Matt Archer: Legend (14 page)

After saying our goodbyes to Ramirez and his team, we
started the long trek back home. Brandt and his guys—along with most of my team—were
headed to Fort Carson, but Lieutenant Johnson and I were going to D.C. with
Uncle Mike. I’d mostly healed up from my crazy run across the desert, but I was
still ready to go home.

While we loitered outside the duty-free shops at the
Frankfurt airport, waiting for our flight, Uncle Mike pointed at a fancy
emerald pendant on a thin gold chain. “You think Julie might like a necklace?”

Not knowing how things had gone at home while we were off in
the Kalahari, I couldn’t say for sure. I shrugged. “Bribery works sometimes.”

“I hope so,” he said and ducked into the store.

We were quiet on the way home. Johnson slept nearly the whole
way, only waking up long enough to eat and flirt with the cute flight attendant
working our section. She must’ve liked it, because every time I looked up,
there she was, asking if I needed a beverage. Too bad Johnson wasn’t awake to
notice.

Mike fidgeted and kept patting his jacket pocket. I’d seen
the price tag for the necklace…rent on some apartments was less expensive. As
we landed at Reagan early Monday afternoon, I hoped—for both our sakes—jewelry would
be enough.

Aunt Julie and Baby Kate met us at the airport. Katie,
bundled up in her stroller, was chewing on one fist and waving a felt doll with
the other. Mike’s grin almost split his face down the middle when he saw the
baby, and he left me to snag the luggage so he could pick her up. I had to admit,
my cousin was cute enough to reduce grown men to googly-eyed fools. Heck, I
kept playing peekaboo and making faces at her behind Mike’s back, feeling like
a huge success when she smiled and waved her doll at me.

Katie had gotten a lot bigger since I last saw her. No
longer a preemie fighting to breathe on her own, she’d grown into a chubby
six-month old with curly dark hair and brown eyes as big and pretty as her
mother’s. I even saw the hint of a tooth on her lower gum. Knowing she was
healthy made me feel better. She also gave me an ironclad reason to keep
fighting; I wanted her to grow up strong and happy, never having to be afraid
of monsters.

Aunt Julie stood apart from us, watching the scene with a
faint smile. She was wearing her class Bs—she must’ve come from work—but like
usual she had that effortless gorgeous thing going on, even in the navy and
white uniform, with her dark hair in a tight bun. I waved at her and she
nodded, then went back to watching Mike plant noisy kisses all over Katie’s fat
cheeks. Even though we were in a crowded airport, she looked totally alone.

As soon as I lugged Mike’s duffel free from the baggage
carousel, I marched over, took the baby from him and whispered, “Dude, go kiss
your wife.”

He did what I said, but even poor-Matt-who’s-not-a-man-yet
could tell it was routine. Aunt Julie’s expression was about as warm as
Himalayas in winter…and I’d been there, so it was an accurate comparison. I
packed Katie into her stroller, wondering how I’d survive the night in such
frosty conditions. My flight home to Billings didn’t leave until noon tomorrow;
I might freeze to death before then.

On the drive home, my aunt and uncle were so quiet that I
rode the elephant in the room just to break the ice. “Find out anything interesting
while we were gone, Bad…um, Aunt Julie?”

When she laughed, I relaxed a little. “Matt, I know you call
me Badass Aunt Julie. I don’t mind, because it’s true.” Julie smiled at me over
the passenger seat of Mike’s Jeep. “We’ve been chasing down some weird leads
coming out of Australia. The CIA has been following a human trafficking ring,
and they uncovered something. They sent me the file.”

Australia—it couldn’t be a coincidence. “What’d the CIA
find?”

“An organization called ‘Nocturna Maura’ is buying children—for
what, we don’t know.” Aunt Julie’s expression hardened as she glanced at Katie
in her car seat. “After some digging, I found out the group’s a cover for a
coven of witches who practice ‘dark arts.’ The CIA has asked their operative to
gather more details for us, but right now, that’s all we have.”

