Force of Fire

by Ali Vali

  “As sad as that is, I do realize what man is capable of. My brother Ares’s influence is sometimes hard to overcome.”

  “Does he have anything to do with this?” She couldn’t take her eyes off the dragon as it lazily flapped its wings to stay afloat in front of them. “I know he’s as real as you are, so his influence, as you say, can be just as strong in some people.”

  “Ares has a way of keeping everything to himself, so I can’t answer that. If anyone in this world and any other is always trying to manipulate something to his advantage, though, it’s him.” Aphrodite turned to her and framed her face with her hands. “While Piper owns your heart, remember always, Asra, that you are mine. My claim on you will help you for the fight to come, and I couldn’t have asked for a better champion.”

  “For all that you’ve given me, my sword will always be yours.”

  “Remember to keep the sword that Hephaestus made you close. I swear to you I’m not certain what’s coming, but like you do, I have a sense of foreboding. He said the blade will keep you as safe as possible.”

  “Then we begin tomorrow and see what happens,” she said before kissing Aphrodite’s forehead. “Are your children in pain from the long sleep they’ve endured?”

  Aphrodite smiled, and she truly was a beautiful woman. “Only you would think to ask me that.” She moved her hands to Kendal’s shoulders and squeezed. “They really are like you in that they’re noble of heart but wild creatures that will never conform to someone’s will, so they long for freedom. I tried my best to make them understand before I took them from the skies, but their rightful place is there.”

  “Then you have my pledge that I’ll bring them no harm.”

  “I know. That’s why you’re my chosen and have been for so long.” Aphrodite waved her hand again and the dragon disappeared. “Go back inside and give Piper a kiss for me. I think you’ve kept her waiting long enough. She’s got some things to tell you.”

  “Will we see you again?”

  “You’ve always had the means to summon me, Asra, so nothing will change that.”

  She didn’t understand that statement at all since she’d never conjured a god. “I’m not sure about that.”

  “I’m not giving you a cell phone, if that’s what you’re waiting for,” Aphrodite said and laughed. “But think about all the times I’ve come to you and why. Only now if you want me, you’ll have to think up something better than loneliness. Those days are over.”

  The goddess faded from sight, and Kendal thought of what she meant. All those women in her past who had helped her when she realized she’d never be able to grow old with someone had really been just Aphrodite. She’d cared enough about her to offer comfort when it was needed most, but she was right. Now all she needed was Piper and Hali.

  “Thank you,” she said into the wind. “But a cell phone couldn’t hurt.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Aishe checked the GPS again and saw that she was ten miles from the house she’d climbed up to, so she headed into the jungle and hunted for a clearing far from the road. The heat was oppressive and she was thirsty, but she really needed to hear Rawney’s voice more than anything. She stopped when she heard another helicopter overhead, but it didn’t hover or slow. It was, though, headed back in the direction she’d come from.

  “Hello,” Rawney said, and Aishe leaned against a tree in relief.

  “I’m so sorry for worrying you,” she said and closed her eyes. “I’ll tell you what happened when I see you, but I don’t want to be on the phone too long.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but I need to go a little farther before you send anyone to get me.” She told Rawney about the house she’d come from.

  “Kendal is ready to get you now.”

  Kendal’s voice replaced Rawney’s. “Aishe, can you send me your coordinates?”

  “I’ve already sent a set to Charlie, but don’t do anything about those yet. I’m still too close to not be spotted.”

  “Trust me. I can get someone to you without a problem,” Kendal said, and Aishe immediately disconnected the call when she heard something close to her, as if running in her direction.

  She dropped to the ground and flattened against the tree. Whatever it was, it was still too far away for her to distinguish whether it was an animal or a person. If it was a person, she hoped it’d be someone who wouldn’t recognize her as the woman they’d thrown over the edge with a fatal gunshot wound to the forehead. Seeing her again would mean a gunshot would be the luckiest thing that could happen to her.

  The running stopped, but she didn’t give in to temptation to glance around to see what she was up against. Some leaves fell from a few trees over, and she looked up to find a group of howler monkeys shaking the branches as if they were trying to either get the attention of something or scare it away. The movement started again, but now it seemed to head to where the monkeys were becoming much more animated.

  She stared in shock as the creature shrieked up at the pack of monkeys as it stood on its very short hind legs. It was as tall as a man but with the head and body type of a snake, only exaggeratedly larger. It also had four legs and a row of very sharp-appearing spikes along its back. Nothing in nature came even remotely close to whatever the hell this was.

  “Naga,” a man yelled from a distance, and the creature turned its head but didn’t move from its position. The monkeys had started to jump on the branches, bringing down more and more leaves, but the thing kept shrieking. “Naga,” the man yelled again.

  The creature finally seemed to pay attention when she heard something that sounded like an electric current. The man came close enough for her to see that he was dressed in what looked like a Kevlar suit and held a tool resembling a cattle prod at the end of a long pole. One quick tap got the creature to drop to all fours and snap its large head a few times in his direction before the guy hit it with the prod again. That shot made it docile enough to follow the man back toward the road, but it kept peering up at the monkeys like it wanted to attack.

