Night Cries (Hunters of the Dark #2) Read online

  “There’s a lot more here than you’d think,” Rachel replied. “You just have to put things into context. That's what I try to do in my field of work. When I find something, I imagine its purpose, the hands that held it, the people who admired it…its daily uses, its aesthetic beauty. If you look hard enough, you can find life in relics like these.” She paused. "It’s like the abandoned city back there…there aren’t any people there either, but the things they left behind tell us plenty about them. Granted in a thousand years, a lot of what’s there now will have rotted and disappeared, but if you sift through the rubble, you find things about the people. That girl’s room with the diary and boy band posters…may still contain some remnants of her past life that far into the future, and through them, we get to know her and what kind of a people she came from.”

  Shanna nodded slowly. “That’s an interesting perspective.” She smiled. “What ever made you decide to get into archaeology anyway?”

  Rachel shrugged. “I knew back in middle school what I wanted to do. I sat in on an anthropology class at a local college while I waited to interview the professor, some sort of assignment for middle school, and something about it fascinated me. It called to me, and the archaeology courses I took as a result of my interest were like…it was like I wasn’t doing it for school, for education, but for fun. I genuinely enjoyed my time in class and with my homework and I just knew that I wanted to spend my life piecing together the mysteries of what I found, and uncover these…amazing cultures via the things they left behind. Discovering things is just exciting to me. I love it.”

  “I’m glad,” Shanna told her. “I think I’ll definitely take an archaeology course at Lime Bay University.”

  “Good,” Rachel beamed at her. “I can even help you with your homework.”

  They grinned at each other and Shanna found it strange that she was getting along so well with this girl, given Shanna's first encounter with her when she’d arrived in Lime Bay. She’d found the girl cold and snobbish, but once you got to know her, there was a lot more beneath the surface and she was a really interesting person whose company she enjoyed.

  “You know something that I just thought of?” Rachel said

  “Hmm?”

  “That tape with Rangda…she called Hunter ‘Kiess.’ His last name.”

  Shanna frowned. “Yeah. I remember. I asked him what she’d meant by the name.”

  “Well, notice anyone else’s last names mentioned during the rest of the interview?”

  “I guess…not. I’m not too familiar with the others’ last names to really-”

  “Yours. She said ‘Hunt.’”

  Stopping short, Shanna looked at Rachel. “What? No - she was referring to hunting.”

  “No, she wasn’t. She wasn’t saying anything about hunting. We just assumed she was going incoherent.”

  “Well…maybe. What…what did she say exactly?”

  “I don’t remember,” Rachel admitted. “Something about her appendix, I think. Maybe it’s nothing, I guess. Never mind.”

  “But maybe it is,” Shanna argued. “We should…we should listen to it again when we get back. Just to make sure.”

  Rachel shrugged. “It’s just…I’ve been thinking about your…you know, your powers. The Diana stuff. The translating and whatnot. People are going to want to use you.”

  “I…yeah. I know.”

  “That’s scary.”

  Shanna smiled lightly. “Yeah, it is. And it’s a little unbelievable to me. The idea of me being this…other person. It’s just strange. But I guess we all have to come from somewhere, right?”

  “Yeah,” Rachel looked away. “We…all come from somewhere.”

  ***

  “So, where are you from originally?” Jordan asked Krystal as they walked through the ruins with Ligeia. “You have a bit of a Southern accent, so I assume you’re American.”

  “Yep. Born and raised in Louisiana. This is my first time out of the country. Practically my first time out of the state.” Krystal smiled. “I’ve always wanted to travel abroad you know.”

  “So, this is a great opportunity…right?” Jordan glanced over at her.

  Krystal caught his look and sighed. “I don’t think Hunter would want me talking about it. Sorry. He’s kind of a pain.”

  Shrugging, Jordan turned to look at Ligeia, who was ignoring them, still pouting at their suspecting her and Serene’s motives. He frowned, then brightened. “Hey, Ligeia, have you ever been this far into the ruins before?”

