McKnight sighed and started walking again. “So, where’s this weapon you mentioned?”
“Secured on site,” said Buck. “It’s like a… glove of some type. The Big Foot creature had it.”
“Cassie found it,” said Alex. “She said the creature gave it to her, told her it was a gift.”
“She spoke to it?”
“Not exactly, sir,” said Alex. “She said it was capable of telepathy.”
“Really?” said Helena. “Now that’s interesting.”
“Sir,” said Buck. “Captain Benoit lost control of the civilian, and she got away from him and his team. No great surprise there—she doesn’t follow orders worth shit. Not like the other one, the religious freak. Her I can control.”
“As I recall, it was your command, your team, and your responsibility, Major,” said McKnight. “Anyone else hurt?”
“Just Sergeant Grandi, sir,” said Alex. “And I take responsibility for Cassie. As I said, the basilisk scattered us, and she became separated in the dark. She says she was drawn to the creature.” He paused then continued. “In fact, if not for her, we might not have found it at all.” He glanced out the corner of his eye at Buck. “Or the weapon.”
They arrived at the site of the battle, still secured by sentries. Cassie, Elizabeth, and Paco stood waiting beside the MRAP. Someone—Paco probably, given his earlier concern—had draped a poncho over the carcass. McKnight nodded briefly at the three of them before approaching the creature. He pulled back the poncho and knelt beside it for several minutes, shining the beam of his flashlight over its body. Helena knelt down on the opposite side of the beast, staring at it in wonder. Buck and Alex stood back, waiting. McKnight finally stood up again and looked to Buck, raising his eyebrows inquisitively.
Buck shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“So, maybe it’s terrestrial, from Earth. But if so, why is it here now? What’s the connection with the basilisk and Rubicon?”
“I don’t know, sir,” said Buck.
“Paco says it’s a supernatural being,” said Alex. “Says that it can move between dimensions.”
At this, Helena’s eyes darted to Alex and then to McKnight.
“Oh, please.” Buck cast Alex a disdainful look. “Like he would know anything about anything. He’s talking out of his ass. That fucking Indian’s bullshit mumbo jumbo—”
McKnight raised his hand. “We don’t know what’s going on, Major. Let’s not be so quick to discard theories, no matter how outlandish they may seem. Some of the things we’ve observed on Rubicon are easily identifiable in humanity’s legends. How is that possible? We didn’t make up the name basilisk, did we? It just fit. Describe a giant lizard that turns people to stone with its gaze, and any ten-year-old would name it in about two seconds. And creatures that move between dimensions are not that impossible, are they?”
Buck looked as if he had been kicked in the balls. “No, sir.”
“Show me the weapon,” McKnight said.
Buck approached the spot where Cassie had placed the object—the talisman, according to Paco. McKnight joined Buck, staring at it, then his gaze took in the smoldering remains of the pine tree.
“It seems to amplify mana,” said Buck. “Blondie fried that tree with a bolt of lightning.”
“Lightning?” repeated Helena in surprise.
“They haven’t done that yet,” said McKnight.
“No sir,” said Buck with a lopsided grin. “It was actually pretty impressive.”
“I bet.”
Alex stepped closer, hesitant to say what was on his mind but determined to say it anyway even if it pissed off Buck. “Sir.” He waited as the older man turned to face him, choosing his words carefully.
“Captain?”
“We should bring it with us when we go after the basilisk.” Alex’s pulse was racing, and he could feel Buck glaring at him. Screw you and your feelings of insecurity, he thought. “Sir, we’re going to need everything we have to take this creature down.”
“I don’t want you to take it down, Captain. I want it alive. We need something positive to show the politicians, something to make them believe we’re getting results after they’ve spent all this money.”
“Sir, we may not be able to bring it in alive. We don’t even know if the drugs will have any effect. Its central nervous system could be completely alien to our understanding.”
“That’s not what the science dorks say,” snapped Buck, his glare ready to burn holes through Alex.
Alex rounded on Buck. “The scientists are just guessing, and you know it. They’ve never faced this thing, and neither have you. It’s way more dangerous than anyone is giving it credit for.”
