Supernatural Games (14 page)

The sound of running footsteps announced the lycan’s arrival. He stopped to let his eyes adjust before he entered the church, halting long enough to check his notes before proceeding down toward the front of the sanctuary. The altar’s shape was a pentagram, and the original iconostasis was missing. The only thing I could see from my vantage point was brass plates attached to the wall just above the floor. I assumed they had originally explained the now missing icons once hanging above them. Faded frescos depicting saints performing various acts of piety adorned the ceiling, underlined by a line of stylized eight-pointed stars called Tessera. The tiles were hand painted with numerous geometric variations of the Star of Regeneration. Perhaps the lycan would offer a prayer for his teammate’s toes to regenerate. He didn’t seem inclined. Instead, he seemed focused on the task at hand. I watched as the lycan approached the area and walked around the altar looking at the frescos and reading the brass plates running along the floor. Something caught his attention, because he stopped, knelt down, and began rubbing the plate in front of him. It wouldn’t have surprised me if a genie, or with my luck, a demon popped out of a nearby lamp. Fortunately, he was trying to get a better look at the inscription on the plaque. He was reading the inscription when his head shot up and he turned to face the door. He apparently heard what I heard. It sounded like another competitor was moving swiftly in our direction. This seemed to spur him on as he stood and counted the plaques before stopping in front of the eighth. He looked at the ceiling at the painting of Christ rising from the dead, with the inscription “octava dies,” referring to the mythical eighth day, underneath. He pushed on the plaque in front of him. Nothing happened for a split second before he dropped from sight.

This was part of the original design, and I knew he would slide down a chute and end up in the cellar under the church. Moments later the vampire raced in. I decided to walk down my hidden stairs to the cellar and see where the lycan would go next. When I reached the cellar, the lycan was nowhere in sight. However, I heard him moving around. This was apparently a storage area since this was the only heated church. Crates, tools, and casks I assumed was wine were scattered around the room. I followed the sounds and found the lycan. He hung from a beam by his foot. He had set off a trap and swung back and forth to gain momentum to grab a nearby beam. One or two more swings, and he’d be able to latch on to it. Unfortunately for the lycan, the vampire flew down the chute and wasted no time blasting him. Then he raced toward one of two doors leading from the cellar. The hit was legal, and it would cost the lycan a time penalty.

The lycan was so busy yelling invectives that he lost his momentum. He needed to regroup and try again to reach the beam, which cost him precious time, while the vampire studied the area in front of the two doors. I had no idea what he was looking for. Obviously, the vampire had made his choice, and he walked to the door on the right. Hesitantly, he reached for the doorknob and turned it. It wasn’t locked, so he carefully pushed the door forward. The second the door opened, a giant axe swung down in an arc from above the vampire. If he hadn’t been vampire quick, he would have been cleaved in two. He ducked but not fast enough, and the axe struck him in the shoulder, pinning him to the door. I’d say the color drained from his face, but let’s face it, vampires are unnaturally pale to begin with. The vampire screamed in agony, reaching a decibel I didn’t think possible. Then he mercifully fainted. I immediately sent for an emergency crew. The horn sounded, effectively halting movement until the all-clear signal sounded.

Any movement by any contestant would be immediate grounds for ejection from the competition. Luckily for the lycan he had just freed himself from the snare. He had also witnessed the vampire’s misadventure with the axe. Call me crazy, but I thought he would choose door number two. It didn’t take long to transport a team to the cellar, and the vampire was removed. The signal for the competition to continue came just as I heard a faint pop behind me. I spun, ready to fire when Corbin dropped in.

“That looks like it will leave a mark. Hopefully, he won’t lose the use of his arm. Was he the leader?”

“Corbin, this isn’t a good time to go sneaking around. I will fire first and ask questions later.”

“Sorry, I thought maybe you could use a hand. All the contestants are through Tokem’s and my stations. Tokem went back to review film, and I decided to see if you needed any help. Traygen still has a few stragglers.”

