The soldiers carefully carried Paco on an improvised stretcher to a small clearing nearby. When they heard the medevac helicopter, Alex threw a yellow smoke grenade to draw the attention of its crew. The helicopter appeared over the trees, hovering in place. Then it set down quickly, blowing away the smoke and throwing leaves about. Cassie remained with Paco while the medic with the helicopter’s crew prepped him for the flight. The medic was very professional, and minutes later, Paco was secured on board with an IV running into his arm. The helicopter took off again, and the team turned their attention back to the sleeping basilisk.
Cassie stayed out of their way, sitting slumped against a tree trunk, watching them prep the monster for travel, securing it in a heavy-duty cargo net. The soldiers moved quickly—with Buck stalking about, ready to rip into anyone who didn’t move quickly enough. After all, nobody really knew how long the drugs would last. The scientists, she was told by Alex, were reasonably certain the beast would be out for hours yet. But the last thing anybody wanted was to be anywhere near an enraged mythical beast when it woke up, pissed off and with a hangover. Only Elizabeth seemed to have no fear of the monster. She stood beside the sleeping beast, trailing her fingers over its armored hide, a look of awe on her face.
Cassie sniffed to herself. The basilisk wasn’t so awesome when it was trying to kill you. This monster had killed Alice, and here it was, still alive, being prepped for transport to a secret military base. If she had had the Brace, Cassie would have killed it right at that moment, and the hell with McKnight. Did he really believe they could somehow duplicate its petrification gaze? The beast used mana, just as she and Elizabeth did. And so far, the scientists couldn’t even detect mana let alone channel it. So, if they couldn’t even duplicate what the mag-sens could do, what made them think they could do so with the basilisk? Insanity.
Elizabeth stepped away from the slumbering beast, looked over at Cassie, as if noticing her for the first time, and walked over. Cassie’s gaze drifted to the bulge in the cargo pocket of Elizabeth’s combat pants: her Brace. Elizabeth dropped down beside Cassie, sitting back against the tree trunk. “You all right?”
“Exhausted. I used a lot of mana, like a crazy lot of mana. You should have been there.”
“I heard. Alex says you saved everyone—that you can heal and turn yourself invisible. How’d you do that?”
“Which one?”
“Either.”
“Don’t know. Both felt… right, especially healing Paco. But I’m just kind of like a child playing with fire.”
“Some of us are more like that than others.” Elizabeth held her palm up and then channeled a small ball of fire the size of a marble, like a miniature sun, spinning in place. “We’re all playing with fire now.”
“Show off,” muttered Cassie, but she smiled anyway. She closed her eyes, letting her head drop back against the tree trunk. “God, I’m so tired. I could sleep for days.”
“You’ll get your chance soon enough. You’ve done the Lord’s work today. God has blessed you, helped you defeat your foes.”
Cassie snorted. “He wasn’t much help with Paco.”
“Not true. He gave you the strength to heal him.”
“I think I could do it again, too… heal people. Well… maybe after some sleep.”
“I’d like to see that,” said Elizabeth. “Maybe I could copy you.”
“Maybe.” Cassie let her head hang back and stared up at the canopy of trees above them.
One of the soldiers approached—Marcus, the good-looking Viking. “Hey ladies. I’m gonna need both of you to move on over to the MRAPs.” He turned and pointed to the clearing where the helicopter had landed earlier. Cassie saw the first of the armored vehicles arriving.
“You should lie down inside one of them,” said Elizabeth. “Take a nap.”
“Great idea,” said Marcus. “But you can’t stay here. We’re going to use demolitions on these trees, clear an opening for the Osprey.”
“Why?” asked Cassie, not really sure she cared.
“’Cause, honey, we can’t carry that big lizard over to the clearing. Next time you hunt monsters, you need to put ’em to sleep somewhere more convenient.”
“Oh.”
“Now, unless you want to be around when these trees come down, please move it along, ladies.”
