Magic Brew

by T. Rae Mitchell

  “And?” I say when she stops to stare at me with the same amazed expression she had when she first laid eyes on me.

  “I knew you were different! You’re not like all those evil demons and blackhearted fae I always see in the city.”

  “Don’t kid yourself. I’m not that different.”

  “Yes you are. You’re not filled with darkness and shadows like your friends. You have pretty lights inside you–a golden one in your chest and a purplish fire behind your belly button.”

  I like how she’s looking at me, but I shouldn’t. “Enough of the x-ray vision,” I say more harshly than I mean to. “Your kind gets in trouble for seeing things you shouldn’t.”

  The warmth in her eyes dims. “I know, my grandmother was blinded by a Dread witch for seeing too much.”

  “Don’t let on to any of the others you have the Sight. We don’t like gullies seeing us for what we really are.”

  “Gullies?”

  “Short for gullible, because most humans believe whatever illusions are thrown at them.”

  She nods. “Sad but true.”

  Wasn’t expecting her to agree. “Listen, I don’t trust this freakishly tall hermaphrodite anymore than you do, but there’s still more I have to know. Help me out and I swear I’ll let you go after this.”

  She looks away, but not before I see a flash of anger cross her face. “Sure, whatever you want,” she mutters under her breath.

  Her reaction throws me. I shouldn’t care what’s on her mind or how she feels. But I do, and I hate that. She’s a lowly human. Having the Sight doesn’t make her special. I’ve got to get this done and be rid of her. Having her around is messing with me.

  Frowning, I turn to the angel. “How do I get my Djinn powers back?”

  The dark angel leans forward, mournfully tilting its head to one side.

  “I don’t like the look it’s giving me,” I say to Sienna.

  Keeping her gaze downcast, she relays the angel’s message. “Anguish says until you fully accept your Highborn powers and learn how to control them, you won’t be able to undo the ward keeping your Djinn powers locked away.”

  “Wait. Anguish?” I say, caught off guard by the name.

  “It doesn’t like Gloomy Gus. Or Grim Reaper, and especially not Dick.”

  “Right, cuz Anguish is so much better than any of those,” I say, surprised it knows all the old nicknames I had for it. “Okay, Anguish. Unless you can work a miracle and fix me up, there’s no time for me to learn how to get a grip on these new powers. If you haven’t noticed, we’re being hunted behind enemy lines.”

  The dark angel gazes straight back at me as Sienna speaks for it. “You have to stop thinking of yourself as a halfbreed. You’re the first of a new race–unique and more powerful than anyone you’ve ever come up against.”

  I’ll admit to a secret thrill upon hearing this. I always sensed something big was buried deep down inside, but I never thought it was anything more than wishful thinking. “Look, I get that I’m packing some radioactive stuff here, but that’s the least of my problems right now. I’ll be lucky to survive the night.”

  An ominous frown sets like stone on Anguish’s face as Sienna finally lifts her gaze to look at me. Worry and concern have replaced whatever anger it was she was feeling. “The angel agrees you’re in grave danger. The Bad Hats declared war on the Forsaken. Every gang in the city’s out looking for you. They’ve put a bounty on your head.”

  Panic erupts under my skin. I can’t take this caged feeling anymore. I’ve always been able to bolt whenever things got dicey. Without my Djinn powers, I’m stuck and there isn’t a goddamn thing I can do to help myself, or my crew. I’m a waste of space unless I can get a handle on this freaky Highborn power.

  “The angel says to get to the North Woods in Central Park and call on the wildlings to bring you to Duil'dir. He’ll help you understand your new powers.”

  “The wildlings?” It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone mention that particular species of fae. They’re called wildlings for a reason. They have no allegiance to anything other than nature. Are those the creatures I spotted in the woods earlier?

  “You’ve seen them watching you,” Sienna says, answering my unspoken question.

  I start pacing back and forth. “Look, I can’t just go off in search of the wildling equivalent to Yoda. I’ve gotta put my gang first. My best shot is to head north and lead the hunt away from the others.”

