Nita looked up at me as she cleared the circle and I couldn’t wait any longer to ask. “So? How’d it go?”
Nita sighed. “Not as well as I’d have liked. I couldn’t trace whoever was scrying on you. If I’d been here when it was happening, maybe. But trying to trace it back after the fact is pretty hard, and unfortunately, whoever it was, they didn’t leave enough of a trail for me to follow.”
I frowned. “Poop. That sucks. So I guess I dragged you out of bed for nothing?”
Nita shook her head. “Not exactly. I wasn’t able to find out who was watching you, but I was able to confirm that someone definitely was scrying on you earlier. More than that, I followed the energy patterns back enough to find a source.”
“Which in English means…”
Nita rolled her eyes. “It means they have some kind of a connection to you. A link. From the sense I got of it, something pretty strong like a personal item. Maybe a hair, or some blood, even a nail clipping.”
I blinked. “Hair?” I exchanged a look with Raelya who seemed to be on top of the same thought already.
“Your hairbrush.” Raelya frowned at me worriedly.
I nodded, grimacing. Nita tilted her head, giving me a pointedly curious look. “I just moved into the pack house and I seem to have misplaced my hairbrush somewhere in the process.”
Nita nodded. “That would do it.”
I chewed at my lip a little as I considered my next question. “Does that mean they can use magic to like… hurt me or something? Like in the movies?”
Nita shook her head. “No, it’s not that simple. Having a link helps, but it’s pretty hard to hurt people from afar. It’s kinda like… what’s easier? Looking at someone or stabbing them?”
“How much do I like them?” Nita swatted my shoulder. I grinned. She rolled her eyes and continued.
“Magic is the same. It’s easier to do less invasive things with it, especially to other people, and especially at a distance. The further removed one is from the target, the harder an effect is to achieve. So it’s easier to do something to yourself than to someone else. Easier to do something to a willing person than unwilling. Easier to affect someone closer than someone further away. Get it?”
I nodded. “So some magic-user having my hairbrush doesn’t necessarily mean they can say, make my heart burst out of my chest or anything like that?”
Nita shook her head. “Probably not.”
I blinked. “Wait. Probably?”
Nita shrugged. “It’s possible. But unlikely.”
I frowned. “Like, how possible?”
Nita turned and started gathering up her supplies, nonchalantly shrugging off the question as if it wasn’t any big deal. “Possible, just not that likely. But I did find the source of their connection to you, like I said, and I was able to break the connection.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh. Good. Then I’m safe?”
Nita nodded. “Mostly. Unless they’re much more powerful than I am, in which case, they can likely circumvent what I’ve done to protect you. But more likely, this will shut them down without some further connection.” She paused in her cleanup to cast a stern expression my way. “So be more careful with your belongings. Hair is pretty transient; we lose some every day, and it’s only really a part of us for a short time after it’s left our heads. But there are more permanent things that you do not want an unfriendly magician getting a hold of.”
Raelya stepped over to the lawn and picked up the deerskin, bringing it over for Nita as she plucked the first staff from the ground. Raelya spread the skin across her arms and held them out to receive the staves as Nita pulled them one by one from their places and laid them gently to rest upon it. The standing stave was simply lifted. The one that had sunk into the ground pulled from the concrete with a sharp tug that made the tone in Nita’s arms and shoulders stand out. The ground reasserted itself as a flat, solid surface after a moment of slugging back together as if it had been mud, or perhaps more accurately, as if the concrete had been wet again. The last stave was removed with a similar show of effort, but the crack in the pavement remained after it was gone.
Nita noticed me eying the crack as she deposited the last staff and rolled her eyes as she wrapped the skin around her equipment. “Do you really think I’d leave without fixing it?”
I shrugged. “I could see you saying there were more important things. Besides, I had no idea if you could fix it.”
