The Gods Beneath Page 22

  Finally he was won over, but it wasn’t by Broderick or Karl or Hadley’s display of magic.

  It was by a small sweet voice.

  “Father,” Mariah said, “we need to do the right thing.”

  Aardash turned to his daughter, the love of his life. Her words stung his conscience, but he wasn’t ready to believe. “But… The gods, Mariah!”

  She gave him a little nod. “Yes, Father, I know. It is our way, and I know that your devotion runs deeper than any hole in the ground. But I believe them. I believe him.” She looked at Karl and held his gaze for a beat before turning back to her father.

  “You are asking me to go against all I have ever known,” he said, his low voice quivering.

  “I am,” she confirmed, “but hear me out.”

  “Of course.” Aardash’s eyes glistened. He was moved by his daughter’s strength and courage.

  “Let us go into the caverns. Let us see these gods we have worshipped and committed our lives to. If they are who they say they are, then we will finally meet them face to face. We can bow before the power of the universe and offer our praise at their feet.”

  “And if the gods are angry at our trespass?”

  Mariah smiled slowly and sweetly. She loved her father and respected his beliefs. “Then they do not deserve our praise and devotion.” The room was silenced by her response. She slammed her fist on the table, making those around her jump. “But if we go down there and find that Karl’s story is true, we will bring with us our own vengeance and make those sons of bitches pray that the real gods—wherever they might be—come and swallow them whole.”

  ****

  Gregory walked briskly, anxious to put the plan in motion. Several dozen angry Heemites walked behind him—men and women alike, all of whom had lost husbands and fathers and children to these false gods.

  They were going to bring them back.

  Even if they had to destroy paradise to do it.

  When they reached the large doors to the mine, Gregory paused. He felt responsible for bringing them to this point, and he needed to say something. Turning toward the crowd, he said, “Remember, what you’ll see in there won’t be pretty. And although we’re going to free your loved ones, your loved ones are going to try and kill you. They won’t feel pity for you, or love. They won’t hesitate to hurt you, so you can’t hesitate either. Use whatever non-lethal force you can to subdue and restrain them, and we’ll take care of the rest. Don’t be afraid. Those aren’t gods down there. They’re just two old washed-out lunatics. And today we’re going to prove just how mortal they are.” He raised his voice. “Now, let’s go free the captives!”

  The crowd cheered and raised their weapons in the air.

  “Nice speech, kid,” Karl said as he reached for his hammer, which still held the doors closed. There was no longer any pounding coming from the other side, but whether that meant the puppets had given up or that they were lying in wait was unclear.

  “Thanks. Let’s hope we can actually do what I said,” he replied, turning toward Hadley.

  “You and me both, man,” the young mystic said.

  “Don’t worry, Had,” Aysa added with a smile. “If you lose and they puppet you, I’ll bash your brains in for you, and I’ll make it fast.”

  Hadley rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aysa.”

  “All right,” Gregory said, “let’s do this. We still have a bet to win.”

  Karl yelled, then pulled the hammer out. He swung the doors open and everyone braced for an attack.

  There was only silence and darkness on the other side.

  Gregory stepped in cautiously, and his army followed.

  “I’ve dreamt my whole life about seeing these halls,” Aardash said. “They’re a little underwhelming.”

  Gregory nodded. They had tried to keep the old king from coming, but he wouldn’t let his people run toward death without him. It was an honorable move, and Gregory promised himself that death would not be their fate today.

  “Aye, if ye think these halls are lame, just wait till ye meet yer gods,” Karl said, shaking his head as if they were still in there.

  “Oh, I plan on giving them a proper greeting,” said the king. He raised a jewel-encrusted sword. “There’s still some fight left in these old bones, and I intend to use it.”

  The Heemites wound their way down the twisting corridors, expecting some horror to jump out at them at any moment. But the place was as quiet as a tomb.

  Finally they reached the carved doors leading to the throne room. Without hesitation, Karl swung his hammer and knocked them in with a boom that reverberated through the corridors.