Before I could answer, the lycan inched open the second door and threw his body sideways onto the ground. He waited until he was satisfied he wouldn’t be chopped up, then peaked into the entranceway, but didn’t go in. Instead, he backed up and looked around, then scanned the area before he walked over and picked up a small hammer from a pile of tools. He moved back to the door, tossed the hammer down the hall, and again dodged to the side. There was a clatter as the hammer hit the floor, then a grinding noise and dust billowed down the hallway and out the entrance. When the air cleared, a weak stream of light shown from the hallway and I felt a sharp breeze sting my face. The lycan stepped back to make room before he ran into the hall and leaped over a trapdoor. Then he disappeared from view as the door swung closed.

“Come on, let’s go see where he went. Cloak yourself and follow me. We can take the stairs to the first floor.”

“Lauren, I’ll follow you,” Corbin assured as he disappeared behind his veil.

I cloaked myself and moved back up the stairs and out of the small church. I was immediately rocked by the wind and blowing snow. The ground was slick from the ice that covered the walkways, making it treacherous to walk. Corbin and I slipped and slid our way toward the large church. It was a good thing we were invisible because I knew we looked ridiculous as we skated across the area between the churches. We weren’t alone because the lycan had already gone down twice. He was nearly at the Bell Tower when the sound of muted curses carried by the wind reached us. Corbin and I both stopped and looked for the potty mouth responsible for the expletives. That’s when we spotted a fae and a demon trying to out run each other across the treacherous icescape. They looked like something out of the Keystone Cops.

As they approached the area where we stood, a wave of energy washed over me. I crouched, preparing to confront whatever was radiating the energy. The problem was, I couldn’t tell where it came from because the energy seemed to be moving. I guessed the wind gusted enough to prevent me from getting a clear signal. I glanced at Corbin, and he seemed as puzzled as I was. Even the vampire had paused. The two knuckleheads behind us weren’t paying attention because they were so intent on beating the other. That’s when all hell broke loose. Two giant snow leopards appeared. They were stalking the fae and the demon. The leopards gathered themselves and leapt down from the bell tower. I now knew the reason for the runes. I motioned for Corbin to take the cat stalking the fae and the demon. They’d finally come out of their coma,  frozen in fear by the sight of the big cat. I indicated I’d take the leopard chasing the vampire.

Unfortunately, the vampire tried to outrun the leopard stalking him, and the chase was on. Cats love to play with their food, and this one was no exception. I felt certain the vampire wouldn’t make it in time, and to highlight the point, the vampire fell hard, knocking the wind from his lungs. The big cat had hunkered down on his haunches, his tail sweeping the snow, preparing to pounce. I needed to distract the cat or the vampire would be kibble. The leopard was hopping around swatting at the vampire, who was either truly undead, or knocked senseless.

I sent a stream of energy at the cat’s dancing butt. Can anyone say static electricity? The leopard leaped in the air, hissing, its ears flat against its head. It was spitting mad and looking for a fight, and usually I’d enjoy flattening a felonious feline. This was not the time. I waited for the cat to pounce, then hit it with a lethal blast of energy from my bracelet. The leopard exploded, showering the area with pieces of spotted fur. I couldn’t resist humming a few lines of “Another one bites the dust.” I turned in time to see that Corbin had separated the leopard and the two contestants. Now I needed to wait for the big cat to charge, then I would light up the night with the sparks from the exploding snow leopard. The cat must have decided I was the lesser of two evils, as it ran right for me. George Carlin had it almost right when he suggested that, “electricity is just organized lightning.” I fried the leopard in mid-leap then slipped and slid over to join Corbin.

“Corbin, I’m going up to disable the rune before the next set of contestants sets it off again. Can you call in for medical treatment for the vampire? You two stay put until you get the all clear.”

“I’ll call it in and make sure these two don’t take advantage of the situation.”

I climbed up to the bell tower, found the runes, and sent a ball of energy into them, effectively disabling the spell. By the time I’d climbed down from the bell tower, the medics had arrived to remove the vampire. I motioned for Corbin to join me because I knew they’d have the vampire evacuated ASAP.

