Leviathan (Fist of Light Series) Read online

  Another fifteen minutes of determined trekking and I found it. Where before the ground was hard-packed earth as far as my senses stretched down, this land wasn't. No more than thirty feet below the surface was a gigantic open space, large enough to house a small city in its depths. My metaphysical eyes tracked the length of the cavern, from the edge we were standing at to the center, but couldn't stretch any further. The place was massive, so massive that I couldn't sense the edge of it. Surprisingly, we hadn't come across any other tunnels for entrance or exit, but that played to our advantage, seeing as finding one would only serve to expose us to whatever guards positioned there.

  Stretching my arms out I called for a halt, which was well received by Jas, who sat down heavily to catch his breath. “We made it.”

  “I'm going to need a little advice here, Jeeves.”

  “How far down is it?” Kathryne sipped daintily from her canteen and dropped her bag to the ground, entirely unruffled and indefatigable.

  “Thirty feet, tops. Still, it won't be an easy task. Generously, I'd say there's about thirty minutes of sun left before we're left in deep shadow and the hive begins to stir. If we have to make a run for it in pitch black darkness with angry vampires on our six, it won't be pretty.”

  “I vote for a nap. We can continue our quest later. Every hero needs a rest once in a while.” Jas splayed his arms outward and shifted his attention skyward.

  “Not happening,” Kathryne declared.

  “You'll have time to rest when you're dead,” I joked.

  Jeeves flashed in beside me, updating his consciousness to our current predicament. “You've made it this far, at least. But shifting that much dirt will be no easy task.”

  “I've got that,” I told him, exasperated.

  “Got what?” Herk asked, his stare piercing.

  “Nothing. Just talking to my other self, thinking it through.” I offered him a self-depreciating grin. “Might as well get started, then.”

  Kathryne grabbed onto my arm as I crouched down and got to it. “Be careful not to exhaust your power. We’ll need it.”

  “I'll be careful.” Her smile widened, and the delicate yet deadly hand was retracted. “Might want to back away, it's going to get dusty. Make sure no one catches us by surprise.”

  Jas groaned in protest but got back up and moved away from the dig location with the others. Hector positioned himself on the remains of a gigantic redwood and the others followed suit. Jas crossed his arms and got busy looking miserable, while Kathryne busied herself checking her cache of weapons and keeping an eye peeled.

  “Can you put The Call on hold, please? I can't concentrate with that incessant tolling,” I asked under my breath so Hector wouldn't hear.

  Jeeves snapped his fingers unnecessarily. “It is done. But you would be wise not to ignore the summons for much longer. No good will come of it.”

  “Nagging isn't going to get anything done.” I tapped one foot impatiently on the hard-packed earth.

  Crouching down, I extended my feelers into the earth, burrowing my senses through soil, sediment and packed dirt. Slapping my bare palms to the forest floor, I synced with the beat of the Earth, testing the waters. As usual, the process took longer than expected, a full five minutes of back wrenching torture while I awaited the first tendril of contact. That done, preparations were made to amass energy for the deed, whatever it entailed.

  “What's the plan?”

  “I rather thought you held all the answers.” Jeeves smirked.

  My hands remained glued to the ground, though I fervently wished to scratch an itch. “All right, I'll admit that was deserved. Seriously, I'm at a loss here. Earth and I aren't on the best of terms.”

  “That's no secret.” He chuckled at my expense but relented. “No matter the approach, moving that much soil and sediment is going to present difficulty. The best plan is one that can be readily imagined. How would you go about the task if you had unlimited access to any tools?”

  Biting my lip, scenarios flashed through my mind as I pondered his words, trying to fit the appropriate approach to the situation. It would take a year for me to single-handedly dig down with a shovel and all our tactical nukes were sadly out of stock. That said, the task before me was looking grim. Then, in a flash of inspiration, I had it. Images of gigantic drilling machines flashed through my mind, and it was suddenly obvious how the effect could be duplicated. With the structural components of the drill given life by Air and the Earth made pliable, it could be done. Enacting the latter portion of the design first, I rode along the senses of Earth below me, pouring energy into softening a straight stretch of ground below.