  An army stood at the ready on the other side.

  Every living champion from the past decade was lined up in full armor, waiting to do battle on their gods’ behalf. Once they became too old to be useful Atreus and Cronus turned them into dinner, drinking their blood and eating their flesh in hopes of becoming like Bethany Anne and Michael. But those who remained were still young and strong enough to use the weapons they were expertly holding.

  “Ah,” called a crackled voice from the throne, “you brought a feast for us!”

  “Yes, you’ve brought a feast for us,” came Cronus’ creaky echo.

  As one, the Heemites gasped as they took in the withered forms of their gods.

  “Consider this your last meal,” King Aardash said once he had composed himself. His words were dripping with anger. “I’ll give you one chance. Let my warriors go, and we will leave you to rot here undisturbed. Fight us, and we will grind your bones to dust.”

  His threat echoed through the chamber, and for a moment Gregory thought they might concede. But Atreus rose to her feet. “How dare you speak to your gods this way? I will eat you last, so that you can watch your people roasted alive. Men, kill them!”

  The brainwashed army jumped at their master’s command. They leveled their weapons and charged.

  “For the mountain!” Aardash yelled, and his people followed him.

  Inside the cavernous chamber, the noise of battle was deafening. Sword clashed against sword, and shield against shield. While the Heemites had the numbers, they also had the disadvantage of holding back. And the brainwashed champions hadn’t won the right to be here without reason.

  Karl jumped into action, laughing maniacally as he barreled through the throng, yelling something about “ye bloody brainwashed idiots.” It worked to clear a path toward the throne, and Hadley strode down it with confidence. His eyes were as white as snow.

  Gregory walked beside him, holding a sword as if he knew how to use it. Hadley’s task required his full concentration, and there was no way he was going to leave one of his team undefended.

  “So, boy, you think you have what it takes to fight me?” Atreus said with her crooked sneer.

  “Nope,” Hadley said. “I think I have what it takes to end you.”

  Gregory watched in awe as the two mental magicians duked it out. He could only imagine that what was happening in their minds was epic beyond belief, but to the untrained eye their fight just looked like a really intense staring contest.

  While the battle of the minds took place a large champion moved toward Hadley, seeking to end the fight with a stroke of his sword. Gregory swallowed hard, then raised his sword.

  “Stay back, puppet,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “I’m warning you.”

  “For the gods. For the gods,” the warrior repeated over and over.

  Gregory sighed. “OK, but I’m really sorry about this. Go get ‘im, girl!”

  He had to fight not to laugh as a fuzzy ball ran up his shirt and down his arm. Devin burst out of his sleeve like a furry cannonball of fury. She ran down Gregory’s extended sword and leapt into action.

  Despite the heavy trance the warrior was in, the man screamed in terror.

  “Try not to hurt him too much,” Gregory yelled apologetically.

  He turned back toward Hadley, who w
as sweating profusely. It was clear he was winning. Atreus had fallen back in her chair, barely holding on.

  She opened her mouth and yelled, “Cronus, you old fool. Help me.”

  “Yes, help you.” The old man struggled to his feet. He put a hand to his head, but just as his eyes turned white Aardash appeared.

  “There’s only one king on this mountain,” he yelled, and he stabbed his jeweled sword deep into the man’s chest.

  “One...king…” Cronus repeated as he slid to the floor.

  When Cronus died, Atreus let out a hideous scream. Everyone in the room felt a splitting pain deep in their minds, but then it was gone.

  For a second, all was peaceful.

  Then life slowly came back to the warriors’ eyes.

  “What... What’s going on?” a man said, blinking like he had just woken up from a decade-long dream.

  “Dad,” Broderick yelled. He dropped his sword and ran to his father’s side.

  “My son. Oh, my son!” the man moaned as he broke down in tears.

  Gregory almost broke down in tears himself as he watched the reunions. Then he turned back to the throne, but it was empty.

