Tethers

by Claire Farrell

  Icarus shook the wendigo like a cat shaking a mouse. Although it appeared weakened, it still fought back, managing to slice at Icarus enough to loosen his bite. Phoenix flung another glass kylie into the air. Frightened, the wendigo sprang backward out of its path. It moved closer to me, and I ducked under its grasping claws. It moved on all fours and made to pounce again, but I sidestepped and kicked it right in the head. Dazed, it shook itself and dove out of the way as Icarus attacked again. For one of the few times in my life, I wished I were carrying a larger weapon.

  Thinking clearly for a moment, I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled hard. Taking my cue, Phoenix repeated the action, and I hoped a werewolf was awake and close by to help. We were taking way too much time and energy trying to block the wendigo—it was time to finish the battle.

  Phoenix shouted something unintelligible and wielded his sword to distract the wendigo. I jabbed with my blade to force the wendigo back. Icarus blindsided the wendigo, somehow tripping it and pinning the creature without using his entire weight. With his great big jaws, he flung the wendigo around. Dazed and stunned, the creature lay still long enough for Icarus to manoeuvre its form to make it easy for Phoenix to stab it. But as Phoenix moved in to join Icarus, a whizzing sound drew my attention. Before my brain could connect the sound to the cause, Icarus stiffened then collapsed to the ground in a slumber.

  Chapter Twenty

  When I turned around in horror, the paragon was standing there, a tranquiliser gun in hand. I wasn’t even surprised.

  “Come,” Regis said to the wendigo. The creature obeyed, moving away from us and closer to the paragon. Regis was no demon. So what the hell did he do to earn his place as a wendigo’s master?

  I made to run at the paragon while he was sneering at Phoenix. But as soon as I took a step, Phoenix bellowed at me to stop.

  “No, Ava! We can’t kill a paragon. Not even you. It’ll provoke a war.”

  Damn stupid rules. For a moment, I didn’t care if an army came. The paragon deserved to be punished for his crimes. “I’m not part of the Senate,” I said. “I’m part of something bigger.” And the Eleven spoke with me.

  The paragon pointed the gun at me. “Don’t move,” he said, but there was a brief look of surprise in his eyes.

  “You’re a murderer,” I spat.

  “Aren’t we all? Like the werewolves who’ll so tragically turn on their biggest supporters. And the Senate who’ll panic at your deaths and execute the werewolves by morning.” He made a low whistle through his teeth that drew the wendigo’s attention. “Kill them both.”

  The wendigo limped forward, but a movement behind the paragon drew my attention.

  A woman dressed all in black had managed to slink behind the paragon unnoticed. He finally heard a movement and turned, but she karate-chopped his throat, wrapped her arms around his neck, and with a loud snap, broke his neck.

  I stared, speechless, as the paragon’s body slumped to the ground. I hadn’t expected that.

  The woman dropped her hood, revealing golden curls, and stretched. “Oh, that felt glorious.”

  “You’re not supposed to kill paragons,” I said flatly.

  She turned her curious gaze on me. “Well, as I’m a paragon, those rules don’t apply to me. Watch out!”

  I turned in time to see the wendigo bearing down on me. I bent to one knee to avoid its claws then crouched lower to avoid its back legs. With one jump, I was back on my feet behind the creature. Phoenix impaled it on his sword, barely missing the spine. I sank my dagger into the creature, finishing the job. The animal loosed an unholy screech then crumpled. I was almost certain I saw something dark leave the body, and for an instant, I wondered if I could have cleansed the creature instead. But then I recalled the human it had once been had willingly eaten its family to gain the power a demon would afford it, and I decided almost dying myself wouldn’t have been worth saving a human that terrible.

  “Rosa,” Phoenix was saying, looking completely baffled.

  “Bet you didn’t think you’d see me again so soon.” Her voice sounded flirty, but a hard glint sparkled in her eye. “But promises are promises.”

  “What the hell is going on?” I demanded, finding my voice again. “Thanks for the help and all, but who the hell are you? And how did you happen to be here tonight?”

  A smile curved her lips. “I followed you. Well, technically, I’ve been following Phoenix.”

