As I entered her office, a hush fell around me and I felt protected and safe. Hecate was sitting behind her desk, with a sympathetic look on her face. She motioned to the sofa.
“Sit down. You look like hell.”
That’s because she’s been through it, Queet said, appearing out of the side wall.
“Queet! I’m so glad to see you. It’s a good thing you didn’t go to the Tremble with us. It’s not safe there for anybody, spirits included.” The words spilled out then as I launched into telling them what happened. “So, Tam swears he didn’t fall asleep while he was in custody. I wish I could be certain.”
“We can find out.” Hecate picked up her phone. “Coralie, would you ask one of Pythia’s priestesses to come in?” To me, she said, “We’ll have her do a reading to find out if he could have been brainwashed into believing that he didn’t say anything. Usually the Fae are exceptionally resistant to such treatment, but we need to make certain.”
“Thank you,” I said. “By the way, has Captain Varga said anything? Did we clear his boat?”
“He did, and you did. He’s left you a bonus, by the way. But Fury, a serious problem’s come up and we have to address it. We will as soon as—”
A tap on the door interrupted her. As the priestess of the Oracle entered, Hecate motioned to a side desk. “Lay out your reading there, please. We need to know if Lord Tam accidentally divulged Fury’s secrets to the Devani.”
The girl nodded. She was dressed in a diaphanous powder-blue shift that floated around her body, barely touching her breasts and hips. We could see everything through the transparent material, but even though the girl was curvy, with rounded breasts and full hips, there was something mystical about her rather than sexual.
She slid into the chair and opened a small pouch, spilling the contents on the desktop. Bones scattered out. I recognized them as snake vertebrae. Examining the pattern, she began to read.
“There is a dark cloud around the agents you fear. They are driven by secrets and agendas hidden so deep that their masters have no clue of what they plan. Expect changes. Drastic changes that will not serve the greater good. But the one you fear spoke out of turn, his memory is intact in that regard. He stilled his tongue during captivity. He kept his silence. But there was something he no longer remembers. He angered his captors. They sense a threat within him.” She looked up, her eyes glazed over. “He’s a marked man, an enemy of the government. If they encounter him again, they will kill him.”
Crap. Tam had a bounty on his head. The Devani would be free to kill first and ask questions later. Which meant he had to avoid the sky-eyes at all costs.
“One more thing. He bears a chip. They implanted it during the struggle when he was exiled. If they pick up on it, they will track him and hunt him down.”
A tracker chip. Tracker chips were used to electronically monitor criminals who were released back into the public. They might already know he was no longer out on the Tremble. And while they couldn’t enter UnderBarrow, Tam couldn’t leave it without being caught. If he showed up in Darktown or any other part of the land within the confines of the Americex Corporatocracy, Tam was as good as dead.
I leaned back, breathing deeply. “He kept my secret, but he doesn’t know about the chip they planted in him. The Tremble scrambles your brain. If he knew about the chip when he was dumped over the border, the memory got lost along the way.”
Which meant, I had to get back to him. Had to let him know.
Hecate spoke up. “Queet, will you please warn Tam? Then return immediately. We have a bigger problem brewing and Fury’s going to have to address it.” Hecate gave me a sorrowful look. “I hate to burden you with this so soon, but there’s no other choice.”
I bit my lip. The last thing I needed was another problem, but Theosians weren’t allowed to beg off from their duties. We were bound to the gods, and when they called, we answered.
I’ll be back in a flash. Tam gave me leave to enter UnderBarrow without an escort when he and Fury started dating.
Before I could say a word, Queet vanished.
I stared helplessly at Hecate. “Things feel like they’re spiraling out of control.”
“Haven’t they always been out of control? Think about it, Fury. Even the Elder Gods are in charge of very little in this world. The government thinks it retains mastery over the people, but in actuality, it controls far less than it thinks it does. Even if you combine all the leaders of the world together along with their armies, they could not stand against Gaia.” She paused, an odd look on her face.
“What?” I asked. I knew that look. It usually meant that she was debating whether to fill me in on some secret to which she was party.
After a moment, Hecate motioned for the priestess to gather her things and leave. “Thank you, and thank Pythia for me, would you?”
The girl swept the snake bones into the bag, then curtseyed. “Of course,” she said, closing the door behind her.
Hecate crossed to the door and cracked it open, peeking out. Satisfied, she closed it again and turned around, pressing her back against it. She gazed at me for a long moment. “I am going to tell you something and you may not tell anyone. Not even Tam or Jason. Do you understand?”
I held my hand over my heart. “I promise on my oath.”
She nodded, then slowly let out a long breath. “There are stirrings among the Convocation of the Gods. Worries that the governments of this world have forgotten just what powers Gaia wields. In their grasp for control, they edge ever further into dangerous territory. We know that the World Regency Corporation was hiding the Thunderstrike when it was stolen. They have been punished for not turning it over for destruction immediately, but it brings to question just how many other artifacts, spells, and machinations the various governments are hiding.”
“You think there are more?”