 “Huh,” I said. The word “witches” reminded me of something…
“Oh! When I was in Canada in October, I met this professor at Carlton University
who studies modern witchcraft. Maybe she can help you.”

“It couldn’t hurt to give her a call, I guess,” Julie said.
“So far, we’re running this investigation on whispers in dark alleys and rumors
based on rumors. We can use whatever help we can get.”

When we made it back to their three-bedroom condo, I
marveled at the change a kid makes to a family’s house. Instead of the Spartan
furnishings they’d had B.K. (before Katie), now it looked like a Babies R Us
had exploded in the living room. One of those saucer things was parked next to
a playpen and stackable bins of toys. An army of bottles were drying on the
sideboard next to the kitchen sink and jars of baby food lined the counter.

“You guys need a bigger place,” I said. “Remember, I
promised Kate I’d buy her a pony when she’s six. At the very least, you need a
yard.”

Aunt Julie sighed. “Maybe once Mike’s deployment is over.
Right now, there’s no sense in trying to find something permanent.”

Mike’s back stiffened. He’d been on his way to their bedroom
to change, but he turned and said, “You’re stationed here long-term. We
shouldn’t let my deployment stop us. We could go house hunting while I’m home.”

“Neither of us has any kind of stability right now. The last
thing we need is a house,” Aunt Julie snapped, before stomping into the
kitchen.

At that, Kate started fussing and I was too tired to sit
through an argument. “I think Katie and I should go for a walk. Seems like you
two have some stuff to talk over while we’re gone.”

Without listening to anyone’s objections that it was cold,
or getting late, or that Katie would need her bath soon, I packed up a jar of
strained carrots, found a bottle in the back of the fridge and threw everything
into what I thought might be the diaper bag. I had Katie back in her stroller
in two minutes flat, still ignoring the now weak protests from her parents.

Katie and I hit the sidewalk at a brisk pace, putting some
distance between us and the cold war back at the condo. She sat up in her seat,
bundled in her little coat, a knit cap and three blankets, even though it was
about fifty-five degrees and sunny. Every so often, Katie would wave at a
passerby on the sidewalk, or gurgle something and point. She seemed perfectly
happy to let me push her all over McClean and we were a hit with the grandmas
feeding pigeons in the park.

Fun as this was, I kept worrying about Uncle Mike, and hoped
he was working his way out of the dog house.

Katie and I been gone more than an hour when the sun started
to set, so we pulled into Starbucks to warm up. Not knowing when—or if—we’d be
having dinner, I bought a snack to tide me over until we were given the green
light to come home.

When Katie saw my muffin and coffee, she reached out,
fussing some.

“Hungry?” I asked. I hoped that was the right answer. I
didn’t know how to change a diaper, and it turned out the bag I’d grabbed was
Aunt Julie’s purse, not the diaper bag—so we were out of luck either way.

Katie continued to make grabby hands until I fished the
bottle out of the bag. She went to town on it, smiling at me once and drooling
a streak of milk down her chin. The snack didn’t keep her happy for long,
though. As soon as she drained the bottle, Katie looked around the coffee shop,
searching for who knew what. When her eyes landed on me, her lip quivered and
she burst into tears. I glanced at my watch: six-thirty. It was later than I
thought, maybe even past Katie’s bath time.

“Okay, okay,” I murmured, hoping she’d calm down. “We’ll
roll.”

Ten minutes later, we made it to the condo. Baby Kate had
passed out in her stroller and I was so jetlagged I didn’t care if World War
III raged inside the Tannen house—I planned to follow my cousin’s lead and
sleep until tomorrow. Forgetting I had the key because I’d stolen Julie’s
purse, I rang the bell.

Mike opened the door. He’d changed into jeans and a t-shirt.
To my relief, he was smiling. He peered down at Katie. “You wear her out?”

