Faith Defiled (Gray Spear Society Book 14) (37 page)

He smiled. "I think you're confusing cause and effect. You worked for Marina because you were destined to be here."

"That doesn't make sense." Katie gave him a funny look.

"And don't worry about not having a gift now. The aperture will magnify your talents enormously. What are you best at?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Wesley looked at Marina. "What do you think?"

"She's a great detective," Marina said. "She notices details and makes connections other people miss."

"Wonderful." He nodded. "In that case, the aperture will make her a supernaturally gifted detective. She might even have psychic powers."

Katie smiled. "Cool!"

"What about me?" Marina said.

"Your fingernails will shoot explosive missiles instead of little squirts of venom."

Marina looked down at her sharp black fingernails. "Now
that's
cool."

* * *

One of the witches ran out of the woods. "Priestess! Priestess!" she yelled. "Men are coming!"

Rachiel stood up. "How many?"

"Dozens with guns and grenades."

Rachiel widened her eyes.

"How the hell do they keep finding us?" Corrie said in a tone of panic. "Do we have to fly to the moon to escape these assholes?"

Jia looked towards the pile of luggage. The team had brought some weapons and knew how to use them. Marina had demanded everybody have a daily training session in the gun range including assistants and even Olivia. Jia hated guns, but she could "hit the broad side of a barn" if she had to.

Even so, engaging the enemy in a gun battle seemed like a very stupid idea. They were better equipped, much more numerous, and probably better fighters in general. Jia had never missed Marina and her
legionnaires
more than now. They would've had no problem wiping out ordinary soldiers. Marina would've made sure they suffered before they died.

"Where can we hide?" Imelda said. "We can't stay here."

Rachiel grimaced. "There is a secret cave. Mother Earth will protect us."

"Let's go!"

Rachiel put two fingers in her mouth and produced an impressively loud whistle. A moment later, the other four witches came out of the woods.

"Quickly," Rachiel said, "a trap spell to cover our escape."

The coven began to chant at a hurried pace. Meanwhile, Rachiel retrieved a jar of pink sand from her hut, and she scattered the sand around the fire.

"Trap of sand, trap the ill," she murmured. "Trap the bane and evil will."

She repeated the spell three times. She seemed satisfied with the result and went back into her hut. She came out with a bag made of braided vines slung over her shoulder. It contained supplies for more magic.

"Now we can go," Rachiel said.

The Spears grabbed their luggage and followed the witches into the forest.

* * *

Walfred looked down a hill at a collection of primitive huts. He grudgingly admired the craftsmanship evident in their construction. He had spent many days and nights in the wilderness, and he knew how difficult it was to make a comfortable home out of natural materials. These witches were experts.

A large campfire was burning in the center of the village, but he didn't see any people. All was quiet. It was possible the targets were hiding in the huts.

Walfred looked back at the Warriors of Dagda who were following close behind him. His once mighty clan had been reduced to twenty, but they still obeyed the Goddess. When the mission was over, her gratitude would bring boundless physical and spiritual rewards, and the fallen heroes would be blessed for all eternity.

The Circassian Democratic Front was further back in the woods. Walfred didn't like the Russians. They had come to California to earn some quick cash to support a rebellion back home, but ultimately, their motives were selfish. It was all about political power instead of spiritual faith. They wanted more and would kill anybody to get it.

By mutual consent, the Warriors had taken the lead for this operation. They were the expert woodsmen. The cowardly Circassians were happy to collect paychecks while others risked their necks.

Walfred crept down the hill, staying in the shadows as much as possible. He still didn't see or hear any movement. He waited behind a bush while the Warriors gathered near him.

When they were ready, he made a hand signal, and everybody rushed forward at once. Walfred stayed comfortably in the middle of the pack. He was ready to fight, but he would give the honor of the opening shots to his men.

They swept through the village in seconds, but no shots were fired. The Warriors reported that the huts were empty. They checked again and looked for hidden trap doors but found nothing.