“Almost certainly. If they think they can go up against Gaia and win, they’re pathetically mistaken. They do not realize just how powerful the Elder Gods are. We’ve played down our influence here. And truly, there are boundaries beyond which we cannot act. But they aren’t quite so firm as we’ve led humans to believe. If push comes to shove, we will take up arms, and we will win, though blood would stain the streets red.”
I shivered. This was not the pep talk I was hoping for. After a moment, I hugged myself. “So what’s going on now that you needed to talk to me about?”
“I’ve had spies doing their best to find out everything they can about the Order of the Black Mist. The graveyard that you chased the Abom into? It was defiled. Bones were taken. I’m thinking that Lyon is dabbling in necromancy—” The phone on Hecate’s desk rang and she glanced at the ID. “Crap. What now?” She grabbed the receiver. “I have to take this.”
She turned and I did my best to avoid eavesdropping. But after a moment, she let loose with a rash of curse words and slammed down the phone, turning back to me.
The edge in her eyes brought me to attention. “What’s going on?”
Hecate licked her lips. “I was right. The Order is messing around with death magic. A new portal has just opened on the World Tree, and it leads into the realm of Tartarus. That was Hermes. One of his Theosians just reported in that the dead are pouring through the portal, into the streets. We have to close that vortex.”
I stared at her. “What do you mean when you say ‘the dead’?”
She let out a low growl. “Dead, as in re-animated bodies. Zombies. They’re swarming out of the Sandspit into the streets of Darktown. I’m afraid we have to call out all hands on this one. I need you to go in and see what you can do, but you’ll have to be careful, because it looks like the Devani will be sweeping into the area.”
“What? Shades of old horror movies.”
“It’s far worse than that, Fury. Not only that, but apparently this is happening right now in several other countries on several other World Trees. As you know, the Order is worldwide
, and they are making a major play right now.”
I leaned back. Great. Just great. “It was bad enough when they found the Thunderstrike. That alone could have shifted things on a worldwide basis. Now, it seems they have decided to launch concurrent attacks to make it harder to shut them down.”
“They mean business. This could lead to a worldwide epidemic. You have to shut down the portal. And then, we have to figure out how to take out the Order.”
I exhaled sharply. “Just how am I supposed to close a portal?”
“I don’t know. I’ll research while you head out there. But I need you there. Temple Valhalla is sending warrior priests into the streets to fight against the dead, and so will Naós ton Theón. The phone tree is on the move, gathering more volunteers. You won’t be going alone, though.”
“Thank gods. I can’t imagine trying to take this on by myself.” The last thing in the world I wanted to do was head out in the middle of the night and take on an army of zombies, but the panic in her voice filtered through and I realized this was a full-scale emergency. “I want Hans, if you’re talking to Temple Valhalla.”
She picked up the phone. “I’ll call and they should send him right over.” A few moments later, she headed for the door. “He’s on his way. Follow me.”
As we swept out the door, Queet suddenly reappeared. I paused.
Queet, go tell Jason I’m going to need him. I’ll pick him up at the shop. Tell him lock the door and make sure the shutters are set. I’ll call when we get near. Then hurry to UnderBarrow. Tell Tam—or Damh Varias if you can’t find Tam—to make certain his people stay inside. If anyone tries to exit the Barrow at this time, they’re going to be in a world of hurt. You’ll understand when you get there. Hurry. We don’t have a moment to waste.
Queet didn’t question. He just vanished, on his way. I caught up to Hecate as she turned the corner at the end of the hall, dreading the coming battle.
Chapter 16
The moment we entered the training room, I caught sight of someone I knew and a wave of relief washed through me.
“Tymbur, you’re going with me?” If he was, then it suddenly brightened our odds.
Tymbur was pledged to the Elder God Hades—the god of the Underworld. And if we were going to fight zombies, then he was my choice for a sidekick. Tall and lean, he was a handsome man with dark skin, dark eyes, and a shock of brilliant blond hair.
“Yes, and pleased to serve beside you.” His voice was soft, belying the power he had over the dead. Tymbur had been a servant of Hades for far longer than I had been alive. He looked to be a little older than I was, but I knew that he had been born three hundred years before. Theosians aged normally till their prime, and then the aging process slowed dramatically. I would begin to see the effects of that soon myself.
“Then you know what we’re up against?”
“Zombies, yes, brought about by the Order of the Black Mist. We’ll also be taking a friend of mine. He’s a priest of Hades who can do some serious damage on the creatures. He’ll help protect us while we inspect the portal.”
Just then, Hans burst in the room, his hammer firmly planted on his shoulder. “I’m here.”
“I told Jason to wait for us at Dream Wardens. He’s gathering together as many scrolls as he can. This is Tymbur. He’s bound to Hades.”
Hans gave him a quick nod. “Has anybody ever shut down a portal before? Besides Gaia?”
Hecate shrugged. “I don’t really know. There’s so much about the World Tree that even the Elder Gods don’t know. I wish I could give you concrete instructions on how to handle this. I’m going to get someone working on figuring out how the Order of the Black Mist opened it in the first place.”
“Well, it sounds like they did a good job.”
