Reign of Evil

YaYa pointed to an image. “What are those?”

“Hounds from the Wild Hunt. Created from the souls of those who have been culled, molded into something unstoppable, something that makes the bogeyman look like the Easter bunny.”

A Frankenstein combination of man and beast, the beasts had human arms for their front legs, and the back legs of a wolf. Their faces were an amalgam, but the eyes that were set in a simian face were unmistakably human.

One screen displayed shots of a man being torn apart, a great hound chewing through his head as it stared into the camera.

On another, a set of hounds were disemboweling a downed man.

Another, a hound was dragging a child away by its neck.

And then yet another showed a side shot of a hound, its neck craning to look at the camera lens, stare right into it. The full shot provided exquisite detail of the mythological beast.

Walker choked back a sob. “Jen.”

It was in the eyes. She’d always had a sadness about her. She’d called it her old melancholy. He saw it there in the eyes. The human eyes. The eyes of his dead fiancée.

CHAPTER 26

CHICKSANDS RAF, ENGLAND. AFTERNOON.

Phones began ringing. Not just those belonging to Section 9 but also those carried by Triple Six. Everyone began shouting into a telephone. Pandemonium existed for twenty seconds; then they all hung up at roughly the same time.

Even as Ian addressed the group, the TV screens went blank. “That was the Home Office. They’ve declared a national emergency. They’re pulling all the footage and banning further broadcasts of any nature relating to it.”

“They can do that?” Yank asked.

Ian gestured at the screen, which went blank. “Just did.”

Preeti hung up another phone. “My brother’s been asked to monitor the Internet. He’s been given superuser privileges. If anyone tries to post anything, he’s authorized to remove it.”

“Same thing in the United States.” Holmes pocketed his phone. “The networks were set to run this. Senator Withers got the president to sign an emergency declaration. Last thing they need is to scare the average citizen. Better to think such things are sci-fi TV fodder than know that they really exist.”

“Even my mother called,” Trevor said, holding up his phone. “She was alerting me to the possible dangers of the Wild Hunt.”

Sassy Moore shook her head, a grim, knowing smile on her face. “I mentioned this before. It’s fear. They need it. The Wild Hunt grows more powerful because of it. Back before television, before cell phones, before the Internet, mothers told their children stories which scared them. It’s this sort of fear they’re trying to cultivate.”

“They’re not going to like that we’re blocking this, then,” Laws said.

“Shit’s fucking scary.” Yank shook his head. “Television or no television, people are going to be talking about it. That it’s no longer available for viewing is going to give it more power. Trust me. I’ve lived this sort of thing in Los Angeles. Rumor and gossip can be hells more powerful than fact.”

“Even if it’s not on British or American television, it’s going to come out,” YaYa said. “Something like this is too big to keep secret.”

“Yeah, but when it comes out, it can be discredited,” Laws said. “Look at UFOs. It’s to the point where national media covers strange-looking lights in the sky and no one gives it a second thought.”

Trevor stepped forward. “Wait a minute. Are you admitting that UFOs are real? That America is covering it up?”

Laws laughed. “See what I mean? The idea is already there even if I don’t say anything.” He turned to Sassy. “What we need is a way to get the Red Grove to come to us. If we could find them, it would go a long way to helping us stop the Hunt.”

Walker cleared his throat. “I think I have an idea.”

All eyes turned to him. Preeti saw the naked emotion on his face and made to move toward him, but Trevor held on to her and shook his head.

“Listen, the faster we can get this over, the faster I can make those bastards pay.” A lone tear rolled down his cheek. “Not just for Jen, but for all these others.”

“That’s what we want too, son.” Holmes stood motionless, but his words had a calming effect. “What’s your idea?”

Walker closed his eyes and remembered how he liked to watch her—the tilt of her head, the pursing of the lips. “It came to me when YaYa and I were outside. There’s an antenna farm about a kilometer from here.”

“It’s an old antenna farm,” Ian said. “Hasn’t been used for years, but no one wants to take it down.”

Walker opened his eyes and smiled grimly. “It’s not the place; it’s the idea. What if we lay a trap? After all, we do have the bait.”

Laws stroked his chin. “It would have to be somewhere defensible.”

“More than defensible. It would need to be a place where the Hunt couldn’t go.”

Sassy shook her head. “They can go anywhere.”

YaYa looked at her. “Not inside.”

She laughed. “They ripped my house down around me.”

“Then something a little more permanent,” Walker said.

“What about the National History Museum?” Sassy offered.

Laws snapped his fingers. “I love it.”