Chapter 19: Life and Death

The glass doors that led out to the patio made a soft shushing noise as they slid open, revealing a massive wraparound deck that extended over the Pacific Ocean. The waves beneath the Black Palace crashed into the concrete pillars like the steady beating of drums.

The Curator closed his eyes and inhaled the salt air, tasting it with all of his senses. Letting out a dramatic sigh, he grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and pushed his charge further out onto the deck. The man in the chair was strapped in tight to keep him from falling out. A dark mist followed them, a cloud of particulate matter composed of Amir’s individual molecules being forced through the dimensional barrier to reconstruct his body.

“It’s too bad you aren’t cognizant enough to enjoy this.” The Curator walked to the railing and lifted a pair of magical opera glasses to his eyes. By the power of thought alone, he was able to zoom in on the boats as if standing only a few feet away. Doing a quick appraisal of Captain Francois’ armada, he shifted his attention toward the naval group that had formed up in a ring a few miles past them. “It isn’t often that we get to be at ground zero for such well laid plans.”

“My ... ly.” Amir’s head tilted forward, revealing his exposed brain. About a month ago, his endless screaming had come to a stop, replaced by occasional vocalizations. However, he was still several months away from any sort of advanced thought. The Curator found the process extremely fascinating, especially now that the man was quiet for most of the day. If he could ask Amir what it felt like to be strained through the fabric of reality and actually receive a coherent answer, he would happily spend all day documenting the process.

“Yes, that’s right, your Lily.” The Curator lowered the opera glasses and frowned. “I do wish you had purchased additional real estate out here. It was interesting seeing the destruction of Paradise, but now I wish to view the coming battle on the eastern side of the mountain.”

“My ... ly,” Amir replied.

“The sun will be up soon.” The Curator grabbed one of the lounge chairs by the pool and dragged it over so that he’d have somewhere to sit. “What sort of surprises will the Caretaker show us today, do you think?” Mike Radley was either extremely resourceful or very lucky, the Curator hadn’t decided which. However, nothing had been quite so surprising as that little outburst from Paradise the other day. After watching a pair of naga topple the buildings, there had been a massive surge of magical energy. The Curator had no idea what it could have been, but the fact that the sky had cracked open for just a moment so that the Others could get a better view, well...

That had been very interesting.

“My ... ly.”

“Perhaps. The succubus has been spotted here. If I thought acquiring her would ease your transition, I’d do so in a heartbeat. However, I fear that this isn’t the time.” He had done the math. Capturing the succubus would be a poor investment of his time and would likely cause him problems he didn’t feel like dealing with.

The sliding door opened and a young woman walked out. She wore a robe that briefly opened to reveal a bikini underneath.

“Have I missed anything?” The demon Legion grabbed another deck chair and dragged it up to the railing. She leaned out over the side and dangled her arms.

“Not yet. Though you did sleep through the evacuations.” The Curator had found that particular endeavor fascinating. The Caretaker’s people had managed to evacuate nearly all of Lahaina, as well as some surrounding towns. Still, their time had been limited, and even now, early beachcombers could be seen below scouring the sand for shells and other treasures.

“Hardly. I may have sent a few of my meat puppets to disrupt efforts a bit.” Legion set a bottle of champagne on a nearby table and went back inside the Black Palace. She came back with a pair of glasses and some orange juice. “Mimosa?”

“Please.” Though the alcohol would have no effect, it was more of a celebratory gesture anyway. Legion made the mimosa and handed it over to the Curator. He sipped at the concoction, and blanched. It was much too sweet. “I believe that we had a non-interference agreement where the Caretaker and his people are concerned.”

“Please. I didn’t interact with anyone from his household, only the people they were trying to evacuate.” Legion smirked. “And if you don’t like that I found a loophole in our agreement, then you should have known better than to make a deal with a demon.”

The Curator nodded. “A wise assessment.”

“Anyway...” Legion made a face at him and then held up her glass. “I think a toast is in order.”

“I concur.” He raised his glass toward the skyline. “To the Captain, long may he sail. And to the results of well laid plans.” With any luck, he would be hearing from Elizabeth soon. The anti-scrying field around the society’s old underground facility had been a necessary precaution, but he hated being in the dark.

