Ahead and off to the right, the river Kendra had noticed from the plane could now be seen, and behind it loomed the geometric form of the giant obsidian block.
"I don't recall a river in the area on the maps I studied," Elise noted.
"The Rainbow River runs mostly underground," Camira replied. "But it surfaces here at Obsidian Waste, a gift from the Rainbow Serpent."
"Rainbow Serpent?" Kendra asked.
"One of our most reverenced benefactors," Camira explained. "An entity of tremendous creative power."
The engine revved, and the jeep raced across the distance to the house before sliding to a stop. The jeep with the boys had almost caught up, and it swung in to park beside them. Kendra jumped down to the ground.
"Seth says he's hearing voices," Trask said.
"Like dead voices?" Kendra asked. With help from the demon Graulas, Seth had become a shadow charmer, which, among other things, enabled him to hear the minds of the undead.
"Exactly," Seth said, brow furrowed. "It's weird. They're not talking to me, not directly, but I can hear them murmuring, thirsting. At first the voices were distant. Now they seem to be all around us."
"Do you have zombies buried around here?" Trask asked Camira.
She met his gaze with wide eyes. Her mouth worked for a moment without speaking. "I don't know much about what's buried here. I don't like to speak of the cursed ones."
"We don't usually discuss such things," Berrigan agreed.. The main door to the house opened and a woman emerged. Her honey-blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore a khaki shirt with matching shorts. Her tan skin was lightly burnt, and although she had to be nearly fifty, she was very fit and walked with a spring in her step.
"Laura," Vincent called.
"Hello, Vincent, Trask. Welcome back to Obsidian Waste. Greetings to the rest of you as well." She joined them beside the jeeps, hands on her hips. "I trust you're all travel weary and ready for a rest."
Trask gestured at Seth. "Seth says he hears the undead all around us."
Nodding, Laura shot a brief glance at Camira. "At least one of us has some intuition," she muttered.
"Excuse me?" Trask said. Camira scowled.
In a quick motion, Laura yanked Berrigan's knife from its sheath and plunged it into Camira. "It's a trap," Laura warned. "They're waiting for us in the house. Subdue Berrigan. Don't kill him."
As Berrigan tried to dodge away, Trask seized the young man, whirled him around, and slammed him against the side of a jeep, levering one arm into a painful hold behind his back. Laura withdrew her blade, and Camira crumpled to the ground.
"Into the jeeps," Laura commanded, retrieving the keys from Camira. "Make for the Dreamstone. Don't harm Berrigan--he's under the control of a narcoblix."
Trask took Berrigan's keys, then passed the gangly young man to Tanu, who dragged him into the jeep in a head-lock. Trask and Laura started the engines while the others scrambled back into the vehicles. Kendra boosted herself over the side without opening the door, ending up in Laura's jeep with Seth, Mara, and Vincent.
As the tires spun, spraying grit and dust, an arrow thudded into the side of the jeep, causing Kendra to look back at the house. Zombies were crashing through the windows and flooding from the door. They moved jerkily, some limping, a few on all fours. In the midst of them she recognized a tall Asian man with long, grim features: Mr. Lich.
A second arrow streaked down, lodging in a suitcase beside Vincent. Scanning the house again, Kendra saw the archer on the balcony, a striking woman with elegantly styled blonde hair.
Wearing a knowing smirk, Torina, her former captor, locked eyes with Kendra for a moment before ducking into a window to avoid crossbow bolts fired by Elise and Mara.
Through the front door came a figure clad entirely in gray, his face wrapped in fabric. He dashed toward the jeeps with astonishing speed, easily outrunning the zombies, a sword gripped in each hand.
"The Gray Assassin?" Vincent exclaimed. "Who isn't here to kill us? They don't want us kind of dead, they want us extremely dead!"
Dozens of zombies came out of hiding around the yard as the jeeps accelerated away from the house. Some had been crouched in holes or trenches, others beneath bushes, one in a barrel full of water. The shambling corpses approached from all directions, their hideous bodies in various states of decomposition. Trask and Laura gunned the engines and swerved to plow directly into the zombies who were attempting to block their escape. Kendra closed her eyes as grotesque bodies went flying.
