The Templar Chronicles (64 page)

“What do you think?” he asked his executive officer.

Riley gazed out over the abandoned encampment for a long moment and then, “They’re out there. Somewhere. I can feel them.”

The other man nodded. “Yeah. Me, too. But we expected that. What I need to know is if we risk it?”

Riley turned toward him. “We don’t really have a choice, do we?” he asked, and Cade had to agree.

They didn’t have a choice. They’d come here to rescue Duncan and the only way to do that was to stroll right through the enemy’s camp and untie him from that pole. Anything else was just an obstacle they had to face in order to accomplish their mission.

Riley passed the word and the men formed up around Cade. They would enter the encampment and form a defensive perimeter around the pole while Cade checked on their teammate. If he was still alive, Cade would cut him down and they would retreat as expeditiously as possible. If something went wrong, if they were attacked or got separated, they agreed to regroup at the portal where they could return to their side of reality.

Satisfied with the arrangements, Cade gave the order and the team moved out.

The center of the encampment where Duncan was being held hostage was only two hundred yards away, but to Cade it felt like two miles. Every step brought them deeper into the heart of the enemy’s camp and while he couldn’t see them, Cade knew they were out there. Somewhere. He could feel it in his bones and crawling across his skin, that sense that a hundred pairs of eyes were watching his every move, and his body was tense with anticipation, waiting for the sudden attack.

Much to his surprise, it didn’t come and they were able to reach Duncan without incident.

As the others took their places, Cade moved the last few yards and reached out for their fallen comrade.

He was acutely aware that Duncan’s position carefully mimicked that in which he’d found Bishop on that fateful day several years before, and recognized it for the message that it was. Bishop wanted him to know that he still remembered that day, too, and it was clear that he blamed Cade for his current state of existence. They were on opposite sides of right and wrong and Cade had no choice but to stop his former teammate before more harm was done.

Reaching out, he gently lifted Duncan’s head.

He’d been beaten more than once, the older bruises having already turned a deep purple in color while the newer ones were doing their best to catch up. One eye was swollen completely shut, his lips split in several places, and his open mouth revealed that he was going to need several courses of reconstructive surgery if he ever wanted to smile again.

To Cade’s surprise, not only was the other man alive, but he was conscious as well.

Duncan opened one eye and said something too soft for Cade to hear.

He bent closer. “What was that, Duncan?”

“It’s a trap.”

Cade pulled back so Duncan could see his face, a grim smile dancing at the corners of his mouth. “I know.”

“But…”

“Quiet. Let me worry about that. You just hold yourself together until we can get you back to a hospital on the other side. Brace yourself, because I’m going to cut your down.”

Cade pulled his knife and, positioning himself in front of Duncan, cut the ropes that bound him to the post. Duncan slumped forward, unable to support his own weight, and Cade caught him gently in his arms. Knowing time was of the essence, he hefted Duncan over his shoulder and turned, intent on getting him and the rest of his team out as quickly as possible.

The Chiang Shih chose that moment to reveal themselves.

At a shouted command from Bishop, the enemy mystics dropped the illusion they had been using to hide their presence. Echo suddenly found itself surrounded by the missing horde.

They were everywhere.

Packed into the narrow spaces between the tents, standing inside the structures themselves, even blocking the pathway the knights had just taken through the camp to reach Duncan. As the two groups stared at each other, a single Chiang Shih stepped forward.

He was tall and muscular, with blonde hair and blue eyes, the kind of man that most women would find instantly attractive, if it hadn’t been for the cruel set of his features or the hard gleam of hatred in his eyes.

Cade was not surprised to see him.

“Hello Bishop,” he said calmly.

He’d suspected the other’s presence ever since they’d discovered the Chiang Shih encampment, but having it confirmed didn’t give him any sense of satisfaction. Bishop had been a good man, a good knight, and to see him reduced to his present condition was a vivid reminder that Cade had failed him all those years before and had continued to fail him every day since.