“I think I’ll head inside to wait for the all clear horn to sound. You keep an eye on the fae and the demon. Make sure neither jumps the gun. I’ll be inside making sure no one has tampered with anything. When Traygen gets here, you two can spread out around the complex to keep the stragglers safe.”

“Will do, and be careful in there.”

I
jogged off toward the large church and entered through the front doors. I counted the tiles in the entryway until I found the one I was looking for. Directly above it was a large brass sconce shaped like a cross with a fluted glass globe on top. I tugged on the base of the sconce and the panel in front of me slid open. I walked into the hidden staircase as the panel glided back in to place, then trudged up the stairs until I arrived at the upper gallery level. I walked along the balcony that looked down on the church. The entry faced west, and was ornately decorated with paintings and sculptures of saints. The entire area was decorated in bright shades of orange, green, reds, and yellows, muted and softened by age, as if time had dimmed their glow.

The main body of the church was round, and surrounded by twenty-two domes circling the highest structure. The domes varied in size and seemed to sprout somewhat randomly around the main structure. The central building had one main entry with aisles on both sides leading from the front doors to the altar. The walls were covered in icons, and frescos illuminated by huge brass chandeliers. There were huge windows spaced higher on the walls at what I guessed to be the second story level. The windows were tall and arched at the top, set back into the wall. This was a simple structure with iconostasis in all sizes and shapes on three sides, covering every inch of wall space from the floor to the ceiling.

I would have enjoyed checking this place out, but I expected the competitors to arrive at any moment, so settled for a cursory check of the church. I had just returned to the main hall when footsteps sounded from the front entryway. The fae and the demon entered at the same time. This would be interesting, neither of these two wanted to tip the other off. Who would blink first? Before I could decide, the demon walked back out the front doors. Okay, I didn’t see that coming, and from the look on the fae’s face, neither had he. He hesitated only a moment before he took out his notes and started reading. His head snapped up and he looked around the entryway searching for something. The entrance was lavishly decorated and covered with icons and numerous objet d'art. He was searching for something because he was moving and stopping in front of varied and sundry pieces. There was a mosaic of what looked like the signs of the zodiac with a palindrome written above it. I already knew what it said. I had the Spark Notes version from the design team. It was a Latin inscription that when translated said, “As above, so below.”

I had no way of knowing what the fae would make of it, but I knew what I’d look for. This church sat on a sheet of ice. I guessed there was nothing below where he stood. If it were me, I’d look for a mirror image above me. Still, before I could decide, I’d need a closer look at the four creatures encircling the signs of the zodiac. The fae seemed to be studying the beings. Unfortunately, they were too faded for me to recognize what they depicted. I’d bet my life they weren’t snow leopards. I headed in that direction when I heard a faint noise coming from the landing behind me. I flattened myself against the wall to wait for whatever was making the noise. They couldn’t see me but could accidentally run into me. Whoever it was, they were trying to be quiet. Fortunately, my hearing was acute and I knew they were coming my way. That’s when the missing demon appeared. He was sneaking along the upper hallway, and if I had to guess, he was looking for the fae.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the fae came up the stairs and began searching the icons along the wall situated directly above the signs of the zodiac. The demon waited to see which direction the fae would head. While he waited, he studied his own notes. He had let the fae do all the work, and if I was correct, he was going to ambush the fae. This would add a time penalty to the fae’s score. It would also give the demon a head start on the fae, once he guessed which direction the fae was headed. He could deduce from the fae’s path where he was heading and compare it to his own notes. Between the two, he’d have a fair idea what his opponent was looking for. That’s when he made his move, hitting the fae several times, effectively driving his nemesis back down the hall. The demon wasted no time in running up to a spot on the wall and tapping an image of a ram painted on a nearby icon. Nothing happened at first, then the wall in front of him rotated and he disappeared. Moments later, the same section of wall swung back into place and the demon was gone. The fae hurried over to study the place where the demon had disappeared along with the spot on the wall in front of it. Satisfied, he walked further down along the wall until he found what looked to me like a lion or griffin. I couldn’t tell from where I stood.

