Vampires Don't Sparkle: Deathless Book 3 (39 page)

His fist punched through her gut, exploding her innards and spine into the grass behind her. His other hand seized her neck, dragging her face close to his. “It ends tonight, Isis. There is no escape this time, no bringing Osiris back from the dead. I will kill you all, and consume your memories. Before you die, know this, little sister. If you’d not meddled, not created the virus, we’d all of us be dead. This world would be free. Because of your actions, I exist, and every crime I perpetrate can be laid at your feet.”

Isis knew despair then, because Set was right. Had she left well enough alone, had she never entered the Valley of Forgotten Voices, they’d have died as humans. That moment of weakness had created a chain of events that led here, and she had only herself to blame. Yet she wasn’t dead yet.

“So overconfident,” Isis choked out. She blurred, willing her body to shift as she did so. Faster than thought, she became a tiny fox, dropping from Set’s grip and rolling back into the shadows. A heartbeat later she’d gone back to wolf form, bounding out of the crater. A third shift brought her back to werewolf form, even as she spun to face Set.

The black god had leapt to his feet, spinning in place as he sought some sign of her. He gave a roar, raising both arms to the sky. A pulse of black and green energy rolled out from him, a mixture she’d never seen before. It burst in all directions, and she was caught in the blast.

The energy was pure pain, but that she could deal with. What filled her with terror was the energy’s residual aura. It clung to her like paint, exposing her in a way no ability ever had. Set had found a way to reveal her in the shadows, a way even more potent than that Blair had discovered.

Set leapt from the pit, stalking in her direction. Isis turned and ran for the Ark, knowing she’d never reach it.

Chapter 75-The Repository

Blair took his first step into the repository. Words were insufficient to describe what he was witnessing, the majesty and complexity exhibited by the Builders. This stadium-sized room was the pinnacle of an entire civilization—the outgrowth of, he presumed, millions of years of technological advancement.

“Wow, look at the size of the crystal in the center,” Trevor said, walking past Blair to lean on a railing that lined a walkway ringing the entire chamber. “What do you think it’s made out of? It’s too light to be a sapphire.”

Liz walked past Blair as well, stopping at the railing next to Trevor. “I’d guess it’s a diamond from the clarity, but I don’t really know a lot about gemstones.”

Blair finally moved to join them, still struggling to find words. The smooth walls below the railing sloped down to a platform holding the single largest gemstone Blair had ever seen. It had to be at least a hundred feet tall, and could have been two or three times that, depending on how large the room really was. It was difficult to say without anything to give it perspective.

“It’s an aquamarine,” Blair said, absently. The walls leading to the the stone were bare, but those leading to the ceiling were covered in gemstones that matched the one below.

“Hey Blair, I’m guessing that thing is important,” Trevor said, drawing Blair’s attention. He was pointing at a spot along the wall a couple hundred yards away. The railing was broken by a wide platform, with a roughly person-sized blue aquamarine in the center.

“That’s the control locus Isis told me about,” Blair said, trotting along the railing. He needed to focus. This place was amazing, but he didn’t have time to study it. That killed him, as he knew he was witnessing the very thing he’d sought his entire life.
 

He’d always wanted to know the origins of mankind, and many of those answers lay in this room. Yet if he were successful in the next few minutes he’d be blowing it up, denying the world of all the precious secrets it contained.

“Better speed this up,” Liz called, darting a nervous glance back the way they’d come. Her wolfish ears twitched. “I hear something behind us. I’m guessing whatever it is, it isn’t friendly.”

Blair blurred down the walkway, crossing the the gap to the control locus in a couple seconds. He skidded to a halt next to the platform, stepping onto it as he examined the crystal. There was a sort of socket at the base, one that looked about the right size and shape for the base of the Primary Access Key.

Behold, Ka-Dun. This is the very place where the Mother brought our species into being, the place where she first crafted the virus that gave birth to the deathless. It is here that she became more than a simple woman, adopting the first Ka to become the first Ka-Ken.

Blair extended his hand, summoning the key. He reverently placed the base in the socket with a satisfying click. There was a thrum of energy in the staff, which flowed down into the man-sized aquamarine. The gem began to pulse with light, and the giant counterpart in the center pulsed in time.

