In Darkness Transformed Read online

  There was nothing about his expression or the tone of his voice that said he was serious, but evidently Mike knew him well enough to see below the surface. “And how many crazies does it take to make a bunch?”

  Eli’s smile faded, and he looked to her for guidance. She took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff. “Tell them whatever you want. We both know they can keep a secret.”

  “There were eight at last count. The number may have gone up or down since then. We promised Safara’s father, who is the chief of police for Ridgewick, that we’d take a casual look around the park. If he drove through in his cruiser, that might put innocent civilians in danger. If we spot them, he’ll bring in the authorities.”

  Okay, neither man bought that story at all. Mike came back around the truck to confront Eli. “I know Safara here is a deputy, but the cops wouldn’t send a civilian like you’re pretending to be into a dangerous situation even armed to the teeth with guns, much less a sword. If they didn’t want to alarm these alleged crazies, they’d send in one of their own undercover. All of that tells me her father doesn’t want to go through normal channels to deal with the threat these people present.”

  Doc was busy looking up something on his phone. “Major, there are multiple reports in the area of folks being attacked by people carrying swords. The descriptions vary in some respects, but everyone agrees the perps speak heavily accented English, making it likely they’re not originally from around here.”

  Eli had moved closer to where Safara stood, maybe to present a united front to his friends. At Doc’s last comment, he leaned down to whisper, “That last bit is putting it mildly.”

  Mirroring their stance, Doc and Mike planted themselves right in front of her and Eli. “Now, Sergeant, what’s really happening? No bullshit this time. That’s an order, in case you’ve forgotten what they sound like.”

  “If I do tell you, Major, you have to swear to keep it a secret, no matter what.”

  Mike’s chin came up in stubborn refusal. “No can do. I don’t make promises without knowing the facts first.”

  Eli gave her a disgusted look when she snickered. “You’re not helping matters, lady.”

  “Sorry, but as I recall, you said something similar to me when I asked you to keep your mouth shut when you wanted me to clue you in on this same subject.”

  She was right, and he knew it. “Fine, but understand there are innocent people at risk if this gets out.”

  Normally the more easygoing man, Doc looked serious as death. “What innocent people?”

  It was time for her take control of the situation. The rogues were her problem, and the innocents Eli mentioned her responsibility. “Both the rogues and the innocents originate from Kalithia. I guess you could describe them as undocumented immigrants.”

  Mike exchanged a questioning look with Doc before saying, “I’ve served all over the world, and I’ve never heard of that place.”

  This time it was Eli who snickered. “There’s a good reason for that.”

  When he didn’t continue, the major’s next words were heavily laced with temper. “Which would be?”

  Eli held up his hand as if taking an oath. “I swear I’m not crazy, but Kalithia is another world, not another country. Evidently, I inherited my weird-ass ability to heal from some Kalithia-born ancestor.”

  “Bullshit!” Doc looked thoroughly disgusted. “If there are aliens in this world, why haven’t I ever met one?”

  “You have.” Safara started to hold out her hand to reintroduce herself to Doc as his first official alien. Instead, she gave him a quick hug and pecked him on the cheek. “And now you’ve been kissed by one.”

  His face flushed red, whether from embarrassment or from temper it was hard to tell. He rubbed his cheek and stared at her for the longest time. Finally, he said, “Well, if you’re an alien, at least you’re better looking than E.T.”

  “Thanks—I think.”

  All four of them cracked up, laughing long and hard even if it had Mike wincing in pain. Maybe there was a bit of hysteria in their response, but at least they burned off some of the tension they’d all been feeling.

  When the moment wound down, Doc rubbed his hands together. “Okay, I don’t know about the major here, but I’m all for kicking some alien butt. What’s the plan?”

  Her father wasn’t going to be happy that she’d dragged two more outsiders into their business. But honestly, all things considered, she didn’t know how else she could’ve handled the situation. Eli was looking to her for direction.

  Once again, she pointed out the obvious. “They’re your friends. You figure it out.”

  ELI CONSIDERED THE options and tried to figure out a way to keep his friends out of the line of fire. What he really wanted to do was toss Safara into their SUV and give them the job of keeping her under wraps until he and her father had dealt with the rogues. She would gut him with that sword of hers for even thinking such a thing, much less if he actually said it out loud. Before surrendering to the inevitable, he tried one last time to keep Mike and Doc safely on the sidelines.

  “Like I said, this is a scouting expedition, but we all know even the best designed plans can blow up in your face in a heartbeat.” He paused to point at Mike’s arm. “You’re in no shape for a fight.”

  The man wasn’t buying it. “It’s my left arm. I’m right-handed and can still pull a trigger.”

  If bullets started flying, they’d need every weapon they could get. “Fine, you can come, but you’re providing support, not leading the charge. Agreed?”

  He waited until Mike nodded before continuing. “I have an extra handgun one of you can use.”

  Doc answered for both of them. “We’re good. When the major called me to come get him, I thought it only wise to come loaded for bear.”

  “Okay, then. I think we should all ride together in your SUV rather than in a two-vehicle convoy. We’ll draw less attention that way. Any questions?”

