Heart of the Hunter

by Alex Foster

  Callie opened her mouth to protest but then stopped and blinked in surprise, seemingly at the second apology.

  "I’ve been working with an archmage," Dakota continued. "Contact him and use his resources to keep these two off the grid for a few days. I’m going after Nicholas."

  "Alone?" He was almost shouting over the wind now.

  Dakota gave a small grin. "What’s the worst he can do? Kill me? Better people than him have tried and it didn't take."

  "A spirit channeler can do a lot to you, Dakota."

  Reina blinked sand out of her eyes. There was a lot of sand and dirt whipping around now, she noticed. A feeling along the back of her neck like she was being watched made her look back to the water.

  "All the more reason why I need to kill him while he’s still smoke and mirrors."

  Callie picked that time to interject. "Dakota I'm not going to—"

  "Who’s that?" Reina asked, pointing.

  All eyes snapped up and followed where she indicated. Standing just off the main pier was a grungy man hunched over. His hair was long and unkempt and he was dressed in several layers of dirty clothes. He didn’t move from his position but did extend both arms over his head.

  For a moment she thought he was going to dive backward off the dock but then she realized he was directing an ability. Another gust of wind, stronger than the others before, hit her and forced her back against the car.

  The two Circle people responded immediately. A glow of magic formed along Dakota’s arms and a gun appeared almost as fast in Dixon’s hand. "Get in the car, Callie!"

  Dakota shouted over her shoulder, "You too, Doe Eyes."

  A thick wall of sand and dirt hit them and then billowed upward in a tornado effect that blocked out the sun and nearly everything else. She heard Dixon firing blindly into the cloud and saw Dakota sending blasts of power into the air high above where the man had stood. She realized what the mage was doing. Instead of trying to hit the man, she was attempting to cast enough light to make him visible for Dixon to catch sight of him.

  It was a split second decision to try wounding the man instead of killing him outright but before it could work the wind picked up stones from the ground. They were small, some only as big as her fingernail, but razor sharp flying with such speed behind them.

  Reina heard one hit the passenger side window and crack it. She screamed as they began pelting her face. Hands grabbed her from behind and forced her into the car. "Get in," Dakota yelled next to her ear. "Dixon, take Callie; I’ve got Moran."

  Callie was saying something too but her voice was lost in the howling wind. Reina wasn’t sure it was possible but its speed seemed to increase. She fumbled twice getting the engine started, grateful that Callie had left the keys in the ignition, and saw brake lights glow as Dixon’s car dropped into gear.

  Two bolts of lightning flew toward the center of the swirling sandstorm and Dakota dropped onto the backseat. "Go!" she ordered.

  Reina put the car into drive and tried to orient herself. She lightly pressed the gas down and rolled forward. Taillights lit one last time in her rearview mirror and Callie and Mr. Wood were gone.

  "His range for wind this strong shouldn’t be much more than a few hundred yards, if even that," Dakota said in a rush behind her. "If he could strike farther than that we would’ve been pinned down before even seeing him. Just keep going until we are clear."

  Reina picked up speed and did her best to visualize where the dirt road ended and the dock began. If she went too far ahead and missed the turn she’d end up going off the end into the water, but if she turned too soon she would smash against storm barriers.

  This wasn’t a romantic place at all, she decided.

  Wind slammed into the car and Reina felt some of the traction slip. It was like they were hydroplaning on wind. Sand began pouring in through the air vents and blowing around the cab in a miniature version of the storm still raging outside.

  "Shit!" Dakota leaned over the center divide and began slapping vents shut.

  Reina gave the car more gas and gripped the wheel with both hands. She wasn’t sure she was in full control of the vehicle. Wind hit them with enough force to make the frame groan and windows rattle in their tracks. The rear end fishtailed and the passenger side tires bounced against something hard. The concussion was enough to throw Dakota through the air. She hit the roof hard and landed awkwardly on the back floor.

  "Dakota!" It happened again and Reina realized they weren’t running over things but actually being lifted into the air and dropped back down. "Oh God."

