The Belial Origins (33 page)

CHAPTER 103

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

C
lark stared at the object on the bank of the river. The longer he looked, the more sure he was it was a man.

He turned to the pilot. “We need to get down there.”

The pilot quickly found a spot to land. Matt jumped down from the chopper. Mustafa was out just a few seconds after him. The other two agents followed, one of them bringing the silver medical case.

Matt headed to the spot where they’d seen the man. He stopped at the bank and searched up and down, trying to pinpoint the spot he’d seen from the air.

“There!” Mustafa called. He pointed to a dark jumble down the bank to their left. Matt ran over, but slowed as he got closer. He held up his hand for silence and walked up to the man. He didn’t touch him, just walked around him. Shoulder-length dark hair, olive complexion.

Matt looked back at his men. “It’s him.”

The agent carrying the med kit knelt on the ground. He reached over and gently felt the man’s neck. “I have a pulse. It’s getting stronger. We need to move fast.”

One of the other agents had already opened the med kit. He pulled out two syringes and some alcohol swabs. Mustafa knelt down and gently pushed up the sleeve of Cain’s shirt. He held out his hand for a swab, and an agent placed one in his hand. Mustafa swabbed Cain’s upper arm.

Mustafa looked up at Matt. “We’re ready.”

Matt nodded. “Proceed.”

Mustafa picked up both of the syringes. He handed one to Matt. “Be quick.”

Matt nodded. The two other agents positioned themselves behind Mustafa. Matt took off the cap and squeezed out a bit of air. He looked at Mustafa. “Ready.”

Blowing out a breath, Mustafa plunged the needle into Cain’s arm and jammed down on the plunger. He fell back with a scream as blood bloomed across his own arm from a deep slash. The two agents behind Mustafa caught him quickly, laying him down.

“Move!” Matt yelled, dropping to Mustafa’s side. The agents scampered back.

Matt plunged the syringe of adrenaline into Mustafa’s chest. The other agents put pressure on the wound on his arm.

“Come on, come on,” Matt urged as he placed his hand on Mustafa’s neck. His pulse was weak, but getting stronger.

After a moment, Matt breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded at the other two agents. “He’ll be all right. Call in the extraction unit.”

One of the agents stepped away to make the call. Matt moved next to Cain and felt his pulse. It was barely there.
Perfect
.

A few minutes later, both Mustafa and Cain were strapped to stretchers and loaded into the second helicopter. Matt rode with them. He hated that one of his men had been injured, but there had been no other way to get this particular target into their custody safely.

When they landed at the airport, they transferred both men to a larger plane. The whole transfer took less than five minutes and then they were taxiing down the runway. Matt felt like he was taking his first breath since they had seen Cain on the riverbank.
I can’t believe that worked.

He walked to the back of the plane, where a medic was checking Cain’s vitals. “How is he?”

“Good. The sedation should last for at least another six hours.”

Matt knew that there was a good chance someone would have to inject Cain again. But they had prepared for that possibility.

Matt moved back to the front of the plane and sat next to the stretcher that held Mustafa. Mustafa’s eyes were closed and his complexion was paler than Matt would have liked. He patted Mustafa on the shoulder and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “You did well, old friend.”

Then Matt leaned back and closed his eyes.

Thirty minutes later, he was roused by a rustle from the stretcher next to him. Mustafa’s eyelids fluttered.

Matt leaned forward. “Hey, Mustafa. You’re going to be fine.”

Mustafa’s voice was weak. “Did we get him?”

Matt nodded, feeling the smile spread across his face.

Mustafa squinted; Matt knew that was the closest he could manage to a smile at this moment. “Great. But next time,
you
get to sedate him.”

“Hey, I’m the director. I can’t be incapacitated.”

“Just think of the example you’ll set for us underlings. Taking one for the team.”

Matt gave a laugh, but they both knew that Matt had volunteered to give Cain the shot. Mustafa had overruled him based on the very reason Matt had just provided.

