Death Awaits Read online

  Looking around the room again, I had a stray thought break through.

  Fergus. Where’s my Unicorn?

  “No. I refuse.” Fergus trotted to the edge of the coffee table and shook his head.

  Former FBI Agent Cat Moor shook her fist at the tiny unicorn, a curse on her lips. “Listen, you deceitful little hay burner, you swore in front of the entire council to help us and I’ll be damned if you’re going back on that now!”

  Fergus smirked. “You’ll be damned? Sounds fun. While I have no memory of whatever it is you’re saying, I can say I won’t go with stinky cats anywhere. Nope. Not happening.”

  Fergus jumped and disappeared from the table.

  “For God's sake, Marcella. Can’t you control him?” Cat asked the older Witch leader.

  Marcella shifted in her seat and looked into Cat’s eyes. “Not without Agatha. You know as well as I do that their bond is what keeps them together. He only tolerates the rest of us.”

  “Has Robert found anything to help us?” Cat asked.

  Marcella shook her head. “Nothing. If the American Witches Council knew anything of Agatha’s whereabouts, it died with their failed operation here. Bethany was a master of keeping things close to the vest. That’s one situation I allowed to go on too long. I knew she was deceitful and had an agenda, but not that she would just hand the world over to domination! How could we all have been so blind to it?”

  “That’s how evil gets you,” Agnes Pickleberry interjected. “It sits in the corner looking completely innocent, worming away at the edges of your soul. Things like love, loyalty, and friendship are what protect you from it. The bonds we make amongst one another are what truly matter in life. Power is an illusion. One that the Demons know how to manipulate all too well.” The much older Witch hadn’t spoken much until now.

  “I still should’ve seen it.” Marcella shook her head. “As head of the Species Council, I had direct dealings with them almost every day.”

  Reaching out, Agnes patted Marcella’s knee. “They were careful to only send those not in the know to you. You yourself talked to the survivors of that little coup of theirs. Half of them had no idea they were being used. She got that deep into their psyches. Even they don’t know what they told her. It’s a blessing for most of them that we wiped them.”

  “That burns me up as well. We, the Blackmore Coven, shouldn’t have to be the protectors of the world. It’s not my job to destroy the magic and lives of those who break the rules,” Marcella explained, even as she made calming motions with her hands. “But who else? I know. Don’t even try to say it. Our European allies couldn’t do it, I know. Under the current political climate, they’re in an even worse state than we are.”

  In the six months since Agatha’s disappearance and the Draconic invasion, the world and nation had changed. The new administration had cracked down on what they called the paranormal threat, tossing out any and all Weres in public service. Laws not seen since the early part of the twentieth century were being dusted off and put back into place nationwide. Paranormal camps were off the table for now, but new restrictions were already in place.

  “Tell me about it.” Cat leaned back in her chair. She and Chuck were let go the moment Washington realized they were in Briarwood. Lumping them together with whom they considered to be paranormal terrorists, the two former agents were on all the no-fly lists. “Shoot on sight” was the rumor. “I’ve reached out to all my contacts everywhere. It’s not good. Only a few would speak to me and not start tracing the call.”

  “And?” Marcella asked.

  “One of my old bosses, Albert Nixon, gave me the lowdown. Since I did my initial training under him, he’s moved up to a supervisory slot in Atlanta. According to him, the new regime in Washington is rolling out all the old laws. There’s a plan in place for full implementation at the start of the new year. Things like no-fly and state border crossing checkpoints are just trial runs. FBI Director Offenburg and President Montfort have a plan to start tattooing all registered Paranormals for easy identification,” Cat explained with a look of horror on her face. “It’s part of the ‘Protect America’ plan.”

  “I’ve seen the broadcasts.” Marcella motioned to the television in the room. “What of our protection outside?”

  “Not going away anytime soon,” Chuck jumped in. He, like Agnes, had sat quietly until needed. “They closed the Academy at Quantico last month. We all knew it was coming, so no surprise there. Agatha’s lab is still shielded as far as I know. My contact on the base said they used a shield breaker similar to those we found a few years ago, but it didn’t work. All the instructors have been reassigned or let go as we were, but they retained the administrators.”

  “Do you know why?” Agnes asked him.

  Chuck nodded. “It’s as we thought. They turned the campus into a military-style training base. The Posse Comitatus act of 1878 prevents the military from acting inside the US unless the president directs them. Montfort and the Hammer may control the White House, but they were unsuccessful in securing the Senate or the House. If he tries to use the military for roundups, they’ll impeach him for sure. So they’re creating a new force.

  “Homeland Security is what insiders are calling it. The new force is to be commanded by former Director, now Peoples Commander, George Blake. Already they’re recruiting from all active duty agencies and militia groups. My guy at the Academy has seen plans that include light tank and armored car divisions. Somebody’s throwing a lot of money at this.” Chuck clenched his fists. “If I’d known what a mess that weasel would cause I’d have squeezed the life out of him right then and there in Charleston!”

  “If it wasn’t him, it would be someone else. What of the blockades around the valley?” Marcella asked again.

