When they were done and as ready as they were going to be, Alex drew everyone together for another impromptu orders group, or O Group. She was starting to understand their lingo. Everyone gathered around the side of one of the MRAPs, where Buck was waiting for them.
He began his O Group, issuing complex instructions quickly without a care for the civilians among them, but she still understood most of it. There were to be two teams: the hunting party—consisting of Alex and Paco—and the assault team, consisting of everyone else. The hunting party would remain in radio contact with the assault team, who would be following behind but not too closely. Paco’s job was to get Alex close enough to the basilisk undetected to use the tranquilizer gun. Cassie raised her hand, interrupting Buck, and he frowned at her but nodded.
“What if the drugs don’t work? What then?” she asked.
Buck snorted. “Then, Blondie, the rest of us get to earn our pay. The assault team will move in and engage with everything we have—heavy weapons, anti-armor weapons.” He glanced at Elizabeth. “And anything else we can throw at it.”
There were a few other questions, with a lot of military words like enfilade and defilade that Cassie didn’t understand, but the brunt of the plan was this: let Alex and Paco go after it alone, and if that failed, attack it with everything they had. Sadly, Cassie knew she wouldn’t be much help—not without the Brace. At that moment, Alex approached her, a look of trepidation on his features. He might die out there. He’s risking his life going after this monster, and I’m feeling sorry for myself.
She forced herself to smile if only for him. “Hey, how are you?”
He paused, his face white. “Cassie…”
Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer, putting her hand on his forearm. “What’s wrong?”
“Here’s the thing, Cassie. I need you with me.”
“What are you talking about? I am with you.”
“I mean now. Paco, me, and… you.”
Her hands went clammy, and she stepped back as if he had shoved her. “Are you drunk? I’m not going with you while you try to sneak up on this thing.”
Clearly surprised, Alex frowned. “Cassie, this is what you’re here for.” He glanced over his shoulder, and she followed his gaze. Not twenty feet away, Buck was talking with another soldier but at the same time watching her and Alex, a smug smile on his lips.
The asshole knew what Alex was over here asking her to do, she realized, but there was no goddamned way she was sneaking around the woods to try and shoot a dart at that monster. She had no interest in taking it alive. Her heart hammered within her chest, and her legs felt weak. She shook her head. “You can tell that jerk to go fuck himself.”
“I’m asking you, not Buck.”
“Okay, fine, and I’m saying no!”
“Cassie, this thing killed your sister.”
“Really? Have you forgotten I was there when it happened?”
“So, what’s the problem then? I thought you wanted this.”
“No. I want to kill it; you want to capture it.”
“We have our orders,” Alex said. “You have to trust us.”
She snorted, shaking her head. “You’re so full of shit, you know that? What are you keeping from us? There’s no good reason to capture this thing—none. And you’re going to get yourselves killed trying it. You want to get me killed, too.”
“Cassie,” he said, lowering his voice, “this isn’t like you. What’s really going on?”
“You want to know what’s really going on?” she asked, glaring at him. “Fine, I’ll spell it out for you. I’m scared, all right? This thing scares the living shit out of me. It scares me because it’s a goddamned monster, something that shouldn’t exist. It scares me because it’s dangerous, because it just destroyed a helicopter and killed everyone on board, and it scares me because the last time we got close to it, it knew we were coming and almost killed all of us. But most of all, I’m scared and angry. I’m angry because I want my glove back. The Brace is mine, not Elizabeth’s. Mine. The Great Elder Brother gave it to me. It didn’t give it to Buck to decide who gets it.”
“That isn’t going to happen. Buck’s in charge. It’s his decision, and he’s already made it. Besides, we need to capture the basilisk alive, not fry it with magic.”
“No, we don’t. We really don’t. What we need to do is to kill it. Everything else is just you playing games with people’s lives.”
