by Harry Nix
They stood there for a moment before Ruby cast a spell as she pressed her hand to the cut on her head. It was so fast Alex barely saw a flicker of her spell screen. A moment later she pulled her hand away and the cut was healed.
“I'll give you some training in return for a favor,” Ruby said.
Alex resisted rolling his eyes. What was it with witches and favors anyway? Could they ever just help someone? He didn't get a chance to answer because there was the sound of a car skidding outside, the door slamming, and then the front door of the house crashing open like someone had almost torn it off its hinges. Juno came bolting into the kitchen wide-eyed and then skidded to a stop when she saw the tableau: the burn mark on the wall, Alex in his hybrid form, his shredded boxer shorts on the ground, and Ruby standing there, uninjured but with blood still streaked on the side of her face, surrounded by sugar all over the floor. Alex expected Juno to scream or yell, probably at him, but she turned on Ruby instead.
“No deal, old woman. No favors. No deals. Nothing, capiche?” she said, pointing a finger. Then Juno turned to Alex.
“What did she do to you? Have you promised anything? Please tell me you haven’t promised anything!” she said.
“I haven't, I didn't –” Alex started to say.
But Juno wasn't listening. She turned back to Ruby. “He’s new. He doesn't know what he's doing, and anything he said is null and void completely. There’s no deal, none,” she said, chopping her hands together.
Ruby smiled at Alex, but there was a slyness to it.
“Your young man and I were just having a lovely conversation and discussing how I could help his magical training, weren’t we Alex?” Ruby said.
“Uh…” Alex said
“There is no deal, no deal, no way, no how, not if I don't agree,” Juno said, pointing a finger at her grandmother.
Ruby swatted Juno's finger away. “We didn't make a deal. I was woken up to a half-naked man breaking in through the kitchen window, so I smacked him up against the wall. Turns out it was your man, breaking in for some reason.”
Juno looked back to Alex and then at his shredded boxer shorts on the floor.
“Why are his boxer shorts torn up?”
“Abrading spell… plus at my age I don't get too many opportunities to look, so I thought I'd look. Well done by the way,” Ruby said, grinning at Alex.
“Uh,” Alex said. Then suddenly Juno whirled on him, advancing and poking him in the chest with a finger.
“And you! Disappearing in the middle of the night! Making a false trail! Dumping your clothes somewhere before running up a creek so we couldn't find you? What are you playing at?” she said, yelling at the end.
Alex felt the temperature in the room suddenly drop, Juno's anger setting off her magic.
“I was sleepwalking. It wasn't me. I went to sleep outside Stephen's room and then woke up in the park outside my blown-up building just like last time,” Alex said.
Juno was bristling, breathing heavily like she’d just run a race. She stomped a foot on the floor.
“Wolves!” she growled before letting out a long breath and wrapping her arms around Alex.
“Hello?” Nia called out from the front door.
“Anyone home? Is everything okay?” April said.
“We’re in here,” Juno called out, her face still pressed against Alex. He wrapped his arms around her and realized that she was crying. Then, April and Nia appeared in the doorway, both of them glancing at the burned wall, Ruby, the shredded boxer shorts, and the spread sugar granules.
“Okaaaay,” Nia said.
“Nia, April, so good to see you,” Ruby said, stretching her arms out and giving both of them an enormous hug. Despite the strangeness of the situation. Alex suddenly realized that he and his three mates were all here in Baxter, and that meant no one was back at the village guarding Stephen.
“Where’s Stephen? Is he still alive?” Alex asked.
“He’s outside in the trunk. Don't worry, he's alive,” April said.
Ruby stepped back from her hug and clapped her hands together.
“Who wants some breakfast?” she said, smiling at the group of them.
8
It turned out that Ruby's version of asking them if they wanted breakfast was actually just forcing her granddaughter Juno to cook it all. Soon, Juno was in the kitchen, clattering pots and pans and grumbling away to herself.
