Coleman, Sari, Jolie, his ma and da angled their mounts away from the main party, heading for a rugged section of broken cliff across the valley. Though Coleman tried to keep images of the previous night from flashing through his mind, he was carried away by the emotional afterglow. He’d talked to Vincent about love compounded and sharing their lives, but the actual experience was more than he’d ever imagined it could be. Somehow, the night had transcended the physical, truly uniting them in mind and spirits as well. Even with all he’d gone through with Vincent, it was the single most incredible experience of his life.
<Are we gonna wear this silly grin all day?>
Oh, come now, you had a wedding night. Can you blame me?
<I fought my first Kafla, broke my arm, and had a vision on my wedding night.> Vincent looked over at the two women. <But no, I don’t say as I can.>
‘How long will it take, son?’ his ma asked.
‘Another half hour. Hopefully we will be through the small passage by the time the main assault starts.’
‘In those rocks ahead?’ his da asked
‘Yeah Da, why?’
‘Because…well…I…’ He waved a hand. ‘I need to pee something fierce.’
***
After crossing a small river, Khari watched as the little party pulled away. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, threatening rain. Rocks and short brush dotted the tan landscape. She clenched and relaxed her fingers, trying to rid herself of the jitters that gripped her. All you have to do is what the squad leader directs. She glanced over at Coleen, and it settled her some. Though she’d never been in a squad under Coleen’s command, Khari knew she was experienced. She looked at the young faces around her. Certainly more experienced than the rest of the women in the squad. Of the ten, five were Novices and the rest only a season or two into being a Warrior.
She glanced at the Second insignia she wore on the band around her arm and shook her head. Why Commander Sari had promoted her this morning, she had no idea. Just do as you’re ordered. Keep the squad together. You can do that, Khari. She looked ahead to the looming mountain and the ridge line they would drop over soon. Just follow orders.
***
‘Oh, I feel like a new man.’ His da smiled as he came from around the boulder.
‘Good, then carry these arrows.’ Coleman handed him two canvas-wrapped bundles with straps.
‘With ease.’
‘Thank you, Da,’ Sari said. ‘I really hope we don’t need them.’
Hearing his new mate use the word lit a glow in his heart.
<This is really weird. I keep thinking of them as my wives.>
Coleman chuckled inwardly. I suppose to some extent, they are.
<Two wives…> a mélange of feelings bounced around his mind.
By my count, you have three.
‘What did I miss?’ His ma shouldered the backpack containing several leather flasks of honey, settling it and adjusting the straps.
‘Pardon, Ma?’ Coleman asked.
‘You’re chuckling.’
‘Oh…sorry. Chatting with Vincent.’ He checked his blades, noting the honey that glistened on them. Good idea squirting some in the sheaths, Vincent.
<That one is Flea’s> The back of his neck tightened, and he rubbed it. <I’ll…tell him you said thanks after we knock this thing out.>
‘I wish I had my blades from across the Shroud,’ Coleman said.
‘Why’s that?’ his da asked.
‘They were magic. Worked really well against the Kafla.’
His ma and da looked at each other. ‘‘Tis an amazing life you’ve led, son,’ Da said.
‘I blame it on the two of them.’ He pointed at Sari and Jolie. ‘They got me into all this in the first place.’
‘Indeed…we dragged him kicking and screaming,’ Jolie said.
‘I think there might have been some crying too. Wasn’t there?’ Sari asked Jolie.
‘Definitely. Tears. Copious amounts.’ She nodded.
<Yep…two wives…good thinking.>
‘If everyone’s ready, maybe we should get going,’ Coleman said as he bowed slightly and swept his arm forward.
‘After you, sweetheart, you’re the one who knows the way,’ Jolie replied as she tried to stifle a smile.
‘Oh, ah…right.’ Coleman strode forward.
<Nice one there, Captain.> Vincent sent him feelings of good humor.
Yeah, and you can shut up anytime now, Coleman mocked. The recent out-of-body trip left the route chiseled in their mind. He wove through the field of rocks and boulders as they climbed steadily up the hillside. Glancing back from time to time, he made sure everyone kept pace, and within a half hour they reached a narrow gouge in the hillside.