“No,” I said around a yawn. “She wore
me
out. My body
thinks it’s after midnight. I need to go to bed, man. Is the coast clear?”

He helped me drag the stroller inside and into the living room.
“And then some.”

Aunt Julie came padding out of the bedroom, barefoot,
wearing yoga pants and a hoodie instead of her uniform. She also had on her new
necklace and a smile to match Mike’s.

My ears heated up. Oh, yeah, they were definitely done
fighting. “I’ll, uh, leave you to…um…yeah, I’m going to bed.”

“Before seven?” Julie asked, looking amused. “Don’t you want
dinner?”

I backed away so she couldn’t hear my stomach growl. I’d
raid the fridge later if I had to. “No, I ate at Starbucks.”

Then I ran for the spare bedroom.

Mom met me at the airport on Tuesday and I’d never been so
glad to see her. I walked straight into her open arms and gave her a big hug.

“My goodness,” Mom said. “Did it really go that badly?”

“Which part?” I asked, following her out to her van. “The
part where Captain Brandt acted like a complete jackass half the time? Or when
a three-hundred pound, hind-leg-walking monster cat fell on me? Oh, or was it
the part when I had to take Katie on a two hour stroll to give Uncle Mike and
Aunt Julie time to fight—then
make up.
”

Mom stopped walking. Her shoulders shook with laughter. “Oh,
honey. That’s…I don’t even know what to say.”

“You’re laughing about the Mike thing aren’t you?”

At that point Mom cracked up. “I’m certainly not laughing
about a three-hundred pound monster landing on you.” She climbed into the van.
“But good for you for taking care of Katie.”

I climbed into the passenger seat and leaned it back as far
as it would go. “Once we’re home, I’d like to eat an entire pot roast then
sleep twelve hours if that’s okay with you.”

“We’re having Shepherd’s pie for dinner, but the rest of it
sounds just fine.” Mom reached over to pat my shoulder. “I’m sorry this was a
tough trip. You’re home now, though. I’ll even spoil you for a day or two.”

I closed my eyes as the van started moving. If I wasn’t
careful, I’d conk out right here. “Are you going to make me go back to school?”

“There’s only three weeks left before the holiday break,”
Mom said. “Your grades have been good and with you leaving right after that, I
think I’d rather have you rest up and do your studying at home.”

“Good,” I mumbled. I wouldn’t have to face Sami
or
Ella yet.

I fell asleep before we made it home. Mom shook me awake,
professing that carrying two-hundred-ten pounds of teenager into the house was
outside her skill set. I stumbled inside behind her, punch drunk, thinking my
bed and I were going to have a nice long visit before dinner. Turns out there
were other plans.

Before I even cleared the mudroom, Mamie came flying down
the hall and threw her arms around my neck.

Pleasantly surprised, I hugged her back. “Sis, aren’t you
supposed to be school?”

Mamie pulled away and waved me into the kitchen. “I only
have one class on Mondays and the lectures are online. It’s just calculus. I
have a ninety-seven average. The prof won’t mind.”

It’s
just
calculus…. Grinning in spite of everything,
I followed her into the living room and collapsed on the couch. Mamie looked
great—relaxed and confident in a way I’d never seen. Before leaving home, she’d
been pretty demanding, but she’d been hard on herself, too. Now, she seemed
comfortable in her own skin.

“Hey, the guys send their regards,” I told her. “By the way,
Johnson apparently worships you now.”

“Very funny,” Mamie said, but a mischievous gleam shone in
her eyes.

“No, I’m serious. We were talking about you and he said not
to take the Lord’s name in vain. You’re a deity.”

Mamie snorted. “My reputation must be very exaggerated.”

“We’ll find out in a month or so.” I stretched until six
vertebrae popped then sagged into the sofa cushions. “None of your hunches have
been wrong yet. That kind of ESP, or whatever, tends to be a god-like
attribute.”