There had been a short debate about what to do about Stephen. April and Nia told Alex that he was mage cuffed again, locked in the trunk with no way out. It was slowly getting warmer outside, but it wasn't hot yet, so he wasn't going to cook to death. Alex wanted to talk to his mates and Ruby without Stephen hearing so consented for now to leave the kid out there, although Nia did go outside and move Boris into the garage rather than leaving him on the street.
Alex had gone to Juno's room and found some of his clothes that he’d left behind. He shifted out of his hybrid state and got dressed. Soon he was back in the lounge with Nia, April, and Ruby. Juno was slamming pots around quite loudly in the kitchen.
“You can cook breakfast quieter you know,” Ruby called out. She had a teacup of black coffee which she sipped before she pulled out a small silver flask from somewhere and topped up the cup. Alex sat there on the sofa, his mind whirling but inside he was thinking that Ruby, Lydia, and Esme would get along incredibly well.
“So, we followed your trail until we found your clothes by a creek where you’d dumped them. You must've run up the creek to try to block your scent. That's when we decided to come straight to Baxter,” Nia said, finishing telling the story.
Apparently, it was around one in the morning when someone had realized that Alex was missing. April had been left behind to guard Stephen, and Juno and Nia and some of the pack members had gone to follow Alex's trail, discovering he’d dumped his clothes. They had then raced back to the village, collected April and Stephen, and made their way as fast as they could to the car park where Boris was.
“You really don't remember any of it?” April said, touching Alex on the arm. There was a cool tingle from her fingertips and a light chime as she cast a spell. Alex was happy for her to do it. As she touched him, he felt a wave of relaxation, something he desperately needed right now.
The attacks, the mages, the reanimated dead, silver bombs, the blood golem… it was all bad enough but vanishing? Alex couldn't work out why his sleeping self had laid a false trail. Had it been trying to buy itself time? Alex almost felt like he was thinking of another person. Someone inhabiting his body while he was asleep.
He shook his head and sighed. “It's just black. I went to sleep outside the door and woke up next to a tree, looking at a pile of burnt rubble,” he said.
“Could be a spell. I could check that for you… if you agree to do me a favor,” Ruby said.
“No favors!” Juno shouted from the kitchen and there was an enormous clang of frying pans.
Alex was feeling calmer thanks to the influence of whatever it was April was doing and with that calmness, he saw the opportunity to stir up his little witch mate a little more.
“What kind of favor?” he said loud enough Juno to hear.
“I’m thinking a heist,” Ruby said and sipped her coffee, a wicked smile on her lips.
They heard cursing from the kitchen before the door opened and Juno came out, holding a meat tenderizing hammer. She pointed it at her grandmother.
“I am dead serious. There are no favors happening, not without my permission. And you, don't make deals with witches when you don't understand what you’re doing,” she said.
“What are you talking about? You made me promise you a favor, just for a simple cleanse spell. I didn't know what I agreed to. What did I agree to?” Alex said.
“Yes, darling granddaughter, what was Alex agreeing to when you demanded a favor from him?” Ruby said. She still wore that wicked smile.
“Everyone… shut up. I’m cooking breakfast,” Juno said and stor
med back to the kitchen.
“It's important if you have a chaos witch wife to make her a little crazy every now and again,” Ruby said.
Alex relaxed more, April’s spell working on him, the unreality of this morning slowly fading away. Okay, so he'd run miles and, apparently, laid a false trail while he was asleep. He could accept that. Hadn't he planned to come to Baxter anyway? Sure, it hadn't happened the way he wanted but now he was here, so were his mates, and so was Stephen, albeit locked in Boris’ trunk.
There was a problem with the rest of the pack though. They were, presumably, still back at the village. If there was another attack there was no one to heal them. There wasn’t even anyone there with a Purify spell in case they stepped on any specks of silver left from the bombs.
Alex turned to Nia. “I don't know what to do about the rest of the pack. Are they going to be safe?”
Nia squeezed his thigh. “They’re as safe as any other werewolf pack is, which is to say probably not safe at all. Oh, I heard from my father too. The attack was necromancers. Six reanimated soldiers and silver bullets, just like us. His land is far better protected than ours though. The dead soldiers stumbled into a minefield. Only one werewolf got shot but it was a minor injury. They didn't catch the necromancers who sent the dead, though,” she said.
