The Odin Inheritance (The Pessarine Chronicles Book 1) Page 28

  Just then, Gregor ran up to the rail to Andrew’s left, completely divested of his clothing. Before I could do or say anything, he leapt over the side of the ship and into the open air, dropping like a stone into the relative darkness. I let out a cry and put out my arm in a futile attempt to catch the Russian, but Andrew’s thoughts rang in my mind.

  Ari – he’s fine! Watch!

  He just—! He’ll die! I thought back.

  Then I heard a terrifying cry somewhere between the sound of a lion, an eagle and a steam engine and the largest, strangest bird – if I could call it that – flew up from under the Bosch. It had a huge head like a crocodile with an odd crest-like ridge along the back of the skull, with what had to be a forty foot wingspan lifting a huge body proportional to the wings. It had rear legs and a long tail though its skin was brown and leathery like a lizard. It had no feathers, and though biology was not my primary course of study, I knew there was no way that animal existed on the Earth as I knew it.

  What in bloody blue blazes is that?! I asked, completely astonished.

  Lady Sato suggested it, Andrew told me. She’s using most of her magic to help Gregor maintain the form, since it’s so much bigger than he is. Apparently that lizard bird lived on Earth millions of years ago.

  Lizard bird? My God. Were they carnivorous? I asked.

  With a tooth-filled maw like that? I hope so. He’ll get the ones on the other side of the ship while you go after the ones on this side. Just don’t shoot Gregor by mistake.

  I blanched. He’s going to— I thought, then stopped myself. Better to focus on my job than think about what Gregor would be eating.

  I aimed the harpoon gun again, feeling the calm descend on my thoughts as it always did when I focused on hitting something. The demon seemed to sense I targeted it, and it began to fly erratically to avoid being hit. I felt a grim determination occupy the presence in my thoughts as my awareness of the world faded further. Odin manifested himself more fully and used my throat to speak an incantation. I felt vitality leave my body as glowing blue symbols crawled across the surface of the gun to cover the harpoon. I felt my finger pull the trigger. The harpoon left the gun like a bullet but without the explosion and smell of gunpowder. The recoil knocked me backwards and if it hadn’t been for Andrew’s hand on the back of my head, I would have landed on my rear end.

  The harpoon sped toward the demon. Odin followed its progress mentally as he made my hands reach for another harpoon and load the gun for the next shot. As my body moved under Odin’s command, my awareness of the trajectory of the harpoon was less precise than the god’s. I felt it from afar as a glowing blue streak. It moved in time with the demon’s movements, since Odin’s magic locked on to the creature no matter how it moved. When the harpoon struck the monster in the middle of its chest, the non-human elements of the being slid off like a film of oiled snake-skin and flew away, leaving its unclothed human host to clutch at the spike in his chest as he fell to the earth like a stone.

  My hands slid the harpoon home and I felt the click of the firing mechanism grab the projectile.

  One down, Andrew noted. I could feel him concentrating, seeking out the other demon. He projected a picture to Odin and me of the Bosch from above. Gregor flew on the starboard side, one of the demons in his huge prehistoric maw, flopping about as Gregor shook the demon savagely. The neck of the human host broke, and the demon slid away, leaving the naked man limp as a rag doll in Gregor’s jaws. Gregor dropped the corpse and flew far enough away to make a turn and head back to attack the next demon. The two remaining demons hovered at the front and back of the ship.

  Two down. Our next target is—

  Andrew’s thought was cut off as a roar thundered through the sky, loud and powerful enough to shake the whole ship. Through my mental connection with Andrew, I had an impression of an impossibly huge snake-like winged dragon pop into existence directly above the Bosch. Someone in a black coverall sort of suit seemed to be riding on the neck of the beast. Another roar cut the air.

  Amazed as I was by the appearance and size of the dragon, fascination mixed with fear as I waited for its next move. Would it dive on the ship? Rip us to shreds? Set us afire?

  Son of Osiris, Andrew swore, and I felt his dismay at the sight of the great creature. How are we to stop that thing?

