Army of Wolves (Dark Season III)

by Amy Cross

  "You just left Patrick there?" I ask.

  "He'll be fine".

  "He was willing to die for you," I say. "And you just left him there?"

  Hamish shrugs. "He won't die. The most he'll get is a few scratches until they realise I'm not there, then they'll leave. See? It'd be worse for him if I'd stayed. Anyway, I don't need him".

  "Then why did you come to ask for his help?"

  "I didn't". He fixes me with a curious stare. "I came to ask for your help".

  I look at him and try to understand. "Me? I'm just... You had a choice between a powerful vampire and me, and you chose me?"

  He nods. "Aye. I must be suicidal, mustn't I?" He pauses. "So. Are you backing out?"

  I look around. We're on the edge of the forest. I'm not exactly sure of the way back home, but I know the rough direction.

  "You know what the rest of the pack's doing right now?" Hamish asks. "Well, one of two things. Either they're having a ding-dong fight with Patrick, or they're following a bunch of false trails through the forest. Whichever it is, they're not gonna bother us for a few hours. Still, better get going, 'cause if they find us, they'll kill us". He stares at me. "Both of us".

  "We have to go and find Patrick," I say. Despite what Hamish says, Patrick's the only one who can save us.

  "No," he says. "Sorry, but we can't do that yet. I've got a bit of a plan, I just need your help. A couple of hours and we can sort all of this out, and we can both be on our way, okay?" He smiles. "And you don't need to keep yourself covered up like that. It's nothing I haven't seen before".

  "Thanks anyway," I say, keeping myself very much covered up.

  "This way," Hamish says, turning and starting to walk away.

  I stand and stare at him. There's no way I'm following him. I turn and start walking in the opposite direction.

  "Hey!" he shouts. "You're only gonna run into a bunch of wolves if you go that way!".

  I turn for a moment. "You think Patrick won't save me?" I shout back.

  "I think he would if he could," says Hamish. "But I think he's a bit busy right now. And I think you'd be a lot better off coming with me right now. Because unlike Patrick, I do have a plan, and I do know how to get out of this situation without getting into a big old fistfight. And if I'm right, it's not you who needs saving. It's me, and it's Patrick. So come on".

  "I'm not going anywhere with you," I say.

  "You think you can just stop and walk back?" he asks. "They'll find you, and they'll rip you to pieces for fun".

  He turns and walks away, but I stand my ground. When he realises I'm not following, he turns again. "You want to know how far behind us those wolves are? About two, maybe three hours. Do you really not want to live more than two or three more hours?"

  "So your answer is just to run," I say. "Just keep running".

  He nods. "I've been running for five hundred fucking years," he says. "I'm good at it".

  "Then how come you're in such a mess?" I ask.

  "Because I had to come and find Patrick. I thought he could help me. I took a risk, and it didn't pay off. Now I've got to get running again. But this time I know where I'm going. I just need your help. I promise you, if you come with me and you do what I say, everything's going to be fine. I've got a plan".

  "A plan?"

  "Yeah. A great plan. But I can't pull it off alone. That's why I need you. I thought I'd get Patrick to help me fight the bastards off, but I've got a better plan now. I don't need brute force, I need brains. And that's where you come in. I knew it the moment I met you".

  I stare at him.

  "I can't make you come," he says. "But I'd hate to see you get ripped up by the rest of the pack. I've seen that happen to people, and it's not pretty. Or quick. And it would really fuck up my plan".

  "I don't believe you," I say.

  "I've got it all figured out".

  "For someone who's got it all figured out," I say, "you're very naked and running for your life right now".

  "There's a plan!" he insists.

  "Bollocks," I say.

  "There bloody well is!"

  "Okay," I say. "What is it? What's the great plan?"

  "Can't tell you," he says. "Not 'til we're there. Frankly, if I told you, you'd refuse to come with me".

  "I'm already refusing," I say.