Nita rolled her eyes again as she finished tying the cord around the deerskin and stepped away. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment, then lifted her hand toward the crack, her lips moving silently, and the ground snapped back together. Nita bowed respectfully to the empty air, then turned and retrieved the rattle and the small, now-empty bag. She replaced those in her hip pouch, untied it from her waist and started for her car. Raelya followed her with the bundle of staves, so I followed along too. “So that’s it then?”
Nita nodded. “Yeah. That’s all I can do for now. But with any luck, that should stop whoever it is from watching you any further tonight. Be more careful with things that connect a mage to you in the future, and maybe we won’t have to repeat this little adventure at three in the morning.”
I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry again about that. But thank you for coming to check on me.”
Nita smiled at me tiredly. “That’s what we do. SII, you know? Soon, people will be bugging you at all hours for help with supernatural and magical problems and you’ll be morally compelled to venture out and help them regardless of the hour or your state of dress.”
I laughed softly. “Well, I’m still grateful. I’m also grateful to have witnessed your magic at work. Your ritual was incredible. I mean, it was beautiful and I’m honored to have seen it.”
Nita gave me a strange look, seeming at first almost hesitant or confused, but the expression resolved itself into a thoughtful, appreciative smile. “Thanks… I’m glad you could appreciate it.”
Raelya deposited the bundle of staves in Nita’s trunk and Nita laid her ritual implements alongside it, then closed the trunk and turned back to me. “Well, I’m going to go get some sleep. I’ve gotta be at the Knoxville office at nine in the morning.”
I blinked. “Wait, the Knoxville office? What’re you doing there?”
Nita smirked at me. “Talking to my new boss. Didn’t I tell you? I’m transferring out here to be your trainer, Shepherd.”
I blinked again, then grinned broadly. “Really?”
Nita barked out a sharp laugh, then shook her head. “Don’t get too excited. You’re probably going to hate me by the time it’s over.”
I squee’d a little, hopped in place, then launched myself at Nita, capturing her in a hug. “No way! I’m going to love it!”
Nita seemed startled, then laughed, then shook her head as she returned my hug. “Guess we’ll see.” She withdrew and started for the driver’s side of her car. “Anyway, try to stay out of trouble. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks again, Nita. Have a good night.”
Raelya waved at Nita with a smile. “Thank you so much.”
Nita shook her head as she got into the car. Raelya and I retreated to the curb as she started the car and the powerful engine rumbled to life. Our wolf ears didn’t enjoy the decibels the old muscle car produced as Nita pulled it out of the parking lot and onto the deserted midnight roadway.
Once she was gone, I turned to Raelya with a smile. “Well, now that that’s settled, I’d better go check on Dean.”
Raelya gave me a wary look. “Do I want to ask how you kept him busy all this time?”
I grinned at her wickedly as I turned the little knob on my radio till it clicked back on. It took a minute for Dean’s voice to come through again. “Shepherd? Anyone?” He sounded so resigned I almost felt bad for him. Almost.
I lifted the radio and clicked the button. “Dean? What’s up?”
Relief flooded through my radio from Dean’s voice. “Shepherd
. Thank god. Can you get some toilet paper from the store room and toss it in here?”
Raelya’s face started twisting into a puckered smirk, like she was trying really hard not to laugh.
I grinned at her toothily as I replied. “What? Where are you?”
Raelya eyed me, shaking her head slowly as Dean responded. “I’m in the employee bathroom.”
“Have you been in there this whole time? Like… since we talked earlier and you said you had to hit the head?”
Dean sounded exasperated. “Yeah… There wasn’t any paper in here and I didn’t realize it till I’d already uh— ‘Till I’d already gotten started.”
“Man,” I watched Raelya’s willpower slowly dissolving as she struggled not to laugh. “Sounds like you got yourself into a shitty situation.”
I had to release the button as Raelya lost it.
12
Plesant Dreams
Work was uneventful for the rest of the week. No more stalkers. No more scrying. No more Native American magic. I finished out my last few days as a security guard at the Knoxville Museum of Natural History and prepared to move on to bigger and better things. Joe wasn’t on shift for my final night, but he came in anyway to have lunch with me and see me off. I made a point to get his personal number so we could stay in touch.
