Force of Fire

by Ali Vali

  Chapter Twenty-six

  The plane carrying the group back from Cambodia to Costa Rica had reached the halfway point, and Kendal walked through the cabin and saw Oscar sleeping with his notes scattered around him. Rawney and Molly had taken a liking to him and the way he explained himself when it came to things he cared deeply about. She could see why he was a sought-after professor, but she didn’t fully trust him. The coming days would be like a footrace, she thought, and whoever crossed the finish line first would impact Aphrodite’s future. It would end either when the dragons were killed once they were discovered, taking the goddess with them, or they’d be slaves to Alejandro’s ambition, or the dragons would get their freedom and their mother would decide their fate.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?” Piper said, pressing against her back.

  “Timing,” she said, and turned around. After so many years of wandering the world alone, she was still awed at times when she looked at Piper’s face. This beautiful woman would always be with her, and from the way she followed her into every situation, she’d always be a true partner.

  “Any particular timing?” Piper asked as she ran her hands up her arms until they were behind her head.

  “You remember our conversation about balance? Something always balances out everything in the world, no matter what it is.” She kissed Piper’s forehead and put her arms around Piper’s waist. “Winning that battle usually comes after whatever is going to happen is unlocked. We know where, and we know what, but we don’t know when. That’s the most important thing.”

  “Lumas left enough clues so it’s a matter of going through them, but I have a hunch.” Piper pulled her head down and bit her bottom lip. Any more talk about anything but getting Piper somewhere private fled her mind.

  “Do you want to tell me before my brains head south?” she asked, backing away just an inch.

  “There’s a blood moon in two weeks. If a window to awaken them exists, it’s then.”

  “So we’ve got two weeks?” Piper took her hand and led her to the back of the plane where the door to the small conference room was closed. Papers were scattered over the table’s surface, but the most important things they’d found so far were locked away in the case Lenore had put them in. Lenore and Molly smiled and left the space, closing the door behind them. “Ah, am I going to blush later when we leave this room?”

  Piper laughed and pushed her down on the sofa at the back. “We’re here for research,” Piper said as she sat on her lap.

  “I would’ve done better in school if this is the kind of homework you had in mind,” she said before Piper kissed her.

  “Cool your jets for a minute, baby.” Piper pulled the hair at the back of her head, breaking their lips apart. “I need you to crack a few seals before there’s any kind of hanky-panky.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked as she ran her hand up Piper’s leg to her thighs.

  “Positive, and it’s hard enough, so behave.” The case of scrolls Piper had found in the Rodriguez house was next to them, so Piper opened it and unrolled the first one she reached for. “I have a feeling they’re in the same language as the walls you were able to read.” When she finished and saw the same type of symbols Kendal had deciphered before, she smiled. At least someone with them could read them. “We’re in luck. It’s ancient Egyptian, and I happen to have an ancient Egyptian on hand.”

  “Very funny.” She glanced at the writing that brought back vivid memories of her father. “This one is a sort of blueprint of the site they called Ventanas Al Fuego. It lists all the pyramids they built as well as the chambers that were underground. Lumas and Rowen were there to oversee the construction, but they made one trip away from the site while the villagers were in the middle of building.”

  “Does it say where they went?” Piper reached for another scroll and handed it to her.

  “Not in this one.” She opened the second one and skimmed the lines for the subject of it. “We need to put these in some kind of order.”

  Piper smiled and stood with the case. “Do you mind if Lenore and Gran come back in?”

  “You’re a tease,” she said, sitting at the table and opening another one.

  “Teasing is not following through, baby, and believe me, I love the follow-through.” Piper opened the door, and Lenore, Molly, Aishe, and Rawney entered, but Piper shook her head when Oscar started to follow them. “Not yet, Oscar.”

  “Why am I here, then?” he asked, sounding upset and angry.

  “You’re here because we allowed you to come,” Kendal said, backing Piper up. “When we’re done, we’ll call you in, so go sit until then.”

  With all the scrolls open, Kendal moved them around until they were in the order they were meant to be, but not necessarily the order in which they were written. “I think Lumas wrote these three first,” she said, pointing to the third, sixth, and ninth scrolls. “But she needed to add the information in the other eight.”

  “What do they say?” Lenore asked. “I know a lot of languages, but this one precedes a lot of us.”

  “The first three lay out a type of inventory of everything they built. If this is accurate, then everything there has been found.” She moved back to the other eight. “These, though, tell the story of the fracture in the villagers. There were the true believers and those who doubted. That divide led to the events of the night your mother died, Rawney.”

  “Can you read it verbatim?” Molly asked.

  She nodded and started on the first scroll.

  I have chosen one of the village elders to learn the ways of the goddess. The seer’s vision of the god’s home is almost finished, so Rowen and I must complete one more task before I teach the ceremony of fire. When the flames call the gods near, both Rowen and I know it will be our end, but we have this fate for the good of the goddess and that of our family.

