The Wrath of Pan (The Inglewood Chronicles Book 2) (16 page)

When we got back to John’s house, our first order of business was to get Gregory and Rissa into bed to recover.  Once that was taken care of, I put Tucker down in the dungeon.  I even gave the dick a few bags of blood, that way when he woke up, he’d have something to take care of the hunger.

I made my way into one of the living rooms and dozed off on the couch.  I don’t know how long I was out, but eventually I was woken up by someone light shaking my shoulder.

Liz spoke very softly, “I am so sorry to wake you Vic, but Gregory is coming to.  I figured you would want to talk to him with me.”

It took me a second to get the cobwebs out.  “Yeah, it’d be best if we were both there.”

I got up and stretched.  It also hit me how bad I stank.  A shower would be in order, and soon.  When we entered Gregory’s room, he was sitting up, wincing.  “How did I end up back here?”  Then he started to panic, “Where is Rissa and Jonathan?”

I pushed him back down on to the bed.  “Calm down buddy, you got walloped on your head by the looks of it.  Rissa’s fine, she’s over in the other room.”

His face relaxed a little bit.  “What about Jonathan?”

Liz sat on the bed beside him, “My brother is missing.  When we got to where you were, only you and Rissa were there.”

“I know it’s hard, but can you tell us what happened?”

He grabbed his head, “We were on our way to meet up with you two.  Jonathan got a phone call and pulled off the road.  While he was out talking to someone, Rissa and I were talking.  I guess I got a bit relaxed, because I never saw the attack coming.  I remember the car door opening, her screaming and then nothing.”

“Liz, you stay here with Gregory.  I’m going to go check on Rissa and talk to her.”

“Do you not want me to come?”

I put my hand on her shoulder.  “She trusts me.  Besides, it’s my fault she’s mixed up in this shit and all.”

She put her hand over mine, “You are not in control of fate.  If she was meant to be part of our world, it was not because of you.”

“Thanks.”  With that, I left the room and headed over to the adjacent room.  Rissa was still out when I got in, so I took a seat in the corner chair.

The crime scene bugged me.  There was no sign of a struggle and you’d think that John would’ve tried to fight off his abductor, even if it’d been Rod.  A low groan brought me back to the present situation.

I walked over to the side of her bed, “Rissa, you okay?”

“Where am I?”  She looked around and spotted me.  “Vic!  Oh thank God it’s you!”  She sat up and threw her arms around me.

“I’m glad you’re okay.  You and Gregory gave us a bit of a scare.”

She went back into a sitting position on the bed, “I guess you want to know what happened?”

“That’d be a big help.  Gregory told us all he could, but something tells me you saw a bit more.”

“We’d just pulled off the road so Liz’s brother could take a phone call.  He said he had a bad signal and left the car and walked towards the trees.  I would’ve thought that would make the signal worse.”

I got out my notepad and started writing down what she told me.  “Anything else strike you as strange?”

“He seemed annoyed with whoever called him.  I could tell by his body language.”

“What happened next?”

“Gregory and I started talking about different things.  He was telling me about Seattle when the door opened.  He never saw the attacker and was knocked out by a night stick.”

As I was writing, “You saw the attacker, didn’t you?”

“It was that Roderick.  He looked crazy, his hair was all over the place and his eyes were unfocused.  He pulled Gregory from the car and then grabbed me.  I tried to fight him off, but it was useless.”

As much as I wanted to think Rod was innocent, maybe just to save Liz from the inevitable, the evidence was stacking up.

“The last thing I remember is Jonathan coming back over and telling him it was too late.”

Too late?  “I’m really sorry you had to go through all this.  We should’ve done a better job protecting you.”

“This isn’t your fault.  The people to blame in this are the ones who keep attacking us.”

“You’re one smart cookie.  You keep the positive attitude and you’ll be just fine.”

She smiled.  “I don’t mean to gross you out, but I need to eat and you look kinda tasty.”

I heard a small laugh coming from the door and it was Liz.  “I will get you something my dear.  Victor, would you accompany me to the kitchen?”

I looked over at Rissa before leaving, “I made you a promise and I’ll get that werewolf that killed your friend.  Don’t think I forgot that.”

“I know you didn’t.”

I left the room and joined Liz on her way to the kitchen.  “How much of our conversation did you hear?”

“Just the end of it.  How is she doing?”

“All things considered, pretty well.  She noticed a lot more than I think anyone would’ve thought.”  I pulled out my notebook.  “It was Rod that attacked them, but she said it was weird because he seemed really off, like insane.”

“We all agree Roderick has not been himself.”

I flipped the page back.  “She also noticed John looked really annoyed on his phone call.  He said before he left the car he had bad signal, but he walked towards the trees, which would seem strange if you wanted better reception.”

She looked impressed.  “The girl has a knack for this sort of work, does she not?”