  Odin turned the harpoon gun up in an attempt to aim at the dragon, but the Bosch’s frame was in the way. There was no way the dragon could be hit by the harpoon that would not also puncture the Bosch. Odin retreated from my thoughts a bit, trying to puzzle out our next move. I felt the thing in my left wrist twitch as it had before Molly Silver entered my room. A desire to put down the gun and go out to meet the dragon oozed its way into my thoughts. Alarm spiked in me as I forced the impulse down. I knew who rode that dragon.

  Andrew felt that my concern was beyond that of seeing a huge dragon. What? he asked.

  The dragon opened its mouth and instead of a roar a different sound emerged, one that was maliciously melodic. Music that wasn’t quite music cut through everything in my mind, knocking Odin aside and leaving my consciousness to take the full brunt of the dragon’s attack. Exhaustion flowed over me like a wave. I lowered the harpoon gun and dropped to my knees as Andrew dropped his hand from the back of my head and brought it up to his own head, trying and failing to fight the influence of the dragon. He dropped to his knees beside me, his hands limp at his sides. Lady Sato knelt on the other side of the deck, overcome by the mental attack as we were.

  The dragon, black wings and scales shimmering in the moonlight, flew down and wrapped its long sinuous body around the Bosch. The head of the dragon snaked its way onto the deck, its jeweled segmented eyes glinting with malevolence as Laufeson gracefully slid off its neck and onto the planking.

  He looked older than he had in the library, I noticed. A streak of white at each temple and wrinkles on his face indicated his age, which I guessed to be around fifty or so. His overall physique was unchanged from what I’d seen at the Faraday – long, angular and thin. The goatee on his chin emphasized his stark look. His black outfit seemed to be made of silk, since it flowed over his limbs gracefully. If I’d not known him to be one of the ‘bad guys’, as Andrew would have said, his poise and air of command would have been impressive. Knowing what I did, I found him repulsive in the extreme.

  Perversely, the thing in my left wrist twitched and made my arm ache, reacting to Laufeson’s presence near me. I worked very hard not to panic as part of me strained to get close to the villain. Notions of how easy it would be to give in and obey the German fiend flitted in and out of my mind. Gritting my teeth I fought the dragon’s hold on my body and Laufeson’s influence on my thoughts, trying desperately to raise the barrel of the gun to hit either the dragon or Laufeson, but the gun remained unused in my unmoving hand.

  The German smiled in satisfaction as he took in the scene on the deck and waved a hand at the dragon in a ‘get on with it’ sort of gesture.

  I felt the dragon order Griff to turn off the engines and in seconds, the thrum under our feet ceased. The dragon ordered my crewmates and Mother to join us on the deck, then pulled its head out from under the Bosch’s envelope to steer the ship itself. It flapped its wings and the ship started to rise in an up and down sort of motion, the buoyancy of the hydrogen not quite in sync with the efforts of the dragon.

  Laufeson walked up to me, his expression delighted as he ran a hand first through my hair and then along the side of my face the way one would caress a lover. I shuddered in revulsion for the most part, but the black tendrils of magic I’d felt the first time I’d encountered the man returned. I could do nothing to stop him touching me and, though I hated to admit it, part of me enjoyed it

  Andrew seethed beside me, furious at his inability to move.

  The lout sensed my conflicted feelings and smiled. “I’m sorry I took so long, my dear,” he cooed, his German accent present, but much less prominent than it had been in the library. �
��Pazuzu and his heir are very helpful friends, but they do require a great deal of persuasion and human sacrifice in exchange for their favors. Thankfully, Hades was a great help in securing Pazuzu’s assistance.”

  Andrew stiffened at the mention of Hades, and his eyes burned with hatred at Laufeson.

  I wracked my brain. Hades was a name I’d heard before… was he an Ancient Greek god? Cora had mentioned him in unflattering terMs. If he was helping Laufeson and assisted in human sacrifice, he had to be a bad god… and if Laufeson had the help of a god like that, we were at a distinct disadvantage. Damn and blast!

