Unhidden (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1) (32 page)

As if she could sense my thoughts, her eyes snapped up to meet mine. With a smile, she held out her hand and said, “So you are the one whom all this fuss is about. I am Minister Alcina Moretti, head of the Mage Council.” I took her small hand, surprise showing on my face. “Don’t take my age for inexperience,” she warned. “I’ve been around a lot longer than it may appear.”

I wanted to ask how old she really was, but I didn’t believe the question would be well received. Instead, I took a seat at the table and asked, “What are you guys arguing about?”

Alcina was the first to speak up, and I got the impression she worked hard at being the first and strongest voice in a room. “We were just discussing the disposition of Sharur if it is recovered.”

I sat up straighter, my hackles rising at the prospect of someone else trying to claim the weapon. “What do you mean?” I kept my tone neutral. “I was hired to recover it for Nathan Anshar.” They didn’t need to know that I had no intention of handing it over to him.

Alcina just barked out another harsh laugh. “No, dear, that is not going to happen.” I bristled at her authoritative tone. “Sharur will be given into the safe-keeping of the Council. We are the only ones that have deep knowledge of the weapon and the strength to keep it safe. Powerful magic can only be protected by powerful magic users.”

“You mean, powerful magic can only be
exploited
by powerful magic users, don’t you?” Therran growled. “Let’s not forget how the weapon ended up in the hands of the humans in the first place.”

“That was an unfortunate accident and one I can assure you won’t be repeated. We have no intention of using the axe. We will store it in a heavily warded location where no one will find it.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Therran asked. “There is no way the entire Council will agree to put such a powerful weapon into storage. Even if you are sincere, you cannot dictate the will of the rest of the Council. They can override your decision, and I know several members that would happily defy you just for the joy of it.”

Alcina frowned at the implication. “I can assure you that I have the full support of the Council in this. If you do not agree to these terms, you will not receive our help. If you go after the humans on your own, you will fail. Then we will come in and take the weapon from the humans on our own. Either way, the end result is the same. It would simply be more convenient to work together rather than against each other.”

“Or we recover it without your help and keep it safe ourselves. If you claim that your intentions are the same as mine—to never use Sharur—you know that the elves can be trusted to hide it away. Elves are true to their word. I cannot say the same for you.”

“You insolent —” Ronin started to snarl and rise from his seat when I interrupted him.

“I think this entire discussion is a bit premature.” I didn’t want them to come to agreement, because I knew I would never comply with any decision that put Sharur in anyone’s hands other than my own. It was easier to betray them if I wasn’t actually defying any agreed-upon truce. “We are going up against the might of the United States military. It will take a major miracle for us to disrupt their plans of opening a rift, let alone actually snatching Sharur from them. I suggest we focus all of our energy on figuring out how to win this thing and worry later about what will happen if we are lucky enough to make it out alive. But I can guarantee you that we won’t have a shot in hell of winning back Sharur unless we work together.” Saying those words tasted sour in my mouth. I hated asking for help, let alone from people I knew would stab me in the back the first chance they got. Too many secret agendas were colliding in this room.

“Well spoken,” said Alcina, eyeing me with suspicion. She might have agreed with my sentiment, but she didn’t trust my motives. “I am happy to table this discussion until after the battle, but I do hope you are not harboring your own secret ambitions for the axe. Things would not go well for you if you attempted to take it for yourself.”

Did that little brat actually just threaten me? And here I was, trying my hardest to be level-headed and diplomatic. Perhaps I needed to take a different approach with the Council. My hand curled into a fist without much conscious thought. I had never hit a child before, but Alcina was far from your typical child, and it was doubtful anyone would call Child Protective Services on me.

Alex must have seen or sensed my intentions because he leapt between Alcina and me. “Minster, I assure you, Emma has no such intentions. She is committed to the safe recovery and return of Sharur to its rightful people.”

That seemed to satisfy her for the moment. I shook off my anger, prepared to address the more important issues at hand, when Therran felt the need to get in the last word. “We can speak of this later when victory is ours, but my position will not change between now and then.”

“Then let’s agree to disagree for the moment,” I said before another argument ensued. “Now, Alcina …” Alex cleared his throat, and the child narrowed her eyes at me. “Sorry … Minister,” I almost spat, but forced it to come out more politely, “let me tell you what I need you to do.”

C
iti Field was a bright jewel against a field of black velvet. The stadium was lit from within, casting a glow that didn’t penetrate the darkened parking lot that stretched in a wide field around the building. I approached alone, dressed in my typical black military armor. The suit covered every inch of me in strong yet lightweight protection. It wouldn’t stop high caliber weapons, but it would protect me against claws, teeth, and other pointy objects.

I had a Glock holstered at each hip, a knife in my boot, and a semi-automatic rifle slung across my back. I felt strong and invincible, as I usually did when I was dripping in firepower, but I knew it was likely to be short-felt.

I didn’t hide my approach to the stadium, although I could have. I had already figured out that Connor wanted me to show up; otherwise, why would he have let it slip during my interrogation exactly when and where he would be? It was either a trap or he needed me to be here. I was betting on the latter; however, I was prepared for the former. I certainly didn’t believe he had been stupid enough to accidentally share such critical information.

I stepped through the arched entryway and into the cavernous lobby of the stadium. Long elevators led up to the seating levels. They were not running at this late hour, though; therefore, I walked up to the next level. My heart was pumping hard by the time I reached the top, but it could have been from anxiety as much as from exertion.