<Ouch, that’s gonna be a tight fit.>
‘This is smaller than I thought.’ He turned as his da, who brought up the rear, came around the large boulder that concealed the opening.
‘We should use rope. It will help keep us together,’ Sari suggested.
‘I agree.’ Coleman nodded.
Jolie took a twenty-foot length of rope from the pack Coleman carried and tied the end to his belt. She laced it through his ma’s, her own, Sari’s, and then gave it to his da who tied off the other end to his own belt.
‘You’re sure about this seeing in the dark?’ his ma asked.
Sari smiled. ‘Yes, Ma. When Joined, your senses are magnified. If not, we can strike a torch. I’ll give clear direction, but let’s try to be as quiet as possible.’ The small group nodded, and Coleman slipped sideways into the opening. He hoped this would work…it had to.
***
Coleen motioned, and Khari joined her squad as the little army dashed over the ridge and into the shallow depression. It led to a large cavern opening at the end of the boxed canyon that looked like the maw of some great beast. Squads positioned themselves across the area. Breathless excitement filled her as they rushed forward, with only the sibilant sound of their boots on the sandy soil. How close could they get before — ?
A howl of alarm sounded from the darkness as they continued their dash forward. They had to gain as much ground as possible before the Kafla responded. As the top of the cavern covered their heads, a wave of Kafla surged at them. The line in front of her dropped to one knee and fired as Khari and those standing shot over their heads. Nearly a Kafla for every arrow fell in that first charge, but those behind never slowed. They darted around and over the ridged bodies of the fallen and pressed forward. Arrows rained into their ranks, and the Kafla’s charge shuddered to a temporary halt.
Coleen signaled, and their squad rushed forward with the others on the flanks, moving past the Veterans. Runners hurried to supply arrows and Khari started to wave the offered shafts away.
‘Second, you’re nearly out,’ the Novice said.
‘That can’t be. I’ve only shot —’ she looked down at her quiver. A few arrows? Khari nodded, and the Novice resupplied her. It felt like she’d only been fighting for moments.
Two sharp whistles alerted her as the next group of Kafla pounded through the fallen. It’s like catching fish in a fountain. They haven’t even touched us yet.
***
‘Place your hand on the right wall above you. There is a protrusion,’ Coleman whispered to the group. The roof ahead lowered, and he squatted. ‘Looks like we’ll have to crawl.’ He heard rustling behind him as each of them went to their knees, then he started forward. Within ten spans, the ceiling dropped further, and soon they had to slide forward on their stomachs.
<Cool.>
You have to be kidding me.
<We’ll be fine.>
Bolstered by Vincent, Coleman squirmed ahead. The floor was smooth, worn by water and time, but sharp rocks stuck from the top of the claustrophobic opening. They caught his pack, and though he tried, he couldn’t move. The mountain felt as it were fighting back, trying to prevent their entrance. The weight of it seemed to push down on him, crushing the air from his chest. His heart raced, pounding in his ears as he struggled.
<Coleman. Hey, Coleman. Stop it!> Vincent yelled in his head, but to no avail. Vincent wrested control from him and smothered Coleman’s panic with thoughts of peace and calmness.
‘Are you all right?’ his ma asked softly.
‘He never did like tight places,’ Da said.
Vincent nearly had Coleman’s panic settled. <You able to talk without screaming?>
I…think so.
‘I’m fine,’ he whispered.
<Just go along for the ride for a bit. I’ve got this.>
Vincent wormed his way back a few feet and wiggled out of the pack, providing room to maneuver. He pushed the pack ahead, and soon they passed the choke point.
Sorry about that.
<No problem, man, at least there’s no snakes. Remember Raiders of the Lost Ark?>
A smile pulled at his lips as he recalled watching it with Jule, Flea and Knife while they stayed at the house near campus before locating the Tearer. Thanks, Vincent.
<Hey, we all have our moments. You good?>
Yeah, I think I can take it.
The roof rose steadily, and soon they were standing. Coleman stopped and breathed deeply. He saw the rest of them cautiously do so as well, their eyes swiveling in the darkness. ‘I think the opening isn’t far ahead. Listen.’ They cocked their heads. The faint sounds of grunting and howling echoed in the opening.
