Rack or Ruin (The Desecrated Pack Book 3)

by Jude Marquez

  There was silence on the other end of the line and then I heard them shuffling around. “What does that mean?” Celia asked.

  Savannah sighed. “Years ago, like hundreds of years ago, the Ascendancy would blow up the springs of the towns that would not bow down to them. They outlawed it in previous generations when we learned that the more magic we lost, the more unstable the world we all lived in became. That was before springs would dry up on their own and we would lose the magic naturally.”

  “So they are going to-” I made an explosion sound and tossed my hands in the air.

  “Yes,” Savannah said.

  I got another piece of bread. Marcus jerked the bag out of my hands and glared at me.

  “But it isn’t that easy,” Celia said.

  “Why not?” Marcus asked.

  “Glenwood Lock. Our spring is locked up. You can’t just waltz in and expect to find it. And it isn’t just locked up, if you don’t have all the right components, that magic will come back and bite you in the ass if you use the wrong key. Explosives included,” Celia said.

  “What keys?” Dante asked.

  “The guardians,” I mumbled.

  “Right,” Savannah said.

  “And we don’t have them here. Some of them aren’t even in your state. Some of them aren’t even on this plane of existence,” Celia said.

  “Artie,” Dante said and nodded.

  “Could they force Azolata to open it?” I asked.

  There was a shocked silence not just on the other end of the line but also on my end as well when Dante and Marcus turned to stare at me in horror.

  “Why would you ask that?” Dante asked slowly.

  I shrugged. “It’s what I would do. He’s the most powerful of us all. Right?”

  “No, he can’t. He showed us how to protect it from him and others like him. If they force him to open it, they’ll regret it,” Celia said. “Really, Stephen, are you okay?”

  “Fantastic,” I said.

  “We are on our way. I don’t know how long it will take, especially considering what happened on our way here. If you can figure out a way to stall them, that would be great but don’t put yourselves in danger,” Celia said.

  “If we don’t stop for anything other than gas, it should be about twelve hours,” the police officer said.

  “Like I said, as long as nothing happens,” Celia said.

  There wasn’t much else to say after that and we said goodbye.

  “Well, gentlemen, let’s get to work,” I said and took the loaf of bread from Marcus.

  “Doing what?” Dante asked, confused.

  “Doing what children the world over have dreamed about. Blowing shit up,” I said.

  “I’m not sure you should be around explosives,” Dante said.

  “That’s fair but we don’t have much of a choice. We took some grenades from Azolata’s apartment, right?” I asked and made for the door.

  Our weapons were still neatly lined up in the hallway and the three of us made for the pile of grenades.

  “What are you thinking?” Marcus asked when he saw that I wouldn’t back down on the idea.

  “Celia said to stall them. So let’s stall them. What’s their most important area? Where do they gather the most?” I asked.

  “Town square,” Dante replied.

  I winced. “I don’t want to blow up anyone’s business.”

  “I think they’ll appreciate the fact that they have a home to come back to. We will help them out if they need it. That’s how it is here,” Marcus said.

  I hesitated, feeling guilty anyway.

  “If it keeps the magic here, it keeps the town and the people alive,” Dante said.

  I relented. “Okay. So let’s start there. The town square. Any other places?”

  “The college administrator’s residency. They are all living up there,” Marcus said.

  “Never did like school,” I muttered. “Dante, break into some of these lockers. Let’s load up. We need to get out there and start causing them hell.”

  Dante casually began to pull locker doors off their hinges and emptying backpacks onto the ground. He handed me a dark green one, kept a navy blue messenger bag for himself and a purple and pink polka dotted one to Marcus.

  “We need a plan,” I said.

  “We have one, just like you said. Blow shit up,” Marcus said.

  “That seems a little thin,” I pointed out.

  “We go after them where it could disrupt their operation the most. We surprise them and then run back here,” Dante said.

  “I don’t want to split up,” I said and looked at Dante pointedly.

  He looked down. “I think we should.”

  I opened my mouth to argue with him but Marcus cut me off. “I think he’s right. If we do this one at a time, we’ll lose the element of surprise and they’ll be better prepared after the first time. I think we hit them at the same time and then run.”

  “There’s safety in numbers,” I pointed out.

  “Safety is a luxury now. They will kill this town and do you know what that could do to Celia and the others? Dante? What if with the magic gone, we can’t get Billie back? What do we do then?” Marcus argued.

  “Damn you,” I growled.

  He shrugged.

  “Fine. We take them out at the same time. Who goes where?” I asked.

  “I’ll take the town square. They are better armed, more security, more people,” Dante said.

  The rest of his logic was clear. If they shot at him, he could still move. He could fight more of them off.

  “Fine, but I think Marcus should go with you,” I said.

  Marcus hesitated and nodded.

  Dante closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m fine alone.”

  “Maybe. But you will be better if you have someone in the forest watching your back with one of those high-powered rifles that can take people out that get too close to you,” I said and glanced over my shoulder.