A stocky zombie with curly orange hair lunged at Laura's jeep, catching hold of the side briefly until Vincent hacked off the freckled hand with a machete. Seth snatched up the severed, bloodless hand and chucked it out the back.
And then the zombies and the house were receding behind them. The Gray Assassin continued after them, but, quick as he was, he was no match for the jeeps once they got moving. Laura took the lead, with Trask close behind, as they raced toward the distant obsidian monolith.
Chapter 3 Dreamstone
Seth wished he had kept the zombie hand. What a perfect souvenir from his first official mission as a Knight of the Dawn! Instead he had thrown it out of the jeep almost reflexively. Hearing all of those zombie voices must have temporarily scrambled his reason.
The voices had been creepy. Hundreds of whispery, yearning zombies, eager to strike but held in restraint by a will stronger than their drive to feed. It had sounded like the zombies were all around them, but he had seen nothing. Until the monstrosities finally lurched out of hiding, Seth had worried that he might be losing it.
Mr. Lich must have been controlling them, instructing the zombies to lay low until the opportune moment. The tall Asian was a viviblix, capable of raising and controlling the dead, and also served as right-hand man to the Sphinx. If Laura hadn't helped them make a speedy escape, they would have all been zombie food.
As the jeep zoomed across a bridge spanning the Rainbow River, Seth continued to mourn for the lost hand. He could have hidden it beneath Kendra's covers. He could have tied a string around it and left it dangling from a showerhead. He could have displayed it proudly on a shelf in his room. He quietly vowed to keep all of these possibilities in mind if a severed zombie hand ever fell into his lap again.
Enormous trees lined the far side of the river, reaching hundreds of feet into the air. "Those trees are huge!" Seth exclaimed.
"Those are karri," Laura answered loudly. "A species of eucalyptus, one of the tallest types of tree in the world."
"What happened back there?" Vincent asked.
"Camira betrayed us," Laura said bitterly. "Last night she admitted several members of the Society to the preserve, along with dozens of zombies brought by that viviblix."
"You said Berrigan is under the control of a narcoblix?" Kendra asked. "Do you know which narcoblix?"
"He's back at the house," Laura said. "His name is Wayne."
Kendra looked over at Seth, relief in her eyes. He had been concerned about the same thing, wondering if Vanessa might have been helping their enemies.
They hit a spine-jarring bump, but Laura did not slow down. Looking behind them, Seth could detect no pursuers.
As they came out from under the towering karri trees, the obsidian monolith loomed back into view. The scale was amazing--the geological marvel looked like a black mountain that had been carved into a glossy brick.
"It shines like a rainbow," Kendra said.
"I don't see much color," Seth disagreed.
"The stone is black," Kendra said, "but the light reflecting off of it is very colorful."
"Her eyes may perceive something ours can't," Laura said thoughtfully. "We call it the Dreamstone. It is laced with deep magic."
Seth squinted at the obsidian monolith. It definitely had a bright sheen, but the gleam was white, not colorful. Why would Kendra see colors? Was the Dreamstone full of fairy magic or something? They drove toward the imposing block in silence.
Engine roaring, Laura finally closed in on the Dreamstone, piloting the jeep around to the far side. The monolith stood hundreds of yards tall, hundreds of yards wide, and the length exceeded the width by double. Seth marveled at the polished smoothness of the stone and the sharp perfection of the corners. They finally skidded to a halt near the only imperfection Seth had noticed on the unblemished surface: a bowl-shaped recess about the size of half a volleyball.
Trask pulled up alongside them. Seth watched as Tanu wrestled Berrigan from the jeep and pinned the young man to the ground. Trask trotted over to Laura. "What happened?"
"We were betrayed last night by Camira," Laura said.
"Members of the Society surprised us and captured the house. They thought the threat of harming their hostages was enough to convince me to lead you into their trap."
"There are no more hostages," Berrigan laughed. "Not after that little stunt! Your nephew is dead. So are your sister and her husband. Same with Corbin and Sam and Lois."
