Elisa turned her body so she faced the tower and placed her feet on the wall. There were windows lining the tower and might be the best way inside. Elisa drew a kukri and coiled her legs before springing off the wall. She swung her body so her legs were positioned right at the window. Her boots easily broke through the glass and she cut the parachute lines as soon as the glass shattered.
She fell to the ground inside the tower, landing on her shoulders. Grimacing, she got up to her feet. She was inside Wewelsburg and now all she had to do was get to the North Tower in time to stop Himmler.
***
Jason released his chute and dropped down, reaching for the holsters beneath his leather jacket to draw his twin Berettas. He opened fire at the small contingent of Thule members dressed in modified SS uniforms. When he landed, he drove his feet into the head of a soldier.
He stood and turned, raising the guns as he did and firing off rounds into soldiers who came at him. Another soldier tried to sneak up on Jason from behind, but before he could open fire, the soldier was ambushed by a reddish-orange streak.
Jason spun on his heel once he heard the animal roar. He saw Asami in her hybrid state stand from the now-dead guard, blood dripping from her claws. She raised her nose in the air and took a sniff, then looked back at Jason.
“Where’s Elisa?”
It was the first moment Jason realized the myth hunter wasn’t with them. He took a quick glance around the courtyard but saw nothing. Jason looked up, hoping she may have landed on the roof, yet there was no sight of her.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Asami growled and grabbed Jason by the collar of his shirt. “If anything’s happened to her, I’ll—”
Asami felt an invisible force pulling her away from Jason. Her arms were thrown out to the sides and she hovered in the air. Jason looked at the door to the North Tower and saw Eckart standing there, his eyes glowing brightly and his arm extended with a smile on his bearded face.
“You’ll do nothing, subhuman creature,” he said. “Other than die!”
Eckart waved his hand and Asami was thrown against the castle wall.
Jason raised his guns and opened fire on the grandson of Dietrich Eckart. But the Thule raised his hand and his eyes flashed. The bullets harmlessly struck a barrier that only became visible at the points of impact.
Eckart channeled the vril energy into his hands. He extended his arms, the energy flying from his fingertips. Jason braced himself for impact, but the energy dissipated before it could strike him. Eckart’s eyes widened in disbelief at the failure to strike.
“How is this possible?” he asked.
Jason looked down at the cross hanging around his neck and smiled. “Guess Wade was right.”
“No!” shouted Eckart. He reached for the holster strapped to his leg and opened fire with his Walther.
Jason dove out of the path of the bullets. There wasn’t really anything in the way of cover out here, just a wide-open space. The only thing he could do was keep moving and hope that Eckart would run out of ammunition before he could get a lucky hit.
A roar came from the distance and Jason turned just in time to watch Asami charging through the courtyard. She’d transformed into her fox state and moved faster than normal. Eckart tried to strike at her with both bullets and vril blasts, but Asami’s movements were far too rapid.
She pounced and landed on him, knocking the gun from his grasp. Her attempt to tear into his flesh was just met with the invisible vril barrier. Eckart smiled and telekinetically threw her from him.
Jason used the distraction to check his ammunition. No matter how many crosses he wore, he couldn’t break through the vril barriers. That was why he’d prepared special ammunition just in case. Ammunition stored in separate magazines that he now loaded into the Berettas.
Eckart was about to snap Asami’s neck with his power when a bullet caught him in the shoulder. He cringed and turned, surprised and angered at the sudden pain.
“Asami, go find Elisa!” said Jason.
“I don’t take orders from—”
“I said go, dammit!”
Asami looked at them both and Jason knew she was weighing her options. But finally she ran through the entrance to the North Tower. Eckart moved to stop her, but was rewarded for his efforts with another bullet in his arm.
“How are you doing this?” asked Eckart. “The vril…”
Jason fired another shot, this time in the knee. Eckart fell to the ground, his blood leaking from his wounds. There was shock in his eyes.