  "Aye, but not seriously," he says. "I mean, you can't go back the way we came, 'cause I promise you there's wolves ready to rip you to pieces. My way's the only way. And all you have to do is stick with me, and I promise you'll be okay". He smiles a little. "I'm a friend of Patrick's. A good friend. Maybe the best friend he's ever had. Doesn't that tell you that you can trust me?"

  He walks a little further, then stops by a tree. "Don't worry," he says. "I've planned ahead". He kneels down and uses his hands to start digging. Eventually he pulls up a small bag, which he throws at my feet. "Clothes," he says. "I hope they fit".

  I open my mouth to argue, but then I realise I've got no choice. All I can do is keep following him, and hope to God that Patrick turns up to save me before we run into a pack of hungry wolves.

  Ten

  New York City - 1903.

  I'm in a bar that's packed with humans. They're all completely oblivious to what's really going on in the world. They're so obsessed with their own little achievements, they completely miss the bigger picture. But this city is becoming the final battleground for a war more terrible than anything they could possible imagine. Me? I'm just here to watch. After all, you rarely get a chance to see so many people die all at once.

  The vampire war is almost over. I've no idea who's going to win, but I know it'll be finished soon. This is particularly bad news for me, because the war has been consuming the resources of the Alpha Wolf. As soon as the war comes to its inevitable conclusion, he'll be free to turn his attention back to me, and then I'll really have to start running again. So I'm in New York for a drink, hoping the vampires will keep fighting for at least a few more years.

  "It's rare to spend so much time among humans," says Garvey, sitting at the table opposite me. "They stink, and not in a good way".

  I nod, looking down at my beer. "So what's the latest news?"

  Garvey looks uncomfortable. "Gothos has fallen".

  That's it, then. The war is pretty much over. Gothos was the last stand of the ruling vampires. To think that such a proud and ancient house is now overrun with vermin.

  "Any word from Patrick?" I ask.

  He shakes his head. "It's hard to keep track of any one person in particular. But there are rumours, you know... Some people believe the war will be over within a year. It's said there is a plan, but no-one knows what the plan might be".

  "There's always a plan," I say, taking a big sip of beer. "Plans don't mean anything. Any fool can have a plan".

  "Some say that Patrick has a plan," says Garvey. "Some say that the ruling vampires fear Patrick more than they fear anything else".

  "They'd be wise to do just that," I say.

  Garvey nods. I've always liked Garvey. He's right on the edge between authority and chaos, and he's reliable. I feel like he'll always do the right thing, when his back's against the wall. "There will be a huge change," he says. "When the vampires finally fall, there will be a vacuum. A lot of people will try to fill that vacuum. It will be chaos, for a while".

  "What does the old boy think?" I ask, referring to the Alpha Wolf.

  "He's worried," Garvey says. "He fears an imbalance. It has been wolves, vampires and humans on this world for so long, he fears some new power will step forward. Something terrible. There are already signs. Last year, the vampires sent ten thousand to do battle. All of them were destroyed, yet no-one knows how. The one thing that the Alpha Wolf fears more than anything is uncertainty, and he is starting to believe that the vampires are being manipulated into annihilating one another. He fears our species might be next".

  I look at the humans all around us.

  "If only they knew," I say.r />
  "They'll have their own war soon enough," says Garvey. "This is not going to be a good century for anyone".

  A drunk human falls on our table, sending our drinks flying. He looks at us, smiles, gets up and disappears back into the crowd.

  "Can you call him off?" I ask. I've been planning to ask all evening. "Tell him I'm sorry, but tell him there's no point wasting so much time chasing me down". I stare at him for a moment, then I look at the window. Outside there's just the darkness of night. "They're here, aren't they?" I say eventually.

  "Yes," says Garvey. "Did you really think I would come alone?"

  I look at him. "I'm too tired to fight tonight".

  "Good," says Garvey. "Then this will be easy".

