"We have seen your kind before," Rob bowed to Zarigar, who beamed at him.
"What do you know about them?" Parke was still in rock-demon-smash mode.
"We have visited the sprite kingdoms," Zarigar said politely. "Long ago."
"Larentii are mostly observers," Rob informed Parke. The tone of his voice warned Parke to cut the bullshit.
I don't know what Parke's problem is, I informed Rob.
I do. We'll talk later. For now, he needs to play nice with the alien who can separate his atoms if he tries to attack.
They're that dangerous?
Only to those who wish them or their kind harm. Otherwise, they're the most peaceful race ever. Averill has records in his library about a visit from the Larentii eons ago. I found the information fascinating and read it several times.
You mean you knew all along that aliens existed? And you didn't tell me?
Well, yeah. Besides, if Parke understood anything at all about the Larentii, to know that one was here with this bunch would automatically reveal them as trustworthy.
You're saying they don't hang with criminals?
They don't hang with criminals.
Who was the Larentii who visited the sprites? I asked. Since you know so much about them.
It doesn't mention a name, Rob replied.
At that moment, Zarigar turned to lock eyes with mine. Lady Demon, he said, Larentii can bend time. And then he winked at me before turning his attention back to Parke.
"Shall we begin?" Travis cleared his throat to interrupt the stare-down between a Larentii and a stubborn rock demon.
"Absolutely," I agreed.
Cliff
Trey was on the phone with Director Logan almost from the moment he woke for the evening. He stayed on the phone while Director Logan spoke to the President, who then blew through enough red tape to circle the Earth a few times to mobilize the Georgia National Guard.
At least the helicopter portion of it. It was too late to get anything other than ground troops and helicopters to Stone Mountain, so that's what they were sending. Emergency alerts were scheduled to be sent out beginning at midnight, for everyone to stay indoors.
"Who would have thought that Stone Mountain might be the final battleground to save the Earth from Ver'Dak and Shakkor Agdah?" Winkler shook his head and barked a laugh.
He'd asked me to call him Winkler—because everybody does. The name was an easy fit for him. He was certainly wolf; I'd known it from his scent. There was something else about him that indicated he was more than that.
"You had to be a Packmaster—where you're from," I said.
"I was—of the Dallas Pack. Before Lissa came along."
"Lissa?"
"Maybe someday, you'll meet her. We survive the battle tonight, I'll make introductions myself."
"You're worried?"
"Every time one of these infernal Krelk hybrids is involved, there's no telling what may happen, or what, exactly, they can do."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's say part of their hybrid lineage is powerful—and malevolent."
"More so than Black Myth?"
"Hmmph. Black Myth is nothing to them, other than a convenient means to an end. After all, you don't need to come out of your hidey-hole if somebody else is willing to do the work for you. We've been hunting Ver'Dak for months."
"I figure there's more to this story. What are you not telling me?"
"That Ver'Dak's specialty, like that of his brothers, is getting rid of anyone or anything that might stand in the way of their controlling everything."
"Such as?"
"You really don't have to look much further than Cassie and the demons, shifters and sprites who follow her. They are dangerous to Ver'Dak's plans. Tell me, Cliff, who is the person you think of now, whenever there's a new emergency to deal with? Who is most capable of taking care of the situation?"
That's when I understood much more than I had before. "Cassie," I whispered. "She's the best we have."
"Exactly. The Chancellor comes in second, doesn't he?"
"He handles the rules and regulations, but if the enemy is at the door, I want Cassie to be standing at the front of our army."
"We've ah, noticed. When Zarigar told us that the pyramids were tuning themselves to her, we understood that to be a fact."
"Parke won't relinquish his position," I said, as I considered everything I'd just learned.
"We know that, too. And on any other world it might not be a problem."
"You think there will be a problem?"
"Zarigar is concerned. No Larentii is concerned without good reason. I believe he's far more worried about Cassie than the Chancellor in this scenario."
She'd only had one session with Doc Chalmers, and that probably hadn't put a single dent in the whole betrayal-death muck she'd already been through. "What's the solution?" I asked.
"I can't give you an answer to that. First, we have a bunch of crazy assholes to take care of, and all of them will be trying to kill us first."
"Yeah. First things first."
Cassie
There wasn't much time left before going to Stone Mountain and engaging in battle. I stared at four pyramids, which still lay on my bathroom sink.
"What am I supposed to do with you?" I asked them. "You're far too important to be sitting here, with anyone capable of coming in and taking you away."
I can help you with that, Zarigar's voice sounded in my head. You're right—they don't belong here. Not because they can be stolen—that is no longer possible, as they contain a bit of your fire. If anyone else touches them, they will be burned.
"Where can I put them?" The implications of the Larentii's words terrified me. What if Gemma or Destiny or someone else touched them? Would they die?
"Let me place them in strategic locations—and place shields about them so none will ever discover their location. This way, they will continue to protect the planet against future invaders, and as you are connected to them, you will know if the planet itself is in danger."
Zarigar had appeared behind me while he spoke, almost startling me. I could see our reflection in the bathroom mirror; he much taller than I.
