Give the Devil His Due (The Sanheim Chronicles, Book Three) (40 page)

“Where the hell is Elyssa?” Janus asked, interrupting Quinn’s reverie. “It worries me that she’s gone.”

Carol shared a look with Quinn.

“Me too,” she added.

Quinn shook his head.

“We’ll look for her later,” Quinn said. “Right now, we have to figure out how to stop that blasted Wyrm.”

They felt another tremor beneath them and rocks from the surrounding walls began falling down, crashing onto the stone terrace. Instead of dissipating like the other tremors, however, this kept building. The vibrations beneath them grew stronger, and a chunk of wall on the far side collapsed, rocks tumbling back over the edge of the hill.

A noise like an avalanche began roaring beneath them.

“The good news is we’ve found the Wyrm,” Janus shouted. “The bad news is….”

The Wyrm burst out of the center of the fortress and lifted its bloated, white body into the air before crashing down onto the ground. The shockwave sent more chunks of wall crumbling around them, and kicking up a thick cloud of dust. The Wyrm turned in Quinn’s direction. Its first mouth opened to show a large row of teeth, followed by a second jaw behind that and then a third and fourth.

“... it’s going to fucking kill us,” Janus finished.

The Wyrm let out a series of wrenching screams.

“My God, that thing’s ugly,” Buzz shouted.

The Wyrm turned in Buzz’s direction and shrieked again.

“I think it can understand you, Buzz,” Janus said.

“Don’t just stand there, guys,” Quinn yelled. “Attack.”

“With what, my sparkling wit?” Janus said. “I don’t think a spotlight’s going to cut it this time.”

Quinn picked up a small stone that had fallen from the wall behind them and hurled it at the Wyrm’s mouth. Once again, Quinn’s aim was uncannily good, hitting the creature squarely on one of its many teeth. Another rock from Carol also hit its jaw, followed by another from Buzz. Janus’ rock went wide, missing the huge Wyrm entirely.

“Sorry,” Janus said sheepishly. “I played what you Americans call soccer; I never could throw worth a damn.”

The Wyrm screamed again as Quinn launched two more rocks in its direction. It slithered forward, the rest of its body coming out of the hole it had burrowed through the fort, and Quinn realized just how huge the thing really was. He had never gotten a complete look before. As it lurched toward him, he realized it must be ten feet wide, and at least three times that long. It had hundreds of teeth. Its tail smashed into the wall, knocking another large hole into it.

“I think we just pissed it off,” Janus said.

Quinn lobbed another rock at the Wyrm, which suddenly reared up and then plunged into the ground in front of Quinn.

“Shit!” he shouted and all four of them began sprinting across the fort. Quinn looked back to see the ground cave in where they’d been standing. He realized the Wyrm was following them underground, digging just beneath the fortress’ plateau. He watched as a huge row of stones behind them began caving in.

Quinn looked ahead of him. Over the din the Wyrm was making, he could hear a hum and sense a vibration in the air.

The portal is about to open
, Quinn thought. But the Wyrm was doing its job well and the top of the fortress was rapidly disintegrating.
I just need to buy her some more time,
he thought.

“Quinn, there’s going to be nowhere left for Kate to come through if we don’t stop it,” Carol shouted.

Quinn nodded and made some quick plans in his head.

“Run to the center and wait there!” he shouted.

“What are you going to do?” Carol asked.

But Quinn didn’t answer. Instead, he stopped running. He turned around and watched as the Wyrm’s mound came closer. This time, there was no hoping the monster would pass him by. It seemed to sense right where he was. The Wyrm’s head emerged from the ground right in front of Quinn. It opened all four of its jaws and moved toward Quinn.

“Quinn, no!” Janus screamed, as ten tons of white corpulent mass headed toward Quinn.

From behind him, he heard someone else start screaming. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

The White Wyrm shot forward and swallowed Quinn whole.

Chapter 31

Kate felt her chance of opening the portal slipping away as dawn arrived. She tried to reassure herself that she had more time, Halloween was still 11 days away. She could wait a day and try again in the evening.

But Carman’s words gnawed at her. It was probably just a tactic to distract and disturb her, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the witch knew something — that Quinn was in danger.

She couldn’t face the thought that she might open the portal to the afterlife, only to find Quinn missing from it. She didn’t hear voices in her head anymore, but she thought whatever thin grasp of sanity she had might be obliterated in that moment. She thought of the original prophecy, which had said the last would either attack hell or wipe the earth clean. She had never considered the latter possibility, but what if she went crazy again? What would happen if she opened the portal and Quinn was dead? The memory of last year was too strong. Without thinking, she had told her troops to murder unarmed men and women. Was she still capable of that kind of carnage if she was pushed too far?

She banished the thought from her mind and stared at the small hill in front of her. Frustrated, she looked at Kieran impatiently.

“Where is it?” she asked.

“There,” Kieran said, pointing at the hill.

She thought he was joking at first. There was a small opening at the base of the hill, but it was only a few feet wide and less than three feet high. A large, flat stone lay across the top of the entryway, with smaller stones on either side, forming a primitive doorframe.

“You have to be kidding me,” she said.

“What?” Kieran asked.

“It’s so small. How the hell are all of us supposed to get through there?”

Kieran stared at her.

“Well, for one, it opens up a bit once you’re inside,” he said. “For another, you’re a fucking ghost — and so are your
moidin
. Last I checked, you didn’t need a weight-loss plan to get into tight spaces.”

