Esme tried to concentrate and keep drawing, but as the bentaforx rose on its hind legs to get away from its attacker, she spotted who it was.
Piper?
The fairy had chopped her blond locks to a pixie cut, and she now wore the black uniform of a cavali. Her protruding wings were open to full length, beating the air like a hummingbird’s. She twirled and swooped, firing light again and again.
Several cavali cheered, and they continued to fire at the demon’s body while Piper attacked its face from the air.
While they drew the bentaforx’s attention, Esme refocused and burned the last line into the demon’s leg. Lifting her castorcas, she spun her hands as fast as she could between her line of sight and the symbol covering the demon. The sparking lines and curves began to blur, and the bentaforx roared in pain.
The demon now ignored Piper and turned to find Esme. One of its eyes was gone. The bentaforx took a shaky step toward her, but its scales were burning away as the symbol sucked the monster into the termino. Layers of skin and muscle tore free, then bone.
Out the corner of her eye, Esme saw movement from deep within the rift.
Something else is coming! Hurry!
Esme’s silver hair whipped around her face as the termino’s gravity strengthened. She took a step back but continued spinning her hands, and the magic coursing through her arms made her whole body vibrate. Her legs wobbled. As she tottered, someone caught her by the waist from behind. She knew without looking that Owen had her, and she relied on him to hold her up while she spun her aching arms.
The disintegrating bentaforx loomed overhead. Its snake-like head was reduced to bone and dripping muscle, but still it managed a wide-mouthed, choking roar. Looking down at Esme, the great demon began to fall.
No! It’s going to land right on us!
Esme raised her hands and made a tearing motion, throwing her arms wide.
The bentaforx burst apart. The termino sucked the resulting demon pieces inward, and for a moment the symbol’s light outlined where the bentaforx had stood. Then the symbol crackled and sparked so brilliantly that Esme had to cover her eyes. A moment later, the symbol collapsed and disappeared.
There was no time to celebrate, and Esme spun to face the open rift. She lifted her hands again and drew another termino before any more foul creatures invaded. Once the symbol was complete, it crackled to life over the smoking darkness. Esme spun her aching arms faster and faster, and soon the whole symbol blurred and sucked in the smoke. The rift tore apart and shrank into the termino, and a second later it swirled out of existence.
In the following stillness, Esme lowered her shaky arms and leaned into Owen for support while she caught her breath. She looked around the ballfield and saw huge puddles of bentaforx blood, the amputated wing, and scores of killed chiroptorx and spindlox. She also noticed a few cavali bodies. The cavali left standing hurried to check the fallen.
Loukas joined them, holstering his gun. He sucked in a breath. “Orders, my lord?”
“Round up your teams and head to the station. We need to be on alert in case scouts report anything more to Lexi.”
The elf whose ice spell Esme had boosted limped up to them. He bowed to the king, his long blond hair falling over his shoulder. “My lord, I took the liberty of calling a conjuri, and her team will arrive soon to expunge any trace of our battle. But we must depart with haste.”
“Good. Thank you.”
The elf glanced at Esme with awe, then back at the king with another bow. “Of course, my lord.”
Loukas slapped the elf on the shoulder and turned to lead him away.
Her steadiness returning, Esme took a step from Owen to look around. “This was bad.”
“Could’ve been worse. You okay?”
Before she could answer, Esme saw something that made her heart sink. “Oh, no…”
From the direction of the dugout, Tank walked toward them. In his arms lay Benja, and she wasn’t moving.
Owen had enough experience to sense when he’d lost someone. He had that feeling now as he watched his biggest cavali carrying one of his favorite.
Tank’s deep sobs reached them across the distance, and Owen saw Esme put a hand to her mouth. He knew she’d sensed the worst too, and he led her quickly to meet Tank in the middle of the field.
I’ve lost another one, thought Owen with all-too-familiar sadness. It wasn’t long ago that we lost Davis. Now Benja… Fairy dust, I didn’t want to lose Benja!
