Supernatural Games (4 page)

“I am with Corbin on this. Look at the tree; it has big cat claw marks on it. It is likely he was killed by a big cat which in this forest would be a jaguar.”

I went over and looked at the tree Traygen mentioned. I walked the tree’s circumference and found saucer sized paw prints in the dirt near the tree. These cats are territorial, so it is possible a big cat killed the man. Why the ruse? Why make it look like a vampire murdered the man? My guess is, if someone wanted the vampire team thrown out they might try to frame them.

“Assuming a vampire didn’t kill him, which of our sups is capable of draining this man, and or breaking his neck?”

“Lauren, any of them could have broken the man’s neck. My guess is, it was either fae or demons who drained him. Demons are famous for being able to use exsanguination on their victims.”

“Tokem makes a good point. Demons are fae and they certainly have the ability to drain him. One thing is for sure, a jaguar would not. So, it is likely someone took advantage of the big cat’s kill to try to frame the vampires. We can’t do anything for him. Let’s see if we can find the other guard. Tokem, lead the way.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” Tokem quipped before he led us back up through the tree line.

We followed him back in the direction we’d come. Once we hovered above the canopy of trees, the nearly full moon illuminated the area well enough for us to turn off our lights. If we hadn’t just left a body behind, I might’ve enjoyed our ride. I exhaled and tried to relax when a shadow passed overhead. I turned to see what caused it when Corbin’s voice screamed in our headsets, warning us to dive. Traygen nosed the hovercraft steeply downward toward the trees. I held onto him and turned to see what creature cast such a large shadow. There above us floated a giant golden eagle the size of a small Cessna. I yelled into my headset for everyone to find cover and stay there. I turned and fired a shot of energy from my Uroboros bracelet at the eagle. I shot to kill because maiming it would only piss it off. Yes, I knocked it sideways. I lost sight of it as we found cover under the trees.

“Is everyone okay? Report in.”

“Lauren, we’re all right. Was that a giant eagle?”

“It was. I hit it and lost sight of it once we ducked into the trees. Tokem, see if the coast is clear.”

“Sure, send the little guy.”

“You wouldn’t make a snack for that thing unless it eats mosquitoes.”

“I am going to report you to the ASPCA and PETA.”

“What does the prevention of cruelty to animals have to do with you?”

“Shows how little you know. It is the Association of Senseless Persecution of Air Spirits and you will be hearing from them. Not to mention the Persecution/Prevention of Ethereal Tykili’s Anonymous. Face it, Lauren, you are toast.”

It was times like this I wasn’t sure if the inmates were running the prison. But he did have my twisted, warped sense of humor. While we waited for Tokem to return, I reviewed what we knew so far. This place resembled a scene from Jurassic Park. It was hard to know if the dangers of this small rainforest killed people, or if outside powers killed the people. Certainly, the rainforest proved deadly enough on its own. Yet, this place hadn’t killed the guard, at least not directly. I snapped out of my wool gathering when Tokem gave us the all clear. Traygen moved back above the treetops. We spotted Tokem and Corbin moving off ahead and followed them. We rode in silence for another ten minutes or so before Tokem’s voice came over our headsets.

“The signal is coming from right below us and it hasn’t moved since we arrived. We should proceed with extreme caution.”

We eased down behind Corbin and Tokem until we reached a spot twenty feet above the ground. The area appeared deserted. It resembled the chaparral found all over southern California, scraggily, stunted and dense. It didn’t look like this area had burned in years. The immediate area below consisted of nearly impenetrable, dense thickets of shrubby brush. I for one wasn’t hiking my butt through it. I whispered for Traygen to move us lower for a better look. He transported us to within a few feet of the vegetation. If our guard was in there, we might never see him from the air. I keyed my microphone to tell Tokem to go in for a closer look. He wasn’t thrilled, and I couldn’t see well enough to know whether he flipped me off. So we waited for him to return.

“Lauren, I found his pack and the transmitter but our guard is nowhere to be found. There’s evidence of a struggle.”

“Is there a trail you can follow?”

“Yes, but it disappears after five feet. It is like he was sucked up by aliens or something.”

“Or something is more likely. Is there any sign of a hovercraft? We left them with one and we didn’t find it by our dead man. Maybe he flew out of there.”

“I’ll check.”

While Tokem did his search, I turned on my headset.

“Corbin, Traygen, any guess on what we are facing here? The games are less than a week away and we still have three other universes to scout out. I’ve a bad feeling about this.”

“I’d think you were crazy if this place didn’t give you the creeps or creepy crawlies. This universe by itself is lethal, let alone someone or something snuffing out our guards.”

“I agree with Corbin on this. Until we find out what or who killed the guard we need to assume this universe is compromised.”

“I agree with both of you, if we can’t find this second guard we will need to shut down this universe. The fae will be mad as hell, but I don’t think we have a choice.”

Before we could discuss it further, Tokem’s voice came over our headsets.

“Hey, I found his hovercraft. I’ll come get you. This brush is so darned thick I am having trouble getting through it.”

“Did you find him?”

“No, but someone or something else did.”

I definitely didn’t like the sound of this. We followed Tokem deeper into the brush. We zigzagged our way through it, under it, or over it. A machete and a blowtorch might not make a dent in this mess.. I itched to burn it off, worried I might destroy evidence. So we chopped our way through it. That’s when I spotted the hovercraft. It dangled from the largest spider web I’ve ever seen. The web easily covered an area the size of half a tennis court. I didn’t see our missing guard anywhere, but he literally might be right below us and we’d never be able to see him. I was certain of one thing. I didn’t want to meet whatever the hell made the web. Unfortunately, this wasn’t lucky day. The web rippled and shook, and I looked to see what caused it.