“To results.” Legion clinked her glass against his and took a sip. Down below, the people on the beach screamed in horror as skeletal hordes emerged from beneath the waves, marching toward them as the sun’s light kissed the ocean.

Behind them, Amir called out once more for his lost succubus.

Beth stood near the edge of the pebble beach of Lelekea Bay, her eyes on the ships silhouetted on the horizon by the rising sun. The ocean currents out here were strong, but that hadn’t stopped the dead. There was an eerie stretch of completely calm water that extended out to sea for several miles where it terminated amongst the many ships that circled each other. The merfolk had been unable to disrupt the Captain’s magic here and had been sent to ply their talents elsewhere.

Across the island, the best areas for the dead to beach had been identified. The merfolk had sent their best magic users to create brutal riptides and slamming waves to destroy the invaders before they could reach the safety of land. This would slow them down, but it would not stop them. At some point, the dead would either start climbing cliffs to reach land or simply risk being destroyed. The merfolk couldn’t cover everywhere. There simply weren’t enough of them to make Maui inaccessible.

Leilani let out a contented sigh from her spot on a nearby rock. Between the two of them was a massive wooden crate that had been bolted shut. The word Fragile had been hastily written on the side.

“You get the feeling back in your legs yet?” Beth smirked in the mermaid’s direction.

Princess Leilani chuckled. “Perhaps. I didn’t quite expect to be used so ... extensively. My stomach muscles are sore.”

Beth laughed again. Standing on the brink of war, it was either that or start crying.

“I must admit I was surprised to see the two of you together. I felt like an amateur.” Leilani fingered the filigree on the shaft of her trident. “I honestly wondered if you might burst.”

“I’ve had a bit of practice at it.” Beth could feel her cheeks burning. While she hadn’t been shy in the moment, thinking back on everyone else watching her was a little mortifying. She gazed out toward the Northeast at the aircraft carrier that was stationed there. Dozens of support craft milled around at its base. “Do you think those guys are gonna get involved or continue being useless?”

“Once they see the truth of things, all will change.” Leilani turned her attention to the small hut that had been hastily erected in the early morning. It contained a portal to higher ground in case the two of them needed to escape. “What are the odds that Plan A works?”

Beth looked at the crate again. Inside was a tracking device along with a bomb that Tink had assembled last night from parts Eulalie had supplied. The goblin had been pissed to learn that she had been left out of the festivities last night, but happy to hear that the process had restored Mike’s spirit.

It hadn’t just been his spirit, either. The last time Beth had seen Mike, he had been carefully going over last-minute plans with Quetzalli and Di. His magic was so strong this morning that Di had smelled it from a distance. Beth wasn’t entirely certain what that meant, but even now, with him somewhere up the mountain, she could feel his presence in the back of her mind. Through these most recent trials, he had yet again come out the other side stronger.

As for herself? Beth intended to catch up. She touched the Rod of Osiris tucked into the holster strapped to her thigh. Aurora had given the holster to her as a gift before leaving to help over at Lahaina. Based on undead distribution, the west side of the island was one of the primary targets of Francois’ wrath. That meant the Order, along with Yuki and some of the others, were stationed over there.

Somewhere up above, Tink was watching them through the scope of the monstrous weapon she had created. Beth had no idea where the goblin had found the time to modify a sniper rifle, but the thing was now mounted to a massive tree uphill with a series of counterweights and hydraulics that allowed the goblin to maneuver and aim the thing. Considering it now had a barrel length of nearly five feet, Beth was fairly certain the goblin could hit whatever she desired.

Out in the bay, the water dipped to reveal a legion of skeletons. They marched forward as one, their weapons clutched tightly to their chests. An aqueous simulacrum of Captain Francois led them, a twisted sneer fixed on his face.

“Is this it, then? Has the Caretaker finally seen reason?” The elemental gestured toward the crate.

“He wanted you to have this.” Beth patted the box. “So that we may end this battle before somebody gets hurt.”

Francois laughed, which came out as a gurgling sound. “People have already been hurt,” he said, gesturing toward the other side of the island. “I admit that your plan to evacuate people was a truly impressive feat, but I knew that you would ultimately fail. How many did you even manage to get to safety?”