“I hope I’m right this time,” she murmured, staring at her
hands. “Because if I’m wrong, and that’s the reason Jorge’s down in Peru by
himself when monsters show up….”

“Jorge can handle things long enough for a team to be
redeployed if he needs them,” I said. “Besides, the general said we’re leaving
Australia open, since the eclipse is only partially visible there. If anything,
I’m more worried about that.”

I told her about the witch coven—leaving out the part about
the stolen kids because I didn’t want to hurt her—and how Aunt Julie was working
with the CIA. “It all keeps coming back to Australia, and I’m not sure why.”

“Speaking of which,” Mamie said, “I read up on your missing
physicist. My professor knew of her—she’s published some pretty important
articles on dark energy.”

That perked me up a bit. “Really? So she’s not just some
random physicist?”

“Well, she’s not Stephen Hawking, if that’s what you’re
asking, but Dr. Burton-Hughes is pretty well known in the scientific community.
Her theories on dark energy are some of the more challenging and interesting
ones out there. She formulated a mathematical model that—”

“Before you get rolling, is this going to make my jetlagged
brain hurt?” I asked, raising my hand. “Or is there a way to dumb it down?”

Mamie heaved a put-upon sigh. “You aren’t dumb, but you
are
tired, so I’ll humor you. Dr. Burton-Hughes has developed theories, using
statistical models from the birth of black holes, to try to prove that dark energy
was the catalyst for the Big Bang. No one really knows why the Big Bang
happened, but she’s been trying to prove that dark energy started it somehow.
It’s controversial, because most cosmologists—and physicists——believe the
entire universe was this hot, dense ball of…something, then it exploded.
There’s nothing to suggest dark energy existed in that state. Or, if it did, it
was completely insignificant. So the fact that she’s trying to prove dark energy
played a part in the Big Bang…well, some people think she’s crazy.” My sister
grinned. “Brilliant, but off her rocker either way.”

I rubbed my forehead. So much for dumbing things down for
me. “Let me see if I have this right. Most scientists think dark energy came
after the Big Bang, but she was trying to prove it existed beforehand, and
maybe caused it?”

“In a nutshell,” Mamie said. “Oh, and I’ve done some more
research on the San people. Their religion is pretty interesting.”

I thought about Twi, and his fear of the dead. “Did you see
anything about Gaunab?”

“The god of darkness and death?” Mamie asked.

That would be a yes. “One of the locals we work with
mentioned him. Didn’t want to talk too loud in case Gaunab heard us.”

“Hmmm.” Mamie twisted her pigtail around her finger. “I
wonder if that’s important somehow. Maybe you should ask that Zenka lady about
him when you go back. If Gaunab’s name came up…you said the Lions killed her
husband, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it would stand to reason the monsters might come after
her, too. Don’t you think? She’s the only logical target out there in my
opinion.”

“Maybe,” I said around a giant yawn.

“You should talk to her.” Mamie stood. “Mom said dinner will
be ready in an hour. Why don’t you take a nap?”

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all day.” I
pushed myself off the couch, groaning. “Don’t let me sleep through dinner until
breakfast this time, okay? I could eat a full-grown yak.”

“Repulsive, but I acknowledge your request.” Mamie gave me
another quick hug, then shoved me toward the stairs. “We’ll talk more later.”

Later turned out to be sooner than either of us probably
guessed, because I hadn’t slept fifteen minutes before the nightmares started.

I’m trapped in a box so tight I can’t move. My arms and
legs are drawn up in a fetal position and I pant for air. Light penetrates my
eyelids, piercing my skull with pain. The word “womb” comes to mind. Of being
trapped, waiting to be freed, to live.

“Now, you know,” an ugly voice growls in my ear. “You
know.”

The lights go out, and for a moment, I have relief. I’ve
been freed from my cage, and my body feels infinite, strong. Then I sense a
presence behind me in the dark, one that wants to pull me apart. Its breath
rasps, hot on the back of my neck. I start to run from the thing, but it chases
me, laughing.