  She turned the wheel sharply into the direction of the wind lifting them. It kept them from going airborne again but the wind still caught enough of the rear to overcorrect the angle and nearly spin her completely around. She was driving blind and could only guess where those large storm breakers were now.

  The wind gave them a small reprieve in this direction and Reina pressed the gas pedal to the floor. How many yards had Dakota said until safety? Up ahead she could make out a little sliver of light peeking through the blowing dirt and sand, orange like the setting sun. Did that mean they were driving west? That was the way they wanted to go, right?

  The light glistened the closer they traveled to it, like it was a mirage … or a reflection. Beneath the tires she heard the clunk of wooden planks.

  Dakota cursed again and pulled herself up. There was blood running freely down her face. She flicked her hand twice and four balls of red magic filled the car. One sizzled past Reina’s ear and shattered the window beside her. The remaining three destroyed the other windows.

  Reina screamed again as the pressure difference blew the glass shards and sand outward. Her ears popped with the sudden change. She didn’t understand what was happening and then she felt the car leave the ground again. It was different this time as they raced forward in a heady rush.

  The car hit the water fast and with the force of slamming into a brick wall. The airbag deployed in Reina’s face and the impact left her dazed; black spots danced across her vision. Something pulled at her arm, dragging her toward the window. They had to get out before the water got in.

  That was her last thought before dropping off completely and then there was nothing but quiet and darkness.

  Chapter Seven

  The fog of unconsciousness — did I hit my head on something? — snapped almost painfully away when Reina became aware of the cold around her. And the wetness. She was in the water. Jerking sharply she gasped and filled her mouth with water.

  Her legs kicked automatically and fear burned away the rest of the sleepy haze. Arms thrashed as she tried to right herself and find which way was up.

  Reina’s head broke the surface almost immediately and she began gulping down air. Her lungs protested once, twice, and the saltwater in her stomach threatened to come back up. Not yet. Find dry land first.

  Dakota?

  Reina blinked her eyes clear and looked around, spotting the long wooden legs of the dock off to her right. Beyond it she could see the twinkling lights of the city line. Riding the crests of waves, she tried to find Dakota. Panic welled up again. Was she still in the car?

  No. Reina remembered them both getting out. The mage wouldn’t have gone back to shore and just left her, would she? No, Callie willingly gave her help and trusted her. No one worthy of that would have abandoned her.

  Plus Dakota had saved her life by getting her away from that mage and again when the car was sinking.

  The sun was almost down and the clouds directly overhead dark; the dim glow from the city didn’t offer much help in her search. After a couple of minutes of fruitless looking that made her panic grow with each second, she saw the prone form slowly bobbing in the waves.

  "Oh my God." Reina kicked over to her. Dakota floated on her back, completely still with arms loosely akimbo. Her jaggedly cut hair fanned out underneath her head.

  Reina reached her and felt for a pulse. Her fingers were numb and it took a long
moment to find it. Disturbingly slow but there. Simultaneously relieved and overwhelmed, Reina swam around Dakota and pulled the smaller woman against her body.

  She leaned back into the water and began kicking toward shore. Dakota’s head rolled and bummed against her chin with each slap of a wave, but her airway stayed clear. Reina wasn’t as lucky. She swam mostly blind and choked every time the water surged and plunged her beneath it.

  Reina kept Dakota held at an angle so she wouldn’t drown. The water was cold around them and she could feel what little heat they had left ebbing away. Her clothes felt fifty pounds heavier and the deadweight she was dragging threatened to sink them both.

  Not a strong swimmer, Reina considered a backyard pool her limit. And even then she mostly just liked to float and splash. Ignoring the burning in her arms and legs, she fell into a steady rhythm of kick, kick, stroke, check that Dakota was still breathing. Kick, kick, stroke, check that Dakota was still breathing. Repeat.