Everything was riding on my success tonight. If I failed, the world would be invaded by monstrous creatures. They would hunt and kill every man, woman, and child in the entire metropolitan area and beyond. What would humans do once they found out about the existence of an alternate world that contained such deadly threats? Was Connor really so deluded and egomaniacal that he thought he could contain the threat and suck Urusilim dry of its magic? Nothing good could come of this, for either world.

I walked across the concrete promenade between shuttered food vendor stands and down a short flight of steps to the field level. It was a place where millions of people brought their hopes and dreams of victory. On some days, those dreams came true, and on others, all hopes of winning were dashed. Those walls had seen their fair share of triumphs and failures over the few short years it had been in existence. I couldn’t help wondering who would walk away the victor tonight.

Soldiers holding automatic rifles were posted along the entire perimeter of the field every ten feet. As I stepped onto the field, they made no move to intercept, confirming my suspicion that Connor had wanted me to come. Speaking of the prick, there he was, standing in centerfield, surrounded by a large team of people. Some were soldiers, others were wearing white lab coats, a few were in business suits, and there was even a General dressed in full military regalia.

A dais had been erected on the grass with metal poles positioned at each corner. Wires ran from pole to pole, making the whole setup look like some sort of boxing ring. The tech guys were checking the wires and connecting them to a series of laptop computers set up on a nearby table. Two large video cameras on tripods faced the dais. It looked like Connor was planning for quite a show tonight.

As I steadily approached centerfield, one of the men sitting behind a laptop called to Connor. “Sir, it’s time!”

Connor clapped his hands loudly and directed everyone to take their assigned places. Within seconds, the bustle had died down to absolute stillness as everyone found their stations and waited for their next set of instructions. I bet that half of them didn’t even know what was going to happen, or they would be safely at home watching
The Big Bang Theory
.

A massive soldier, whose shoulders looked like they would have a hard time squeezing through a standard-sized door, carried over a metal box. I knew immediately from his size and the dead look in his eyes that this guy was one of those lab-grown squid creatures.

The squid held the box out to Connor who opened the lid and, with a dramatic flourish, lifted Sharur from the case. He held it high for all to see and admire. It had been cleaned and sharpened since I had last seen it. The stadium lights glinted off the polished axe head, highlighting the intricate scrollwork etched into the steel. It was stunningly beautiful.

With a deep breath, I strode purposefully toward Connor. Noticing the movement, he finally looked up and saw me. “Miss Hayes!” he shouted with enthusiasm.

It seemed as if every eye in the stadium turned toward me. I felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny yet kept my face impassive.

Stopping within a few feet of him, I said in low tones so only he could hear me, “Connor, it’s not too late. You still have time to stop this. Neither of us wants to be responsible for the deaths of all of these good people.” Spreading my arms wide, I continued, “I know you think you can keep this contained within the stadium, but they are waiting for you on the other side with an army.”

“Let them come. I have been leading this project for a decade. Do you have any idea how much we have learned about them during that time? I have categorized and classified almost a dozen creatures, identified their weaknesses and used their strengths to create my own monster army. They are laughably primitive. There is no way they can possibly stand up to the technological might and knowledge of the U.S. government. It’ll be a slaughter if they don’t concede.”

“Is that what you are expecting, for them to surrender?” I shook my head incredulously. “Do you really think there are only a dozen different types? Have you met the shadow demons, the ghouls, or the chimera—that guy was a pain in the ass to kill. Or what about those lizard-bear things? Did you figure out how the mages control magic?” I could see his confident smile falter momentarily.

“Connor, you can pin the blame on me,” I pleaded. “Tell everyone here that I just gave you critical information that may require a change in strategy, and you need more time. They are military men; they will understand. I will go with you willingly, and together with Ben Hayes, we can convince the government to take a different course. I know we can.” I wasn’t actually that confident in my ability to sway the government from its plans; however, if the best I could do was to buy some more time, I would take it.

In those brief seconds while Connor seemed to contemplate my words, I shifted my eyes to subtly scan the stadium. I searched for the one face that I was interested in finding, but it wasn’t there. Disappointment and relief clashed within me. I had been hoping to get Daniel back tonight, but I also didn’t want him anywhere near this place, knowing what was about to go down.

I could see shadows moving inside the dugouts and prowling along the concourses yet couldn’t make out any details. The soldiers stationed along the perimeter must have sensed or heard the movement above them because they fidgeted uncomfortably, their boots scuffing the earth as they shifted from foot to foot. A few furtive whispers faintly reached my ears as soldiers drifted closer to their companions, unconsciously seeking out safety in groups.

The tech guys were tapping away on computer keyboards and clicking their mouse buttons. The occasional rustle of paper and scratch of pencils sounded deafeningly loud in the oppressive silence that had descended. Time seemed to stand still as I anxiously grasped onto the slim hope that Connor would call off this folly.

I wanted to ask him about Daniel, but I didn’t want to interrupt the thoughts cascading through Connor’s mind at my words. I saw the moment when Connor decided to heed my advice as resignation flashed across his features, and then I saw the moment he changed his mind as a booming voice reverberated off the concrete walls.

“What the hell are you waiting for, man? Arrest her!” shouted the pudgy, red-faced General whose dress uniform looked to be two sizes too small for him. “She is a traitor and a national security threat, and you stand there, listening to her lies? Maybe we chose the wrong man for the job.”