“Necromancers attacking werewolves? It must be a Tuesday,” Ruby said sarcastically.
“They did it to us too. Set off silver bombs over the village. That kid Stephen out in Boris's trunk flew a drone,” Alex said.
Ruby raised her eyebrows. “And he’s still alive? Does he still have both hands and feet? You haven't made him a castrato?” she asked.
“The last time I saw him, he was intact and fine. I want to use him to crack his enclave in half,” Alex said.
“Oh, not just a werewolf mage, but a scheming werewolf mage. I can see what my granddaughter sees in you.”
Thanks to April’s calming spell, Alex was beginning to think more clearly now. He also realized that outside of April, Juno, and Nia, that Ruby was another magic user, a witch and, apparently, an incredibly powerful one. Sure, she was asking for favors—something that Juno seemed apparently adamantly opposed to—but Alex wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for information or anything that could improve their position.
“The mages and weredogs have been after me since just before my twenty-fifth birthday, which wasn't that long ago. Apparently, I'm the one and only werewolf mage in the world, but I need help. I need someone to teach me more spells and someone to give me advice. If the cost of that is a favor, I’d seriously consider paying it. I have that junior necromancer out in Boris's trunk and a vague plan of sending him back, trying to get in contact with another necromancer who I think can help me but I’m all ears about any other ideas you might have,” he said.
“Don't offer favors to witches. Hasn't Juno taught you anything? I need to know the whole story first before we go down that path,” Ruby said.
“Breakfast!” Juno shouted out from the kitchen.
Over breakfast, which was bacon and egg, fried red pepper, mushrooms, and coffee, Alex told Ruby the story. He’d done this before, of course, with Julius and even as he told it he realized he was disconnecting from it. The sheer terror of his apartment block being detonated, of leaping out the window and crashing to the ground… as strange as it sounded, it was fading. It wasn't some terrifying event that had happened to him, but a description of a terrifying event, one step removed, the vividness of it vanishing. Even the original encounter with the weredog in the cold alleyway had lost some of its power. The weredog had crunched his arm, torn into his jugular. Alex could clearly remember seeing the spray of his own blood jetting up into the air, but sometimes as he spoke it was like he was reading the cold facts of a medical report.
Ruby didn't say much really, grunting and nodding as she shoveled food into her mouth, putting away quite a lot considering her size. Sometimes Juno, Nia, or April added their own details and it wasn't long before they finished breakfast and caught up with the present.
“And then I climbed in the window and you blasted me against the wall and disintegrated my boxer shorts,” Alex said.
“Yeah, why’d you do that anyway?” Juno said to Ruby.
“I was curious how strong he was,” Ruby said with a shrug.
Alex was lost for a moment. “What are you talking about?”
“You're on a list of permitted people so the moment you were halfway in through the window she already knew you were safe, otherwise the house wards would’ve triggered,” Juno explained.
“So, you blasted me up against the wall where I burned it, and then had to hit you in the head with the sugar container, just to see how strong I was?” Alex asked.
“Well, you're the first werewolf mage that has survived to adulthood, which in and of itself is a miraculous thing, and so I just wanted to see,” Ruby said. Alex dropped his fork which clattered off his plate then landed on the floor.
“What do you mean the first? Everyone else has been talking like there's never been a werewolf mage before.”
Juno, April, and Nia, were similarly shocked, Juno sitting there with her mouth open, a piece of bacon sticking out of it.
“There are stories—well, not even stories—whispers. Dark ones about werewolves and magic. There was once a witch who wrote a book where she suggested that there had been a werewolf mage in the past, that the stories of Ito the trickster were not just mythology but held some grain of truth. There have been other stories too. Werewolf packs dying, being wiped off the face of the earth by the mages and the vampires but there's never enough evidence.”
“Why does no one know about this? How come you never told me?” Juno finally said.