  Ligeia didn’t look at him, but answered. “Unfortunately not. But even if I had, it probably wouldn’t have convinced you of anything, would it?”

  Krystal and Jordan exchanged expressions.

  “I’m sorry that we’re…cautious,” Jordan told her. “Please don’t try to take it personally.”

  “Serene told me what my mistake was,” Ligeia blurted out. “I know my mythology and I blundered it. I got my Roman and Greek confused. Then I forgot that Flora wasn’t a goddess we celebrated - it was Demeter when we had flowers everywhere. Goddess of the Harvest, Harbinger of the Seasons. The celebration wasn’t for Spring at all. When Shanna mentioned Flora, my mind just went with it and I remembered the flowers in balconies, on the streets, in everyone’s hands…petals being thrown from open windows. It is a beautiful scene, and I just…I didn’t place it correctly, and now me and Serene are being shunned and it’s…it’s not fair. I hate it.”

  Jordan opened and closed his mouth. “I’m…sorry. Why don’t you explain it to the others? It was an honest mistake.”

  “No. I will…prove myself by my actions. We both will. Let’s just forget it, okay?” She hid her face and made a few sniffling noises, causing an awkwardness to descend over them all. Jordan wasn’t sure what to do but carry on with their search.

  After a few minutes, Krystal suddenly stiffened, then looked over at a nearby building. “There’s a graveyard back there.”

  “Huh?” Jordan looked at the building blankly. “Behind the building?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Oh…I just do.” She walked into the building, the others trailing behind. It was open at the other end and indeed let out into a graveyard with tombstones that Ligeia claimed were called “stelai” and were decorated with pictures and the names of the deceased.

  Krystal walked to the center of the small graveyard and stood there, silently hugging herself.

  Jordan didn’t know what to make of it. It was very odd behavior.

  “Look at these paintings,” Ligeia called from within the building they had just exited on their way to the graves. “Very beautiful.”

  Jordan glanced over at Krystal, who seemed to have heard nothing. Was she meditating or something? He shook his head in wonder and retraced his steps. “What are we looking at here?”

  Before Ligeia was a painted wall, faded with time, but still remarkably clear.

  Jordan took in the amazing realism of a beautiful blonde woman picking flowers in a field. Women in white gauzy dresses were all around her, attending to her and gathering her flowers into baskets, laughing and making merry. But there was a dark figure in the background wearing a lusty grin and descending upon the women. Jordan couldn’t believe the detail of the painting. It was truly extraordinary.

  “It’s Persephone and her handmaidens,” Ligeia announced. “Hades is about to abduct her into the underworld where they will never see her again.”

  “Well, you have great taste, Ligeia,” Jordan approved. “I wonder whatever happened to those handmaidens of hers? I have a vague recollection of some significance associated with them.” He paused as he noticed something yellow on the floor. He moved a few steps closer to it and knelt over before picking it up gently between two fingers. A feather. A pale yellow feather with soft hues of pink and blue running through it. “This is pretty. I wonder wh
at kind of a bird...say, maybe you know…”

  Looking up, Jordan was astonished to find that Ligeia was no longer in sight. He looked up one way, then the other. He scratched his head and called out her name. He saw Krystal in the distance, as motionless as before, then glanced back up at the painted wall once again.

  “Wait…” Jordan frowned to himself. “The handmaidens of Persephone…became the sirens.” He looked around, suddenly nervous as he recalled that the sirens had been given wings by Demeter to search for Persephone after her abduction.

  Wings… He held the feather up to his eyes and twirled it around in his hand. It was beautiful, unearthly even…he couldn’t think of a bird with such a feather. But he could imagine such a feather accompanied by a sweet voice…

  Then there was the bloody knife they’d found at the statue of Persephone. It could certainly have been left by a siren…a tribute to her queen, her dark goddess. Interesting that Ligeia would be so interested in this particular painting.