“Commander.” The other man’s voice dripped with sarcasm and it was clear to Cade that he didn’t feel Cade was truly in command of anything at this point.

Cade didn’t blame him; what commander worth his salt would lead his men intentionally into a trap like this? But Cade never did things without a reason. He still had one more card to throw and it was time to see if Bishop would play along.

“What do you want, Bishop?”

The former Templar soldier laughed. There was very little trace of his humanity left in that laugh. “What do I want? I would have thought that would be obvious at this point, Williams. Would it be too clich� if I said I wanted you dead?”

Cade shrugged. “Originality was never your strong suit.”

“Go ahead and make jokes. They don’t bother me. You’ll still scream just as loudly in the end.”

Out of the corner of his eye Cade could see Riley and several of the others shifting position, readying themselves for a final fatal charge against the vile creatures surrounding them.

“Hold!” he said sharply.

Riley shot him a look but obeyed just the same, for which Cade was thankful. As long as Riley held steady, the others would as well.

Bishop glanced over to see who Cade was speaking to and his smile grew wider, if that was at all possible. “My, my, my. If it isn’t my old teammate Sergeant Riley. Still taking orders from your betters?”

Riley ignored him.

“No matter. You’ve simply saved me the trouble of hunting you down and killing you separately. I guess I should be thankful for that.”

The Chiang Shih around them laughed in appreciation at Bishop’s joke and the sound made Cade’s skin crawl.

“If it’s my death you want, Bishop, then let’s make a deal.”

“A deal? What do I need a deal for? All I have to do is give the word and you’ll be dead in seconds.”

“But then you won’t have the pleasure of killing me yourself. Where’s the fun in that?” Now it was Cade’s turn to smile. “Unless you’re afraid to face me again? After all, I did kill you the last time we faced each other.”

Bishop stalked forward, suddenly furious. “I’ll kill you now, you stupid little…”

“You’ll do no such thing.”

The newcomer’s voice rang with the iron tone of command and it pulled Bishop up short. Cade watched in amazement as the crowd parted behind the former knight, revealing the speaker.

In her human guise she was beautiful, a tall, lithe woman of Asian descent with porcelain skin and long dark hair the color of crow feathers, the kind of woman men would fight over, but Cade didn’t need his special sight to know that beneath that casual fa�ade lingered a slavering beast that would feast on him as readily as her lieutenant would. She was surrounded by some of the largest Chiang Shih Cade had ever seen, obviously bodyguards, and the way Bishop deferred to her made Cade realize where the true power was.

“Princess,” Bishop said stiffly. “This is no concern of yours.”

“But it is, Bishop, it is. After all, I can’t have anyone, least of all a mere human, casting doubt on my lieutenant’s abilities, can I?”

Bishop waved her concerns away. “Williams has been promised to another or have you forgotten our agreement?”

The woman laughed, a cruel, dismissive sound and Cade had the sense that she had seized on the situation to show the others just who was in charge here. Her response only served to confirm his suspicions.

“I made no such agreement, Bishop. That was you and you alone. How you honor that agreement is your business, not mine.”

Bishop snarled in frustration, but didn’t argue with her any further.

Apparently the woman, the Princess, Cade corrected himself, was satisfied with that, for she moved past Bishop without another word and stepped up in front of Cade, extending her hand.

“I am Princess Akiko.”

Cade nodded, acknowledging her introduction, but refusing to take her hand.

She ignored the slight and looked him for several long minutes. “We have met once before, haven’t we?” she asked finally.

Cade nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you know who I am.”

Again Cade nodded, but didn’t tell her that it had nothing to do with their prior confrontation. The Order maintained extensive files on all manner of supernatural creatures and the Chiang Shih were no exception. Much like the way in which the police traced the connections among the major crime families that once ruled New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, so, too, did the Order track their enemies in a similar manner. Cade knew that Akiko was a minor member of one of the Chiang Shih’s ruling bloodlines. As such, he never would have expected her of being the power behind such a large war force. There was obviously more going on here than he knew.

