“I-I can’t feel them,” I gaped.
Faru’s face broke into a relieved smile. “Fantastic! That means it worked.”
“What worked?”
“I had Selene and her Coven concoct a dispossession elixir. I added a few drops to the mixture you drank.” He slipped a hand inside his robes and produced a glass ampoule about the size of my thumb. He handed it to me. “This is not your average Lamiae possession, so I doubt it will free you of the powerful darkness that has attached itself to you, but as I suspected, it appears to have dampened its effects. It is also my hope that it shall slow the process of possession.” He nodded to the vial, “Take a small amount every day and whenever you feel the need.”
I held up the elixir, shaking it slightly. The golden liquid was near the top, held in place by a cork stopper attached to a glass top. “Thank you, Sage Faru,” I said, slipping the ampule into my inside jacket pocket, next to a new photograph of Dad I’d taken it from the photo album Faru had given me. My last photograph of him had burned the day I fought The Sorrow.
The pilot’s voice came through the intercom and told us to prepare for landing. I took my seat and stared out of the window. The blanket of blue gave way to strips of brown and green land. Not long afterwards, the plane began to descend quickly, the gravity of the steep decline tickling my stomach. We had a smooth landing, and I watched the rush of palm trees and sun-baked grass whip past. The reverse thrust engaged, and we drew to a steady halt. A stewardess I hadn’t even noticed stood up from her fold-down chair near the cockpit and winched open the hatch door. Soon after the pilot came through the cockpit door and stood next to his fellow crewmember.
“Right, my boy, I believe it is time to disembark,” said Faru, and together we made our way to the exit. The pilot and stewardess gave the Chosen salute – a cross of the arms over the chest and then out towards us. The Sage and I returned the salute and then stepped out into the blazing sunlight.
A set of metal steps had been positioned against the hatch door. As we descended – Faru using his cane to balance himself – I noticed a group of Guardians waiting at the bottom near a pair of red safari Jeeps. One of them moved towards the steps and I recognised him as Sage Lucas, Chosen leader of Torre. He’d made an appearance at my joining ceremony all those months ago. His ceremonial cape billowed behind him as he walked.
He reached us and we exchanged salutes. Sage Lucas was a tall man with a square jaw and sleek black hair gelled into submission and combed backwards over his head. He was wearing a set of aviator sunglasses, which he pulled off to reveal keen brown eyes that darted between us as he spoke.
“Sage Faru, it is an honour to have you here in Brazil.”
“It is an honour to be here, Sage Lucas. We thank you for your hospitality in receiving us.”
Lucas placed a hand over his chest. “We would do nothing less.” He turned to me. “Alexander, it is a pleasure to meet you again.” I noticed that he was speaking in Portuguese, but as usual, the translation in my mind was immediate and automatic.
“You too, Sage Lucas.”
The Sage turned and gestured towards one of the waiting jeeps. “Shall we?”
As we reached the Jeep, one of the Guardians pulled down a side panel near the back wheel, which hinged down into a set of steps. He assisted Faru and then nodded for me to climb in beside my leader. Once settled, he snapped the panel back into place and jumped into the driver’s seat. Sage Lucas climbed into the passenger side and slid his sunglasses back on.
One of the Guardians had collected my bag from the Concorde – which I felt stupid for bringing now, like I was on bloody holiday or something – and loaded it into the back of the other Jeep. The rest of the Guardians leapt in and roared off. Sage Lucas nodded at the driver, and he started the engine. It made a throaty rattle. With a squeal from the scalding tyres on the hot tarmac, the Jeep raced after the other.
We drove through a set of razor wire-topped gates, guarded by regular looking soldiers who wore army slacks and berets and were armed with M16s. As soon as we were through, the jungle swallowed us. A road – closer to a path – had been carved through a dense rainforest of hulking, moss-coated trees and vines that trailed down from impossible heights like forgotten rope. Around us, hidden animals shrieked and rustled about, causing bushes and branches to shake. The ride was bumpy, and I dug my heels into the footwell to keep myself attached to the seat.