***
The cavern narrowed and one-third of the army fought as the rest prepared to replace them, replenishing their ammunition and taking water. Khari moved forward with her squad. Thirty strides in front of them, dead Kafla formed a head-height wall. She waited for the expected flow of targets, but no Kafla came.
‘Did we kill them all?’ a young voice off to her right asked; she was quieted by her leader. From behind the mass of dead there arose a deep hum, like something from the depths of the Abyss. It echoed off the cavern walls intensifying the sound. Khari’s bowels clenched, and her bones seemed to vibrate in resonance. Something was coming.
***
The passageway Coleman led them through made several turns and ended in an opening parallel to the cavern wall. The positioning must have concealed it from below because no cry of alarm sounded as Coleman and his ma peered along the smooth cliff. The floor of the cavern was about ten feet below, and torches lit the room showing several rows of Kafla facing inward, shouting in their rough hoots and howls.
Without warning, everything fell silent, and the Kafla started to hum and stomp, turning as if watching something pass. A lone creature walked diagonally up the far wall on a path they couldn’t see from this angle. It disappeared and the Kafla below it looked up. Every hair on Coleman’s body stood on end at the eerie sound.
A blackness formed in the air a foot from the face of the wall. The smoky shape twisted on itself and stretched, roiling like a living thing.
The Tear…it was the Tear forming. It elongated, and Coleman saw the leg of the creature as it stepped off an unseen ledge and disappeared into the blackness. His ma gasped beside him as if in pain and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her features were twisted, and tears streamed from her face. ‘The agony…this abomination…causes.’ Her hands covered her mouth, but she didn’t look away as the beast shoved and thrust through the Tear.
<No!>
His heart lurched. Gasps sounded from the group behind him, and a roaring celebration erupted from the Kafla. Another Kafla in San Diego.
<One. It’s just one…and…and it was a male. Right? That wasn’t a female.>
‘Son. There’s nothing to be done about it now,’ Ma said. ‘We must Mend the Tear and prevent it happening again. That’s something we can do.’
She was right. It didn’t change their mission, but it had fired his resolve. This would end here.
The Kafla they could see straightened and as if called by a clarion, rushed away, disappearing from the narrow view.
Coleman motioned to the group, and they retreated past the first bend. ‘Could you see?’
Jolie nodded. ‘Most of it.’
His ma wiped her eyes. ‘We know where the Tear is located. Now we just have to get there.’
Coleman unfastened the pack and removed a long length of rope, tying it around a large rock nearby. ‘I’ll make sure the way is clear, then you follow.’
‘We don’t know how many remain and you will give away our location,’ his da said.
Coleman shook his head. His da had no idea how fast he could move. ‘If any are left out there, they won’t see me until I’m in the middle of them.’ Sari and Jolie readied their bows, and his da hurried to unwrap the arrows, a look of confusion still clouding his face.
You ready, my friend?
<Yep, let’s do this. Remember all we have to do is get honey in them and move on. Hey, any idea why we aren’t jittery?>
A grin that Coleman knew well pulled at his mouth. It only revealed itself in battle. Because this is what we do. He kissed Sari and Jolie. ‘I love you, dear ones.’
‘Be safe,’ Sari said.
‘And have fun.’ Jolie’s crazed smile must have been a reflection of his own.
<Talk about a match made in heaven.>
He chuckled and strung a flask of honey over his shoulder. ‘Here we go.’
***
Khari scanned the pile of Kafla, but nothing moved. She glanced at Coleen, and the Senior looked as confused by the situation as she was. ‘Hold position,’ Kris bellowed from the center, where she had joined the squads.
‘Movement,’ Khari called out as the wall of bodies undulated and slowly toppled forward. Bows raised all along the line, but the targets that faced them were not targets at all. A solid row of dead Kafla hung like meat shields strapped to the living one behind it.
‘Drool and fire.’ The warning came down the line as it plopped from the mouths of the shield bearers. These Kafla would fight beyond death, unless poisoned by the rosemary honey.
‘One volley.’ The order rang out, and Khari drew her bow past her ear and let fly. The arrow streaked into the dead Kafla and the one behind. All down the line, Maidens did the same and all with the same effect. The line continued to move inexorably forward.
‘Fire just above their heads,’ Kris ordered.