  “Since I left?” he asked. “You came here after me?”

  “Home just wasn’t any fun after all the fae went away,” she said with a playful pout. “Besides, I needed to make sure you’d keep your word.”

  “What word? What’s she on about, Phoenix?” I asked crossly. I bloody well hated secrets.

  “I’ve been asking Phoenix for a little help,” she said. “Although he agreed, he wasn’t keen, but as he can see, he needed me. Now he owes me a favour. So the werewolves better be ready when I need them. I dealt with this fool, so he won’t be bothering you again. Do we still have a deal, Phoenix?”

  He refused to look at either of us. “Yes,” he said in a low voice.

  “Excellent. I’ll have to clean up the body, but feel free to tell your Senate that there’s been a few changes. I’ll be the one they deal with from now on. And instead of the werewolves, however many other wendigo he has hidden away will die. The werewolves are no longer at risk as long as they remain a part of my army should I need them. Do you understand?”

  Phoenix nodded, but he didn’t look pleased.

  “Oh, come on,” she said softly. “We may have to work together soon. No point looking so glum. It’s over. The werewolves are safe, and I did what you couldn’t: killed the paragon who threatened them.”

  I breathed heavily, dying to ask more questions yet wanting to gather as much information as I could from the reactions of the pair in front of me.

  Rosa nodded at the prone werewolf. “I’m sure the sleeping dogs will wake soon. She can watch over him while you and I get rid of the body. Let’s be quick. We have a lot to catch up on, and I hear you have the best nightlife here.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but Phoenix shook his head, and the look in his eye told me to listen, for a change.

  When the two left, carrying the body of the paragon, I sat next to Icarus and used the walkie-talkie to let the others know the wendigo was dead. Shay organised a search for the missing werewolves in the meantime. Phoenix didn’t get back in time to help, but I stayed with the werewolves as they were transported back to base camp.

  It had been a very long night. Val was feeling okay, but I was pretty sure she should have gotten stitches. Still, I didn’t want to argue with a pissed-off hellhound, half or no.

  “Where’s Phoenix?” Peter asked as he shared a flask of tea with me.

  “He had something to do,” I said.

  “Must have been important if he left the werewolves alone to do it.”

  “I don’t ask questions.” When he shot me a bemused look, I amended my words with, “Okay, I do ask, but I don’t get any answers. So we’re both in the dark.”

  “I’m just glad the wendigo is dead,” he said. “The idea of it being human once makes my skin crawl.”

  “Can you imagine? What kind of person would invite that darkness into their soul?”

  He sighed. “I dunno. You heading home soon?”

  “I was going to wait until the werewolves woke. They did so much of the work that it feels a bit shitty to leave them out here.”

  “Well, you did say that Phoenix warned they would go crazy when they woke up from a tranquilised sleep. It’s better that we’re keeping our distance.”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Are you hurt or anything?”

  “I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”

  He leaned back. “Yeah, it really has.”

  “Ava!” Val called from the ambulance nearby. “Is your phone switched off?”

  I checked my pockets an
d groaned. “I must have dropped it out there.”

  “Carl’s been calling you. Esther’s hurt. She needs to get to the clinic.”

  “What’s happening?”

  “She had some kind of a seizure. She’s bleeding from her nose and ears. But the shifters are back outside the cul-de-sac. They might not know it’s there, but they know it’s somewhere close by, and they’re in some kind of a frenzy.”

  Damnit. When Phoenix warned them off me, they must have shifted their focus back to Esther instead.

  Quinn lifted her head from bandaging her injured partner. “Esther’s hurt?”

  “We need to get her past the shifters and to the clinic. Any ideas?” I asked.

  She nodded toward the ambulance. “We could try stealing that.”

  Peter was already in the driver’s seat before I could answer.

  “Okay,” I said. “I guess we’re stealing ambulances now.”

