Extinction Agenda

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sixty-five miles northeast of Atalaya, Peru

The journey into South America was one of the longest runs Randolph had taken.

It was glorious.

He was able to run as fast as he could go without holding back. The ground flew beneath his paws without him really feeling it, voices trailed past his ears without having a chance to sink in, and his eyes only needed to focus on what was directly in front of him. If he was human, he might have called it therapeutic. Covering more ground in a series of leaps between runs, he gazed around to notice the landscape changing from mountains to desert to wetlands and back to desert before finally becoming a lush green that stretched up to surround him on all sides. Perhaps the trip had taken hours. Maybe the better part of a day. Perhaps more than one day. All that mattered was that the air rushing over him carried scents he hadn’t experienced in decades. The water splashing against his belly was cool and wild. Creatures snapped at his heels as he passed, and exotic insects buzzed in his ears.

Jungle surrounded him on all sides until it became the only thing capable of slowing him down. Even if he’d wanted to, he would have had a rough time breaking free consistently enough to regain his former speed. He was in his four-legged form, prowling beneath a green canopy as a thousand eyes watched from above, below, and within the waters of the Amazon. Propping himself onto his hind legs, the Full Blood craned his neck while drawing in a breath that not only swelled his lungs, but caused his muscles and skeleton to realign. When he exhaled, he stood upon two legs with thick claws stretching from his fingers.

Something heavy moved nearby. If not for the distinctive scent, he might have allowed the sound to blend in with the constant movement of his surroundings. Even though he could feel the familiar weight against his back, Randolph placed a hand on his chest to touch the strap of the sling he’d fashioned. It was still there, as was the cargo he’d gone through so much trouble to collect and bring to this place that was as far away from human civilization as he was from their species. He turned while crouching down and bared his teeth at the other Full Blood emerging from the thick wall of trees on the opposite side of the river.

She made no attempt to hide from him. Moving comfortably in her upright form, her muscles writhed beneath protective layers of thick, dark yellow fur that might allow her to be mistaken for a cheetah from a great distance. Long legs and a lithe body might have furthered that illusion if not for the thick musculature and tapered snout of a werewolf. As she walked toward him, the animal features melted away, leaving a woman with dark, bronzed skin and flowing black hair long enough to cover her firm breasts, if not for the whims of a restless breeze. Coming to a stop several paces in front of Randolph, she bore the countenance of a sentinel that was more than capable of fending off him or anyone else who dared take another step. Reflexively, Randolph came to a halt.

“If you’re seeking refuge from the storm to the north,” she said in a musky voice that was colored with accents from several different cultures, “you can keep running. There are still some quiet places in Panama where the military and wretches aren’t such an eyesore.”

“I’m not running away, Jaden,” Randolph said.

“Good. After all you’ve done to brew that storm, the least you could do is sit in it.” Propping her hands on rounded hips, she said, “You’d better not be thinking about reversing my deal to trade territories with Liam. If you have a problem with the arrangement, you’ll have better luck bargaining with him than me.”

“That’s quite an amusing prospect. Liam never was much for speaking reasonably with anyone. Perhaps that’s why he’s dead.”

Claws eased from beneath her fingernails, but only enough to be seen. More than likely they’d appeared as an unbidden reflex, along with the tension showing beneath her skin. “He’s dead? Did you kill him?”

“That does seem the likeliest scenario,” Randolph said with no small amount of sadness. “He fell to the Skinners.”

This time Jaden didn’t try to hide what she felt. Her hands hung at her sides, ready to put her curved, daggerlike claws to use. Wide eyes, the color of polished gold, flicked back and forth to study the trees along the riverbank. “The Skinners have acquired more Blood Blades?”

“Not yet, but they did organize well enough to take a stand. Not that the others left them any alternative. You heard about what happened with the Breaking Moon?”

“I’m out of touch lately,” she said. “Rarely leave the jungle. Only see the occasional human, and that’s easily avoidable most times. I knew there were others of our kind in America. Liam told me about the Mongrels taking a more active part in defending their homes. I honestly don’t know what took them so long to rise up like that.”

Randolph’s brow furrowed as he asked, “You’re sympathizing with them now?”