Faru seemed lost in a reverie, slowly moving his head as he took in the tropical surroundings through his unique sight. A serene smile had spread across his withered face, and he slowly stroked at his beard with a hand. It was only when Sage Lucas turned and asked a question that he re-joined the rest of us.
“Is Alexander aware of the…situation?” he asked, wiping a bead of sweat from his bronzed forehead.
“Not completely,” answered Faru. “I am certain, however, that he would like hear an explanation, Sage Lucas.”
Too right I do, I thought, sitting upright.
Sage Lucas nodded and turned back around. I realised that if I wanted to hear what he had to say, I was going to have to make the effort. I leaned forward, wrapping my hands around the side of the driver’s seat and gave him my full attention.
“I am sure you’ve heard – like most Guardians – that the Torre base and Brazil in general doesn’t see much in the way of Pandemonian activity.”
“That’s exactly what I heard, sir.”
“Well, that’s not strictly true. Whilst we don’t get much regular traffic through the Veil, we did many, many centuries ago, get a visit from Lafelei.”
I raised my eyebrows. “The Elemental passed through the Veil here?”
Lucas nodded. “Yes, and more than once. The last time it settled here. Of course, this was long before my time, but apparently, at least according to the records, the Veil somehow grew to accommodate its size. And what a size it was. The few Guardians still around today that did see it have never been able to accurately explain exactly what it was they saw. Accounts on its exact size vary depending on whom you talk to. But suffice to say, Lafelei’s journey through was enough to level the base and everything else in a three-mile radius.” The Sage chuckled to himself and perched a foot on the dashboard. “The Elemental was followed by an influx of Fera, who followed it into the Amazon. And that’s where they have stayed ever since. We knew that having the next best thing to a god here could attract a lot of unwanted attention – especially from Hades’ followers – so Lafelei’s residency here was kept to a strictly need to know basis.” He turned and gave me a salesman smile. “So I guess you need to know.”
I gave a nervous laugh. “So what happened to all the Fera?”
“We’ve barely heard a peep from them since that first day. At the outset we left food for them, thinking they might starve in our unfamiliar terrain, but they appeared to become self-sufficient pretty quickly. All we really do now is ensure that ignorant people don’t wander into Lafelei’s territory.” He shook his head. “That never ends well.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Fera fiercely protect Lafelei. Like the Luminar, most Fera worship the Elementals as deities. If anything comes close, they will perceive it as a threat and act accordingly. We can’t judge them by the normal Alliance rules either, because they don’t act with malicious intent. It’s the same way as you can’t really blame a lioness for attacking somebody who gets too close to their young. It’s instinctual.”
“I understand. So, has anyone ever been summoned by Lafelei before?”
Sage Lucas snatched a large leaf from a passing shrub and rolled it between his fingers, as if making a cigar. “Yes, but only once, during one of its previous visits to Earth. Back during the dark days, when our world was still at the mercy of the Dragon God and his brethren. A Chosen named Ulitas was summoned so that he could be informed of the Elemental’s plan to block the Dragon’s foresight, which would allow the evil creatures to be killed. It was this very information t
hat caused the Chosen to rise up together against the evil creatures and rid Earth of their plague.”
He sighed. “It must have been such an incredible honour to speak with a Pandemonian god. Unfortunately, that was the only time one of us got the opportunity. Now whenever we are summoned, it is not to speak with Lafelei, but simply to collect the dead – those who had wandered in too far despite the clear warnings signposted everywhere.” The Sage shook his head. “Bloody relief aid types are convinced we’re conducting heinous military experiments or something.” He threw the rolled leaf into the jungle. “The idiots don’t realise we’re trying to keep them safe.”
Faru gestured a hand towards me. “However, there can be no mistaking that the Nymph Flute you have been given is an indication that you have been summoned by Lafelei itself.”
Flute. So it is a musical instrument, then.