  “A viable option.” Jeeves nodded in approbation.

  The effort took more out of me than anticipated, but there wasn’t any point in crying about it. I dusted my hands off, stood up, then implemented the rest of the plan. Closing my eyes and raising arms high, I visualized the design, the massive grooves of the drill, the long shaft and sharp point, designed to move sediment up and out of the hole. Power flooded through my veins, filling me with a liquid fire, warmth that suffused every portion of my body. The miasmic purple drill vibrated powerfully, beginning its initial twirl, weight bearing down on the softened earth. Crossing my fingers against anyone hearing the commotion, I increased the speed. The makeshift drill did the rest, carving into the buttery ground, spewing dust and clods of dirt in all directions.

  Before long the construct had burrowed its way almost completely through with no problems other than the required funneling the earth out when the drill was completely submerged. My right hand spun quick symmetric circles around and around, the other focused on tugging sediments up and out. Vibrations pounded through the Earth and each one had me wincing; it would only be a matter of time before someone came to investigate. The size of the place would be a detriment in this case. Hopefully, our bypass would go largely unnoticed until we’d finished what needed doing. I glanced sideways when flashes of movement caught my attention.

  “Might want to move this thing along, Caleb,” Jas urged as a small detachment of guards rushed our position.

  “I'm working on it,” I muttered.

  The shadows hadn't lengthened enough for any of the vampires to come outside and play, but it was now apparent that mortal guards had been employed. They were desensitized, though, probably hadn't seen action in ages. They never expected anything like this to take place on their home turf, and that played right into our hands. Walling off the quick bursts of trained gunfire and the plight of my friends, I poured even more energy into the task, tackling the job with a vengeance. Snarling, the last few feet were bulled through in seconds. Frantically, I demolished the construct, although some of the tendrils of Air were repurposed into pulsing purple ropes.

  Gazing around me, I snatched up the bag of plastic explosive with a tendril of air and then flung it down the gaping hole, checking to see it went through before trying to chance it myself. Besides knocking against the wall a few times, the bag came through undamaged. I allowed myself a small breath of relief before getting into the swing of things once more.

  “Time to move!” I announced as I turned to face down the combatants.

  — Chapter 11 —

  I was too late, though, and shouldn't have worried, Kathryne and the team had already taken care of the overcurious human guards. Jas' rapier dripped blood and Kathryne was busy wiping her blade on an unmoving man's shirt. For his part, Herk punched his fist into an open palm a few times, looking like he was eager for the next round. All in all, five men had been taken out. Shivering at the cool practicality of my friends, I turned away from the gruesome sight. Killing humans was different from destroying Darkness, whoever started the fight. The too-red blood and gaping mouths, glassy eyes, it all was too real.

  Jas brought me back to reality with a quick slap to the face and some words likely inspired by a military movie. “Get ahold of yourself,” he snapped.

  “I'm fine,” I lied, not v
ery convincingly.

  It was only then that I realized I was lying on the ground, delirious, my breathing amped up to kill-or-be-killed mode. Going from a crouching to standing position, I wiped sweat from my brow and put shaking hands underneath armpits, effectively stopping their tremors. The episode shuddered to a stop as fast as it began, gone in a flash. Gritting my teeth, I could only attribute the overreaction to the recent rehabilitation of my emotional centers.

  “That was a neat trick.” Hector patted me on the back and peered down the hole.

  “Thanks.”

  “Well? Isn't it about time we were going?” Jas asked, understandably impatient.

  Exhaling tentatively, I motioned to the others. “Everyone else first. The bag is already down there ahead of us. It’s about three feet across, so everyone should be okay. Here,” I pressed thick yet miasmic ropes into their hands.

  Kathryne looked at her rope dubiously, then assessed the drop, considering.

  “They'll hold. I've already attached them up here.”

  “I'll go first.” Jas acted with all due haste, jumping into the dank earth without hesitation..