“No. We’ve been tearing at each other for so many years that it’s a wonder they haven’t grown sick of hiding or pulling up their dens when one of us gets too close for their comfort.”

“Perhaps they’re one of the few that always knew their place.”

“Now that,” Jaden pointed out, “is Liam speaking. Despite your differences, you two always were more like brothers.”

“I often wanted to kill him myself.”

“As I said. Like true brothers. So how did the Skinners manage to defeat him? Did he try to clear out another city?”

Randolph’s mouth formed a smile that opened at the edges to reveal teeth that had partially formed into fangs. “He brought the others together so they could draw more of the Torva’ox, empowering himself as well as a few of them with the ability to spark the Breaking within humans at will.”

“I haven’t heard of that happening since Gorren purged almost every other Full Blood from the planet just so he could have a Breaking Moon to himself. But that was long before my time.”

“Mine as well,” Randolph said. “The Skinners weren’t working alone. They had help from the Gypsies as well as the military. Minh was even encased by gargoyles and spirited away by the Dryad.”

Some of Jaden’s defensiveness was replaced by wonder as she asked, “Gargoyles?”

Randolph nodded. “They must have gotten stirred up amid all the confusion that brought everything else to the surface. Have you ever seen them before?”

“I’ve found a few old statues in the depths of the jungle and spotted some fleeting shapes in the upper tree cover, but not enough to be certain it was a gargoyle. I don’t know if anyone’s seen one of those dreadful things for ages.”

“They caught Liam, Esteban, and Minh by surprise, I can tell you that much. I might have been caught as well if I hadn’t distanced myself from all of that. It took more than gargoyles to bring Liam down, but he was taken down eventually. Probably poisoned or hobbled by some other Skinner trick.” His entire body shifted closer to the savage end of the spectrum as he added, “Knowing those ghouls, they’ve probably already chopped Liam into pieces and will be wearing his pelt while adorning their weapons with his teeth. With him gone, the humans have become brave enough to stand against the wretches even when it is clear the Breaking will claim them no matter how many guns or machines are at their disposal.”

“Such is the way of things, Randolph. You and Liam were always spoiled when it came to the harshness of the Balance. So much proud, self-righteous talk when it tipped your way. So much venom and contempt when it didn’t. The humans are simply doing what they do. Armies will fight and Skinners will sharpen their sticks. Shame about Minh. I know that you two had something of a history. Have you freed her?”

“I don’t even know where she is.”

Skepticism crossed Jaden’s finely sculpted features, but she let it pass. “So you came to warn me about the military?”

“No,” he chuckled. “If you need someone to warn you when those soldiers are packed into enough trucks and helicopters to announce their presence hours before they arrive, you’ve got bigger problems. I came because I have important business in your territory.”

“Asking permission for passage? Now there’s a courtesy I’d all but forgotten about. Sure you’re not seeking refuge?” Judging purely by the tone in her voice, Jaden was more than aware how much those words would grate on the ears for which they were intended.

“You know that’s not it.”

She sniffed the air and fixed her golden eyes on the strap crossing Randolph’s chest. “Then it is about what you’ve brought with you. If you intend on taking one more step into my lands, you’ll have to be rid of that filth.”

Randolph’s hand drifted to the sling and closed protectively around it. “A lot of trouble went into procuring this. Trouble, time, and sacrifice.”

“Don’t try to paint a prettier face on it, Randolph. I know what you’re carrying, although I must admit it’s hard to believe.”

“I swear to you, it’s not intended to harm you or your territory.”

“What else could you do with it? What else but evil could come from one such as him?”

In a firm voice, spoken through a mouth that was slowly forming into a snout as if to match Jaden’s partial transformation, he replied, “It’s an offering. To a Mist Born. Icanchu is here. I have studied the legends, followed the broken trails, and listened to enough of our own elders to know as much. And if he is not here—”

“Icanchu is here,” she said.

“You’ve . . . seen him?”

