Authors: Steven Montano
Soulrazor (22 page)
The team moved on. They kept their guns trained on the forest. The sounds of the walking tower echoed from the crater.
Kane motioned for them to stop. Black’s spirit raced back to her with such force it almost knocked her over. There was a pair of sentries ahead, likely positioned to discourage approach from that direction.
Kane signaled everyone to remain quiet, handed his M4A1 to Black, and ducked down so he could move forward through the trees. She was going to call out to him, but by the time she realized what he was doing he was already too far down the path for her to risk saying anything out loud.
God damn it.
They waited. Ronan looked angry, but Black was sure that had more to do with the fact that Kane was the one doing the killing, and not him. Maur grumbled softly to himself and fidgeted with his mini-Uzi, while Ash sent her spirit back to make sure nothing approached from behind. They were just as worried about Bloodwolves as they were about alerting their mysterious adversaries.
Kane returned just two minutes later, moments after Black sent her spirit out to find him. It quickly discovered the two life forms were gone. Kane had blood on his arms, and it wasn’t his.
“
Machine gun nest,” he said quietly. “200 yards away, right over the tunnel entrance. We should be able to get down to the crater from there.”
Machine gun nest,” he said quietly. “200 yards away, right over the tunnel entrance. We should be able to get down to the crater from there.”
As Kane promised, the machine gun nest was right at the edge of the trees, concealed from plain site by the angle of the ridge above the tunnel entrance a good thirty feet below. The bodies of the two sentries had been pulled to the side and covered with a tarp they’d used to conceal their position.
Black realized they never would have seen the nest from the ground or even from the other end of the ridge, and the Browning M2, which was mounted on a massive folding tripod, would have made life difficult for her team had they tried to approach across the crater floor. Kane checked the weapon to make sure it was in working order.
“
This is going to be fun,” he said.
This is going to be fun,” he said.
“
I doubt it,” Black said quietly. “We still don’t know what we’re dealing with, but we should be able to get a better idea now that we’re at the tunnel. Ronan, watch our backs. Maur, get the explosives ready.”
I doubt it,” Black said quietly. “We still don’t know what we’re dealing with, but we should be able to get a better idea now that we’re at the tunnel. Ronan, watch our backs. Maur, get the explosives ready.”
Black and Ash moved as close to the edge of the nest as they could, and they could almost see the ground below. The steep grade would allow them to slide right down to the crater floor. The tower walker was a few hundred yards away, but thankfully it moved in the other direction, with its entourage of mercenaries in tow.
Ash sent out her spirit, while Black kept hers close by. The air went cold. A phantom wind blew into the crater. Ash’s hair lifted and her eyes glazed white. Her breaths turned to cold steam.
Unlike Danica, Ash was a true tracker, and she could deploy her spirit out to considerable distances so it could uncover details of what lie ahead, but that method of arcane scouting only worked if there was no interference. Unfortunately, Ash quickly discovered arcane residue from some substance they couldn’t identify that suffused the area and made it difficult to get any accurate arcane readings. Still, she reassured Black she’d still be able to gather information…it would just be difficult.
Whatever they’re looking for doesn’t want to be found,
Black thought.
Whatever it is that’s causing this disturbance is probably the same substance they’re trying to unearth.
Black thought.
Whatever it is that’s causing this disturbance is probably the same substance they’re trying to unearth.
Less than a minute after she’d sent her spirit out, Ash’s eyes snapped open.
“
I found Cross,” she said.
I found Cross,” she said.
“
Holy shit, he’s here?!” Kane said excitedly.
Holy shit, he’s here?!” Kane said excitedly.
“
Is he all right?” Black asked.
Is he all right?” Black asked.
“
It’s hard to say. Whatever meteoric substance made this crater interferes with spirit activity. I think it also…distorts things.”
It’s hard to say. Whatever meteoric substance made this crater interferes with spirit activity. I think it also…distorts things.”
Black watched Ash carefully. She was confused.
“
What do you mean, ‘distorts thing’?”
What do you mean, ‘distorts thing’?”
“
It…it’s hard to explain. I get the sense that…I’ve been here before. Even though I know I haven’t.” She looked at Black. “Do you know what I mean?”
It…it’s hard to explain. I get the sense that…I’ve been here before. Even though I know I haven’t.” She looked at Black. “Do you know what I mean?”
She looks through the doorway. She sees the ship on the shore near the black keep, and the shadow of a woman, a haze of dust and particles of onyx glass. She sees a rusted sky and a cold crater, and something inside of it calls to her, something ancient and frozen, a shard of alien debris. It does not belong there, on their world, in that time.