“Are we on schedule?” Mustafa asked.

Clark glanced at his watch. “Yup. In another ten hours, Cain will be incarcerated in our West Virginia facility.”

Mustafa closed his eyes. “Are you going to tell Delaney?”

Matt looked at the dark immortal strapped to the stretcher only a few feet away. “Not yet.”

Mustafa’s eyes flew open and he winced, sucking in a breath. “Why not? She should know.”

“Yes, but she’s…” Matt struggled to find the right word. Finally he laughed. “She’s good, Mustafa. We need to learn everything we can about him before we tell her we have him.”

Mustafa watched him intently. “Because she won’t approve of your methods?”

Matt looked away from Mustafa’s probing gaze. He knew Mustafa didn’t approve of his methods either. But Mustafa at least seemed to recognize that the immoral was sometimes acceptable, and perhaps even necessary, in the fight against evil.

Matt did not think Laney shared that mindset.

“You will tell her at some point that you have him,” Mustafa said.

It wasn’t a question, but Matt treated it like it was. “When the time is right.”

CHAPTER 104

L
aney crossed her arms over her chest. “No. You are
not
allowed to sacrifice yourself.”

Victoria looked at her daughter and felt such incredible pride. She had known Laney would not agree to this course of action. It was why they hadn’t told her until now. No matter the odds, Laney always thought there was a way she could save someone.

But in this case there wasn’t.

“Some things must happen in a certain way,” Victoria said softly, her heart breaking as her daughter struggled to accept what could not be changed.

Tears crested in Laney’s eyes, and Victoria felt the pressure at the back of her own eyes as well. After all they had been through, the two of them had finally come to a place where they could trust one another, where they could be in one another’s lives. And now, they had to say goodbye.

Laney angrily swiped away the tears on her cheeks. “No. There has to be another way. There is
always
another way.”

Victoria felt her heart lurch, but she knew she had to stay strong. “There isn’t. Not this time.”

Laney’s eyes were hard despite the tears glistening in them. “I don’t believe that.”

Victoria admired her daughter’s spirit. Laney never accepted things as unchangeable. And look at all she had accomplished because of that. But this was not one of those occasions where sheer will could change things. Some things were, in fact, immutable.

“I am the one who fated humanity to live time and time again—to give them a chance to find everlasting peace. So I am the one who must pay this price. It is my penance.”

Laney shook her head. There was anger in her voice. “No. You’ve paid your penance. Time and time again. What kind of God would require you to do this?”

“A kind one. An optimistic one who believes in the goodness in us all. Each lifetime, we have a chance to find our eternal reward. And I am here to make sure we retain our chance to do that.”

“No. You don’t get to do this. I won’t let you.”

Victoria shook her head. “The only way to destroy the tree is with my blood.
All
of my blood. There is no substitute for that. Believe me, I’ve tried. Besides, the Fallen now know that I can grant them immortality. They will stop at nothing to attain that. Whatever life I have left, I would spend it running.”

Laney’s voice shook, but Victoria didn’t doubt the conviction in her words. “Then we’ll run. I’ll run with you.”

“And you’ll leave all the students at the school behind? Patrick? Henry? Jake? All those that need the ring bearer to protect them?”

Laney looked away. “This can’t be how it ends.”

“Nothing ever truly ends.” Victoria took Laney’s face in her trembling hands. “Each time we meet, I am amazed by your strength and your desire to fight the good fight, no matter the odds. Your heart is your strongest weapon. Never forget that.”

Tears ran down Laney’s cheeks. “Please don’t do this,” she pleaded. “Please. I feel like we just found each other.”

Victoria placed a shaky kiss on Laney’s forehead. “Every time, I think I can’t love you more. And then I do.”

Sobs tore through Laney, and each one pierced Victoria’s heart. Struggling to hold back her own tears, Victoria ran her finger from Laney’s forehead to the bridge of her nose. “Sleep, my beautiful daughter.”