There wasn't a question in my mind whether I could trust him—something in me said he would be the most trustworthy person I'd ever met.
"Will you do this for me?" I craned my neck to look up at him.
He smiled. "That and much more, should you ask."
Closing his eyes and raising his hand, Zarigar caused the pyramids to disappear. When he opened his eyes, I understood that they were safely placed where none would ever find them.
"Thank you," I told him.
"You are welcome. Now, come with me—Denevik would like to speak with you."
I found myself on the back porch again, but this time, only Denevik, Zarigar and I were there.
"Is there something you need?" I asked Denevik.
"Need? Perhaps, but that is a discussion for another time. What I'd like is to show you that you cannot harm me while I am in demon form. I will change, and you will envelope me in your fire. Zarigar says this experiment may be beneficial to both of us."
I stared at him, probably with my mouth inconveniently open in shock. "Ah, this scares me," I began.
"I know; that's why we need to do this now, under controlled circumstances."
"I will shield you from sight," Zarigar promised. "No matter what."
What happened next even I had few words to describe; I can only say that it was terrifying at first, and then exhilarating.
Parke
"The troops will be flown in on my command," Trey said as we studied a map of the Stone Mountain area. "There's another vampire mindspeaker who'll be with them and relay information."
"Tell them to focus on shooting Shakkor Agdah," William Winkler advised. He and Cliff had joined us once Trey had everything coordinated between Director Logan, the White House and the Georgia National Guard. "Shooting normal bullets will on
ly piss off the Krelk."
"That means we have to take them down, then," I said.
"Tell your ice demons to spread ice between their armored plates and force them apart. That allows you to get to the vulnerable skin beneath, and that can be pierced by ice daggers—if they're talented in that area."
"I'll let Daniel know," I said dryly. "Will the Krelk be able to stand against a rock demon?"
"Only as long as it takes to throw a first punch. Crush their heads—it's the fastest way to kill them."
"This is why they want to destroy us—just as you said. We're dangerous to them," Trey breathed.
"Exactly. They're aiming at any world that could defeat them in a fair fight. Ver'Dak is more dangerous to the demons here than you can possibly guess. If he removes his goggles and issues commands, you're compelled to obey."
"Like vampire compulsion?" Trey sounded worried.
"Let's say it's vampire compulsion to the hundredth power. Very few are immune to it. I hear that some vampires can withstand the obsession, but they must be more than four thousand years old and be powerful among their own kind."
"That leaves me out," Trey shook his head.
"Can all the Krelk do that?" I asked.
"The Krelk have no talent in that area. Ver'Dak, thanks to his parentage, is able to do it quite well, in addition to folding space, mindspeaking and several other things that regular Krelk can only admire from afar."
"T minus thirty minutes," Trey shut his laptop and made his announcement. "Should we go in waves, or all together?"
"I suggest placing squads around the base; those who've deserted Shakkor Agdah must be gotten to safety first, and then we take on the army that will surely follow," Winkler advised. "Travis and Trent are talking to the rest of your crew about where they should go and what they should do when this shit show starts. By the way, if you happen to see dragons, they're on our side."
Cassie
Remember—I can't shoot out my fire like you can, Denevik sent. We'll have two fire-breathing dragons helping us—they can burn Shakkor Agdah in swaths. What we don't know is whether the Krelk will have some kind of shielding that will keep them safe from that fire. That's where you and I may come in.
Right. Denevik, Rob and the other three sprite guards, plus Landon and Liam, stood with me in a wooded copse on the southern side of the monolith. Our other groups were scattered beneath trees all around the large, granite mountain.
The armed vehicles that Travis and Trent brought with them were situated farther down the mountain and bore weapons that would be used to combat the ones Ver'Dak had mounted on his commandeered military aircraft. National Guard helicopters had also been hastily equipped with the weapons.
The only advice Denevik and the rest of his crew gave regarding those weapons was don't get in the line of fire if you want to live.
I was beginning to wonder if the deserting Shakkor Agdah would show up when I got mindspeak from Trey. They're at the base of the mountain. We'll attempt to divert them so they can be transported to a safe place.
Don't put that Lilith woman anywhere near Gemma, unless you place compulsion first, I replied.
Don't worry. Lilith Sloane has caused the last bit of trouble she'll ever cause. For a moment that worried me, but Trey was right in this, and I did promise Gemma that Lilith and Doyle wouldn't trouble her again. I shrugged off my concern and gave my silent permission to a vampire who knew what he was doing.
They're going to kill us all, a voice sounded in my mind. They're setting a trap. They'll put demons in cage fights!
I drew in a breath as Denevik stiffened beside me. Until then, I'd never known that Dalton King could mindspeak. When a murderous traitor comes out of hiding long enough to warn about other murderous traitors, then it has to be serious.
Dalton King, I hope you're close enough to die in this battle, I hissed into his mind. If you don't, I'll never stop hunting you.
Cassie? You're alive?
No thanks to you.
I've got this, Denevik's hand landed on my shoulder. Keep him talking. I'll be back shortly.
I didn't have to worry about making Dalton talk—he was ready with his own brand of snake oil. Cassie, if you can get us away from this mess, I swear I'll give you anything you want, he offered.