  At that moment, I bolt from my chair and race through the crowded bar, diving into the backroom where a group of humans are playing pool. Instinctively knowing that Garvey is after me, I leap at a window and smash through it, coming out in a side street. Still not looking back, I race down the street and around the corner, but as I do so Garvey appears from nowhere and forces me to the ground.

  "This can be so much easier," he says, panting. "All you have to do is submit to your fate".

  "My fate is to die," I say. "Why the hell should I submit to that?" I manage to throw him off and run off down the street. As I run across a train bridge, Garvey leaps onto my back and forces me to the ground again.

  "You think you can outrun the Alpha Wolf?" Garvey asks. "What kind of a fool are you? You're going to have to stand and fight one day".

  "One day," I say. "Not tonight". With that, I force Garvey off me and push him over the side of the bridge. I look down in time to see a passing train run straight over his body. When the train is gone, all that is left is a mangled mess. But I know that won't last for long. Soon he will be breathing again, and soon after that he will be able to walk. Within a day he will be back to full strength, and by that point I'll be running again.

  I turn and hurry across the bridge, further into the darkness. Tonight's not the night for me. I need to get going. But Garvey was right. One day, I will have to stand and fight. And I'll need someone with me.

  Eleven

  We follow the course of a river, partly to break any trail we might be leaving and partly because Hamish insists we have to wash every hour in order to get rid of our scents. As time passes, he becomes more and more distracted, constantly glancing over his shoulder to see if we're being followed. When I ask, he says he has much stronger hearing than I can ever imagine. He says there's nothing tracking us so far, but that he needs to known when they're on our trail. Notice it's 'when' rather than 'if'. I can't help looking over my own shoulder, but it's not wolves I'm looking for, it's Patrick. Where is he? When's he going to get here?

  Eventually Hamish and I reach a bend in the river and he insists we wade in again, but this time he says we have to climb out the other side.

  "Nearly there," he says, clambering up the opposite bank. "From now on, expect the unexpected".

  "Nearly where?" I ask, following him. It feels like we're a thousand miles from civilization.

  He stands still and seems to be listening to something I can't here. "I need to tell you what happens next," he says. He turns to me. "There are wolves here and they want to kill me. There's nothing I can do. I can't persuade them. I can't fight them. I can't outrun them. I can't stop them". He takes a deep breath. "But you can".

  I wait for him to explain, but he just stares at me. "How?" I ask eventually.

  He steps closer, leans in and whispers directly into my ear. "You have to command them to leave me alone. You have to threaten to do terrible things to them if they don't obey you".

  "I'm sure they'll be terrified," I say feebly.

  "They will be if you tell them you're a mage," he whispers.

  "A what?"

  He takes a deep breath. "A mage is a kind of powerful sorcerer from many, many years ago. They've all gone now, they left long ago, but some people - some very superstitious people - believe there are still one or two. And any sane creature on this Earth would be terrified to come face to face with a mage".

  It's a bit much to take in. "What do you mean, they've gone? Where did they go?"

  "They... tired of this world. The violence and all that stuff, so they left for somewhere more peaceful. But it's not impossible that one of them could have stayed behind and remained hidden, or came back. And we're going to trick the wolves into thinking you're one of them. Trust me, they'll listen to you".

  "I'm not a mage," I say, not understanding how this constitutes a workable plan.

  "No," he says. "I know you're not. And normally you'd never be able to trick the wolves. But you have something special about you". He leans in and sniffs me. "You have a scent that no other human has. You've spent so much time around Patrick, you smell like him. And other things too. Smells like you've met a Sentinel as well".

  "Listen," I say, "this isn't going to work. There's only one thing we can do, and that's to go and find Patrick. He can help us".

  "He's here," says Hamish.

  I turn, but there's no sign of him.

  "He's following us," Hamish continues. "Staying out of sight all the time, but I promise you, he's there. If we need him, if we really need him, he'll be there. But his brute force isn't what we need. We need brains and bravery. I don't need him. I need you".