“Okay, I get it. You’re pissed about the glove. Fine, be angry, but you’re acting like an immature little kid. Sometimes you don’t get what you want. I don’t particularly want to try to take this thing alive, either. Believe me; I’d rather just shoot anti-tank missiles at it from as far away as I can get. But I’ve got my orders. We all have our orders.”
“I’m not one of your soldiers,” she snapped. “I don’t have to follow your stupid orders.”
“Goddamn it, Cassie, come here.” He reached out, grabbed her elbow, and yanked her along with him, farther into the trees, away from the others. She resisted at first but then came with him, still glaring at him. When they had a little more privacy, he rounded on her. “You’re wrong! You may not be a soldier, but you made a promise. You said you’d help us and follow our instructions. Now, you just don’t want to anymore.”
“Just give me back the Brace, then I’ll go with you. It’s not yours to keep from me.”
“Too bad. You’re not getting it back. Elizabeth gets it.”
“The Great Elder Brother gave it to me.”
“Only because you were the one who found it. Had Elizabeth been the first one on the scene, it probably would have given it to her instead.”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t explain, but it’s me. I was chosen.”
“Chosen? By a dying animal?”
“It wasn’t an animal. It was intelligent—maybe even smarter than us. Alex. I… I shot it in the head. I killed it. I murdered it.”
He rubbed his face. “Cassie, I don’t know if you were meant to have this thing or not, but Buck is in charge. You may not like this, but his decision is a good one.”
“He’s a racist asshole.”
Alex smiled despite the fact that she was arguing with him. “Agreed, but he’s still in charge, and asshole or not, he knows what he’s doing. Elizabeth is stronger than you. From a tactical perspective, giving it to her makes the most sense.”
“How the hell would you know? You can’t channel.”
“I’m calling bullshit on you on this one, Cassie. We have a job to do, and it’s a dangerous one. You knew that before you said you’d help us. I support Buck’s decision. I know you don’t, but your choices now are limited to helping Paco and me or sitting on your ass back here with the vehicles. If you’re going to act like an eight-year-old, pissed at the world for taking her toys, then you’re going to be a danger to the rest of us, and I can’t allow that.”
“Just ask him,” she pleaded. “He’ll listen to you. Tell him I need it. Please.”
Alex shook his head. “He’s not the kind of guy who makes deals with subordinates. We both know that. He’ll just have the confirmation he wants that you can’t be trusted.”
Is he right? Am I acting like a child?
He reached over and gripped her arms, but she kept staring at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. Finally, she spoke in a small voice. “I’m afraid of it.”
“So am I, but Paco and I need your help. This thing has a disturbing habit of disappearing and then reappearing somewhere else.”
When she spoke again, it was almost a whisper. “But everything I do goes bad.”
“Cassie, please?”
She didn’t answer for a while. Finally, she nodded.
Chapter 38
Cassie, Alex, and Paco stripped themselves down to the bare essentials, carrying only what they would need. This time, Cassie was unarmed. Remaining undetected would be her only defense. Even Paco left behind his hunting rifle. Alex removed the sling o
n his tranquilizer gun, worried that it might snag on a branch and get in the way. He also removed his body armor, carrying only water and spare darts. All too soon, they were ready, despite her not feeling ready at all. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, wishing she were somewhere else.
Elizabeth came over and hugged her. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
“God will watch over you.”
“I hope someone does.”
Alex and Paco were waiting. She faked a smile and nodded. Then Paco turned and entered the trees. Alex followed him, and Cassie took up the rear, her heart racing, her legs weak. She closed her eyes and let the tiniest trickle of mana flow through her, drawing comfort from the arcane energy. Then, feeling just a little bit more reassured, she released the mana and hurried to catch up to Paco and Alex.
* * *
Maelhrandia ordered Gazekiller to stop. She sat atop his back, concentrating. The forest was still and silent, but she had sensed someone using magic. She closed her eyes and focused, trying to recapture the sensation. There was nothing now, but that small sensation had been enough warning.
