There were paintings—not the Paleolithic variety, but made by modern hands. Two stylized humans suckling from a she-wolf, and “Sons of Aeneas” painted in sweeping colors. An altar had been made of one stone formation, covered by a red cloth now stained by time and geological processes.
“I’m guessing this is the cavern,” I said quietly, touching fingers to the painting. “Chalk,” I said, rubbing the grit through my fingers. “It requires less equipment than painting.”
Lulu would be proud that I’d learned something.
“They’ve been sleeping here,” Connor said, and I glanced back. He was crouching near a depression in the wall. “Sleeping bags, camping supplies. No dust. It’s been recently used.”
“But not tonight,” I said. “Beyo’s been gone a while. Maybe they panicked, changed hiding places.”
Something glinted in the dirt. I kneeled, brushed away dust, and picked up my dagger. The one I’d lost at the farm; the one that had been buried in the back of the silver beast.
“They’ve been here since the bonfire,” I said, and cleaned off the dirt, held the dagger up for Connor to see. And where were they now?
* * *
* * *
“Empty,” I told Theo and Lulu when we emerged from the cavern. “They’ve been using it, but not tonight. Any sign out here that they might have gone anywhere else?”
Theo shook his head. “No footprints other than the tracks we’ve already made.”
I frowned. “They couldn’t have passed us. We’d have seen them.”
Connor swore, and I looked back at him. He was staring at the trail, toward the direction of the resort.
“What?” I asked.
“We drove part of the way, but they can’t drive in creature form.” Although that did present a mental image that had us all smiling.
“So there has to be a trail that leads back to the resort,” I said. “And we haven’t been on that trail.”
“That’s a long way back,” Theo said.
“Yeah, but it’s the only way back,” Connor said. “And they’d have figured out Beyo betrayed them, that he’d give them up.”
“They’ll go back to the resort,” I said. “Back to where it all started.”
“And back to Beyo, to offer up a little of their precious revenge.”
* * *
* * *
We ran back to the car, making surprisingly good time over crappy terrain, and managed not to twist any ankles, break any legs in the process.
“I’ll drive,” Theo said. “You’ve got calls to make.”
Connor tossed him the keys, pulled out his screen and we climbed into the vehicle. He had Lulu pass the comm over to Alexei, then called Georgia, asked her to alert Cash and the entire resort and make sure Beyo was well protected.
“Call the sheriff and the state patrol,” I said when he finished the calls. Connor looked at me, pained by the suggestion. “The only way this stops is if someone puts a stop to it. We have to be that someone.”
He cursed but made the call.
Theo drove like a bat out of hellmouth, and why wouldn’t he, given it was the middle of the night, there was no traffic, and the single county sheriff probably didn’t bother to issue traffic citations?
We drove into the RV lot, checked on Lulu.
“Lock yourself in,” I told her, “and don’t come out unless it’s one of us.”
“I’ll literally keep the motor running and run them down if I have to. Be careful.”
“We will,” I said, and watched, waited until she’d closed and locked the door again.
* * *
* * *
The cabin was our next stop. There, we’d rendezvous with Alexei and Georgia and prepare to move on foot to Beyo’s cabin.
“The resort on alert?” Connor asked, frowning at the glinting firepits at the edge of the lake.
“There’s no one out there,” Georgia said. “Just a little show. We didn’t want to alter things from normal too much, in case we scared them away.”
“Everyone’s in the lodge,” Alexei said, “which is locked and guarded. Except Beyo. We considered moving him out of the cabin, but figured leaving him—and his scent—there would help narrow the field.”
And keep the creatures focused on their target.
“I’ve got friends positioned on the opposite side of the resort,” Georgia said. “They’ll keep an eye on the perimeter, and give me a signal if they see anything.”
“You seem to be enjoying the operational element,” I said with a grin.
“Feels good to shake out the fur now and again.”
“Cash and Everett?” Connor asked.
Georgia’s mouth twisted. “They’re in town playing pool,” she said bitterly. “We’ve left messages.”
“Very responsible,” Theo said. “They’ve got quite an interesting leadership style.”
Alexei snorted.
“Let’s go,” Connor said. “And let’s end this.”
* * *
* * *
We moved silently across the resort, sticking to the darkest of the shadows as we approached the cabin. We stopped in the shadow of the cabin that stood thirty feet away from Beyo’s.
Adrenaline was already pumping, the monster looking for a foothold, an opportunity to come forward. But I’d already made a decision about that. And I took Georgia’s advice.
I reached out for it and asked it a question. Do you want to fight?
At first, there was silence, and I thought maybe the idea that we could communicate anything other than need and violence was ridiculous.
And then . . . Fight.
Okay, I told it. Be ready.
The monster answered with a stretch that sent a delicious warmth through my veins.
“Probably should have done that a long time ago,” I murmured, and could have sworn I heard it chuckle.
Somewhere in front of us, a single firecracker popped and sizzled.
“I’m guessing that’s the signal?” Connor whispered.
“That’s it,” Alexei said. “You ready to move?”
“Go,” he said, and Alexei and Theo split off to give us another angle of attack.