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"The Air Devils"
"The Air Devils"
10/9/2017
Bane pushed the Jeep Cherokee up one last steep stretch and pulled over at a level area. He was vaguely concerned about getting back down the mountain without burning his brakes, there were some near-vertical bits of road behind him. This time of year, the Catskills were gorgeous as even he had to notice. The red and gold leaves flashed in the late afternoon sun and a crisp cool breeze stirred his hair. Satisfied the Jeep was well off the road, the Dire Wolf got out and stretched. From between two birch trees behind him, a tall figure stepped out silently. "Captain!" the man called out in a low husky voice. "Good to see you."
Josef Jubilec had changed only a little since Bane had first met him more than a dozen years ago. Now hitting forty, he looked a bit older because his face was weathered and lined, pale blue eyes peering out under short sandy hair. The Blind Archer was a few inches taller than Bane, wider across across the shoulders and deeper in the chest. He was wearing camoflauge pants and hiking boots, with a sleeveless leather vest over a white T-shirt. Jubilec's arms had remarkable definition, the muscles stood out dramatically but then, Bane reflected, a lifetime of pulling heavy bows will do that.
Stepping closer, Bane glanced up at the rest of Von Steuben Mountain. They were not even halfway up to the top. The Dire Wolf was wearing his black field suit, boots and pants and short jacket of tough leatherlike material. In the crook of one arm, he held a visored helmet. "I got your message and followed your signal," he said. "As it happened, I was near Albany anyway, so it wasn't a two hour drive from the city." (Like many New Yorkers, when he said 'the city,' he meant Manhattan.)
Jubilec nodded. "We have not worked together for years, captain. But when I realized the quarry I am tracking today, I felt having you with me would be wise. Did you hear about the bank robbery this morning?"
"The one in West Windsor? Yeah. I thought it smelled fishy. Four men got away with only three thousand dollars and they took a hostage. Adding kidnaping charges to a heist that small makes no sense to me. Where's your car, Josef?"
"Behind those birch trees. I covered it with some brush. Yes, the robbery struck me as odd. To go into a Federal Credit Union with guns, grab but a few thousand dollars and then yank one of the customers to take as a hostage... either these are stupid criminals or they are playing a deeper game."
Bane thought he saw something out of place in the bushes across the road, and he started toward it. "Do you know the name of the prisoner, Josef?"
"Oh, yes. Dr Caitlyn Pallidore."
The Dire Wolf glanced back over his shoulder but kept moving. "Now I am getting interested. I have some of her books on the Midnight War. I haven't actually read them, you understand, they're dry as dust but she knows what she's talking about. How odd she gets taken hostage." Standing by the side of the road, he crouched down. "Have you seen this?"
"The money satchel? Yes. It was why I stopped here and called you."
"VALLEY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION," Bane read. "Let's see. Yes, the money's in there, the dye cartridge has been discharged so the money's useless. How do you figure this?" he asked as he came back across the road.
The Blind Archer did not answer immediately. Bane was used to this. Jubilec had had a solo career as a counter-assassin and courier before joining the KDF and he still used his days off for commissions of his own, "to stay sharp," as he said. He usually thought before he spoke or acted, and often did not answer at all. "Dr Pallidore is in trouble with the FBI. She has been dealing with some unsavory underworld figures. You'd think her books on the occult would be enough to keep her busy but perhaps they are not profitable."
"So," Bane continued. "Let me take a guess. Our author is about to be brought up on charges and she gets wind of it. Rather than just trying to run like a rabbit, she is conveniently carried off by bank robbers, never to be seen again." He snorted. "It's been done before by others."
Jubilec had gone over to the birch trees and was strapping on a hand-crafted leather frame to his back. This was a Y-shaped quiver which held a dozen long-shafted arrows in each compartment. In the small pouches on his vest were assorted arrowheads which could be screwed on each shaft in a second. The Chujiran unwrapped a plain longbow, as tall as he was, from its chamois covering and fastened the string to its notches.
"Still not using fancy modern bows, I see," Bane observed.
"What, with all the pulleys and sights and counterweights? I don't think so." Jubilec scoffed. "My art would not work well with technology. The Blind Archers use knowledge passed down from the Darthan Age." With strung bow in hand, the man seemed different. He stood straighter, his eyes brightened, his mouth had a wicked smile. He suddenly looked dangerous. "Captain, there are four armed men in this area close to us. But you know I would not summon you just because of that. It's because of Dr Pallidore. She is no fraud when it comes to the supernatural. She can bring in visitors from Fanedral."