The fae never hesitated as he touched the figure in front of him. The floor surrounding him dropped a few feet and a glass bell jar dropped from the ceiling, encasing him. Call me crazy, but I didn’t think this was a good sign. I only hoped it was part of the design team’s blueprint. If it wasn’t, it might prove to be fatal. The space the fae was encased in was filling up with sand. He would be covered in no time, and he’d die if he didn’t hit his panic button. The button would release him if this was part of the design, and he would be assessed a hefty penalty. If it were me, I’d take the penalty and get moving. The trapped fae must have reached the same conclusion, because he pressed his panic button and the glass top moved silently back up into the ceiling. He staggered out, cursing a blue streak before sagging to his knees. Meanwhile, the sunken floor moved back into place, ready for the next victim to stumble in.

Once he got his heart back inside his chest, he moved over to where the demon had disappeared. I gave it a few minutes and followed the two since no one else had arrived, and at least I knew there was nothing lethal here. Besides, the fae looked motivated to kick demon ass, and if I had to guess, the demon should cover his ass. Since we all knew the saying about, “watching whose toes you step on today because they will surely be connected to the foot that kicks your ass tomorrow.” It looked like the fae was ready to bring some whoop ass to the demon. As long as he played by the rules, it should be entertaining, and if he didn’t, I had the answer.

I turned my bracelet up a little to get a better view of where I was going. It looked like another hidden hallway, and I listened to see if either competitor was nearby. Then I sent out my magic, probing, but got nothing. I moved cautiously down the deserted hall. As I took my next step, I heard a click just before the floor dropped out from under me. I’d kill that design team when this was over. I fell, landing in an undignified heap on a large mat similar to the type used in track meets. I rolled over and regained my feet, if not my dignity. I was in a small domed room, no doubt one of the twenty-two domes in this church. The room was empty of art and furniture. I crossed the room and tried the door. The knob turned, and I peered carefully out into the hallway. I heard movement to my left and cautiously followed the sound. It led me to a landing and stairs going up and down.

I was torn on which way to go, when a feeling of impending doom washed over me. It sent a chill down my spine and I shivered involuntarily, dread creeping over me, blanketing me, saturating, smothering, and steeping me in fear. I fought the impulse to run because I recognized the vile magic from the oasis. The wave of evil came from somewhere above. My survival instincts wanted me to move in the opposite direction, but it was my job to protect the contestants, so I headed up the stairs as carefully as I could. There was another landing with stairs that continued upward. I assumed I was approaching another of the many domes in this church. The door to the room was closed. The closer I got to it, the greater the dread. The evil seemed to be concentrated directly behind the door. It pulsed maliciously. This was a good time to redeploy my holographic image. I called forth my holographic double and directed it toward the door. While I doubled my shields, I backed farther down the hall because I didn’t want to be too close if my image caused an explosion. I had my bracelet on high and a ball bearing in my hand. My hologram approached the door and hesitated before it gripped the doorknob. I hesitated while I extended my magic until it stretched to cover the area behind the door.

I found the demon alive, and suspected he’d been knocked senseless. His body stood against the far wall, where I assume it had landed and then slid down the wall onto the floor behind the bed. The church obviously used some of these domed chambers for bedrooms. At least the demon wasn’t in the line of fire. There was serious dark magic coming from the corner to the right of the door. Anyone entering the room would’ve been squarely in the line of fire, proving once again that it sucked to be me, even if it was only my image. Since I knew where the magic’s wielder was, I positioned myself to the left of the door. I’d be right behind my hologram, coming in with guns blazing.

I watched as my hologram pushed the door open and dove to the left away from the magic’s source. A thunderous roar sounded and the dome shook, the shock waves knocking me on my ass. I scrambled to regain my footing, staggered, and nearly fell. My ears rang, and balance was unsteady. I steadied myself by holding on to the doorjamb, using the wall to inch cautiously toward the source of the blast. I was already too late, because the dark magic was rapidly receding. Whoever fired on my hologram was long gone. They would leave a trail of trace evidence and I would get this bastard sooner than later. I entered the room and checked the demon to make sure he was still alive. He was, but done for these games. I called it in and while I waited for him to be transported, I looked to see what had happened in the room.