“I came prepared,” said Jason. “Symbols of a warrior’s faith can serve to counter the power of vril. So I prepared special rounds with crosses carved into the points.”
Eckart scoffed. “Very clever. Unfortunately it will not save you.” He reached out his hand to try and take control of Jason’s body, but nothing happened. Eckart tried again, still nothing. The unnatural hue that signaled the vril’s presence in his body was now beginning to fade from his irises.
“Look at that,” said Jason, raising the Beretta and aiming the barrel at Eckart’s head. “So much for your ancient magic, huh?”
Eckart spat. “Go on, kill me. Himmler already has the spear. Once he completes the ritual, Atlantis will rise. And the lesser races will fall beneath the boot of the Aryans. Nothing you can do will stop that.”
“Y’know something, Otto?” Jason pulled the trigger, not even giving the Nazi a chance for a response. “You talk too much.”
Otto Eckart’s head struck the stone ground, his eyes wide open and a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. The vril faded completely from his eyes and he lay there motionless, staring at nothing.
Jason looked down at the body of the former Thule patriarch. He could hear the gunfire from outside and he was tempted to go out and join his soldiers in the fight. But there was a more important battle to be fought inside the North Tower.
He took the cross around his neck in hand and raised it to his lips, planting a quick kiss at the point where the two bars met. Checking his ammunition once more, Jason entered the tower.
CHAPTER 13
Elisa moved slowly through the halls of Wewelsburg Castle, ready for any resistance she might encounter. She held both kukri tightly—one in a regular grip, the other in a reverse—and walked with deliberation, careful that her footsteps wouldn’t make any sound. She still had on the night-vision goggles from the jump, which were a godsend in the near-total darkness of the castle’s halls.
Most of the Thule soldiers were outside battling the Freemason forces. But there were still a few who remained inside the castle to stand guard. Elisa could see the outline of one at the corner up ahead. She pressed herself up against the wall and moved slowly against its surface.
She reached out with the reverse-grip kukri and stuck it in the soldier’s neck. Elisa pulled back on the hilt, dragging him around the corner and clasping a hand over his mouth so he couldn’t let out a sound. She held him that way until she felt his breathing stop and laid his body on the floor, retrieving her dagger as she stood upright.
Elisa risked a glance around the corner. This corridor led to the North Tower and two guards stood at the entrance. They were talking to each other, not paying attention to the hall or even noticing their missing companion. She crouched low, moving around cover while they were unaware and quickly got into position, hiding in the alcove provided by one of the rooms.
Her hand went to a pouch on her belt. Opening the clasp, she reached inside and procured a few shuriken. Elisa jumped across the corridor, her arm flailing out in an arc and the tiny throwing stars leaving her fingertips.
The blades spun through the air stopping as soon as the cut into the flesh of her targets. Elisa moved into another alcove as they turned and opened fire. Or at least one did. The other had been struck in the throat by the blades.
Elisa only had a few more shuriken in her possession. She threw these across the corridor and the remaining guard fired o
n them. A distraction she needed to step out and hurl the kukri at him with all her might. The blade struck his head and he slumped to his knees, dropping to the ground.
She moved out from the alcove and approached the tower entrance, pulling her dagger free once she reached the door. Elisa pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside.
The room was dark, but only for a moment. The lights came on and Elisa cringed, the goggles magnifying it to a blinding degree. She pulled off the goggles and blinked a few times to try and shake loose the spots.
In that time, powerful arms grabbed hold of her and she felt herself flying through the room. She came to a sudden stop against the wall and fell to the marble floor. Elisa could now take stock of the room—the light-colored surface, the round shape, windows all around and columns holding up archways. In the center was the Black Sun and above it a chandelier.
And stalking towards her was the man who caught her unawares—Jaeger.
The man-mountain picked her up again, taking hold of her by her leg and arm. He spun, slamming her into one of the columns. Keeping his grip on her, he slammed her into another and then threw her.