  ***

  Quinn’s human partner distracted the paramedics long enough for us to steal the ambulance. Val sat in the back with Quinn in case we were stopped. Her gaping shoulder wound would fool anyone past base camp into thinking that we were genuinely taking her to the clinic. I didn’t tell Shay or anyone else in case the shifters somehow got wind of the plan first. The ambulance was fast and packed with medical equipment. After thinking about it, it really did seem like a safe bet.

  Peter was getting too much of a kick from blasting the sirens. “It’ll freak out the shifters,” he explained. “Their hearing will work against them with this shit carrying on.”

  “It’s bothering me, too,” I said. “But at least we’re less likely to crash into the back of something. Why do you keep veering to the left?”

  “You try driving something this big for the first time,” he snapped back.

  “We might not make it in time,” I said. “If Carl is this worried…”

  “Anka and Margie will give her something to help in the meantime,” he said calmly.

  “Of all the nights for this to happen…”

  “There’s no right time for something like this,” he said. “And there’s no sense in you wondering what if all the time. She’s not been well, and with the stress and everything else, something was bound to give eventually.”

  “I didn’t think it would be her life!” I hadn’t meant to sound so emotional, but I was terrified. Esther was already weak, and if the shifters attacked the ambulance, we were all screwed. The ambulance was basically leading them right to our hiding place, but the surprise might give us enough time to get back out and past the waiting shifters. But they were probably half-demented; they likely wouldn’t even care if we knocked them down. And that didn’t sound like a terrible idea when I thought of them waiting for Esther to show.

  “At least we can say our lives aren’t boring.” Peter was babbling, trying to draw me out of my own head.

  “I’d give anything to be bored,” I said. “I swear, I will never complain of being bored again if Esther makes it through this.”

  “Carl called the emergency services for help,” he said in a low voice. “None ever came. We have to be ready to fight our way past the shifters, Ava.”

  “Oh, I’m ready,” I said with a growl. I banged on the partition behind me. “Val, Hulk out!”

  “I do not ‘Hulk out,’” she grumbled, but the van seemed unbalanced for a second, as if adjusting to her new size.

  “Quinn, be careful of the doors. The shifters might make a grab for them.”

  “I’m ready,” she said firmly. “Just get us to Esther and then head for the clinic. We’ll do the rest.”

  We soon made it to the cul-de-sac after driving at top speed. As we passed, a dozen shifters wandering around near the cul-de-sac stopped what they were doing and stared at us, looking confused. They seemed to realise what was happening when we were almost inside. Their looks of confusion as they chased after us only for us to disappear were comical.

  “Maybe I owe the witch an apology and a thank you,” I said, jumping out of the ambulance before it came to a dead stop.

  Carl was already carrying Esther out of Anka’s house. The shifter was unconscious, and her blood was all over him. His face was white, but he was dead calm, calmer than I had ever seen him.

  “We’ll take her,” I told him.

  He shook his head. “I’m coming with you.”

  “The shifters—”

  “I don’t give a shit,” he said. “I’m going with her.”

  I took one look at his determined face and nodded. I helped him put her in the back of the ambulance. He agreed to sit up next to Peter because of the lack of room. I sat in the back with Esther, Val, and Quinn, who looked horrified by Esther’s appearance.

  The ambulance jerked out of the cul-de-sac in a hurry, as Peter likely hoped to confuse the shifters a second time. It didn’t work. They raced after us immediately. One, a falcon, flew over us as if keeping track of our path. One hulking male gripped the doors of the ambulance and leapt up to ride with us. He ripped at one door with a growl, pulling it wide open. He reached inside, but Quinn slammed the door shut, catching his hand. He howled in fury then punched on the doors.

  Esther’s eyelids fluttered open. The whites of her eyes had turned red. I held her hands as Val moved to the door. The second time the shifter opened them, she reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt, shook him, then flung him onto the road. As the doors swung closed, I caught sight of a number of shifters chasing us—and thought they might catch us before we arrived. A squawking sound from above confirmed that particular fear.

  I looked down at Esther and tried to smile. “It’s okay. You’re not feeling so good, so we’re taking you to the clinic.”