  "Why me?"

  "Because you can pull this off! Because you have the scent of a vampire".

  I shake my head.

  "You do," he says. "You're human, so you don't notice it. But trust me, any of the higher species can smell you from miles away. And that's good, because it'll unnerve them. They'll be extra cautious around you, and they'll feel like they don't know what you really are. Act like a mage, they'll believe you are one".

  "I'm not," I say. "Look at me. I'm really, really not anything special".

  "They don't know that," he says. "You just walk up to the Alpha Wolf and you tell him you're a mage and you command him to release me. He'll believe you".

  I think about this for a moment. "Why the hell would he believe me?"

  "Because he has a fucking high opinion of himself. Justifiably so. And because he believes, quite rightly, that a completely powerless human would never dare walk up to the Alpha Wolf, surrounded by his entire pack of thousands of wolves, and make such an absurd claim unless they had something to back it up with. It's the greatest bluff in history, because the one thing a wolf won't do is attack when it's not absolutely certain it can win".

  I think for a moment. "We need Patrick," I say.

  "He's here. He's watching".

  "We need him now!" I shout. "He's the only one who can save us from this - whatever!"

  Hamish grabs me by the shoulders. "Listen to yourself. Patrick's great. He's strong and he's brave, but that's not what we need right now!"

  I think some more. "This isn't a plan," I say. "That is ridiculous. How old is this Alpha Wolf?"

  "No-one knows for sure," he says. "Some say hundreds of years, some say thousands -"

  "And you think you can trick him so easily?" I ask.

  "No," he replies. "But I think you can. And I think he'll let us walk out of there without a scratch, and then you can go home to your fucking Patrick and your little life, and I'll be on my way". He looks up, at something behind me. I turn, hoping to see Patrick, but there's nothing.

  "I can't do this," I say. "Why me?"

  "Because you stink of vampire," Hamish says, with a hint of venom in his voice. "And you're the only human in the world who does. That's why I had to get you different clothes, to get rid of all the other scents so all they'll smell is vampire. So I need you to put on the performance of a lifetime, or...".

  I look at him. "Or what?"

  "Or they'll rip you to pieces for practice before they get started on me".

  "I can't," I say.

  "You have to".

  "Or what?"

  "Or nothing".
He looks at something behind me. "They're here. There's no backing out now". He nods to indicate something behind me.

  I turn and see wolves. Not just a few wolves. Lots of wolves. Maybe a hundred, standing between the trees and staring at us. And among them there's a man, a big man with dark skin and bright white eyes. It doesn't take a genius to work out that he's the boss here. I turn back to Hamish, and now there are wolves behind him too. I look around and they're everywhere. We're completely surrounded. Hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands, of wolves. And there's still no sign of Patrick.

  Twelve

  Chicago - 1925.

  I put the gun back into my pocket and get to my feet just as three wolves leap on me, sending me crashing back to the ground. It doesn't take much effort to get them off me. I pull one of them around and bite clean through his neck, almost taking off his head; I grab another of them and snap his spine; the third, I punch my fist straight through his chest. Then I cast their bodies into the night and get to my feet once again, this time covered in blood but at least free for a moment.

  There's a sound behind me and I turn. It's Patrick.

  "Do you ever stop interfering?" I ask. "Why do you always try to solve my fucking problems?"

  He says nothing, of course. He just stares at me.

  "I heard you've been busy," I say. "I heard there's not so many vampires left these days. Just you, eh?" I step towards him. "Worth it, was it? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd be very tempted to kill off my own species too. But as a matter of honour, I'd go with them".

  I can see in his eyes that he's angry. This isn't the Patrick I used to know. He's different. The war has changed him. But that's good. That's what I want. I'm ready for the fight of a lifetime.

  I lean right in to his face. "Why did you save your own filthy life? Why did you decide they should die but you should live?"