  “What in the hell was that?” she whispered as she got back to her feet but didn’t move from her spot until the jungle returned to some sense of quiet.

  “Kendal,” she said softly when she relaxed enough to dial again. “Something strange is happening in this area.” She told Kendal what she’d seen and tried her best to describe the creature.

  “I need you to stay put unless you see something else. Climb, if you can, and it shouldn’t take us too long. We’re not far from you.”

  “Whatever that was came from the house where they tried to get rid of me. Maybe I should travel some more to keep—”

  “Save it, Aishe, until you’re here and safe.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  * * *

  Kendal went in search of Convel, not believing she was already having to ask for her help, but sending Convel and Lowe would be better than having one of them simply walk in and find Aishe. Convel smiled as she stared at her, so she simply asked and waited for any flack.

  “Exactly what do you want me to do?” Convel asked.

  “She described something that might give you a problem even in your shift form, so I need you to go in and give her a ride out. I realize what I’m asking is probably demeaning, but I don’t want her to be discovered. Whoever owns the house she sent the coordinates for shot her and left her for dead. Finding her now would make them lock her down, and it’ll take a war to get her out. I don’t want to start from that position.”

  “Do you think they know we’re here?” Lowe asked.

  “It sounds like Garza likes to control every situation by having a steady stream of information. He may know we landed, but I tried to get here without raising any flags so that when we head in there tomorrow, no one will be waiting to ambush us.” Kendal was starting to like this quiet but very intelligent young woman. With any luck she was the calming factor that would keep her from having to beat Convel in
to cooperation.

  “How close can you get me?” Convel asked.

  “How close can you get us?” Lowe said and ignored Convel shaking her head.

  “About a couple of miles, but let’s check the satellite maps so I can be sure. If the place she found is as secluded as this one, I’m sure getting too close will put them on alert.”

  “Let’s go, then. The faster we get her out, the faster we’ll know exactly what she saw,” Convel said.

  Kendal and Morgaine took the Jeep the house had come with, and Convel and Lowe loaded into the back. The road was as bad as the one they’d taken to the house, and it was starting to get dark by the time they arrived at the spot they’d decided on.

  “Drive back a few miles and we’ll find you,” Convel said as she started to remove her clothes.

  “If you run into any problems, shift and have Aishe call me. We’ll come in and get you out.”

  “I think we can handle it,” Convel said.

  “But we appreciate you backing us up,” Lowe said with a smile before turning around and removing her shirt.

  Kendal stared out at the jungle as they finished undressing and thought about what Aishe had said. She didn’t know Rawney’s partner well, but the woman wasn’t one for exaggeration, and whatever she’d seen had definitely scared her. The sound of their passengers shifting made her glance in the rearview mirror, where she caught sight of them before they dropped out of sight. Just as quickly, two large wolves appeared next to her door, where they looked at her before heading into the dense vegetation.

  “What do you think Aishe saw?” Morgaine asked.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell anyone before Rawney came to get me about Aishe, but I had a conversation with Aphrodite.” She gave Morgaine a rundown of what the goddess had told and shown her. “Any group that has devoted itself to finding something has most probably found some stuff along the way. Whatever Aishe saw has to be something like that.”

  “You think it’s something Aphrodite or some other entity put out here?” Morgaine unholstered the pistol she’d brought with her, since she wanted to be prepared for anything, but their swords were next to them as well.

  “I’m not sure, but if I see her again, I’ll make sure to ask.”

  She turned the Jeep around and headed back to the spot Convel had pointed out on the way in. The sharp curve would put them in complete darkness and hidden from anyone coming from the direction of the house. Once she pulled off the road to hide the Jeep from the other direction as well, they got out and headed into the trees.

  Kendal leaned against a large mangrove-appearing tree and closed her eyes to acclimate to the darkness. Her thoughts drifted momentarily to Piper, but she did her best to concentrate on her surroundings. She opened her eyes when she heard something in the distance.

  “Do you hear that?” Morgaine said, obviously having heard the same thing in the dense cloud cover that seemed to amplify sound.

  “I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but it’s hard to believe it would be the house that Aishe mentioned. We’re like ten miles from there.”

  The drums had a certain beat, but it seemed to be speeding up slowly. She tried to figure out exactly what direction it was coming from, but the jungle had a way of making it seem like it could have been anywhere. She straightened up when she heard something new in the strange noises around them. It seemed too early for it to be Convel and the others, so she drew her sword from the scabbard strapped to her back.

  “What?” Morgaine asked in a harsh whisper and raised her weapon.

  “Listen,” she said, stepping farther from the tree and holding her sword at the ready.

