Page 37 of Defying the Relic Hunter

“The cavern has an energy shield that blocks telepathic communication. There are eight heavily armed warriors heading our way. All we have is a laser pistol. Our guys are coming but it might be a good idea to hide.”

“No drekking way. They ruined my date night and hurt Quinn.” A fireball formed in Xenia’s hand. “Now they pay.” She hurled it, and another and another and another.Whoosh!Boom!Whoosh! Boom! Whoosh! Boom! Whoosh! Boom!Brilliant green flames danced over the Bjarke warrior’s weapons. With cries of startled pain, they dropped their rifles and ran for their lives.

I laughed in glee as the fireballs chased them around and around the cavern. My laughter died when Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent God, appeared in front of us.

A thunderous voice reverberated around my skull.“You will be sacrificed to appease the Gods.”

Before I could say a word or move, a smothering blackness engulfed me, and I was falling. I grunted in pain as I landed on something hard.

A groan sounded next to me and a ball of green flames formed in darkness. “Are you injured?”

Xenia’s worried features came into focus and I shook my head to clear it. “I don’t think so.”

“What the drekk was that?”

“An Aztec priest masquerading as the God Quetzalcoatl,” I answered.

“He’s not quite human.”

“No, he’s not. Way back in the fifteenth century he touched a sphere of great power and was transformed into something other. He now calls himself the Thunder God.”

“I knew it! The Nabatean people did give Montezuma a Shebu sphere to guard,” Xenia said excitedly.

Guess a lot of the Jones’ kin were into archaeology. “Not a wise decision. The Thunder God’s big into human sacrifice and has drained the sphere of its power. He’s now looking for another source to feed from.”

“Adan,” Xenia gasped.

“Yep.” I grimaced as the presence of death grew overwhelming, making it difficult to breathe. Grief, rage, hatred and a fierce desire for vengeance slammed unto me. The dead wanted payback and I was just the girl to give it to them.“You will be avenged,”I promised them silently.

Torch after torch flared to life, casting a creepy orange glow over a bloodstained sacrificial platform. Thousands of skulls lined the walls. Mounds of bones littered the floor.

“Take my hand and don’t let go,” I said.

“Why?”

“Not only can the Thunder God drain our lifeforces, he gets his jollies by cutting out still beating hearts and eating them.”

“Drekk.” Xenia grabbed my hand. “What’s the plan?”

“My bracelet has an energy field and I’m praying like hell it’ll protect us until the guys show up.” With one tap on the icon, a glowing energy barrier sprang up around us.”

The bones on the floor shook violently.

Xenia swallowed hard as hundreds of skulls rose into the air, their jaws clacking angrily. “The Thunder God killed all of them?”

“Every single one.”

“How do we stop him?”

“My particular talent is talking to the dead, and believe me, there are a lot of dead folks here. I’m hoping I can get them to distract the Thunder God, but the spirits’ energy patterns have changed. I think they’ve found a way to draw on that damned sphere too.”

“Holy Goddess! Can they attack the living?”

A shudder shook me. “It’s a possibility.”

“How do we get rid of them?”

“I open a portal, but I’ve never crossed this many souls at once.”

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