Songs of the Earth (13 page)

"Tristan?" Elder Koller's voice sounded tired. "Janus, Craig Stoiler is in my town. I thought he was executed?" I was trying to hold on to my temper so I could get information, but I was ready to strangle someone.
For two weeks, we'd tracked Stoiler after he'd come though Clearwater, torturing and murdering friends on the way. We'd cornered the rogue in Seattle and it was Ushna who'd subdued him and saved my life. It was the first time I had seen the warrior's' Lupe battle form. Their presence and power freed me that night in so many ways. Now, a dead man walked the streets of my town. In my fucking territory again, and this time he hadn't come alone.
"I didn't know he was still alive until I got a call this morning. He was sentenced to death. Elder Evander Lake, who's in charge of the detention center, took custody of him and was supposed to effect the immediate termination of Craig Stoiler. Unbeknownst to the rest of the council, Elder Lake didn't carry out the sentencing, but kept Stoiler alive for questioning. Stoiler broke out of the detention center three days ago. An investigation will be conducted into Elder Lake's actions, but right now we're trying to track down and recapture the prisoner, along with those who helped him to escape. Have you seen him? I was told the trackers lost him in Ohio yesterday. I would've called you if I thought he was coming for you."
"You should've notified me anyway." I couldn't believe Janus hadn't called me. He had forgotten I was his king and he was responsible to me. I understood the rest of council was not aware of the emergence of the royal line yet, and they would have to learn how to immediately report things such as this to me. They were going to have to learn fast because I wouldn't tolerate this lack of communication again, especially from Janus who was already aware of my identity. "How'd he escape?"
"Thirty members of Tribe Uras are missing. We believe they helped Craig get away. So many innocent people were killed in his escape." Janus's voice was choked with emotion.
"Didn't it occur to anyone Ushna would be a target after he captured Craig?" I asked in exasperation. My mind was stuck on the number thirty. How come so many were helping a serial killer? It made no sense. I was trying to not panic. It was taking forever to get home. I needed to see Ushna and make sure he was okay.
"Look, Janus, see if there are warriors nearby that you can send to help me." There were too many people on the ranch to evacuate and no safe location to send them to.
The elder's voice was stronger now, more authoritative. "I'll see what I can do."
"And Janus, when this is over, some things are going to change."
I snapped the phone shut as we turned into the driveway. I was amazed we hadn't lost Adbel-Hakim. My desire to see Ushna, to make sure he was all right, was overwhelming.
Ushna stormed over to the truck. We'd barely parked before I was climbing over Michael and out the door, meeting Ushna before he could make it to me. For a moment, my thoughts were stuck on a loop chanting ‘Ushna's okay' over and over again.
Rationally, I knew Craig couldn't have beaten me to the ranch, but I wasn't feeling very rational. I was so glad he was okay that I grabbed his hair and smashed my lips against his in a fervent kiss. He was stunned for all of two seconds before he responded, crushing me to him, moaning into my mouth. I could do anything,
endure
anything, with him by my side. Anything.
He clutched me to him. "You're okay," he breathed in my ear and I had to smile because his words echoed my thoughts. "Corey told me Michael called and said you'd identified Craig Stoiler's scent in town. I thought I was going to go out of my ever-lovin' mind."
He kissed me tenderly, saying everything without words, and I responded as I pushed all my love for him into the kiss.
Reluctantly, he pulled away. "Where have you been?"
"Grocery store," I said simply. A throat was cleared behind us and Ushna' narrowed his eyes at Adbel-Hakim. "We have a problem." I quickly told him what had happened in town and Hakim's opinion about it being an Avatar.
Corey came around the side of the house with the rest of the warriors. He handed armor and weapons to Juan and Michael. It had been a long time since I'd seen or wore warrior's armor. Black-plated vests and pants were fitted over tough, impenetrable nylon body suits, a recent Lycan innovation that had come out about a year before we left Georgia. The suits were flexible for better mobility. The swords were normally passed down in the family from a relative who'd previously served as a warrior. I had plans to add more to their staple weaponry. The update was long overdue.
Ushna had slipped into the house and returned dressed like the other warriors. He carried with him an extra vest, which he tried to put on me. The snakes on my chest moved in agitation, as if they were protesting the covering. I ran a soothing hand down my chest as Ushna started buckling me up.