When they met, the big troll gasped for breath and knelt carefully, then lay Benja’s limp body on the blanket covering the field. Owen and Esme knelt across from Tank, and Owen examined the jinn woman. Her neck was broken in at least two places. Blood ran from her mouth and onto her cavali uniform. Tank had already closed her eyes.
Tank reached up a meaty hand to wipe his tears. “There was…nothing…I could do,” he said between sobs.
Esme was crying too, and she slumped over to sit beside Benja’s body. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault. If I’d–”
“No,” Owen and Tank said at the same time.
Tank shook his head and sniffled. “This isn’t your fault. You saved me. I’d be dead too if it weren’t for that barrio.”
Crying, Esme wasn’t convinced. “I could’ve made the barrio strong enough for both of you. I could’ve–”
“There wasn’t time,” said Owen. He wiped grime from his face in an attempt to pull himself together. “I saw the whole thing, Esme. You were lucky to save Tank.”
Benja’s jinn. She’s supposed to be the lucky one… Not that I’d be any happier if Tank was the one who’d snapped his neck.
Esme sobbed. “But Owen, with my magic, I could’ve…maybe…”
“Hey.” Owen reached for her shoulder and gave it a squeeze so her purple eyes turned up to him. “I know a little something about feeling guilty for losing people, remember? This wasn’t your fault.”
It wasn’t my fault, he tried to convince himself. But by the gods, when will this end?
By now other cavali had gathered, and Owen looked to see Max and Dax push through the crowd. Owen felt his own throat constrict as he watched the Hoffman brothers realize what had happened. Max sank to a knee beside Esme, and Dax stood with a sad scowl.
A jinn cavali knelt by Benja’s head and placed a hand on her chest. Owen was familiar with the jinn custom, but he had to force himself to look at this dead cavali, one of his closest friends.
The jinn bowed his head. “Farewell, sister. May your luck never run out in the next life.”
The other jinn in the group held up hands in salute, their tattoos glowing a faint red.
Owen heard the rush of wings and looked behind him to find the crowd making space. Piper’s cavali boots touched ground, and in a single move she walked forward and folded her wings over her uniform. She looked even thinner with her hair short, and her frown was severe.
Piper looked at Benja’s body, then at Owen, sadness in her eyes. “My lord, the rest of the malevolenci have been dealt with. I flew a lap around the stadium and didn’t see any that we’d missed.”
Loukas, at the front of the crowd, nodded solemnly at Owen. “The conjuri are here, and they’re putting up illuso spells. One told me we should clear the area so they can take care of…” He waved a hand toward puddles of bentaforx blood and other carnage.
Owen went into king mode and rose to look at his men. “Get the injured to the Capiti healers. Gather the fallen for burial. The rest of you, go to whatever post Lexi orders. I want all trucks out of here in ten minutes.”
The cavali snapped to action.
“Yes, my lord.”
“You heard him,” shouted Loukas. “Move out!”
“You two, help me with Roth’s body!”
Once alone with his team, Owen felt awful. “I’m sorry, everyone. I know we’d prefer time to mourn, but we have work to do. If we can make it the next few hours without another attack, the sun will be up. I think we need to prepa
re to leave at once.”
Esme looked up from where she sat. “Meramec?”
Owen nodded, then looked at Max, Dax, Tank, and Piper. “You up for a field trip?”
“Hell, yes,” said Dax. “Let’s find a way to slaughter these demons once and for all.”
Tank lifted Benja and gently held her against his massive chest. “I’ll take her to one of the other trucks, my lord.”
Owen gave the big man a nod. “Thank you, Tank.”
As the big man lumbered off with their fallen friend, Owen helped Esme to her feet. He met her eyes to make sure she was okay and received a tense nod. With a frown of his own, he waved for the others to follow, and the remaining members of his elite team joined him to hurry out of the stadium.
Max said in a low voice to Esme, “How the fairy dust was another bentaforx here so soon? This is the third one in Owen’s reign! I thought they only were born once in a generation or something.”