A wave of dizziness suddenly struck Walfred. He staggered around, and the bewildered looks on the faces around him indicated his men had the same problem.
Gas?
Walfred thought. He wanted to sit down, but there were no chairs, so he landed heavily on the dirt. He wasn't nauseous, but he didn't feel well.

The Circassians were coming down the hill. They were dressed in the standard green camouflage of soldiers, and the color scheme didn't quite work. More emphasis on browns and yellows would've made them blend in better. It took a moment for Walfred to remember why they were here. He was having a hard time focusing. The mission target was a girl with one white eye and one black eye. He was supposed to kill her for some strange reason.

"What are you doing?" the leader of the Circassians yelled. "Get up, you lazy
sobaki
!"

Walfred staggered to his feet. "Look for tracks!" he mumbled. "Check all around! Figure out which way the girl went!"

His men shuffled off to comply.

Chapter Twenty

Jia was hurrying through the woods with a piece of luggage in her hand. It was her second hike of the day, and it was even more miserable than the first. This time, everybody was scared.

"Did you tell anybody where you were going?" Rachiel said.

"Just our boss," Imelda said, "but she's in Chicago."

"And you trust her?"

"Absolutely."

Rachiel paused. "Are you talking about the woman with red hair and green eyes? The one who brought Olivia here last time?"

"Yes," Imelda said.

"The Lady of the Night."

"Why do you call her that?"

"It was a vision," Rachiel said. "I saw an immortal spirit full of wrath. A restless, unstoppable agent of death."

Imelda shook her head. "She's scary, but she's not
that
scary."

Jia wasn't so sure.

"Stop," Rachiel said.

The large group immediately stopped hiking, and Jia was glad for a chance to catch her breath. They were crossing over a rocky ridge. Rachiel stared at the large rocks as if trying to read them, and then she crouched down to lick one.

"What are you doing?" Jia said.

"Creating a problem for those men."

Rachiel retrieved some herbs from the supplies slung over her shoulder. She packed the leaves into the cracks between the rocks using her finger. Then she took a silver knife and held the tip over her palm.

"I hate this part," she muttered.

Her coven appeared uneasy.

Rachiel cut her palm, and the blood dripped onto the rocks.

"From blood to blood," she murmured, "from chaos to chaos. Let the Great Mother's anger settle in this place."

She closed her eyes and swayed for a moment.

"Is that it?" Imelda said. "Can we go?"

Rachiel shook herself back to alertness. "Yes! Hurry!"

The group continued its arduous hike across the steep terrain.

* * *

Walfred leaned down and touched a footprint in the dry, powdery dirt. The enemy had left an easy trail to follow. They were a big group walking in almost a straight line over terrain that showed tracks well. Walfred's expert hunting skills weren't being tested at all.

Chasing people in the wilderness was a familiar game. The Warriors of Dagda had kidnapped devout Christians on several occasions and had set them free in wooded areas. Then the Warriors had hunted their victims for sport. Those enjoyable outings had concluded with pagan blood rituals.

"This way!" Walfred pointed up a steep hill.

The large group of men climbed until they reached a rocky ridge. The view of the surrounding valleys was spectacular. Redwood trees shot up to impossible heights, and there were multiple layers of foliage beneath the canopy. The landscape was dry, but there was still an abundance of green. Walfred caught glimpses of squirrels and birds.

The ground abruptly shifted beneath his feet. He managed to grab a tree branch, but some men weren't so lucky. A landslide of rocks and dirt carried them down the mountain. He heard screams over the rumbling of falling stones. He held his branch with both hands as tightly as he could.

When the landslide finally ended, he looked at the devastation. Debris had formed a pile at the bottom of a valley. Entire trees were mixed in with boulders and dirt. The men down there were either badly injured or already dead.

Walfred performed a quick headcount. Five more Warriors were gone along with several Circassians.

The landslide had also wiped out the enemy's trail. Locating it again would require a painstaking search of the hillside.

"Warriors," Walfred said, "spread out and find the footprints. Circassians, go down there and dig for survivors. If a man is too injured to hike out under his own power, perform the
coup de grâce
. We don't have time to play nursemaid. The Goddess is counting on us."