He sensed a vast array of data, some of it incomprehensible, but much of it readily identifiable. In that instant Blair understood why this place was called an Ark, and why this room was called the repository. It was a genetic repository, and he was seeing every species this place had ever catalogued. Their DNA was stored here, to be drawn upon by a shaper like him. He could create entirely new life forms, or return ones that had been long extinct to the world.

Yet that was only the surface of what this room could be used for. It tapped into every system in the Ark, and the enormous power reservoir driving the place lay directly under the giant aquamarine.
 

“Blair!” He heard Liz’s frantic voice as if across a vast gulf. “We’ve got company. Whatever you’re going to do, you need to do it now.”

Blair looked up from the staff, glancing at the entrance to the room. Several figures had burst in, and were charging along the railing in their direction. Several familiar figures. Jordan and Wepwawet were in the lead, then Irakesh, with Steve predictably bringing up the rear.

“There’s no way I can finish before they get here,” Blair said, shifting as he spoke. “We’re going to have to deal with them first, then I can set this place to self-destruct.”

“Guess it’s a fight then,” Trevor said, slipping into the shadows. “I’ll deal with Irakesh. Liz, see if you can keep the armor out of the fight while Blair deals with Steve.”

Blair gave a grim smile, removing the key and aiming it at the walkway. He summoned the same energy he’d used back on Object 3, firing a trio of blue pulses at the lead armored figure. As expected, the armor dodged out of the way—but, also as expected, that left an opening for Liz.

A nine-foot auburn werewolf burst from the shadows, seizing the first suit of ebony armor by one leg and flinging it over the side into the valley below. The second set drew a bead on her, but by the time a pair of missiles corkscrewed from the shoulder launcher she’d already disappeared. They detonated harmlessly against the wall, cracking several of the aquamarines and extinguishing their light.

Blair blurred, sprinting along the narrow railing as he glided toward their enemies. Irakesh vanished into the shadows, but Trevor would deal with him. That left a clear path to Steve. Blair saw red.

Chapter 76- Free

Jordan tumbled off the railing, falling for what seemed like forever before crashing to the hard ground below. The blow caused warning klaxons inside the armor as still more red appeared on the paper doll. Several systems were now listed as nonfunctional, and many, many more were listed as critical.

Above he could see the two sides squaring off against each other, Blair, Liz and Trevor engaging Wepwawet, Irakesh, and Steve. If this had been a movie the armor would have forced him to fight his friends, but he’d somehow have escaped at the last minute. The good guys would win, and the critics would lambaste the movie as being predictable. Particularly because Trevor had done the same thing back in San Francisco.

Fortunately, Jordan had been planning for this for some time. The armor made him a prisoner. It could exert control over his nervous system, and would resist any attempt to remove or damage it. Even with all the punishment it had endured he still couldn’t override that basic control.

So he did something the designers had probably never expected. Jordan concentrated, forming a skin-tight bubble of telekinetic energy around himself. It was a much smaller, more tightly controlled version of the bubble he’d used to save everyone from the nuclear blast back in San Francisco. Once Jordan had created the bubble, he began expanding it outward with all the strength he could muster.

He gritted his teeth, pushing harder, and harder. At first the armor refused to give. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, and he could feel the vein in his temple throbbing. He pushed harder. Harder still. There was a groan as a seam popped, then another. The groan became a shriek as multiple seams began to give. Metallic fragments sprayed out in all directions, littering the ground for dozens of yards. Jordan grinned like a fool, giving a whoop of joy.

Well done, Ka-Dun. You have freed us from the armor’s demonic taint. You are a true warrior, worthy of your bloodline.

“You know what? I actually missed having a psychotic beast in my head,” Jordan said, laughing out loud and giving another whoop.

He reached up to feel the golden collar along his neck, probing with his fingers until he found the catch. The collar came loose, and he dropped it to the ground triumphantly. He was fucking free, and it was time to dish out some god damned payback.