  The angel’s face darkens as it shakes it head and Sienna says, “That won’t keep them from being hunted. The bounty’s on them too. You need to stay with them. You’re stronger together than you are apart.”

  “I haven’t told them I’m a Highborn. They’ll probably turn on me when they find out.”

  “Then you underestimate your friends,” Sienna says, but doubt moves in her eyes as she looks up at the angel. I can tell she expects a bad reaction from them as much as I do.

  “Damn right you’re underestimating us, and I should kick your ass for thinking otherwise,” Nyx says as she steps out of the shadows.

  Furious, I turn on Nyx with a scowl. Don’t know if I’m more pissed off about what she overheard, or the spying. “You shouldn’t be here,” I growl.

  “Listen, I may like playing in the dark, but I really hate being kept in the dark.” Nyx’s gaze flicks suspiciously between Sienna and me. She’s standing right next to the angel but can’t see it. “Why are you talking to this gullie like she’s some almighty oracle? What is she? One of those cheesy psychics who channel spirits with stupid names?”

  “She has the Sight,” I blurt out.

  Sienna flinches visibly, like I chucked hot coals at her. Guilt twists my insides.

  “Does she?” Nyx says as she circles around Sienna, her movements predatory.

  I grab Sienna by the arm and shove her behind me. “Leave her alone.”

  Nyx stares at me. If looks could kill, I’d be a quivering lump gasping my last breath. “Is everything she said about your mother and the Highborn king true?”

  An eternity of silence passes between us before I answer. “Yeah.”

  She starts laughing, an unnatural sound coming from Nyx. She’s not what you’d call cheery. “Well that explains pretty much everything,” she says, a bitter edge to her voice.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Her cold smile fades. “Come on, Edge. You know you’ve never gotten your hands dirty like the rest of us.”

  I don’t say it, but I get her meaning. I still haven’t made my first kill. The way I see it, there’s never been any reason to. Not when you can vanish at will and inflict just enough damage to avoid a lot of messy bloodletting.

  “You should’ve told us though,” Nyx adds. “We have a right to know what you are. Secrets are for traitors like Maddox.”

  She crossed the line on that one. Before I know it, my fingers wrap around her throat and dig in. “Don’t ever say I’m like that snake!”

  Nyx grabs my arm, her mouth open and gasping for air. She could easily drive a blade between my ribs, but we both know she forced me into a corner. I have to show her who’s boss.

  I let her go.

  “Chill, I’m sorry,” she says, her breath ragged as she rubs her windpipe.

  Without saying a word, I leave her there to lick her wounds and pull Sienna along behind me across the Acropolis to the stairs. I feel like I’ve been split in two–one part of me resisting all this change and the other hungering for everything to change. I have no idea what my next move should be. All I know is, if I don’t make a decision quickly, something or someone’ll come along and make it for me.

  Hurley bounds up the steps toward us with Justice and Gort bringing up the rear. “We’ve got company, and it ain’t friendly,” he calls out.

  Decision made. Retreat to higher ground and prepare to fight.

  15

  Dead Dogs

  “IT’S THE HELLHOUNDS,” Hurley says as we race ba
ck up to the Acropolis.

  Adrenaline jolts me back into high alert. “How many?”

  “Six that we know of,” Justice says as he and Gort join us.

  “Probably the ones we saw at the summit,” Nyx says from the top of the steps. “I don’t think we’re on their turf. Didn’t see any of their tags around.”

  I’m glad she’s still with us. I was afraid she might’ve taken off. I wouldn’t want to tangle with a pack of werehyenas without Nyx. “How far behind are they?”

  Hurley wipes the sweat pouring off his brow. “They were across the street when we first spotted them. As soon as we headed up here, they came into the park and split off in different directions.”

  “They must be surrounding the hill. They’ll be climbing up, so be ready for them to come at us from all sides,” I say, catching sight of Anguish, now back on top of the watchtower. “I’ll climb the tower. I should be able to see them from up there.”

  “Better yet, how about I cloak you, Hurley and Justice and get us the hell off this hill,” Nyx offers.

  I look at Sienna. Her face goes pale with fear as she looks from Nyx to me. “No. We’re not leaving anyone behind.”