II.
At that name, Bane drew himself up as well. "Huh. That adds a new ingredient. Kulan? Malakim?"
"I don't know for sure, captain. You know more of these matters than I do." Jubilec grinned in a remarkably sinister way. "Perhaps we will soon find out. Are you with me?"
"Absolutely," said the Dire Wolf. He trotted over to his Jeep and came out with a long-barrelled Smith & Wesson .38 in a detachable holster. "I've been leaving most of the arsenal behind these days. I am semi-retired, you know, and most of our big enemies are dead or imprisoned in other realms. So I don't have the dart gun or resonance caps. A regular bullet handles most of what I face anymore." He threaded the holster through his belt behind his left hip. "Twelve extra shells in this bag. And of course I never get dressed without the silver daggers."
The Blind Archer was still smiling wickedly but he sighed with obvious satisfaction. "You yourself are the most dangerous weapon, Jeremy. Come, I can sense they are further up the road. Shall we take a hike on this Autumn day?"
Bane nodded and followed as Jubilec started briskly up the narrow road. They were miles from the nearest town, a tiny hamlet known only for its annual Octoberfest. As they trudged up the side of the mountain, no houses were to be seen. Half an hour passed. Both men were in excellent condition and could walk this way without tiring for hours. As they ascended, Bane thought back on the strange life of his colleague. Jubilec had been sold as an infant to the Blind Archers of Chujir, a cult which trained assassins and bodyguards for the royalty of various adjacent realms. Their skill did not just border on the supernatural, it WAS supernatural and the Archers were feared and respected. As a teenager, Jubilec had rebelled and escaped the sect. He never talked about it, but it was certain he had been forced to kill a number of Archers sent to reclaim him. Making it to the real world, he had carved out a lucrative career protecting the wealthy from kidnappers and assassins.
The Dire Wolf smiled to himself. He had met Jubilec at the 'Dragon Within' case in Woodstock, not thirty miles from here. The two men had clicked, Bane had seen that Jubilec was slightly lost, looking for a cause and something to fight for. Becoming a knight of Tel Shai and a member of the new KDF had met that need. Now, thirteen years later, the Blind Archer was still busy in the Tel Shai crusade. He had found something to believe in.
An hour had passed, and the sun was getting low when both men headed simultaneously toward something they had spotted. A vague trail leading off the road into the woods. In the hard dry ground, tire tracks barely showed but it was enough. Jubilec had unstrung his bow and worn it tied across his back. Now he readied it again, loosened his arrows and gave Bane a predatory grin. A mile down that trail, they found a beat-up red Dodge pick-up half in the bushes and they both spotted the corpse at the same time.
Freezing in place, listening and looking, they held still for a moment before approaching the truck. The driver door hung open. Lying face down ten feet away was a body which had great chunks sliced out of its back. The blood was sticky but not completely dry. A Glock lay in the dust just out of reach of the dead hand. Jubilec began to circle and said, "Footprints going deeper into the woods. At least two men. Three men, I see now. And a thin woman with short heeled shoes. They walked quickly."
"They left one of their own behind," Bane observed, searching the body. He found a wallet, a few dollars, a pack of Salems and a book of matches. "Driver's license says Dean McMillan, 38, address in Poughkeepsie. Photo matches what's left of his face."
The Blind Archer came closer. "Some nice gouges. A bear, perhaps?"
"No. I've seen this type of wound, the distinctive shape of the entry. Talons. These looks like the wounds made by a raptor. Eagle, hawk, something like that."
Jubilec whistled. "Pretty big, though."
"Yeah." Standing up, Bane lowered his helmet over his head but left the visor up. "Too big for any bird we know. Looks to me like they had a falling-out, not over the money, because they discarded that before they got here, but over something else. Payment for carrying out the ruse, maybe, or what their next step would be. And our Dr Pallidore demonstrated that she indeed call little friends from Fanedral. I think she and the others left McMillan here to stand guard and when they were out of sight, she sent a Fanedral vermin for him."
Far from being alarmed by this new discovery, Jubilec seemed pleased. He pulled a white cotten sash from his vest and tied it over his eyes like a blindfold. This was the secret of the Blind Archers. By obscuring their natural vision, they opened up their inner perception. He could now see only vaguely through the thin cotten with his physical eyes, but his gralic perception of life forms sprang into effect. To him, everything was a dim hazy picture except for Bane, who stood out as if glowing. It was why the Blind Archers were so unerring with their shots... to them, living targets were magnets that drew their awareness. He almost chuckled as his senses expanded.
