Chapter 19
I regained consciousness in a tent. A big one, mind you, but still a tent, the white canvas overhead rippling slightly.
The bed I lay on could have used a better mattress.
My sore body protested as I pushed myself to a seated position.
It took a moment before the dizziness abated enough for me to see I was in some kind of hospital, the kind you see in movies used by the military in the field.
Beds lined the long space, some of them holding people.
Moving between them, astronauts. Wait, make that folks in hazmat suits.
Helmets covered their heads, and every inch of their body had been sealed with fabric that crinkled as they walked.
“What the fuck?” I muttered, which drew attention. A few of the suited peeps clomped in my direction.
“Hello, where am I? Who are you?” I asked, leading to a flurry of conversation, just not with me.
They didn’t speak English, nor did they attempt to address me at all.
However, I did interest them, seeing as how they checked the beeping monitor that had wires emerging from it, which appeared to be attached to patches on my chest. My blood pressure was taken, along with my temperature, and while I tried to protest at the needle that emerged—because I hate needles! —I got held down as they drew blood.
They poked and prodded me without a word of reassurance. No explanation. Nothing. Who were these people? What was I doing here? What happened after I passed out?
Someone in a military uniform entered the tent, and the hazmat suits excitedly pointed to me.
The man, a fellow with white hair buzzed almost to the scalp, a scar that went through an eyebrow and part of his cheek, and an expression that could have been used to scare children into obeying, headed in my direction.
Great. Just what I wanted after waking up in a strange place.
Having to deal with some military asshole.
I clutched the thin sheet to my chin as if it would offer protection. Where was Misha? Surely, he’d not abandoned me.
The soldier stopped a pace from my bed. “You are American?” he asked in a heavy accent. No hello. How’s it going? That didn’t bode well.
“I’m Canadian, actually. Where am I? What’s happening?”
“You are in military custody, pending an investigation of the events that occurred on the train that derailed a few hours outside of Moscow.”
“Terrible thing. Guess the driver lost control.” I remembered Cedric’s advice of before. Play dumb. Very dumb.
“What do you recall?”
“Not much. I mean, the train stopping obviously, but everything after that is kind of hazy. I must have bumped my head.”
The stony expression revealed nothing of his thoughts or feelings. “What of the gobliny?”
“The what?”
“The creatures that attacked the train.”
Shit, if they knew about them, that probably explained the hazmat gear. Had those little monsters carried something contagious? “Do you mean the goblins? I thought those were just a nightmare.”
“They were real, and there are witness claiming you fought them.” Stated flatly, not questioningly.
“Fought them? That’s crazy. With what? My bare hands?” I uttered a fake, high-pitched laugh.
“They also say you confronted a very large bug-like monster and, in closing the hole it emerged from, killed it.”
“Look at me. Do I look like I have God-like powers such as you’re suggesting? That’s just crazy.” My laughter sounded fake even to me.
“Agreed, and yet, more than one survivor is making the claim.”
“People often make up stories for things they can’t explain. I assure you, I’m not a witch.”
“Who said you were?”
Shit. Wrong word. “Listen, while I appreciate the military coming to our rescue, I just want to go home. If you could put me in touch with the Canadian embassy—”
“No.”
“But—”
“There will be no arguing about this. You are going to be taken to a facility for debriefing.”
That sounded ominous. “You can’t do that.” Could he? I was in Russia, where the laws, especially for foreigners, didn’t give me the same rights as home.
“You will be leaving within the hour.”
With that, the solider whipped around and marched off, the only person not in a hazmat suit, indicating we’d not caught anything, a relief, but only a minor one.
I was so fucked. In the custody of the Russian military? I’d never escape. Especially if Misha had been captured alongside me.
The hazmat suiters exited the tent en masse, leaving me and the other patients alone. I debated making a run for it and seeing how far I got.
“Don’t bother trying to escape. Not yet.” Cedric appeared from under the bed and leaped to the mattress, sitting between my feet.
“Cedric, thank goodness. What’s going on? Where’s Misha?”
“I regret to inform you the elf is gone.”
“What do you mean gone? He abandoned me?”