Beth scowled. The night had been long, and even though the evacuations had gone smoothly at first, they had underestimated how many people would simply ignore all the warnings. People staying in independent lodgings had argued with Order personnel, and even though Dana and Asterion had gotten into a few fistfights, there had been plenty of people who had simply ignored orders to leave their rooms. At least one hotel lobby in Lahaina was packed with people who firmly believed the Order was part of some mysterious government coup, and had barricaded themselves inside.

“It could have gone better,” she admitted with a shrug. In all honesty, what they had accomplished in twelve hours was nothing short of miraculous. But it was hard to celebrate such success when their failures would be measured in lives lost. “So perhaps you understand why we’ve chosen this instead.”

Beth didn’t dare lie to Francois. There was no way of knowing if he could tell truths from falsehoods. If they were lucky, his greed would cause him to take the fake eggs back to his ship and Tink could blow him to hell. However, the fact that he had summoned and sent a magical avatar of himself indicated that he was far too cautious to fall for such a ploy.

The man grinned, then shook his head. “You must take me for a fool,” he declared, then raised a hand. Behind him, the water shifted, briefly revealing hundreds of dead bodies, just waiting for their orders. Beth looked over her shoulder at the small hut and knew she was probably going to need it soon.

“Now why would you say such a thing?” asked Leilani, her hands tightening on the shaft of her trident.

“I am centuries old. I recognize a trojan horse when I see one.” He gave the crate a kick. “My guardian tells me that he cannot sense their power.” Out in the bay, several ships shifted away from each other on mysterious swells, giving Beth a clear view of the sea beyond. “The Caretaker has revealed his hand as both a traitor and a coward. He even sent a woman to do a man’s job. If given the chance, I intend to drown him at sea just so I can make his corpse clean the toilets on my ship with his hands for all eternity.”

He held up his aquatic fingers and snapped. The skeletons at his side rushed forward, only to sink waist deep into the gravel. The undead thrashed as they sank, then tried using their weapons as tools to dig themselves free.

“A clever parlor trick,” Francois muttered.

“I’m glad you approve.” Beth raised the glowing Rod of Osiris, power thrumming through her fingertips as she made the water beneath the ground churn. It had been an impromptu lesson from Ratu on the shores of Paradise, the two of them facing down a similar horde.

“For me, it’s not about sensing where the rocks are,” Ratu had told her as a whirlpool formed in the sand. “But rather, where they aren’t. By knowing this, I can demand they move accordingly, thus chewing my enemies to pieces. It’s hard to move when the ground beneath your very feet betrays you.”

It was a similar process, only this time Beth had pulled in the ocean’s water to saturate the ground to the point of instability. Truthfully, if she hadn’t spent so much time worrying about quicksand in her own youth, this idea never would have occurred to her. It had been tricky to accomplish with gravel, but it was still effective.

“When I kill you, I’ll try not to ruin your face.” Francois walked backward toward the waves. “I wouldn’t mind gazing upon it during those long, lonely nights at sea.” Nearly a mile out, something large had started to breach the water, causing the remaining ships to tilt away from it.

“You speak as if you’ve won already.” Leilani readied her trident and moved by Beth’s side.

“Oh, but I have.” Francois looked over his shoulder at the two of them. “Ever since his mate was killed centuries ago, he’s been in quite the foul mood. It’s entirely possible I may have insinuated that the Caretaker bears some responsibility for this. It is rather a simple beast, you see.”

Beth didn’t respond. She was too busy watching the massive being that rose from the depths, revealing an elongated snout filled with teeth the size of cars. The creature didn’t have arms or fins, but it did have at least six tentacles attached to the trunk of its body. In the distance, alarms were being sounded from the aircraft carrier.

When she thought the beast was done, it rose even farther. It was far enough out to sea that it was hard to tell how tall it was, but she knew for a fact that it was bigger than any cruise ship she had ever seen in the bay. The creature opened its mouth and let out a shriek that caused Beth and Leilani both to clutch at their ears in pain.

“The kraken cries for your blood. If you can, run. He likes the thrill of the chase.” Francois tipped his hat and turned back into water, and that’s when the hordes in the bay charged forward.

