Alamosa Arena (American Dragons Book 9) Page 8

  “How much Animus is left in the orb?” Steven asked.

  Tessa shrugged. “Like most of it. Especially with you around. I’m keeping four of us going. Oops, make that five. Quinnie is a tank, though. I guess that’s what you get for being an elf and a zillion years old.”

  “I resent that,” Quinn spat at Tessa. “And from what I understand of your primitive speech, there is no such thing as a zillion. And you must stop calling me Quinnie.”

  “Sorry,” Tessa muttered. “I get excited is all. Did you see them goat things? I think they’re called Toufulkor. Or maybe Juggers? Not sure.”

  The Lyra queen harrumphed at her.

  Poor Tessa. She wasn’t having any luck winning over Quinn’s heart.

  A man came forward, an M16 on his shoulder. His chest was covered in a scratched Kevlar vest. In fact, all of his clothing had been shredded, down to his combat boots. His scalp had been burned off and pink scar tissue covered him. Most of his eyebrows had been lost to whatever accident had marked him. Somehow, he looked familiar. He was about the same age as Steven.

  Then Steven knew. He’d been hit by a Splacker. The acid had cooked his hair off.

  Other men and women crept up. Most were searching the skies, pale and frightened. They had a reason to be. Another storm of demons could hit them at any minute.

  The burned man nodded at them. “Wow, dragons. You must be Steven Drokharis.”

  Steven shifted human. Aria did as well. She was dressed, at least, in woodland cammies, thanks to the Wayne twins scavenging military bases. Having her be naked in front of the humans would’ve been hard to explain. Or would it? How much did they know about Dragonsoul culture?

  Steven went forward and stuck out a hand. “I’m Steven.”

  The burned man grinned. That was familiar as well. “I’m Frances. With an ‘e.’ Your father named me. Well, he’s not really your father, right? He tried to explain all the different worlds and stuff to me, but I don’t have much of a head for that. I was in law school before I started leading a dwindling guerilla force.”

  Tessa marched forward. “Law school you say? No way. You’re Bud Novak.”

  “Bud?” The burned man made a face. “No, I’m Willy Novak. Bud? Ha. Like that would be a thing.”

  “He even talks like Bud,” Tessa breathed. Steven was surprised she didn’t comment on the name “Willy” or make some kind of penis joke.

  The troops around him were muttering, eyes suspicious.

  “It’s okay,” Willy said. “Yes, they know my real name, kind of, but we’re looking at our last hope here. Let’s be nice. I’m pretty sure these guys are the last dragons on the planet.” He said it with authority, and his people quieted.

  Steven couldn’t believe the transformation. Here was a rough-looking man, battle hardened, and totally different from his Bud in a million ways. Well, this world had spawned Ven Dro. It could make Bud Novak a war hero.

  “Hey, thanks for not making fun of my code name, Frances. It’s the girl’s way to spell it.” Willy winced.

  “Thanks for not calling me Cool Whipp,” Steven said.

  Tessa tsked him. “No fair with inside jokes. Poor guy never had a chance.”

  Willy took it in stride. “Stefan kind of loved those children’s books. Get this, he’s Little Lord Fauntleroy. I’m glad I’m just Frances.” His eyes went to Quinn. “Hey, elf chick, right? Fauntleroy mentioned we might be getting some outside help. Welcome, Your Majesty.” Willy grinned. “Fuck, I’ve always wanted to say that.”

  Quinn gave him a withering look. She turned and walked through the troops. They parted to let her pass.

  Zoey, still a bear, whined and went after her.

  As for Aria and Tessa, they gathered around to talk with Steven and Willy. The commander had his people clear the streets, and they disappeared under the hotel, which had been bashed and slashed to shit. From what it sounded like, the people lived mostly underground, in the parking garages and tunnels under Colorado Springs. That included the sewers. Better that than eaten by demon bugs.

  Willy pulled them into a bar, Phantom Canyon, across the street. The place had tables and chairs, but everything else had been ransacked. Tessa managed to find a six-pack of beer, Phantom Canyon’s own brew.

  She gave each of them a bottle.

  They sat at a table, eyeing the destruction outside. The helicopters had returned to secret garages on the outskirts of town.

  “Have you seen Stefan?” Aria asked.

