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Chapter Twenty-Six
Roark lazed in a chair opposite Kole, boots propped on the commander’s desk, a tumbler of demon rum in his fist. Bounty had brought in a tray with two glasses and a bottle of the booze, a sixth sense telling her what kind of day it had been.
“Why the fuck does everyone think they can use my furniture as a footrest?” bellowed Kole.
“Probably because you’re such a warm guy. We feel comfortable in your presence. Want to relax.”
They had been chatting about Skyler’s aborted attempt to discover the garrison, deciding Cerberus cast a spell to rebuff scrying. Too bad because his idea to employ Lort’s playmate as a conduit had been genius. “Any other plans to find Arisen Dawn’s main force?”
“We’ve hired the Spriggans to search Darque. They know the realm best. Difficult assholes to deal with, though. The yetis have volunteered their services as well.” Kole threw back the amber liquid, fisted the bottle, and poured another for Roark before refilling his own.
“So counter spells don’t work, scrying’s out, boots on the ground action has been deployed, Indigo’s searching the River Am, and my free pass to use the gateways which lead there has been rescinded. What we need is good old-fashion luck.”
When Kole opened his mouth to respond, the room tilted.
Roark rocked from side to side. He would have toppled to the floor, but his hands gripped tight to the arms of the seat while his ass fought the motion. Slamming his glass onto the desk, he leaped to his feet. “What the fuck.”
Kole also jacked out of his chair, his legs spread, fire shooting from his fingers. “Something’s happening. Outside.”
The demon commander and Roark thundered out of the office, into the hall, and through the rear door. In the training area behind the stronghold, both males looked to the sky. Inky black clouds rolled end to end while jagged bolts of lightning streaked to the earth, scorching where they struck. Rain fell heavy, quenching the fires in seconds. Still they stared upward, seeking anything to give them a fucking inspirational explanation.
They were joined by other Firebrands, all eyes on the cataclysmic events. The ground rumbled beneath them. Cracks wove across the field.
Kole took a call, water dripping down his face. When he disconnected, he tapped his wrist again. A double tap, and he listened to the telepathic-like conversation on his D-chip.
The commander’s lips turned down as demon fire sparked from every pore in his body. Once he cut from the human, Roark asked, “What’s going on?”
“Cadmon, Jarek, and Nace have no idea. The last convo was with Matty. He said the portals have fallen and the Whorl vanished. His battalion is staring across to open fields on Scath. Hold on. That’s Jarek.”
Kole disconnected. “The same report from the djinn commander. His people are calling in from their watches on the gateways. The gateways just fizzled out.”
The commander listened to another call. “Thanks, Alarik.” He had no sooner disconnected than he answered again. All high-up Coalition members now had D-chips implanted. Convo ended, he turned to Roark. “Thenes is the succubus director of the Ministry of Wildings and the Realm. She’s working from Jarek’s stronghold during this mess. She says hungry creatures are streaming from Darque to Scath. The portals to that realm are kaput like the others. She’s got to round the wildings up before they eat their fill of Aeternals and move on to humans. Damn. What a nightmare.”
Roark swiped the soles of his sodden boots through the grass while the Covenkirk commander cooled the fire threatening to bring forth his demon beast. He gained control to continue. “Alarik’s scientists guess Cerberus undid the Karmic Schism. Their best prediction is we have one night to locate the garrison. Having spent so much energy, the asshat warlock will need to rest. If we don’t find it, we’ll be chasing Aeternals all over Earth, never knowing where they’ll swarm next. They’ll be a plague decimating the world.”
“I’ll have a look-see.” Glancing at the tumbling dirty clouds, Roark sprouted wings, soaring high, ignoring the downpour. The distance between Covenkirk and the border of Scath was not far. When the raven shifter reached the edge, he swallowed his anger, his fear for humanity taking front and center. No portals. No Whorl. He settled in a meadow on Earth, his wings spread wide, water dripping from his stygian feathers. He felt as if the bugle fanfare had played, the Call to Post sounded. He pulled into the starting gate while he waited for the loud bell to send everyone racing.
Let the slaughter commence.
****
Indigo sat cross-legged on the riverbank of Am, her hand resting on Oskar’s flank. “Gotta find the location of the garrison, big guy. Skyler couldn’t scry it. Alarik’s mages haven’t broken through the spell enshrouding it. That leaves me. And I’ve looked and looked.”
The weight of the task might have bowed lesser shoulders, but the world needed her. If there was one thing Indigo knew about herself, it was how she thrived on pressure. She hated it. Still, it sank into her bones to energize her.
Nice.
Now she was that stupid bunny, rolling across the television screen, hepped up on batteries.
Oskar dropped a cloth rat with chewed ears in her lap, a favorite for tug-of-war. She picked it up. “Not now, fella. We have to bust Cerberus’s balls, knee him in the groin, neuter him.”
Her gryphon winced, his eagle eyes scrunched tight. Did all guys whimper when females talked about laying a hurt on their sacs? She’d have to ask Roark. His were big. She’d never endanger them, though. Before she detoured on a mind-trip about Roark’s balls and other body parts, she poofed Oskar’s toy out of sight to get busy.
In the River Am, the present floated by in front of her. Here, the waters were ever-changing but calm. One event flowed naturally into another before drifting downstream into the past, an equally placid, though wider waterway.
Oskar nudged her shoulder, trying to distract her. “Hold on. Idea coming my way.” She tapped a finger to her temple. “Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong place. I can’t see the garrison in the present because Cerberus has hidden it from view. How about if I find Arisen Dawn’s fortress in the past while it was being built? Before it was spelled.”
Oskar’s enormous green head tossed up and down, a new conjured toy pressed between his teeth.