"We only have sensors in place on the east and south side," Corey was saying. "We will be blind from the north and west. I've pulled all the men in. I didn't get any response from Samuel, who was covering the north, or Tanner, who was in the west, so I expect to be compromised from those directions."
I introduced Adbel-Hakim to everyone, reverting to Arabic. "Adbel-Hakim was with me when we scented Craig in town. He said he scented an Avatar. I don't know what an Avatar is and asked for his help."
Ushna snaked an arm around me from behind, drawing me closer to him.
"An Avatar," stated Abdel-Hakim, "is a vessel a God uses to manifest in this world. The vessel is usually someone of a special bloodline, born with a divine mark of the deity or its offspring. It makes the person accessible to the God for possession. The vessel is not always possessed, and maybe only for a certain task or purpose. When possessed, the person has no will, their own being overpowered by the will of the God. The vessel is more powerful than they normally are, but the Avatar is not as powerful as the God or a demi-God. The Avatar can be destroyed. This will weaken the God for a period of time."
Corey looked down at the ground, hands on his slim hips, his intricate blond braids hiding his face. Security was his responsibility and his job had become inherently harder. "So we don't know who the Avatar is. If it's Craig or someone who's with Craig. The Avatar may not be anyone we know."
"All we can do is prepare for the worst," I said. "What I'd like to know is why a God would choose an Avatar? Gods and Goddesses have been appearing left and right around here."
Ushna replied, "To hide their identity from us or other Gods. They don't want to be identified because there could be stiff consequences for their actions."
I started taking off my boots, which drew everyone's attention. Ushna gave me a fabulous scowl. "I want all noncombatants in the house. Someone call Nathan. He's in town at his practice but we need him here." I could feel the snakes of the Caduceus getting more agitated, pushing at my vest. Nausea rolled thought me, and I ignored it.
"What the hell are you doing, Tristan?" Ushna demanded. I could see him struggle to keep from grabbing me. I tried to give him a saucy smile and failed miserably as I sat on the porch to tug off my cowboy boots. My snakes moved more frantically and I quickly unbuckled the vest, tossed it away, and took off my shirt as they pulled slowly out of my flesh, slithering up my chest to wrap around my arms, their heads resting and watchful on my shoulders. Hakim gave a strangled sound, and I thought he was going to drop to his knees again.
Ushna grabbed my chin and looked into my eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, they really didn't like being covered." My stomach settled.
"Stick close to me," Ushna ordered, making me smile at him.
"White on rice," I quipped before giving him a quick peck on the lips.
"I should be able to feel who is near, but I need to be connected to the Earth." I pulled off my socks and threw my discarded clothing on the porch. "What type of firearms do we have?"
"The warriors have their Class One swords," Corey replied.
I paused for a moment. "No guns?"
"I gave the women a handgun. My men have a couple of rifles, but that's it," said Randy as he walked up.
My foreman was wearing a white linen tunic with matching pants, the edges embroidered with deep purple orchids. A wide copper-plated belt held two wide-tipped scimitars, one on each hip. His riotous curls were tied back at the nape of his neck.
"My men are getting their things together and will be ready in five minutes," Randy replied as if he dressed for battle every day.
Any questions I had for him would have to wait. "I don't have a weapon." I looked at Ushna, but it was Gregori who answered.
Gregori was dressed very differently from the warriors. I was alarmed. He wore a silk robe of light bluegray, setting off the color of his expressive eyes. He wore a thick silver band across his brow, which held a finely woven chain net that covered his hair, containing it. He had no defense! He'd be slaughtered if a wolf made it to him. What the hell was he thinking? What was
I
thinking? I knew he didn't fight, but before I could protest, he walked away.
Over by the parked cars were circles of ‘special' grass. I had no idea what they were called. Sure, they grew four to five feet tall but it was still grass. I hadn't cared what they were called when Ushna had planted them.
Gregori walked over to one of the areas, carefully picked a long stalk of grass, and started chanting as he walked back to us. The thin stalk of grass shimmered, transforming into a bastard sword. The handle was gold with a lion's head at the end of the pommel. The blade looked like steel until sunlight glinted off it, giving it the look of green glass.