“That’s the beauty of the Mist Born. When you open your eyes and know what to look for, it’s more difficult to miss them. Searching for them is an understandable pastime, but trying to gain their favor or seek an audience with beings like them is more of a human quest. After all,” she added with a wry smirk, “there are more of them to replace the ones that go missing in such a pursuit. Like these trees, humans have some value, possess some beauty, but can replenish their numbers easily. Full Bloods should know better than to push the boundaries of their longevity. If nothing else, didn’t Kawosa teach us that the Mist Born are better left wherever they may be?”

“Kawosa will be dealt with if he decides to show himself again. For now, it is more important that he remain among the humans where he can wreak all the petty havoc he likes. That has always been his way.”

“Has it become his way to shed his limbs?” Jaden asked.

Shrugging beneath the sling as if he could feel its weight upon such a meaty shoulder, Randolph told her, “Perhaps it is no longer time to be satisfied with the Balance. Perhaps it is time to set things on a different path. Find a new way.”

She strode forward, almost casual in her steps and the smooth sway of her arms. “You’ve always painted such beautiful pictures with your words. Is that how you convinced the young one to follow your lead during the Breaking Moon?”

“Cecile knew it was better to follow me than the others.”

“And where has it gotten her?”

Randolph snarled. “She has been shown firsthand why it was a mistake to trust the Skinners. And she has also seen how we can take care of ourselves. What she does from now on is her choice.”

“We are the only ones qualified to act as our keepers. As for the rest of your business,” she said cautiously. “I still haven’t heard why you want to speak with Icanchu.”

“Do you know where he is?”

Randolph followed the path her golden eyes took when they glanced up at the low-hanging branches above and behind him. The leaves were always in motion, due to the wind or any number of creatures that lived among them. Insects filled the air, gathering in numbers great enough to shake the leaves even more. There were too many living things nearby for him to separate each individual scent, but his eyes were sharp enough to pick up on movement ranging from animals scurrying along the dirt floor to the writhing bodies of serpents hanging from thicker branches.

“I need to see Icanchu now,” he said. “There isn’t time for riddles or territorial disputes. This goes well beyond even Full Blood claims.”

“Why? Because you say it does?”

Randolph exhaled a breath that was accompanied by a rumble emanating from deep within his chest.

Stepping close enough to reach out and place a clawed hand upon his face, Jaden ran it gently along the jagged scar left behind when a strip of the Blood Blade had cut into his cheek. “Spending so much time this close to a Mist Born changes your perspective, Randolph,” she said in a soothing purr. “Even though I can sometimes hear the screams as the wretches and leeches tear the old world apart, I know there is one that is much older and will survive whatever fires are set by human or Full Blood.”

Another serpent moved through the trees behind her. This one’s scales were bright green as opposed to the light brown ones covering the body of the one Randolph had spotted before. Leathery bodies swam through the river, giving the werewolves a wide berth. The more he looked, the more living things he saw. They surrounded and enveloped them in a way that was foreign and unwelcome to one accustomed to open plains, snowcapped mountains, or mile upon mile of swaying grasslands. Even the cities were no longer as congested as that small piece of real estate. It was much easier for him to focus on Jaden’s smooth face and the simple, deadly purity of the fangs protruding from her mouth.

“I came to speak with Icanchu,” he told her. “And that is what I will do. Please don’t waste my time with trite sentiments like the Mist Born can always see us and all we need to do is speak to be heard.”

“I wouldn’t presume to deflect you with spirituality, Randolph. I will tell you that I have spoken with Icanchu more than once since claiming this territory from Liam. The Mist Born are short on tolerance and they don’t suffer fools. I think the only thing that kept Liam from being taught a very painful lesson is that he preferred to terrorize the locals and run along the river instead of venturing into the trees to take a long look at what was there.”

Upon hearing Liam’s name, Randolph smirked. Every now and then he could still hear his friend’s voice whispering some bit of bad advice into his ear or planting a disruptive notion into his thoughts. “Kawosa said you’d know where to find Icanchu. Obviously, the trickster was telling the truth.”

“Not,” Jaden said while tracing a claw beneath the sling and through the fur sprouting from Randolph’s chest, “without some persuasion, I see.”

“Icanchu must see that I am nothing to be taken lightly.”

“You never have been, Birkyus.”

Doing his best to ignore the hunger in her voice or the warmth of a female’s touch, Randolph said, “I also know Icanchu and Kawosa were never on friendly terms.”