Buck’s posture went rigid, and Alex was certain he was moments from violence.
McKnight stepped between them, his face granite. “Enough! I hear what you’re saying, Captain, and believe me, I do understand how dangerous it is, but you have your orders.” He spun on Buck. “And Major, I want your team ready to go again in fifteen minutes. We’ve got it on the run now, so keep after it. Mr. Nelson should have no problems following it.” He jabbed a finger into Buck’s chest, forcing the larger man back a pace. “And don’t ever refer to him as a ‘fucking Indian’ again. He’s out here risking his life helping us clean up our mess. I won’t tolerate racism. Got it?”
Instantly, the fight disappeared from Buck, and he seemed to shrink in on himself. “Yes, sir.”
McKnight turned to Alex. “Captain. Point taken about the weapon. Major, go ahead and bring it with you, but keep it secure unless you absolutely need it. We don’t know anything about it, or the creature that was carrying it.”
“You want me to carry it?” asked Buck. “But what if—”
“I’ll carry it,” said Alex. “Keep it in my small pack.”
“No,” said Buck. “I’ll carry it. I’m in charge.”
“Whatever you feel is best, Major,” said McKnight. “But make sure it comes back to base with you when this is done. If it does augment the mag-sens’ talents, we’ll need to examine it and see if we can duplicate it.”
“If we do need it—and I’ll make that determination, sir—the Jesus freak gets it. She’s way more dependable, less… flighty.”
“Elizabeth Chambers, Major. Learn their names.”
“Yes sir.”
Alex kept his mouth shut and looked toward where the others waited beside the MRAP. Cassie would be pissed, he knew. She had insisted the creature had given it to her. She’ll have to live with it.
“Okay, Major,” said McKnight. “Have the carcass loaded onto the helicopter and brought back to base. Then, get going while the trail is still hot. Hopefully, it won’t go cold again. Let’s bag this damned thing before it kills someone else.”
Chapter 35
The basilisk’s trail led south. Cassie and the team, in two MRAPs, followed. This time, Elizabeth accompanied Paco and Alex on foot while Cassie followed along with the vehicles, being shaken violently as they navigated the rough ground.
Cassie fumed silently, her anger building. The creature, Paco’s Great Elder Brother, had given the Brace to her. It certainly hadn’t given it to Buck, who couldn’t even channel. Yet just the same, the jerk had taken it from her without a word as if her opinion meant nothing. She hadn’t even been given the opportunity to better examine it. Her one test with it had been over all too soon. The excitement she had experienced channeling mana through the Brace had left goose bumps on her skin and the desire to use it again. Channeling had already become a rush, but with the Brace, that thrill had been magnified tenfold.
The driver of the MRAP gunned the motor and barreled over a particularly rough patch of ground. Cassie flew from her bench seat, hitting her ass on the metal floor. She glared at the back of the driver’s head as she dragged herself back up onto the bench and fumbled to attach her seat belt this time. The driver paid her no heed; he was too focused on keeping up with the ot
her vehicle. The only other occupant in the MRAP was the soldier manning the turret gun, and he sat hunched over his monitor, strapped into his seat, constantly scanning the MRAP’s surroundings.
The two MRAPs had been very slowly following behind the tracking party for about three hours, moving for a bit and then sitting and waiting with the engine running while the tracking party moved forward again on foot. It was almost two in the morning, and Cassie started nodding off in the back of the MRAP. Despite getting jostled about—and her anger at losing the Brace—the constant vibration of the diesel engine was putting her to sleep.
She watched the two soldiers. The vehicles drove without headlights with both men wearing their GPNVGs. Clearly, they saw exactly where they were going, but in the dark, Cassie saw nothing—other than the occasional glimpse of the northern lights above the tree line.
They were moving in the direction of the Pine River, she knew, north of the area where they had tracked the hellhounds. It was mostly hilly ground and pine forests, with the occasional trail that was just wide enough for the armored vehicles.
This cycle of nodding off and being jostled awake again continued for some time, and she began to wish she were on foot with Paco. She wondered how Elizabeth was doing.
Probably awesome. No doubt, the others have to hurry to keep up with her.