  “Not going away. If anything, they’re building them up stronger. Construction crews have moved in and they’re building up a wall and gate system like at the Mexican and Canadian borders. Robert’s Were force is still guarding both sides of the barrier. Should we pull them back?” Chuck asked.

  Marcella glanced at Agnes for a moment, then shook her head. “No. Leave them be for now. Until Robert comes back from Otherworld we’ll stick to the plan. Make sure a member of the Coven is standing by at each location to bring them inside if need be, though.”

  “Do you really plan to just hide away from all of this?” Cat asked Marcella with an arched look.

  “You forget, Catherine. I’m responsible for more than just this small valley. Every paranormal in the world is beholding to my Council. We are the ones that make the laws we live by. This isn’t the first time a government has turned on us, and it won’t be the last. Not even in my lifetime! I play the long game. The Dragon threat isn’t gone, but it is diminished. For now, Otherworld will act as a way station between this world and the next. Protecting our people is my plan first and foremost,” Marcella explained. “If the Gods will us to be destroyed, so be it. But until then, we will survive.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to help them, but my loyalty is to Agatha and Agatha alone. I’ve told you all about my hatred of the Cat people. Why should I help those creatures?” Fergus asked his friend.

  Gil O’Darby sat and stared at his friend and favorite customer for a moment. Ever since accidentally running into the tiny unicorn inside The Garden in Maine, the Leprechaun had wondered if he’d ever grow up. The members of his own race took more than a century to mature, so Gil allowed Fergus his foibles. “Did ye swear to help them?”

  Fergus wiggled back and forth for a moment. “Maybe?”

  “If ye swore to the Gods, ye know the consequences of not following through. These are the people your missy is sworn to herself. If she’s still alive, it behooves ye to help them! Ye know Agatha would want it that way,” the Leprechaun answered with a bit of a scowl. “Trust me, my boy. I’ve been supplying beings more powerful than ye with artefacts longer than some countries have existed.”

  “But still…” Fergus pro
tested.

  “No. Ye gave yer word and among folk like us, that is the true value of something,” Gil explained. “Just so your trip wasn’t wasted though. Get something from the closet. How about another pair of shoes? They’re purple this time.”

  Fergus shook his head. “Nope. This time I want a hat!”

  “You’re awake. Good. Now we can begin,” a booming voice said from above me.

  Looking up, I spotted a speaker and camera setup that had just emerged from the ceiling. Like the eye of an insect, the camera lens was multifaceted.

  “Who are you? Why are you keeping me captive?” I cried out to the room.

  “There is a door that needs to be opened. We’ve brought you here to open it. Once you’ve succeeded, you will be returned to your family,” the voice said.

  Keeping my voice steady and calm, I looked up at the camera. “That’s not the whole answer. Who are you and where have you brought me?”

  “Far from your home. As to who we are, you may consider us family, and as such, know that we mean you no lasting harm,” the voice replied, even as the camera receded into the ceiling once more.

  The other family. Grandmother and I were just discussing them. Yakuza Kitsune, known as the Shinigama family, if I remembered correctly. Without saying a word, I sank back down to the floor. Placing both hands on the ground, I looked for my connection to the Earth.

  Of the five elements, Earth is the one always with me. People like to say, “Keep both feet on the ground.” That’s the best way to connect with the element.

  Slow and steady wins the race is the best definition of Earth. Think of it as a solid, slow moving, unstoppable force. Once it gets moving, there is nothing that can stand in its way. My status as Guardian of the Garden put the element firmly in my corner.

  “You should meditate more often. It quiets your mind,” the voice from my dreams sounded in my head. “Do you finally understand? And are you prepared?”

  “I’m beginning to, Khonsu. By accepting the mantle, must I stay in Briarwood?” I asked, guessing his name. All the clues were there. I just needed time to process them.

  “No. As a true Guardian, you are allowed to travel but must respond when needed to protect your charge. Your Garden truly rivals those of MY time. Your line is to be commended for that. Now, concentrate. What I have to say is long and intricate,” Khonsu commanded.

  “Why is she just sitting there like that? Where’s the fear and panic? She should be calling out for help or something by now!” Lord Kenji Shinigama asked Toshiro, his advisor and friend.

  “This one isn’t like all the others. She was raised by Lady Marcella Blackmore personally,” Toshiro replied. Opening a file on the desk, the much older man began pulling out candid photos of the woman in question. “The girl isn’t like the mother.”

  Shinigama growled, “If only. We had everything in place to take them all until that woman interfered! This is the only chance we have to open the door now.”

  Toshiro only nodded in agreement. He knew when his lord was in a snit. Almost twenty years ago, they’d managed to track Kenji the Younger to the state of Maine. Lord Shinigama’s oldest child and heir, young Kenji fled the family estate in the dark of the night for reasons known only to him and his father.

  “Did your son ever try?” Toshiro asked without thinking. Covering his mouth, the advisor winced.

  Shinigama glared but answered anyway. “Not exactly. There is a ritual our family performs on each member’s birthday. As you know, our family is old, much older than many of those we left behind in Japan.”

  Toshiro bowed his head. “So I have learned.”