Elizabeth insisted on holding her arm and leading her toward the MRAPs. But then Cassie paused, feeling as though she was being watched again. What the hell is going on? She turned around, scanning the trees about her.
“What is it?” asked Elizabeth.
Cassie bit her lower lip. It was the same sense of emptiness. It had come on each time she got near the basilisk last night and today. She stared at Elizabeth, trying to put her thoughts into words, but the other woman didn’t seem to sense anything unusual, and she was so much more gifted than Cassie was. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I need coffee.”
“I’ll put the Coleman stove on and boil some water,” Elizabeth said, dragging her toward the MRAPs.
As she did, Cassie looked over her shoulder once more at the area where the basilisk was now prepped for flight. She saw nothing there but the unconscious monster.
* * *
Cassie held the hot cup of coffee in both of her hands, letting its warmth flow through her palms. She leaned against the side of the MRAP and watched the Osprey V-22 lift the basilisk into the air. The Osprey was a large aircraft, much bigger than a helicopter, but she was still surprised to see it lift a creature that big. As it rose, the basilisk, wrapped in cargo netting, swayed slightly as if it had brushed against something. But then the basilisk cleared the last of the trees, and the Osprey began to slowly move forward, hauling the creature beneath it. The rotors on the aircraft began to tilt forward, turning it back into an airplane. Its turbines roared as the aircraft picked up speed and altitude, and within moments, it was gone from sight.
Silence settled over the forest once more. The soldiers congregated at the two MRAPs, and Elizabeth began handing out white Styrofoam cups filled with hot water. Buck took one of the cups, filled it with instant coffee, and lit a cigarette. For the first time since this had started, he looked happy, or maybe just less pissed.
“All right,” said Buck. “We’re done here. Let’s get some chow downrange and then go home.”
Home? The Magic Kingdom was hardly home. Still, she was so tired, it would do very nicely right now. At least the basilisk wasn’t going to hurt anyone else. But now what? McKnight had asked her to help them hunt it. Now that it was captured, what would become of her? It wasn’t as if she could just go back to Hudson’s Hope.
Clyde moved next to her and rubbed himself against her leg. The animal had been secured inside an MRAP while Paco had been hurt, but clearly, he knew something was wrong. Reaching down, she scratched his back. “That’s all right, Clyde; you hang with me for now.”
She sipped her coffee. She’d sleep first and then decide what to do. She was relieved to note that the feeling of being watched, of emptiness, was gone. It had disappeared as quickly as it had come on.
Clearly, she had been imagining things.
Chapter 40
It took several hours for the MRAPs to drive back to the Magic Kingdom. When they arrived at the large vehicle hangar, the sun had already set, and Cassie saw McKnight waiting for them, a smile on his normally stoic features. Buck was first out, and McKnight hurried over to greet him, hand held out. “Well done, Major, well done indeed.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Cassie climbed out the back of the second MRAP, frowning. Alex was the one who did all the work, not that jerk. Buck didn’t even show up until the basilisk was down. Cassie walked between the two men, interrupting them. “How’s Paco?” she asked, secretly pleased with the look of annoyance that both men gave her.
“Mr. Nelson is still in emergency care,” McKnight said. “When I know more, I will see that the information gets passed down to everyone.”
Cassie snorted, but then she saw Alex standing just behind McKnight and Buck. He caught her eye and shook his head.
Whatever.
Elizabeth joined the men as Cassie stepped back. She felt a momentary spasm of anger as Elizabeth pulled the Brace from her pocket and handed it to McKnight, but there obviously wasn’t anything she could do about it. Clyde jumped out of the back of the MRAP, ran up to her, and nuzzled her hand. She stroked the dog’s head and then turned and walked away from McKnight and Buck without saying another word. Clyde trotted along beside her.
The hangar doors were still open, and as she stepped out into the cool evening air, she felt a strange burst of energy. She knew she was overtired, and despite this false feeling of energy, when she finally put her head down on her pillow, she was going to sleep the sleep of the dead. Clyde pushed against her thigh and whined.