“The last piece of information she had was what John said to Rod before she was knocked out.  He told Rod he was too late.”

“Too late, for what I wonder?”

I had no idea and Rissa apparently didn’t either.  “I hate to state the obvious, but we don’t have a clue where to go from here.”

We entered the kitchen and Liz grabbed a few packs of blood.  When she shut the fridge door, her eyes lit up.  “Yes, we know exactly where they are going!”

“We do?”

She grabbed my hand, “Before we deliver these to Rissa, we need to go talk to our prisoner.”

“I figured we would at some point, but just what does Tucker know that’ll help us?”

She was pulling me hard, “He knows where the Scythe of Death is supposed to be hidden!”

“I hate to point out the obvious, but that ain’t real.  So, how does his info help us?”

She gave me that all knowing look.  “But does Roderick know that?  There could be so much more to this than we know.”

Ehhh, I was skeptical.  “Alright, I’ll follow your lead on this one.”

We hurried down into the basement.  When we entered the dungeon area, Tucker popped up and came over.  “Are you here to release me from this imprisonment?”

“No,” I said a little too rough, “we’re here to ask a few more questions.”

“Oh, what else can I tell you?  I’ve told you everything that I know in regards to Pan and what he is trying to accomplish.”

“You’re one hundred percent sure that as far as you know, we’re the only ones that know what you’ve found in your little book?”

“Yes, you two are the first ones I told everything to.  If Pan and his master already knew, then why have me translate the text?”

Why indeed, that was the million dollar question.  Liz went over to the bars, “Where was the Scythe said to be hidden?”

“Under the city is a series of catacombs, Pan’s hideout is at the beginning.  We couldn’t access the rest of them because of an iron door that blocked the entrance.  That’s why Pan hadn’t taken the witch yet, he didn’t have the key.”

“Liz, that’s what was in the bag!  Rod had the key all this time.”  I turned back to Tucker, “Can you take us to this door?”

He shook his head, “I can, plus I can lead you through the maze of catacombs that lead to the chamber in the legend.  Most of the translations dealt with navigating the path.”

Praying the next answer would be no, “Does Pan know the way?”

“Yes, I gave him the translations in regard to that, since I deciphered them before I realized the truth.  He would be able to lead whomever to the spot.”

“Liz go give Rissa her blood and tell Gregory we’ll be back, but don’t tell him what’s happening.  He’ll just want to go and right now he’s not in any shape.”

She took off in a hurry, leaving me and Tucker by ourselves.  “Even without his Lost Boys, Pan will be a difficult adversary.”

“I gather as much, but we gotta go.  They’ve got a friend of mine and I want to get her back.”  Neither Pan, Rod, nor anyone would stop me from saving Rosette.

Tucker gave me a look, “You may not believe me, but I don’t either.  Maybe this ill-fated venture will bring my redemption.”

“For your sake Warren, I hope it does.”

It was bad enough to have to slum through the sewer, but the catacombs were awful.  Rodents, dead bodies, flies, and worse greeted us.  “Is this where Pan and the Lost Boys dumped the bodies?”

“When the werewolf was finished, he’d bring them here, well enough away from the camp.”

Tucker continued leading us through until we got to the camp.  There was a main common area that reeked of blood, with a few rooms connected.  At the far end, there was a large iron door.  It was open and a key was stuck in the lock.  “I guess we’re a few steps behind.”

Liz walked over and stood in front of the door.  “I get an ill feeling coming from here.  Are you sure the Scythe is fictitious?  You are not leading us into a trap set by your new master?”

“I am sure.  I have made my lot with you, so I am just as much in danger as you are.”  He walked past Liz, “Come, the catacombs are dangerous and will take time to navigate, even for Pan.  If we hurry, we may be able to catch them.”

“I just hope they ain’t nothing horrible waiting for us.  I’m with Liz; something doesn’t seem right about this place.”

Tucker grabbed one of the torches on the wall, “I cannot tell you what awaits us.  If there is any chance to save your friend, the witch, we must go.”

I had Roscoe fully loaded, with another eighteen silver bullets in my coat ready to go.  Liz had both tantos strapped to her back.  I walked over to her and pulled a small vial out of my pocket.  “This is for you.”

She took the vial and examined it.  “Is this what I think it is?”

“Yeah, a little pick me up in case you need it.”

She placed the bottle in her jacket pocket, “I hope we will not need to use it.”

Tucker watched the exchange but said nothing.  “Are you ready?”

“Lead the way – we’ll both be watching you.”

He took off into the catacombs and we followed.  It didn’t take long for the light from Pan’s camp to fade away, leaving us in almost complete darkness.  Tucker’s torch provided a little light, but I relied on the two vampires and their superior night vision.

It was slow moving and soon we came to our first obstacle, our current path ended and we could go either right or left.

