Chapter 60: Chapter 60
The forest around Klet was alive with the sound of animals stirring, leaves trailing across bark as they tumbled to the ground, and the footsteps of twenty or so assailants dressed completely in black winding their way up a steep incline in search of a wayward friend—and maybe their worst nightmare.
Cadence knew she wasn’t herself and that Aaron was worried. The flight from Budapest had brought many questions, none of which had been answered truthfully. Yes, she was fine. No, nothing was bothering her. Sure—she was just concerned about the hunt. Whatever she’d needed to say to make him feel better, she’d said it. The idea that she was carrying another person up the mountainside along with her was a constant distraction, one she didn’t need on the cusp of probably the hardest fight of her life. But there was no pushing it out of her mind at the moment. As she tried to avoid piles of fallen, crunchy leaves, her mind wandered to what the future might hold. How could she put herself in harm’s way time and again if there was a child back home waiting for her to return? How would she launch herself at a Vampire that night with her child along for the ride?
She had no answers, only more questions, and they were nearing their destination. Cassidy knew exactly where they were going, even though she hadn’t tipped Christian off that they were coming for fear that she might also alert Daunator. The stirring deep inside Cadence’s gut told her that the monster already knew. And Elliott was right. He wasn’t the only Vampire around.
If the others had noticed Cadence’s emotional state, none of them let on, save her husband who was also letting it distract him, which Cadence hated. He kept glancing over his shoulder at her, checking to see if she was okay. At least one of them needed to have their head in the game, so she did her best to pretend everything was all right, but there was no fooling an emotional empath.
Cassidy stopped at the edge of a clearing, and the rest of the extraction team pulled up behind her. “This is it,” she said to the other four. “Christian is in the ground about twenty feet in front of us.”
How she knew, Cadence had no idea, but she’d take her sister’s word for it. Now, there was just the question of how in the world would they get him out? They’d have a few minutes to think about it since they were waiting for the rest of the team to get into place, and some of them had had to circle the mountain before they could climb up the other side and reach their assigned positions. Behind her, Cadence heard footsteps as the first line got into place, and she watched through her IAC as Heather contemplated which tree was the tallest. With Paul’s help, she settled on one, and they both made their way to the top, Lex following but stopping about halfway up in case a threat came from below them and Margie at the very bottom, still on the ground.
It all seemed surreal in a way. Cadence had been training for a situation like this for over two years, a battle with a power so strong, so evil, it would test her strength like no other. But now that she was on the brink of facing Daunator, it seemed more like a dream than reality. Her fingers flickered against a grenade she had strapped to a utility belt around her waist, something she didn’t usually wear but thought might be a good idea under the circumstances. If Christian’s new grenades did what he thought they did, this wouldn’t be that difficult. The problem would lie in getting close enough to Daunator to implant the grenade and staying alive doing so.
Aaron had already told her not to try it, that if anyone needed to charge the monster and implant the grenade, it needed to be him. She’d agreed, but she was never one for holding back. If she had the opportunity, she knew she’d take it and think about the consequences later. The fact that she wasn’t just risking her own life was a fleeting thought that wouldn’t stick in the small area of her mind still rooted in reality.
“We’re all in position now,” Aaron said over the IAC. As if the heavens were acknowledging their presence, the clouds parted, and a stream of moonlight illuminated the clearing in front of them, seeming to highlight the spot where Cass believed Christian was planted.
“Then... let’s go get him,” Cadence suggested. “Cass, can you bring up the dirt on top of the hole? It can’t be too thick, can it?”
Her sister concentrated for a second. “I’m not sure what’s holding it in place.” Cassidy’s eyes were closed tightly. “It’s some sort of power I’m not familiar with. There are holes all over the place here, but the loose earth overtop of them doesn’t fall down inside. If a person were to step on one, they wouldn’t fall through either.”
“That’s good,” Elliott muttered. “Otherwise, we might just end up with six people in holes in the ground instead of just one asshole in a hole in the ground.”
“I said person,” Cassidy pointed out. “I think Daunator could very well intend to suck us all down.”
“You can’t levitate us all at the same time,” Jamie pointed out. “How do we avoid that?”
“You can use your X-ray vision to see the holes. But even then, he can still suck you down. He can make new holes any time he wants.”
Cadence didn’t like the sound of that and wished they could all float on top of the air like her sister. Still, there wasn’t much they could do about it except for be quick on their feet. Maybe Daunator’s powers weren’t strong enough to contend with the new speed the second dose of Transformation serum had given them.
