God Of Mayhem (Fate's Warriors Book 2) Page 15
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
~~~ Lexi’s World ~~~
Rho shifted restlessly and leaned on his staff. Alarm was beginning to niggle at the back of his mind. He sensed treachery was imminent, but neither General Kretu, nor Loki had shown any signs of turning on him so far.
His sense of wrongness increased when he saw three of his shamans heading towards his frosty allies. They were moving strangely and kept their faces averted from their kin. Coming to a halt a short distance away from Kretu, one of the shamans pointed at him. A huge ball of fire burst from his hand and zoomed towards the Frost Giant.
Turning as if he sensed danger, the fireball hit Kretu directly in the chest. A roar went up from the general’s soldiers as he screamed in pain. His hands beat at the flames, but they did nothing to dispel it. One of his warriors blasted him with ice, but not even their sorcery could quench the flames. The magical fire rapidly melted him down to a bloody puddle.
Gaping at his ally’s sudden and unexpected demise, a sense of dread filled Rho. He hadn’t sanctioned the execution, but he could do nothing to stop the war that instantly erupted between the Frost Giants and his people. Evenly matched in numbers, the Grimgorg were fierce, but they were also a third of the size of their foes. They would have to resort to using magic to avoid being decimated.
At his signal, the shamans who had been pretending to be mere warriors unleashed their spells. Since flames had been so effective against Kretu, they focused on sending fireballs hurtling through the air.
Using ice magic, the giants retaliated by freezing the Grimgorg. Turned to solid blocks of ice, one blow from their weapons was enough to shatter their foes to pieces. Using their spears, swords and axes, they cut their far smaller enemies down.
Worried that the Frost Giants would call on reinforcements, Rho hurried towards the portals. His strongest magicians moved to surround him. They roasted any enemies who made the mistake of coming towards them.
With hundreds of thousands of Frost Giants poised to leap through to Earth, he would have to act fast. Luckily, he wouldn’t have to actually enter Jötunheim to destroy the portals that had been transported there. Stopping at one of the doorways that depicted the icy planet, he saw thousands of linked portals lying on an icy lake far below.
Sticking his head through the magical doorway, he focused on a device in the middle of the collection and began to chant. When his chanting reached a crescendo, the portal he’d focused on exploded, which set off a chain reaction to the rest of the linked devices. The Frost Giants gathered nearby watched in bewilderment as they shattered. Their chances of entering Earth to assist in the battles ahead had just evaporated. Tens of thousands of humans had been sent through the doors, but Rho shrugged off their loss. There were plenty more of them left.
Civilians who hadn’t yet been collared fled as the two armies turned on each other. Parked vehicles erupted into fire, or were encased in ice as a fierce battle ensued. Working in teams of three, the Grimgorg were efficient at erecting shields to cover each other while sending fireballs whooshing towards their enemies.
Their battle was long and drawn out before the last Frost Giant finally fell. Thousands of Grimgorg shamans and warriors had fallen, but they were victorious. Rho hadn’t seen Loki yet. He wondered how the Asgardian was going to react to this unexpected turn of events. He would probably think he was going to be next, but Rho wasn’t ready to betray his only remaining ally yet. He needed Loki to show him more worlds before he would outlive his usefulness. He also needed him to transform more portals into doorways. There weren’t nearly enough to enable him to succeed with his private plans.
Watching the beasts pacing outside the casino Loki had taken as his own, Rho shivered when their hungry stares came to rest on him. They hadn’t fed yet and their master hadn’t made any provisions for them. Rho hadn’t seen the shapeshifters in action yet and he really didn’t want to. He wasn’t sure if his shamans would be able to take them down easily if they were to attack. He needed to replenish his army before Loki came seeking answers about what had happened to the Frost Giants.
He sent one of his soldiers back to their home world to order more of his shamans to come to Earth. They began to arrive a short while later. Wearing the bronze armor of soldiers to disguise what they were, each one could use magic to some extent.
A contingent of his troops began the sorrowful task of sending their dead back home. Rho wasn’t about to leave their bodies lying around here, possibly to be eaten by Loki’s beasts. He also didn’t want to take them to Asgard. He intended to live in the golden palace that had been Odin’s home, not to stink up the place with corpses.
Since Loki still hadn’t shown his face yet, he set the rest of his warriors to rounding up the humans again. It would take longer without the Frost Giants’ help, but he would just bring more of his people here to assist with capturing his slaves.
Every now and then, his neck prickled as he felt hostile eyes on him. He hadn’t seen any sign of the three traitorous shamans since General Kretu’s demise. He wasn’t sure if it was them, or someone else who was watching him.
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Chapter Thirty
~~~ Lexi’s World ~~~
Leaving the two escorts lying in a tangle of limbs on the bed, Loki entered the main living room. He strode over to the gigantic window that overlooked the Glitter Strip. Naked as the day he was born, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked down on the chaos below.
He sensed something was wrong a moment before a huge fireball hit one of the Frost Giants. Splaying his hands on the thick, tinted glass, he peered downward. Even from this great height, he heard the bellows of rage from tens of thousands of giants. Dread seeped into him when he realized General Kretu had just been assassinated. He’d expected treachery, but he hadn’t anticipated it would come this soon. He wasn’t ready to dispense with either of his allies yet.
