by Jamie Davis
“Bah, these were her greatest failure yet. It was a foolish plan to breed the hunter-born with demon spawn. Almost all died soon after birth. These six were the only ones to survive. It turned out they ended up being mostly human after all. In the end, they need extermination like all the others.”
The woman followed her words with a double slash at Avery’s head, seeking to attack while the Huntress was distracted by the conversation.
Avery parried the first attack and ducked under the other. As she did, the tallest of the little girls moved toward them from the huddled group. She had bright orange hair in double-braided pigtails hanging to her shoulders and a determined expression on her face. She caught Avery’s eye and then got down on her hands and knees behind the demon-kinder.
Avery smiled. That was a smart girl there.
Taking a risk, Avery feinted to the side as if she’d stumbled.
The other woman lunged at her, hacking down with the machete.
Ducking in rather than pulling away, Avery pushed aside the incoming blade. Then she drove forward with a whirling series of attacks meant more to dazzle than connect.
It worked.
The demon-kinder backpedaled until she reached the crouching girl and shouted in alarm as she tripped, her arms windmilling.
Avery pounced.
She rode the woman to the floor, driving her sword’s tip up under her sternum to pierce her heart.
A throaty, gurgling groan came from the woman. She struggled to rise, despite the sword impaling her.
Avery reached out with her free hand and wrenched the machete free from her opponent’s weakening fingers. Hacking down, she separated the woman’s head with two blows, knocking the head away from the body with the flat of the borrowed blade. It left a trail of black ichor on the floor.
She rose from atop the body and pulled her sword free. Avery glanced at the cowering girls. No, they weren’t cowering, at least not now. Instead, curiosity filled the faces staring up at her. The taller ginger haired girl had gotten back to her feet and rejoined her companions in the corner.
Avery nodded. If they could keep themselves from screaming again, it would be good. “I’ll be right back. I have to finish the other one. Be quiet and gather your things. We’re leaving as soon as I get back.”
Avery hefted the machete in one hand and her katana in the other as she went back outside.
“Damn,” she muttered. The male demon-kinder’s body was missing. She should have finished him off when she had the chance. She scanned the open ground between the outbuildings and the main house. She spotted him, dragging himself up the steps and staggering through the big house’s back door.
Avery went back into the little building. “No time left. We have to run now. Everyone hold hands with your neighbor. Red, you take the lead.”
The pigtailed girl nodded and grabbed the hand of the smallest of the group. Others reached out until they all stood in a line by the door, hands linked.
“Good. Follow me, and for God’s sake, keep up.”
Shouts came from the direction of the house as Avery ran for the edge of the compound. It wasn’t far to her rented pickup truck. She cursed as she realized they wouldn’t all fit in the front with her. The oldest would have to ride in the back and hold on tight. The ride out of here was going to be bumpy as hell, but there wasn’t much choice. She was sure pursuit would be close behind. Of course, first they had to make it to the truck.
Avery glanced over her shoulder to check on the girls and was surprised to see them right behind her. She nodded her approval and dug in her pocket for the keys.
“The truck is just down the hill from the estancia,” she whispered. “It’s not far. Keep moving down this path.”
She heard more shouting uphill, but none coming this way yet. She could make out the silhouette of the truck’s cab against the moonlit sky ahead.
“There—we’re almost out of here. Put the three smallest in the front with me. The others will have to go in the back. Got it?”
The redhead and another of the older ones nodded.
Running up to the truck, Avery pulled open the passenger door. “Inside, quick. Find a seat and hold on.”
A little brown-haired girl with a pixie cut climbed into the cab, followed by a pair of what looked like identical blonde twins. She shut the door and pointed to the back.
“The rest in there. Hurry.”
Red helped the other two over the side and then pulled herself over to tumble into the pickup bed. Avery raced to the driver’s side and started the pickup.