“All right, we’ll move forward, Cass will stir up the ground over Christian, and the rest of us will hold the perimeter while she pulls him out.” Aaron’s directions made it seem far too simple, but they all agreed knowing it wouldn’t be easy at all. “Cadence, stay in the back,” he added, and she looked at him with an arched eyebrow for a moment before nodding. She would stay behind the others until Daunator showed up. Then, all bets were off.
Elliott and Aaron went first, staring at the ground before each step in order to make sure they didn’t inadvertently walk on any of Daunator’s pits of destruction. Not that it mattered if he decided to create shafts for them to fall down. Still, she didn’t blame them for being as cautious as possible.
Cass followed them, floating above the ground so she wouldn’t have to worry about it, and Cadence made sure she was using her X-ray vision before taking a step forward. Jamie reached out and grabbed her arm, gently tugging her back. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered, the look in his eyes conveying he understood how she felt. He might not be carrying a baby with him, but the idea that he had something more to return to was obviously a present concern.
Cadence nodded, not sure if she should hug him or shrug it off like it was no big deal. It was, though. This was a man who would do anything he could in the world to keep her safe. He’d brought her back from the brink of death before, and if called upon to do so again today, she knew he’d do whatever it took. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders quickly and then let go, following her husband’s steps as they picked their way across a minefield, the tears in her eyes annoying but not a distraction since she was capable of seeing right through them.
The holes were everywhere. In some places, the thin damn that separated one from the next was so small, it was impossible not to step on at least the outer rim of one of Daunator’s pits. Even when her boot accidentally landed on more than a few inches of the fragile dirt, it didn’t budge. In fact, it felt like solid ground. Cassidy was right. Whatever Daunator had done to make this illusion, it was fascinating—and it made her wonder what else he could do.
“Okay, guys. It’s about to get dusty,” Cassidy warned them with a deep breath. Cadence was standing a few feet behind her as Aaron and Elliott had positioned themselves in front of the sisters, their Berettas drawn.
Cassidy held out her hand, and the ground in front of her began to stir. At first, Cadence thought the hole covering might move as one block of dirt, but then, the breeze hit it, and a small dust devil formed between Cassidy’s hand and the ground. It swirled around, growing in size, and Cadence found herself stepping back away from the tiny dirt particles that threatened to obscure her vision. Maybe the helmets she’d suggested earlier would’ve been a good idea, especially with plastic visors.... Eventually, her sister was able to toss the dirt away from them. It continued to ride the wind for a moment before sprinkling onto the grass. Cassidy floated on the edge of a very deep hole.
Her sister hadn’t said anything to Christian until now, and when he came over the IAC, he didn’t sound like himself at all. In fact, Cadence wondered if all of this had been a trick somehow, and Daunator didn’t have the real Christian. Maybe he really was on the beach in Hawaii somewhere. But Cassidy could see into his mind, and as she explained to him that she was lifting him out of the hole, that they were there to rescue him, his protesting turned from adamant that she leave him alone to more like his old self, the closer he got to the surface.
It took a few minutes, and by the time Christian’s face appeared a few feet down from where Cassidy was floating, it was evident the Hybrid was getting tired. He was levitating fairly quickly, which was a plus since Daunator still hadn’t raised his ugly head, and Cadence began to think there was a chance they could actually get Christian and leave. They’d still have to come back, but at least they wouldn’t be so vulnerable when they did.
The Guardian’s hands reached up over the lip of the hole, as if he wanted to do the last little bit himself. Cassidy was keeping a grip on him, Cadence could tell, but she let him pull himself up over the top of the hole and drag himself out. He was covered in grime, and the odor wafting off of him was almost enough to make Cadence gag. Apparently, living in a hole in the ground for a week or so wasn’t good for personal hygiene. Still, she was relieved to see his face, and the fact that he was acting more like himself now was hopeful.
Cadence stepped around her sister and helped Christian up, ignoring the stench. “Nice to see you,” she said as he dusted off his pants, not that it helped. “Now, we need to get out of here.”
“Get out of here?” he echoed, the smile he’d given her at first acknowledgement of her presence vanishing. “We can’t. We have to get Daunator.”
“We will. But for now, we need to go back and regroup. The most important thing is that you’re safe now.”
“No, Cadence, you don’t understand. We can’t just leave from here! We can’t just let him go!”
The crazy was back—she could see it in his eyes. He grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing a little too hard, and Aaron stepped over, pulling Christian off of her by the forearm. “Listen, Christian, I agree. It’s important we come back and end this, but you need medical attention. And a good visit with Hannah.”
“No, you don’t get it. I wasn’t the only one down there. He’s building an army. As soon as these vessels are full, it will be time, and they’re almost there.”
“Christian—”