Chapter 16

Cerrunos trotted forward from the shelter of the forest edge, whickering in amusement as the fire returned to being simply a fire. “Well done. Took him by surprise, at least. Do you think it worked?”

Coyote shrugged. “It should have. He likes to stay on the top of his pyramid, and you told me they planned to use one of the larger weapons they had to make sure of him. And it destroyed his scrying pool. If he’d been deep inside his pyramid, he might have lived through it, but if it wrecked his pool, it should have been enough to do him in, as well. We’ll see if he reappears. At the very least, I think he’s learned a healthy respect for machines now.”

The unicorn gave a very equine snort. “One would hope. Quetzal was never a quick study on things that he didn’t like, though -” He paused as the fire flickered and settled into a deep red-orange glow. The face looking out of it was jet-black, with hair of flame and eyes like glowing coals.

“Coyote? What have you done now?” The voice held the hiss and crackle of lava meeting water.

Coyote turned back toward the fire, his tongue flopped out in a canine grin. “Me? Why would I be up to anything?”

“Why? Because you are who you are, of course.” The ground rumbled in a minor earthquake below them. “Sometimes you mean well, but I don’t trust you.”

Cerrunos trotted up to the fire. “He was assisting me, Pele. Quetzalcoatl was already starting his old tricks, and we helped the mortals deal with him. With any luck, permanently.”

The burning face quirked a fiery eyebrow. “Eldest? You are involved with this?”

The unicorn nodded. “I helped arrange it. The mortals have become strong in this cycle, and I am going to help them deal with the biggest threats if I can. Where have you been?”

Pele shrugged. “In the deep places. Magic remains there even through the droughts and Lo'ihi grows apace. When I came back up I discovered that the islander mortals had brought cattle and pineapples to my islands, forgetting the old ways; but still they respect me for the most part. There are so many of them now!”

“Seven billion and more of them. There are many with the potential to be Immortals this time.” The unicorn tossed his head, the blond mane flaring out into the wind. “I choose to help them, rather than allow such as Quetzalcoatl and Creya to destroy them before they can challenge their supremacy. Coyote agrees. Do you stand with us, or against us?”

The molten eyes narrowed in a frown, and the crackling voice sighed. “Need I do either, Cerrunos? I have never had much interest in the mortals, and see no reason to start now. I suppose I could assist you in dealing with Creya, though.”

Cerrunos smiled. “I will let you know if we find him, Pele. And I have no complaints if you remain on your islands as you have done in the past cycles. Is there anything you would like them to do, or not do? The current islanders will object to human sacrifice, but anything else within reason could probably be arranged.”

The crackle of steam grew louder. “I have never wanted the mortals to sacrifice to me, Eldest, as you well know. I think the Trickster is rubbing off on you.” She glared at Coyote, who clutched a hand to his breast with a grin and fell over as if wounded. “Enough. There was one whose presence I could feel, another with the gift of fire, trapped with the snake. I think he has survived whatever hammer-blow you sent against his erstwhile master. Send him to me, if you should find him.”

Coyote bowed to the flames. “As you wish, Lady. We shall watch for this survivor.”

Pele nodded. “See that you do. We shall speak later, perhaps.” The campfire flickered again and returned to normal.

---

Rico awoke, barely rested at all, at the sound. It was a crash, a cosmic howl, the ground itself crying out in torment, and even deep within the temple it clawed and tore at his ears. When it stopped, he staggered out of bed and fumbled for his clothes. <El Jefe will want to see me. I hope he will not have me attack them again so soon, my head pounds like iron on the anvil.> The silence was perfect now, no sound at all intruded into the underground labyrinth – or so it seemed. He barked his shin in the dark and realized that he could barely hear his own pained yelp. He grabbed his shirt and stumbled out into the hallway.

The air was normally cool down in the depths of Quetzalcoatl’s Great Temple, and as damp as the desert ever was. Now it was hot and dry, with the scent of iron and scorch and ozone all mingling. The first guard he found was cowering in a corner, screaming almost inaudibly. Rico shook him to get him to stop, and shouted, “What happened?” The human shook his head, pointing to his ears. The coyote sighed and motioned the man to follow him.