And with that, Laney collapsed into Victoria’s arms. Victoria clutched her daughter to her, wishing more than anything that she could stay. That she could be a part of her daughter’s life. That she would have a chance to see Laney and Jake marry. To hold their children in her arms. But that was not to be.

Not this time.

A tear slipped past her lashes and dropped onto Laney’s hair—hair the same color Victoria’s had once been.

Ralph appeared beside Victoria, his voice gentle. “I’ll take her.”

Victoria just nodded, not capable of speaking.

Ralph lifted Laney and carried her away from the tree, over by the tunnel that led out.

Victoria took a shuddering breath as she watched them go. But instead of leaving, Ralph placed Laney gently on the ground. Then he turned and walked back to Victoria.

Victoria held out her hand. Ralph handed her the knife he had taken from the base of the tree—the knife that was as much a part of the tree as its roots and leaves. The knife Victoria had used a handful of times before. Victoria reached out to take it.

Ralph held it back. “Are you sure there’s no other way?”

“You know there isn’t.”

“You should go. You don’t need to be here for this.”

Ralph tipped Victoria’s chin up and looked into her eyes. “Yes, I do.”

Ralph took a shaky breath and Victoria nearly lost her control at that small sound.

“Let me do it,” Ralph said.

Victoria shook her head, closing her hand over his. “No, my friend. That decision is mine, as always.”

Gently, she pried the knife from his hand. She hesitated for a moment. “You’ll make sure Laney is safe?”

Ralph nodded. A single tear tracked its way down his cheek.

Victoria wiped it away. “Thank you for being my friend.”

Before he could speak, she swiped at her wrists with a practiced move. Then she gasped as pain and blood bloomed at the same time.

The knife slipped from her hand. She fell back, but Ralph caught her before she could fall to the ground. Keeping her nestled in his arms, he carried her to the base of the tree. Her blood dripped into its roots. Above her she could already see the leaves begin to curl.

Victoria leaned back into Ralph’s embrace. She wanted the comfort, but she also wanted to spare him this moment. “You don’t have to stay for this.”

Ralph’s lips gently brushed the top her head. His leaned down, his lips against her ear. “Yes I do,” he whispered. He held her tighter. “It never gets easier.”

Victoria closed her eyes, death pulling at her. “It’s not supposed to.”

CHAPTER 105

“B
e happy, Laney. You deserve it.” Laney hugged Victoria to her, enjoying the embrace.
Mom
.

But then Victoria disappeared, and Laney could hear birds calling to her. Birds?

Laney’s eyelids fluttered open. And she saw trees, the mountain with the hole punched through, and a pale pink sky above her.
Pretty
, she thought, closing her eyes again.

Then her eyes snapped open and she sat upright, the world swimming for a moment. Grief pierced her heart.
Victoria
.

She looked around frantically. She was at the top of the stairs at Heaven’s Gate. Thoughts of Victoria pushed through the molasses in her mind. She pictured Victoria’s body alone inside the mountain.

Her hand flew to her mouth as her own body began to shake. She shut her eyes, but that only served to bring the image into more vivid clarity. Opening her eyes, she looked over her shoulder. A splash of blue caught her attention. A body lay twenty feet away.

Laney scrambled over on shaking hands and knees.
Ralph.
She touched his chest. No movement. She looked at his face. A smile lay on his lips.

But his eyes saw nothing.

The loss crashed over her. Ralph and Victoria—both gone.

Laney stared back at the mountain. She knew she’d never be able to find the entrance again. Besides, even if she did, there was nothing she could do. She’d collapsed the cavern. She’d never get through.

So she just sat next to Ralph, her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. She allowed the tears to stream down her face. Ralph was gone. Victoria was gone. Laney pulled the fruit from her pocket. But the tree was safe.

She just wasn’t sure the trade was worth it.

The rising sun pulled her from her grief. The park would open soon, and she really didn’t want to deal with the Chinese police. Shoving the fruit back in her pocket, she got to her feet. In some part of her mind, she wondered how exactly she was going to get home.