  Her eyes widened, and she tried to shake her head, but she squeezed her eyes against the pain instead.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “We’re in an ambulance, and it’s fast. Val’s here. So is Quinn. I pity the shifter who messes with us.” I tried to laugh, but a lump stuck in my throat. Esther’s heartbeat was slowing dramatically. She wouldn’t hold on for much longer if we didn’t get help.

  “We’re almost there,” Peter called out reassuringly.

  Esther’s eyes opened again.

  “See?” I said. “We’re just there, and the doctors will help you. And we found the wendigo. It’s dead, Esther, so it’s all over. As soon as Phoenix gets back, he’ll put the shifters in their place for good. You don’t have to worry anymore. You’ll go to the clinic for a while, and they’ll fix you up, and then you can come back home. You won’t have to hide anymore. There’s no wendigo or… or anything.” My voice faltered as I remembered the shifter killer was still out there. The paragon might have killed the shifters, but it didn’t add up in my eyes. Unless it was Rosa. I intended to ask Phoenix when I saw him again. I had a lot of questions for him already.

  Esther tried to speak then, but something pounded at the side of the ambulance. I flinched, but the words froze in my mouth as whatever was hanging off the edge of the ambulance clambered onto the roof. We all gazed above us as footprints weighed down the metal. Then a fist pounded, once, twice, three times. Each strike felt like a punch in the gut. Either we hadn’t outrun the shifters, or that bloody falcon was calling every shifter within hearing range to us. If they stayed with us, we would never get Esther out of the ambulance without a fight.

  Esther made a noise, and after a moment’s hesitation, Quinn began to speak loudly to cover the sounds. Val got to her feet, warily keeping her balance as she unsheathed her sword. She waited for the hand to pound again. It had almost broken through. Val sucked in a breath against her shoulder pain then violently stabbed upward, right as the fist pounded again. A howl of pain sounded; whoever was on the roof of the ambulance struggled to stay upright. The shifter moved to the other side of the ambulance, staying with us.

  I swore under my breath. Peter swerved the ambulance, maybe to knock them off, maybe to avoid another shifter. Val grunted and stabbed
upward again. At that moment, the ambulance lurched as it collided with something. We were all thrown to one side as the vehicle veered dramatically, but the shifter on the roof toppled off.

  “They’re still following,” Peter shouted. “But we’re about to pull in. Get ready to run in with Esther. You’ll have about fifteen seconds to get her inside.”

  Val handed Quinn her sword and gathered Esther in her arms. The shifter looked tiny and defenceless being held by the hellhound.

  The ambulance slowed, and I kicked open the doors. I jumped out, glanced left and right, then ran for the main doors of the clinic. I heard footsteps run behind me, but I couldn’t focus on them. All I needed was to open the door. Quinn jumped out of the ambulance, wielding the oversized sword, her birdlike eyes as sharp as ever.

  The ambulance stopped, and Val jumped down with Esther as Carl and Peter jumped out and ran around to join us.

  “Help!” I shouted at the startled receptionist.

  Quinn held open the door, but the fastest shifters had already reached us. They circled—five of them, plus one in the air. Val laid Esther on the ground by the door. The shifter struggled to say something, but she couldn’t get the words out.

  Quinn beckoned someone from inside the building, holding open the door with her foot as she took a protective stance next to Esther. Val stood at the forefront as Peter and Carl tried to fill the spaces around Esther. We might not have been badly outnumbered yet, but we didn’t exactly have the upper hand. Val was injured. Peter, Quinn, and I had been running in a forest after a wendigo all night. And Carl was a human.

  I willed a doctor to appear, but none dared to come outside while we were being hunted by the shifters. I gripped my dagger and made to attack the closest shifter. She tried to barrel past me. I barely held on, forcing her back into the other shifters. They glanced at each other and nodded, preparing to work together as a pack.

  A strange animalistic noise made them all freeze, however. There was a roar that unsettled me, Esther tried frantically to sit up, and a cold feeling spread across my skin. A beautiful black panther leapt onto the top of the ambulance then took an elegant leap into the air, catching the falcon in his mouth. When the panther landed, the falcon was bloody and lifeless. Aiden flung the shifter away. In death, the falcon turned back into her human form of a pretty young woman.