Chapter 77- Turning the Tide

Trevor crouched in the shadows, waiting. He knew how this would go, because he could see the bracelet on Steve’s wrist. Steve was about to be attacked by Blair. He’d force Irakesh to intervene, and the second that happened Trevor would attack Irakesh. Irakesh had to know that too, and the real question was how would the deathless react? He was older and stronger than anyone else here, save Wepwawet. Trevor had no idea how old the wolf-headed god was, but that wasn’t his problem. Hopefully Liz could hold him until they could help her.

Blair blurred past Trevor, kicking up a wind as he moved along the railing. He’d nearly reached Steve when a familiar green glow came from a spot behind Blair. Trevor blurred as well, launching himself at Irakesh. He caught his former master around the midsection, and they went down in a tangle of limbs.

Irakesh gave off a pulse of green light, one Trevor had seen him use before. Trevor faded to mist, allowing the light to pass harmlessly over him. He phased back to solid form, swiping at Irakesh’s face with his claws…and his hand passed harmlessly through the illusionary version of his former master.

Trevor wasn’t surprised when Irakesh’s fist emerged from his chest, or when a booted foot kicked him to the smooth metal walkway He was surprised when no followup attack came.

“Get up,” Irakesh snarled. Trevor heard the rasp of a sword leaving its sheath. “You’re wearing a blade. If I’m going to kill you, I’ll do it with steel. Come, learn what a true master can do.”

Trevor rolled to his feet, drawing his own sword. The long slender blade felt at home in his hand, more than a gun ever had.

“No blurring, no illusions. You know I can best you in both those arenas anyway. I have every advantage. Die like a true deathless, Trevor,” Irakesh said, gliding forward on the balls of his feet. Trevor moved to meet him, blocking Irakesh’s probing strike. He parried a second and third strike as well, each coming more quickly than the last.

“You don’t have to do this,” Trevor said, attempting a low slash at Irakesh’s knee. The deathless batted it casually aside. “I know you hate Steve. Serving your mother is one thing, but Set? Join us, Irakesh. We should be fighting on the same side.”

For just a moment Irakesh faltered. Trevor saw doubt in that putrid gaze. He backed up a step, weapon at the ready. But then Irakesh flowed forward, striking like a viper. He rained blow after blow at Trevor, and it was everything Trevor could do to parry. Each one was more wild than the last, and finally Irakesh batted the sword from Trevor’s hand.
 

Irakesh followed up immediately, burying his weapon in Trevor’s chest. Trevor felt a moment of terror, but then remembered the sword wasn’t sunsteel. Irakesh couldn’t drain his life. Trevor planted both legs in his former master’s midsection, launching the deathless into the wall as the sword pulled loose with a popping sound.

“Die. Just die, you worm,” Irakesh screeched, launching another attack. As Irakesh rushed toward him, Trevor saw something blonde flash in the corner of his vision. A male werewolf landed on the railing. Jordan raised a hand, palm facing Irakesh.

A wave of invisible force blasted Irakesh into the wall with a sickening crunch. Irakesh was pinned, the force remaining as Jordan hopped down and walked over to Trevor.

“Get up, you lazy fuck. We have work to do,” the Commander offered Trevor a hand. Trevor took it, allowing Jordan to help him to his feet.

“Took you long enough,” Trevor said, smiling in spite of himself.

Chapter 78- Desperate Gamble

Wepwawet was both stronger and faster than Liz. His armor made him damn hard to hurt, and her only advantage seemed to be that the armor was hideously damaged. If it had been anywhere near full strength, she’d have already been dead.

A metallic fist crumpled the railing next to her, and she rolled away from the followup blow as the other fist smashed a dent into the walkway where she’d been standing.
 

If you wish to win, then you must use the blade, Ka-Ken. Your only prayer is draining his life essence.

“And how the hell am I supposed to do that?” Liz growled, flipping into the air over Wepwawet. She gathered the shadows around her, bounding off the wall to change the angle of her flight. Good thing, too.

A trio of wickedly sharp claws erupted from an armored fist, smashing several crystals in the wall where she’d have been if she hadn’t altered course. They flickered and died, creating more of the shadows that were her only advantage. Liz responded by summoning the curved blade Blair had given her, landing in a crouch as the weapon coalesced in her right hand. It was smaller than her previous sword but, because it weighed less, it was also faster.