“But what does that have to do with us? Why Vela and me?” Merl shrugged.
“I’ve always believed that forces are constantly at work to sustain balance in our dimensional world, and I don’t mean Upper Dimension forces, but something outside our comprehension. Call it the Creator or the Universe, whatever.” Samuel snorted. “You’re talking metaphysical bullshit.” Merl met his gaze. “If that idea doesn’t appeal, think of it as genetic intervention, that certain ascenders have genetic markers that get ticked when elements or stressors arise, like war. Then powers emerge, like yours and Vela’s, to counter other darker, more chaotic energies.” Vela twined a thick lock of her hair around her finger and turned toward Samuel. He’d said that his power had taken hold while he’d been bound by ropes and tortured. And hers had emerged at a time when three rogue generals were about to plunge Second Earth into a new round of war and misery. Maybe Merl was onto something.
She released the lock of hair. “Well, setting philosophy aside, tell us about Third Earth, what’s going on up there?”
“Nasty war. Much worse than Second. You don’t want to get drawn into their conflict but it looks like you just might. The trouble with Third is that there are several factions vying for supremacy right now, not just one.”
“What’s at the heart of the war?” Samuel asked. “Territorial disputes?”
“Vast disputes, going back millennia.”
“Is there a Militia Warrior contingent involved?”
“Yes, spread through the various factions, and each has an elite Warrior of the Blood force as well, which is why the war is so damn problematic; you’ll find men of great worth, slaying other men of equal worth.”
“But haven’t you just described every war that either vampire or humankind has ever waged?” Vela asked.
At that, Merl shifted in her direction and drew in a deep breath. “Samuel,” he said, staring at Vela. “You have a woman of great perception here and of understanding.” To Vela he added, “I believe you’ve spoken a truth, but perhaps only part of it. Not all warriors are honorable. But in the case of Third Earth, imagine Warrior Thorne battling someone just like him, in every respect. Now imagine being unable to get any faction to a negotiating table.” Once more, he drew a cigarette into his hand, already lit, and dragged deep.
She read his story in this simple, habitual reaction to a reminder of no doubt what he’d left behind in his world. Maybe where he’d failed.
She frowned. “Merl, were you kicked out of Third or did you leave on your own?” He rolled the cigarette between his knuckles, staring at it. “If any of the factions find me, they’ll kill me, which is why your busting through my wall at the end of a grid tunnel pisses the hell out of me.”
“Are you in danger, I mean right now?” She leaned forward slightly.
“Maybe. I don’t know. Depends on the wrecking squad that traced you.”
“So they work in squads,” she stated.
“Yep. And any of the factions can send squads through the darkening grid in order to destroy what they perceive as the enemy. The weapons are sawed off shotguns, very inelegant, but effective, and besides blowing a trespassing ascender to hell, can break through the walls of the grid, which in turn allows for quicker movement.”
“So, they must use explosive shells,” Samuel said.
Merl nodded. “10 gauge. The wrecker’s own power amplifies the shot.
You get a goddamn righteous explosion, enough to blow away your target and take down a grid wall, which ain’t easy.
Wreckers are a highly specialized and extremely well-paid faction of any army. I worked as one for a couple of decades at the turn of the 20th century. There are limitations, however, but that shotgun makes up for most of them.”
“What happens once a section of grid is destroyed? Does it get repaired?”
“Yep, with crews dedicated to clean- up and others to restoring grid walls. All Third Earth shit, developed centuries ago.
You were just lucky that Greaves didn’t catch wind of it but even Chustaffus knew not to encourage that beast.”
“Chustaffus?” A chill shot through Vela, her instincts shouting at her that here was the real enemy.
“The reigning Prince of Darkness.
Sort of. He’s never been able to solidify control. But then, I’m not sure control is even what he wants. I used to think it was, but he has a perverted love of chaos. The more he can create, the happier he is.”
“So we were being pursued deliberately.” Samuel rocked on his heels.
The next smoke plume blew in Samuel’s direction. “Do you honestly think it was anything else? From what you’ve told me, the wreckers already had wind of you and had put a trace on Vela’s darkening aura. The moment she returned into the tunnel grid, the trace would have alerted the specific faction’s crew that went after you both.
“But what I really want to know is how the two of you found me. You shouldn’t have been able to.” Samuel shifted in Vela’s direction, his brow furrowed. “Vela has some kind of built-in guidance system that takes her through the grid. Wouldn’t you say that’s right?” She nodded. “Exactly.” Merl whistled. Glancing from one to the other, his gaze finally landed on Samuel. “Well, though I’m reluctant to give you any cred at all, you’ve got some serious chops, and you’ve the temper of a Warrior of the Blood, even a Third Warrior. But what I don’t get is where the hell did this power come from? How did it develop? This is Third Earth warrior shit, yet you’re still very much a Second ascender. So, exactly how long have you been releasing this badass mist?” Vela sensed Samuel’s thoughts shift, a kind of sliding into the dark experiences of his past. His molars moved against each other and his gaze slanted away from Merl. But he spoke of the torture, a few clipped sentences, ending with, “When Duncan found me in Honduras, he basically helped me to escape. I’d been experiencing a growth in power, but that day, it rose unexpectedly, streams of it that I couldn’t control, and I slaughtered those around me, all except Duncan who’d heard me shout at him to get the hell out of there. I didn’t even have a warning it was coming.” Merl scowled. “Grayle power can be like that, especially when it first arrives. Most warriors have signs of it long before the initial release and a mentor helps control the process. The problem is, no two grayle powers are exactly alike and sometimes bad things happen, like what happened to you.”