The Dire Wolf watched with interest as Jubilec grinned at him. "Ready, Josef?"
"Sure. Let's head down opposite sides of the trail." As he spoke, the two knights of Tel Shai stepped off the vague trail into the woods and starting racing along parallel to each other. Even at a full run, they were nearly silent. With a mile behind them, they came up on a small clearing in which a one-room cabin stood. Both men circled it at a distance, keeping concealed, until they met on the other side of the clearing under a group of oak trees. "Looks like a hunting cabin built decades ago," Jubilec whispered. "It has been falling apart for some time."
"Those are new hinges on the door," Bane answered. "And that's a generator under that tarp at the back. The grass by the front is freshly trampled."
"Well all right then," the Blind Archer said, drawing an arrow and notching it to the string. "Do you want to knock or should I?"
"I think it better if you cover me while I creep in," answered Bane. "You've got the long range weapon." They were behind the cabin, where the back wall had no window and only a plain wooden plank door. The Dire Wolf began to move forward quickly but smoothly. There was no cover to take. As he was almost within reach of the cabin, a sound like a gong resonanted high overhead. The clear mountain air flashed red and something with wings came swooping down right at him. Bane crouched and drew, but before he could squeeze the trigger, three slim feet of wood slid into the creature's body with an audible thump. The beast convulsed and fell to the grass right at Bane's feet, and he stared at it as Josef Jubilec came running up.
The creature looked most like a manta ray, with a wingspread of four feet and a cylindrical white body about the size of a big dog. The eyes were set high on the rudimentary head and the mouth was a crescent sharklike semi-circle packed with long sharp teeth. Halfway down the body was a pair of muscular legs ending in raptor feet with huge talons. A thin whip of a tail thrashed and was still as the thing died. The arrow stuck up with its red fletching from the center of the body.
"Damn," the Blind Archer breathed. "What do you call a thing like that?"
"I think it's an Air Devil. I have heard the name in Mr Dred's accounts of Fanedral but never found a description. Nice reaction time, Josef."
"We do our best," the Archer grunted as he fitted another arrow to the string. "Did you see it just appear like that-"
As he spoke, a dozen gong-noises rang out in the sky over them and a dozen flashes of lurid red light opened to let Air Devils through. The creatures shrieked like banshees and plunged down with frightening speed. Instantly, arrows were hissing up to meet them. The razor barbed heads sliced deep in the Devil's rubbery flesh, and three of the beasts spun wildly and fell to the ground. At the same time, Bane extended his arm and cracked off four shots. One of the Air Devils veered off, apparently distressed at the wound, and another dropped straight down. One of the creatures, bigger than the others and with dark mottles on its hide, came diving straight of the Dire Wolf and took the final two bullets right under the eyes. Bane jumped aside as the monster crashed limply to the ground right where he had been standing.
More of the things were coming through the gateways. They hurtled down faster than Bane could reload and one grabbed him with its eagle-claws in a grip no Human could break. The Dire Wolf's arms flashed out and back in, silver glittering in his hands as he sliced the creature open with the daggers he drew from their forearm sheaths. Beside him, he saw Jubilec was in trouble. One of the Air Devils had gotten in close and the Blind Archer was forcing it back by using his bow as a staff. The creature was too strong, in another instant those powerful claws would close on Jubilec and he would be carried off. Bane blurred over as fast as he had ever moved and slashed the manta-like body almost in half. The things had soft cartilige instead of bone.
"In the cabin!" Bane rapped and kicked the door inward so savagely that the lock snapped. They dove inside and one Air Devil clutched at Bane's leg to be driven back by a silver dagger driven to the hilt in the rubbery flesh and yanked out at a slant. The Tel Shai knights got inside and Bane slammed the door behind him but it did not click shut as the lock was broken. They straightened up to face guns in the hands of three men and the furious glare of an old hatchet-faced woman.
III.
In the few seconds that no one moved, Bane took stock of their condition. Jubilec's clothes were tattered, he had long scratches on his arms and legs, and he had lost his bow outside. Bane was in better shape because of the flexible Trom armor under his own shredded uniform but his gun was likewise lying out there in the grass. As they had rushed into the room, the Dire Wolf had automatically sheathed his daggers under his sleeves. There was a chance these goons hadn't spotted the knives in the sudden entrance, which could mean a useful surprise. Outside, the shrill cries of the monsters echoed and he could their shadows swoop past the small windows.
