Harvest of the Gods (5 page)

A tree branch bent down and knocked me back into an iron fence. I gasped as other plants came to life and began battling everyone else. I looked ahead and Demeter smiled back at me, waving her fingers in a sassy way more appropriate for a fifteen-year-old girl than a goddess, before turning around and continuing to flee. I cursed and got to my feet, cutting back the attacking plants with my claws as the others pretty much did the same. All except Azrael who was using his scythe in a way that was probably not religiously approved but worked really well with foliage.

We trimmed enough back that we could make a run for it, now knowing to beware of the plants as we continued to chase Demeter. She had managed to gain quite a distance on us with that latest trick and we could only watch with horror as she reached the palace and ran up the steps toward thick vines that fell down from the ceiling. They lifted her up like an acrobat with Cirque du Soleil, to the opening of an air shaft.

Before I could start screaming in frustration, Azrael sailed past us overhead. Both the Froekn and Intare started shouting in encouragement as we ran along beneath him and it looked as if Demeter was as good as caught. Except just as Azrael was reaching the air shaft, another vine snaked out of the plant covered ceiling and wound tight around him, holding him back as Demeter was lifted up into safety.

Azrael's wings fluttered, beating at the vines like a moth against the side of a lantern. I watched helplessly as one of the vines snaked around his neck and tightened, his hands tearing at it, pulling it away only to fight the next vine that took its place. He was soon overwhelmed, covered in thick, glossy vines which writhed about him like snakes.

“Azrael!” I screamed as I ran.

The vines suddenly released him and Azrael began to
plummet to the ground, unconscious. I screamed and ran faster but it was Kirill who reached him in time, catching my fallen angel as if he were no more than a feather pillow. He carried Azrael back to us as I continued to run forward, meeting them halfway. I caught up with them and my hands went immediately to Az's face.

“
He's fine, Tima,” Kirill reassured me. “Zere ve go,” Azrael's eyes fluttered open and Kirill put him on his feet carefully.

“
Az,” I looked him over, watching as the bruises from the vines disappeared.

“
I'm okay,” Az frowned up and over his shoulder at the opening Demeter had disappeared through. “Thank you for the catch, Kirill,” he looked back at Kirill and they exchanged nods. “I'm sorry to have failed you, Carus.”

“
It was a valiant effort,” Fenrir had come up behind us. “Thank you for trying.”

“
So what now?” I grimaced and took the hands of both Kirill and Azrael as I looked up at Demeter's statue. Trevor came up beside us and then wandered further up onto the veranda.

There was no point in rushing now. Fenrir had sent a group of wolves racing back to the surface in a last ditch effort but he stayed behind with us, knowing as well as we did that it was in vain. The plants at least had simmered down now that their goddess was gone but there was an obvious feeling of frustration permeating the air.

“We can set up a guard at the tracing building,” I suggested as I tromped over to the steps of Demeter's palace. “We'll catch her if she comes back.”

“
We'll have to leave more than one,” Fenrir griped. “You saw what she can do against just a few of us. What she did to me.”

“
We've been a little too focused on finding her,” I nodded. “We never stopped to consider what we'd do if we actually did. Find her, that is. Maybe we should search the palace,” I waved an arm back toward the massive building. “We might luck out and learn something useful.”

“
Alright,” Fenrir nodded and called some Froekn forward to help us as Trevor, Az, Kirill, and I went on in.

I let go of my men as I wandered through the wide hallways of the palace, glancing through richly appointed rooms that kept to the Greek theme. It was all very vibrant, a lot of rich fabrics and chaise lounges with several indoor fountains bubbling away merrily, but nothing jumped out at me as a personal space where she might keep important information.

Then upstairs, I found a more modern looking room. An office, with a sturdy wood desk, silk carpets, and bookshelves filled with books. It had access to the balcony at the front of the palace and was afforded a dramatic view of the underworld gardens. I disregarded the view and sat in the chair behind the desk, where I started rummaging through drawers as the guys searched the rest of the room.

Pencils and pens, scissors, tape, all your standard office detritus. Then I found the files. In a bottom drawer, stuck neatly in hanging folders, were files on me and the Froekn. I pulled them out slowly, unable to believe I'd actually found proof of Demeter's persecution of me.

“Damn Dementor,” I hissed as I spread the files out on the desk.

“
What's that?” Trevor came over to see my find, along with Kirill and Azrael.

“
Folders on all of us,” I handed Trevor his file. “Looks like she's had us followed. There's pictures of me at the grocery store, the mall... Ross,” I looked up in shock. “I can't even shop for some savings without being spied on.”

“
She has my Moonshine schedule here,” Trevor flipped through pages, the folder looking small in his werewolf paws. “As well as Ty's.”

“
She has information on all the Froekn,” Azrael was flipping through pages in yet another folder. Here's one on Fenrir, and... whoa, that's me.” He held up an 8x10 glossy of himself, leaning against the outside of my house.

“
I remember that,” I reached for the picture and he handed it over. “I was picking oranges in the front yard and you were keeping me company. We went out to dinner afterward at-”

“
Morton's?” Az held up another picture of the two of us at dinner.

“
What the fuck?” I took that from him too. “This woman has no life. This is a really nice shot of you though,” I held up the picture of him at my house. “I think I'll frame that.”

“
You're going to frame a picture of me?” Azrael gave me a goofy grin.

“
Seriously?” Trevor gaped back and forth between me and Az. “We've got fucking spy folders on us here and you two are getting googly eyed over one of the surveillance photos?”

