Fury Awakened (Fury Unbound Book 3)

  The staunch metal gates had held in front of both his shop and his sister’s—the Up-Cakes bakery—next door. After a good look around, we tumbled out of the car, leaving Laren to stand guard over it. Hans stayed outside with him, while Tyrell and Kendall joined us.

  As Jason unlocked the gates, I realized how quiet it was. No hum of electricity, no footsteps of pedestrians hustling by. No traffic noises. Nothing except the eerie hiss of snow and wind.

  We entered the shop. There was no power, but it was light enough to still see. Jason and Laren dashed upstairs to his apartment while Tyrell, Elan, Kendall, and I began bagging every spell component and herb we could find.

  “Don’t forget the crystals, the wands—anything. We may never get the chance to come back and we want as much on our side as we can get.” I tried to open the cash register but it was locked and without electricity, wouldn’t work. Which meant none of us were getting any cash out of the banks on our cash cards. Maybe if we found a branch in another city that was still running, we might be able to, but for now, we’d have to do without.

  We stripped the store and carried the bags out to Hans’s van, stowing them in the back. I grabbed as many spell tomes as I could find, including Jason’s personal journal. As he came down the stairs with a small bag of clothing and a few assorted weapons, I showed him the journal and he nodded. Finally, we locked up the store, and shut the gates once more.

  With a quick stop at Up-Cakes, we commandeered the staples. No use taking the perishables because they had all gone bad in the past couple of weeks anyway, but we found fifty pounds of flour, twenty pounds of sugar, five pounds of salt, and a few other assorted items.

  Next on the agenda was my apartment. Again, Tyrell stayed with the vehicles.

  I had my doubts about how we were going to make it in, given the security door, but the door had been torn off its hinges. As we climbed over the rubble and hiked up the stairs to the fourth floor, I brought out a flashlight. The stairwell didn’t have any windows in it and without power, it was too dark to see where we were going.

  We had just rounded the third landing, heading up the fourth flight of stairs, when the door to the third floor burst open and we found ourselves staring at two zombies.

  “Crap!” Startled, I slapped my hand against my leg and brought off my whip, instantly realizing it was a mistake. I couldn’t use it—we were in too tight of quarters. I raced ahead of them, slamming my whip back onto my leg and pulling out my dagger. The stairwell was also too close for swordplay.

  Hans brought out a short sword and, before anybody else could move, he charged toward the zombies. “Wait for me! Find something to jam the door with.”

  Before we could say anything, he had raced past them onto the third floor. The zombies turned and shuffled his way. I realized what he was doing and slammed the door shut.

  “Find a brace—anything that we can stop them from opening the door. Remember, it opens in to the stairs.” Pissed at Hans, I prayed that I’d get the chance to chew him out. Yes, zombies were hard to kill, and yes, he was faster than they were. But it was incredibly idiotic to take two on at once.

  As I was fuming, looking around for something to block the door, Hans came racing back out and slammed the door behind him, panting as he held it shut by shoving his shoulder against it. At that moment, Elan came darting back up the stairs, carrying a steel cable.

  “I got this from outside—there’s a construction zone next door.”

  We wrapped it around the handle, then tied it off on the railings—as taut as we could get it so that the door wouldn’t open enough to allow them to get out. We had no more finished doing so when they tried again. There was about a three-inch gap between the door and the doorframe, but they couldn’t slip out between that, even though they could get their hands out the door and try to grab anybody who got too near.

  “Let’s go. Hurry.” I turned to Hans. “You idiot. You could have gotten yourself killed. What if there were more in the hallway there?”

  “There were. And you’re right. But it worked. Let’s get a move on. We want to get out of here as soon as possible.” He swung around me and ran up the last set of stairs. Grumbling, I followed.

  My floor seemed fairly quiet, though I could hear a faint sound from behind my neighbor’s door. It was then I remembered—old Mrs. Patachank had a dog and a cat.

  “Bust open that door, please.” I pointed to it. “My neighbor has pets.”