  A chill ran up his spine and he briskly walked toward Krystal. He suddenly felt that they were in danger, an instinct that proved all too correct as he stepped out from the shade of the building and heard Ligeia to the left of him, leaning against a pillar.

  “You know. I know. Don’t make this hard on yourself,” she said. “No need to involve the girl. She will only get hurt.”

  “What do you want?” Jordan asked, tense as he turned to look straight into her green eyes.

  She pushed herself away from the pillar and slowly closed the distance between them. “Hmm. Nothing from you specifically, I suppose.”

  Jordan backed up with every step she took. His hand slipped behind his back, where his knife was sheathed.

  Ligeia saw this and smiled. “You won’t get very far by going that route.”

  “Yeah? You haven’t seen me in action yet. How do you know?”

  Ligeia’s grin widened and her voice took on a sing-song quality. “Because I’m a siren. And I’m much more powerful than a weak, pathetic man.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Amelia passed her thermos of coffee to Cameron, who accepted it gratefully.

  “I know you need this more than me,” Cameron said as he poured a small cup. “So I won’t take much. I’m just not much of a morning person.”

  “Mmm. I love the morning,” Serene revealed shaking her head as the thermos made its way to her. “The sun just energizes me or something. My sisters prefer the night, so I’m kind of the oddball.”

  “Oh? How many sisters do you have?”

  “Enough. Three.”

  “I’m an only child. I always wished I had a brother. But then again, I wouldn’t have liked a rival.”

  “A rival? How could you think of it that way? It seems strange to me.”

  “Oh, you know, vying for your parents’ affection. That’s what I meant.” He looked at Amelia. “This is good coffee. Even if it is getting to be more lukewarm than piping hot.”

  Amelia grimaced as she took a sip. “I prefer tea. But desperate times and such. You slept well, I take it?”

  “Like a baby. You’d think I hadn’t already been sedated for days.”

  “Sedated?” Serene perked up. “Are you dangerous? Should I be afraid of you?”

  “No, it was a misunderstanding.”

  “The first of a few,” Amelia added, exchanging looks with Cameron.

  “I don’t hold it against them,” Cameron told her. “You shouldn’t either. They were doing their job. Being cautious.”

  “I know.” Amelia sighed. “I know, but it doesn’t make it much easier to trust them after what they did to me. I'm surprised that you were able to warm up to them so quickly.”

  “Me? I wasn’t awake for any of it. What would I have against them?”

  “Except for Hunter, of course.”

  “Hunter? What do you mean? I-”

  “You don’t like that he’s been getting cozy with Shanna. You don’t like Damien much either, although that’s much more understandable. And you were awfully cold to Shanna this morning and last night. You’re really the jealous type, aren’t you?”

  Cameron looked at her with wide eyes, then shook his head. “I didn’t know I was being quite so obvious. I try not to let it get to me, but…yeah. I get jealous. I try not to. I just…can’t stand it. I want her to myself. Is that so wrong?”

  “Treating her poorly is. Jealousy is natural.”

  “Yeah…”

  “And unfortunately, you need to get used to it. Shanna is very beautiful. And she’s very sought after. You have to learn to deal.”

  Cameron nodded and they sat in silence for a moment.

  “So…” Serene said after Amelia had downed her coffee. “Shall we continue?”

  “Let’s,” Amelia agreed. She spied a small building on their left and a larger one on their right, and proposed that they split up, the two girls taking the building on the right.

  Cameron conceded hesitantly, sending Amelia a knowing look and a nod toward Serene.

  Amelia merely smiled and ushered her companion within the ruin.

  After a moment, Serene turned to Amelia with a grin. “So, what is it that you wanted to ask me away from prying ears?”

  “What do you want, Serene?”

  “What do I want?” Serene sighed. “I want a pony. And that dress that J Lo wore to the Grammy’s that year.” She paused and looked at Amelia without humor. “I’m sorry, Amelia. I like you. But we need the power source on this island. Your powers may be able to lead it to us. You can spare your friends if you just cooperate.”

  Amelia nodded solemnly. “So, you’ve decided to drop the act.”