As they went upwards, they found more people, most of whom were burned to some extent. As his hearing returned, Rico was able to piece together that there had been a flash brighter than the sun itself, even deep inside the temple. As his small party approached the exit he was making for, the scent of ozone became stronger. When he turned the final corner, the reek of burned meat overwhelmed him. The two guards who’d been posted there were charred corpses, little more than carbonized skeletons on the side nearest the opening. He swore as he led the rest past them, fearing the worst and even more afraid that he couldn’t imagine what the worst would be.

The doorway faced outward from the Temple, guarding the approach from the north. The carved rock had half melted and briefly flowed like butter, and outside the desert was scoured bare, rock and sand interrupted only by the occasional bit of burning debris. The very ground itself was hot, with puddles of congealing glass. He motioned the rest back down the passageway and stepped outside to look around.

Rico had discovered long since that heat and fire could not harm him any more, but even so he felt the warmth of the ground through his footpads. He turned to look back at the Temple, and then closed his eyes in despair. The carved pyramid was melted nearly smooth, the top quarter gone completely. <Madre de Dios. We tried to warn el Jefe about the Americans, but deep down none of us thought they’d really do this.> He turned and made his way back inside, not even noticing when he trod in one of the glassy puddles.

He hadn’t realized just how much heat he’d absorbed until he was underground again. The dark tunnel was lit by his own glowing body. The surviving soldiers gave way before him, truly silent now rather than hushed by damaged hearing. Two underpriests had joined the group, one human and the other a crested avian, and they stared silently as well. The bird nodded as he approached. “Did great Quetzalcoatl...?” The coyote shook his head at the unfinished question, and then the bird bowed to him. “The Great One is dead. Long live his heir. What are your commands, Great One?”

Rico blinked, unaware that his eyes were shining like liquid fire. “The Americans have tried to destroy us in retaliation for our attacks on them. They have come far too close. For now, we needs must regroup and hide, biding our time and our strength and finding new recruits. There’s food in the store-rooms. We will wait until the ground is cool enough for you to walk on, and then we will leave. Make your way back to beyond the range of the nuclear weapon and try to blend back into your villages for now. Quetzalcoatl told me much of what will happen. Soon enough their machines will die, and then they will no longer be able to hide behind them. That is when we will have our revenge.”

---

The white wolf stepped up to the podium in the White House Press Room and waited for the noise to die down. The gathered reporters were eager to get started with their questions, and quickly complied with her unstated request. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the media. I have a brief statement, and then I will entertain a few questions.” Aides were already handing out copies of her statement to the assembled throng. “Over the past six weeks, the government and citizens of the United States of America have been ruthlessly and brutally attacked on our own territory on several occasions, resulting in at least eight thousand deaths of American civilians and the destruction, or attempted destruction, of critical petroleum infrastructure. The total loss of life from the attacks on the cities of El Paso, San Diego, Brownsville, San Antonio, and Washington the night before last is not yet known. The source of these attacks was traced to an entity operating from the territory of the United Mexican States.”

“It has long been the policy of the American government, through administrations of both Republican and Democratic presidents, that the use of any form of weapons of mass destruction against us will be treated as a first strike, to which we will respond in whatever manner we deem appropriate. Prior to the Change, weapons of mass destruction included poison gas, biological warfare, and nuclear devices. To that list we now add massive arcane attacks. As conventional means of retaliation for these attacks were unsuccessful, a single thermonuclear warhead was used to eliminate this threat to the peoples of the United States, and indeed, the rest of the New World.”

“The President apologizes to the government of Mexico for the side effects of the weapon used, and will be proposing an aid package to repair damage to private property and to the Mexican power and telecommunications grids caused by the blast and EMP effects of our warhead.” She had barely glanced at the teleprompter while making her speech, but her ears flicked forward as she finished her statement. “Thank you. I will now accept questions on this matter.” The reporter’s hands shot into the air, and she picked one more or less at random.

