Destiny (51 page)

Coughing up blood Helice spat into the demon’s face with her last breath. “Even in death, I serve Loviatar’s will!”

***

Location Earth / Demon Vepxhal:

Clenching his fist closed Vepxhal crushed the still beating heart in his clawed fist, before tossing it and the High Priestess’s body aside with a flick of the wrist. It took his entire focus to deny the urge of consuming her soul. Instead, Vepxhal pulled Helice’s life force to him, wearing it like a mantle.

“The sacrifices one must make for one’s Master.”

The circle of power was complete and the glyphs fully charged. All that was left for Vephxhal to do was complete the binding, and this world would be opened to the void. Raising his arms to the sky, Vepxhal called upon the memories of Helice to complete the ritual.

Urgent shouts from the surviving worthless beings that inhabited this world cried out in fear as they fled the circle running for safety. Vepxhal grinned hungrily. Little did they know that soon there would be no place safe for them to run. All would be consumed. As the swirling power of soul energy infused the portal, Vepxhal called out as his voice reverberated off the stone walls of the pit.

“Oazuaxahl, Dark Lord of the Abyss, this world is yours for the taking!”

***

Location Earth / Megan Driscoll:

Racing down the slope Sergeant First Class Driscoll half carried one of the wounded Marine survivors under her arm as fighter jets screamed overhead. Repeatedly the ground bucked beneath their feet as massive explosions pounded the pit behind them. Still, no matter how much ordinance the fighters threw at the demons the eerie green light only seemed to be getting stronger.

Stopping for a second Megan eyed the Harrier Jump Jets roaring overhead, immediately recognizing the black Ace of Spades marking their wings. Why in the hell were the flights coming from the USS Essex Wood? Where was the USS Wasp squadrons?

“Decanus Driscoll, we’re being hunted.”

Looking over her shoulder, Megan saw Lar headed in her direction as his eyes scanned for pursuit. “How many and how long before they catch up to us?”

“Two patrols, three demons strong. If we keep everyone moving, maybe ten minutes.”

“Dammit!” Turning back towards the eighty or so wounded survivors struggling across the slippery wet rocks of the now empty lagoon, Megan burned with helpless rage. No working radios, their weapons were useless, and now they were being hunted like dogs. Gripping the shaft of the battle-axe in her hand until her knuckles turned white, Megan grimly met the large Minotaur’s grave eyes.

“Decanus Driscoll, we must keep moving.”

“Why? It’s not like we have anywhere to go. We’re on a freaking island.” Sweeping the battle-axe towards her broken battalion Megan’s strained voice snapped harshly. “What hope do we really have to give them? What are we going to do once the demons corner us?”

Lar pursed his thick black lips together thoughtfully before answering. “Like you, my Legion was shattered by the enemy we now fight. My shield-brothers slaughtered nearly to a bull by this great evil. Still, I believe their deaths were not in vain. Even now, I pray to Akras that their loss will pave the way for an alliance between our two peoples.” Shifting the wounded Marine he carried, Lar gripped her shoulder firmly. “My people have a saying. Where there is life, there is hope.”

Again Megan was amazed by the Minotaur’s honor and humanity. Feeling the pressure in her chest lessen Megan returned Lar’s solemn nod speaking softly. “Thank you.” Raising her voice, Megan began calling out orders. “Listen up Marines, we have incoming headed our way! We have ten minutes to reach that ridge if we are going to have any chance of surviving. Now move out!”

Surprisingly they made decent time across the lagoon. They’d just started climbing the stairs that led to the top of the island’s ridge from the port when they caught sight of the enemy half way across the dried lagoon. Even though she’d known they were coming, Megan’s heart still skipped a beat when she saw the terrifying creatures. She was so focused on the enemy that she didn’t hear the fighter jets’ strafing runs until they were right on top of them.

“Hoorah!” Weak cheers rang out around her as massive fireballs erupted on top of the advancing demons. As everyone stopped to watch, the Minotaurs around them began bellowing urgently.

“Vado … vado … vado!” (Go … go … go!)

Shaking herself into motion, Megan began calling out her own orders. “Come on Marines, we need to reach that ridge if we’re going to get out of this alive. Now go … go … go!”

A quick glance behind her showed the demons already striding out of the fiery cloud unharmed. Swearing Megan ruthlessly drove the survivors on screaming and yelling, while Lar and his bulls helped wherever they could. Tirelessly they carried the wounded that had collapsed from exhaustion and loss of blood to the top of the cliff. Below them, the lagoon was a continuous fireball as fighter jets laid down the heat in a massive wave of attacks.

Reaching the top of the Karavolades stairwell, Megan eased the wounded Marine she’d been carrying to the ground before collapsing in exhaustion beside him. All around her Marines simply collapsed where they stood. The explosions had stopped sometime during the climb, but by now the heat from the blast waves was making it difficult to even breathe. Unfortunately, that could only mean the demons were not far behind.

Sucking in ragged breaths Megan knew she had to get back up, but everything hurt, it felt like she’d been running and fighting nonstop for a week straight. She just needed a second to catch her breath. She was just closing her eyes when the clanking sounds of thudding hooves on concrete forced them back open. Looking back towards the stairs, Megan saw Lar and his bulls moving into a defensive position at the top of the steps. Even Legionnaire Angelus, who'd been beaten nearly to death, was there propped up against the handrail.