Kicking up gravel behind them as she stomped on the accelerator, Avery steered them down the narrow track as fast as she dared. The paved highway was a few kilometers away. Until then, she did her best to maximize her speed on the rough dirt farm road. Every time she hit a bump, she checked over her shoulder to make sure all three girls still hung on in the back.
“Where are we going?” Pixie Cut asked.
“To see a friend of mine. Don’t worry, it’s somewhere safe. Quinn will know what to do with the six of you.”
Avery closed her mouth and offered a silent prayer that Quinn or the others would have a way to help her get these kids to safety. She wasn’t sure what it was, but something about what just happened felt right somehow. It was like she’d put things into motion that couldn’t be stopped. Avery hoped Quinn was ready for whatever it was.
Chapter Two
Quinn smiled as she walked down the street toward O’Malley’s pub. She’d spent the evening having a productive dinner with leaders of the various shifter communities around the city about better ways to help each other monitor their various pack or den members. The goal was to keep the hidden supernatural world away from curious ordinary humans. The folks living in the shadows didn’t need their neighbors learning things like their babysitter was a werewolf.
Some among the human leadership were aware of the supernaturals living in the community, of course. That was why a representative of the mayor’s office had been there, too. It also surprised Quinn to meet the governor’s chosen representative, a very ancient vampire based in Annapolis who made the trip up to join their dinner in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood.
That vampire, who everyone called “Al,” turned out to be surprisingly charming. Quinn spent so much time chatting with him, she invited him to visit the clan at O’Malley’s anytime.
After the dinner and dessert put out by the restaurant’s owner for the special event, Quinn needed to walk off the delicious food. She turned down the offer of a ride home from several attendees and opted to walk back to the pub. Quinn had eaten pasta for dinner and had three cannolis for dessert. Even with her Huntress metabolism, she almost regretted the skinny jeans she’d worn.
Quinn reviewed her mental notes as she walked the final hundred yards to the pub. Clark and Naomi would expect a full report on what was discussed. It had been a big deal for Clark to hand off this to her. This was her first solo meeting, and she wanted to show them how prepared she was to handle it. Things like this came with being the Huntress and the leader of the clan.
She figured the report could wait until breakfast, though. Quinn had left in the early afternoon, and it was now close to midnight. The other clan members had to be asleep by now, except for maybe her vampire mother.
Quinn was wrong.
The bar was hopping, as it always was right up to closing time. The pub’s country-western theme was popular among the supernatural patrons. There were still a decent number of people line dancing by the bandstand. To her surprise, all her friends were all still awake, too, even Taylor. The tech witch had risen early that morning. Some magic experiment had her and Miranda working long hours for the last several days.
Quinn wove through the tables to where they all sat. She didn’t miss the way they glowered at her as she crossed the room.
Uh-oh, what now?
“Hi, guys. What’s got you all up so late?”
“Who wants
to go first?” Naomi asked.
Taylor’s hand shot up. “I’ll go.”
“What’s up, T?”
“It’s that ogre of yours, Quinn. He’s done it again.”
Quinn sighed. She’d been afraid it was something like this. It had been two months since she’d returned home with Tadpole in tow and Sylvie on her shoulder, announcing they were both new members of the clan. Since then, there had been adjustment pains for everyone.
“Tadpole’s an orc warrior,” Quinn reminded her best friend. “He’s not an ogre. They’re different races entirely, which you know. It would really upset him if he heard you calling him that.”
“I honestly don’t care, Quinn. He’s a menace. He tripped over a stack of kegs in the hallway and fell into my door. Now my workshop has no door, and I have to move all my expensive and sensitive stuff elsewhere in this warren of tunnels until Paddy can fix it.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it. You said he tripped, right?”
“I don’t see how he’s this super orc warrior when he’s such a clumsy oaf all the time. I still haven’t replaced the monitor he broke when he poked at it with his big, dumb finger.”