Esme sighed. “It surprised me too. But they’re coming after us with everything they’ve got.”
No, thought Owen with a scowl, they’re coming after Esme with everything they’ve got. I saw the way this bentaforx acted – it didn’t care about the rest of us. It wanted Esme. It was sent here for Esme. Whatever it said to whoever was listening on the other side of the rift…
He frowned harder as they reached the stairs to the stadium’s main level.
Piper hurried to walk beside Owen up the narrow steps. “My lord, I hope it was okay that I joined this battle. I was at the Capiti when I heard about this rift, and I thought…”
“You were awesome, Piper.” Owen gave her an honest smile.
She blushed with the compliment, which was refreshing for a fairy. “My lord, I know you think we’ll find answers at Meramec, but is it such a good idea to leave town? The malevolenci attacks have increased here since you’ve returned. While we’re gone, what if the other cavali can’t hold them back? If another bentaforx…”
Owen had this fear himself. “We’ll only be gone a day.”
I hope.
“Whatever’s going on with the malevolenci, they still can’t open rifts and attack during the day. Things here should be fine while we’re gone. Lexi and Loukas can keep things under control for one day.”
I hope.
He grinned at the fairy. “I’ve got a kingdom of badass warriors, right? The Capiti’s cavali and conjuri know what’s at stake, and I have full confidence they can handle one day with us away.”
Piper seemed to accept this, and she hurried up the steps before spreading her wings and taking off.
She’s a good addition to the team. Especially now that we’re another paranormal short…
Owen took a breath and continued up the stairs. In his mind, faces of friends he’d lost flashed by at random, and he felt a different kind of grief over each. Benja. Davis. Esme’s predecessor. Fairy Esme. Her origini. Trent Simons.
Owen scowled in thought as he reached the main level of the stadium.
Okay, Trent. Whatever you hid in Meramec better be good.
Esme hopped out of the truck and shook her legs from the long ride. She’d managed a few hours’ sleep, and the sunlight illuminating the empty parking lot suggested it was now midmorning.
Meramec. Not much different from the park in my world.
To their left, a curving stream separated the tourist spot from the winter wilderness beyond, but Esme couldn’t see through the thick foliage still attached to branches. To their right, the steep cliff of Meramec caverns rose as a back wall behind old-timey attractions. Esme’s gaze jumped from the zip-line tower to the gold panning station, then to the small fudge shop and restaurant. Her stomach growled.
That granola bar won’t hold me forever. Too bad we’re too early for the restaurant to be open. Not that we’re here as tourists.
She looked at Owen where he checked his weapon. The others stood around the back of the truck and did the same with their guns. Esme, as always, only had her castorcas and was ready first. As she watched the others, she knew she wasn’t the only one hurting from the loss of Benja. Owen was taking it hard but hiding it under his usual kingly bravado. Dax and Max were fired up. Piper had only worked with Benja during last night’s mission, but she’d known Benja’s reputation and no doubt felt added pressure to fill the jinn’s shoes. Tank leaned against the side of the truck and frowned at the gun in his big hands.
Poor Tank. He and Benja were close. It sucks that we don’t have time to grieve. But we have to snap out of it.
Esme looked over her shoulder at the main building that stood in front of the cliff. If this world’s caverns were anything like the ones she remembered from her world, that main building led into the gift shop, then to the cavern entrance farther inside.
What trouble might we run into? It’s morning, so malevolenci aren’t likely to open rifts. We should be safe from the demons, at least. But what about these ancient vampires that’ve gone insane?
She shivered and looked back at Owen. “How much time do we have before the caverns open?”
“Not long.” Owen holstered his gun. “Since we’re not even sure what we’re looking for, I’m guessing we’ll still be in there by the time this place opens. We’ll need to get off the tour path as quickly as possible.”
She nodded. Fishing in her pants, she found a hair tie and reached up to pull her bob into a ponytail.