  “I’ll come back for them,” Nyx says through clenched teeth.

  “No, those Cerberean dogs of Hades will have eaten the innocents by then,” Justice says, patting Gort’s back.

  “Since when do we risk our necks for gullies and Mechs?” Nyx fumes.

  “Since now,” I say, pushing past her. Grabbing Sienna’s hand, I lead her over to the watchtower. She won’t stand a chance down here on the ground when the Hellhounds make their move. Besides, Anguish should know exactly how many dogs are out there.

  “Are you getting anything from Anguish?” I ask Sienna under my breath as we climb the spiraling stairs of the watchtower.

  “Only that you need to get away as fast as possible or the Hellhounds won’t be the only ones you’ll have to worry about,” she whispers nervously.

  “Don’t tell me there’s another gang on the way.”

  “Anguish says the Bonegrinders are nearby. They don’t know you’re here, but the fighting will bring them over.”

  When we reach the top, I circle the deck, searching the dark trees, scanning for any movement around the edges of the Acropolis. There’s no sign of the Hellhounds yet, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Sweat trickles down my back as Zulu’s stories about the werehyenas of Sudan and Ethiopia come back to me.

  Unlike werewolves, the moon doesn’t control werehyenas. They can shift at will, and not always fully. A lot of times they stay partially in human form. Using their heightened senses and psychic abilities, they prey on the young, the old and the weak by calling their names to lure their victims into the open. Werehyenas aren’t animals driven by blind, primal hunger alone. They’re sly, sadistic cannibals.

  “How many dogs are we dealing with, Anguish?” I ask, frustrated I can’t pinpoint their positions like I’ve always been able to. With my Djinn powers, I’d sense where each one is, right down to how many zits they have on their hairy backs.

  “Six. Two females and four males,” Sienna answers.

  “Great,” I mutter. The women are the brains and they’re twice as strong as the men. Anguish might as well have said there were eight Hellhounds moving in on us, because that’s what it’ll feel like. “Show me where they are.”

  Lifting a long arm, Anguish points at six different spots around the Acropolis.

  Feeling a little more confident, I start to climb down.

  Sienna touches my arm. “Be careful, Edge. Please don’t die.”

  Is she for real? I’ve done nothing but put her in harm’s way. How can she care whether I live or die? “Don’t make a sound, and don’t move from this spot until I come back for you.”

  She nods as I rush down the iron steps.

  “What’d you see?” Hurley asks.

  I fill them in on where the Hellhounds are positioned. “What’s all this stuff?” I ask, looking at the long lance Justice is holding. It’s made of what looks like scrap parts machined together. In his other hand, he’s holding a gun-shaped gadget attached to Gort by a cable.

  Justice hands me the lance. “Gort stripped some parts. I had him make this for you, and I’m using his welding gun. Killer, huh? I’m gonna fry the hides off these filthy pagans.”

  The lance is solid and heavy. “Nice. Anybody in the mood for hotdogs on a stick?” I say, throwing Nyx a challenging look. I’ll show her I can get my hands dirty.

  She meets my gaze head on, but there’s an unexpected hint of regret in her expression.

  Hurley smashes his fists together, his skin reddening as he bulks up into the Oni demon. “Let’s rock and roll.”

  We fall into position. Hurley’s ready to tear apart the alpha female coming up the north side of the plateau, and Justice and Gort are geared up to scorch her beta counterpart on the opposite end. I figure me and Nyx can take care of the males making their way up the middle.

  My skin prickles with gooseflesh. There’s something about waiting that makes the minutes crawl. When things don’t happen the instant you expect them, the fight leaks out and dread sets in. The Hellhounds should’ve made their move by now.

  Frustrated, I glance up at the dark angel. I don’t get it. If that’s my so-called guardian angel, why the hell can’t I hear what it’s saying the way Sienna can? I need to know what’s going on out there and Anguish is the only one with a bird’s eye view.

  An eerie, low-sounding whoop, whoop echoes from the direction of the tennis courts.

  Nyx glances over her shoulder. “Do you think they’re leaving?”