  “I lost track after the twentieth victim, but all the screaming and mess were worth it,” he continued. “The deaths sated Pazuzu’s need for blood and Hades’ craving for human souls. As a result, I have you, an airship and two Pessarine Facti in my power.”

  That made me pause and a sliver of hope grew within the alarm and fear I felt. Gregor had escaped the dragon’s mental control. I’d no idea where the Russian had gone but prayed it was off to get help. Hugo was also free, thankfully, and would let Aunt Miranda know what had happened to us.

  The door that led to the interior of the ship opened and Max, Needle, Lizzie, Mother and Griff walked onto the deck, their movements stiff and unnatural, like automata. Mother wore a half buckled parachute, the free ends of the straps flapping in the breeze. Her hat was gone while her face was pale and drawn with fear.

  Laufeson turned his attention to the new arrivals. “Usumgallu,” he said, “increase your control and make them kneel, please.”

  I felt the dragon’s command like a lead blanket on my mind. My crewmates and mother knelt as ordered, arms at their sides, their faces blank, their eyes dull.

  The remaining two demons swooped down to land on the deck, tentacles undulating briefly before the demonic attributes sank into the skin of the hosts, leaving two naked, dark-haired Persian men standing to either side of Laufeson. They smiled wickedly.

  Laufeson turned slightly to acknowledge their arrival. “You will divest the red-haired woman of the harpoon gun,” he ordered, pointing at me, “and carry her through the air to our agreed upon destination.” Then he stopped and looked between Lady Sato and Andrew, thinking. “Which to take, I wonder,” he said. “You’ve both overtaxed yourselves, or else Usumgallu wouldn’t have overcome your minds as he did.” The German shrugged. “Take the blonde,” he said, waving dismissively at Andrew. “I have a use for him.”

  The two Persian men moved forward quickly. I closed my eyes to avoid looking at the naked man removing the gas canister harness, harpoon belt and the rope that had tied me to the rail. He plucked the gun from my hand and threw the whole apparatus overboard. I heard the other Persian pull Andrew to his feet. I was pulled to my feet shortly thereafter, and the Persian demon host half-maneuvered-half carried me over to stand next to Laufeson. I glared at the man.

  “You do know my attempts on your life up to now have been tests, I hope,” he said, smiling and oozing charm.

  I hadn’t known that, of course, and the information did nothing to endear him to me, no matter how pleasantly he smiled. Anger helped keep his magic from overwhelming me, so I focused on that. Being so close to him made my skin crawl.

  “I had to see what skills you possessed and what sort of connection you’d forged with Odin,” he continued. “It cost me several operatives, which was unexpected but very encouraging. Now that you’re suitably prepared, the time for tests is over. I will have you, and you will do my bidding.”

  I felt the Persian man step behind me and wrap his arms around my abdomen. I flinched and watched in horror as the arms became the oozing tentacles again, wrapping themselves around me two and three times. I felt and smelled the horrid breath of the demon on my neck and gagged.

  “Don’t worry,” Laufeson soothed, “you’ll remember nothing of the trip.” A tentacle reached up and touched my right temple, coating it with cold, stinking ooze. The world went black.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  I awoke to find myself tied to a heavy wooden chair in a chilly, cylindrical stone room. A weak light that I thought to be sunrise shone through the shuttered rectangular window to my right, illuminating my surroundings with a dim glow. The roof above me was wooden and pointed, like the top of a tower, and the floor under me was made of stout wooden planks, worn with age and oddly stained. A trapdoor in the floor that led, I presumed, to stairs descending down into the tower was to my far left. The fireplace in the room was empty. There was no other furniture in the room save the chair to which I’d been bound.

  My clothes and face smelled of the ooze the demon’s tentacles had left behind and I stifled a gag at the rotting stench. My red curls, completely free but tangled and matted, flowed like ribbons over my shoulders and down my back, some of the curls trapped by the ropes that held me to the chair. I still had my bracelet on my left wrist, its concealed blades a sort of comfort. I also still had the clockwork brooch pinned to the front of my shirt at my neck. Remarkably, Father’s watch chain and fob remained solidly on my right wrist, a warm reminder of paternal concern. I didn’t know why I still possessed the bracelets, but I was glad I still had them, particularly once I saw that my skirt and shirt were even more dirt-covered and torn. It made me wonder what the trip I ‘didn’t remember’, thanks to the tentacle to my head, had been like.