  She heard what sounded like footsteps on the leaf-covered ground, and they were rapid. She stepped closer to Morgaine until they were back to back, cutting down the chances that someone would sneak up on them. The shrubs in front of her sounded like they were being shredded, so it wasn’t a person headed toward them. She gripped the sword as she waited with just enough light to see about fifty feet in front of her, and her brain froze a little when she saw the creature Aishe had described.

  The body was covered in snakeskin, but it was wider like that of a monitor lizard, with the definite diamond-shaped head of a poisonous viper. Its short legs seemed strong, and it moved gracefully and fast, as if it wasn’t at all scared of either of them. She waited until it was close enough that she could strike at the head before she moved. Whatever it was had gone after her throat to kill, and she’d had to stab through the severed head once she’d sliced through it. Once it stopped moving she studied the body and found very small, useless wings tucked along the back. It appeared to be a sort of hybrid dragon type of creature that didn’t at all resemble the dragon Aphrodite had shown her.

  “Okay. What the hell is that?” Morgaine asked, touching it with the tip of her boot.

  “It’s one or the same thing Aishe saw,” she said, pulling her sword free of the head the size of a flat basketball. The fangs would’ve done some damage had it gotten anywhere near her, but the small bit of venom it managed to spit on her was making her skin tingle.

  More running interrupted the drums again, so she pointed toward the trees, and Morgaine took up her position beside her. This time, though, the sound of running came from the two large wolves headed toward them with Aishe on the bigger one’s back. Just as fast another creature came out of the darkness, headed toward Lowe, and Kendal took off at a run. She reached them in time to sever the head again and drive her sword through the head to make sure.

  Convel crouched down to let Aishe off before moving to Lowe and licking her face. Once she seemed convinced that her lover was fine, she moved to the dead body and started sniffing it. “Go ahead and shift back so you can study it before we go,” she said, and Convel moved to the Jeep. It didn’t take long before she and Lowe had moved back and crouched down to study the creature.

  “Thank you,” Lowe said, lowering her head in Kendal’s direction.

  “Yes, thank you,” Convel said, sounding like she meant it.

  “I guess there’s more than one, so stay vigilant,” she said, nodding to Lowe in return.

  “Have you ever seen anything like it?” Convel asked.

  “No, and unlike you and your pack members, it wasn’t a thinking being at all, so I’m not convinced it’s any kind of were. Whatever it was, it’s known to the people who took Aishe.”

  “The one I saw was bigger than this,” Aishe said, touching the body. “At least it seemed like it was bigger.”

  “Wait here,” she said and moved more into the bush. If every one of these things had a handler, then the guy might not be too far away.

  She kept Morgaine in sight and moved slowly, trying not to make too much noise. They hadn’t gone far before she saw the glow of something in the distance, but whatever it was, it wasn’t very large. Morgaine made a circular motion with her finger, and she put her hand up in acknowledgment.

  The light was coming from the end of a pole and appeared to be electric, so she waited until Morgaine was behind the guy before trying to get his attention. She put her hand up and waved it, and the man stopped and seemed to simply stare at her as if he were seeing things.

  “Who are you?” he asked in Spanish in a tone that sounded like he was used to being obeyed. “Answer me.”

  She watched as he raised the prod higher so it was even with her chest and shook her head. “If he zaps me with that, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  “What?” the man said before he dropped like a sack of wet grain at Morgaine’s feet.

  She sheathed her sword and bent to pick the guy up so she could drape him across her shoulders. “Let’s see what all this is about before we run into any more of their pets tomorrow.”

  They walked back to the others, and Convel waved her over to where the body of the creature she’d killed had lain. She ended up dropping the guy when she saw the body of what seemed like a young woman, meaning that the head had also now
transformed back to its original state. When she saw the head with the wound slightly under the forehead, she realized it was indeed a young woman with the frozen expression of death plastered on her face.

  “Doesn’t this usually happen instantly?” she asked Convel.

  “Usually, but I think the reptile part of the equation is what made it take longer. Sever a snake’s head from its body and it still can survive for a little while,” Convel said, her eyes still on the head. “Are you sure you don’t know anything about this? I’ve never seen anything like this, and we have quite a few different types of weres in our family.”

  “We’ll have to check any archives we have, but I’m only familiar with your family. The Order of Fuego, though, has kept its secrets well, so there might be some more of this type of thing before we’re done.”

  “This could be a problem,” Lowe said.

  “Why do you think so?” she asked, wondering what was going through Lowe’s mind especially, when Convel nodded.

  “It’s smaller than us, but in a fight, whatever this is can hurt us.”

  “You don’t know me well yet,” she said, putting her hand on both Convel and Lowe’s shoulders, “but it’ll have to get through me first.”

  “Let’s make a deal,” Convel said as she started to cover the head with dead leaves. “It’ll have to get through all of us.”

  “Sounds like the best beginning we can plan,” she said, going to the body and doing the same thing. “Because an ass full of that venom is going to ruin our day.”

  * * *

  “Do you think someone will miss whatever it was?” Piper asked after they got home and she carried their guest down to the pool.