Kate, looking like the banshee, gave him a withering look, but she knew he was right. Something about this place certainly felt different. Out here, they were still spirits, but inside she thought the situation would change. The rules of the mortal world and whatever place lay beyond were blending. She felt just how
thin
the air was here.

“You first,” she said, nodding at the hole.

Kieran looked startled.

“You don’t trust me?” he asked. “I just helped you fight off the witch — twice.”

“And you killed Quinn,” Kate replied in an acid tone, making Kieran flinch. “I made the mistake of trusting you once. You’ve been helpful, but you’re planning something. And I’m running out of time and patience. Get in the damned hole.”

Kieran didn’t protest again, but slung his backpack on, got down on his knees and crawled inside the small opening. Kate looked at the horizon, which had a thin line of pink, and turned back to Clinton, who stood behind her.

“Get everyone through here as fast as you can,” she said. “Leave no one behind.”

He nodded. Kate slid the shield across her back and sheathed her sword. Then she bent down and crawled through the hole.

Once inside, she found she could stand up again, but had to remain hunched over. Kieran was waiting for her.

The cave appeared to be carved out of solid rock and was clearly ancient. Kate brushed her hands against the walls, which glistened with moisture. She looked at her own bony fingers and wondered how many souls had passed through here. She had a feeling that this place had been here before civilization came to Ireland.

“We’ve got a ways to go,” Kieran said, “and we need to hurry.”

Kate nodded and started moving, listening to the sounds of others coming through the tunnel behind her. They walked quickly with their heads down

The tunnel went deeper underground, becoming a narrow passageway. Kate leaned on the stone for balance as she headed further down into the cave. The air around her hummed with a crackling kind of energy. It was similar to how she felt when changing into the banshee or the Horseman.

Kieran was talking to her, saying something about the first president of Ireland and pointing to initials carved in the stone, but Kate wasn’t paying much attention. The humming in her head was so loud now she almost couldn’t make out his words. Instead, she marched right past him as he gave her a surprised look.

All worries of betrayal faded from her mind. Instead, she felt drawn forward. She looked up only briefly and realized that they were now deep within the earth. She walked quicker, anxious to get where she needed to go.

The path abruptly sloped upward and Kate once again had to bend down to fit through a tight opening. She hurried ahead as the cavern opened out again, finally coming to a wall of collapsed dirt and stone blocking the path.

“The cave originally went deeper,” Kieran said behind her, hurrying to keep up. “They were installing electricity poles or something and caused a cave-in.”

Kate nodded. That was a shame — she felt compelled to go onward. But she knew she didn’t need to in order to accomplish her goal. The hum had become a pulse beating through her, like a giant heartbeat.
The heartbeat of the world
, she thought.

She could hear the spirits behind her becoming restless and realized that they too sensed the arrival of dawn.

Kate closed her eyes. When she had imagined this moment, she had always pictured herself searching for a way to open the portal. In her mind, it had been a struggle, a fight to understand the nature of the doorway between worlds and her own powers.

But standing there, it wasn’t that way at all. She reached out and laid her hands against the old stone. There was no need to fight to understand this place — it had always been here, waiting for her.

It was as if some final piece of a puzzle suddenly clicked into place. She knew the primary reason she was there — to rescue Quinn. She pictured him as he looked when she first met him and when they first kissed. He was her past, present and future.

I’m coming for you, my love,
she thought.

But this journey was about more than just Quinn now. In the quiet darkness of the cavern, she could feel the spirits behind her, their anxious desire to be released from the mortal world. She felt their despair and fear, but also their hope. They were counting on her. Whatever else happened, she would set them free.

I am the last
, she thought, and she finally understood what that meant — and what she was supposed to do.

She took her hands from the wall and reached forward, grasping what should have been nothing but air. She couldn’t see anything in front of her, but Kate felt something in her hands. It was soft and smooth, but heavy, almost like velvet. Using all her strength, she began pulling her hands apart.

It was as if she had grabbed an invisible curtain and was tearing it apart with her bare hands. There was resistance at first, but she finally ripped open a small hole. A stream of purple light came through.

It became easier after that, the opening growing wider as she continue to pull. The earth around her started to shake as the hole in the world expanded.

*****

Kieran felt the earth rumble and looked up. Dust and rock started to fall from the ceiling.

Something seems wrong
, he thought.

As Kate made the rift wider, he could begin to see what was on the other side. He saw a large plateau surrounded by a high stone wall. He watched as three figures ran into view, obviously running from something.

The woman in the group turned away from whatever she was running from and faced Kieran. He was startled to realize he recognized her. Carol Cuthberson.

She could clearly see them too and her eyes widened in shock. She looked away again briefly at something Kieran couldn’t see and then turned back toward them. She started shouting something but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. However, he could read the emotion on her face clearly enough. She was scared.

Kieran looked at Kate to see if she was witnessing the scene in front of her. But she was still focused intently on pulling open the portal. It had almost grown wide enough to let her through, but she was trying to make it as large as possible. As she expanded it, however, the walls around them started shaking. Kate was going to bring the cavern down on top of them if she didn’t stop.

“Kate,” Kieran called, watching as Carol continued to shout in their direction. He thought he could make out one word for sure — she was shouting “Quinn.”

“Kate, look through the portal!” Kieran said again.

She was lost in concentration and didn’t respond.

“Quinn’s in danger, Kate,” Kieran repeated. “We have to go through.”

Kate finally stopped and looked in alarm at the scene in front of her.