They were coming for her. Even after she had destroyed their wondrous flying machine, they were coming. She could still smell the smoke from its fire. Bringing the machine down had been surprisingly easy. The manlings had been focused on Gazekiller, unaware of the true threat. Despite its frightening appearance and thunderous noise, the flying machine had been fragile.
Dismounting lithely, she dropped to the forest floor. She considered using the Shatkur Orb to once again send Gazekiller behind the manlings but discarded the idea. A Shatkur Orb had two main uses: one use was to create local Rift-Rings for instantaneous travel within a single realm, and the second was to create a single interdimensional Rift-Ring that would allow travel across the cosmos. There were limitations, however. Using the orb to create local Rift-Rings required casting a significant amount of magic, which weakened the user. The last time, the demon had ambushed her shortly after she had used it.
Then a new idea began to coalesce within her mind, a way to get her mission back on track after the last two disastrous attempts. They were trying to capture Gazekiller. She had no idea why, but perhaps she could take advantage of that. After all, her mother had sent her here with a goal.
Go, she ordered. The mighty beast charged farther into the forest, disappearing into the foliage. Maelhrandia cast Shadow-Soul, warping the light around her and once again disappearing from sight. Then she began to move silently back through the woods, toward the manlings. She’d trail them this time and wait for her moment.
* * *
Cassie followed Alex and Paco through the forest. As before, the basilisk made no attempt to hide its trail. At one point, they even passed a pile of lizard waste at least two feet high, the air around it alive with flies. The stench was gag inducing. Cassie breathed through her mouth and hurried past, not wanting to see what the basilisk had been eating.
This close to the beast, the woods seemed unnaturally quiet: there were no birds and no other animals. She had never really noticed the presence of the animals before, but their silence was thunderous. In this vacuum, whenever she made the slightest noise, the sound seemed magnified. Her eyes drifted to Alex and Paco. Both men moved with grace and skill. They didn’t walk through the woods—they drifted like spirits. They had both tried to teach her how to move, how to walk on the outside of her foot and roll each step rather than clumping along. She did the best she could, but next to them, she knew she moved with the grace of a pregnant water buffalo. A cold sweat drenched her skin. She didn’t belong here. Her ineptness was going to get somebody killed.
Ahead, Paco paused midstep, raised his hand for the others to halt as well, and then dropped down onto one knee. Immediately, both Alex and Cassie did the same. Cassie’s heart lurched into her throat, and her eyes darted about, looking for whatever had spooked Paco. She heard nothing, saw nothing. A light breeze gently brushed through the pines, rustling needles. She was certain that at any moment, though, the basilisk would burst through the trees and tear them to pieces.
Something felt… wrong, as if she was being watched. She turned her head, seeking the source of her unease, certain someone was right behind her. There was no one there. Just trees.
Goose bumps pebbled the skin on her arms. Her unease grew, and she closed her eyes and concentrated. Just for a moment, she felt… an absence of… something, as if there was a void just before her, but a moment later, the sensation vanished. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the area where she had felt something, but there was clearly nothing there.
Then Paco slowly raised himself to his feet, paused for several moments, and motioned for the others to follow him once again. Whatever it was she had felt—or didn’t feel—it must have been just a trick of her overactive mind.
* * *
Surrounded by Shadow-Soul, Maelhrandia watched the backs of the three manlings as they moved on, hunting Gazekiller. For several heart-stopping moments, the golden-haired mage had turned and stared directly at Maelhrandia. But luckily, the mage had turned away again. Maelhrandia exhaled, realizing she had been holding her breath. That was the second time that particular mage had stared right at her when she wore Shadow-Soul.
Was it chance, or something else? No. It had to be chance.
Maelhrandia was the greatest mage-scout of her people. Few among the fae seelie could detect her when she cast that spell. It was absurd to suspect a manling could. After all, they were nothing more than clumsy children, playing with forces beyond their understanding. No doubt, in time, they’d push themselves too far and burn themselves out.
That is the nature of things: lesser beings have no business playing with magic.