  Eventually she heard the sound of waves slapping against boat hulls. They were back. Reina almost called out for help but stopped when she remembered the mage that had attacked them. Was he still up there waiting for them? Or had he gone after Mr. Wood and Callie?

  Fresh worry, this time for her girlfriend, stabbed through her.

  No, she thought. Focus on this. Mr. Wood is more than capable of keeping Callie safe, and she isn’t easy to hurt.

  Dakota was shivering and Reina forced herself back to the matter at hand. Was it wrong to come back here? Did she just bring them back to what they had been running from? There was nowhere else to go. It was too dark and cold to float down the coast looking for help.

  They needed to get out of the water and dry sooner rather than later.

  A grumble sounded far away and for a moment she thought it was a motorboat. The police or the mage? But then the noise rolled away and she realized it was thunder. Faintly she remembered Callie mentioning a storm coming in. A cozy night together. Right.

  Reina scanned the marina and tried to find a boat she could use to get Dakota dry and look around the pier. Yeah, he’s just going to stand around and wait for you to spot him she thought.

  Most of the nearby slips were empty with only a few small fishing boats berthed. Those felt too exposed if someone was still looking for them or for protection when it started to rain. Reina kicked gently into the rising surf and moved deeper into the shadows of the boats.

  Almost ready to give up and turn back to the dock, Reina found a cuddy half concealed by a tarp. Two of the tie downs holding the canvas in place had snapped and whipped freely in the breeze. It didn’t look like anyone had been by to tend the boat in some time.

  Reina pressed numb fingers to the hull as she dragged Dakota aft toward the diving platform. The swell lifted them just enough for her to grab the ladder and pull herself halfway up. She leveraged herself against the boat and pulled Dakota up with an arm around her narrow waist. Sharp pain exploded beneath her shoulders as the hull dug into her back.

  Water sluiced from them and fell loudly back into the bay. She fought the urge to shush the annoying and telling noise and yanked even harder. Their sodden clothes had felt cumbersome in the water but out of it felt like she was dead lifting iron.

  Her sneakers slipped on the last ladder rung and she fell backward onto the cuddy’s deck. Dakota landed on top of her in a jumble of limbs.

  Reina rolled to the side and lay like that for a moment, catching her breath, and staring up at the low hanging clouds. She could smell the rain now. It mixed with the rusty scent of the old cuddy. Temptation to fall asleep right there was strong. She was tired and wanted to wake up finding all this was just a nightmare. Callie would curl up next to her and laugh because she was talking in her sleep again.

  Reina found a little strength left inside. Making sure Dakota was safe from falling back into the water, Reina rose to a crouch and peered into the darkness around the dock. She didn’t see emergency lights or hear people moving around up there. Had the sandstorm kept the people in town from seeing the accident? Was she completely on her own?

  She didn’t see any sign of the mage that had attacked them either. Mr. Wood and Callie were probably miles from here by now. It struck her for the first time that their car was gone and she had no way of getting help or back to Callie.

  It felt like a heavy weight settling on her chest. Another rumble of thunder, closer this time, sounded and only made her feel worse.

  Reina crawled back to Dakota’s prone form and felt along the tarp, ignoring the crusty bird droppings that turned to powder in her hands, until she found one of those loose tie downs. Reeling it in, she pulled the canvas back until she could slip Dakota underneath to the main deck.

  The smell of rust and must was almost choking down there. Reina followed the loose tarp along the portside. Another tie snapped off and the canvas started flapping quickly in the breeze.

  Two swift kicks to the cabin door were enough to snap the locking chain and force it open. It was easier than she had expected. A couple of hours with a witch hunter and I’m already breaking and entering, she thought wryly. Callie and Mr. Wood would be so proud.

  With the portholes fully covered by the tarp no light made it into the cuddy’s hold. Even with her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she could only make out vague shapes in the darkness. Reina went down into the hatchway first. Standing on the short ladder she hooked her hands through Dakota’s armpits and pulled her unceremoniously down with her.