  “I wasn’t…I really don’t want to hurt you. Any of you. I’m very different from my sisters. Death sickens me. The meaningless destruction of men over a crime that occurred millennia ago doesn’t interest me. But I have a duty. To my family. And we must have what’s hidden here. Please understand.”

  “What will you do if I refuse? Kill me?”

  Serene sighed. “No, but I’m not so sure that my sisters won’t. And they have your men Brett and Saul. I think that you should help us and get this over with. This thing, this power, is nothing to you.”

  “It is if it means something to you.”

  Serene looked saddened. “I’m sorry, but I warn you that my sisters will force your hand. And I’m sure that Ligeia has captured another of your companions by now. More collateral. Please think about it.”

  Amelia tensed, and was startled when Serene merely turned and walked away. She didn’t stop watching the siren until she’d completely disappeared. Then she left the building quickly to find Cameron, who she miraculously found unmolested.

  “What?” Cameron asked when he saw her wild look. “What happened?”

  Shaking her head, Amelia murmured. “I’m not really sure.”

  ***

  “So, it’s official,” Hunter mused, with a curt nod, as they reconvened in the tower’s conference room at mid-day. “We’re at war.”

  “That’s a tad dramatic,” Cameron countered, his face flushing when he noticed Amelia’s steely gaze.

  “Well, they have three of us now,” Rachel said. “If that’s not just asking for retaliation, I don’t know what is.”

  Jade shook her head. “I say we storm the bitches.”

  “Whoa, Cowgirl. We all want Jordan back as much as you do, but we have to think about this.”

  “And Brett. And Saul,” Krystal added.

  “Wait - what’s to think about here?” Cameron asked. “Why don’t we just give them this thing that they want? Amelia?”

  “No way,” Amelia shook her head. “Even if I could find this power source, which doesn’t seem very likely, as I haven’t felt anything very powerful yet aside from that scroll, we can’t just hand over a potentially dangerous device to these monsters. They alread
y have the ability to hold sway over a city. I shudder to think what else they would be capable of.”

  “But…it’s Jordan,” Jade murmured. “We…could pretend to go along with it. Attack them instead.”

  “We just need to locate them,” Hunter advised. “The beach…that’s where the singing came from.”

  “But the beach is huge,” Cameron protested. “We can’t aimlessly fumble around looking for clues like we’ve done all morning. It’s getting us nowhere.”

  “Well, I’d like to hear what you have in mind then. I’m sure it will be positively brilliant.”

  “What’s your problem anyway? You think you can just strut in here and take charge after doing the things you did to us? You made some serious errors already, if you recall.”

  There was a short, shocked silence before Rachel chimed in: “Where’s this coming from? We need to work together here.”

  “Is the machine close to being finished?” Amelia piped up, turning to Jade and Todd. “We could really use Valor and Damien in on this too.”

  “That’s all we need,” Cameron mumbled.

  Shanna looked at him sharply.

  He rolled his eyes at her.

  “Enough,” Natalia said. “We don’t have time for this. Jade, Todd - you two need to put the finishing touches on the device to restore us to the right frequency. Preferably, before nightfall. Krystal and Hunter should probably remain here as well.”

  “Not likely,” Hunter protested. “They have one of my men. I’m going along with the rest of you.”

  “Fine.”

  “And they have Jordan,” Jade protested. “I can’t…sit around here. I have to go.”

  “The device-”

  “Can wait.”

  Natalia and Jade stared at each other for a moment, before Natalia conceded. “If that’s how it must be. Rachel, would you mind…?”

  “Not at all. Happy to help,” Rachel replied.

  Krystal sighed. “Can’t I…?” She let her voice trail off with a withering look from Hunter.

  “The rest of us will stake out the ruins closest to the beach to watch for any signs of life,” Natalia continued. “By twilight, we will most likely have the singing to lead us on, if the last few times are any indication. But I think that all men present should utilize the earplugs we picked up, beginning immediately.”