  “What kind of firepower will the enemy have?”

  Safara winced at Mike’s description of her people, but she didn’t protest. “In some ways, Kalithia is less mechanized than this world, so no guns. That doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. They fight with the traditional swords of our people, like mine over there in the truck.”

  She looked so damned sad as she continued her explanation. “Kalithia’s sun is dying, and some of our people are susceptible to what we call the light disease. It drives its victims to seek the bright sun in this world. The illness slowly destroys their minds, leaving them out of their heads with the need to kill anyone who crosses their path. If they get close enough to attack, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The person they used to be is already dead, and the truth is that you would be showing them mercy.”

  Eli added his own take on the situation. “We faced off against this bunch when eight of them attacked Safara at once. I’d like to say that I rushed in and singlehandedly saved the day, but that’s not what happened. Four cops from Kalithia joined the fight on our side to help drive the rogues off. These people might be crazy, but they’re damn good fighters.”

  By that point, both Doc and Mike had their game faces on. So did Safara, for that matter. Good. This was serious business, the kind he’d been dealing with since his first deployment. He’d missed working with a team of warriors all dedicated to making the world a better place. While this group might number fewer than the ones he’d deployed with in the past, there was no one he’d rather have at his side when facing potential danger.

  “Let’s transfer our gear to the SUV and then move out.”

  It was tempting to punch Doc when he offered Eli a sloppy salute and said, “Yes, sir. Happy to, sir. I live to serve.”

  “Remind me, Doc, why I used to like having you around.”

  Doc was already pulling stuff out of Eli’s truck. “My charm, intelligence, and good looks?”

  Both Eli and Mike shook their heads. “No, that’s not it.”

  Eli
dumped a lot more of the gear on top of the few things Doc had taken out of the truck. “Now I remember what it was that I liked about you.”

  His friend’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And that would be?”

  Eli clapped him on the shoulder. “You make a damn good pack mule.”

  Doc rolled his eyes as he lugged the heavy load over to his vehicle. “Very funny.”

  But to give the man credit, he grinned right along with the rest of them. Two minutes later, they pulled out onto the highway. The hunt was on.

  18

  By rights, as the only cop in the car, Safara figured she should be the one in the driver’s seat, not sitting in the back while Doc ripped down the two-lane highway toward the park. She considered pointing that out to her companions, but there was no use starting a battle she wouldn’t win. Not with this much testosterone packed into such a confined space.

  “The entrance is about a mile farther up on the right.”

  Doc met her gaze in the rearview mirror with a smile. “Thanks.”

  When he frowned and quickly checked both outside mirrors, Eli joined the conversation. “What’s wrong, Doc?”

  “Probably nothing, but a dark blue pickup passed us going the other direction a couple of minutes ago. Now there’s one right behind us. It might be a coincidence, but maybe not. Don’t everybody start twisting around to get a look at him. He’s close enough to notice.”

  They reached the entrance to the park and turned in. The truck whizzed past, continuing westbound on the highway, but it was too soon to breathe a sigh of relief. If the driver thought they’d noticed him, he might be trying to throw them off his scent.

  Doc slowed to a stop. “What do you want me to do?”

  It was time she took charge. “There’s nothing we can do about him right now. Let’s see if the rogues are here in the park.”

  Mike twisted around to face her. “So what are we looking for exactly? What will these people look like?”

  She pointed at her eyes. “They’ll have eyes roughly the color of mine. Their hair will be dark and shot through with silver, even the younger ones. And before you ask, I dye mine to hide the gray.”

  Something she hated doing, but she and her father both thought it was necessary. With so many Kalith living in and around Ridgewick, someone would be bound to notice a lot of young people all having salt-and-pepper hair even in their teens.

  “The last time we saw them, they were dressed in dark tunics over trousers. That may have changed by now, but for sure they’ll be carrying swords like mine.”

  She knew her duty and would see it carried out. Regardless, revealing her own people’s existence to these men felt like a betrayal of everything she stood for. The knowledge that she might also have to execute the rogues made her sick at heart. Even if they did return home, it would be to face probable execution at the hands of the Sworn Guardians and their Blademates. There was no happy ending in sight for any of them.

  Eli squeezed her hand. The small gesture meant a lot even if she was still mad at him for announcing his decision to leave the country without talking to her about it first. Yet another item on their agenda that would have to be dealt with eventually.

  But one thing at a time.

  Doc started driving again, going slowly to give them all time to study their surroundings for any sign of the enemy. When Safara rolled her window down in order to hear better, the three men immediately followed suit. They were just turning down the last loop off the main road when a scream rang out. Doc hit the brakes as they all strained to determine which direction it had come from.

  Mike leaned his head out of his window. “Anybody see anything?”

  Eli did the same. “No.”

  Safara spotted movement in the woods off to the left. “There. Someone just ducked into those trees. I barely caught a glimpse of him, so I can’t tell for sure. I’ll go see. The rest of you keep hunting.”

  Eli was out the door and heading around to her side of the vehicle before she even had her seat belt unfastened. She looked at Mike. “Okay, let me rephrase that. Eli and I will check him out while you and Doc drive on ahead. We’ll text you if we spot anything, and you do the same.”