Elisa landed right in the center of the Black Sun symbol. She struggled to get back to her feet and as she was on her hands and knees, she was hit in her stomach and flipped onto her back. She groaned and looked up to see a boot coming down on her.
Elisa rolled to the side just as Jaeger’s foot struck where her head once was. Her hand reached for her leg, drawing free the khopesh. Both her hands wrapped around the hilt and she pointed the tip of the curved blade at her enemy.
“Oh child, you think you can harm me with that?” asked Jaeger, his eyes glowing bright with the power of vril.
“Let’s find out,” said Elisa.
They charged at each other. Elisa avoided his hammer-like punches and countered with strategic strikes with her blade. But with each attempt she made, the blade just scraped against his skin, like she was hitting stone or metal. And with each unsuccessful strike, Jaeger’s laughter grew louder.
He grabbed the sword and took it from her grasp by the blade, then shoved Elisa back with the open palm of his free hand. Elisa stumbled back, stopping as she reached one of the columns and placing her hand against it to keep her from falling. Jaeger held the khopesh by the hilt and swung it a few times, testing the sword’s weight.
“A nice weapon, even if it was made by an inferior race.” He locked eyes with her and smiled wide. “I shall enjoy killing you with it.”
Jaeger came at her and swung the sword. Elisa ducked behind the column, the blade scraping on the surface. Jaeger came around the column, swinging the blade. Elisa flipped back. She landed on her palms and pushed up, her legs moving at one of the columns. She sprang off the column and spun, kicking Jaeger on the side of the head.
The kick had barely registered for him and she landed in a crouch. Jaeger turned towards her, bringing the khopesh up in a wide arc. He swung it down at her and Elisa sprang from her spot, the blade striking the floor.
Elisa moved away from him, her hands going behind her back for the kukri. But before she could draw them, the doors were thrown open. A reddish-orange blur moved through the room and struck at Jaeger, powerful enough to throw him back into one of the columns.
The khopesh fell from his grip and Elisa ran for it. She took it from the ground and quickly moved away from the Thule, putting as much distance between them as she could, getting closer to the door.
Asami stood in the center of the Black Sun symbol now. She looked at Elisa and gave her a smile. “Knew you would’ve found a way.”
“Thanks. Where’s Jason?” asked Elisa.
“Last I saw, he was dealing with Eckart,” said Asami. “No Himmler?”
“He must be in the basement, the Gruft.”
“So what are you waiting for?”
Elisa stared at Jaeger, who was now recovering from Asami’s initial strike and looked far angrier than ever. His eyes blazed with the vril magicks that burned within his massive, tattooed body.
“You can’t be serious,” said Elisa.
“This guy made me look like an amateur in Vienna,” said Asami, narrowing her eyes. “I’m not about to let that stand.”
“And I won’t let you take him on alone,” said Elisa.
“Don’t be stupid!” said Asami. “There’s a psycho Nazi warlock down there ready to destroy the world, remember? I think that should be your priority!”
Elisa struggled with the decision, her grip tightening around the khopesh. She didn’t want to leave her friend to fight Jaeger on her own. But she knew Asami was right. If Elisa didn’t go after Himmler, there would be no one to stop him from completing the ritual.
“Just don’t die on me, okay?” Elisa ran for the door to the stairwell.
“Perish the thought,” said Asami, her teeth elongating and her claws extending as she stared at Jaeger. “Okay, big guy. Just you an’ me. Again.”
Jaeger chuckled, his voice a deep baritone. “And you believe you can defeat me? You are nothing but an animal.”
“See, now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings.” Asami punctuated her statement with a growl and leapt at Jaeger, claws bared. His hands wrapped around her arms and he spun, using her momentum against her and threw her through one of the windows.
Asami’s feet went through the glass first and she grabbed the frame to keep herself from falling. She looked down at the drop below. But she didn’t have a chance to pull herself back up, instead she was pulled up by thick fingers around her wrists.