Sage Lucas made an agreeing noise and coiled around in his seat. “Records state that soon after Lafelei settled here, while Torre was still being rebuilt, one of the Fera returned. They explained that a Nymph Flute would be presented to any individual who Lafelei wished to speak with. But no such sign ever appeared…until now. Who knows, maybe they would have been summoned had the moronic Chosen of the past not decided to begin the Great Purge.”
The Sage clicked his tongue. “It didn’t go well when our foolhardy ancestors entered the forbidden jungle. Since then, our relations with the native Fera have been strained, to say the least. As I said, now we just stay out of their way unless we are collecting the unfortunate souls who made a fatal error in judgement.” Lucas’s expression changed and he held out a hand. “May I see it?”
I looked to Faru who gave a subtle nod of the head. I fished in my pocket and produced the tiny flute, which I carefully deposited in Sage Lucas’s hand. The Torre leader stared at the instrument as if it were a priceless gem. “Who would have thought something so small could carry such colossal significance?” He gave another sigh and handed it back to me. “I cannot deny that I am jealous. I have led Torre for twenty-three years and not once have I had the honour of exchanging even a single word with an Elemental, even though one has made its home not more than ten miles from my base.”
I didn’t really know what to say in response, so said nothing. I deposited the flute back in my jacket pocket and zipped it up again, despite the intense heat. I didn’t want to risk my free pass to Lafelei ending up in a jungle bush because of a bumpy car journey.
The path ahead split into two. The first Jeep continued bouncing its way down the left trail, but our vehicle ground to a halt at the fork.
“I’m afraid this is as far as we go, meu querido amigos,” said Lucas. He went to say something else, but stopped. I followed his gaze. The right hand path was covered in signs. They were nailed into every surrounding tree and staked into the moss. Every single one warned of death and danger in just about every language on the planet. Universal pictures of skulls and exclamation marks surrounded them to hammer home the point. As if that wasn’t enough, there were also two armed guards. At that moment, they were kneeling down, talking to each other – clearly about the lumpy thing on the ground between them. That was what Sage Lucas was staring at. It only took me a split second to understand what it was.
A body bag.
Sage Lucas cranked his door open and hopped down onto the dirt. Dust plumed up around his boots. He marched over to the two men, who both jerked upright and saluted. The driver climbed out and rushed around to lower the steps of the Jeep. Faru and I climbed down and joined the Sage and his troops. As we reached them, the acrid scent of a decaying body poured into my nose and down my throat. I resisted the urge to gag. The smell of death was one I had experienced a lot in my six months as a Guardian. It wasn’t one you ever got used to.
The intense heat made the stench ten times worse. I edged as far away as I could from the covered body whilst remaining in earshot of the conversation.
“What happened here?” demanded Sage Lucas.
The guard who answered had a wavering voice that made him sound almost like a cartoon character. “One of them bought her here about half an hour ago, sir.”
“Her?”
The other guard handed over a set of credentials he’d been holding. Sage Lucas flipped through them like playing cards. From over Faru’s shoulder I just made out that one was an ID card for a charity organisation. The next few were credit and debit cards. The last was a well-worn passport. The Sage flicked it open and let out a deep sigh. I focused on it and made out a picture of a smiley woman with frizzy blonde hair.
“For the love of god. She was only twenty four,” he cursed through gritted teeth as he snapped the passport closed.
The first guard pointed towards the body bag. “She was carrying a pretty expensive-looking camera.” He nodded back at the IDs in his leader’s hand. “We think she was a freelance reporter, probably working with the Red Cross.”
“How did she get past you?” Sage Lucas accused in a stony voice, slipping the last remnants of a life lived into his jacket pocket.
The second guard gestured behind him. “Must have wandered off from her group and got lost. Come in from the side.” His voice was far deeper, bordering on gruff.
“How did she die?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Guard two looked almost surprised, as if he had noticed me for the first time. “By the state of her body, I’d say that she was mauled by a Verde,” he answered.
Verde…green? Never heard of them before. I wanted to ask exactly what a Verde was, but knew it wasn’t an appropriate time.