Grinding her teeth, Beth tried to ignore the ringing in her ears as she raised the Rod of Osiris toward the approaching hordes. The skeletons charged forward, slowed only by the sudden riptide that Beth had summoned.

“We need to go,” Leilani shouted, blood running down from her ears.

“Not yet,” Beth replied, walking backward towards the hut. The glowing Rod in her hand was singing now, helping her manipulate the water in the bay. Though she couldn’t see it, Beth could feel the water resist as she took hold of a sphere of it roughly ten feet across. Straining with effort, she felt where the water wasn’t, which was all of the tiny little air bubbles trapped inside.

“Beth!” Leilani used her trident to smash a skeleton into the ground. It fought to get back up until she pierced its skull.

“GAH!” Beth forced all of the air into the center of the sphere, compressing it into a tiny space. Her ears were still ringing from the kraken’s cry, but she could hear her heart pounding. Even with the rising sun, the glowing orb of compressed air was visible beneath the waves, just above the skeletal beings that walked the sea floor. With so much pressure built into such a tiny space, Beth’s magic was strained to its limits.

Overhead, a pair of jets did a flyby of the kraken. It whipped a pair of tentacles out at incredible speed, just missing both of them. Beth ignored the distraction, her full concentration on the spell she had created. When the time felt right, she released the sphere, allowing the air to rapidly expand. Tink had described the idea to her in detail, and Beth wondered if this had even been worth her time and effort.

The surface of the water exploded in a violent spray. Beneath the water, a shockwave demolished the undead, busting them apart into useless fragments. Sadly, the skeletons already on the beach were unaffected, so Beth raised the Rod and used her command of the water to create a pair of tendrils that reached out to pull them back into the crashing waves.

“BETH!” Leilani speared a corpse wearing a button-up with pineapples all along the front, then used him as a projectile to knock down a skeleton in board shorts. “We have to go!”

Disgruntled, Beth turned and ran into the hut. Leilani was right behind her, the mermaid yanking the door shut and sliding the bolt across. They dove through the portal together just as the skeletons reached the building, their bony claws beating at the exterior walls. It didn’t take long before they toppled the structure, causing the portal to collapse.

They were now about a half a mile uphill, standing just outside a hastily constructed building that looked like an outhouse. Down below, the bay was overrun with corpses as they scrambled up onto the rocks. There was clearly some confusion among the dead who had toppled the hut as they dug through the rubble, looking for their prey.

Out in the water, the kraken turned its attention to the aircraft carrier and its strike force. It smashed a tentacle through a destroyer and roared. Attack planes were already scrambling on the deck of the carrier, but Beth had a pretty good idea about what would happen next. The guns on the carrier would be of little use against the mythical being, meaning a one-sided battle with the Navy.

Up and down the coastline, the undead rose from the water like slimy froth as they stormed the island with a single goal. Someone driving down the highway stopped to get out of their car for a better look.

Beth pulled the walkie talkie from her pocket. “Tink, we’re clear.”

Once the words left her mouth, the bomb on the beach detonated. Beth and Leilani crouched down behind some rocks before the shockwave reached them, clutching at their ears. Rocks and other debris showered the area, and a broken shovelhead landed nearby. Satisfied that they were safe, Beth peered over the rocks and saw that the pebble beach was now a massive crater.

“What the hell did Tink build that bomb out of?” Even though hundreds of skeletons had been destroyed, still more came in a steady march from the sea. Raising the Rod of Osiris, she pointed it out toward the water. Though she was nearly a mile away, the ocean could still hear her commands.

“Let me know if anything tries to kill us,” she said, glancing briefly at the kraken. It had wrapped its tentacles around the aircraft carrier. Air support was already raining missiles down on the creature’s back, but it didn’t even react as massive limbs squeezed the ship. The rest of the fleet were being bashed apart by flailing tentacles that tore through the ships like paper.

“I’ve got your back.” Leilani stuck the butt of her trident into the ground and stood watch as Beth commanded the waves to carry their burden back out to sea. She knew there was nothing she could do to stem the tide, but that wasn’t her job. All she needed to do was buy time and, if possible, find a way to lure Francois out of hiding. Through the walkie talkie, Tink chuckled. “Boom-boom, bony fucks.”