“Bill Plante, CBS. What do you mean by an ‘entity’? Did we bomb Mexico because of the actions of terrorists operating from their soil?”

Lowe frowned. “The Change awoke a number of creatures of legend and myth. Some of them are powerful enough in their own right to operate on the level of nation-states. One of these entities, quite inimical to the interests of both America and Mexico, was operating from a base on their soil, conducting attacks against citizens of both countries. We put a stop to it with the only effective weapon we had at our disposal. I repeat, we are not blaming the government of Mexico for the actions of this entity – had he been operating from territory of the United States, we would still have used the weapon we did. Next?”

“Jon Ward, Washington Times. Doctor Lowe, what will be the administration policy with regard to what you termed ‘arcane’ attacks? Where do you draw the line on whether or not it constitutes a WMD attack?”

The wolf sighed. “We hope not to have occasion to repeat this exercise. In general, any indiscriminate attack which causes or has the potential to cause massive loss of life could be considered a WMD attack, but each such incident would have to be evaluated independently. Next?”

“David Jackson, USA Today. You said there were other entities besides this one? Who are they, and what is being done to safeguard the United States against further attacks?”

“We are not sure of the entire list at this point, but we believe there are less than forty, and of those only a dozen or so are powerful enough to be a threat to the United States. Three of them appear to be on either American or Canadian soil, and we are trying to locate them to negotiate agreements. Since they are not currently attacking us, they are somewhat more elusive than the one in Mexico, but the information we have so far is that they are reasonable, possibly even potential friends, unlike that one. Next?”

“Helen Thomas, Hearst Publishing. Why was this outrageous attack made without consulting the United Nations? ”

Lowe frowned again. “Our attack was not ‘outrageous’. It was an obvious corollary of our previous policy on WMD attacks. The UN was not consulted because it is not now, nor has it ever been, the policy of the United States to subordinate our legitimate security needs to the scrutiny and approval of possibly hostile governments. Next?”

“But what about our standing in the world community? I think –”

The wolf let a touch of a growl enter her voice as she squelched the interruption. “I rather doubt you've done that in years, Ms. Thomas. I said next.”

There was a moment of shocked silence before the next reporter raised her hand. “Jennifer Loven, AP. Was the attack on the carrier group in the Persian Gulf the work of one of these ‘entities’?”

Lowe nodded. “We strongly suspect that to be the case, yes. We are exploring our options in regard to that matter and hope to resolve it without resorting to another nuclear strike. Next?”

“David Gregory, NBC. There have been rumors of a dragon leading a revolt against the government of China. What is our position on recognizing government take-overs by these entities you mentioned?”

“I can’t speak for the President on that, I’m afraid. I assume that if such a situation arises, we will consider it on its own merits. Last question.”

“Bret Baier, Fox News. Why are you giving this briefing, and not the President?”

“The President will be addressing a joint session of Congress this evening, as you should be aware from the packets handed out. This is a preliminary statement to put an end to some of the wilder rumors that have been going around. We seem to have covered the major points, so that will be all for now.”

She exited to continued calls of ‘Doctor Lowe!’ but didn’t let her ears flatten until she was out of the room and the door had closed behind her and her bodyguard. “That was remarkably unpleasant, John.”

The gray wolf chuckled. “They were scared, and they stank of it.”

She shook her head. “Not all of them. Some of them are still living in a world that was a fantasy even before the Change. They’re not scared – they’re indignant.” She stretched, then leaned up to give Whitford a rather unprofessional slurp on the cheek as they found themselves alone in the corridor. “What an ordeal for an empath. And now we’ve got to catch a plane to Hawaii, and find out if Pele will talk to me.”

He nodded. “I know. At least they do the packing for you in this job.”

---

The advance party had done their work well – the Federal government might normally have the grace of a walrus on a beach, and Janet was still convinced that most bureaucrats couldn’t plan a successful keg party even if they were given keys to a brewery warehouse, but the people responsible for keeping the President happy were military-grade. Right now that expertise had been put to the task of reproducing a Hawai’ian ceremonial procession to placate the volcano goddess. The regalia had been copied from the display items in the Hawaiian exhibits of the Smithsonian and the Bishop Museum in Oahu. Lowe had elected to use the ceremonial attire of a shaman, rather than a chief, while park service rangers and her bodyguards had been pressed into duty as her entourage.