  Willy nodded. “Yeah, he came through, with his pet Hybrith. We got him a corvette, and he took off with her. Was real hush, hush.” He sipped the beer and made a face. “Ew, warm beer makes me want to fucking puke.” He went on. “He’s worried about the little princess. Don’t get me started on her.”

  “I read that book!” Tessa said loudly. She shushed herself. “I saw the movie too. It was really good, and kind of heartbreaking.”

  “That’s the little princess all right. Heartbreaking.” Willy took in a breath. “We’re hoping the princess is still alive. Things to the south have gotten downright intense.”

  “I saw that from the air,” Steven said. “What happened down there?”

  Willy shrugged. “Not sure. About a week ago, the Shaze cleared out of the Cruxi around Colorado Springs. We saw them head south, across the Sangre de Cristos, and it wasn’t like the hives around here would stay empty. Nope. The fucking bugs just hatched new babies. Then we heard reports all around how the Zothoric were converging on the Rio Grande Sea. Not sure we got an ocean in the San Luis Valley. Fucking dam. Or fucking magic. We don’t know.”

  Tessa finished her beer and opened another. “It’s so weird. He’s like our Bud, except, like, all manly and stuff. I’m having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around him.”

  “Can you reach Stefan on your radio?” Steven asked.

  “We can try.” Willy frowned. “Our walkie-talkies can be iffy. Our batteries are for shit, and then there’s a lot of static in the air. Are you looking for him or his pet bug?”

  “Both,” Aria said. “It is strange that he left in a car. He was kidnapped from our base.”

  “Up at the airport, right.” Willy hit his beer again and stuck out his tongue. “So gross. We’ve been able to get some refrigeration, though we’re running low on gas, and we have to be careful our generators aren’t spotted by the bugs. Fuck, this has been a shitty war.” He motioned to his scalp. “You’ve noticed my good looks have been ruined. I bet your Bud is hot as shit. I was before a Splacker got me.”

  “You can hardly notice it,” Aria said, hiding a grin.

  Tessa knocked her with an elbow. “Willy, you still have very fine eyes. I’m sure you do all right. You have this manly war general thing going. The scars actually help with the look.”

  Willy tilted his head at her, grinning. “Aww, you’re so nice. Back on your planet, did you and I ever, you know, get together?”

  “No,” Steven said firmly. “I got her.”

  Willy shrugged. “Oh, well. I do all right here, I must say. I’m almost literally the last man on Earth. That helps. I’ve gotten used to some older chicks, but, hey, we have the word ‘milf’ for a reason.”

  “There!” Tessa pointed. She was a bit buzzed. “That’s the Bud we know and love. Okay, I’m feeling better. He was getting a little too commander-in-chief for me.”

  Steven sipped his beer, not minding how warm it was. He wasn’t a big fan of the stuff on the best of occasions. He’d seen what alcohol had done to Joe Whipp. It hadn’t made him a better gambler, that was for sure. “So, I’m betting Stefan was on his way to Alamosa. But the roads are closed, aren’t they?”

  “Not closed,” Willy said. “You could drive wherever you want. It’s just that when the bugs hit your windshield, you won’t be able to wipe them away. They’ll eat your fucking car, man. For sure. And you can’t fly in there either.”

  “How can we get to Alamosa?” Steven asked.

  Willy thought for a minute. “Okay, give me a second. I have to go back to my sophomore year AP U.S. History class. We went on a field trip down south. Okay, Zebulon Pike crossed the Sangre de Cristo mountains in like 1807. Don’t quote me. There’s a pass there you can still do, Mosca Pass. I’d hike in there. And then you’ll see what you’re facing. It’s bad, though. We’re talking millions of the bugs. Something important must be there.”

  “I’m getting a Mordor vibe,” Tessa said.

  Willy shot her a finger gun. “Harry Potter. Gotcha. I love a geeky chick.”

  “There!” Tessa yelled again. “It’s like our Bud. Damn, but I’m kind of getting homesick.”

  Aria hushed her. “Where is this little princess?”

  “Down in Red River, New Mexico,” Willy said. “I don’t know how Stefan thinks to get there, though. South of Colorado Springs is bug central. The fastest way is to take the highway from Walsenburg, but I think he’d be forced to go I-25. Poor guy. There was a time he could fly there.”

  “Do you know how he burned out his Animus core?” Aria asked.