Sage Lucas shook his head slowly. “Have you said a prayer for her soul?”
The guards nodded at the same time. “We have, Sage Lucas.”
“Alright. Help Ricardo load her into the Jeep. Then delete whatever was on the camera. I’ll find out what I can about her and prepare something to tell her family. We’ll bury the poor girl this evening with the others and give her the ceremony she deserves.”
The guards heaved up the body bag and shuffled past. With the help of the Ricardo they gently lowered her into the back seat of the Jeep.
Sage Lucas turned to us wearing a grim expression on his face. I wanted to say something to make him feel better about the innocent, dead woman. I could tell Sage Faru wanted to do the same.
We said nothing.
“We’ll return in three hours to collect you,” Sage Lucas said, heading for the vehicle. “I only pray that you are both alive and in one piece when we return.” And with that he left, disappearing in the Jeep down the only trail that didn’t seem to offer a high likelihood of death. Sage Faru took a deep breath and gestured ahead into the deadly rainforest.
“Shall we?”
8
Gabriella
“What do you mean you don’t want to use a Kapre belt?” I said to Aran, placing my hands on my hips and frowning. “I thought we had a deal. You get to be part of Orion in exchange for following orders.”
We were standing in the heart of Providence Park, but now, instead of sunlight and screaming kids, it was full of shadows and a pale glow provided by a fingernail moon. Across the street stood Indigo. Customers filtered their way down a pathway of red rope. A girl at the end ticked them off a list with a smile and directed them between two bouncers and into the restaurant. Each new entry made my stomach clench. More potential victims in an imminent attack.
Orion – or at least Orion reserve team – with the support of Barton, a Chosen from Trojan who’d returned from an Infiltration and agreed to lend a hand last minute – was assembled in full kit and ready. Except now Aran had decided she didn’t want to use her belt.
“Huntmaster Gabriella misunderstands Aran,” she said. “It is not that the belt’s features are being rejected, but rather that they are not necessary. Observe.”
The Urisk stretched out her hand and placed it against the trunk of a tree. I watched in astonishment as her blue skin wavered and then took on th
e dull brown colour and texture of the bark.
“Sweet Jesus, I didn’t know y’all could do that!” exclaimed a surprised-looking Delagio.
“Pigment manipulation is a lesser-known Urisk ability. It has aided species survival up until this point,” answered Aran. “However, it is seldom able to function to this degree of accuracy. Aran has perfected it; therefore the need for invisibility within the establishment will not present an issue. In addition, with this method, possible detection is not a factor.” The Urisk removed her hand and instantly it turned the colour of the grass below, until it appeared to vanish. I dipped my head a little and stared. The red bars of the nearby playground fence were etched on her skin in perfect proportion. When I shifted position, so did they.
“Incredible,” I breathed.
“Camouflage is a neat trick to have,” noted Grey.
I shook my head. “Okay, let’s get focused. Crow’s Nest will provide us with layout info once we’re inside, and I’ll place you accordingly.” I raised my wrist to my lips and pressed the unassuming silver bracelet. “Can everyone hear me okay?”
The team replied through their coms bracelets. I heard their voices from the microphone hidden deep inside my ear. “Good. Right, let’s go—”
“Err...Huntmaster, shouldn’t you check everyone has taken boosters?” asked Grey.
I was so used to having Alex around that I hadn’t used one on a mission for months. Nothing could match the speed with which we could heal when I amplified his power. I swore under my breath as I realised my pouches were empty. “I completely forgot.”
“Don’t worry boss, ah got ya,” said Delagio, throwing me one from his pouch. “Anyone else?”
Grey held up an empty booster. “Already done mine.”
The rest of us, minus Aran, injected ourselves with the dark blue liquid. I grit my teeth as the blood cocktail seared through my veins. Doing it before a mission felt like the old days – before Alex. He’d been at my side practically every day for the past six months. Being here now without him felt wrong, and I didn’t like it one bit.
The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2) Page 11