  Again they fell backward but this time they hit something soft. A berth, she realized. At least something was going right. Reina shifted Dakota off to the side and climbed to her feet. It took several minutes of searching but she finally found a small emergency kit mounted next to the hatchway. Inside was a penlight.

  Reina secured the hatch and double checked that all the portholes were covered before twisting the light to the on position. Fortunately the batteries were in better shape than the bungee cords outside. Light, enough to blind her at first, filled the narrow cabin.

  Immediately a sense of safety filled her. It felt like she’d been in the dark for hours. As her eyes adjusted, Reina began looking through the emergency kit. She promised herself she’d leave money for whatever she used. This did qualify as a big old emergency.

  Now that they had some shelter and were depruning she could wonder about the thing that had been chewing at the corner of her mind since finding Dakota. Why hadn’t she woken up?

  Dakota lay sprawled across the berth, soaked to the wet rat level. Using the found penlight and all the first aid training she picked up in the two weeks she was a girl scout, Reina bent to examine her. Her skin was pale and she was trembling with chill, but her breathing was regular. The pulse beating in the side of her neck was stronger. Running a hand along the base of Dakota’s skull, Reina felt a knot starting to form above her left ear.

  A concussion? Reina thought, calling upon too many reruns of medical dramas on top of the girl scout education now. Dakota needed to wake up and stay conscious until she could see a real doctor.

  Reina bit her lip to keep it from quivering; she was cold too. Hypothermia was next on her checklist. She tapped Dakota’s cheek and whispered her name. At first the mage didn’t respond but then a flash of red and white sparks shot from her hands and made Reina jerk back and give a yelp. She blinked away after image spots.

  It was like a transformer circuit had threatened to blow.

  But Dakota rolled her head under her own power and groaned.

  Still a little freaked, Reina took that as a good sign and inched closer again. Inside the kit were several tightly bundled thermal blankets; she grabbed one and unfolded it. Reina was aware the growing ache in her limbs was from more than just a long swim; her core temperature was very low. She couldn’t stop shaking and pins and needles were working their way up her fingers and hands.

  Plus with a head injury Dakota was looking at a different kind of shock if she didn’t get warm s
oon.

  Reina couldn’t put it off any longer. The adrenaline that had carried her this far was wearing off and she was afraid she’d pass out where she stood when it was gone.

  Double checking that the hatch was secure and her penlight didn’t shine directly on any porthole, Reina walked back to the berth and began stripping off her clothes. She winced when she peeled her socks off her skin and dropped them like heavy rags on the floor. Clad only in a bra and underwear, she began shivering even more violently.

  Hanging the clothes as best she could around the small space to dry, she turned her attention to Dakota. It was awkward without Dakota's aid, but Reina couldn’t help but reflect that if there’d been more of this in the scouts she probably would have lasted longer than a few weeks. Hell, she would have earned the freakin’ Gold Award if that was the case. Dakota’s jeans went over the back of a chair and her shoes went in the corner.

  Still amused by her own wit (and wondering if it was the first signs of delirium) Reina tugged at Dakota’s black t-shirt. The cloth squished in her fists. Her head came free with a wet pop and Reina pulled it the rest of the way off. And became aware with a start that Dakota Clark and completely naked from the waist up.

  Oh.

  Reina stared for just a moment before tossing the t-shirt aside and wrapping her in one of the thermal blankets.

  "Sorry," she said to Dakota and the imaginary Callie in her head rolling her eyes. "Normally I’ve known people longer than a day before I get their clothes off." She paused. "Well there was that one time but you don’t care about that."

  Throwing a second blanket around her shoulders, Reina crawled in beside Dakota, pulled her close, and tucked a third blanket around them both. She extinguished the penlight.

  Instantly she felt warmth beginning to build under her skin again. The berth was soft and welcoming underneath her. Outside she could hear the storm whipping up. The marina offered a little protection from the worst of the waves, but she could still feel the steady whack of the water against the hull. It was rhythmic, down and silent followed by up and a thump, and even when thunder grumbled overhead she felt herself lulled and at rest.