  My family’s book will soon find a resting place in time, and that will be the only clue I will add to the plans laid out. The key to anything that will undo what we have worked so hard for will not be found with the sleeping giants, but in a place where the faithful are true. If what the seer told us holds, my child will once again hold the greatest treasure our family has amassed.

  To my child, remember that no matter the cost, the life of the goddess must be protected. The heart of everyone she created is part of her, and to let them die is to kill off the love the light needs to flourish. My faith in you is resolute, so by finding these, you will find all you need to finish what I know I cannot.

  “That’s it?” Rawney asked, touching the symbols she’d just read.

  “That’s the first one, but this one’s written specially for you.” Kendal touched the fourth one. “I would’ve liked to know your mother.”

  Rawney,

  Remember above all else that you were loved. I think often of our last night together and the words we spoke. My and Rowen’s travel across the water was hours away, but all I could concentrate on was your face and the future you were getting ready to begin without me there to guide you. When you finally get the chance to read the family book, go back to that night so you can understand the key to unlock the power you’ll need to wake sleeping giants.

  You are the key to so many things, but now as you prepare for the battle I couldn’t finish, remember too your blood. You come from a long line of strong women who will stand with you no matter how much distance and time separate us. Speak the language of our people and ask for what you need. Believe me, you’ll be heard.

  To the slayer who will be with you, you were but a far-off dream when I was living, but your story will span generations, and your sword will be legendary. Your heart has touched so many, so let go of the pain caused by your sibling, and go forward with the woman who will share your every tomorrow. Keep my child in your sights, and take care of the evil that lurks in the shadows of the dark land where my sister and I will embrace our death.

  This land and its people were the perfect place to hold
the goddess’s children, but as we started to finish their resting place, the doubters started to organize and become a loud voice. They didn’t see what we were doing as a privilege, but as a way to gain power. Rowen’s hope is that their interest will wane in time, but I know that all who come after them will continue the search. The power is too great to ignore.

  Of all the things the Clan will face, these men scare me more than even the children of the night. They will stop at nothing to get what their forefathers sought, but as your gifts grow, so will theirs. Not many would sacrifice their children, but this is just one more thing that will get them closer to the gods that sleep under your feet.

  Look to the trees, my daughter, and take care of the bite of the abomination the high priest of fire will bring to life. The beast will need a mate, so do all you can to keep that from happening.

  My faith and my love, my child—both will be with you forever.

  * * *

  Piper had closed her eyes and thought of the woman she’d seen in her vision as Kendal read. The words ran over her like warm water, and she tried to absorb them, but the warnings were cementing her in the here and now. She glanced toward the door when the nanny brought Hali in for her feeding. That anyone would sacrifice their child to an existence of whatever those things were was beyond her.

  “When we land we’ll have to wait for the blood moon,” Kendal said as Piper took the baby and simply held her for a minute. “Until then, we need to post some people around the site who won’t be found as easily as we located the ones working for Garza. I know you all haven’t had a chance to go through all the information we took out of his house, but I’m sure the most important pieces are with him.”

  “Do you think we’re missing anything else?” Lenore asked.

  “Until this is done, we won’t have all the answers,” Kendal said, and Piper nodded. “If the goddess was here guiding us for every step it might be easier, but that’s not going to happen.”

  “She’s not strong enough to do that, baby, but if she could, I believe she would’ve taken care of this herself.” She opened her shirt, moved Hali into place, and smiled when she started suckling. “The gods aren’t what they once were, but saving the dragons will ensure she doesn’t completely disappear.”

  “Then let’s keep an eye on the spot we’re all interested in, and we’ll follow whatever you and Rawney say when the time comes.”

  “Rawney, do you remember the last talk you had with Lumas?” she asked as she gently stroked the top of Hali’s head. “I’m sure you’ve gone through your book, but I’m guessing it’s still a mystery to you.”

  “I thought about that, but I’m not sure what she meant. That last night we didn’t really have any deep conversations, and all I remember about it were the days that came after. Those lonely moments when all I could do was search for her and my aunt,” Rawney said, her hand on the last scroll Kendal had read as if it was her mother’s hand she was holding. “I’ll have to go back in my memories and see if I can find what she’s talking about.”

  Kendal took the baby to burp her, and they were left alone again. “We’re going to have to do that fire ceremony, so I hope Rawney gets all the steps right.”

  “Why do you think so?” Kendal handed Hali back so she could switch sides.

  “Of all the things Lumas could’ve shown me, it was that one moment in time. The dragons were placed in stone, and her life ended,” she said, leaning against Kendal when she sat next to her. “I think it was a window as to how to undo what she did. All we need now is the words to break the spell she cast and the flames that will reignite the dragons.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Kendal said, putting her arm around her. “The only unknown is what Garza plans to do once we accomplish all that.”

  “Do you think he can undo the spell himself?” She remembered the large number of papers and books Kendal and the others had brought back with them after breaking into Garza’s house. “What if we’re too late?”