From the lump on the back of the demon’s head, it looked like he had been knocked unconscious as he searched for clues. There was nothing but a crater where my hologram had been. This guy wasn’t taking any chances. He had used enough concentrated energy to stop a freight train. I went to the place where I’d sensed his presence earlier, using my second sight to scour the area for clues. Whoever this was, their magic was wicked, ancient, almost mythological in proportions. As far as I knew, I hadn’t pissed off any ancient dead gods. That’s when I saw a second magical signature and knew we were in deep shit. There was an even larger and viler supernatural signature across from where my hologram was obliterated. There’d been two entities here. If I was correct, the one on the right had sent a shock wave of fear or dread into my hologram. If it had really been me, I would have fled in the face of it, which would have sent me running right into the waiting arms of the assassin. Whoever the slayer was, he’d used a flamethrower when a blowtorch would have sufficed.

The emergency team arrived, and I watched as they removed the demon. I heard voices and turned to see Corbin and Traygen jogging in my direction.

“Lauren, are you okay?” Traygen asked as he hugged me.

“Yes, but I can’t say the same thing for my hologram. They vaporized it.”

“They?” Corbin asked as he raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

Traygen had let go of me and was walking around the area using his acute sense of smell to try to identify the magic users. He stopped by the two spots and scented the air.

“I don’t recognize those signature traces but, I’ll know them if I smell them again. There is something off with them. I mean besides the fact they both ooze evil energy.”

“I know, and I don’t recognize them either. Yet, I feel like maybe I should. I just can’t put my finger on it. It’s almost as though they’re dead, or the shades of the dead. I hope it comes to me before I join them.”

“Lauren, we will get them. In the meantime, we need to get back to watching over the contestants. The all-clear signal should sound any second.”

“Corbin’s right. I’ll find the fae, you two spread out around the complex. We’ve already taken out one familiar, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more. Keep safe out there.”

Traygen and Corbin left and headed back outside. I doubled back to pick up the fae’s trail. He had gone the opposite direction from the demon. I didn’t know if he was karmically blessed or just lucky he hadn’t gone after the demon. I heard the horn signal it was clear to begin again. I came to the landing where the fae had gone in the opposite direction from the demon. I listened and couldn’t detect anything, so sent my senses out to detect any magical energy nearby. A solid ping, followed by a fainter ping, told me someone was close, and someone else was coming my way. I had the fae’s scent and honed in on him. He was in the area, and I think the wizard was somewhere below me.

As I moved along the hall, the fae’s scent grew stronger. I heard a faint thumping sound ahead of me. The pounding grew louder and was rhythmic in nature. I decided not to take any chances, so increased the energy to my bracelet. Finally, I arrived at an area where the hallway split to find another flight of stairs, heading down. Since the noise came from that direction, I followed it. When I got to the bottom floor, I was in the left transept that ended to the left of the altar. It didn’t take long to identify the noise.

The fae had walked up to the central altar and was circling around in front of the icons. Every few feet he stopped and tapped on a section of one of the panels. After consulting his notes, he strode over to the baptistery, which was tucked into the east transept. It was a raised fountain that looked like a fifteen-foot tall chalice or birdbath. A flight of stairs on each side led to the top. For my money, it looked like a giant birdbath. I was going to hell anyway, and could afford to be irreverent. I had never seen such an impressively sculpted structure. It was made of white marble the carved figures from the twelve signs of the zodiac on the bottom. The fae took his time as he walked around examining it. He must have surmised his nearest competitor had been eliminated. When he stopped, he was standing in front of the sign for Aquarius, and he reached out and pushed on it. With a whooshing noise, the baptistery tilted slightly toward the fae and the floor beneath him vanished. As the startled fae fell from sight, the baptistery sloshed several gallons of water on top of him, effectively flushing him from sight. The baptistery righted itself. It was obviously finished impersonating a toilet. I would have loved to see where the fae was flushed to, but a noise from the front of the church announced the arrival of another contestant. I could hardly wait to see what other tricks the baptistery had in store. I was only sorry there were only two remaining contestants, unless the fae returned in time to try again.