“Kawosa wasn’t on friendly terms with most of the Mist Born. That much is common knowledge to anyone who knows the legends. As for what you brought with you . . . no offering will make a difference,” she warned. “Not against a Mist Born.”

“Take me to him.” The voice in which those words were spoken had dropped to a fierce growl. Randolph stood before her in his towering, nightmarish form. His chest swelled with an intake of jungle air that was pushed out from his nostrils amid a curling trace of steam.

Jaden had shifted into her full werewolf form as well. Perhaps playing to her strengths, she’d chosen her four-legged body. Having been freshly pushed through the pores of her skin, her fur was clean and glistening as if it had been freshly bathed in the Amazonian waters. “He may kill you,” she said.

“I’d rather meet my death howling into the face of a god while trying to set my world straight than spend the rest of my days waiting timidly for it in a world I’ve grown to despise.”

“And,” she said with a ferocity in her voice that turned her eyes into orbs of molten ore, “know that I do not intend on giving up my territory. Not to you, not to Liam’s ghost, not to anyone.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

“Good.”

With that, she bounded into the trees from which she’d first emerged. Randolph ran after her, but soon saw why she’d chosen to make the journey on four legs. Rather than follow her lead in every way, he kept the body he currently wore and traversed the increasingly dense foliage as best he could. As Jaden ran close to the ground, ducking under obstacles or leaping over them, Randolph climbed the largest trees so he could watch her progress. Even with the keen senses at his disposal, it wasn’t an easy task.

He scaled one moss-covered giant, launched himself from another, and sank his claws into a third as if the bark were flesh he was tearing from an enemy’s body. It was near-impossible to track her by scent because the jungle was alive with enough competing odors to keep his nose busy for months. Whenever he shook a tree down to its roots with the impact of his most recent jump, he sent several more enticing aromas into the air. So Randolph relied on his eyes and ears. Jaden’s paws pressed against the soil or slapped against fallen logs as she ran ever deeper into the wilds. Her breath still churned within a Full Blood’s powerful lungs, and her heart thudded like a machine that the finest human engineer could only hope to mimic. Whenever Randolph lost sight of her tracks, or the sound of her steps amid the chaos within the rain forest, he moved on pure instinct.

She’d always been an exotic beauty, even when she was human. Now that she’d joined the elite ranks of the Full Blood, every one of her assets was enhanced into a natural wonder. This wasn’t the first time they’d danced this way, her leading him through a seemingly impossible maze. Randolph kept that in mind as he leapt from tree to tree, savoring every fleeting glimpse of her and each flicker of gold when she looked back to see if she could find him.

As they went deeper into the trees and farther from the river or any overgrown path, he could sense other predators around him. He felt them watching, waiting for him to slip or land too close to the wrong set of hungry jaws. Spiders clung to his fur. Primate voices screeched at him as he passed. Creatures that had never been detected by human eyes waited within hidden dens, plotting escape and attack routes should either possibility arise. But what caught his attention most were the serpents.

Snakes of all shapes and colors reclined on branches or dangled from trees that were low enough to grant them access to slow-moving prey. Colorful scales twitched as the werewolf’s paws thumped nearby. Long, muscular bodies wrapped around his ankles in an attempt to drag him down. Full Blood or not, Randolph was a stranger in those trees. That made him vulnerable to any number of carefully orchestrated attacks or well-timed bites. All those possibilities gave him a rush of excitement that had been absent after so many years of dancing with the same hunters across the same patches of land.

Eventually, Jaden slowed down. Randolph caught up to her right away and tightened his grip on the next tree he could wrap his arms around. Sinking his claws into the aged bark, he looked down at her as one of the snakes slid across his knuckles.

“Here is where we wait,” she announced.

The clearing was small and could very well disappear or be reshaped by a storm. She remained on all fours, keeping her head low either out of deference to the being that approached or to watch for whatever threats might be lurking beneath the thick carpeting of fallen leaves and topsoil. Randolph felt the urge to climb even higher just to survey his surroundings but didn’t want to ruin what might be a singular chance to meet Icanchu. There would be time for sightseeing later. For now, there was business to discuss.