They were being covered by three men in regular rough clothes, flannel shirts and jeans and tan work boots. They didn't have the signs of career criminals. Two held revolvers, one had a .45 automatic. Standing behind them was a thin elderly woman, at least seventy, with white hair styled short and cold blue eyes studying them intently . The beaky nose and pointed chin looked as if they might meet in a few years. She was well dressed, in a beige long-sleeved blouse and brown skirt.
"Dr Pallidore," Bane said easily as if they were meeting at a cocktail party. "I bought your books but I haven't read them yet."
"Oh, I know YOU," she spat. "The Dire Wolf! And this is the notorious Blind Archer! How long have you been following me?"
Bane raised an eyebrow. "Reportedly, you were taken hostage during a bank hold-up. You might be happier to see your rescuers."
"Spare me," the old woman said. "You're not the type to be fooled as the stupid police are. I had hoped to make it to Europe where a lady might live in comfort and enjoy her final years. But you seem determined to deny me that."
Now Josef Jubilec laughed out loud, taking a step to one side, away from Bane. "We saw the man you left behind. Are you going to feed these poor souls to the Air Devils as well?"
For a second, the old trick seemed to have some effect as the gunmen glanced uncertainly at each other. Bane was pressing back back against the door to keep it closed. The Dire Wolf said, "He's got a point. These monkeys have served their purpose. You don't need them."
"Stop it!" she snapped. "Joe, Frank, don't listen to them. Our agreement will be honored. Your payments are in those manila envelopes on the table."
They all jumped as thumps sounded from the outside. The Air Devils were starting to smash up against the walls, trying to get in. Dust flew as the heavy bodies crashed against the boards. In the window, a hideous head loomed up, red eyes peering in at them and the gunmen stared at it with horror.
"You don't seem to have great control over your little pets," the Blind Archer smirked.
"She doesn't control them at all." Bane was talking as much to the gunmen as to his friend. "All she knows is how to bring them here. They're going to get in sooner and later, and those things are hungry as tigers. There's no way to escape this cabin."
Now one of the gunmen turned from the window, lowering his weapon. "Dr Pallidore, is that true?"
The old woman waved a dismissing hand. "Of course not! I can send them back. It's a simple spell. When I saw these Tel Shai fools outside, I let the Mondokim loose to kill them but they got in here anyway." She lowered her brows and folded her arms slowly. "They are unarmed. You boys will kill them and we will toss their carcasses outside to feel the animals. Then I will return the Air Devils home and we will all be free to leave."
Bane was pushing back against the door with all his strength. He could feel one of the monsters outside, pressing inward inexorably. "Listen. Dr Pallidore. Come a little closer, I have an offer you're going to like."
"Not mere money, I hope," she chuckled but she did take a few steps to stand in front of him, just out of arm's reach. "Well, what is it?"
"It's an old quotation. 'The schemer falls into the pit he digs for another.'" With the last word, Jeremy Bane leaped to one side and an Air Devil hurtled into the room and pounced directly on Dr Pallidore. She only gave one real scream before the beast's talons crushed her chest and the circle of teeth chomped down on her neck. The monster crouched over its victim and shook the limp body, but no one there was actually watching this. Josef Jubilec had realized what his captain planned. The moment that door crashed inward and as the brute plunged across the room, the Blind Archer had jumped the nearest gunman, shoved him against the wall and gotten the pistol away. Three shots echoed almost as one, Jubilec seemed to just wave the gun and fire without looking but he was using his gralic perception. All three of the goons slumped to the cabin floor with neat holes in their foreheads.
For his part, Bane had wedged a chair under the doorknob to try and keep other Air Devils from getting in. The monster in the cabin was starting to feed on the body it rested upon with horrible crunching noises. Jubilec took another gun from a fallen goon and emptied it into the beast.
"I know she was going to kill us, but I think just letting her be devoured is going too far," the Blind Archer said.
Bane let out a long breath, and wiped his face with the back of one hand. "Whew. I didn't know you could use a firearm that way, Josef."
"My art works best with a bow, but yes, I can apply it to most weapons." He glanced at the window as an Air Devil flew by. "We're not ready to throw a party yet, captain. There are still a dozen of these playmates outside."
The Dire Wolf picked up a pistol from one of the dead men. "Five shells in it. And I have twelve with me that will fit this gun. That stiff in the corner has an automatic that hasn't been fired. I think we can pick off these things from the doorways before they can grab us."
Josef Jubilec chuckled. "As you might expect, I only have a bowhunting license in this state, but I guess no one will report us."