She had done it. Her. Cassie Rogan. The world’s greatest screwup had helped capture a mythical monster. And this time, unlike the hunt for the hellhounds, she had really contributed—had been essential, in fact. And she had definitely saved Paco’s life. Perhaps, now that this was all coming to an end, there was a future for her in medicine.
Once that idea was in her head, it began to take root and solidify. Why not? Elizabeth may have been the stronger mag-sens, but she had yet to demonstrate either of the skills Cassie had used: healing and invisibility. Cassie’s strengths apparently lay in a different direction than Elizabeth’s. And Duncan, poor sad Duncan who had been so weak in everything—maybe he just hadn’t discovered where his strengths lay.
Now, he never would. Use too much mana, and you burn yourself out. It was a brave new world with the sudden emergence of magic, but it was also a dangerous one. So, where do I belong in it?
She jumped when she heard the stuttering cry of the basilisk shattering the quiet night. Her skin instantly turned clammy, and Clyde whined and hid behind her legs as a large tractor-trailer with flashing blue lights approached, pulling a cargo container into the hangar. The container was like a shipping crate except heavily reinforced with steel bands and thick metal plating. She stared as it slowly went by. Once more, the basilisk cried out from within, its scream distorted by the metal. Four soldiers, each carrying a shotgun, walked along beside it. At that moment, the container rocked violently in place as the monster smashed itself against its prison.
They should just kill it. Nothing good was going to come from studying it. The first time it turned a scientist to stone, they’d realize they had made a mistake. No matter how careful they were, that thing was going to kill someone—maybe a lot of someones. Clyde whined once more, and Cassie reached down and patted the top of his head. “Let’s get out of here.”
She took a few steps and then paused, feeling that strange sensation of emptiness once more. She turned and stared behind her. The container was now within the vehicle hangar, and the huge metal doors were slowly closing. Two of the shotgun-toting soldiers stood sentry outside the hangar. She exhaled, shaking her head. How many times had she had this feeling? Almost every single time she came near the basilisk. Maybe it was coming from it somehow.
Should she say something? Say what, Cassie? You’re going to tell people that you have a bad feeling? She could see Buck making fun of her.
Clyde pushed his head against her hand, and she turned away from the hanger. “No,” she finally said to herself. “I’m just tired and spooked. I need sleep. Come on, Clyde. You can hang out in my room.”
When she approached the barracks, two soldiers were sitting on the picnic table, smoking and chatting: Gus and Connor. When they saw Cassie and Clyde, they waved. “Hey, Starlight,” said baby-faced Gus. “How you doin’, girl?”
Her new nickname had preceded her. She smiled, feeling pleased with herself. “Doing good, but I need some down time.”
“You earned it,” Connor said. “See you around.”
She held the door open for Clyde, not knowing or caring if dogs were allowed inside, and then followed the animal in.
Starlight. That rocked.
* * *
Maelhrandia held her Shadow-Soul spell in place for hours as she moved undetected among the manlings, waiting until late in the night to make her move. The flight here, hanging onto the netting they had wrapped around Gazekiller, had been both terrifying and exhilarating—like flying a wyvern but so much louder. The manlings’ constructs truly were amazing, far superior to anything a dwarf could build. Pity. She knew what her mother had in store for them, for their life energy. The Fae Seelie Empire had more than enough slaves, and she had seen enough of their excesses since arriving to understand that these creatures had caused plenty of damage to this realm already.
Their machines, though wondrous, were also filthy, spewing noxious fumes all about them. This land needed the return of the fae seelie. It was, perhaps, the only thing that would save it from these parasites. And if their deaths could empower select fae seelie, say the royal family, then they would finally be giving back to the natural order of things. And that was most fitting.
She walked, unseen, past several of their soldiers. They didn’t seem to have any magical wards in place. She wasn’t that surprised. While it seemed inconceivable not to have wards to safeguard against the very thing she was doing—slipping amongst them—she had to remind herself that the manlings were little more than animals, especially in their sad attempts to wield magic. They had no idea what they were doing. Such amazing toys but such weak mages. In truth, the Old World would be so much better off without them.