She ran her slender fingers through her long hair, smoothing the strands as she watched the manlings disappear through the trees. She’d had no sense of the Ancient One since escaping its ambush. Perhaps it was dead, crushed by Gazekiller. But it could still be out there, waiting for Maelhrandia to expose herself again.
She turned and looked behind her, scrutinizing the trees, feeling hidden eyes upon her. The demons were masters at magic; one could be sneaking up on her at that very moment, waiting for her to move forward with her plan and leave herself open to attack. Dread began to gnaw at her and eat away at her resolve. Her plan, which had seemed so clever before, now seemed crazy—certain to fail and to get her killed.
No! She yanked a handful of her hair from her head. Pain, refreshing and vital, rushed through her skull, chasing away her cowardice. She might have been a minor daughter, but she was still a princess of the fae seelie. She wouldn’t let fear stop her. She’d succeed or die.
* * *
With the tranquilizer gun held across his chest, Alex followed Paco through the woods. The forest was mostly pine trees and brush, more boreal hinterland than the southern BC rain forests that the province was famous for. But the sparse terrain was both a blessing and a curse: it was easier to move through but provided less cover—for both the basilisk and its hunters. And although the terrain was sparse, it was in the foothills of the Rockies and consisted of hills, ravines, and gullies, all of which needed to be traversed. Alex was superbly fit, but even he was tiring. It had to be much worse for Cassie, who wasn’t used to this. Still, she somehow managed to keep up. She was far tougher than she looked.
Alex paused at the top of a gully, waiting for Cassie. Holding the rifle with one hand, he held out his other to her. Cassie’s face, bright red from exertion, reflected her exhaustion as she took his hand, and he pulled her up. She tried to smile but failed. He squeezed her shoulder and pushed on again, catching back up to Paco.
His tranquilizer rifle was a Pneu Dart X-Caliber, a top-of-the-line weapon, and weighed almost nine pounds, roughly as much as a fully loaded assault rifle. He was checked out in its use, having spent several hours on the firing range back at the Magic Kingdom, shooting its .50 caliber darts—essentially ballistic syringes
stabilized by a tailpiece. He was hardly an expert—tranquilizer rifles weren’t standard gear for Special Forces. He was, however, reasonably certain that if he could get within one hundred meters of the basilisk, he could hit it. After all, the thing was huge.
In the cargo pocket of his combat pants, he carried a small leather case containing the preloaded barbed darts for the weapon. Each dart contained one cc of M-99 Etorphine, a Schedule 1 drug used to bring down elephants. The penalty for possession of this drug in Canada without a permit—which he didn’t have—was a de facto life sentence: a single drop of M-99 was more than enough to kill a human being; in a creature the size of the basilisk, roughly twice as large as an African elephant—some thirty thousand pounds—the sedative should cause torpor and prostration. At least, that was what Helena and her staff thought. The sad truth was that no one had ever used the drug on an animal as large as this one—there were no terrestrial animals this big.
Alex really, really hoped the drug worked fast. But if the dosage was too high, it might kill the monster outright, which, personally, Alex didn’t have that much trouble with. He understood why the colonel wanted it alive but wasn’t sure he agreed. Some things were just too dangerous to screw around with—especially when he was the one hunting it. The most likely scenario, Alex surmised, was that the drug would take some time to work, maybe even as long as thirty minutes. And really, he could only afford to shoot it once; a double dosage could be lethal. Then there was the matter of the basilisk’s armored hide, which was tough enough to stop pistol fire. To get past the natural armor, he’d have to ramp up the velocity on the weapon. So, one of two things was going to happen: the dart was going to bounce off, possibly alerting the creature, or it was going to penetrate the hide—and there was no way it wasn’t going to feel that. Then the creature was going to come looking for whoever had just shot it before the drug could take effect. And it was going to be pissed.
He sighed, wiping his forearm across his sweaty forehead. This was a shit mission. Why had he volunteered? Because I’m an idiot, he answered himself.
Starlight (The Dark Elf War Book 1) Page 30