10/13/2013
10/9/2017
Bane pushed the Jeep Cherokee up one last steep stretch and pulled over at a level area. He was vaguely concerned about getting back down the mountain without burning his brakes, there were some near-vertical bits of road behind him. This time of year, the Catskills were gorgeous as even he had to notice. The red and gold leaves flashed in the late afternoon sun and a crisp cool breeze stirred his hair. Satisfied the Jeep was well off the road, the Dire Wolf got out and stretched. From between two birch trees behind him, a tall figure stepped out silently. "Captain!" the man called out in a low husky voice. "Good to see you."
Josef Jubilec had changed only a little since Bane had first met him more than a dozen years ago. Now hitting forty, he looked a bit older because his face was weathered and lined, pale blue eyes peering out under short sandy hair. The Blind Archer was a few inches taller than Bane, wider across across the shoulders and deeper in the chest. He was wearing camoflauge pants and hiking boots, with a sleeveless leather vest over a white T-shirt. Jubilec's arms had remarkable definition, the muscles stood out dramatically but then, Bane reflected, a lifetime of pulling heavy bows will do that.
Stepping closer, Bane glanced up at the rest of Von Steuben Mountain. They were not even halfway up to the top. The Dire Wolf was wearing his black field suit, boots and pants and short jacket of tough leatherlike material. In the crook of one arm, he held a visored helmet. "I got your message and followed your signal," he said. "As it happened, I was near Albany anyway, so it wasn't a two hour drive from the city." (Like many New Yorkers, when he said 'the city,' he meant Manhattan.)
Jubilec nodded. "We have not worked together for years, captain. But when I realized the quarry I am tracking today, I felt having you with me would be wise. Did you hear about the bank robbery this morning?"
"The one in West Windsor? Yeah. I thought it smelled fishy. Four men got away with only three thousand dollars and they took a hostage. Adding kidnaping charges to a heist that small makes no sense to me. Where's your car, Josef?"
"Behind those birch trees. I covered it with some brush. Yes, the robbery struck me as odd. To go into a Federal Credit Union with guns, grab but a few thousand dollars and then yank one of the customers to take as a hostage... either these are stupid criminals or they are playing a deeper game."
Bane thought he saw something out of place in the bushes across the road, and he started toward it. "Do you know the name of the prisoner, Josef?"
"Oh, yes. Dr Caitlyn Pallidore."
The Dire Wolf glanced back over his shoulder but kept moving. "Now I am getting interested. I have some of her books on the Midnight War. I haven't actually read them, you understand, they're dry as dust but she knows what she's talking about. How odd she gets taken hostage." Standing by the side of the road, he crouched down. "Have you seen this?"
"The money satchel? Yes. It was why I stopped here and called you."
"VALLEY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION," Bane read. "Let's see. Yes, the money's in there, the dye cartridge has been discharged so the money's useless. How do you figure this?" he asked as he came back across the road.
The Blind Archer did not answer immediately. Bane was used to this. Jubilec had had a solo career as a counter-assassin and courier before joining the KDF and he still used his days off for commissions of his own, "to stay sharp," as he said. He usually thought before he spoke or acted, and often did not answer at all. "Dr Pallidore is in trouble with the FBI. She has been dealing with some unsavory underworld figures. You'd think her books on the occult would be enough to keep her busy but perhaps they are not profitable."
"So," Bane continued. "Let me take a guess. Our author is about to be brought up on charges and she gets wind of it. Rather than just trying to run like a rabbit, she is conveniently carried off by bank robbers, never to be seen again." He snorted. "It's been done before by others."
Jubilec had gone over to the birch trees and was strapping on a hand-crafted leather frame to his back. This was a Y-shaped quiver which held a dozen long-shafted arrows in each compartment. In the small pouches on his vest were assorted arrowheads which could be screwed on each shaft in a second. The Chujiran unwrapped a plain longbow, as tall as he was, from its chamois covering and fastened the string to its notches.
"Still not using fancy modern bows, I see," Bane observed.
"What, with all the pulleys and sights and counterweights? I don't think so." Jubilec scoffed. "My art would not work well with technology. The Blind Archers use knowledge passed down from the Darthan Age." With strung bow in hand, the man seemed different. He stood straighter, his eyes brightened, his mouth had a wicked smile. He suddenly looked dangerous. "Captain, there are four armed men in this area close to us. But you know I would not summon you just because of that. It's because of Dr Pallidore. She is no fraud when it comes to the supernatural. She can bring in visitors from Fanedral."