She glided through the night, approaching the huge metal building where they had secured Gazekiller. The gigantic sliding doors at the front were mostly closed, but the manlings had left them open several feet, more than enough for her to slip through. Two of their soldiers stood sentry. But she could tell by their slack posture they paid no real attention. They were secure in the knowledge that there was no danger here.
She stood in front of them, watching their ugly faces. Even after having moved unseen among them for weeks, she was amazed at their arrogance. These blind fools had dared to invade the Fae Seelie Empire? Does the field mouse spy upon the Great Dragon? They must have forgotten the fae seelie, forgotten their masters. In the long centuries since the Ancient Ones had tricked Maelhrandia’s ancestors and brought about the Banishment, the manlings had somehow believed themselves their own masters. Now, simply because they could build machines, they thought they could spy upon their betters.
No one spies upon the fae seelie. It is time to learn the price of such arrogance. It is time to remember why they used to cower in caves, hiding from the darkness.
She slipped behind them, drawing her fighting knife. Manlings were tall, so she had to stand on tiptoes to reach the first sentry from behind, but—with one smooth slash—she opened his throat. His body went suddenly erect, and his blood sprayed out before him. Staggering forward, he reached up to his cut throat and then fell to his knees, dying before he even realized he was under attack. His companion stared in shock, not understanding what had just happened. He stepped forward, reaching toward his friend.
Maelhrandia sighed. She didn’t enjoy this butchery; it was like killing babes, but it was necessary. She set the second manling on fire with Drake’s-Gift. He ran screaming, spinning like a Gerlite. And so it begins.
She slipped through the open doors of the building. Inside, two other manlings ran for the entrance, their faces expressing their shock. Nestled within the spacious open interior, which also held two of their war chariots, was the huge metal cage containing Gazekiller. The basilisk, sensing her presence through the mind-tether, howled in greeting. She cast Storm-Tongue at one of the manlings. Her bolt was a pale, weak shadow of that used by the Ancient One and augmented through its magical talisman, but it was still powerful enough to throw the manling warrior back at least twenty paces. His body smashed into the side of one of their war chariots with a wet crunch. The second manling staggered to a stunned stop and stared un
comprehending at his colleague.
Babes. Maelhrandia slipped behind him and opened his throat with her knife. He fell forward, making a wet, gurgling sound much like a Sher-cat kitten. She approached the metal cage containing her mount. Behind her, the manling’s booted feet pounded against the hard floor as his life bled out. Once again, Gazekiller cried out, his staccato roar fueling Maelhrandia’s anticipation. A moment later, one of the manlings’ hideous alarms sounded, its shrill piping giving warning that something was wrong.
Maelhrandia cocked her head and smiled. Something was very wrong indeed.
A metal chain with a large lock secured the doors of the cage. She frowned as she examined it. Drake’s-Gift might burn through it, but it might not. And if she were to cast Storm-Tongue at it, the shock might hurt Gazekiller. She turned away and approached the still-smoking corpse of the guard she had struck with lightning, immediately finding the key on a large metal ring attached to his belt. This was far too easy.
Grinning, she returned to the lock just as three more manlings, weapons in hand, rushed through the open doors. She cast Drake’s-Gift into them, scattering them, setting them ablaze.
Inserting the key into the lock, she opened it, pulling it and the thick chain free. The handles on the door, however, were stiff and resisted her efforts to remove the locking pin. She strained and pulled, but the locking pin was stuck fast. Her frustration grew as she grunted and strained against it with both hands. It was inconceivable that she could come this far just to be defeated by a stiff bolt. She jumped in place as she yanked on the pin, but it still didn’t budge.
She was about to give up and cast Drake’s-Gift at it when it slipped free. Satisfaction took her as she yanked one of the heavy metal double doors open. No fool, she jumped out of the way as Gazekiller rushed forward, smashing his way through the opening and toward freedom.
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