  Hans did, and out rushed a frantic dog, about the size of a skinny pig. He was a Geemo dog—genetically modified so that he didn’t shed, and I remembered her telling me he was immune to a lot of diseases. I leaned down to pet him and he gave me a weary, hungry look that read very confused. Poor baby.

  “It’s okay, Geekly. It’s okay. Come on, where’s your kitty companion?” I peeked in the apartment. Nothing seemed to be stirring.

  It was then that I saw the window was open, but even that wasn’t enough to stifle the smell coming from the bedroom area. Hans and Jason motioned for me to let them look. A moment later they returned.

  “I think we found your neighbor. She’s been dead awhile. But she’s not a zombie, so I think she just died of a heart attack or something. And we can’t take time to try to bury her.” Jason frowned. “Where’s her cat?”

  “I’m going to wager the cat went out the window to find food.” I foraged in the kitchen, coming up with a big bag of cat food. I tore it open and left it on the counter in case the cat should come back. Geekly was barking up a storm now, so I found the dog food and fed him.

  “We can’t leave him here. He’ll never make it on his own.” I gave Jason a long look.

  “You don’t—oh, all right. He comes with us. Bring all of the dog food you can find.”

  “What about this? Will this help?” Kendall held up a cash card. “It’s loaded for twenty-five hundred cash.”

  “Yeah, we might as well. Mrs. Patachank isn’t going to be needing it anymore. Find anything else that might help while I go pack up my clothes.” I headed toward my apartment. Jason, Laren, and Elan came with me, while Hans and Kendall ransacked the old lady’s apartment.

  Twenty minutes later we stuffed a bunch of supplies, my best clothes, a box of mementos I couldn’t bear to part with, and Geekly into the van with Hans, and were back on the road. We passed several roaming groups of zombies, as well as a few straggling city folk whom we steered clear of. We couldn’t be sure what they’d be like and at this point, I didn’t feel like taking any chances. After a stop at Hans’s apartment, and then Kendall’s and Tyrell’s, we headed back toward UnderBarrow.

  “We don’t dare drive into the Sandspit, so I’m going to have to go in and tell Tam what Hecate said.” The thought of just staying in UnderBarrow with him was far too appealing, but Hecate had given me instructions and I had to obey.

  “All right. We’ll park out of sight, and be in after we secure the cars.” Jason motioned for Hans to follow him.

  We arrived back at UnderBarrow and after parking out of sight in a parking garage half a block away, I jogged toward the Sandspit at blur speed and ended up at the base of the World Tree almost twice as fast as the others could run. I picked up two Aboms on my Trace screen but did everything possible to avoid them. I couldn’t go chasing them down now.

  “I need to talk to Lord Tam, now.”

  The guard, who recognized me, bowed. “Very good, milady.”

  I noticed a lot of activity going on as we hurried through the halls toward the throne room. “What’s going on?”

  “Lord Tam is moving UnderBarrow. For the first time in a thousand years, we’re shifting through the veils again.” And with that, he escorted me into the throne room, where my love sat on his throne.

  The others caught up and, once again, we gathered in the conference room. A long side table held several coffee pots, two large teapots, and a tray of pastries, fruit, and cheese. We fixed ourselves drinks, then gathered at the oval conference table and wait
ed. Out in the halls, Tam’s people were bustling, getting things in order for the move.

  Greta appeared in the doorway at that moment. Hans jumped up, beaming.

  “You made it.”

  She ducked her head, grinning. “I’m a full-fledged Valkyrie now. But Freya has given me leave to travel with you for the time being.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off the raven wings that rose from her back. But they were black, not white as I had expected, and not big enough to use for actual flight. Greta had a darker look about her than I had ever seen. She wasn’t dressed for battle, like I expected, but in brown pants, a green shirt, and a gold belt. She was wearing warm boots and a cloak that had slits to fit over her wings.

  “How does your shirt fit?” I blurted out. “I can’t wear pants if I want to use my whip. How the heck did you get your shirt on over the wings? By the way, they’re beautiful.”

  Greta laughed. “Come look. And you can touch them—just don’t yank any feathers out.”