We waited patiently for Tucker, who was consulting his book.  Well I did, Liz was a bit short.  “Do you know where you are going Warren?”

“Yes I do Miss Swansea, but each path has its difficulties.  The path to the right has traps to contend with, while the path to the left has a guardian to overcome.”

Traps and guardians?  “There’s an awful lot of security for a fake.”

“If anyone could walk right in and see there was nothing there, the legend wouldn’t do its job, now would it?”

It annoyed me a little when Liz was right, but it downright pissed me off with Tucker being right.  Grudgingly, “I guess that makes some sense.”

“The question is which way would Pan and the others go?  If we can retrace their steps, it may make it easier.”

Liz spoke up, “Both Pan and Roderick would want to avoid a fight, using their wit to navigate.  I imagine either would think he could outsmart the traps that lay in wait.”

“Then let’s go that way.”  I started to take off to the right when the ground started shaking.  Or no, make that the roof.  “Cave in!”

I felt someone grab me and pull me back to the left.  We fell to the ground, avoiding being crushed by the rocks that fell.

“You must be more careful Victor.”

Tucker’s voice was close.  I turned around to see it was him who pulled my ass from the fire.  “Thanks, I think.”  I stood up and brushed the dust off me.  “What the hell happened?”

“It seems the integrity of this place is not what it used to be.”  Liz pointed up.  I could barely see her, let alone what she was trying to show me.  “It would appear the mortar used to hold the rock in place has long since passed its expiration date.”

“That or someone did something and is making us go the opposite way.”

“I agree with Victor, this feels more like we are being led in the opposite direction Miss Swansea.”

“I pray you are good at being a guide Warren.  Come, we wasted enough time here.”

Tucker walked around us and started slowly down the left path.  He seemed pretty shaken up by what happened and I was still kinda surprised he saved my life.  I wasn’t sure if those rocks would’ve killed me, but I wasn’t sure how to handle owing anything to an enemy.

The three of us kept going with the other large elephant in the room; what was the guardian we’d have to get past.  “Did your book talk about what this guardian might be?”

Tucker stopped.  “It hinted about what it might be, but never outright said what it was.  The impression I got was it was something not of the Earth.”

“We will handle whatever is waiting for us.”  Liz poked Tucker in the back.  “Continue going and do not worry, I cannot allow you to die just yet.”

With that vote of confidence given, the journey continued.  I don’t know how long we walked, but eventually we stopped again.  This time it was due to a door blocking the path. 

Tucker ran his hand over something.  “The wording is Latin, but I do believe it says ‘Fools Will Enter and the Brave Pay Heed.’  I think this is the lair of the guardian.”

I chuckled, “We have no choice, so I guess that makes us fools.”

Liz walked right up and opened the door.  Light entered the passage, blinding me for a moment.  When the adjusted, I saw my girl had already entered the room.  I grabbed Tucker and followed.  “Oh shit.”

Liz was already looked in a stare down with the guardian.  My limited knowledge of monsters actually came in handy; I recognized this thing as a Sphinx.  The feminine-like face was calmly staring at us, with its wings folded over its lion-like body and huge claws relaxed on the ground.

It decided to break the silence.  Its voice was light and airy, matching the pretty face of the creature.  “Welcome warriors.  What is it that you seek?”

I stepped forward.  “Hi there, I’m Victor and the three of us are looking for our friend.  She was brought here by some unsavory characters.”

“You speak of the child vampire and his accomplices, correct?”

Confirming Pan was in fact here, “Yeah, that’d be the ones.”

“They are much deeper in the catacombs.  It has been some time since the wolf came and spoke with me.”

Trying to sound pleasant but also express urgency, “Is there any way we can pass?  We already know that the Scythe is a hoax.”

She smiled at me.  “It is true that the Scythe of Death does not exist, yet there is treasure and it must be protected.  I was not brought from the pit to allow all to pass.”

“How can we pass then?”

She smiled at me.  “You have two options; defeat me in riddle or in combat.  The choice is yours.”

I looked back at the other two.  What I knew of Sphinxes, they were cunning and deadly.  “Liz, what do you think?”

She addressed the Sphinx.  “Is there a deal that we can make?  We mean you no disrespect, but time is of the essence.”

The Sphinx seemed to think about this.  She smiled at me and then there was a flash.  Where the large, winged lion had been, a lady stood.  She looked like one of those Egyptian princesses you see on those discovery TV shows.  Even without the claws, she still looked deadly.

“You make an interesting offer vampire.  I shall allow you to pass, but know this; I have seen your future.”

I interrupted, “You saw our future?  Can you tell us?”

“I wish I could but alas, by making a deal with me, you have granted my wish, freedom.  Know this; soon you will be in a position to help me greatly.  When I come to you, you are bound to oblige.” 

With one last wink at me, the Sphinx disappeared and the wall behind her opened up.