by Jayne Hawke
“I ask again. Do you dare question my understanding of my god? The god who chose me to work with him and enact his will upon this world?”
I wasn’t entirely sure if that’s how witches worked. They didn’t really open up about that stuff, but it was the impression Amy had given me.
“Well, no, but-”
I held up my hand.
“We’re busy. If you’ll kindly find someone else to pester with inane questions...”
She huffed and turned to stomp off. I gave it five minutes before she returned with someone senior to check us out. I should probably have handled it differently. Amy had been quiet as she gathered books into her arms and quickly flipped through a couple more. She didn’t even look at me or acknowledge the potential trouble we were in.
Amy grabbed a couple more books and I stretched up onto my tiptoes to pull down another slenderer book. It was the first one with a title in English, so I took a risk. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, I stuffed it under my jacket. They weren’t going to miss one book, and it could give us the information we needed.
The peppy witch was going to be back soon and the glamours would run out not long after. We weren’t going to have the luxury of time spent sitting quietly at a table studying.
“Time to go,” I hissed.
Amy frowned at me when I finally pulled her out of her internal world. Her arms were loaded with books, and she flipped through the one on top. There wasn’t a sign of English there, and her eyes had the slightly glassy quality that came with her using some of her magic. The hieroglyphs stretched across the cream pages in beautiful technicolour. Amy’s eyes scanned back and forth as her mouth pinched further before she began flipping through the pages again.
I grabbed onto her elbow and nodded in the direction of the peppy witch who was now approaching us at a quick pace. This time she had a trio of older stern-looking witches behind her. The white-haired man looked as though he had condemned a few people. There was a coldness to his eyes that spoke of a personal experience with death.
Amy glanced at the witches and quickly stuffed the books in her arms back onto the shelf. I did the same, with all bar the one under my jacket. We hurriedly made our way down the aisles, weaving around witches studiously reading their books and making notes in delicate script.
The four witches were closing in on us despite walking with a calm collected pace. The humming from the magic became something more. A high-pitched whistle started, and we darted through the door out into the hallway outside of the main library. The whistle sliced through my head, giving me a headache that blurred my vision.
Amy hooked her arm through mine, and we jogged down the stairs. The front door was within sight. We were only twenty or so feet away.
The whistling became a wailing, and Amy’s eyes went wide.
“Run!”
6
The book felt like a great weight that increased with every step. To my horror, a darkness began to form at the edges of the room and slowly writhed its way towards the front door. We were so close. Just a few more steps.
My feet felt as though someone had filled my boots with concrete. The front door was almost within grasping distance, and I was being dragged down towards the floor. Digging deep, I pulled on my wolf side and my guardian magic. The chestburster within me clenched tight on my chest, but strength came from somewhere and I could throw myself out of the front door.
Gulping down air, I stumbled forward when I was suddenly free of the extra weight. Amy yanked on my arm and I ran after her towards the car.
“You took a book,” she said with a laugh.
Her eyes danced with happiness, and she looked like the witch I’d come to know. Everything about her was brighter and bouncier at the realisation I’d stolen a book.
I half fell into her car before I pulled it out.
“They have some heavy magic around that place,” I said, slumping into the seat.
Amy shot away from there with her foot pressed hard against the gas. I felt the glamour release from my chest, and suddenly I felt like myself again. My wolf side surged forward, and I closed my eyes, embracing the feeling of four legs and fur for a moment. The shift didn’t take hold, but it felt so good to be entirely myself again.
“So how much trouble are we in?” I asked as I glanced at Amy.
She chewed her lip. Deep creases of concern formed around her eyes, and she gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.
“Well, we won’t be able to get near the library again.”
That sounded like it could be a pain later down the line, but it could be a lot worse. It wasn’t as though we were welcome there anyway, and we weren’t having much luck getting the information we needed.
“It’ll depend on a lot of things. As I’m a solitary witch and you’re a guardian, they might choose to shrug it off, or they could try and drag us before the witch council. If they do that, they could slap a hard sentence on us.”
“What sort of sentence?”
“Bind our magic for a few years.”
I reflexively snarled.
“Let them try,” I growled.
Amy patted my arm.
“As a garou, you don’t fall under their rules. You shouldn’t be punishable by them.”
“They will not bind you either. You’re pack.”
She gave me a warm smile and visibly relaxed. Still, the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
“I’ve never been anyone’s pack before,” she said softly.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ll figure it out. There has to be some loophole somewhere,” I said with confidence I didn’t feel.
I was still unsure just how much we could trust any of the councils. If they were working with this Apophis witch, they’d use this as a chance to get us out of the way. My wolf side pushed that we’d just make them submit and leave us be. Amy was pack; that pulled her away from the stupid witch laws. She was one of us now.
I opened up the book I’d stolen from the library expecting a wealth of information. Hope had bloomed within me; this was going to mean we could get Cole back that afternoon. My pack would be complete again.