Laura's face went rigid. Her lip twitched. "You would have killed them either way. At least I managed to save some lives."
"You're still all dead," Berrigan assured her. "You're just prolonging your demise."
"Get out of him, Wayne," Laura snapped.
"I'm enjoying the ride," Berrigan replied. "How did it feel to kill your prize pupil?"
Laura glared. "I never would have suspected Camira."
"You heard the lady," Tanu said, laying his thick forearm across the back of Berrigan's neck. "Get out."
"You need to lay off the Twinkies," Berrigan gasped, his voice strangled.
"I can make things very uncomfortable for you," Tanu promised.
"You're not hurting my body," Berrigan panted. "Do what you want to Berrigan."
"Hold him, Trask," Tanu said.
Trask switched positions with the Samoan. Tanu withdrew a needle and a small bottle from his satchel.
"You going to sew me to death?" Berrigan chuckled. Tanu dipped the needle into the bottle. "I can cause you plenty of pain without harming your host." Tanu touched the needle to Berrigan's neck.
A full-throated, scream issued immediately from Berrigan. His eyes bulged and spittle ran from his lips.
"What are you doing?" Laura asked in distress.
Tanu removed the needle and Berrigan sagged into unconsciousness. "The potion sends a message of extreme pain to the brain," Tanu explained. "It does no actual damage, just talks to the nerves." He pricked the needle against Berrigan's neck again. "The narcoblix truly has withdrawn, or he would be writhing." Tanu rummaged in his bag and pulled out another small bottle. Unstopping it, he wafted it under Berrigan's nostrils.
The young man convulsed and his eyes opened. He struggled against Trask, his eyes on Tanu. "Who are you?"
"They're friends, Berrigan," Laura soothed, crouching into view. "Be still."
"What happened?" he asked, somewhat calmer.
Laura caressed his forehead. "That narcoblix drugged you and stole your body. This is the team we've been awaiting. Answer me a question or two, to make sure you're in possession of yourself. What is your Aunt Jannali's favorite song?"
"Moon River.'"
"As a child, what did you like in your mashed potatoes?"
"Little cubes of Spam."
"What is the farthest your Uncle Dural has thrown a spear?"
"I don't have an Uncle Dural."
"Welcome back, Berrigan. Ready to help?"
He nodded, and Tanu helped him sit up. Closing his eyes, Berrigan rubbed his temples. "My head is pounding." He opened his eyes. "What about Camira?"
"She's dead," Laura said flatly.
Berrigan gave a single quick nod, tears welling into his eyes. "Serves her right," he managed. His face twisted into a pained expression. "Serves her right. I can't believe, I can't believe she would--" He broke down into sobs.
"Grieving will have to come later," Laura said, rising. "Our foes will be on us soon." She regarded Trask somberly. "Your best hope is to reach the Translocator and teleport out of here. You have the key?"
"Certainly," Trask said. "What are the chances of us taking the fight to our enemies before attempting to access the vault?"
Laura shook her head. "Very poor. The viviblix has perhaps seventy zombies under his control. Some he brought, some were acquired here. They have the Gray Assassin, a narcoblix, a viviblix, a lectoblix, a psychic, a pair of lycanthropes, and, worst of all, a wizard called Mirav."
"I know that name," Trask said grimly. "He's an old one."
"The sun is our best ally against him," Laura said. "He cannot come out during the day. Direct sunlight would kill him. Once daybreak arrived, he was hiding in the basement."
"Agad told me that all wizards used to be dragons," Kendra interjected.
"Mirav is a real wizard," Trask said, "so yes, he was once a dragon. He came out of India. He is truly evil, and a leader among the Society. His presence means the Society is putting everything they have into this mission."
"We won't be able to stand against a wizard and a zombie army," Tanu said.
"Agreed," Laura said. "Which is why you must hurry to the Translocator."
"You won't be joining us?" Trask wondered.
Laura shook her head. "I'll muster what help I can and try to slow them. I'm not out of allies yet. I'm confident I can take out the bridge."