  “Fuck, lady, that is way above my pay grade.” Willy threw his beer bottle against a brick wall to watch it shatter.

  Tessa’s mouth fell open. “Okay, just when I think Willy is Bud, he goes and does something like that, which is kind of badass and sexy.”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m liking where this is going,” Willy said.

  Aria patted his hand. “I don’t think there is any reality where you wind up with us, Mr. Novak. But on our planet, you are doing well with at least two women, who love each other as much as they love you.”

  “Ménage à me,” Willy said, nodding. “Righteous.”

  Tessa snorted at that. “Ménage à me. I’m gonna use that one.”

  Steven sat, thinking. They had to get to Heridan. They had to contact Stefan. The plan was threatening to come apart. Even if the Icharaam Orbs were in place in all the Americos Chambers, they couldn’t trigger them from SD’s master chamber, not with all the Zothoric there.

  Willy slung his pack over his shoulder, got out his radio, and tried to bring up Stefan. No response.

  Steven frowned. “Can you show us the way to Mosca Pass?”

  “I can’t leave my people,” Willy said, “but I can tell you. The thing is, before he left, Stefan said he was going to gather us for some kind of big final fight. I have to get our troops ready. Do you know anything about it?”

  “We do,” Aria said.

  Tessa lifted two fingers. “In less than two days, the Zothoric queen is going to arrive on our planet. The queen bee herself. Imagine all those Shaze in the San Luis Valley working together, directed by a genius goddess who’s been alive since the beginning of time.”

  Willy went white. “I think I just peed myself a little.”

  “There!” Tessa echoed herself. “This is so weird.”

  Aria shook her head, unimpressed.

  Steven got up. “I have to go talk with Quinn. Tessa, Aria, find the location of Mosca Pass. We’ll need camping gear and a vehicle. Willy, keep trying to get ahold of Stefan.”

  Steven thought about using Divination magic to contact SD. No, too risky. He didn’t want Zothora anywhere near his head. Her whispers had driven Ven Dro insane.

  Quinn might be able to help. But where had she and Zoey gone off to? And what were they doing?

  Steven had to laugh at the pornographic images in his mind. Then again, fighting always made him horny. He couldn’t imagine Quinn would help him with that.

  Chapter Ten

  FINDING A VEHICLE WASN’T an issue. Willy Novak had a fleet of vehicles for them to choose from. Even though the twins weren’t there, they picked a top-of-the-line Lexus SUV loaded with food, water, and camping gear.

  Tessa rode shotgun, with an old-fashioned map. They weren’t going to dick around with trying to get their phones linked to a satellite. There was no cell service since the towers hadn’t been maintained. Zoey, Quinn, and Aria packed themselves into the back.

  They took County Road 583 to the Mosca Pass trailhead. Willy hadn’t been able to reach Stefan, for any number of reasons, and they were running out of days. Forty-eight hours just wasn’t a lot of time.

  While his Escort had gotten them ready to leave, Steven had used StellarFlight to fly high up into the atmosphere. The American west was relatively free of storms, except for the red maelstrom over the Rio Grande Sea. Lightning flashed, Shaze swarmed, and he couldn’t see the ground. He was struck by how lifeless the world was, no longer the blue-green gem the Alpheros brothers had fled to. He’d floated back down to Colorado Springs, and they’d left.

  Early that evening, Steven parked the Lexus in a dirt lot surrounded by dead trees, a silent forest devoid of birds. As Homo Draconi, Steven and Aria had no trouble carrying the gear. They set out on the trail, moving quietly. The peaks above blocked out the sky, so they couldn’t see the storm on the other side, and yet, strangely enough, the clouds didn’t move west. The maelstrom was trapped in the San Luis Valley.

  They got some miles under their belt, the air cold, smelling of the dead pine needles around them. As the sky went from red to gray, they set up camp.

  Tessa sighed. “Wow, so I missed out on the Aqualyra quest, but here I am, in the dead mountains, pitching a tent. So unfair.”

  Quinn stood back, watching, arms crossed.

  Zoey helped the barista. “It’s not so bad. We are together. And from what Mouse said, Aqualyra was strange.”

  “Strange how?” Quinn asked.

  Zoey blushed. “Oh, you know, uh, flying squirrels and such things. And undead skeletons.”