“Good. I’ll accept your challenge.”

“I’m sorry?” said Cade, misunderstanding.

“Single combat. You against Bishop. If you lose, the lives of your men are also forfeit.”

“And if I win?”

She smiled and Cade caught the gleam of teeth that had been filed to a point. “Then I will allow you and your men a head start before I release the rest of my hunters on your trail.”

It was the best he was going to get and Cade knew it. At the very least, it gave his men a fighting chance. It would also give him time to figure out just what “agreement” Bishop was talking about.

“With a deal like that, and the odds so overwhelmingly on my side, how could I say no?” he replied.

The Princess clapped her hands together like a little girl and laughed in delight. “You amuse me, Commander Cade Williams. When Bishop is done with you, perhaps I will take you into my house as my servant. Would you like that?”

“You have far too much confidence in your champion, my lady.”

“We shall see, Commander, we shall see. You will have five minutes to confer with your men and then the battle shall begin.”

And with that she turned away and began giving orders to her warriors, preparing for the confrontation to come.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

By sheer force of numbers, the Chiang Shih herded the men of Echo to the far side of the camp, where a large circular ring was already laid out on the ground in front of a wooden platform that reminded Cade of an improvised stage. The sides of the circle were of piled stone and the center was full of sand. Apparently this was where he was to fight Bishop, and if the stains on the ground were any indication, it wouldn’t be the first fight to the death that had been held here. As the Chiang Shih began preparing for the confrontation, Cade joined the rest of his men off to one side of the gathering crowd.

Duncan was stretched out unconscious on the ground and Davis was kneeling beside him, using his med kit to tend to the other man’s wounds.

“How is he?” Cade asked.

Davis looked up. “Better than I expected. He’s got at least a couple of broken ribs and possibly a concussion, though I can’t be certain of the later without further testing. They beat him and cut him up pretty badly, but whoever did it knew what they were doing. He won’t ever look the same, but nothing they did is life threatening. With time, and plenty of rest, he should do all right.”

“Good. Keep him comfortable and be ready to move quickly if we get the chance.”

“Roger that.”

Cade said a few words to the rest of the men, reassuring them with the calm confidence in his voice and his generally upbeat tone, and by the time he turned away to speak to Riley a few of them were even smiling in his wake.

The Knight Commander stepped over to where Riley stood guard at the edge of the circle, glaring at those Chiang Shih that wandered a bit too close. He handed his sword to him and then shed his body armor, piece by piece. Cade knew that he needed to be quick on his feet and while the heavy tactical suit might protect him from more than just a glancing blow, it would also limit his movements and slow him considerably. He quickly stripped off his shirt as well, not wanting Bishop to be able to use it as leverage against him should the fighting get in close and dirty. He considered discarding his boots, but ultimately decided against it. He’d learned long ago that on uncertain ground bare feet were best, but in this case he’d trade that stability for the additional damage the heavy boots would add to any strike he might deliver with them.

Satisfied with his preparations, he turned back to Riley and drew his sword from the scabbard in the other man’s hands. As he did so, Cade passed a few last minute instructions to his executive officer.

“You know you can’t trust her, right?”

Riley grunted. “Of course not.” He kept his attention on those around them, just as Cade was doing, wary that one of the Chiang Shih might use a momentary lack of attention to attack despite Princess Akiko’s orders.

“Good. And you and I both know that Johannson won’t be sending anyone after us, especially after I disobeyed his direct order. So we’re on our own.”

“What else is new?” Riley said, in his typical dour style.

Cade had to chuckle at that and was suddenly glad that he had the big master sergeant at his side. The two of them had been through a lot in their years together and he wouldn’t want any other man beside him at a time like this. He knew he could trust Riley to do the right thing when the time came.

“I don’t see a way out of this yet, but the day’s still young. Keep your eyes open and if you have a chance to save the rest of the team out of here, don’t hesitate to take it.”