Seeing the Grimgorg and giants turn on each other, he realized he’d been duped when the vast majority of green-skinned aliens began to attack with magic. They weren’t mere foot soldiers as he’d been led to believe.
Slamming his fist into the window in rage at Rho’s duplicity, the glass cracked, but it didn’t shatter. Still naked, he picked up a chair and slammed it into the floor. He didn’t stop until the room was wrecked and the furniture lay in ruins.
The escorts had woken at the noise and had fled screaming in terror. They wouldn’t be able to go far with his shapeshifters guarding the exits. His pets would herd the women back here if they attempted to leave the building.
Breathing heavily from exertion, Loki returned to the window to watch as the war raged on. Several hours passed before the last Frost Giant fell. Rho had destroyed the portals on Jötunheim to prevent reinforcements from coming to the rescue. It was a clever move and it was exactly what he would have done in his place.
Expecting his building to be overwhelmed by Grimgorg magicians, he grew puzzled when his werebeasts remained fairly calm. One had mentally reported to him that the two prostitutes were huddled in the stairwell. They were afraid to leave what they erroneously perceived to be safety. They weren’t alone. More humans had attempted to flee from the casino before realizing the building was surrounded by monsters. They’d returned to their rooms, but they wouldn’t be safe there. Eventually, every single building would be searched and they would be discovered.
When dawn light touched the sky, a trio of shamans cautiously approached the casino. “King Rho seeks an audience with Lord Loki,” one of them said to his alpha wereleopard.
Loki heard the short speech through his minion and granted her the ability to reply. “He may enter,” she said in a growling hiss.
They turned to their ruler as Rho scurried out of the shadows. The beasts could smell his fear as they parted to let him through. A small entourage of shamans followed at his heels. Loki instructed his alpha to come to him and to bring two members of her pride along. They took the stairs,
passing the two cringing escorts. Moving far faster than the elevator, they were waiting for the Grimgorg when they stepped out into the foyer of the penthouse.
Clothing himself in his leather suit, Loki took in the mess in the main living room. It was obvious he’d thrown a tantrum and he felt vaguely embarrassed by his loss of control. With a wave of his hand, the room appeared to be restored. If anyone attempted to sit on any of the furniture, they would fall straight through it. Fortunately, the penthouse had many rooms. He would hold their meeting in one that was intact.
Waiting for one of his visitors to knock, he released the spell that kept the door locked. He opened it and gestured for King Rho and his shamans to enter. With a wary look at his benign expression, they stepped inside. Without a word, Loki led the way down a short hallway to a room with plush couches and armchairs.
His alpha leopard slunk forward as he sank down onto a chair. She sat at his feet and leaned against his knees. Her purr was loud in the silence as he stroked her head. Her eyes were trained on Rho as he and his entourage perched on the edge of the couch across from him. They looked like naughty children who knew they’d done something wrong and were waiting for their punishment.
When Loki continued to stare at him in silence, Rho knew he had to tread lightly. “Three of my shamans betrayed me and killed General Kretu,” he said.
Loki lifted a brow. “So I saw. Would you care to explain why?”
“I do not know,” Rho replied in frustration. “I did not order the attack. They acted of their own accord.”
“I thought you had managed to unite your people,” Loki said in a deceptively calm tone. His fingers drummed on the arm of his chair. It was the only sign he gave of his annoyance.
“There was something strange about them.” Rho lifted a bony shoulder in a shrug, surreptitiously shifting his staff so it pointed at his ally. With one word, he could send a toxic cloud at the Asgardian. It might not kill him, but it would at least render him momentarily vulnerable. He and his entourage should then be able to defeat Loki, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that just yet.
Loki’s leopard tensed, smelling danger in the staff. He stroked her head to calm her, well aware that he was in peril. She said something directly into his mind that made him narrow his eyes. “My pet has just informed me that the three shamans were not who they appeared to be.”
Rho cocked his head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Their scent did not match yours. They were merely pretending to be Grimgorg.”
“Illusion is your area of expertise,” Rho said accusingly and immediately regretted it when rage flared in Loki’s eyes.
“What possible reason could I have for attacking my allies when we have only just begun our assault on Earth?” Loki pointed out tightly as he fought to retain control of his temper.
Rho bowed his head slightly. “I spoke in haste.” Silence fell again as they contemplated their dilemma. “If neither of us were responsible for the betrayal, then who was?” he asked.
The wereleopard spoke to Loki again and his lips thinned. “Apparently, the supreme alphas of my werebeasts were involved.” The leopard had met Lexi and Reece and she could smell their scent on the three false shamans. One of the trio had been a vampire. She wasn’t sure what the other two were. All she knew was that they weren’t human.
“I thought you had absolute control over your beasts,” Rho said, throwing Loki’s words back in his face. He couldn’t curl his lip in derision, but it was clear in his tone.
Loki’s response was swift and hard. “I do. But it would appear someone with great power has interfered with my command for them to come to me.” Fortunately, it seemed only a small handful of his shifters had disobeyed his order. “It is possible that faeries might be involved with their disobedience, and with the attack on General Kretu.”