They changed in the now-closed Visitor Center near the top of Kilauea. Dressed in kapok, grass, and feathers and carrying the traditional feather-tipped staves, they headed up the mountain to Halema’uma’u, the lava lake in the crater of the volcano. The white wolf took the center of the procession as it wound its way up to the cliff overlooking the molten pool, then stepped forward as the others deposited gifts at the brink before stepping off to the sides. The whole affair was conducted as accurately as records of the original Hawai’ian ceremonies could manage.

“Kupunawahine Pele! Kakou no’i ‘olelo ha`aha`a oe!”

She stood at the edge of the cliff, the heat from the molten rock below fierce even at this range and the reek of sulfur and other gases wafting past her when the updrafts over the crater faltered for brief moments.

“Ko’u ali’i no’i kou kokua!” She waited, holding up a platter of fish and poi, acutely conscious of the wind blowing through parts of her fur that were normally concealed. As the minutes ticked by and nothing happened, she began to feel a bit ridiculous. She set her tray down and took a step back from the edge, turned and stopped dead as she nearly bumped into a dark-skinned young woman in a halter top and denim shorts who most certainly hadn’t been there a moment earlier.

The guards had been told specifically not to intervene unless and until someone actually was injured, no matter what happened, but the wolf still had to glare at them to stand down as they started to react anyway. The woman looked only at her. “Well, what is it you want, then?”

Lowe swallowed. “Lady Pele?”

The woman nodded. “In the flesh. I appreciate the attempt, but your accent is atrocious, and I -do- keep up with things. Let us sit and talk.” She sat down with her back to the crater, looking southward towards the sea, and patted a spot on the rock beside her. “I haven’t been up here in a while. She’s looking good, isn’t she?”

The wolf sat down beside the woman at the gesture, and followed her gaze. “She? The mountain?”

“The island. Always a work in progress, and Lo'ihi takes a lot of my time, as well. But she’s still growing nicely.”

Lowe nodded, not sure what to say. “Lo'ihi?”

“The new island. She’s not quite out of the water yet, but she’s coming along. Soon, I think.”

The wolf nodded. “That would be interesting, yes.” She looked down the side of Kilauea, watching the lava fountains spray new rock on the barren landscape, and waited for Pele to continue.

Pele spent some time looking out over her domain, then smiled at the wolf. “You’re a lot more polite than Coyote, at the very least. What do you need my help for?”

“Well... with the Kraken, for one thing, if you’d be willing. But if you’d rather not, we’d just like you to know that we wish to be on friendly terms with you, and ask your advice. We’re trying to adapt to the changes and need to know who we can trust and who we can’t.”

Pele laughed. “And how do you know you can trust -me-?”

Lowe chuckled, a bit ruefully. “We don’t, I suppose. But the islanders always thought of you as a benevolent goddess. We’re hoping they’re right.”

Pele shrugged. “I suppose. I don’t go out of my way to torment them, the way some of us do. We’re not divine, of course, but some of us like playing it more than others.” She looked more closely at the wolf. “Now, what’s this about Creya?”

“He’s already started attacking shipping. He pretty much wrecked a destroyer before we drove him off from a naval battle group, and since then there’s been a sharp increase in the number of ships being lost at sea. We want to stop him while we still can, before the mana gets any stronger.”

Pele stared at her, disdain for the euphemism obvious in her expression. “Stop him? You mean kill him, don’t you? Like you killed Quetzalcoatl?”

Lowe looked away, uncomfortable under that scrutiny. “Well, if we must. But we can’t let him keep eating our ships.”

