Horsemen's War (The Rebellion Chronicles #3) - Steve McHugh Page 0,102
and while Layla knew that Piper was going to be fine, she was still concerned for her friend’s well-being.
“We need to head over to the palace and speak to whoever’s in charge,” Layla told Leonardo and Antonio.
“We expecting trouble?” Antonio asked.
“Lamashtu,” Layla said. “Shape-shifter, murderer, and generally just an all-around bitch. She hurt Piper. She almost killed her. Tried to kill a bunch of other people too. Maybe Athena.”
“Athena’s dead?” Leonardo asked. “I never thought that was going to happen.”
“We’re not sure, but maybe,” Layla said sadly. She’d never met Athena, but anyone who’d died at the hands of Arthur and his minions had died at the hands of awful people. Layla didn’t wish that on too many people.
“So what do you need?” Antonio asked.
“There’s a possibility that Lamashtu is heading to Washington, DC, to break out Gawain,” Layla said. “I don’t have long before I need to head there and check with Roberto.”
“I can change the destination,” Leonardo said, and he turned to the realm gate.
Chloe walked into the temple. “So we going or what?” she asked. “If Lamashtu is in Washington, I plan on turning her into the world’s largest pincushion.”
“How graphic,” Leonardo said as the realm gate came to life. “Good luck, you three.”
Tego bumped into Leonardo, who sighed and scratched the huge cat behind the ear, before she followed Chloe and Layla into the realm gate.
Once in Washington, DC, they were soon out of the Lincoln Memorial and running toward where all the humans were. They reached the edge of the cordon at Lafayette Square, and Roberto spotted them and waved them over.
“And what can we do for you both?” he asked.
Layla and Chloe told him about what had happened since they’d left the Earth realm.
“Lamashtu might come back here?” Roberto asked, looking around, suddenly concerned.
“She could be anyone,” Layla said.
“Gawain is in a safe house,” Roberto said. “It’s guarded by enough dwarven runes to be a serious problem for anyone, no matter their power. Lamashtu can’t get in there as someone else—her shape-shifting wouldn’t work.”
“Okay, how about blowing it up?” Chloe asked.
“She’d need a nuke,” Roberto said.
Layla looked around. “Could she get a nuke?”
“No,” Roberto said, putting an end to that fear.
“Okay, so Gawain isn’t the target,” Layla said. “Maybe she doesn’t come here. Maybe she goes elsewhere. I do feel a little better for having checked, though.”
“I’m still uneasy,” Chloe said.
“I can take you both to the safe house,” Roberto said. “It’s not far from here.”
“Would that be okay?” Layla asked.
“Let me go check on a few things, and I’ll be right back,” Roberto said and walked off toward one of the large tents.
Chloe entered a nearby tent, which was full of people in army fatigues or suits, looking over large amounts of paper spread over a table.
Layla joined her, and several of the people in the tent stopped what they were doing.
“Can we help?” a middle-aged woman with short dark hair asked.
“What’s that?” Layla asked, pointing to the blown-up photos on the table.
“We’re with the rebellion,” Chloe said. “We might be able to help.”
The lady looked beyond Layla and Chloe to Tego, who took up a large portion of the tent entrance.
“Is that tame?” she asked.
“Tego is a her,” Layla said. “And not even slightly tame, but she’s friendly so long as you don’t call her a ‘that.’”
Tego yawned, revealing the razor-sharp teeth.
“We found this mark in sixteen different spots around the White House North and South Lawns, Pershing Park, the President’s Park, and all the way down to the Washington Monument,” the woman said. “Same mark. Hundreds of times.”
“Have you had any dwarves read it?” Chloe asked, picking up one photo and staring at it.
“None of them can translate it,” a young man in army fatigues said. “It’s elven, apparently.”
“Tarron could read this,” Layla said. “If he wasn’t in a different realm.”
“So someone is writing Elvish all over Washington?” Chloe said.
Roberto arrived before anyone could say anything else. “Hey, you’re in here. We’ve been given clearance.”
“These marks—any ideas?” Layla said, holding up a photo to Roberto.
Roberto shook his head. “We’ve been trying to get Gawain to tell us, but he’s essentially turned into the Joker at this point. Mocking and laughter. That’s all we’ve gotten from him.”
“Have you tortured him yet?” Chloe asked.
The room fell silent.
“We don’t do that,” Roberto said.
“Do we need to find someone who does?” Chloe asked.
“Let’s go see Gawain,” Roberto said hurriedly, ushering Chloe and Layla out of the tent, with Tego following behind.