  Kendall, Elan, and I hurried over to look at her wings while the guys stayed at a respectable distance. I stroked her wings. The feathers were silken soft and almost trilled under my fingers.

  Her shirt was a sturdy weave, and the back, right above the shoulder blades where her wings emerged, had two slits like the cape. I saw that she had draped the shirt over her wings, and then the panels of material hung weighted so they would stay in place, and the belt kept them firmly against her body.

  “If you like, I can make you some warm halter tops that fit below your wings on the back. I can attach sleeves to the front of the shoulders that you can slide your arms into, and a snap in the back rather than a tie that goes around your neck.” Elan studied the positioning of the shirt. “I think they’d be easier to get into and out of than this.”

  “Thank you!” Greta looked relieved. “I never thought about what kind of a pain clothes would be once I got my wings.”

  I studied her. “Something shifted during the ceremony. Your energy is different.”

  “What exactly does a Valkyrie do?” Laren asked. “I know in theory that you gather warriors’ souls for Freya, but…”

  Greta’s gaze darkened. “We not only gather the souls of the dead, but at times, we are called on to ensure that certain souls are harvested. We cull as we are told by Odin and Freya.”

  There wasn’t much for any of us to say to that. Elan filled the awkward pause by once again complimenting her wings, and I told Greta what had happened with the Abom and what Tigra had told us about the tsunami.

  “And now, Lord Tam is moving UnderBarrow.”

  “Moving UnderBarrow?” she asked. “What does that entail?”

  Tam cleared his throat. “First, let me add my congratulations. You remind me of a daughter of the Morrígan with your wings. As to UnderBarrow, we have shifted positions several times since I first took the throne. We had to shift during the time when the world of Fae began to phase out from the world of mortals. We remained cloaked for a long time, with no easy access to the outer world. And then, we moved back into phase, back in England rather than Eire. When World War II happened, we shifted out of phase again—cutting off access because the bombings were too close. We returned into Eire a few years later.”

  Hans poured himself another cup of coffee and settled back down at the table next to Greta. “But when you’re out of phase, surely the bombings didn’t affect the actual Barrow?”

  Damh Varias answered that one. “No, but when we stepped into the outer world, it was still far too dangerous.”

  “After another long while—centuries—the Weather Wars began. We shifted over here, because Eire was so incredibly hard hit. And when the World Shift happened, it sucked us in and spit us out at the base of the World Tree here. I decided we would wait and see what came next, and soon realized the Sandspit offered a form of protection we had never before had. But now, with Seattle—and in fact, the Conglomerate—falling, I’m taking us into the Wild Wood. We will transport the Barrow north, well above the edge. There’s a lake east of the road that runs through there, Reflection Lake. We’ll settle UnderBarrow near the lake.”

  “Perfect. That’s where Hecate wants us to go.”

  “I know,” Tam said, with a grin. “She told me.”

  I wanted to ask how that had happened, but decided to leave it be for now. I thought about it for a moment. “You don’t want to go back to Eire, then?”

  “We’ve been on this shore for thousands of years now. I think we’ve adapted to the customs. We no longer truly fit in with our kin over in Eire, so no—we’ll be staying here.”

  “I think it’s wise,” Kendall said.

  Tyrell leaned his elbows on the table, tinkering with his coffee cup. “The Elder Gods of my path—the Celtic pantheon—are moving into the woods as well, back to their temple. They will expand into the Wild Wood. Yesterday, the Dagda said something I didn’t quite understand, but I think I do now. He said that now is the time for the Elder Gods to return to their former stature here and come out from the guise of human bureaucracy.”

  “Hecate and Athena will be meeting us at the campground.” I turned to Greta and Hans. “Did Freya and Thor have anything to say about what they were going to do?”

  Hans nodded. “Yes, actually. It looks like the priests will be establishing temples all the way through the Wild Wood. Thor said that he expected to see Seattle, within a dozen years, grown over and reclaimed by the forests.”

  A knock on the door interrupted us. Damh Varias answered, talking in low tones to a messenger who handed him a folded piece of paper. In turn, Damh whispered to Tam and showed him the message.

