A Glimmer of Hope (The Avalon Chronicles #1)(100)

“Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to kill Layla and Chloe and the rest of those assholes who just don’t know when to quit. And when they’re all dead, I’m coming for you. I’m going to tear you apart, Nergal. You think you can threaten and betray me like this? You think I’m going to rat you out? I’m going to take your secrets to the grave, but you’re going there first.”

Nergal’s eyes narrowed. “You would do well not to threaten me, Elias.”

“Shove it firmly up your arse, or ass depending on which word you prefer. You’re thousands of miles away, hiding in a bunker so that people like Tommy don’t find you. You’re a coward, and frankly I’m not sure if you’re still capable of being in control. Maybe I should go to your bosses and let them know how you’ve failed. Perhaps that would be a better use of my time.”

“Reyes, kill Elias.”

“No, I don’t think I will. I’m not a big fan of Elias, I think he’s a pompous dick, but you just cast him away after a hundred years of service. I think he—I think anyone—deserves better than that. So I’m with him to the end. And if he decides to go after you, then I’ll rethink my position, but right now he’s the one I’m loyal to.”

“I will have your eyes torn out,” Nergal shouted at the screen.

“How?” she asked. “Unless you have the power to come through the screen like that girl out of The Ring? Can you do that? Can you crawl out of a laptop screen? No? Well, blow me, then.” She turned and marched out of the room.

“If you survive the onslaught, I will hunt you down, Elias. I will carve my name into your soul.”

“You’ve been watching too many eighties action films if you think that’s an effective threat. I’ll be seeing you real soon, Nergal. Probably down the barrel of a high-powered rifle.” Elias switched the laptop off and stared at the black screen. He grabbed the computer and smashed it over and over again onto the table, showering the whole area in pieces of glass and electronics.

“So, I assume you have a plan?” Reyes asked from the doorway.

“Thank you for staying with me.”

“Don’t tell me it means something to you. You paid me, not Nergal. I’m part of your team until the end, so let’s get this done. I’m not planning on dying here, Elias. Don’t think you’ve earned that level of loyalty.”

“Even so, thank you. We have a lot to do to prepare for the inevitable attack.”

“How do you know they’ll even come here? No one knows you have this place; no one even knows it exists. So how do you go about getting Tommy and his people to come for you?”

“Leave an anonymous tip. Tell them that someone matching my description is here. Or just tell them that I’m actually here. I don’t really care. This place should suffice to keep us safe when they come.”

“So, it’s just the two of us against an army?”

“No. I have some plans for them when they get here. You’ll find everything you need in the basement. The door to it is in the kitchen. I’m going to get the backup we’ll need.”

“Backup?”

“Trust me.”

Elias left the house and walked through the field behind it until he reached a large pile of stones that had probably been there for a thousand years. The pile was twenty feet high and sat at the bottom of a steep hill. He had no idea who’d put it there. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was what was underneath. He walked around to the side of the pile where there was a large gap between the stone and the hill. He stepped into the mouth of the cave, peering deeper into the darkness inside.

“It’s me,” he shouted, taking a step into the huge cave.

“It has been a long time,” something called from the depths, the voice reverberating off the walls.

“I know, but I need you. They killed Brako.”

There was a low rumble from down in the darkness. “He was always too keen to fight. Always too inexperienced to follow through.”

“Will you help me?”

The laughter that followed sent a shiver up Elias’s back. It was a laughter filled with evil intent. “Will I get to kill people from Avalon?”

“Yes.” It was a slight lie, but one that he told easily. These people might not work for Avalon, but they were allied with his enemies inside the organization. They were all the same thing as far as he was concerned. “As many as you can.”

The laughter sounded again. “Things have changed since you last came for me, Elias. My appetites have grown.”

“Feast. Feast on your enemies and grow stronger for it.”

“I will help you, Elias. But I hope you’re prepared for what will happen. Innocent lives might be lost.”

“No life is innocent.”

“How true. I will prepare. We will be ready.”

“Thank you.” Elias left the cave and paused as he realized that the creature in the cave had said we. There should only be the one female down there. Which left an excellent question: just how many creatures of pure evil was he about to unleash on an unsuspecting countryside? Elias shrugged. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he won. And he’d just made sure that he would.

He looked over past the dozen different rocky formations that littered his property toward the trees a few hundred feet away that signaled the end of his land. The birds diverted so as not to fly over it. The dark magic he’d used here had seeped into the land, tainting everything. The animals knew. They always knew. And soon enough, Tommy and his people would know too. Elias smiled. It was going to be a good day.