Ingrid stood on the edge of Honoapiʻilani Highway, her eyes on the rocky shores below. Skeletons clung to the rocks like sea urchins, their bony digits scrambling for purchase as they attempted to climb onto land. The waves were relentless, smashing the invaders into bits.

Still, it was a numbers game. The tide of undead had yet to show any signs of slowing, and for every skeleton destroyed, two more would take its place. Already, perhaps a hundred of them crawled across the dangerous rocks below, their lifeless eyes on the Order team above them. To the northwest, the kitsune Yuki had actually frozen the bay to keep them from making it to shore, but it was a band-aid at most. Soon, the heat of the day would be Yuki’s main enemy, and no matter how powerful she was, this was still an island near the equator, and she couldn’t fight the sun. This left less hospitable regions for the dead to make landfall. They surged forward, climbing over the destroyed bodies of their brethren.

“I’ve seen enough zombie movies to know that we’re fucked.” Wallace stared down at the mess below and shook his head. “If we were smart, we’d leave now.”

“But we can’t.” Ingrid looked down the road at the hotels and buildings on the shore. She had been part of the disastrous evacuations in Lahaina. At some point, an asshole with a loudspeaker had announced that there was no tsunami and that the government was leading its citizens to the gas chamber. It also didn’t help that the tsunami shelters were technically for use after a tsunami, so a few people had caught on early enough.

Another contributing factor was that the shelters nearby were schools that should have been physically incapable of holding the amount of people they had stuffed in there. Right now, there were hundreds of puzzled tourists trying to figure out how they had gotten to the Big Island.

At some point, they had been forced to shut down the portals to keep people from backtracking. This meant they had to defend the people that had shown up too late to be taken to safety. This also included the assholes who had barricaded themselves into the hotels. Resources were stretched perilously thin as a result, leaving Yuki and the minotaur Asterion in charge of the tourist district.

“Oh, I’m perfectly aware that we’re stupid.” Wallace unslung the rifle from his shoulder and took aim at a skeleton that had made it further than the others. There was a crack of gunfire and the creature dropped to the ground, a massive hole in its forehead. “They say that God prefers fools and idiots. Either way, sticking around guarantees me a spot in Heaven.”

Ingrid rolled her eyes and raised her own rifle. She took out another skeleton that was approaching the road. Along the road, her team began picking off undead who made it past the dangerous shores. When they were clustered together, either a grenade or a spell sufficed. There were maybe twenty people total defending the road with another twenty a mile away doing the same.

An eerie cry broke across the island, echoing over the hills and raising all the hairs on the back of Igrid’s neck. She shivered and looked to Wallace for support, but the man had visibly paled.

“This sucks,” he muttered, then shot another skeleton. “But I’m guessing it’s far better than what the Radleys are facing.”

Ingrid nodded. In a way, she wished that she had been part of the defense team protecting the volcano. Ever since returning to Paradise, it was clear that a distinct line had been drawn between family and outsider, and she certainly wasn’t family. Whatever happened next, she craved the opportunity to prove herself to Mike and the others, hopeful that maybe they would see what an asset she could be. She hated how confused she felt about the Radley family, a feeling exacerbated by the fact that she intended to leave the Order.

Soon, she wouldn’t have a place in the world. Where would she go? What would she do? These were the questions she asked herself as the dead stormed the shore, scrambling over each other in an attempt to murder those on the highway.

“Running low on munitions.” Wallace slung his rifle across his back and pulled his sword. “How much longer until they unveil this majestic plan of theirs?”

“When the time is right.” Truthfully, Ingrid didn’t know. This was a part of the plan that Beth and Pele had kept from the others and it drove her slightly mad that she hadn’t been included.

“Hey, you good?” Wallace turned his attention from the carnage below.

Ingrid shrugged. “Not really. Now isn’t the time or the place.”

“If it’s a confession of your undying love for me, well...” Wallace paused to behead a skeleton. Its body moved independently for a few moments before collapsing to the ground. “This is probably the best time and place.”

“You’re such an ass.” Ingrid drew a pistol and fired it point blank into the skull of a dead businessman. “Is there anybody you won’t hit on?”