“Not exactly. While you were busy sealing the rift, the mechanism linking the railcars chose to disengage. I didn’t see it happen but, given his disappearance, can only assume Misha lost his balance and fell into the pit.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You’re mistaken.”
“I checked the area after you felled the monster. I found no sign of him. Sorry, Florence. Misha is gone.”
I gaped at him before whispering, “Maybe he survived the fall?”
“Even if he did, the fact he fell into a goblin nest…” Cedric shook his head.
“Misha’s wily. If anyone could survive, it’s him. How far are we from the spot?”
“Half mile. The military set up a camp and have been monitoring everyone for signs of contagion. But don’t you dare think of going after him.” Cedric read my mind.
“What if Misha’s alive and needs my help?”
“He’s not and reopening that conduit will unleash those bloodthirsty menaces. Or are you suddenly okay with sacrificing people for a hopeless cause?”
I would be if I thought it might save Misha. Cold? Callous? Yup, but in my defense, the man I’d snuggled and kissed couldn’t be gone.
“How long has it been?” I asked.
“Almost four days. You expended quite a bit of magic.”
Four days and Misha hadn’t returned. Then again, guess it wouldn’t be easy, given he’d have to claw his way up through the ground like a zombie.
“The military dude says they’re taking me somewhere for questioning.”
“It’s what they’ve been doing with all the passengers. The uninjured were quarantined for two days before being bussed out of here. As others recover from their wounds, they’re also being relocated.”
“To where?”
“Somewhere not easily escaped, I would imagine.”
“Meaning I should be trying to leave now.”
“You’re in a camp crawling with soldiers, with many of them muttering about the witch.”
“Me?” I squeaked.
“Who else was flinging around her hands, leaving a trail of headless goblins in her wake.”
I sucked in my lower lip. “You’d think they’d be grateful.”
“They’re also superstitious. More than a few think you caused the monsters to attack.”
“That’s ridiculous. I fought them.”
“Never said their claim was logical. Some are even demanding the major, the man you were just talking to, should set you on fire.”
“Assholes. I should have let the big bug escape and eat them.” Maybe then Misha would still be alive.
“I hear soldiers coming. Wait for the signal.”
It would have probably helped if Cedric mentioned what that signal would be.
Turned out, I wouldn’t be travelling alone. The military worked briskly and brusquely to get me and five others loaded onto a bus to transport us to the city. If I wanted to escape, I’d better do so before we arrived at whatever facility they used for interrogating people.
The distraction I needed—or was it Cedric’s signal?—happened when the bus accidentally collided with the vehicle ahead of us. We hit hard enough smoke poured from the hood, which led to the soldiers ordering us off the bus.
A trio of soldiers armed with guns formed a very loose ring around me and the other prisoners.
Apparently, we were to wait until a replacement bus arrived.
I’d never get a better opportunity, but given how closely I was being watched, I’d have to be careful, lest I get shot.
These soldiers, making the sign of the cross every time I caught their eye, wouldn’t hesitate to harm me.
Cedric suddenly appeared at the foot of one, twining around his legs, even tolerating the petting that followed.
What a jerk. Usually, I got the claw for disrespecting his furry space.
The cat sauntered past the soldiers and rubbed against the woman who kept spitting and muttering in my direction. Guess she also thought me a witch.
Given the weakness of my muscles—from being prone for four days—I sat on the ground. To my shock, Cedric, the cat who refused to be a cat, came and sat in my lap. For the first time, I was allowed to stroke him without fear for my flesh.
“Why aren’t you escaping?” he whispered.
“How?” I glanced at the soldiers.
“Use your magic.”
“One, I’m still kind of wiped, and two, I’m not killing them for doing their job.”
Cedric sighed. “Always going to the most extreme. You could just make it so they can’t see you long enough to slip away.”
“Make myself invisible?”
“Duh.”
Okay, that was actually a cool idea, but could I do it?
I stood with Cedric in my arms. No one but the woman watched me. So I stared at her until she muttered something I didn’t understand and turned her back on me. Was that enough for me to attempt disappearing?
Just in case someone still eyeballed me, I caused a distraction. The puddle under the vehicle the bus had smashed into ignited way too easily. I just had to imagine striking a match and poof.
The sudden eruption of flames drew gazes and acted as my cue.