  “In the forest?” Dante repeated.

  “Yes,” I said. Where it’s safer, I didn’t want to add.

  “Fine,” Dante muttered.

  “When?” Marcus asked.

  “No time like the present,” I said and squatted down to gather grenades. “I really need to ask Azolata why he has all these.”

  “Will you be okay?” Marcus asked as he began to do the same.

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “You don’t seem fine,” Dante said.

  “I’ll explain later, I promise,” I said.

  It didn’t take long for us to get what we needed together. We set it all off exactly thirty minutes from the time we left and then turn right back around and head for the school again.

  “This is the stupidest thing we’ve done,” Marcus said, and he looked pained as we stepped outside the school.

  “Give me a week. I’ll do something stupider,” I promised.

  “That’s not reassuring,” Marcus said.

  “I know,” I said.

  “Be careful,” Dante said.

  I nodded. “You guys too.”

  Then we were leaving in opposite directions. I set a steady pace as I jogged through the forest. I tried to keep my mind clear, keep my thoughts focused on what we were about to do and keep it as simple as possible.

  I must have been keeping my mind too clear because the next thing I knew, I was tripping over a root or a rock and I fell face first into the ground.

  -good soil. It’s dark, nearly black, like Itztlacoliuhqui’s eyes. It would give good corn and I could take it to the market, buy Tlanextli the jade beads she wanted for her skirt-

  A searing pain in my head made me gasp and rear up, clutch my head. It felt like someone poured battery acid on my brain and I thought I was dying.

  -we watched from a distance as the slaves were driven by whips. They were pushing stones larger than we had seen up a ramp, building the Great Pyramids, one stone at a time.

  “They w
ill die before they see the end of this,” my sister whispered.

  “But not us,” I promised her.

  We turned away-

  I cried out and wanted to tear my head off. I needed the pain to end before I lost my mind-

  -I had one hand on my horse and my sister held my other.

  “I have gone with you everywhere, brother, why not this time?” She begged.

  “The Confederates are not the men you are used to. They are worse than any vampire or ghoul you have killed. They are human and they are the worst monsters out there,” I explained.

  “When you return, swear to me we will leave this place. We will go west. I want to see the ocean,” she said, her eyes wide and wet. We both knew the chances of me returning-

  I forced myself to my feet and stumbled for a moment, before I forced myself to push the thoughts away. I concentrated on what was in front of me and held onto a tree until the bark dug into my palm and I could focus on the bright flash of pain.

  “We gotta do that another time,” I groaned and focused instead on putting one foot in front of the other.

  By the time I got in view of the residency hall, I felt mostly like myself. I scanned the area and saw that most of the vehicles were around one house. Three houses around it were also occupied but I could tell that the house that was more central of the four was the most important. I focused on it and prayed to my father that he could help me. He used to pitch baseball in college. I never got the chance for college but his blood was still in me, so I was counting on some of that natural talent to come through.

  I checked my watch. Rolling around on the ground and living through some memories that weren’t mine had cost me some serious time.

  I crouched down on the ground and pulled out the grenades. I didn’t want to be fumbling around when I needed them.

  “What are you doing?” A man asked from behind me.

  I barely had time to react. My reflexes kicked in and I had the gun out and up as soon as he spoke.

  He also had his gun raised.

  “Be smart. Walk away,” I said.

  He bared his teeth. “You think you can get away with this?”

  I thought of all the lives I had lived, the impossible truth of who I was.

  “Yeah, I do,” I said and rushed him.

  I didn’t have time for this and I knew it. But I also didn’t want any shots going off before I got anything done.

  The guy relied too heavily on his gun and not his hand to hand fighting. Once I was on top of him, it took one punch to his jaw for his eyes to go blank and his head to roll on his neck.

  Quickly, I flipped him over onto his back and wrapped my arm around his neck. I squeezed and he struggled briefly before he was unconscious.

  I left him there, face down in the dirt, and turned back to what I was doing.

  I checked my watch.

  I had thirty seconds.

  “Fuck,” I muttered and picked up my first grenade.

  Fifteen seconds.

  I pulled the pin and prayed to Billie and my parents and any god that might have still been friendly with Azolata.

  I heard a sharp explosion to the south. They were early.

  I threw my grenade, but it fell short. I cursed, picked up another, aimed more carefully and threw it as hard as I could.

  The first one went off, brought people scrambling.

  The second one went off, and it was devastating.

  I took a few steps out of the coverage from the woods and threw the last two, one after the other.

  One landed in the back of a truck.

  The other landed between the central house and another house.

  The last grenade was the most horrifying.

  “Forgive me,” I muttered to no one in particular.

  I turned and ran for the high school.

  Luckily no memories came back to haunt me.

  I burst out of the forest and headed straight for the door that was becoming familiar now. I looked around but didn’t see Dante or Marcus. I tried not to think about that too hard.

  I slammed the door behind me and when I did, I stood still for a moment and the only thing I could hear was my own harsh breathing.