I don't want anything from you, I snapped at him.
They intend to kill us—or cage us and then kill us, Dalton whined. We're in danger. You can protect the both of us.
Where did you dump my mother's body, you piece of shit, I demanded, as anger threatened to light my fire early. I was already in-between human and prelim.
I see you're willing to allow your kin to die, Dalton hissed. Suit yourself. Your mother is buried at the back of Ross' property, with his permission. The asshole didn't even sound contrite about his role in her death and hiding the body afterward. Want to know how she, his voice was cut off.
He's dead, Denevik informed me. His mindspeech led me straight to him. The fool was driving a stolen truck down a country road toward Tennessee, Denevik landed beside me again, in what he called his smaller Thifilathi. He didn't look fazed in the least.
Thank you. I rolled my shoulders, trying to contain my fire demon. We didn't need Parke's subsequent call to do battle; Ver'Dak's commandeered helicopters could now be heard in the distance, flying in from the west.
Then, the voices of thousands of Shakkor Agdah roared a battle cry at the base of the mountain. The war for control of the planet had begun.
Destiny King
Beverly and Gemma were overwhelmed in the kitchen; the people brought to the house were starving, and three of them were the family of the former Vice President. His wife understood that he'd already died from the poison disease—the ones who'd kidnapped her told her as much.
As for the Black Myth people, they'd cut as many of the poison bubbles off their skin as they could. Their faces were covered in pock marks, like the worst acne scars anybody could imagine. I figured the rest of them could be in the same shape. They made sure not to touch anybody directly by wearing thick, leather gloves. They were thanking everybody for their rescue and the food.
Faith joined Beverly and Gemma, cooking whatever was fastest and easiest to feed them. Kate and I pitched in to help. I was pouring water and sweet tea for everybody. Will had brought them to the house but left shortly afterward, to go help the others.
It worried me that Cassie and Parke were in Georgia, fighting Black Myth and whoever they'd sided with in order to get weapons and the disease. Didn't make any sense to me to destroy the planet that fed and supported you, but they wanted to do just that for some reason.
Stupid, really.
"You have a faraway look," a young Black Myth man told me as I handed him a fresh glass of tea.
"I was just thinking how stupid it is to destroy the planet beneath our feet."
"We've been thinking the same thing," he agreed. "I hope that one day, I can be free of all this and study in a real college," he said. "Thank you for the tea. It's the best I've ever tasted."
"Then I hope college happens for you," I told him. "And you're welcome. What's your name?"
"Baarkann," he said. "And you?"
"Destiny," I shrugged.
"What a beautiful name."
I'd never thought of my name that way. Sometimes, I thought it was a stupid name. Baarkann thought it was beautiful. Maybe he didn't understand much about the English language.
Or maybe he did.
Federal Prison, Washington State
Doyle Hicks
I wasn't expecting any visitors, especially this late at night. The door to my cell opened anyway. "Who are you?" I rose from my bunk and confronted the man who'd entered. Even in the dim light, he wore a pair of aviator sunglasses.
"I'm here to get you out," he shrugged indifferently, drawing my attention away from his potential blindness. "If you'd like to leave," he added.
"How? Did my appeal go through?" I asked, squashing the excit
ement that threatened to overtake me.
"In a way, I suppose," the man agreed. "Come, there is someplace for you to be, I think. If you wish to go, that is."
"Let's go. I'll take anything over this cell."
"I'll remember you said that," he grinned. "I suggest you do the same."
I expected to walk out of the place with this man, but that isn't what happened. Instead, he gripped my arm and in a blink, we were someplace else.
I'd been here before, I realized. Stone Mountain, Georgia. Only this time, it was night and a war was going on all over it. To make things even stranger, I saw that every shot fired between armies had stopped—frozen somehow in midair.
In the distance, I saw—was that a dragon? He was in the act of bellowing fire at figures crouching on the ground. If the battle resumed, those on the ground would be toast.
Helicopters hung overhead, in the act of firing bright blasts at what appeared to be giants made of rock to the east. Wolves—huge ones—ran behind and to the side of the rock giants, attacking what looked like armored, pig-like humans.
As for the men dressed in black with foot-long claws extending from their fingers, they were attacking the pig-humans from this side. One, I saw, had nearly sheared through the neck of an armored pig-man.
"You have seven seconds to choose a hiding place before the battle continues," the man said as I studied the suspended chaos around me. "A wise choice will extend your life span, although that grows short."
"You set me down in the middle of a battle?" I shouted at him. "You lying fucker!"
"Remember, you said you wanted to come. Two seconds remain," he added. I ran.
The battle resumed.
A bullet hit me in the shoulder, knocking me down and sending me into a rough slide across granite rock and scrabble. Something stopped my forward motion just as the pain from the wound bloomed at my back and drew a pain-filled curse from me.
A body—a female body, lying against a small, tenacious tree trunk, had stopped me from falling over a sharp edge of granite. The granite had been smooth and rounded only moments before, but while I'd been sliding toward the body and the tree, a portion of the rock had been blasted away by some of the weapons being fired.
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