But the larger part of her was too numb to care.

She looked down at Ralph. What was she supposed to do about him? She couldn’t leave him here. And there was no way she was going to be able to carry him down the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps to the parking lot.

Sunlight touched Ralph’s face.
He looks peaceful,
Laney thought.

And then, slowly, as the sunlight covered him, Ralph began to disappear.

Laney watched in shock. Ralph simply faded away. No ash, no sign, nothing. He was gone, and all that was left was the grass that had been underneath him. It looked completely undisturbed.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Laney turned. Her backpack lay next to the path. Somehow, Ralph had managed to grab that as well.

Unzipping it, she pulled out the sat phone. She should probably call someone. People were no doubt worried about her.

But she just stared at the phone like it was a foreign object. Then she put it back in her pack. She zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder.
Not yet.

Laney started down the steps, counting them as she went. The counting kept her mind focused on the here and now, which was what she wanted. She wasn’t ready to deal with all that had happened, and she was nowhere near ready to think about what came next.

The sun was fully up in the sky by the time Laney reached the bottom. She swatted at the tears on her cheeks, not sure when she had started crying. Or maybe she had never stopped.

She walked back toward the car, feeling so incredibly tired. An electric shock burned through her, and she jerked her head up. A familiar figure leaned against a car only twenty feet away.

“Drake?”

He stepped away from the car. “Ring bearer.”

Laney stared at him for a moment.
Drake? In China?
“Um, what are you doing here?”

“I thought you might need some help getting out of the country.”

It was Victoria and Ralph’s contacts that had gotten them in the country in the first place, and Laney had no passport, no papers of any kind. She couldn’t imagine the Chinese government was going to be too thrilled with her. She felt weary at the very idea of it. She really wasn’t up for dealing with bureaucratic red tape.

Drake rested his hand on her shoulder. “I have some fans in the Chinese government. One of them lets me borrow his plane when I ask. It’s waiting at the airport. We can avoid official channels.”

“Thank you.”

“Is the tree destroyed?” Drake asked.

Laney nodded, not looking at him. “Yes.” She pulled the fruit from her pocket and handed it over.

Drake’s face fell as he took it in. Then he clasped it to him with a nod and led her over to his car. There were only two cars parked there. Laney forced herself not to look at the one Ralph had driven them here in.

Laney slipped into the passenger seat and Drake closed the door after her. He walked around and got into the driver’s seat.

But he didn’t start the car right away. Laney looked over. “Will the tree be safe now?”

“Yes,” he said. “It will be.”

She looked over the incredible landscape, trying to keep her mind blank. Mountains rose in the distance, clouds circling their peaks. “I don’t suppose there’s another book, or parchment, or cave drawing out there somewhere, telling us its new location?”

“No. The location will be hidden again. It won’t appear for another few hundred years—not until humanity has forgotten about it again.” Drake hesitated. “And… Ralph?”

Laney pictured Ralph’s smile—and his body as it disappeared. She let out a shaky breath. “He went home.”

Drake’s jaw tightened; grief flashed for a moment across his face. He glanced back at the Gate. “Godspeed, brother,” he whispered softly. He turned back to Laney. “I’m sorry about Victoria. She is a good woman. Do you want to talk about it?”

Grief welled up in Laney and threatened to choke her. She turned her head, taking some deep breaths, and shook her head.

Drake turned the key in the ignition and put the car into drive. “Fair enough.”

Laney watched the trees fly by, not really caring where Drake was heading. She should call Henry and Jake. Her uncle. But she wasn’t ready for that. As soon as she spoke with them, it would be real.

And the minute she heard any of their voices, she was going to lose it. She couldn’t do that. Not yet. She wanted to be home with them when she told them.

Laney pictured Victoria’s face.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the spectacular sunrise. A reluctant smile crossed her face.
I love you too, Mom.