“The Convocation of Gods has an emergency meeting scheduled for a few minutes from now. We won’t take long, but we have to agree on a course of action before any of the Elder Gods actually does anything. Pythia is going to try to contact Gaia. After our meeting, I’ll join you at the World Tree.” Hecate fell silent as we stared at her. Gaia seldom talked to anyone, even the Elder Gods.
Tymbur gave her a quick bow. He was an odd mix of courtliness and off-the-wall crazypants. But he was always up for a good scuffle, especially when it concerned anything in the dead zone.
“Always at your service, Hecate.”
“You should get moving,” Hecate said. “But be cautious. The zombies are attacking on sight and many people have already been hurt. Some have killed. Also, we don’t have a clue what the magic of the Sandspit might do to them. I wish it would dispel them, but we don’t seem to be that lucky. Plan to engage.”
“How do we put a stop to them? We can’t exactly kill them, since they’re already dead,” Han asked. “I’m going to call Greta in on this. She’s back at Temple Valhalla right now.”
Tymbur shook his head. “Zombies are difficult. They’ll keep going until you destroy their bodies. It’s a gruesome task, I admit, and not one for the squeamish. You have to blow them to bits, tear their limbs off, cut off their heads, smash their brains. If you can’t do this, then stay behind because if they catch you, they will bite. They’ll try to eat you alive. And if they manage to bite you, once you die the infection will manifest. A magical infection, yes, but an infection all the same. And then, we’ll have to put you down the same way. It’s messy and it’s terrifying.”
He rattled off the facts like he might be talking about attending a seminar. Hans grimaced, but stood his ground. “I’m bound to a god of battle. Thor would kick my ass if I let fear stand in the way. No worries, I can handle myself. And if I go down in battle, then I’m on my way to Valhalla.”
“Tymbur’s right. Think twice. This isn’t a go-round in a street brawl. We’re talking serious hack-and-slash, beat-their-brains-out stuff. And if we run into Lyon, it’s going to be a lot worse.” My stomach lurched at the thought, but I had no choice. I had to handle whatever was waiting.
Hans shrugged. “Fury, I’ve handled worse. You’ve got my back, I’ve got yours. Trust me.”
I placed my hand on his arm. “Thanks. Truly. Thank you.”
“Then we’re set,” Tymbur said.
“Go now. I will be there as soon as I can.” Hecate motioned to a man who was waiting by the door. He was wearing body armor. “He’ll drive you.”
At that moment, Tymbur led a young man over to us. He couldn’t be more than twenty-five, and he was human. “Meet Montran. He’s the priest of Hades I told you would join us. Don’t let his age throw you. He’s one of our most powerful foils against the undead of any sort.”
Montran inclined his head ever so slightly. Cloaked in black, with a silver sigil around his neck, it was difficult to see any of his features, but from what I could see of his eyes, he looked so serious that it threw me. Then again, the situation was dire, and the priests of Hades were always more somber than others.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help.” His voice was a startling mix, high pitched yet gravelly.
“Fury,” Hecate warned. “You need to hurry.”
We scrambled for the door and headed out. Greta joined us as the driver led us up the tiers until we reached the parking lot where a limo was waiting. Within minutes, we were headed through the snowstorm, back to the Sandspit.
Hans tapped me on the knee. “You know that if the Devani are around, you’ll have to make yourself scarce.”
“I can’t run away from this, Hans. No matter what, I’ve got to see this through. Besides, the Devani aren’t likely to be going near the base of the World Tree.” I stared out the tinted window into the silent streets as Hans filled Greta in on what we needed to do. She had a massive sword with her that made Xan look like a toothpick, but somehow, I didn’t think she’d have any trouble wielding it.
We were nearing the Junk Yard when a sudden influx of cars stalled traffic. I frowned, pressing my nose against the window.
; “What’s going on?” I asked the driver.
The man glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t know. I’m trying to find out. It’s like everybody decided to descend on this intersection at once.”
My inner alarm was clanging loud and clear. Something was up and it wasn’t good. As the driver pulled up the traffic app on his view-screen, I called Hecate. She answered on the second ring.
“We’re stuck in traffic and it looks like it’s getting worse. The driver is trying to find out what’s going on.”
“Are you near the Junk Yard?” Her voice sounded hollow, as though she was walking through a tunnel.
“Right.”
“Then tell your driver to turn around if he can possibly do it. If not, get out of the car and get out of there now. Tell him to abandon ship, too. A massive riot has started on the border between Darktown and the Junk Yard. The Devani are there. Rioters who think the Devani shouldn’t be there are there. And the zombies have started to swarm the area. It’s one mega clusterfuck and there’s no way you can get through. Take an alternative route, get to that portal and do what you can to shut it down. The Convocation has just ended and I’ve got one task to do before I head down there to meet you.”
I recognized the do-not-disobey-me tone in her voice.
“We’re on it.” As I disconnected, I turned to Tymbur. “We have to get out of here. Driver, Hecate just told me that if you can turn around, do. If not, we all get out and take off on foot. It looks like Lyon and the Order are getting what they hoped for. The whole situation has descended into chaos. The Devani are roughing up the locals, the locals are fighting back, and the zombies are crashing the party. All in all, a really bad guest list.”