The driver, Gus—the same baby-faced young man who had been with her on the hellhound hunt—started speaking into his radio, acknowledging something. Then, he turned in his seat to face her. “The basilisk has crossed the Pine River. We can’t follow in the MRAPs.”
She nodded, trying to remember where they could cross. There were only two bridges that she knew of. The closest was behind them, near Fort St. John; the other was… where? Pretty far south, east of Chetwynd in the East Pine Provincial Park, where the John Hart Highway crossed the river. She undid her seat belt, moved forward, crouching behind the driver’s seat, and looked over Gus’s shoulder.
The other soldier, Marcus Beorn, lifted up his GPNVGs so she could see his face. Marcus was a tall, very blond, very Nordic young man with prominent cheekbones and amazing gray eyes. He held up a folded map, indicating their location with his finger. She glanced at his face as she leaned in closer. He reminded her of a Viking hero—he was so good-looking.
“We’re going to move back. Hit the road and cross near Fort St. John on the Alaskan Highway. Then we’ll move south along this secondary road.” He pointed to a road on the map that seemed to head west, back toward the Pine River. “While we’re doing this, Captain Benoit and your buddies are going to be getting wet.”
“Really?” Concern for the others spiked through her, driving away her lethargy.
He showed her the location on the map where they thought the basilisk had crossed the river. When she saw it, and understood the tracking party was going to have to swim a river in the dark of night, she felt relieved she wasn’t with them—and then guilty for feeling relieved.
“I’m kidding,” Marcus said, flashing his perfect teeth at her. “We’re going to hook up with them here.” He pointed to the map again, showing her a spot not too far from the bank of the Pine River. “We have an inflatable raft on each of the MRAPs. They’ll use them to cross over while we provide overwatch with the co-ax.”
“What’s a co-ax?”
“The big machine gun on top. Once they’re across, we’ll move back to Fort St. John, cross the bridge, and rendezvous with them on the other side.”
Cassie found her way back to her seat just as the MRAP began to move forward again. This was going to be a very long night, she knew, but at least she was warm and dry. Elizabeth must be miserable. That thought kind of comforted her.
* * *
The tracking party’s river crossing took place with both MRAPs sitting on a high point north of the Pine River, providing security. Cassie had tried to watch the small rafts cross the river on the monitor from behind the gunner’s shoulder, but instead of focusing on the rafts, the gunner kept panning the camera back and forth along the opposite bank.
The basilisk seemed to be long gone, and the crossing was uneventful. Once both rafts were safely across, the MRAPs pulled back, leaving the tracking party on their own on the other side of the river. Within an hour, they’d made their way back to a real road and were headed toward the bridge south of Fort St. John. Cassie kept falling asleep and remembered little of the drive. It wasn’t until they were south of the Pine River and once again moving cross-country that she woke up again—or rather, was bounced awake by the rough terrain.
It seemed to take forever to move across country and reach the point where the tracking party was waiting for them, and it was almost five in the morning before they did—which was, unfortunately, plenty of time for the basilisk to move even farther away. A creature that large had to be capable of moving very quickly over the forested terrain, much faster than they could follow it on foot. Would it sleep? Could they make up the time then?
As the two MRAPs approached the southern bank of the Pine River, the sun was rising in the east, creating a brilliant canvas of reds. The vehicles rolled to a stop and, grateful to get out, Cassie walked about, stretching her legs. She helped the soldiers secure the inflatable rafts back on the MRAPs, making small talk with Elizabeth as they worked. The other woman looked exhausted but smiled when she told Cassie about the river crossing.
Alex and a couple of the soldiers accompanied Paco as he looked for sign. Another of the soldiers broke out a camping stove and began boiling water to make instant coffee and breakfast. Desperately needing something with caffeine in it, she made herself a cup of coffee, pouring in two packets of sugar and coffee cream powder—what the soldiers of Task Force Devil called “NATO standard,” whatever that was. When she took a sip, she was delighted to find that coffee had rarely ever tasted this good.