II.
At that name, Bane drew himself up as well. "Huh. That adds a new ingredient. Kulan? Malakim?"
"I don't know for sure, captain. You know more of these matters than I do." Jubilec grinned in a remarkably sinister way. "Perhaps we will soon find out. Are you with me?"
"Absolutely," said the Dire Wolf. He trotted over to his Jeep and came out with a long-barrelled Smith & Wesson .38 in a detachable holster. "I've been leaving most of the arsenal behind these days. I am semi-retired, you know, and most of our big enemies are dead or imprisoned in other realms. So I don't have the dart gun or resonance caps. A regular bullet handles most of what I face anymore." He threaded the holster through his belt behind his left hip. "Twelve extra shells in this bag. And of course I never get dressed without the silver daggers."
The Blind Archer was still smiling wickedly but he sighed with obvious satisfaction. "You yourself are the most dangerous weapon, Jeremy. Come, I can sense they are further up the road. Shall we take a hike on this Autumn day?"
Bane nodded and followed as Jubilec started briskly up the narrow road. They were miles from the nearest town, a tiny hamlet known only for its annual Octoberfest. As they trudged up the side of the mountain, no houses were to be seen. Half an hour passed. Both men were in excellent condition and could walk this way without tiring for hours. As they ascended, Bane thought back on the strange life of his colleague. Jubilec had been sold as an infant to the Blind Archers of Chujir, a cult which trained assassins and bodyguards for the royalty of various adjacent realms. Their skill did not just border on the supernatural, it WAS supernatural and the Archers were feared and respected. As a teenager, Jubilec had rebelled and escaped the sect. He never talked about it, but it was certain he had been forced to kill a number of Archers sent to reclaim him. Making it to the real world, he had carved out a lucrative career protecting the wealthy from kidnappers and assassins.
The Dire Wolf smiled to himself. He had met Jubilec at the 'Dragon Within' case in Woodstock, not thirty miles from here. The two men had clicked, Bane had seen that Jubilec was slightly lost, looking for a cause and something to fight for. Becoming a knight of Tel Shai and a member of the new KDF had met that need. Now, thirteen years later, the Blind Archer was still busy in the Tel Shai crusade. He had found something to believe in.
An hour had passed, and the sun was getting low when both men headed simultaneously toward something they had spotted. A vague trail leading off the road into the woods. In the hard dry ground, tire tracks barely showed but it was enough. Jubilec had unstrung his bow and worn it tied across his back. Now he readied it again, loosened his arrows and gave Bane a predatory grin. A mile down that trail, they found a beat-up red Dodge pick-up half in the bushes and they both spotted the corpse at the same time.
Freezing in place, listening and looking, they held still for a moment before approaching the truck. The driver door hung open. Lying face down ten feet away was a body which had great chunks sliced out of its back. The blood was sticky but not completely dry. A Glock lay in the dust just out of reach of the dead hand. Jubilec began to circle and said, "Footprints going deeper into the woods. At least two men. Three men, I see now. And a thin woman with short heeled shoes. They walked quickly."
"They left one of their own behind," Bane observed, searching the body. He found a wallet, a few dollars, a pack of Salems and a book of matches. "Driver's license says Dean McMillan, 38, address in Poughkeepsie. Photo matches what's left of his face."
The Blind Archer came closer. "Some nice gouges. A bear, perhaps?"
"No. I've seen this type of wound, the distinctive shape of the entry. Talons. These looks like the wounds made by a raptor. Eagle, hawk, something like that."
Jubilec whistled. "Pretty big, though."
"Yeah." Standing up, Bane lowered his helmet over his head but left the visor up. "Too big for any bird we know. Looks to me like they had a falling-out, not over the money, because they discarded that before they got here, but over something else. Payment for carrying out the ruse, maybe, or what their next step would be. And our Dr Pallidore demonstrated that she indeed call little friends from Fanedral. I think she and the others left McMillan here to stand guard and when they were out of sight, she sent a Fanedral vermin for him."
Far from being alarmed by this new discovery, Jubilec seemed pleased. He pulled a white cotten sash from his vest and tied it over his eyes like a blindfold. This was the secret of the Blind Archers. By obscuring their natural vision, they opened up their inner perception. He could now see only vaguely through the thin cotten with his physical eyes, but his gralic perception of life forms sprang into effect. To him, everything was a dim hazy picture except for Bane, who stood out as if glowing. It was why the Blind Archers were so unerring with their shots... to them, living targets were magnets that drew their awareness. He almost chuckled as his senses expanded.