Raelya drove me home from work on Friday morning and I suddenly realized that I had no reason to return to Knoxville for the next several days. Until I received training assignments from SII, I had no reason to leave my new home in the mountains. Not that I would want to leave it this weekend; it was the Fourth of July and most of the pack would be coming in for the holiday celebration, which as I understood, consisted of a massive cookout and a hunt.
I was looking forward to both, but my wolf was far more interested in running with the pack than eating. Since I’d returned from my trip to Canada with the ability to shift restored to me, my wolf had been so eager to get out and go running with other wolves. I couldn’t blame her. She’d been a part of me for over ten years, locked away and forgotten for at least eight of those. If our positions were reversed, I doubt I’d have been very patient either.
Not that the wolf was really all that separate from me. I’d just taken to personifying that part of me separately because it was a lot easier to understand the werewolf duality in that manner. Ultimately, I was the one who wanted to go running. I was the one who needed my pack. And I was the one who had suffered for so long without them. Pulling into the driveway that morning felt like finally coming home after being lost at sea for a decade. I was finally with my pack, and I didn’t have to leave them for days at least.
Ralof was standing in the yard as we pulled in. He was wearing a short-sleeved red plaid shirt over a white undershirt with khaki slacks, which was way too casual for his work as an attorney, so I figured that meant he was staying home today. He waved us over as we hopped out. “Dakota, you are not settled into your room yet, correct?”
I blinked. “Not really. My stuff’s piled in there, but I haven’t really unpacked. Why? Do you need me to take a different one?”
Ralof shook his head. “Oh, no, not long-term. I just wondered if…” He hesitated and that was strange because Ralof was always so confident. I tilted my head curiously and it seemed to prompt him to continue. “I was just wondering if we could borrow your room for the weekend. I got a call this morning from a group of ours who live further out and they were wanting to stay for the whole weekend. I’m worried that this will push us over the limit of available beds. Of course, many will sleep in wolf form in the living room, but not everyone is comfortable spending the night in the same room. You and Raelya have shared a room before, so I thought you might be comfortable doing so again just for a couple of nights?”
Raelya stepped up next to me, smiling. “I would not mind at all.”
I smiled at her. “Slumber party part three?”
Raelya laughed. “Of course.”
I shrugged at Ralof. “Yeah, boss. No problem. I’ll just shift a few things around and take some clothes into Raelya’s room before people get here.”
Ralof looked relieved. “Thank you, Dakota. I appreciate your willingness to help out with this.”
“Hey, it’s your house, boss.”
Ralof shook his head firmly. “No, this is your home now too. If you were not comfortable with sharing your personal space, then no one would make you. I only asked at all because I knew you were not really settled in yet.”
“It’s no problem, seriously. But thanks for that. It’s good to feel so welcomed.”
Ralof smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder firmly. “Of course. Now go on. I’m sure you have things to do.”
I yawned. “Just a few.” Raelya smiled at me and we started for the door. I paused halfway there and glanced back at Ralof. He was still standing in the yard, just staring at the treeline to the side of the house. I glanced at Raelya briefly, then padded back over to Ralof. “Hey boss… What are you doing out here anyway?”
Ralof glanced down at me, amused. “A few things. I was waiting for Andrei and Steph to get back from the store, for one. Elisa sent them for extra food and drinks and such. I was also enjoying the morning air, and thinking about a few things.”
I smiled. “Ah. Okay. You just seemed… I dunno, really thoughtful I guess.”
Ralof nodded. “I am a bit, at that, I suppose.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
Ralof smiled at me patiently. “It is nothing worrying, Dakota. It is just that this weekend evokes many powerful emotions for me. It is a time of year when I celebrate many things that I hold dear.” He raised his hand to touch the little hammer pendant at his throat, the symbol of Thor, Norse god of thunder among other things, the only jewelry Ralof always wore other than his wedding ring. I’d thought about asking him about it several times, but it’d always seemed too personal; now seemed like a good time.