  A slight tug was felt through my mental representation of the rope, but there wasn't near enough weight to tear it. Jas called up from below and Hector shrugged noncommittally before following him down. Before long, we were all standing underneath the earth in pitch blackness, though my eyes cut through most of it. I worried about the others, excluding Jas, but they didn’t seem to be having too much trouble. Looking up, no light filtered down from above, though some brightness could be seen in the rapidly darkening sky. I latched onto the tendrils of air hanging suspended in the air and pulled them down, thinking it wouldn't be very smart to discard power when it was in such short supply.

  “You're filthy,” Kathryne said, a slight frown adorning her features.

  “Women,” Jas and I said in unison, chuckling.

  “She doesn't even deem to notice until we're in the dark.” I chuckled.

  “Typical.” Jas clucked his tongue in mock disappointment.

  “Don’t we have something to do?” Kathryne grumbled, unwilling to contribute any more fuel to the fire.

  Instead, lances of pain shot through me as a series of quick jabs pounded precisely into pressure points. Winces of discomfort emanating from Jas told me that I wasn't the only one getting the harsh treatment from an angry Kathryne. Wisely, we both shut up pretty quick and got down to business without much audible complaint.

  We spun around in the darkness, an all-consuming blackness that my eyes had trouble penetrating. Frowning, I extended my senses towards the center of the unknown, looking for a sign that something lived down here. Immediately, my pea brain was assaulted with a plethora of pulsating darkness, accentuated by prominent auras of more powerful vampires. Turning in the direction indicated, I fiddled with my weapons in preparation for what was to come.

  “You guys want the bad news first?” I didn't wait for an answer. “Perfect because there isn't any good news. It seems we've got some riled up vampires over that way.” I swung my hand swung to point out the position of our adversaries, and I took it on faith that everyone was able to track the movement.

  “Think they know we're coming?” Jas hissed in question. He had already unsheathed his rapier and had it at the ready.

  “Careful not to poke my eye with that thing.” I was only half joking, since the weapon was swerving about erratically.

  Kathryne shushed us. “Quiet, you two. Fire up ahead.”

  We secreted ourselves behind an outcropping of rock to get a better look. “You hear that?” Hector cocked his head to one side.

  “No, but there's gold in this boulder!” Jas scratched off some of the metal and studied its gleaming surface.

  “Not the time,” I told him, exasperated.

  We were walking into the clutches of an entire nest of vampires whom likely held Jas' father in their blood-splattered clutches, and yet Jas was admiring a shiny flake of gold. My eyes narrowed suspiciously as I put the pieces together and discerned that my friend was acting entirely out of character. But, before I could confront him the sound of chorused laughter echoed through the underground chamber and my eyes diverted to the enemy. Jas would have to be dealt with at a later time and place, one less cramped with the undead and undying.

  “Looks like the Blood Pantheon is hosting a little party. I've always wanted to crash one.” Jas bared his teeth.

  “Don't you think we should approach this with a little more tactical sense?” Kathryne asked, ever the voice of reason.

  But Jas wasn't in the mood to be making any rational decisions. He rushed off before Kathryne was even able to finish her question. Cursing, the rest of us raced off after his charging figure, his outline becoming increasingly visible as we neared a bonfire of epic proportions. Behind it, a medieval castle of even more stunning size claimed residence. From what could be gleaned of its outline provided by the blazing bonfire, it had been carved directly out of the surrounding earth. It was an impressive sight, more so when I noticed its daunting size when compared to the comparatively small residences positioned against the wall of the cavern. Looking through the darkness, indistinct outlines of more dwellings could be discerned.

  “We need to place those charges where they’ll do the most damage,” Herk said.

  “And I know just the place.” My finger indicated the castle. “That thing, like all the others, was carved out the side of this cavern. Someone needs to get up there and blow the thing to smithereens. Do that and this place will be nothing but a cemetery for the undead.”

  “That's if the design is reliant upon the surrounding earth to hold it upright. If it isn't, the blast would be nothing more than a minor distraction,” Kathryne said.

  “Guys, I think I'm going to be sick,” Jas managed to choke out before sounds of retching reached us from where he had dropped to his knees.

  “Dammit, Jas!” I crouched down next to him while surveying the surroundings, making sure no nightwalkers were about. “You should have told me it had gotten this bad. You're puking up blood!”