Gregori handed the sword to me pommel first and I gingerly took it, not sure of the quality. The feel, the weight of it, was that of a true sword. I swung it lightly, testing the balance, and found it to be perfect.
A grin split my face. "Thanks! This is awesome!"
Gregori's eyes dropped and he blushed a brilliant red. "It's temporary. It will revert back to grass by dawn."
"Plenty of time," I said.
I touched his arm. "Gregori…" I wanted to demand he stay in the house, but I saw the stubborn set of his shoulders, his hard silver-gray eyes, mouth pressed thin as if he knew what I was about to say. I couldn't do it. "What are your plans for defense?"
"I have the golem," he said, indicating the unmoving figure sitting at the end of the porch. It was so inanimate I hadn't seen it until now.
"Will it be enough?" I couldn't help but ask.
Gregori nodded. Behind him, Juan moved, catching my eye and giving me a small nod before he looked at the back of Gregori's head. Relief flooded through me, knowing my friend would be protected.
I hurried off the porch and found a spot of loose dirt to bury my feet in. I'd noticed over the last several days my affinity for the Earth continually strengthened. Weeks ago, when Ushna had been shot, I was able to hear the Earth calling even while I was in the house. Extracting the bullet from Ushna had made me pass out. Now, it didn't matter where I was, I could feel her, but it was always much better when I was able to touch the soil. Burying my feet firmly anchored me and her song rushed up to meet me.
I returned the Earth's greeting. My deep baritone reverberated in the air, thick with expectation. I sang, asking for assistance, and she opened herself to me. For a moment I was overwhelmed. I could feel the vitality in the ground all around me. Plants, insects, rabbits, prairie dogs, mice… the abundance of life exchanging energy with the Earth. But I was anchored and the riot of energy subsided into background noise as I tentatively searched outward toward the north and west. I was looking for my absent Lycans.
Unexpectedly, I came upon a Shirdal, Corleone, on the western edge of the property perimeter. I would've passed him by, but he called to me. He'd scented blood on the air and traces of several Lycans. I asked what he'd seen. I understood there were many bodies and when I asked how many, he could only tell me 'numerous'. I sang a farewell, but he held me, asking if I was going into battle. When I replied in the affirmative, Corleone let out a joyful trumpeting cry that we could hear at the ranch.
Dead bodies had no energy that I could identify through the Earth, leaving me blind to the identities of the people. Since Tanner and Samuel were missing, it was possible one if not both of my men lay with the slaughtered. I had chosen to be optimistic and continued to search for my warriors. When I couldn't find them I began to pull back into myself. Closer to the ranch than I expected, I found one of the missing men being pursued by five energies that felt wrong, twisted, and warped. My warrior, Samuel, was like a burning light against their darkness.
Samuel was close enough so when I opened my eyes, I could see him running toward me in his wolf form. Smartly, Samuel jumped over one of Gregori's traps. The entanglement spell tripped and thick spiky vines burst from the ground, snagging one of the following wolves, engulfing it and dragging it mercilessly to the ground while snipers from the rooftops took down two more wolves.
With a silent signal to Ushna, I became pure action. I hefted the bastard sword and headed toward Samuel. I heard cussing behind me from Corey, but I ignored it, and with Ushna at my side, went to meet the threat. Randy ran next to me, both scimitars in hand as Samuel joined us, positioning himself between us.
I dropped and rolled, thrusting my sword into the belly of the wolf that'd jumped to attack me. The sword cut through the underbelly like butter and blood rained down on me before the momentum of the wolf's leap carried him past me. On my back, I saw Ushna behead the wolf before it hit the ground.
I rolled to my feet and pointed north with my bloody sword. In the pasture were wolves and they were coming toward us. There were more than the thirty Janus had told me were missing from Tribe Uras. They were more cautious than the ones who'd chased Samuel. Standing in the middle of the pack in human form was Craig Stoiler, serial killer and ex-warrior. He looked worse than he had in Seattle, more like a walking skeleton than a live man.
Craig and his wolves stopped just out of rifle range, regarding us silently. Gregori came up next to me, robe billowing around him, followed by his golem. I didn't have time to take in the golem's monstrosity, but a quick glance gave me the impression of something huge and rock-like, imbued with stillness. The thing wasn't breathing. Everything about it was disconcerting, to say the least.