She joined Elizabeth, leaning against the side of one of the MRAPs, drinking coffee and chatting while they waited for Paco and the others to return. Smelling food, she saw that several of the soldiers were eating from silver packets the size of a DVD case. When her stomach rumbled, she realized just how hungry she was. One of the soldiers handed her and Elizabeth each a hot package and a plastic spoon. “Sausage and Eggs” was printed on the side of Cassie’s package. She tore it open and was surprised to find how good it smelled. It wasn’t the most delicious thing she had ever eaten, but it was hot and it filled her belly. Washing it down with a second cup of coffee, she quietly enjoyed the beautiful sunrise.
Several of the soldiers came back to the camp, having been replaced on sentry by other men so they would have a chance to eat. They made small talk with Cassie and Elizabeth while they ate. At some indeterminate point, the Task Force Devil soldiers had become used to the two young women, accepting their presence. Wordlessly, they had become part of the team.
Cassie wondered whether Duncan would have been accepted as well. Poor Duncan. What had he been thinking? He’d taken a huge risk, filling himself with so much mana, too much mana. One day he had been there; the next he was gone. No funeral, no ceremony, simply one less mag-sens on the team. The same thing could happen to her or Elizabeth if they pushed themselves too hard. They’d just… disappear.
Paco and Clyde reappeared through the trees, accompanied by Alex. Cassie dropped down on one knee and held her arms out, calling for the dog to come to her, which it happily did. The German shepherd still wouldn’t track the basilisk, but if it decided the creature wasn’t close by, as it obviously did now, it would at least accompany Paco as he searched for signs. She gave Clyde a big hug, and he gave her doggy kisses, licking the side of her face. As Paco joined them, Elizabeth handed him a cup of coffee and one of the breakfast packages. Alex nodded at Cassie before he went off to talk to Buck, who was eating his own breakfast near the open door of the lead MRAP.
“So?” asked Cassie, standing up and leaning against the side of the MRAP as she watched Paco eat.
Paco indicated the pine trees from
which he had just come. “It’s moving south, maybe a bit southwest, following the Pine River—at least for now.”
“Could it cross over again?” Elizabeth asked.
Paco shrugged. “This is a big animal, but I don’t imagine it likes crossing water. Still, there are no lizard experts among my people. If it wanted to, it can cross again easily enough.”
“I overheard Buck saying that we’re going to have the helicopter soon,” said Elizabeth, “to help us track it.”
“That’ll work for me and the cover party,” said Paco, “but not the vehicles.”
“Do you think it knows it’s being tracked?” Cassie asked. “Could it have crossed the river just to make it more difficult for us?”
Paco sipped his coffee and stared out into the trees. “I’m sure it knows we’re tracking it. It knew earlier. But I don’t think that’s why it crossed.”
“Why not?” asked Elizabeth.
“’Cause I don’t think it sweats us. I think it crossed the river because it wanted to cross the river. We may be nothing more than an irritant to it.”
“That’s not a comforting thought,” Cassie said.
“Not trying to be comforting; trying to be realistic.”
“I’m praying for us,” said Elizabeth. “God will keep us safe.”
Paco dipped his spoon into his breakfast and chewed as he talked. “I hope you’re right, honey, ’cause I’m not so sure these soldier boys can handle anything that can kill one of the Great Elder Brothers.”
There was pain in his voice. She felt it herself. They had lost something important last night, she knew, something that could never be replaced.
“My uncle said he saw one once decades ago,” Paco said, speaking softly, almost to himself. “Wildfires were burning close to our village. My people recognized this sighting as a sign, a warning from the Chiye-tanka. So, that very day, they moved away from their homes, carrying everything they could, even though the government weather people said there was nothing to worry about. They headed downriver—men, women, children, elders…” He grinned, winking. “A little boy named Yancy that everyone calls Paco now. It was a crazy thing to do—insane. But then the winds just… changed direction, grew stronger, like they were angry, and the wildfires swept over the village, burning everything. Had they still been there, they’d have all died, and I wouldn’t be here talking to you now.” Paco sighed, looking very tired. “We should have left his body where it fell. There’s no honor in prodding him, cutting him apart.”
Starlight (The Dark Elf War Book 1) Page 28