FireWind gave Occam a look suggesting that was obvious.
Occam holstered his weapon and swung up the ladder, climbing fast. “Dried blood on the rungs,” he said, “and dried clear stuff, like Soul’s blood in arcenciel form.”
Rick and his…girlfriend. I couldn’t make myself thinkmate, as in something forced on humans. They were still at the cages, kneeling or crab-walking in front of them. “Boys in these cages.” She pointed, sniffing each cage. “One of them human, without devil dog genetics.”
FireWind was beside her and nodded agreement, his snout wrinkled at a stench even I could smell.
Rettell lifted the broken lock on the cage with the shattered crystals. “Soul got free, so did the other prisoners, and it looks as if it all happened at one time. There had been eight captives. And Soul didn’t come to HQ. So we have to presume she was recaptured, in her arcenciel form, and for whatever reason is unable to break the crystal she’s in. If they know how to ride the dragons of light, we may be in serious trouble. And Soul certainly is.”
Coming through the cracks around the high trapdoor, shades of blue light swept inside, playing across the near wall and metal roof like light reflecting off water. Occam reached up a hand and flicked the door. It swung wide and an arcenciel stuck her head—her massive, horned, fanged, glowing head—inside the too-small door. When she spoke, she sang, her words like a bird. “I am Cerulean.” The high tones echoed off the metal all around. “She Who Guards the Rift has been taken. She is fighting being ridden to our destruction. Come, come, come. We have not much time! Follow. Follow!”
She ducked her head back out.
FireWind galloped across the floor for the outer door we had left open.
The others of the unit followed him.
Occam slid down the ladder, his hands and the insoles of his boots on the outer rails. Together we took up the rear, and I dove into his fancy car as we fishtailed out of the parking lot, chasing the coruscating rainbow in the sky. I had driven to the crime scene with Occam, and I steadied our gear and my potted tree with my feet on the floorboards.
“You think it could be a trap?” I asked.
“Sure it could, Nell, sugar. That’s why we’ll let the wolf go in first.” He grinned like a maniac as he took a turn too fast, gunning his fancy car. “Cats always let the stupid dogs lead. In our case, the early bird might get eaten and the watching cat then gets the bigger prey. Like turducken but with were-creatures.”
“Cats,”I muttered. “Just please don’t bring home a vampire head and leave it in my boot.”
My cat-man seemed to find that statement entirely too funny.
* * *
Our small line of vehicles followed the arcenciel across the sky, spreading out onto side streets as her altitude increased, making it appear that her direction was less certain, as we once again approached the river, heading for the hills to the east. We passed out of Knoxville and into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, onto roads better suited to my car or John’s old truck, roads that headed directly uphill and quickly became rutted, washed out, unused, and uncared for.
Finally Occam pulled over, and we grabbed gear and locked the car before climbing into the two cars behind us. I ended up with Lainie, and Occam in the car driven by the lieutenant colonel. Rick was driving the car ahead, with Aya, and now totally out of sight. As my door closed, Lainie asked me, “You think he’ll get a more useful car now?”
“No. Never,” I said, as she punched the gas to catch up. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I did know he’d never trade it for a more reasonable vehicle. That fancy car was Occam’s baby. “But he might start driving John’s old truck to work and leave it at the house when we get—” I stopped.
“Married. It’s okay to say it.”
The back of her car fishtailed over black ice as she took a turn onto a dirt road too fast.
“Married,” I said, then changed the subject. “We got less than an hour before the sun sets and the vampires are fully awake. And we got no vampires to fight them with.”
“No. But you do have a witch. And they don’t have a witch. Advantage to us.”
“They gotgwyllgithey could send to attack us.”
“Sleepy timeworkings will knock them out. Already tested and proved. Go ahead. Hit me with another worry.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you’re with us, Lainie. We need you.” When she didn’t reply, I added, “That was appreciation for my friend, who will be honored as my friend no matter what she does, where she lives, or even if she marries a SWAT guy.”
“Don’t make me get all misty-eyed while I’m driving,” she said, shooting a grin my way before returning to the road.
I said softly, “I just need you to know that PsyLED has beena huge step into a real life for me, and you have been a big part of that. A big part of me accepting what I am.” Fighting tears, I looked away, out the window at my side. “I love you, witchy woman.”
“I love you too, plant-woman.”
She slung the car in a sharp turn and braked hard. “Stupid wolf!” she yelled. “Sorry. Stupid wolf,sir,” she yelled again as we rocked in our seats. But she didn’t sound sorry. T. Laine had barely missed hitting FireWind, who was standing in the middle of the narrow not-really-a-road. He stood with his back to us, his black fur making him a silhouette among the shadows, almost invisible. He was staring at the sky.
“Think he’s going to howl?” T. Laine asked.