“So, is it something to do with why you wear the hammer?”
Ralof’s smile broadened. “Yes. It is a sign of my faith.”
“Do you mind if I ask about that?”
Ralof shook his head. “I do not mind.”
“So what is it? Your faith, I mean.”
Ralof gestured to the hammer necklace again. “I believe in the ideals of my ancestors. The gods of my father’s fathers. I remember their ways, steady my path by their virtues, and I hold their high holidays in celebration.”
“That sounds awesome. The way you talk about it, it seems so… I dunno. Real. Most religious people I’ve met were pretty full of it.” I shuffled my feet a bit, fidgeting. The topic reminded me of some of the uncomfortable memories I’d recovered about my mother and her rather bigoted views.
Ralof laughed softly, his chest rumbling deeply. “Well, it is very real to me, at least.”
“So is there going to be some kind of holiday thing for that? A ritual of some sort?”
Ralof shook his head. “I do not impose my beliefs upon the pack.”
I frowned thoughtfully. “Are you the only one who practices it?”
Ralof shook his head again. “No, but there are few of us who do. I do not speak of it to those who do not ask to be told of it. It is not my way and I have no desire to convert others away from faiths they believe in, or even away from the right to live without a faith, if they choose.”
I smiled at that. “That’s really cool. But you’d tell someone if they were interested?”
Ralof nodded, eying me consideringly. “I would, and I have done so before. Why? You have never struck me as the type.”
“I’m not sure it’s something I’d be interested in for me. Probably not. But would it be okay if I were just curious about it? I mean, I’d love to know more about what you believe some time.”
Ralof nodded, smiling. “Ah. Yes, of course. I’d be happy to tell you about it, Dakota. Perhaps we will chat about it some time after the weekend is over, when the house will be less busy.”
I smiled. “Sure. But… if you are going to do some kind of celebration, can I come watch?”
Ralof nodded again. “If you want to, then of course. I will let you know when I am going to do it. It will be a small thing, and brief. But you may watch if you like.”
“Thanks. I’d like that.” I smiled at him earnestly.
Ralof dropped an arm around my shoulders briefly and squeezed me to his side. We smiled at each other before he shoved me gently toward the house. “Now go. You look hungry, and tired.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll see you in about eight hours.” I trotted back over to the door where Raelya had decided to wait for me. I smiled at her as I came over. “Sorry.”
She shook her head. “It is all right. I did not know you were interested in the old ways.”
We started inside. “I didn’t know anything about it before I asked just now. Do you do it too?”
Raelya nodded. “I and Elisa as well. Though Ralof and Elisa are, as people say, more devout than myself.”
We kicked our shoes off and settled them neatly out of the way. “I think that’s awesome. I’d kinda wanted to ask Ralof about the hammer before, but never knew if it was okay to ask.”
Raelya took my hand as we headed up the stairs. “Elisa wears one too. It is usually under her shirt though, because she wears it on a long chain.” As we stepped into my room, she tilted her head. “I have assumed you did not believe in any religion. Is that right?”
I went over to the duffel bag where most of my pajamas were living currently and started ruffling through it for something to wear tonight. “Yeah, mostly. I was raised by Southern Baptists. I never really got into it, though; it never made sense to me. Then by the time I was old enough to understand any of it, I’d figured out I liked girls. That kinda put a damper on my interest in the faith for obvious reasons.”
Raelya nodded, leaning against the doorway. “So you are an atheist?”
I nodded. “Pretty much. I don’t believe any of it was meant to be taken literally. The Bible, I mean. I think it’s got some decent lessons about how to be a decent human being, but I don’t think there’s really some all-powerful, loving, forgiving deity responsible for all creation that we owe our allegiance to or else he’ll send us to be tortured for eternity in a pit of lava. That just doesn’t add up.”
Hunted (Auralight Codex: Dakota Shepherd Book 2) Page 8