  “Got it.”

  She and Eli started off across the clearing at a slow trot. They’d only gotten halfway when they heard terrified voices in counterpoint to dark laughter and taunts. They slowed to listen to triangulate the source of the sounds. Finally, Eli pointed into the distance. “There.”

  She drew both her service revolver and her sword. They kept moving forward, but more slowly while Eli called in their backup. Once they knew Mike and Doc were on their way, they picked up speed. By then they could clearly see two of the rogues and make out at least some of what was being said, none of it good. Tiel had cornered two adults, who had three young children huddled behind them.

  The woman was pleading with him, her voice thick with tears and fear. “Please, mister, let my children go. They didn’t do anything to you.”

  The Kalith jabbed the tip of his sword at the husband, slicing the man’s arm open. From a distance, it was hard to tell how badly he was hurt as blood dripped down his arm.

  Tiel kept waving his sword around in front of the couple. “Who wants to bleed next?”

  Eli bellowed in fury. “Tiel, you worthless coward, I ran you off once, and I’ll do it again.”

  His efforts to draw the rogue’s attention away from the innocent campers worked, but only in part. Tiel charged right for them, but his companion remained to keep the humans from escaping. Eli lowered his weapon. “I don’t have a clear shot.”

  He shoved his gun back into its holster and drew his broadsword. “I’ll deal with your cousin. You see what you can do about the other guy.”

  She wished they could shoot the rogue, but the bastard was now using the children as human shields. At that point, Tiel and Eli came together with a clash of swords. To make matters worse, six more rogues were now headed right toward them. Several were sporting bandages, marking them as the same bunch they’d faced outside the cave. Good. It was time to end their rampage.

  Where were Mike and Doc? Not that either of them would be of much use once she and Eli were surrounded by the enemy. Even if they had swords, they wouldn’t know how to use them, and they couldn’t risk using their guns for fear of hitting one of their own.

  The sound of squealing tires was followed by several car doors opening, too many for it to be Mike and Doc. When she risked a glance back toward the road, her heart skipped a beat and then started beating far too fast when a tall man dressed all in black jumped out of the driver’s door of the blue pickup truck that had been following them earlier. He calmly held up what looked like a sniper rifle and took aim. It was impossible to tell exactly who he had in his sights. She prayed it was one of the rogues.

  At the same time, a group of four men had just piled out of a large van. Before the other man could pull the trigger, they had him surrounded. After they subdued their prisoner and tossed him into the bed of his truck, they drew swords and headed straight toward her and Eli at a dead run. Dear God, they were Paladins! Well, at least two of them were. The others carried Kalith swords even though they were dressed in human clothing.

  She called out to Eli, “We’ve got company. Not sure if they’re actually on our side, but they’re definitely not on Tiel’s.”

  The other rogues were nearly upon them. She prayed the humans would survive long enough for them or the Paladins to rescue them. Then a single shot rang out. The rogue behind the children dropped to the ground as Mike and Doc stepped into sight and herded the family back out of danger.

  Good. None of them needed to see the bloodbath that was coming.

  The rogues spread out to surround her and Eli. Two challenged her directly, one male and the other female. She had no choice but to take them both on, too busy trying to avoid being cut to pieces to keep track of the four newcomers.

  A second later, a deep voice called
out to her. “Officer, I’m coming up on your left. I’ll take the male.”

  Under the circumstances, she wasn’t going to argue. A dark-haired man moved up beside her. Now that he was so close, it was easy to see that he was Kalith. When he spotted her sword, he gave her a solemn nod and then went to work drawing the attention of her male opponent, leaving her free to deal with the female.

  The fighting was vicious. Eli and the other men taunted their opponents, but she saved her breath. The Kalith woman had been a well-trained fighter at some point in the past, but in her disease-driven rage, she was taking reckless chances. That didn’t make her any less dangerous. With little regard for her own survival, the woman attacked Safara with deadly intent. Clearly there would be no quarter given on either side.

  The battle between the two Kalith males next to her was over in a matter of seconds, leaving the rogue bleeding out on the ground. His death cry briefly distracted her own opponent. The woman screamed in fury and turned her attack against the warrior who had come to Safara’s aid. She’d always wondered if she had it in her to kill. As much as the idea sickened her, she found the strength to end the woman’s existence. There would be an emotional price to be paid for that, but not right now.

  The closest Paladin shouted at the remaining rogues, “Stand down, you sick sons of bitches, and we’ll let you go home.”

  No one took him up on the offer, and the battle intensified until Tiel and Eli were the only two still fighting. Sweat poured off Eli’s face as he tried to break through her cousin’s defenses. Tiel had to know that if he succeeded in bringing down Eli, the grim-faced men who surrounded him would make damn sure he wouldn’t escape.

  The two Kalith warriors stood on either side of her as they watched the deadly battle continue. She hated to watch; at the same time, she couldn’t look away. The only sounds were the loud clang of sword against sword and the heavy breathing of men quickly running out of breath and strength. In a quick move, Tiel raised his sword and prepared to swing it down in an arc intended to separate Eli’s head from his shoulders.