“Faeries?” Rho scoffed with a dismissive wave of his hand. “On our world, they are insignificant and are barely more than an annoyance.”
Loki’s tone turned dry. “I am afraid things are very different on this world. Faeries are powerful, dangerous and meddlesome.”
“Can they be killed?” That was the only question Rho cared about.
“It’s possible, but it is very difficult to achieve.” Loki mused in silence for a few moments. “I am not certain that faeries are behind this. My pet informed me that one of the charlatans was a vampire. Faeries abhor the undead. It is highly doubtful that they would choose to work with one even to eradicate us.”
“Then who is behind this?”
Shrugging, Loki noticed Rho had shifted his staff so it was no longer pointed at him. It seemed they’d weathered their crisis. They would now have to work together to ensure no further assassination attempts were made. “For now, we should continue to round up the humans,” he decided.
Greed flared in the Grimgorg ruler’s eyes. “Since my army will now be doing all the capturing, I want more than the original one billion slaves we agreed on.” He swallowed at the ire that flared in his ally’s cold gaze.
Struggling against the urge to ram one of his daggers into King Rho’s yellow orbs, Loki grudgingly nodded. “It is only fair,” he conceded. Asgard wouldn’t be able to sustain so many mouths to feed, but the humans wouldn’t be staying there for long. They would be turned into warriors before being sent to other worlds where they would become the invaders.
Rubbing his hands together in glee, Rho was almost glad he’d been forced to eradicate the Frost Giants. It saved him from doing the job later when there would have been far more of them to dispose of.
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Chapter Thirty-One
~~~ Lexi’s World ~~~
After Ava sent the fireball hurtling towards General Kretu, she and her two companions melted back into the shadows. Violet made them blend in with the wall of a casino and they watched the carnage unfold.
From the quick response by the Grimgorg when the Frost Giants went berserk, it was obvious they’d been ready to turn on their allies. Only a fraction of the green aliens wore the tattered black cloaks that signified they were shamans, yet nearly all of them could use magic.
“Sneaky buggers,” Nat said in what almost sounded like admiration at their duplicity.
They watched until the final Frost Giant was slain before they snuck away. Dawn would arrive soon and Nat needed to return to their base before she fell unconscious again. She led the way back to the sewers and they descended into the noisome sludge. As soon as they reached the tunnel that would lead them to the desert, Nat took hold of her companions. They were on the far side of the dome by now, so her teleportation skills were operational again.
Rather than appearing inside the compound in Colorado and leaving muck all over the floor, she took them to the front door.
Vampires stood in small clusters around the front of the complex. Each nest averaged about twelve in number, with a master in charge. It was a bit creepy seeing them all standing there like mannequins.
Lexi had been busy while they’d been gone. Instead of only a thousand zombies, there were now five times that number. They were stationed around the perimeter of the grounds to keep watch. Kendricks’ men were guarding the building. They studied the new arrivals, then returned to their duties when they recognized them to be friends. All of Lexi’s zombies were linked to her and they’d been informed about who were their friends and who were foes.
Removing their borrowed shoes, Nat and Violet left the stinking sneakers behind. Ava took her shoes off as well so she wouldn’t track crud inside. All three were barefooted when Ava let them into the building.
Thanks to the camera that was still pinned to Nat’s collar, Mark and his team were aware of everything that had happened. The Shifter Squad were in the coms room, watching the footage again. Mark turned and looked down through the wall of windows at Ava when the door opened. His smile was proud that she’d managed to singlehandedly incite a war between the aliens.
“You rock,
Ava!” Kala called out. Blushing slightly, the nagi climbed the stairs with the other two women close behind her. Kala’s grin faltered and she made a face when their stench flooded the small area. “Eww. No offense, but you three really need to take a shower asap.”
Mark sent her a withering look, but Philip merely smiled at her bluntness. He was used to his mate’s stark honesty by now. Mark had raised her, but he’d never quite managed to turn her into a lady. She’d grown up with two adoptive brothers, so she was more of a tomboy than a girly girl.
“I’m going to be dead to the world in a few minutes,” Nat said as Mark removed the camera from her jacket. She could feel the sun drawing near and she wanted to be clean before she went to bed. “Don’t do anything exciting without me,” she said with a grin, then headed for her room.
Natalie had stationed herself right in front of the action and they’d had a perfect view of the two alien forces when they’d clashed. Mark had managed to tap into the CCTV cameras stationed throughout Vegas as well. He and Philip had watched the battle from all angles. They’d known what the outcome would be even before the Frost Giants had been defeated. They might tower over their allies, but they were no match for the Grimgorgs’ magic.
“That was an excellent plan to turn the two armies against each other,” Philip said to Violet. The young woman blushed and nodded shyly at his praise.
Lexi was torn between disappointment that she hadn’t been there herself, and admiration for what the three women had managed to achieve. “That was really quick thinking, V.”
Violet sent her a mock sour look for using the nickname Nat had given her. “I’m just glad it worked. We couldn’t have done it without Ava.”