* * *

Iris opened her eyes. "It's one disaster after another. A landslide just took out a bunch of them. It will be a while before the hunt continues."

She and Laurence were still sitting in the black McLaren. Her back was stiff from staying in a trance for hours.

He looked into the forest. "Do you think they'll find the girl, ma'am?"

"Maybe." She glanced at the sky. "They need to catch her before sunset. They won't be able to follow the trail once it gets dark."

"The longer this goes on..."

"You don't have to tell me. I'm surprised the Society hasn't come for us already."

"Maybe Erika's operation in Chicago is keeping them busy," Laurence said.

"I suppose I should be grateful for that."

"Grateful enough to thank her?"

Iris snorted. "No, but I do wish I knew more about her project. It could seriously affect us." She sighed. "If the girl isn't killed very soon, we could be in big trouble. Our luck has been running the wrong way lately. It's time to start moving towards the exits."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Drive towards the airport. Call our pilot and make sure the plane is fully fueled. We're not leaving yet, but it could happen at any time. We should also call my friend in Rio and warn him he may have two new houseguests very soon."

"Yes, ma'am."

Laurence started the car and drove off.

* * *

"There it is." Rachiel pointed ahead.

Jia peered into the shadows. Trees and bushes almost concealed an opening in a sandstone cliff. She had expected the cave to be nice and round, but this one was jagged. It certainly didn't look like a nice place to hide.

"Flashlights," Imelda said.

Two flashlights were dug out of the luggage. Rachiel took the lead with one, and Imelda followed with the other. They proceeded into the cave.

Olivia was practically hanging on Jia's leg when they entered. Jia wrinkled her nose at a foul odor. Something had died in the cave and not too long ago. The uneven floor forced her to twist and bend, and she was still dragging a piece of luggage. She scraped her back on the sharp roof.

"Ow!" she said. "Why did you pick this cave? It's awful."

"It's a secret place," Rachiel said, "shielded by Mother Earth. There is ancient magic in these living rocks."

Jia frowned.

The group proceeded until they came to a dead end deep inside the mountain. She wasn't claustrophobic, but the tight spaces, stale air, and darkness were unnerving. It was too easy to imagine this hole becoming her tomb. The air was definitely warmer than on the surface.

"We're probably safe," Imelda said, "but we can't count on it. Let's set up a defensive formation. Grab a gun, folks."

A bag containing guns was dumped out. Jia grabbed a .38 caliber semiautomatic from the pile, and she confirmed it had a full magazine. It was the biggest gun she could comfortably handle. Yang had taught her too much gun was as much of a problem as too little. She found a position among the rocks where she had a good firing lane while also being well shielded.

Olivia huddled against Jia. The girl had a .22 caliber pistol which looked big in her little hands. Jia had seen Olivia practice, and she wasn't bad. Memories of the brutal deaths of her parents provided plenty of motivation during the long sessions in the gun range.

The witches began to chant in low, somber tones. Jia didn't understand the words, but the music was both relaxing and invigorating.

"Cut the lights," Imelda said. "Go dark."

The flashlights were turned off.

Jia sighted down the barrel of her gun at the light from the cave entrance.
Let them come,
she thought.
We are the Gray Spear Society. We don't fear them. They fear us.

* * *

Yang was pacing nervously. He was deeply worried about Jia and Olivia even though he knew they were safely hiding in the mountains with Rachiel. Nobody could find his friends there. Even he didn't know where they were.

Staring at the same shiny walls all day hadn't helped. He felt like a prisoner. There was nothing to do but talk to the other inmates and worry, and he was tired of doing both. There would be plenty of time for conversation after he was immortal. Right now, he just wanted to go through the aperture and see what was on the other side.

A commotion on the far side of the room drew his attention. He eagerly walked over. Any distraction was a good one at this point.

It appeared the legate of Africa was about to do something interesting. His back was bent with age, and he was probably the oldest person in the room. A ring of white hair around his skull looked like a crown. Like most of the
legionnaires
, he was wearing advanced body armor, although in his case, it seemed inappropriate. A man of his dignity and seniority didn't fight his own battles.