Ruby pulled a silver flask from somewhere and topped up her coffee before taking a big gulp. “I can't know what you need to know. Besides, there are a million whispers about all kinds of ridiculous things. The mages and vampires are out there killing werewolf babies anyway. The werewolves are doing it too. Just one story in a thousand until suddenly he shows up and next minute there are rumors everywhere.”
“What rumors?” Alex asked.
“Whatever you told Bailey? He spread it around—a werewolf mage under attack. I'm not sure it was the cleverest move to announce yourself when the best you can do is throw a sugar container, but it's done now,” Ruby said.
There was another moment of silence before Juno finally spoke up again. “Tell him your offer and then he will decide whether he gives you a favor.”
Ruby sat back in a chair, sipping a coffee. “Very well, I, Ruby Harbinger, will help Alex learn any spells and magic that I can teach him. I will also offer aid and advice and in return he will grant me a favor of my choosing, of my asking,” he said.
Alex still wasn't entirely sure was going on. Juno spoke up before he could.
“No deal. I also want you helping with access to any spell books that you know of,” Juno said.
Ruby put her coffee down then threw her hands up in the air like she was shocked.
“That's at least five favors—probably ten,” she said.
Alex recognized the tones in their voices, and as Ruby and Juno started bickering and arguing back and forth, he saw they were bargaining the same way that Juno had with Bailey, each setting out ridiculous demands and then slowly walking it back. Nia and April, excused themselves, clearing away the dishes, and then leaving the kitchen. Alex wasn't quite sure whether he should follow them or not. He felt like he should have some part in this decision, but from the way Ruby and Juno were talking, Juno was in control of it, negotiating exactly what was to happen. In the middle of Juno arguing that Alex should only offer one favor and Ruby declaring that was ridiculous, Alex tapped the spoon against the side of his empty coffee cup like he was at a wedding about to call for a toast. It took a moment for the two witches to quiet down and look over at him.
“First of all, why is this favor so important?” he said.
“A favor to a witch is a promise. It’s kind of like a currency but far more valuable, and when you trade a favor with a witch it’s actually a magical agreement. Should you fail to uphold your favor, the consequences are severe,” Juno said.
“And you extracted one of these favors just to cleanse some blood. Did Nia know that this favor was so serious?” Alex said.
“Maybe. I mean, she knows witches.” Juno said.
“I think you're amazing, my dear, but isn't there something a little unethical about extracting a favor from a guy doesn't even know what it means?” Alex said. He was half-joking but part of him was serious too. He would never say he was railroaded into his relationship with Juno, but then again, the very first thing that Nia had done was take him to her, putting him in proximity of the little blonde witch.
“Anyone can make agreements,” Juno said in a level tone.
“And I still owe you this favor. Despite being your mate?”
“Yes, you do. Hasn't it been showing up in that spell screen of yours?” Juno said.
“No! It's just spells, other bits and pieces and stats.”
“Bring up your spell screen,” Ruby said. Alex did as she instructed.
“Okay, now, I want you to think about contracts and promises. Imagine them there in front of you.”
Alex again followed her instructions and concentrated on contracts and promises. He was expecting it to happen, but there was still a little surprise when a new panel appeared, literally labeled ‘contracts and promises’. There were two items listed. First was 'Juno Lowe—a favor’ and a date.
The second was ‘April Lowe—a favor’ and a date. In the shock of it appearing, there was a second, larger shock that hit Alex like a truck. He didn’t know her surname before she became his mate. Somehow, it had never come up. Juno had been Juno Harbinger. Nia had been Nia Whitewood. April had been April who? For a moment Alex felt an enormous pressure in his head, the sensation that he'd been standing beside a crack in the ground that had suddenly expanded to the size of the Grand Canyon, the earth rumbling and shifting with unnatural speed. He knew nothing about his three mates. Who they'd been? What they'd done? He knew that Juno and Nia had gone to school together, but really what did he know about them? Had they had jobs? Aspirations outside of meeting some alpha werewolf who was being hunted to the ends of the earth? Alex let out a shaky breath as he glanced across at Juno. Yes, she was his mate, his for now and forevermore, and he was hers but that other part was still sitting there. The part that saw she was a stranger.