They did so and were rewarded with grunts, but the line moved forward. ‘Front line, fire and rotate,’ Kris’ voice cried out.
Khari fired and stepped back behind the three lines of Maidens. The next line fired twice and rotated back. The process repeated as they inched backward, losing the ground they had won over the last hour.
***
Coleman and Vincent stepped into time as they ran around the corner and launched off the hidden ledge. He blurred unseen toward a large group of Kafla at the far end of the cavern, striking the end of the group lining the wall.
Dodging and weaving between them, he cut a nick here, a slice there, never pausing until he came upon two of the largest Kafla he’d ever seen. Coleman thrust deeply into their stomachs, pulling his blades out as they doubled over, then spun like a top, decapitating several more nearby.
<More honey.>
Coleman sheathed the short swords and redrew them. A third of the Kafla’s number fell to the ground in death spasms, and a cry went up. As it did, time caught him.
A claw slashed at him as he drew the blades again. He twisted, but it dug a furrow along his back. He poked the tip of one blade into the creature’s arm, and stepped into time once again. He bared his teeth in a battle rictus none of his loved ones would ever see. They would not have recognized him if they had.
‘I’m death incarnate,’ he whispered. ‘And I’ve come for you at last.’
***
A Tracker sniffed the cavern air. Soft one? Blood? No such scent should be this deep in the Sacred Place. It scurried back to the Dark Opening. When it arrived, the legs of the last Elite Guard fell one direction as its body fell the other. Something streaked across the battle sands and became visible as it stopped.
A soft one who moved with Powers. The Master. Must call the Master to the Opening. It repeated the call and heard it picked up by the other Trackers of the hive as they rushed to him.
***
‘Come quickly. It’s clear,’ Coleman said.
Jolie slid down the rope and started checking his various wounds, which closed as she did. ‘Sweetheart, I couldn’t even see you move. How did they hit you?’ she asked.
He held her cheeks, bringing her eyes to his. ‘I’m okay, love.’ He gave her a quick kiss to make the point clear.
Sari slid down the rope and scanned the room. There was nothing for her to find but a pile of dead Kafla along the wall at the end of the large room. She winked at him, used to his rapid healing. ‘You know just what to give a girl.’
‘I do what I can.’ He smiled.
His da held his arms up as Ma descended the rope. ‘Hurry,’ she said. ‘We must hurry.’
They raced toward the path.
***
‘We must hold here!’ Kris’ cry reached Khari’s ears. The maidens continued to stream arrows past the heads of the shielded Kafla, but still they moved forward.
‘Kafla do not fight like this,’ Coleen said. ‘Where’s this organization coming from?’
Khari took careful aim and struck one of them in the foot. It spasmed and dropped, but another stepped quickly into its place. ‘Target the feet,’ she yelled and soon the line faltered and stopped.
A small cheer went up behind her as the entire line seized and fell. The beasts tried an abrupt charge but could advance no more than a stride and soon the bodies piled up again. Khari rotated back with her line and drank the offered water. Her muscles quaked as she lifted the waterskin.
Kris pointed at her. ‘Good call, Second,’ she said before turning away to another duty. ‘Light draw, and arc your arrows, ladies.’
Some minutes later, she stepped into the ready line and saw that their reprieve was short-lived. Once again, the wall of bodies wavered and came apart. Again, the dead shielded the beasts, but this time, the Kafla charged, closing the thirty-pace gap within moments.
They crashed into the kneeling line as women dropped their bows and drew blades. Some tried to stand while others thrust upward, still kneeling.
‘Fire all bows!’ the cry sounded over the din of battle. Khari pumped arrow after arrow into them as the Maidens’ front line crumbled.
***
Coleman’s group filed up the narrow path onto the wide ledge. His ma strode toward the place of the Tear, with Da close by her side. Before she reached it, an immaculately dressed man with silver hair strolled from the shadows where the ledge met the wall.
Shock caused Coleman to falter a step.
Where’d he come from?
<I have no idea.>
An arrow streaked toward the silver-haired man, and he casually plucked it from the air, the tip nearly touching his chest. ‘Now is that any way to greet someone?’ he asked, snapping the stout shaft in two with his thumb and forefinger. Coleman rushed forward to launch himself at the man.