The words within turned to squiggles that kept moving around the page taunting me. I frowned at the paper and flipped through the pages, hoping it was just one or two weirdly enchanted pages.
There wasn’t a single word in the book. There was nothing but constantly moving lines that meant absolutely nothing. We’d been through all of that and made no progress.
I tossed the book onto the back seat in frustration and tried to push the rage down so I could think of the next step. Cole was depending on us.
7
“My coven is trying to assign me to the duty of bringing you two before the council,” Sky said drily.
I dropped the useless book on the kitchen table and sighed.
“Amy’s pack. I’m not a witch. End of discussion.”
Sky laughed.
“That’s about what I told them. The last I heard they were looking through their by-laws to see if Amy could be considered part of a garou pack or not. Did the book you stole give us what we need?”
I pushed the book towards Sky.
“It’s just squiggles for me. Maybe it’ll work for you.”
Sky opened the book and glared at it as though trying to make the ink submit and behave.
“Whoever enchanted this did a very thorough job. I could break through it, but it’d take me a week. Maybe more.”
“So, what’s the next plan?” Briar asked.
“We dig through the books and information we do have,” Amy said brightly.
I rolled my jaw. She wasn’t wrong, but it was taking too long. I wanted to be out there getting Cole back.
“I’ll go to the Grim, see what I can figure out.”
“I have a couple of bars I can ask around,” Sky said.
I was tempted to join her; it sounded far better than sitting in front of the laptop.
“I�
�ll join you,” Adam said.
“You want to go to a bar?” Briar asked incredulously.
Adam shrugged.
“I want to help.”
Sky put her arm around the younger boy’s shoulders.
“Come on, I’ll show you how to knock heads together so the information falls out.”
I felt as though I was supposed to say something motherly, but I was happy to do whatever was necessary.
“Briar can help me with digital research. Why don’t you watch over Adam?” Amy said.
“Hey!” Sky retorted.
“Deal,” I said with a grin.
I could do with a drink after the day I’d had.
Adam looked nervously between Sky and me as we approached the bar Sky had picked out. It wasn’t one I was familiar with, but those were few and far between. She brushed her hands on the thighs of her jeans, walked a little taller, and plastered a wide smile on her face. I glanced back and saw Adam’s expression of complete awe as he watched her strut into the dark bar. I rolled my eyes. He didn’t have a chance in Hell with the witch.
We entered the bar, and the sensation of magic covered my skin and coated my tongue. Adam sneezed and shook his head, a very canine motion that drew the attention of a group of male witches nearby. I smiled at them with sharp teeth on display; no one was hurting my pack. They narrowed their eyes but returned to their beers without a word.
Whoever had designed the bar appeared to be allergic to lighting. A few small lights had been recessed into the ceiling. Weak, pale silvery light barely made it past head height from their paltry attempts. Deep shadows clung to the corners and almost appeared to slither along the floor.
Sturdy tables were scattered throughout the space, but the tall bar was the focus of the room. It stretched to cover most of the back wall and looked to be made from heavy chunks of dark wood and black marble. The impression of its being a fortress against the patrons of the bar only grew as I approached it. The width of the bar was far more than I was used to seeing, and the taste of magic was thicker near it.
The scent of old dry blood caught my attention, and I swore I saw patches of dark red against the grain of the bare wooden floor. Shrugging, I concluded it really didn’t matter. It would only make the head-banging we were here to do a little easier. If the staff was used to fights breaking out, they’d be less likely to intervene before we had the information we needed.
Sky leaned over the bar and gave the barman a sultry look before she ordered us all rum and cokes. Did I mention I hate rum?
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
Sky shrugged and gave me a mischievous smile.
“We bang some heads together.”
Adam looked at her with mild alarm.
“Literally?”
“If necessary.”
I allowed my wolf side forward a little. That sounded like something I could get behind. The clock was ticking, and the gentle information-hunting method was getting us nowhere. Adam pursed his lips and slowly raised the rum and coke to his lips.
“I’ll stick with Sky.”
“I’m engaged,” Sky said while looking around the bar.
Adam’s gaze turned to her bare ring finger.
“Since when?”
Sky snorted.
“Birth.”
“An arranged marriage?” Adam asked in horror.
“Yes. By the gods no less. No getting out of it.”
“I read something about that.”
Sky patted him on the shoulder.
“Trust me. I’ve checked for loopholes. I’m stuck with whoever he is.”
“You haven’t even met him?” Adam asked softly.
“I won’t until the wedding day.”
A deep furrow formed between Adam’s eyes.
Sky grinned and nodded towards a cluster of quiet, well-dressed guys. They looked like low-level business guys just starting to climb the corporate ladder.
“I bet they know something,” Sky said as she pushed off the bar.
The barman glared at her back as he looked at the untouched drinks. Adam put his drink back down and followed Sky. I rolled my shoulders. They could handle them. We’d cover more ground if I went after my own target.