  Jas brought up a shaking hand and wiped a finger in the viscous liquid dripping from his chin, staring mesmerized at the red fluid. “I puked up blood,” he repeated, delirious.

  “You're in no shape to be going anywhere, let alone to confront a bunch of bloodthirsty vamps,” I scolded, helping him to his feet.

  He shrugged off the help and my hands were taken back, although unwillingly. I understood the necessity, the fire that drove him. It didn't matter that he was spewing bodily fluids all over the cavern floor. His father's life was at stake and it wasn't my place to stop him. Although, that didn't mean I wouldn't do everything in my power to protect his empty head from coming to harm. Reaching through the folds of subconscious and into my inner being was an instinctual action by now, so it came with no difficulty. The challenge presented to me, however, was a new one altogether. Working on instinct, I wove the whips of Air onto Jas, adhering them to his being. The tendrils of Air would answer to Jas until their power was extinguished or used up. Really, the process shouldn't have been anything resembling possible. But, for whatever reason, and it was likely that reason was related to our bond, it was.

  As I watched, the tendrils weaved about absent my will, commanded like a collection of wraithlike limbs. “Now this I could get used to,” Jas strained to inject vigor into his voice, but it was evident he had pushed his body past all its limits.

  “Let's go.” I hoped my voice held only a fraction of the uncertainty that had crept into my thoughts.

  We set off towards the lights of the festival, where it was obvious the resident vampires were holding nothing back. Eloquent dining tables were set up, although it was too far to make out any specifics. Before closing in on the scene of violence, we hunkered down behind another outcropping of rock to nail down the final stages of our plan.

  “One of us will need to plant those explosives.” Herk
pointed at the laden bag Kathryne had toted around without complaint throughout the duration of our journey.

  A hopeful glance was shot to Jas, but he huffed and ignored the implied statement thoroughly. “Herk here is the best suited. Fast and strong enough to overcome whatever obstacles stand before him.” He glorified Herk, hoping we would latch onto the idea and stop our attempts to keep him away from the fighting.

  To my dismay, Hector began nodding and another battle had been lost before I knew it. “All right.” I rubbed at my temples. “You should head off in a different direction instead of coming with us. Wouldn't do to have our enemies discover and confiscate our secret weapon before we'd had a chance to plant it. We'll need every advantage.”

  “Right.” Herk took the duffel bag of C4 from Kathryne.

  “You've got the detonator.” She passed along a compact transmitting unit with reluctance, which he slipped into his pocket.

  “Then what, the three of us storm the castle like avenging angels and rain fire upon these hell spawned beasts?” My eyes panned to Jas expectantly, but met with only empty air. “Dammit, Jas!” An angry whisper was shot out into the darkness, but not even a silhouette of his retreating form was visible.

  Honing in on the extension of my power, I was able to locate him, which caused a stream of uncouth words to burst from my lips.

  My eyes lit up like crystalline lighthouses, as was their habit when things got heated, and immediately everything was illuminated. “Hector, go. I have a feeling we'll be in serious need of a diversion.”

  “What is it? Where is he?” Kathryne asked worriedly, her sparkling green eyes locking onto mine.

  I looked over to chastise Herk for slowness, but he was already gone. “He's gone and pulled something incredibly stupid. Let's go bail him out of the mess he's about to jump into before he makes a mistake that can't be fixed.”

  Skulking forward, I grumbled under my breath things that were highly inappropriate and obscene about Jas' brain capacity. I was going to kill him if we all made it out of this alive. The fires that lit the scene seemed brighter and I found myself wishing that the landscape would be bathed in an all-consuming blackness, because the sight was far from pretty. Pitiful screams filled the endless night, writhing bodies being drained of their last drop forced to experience pain and suffering to amuse their tormentors. Inhuman, drunken grins adorned every vampires face as they inflicted their torments in animalistic pleasure. Bile flooded my mouth and I fought not to throw up the not inconsiderable contents of my stomach. There was still time to exact revenge for those hurt by this band of inhuman creatures. I only wished there were more of them.