  He looked around frantically for a second, and saw the old woman hobbling like an old broken animal toward the tunnels in the back of the room.

  Hadley shook his head. “I did it. I broke her spell.”

  Gregory clapped him hard on the back. “Nicely done! How’d you do it?”

  He shrugged. “She tried to show me all sorts of horrors, to break me down with fear. But after what I’ve seen, it’s going to take more than a little old witch to scare me. I decided to use the same spell on her. I showed her an image of a pissed-off Hannah and she freaked out.”

  “Wait! Does that mean I can kill her now?”

  The two men turned to see Aysa with a spear in her hand.

  Gregory smiled. “Have at it. I think it’s time that god was put to rest permanently.”

  Aysa turned and yelled, “Hey, you old hag—eat this!” And with an expert cast of her spear, she split the woman’s chest wide open. Atreus didn’t even scream as she dropped to the floor, dead.

  ****

  While the Heemites tended their wounded, Karl took a seat on the large wooden throne and surveyed the room. Mariah walked up toward him and took a seat by his side.

  “You did good out there, Karl,” she said.

  “Aye, an’ I’m not the only one. I saw ye kickin’ some arse.”

  She smiled. “We’re both handy with a weapon. Imagine what our kids would be like.”

  Karl’s face turned beet-red. “Our...what?”

  “I’m just saying… Now that you’re not locked into an eternity in paradise, you have an oath to keep.”

  The rearick looked like he was struggling to breath. “I... I... Wait, there’s been a—”

  “And,” she said as she leaned toward him, “you did liberate our people. I think such a mighty gesture deserves a just reward.”

  She grabbed him by the beard and pulled him toward her, planting a long fierce kiss on his lips. When she finally let go, the old warrior looked like he had just gotten his ass kicked for the first time.

  Gregory coughed loudly and the princess turned toward him.

  “Sorry to interrupt, ma’am.”

  “It’s OK,” she said. “Just giving Karl here a glimpse of what he could have had if he decided to stay. But I know he won’t. You have much more important things to do. The real gods have need of a fighter like him.”

  Karl still sat paralyzed, and Gregory smiled. “That they do, ma’am. That they do.”

  “Although,” she said with a raised eyebrow, “our liberation is as much your doing as his. That deserves a reward as well.”

  The engineer sputtered and took a step backward. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m really OK. You see, I have a girlfriend, and she’s not the most understanding—”

  Mariah laughed. “I’m just kidding, Gregory. I meant that if there is something my people can do for you, you have only to name it. We’d move a mountain if it meant helping you.”

  He looked at all the crystal surrounding them. “Actually, there is one small thing you could help us with…”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  It took Hannah and her team an hour to figure out how to move the large piece of technology. It was too heavy to lift without magic, but even when Hannah used telekinesis it was difficult to maneuver the thing without banging it around.

  They pushed it over to the stairwell and Parker realized that the doorway was too small.

  This pissed Hannah off more than a little bit, and in her anger she blew a hole in the ceiling.

  “What?” she had said. “I’m just thinking outside the box.”

  The hole was big enough to lift the tech through, and they sat around it on the roof, watching the sunset over the mountains in the distance.

  “What are you going to do with the tech now?” Vitali asked. “Do you have some sort of magic that can get it off of here?”

  “Something like that,” Hannah. She was gently stroking Sal’s back. The dragon was trying to sleep, but every minute or so he let out a loud belch, as if something in his stomach was disagreeing with him.

  “I have some friends who are coming to help us pick it up,” Hannah said. “You’ll like them. They’re strange—like us.”

  “What an exciting and wondrous life you must live,” he said.

  “It’s not too bad,” she said. “In fact, there’s room on the team if you’d like to join us.”

  “Seriously?” he asked, his yellow eyes going wide. “I... I don’t know what to say.”

  “Ideally, you’d say yes,” Laurel said with a grin. “We could always get a little stranger.”