For a long moment, Megan could only stare at Lar’s armored back. Taking a deep breath, she called on the last of her willpower forcing her battered body to move. Climbing slowly to her feet Megan heaved the heavy battle-axe to her shoulder using both hands, before joining the Minotaurs for their last stand.

Even though the sun was shining the visibility was down to a hundred feet or less below the horizon. All around them, thick clouds of smoke billowed into the air from the fires. In the distance across the caldera to Nea Kameni, Megan could clearly see the eerie green light still shinning into the sky from the pit. As she watched portions of the green turned into shafts of pulsating blackness. Shaking her head Megan muttered grimly to Lar.

“That can’t be good. Any idea what those things are doing?”

Lar paused thoughtfully before answering. “All that I know of demons is from what I’ve learned facing them on the field of battle. In the stories of my people it is said that they are soul-eaters and the bane of all life, but more I do not know. Like you, I trust them not.”

Sudden movement below caught Megan’s eyes as the demons hunting them came into view climbing the stairs two abreast. Immediately the clanking sounds of the Minotaurs’ gauntlets shifting into blades echoed across the plateau as they prepared for battle.

“So I guess this is it. We’re going to die here, aren’t we?”

Looking over her shoulder at the sound of Corporal Porter’s voice, Megan saw the Corporal standing behind her with the rest of the Marines that could still fight. Some like her carried battle-axes that they’d taken from the battlefield while others were armed with nothing more than their survival knives. Baring her teeth, Megan turned back towards the approaching demons.

“You can fight to the death or die like a dog. It’s your choice, Corporal.”

“Semper Fi, Sergeant.”

Megan smiled grimly as the Marine Corps motto echoed through their ranks. Turning back towards the humans, the Minotaurs looked at one another in surprise. With a nod, their fists clanked against their breastplates as one in salute.

“Semper Fi.”

For once Megan didn’t need to translate the Minotaurs’ words to her people. There were no questions in any of their minds about fighting to the death. Most of them had already faced the horror of what awaited any of them if they were taken alive. As an animalistic roar from the stairway below shattered the moment, she heard a familiar throbbing sound fill the air.

Looking up incredulously, Megan saw four V-22 Ospreys roar into a hover above their position. Without fanfare the Marine transports began setting down in a tightly grouped formation on top of the ridge. This was the chance she’d been silently praying for. Spinning around Megan began calling out orders as the ramps started lowering on the still moving birds.

“Everyone help the wounded and load up. We’re getting the fuck out of here. Now go … go … go!” Megan was half way to the nearest Osprey setting down when she realized the Minotaurs hadn’t moved. Turning back around, she switched to her Drill Instructor voice bellowing at the wide-eyed bulls.

“Decanus Sestius Natalinus, get your legionnaires moving towards the transports. This is our ride out of here.” Seeing their questioning looks to one another Megan shouted the first thing that came to mind. “Stop standing around gawking like a bunch of dumb cows and get your asses moving. Now go … go … go!”

Lar’s black lips broke into a wry grin. “Spoken like a true Decanus.” With a quick look back down the stairs, Lar got his bulls moving. “Viridio, Liberalis, get Legionnaire Angelus to the transports. Garilianus, you’re with me.”

Turning back around Megan saw her people already loading up as Porter caught her eye with a wave from the ramp of the nearest Osprey. Giving him a ‘thumbs up’ she got the Minotaurs moving. As they approached the ramp, Megan heard Jordan yelling at the gunner nervously eying the approaching bulls through the sights of the M240 machine gun.

“If you don’t get your motherfucking hands off of that trigger, I’m going to beat the living shit out of you!”

The tense standoff turned into an all-out brawl between the flight crew and the surviving Marines as soon as Viridio and Liberalis started up the ramp with Angelus slung between their shoulders. Megan didn’t have time to watch the outcome. She was too busy dragging Lar and Garilianus back to the Osprey when the demons strode onto the plateau. Almost as one the four M240 machine guns opened fire.

Between the engines revving up and the machine guns firing nonstop, the intense noise was like a physical force beating at her ears as Megan shoved the bulls up the ramp ahead of her. As she passed the machine gun, Dion gave her a thumbs up from the gunner’s seat as the pilots gave full power to the engines, immediately the Osprey surged into the air.

For a second chaos reigned in the cargo hold as everyone scrambled for a handhold from the g-force of the full power liftoff. Megan felt herself tumbling uncontrollably back down the still open ramp when a thick muscular arm snagged her out of the air. A heavy musk scent surrounded her as a familiar deep bass spoke urgently into her ear.

“I’ve got you, Driscoll!” Sagging in relief, Megan looked out at the fading island when suddenly thick bolts of green lightning began shooting into the sky around Nea Kameni.

Open mouthed Megan stared in horror as dark clouds laced with green fire began billowing into the air like a volcanic eruption. In the middle of the fiery mass, a massive archway began taking shape, towering above the island in just a matter of seconds. As soon as the swirling black doorway to the arch solidified, dark winged shapes began shooting into the sky as a massive winged demon stepped out into the middle of the pit.

Behind her, Megan heard Lar’s sharp intake of breath. “Akras protect us!”

The End … until Book three.

Glossary