The Dire Wolf watched with interest as Jubilec grinned at him. "Ready, Josef?"
"Sure. Let's head down opposite sides of the trail." As he spoke, the two knights of Tel Shai stepped off the vague trail into the woods and starting racing along parallel to each other. Even at a full run, they were nearly silent. With a mile behind them, they came up on a small clearing in which a one-room cabin stood. Both men circled it at a distance, keeping concealed, until they met on the other side of the clearing under a group of oak trees. "Looks like a hunting cabin built decades ago," Jubilec whispered. "It has been falling apart for some time."
"Those are new hinges on the door," Bane answered. "And that's a generator under that tarp at the back. The grass by the front is freshly trampled."
"Well all right then," the Blind Archer said, drawing an arrow and notching it to the string. "Do you want to knock or should I?"
"I think it better if you cover me while I creep in," answered Bane. "You've got the long range weapon." They were behind the cabin, where the back wall had no window and only a plain wooden plank door. The Dire Wolf began to move forward quickly but smoothly. There was no cover to take. As he was almost within reach of the cabin, a sound like a gong resonanted high overhead. The clear mountain air flashed red and something with wings came swooping down right at him. Bane crouched and drew, but before he could squeeze the trigger, three slim feet of wood slid into the creature's body with an audible thump. The beast convulsed and fell to the grass right at Bane's feet, and he stared at it as Josef Jubilec came running up.
The creature looked most like a manta ray, with a wingspread of four feet and a cylindrical white body about the size of a big dog. The eyes were set high on the rudimentary head and the mouth was a crescent sharklike semi-circle packed with long sharp teeth. Halfway down the body was a pair of muscular legs ending in raptor feet with huge talons. A thin whip of a tail thrashed and was still as the thing died. The arrow stuck up with its red fletching from the center of the body.
"Damn," the Blind Archer breathed. "What do you call a thing like that?"
"I think it's an Air Devil. I have heard the name in Mr Dred's accounts of Fanedral but never found a description. Nice reaction time, Josef."
"We do our best," the Archer grunted as he fitted another arrow to the string. "Did you see it just appear like that-"
As he spoke, a dozen gong-noises rang out in the sky over them and a dozen flashes of lurid red light opened to let Air Devils through. The creatures shrieked like banshees and plunged down with frightening speed. Instantly, arrows were hissing up to meet them. The razor barbed heads sliced deep in the Devil's rubbery flesh, and three of the beasts spun wildly and fell to the ground. At the same time, Bane extended his arm and cracked off four shots. One of the Air Devils veered off, apparently distressed at the wound, and another dropped straight down. One of the creatures, bigger than the others and with dark mottles on its hide, came diving straight of the Dire Wolf and took the final two bullets right under the eyes. Bane jumped aside as the monster crashed limply to the ground right where he had been standing.
More of the things were coming through the gateways. They hurtled down faster than Bane could reload and one grabbed him with its eagle-claws in a grip no Human could break. The Dire Wolf's arms flashed out and back in, silver glittering in his hands as he sliced the creature open with the daggers he drew from their forearm sheaths. Beside him, he saw Jubilec was in trouble. One of the Air Devils had gotten in close and the Blind Archer was forcing it back by using his bow as a staff. The creature was too strong, in another instant those powerful claws would close on Jubilec and he would be carried off. Bane blurred over as fast as he had ever moved and slashed the manta-like body almost in half. The things had soft cartilige instead of bone.
"In the cabin!" Bane rapped and kicked the door inward so savagely that the lock snapped. They dove inside and one Air Devil clutched at Bane's leg to be driven back by a silver dagger driven to the hilt in the rubbery flesh and yanked out at a slant. The Tel Shai knights got inside and Bane slammed the door behind him but it did not click shut as the lock was broken. They straightened up to face guns in the hands of three men and the furious glare of an old hatchet-faced woman.
III.
In the few seconds that no one moved, Bane took stock of their condition. Jubilec's clothes were tattered, he had long scratches on his arms and legs, and he had lost his bow outside. Bane was in better shape because of the flexible Trom armor under his own shredded uniform but his gun was likewise lying out there in the grass. As they had rushed into the room, the Dire Wolf had automatically sheathed his daggers under his sleeves. There was a chance these goons hadn't spotted the knives in the sudden entrance, which could mean a useful surprise. Outside, the shrill cries of the monsters echoed and he could their shadows swoop past the small windows.