Once Jaeger pulled her back into the Obergruppenführersaal, he swung her into the column with enough force that cracks were left in the surface. Asami fell limp against the ground.
Jaeger cracked his knuckles and raised both fists in the air. He let out a cry as he brought his arms down. Asami raised her legs, bracing her feet against his forearms and stopping his blow. Jaeger struggled against her.
Asami placed her palms on the ground and pushed up, the added force enough to knock Jaeger back into one of the columns. The kitsune was back on her feet and she ran across towards the center of the Black Sun.
Jaeger chased her. Asami jumped and took hold of the chandelier, swinging from it. She rotated, swinging around Jaeger and flipping from the fixture to land on him from behind. As before, she clamped her jaw on his neck, biting down with enough force that she could break his nigh-invulnerable skin.
The Thule howled and ran towards one of the columns. He turned his back to it and slammed Asami against its surface. The pain radiating through her back forced her to open her jaw and release her captor.
Jaeger turned and grabbed Asami by the throat. He pinned her against the column, raising her up. His free hand closed into a fist and he coiled.
“Have you any last words, unclean beast?”
Asami struggled to speak with his grip on her throat. “Just…one…” She opened her eyes wide and they burned like hot coals. Asami’s voice dropped to a whisper, but still audible enough for Jaeger to hear.
“Burn.”
She opened her mouth wide and a fireball struck Jaeger right in the face. He screamed and dropped Asami, pulling away from her. His hands furiously pounded at his face, trying to put out the flames. The stench of burnt skin and hair filled the room.
Asami didn’t waste her respite, however. She crouched, concentrating hard, her eyes burning brighter than before. She opened her mouth wide and the orbs on her bracelet hummed with the power of her life force.
When Jaeger had put out the flames, smoke still rose from his head. His skin was melted and mangled, and he growled when he looked at Asami. But the kitsune seemed unconcerned by his newfound rage.
“You’re powerful, maybe too powerful for me to kill you,” said Asami. “But there’s more than one way to skin a Nazi.”
Asami’s eyes burned like lanterns, the glow becoming so great that Jaeger had to shield his eyes. He opened them again, blinking several times. B
ut what he saw was strange.
Asami was gone. And the Obergruppenführersaal now had mirrors surrounding him. Jaeger turned around and around, seeing hundreds of reflections of himself. Reflections upon reflections upon reflections. Almost endless.
And then he saw Asami.
Jaeger lashed out, driving his fist into her shape, but only breaking a mirror. He turned again and saw her, and upon seeing her, attacked once more. Again, nothing but a mirror. Jaeger continued like this, shattering each and every mirror.
Then the mirrors appeared again, magically restored. Jaeger screamed and tried to destroy these as well. But each time he broke a mirror, it was back with Asami’s reflection in it. And they restored faster than he could break them.
“What the hell is this?” he cried.
“This is just the beginning,” said the Asami reflections, their voices echoing. “Hope you like this room, Jaeger. Because this is what you’re going to do for the rest of eternity. Just standing here. With me. In constant torment. Think you have the strength to live like this forever?”
Jaeger was at a loss to give an answer. He already felt exhausted and he knew the exhaustion would only continue. He couldn’t keep this up forever. If he didn’t find a way out, she’d never stop.
The Thule fell to his knees. He brought his hands to his ears and screamed. An endless cacophony of voices surrounded him. The screams of the victims of not only him, but all who had died at the hands of Himmler’s twisted ideology. And it was too much for him to bear.
Jaeger looked down and saw a large, broken shard of one of the mirrors. He picked up the glass, staring at his reflection in it. His face was ruined, he was no longer the image of Aryan supremacy.
“I’m sorry…”
Jaeger plunged the shard into his forehead and his eyes bulged. He slumped on the ground, splayed out on the Black Sun. There was no blood from the wound, though. The mirrors vanished and Asami reappeared, still in her crouched position.
Spear of Destiny (The Myth Hunter Book 4) Page 9