When we got to our destination, those of us who could feel it still felt it. Blaze wasn’t sure. Maybe she felt something, maybe she didn’t. Cody and the other soldiers said they didn’t feel a thing.

  I pulled the van over to the side of the road and waited for Marmari to catch up. Trees crowded close here, they gave some morning shade to where we parked.

  About thirty yards ahead was an entry into the quarry. The old weather-stained sign for “Mitchel Stone & Gravel” still hung crooked, with a rusty No Trespassing sign bolted below it.

  Both Strykers rumbled past us. The command vehicle stopped a short distance in front of the van while the other one rolled to the opposite side of the gate, its gun turret pivoting to stare straight at the opening. Soldiers spilled out and took positions at either side, rifles leveled and ready.

  Marmari stood with another soldier behind the command Stryker, a big hard-sided case set at their feet, another in the soldier’s hand. “This is Collin Boudreau,” Marmari said. “He flies the drones. Goes by CB in Game Chat.”

  CB looked up long enough to give us a quick wave, then went back to setting up his gear. He opened the second case, revealing a small monitor, cables, and something that looked a lot like a game controller. I’d seen people fly drones with rigs like it.

  We waited while he prepared and tested the drone with a short flight. The sound shocked me. It sounded like an angry swarm of bees buzzing overhead. You don’t think about how loud they are until a bigger one takes off. I heard a dog somewhere down the road start barking.

  Finally, Marmari asked me, “Ready?”

  “Do it,” I told him.

  CB gave a thumbs-up. The drone lifted off, climbing steady, then banking toward the gate. We gathered around the monitor as it dipped into the quarry. CB wore goggles that fed him the live view, but he mirrored it to the screen for the rest of us.

  Every so often he stopped it midair and spun a slow 360, showing all sides of the quarry. The drone’s whine bounced off stone walls, echoing back like a trapped hornet. I think we were all waiting for something to lunge out and swat it down. Nothing did. Not yet.

  “CB. Talk to me.” Marmari said.

  “Nothing unusual so far, sir,” CB replied. “Lots of old tire tracks. None fresh. Quarry floor’s mostly stone and loose gravel. Walls and top edge are bare dirt and rock, so trees don’t hang over. Nothing moving. No heat signatures.”

  “How about the edges?” Marmari asked.

  The drone rose higher, camera panning. CB’s voice stayed calm. “Nothing man-sized. Some small animals. Sheep on the far side. They spooked at first, but they’re back to grazing.”

  “How about further in around the edge. Got anything on infrared there?” We watched the view slowly pivot again. It flew higher and pivoted again. “Nothing big. I think there’s a few small animals out there, but nothing man sized. I see the sheep to the high side. They spooked when I was closer, but they went back to grazing when I moved away. I counted thirteen of them.”

  “Keep looking. Check the opening the SatCams flagged,” Marmari ordered.

  “Yes sir.”

  The drone dropped lower and turned toward the cave. The opening grew larger on the screen…dark at the back. There were some weeds growing on the level area above it. The gravel floor inside looked like what was outside: stone, dirt, and scattered small gravel. Dim light carried all the way to the back wall, where shadows thickened.

  “There’s some old fire pit remains,” CB narrated. “Tire tracks, animal prints, shoe prints. Looks like someone camped in here. Fifteen meters deep, about eight wide. Could park a couple of small trucks. Limestone and dirt otherwise. Nothing on IR.”

  “Any footprints that look recent?” I asked.

  “Negative. Some animal prints. And…small, dark pellets. Took pictures for Ops.” He showed us the images.

  “Nope,” I said. “Doesn’t ring a bell. Anyone?”

  No one said they did. I felt like I should, but nothing came to mind.

  “Photo Ops says sheep,” CB came back a minute later. “Sheep prints and sheep shit. GRA identified it.”

  “Sheep? Like the ones above?” Marmari asked, frowning. “How do they get down there?”

  “Backing the drone out now, sir. I’ll look around,” CB replied.

  The drone reversed slowly, flying backward out of the cave before climbing. “Looking,” CB muttered. A few seconds later he snapped, “Got it!” and zoomed on a narrow, steep trail winding down the quarry’s edge from the meadow. Sheep shifted uneasily at the sound overhead, ears twitching. Close in, the hoofprints and piles of droppings matched what we saw inside the cave.

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  It looked just wide enough for one person, or one sheep at a time to use it.

  “Maybe they go down there when it’s raining,” Bhaarrt said. “Keeps ’em dry.”

  “Then why aren’t they afraid if something nasty’s living down there?” I asked.

  “Sheep dumb,” Bhaarrt answered, and we all laughed.

  “CB. Ask Ops if what they saw could’ve been a sheep,” Marmari ordered.

  “Checking.” Two minutes later: “They say no, sir. Not unless the sheep’s over ten meters tall and thirty long. Margin of error ten percent.”

  We cracked up at that.

  “I think they learned it somehow,” Blaze offered. “Animals form habits. Farmers say cows will walk back to the barn at the same time each day even if no one drives them.”

  Marmari turned to me. “What now?”

  “We go in and see if something responds. Keep the drone on us. If anything happens, we’re running out fast.”

  The lieutenant glanced at CB. “Who’s best to send down with them?”

  “Harv. Harvey Kissack,” CB said.

  “OK. Harv it is.” Marmari said, then told another soldier to go get him. We waited until they returned.