“And you won’t be able to stop him without killing him, either. I agree with you, I just prefer to be honest about it. If he comes within my domain, I can tell you where he is, but that’s about it. He generally has sense enough to stay away from volcanoes, more’s the pity.” She chuckled nastily and for a moment the human-seeming body gave off a wave of furnace heat. “You killed more than Quetzal with your little toy, you know. But fortunately, you missed the one who I would like to talk to. So a quid pro quo, as you call it these days. One of the snake’s new recruits was a fire-elemental. I will tell you the same thing I told Coyote and the Eldest – I would like to speak with that one. Do not kill him if you find him, and tell me where he may be found. I will leave your Pearl Harbor alone, and tell you if Creya comes within my reach. Agreed?”

Lowe nodded. “This is quite acceptable, Kupunawahine Pele. Is there anything we can do for you? We brought gifts in the old tradition, but if you would like something more modern, we’ll be happy to oblige.”

Pele chuckled. “No need. I can wander among the humans when I wish, after all. But the offer is appreciated.” She stood up and stretched. “But it is cold up here. I will visit with you if you ask, no need for the elaborate ceremonials in the future.”

Lowe stood with her. “May I ask a question before you leave? How can I contact Coyote and ... the Eldest?”

The woman shrugged. “They are hard to find. They mean you well, though – Coyote helped distract the snake when your chief sent his missile to kill him. Wait for them to contact you, I would suggest.”

Lowe nodded. “If that would be best, we will, though the President prefers not to work on other’s timetables – as did most kings and leaders throughout history, I suppose. He’ll just have to live with it.”

Pele looked at the wolf again, and for a moment her eyes glowed like molten rock. “Your chief was quite right to send you, young Diviner. He is wise for a mortal. Perhaps you and I will be friends someday. At least we need not be enemies, and I will leave your tribe alone for so long as that is true.” She walked back up the slope to the edge of the cliff, and the wolf followed along. “You may open your Park again. You are a respectful audience, for the most part, and I don't mind sharing my work with those who appreciate it.” As she neared the crest, the lava in the pool below went wild, waves surging back and forth on the surface as steam vented up through the mass. She grinned at Lowe, then ran the last few yards and leaped off the cliff, making an impossible dive from the summit into the center of a lava surge, her form changing as she fell, a meteor trailing fire and ash into the cauldron. The others arrived in time to see the end of the dive, and stood gaping as the surging stopped and the surface of the pool formed into the semblance of a face, which winked at them. The hike back to the visitor’s center was quite subdued.

---

“... and that was her response, sir. She’ll be a passive ally, won’t interfere with the civilians or military in Hawaii – but she implied that it was contingent on –my- personal good behavior. I’ll write everything up, as close to verbatim as I can, and I’ve asked everyone on the security detail to do the same with everything they saw, as well. But that’s the gist of it.” She paused, listening to the headset earphones. “No sir, no leads on Coyote. She mentioned someone else, presumably in North America, whom she referred to as ‘Eldest’, but didn’t give me any information on him, either. Said that they’d contact us if they wanted to talk. She wants us to keep our eyes open for a survivor from the missile strike, though. Possibly the same one who’s directly responsible for the pyrokinetic attacks, she referred to him as a fire elemental.” She paused again. “I gather that he was acting under orders, sir, possibly under duress. We don’t have to turn him over to Pele, just let her know where he is if we find out... Yes, sir. As soon as we get back to Washington. Goodbye, Mr. President.”

Lowe nodded to the radio tech, who sat back down at his station as she got up and deactivated the secure channel. Whitford straightened up as she finished her conversation, and led the way back to the passenger cabin of the jet. “Now what, Jandi?”

“Now I do paperwork. And set up a nice long talk with Stardancer when we get back and find out just why it is that Pele referred to me as ‘Diviner’. Something’s going on and I’d like to find out what it is.”

The gray wolf chuckled. “You look pretty divine to me.”

Lowe snorted. “Behave yourself. I’ve got to write up a briefing on this, before I forget exactly what was said. Playtime later. And you need to write up -your- impressions on the whole thing, too, since you were there.”

Whitford’s ears went flat in mock dismay. “Homework? But I had plans, teacher!” He grinned at her exasperated sniff and leaned in to give her a quick hug. “I know, dear. Work first. As long as it’s not work always.”

Lowe sighed. “In this job? I can only hope I get enough time to sleep.”