This is so not our usual thing. We’re looking for some huge secret hidden by a man who died over a decade ago. We need to track down feral vampires through tight tunnels and dark caves. And we have to search quietly so we don’t disturb tourists. Yeah, this should go well.
Owen looked at the trees high atop the cliff. “Piper, mind flying up there and keeping a lookout? The daylight should keep the malevolenci away, but I don’t want to take chances.”
Piper unwrapped her wings. “Yes, my lord.” Her wings buzzed to life, and she rose like a shot to fly to the top of the cliff, disappearing in the foliage there.
Dax, gazing after her, whistled. “Gotta admit, that sparkly’s impressive.”
Max smirked. “She’s certainly throwing herself into it. Who gets a makeover when preparing to be a warrior?” He ran a hand over his own mop of hair, pushing it flat to mimic Piper’s new style.
Esme raised an eyebrow at him.
Max lowered his hand. “What?”
Esme now smirked and pointed at the silver-gray ends of her ponytail. “Did ya forget I did this? Piper’s not the only one to change her look when adjusting to this life.”
Owen grinned but kept to business. “Okay. Max and Dax, come with us. Tank, you might be too big to fit through the spaces we’ll be exploring, so you should stay with the truck. Keep the radio tuned for any news of trouble back home.”
Tank gave a nod and turned to climb into the front seat of the truck.
Dax pointed a thumb at himself, then his brother. “You sure we’re going to fit in there?”
“No.” Owen let out a sigh and walked toward the main building. “But I’d like backup for as far as you two can give it. If these tunnels get too cramped, you can drop back and play tourists to make sure no one comes our way.”
Dax gave a nod, and neither Hoffman said another word as Owen led their smaller team to the main building’s entrance. The door was locked, but a simple spell from Esme released the locks and let them through into a glass entrance hall. After she relocked the door and turned to follow Owen, Esme found she was holding her castorcas at the ready, magic pooling in her hands should she need it. But as they walked up the hall and opened another glass door into the lobby, she saw only the empty gift shop and restaurant, nothing disturbing.
Max motioned to a stand holding colorful, goofy hats. “Civilians pay money for this crap?”
“They’re souvenirs.” Esme grinned. “If you’re a good boy, I’ll buy you one before we leave.”
Max scoffed, and Dax chuckled.
“This way.” Owen le
d them to the back of the building where glass doors blocked their way into the darkness beyond. Esme took a breath of the cool, damp air and lowered her castorca to spell these doors open. She spun her index finger, and magic spun out to push the doors apart.
Owen blew out his lips and gave her a look. “Here we go.”
Esme stepped into the darkness and turned her palms up, creating little balls of fire in her hands to light their way. The smooth, buffed floor seemed out of place for such a rustic site, but it made their path easy. As Esme passed a display about the cavern’s history, she lifted one hand to gaze higher and higher up the rocky wall. The ceiling high overhead was pockmarked with shadowy hiding places.
She gulped. “Sure we can’t turn the lights on?”
“We don’t want anyone to know we’re here,” said Owen. “Plus, Hakim did a lot of reading on this place, and the lights in the caverns are only used briefly during the tours. Light hurts the limestone…or something.”
I don’t give a troll’s shit about the limestone.
“Plus,” whispered Dax as they inched their way past the counter where normal tourists paid, “vampires don’t like light either. If we want to find them – I’m still a solid ‘no’ vote on that, by the way – then we don’t wanna drive them away with too much light.”
Damn. That’s actually a good point.
Esme’s firelight reflected off a metal gate ahead, and she reached to illuminate a corral winding back and forth, similar to the type leading up to amusement park rides. At the end of this stood a break in the gate where they could enter. Esme led the way through, and she felt the cold metal through her shirt as she brushed it with her hip. She then stood in a wide space, and she dared to strengthen the balls of fire.
“What is…” Max sounded incredulous as he looked at the ceiling. “Is that a disco ball?”
Malevolenci Page 13