“
Yes,” she said. “I can’t explain it, but I have a feeling whatever it is, it’s the same thing that got Korva kicked out of The Revengers. She was digging for something. Searching for something.”
Get a hold of yourself.
“How many soldiers are there?”
Yes,” she said. “I can’t explain it, but I have a feeling whatever it is, it’s the same thing that got Korva kicked out of The Revengers. She was digging for something. Searching for something.”
Get a hold of yourself.
“How many soldiers are there?”
“
Another half-dozen, not counting those men in the field,” Ash said. “I think I sensed undead, as well, but not vampires. Something else.” Ash stared off into space for a moment. “It’s hard to get a feel for
what
, though.”
Another half-dozen, not counting those men in the field,” Ash said. “I think I sensed undead, as well, but not vampires. Something else.” Ash stared off into space for a moment. “It’s hard to get a feel for
what
, though.”
“
Who cares?” Kane said impatiently. “We need to get down there.”
Who cares?” Kane said impatiently. “We need to get down there.”
“
Cool it, Mike,” Black said. She peeked over the ridge and spied the walker in the distance. “I wish I knew what the hell they were looking for.”
Cool it, Mike,” Black said. She peeked over the ridge and spied the walker in the distance. “I wish I knew what the hell they were looking for.”
She looked into the trees. Her spirit felt hot against her skin. Something deep in her stomach clenched tight, a sense of fear.
They were close to something powerful. Something that shouldn’t have been tampered with, and she knew that Korva was responsible. Black ran through scenarios in her mind and tried to recall Korva’s tactics and capabilities. She thought of the last firefight they’d had there in the Bonespire, and she went through everything that had gone wrong.
She couldn’t afford to lose anyone else from the team, but she had trouble envisioning a plan that didn’t get them all killed.
“
We have to get inside,” she said. “We have to find Eric. But I don’t want to get caught in a cross-fire.” She looked at Kane, and signaled for Ronan to close in with them. Maur had prepped both of their C4 blocks. Ash called her spirit back.
We have to get inside,” she said. “We have to find Eric. But I don’t want to get caught in a cross-fire.” She looked at Kane, and signaled for Ronan to close in with them. Maur had prepped both of their C4 blocks. Ash called her spirit back.
They all looked at Black, expectant and waiting. They trusted her, in spite of who she was, in spite of what she’d been. They waited for her to tell them what to do, to get them through this charge into the jaws of death.
I’m not who you think I am
, she wanted to tell them.
I don’t deserve your trust. I don’t deserve to have you put your lives in my hands.
, she wanted to tell them.
I don’t deserve your trust. I don’t deserve to have you put your lives in my hands.
But, right then, she knew she didn’t have any choice.
“
What do we do, Chief?” Kane said with a smile. She met his gaze, nodded, and told them her plan.
What do we do, Chief?” Kane said with a smile. She met his gaze, nodded, and told them her plan.
Black, Ronan and Maur moved towards the edge of the hill, belly-down and silent. They crawled over 200 feet away from the machine-gun nest and waited for Kane’s signal.
The burst of the Browning cut through the silence. The roar was so loud that even at that distance Danica heard little else. A blaze of white machinegun fire perforated the dark earth and ripped up chunks of loose soil.
Kane looked like he held on for dear life as he fired the weapon. Spent shells soared into the air, and Black saw steam rise from his position.
Danica had no idea the Browning would be so accurate at that range. Kane cut two of the mercenaries down: one had both of his legs blown off, and the other was thrown back with little left of his head. Rounds pounded into the walking tower, but most of them bounced away with the clatter of metal-on-metal.
As expected, Kane drew enemy fire right away, and he and Ash ducked down behind the nest. The tower had some sort of motorgun mounted on its crenellated face, and the rotating barrels ejected large bursts that tore into the hillside.
The remaining four mercenaries returned fire with automatic weapons, but they were too far away to be accurate. Rather, the suppressing fire was meant to keep Kane’s and Ash’s heads down while the tower advanced on their position.
The warlock captain stood back and assessed the situation, just as Black had hoped he would. She sensed his spirit as it probed the area. He’d find Black and the others soon, but not soon enough.
Black motioned to Maur, and the Gol set the detonator on the dual blocks of C4, which he’d bound together into an explosive the size of a lunchbox. Black took hold of the block and had her spirit lift it up and away. The chunk of explosive clay carried like a leaf in the wind.
Bullets sprayed. The tower shambled along on the ground. Its motorgun blared with staccato force. A smoke grenade flew up and out of the machine-gun nest and popped on the ground, where it produced a stream of grey fog.
Kane would now move back around the hill and reposition himself close to the southern end of the crater, while Ash would stay low, exactly in the spot where she and Kane had been, the last place the mercs would expect her to be.