“
That's a pretty nice shot of you right there,” I pointed to one in Trevor's pile.

“
Really?” He looked down and grinned, “yeah it's kinda- damn it, Vervain! Stop that.”

I laughed and grabbed the picture from him. When I did, a note slipped out and fell on the desk in front of me. I frowned and picked it up. It was hand-written and short.

“Your order is ready,” I read aloud, “and it's signed M.A.. What the hell is this?”

“
Order?” Kirill took the paper from me and frowned at it. “Zat can't be good.”

“
Let's just take it all with us,” I gestured at the whole lot. “Fenrir's going to want to see this too.”

“
Yeah, and you'll be wanting to keep these aside,” Trevor handed me the two photos of him and Azrael.”

“
Thanks,” I grinned and took them. “Did you find anything else?”

“
Just normal stuff,” Trevor held up a picture of Persephone as a little girl. She looked just as she had in the memory I'd seen of her in the Aether. “Should we take this for Persephone?”

“
No,” I frowned. “Put it back, this will all be hers if we kill Demeter. I think that's soon enough for her to be getting back pictures of herself.”

“
Oh,” Trevor put the frame back on a shelf, “yeah, good point.”

“
Did you guys find anything?” Max, one of the Froekn, poked his head into the room. “We've cleared out the rest of the place and the Valdyr wants to head out.”

“
Yeah, we found something,” Trevor held up the stack of files. “Tell Dad we'll be right out.”

“
Right,” Max nodded, his eyes on the folders, before he left.

We gathered it all together and went out to find Fenrir waiting for us in front of the palace with an eager expression on his face.

“What did you find?” He asked as soon as we were in hearing range.

“
She's been spying on us,” Trevor held up the folders he was carrying.

“
How many of those are there?” He frowned when Kirill and Az both held up a stack.

“
A lot,” I motioned us forward. “We've got them all so we can look over them when we get back to your Hall.”

“
Alright,” Fenrir looked grim but he turned and started walking back through the gardens with us.

“
There was a strange note in Trevor's file,” I avoided the plants hanging out into the path, even though they seemed to be dormant. “Something about an order that was ready.”

“
What's that?” Fenrir had stopped, blocking most of the path, and cocked his head to the side.

“
I said-”

“
No,” he cut me off with a slashing motion. “I heard something. It sounded like a female crying.”

Everyone quieted and sure enough, there was the soft sound of a woman's tears on the breeze. I sniffed the air, caught the scent of a human and took off down another path, with the rest of them following close on my heels.

I followed the scent through a field of tulips and past thick hedges cut into strange shapes. They were guarding a Greek villa, a long building with the door set into one of the short ends. It was locked but a swift kick took care of that, and it opened onto a hallway with several doors. The crying was coming from the last door on the right.

“
Hey,” I called through the barred panel in the door. The woman inside was wrapped only in a sheet. She looked up from where she was huddled on a bed, startled. “It's okay, we're here to
help.”

“
Move aside,” Fenrir moved me gently but firmly out of his way, and simply pulled the door from its frame.

The woman stared at him in shock, holding the sheet to herself like a shield, and a part of me shrank back at the look, just as Fenrir did. I know what she saw and I know why it frightened her but I hated to see that look on Fenrir's face, especially when he was trying to play the savior. I wished the world would see past his scars for once, past the massive height and breadth of him, and see what I saw. I was just about to say something about it to her when she spoke.

“Are you with Demeter?” Her voice shook for a second but then she seemed to reach deep and find some courage. She stood up to face us. “I'm not going to make it easy for you. You'll have to kill me this time and I promise you, I'll take as much of you with me as I can.”

Fenrir's face cleared as he realized it wasn't his appearance that had bothered her, just the fact that he was there, period. He held up a hand and smiled gently.

“No one wants to hurt you,” Fenrir's voice was soft and there was a tone to it I'd never heard before. “We came here to kill Demeter. She's murdered several of my wolves and tried to kill my first son,” he waved a hand and I looked back to see Trevor standing partially in the doorway.

“
Wolves?” Her eyes went wide, her dark hair falling in wild disarray around her and making them appear even bigger. “You're the Wolf God?”

“
Yes,” he looked her over like she was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen before and she started to look at him as if he were salvation itself. “Who are you?”

“
My name is Emma,” she wrapped the sheet more firmly
around herself with a decisive motion. “Emma Langston. I'm a zoologist specializing in wolves. Demeter hired me to advise her on wolf behavior but I guess I asked too many questions, found too many answers. I know what she is and what you are.”

“
Oh? What am I then?” Fenrir stared at her intensely and I willed her to say something kind, something good.

“
Atlanteans,” she shrugged. “An advanced race. You in particular though, you can become a wolf. You're the first werewolf and boy does she hate you. You and someone called the Godhunter. She
really
hates him.”

“
Yeah it's a her not a him, and that'll be me,” I raised my hand like I was at school.

“
Oh,” Emma looked happily surprised.

“
And what do you think of us?” Fenrir wasn't going to let it go.

“
Atlanteans or werewolves?” She tilted her head to look up at him and I realized she was fairly tall, maybe even six feet. Of course, Fenrir still towered over her.

“
We call ourselves Froekn,” Fenrir laughed and she seemed to become even more fascinated with his face. I didn't blame her, Fenrir's sex appeal went up exponentially when he laughed. “And you can start with us. Do we scare you?”

“
Are you kidding?” She frowned at him. “I've been held here for months, beaten and abused by that monster and you think I'm frightened of a wolf?”