  It also made me ponder, with some alarm, what had happened to the Bosch, my friends, and my mother. Fear and worry for them overcame me. Father had been on his way to Brentwood Close when I’d been captured, I realized. What if Laufeson grabbed him, too? What if he did something awful to him? I thought. My exhaustion from all I had experienced up to that point allowed my imagination to run wild, presenting horrible scenarios of pain and destruction to my frantic mind. A couple tears ran own my cheeks, I hoped fervently they’d been left alone. Please God, I prayed, please let them all be safe and out of Obscurati clutches. I also prayed Hugo and Gregor had escaped and gotten help, somehow. With Andrew and me as the only ones taken by the demons, our only source of rescue would be the Facti, I was sure, unless together he and I could make an escape.

  Unfortunately, I had no idea where Andrew was, or even if we were in the same place. I sent up a prayer on his behalf and more unpleasant possibilities began to bubble up from my overactive imagination. I shook my head to dispel the images. With my hands tied, I couldn’t wipe the tears from my face and if I cried much more my nose would start to run. So, I took a deep breath to compose myself, pushing my concern for my friends and family aside. I had to think.

  The air in the room was cold and smelled of damp overlaid with the metallic tinge of blood. It made my nose and brain itch. I could swear it was familiar, which tugged at my mind and unsettled me a little. Deep inside me a small voice whispered in pain and fear, but I ignored it. I couldn’t afford to wallow in panic and worry. This was no time to be frightened. I had to find a way to escape. Right, I thought.

  I tried to wriggle within the ropes and found I couldn’t move enough to make much of a difference. I endeavored to move the chair by trying to hop up and down initially, and then by using my feet to slide the chair across the floor. I found the chair to be too heavy for me to budge, and I was so tired my muscles trembled after a while of fruitless effort. Then I tried to toggle the blades in my bracelet so I could cut my bonds, but though I could move my wrists, I couldn’t do so in a way that let me make use of the blades.

  Finally, not knowing what else to do, I closed my eyes and tried to center my thoughts, seeking the presence of Odin in my mind. I called to the god, explaining my difficulty and expressing my concerns about what Laufeson intended to do. I pointed out that the Obscurati obviously had some kind of big plan to use the abilities he’d given me to harm other people. I begged him to use magic to release me from the ropes.

  Odin chose not to respond.

  I then spent several seconds expressing my frustration in language so inventive and completely unladylike it w
ould’ve scandalized my mother into disowning me.

  Frustration somewhat allayed by inappropriate utterances, I forced myself to calm down. Eventually, someone would come to get me. I just had to wait until then and hope that my being moved from one place to another would give me a chance to get away long enough to find Andrew and get us both out. Knowing where I was would’ve been a great help to the success of that plan, I was certain, but I’d no way to determine my current location.

  I was so tired. Most of my body ached and I felt my muscles stiffening up. I sighed. Whatever the ooze on the tentacle had been, I thought sluggishly, it did nothing to make me feel better. I leaned my head back against the back of the wooden chair and stared at the roof above me. It, like the smell of the room, also seemed familiar, though I wasn’t sure why or what that meant. Weariness overtook me and I drifted into a restless sleep.

  ****

  “Recognize the room?” said a German accented voice.

  My head snapped up from the back of the chair and I opened my eyes to see Laufeson sitting on a wooden stool opposite me. He wore an impeccably tailored tan suit that emphasized his angular features, with a navy blue cravat around his neck held in place with a ruby pin that looked like a drop of blood. He’d shaved off the little goatee, but his hair was perfectly coifed and his eyes regarded me with a flat grey gaze.

  I looked around the room. We were alone. The trap door was open and light streamed up into the room from the lit stairwell below it. A quick glance out the window showed me it was dusk. I’d fallen asleep and obviously been out for hours.