The witches that had glared at us when Adam had sneezed were sneering at me. Perfect.
I allowed my teeth to sharpen and my eyes to amber while I dug deep for my guardian magic. They were witches, and there was a chance they were going to throw magic at me. I wanted my magic shield thing on hand.
I dragged a chair over from the next table, ignoring the complaints of those sitting there. Sitting down next to the tallest guy with a thin silver scar running down his cheek, I gave them my most predatory grin.
“Who’s going to tell me about the Apophis witch?”
Silence.
They turned into statues as they completely froze. I was pretty sure the dainty blond even stopped breathing.
Turning my full attention to the scarred guy, I leaned in close.
“Tell me everything,” I growled.
Magic filled the space between us. My shield burst to life and wrapped around me just before an explosion of brilliant white light blinded me. My vision cleared a few seconds later, just in time to see one of the men Sky had gone to speak to fly over the bar.
“I can’t take these witches anywhere,” I muttered.
Adam held his own. He headbutted the red-haired guy straight in the bridge of the nose and sent him reeling. I spun around and drove my fist into the throat of the scarred guy as he grabbed onto my wrist and spat out some vicious sounding spell. Pain seared my wrist and left a ring of red burnt flesh. Unfortunately for the witch, I heal remarkably fast. He was gasping for air while he moved his hands through the air, his eyes burning with magic and rage. I stomped down on his foot hard enough to hear the crunch of bones and stop whatever he was casting.
The dainty blond threw himself over the table with his hands stretched out to grasp onto my throat. I grabbed a handful of his hair and wrenched him sideways onto the floor, where he landed with a thud.
“Tell me everything before I show you just how dangerous garou really are,” I snarled.
The smell of blood filled my nostrils. Witch blood.
My attention darted to Adam and Sky. Adam had a witch bent backwards over a table and was snarling in his face. I’d expected the young garou to be quiet and reserved in a fight. My wolf side was proud of him.
“Talk,” I said as I wrenched the witch’s head further back, making him gasp and choke.
“There’s something weird going on. A house about an hour from here,” he managed to whisper.
“I need better than that.”
The witch with spiky blue-black hair pushed a piece of paper with an address written on it over towards me.
“There. I suggest you leave before the barman feels the need to step in,” he said coolly.
“Sky. I have it,” I shouted.
The witch paused with her fist drawn back ready to punch the man she had pinned against the wall. A look of disappointment spread over her face. Adam strode over towards the front door; Sky and I joined him.
“That went pretty well,” Sky said brightly.
“Remind me not to go drinking with you,” I said.
8
Amy and Briar were laughing on the couch when we walked in. Briar got up and went to Adam, where she checked him over. He gently pushed her away.
“I’m fine. I kicked some ass,” he said with a great deal of pride.
Briar pursed her lips and gave Sky a disapproving look before she muttered something about the witch being a bad influence.
I bit back a laugh.
“We have an address from some witches. They froze when we mentioned the Apophis witch and said something weird was going on here,” I said.
Amy took the piece of paper from me.
“This isn’t too far away.”
“What are we waiting for?” Sky said as she boun
ced on the balls of her feet.
The electricity in the air meant that none of us could stay still. We were going to end all of this ridiculous mess. Even Amy was enlivened by the buzz passing between all of us. There was a constant sense of movement as Sky bounced and Adam’s hands made small delicate motions in front of him.
Everyone piled into Sky’s car. Sky still refused to step foot in my car despite its being the far more practical option.
I was squeezed against the door while Briar sat in the middle of the back seat. Sky drove far too slowly for my tastes. We were so close, we shouldn’t have been sticking to the stupid speed limits. We needed to get there and end this.
“Would you relax, Rosalyn? You’re distracting,” Sky complained.
I looked out the window and tried to think happy relaxing thoughts. The feeling of Cole’s arms wrapped around me brought a soothing warmth to me, and I allowed myself to sink into it. It wasn’t going to be long now.
The thing about living in a state full of beautiful forests was that were a lot of cabins around. Sniffing the air, I made sure there weren’t any scents of death or old blood. We’d had enough run-ins with blood witches. I wasn’t ready for another one.
Adam and Briar walked just behind me, watching my back. Amy and Sky spread out as we approached the innocuous old cabin. The roof sagged a little, but otherwise it was well maintained. Ugly lilac-spotted curtains covered the windows, but there were voices inside.
Keeping my ears pricked, I checked for any other people around us. Everyone walked with quiet efficiency as we closed in on the cabin. This didn’t seem right. I thought witches were supposed to have a clean ritual space. And Apophis was an Egyptian god. Surely he needed sand or something?
Sky barged through the front door, and we all crowded through the narrow hallway behind her. She had her black sword in her hand and was starting to swing it around when I managed to get into the cramped kitchen. Everything was wood on wood - with bare floorboards, exposed logs for walls, and of course the furniture was all rustic pine too. It was not at all what I had expected for Apophis’s grand ritual.