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He hovered in the air, his gaze sweeping over the field, making sure that no one feigned injury and attacked him.
He needed to know if he’d killed Daniel, but he didn’t dare draw close—not when Quill and Lev could attack. By then, he was hovering high in the air, plotting how to get to Daniel and finish him off. Being this close to offing Daniel was more than he’d hoped for.
The next moment, however, Daniel and the remains of his team vanished, along with the Quill, Lev, and the extinction weapon. He felt the effect of his father’s power. Only Daniel could have done that.
But he left bodies on the ground.
Marius dropped to the floor of the cave, his boots landing with a thud. He felt almost light-headed that he’d come so close to ending his father’s life. Moving to the spot where Daniel had bled, Marius stood over this small victory.
Shayna, come join me.
He watched her become visible then float down to him, her eyes wide. “How did I levitate like that? I couldn’t before. Is it the same power that you just exhibited? Marius, you moved so fast. At times you simply vanished.”
“Was that what it seemed like? That I disappeared?”
Shayna touched down on the cavern floor, her nose pink from the cold. “That’s exactly what it was like, as though you fought the battle from an invisible place.”
He glanced up at the ceiling. “And you levitated.”
“I did. I saw that the weapons were flying really fast and I was afraid I’d get caught in the crossfire. I thought the thought and the next thing I knew I’d bumped into the ceiling a little too hard.” She rubbed the top of her head and winced. “I have a small knot right now, but even so the power I’m siphoning from you is taking care of it.”
He hardly felt like himself. “It is incredible. Mostly, I don’t understand the source.”
“Marius, not to be insensitive, but I’m having a hard time with all this. Can we leave now?” She splayed her fingers, gesturing to the corpses.
He wished he could leave, but he and his brothers had rules about returning any place of battle to its former condition, at least as much as possible. “I have to take care of this mess first. This is one of the ways we keep our world hidden from yours.”
“Sure. Okay.” Something caught her eye, and as he followed her gaze he saw that she’d just recognized the carvings that she’d been asking about the night before.
“Why don’t you check it out, while I oversee cleanup?”
She nodded and picked her way over to the wall near their initial entry point.
He dipped into the deep side pocket of his battle leathers and withdrew his iPhone.
Rumy’s voice came barreling on the line. “Marius, how’s it going? Are you still in New Zealand? Anything I can do for you?”
He glanced around and explained about the recent encounter.
“Holy shit! You almost had him, didn’t you?”
“Almost, but not quite. He’ll be more careful next time.”
“No doubt. So what do you need me to do?”
“Order cleanup.” Marius turned in a circle. “Fifteen dead.”
“Got it. I’ve got your GPS. Stay put and I’ll have a team up there in a few minutes.” The cleanup crews were some of the fastest fliers around. They specialized in removing any sign of their civilization, especially in an unimproved cavern system like this one.
While waiting for the crews to show up, Marius turned in a circle, always staying on the alert. At the same time, he gathered up his weapons. The crew would clean them for him, one of the many shit-jobs they did and for which he would always be grateful.
Shayna had her phone up at the carving-height level, taking more pics. He felt her usual curiosity, but also her concern. Levitating, he joined her.
“So what have we got here?” He wondered if he should mention that when she returned to Seattle, he’d probably have to strip her phone of all these pics. He decided that was a conversation for a different night.
She placed her hand on the carvings. “I’m convinced more than ever that it’s important I understand these symbols.”
“Maybe we can address the issue with Rumy.”