  Another series of whoops rings from the swimming pool located in the opposite corner of the park.

  I shake my head. “No. They’re trying to distract us. Stay tight.”

  “Sieeeenna,” a woman’s voice croons from the other side of the watchtower.

  Sienna pokes her head up over the deck and looks around.

  “Get down!” I say, keeping my voice low but loud enough for her to hear as I race over to the edge of the terrace closest to the tower. My mind’s racing, freaked out by the Hellhounds’ sharp hearing. They’ve been listening in this whole time and they pinpointed the weakest amongst us.

  High-pitched, hysterical laughter sounds from all sides, rustling in the trees, disturbing the rocks along the crag. They’re closing in, whining Sienna’s name over and over again, along with their incessant, hyena cackling.

  My nerves skim along a razor’s edge between panic and irritation.

  All at once, dark shapes hurtle out of the darkness. One of them crashes against my chest, slamming me onto my back. Pain shoots across my shoulders. Gripping the lance with both hands, I shove the metal bar straight up into a gaping maw of fangs. The werehyena chomps down on the bar, shaking its head back and forth, snarling as it bears down on the metal. Before it can bite the damn thing in half, I give it a twist, snapping off the dog’s right incisor. Jerking its enormous head back with an enraged howl, the hyena lurches to the side, giving me the opening I need to scramble to my feet and aim the lethal point of my spear.

  Chancing a quick glance at the others, I see a chaotic blur of motion, bristling fur, the flash of fangs and my crew dodging the werehyenas aggressive attack.

  A low, rumbling growl jerks my attention back to my attacker. Crouched and ready to pounce again, I see the Hellhound hasn’t fully shifted. Long sinewy human arms extend up into hunched hairy shoulders, widening into a thick neck of coarse hackles. Black lips pull back from razor-sharp fangs, wrinkling over the snout as the jaw unhinges wider than I thought possible. Slowly, the creature rises, the legs muscular yet shapely and wedged into a pair of tight blue jeans. A firm set of globes strain beneath a snug brown leather vest.

  Lucky me, I got the alpha female.

  We circle each other. The yellow eyes are wild, reflecting the city lights like mirrors, yet there’s intelligence behind that
feral glint. She’s surveying me, watching for the first sign of fear or physical weakness. I jab the lance at her, aiming for the sliver of smooth brown skin exposed between her jeans and vest. She leaps back, her clawed, long-fingered hands reaching out to grab the spear from me, but I pull it back too fast.

  Over her shoulder, I glimpse Nyx dissolving in and out of shadow, surprising a half formed male Hellhound from behind. Slashing his calves, she brings him to his knees so she can come in for the kill. Hurley flattens another by punching a hole in his ribs, then barrels toward another male, fully shifted into an oversized hyena charging at him like a rabid dog. A feminine howl cuts through the pack’s cackles and yowls as fiery sparks flare from Gort’s welding gun.

  The alpha whips her mastiff-sized head toward her second in command. Flashes of blue and gold burst from the gun, consuming the other female in flames. The stench of burning hide and flesh fills the air as her growls become more human. With the spirit of the hyena leaving her, she shrinks back to normal size, her human body writhing in pain, the mocha color of her skin charred black, blistered and peeling away from bloody sores.

  Turning back to me with ears flattened to her head, the alpha lets out a furious howl, her savage gaze flicking up to the watchtower, where Sienna is hiding. Fear stabs my heart. I rush in to drive the lance clean through her torso but she twists away in a swift blur, careening across the Acropolis toward Justice and Gort.

  Both of them are standing with their backs to me, searing the deader than dead female Hellhound. I yell a warning, but the alpha’s already on Justice, throwing him to the ground. He skids over the stone several feet before they stop. Hunching over him, the alpha claws into his back like she’s digging a hole to bury a bone. Chunks of meat fly in the air, spraying the ground with bloody matter.

  Fear shifts into rage so fast and hard, I can’t see straight. Crazed with grief, I rush at her with the spear, targeting the Hellhound claw insignia stitched to the back of the alpha’s vest. Somewhere in the background, Nyx yells at me to stay back. I block her out. I don’t want to stop.