Ahead, Mamie screams and screams…

“Matt!” Mamie cried. “Wake up!”

I flung out an arm and banged my hand into the nightstand. I
was curled up tight, just like I was still in that box in my dream. Mamie stood
at the foot of my bed, her face whiter than bones bleached by the sun.

I struggled to sit up. My sheets were soaked in sweat and my
hair was damp. “What? Was I dreaming again?”

“
Again?
” Mamie asked, her lower lip trembling. “You
mean you’ve done that before?”

“Done what?”

“Thrashed around, crying out in your sleep. Then you curled
up in a ball, and I couldn’t wake you up for the longest time.”

She blinked fast; tears would follow soon if I didn’t do
something. And in this situation, lying didn’t seem like a bad course of
action. “Uh, once or twice. But it’s no big deal, okay? I always have trouble
coming down after I’ve been on a mission. Just the adrenaline or something.”

Mamie shook her head. “You screamed my name. That’s why I
came in.”

I did? No wonder she was freaking out. Thinking fast, I
said, “Are you sure? Because I don’t remember anything in the dream that would
make me do that.”

She gave me a skeptical look, but her shoulders relaxed and
color came back into her cheeks. “Um…okay. Mom says dinner will be ready soon.
Maybe you should get up.”

I nodded and Mamie headed for the door. Before she left, she
glanced at me over her shoulder, her eyes full of concern.

I was concerned, too; my dreams had a nasty habit of coming
true. Dread sank into my bones, cold and rigid. One day, maybe not long from
now, I’d have to fight my way through the darkness to save my sister.

* * *

The weeks at home passed quietly. Too quietly. Only Will
knew I was back home, and I kept to myself until Brent and Mamie came home
after finals, which livened things up. It was good to share the upstairs with
them again, even if my brother was the loudest dude on the planet. If he wasn’t
talking in an outside voice at all times, he had his stereo cranked up full
blast. After two days of being subjected to Linkin Park on endless loop, I
decided I was a little bit glad Brent couldn’t stay home very long. He had to
head back to school for football practice the same day I left for Africa.

“I saw highlights of your last game,” I told him, to smooth
over a complaint I’d made about my bedroom floor vibrating in tempo to his
stereo. “Nice tackle in the third quarter, man. Knocking the ball loose like
that—pretty sweet.”

Even though Brent was a good inch or two shorter than me
now, he
felt
bigger given the fact he outweighed me by thirty-five
pounds, all of it rock-hard muscle. Still, in a straight up fight, I knew I
could take him.

I already had.

And that was why praising his football plays seemed awkward,
even when I meant it. Our dinner table brawl from last year still hung in the
air like a noxious fart—a thing no one wanted to admit to, but instead endured
in uncomfortable silence. The thing with Dad, when Brent called me a selfish
brat, still rubbed me raw.

After the compliment Brent nodded or, rather, bobbed his
head since his neck had all but disappeared in a trunk of muscle. “Best play of
my life. That game was amazing.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there,” I said. And I was.

He nodded. “Yeah. You had more important things to do.”

I listened hard to catch any irony or insult in that
statement. All I heard was a touch of jealousy. He was probably still wondering
why the knife chose me and not him. Not my problem. “If you call nearly
breaking my ribs killing off a few monsters, then maybe. I’m still sorry I
wasn’t there. And I’m sorry I can’t make the Rose Bowl, either, but I’ll keep
up with the score on my laptop if I can.”

“Whatever. I get it.” He sniffed, turning his whole body
toward the kitchen. “Is that…chicken stew?”

I grinned. There were still a few things we could come
together on. “Yeah. I hope Mom made enough for both of us.”

We raced each other to the kitchen before he pushed me into
the wall in a weak attempt to beat me there, and it felt a little like old
times, before the knife, before finding out about Dad.

I’d take whatever uneasy truce I could get.