  “The blood moon makes sense.” Kendal kissed her temple. “All this weird shit isn’t like fixing a tax mistake,” she said, and Piper laughed. “It takes every aspect, from the moon to the words said in a certain sequence. The one person who placed the spell left the only way to undo it to her daughter, so he’s waiting. Whatever he found comes after we finish the first part for him.”

  “What if we do nothing at all?”

  Kendal shook her head. “The book has been found, so not doing it under our terms leaves us vulnerable to something like what happened with the Sea Serpent Sword. I’m not looking forward to it, but we’re going to have to do this.”

  “The other thing that didn’t make any sense is that the beast needs a mate.” Hali finished and went to sleep after she burped again. “What do you think about that?”

  “That was interesting, and Lumas had to know that Rawney would still be alive this far into the future, and if that’s true, then she had to know what could harm her. There’s no poison, weapon, or any other thing that can kill us, but there’s always something out there that might change that. Your eyes are still green,” Kendal said, raising Piper’s head to make eye contact with her. “If the elixir had worked like always, they wouldn’t be, but you’re as immortal as I am.”

  “So those things we saw, they could kill us?” Piper placed the baby next to her so she could move closer to Kendal.

  “Not necessarily death,” Kendal said and kissed her. “But remember what happened to Julius right before he was about to unleash the dark side of the Sea Serpent Sword? One bite from Vadoma changed him, even with the elixir. That’s how Lowe came to Convel, so that might be what Lumas meant.”

  “I love you, baby, but try not to turn into something I have to walk on a leash.”

  “I’ll do my best, since skin-shedding seems like a pain in the ass.”

  * * *

  Alejandro watched through the glass in the door as Pauline changed after Javier had jabbed her with a low-voltage prod in her human form. The way her body morphed into the messenger of the gods still fascinated him, especially since Pauline could do it over and over again, unlike the first girls they’d tried the incantation on. Once they’d gotten her the mate the archives said was needed, she would start to follow orders.

  The loss of all his family’s papers had angered him, but the most important of all the history they’d found through the generations had been with him. He was sure the people trying to stop him had found the missing piece his family had never come close to locating, and he was running out of time. Blood moons were rare but did happen every so many years, yet a blood moon that coincided with a total lunar eclipse on the same night the gods had been put to sleep wouldn’t happen for another five hundred years. He didn’t have that much time, so he’d pushed these people to finish what he wouldn’t be able to.

  “We’ve found another way to make the change happen when we need it to,” one of his men said as Pauline fought to get out of the leash they’d locked her into. “She still doesn’t understand commands, sir.”

  He stood in the window so Pauline could see him and waited. It took less than a minute for Pauline to zero in on him and pull hard enough to break the restraint and run toward the door. She hit it hard enough to break the glass and almost make it out of the room before the two men inside hit her with both probes hard enough to knock her out. He stepped forward to make sure she was still breathing and watched her transform back to her human form.

  “You’re the only one she reacts so violently to,” Javier said, motioning for the men to put Pauline back in the bed and strap her to the railing. “If you try to match her with someone she won’t accept, all this will be for nothing.”

  “What’s your suggestion?” He entered the room and placed his hand on Pauline’s forehead. Her skin was cool and slick. If he’d been born with some sense of paternal instinct, perhaps this would’ve gone smoother. The obligation of the Order, though, came before everything, so family wasn’t somethi
ng he ever bothered with. He’d done his duty by having children.

  “I won’t accept failure.”

  “Then we need to find someone who she’s already given herself to,” Javier said, standing aside as the medics started a fluid line to keep Pauline hydrated. “It has to be someone she’s allowed inside.”

  “We need to figure out how to lure Oscar out. It’s time he joins Pauline in the destiny they both must fulfill.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  “So we still don’t have the key to unlock the writing?” Oscar asked as the group gathered in the dining room after they’d landed to review what they had so far. “I thought the book we found would’ve been what we needed.”

  “The language they used on those slabs has so many interpretations that it could take years to decipher,” Rawney said as she stared randomly at the pages in the second book.

  “This place still doesn’t make sense. It’s typical Mayan design but with languages that don’t belong here, not even now.”

  “So you’ve got no clue as to what Garza is looking for?” Kendal asked as she walked Hali around the room trying to get her to go to sleep. “What did he tell you about the dig site?” They had to have some idea of how close Garza was to the end game.

  “You have to know Alejandro,” Oscar said, staring at the pictures they’d pinned to the dining-room wall of the carved stone slabs. “He thinks he’s some kind of royalty because of the Order of Fuego, and only he can have all the pieces of the puzzle they’ve found. He’s powerful but also delusional.”

  Piper nodded as she stood and glanced back at Kendal. “I can’t look at this stuff anymore, so maybe a fresh start in a few hours might help.”

  Vadoma followed them out and pointed to the office. “Can I talk to you two a moment?”

  When they returned they found that Vadoma had upped her numbers significantly, but most of her followers never came close to the house. They seemed to be patrolling for something specific, and Kendal’s guards took over during the day. She’d rarely seen fear in the face of someone who evoked so much fear herself, but Vadoma appeared frightened.