  “That was Vandrus Dree’s doing,” the elf queen insisted. “He created the clues to find me, which I am not happy about.”

  “Were you able to track Vandrus down?” Steven helped Tessa and Zoey raise the dome. Aria hammered stakes into the ground with a rubber mallet.

  “No.” Quinn’s one-word answer didn’t exactly fill him with confidence.

  “How did you travel to Colorado Springs?” Steven asked. “Was it part of Astreelia?”

  “I hope it wasn’t portal magic,” Aria said.

  “It was not.” Quinn frowned. “The Lyra have worked on their teleportation skills for millennia. It’s an aspect of Astreelia, yes, where we follow our souls back into the physical world. I was there, watching the fight for a moment. I felt your essences, which is how I found you. It required a great deal of Animus.”

  Steven thought for a moment. “So Morta creatures can use Transvexri to teleport. And for long distances, they can feel the location with Connexra. It sounds like you did something similar.”

  Steven and his Escort turned to see what Quinn would say.

  She didn’t like the attention. “The evil creatures use their bond with the Horror Mother. I did not.” Quinn looked into their faces. “This is untenable. This whole situation. We lost the Prosha and the Dragonlord. We don’t know what this RealityFire is. And we may or may not be able to lure Zothora into our trap. To make matters worse, we have an army of demons standing in our way. And yet, we stand around, talking.”

  “Uh, we’re putting the tent up,” Tessa said. “You could help.”

  “I should have servants for that!” Quinn wheeled and marched up the path, disappearing into the trees.

  Tessa closed her eyes, blowing out a frustrated breath. “With everyone else, I know just the right thing to say. But with her, ugh, I can’t win. It’s like she wants to hate me. And I want the exact opposite. It’s like I’ve lost my mojo.”

  “It means you aren’t perfect,” Aria said quietly. “None of us are. You were bound to meet someone who you couldn’t charm.”

  “And Steven can’t charm her either,” Tessa griped. “She’s immune to his Dragonlord charisma. Is that the problem? Was I just riding on Steven’s coattails?”

  Zoey patted the barista on the back. “No, you’re wonderful, Tessa. Quinn is just worried about her people and her planet. I think she has a right to be. We did drag her into this.”

  “I’ll go and talk to her.” Steven went to leave.

  “I’ll come with you.” Zoey shifted into a wolf and ran up to him.

  With the big animal by his side, he traipsed up the path and found Quinn next to a stream. She was sitting on a flat rock on the banks, watching the water tumble over the rocks.

  Steven approached her. “Are you okay?”

  The Lyra queen gave the stream a disheartened glance. “No, I am not ‘okay’ as you say. There is no life in this water. There is no life anywhere. Will this be the fate of Aqualyra?”

  “It won’t be,” Steven said.

  Zoey stepped forward to let Quinn pet her. She whimpered, feeling Quinn’s sorrow.

  Steven found a rock next to them and sat. They didn’t speak for a long time.

  “I’m jealous of that Tessa woman,” Quinn said abruptly.

  “How so?” Steven asked.

  Quinn ruminated before speaking. “She... she has such love in her life. I see how she is with you, Steven, and how she is with your other wives. She gets along with them so easily. Aria can be standoffish, the twins are trouble, and Mouse tries, but many times, her sarcasm gets in the way. Even Zoey here is not close with some of the women. The twins, for example. They have an uneasy alliance.”

  Zoey barked a bit, looking up at the elf queen.

  “Zoey and the twins have some bad history,” Steven said. Then he remembered his conversation with Pru on the rocky beaches of Vankeevra on Aqualyra. “By the way, Pru, Chazzie, and I talked. Zoey, they remember your mother. They feel bad for what they did.”

  A worried look went through the wolf’s striking blue-green eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” Steven said. “I didn’t break your confidence. They’ve been feeling bad about it for a while.”

  Zoey’s ears twitched and she settled her head on Quinn’s thigh. The queen continued to stroke her fur.

  Quinn continued. “And I see that Tessa is trying to connect with me, and yet, I feel myself fighting it. I’ve been alone, so alone, for so long. I was a good queen, and sometimes being a leader, you cannot let yourself get close to those you lead. I thought I might find companionship with Vandrus Dree, but he turned into a brother of the war more than anything. We spent long years together, planning, scheming, and nothing ever happened.”