“These guys.” Wallace slashed apart a bloated corpse, then whistled in appreciation at a woman in two-piece with only one arm. “Then again...”

Ingrid laughed. “You’re such a creep.”

He winked in her direction. “But I’m your creep.”

“For now,” she replied, her attention snapping back to the fight at hand. The team was forced to slowly move uphill toward the elementary school where at least a couple hundred people were holed up. By now, it was abundantly clear to anyone watching that a tsunami wasn’t coming. Some civilians were up on the roof, shouting instructions to people below. Cars in the parking lot were being moved to block doors and any other point of entry.

There was another loud cry that carried across the island. The waves surged out to sea, briefly revealing an army of undead that stood in single file lines, along with the merfolk that attacked them from above. Out in the water, several ships were now making a beeline toward the shore, their decks covered in undead.

“Ah.” Ingrid frowned. “Those are going to be a problem.”

“One we expected,” Wallace replied just as someone nearby fired an RPG. It struck one of the ships, blowing out its side. Fireballs were launched from wands in an attempt to slow the vessels down, but the undead didn’t require a safe landing. Burning ships slammed into the rocks, spilling their deadly cargo en masse. The undead scrambled over each other as they surged forward, catching the Order team unprepared.

“Fall back,” Ingrid cried, using her pistol to pick off the faster runners.

“Which way?” somebody asked.

“Toward the school,” she replied, then lowered her voice. “You fucking idiot.”

They continued uphill toward the elementary school, moving between the cars they had parked as obstacles. The dead were of a single-minded purpose, which meant they would usually climb over or under the vehicles rather than simply move around them.

A mage who had fallen behind tripped and fell. Ingrid started to run toward the woman and was surprised when a massive Hawaiian wielding a baseball bat beat her there. He smashed his bat through the skull of a nearby skeleton and then yanked the woman to her feet.

“Thanks,” she replied, then sent out a sphere of force that detonated about twenty feet out, knocking the undead off their feet. Several other men and women appeared between the cars, all of them wielding some sort of weapon.

“Where did all these people come from?” asked Ingrid as she looked over her shoulder. There were nearly fifty people behind her, all of them native islanders.

“We live here,” replied the massive Hawaiian. He was wearing board shorts and an unbuttoned Aloha shirt.

“But you were supposed to evacuate!”

The large man nodded. “That’s right, we were, and we did.” The man stepped forward to crush a skeleton’s skull. “I got to meet my ancestors last night. Can you imagine that? The warriors of old, guiding my family to safety. It really got me thinking about what’s important, and I wasn’t the only one.”

Nearby, a Hawaiian woman used a crowbar to block an attack from a skeleton. A surfer standing behind her buried his pickaxe in the monster’s skull, sending it to the ground.

“This is our island,” he said with conviction. “We aren’t just the people who live here. We are Hawaii.” Holding his bat in the air, he raised his voice. “Imua!”

“Imua!” the newcomers shouted in return.

“Imua e nā pokiʻi a inu I ka wai ʻawaʻawa aʻohe hope e hoʻi mai ai!” The big man raised his bat and brought it down on another skeleton. “This is our island! We will defend it!”

Cheers rang out from the crowd and they surged forward. Ingrid watched in astonishment as the islanders started driving back the hordes.

“Damn,” Wallace muttered at her side. “I’ve got fucking chills.”

“Me too,” she replied, then unholstered her wand. “I bet that big guy takes out more of them than you do.”

“Now we’re talking.” Wallace whooped in delight and charged into the fray. Ingrid followed him, a pistol in one hand and her wand in the other.

I just hope we make it, she thought as she ran toward certain death. Beneath her feet, the whole island rumbled and the skies above darkened. Because it sure feels like the end of the world.

The Caretaker stood on the edge of a cliff, his gaze on the valley below. The shores were dark with undead bodies as they scrambled for purchase, heading up the mountain in a surge of white and gray. Out in the ocean, the abomination that Francois had pulled from the deep was busy crushing an aircraft carrier in its massive tendrils. Bombs seemed to have no effect on the beast, and it would occasionally let out a shriek that made Mike dizzy just hearing it.