‘Wait,’ his mother said.
The soft word carried power, and he found himself halted by some sort of soft barrier. He reached out, but nothing was there.
The man stopped several strides from him. ‘And you must be the one who’s been giving us such grief.’ He glanced from Coleman to his ma and da. ‘Ahh I see, the loving family all gathered together. How…convenient.’
His ma spoke. ‘Hello, Light Bringer. That is what you like to call yourself, isn’t it?’
The pale-skinned man waved his hand regally. ‘You may refer to us as such, though it’s been long since we’ve used that title. You would be the Mender, we suppose?’ He looked like he wanted to spit after saying the word.
His ma inclined her head. Coleman started forward again, but she clamped her hand on his shoulder. ‘No, dear one, I’ll handle this.’
Never taking his eyes off the stranger, Coleman tensed and did as his mother asked, standing slightly behind her.
<Do you know who this guy is?>
I was about to ask you the same thing. I guess we’ll find out.
‘A well-trained pup, we see.’ The man revealed sharp teeth in what was supposed to be a grin. ‘So then, let us dispense with the formalities. What is it you wish?’
‘To do as I have been called,’ his ma said.
‘Oh, surely you long for more. Power, longevity, a place by our side when we rule? Simply name it, and we shall provide what you wish.’
His ma chuckled. Chuckled? Now?
‘You still believe that? Your days are long, but they are numbered. I’m surprised you haven’t realized it after all this time.’
The man’s blue eyes seemed to glow with an inner light. ‘You dare to speak to us in such a fashion?’ Cold wind whipped around them from an unseen place, and Coleman’s skin tingled as lightning flashed from the man, streaking across the cavern. Thunder boomed, staggering the little party as the man floated into the air, arms lifted from his sides, his voice rolling like the thunder. ‘Do you forget the power we wield?’
***
‘Fall back and circle. Fall back and circle!’ Khari only heard Kris over the din of combat because she stood nearby. Three sharp whistles cut through the air, paused then repeated. The Maidens disengaged and ran to form a circle, facing outward, bristling with swords and arrows like a porcupine rolled into a ball.
Khari saw the right of it; a running retreat would end in disaster. This was their chance.
Their numbers were thinned by at least a third. Khari’s clamped numb fingers around the hilt and drove her blade into the thick neck of yet another Kafla. It ignored the wound and lunged forward, clamping its teeth into her shoulder, dragging her to the ground. She screamed for help, but the women around her fought for their own lives. Khari managed to draw her belt knife and repeatedly stabbed the beast in the side. It released her shoulder and drove its sharp fangs at her neck.
A boom echoed from the cavern, and the Kafla froze. Then, the beast was gone. Groans and amazed voices came from all around her. Something wet fell on her cheek and she managed to sit up ‘What…?’ Wetness dripped onto her head, then again. She looked up and the dark clouds above them opened, dropping their moisture in a sudden deluge.
‘On your feet, Maidens! This isn’t over yet.’ Kris’ voice penetrated the heavy downpour. ‘You three Healers, tend to the fallen. Anyone who can stand, come with me.’
They’d survived. Relief, pride and pain wrestled for supremacy as Khari moved her shoulder experimentally. It throbbed with a dull ache but still moved. She grabbed the bow next to her and stood, checking herself as the downpour washed away most of the gore. Almost like it never happened.
Her eyes fell on a Maiden lying at her feet and the impact of their loss struck her like a blacksmith’s hammer. Khari’s body continued to work on its own. She patted her empty quiver. Arrows, need arrows. She bent to retrieve them from the dead Maiden, and a shock of recognition weakened her knees. Brenna.
She halted, her hand on the arrows, immobilized by Brenna’s glassy-eyed stare, until someone touched her shoulder and a voice said quietly, ‘She’s with the Divine. Come with us if can, Khari.’
She stood and turned toward the voice. Coleen’s green eyes filled with understanding. ‘Are you able?’
Khari nodded mutely.
‘Come then. We will mourn them together, but that must wait. We’ve a duty to complete.’
‘All right ladies. Let’s move,’ Kris shouted.
Khari’s steps turned into a jog and she joined her sisters as they hurried into the cavern after the Kafla, determined to wipe the hive from the Realm.