  Minutes later a nervous-looking soldier trotted up, gear clinking.

  “Harv,” Marmari said, “you’re going with the Eddington party. Stay on radio, eyes open. Will’s the First Mana Mage…he’s in charge. Bhaarrt’s an Ogre Tank, don’t stand in front of him if he yells CHARGE. Blaze is FBI, Fire Mage. Ingrid’s their Healer. Shadow’s a Ninja. You won’t see her until she wants you to.”

  Harv laughed nervously.

  “They’re the best in their classes,” Marmari said flatly. “Do what they say, no hesitation. If you see or hear anything, tell them. Quietly. We’ve got your back. Understood?”

  “Yes sir. Understood.” He hesitated. “But…what am I watching for?”

  “Anything out of the ordinary,” I told him. “Sound, smell, feeling. If you hear voices we don’t, tell us immediately. And if somebody yells ‘fire at will,’ don’t shoot me.” I grinned wide. That finally dragged a smile out of him. A small one, but still a smile.

  “Yes sir. I’ll do my best not to, sir.”

  “You don’t have to call me sir,” I added. “I’m not an officer. I work for a living.”

  That broke half the soldiers nearby, Marmari included. Laughter rolled across the line, echoing off stone.

  “OK. I know that’s ancient, but I didn’t think it was that funny.”

  “Now get going,” Marmari said. “Find it, mark it, and then we’ll overkill it. I want you to see what Army firepower looks like.”

  “Got it. I’ll take lead. Bhaarrt right behind me in case I need yanked out of trouble. Ingrid next. Then Blaze and Kissack, flanking. Shadow stays hidden and scouts.”

  At the gate I cast PSYCHIC SHIELD on everyone. Ingrid layered HOLY SHIELD over it, her spear glowing faintly. We slipped through, boots crunching gravel, the quarry cave looming like an open mouth.

  Halfway to the cave, I felt it. A surge, heavier than before. I raised my hand. “Stop. Stronger now. Anyone else?”

  Ingrid stiffened. “I feel it! Stronger. Feels like it’s straight ahead…not like the book, but definitely evil.”

  Bhaarrt rumbled agreement. “Feels like cave. Or in cave.”

  “Eyes sharp. Behind too,” I said.

  The drone’s hum buzzed behind us. One of Marmari’s Strykers rumbled its engine…maybe ready to punch through the fence if needed.

  “Keep moving. Slow. When Harvey feels it, we stop. Then we’ll work an arc to pinpoint it.”

  [Urako Sarutobi:] [William of Brinsford] [I’m feelin it. Just started. Was in that building more than you. All them symbols still live. Feels like that.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Urako Sarutobi] [Yeah. You cooked for them. Good for you. They needed it.]

  [Urako Sarutobi:] [William of Brinsford] [They was starvin. Nuthin else I could do. Cookin I can do.]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Urako Sarutobi] [We’ll check in to the restaurant again sometime. See what else you can make.]

  [Urako Sarutobi:] [William of Brinsford] [Do that. Will. Is that offer from the government legit? They really paying that much for us to help?]

  [William of Brinsford:] [Urako Sarutobi] [I think so. I’m going to take it. I’m not getting any editing work. I figure we'll take it while we can get it.]

  [Urako Sarutobi:] [William of Brinsford] [Hey. Blaze lookin funny. I think she felt it.]

  “Will,” Blaze said quietly, “I’m feeling something. It isn’t good. Stop a second?”

  “Harvey. Shadow felt it too. Anything on your end?” I asked.

  We all stopped and looked around.

  He shook his head. “No. But you’re spooking me. Am I gonna have to go in there alone?” Harvey asked.

  “Maybe,” Bhaarrt said. “If it don’t care about you, you’re safe. Or maybe it jumps all over your ass and gobbles you up.”

  Kissack’s jaw dropped, and he gulped air a few times. He only stopped when Bhaarrt started laughing.

  “You’ve never been in combat, have you?”

  “Uh…no, sir.”

  “Figured. You’re greener than your camo. Relax. You’ll react better when it counts. This ain’t nothing compared to knowing somebody’s got you in their sights. But you never let that stop you. Or your buddy. You watch out for each other.”

  Harvey nodded, pale but steadier. “That helps. Thank you.”

  “You’re part of the best group there is,” Bhaarrt said with a grin big enough to look friendly on an ogre. “And I ain’t just talking about the U.S. Army.”

  Ingrid squeezed his arm. “What my big lug of a husband is trying to say, you may be safer with us than anywhere else. And even if you’re not, we’ll do everything we can to see you back in one piece.”

  “Now let's go do this, so that we can finish it. I don’t think, or hope, whatever this is will appear before tonight,” she added.

  “Shadow just messaged me!” Harvey blurted, looking behind him. “She said Bhaarrt’s right. Nothing gets behind us and lives.”

  “That’s Shadow,” I said. “Works both ways. Nothing she gets behind lives unless she decides it does. You’ll be fine. Now let’s finish this.”

  We moved closer, quarry dirt and stone crunching underfoot, shadows spilling deeper out of the cave mouth. I stopped us about fifteen feet out. Nothing looked different from the drone feed. But the pressure in the air coiled tighter around my chest.

  Shadow was just a faint outline on the Party Map behind Bhaarrt, stepping exactly in his footprints. Ninja habits.

  Whatever waited in that cave, it knew we were here.

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