They were being covered by three men in regular rough clothes, flannel shirts and jeans and tan work boots. They didn't have the signs of career criminals. Two held revolvers, one had a .45 automatic. Standing behind them was a thin elderly woman, at least seventy, with white hair styled short and cold blue eyes studying them intently . The beaky nose and pointed chin looked as if they might meet in a few years. She was well dressed, in a beige long-sleeved blouse and brown skirt.
"Dr Pallidore," Bane said easily as if they were meeting at a cocktail party. "I bought your books but I haven't read them yet."
"Oh, I know YOU," she spat. "The Dire Wolf! And this is the notorious Blind Archer! How long have you been following me?"
Bane raised an eyebrow. "Reportedly, you were taken hostage during a bank hold-up. You might be happier to see your rescuers."
"Spare me," the old woman said. "You're not the type to be fooled as the stupid police are. I had hoped to make it to Europe where a lady might live in comfort and enjoy her final years. But you seem determined to deny me that."
Now Josef Jubilec laughed out loud, taking a step to one side, away from Bane. "We saw the man you left behind. Are you going to feed these poor souls to the Air Devils as well?"
For a second, the old trick seemed to have some effect as the gunmen glanced uncertainly at each other. Bane was pressing back back against the door to keep it closed. The Dire Wolf said, "He's got a point. These monkeys have served their purpose. You don't need them."
"Stop it!" she snapped. "Joe, Frank, don't listen to them. Our agreement will be honored. Your payments are in those manila envelopes on the table."
They all jumped as thumps sounded from the outside. The Air Devils were starting to smash up against the walls, trying to get in. Dust flew as the heavy bodies crashed against the boards. In the window, a hideous head loomed up, red eyes peering in at them and the gunmen stared at it with horror.
"You don't seem to have great control over your little pets," the Blind Archer smirked.
"She doesn't control them at all." Bane was talking as much to the gunmen as to his friend. "All she knows is how to bring them here. They're going to get in sooner and later, and those things are hungry as tigers. There's no way to escape this cabin."
Now one of the gunmen turned from the window, lowering his weapon. "Dr Pallidore, is that true?"
The old woman waved a dismissing hand. "Of course not! I can send them back. It's a simple spell. When I saw these Tel Shai fools outside, I let the Mondokim loose to kill them but they got in here anyway." She lowered her brows and folded her arms slowly. "They are unarmed. You boys will kill them and we will toss their carcasses outside to feel the animals. Then I will return the Air Devils home and we will all be free to leave."
Bane was pushing back against the door with all his strength. He could feel one of the monsters outside, pressing inward inexorably. "Listen. Dr Pallidore. Come a little closer, I have an offer you're going to like."
"Not mere money, I hope," she chuckled but she did take a few steps to stand in front of him, just out of arm's reach. "Well, what is it?"
"It's an old quotation. 'The schemer falls into the pit he digs for another.'" With the last word, Jeremy Bane leaped to one side and an Air Devil hurtled into the room and pounced directly on Dr Pallidore. She only gave one real scream before the beast's talons crushed her chest and the circle of teeth chomped down on her neck. The monster crouched over its victim and shook the limp body, but no one there was actually watching this. Josef Jubilec had realized what his captain planned. The moment that door crashed inward and as the brute plunged across the room, the Blind Archer had jumped the nearest gunman, shoved him against the wall and gotten the pistol away. Three shots echoed almost as one, Jubilec seemed to just wave the gun and fire without looking but he was using his gralic perception. All three of the goons slumped to the cabin floor with neat holes in their foreheads.
For his part, Bane had wedged a chair under the doorknob to try and keep other Air Devils from getting in. The monster in the cabin was starting to feed on the body it rested upon with horrible crunching noises. Jubilec took another gun from a fallen goon and emptied it into the beast.
"I know she was going to kill us, but I think just letting her be devoured is going too far," the Blind Archer said.
Bane let out a long breath, and wiped his face with the back of one hand. "Whew. I didn't know you could use a firearm that way, Josef."
"My art works best with a bow, but yes, I can apply it to most weapons." He glanced at the window as an Air Devil flew by. "We're not ready to throw a party yet, captain. There are still a dozen of these playmates outside."
The Dire Wolf picked up a pistol from one of the dead men. "Five shells in it. And I have twelve with me that will fit this gun. That stiff in the corner has an automatic that hasn't been fired. I think we can pick off these things from the doorways before they can grab us."
Josef Jubilec chuckled. "As you might expect, I only have a bowhunting license in this state, but I guess no one will report us."
10/13/2013