  I was running on pure adrenaline and instincts.

  I went out to the hall, grabbed a rifle, as much ammo as I could carry and headed for the roof. I situated myself so I could have a clear view of where Dante and Marcus would come from and waited.

  My heart pounded in my ears and I could hear the blood rushing through my veins. I took several deep breaths, forced myself to calm down, and closed my eyes.

  “Forgive me,” I repeated. Words that I hadn’t said in my life, they were fast becoming a mantra. I opened my eyes and waited for Marcus and Dante to return.

  Movement to the south caught my eye and I turned my gun just in time to see Marcus burst from the trees and head straight for our familiar door.

  Dante appeared a minute later, with an arrow embedded in his arm.

  Seconds after them, the first of the Ascendancy showed up.

  I remembered all my lessons, took a deep breath and began firing.

  Chapter 12

  “Thank you for everything. I don’t want to be the world’s worst guest, but we have to go,” I said and hugged Emily.

  She returned the hug. “Don’t even think about it. Please send word, whatever happens, okay?”

  “I will,” I promised.

  I headed to the SUV where Jake was already sitting in the driver’s seat.

  I stopped at the passenger side and raised my hand to him, signaling him to wait for a second. I might not have gotten along with Zeke right away, but I still owed him my thanks for helping us when he didn’t have to. I turned to find him right behind me and when I did, my fist came into contact with his nose.

  “Oh god,” Zeke said.

  I realized I had hit him across the bridge of his nose and his glasses were in two pieces now.

  “Wow, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were right there,” I said.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m the moron that snuck up on the Alpha,” he said and stared down at the pieces of his glasses.

  “Do you even need those?” I asked.

  “I do. I’m the weird shifter that has astigmatism,” Zeke said, somewhat mournfully.

  I stared at him for a minute, wondering why he followed me.

  He looked up and for a moment, I considered kissing him. I could see the same thought crossed his mind, and I realized that there was a smudge of my blood on the corner of his mouth. Instead of grossing me out, my mouth watered.

  Jake cleared his throat.

  I looked away.

  “Do you want help?” Zeke asked.

  He was offering to go with us and though I had only seen a small part of his power, I knew that he would be a powerful ally.

  But his kind was rare, beyond rare, and I did not want to risk what was left of his race for something I was sure I could handle.

  Then I caught his eyes on the cuffs of my wrists and I realized that he would have followed me into any battle, if I had given even the slightest sign that I might need help. He knew more of our history than I did and I wondered if these cuffs, this new mantle of General I wore was something more than he showed.

  “No, I think we got it,” I said and glanced back at the others in the SUV. “I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life.”

  “We are hard to kill,” Zeke pointed out. Closer to the house, Emily watched us with her shrewd eyes. They were as dark as Zeke’s but that was the only thing they had in common, looks-wise. Just as much as my brothers and I resembled each other, these two did not.

  “I can only imagine. But no. If this- if it turns out wrong, I need someone on the outside who knows what happened. If I need a safe house, though-” I started.

  “Send them. Whoever, whenever. We will be here,” Zeke said.

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  I didn’t wait for a reply before I got in
to the passenger seat and closed the door. I waved at Emily and Zeke before we left.

  “We don’t have time to swing through Yerrington,” I said and looked over at Jake. He was driving.

  “That’s fine,” he said and pressed his lips together.

  “We can stop somewhere close, drop you off-” I offered.

  “I’m going with you. Let’s not pretend otherwise,” Jake said.

  EMILY WATCHED CELIA and the others leave.

  The quiet that we both loved so much seemed claustrophobic now.

  When she turned back to me, she sighed and shook her head at me.

  “What?” I said, irritated. I wasn’t prepared for the storm that was Celia Ortega to sweep in so suddenly and leave just as quickly. I preferred my privacy.

  “What do you mean what?” Emily snapped.

  I stared at her as she pushed past me and into the house.

  She went to all the windows and began to close them and lock them. She whispered a few of the sacred words, locking the whole house up tightly before she disappeared into her room.

  “What are you doing?” I asked and followed her into her room.

  “Get this for me,” she said and pointed to the top of her closet.

  I went to her closet and pulled the suitcase she was pointing at down.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  Emily turned to look at me and gave me such a condescending look that if I were anything but what I was, I would have shriveled up and died on the spot. “Don’t be stupid. Go pack. We don’t have time to play these dumb games.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but she glared at me and pointed to her door. “Go. We don’t have time.”

  I went. I knew where we were going. I had known that we were going to Glenwood Lock from the moment I found Celia asleep in my bed and when her blood flooded my mouth, it solidified everything.

  We were going to Glenwood Lock, to help in any way we could.

  I FLIPPED THROUGH MY book. I felt like I had struck gold.

  “Good stuff?” Eli asked.

  I nodded. “This is an incredible amount of information. I can’t believe that it took me so long to even consider finding it.”

  Eli cleared his throat and I looked up. I had a crick in my neck and it cracked so loudly we both winced.