As soon as the smoke popped, Black sent her spirit forward with the C4 in its grip. The mage’s spirit detected hers and attacked, and the two wraith forms grappled in a tangle of ethereal tendrils and smoking limbs. Danica reeled in pain as a spike of arcane force punched through her spirit’s ashen body, but she helped him retaliate as a blast of charnel heat.
Black’s spirit held the C4 in its grip just outside of the melee even as it fought. The explosive skirted the chaos like a bird trapped at the outskirts of a storm.
The mage knew where the team was hidden. He screamed and directed the mercenaries. The tower shambled, its crab-legs dug into the mud, and its motorgun turned. Danica saw men in the corbelled apex of the tower, helmeted gunners who were nearly invisible against the body of black steel.
The team moved. Ronan led the way as they scrambled down the hill. The motorgun shots were thankfully inaccurate at that distance. Chunks of earth flew into the air behind them. If they paused for more than a second they’d be perforated by ball-ammo the size of oranges. The groan of winding chain metal buzzed like a factory sound.
Ash’s spirit soared up and over the ridge and came down on the tower in sparks of dark rain. Fire sizzled and perforated the walking device. Men screamed as bolts of heated metal scoured their flesh. The tower shifted and blasted the hillside.
Black, Ronan and Maur raced across open ground, desperate to cover the distance between themselves and the tower while both the mercs and the mage were distracted by Ash’s attack. Loamy earth blasted up around their feet.
Black’s and the mage’s spirit battled with arcane tendrils and drill-like claws made of smoke and flame.
The mage saw them when they were a hundred yards out. His eyes bled black and his flesh smoked from the effort it took to pull his spirit away from Danica’s.
Kane arrived at his position near the south ridge. More rounds from the Browning pounded the earth and rattled the tower, and the air rang with metal noise. The mercenaries hesitated, confused, and they were promptly cut down by Ronan as he charged forward with his MP5.
Danica barely managed to fuse her spirit into a shield before the warlock’s angry war ghost hammered them with limbs like bladed hammers. Spectral white energies rained down. Danica’s skin burned with the effort of keeping the team safe from the assault.
But the plan worked. Ash’s spirit, now ignored, soared through the air like a ghostly serpent and wound himself around the block of C4, which Danica’s spirit still held with a spectral limb extended to the periphery of the battle. Ash’s spirit clamped the explosive to the side of the walking tower. Black sensed when Maur hit the detonator, and she yelled to everyone to get down.
The blast ripped off the top of the tower and split open the metal face of the moving iron juggernaut. Fire roared up and out of the wounded vehicle as the men in the gunner’s nest fell, flaming, to the earth. The mechanical legs buckled, and the tower tipped.
The mage rose from where he’d fallen. Half of his face had burned away, but his hands still crackled with arcane energy, dismal electric fire that dripped from his fingers like caustic sludge.
Black promptly skewered him with a spear of dark fire, and his eyes glazed over as he stood there, impaled and immobile, until Ronan grew tired of his moans and sliced off his head.
“
Move!” Black yelled. She signaled Kane and Ash to come join them from their separate positions on the ridge.
Move!” Black yelled. She signaled Kane and Ash to come join them from their separate positions on the ridge.
The air was brittle and thick. Smoke poured into the sky, and blood soaked the already dank soil.
For a moment, Black thought she glimpsed another silhouette, a shadow of a man there on the field, but quickly it was gone, and when she searched for the presence there was nothing to be found. They pressed on.
Black, Ronan and Maur moved towards the guarded tunnel entrance stood directly beneath the machinegun nest. The area ahead of the hole bore tracks from both the iron tower and the men who’d accompanied it. The tunnel mouth was wide and dark and was partially blocked with stacks of equipment and crates of ammo.
The cave sucked the light from the air. They were only a few feet into the tunnel and yet couldn’t see anything without the use of the flares they’d gathered from some open crates. The temperature was twenty degrees cooler just inside the cave than it was outside. Danica’s breath and she shivered in place, but as tempting as it was to use her spirit to keep them warm she sent him ahead, past a small camp and into the labyrinth of supplies to determine what lay ahead.
Other books
Vienna by William S. Kirby
The Hotel 2 (The Billionaire Seduction) by Darling, Lola
A Witch's Feast by C.N. Crawford
Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
Amigos en las altas esferas by Donna Leon
A Perfect Bond by Lee-Ann Wallace
LaBrava by Elmore Leonard
A Cat Was Involved by Spencer Quinn
The Potter's Daughter (Literary Series) by Smith, Daniel Arthur
The Amish Seamstress by Mindy Starns Clark