  Another moment and Tam held up his hand. “We have more news. Two pieces of news, actually. First, it’s official. Atlantea has surrendered. The American Corporatocracy is no more. We are a country without a government. The Order of the Black Mist is officially claiming this region, but they don’t seem to be claiming a nationwide hold. I think they prefer the chaos of the situation.”

  That alone was enough to shock us all into silence.

  “Second, Jerako sent us a message. The Greenlings are girding themselves for battle. The Arbortariam is sacrosanct to their kind only, but he said not to be surprised to find their kind in all corners of the forests and bogs. Apparently, they’ve been hiding in all quarters of the woodlands. He doesn’t say who they are going to battle, but my guess is it will be Lyon and his order.”

  “The Greenlings—I just hope they take into account how ruthless Lyon is and how he’s willing to use anything at his disposal to create mayhem.” I really didn’t want to see Jerako and his kind facing massive wildfires or a scorching lightning bolt, and if the Order of the Black Mist was using weather magic to set off quakes and tsunamis, then chances were they could rain a fiery death down on the heads of the Greenlings.

  “We can’t do much about that except remind them, but seriously, the Greenlings are far superior to any of us when it comes to wisdom. I think they’ve probably taken all of that into account.” Jason turned back to Tam. “What’s the rest of the news? Anything good to share?”

  “No. Not good, I’m sorry. It’s time for you to get on the road if you’re going to follow Hecate’s instructions, because the tsunami? Your friend’s timeline was off. It’s rolling this way and will hit by six p.m. Get in your cars and head out now. The waves are so large they’re going to engulf the lower parts of Seattle.” Tam stood. “We have no time. I have to move UnderBarrow. The World Tree…well, it will be interesting to see what happens after the day is done.”

  Hans, along with Geekly—who had taken a shine to the burly man—and Jason gathered several servants to help them pack up the two vehicles with food, camping gear, and whatever we would need. Our belongings from our apartments would be safe enough in UnderBarrow until we reached Reflection Lake.

  I lingered in the room, waiting to talk to Tam alone. After Damh Varias closed the door behind us, with a warning to hurry, I embraced
my love.

  “Will you truly take UnderBarrow near Reflection Lake? That way we’ll be close. Hecate wants me to go there for some reason and I can’t ignore her.”

  Tam kissed the top of my head, then tipped my chin up and pressed his lips to my own, softly nibbling at them for a moment. “My Fury. Of course I will. I think that’s an excellent place to aim for. I love you, my sweet. And I am constantly amazed by your ability to do what you must.” He pulled me to him. “Promise me you’ll be careful on your travels. Promise me you’ll be safe.”

  I nodded. “I promise to try. I guess this means we’ll be apart until we reach Reflection Lake and I don’t know how long that will take. A week? Maybe more?”

  “I can last a week without you. But longer? Not much.”

  “What will happen to the area here when UnderBarrow moves? Will it disrupt the World Tree?” I couldn’t imagine how moving an entire Barrow wouldn’t shift things around.

  “It will look the same, love. But there will be no entering UnderBarrow from this point.” And then, he kissed me again, long and deep, his arms sliding around my waist. He slid one hand up to hold the back of my head, then brought his lips down along my neck, kissing the tattoo that marked me as Hecate’s.

  “She holds your soul, but I also lay claim to your heart. I think she won’t mind sharing as long as I respect her claim, do you?”

  I pressed against him, my breasts aching for his touch, but we had no time to make love—no time to linger. Finally, hungering for him, in a haze of desire, I pushed him away.

  “I want you so much, but we can’t let time in the outer world go by any more than it has if we’re to flee to safety. I don’t know why Hecate doesn’t let us travel with you directly to Reflection Lake, but she must have a reason for us to go southeast, first.”

  “The Elder Gods always have a reason for what they command, even if we can’t fathom it. Go now, and be safe, and take my love in your heart.” Tam paused, then reached for my hand, kissing the top of it. “And when we next meet, I will have a question to put to you. But not now, not while we’re rushed.”