  “But I’m nobody.” He looked down at his paws. “I mean, you’re all tremendous fighters and magicians. I’m just a Lynqi, and not a particularly big one. I’m not sure what I’d add to the team.”

  “You’re selling yourself short,” Parker said. “I saw your moves out there. You’ve got raw talent. I bet that with a little training you’d kick our asses. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must relieve myself.”

  Parker got up after he spoke and moved toward the edge of the building.

  “That’s disgusting,” Laurel shouted.

  “What?” he said. “I’m recovering from a serious illness. I need my fluids. And what goes in…”

  “And more importantly,” Hannah said to Vitali with a laugh, ignoring Parker. “You’ve got courage. That’s the only requirement for Team Triple-B.”

  The young man smiled. “I’m honored, but I’m not sure what my father will say.”

  “Don’t worry,” Hannah replied. “If you are interested, I think I can talk some sense into him.”

  They sat there quietly, looking up at the sky. “Um...I think we’ve got a problem,” Laurel said. Those clouds are looking nasty. We might get rained out before Gregory arrives.”

  “If we do, I’m making him walk home.”

  “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Parker’s voice broke the silence as he ran back toward them.

  “I thought you were taking a piss,” the druid laughed.

  “It’s not that,” he said. “We’ve got company, and not the good kind.”

  They all turned to look toward the edge he was pointing at just as a large spotted Muur climbed over the side.

  “What the hell?” Hannah said.

  The cat-man roared. “I have come to exact vengeance on the outsiders who burned my village. You have made a grave error coming here. Prepare to—” Before he finished speaking, Hannah’s fireball landed squarely on his chest and pushed him screaming off the roof.

  “What?” She shrugged as the rest of her team looked at her. “It wasn’t like the rest of his speech was going to surprise us.”

  Vitali ran to the edge and looked down, and the others followed him. Hannah saw what must have been dozens of Muur fighters climbing the wall.

&n
bsp; “Damn,” Laurel said as she pulled out her rope blade. “These guys hold a grudge.”

  “You’re not kidding,” Vitali replied.

  A loud crack of thunder broke overhead.

  “OK,” Hannah began, “priority number one is protecting the tech. No matter what, we can’t let anything happen to it.”

  “What’s priority number two?” Vitali asked as he watched Hannah climb onto Sal’s back.

  “Kicking ass,” she said. With a whoop, Sal dove over the side.

  Vitali shook his head. “She’s quite a leader.”

  Parker smiled as he unslung his spear. “The best.”

  ****

  Hannah and Sal swooped around the side of the tower, blasting Muur warriors as they tried to climb. The ones on the outside were sitting ducks, and a number of them fell to their doom before they wised up and retreated inside the tower.

  Sal headed back toward the roof and landed with a thud.

  “All right,” she said. “I’m going to push as many inside as I can. Parker, you know the drill.”

  Parker was already waiting by the stairwell, firing repeatedly at the Muur trying to climb the steps. “Gotcha. Fish. Barrel. Shoot!” he yelled between blasts.

  Hannah gave Sal a nudge, and they swooped back down for another pass.

  It was clear that there were far more Muur then she had originally estimated, and they were attacking from all sides of the tower. She’d hurl fireballs, and push them inside, but then they’d pop back out again on another level once she’d left.

  At this rate there was no way to stop them from overrunning the tower.

  Hannah flew back up and let Sal drop her off. The dragon dove over the edge, continuing the work of keeping them bottled inside.

  She ran over to Vitali and Laurel, who were standing with their backs to the tech.

  “It’s not looking good,” she said. “They’ll be on the roof in seconds.”

  “Please tell me you have a spell that can help us,” Vitali said.

  Hannah thought for a moment, then closed her eyes. She smiled. “Even better,” she replied. “I’ve got backup.”

  As the first wave of Muur climbed the wall, the Unlawful burst through the clouds. Vitali—and the rest of the cat-people—stared up in awe as Karl, Aysa, and Hadley swung down to meet them.