  “When the Goddess Inari left this world, she entrusted the Pathways of Heaven to two great clans, the Zenko and the Yako. Over time, they warred for possession of the key and the way home.” Lord Shinigama spread his hands wide as if to encompass the room. “Our people came to this world through those doors, and it is through them we shall find salvation. But the war prevented any of that from happening. Inari’s priests hid the secrets of the key from first the Zenko and then the Yako. Dark versus light. Like the humans, we divided ourselves again and again and again until all knowledge was lost.

  “In time, overtures of peace were made. But the secrets stayed secret. We are the most direct descendants of the Yako clan, and the only ones to retain any of Inari’s teachings.”

  Toshiro jerked his head up to stare at his Lord. “We are?”

  Ignoring the question, Shinigama continued, “That information is what gave our historians a clue to what the key is. My son himself discovered it.”

  “My Lord Shinigama, I don’t understand. If we have the key, why the girl?” Toshiro asked, pointing at the screens in front of them.

  Giving his advisor an imperious glance, the Lord explained. “It’s not a what, but a who. In an ancient scroll, a long-dead priest explained that only certain selective bloodlines could access the Pathways. Using this clue, my son looked beyond our culture to those gajin in the West and in Rus. There are many Gods and many doors. But only a few may pass.”

  “And the girl?” Toshiro asked.

  “Because of her other family, we believe her to be what they call a Guardian. One of the Blackmores once held that title. Young Kanji was taken from us before we could know for sure,” Shinigama replied.

  “But he ran! If he planned to help open the door, why run?” Toshiro asked his lord.

  Lord Shinigama sighed and looked away. Nodding his head, he looked back. “We only know they have the potential to work as keys. We don’t know how. The priest was writing in a diary, not an instruction manual. Our historians have only the practices of the time to work from. Kenji speculated that only a willing blood sacrifice to Inari would suffice. The blood of a family member would need to be smeared upon the door as the rites were performed.”

  “And he refused,” Toshiro speculated.

  “Correct. My son refused. To give your life for your family is the greatest gift a samurai can perform. But he ran instead. My other son, Kenji’s twin, Denji, took his place,” Shinigama said with pride. “The ritual was performed, the sacrifice made, and the door... the door remained closed.”

  Toshiro looked at his lord in shock. To lose both sons… “What happened?”

  Shinigama looked past the screens to the wall beyond his workstation. A mural made up of colored foxes with multiple tails covered the surface. “The researchers believe he got it wrong. Looking at the gajin more closely, we see that they use intense magic or a spiritual bond to access what they call Otherworld.”

  “Otherworld? What is that?” Toshiro asked.

  “Other Gods, other beliefs, and possibly a way into Heaven. But only a Guardian can open the way. We think, I think. That this one,” Shinigama tapped the screen showing Agatha Blackmore. “This one can get us there. Gajin she may be, but she is of both our line and theirs. She will help us return to Heaven or the door will run red with every drop of her blood!”

  Chapter Four

  “From time immemorial, there have been those known as Guardians protecting the Ways, whether human or other. Chosen from the very best troops available, the guardians were trained and bred to serve the Gods,” Khonsu explained. “They were the superheroes of their time.”

  “Agnes Pickleberry, one of my teachers, explained some of this to me already,” I blurted out. Usually, when I meditate, I find myself in a white room void of any stimulus. This time, however, was crazy different. I was in the biggest library I’d ever seen and I’d walked the aisles of what had been the Library of Alexandria!

  The God slightly inclined his head. “Agnes Pickleberry is on the Path of Wisdom, whereas you are on the Path of Service. Do not disregard her teachings, though. Wisdom can be found in many places. When you stop learning, you start dying. Now, as I was saying. Guardians of the past were the best of the best of their time. But as civilization grew, their purpose changed. The rulers of the land wanted them not as protectors but as enforcers.”


  “Like the European Councils?” I asked him, remembering Grandmother’s story about Verity’s reasons for leaving the continent.

  “Pah, they are mere shadows of the past. With the protectors gone, the Ways became contaminated with those seeking pain and death rather than knowledge and trade. Of the hundreds of portals in your world, only the most divine survived our wrath. My brothers and sisters barred humanity from them,” the God Khonsu explained. “Only the most powerful or divine may use them now. Only the Portals though. Gates are something else.”

  “Like Charleston,” I said. The Gate at Fort Sumter came to mind.

  “Exactly. Gating is as much a science as a practice. The Demons you battled in Charleston had to have the power of a true Witch to operate as they did.” Khonsu shook his head and let out a low chuckle. “Those Strega outwitted themselves on that one. If they’d been paying just a bit more attention, they might have won it all. Don’t feel too bad for Camilla. She was lost to your family years before you were even born. Those of the lower plains had her in hand, whispering their madness to her. They used her as a pawn in a much greater game than the ones you mortals play. Enough talk. Come with me. Your lessons begin now.” The God motioned me forward.

  For something that was happening inside my head, all of this seemed so real! Khonsu put me through my paces, shields, spells, and strength. If I wasn’t dodging fireballs, I was throwing them. The FBI’s drill sergeants could take a page from this God.