Quinn tried to tamp down her anger. Something about the orc’s childlike nature brought out the mama bear in her. She bristled at her best friend picking on him.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “You know he didn’t mean to crack the glass on the monitor. He was just pointing at the picture you had on the screen. He just doesn’t know his own strength sometimes. I told you I’d get you a new monitor. Just pick out what you want.”
Naomi said, “It’s not just Taylor’s stuff, Quinn. He’s creepy. He wanders around the Hunter tunnels all day long, humming weird orc songs to himself. I can’t get any rest when he’s down there.”
“It’s not like you need to sleep, Mother,” Quinn snapped. She heard the acid in her tone too late.
“You’re correct. I, as a vampire, do not technically sleep. I do, however, like to meditate and be alone with my thoughts, darling daughter of mine. I’ve been close to a deep state of calm on several occasions when he’s interrupted me. He just pokes his head into my room and asks, ‘Whatcha doin’?’ It’s infuriating, Quinn.”
“He’s lonely, that’s all. He just wants to belong somewhere, like the rest of us. Surely you all can understand that? He’s trying really hard to make friends with you.”
Quinn glanced at Clark, hoping he’d lend her some support.
He scowled at her instead.
“Okay, Clark, let’s have it. What did Tadpole do to you?”
“Oh, it wasn’t your young orc friend this time, Quinn. It’s that flying menace you keep up in your room. It got out again and crapped ash and charcoal briquets all over my car and several others parked in the alley.”
“Sylvie just likes to chase the pigeons. She can’t get out and stretch her wings as much as she’d like.”
Taylor snorted a laugh. “More like she likes to eat the pigeons, you mean.”
Quinn sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to do. I had Paddy put thicker bars on my apartment windows. She just melts her way through them. I can’t think of anything else to do that’ll keep her inside if she wants to leave.”
The young dragon, the size of a small house cat with wings, had taken to sitting by her window and watching the various birds fly by. Being a city, that mostly meant pigeons. One day, she’d joined them. After she'd caught and eaten the first one, she’d decided they tasted pretty yummy. Since then, Sylvie used her fiery breath like a plasma torch to cut through every sort of barrier Quinn and the building’s owner, Paddy, had been able to come up with.
Naomi said, “You’re lucky a young dragon’s natural magic shields them from being seen by humans without a spell of their own. We’d have a hard time explaining her to our mundane neighbors.”
“Look, Clark, I’m sorry. I’ll take your car to the cleaners in the morning, okay?”
“That’s not good enough, Quinn,” Clark said. “You have to do something about how she’s getting out. Otherwise, admit you’re in over your head and find somewhere safe to set her free. It’s only a matter of time until some unsuspecting mundane human figures out what’s going on.”
“They won’t. Remember, they can’t see her.”
Miranda said, “They can see the aftermath of her passing, though. And some humans have latent magical talents that could allow them to pierce the protection magic she has.”
“Miranda? Not you, too? What did Sylvie do to you?” Quinn’s temper boiled over. “You’re a ghost. You’re not even really here. I’m not sure why you felt the need to say anything at all right now.”
“Hey,” everyone said at once, coming to Miranda’s aid.
Quinn realized she’d gone too far. She held up her hands. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for, Miranda. I take it back.”
The ghost witch nodded. “Quinn, we know it’s a lot.”
“I’m doing the best I can. I’ve never raised a wild dragon or fostered an orphaned orc warrior. It will take time to find them a way to fit in. I’m sure they’ll both find their place before you know it. I just need a little more time to train them, that’s all. Before you know it, they’ll both be used to civilized company.”
Everyone avoided eye contact when Quinn glanced around for some sign of approval. When she got to her mother, she stopped. Naomi was the only one who’d meet her eyes.
“Quinn, we can give you more time if you really think it will work. Otherwise, come to grips with the possibility that there may not be a way to solve this. Sylvie and Tadpole aren’t built to live in a crowded city full of vulnerable people.”
“I won’t give up on them, Mom. People gave up on me, and life was really hard.”
