screw you people,” Buck muttered.
Paco stepped forward. “Somehow, the basilisk knew we were tracking it and got around us. I don’t know how. But then it must have sensed the Great Elder Brother and came back to fight it.” Paco squared his shoulders and stared at Buck. “Chiye-tanka saved our lives and died saving us. He deserves our gratitude and respect. We should leave him here in case he has brothers or sisters. They might want to honor him.”
Buck barked out a laugh. “Right—like that’s going to happen.”
“At any rate,” said Alex, “this is the creature from the other night. Maybe it’s been following us.”
“You didn’t know that, Tonto?” asked Buck.
“There isn’t a tracker on this planet that would be able to tell if Chiye-tanka was following them. He’s a spiritual creature who can move between dimensions.”
Buck glared suspiciously at Paco. Alex was also watching Paco’s face carefully.
Hit a nerve, did we, Paco? Cassie stepped forward between them. “Something else was going on, as well. Something was channeling mana—a great deal of mana.”
“I felt it too,” said Elizabeth, speaking for the first time and nodding at Cassie. “More than any of us have ever used. Even now, the air around here reeks of it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Buck.
Elizabeth looked to Cassie. “There’s something still here, radiating mana. Don’t you feel it?”
She did. It was the object hidden in her pocket, the glove the creature had called the Brace.
“It’s coming from Cassie,” said Elizabeth.
They were all watching her, waiting. She bit her lower lip, trying to decide what to do. “Okay, here’s the thing,” she finally said. “I found this… well, the creature gave this to me. It wanted me to have it.” With that, she pulled the Brace from her pocket and held it up for the others to see.
“Son of a bitch,” whispered Paco. “That’s a talisman.”
“A what?” asked Alex.
“An object of great spiritual power.”
Buck snorted. “You know a lot about magical objects, do you, Tonto?”
“I know a talisman when I see one,” Paco said.
Elizabeth moved closer, letting her fingers drift toward the glove, wonder in her eyes. When Elizabeth’s fingers brushed it, she snatched them back as if it had given her a shock. “That’s it,” Elizabeth said, wonder in her voice. “That’s the source.” She nodded at Paco. “I think you’re right. It must be a talisman or a focus of some kind.”
“Try it,” said Buck to Elizabeth.
“I’ll do it,” said Cassie, snapping back the Brace. “I found it.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a great idea,” said Alex.
Paco nodded. “This is not something to play with.”
Buck stepped forward, putting himself in front of Cassie. “Well, go ahead then, Blondie. Try it out.” When Cassie hesitated, Buck added, “Grow a pair.”
“I’ll try it,” insisted Elizabeth.
“No! I’ll do it,” said Cassie, turning away and pulling the glove onto her hand quickly, before she changed her mind. Despite the fact that the creature had been wearing it, the leather seemed to meld perfectly to her much smaller hand as if it had been designed just for her. The glove covered her entire forearm, stopping just past her elbow. “Jesus Christ,” she muttered as she felt the arcane energy coursing up her arm. It wasn’t painful, just unexpected. Her entire arm was tingling.
“Language,” said Elizabeth.
Cassie, ignoring her, turned away. She had no idea how to use the talisman, but she extended her glove-clad arm and pointed toward a Douglas fir tree about ten paces away. Elizabeth stood just behind her, with her hand on Cassie’s shoulder, almost breathing down her neck.
“I don’t know what to do,” Cassie whispered.
“Trust in the Lord,” Elizabeth said. “Channel, and try and direct the energy outward.”
“Are you sure?”
Elizabeth paused and sighed. “No.”
Cassie closed her eyes and drew in mana. Normally, using mana invigorated her, filling her with power. Now, vastly more mana than she had ever held before rushed into her body, filling it to capacity with arcane energy. The rush was indescribable, and her eyes opened wide in abject surprise as she released the pent-up mana in one burst, by instinct more than anything else. A brilliant bolt of white lightning lit up the night as it arced from her gloved hand, striking the Douglas fir. The trunk of the tree shattered, cutting it in half and sending it crashing to the forest floor. Startled curses and exclamations erupted from behind her.
Cassie’s hand fell to her side, and her mouth dropped open. At first, she couldn’t see anything but spots of bright light, but then her eyesight returned. In front of her, the base of the fir tree crackled and burned. “Oh my God,” said Cassie, yanking the Brace off her hand.
“Exactly,” said Elizabeth.
“Okay,” said Buck, a look of shock on his angular features. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You put that thing down on the ground, right goddamn now, and you don’t touch it again.”
Still trembling, Cassie laid it carefully on the ground.
Buck turned to Alex. “I’m calling in McKnight. No one touches that thing or Bigfoot. McKnight will want to see this.”
“Roger that,” said Alex, wonder in his voice.
* * *
Alex stood beside Buck in the same clearing where the basilisk had scattered them earlier, waiting for McKnight. They had moved one of the MRAPs to the edge of the clearing and used its headlights to illuminate the ground. They were still close to the Magic Kingdom, so it was only minutes before they heard the sound of rotors. Moments later, the aircraft darted over the trees, spun about, and dropped down, its skids touching the ground. The side door slid open, and McKnight, dressed in combat gear, jumped out and strode over to meet them. Helena Simmons, looking out of place in blue jeans and a sweater, followed him. As they left the helicopter, two of the other soldiers c
arried the injured Grandi onto it. McKnight paused and grabbed Grandi’s arm, leaning in to speak to him. McKnight nodded, and the two soldiers secured Grandi in the helicopter. McKnight and Helena walked over to meet Alex and Buck.
“Report,” ordered McKnight, moving past the two men and heading for the lights of the other MRAP still within the trees.
“We’ve recovered the carcass of a simian beast, more than eight feet tall and likely weighing about five hundred pounds,” said Buck. “As well as an object of some type that might be a weapon. At least, it seems to amplify the abilities of the mag-sens.”
Helena stared at him in shock, but McKnight’s face betrayed no emotion.
How many other commanders would just take news like this in stride? Alex wondered. Both governments, American and Canadian, chose well when they had assigned this man to command Task Force Devil.
“Where’s the basilisk?” McKnight asked.
“Don’t know, sir,” answered Buck, glancing at Alex.
“We were tracking it when it somehow circled behind us,” said Alex. “But instead of attacking us, it just ran through us and attacked the Big Foot creature instead.”
McKnight stopped, spun on Alex. “Big Foot?”
Alex met his gaze and nodded. “Yes sir, Big Foot. The same creature that was observing us when we took out the hellhounds.”
McKnight sighed then swatted at a mosquito buzzing near his face. “There’s no way I’m talking to the White House or the Privy Council Office about Big Foot,” he said, more to himself than the other two men. He shook his head and started walking again. “How did it die?”
“We think the basilisk and the creature fought,” said Alex. “It was near death when Cassie found it.”
“Blondie capped it,” said Buck. “Put a 9mm into its brainpan.”
McKnight stopped again, his eyes narrowing. “She did what?”
“It was a mercy killing, sir,” said Alex. “You’ll see once you look at the carcass. It was a miracle it survived as long as it did.”
“How’d she get a weapon, Captain?”
“I gave her my pistol, sir, for protection.”
Starlight (The Dark Elf War Book 1) Page 27