Then a spider the size of a large horse moved toward the hovercraft. I shouted for everyone to move back and they didn’t need convincing. I raised my bracelet and fried it. There was no flipping way I’d let the supersized spider live. We needed to search for our missing guard, and I didn’t want to look over my shoulder constantly for the Godzilla of arachnids. As it is, I’d have nightmares. I only hoped it didn’t have relatives in the area.

“Tokem, are we still getting a signal from our missing guard?”

“Yes, it is directly below us. I’ll see what I can find.”

No one needed to convince me to stay put. I asked Traygen to move us up above the trees. Corbin followed right behind us. We circled while we waited for Tokem to return. I was one disaster away from shutting down a universe now resembling the great race from hell. I definitely wondered what sadistic person thought up these deranged things.

“I found him. If you come down almost directly below the web you’ll see him.”

We picked our way back through the dense tangle of trees, limbs, and shrubs. Finally, we reached the web and made our way down another ten feet when we spotted the man. Traygen wound his way in and out of foliage until we found a place to land. I went over to check the man and the area for any clues to help us determine what occurred here. The man was dead and I found no obvious cause of death. No bite marks, no wounds, period. It was possible he fell to his death, but I didn’t think it likely. I sent out my senses to probe for any signs of supernatural activity. I moved through the immediate area until I felt a subtle shift in the energy. I needed to be sure, so I walked further away and moved in a different direction. I thought I now knew what killed the man. But I needed to make absolutely certain.

“Tokem, I need you to return me to the first site. Traygen and Corbin, can you secure this area and call for the bodies to be transported? I believe I know what happened here, but I need to check the first site. I think you two should stay above the tree line until help comes to retrieve the bodies.”

“Lauren, be careful, our lives together have just begun.”

“It took me long enough to find you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Will you two knock it off before you bring a tear to my eye?”

I glared at Tokem and he blew me a kiss before he landed on my handlebars. We moved back to the place where we located the first body. It didn’t take me long to discover what I looked for. Satisfied, we headed back to where we left the others. They just finished loading up the first man and Tokem volunteered to show them the second body. We left the portable universe and transported back to the Four-Courts. We assembled in the conference room to review what we knew and wait for Tokem to return.

“They just loaded the second guard. What do you want to do with security?” Tokem asked.

“If I can make a suggestion, I think we should just seal it and place guards outside the entrance. I know it might telegraph the coordinates, but it isn’t safe for anyone to stay inside there right now.”

“Lauren, do you want to fill the rest of us in. What did you find?” Traygen inquired.

“I almost missed it; in fact I did at the first site. But when we landed the second time, I caught the faintest scent of magic. If we’d found the body any later, it might have dissipated, leaving no trace at all. I asked Tokem to return me to the first victim, and I checked the site again looking for any evidence or signature of magic. And again I found it.”

“So, what do you think happened? Out with it, woman. What are you waiting for - a drum roll?”

“Tokem, unless you want to see the taxidermist, you need to get a grip. I think they were both killed by the familiars of the jaguar and the spider. If I am correct, then whoever animated those animals can communicate with them without being inside the universe. The million dollar question is, who is animating the familiars and why did they kill the guards? They must know they risked tipping us off to their existence and their ability to control their familiars.”

“Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t the fae the most likely culprits? I mean, I guess wizards are capable of creating a familiar. Yet, it usually is a form of glamour.”

“Corbin, you are correct. In fact, the Unseelie are the most adept at it. And technically, I could create a familiar, but it isn’t something I’ve perfected. But if it is the fae, why activate them now? Once the games start, it would be almost impossible to differentiate one form of magic from another. It also doesn’t explain why the first man we found was drained of blood.”

“Lauren, I asked Jason and the council to speed up the autopsies on the dead men. We should know by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I think we need to post guards outside the universe. Until we know what we’re up against, there is no sense in risking anyone else’s lives. I’ll see to it now,” Traygen said as he left the room.

“What is your plan for inspecting the other universes? Or do you think we need to have a chat with the designers to see if they know anything regarding the familiars?”

I considered Corbin’s question and decided for the time being we wouldn’t let them know we knew anything concerning the existence of the familiars. Until we identified who killed the guards, we needed to proceed carefully.

“Lauren, what is it?”

“I’m sorry, I was mulling over your question. I think for now we won’t let anyone know we’re aware of the familiars. Depending on what the autopsies tell us, we may or may not tell them. I mean it is entirely possible the second man fell and broke his neck, and that a real jaguar broke the first man’s neck.”

“True, but it doesn’t explain why the first man was drained. No vampire killed him, and a lycan would’ve torn his throat out. Elves would not have done it. The fae and wizards are both capable and since they’re also fae, demons can drain a person. The question is why, and why now? If they’re trying to gain an advantage, they’d wait until the games were underway.”

“Why indeed? And unfortunately, we still have three more universes to inspect. We need answers and soon. Corbin, can you contact your father and see if the vampires have been warring with any of their competitors? I’ll contact Jason and see if he is aware of any disputes.”

“I’ll see to it now.”

I left and went to contact Jason. He transported within minutes of my summons.

“Lauren, what’s up?”

I filled him in on what we’d found and what we suspected. Then I asked him if he knew of any current disputes. He snorted before telling me the question was as inane as asking if there were cars on the freeway during rush hour. He made a valid point. But this appeared bigger than the usual garden-variety pettiness. He didn’t say anything for so long I thought he wasn’t going to answer me.

“I’ve heard rumors of a power struggle between the fae courts.”

“Tell me something I don’t know. Queen Mab still has a price on my head. The Unseelie hate humans.”