Naomi’s brows lowered. “I never gave up on you. I was always nearby, keeping an eye on you.”
“It’s the same thing,” Quinn replied. “I didn’t know you were in the shadows protecting me. I still felt abandoned. Tadpole and Sylvie need to know someone cares about them. They need to understand the clan cares about them. It’s important, not just to them, but to me, too.”
Taylor’s eyes were filled with doubts, but she gave Quinn a half-smile. “It’s just a door. And you’re right, I can get a new monitor. We have all that spare VirSync gear in storage. Maybe we just need to make some new rules.”
Clark rolled his eyes. “Dragons don’t follow rules, Taylor. That’s what makes them so dangerous. They aren’t pets.”
“That’s not true,” Quinn said. “Chessie follows the rules so well no one knows she’s out there, hiding in the Bay. She’s lived there for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, with most people never knowing there’s a dragon right there.”
Taylor nodded. “Chessie is an excellent example. Didn’t you promise to check in after Sylvie hatched? Maybe this is a chance to learn more about how to control her.”
“I guess I could set up a visit for us to go see Chessie and introduce Sylvie to her.”
Clark nodded. “That might be a good idea. See if you can leave her there and let the dragon raise the youngling.”
Quinn knew that was wishful thinking on Clark’s part. Still, the thought of leaving Sylvie alone with the dragon out there in that cold, dank cave turned Quinn’s mood sour. An attachment had formed when she’d helped Sylvie hatch. Would all that go away if the old dragon insisted Sylvie remain there?
“No, that’s not going to happen. Look, I’ll figure out a way to contain Sylvie better. Maybe I just need to have someone sit with her when I am not here. The rest of the time, she can hang out on my shoulder.”
“She’s not a toy, Quinn,” Miranda said. “Or even a puppy. You can’t just hire a dragon-sitter on the internet. Sylvie is one of the most dangerous creatures ever to walk this earth. She’s cute now, but someday, she’ll be as big as Chessie, maybe larger. Remember that.”
Quinn stared at the table for a few long seconds. “Look, I’m exhausted. I’ll start
working on all this tomorrow. I promise. For now, though, I need to catch some sleep. Okay?’
“Of course,” Naomi said. “We shouldn’t have hit you with it all when you got back like that. Go upstairs. We’ll all come back fresh in the morning. Maybe some more ideas will come from it.”
Quinn gave her mother a nod of thanks for her understanding and left them at their table. She needed rest, and maybe some dragon cuddles. Everything had to look better in the morning.
Chapter Three
The steady vibration of Sylvie’s body pressing against her chest kept Quinn in bed for at least an extra half-hour. It wasn’t purring, exactly. Sylvie wasn’t a cat. As far as Quinn could tell, it was something in a dragon’s normal metabolism that did it while resting. A heavy feeding the day before always increased the level of rumbling from the young dragon’s tummy the next morning.
Quinn smiled and rubbed the smooth scales of Sylvie’s still-bulging stomach. “You ate too many pigeons yesterday, didn’t you, silly?”
Sylvie pressed her neck up against Quinn’s chin and rubbed her tiny body against the Huntress, snuggling deeper into her chest.
“Sorry, sleepyhead. We both need to get up. You’re sticking with me today so I can keep an eye on you.”
“Eeeep?”
“Don’t play innocent with me. You know what you did. Come on, I need a shower, and if you get up, I’ll let you join me so you can scrub under the hot water, too.
“Eeeep!” The dragon rolled over twice to the edge of the bed, launching into the air and circling over Quinn’s bed.
Quinn laughed. “Okay, I’m coming.”
She got up and followed the excited dragonling into the bathroom. The little hedonist loved getting scrubbed down under the blast of hot water from the showerhead. In all fairness, Quinn enjoyed it, too. It increased their bonding time.
It was obvious Sylvie was intelligent. However, Quinn was never sure if she understood everything she said. The youngling seemed to understand simple statements or instructions, most of the time.