Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  “Kai, that you?” I recognized Blue’s voice.

  “Yeah,” he said and we went back towards a wide living room space. There were three humans present and Blue, the wolf Kai had argued with.

  “Ephraim called me,” Blue said. “You must be the vamp chick,” he said to me.

  “I’m Sophia…” I said slowly and glanced at the men who stood silently in front of two large metal trunks I hadn’t quite noticed before.

  “Right…well Sophia, these are the men who get us our guns and ammo. They’ve brought samples of a bunch of stuff. Maybe you and Kai can take a look since you know best what the Hunters are using,” Blue said. The silent men opened the trunks that stood on their own. Kai and I stepped forward to look at the selection. There was a range of guns sized from small and concealable, to large automatic weapons. They even had Taser guns and several kinds of grenades.

  “Wow,” Kai said.

  “What kinds of grenades are these?” I asked.

  “Standard hand grenades, impact grenades. There are smoke and flash bombs available as well. The human who spoke up had a vague South American accent. He went on to lay out the costs specific to arming a five hundred strong fighting force. I’d brought just enough cash to start up a true armory for the region of vampires.

  “I’ll take it,” I said, nodding.

  “Take it?” Blue asked. I set my duffel bag on the table to show the men the money. Their spines got a bit straighter and they didn’t doubt I meant business.

  “Yes, all of it, exactly as you’ve laid out,” I told the human.

  “You can have these two trunks now if you’d like, then we’ll take this payment when satisfying the order in full,” the man said. I smiled.

  “That sounds perfect, thank you,” I said. Kai shut the trunks and pulled them to the side while he discussed a time frame for getting the rest of the weapons. Blue offered them a lot of extra money to expedite our orders. They promised to have them delivered in two days’ time. I’d believe it when I saw it.

  After the humans left, Kai exchanged eager smiles with Blue. “You’re the man,” he said.

  “No actually she is. They were hesitant before you guys showed up. After she flashed all that paper it flipped a switch,” Blue said.

  “Who are they?” I asked.

  “They come from wolf bloodlines, but the active gene skipped them. They’re from Colombia, living in Brazil. I met them a long time back. They’ve always had certain connections and always make themselves available,” Blue said.

  “They’re loyal only to wolves,” I deduced.

  “Nah, they’re loyal to money,” he chuckled.

  “Perhaps I could get their numbers,” I said. Blue shrugged. He walked over to the coffee table and scribbled something out on a business card, then handed it to me.

  “Here is the future,” he said, chuckling.

  “Thank you for that,” I said and smiled at him.

  “So, what’s up with you two? Are you really just war survivors, coping with the tragedy of what happened in Gifford?” Blue asked.

  “Ah…” Kai glanced at me briefly.

  “Right, no need to say it out loud,” Blue said, chuckling. “Just don’t go making no hybrids. I’m sure those vamps would burn you alive for it,” he warned. Thankfully Kai bettered his acting for that and didn’t let on as to my pregnancy. We remained at Blue’s for only a few minutes longer. Then we went back to the studio. I was eager to get some semblance of a good day’s sleep.

  “Can we clear the air?” Kai asked as I sat down on the bed and pulled off my shoes.

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Do you get why I messed up and put us in this spot?” he asked.

  “I know Kai, you want to help,” I said.

  “I’m just sorry I did it all wrong. I should have realized how I felt way before we set a date to leave. I don’t want to put you in danger, but I’m not trying to be a martyr,” he said.

  “I know Kai…it’s okay, I’m not upset with you anymore,” I said and took a deep breath. “If it wasn’t for the mess you caused, I wouldn’t have realized how much my father truly cares for me,” I said softly. “Even though he disowned me,” I joked. Kai didn’t laugh, which I loved him for. Instead, he came over to the bed and pulled me to my feet. He undressed me and stripped down before getting into bed with me.

  “Are those sleep deprivation shadows under your eyes, or…?” he brushed the shadows lightly with his thumbs and then kissed my eyes. I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled into his warmth.

  “We’ll see in the morning,” I yawned. Sleep pulled me under in a weighted embrace.

  * * *

  Kai and I spent one whole day to ourselves. We actually went out together and played at being a normal couple expecting a baby. We even went into a baby clothes store and picked out a boy’s onesie and a girl’s. All tension from the day before had leached out of us thankfully and we were back to our usual selves. Things were easy between us and I was eager for more of that taste of normal in Montreal.

  After our brief break, the gun dealers made good on our timeline. Blue gave us the call promptly the following evening. So, Kai and I returned to Blue’s place with the duffel bags.

  Kai pulled up slowly behind the huge wide load truck parked in front of Blue’s house. I asked, “How…are we going to get this sorted out?”

  “I don’t know, I’m sure they’ll explain inside. But maybe you should call your father to let him know we came through with the weapons,” Kai said. I nodded and let him handle the exchange of money while I stayed outside to call Wraith.

  “So? Did the wolves rob us with our eyes wide open?” he answered.

  “No, we have the weapons…an entire shipping crate full of them,” I murmured.

  “Oh…” he said, surprised. I held my tongue, though I did roll my eyes. I made plans with him to get our weapons to a warehouse he owned. By the time I went inside to tell Kai and Blue, the dealers were heading out.

  “They gave us the truck to haul this stuff around,” Kai said.

  “Will Blue want to unload your weapons first…because I have an address for where to put the vampires’ weapons,” I said.

  “Yeah, let me just get these sample trunks in with the rest of them,” Kai said. He took the two samples from the other night and put them in with the other weapons. Then Kai, Blue, and I went to do drop offs. Once the weapons were stored, an odd anxiety rushed through me. That was it. The piece we needed in place in order to move forward.

  “Now we talk strategy,” I sighed. Blue was taking the truck back to the rental place and Kai was slowly driving towards his other apartment. He had another car there that I could use to get back to my father’s coven.

  “That part I’m worried about. Coordinating an attack won’t be easy,” Kai said.

  “Just get the alphas or whomever to the library, and I’ll drag our lead fighters there if I have to,” I said. He nodded. We made quick work of getting the other car and soon I was speeding towards my father’s coven. I was wary of whether I’d still be let inside. But as I walked into the foyer, I was greeted just as normal, as if I hadn’t brought a wolf into the coven. I went in search of Alexis, because I knew Case wouldn’t be far.

  They were in the library, sharing a cup of blood and reading. They both looked up as I approached their small nook.

  “Sophia,” Alexis said with wide eyes.

  “Hello…” I said.

  “Have you already gotten the weapons?” she asked, her tone hopeful.

  “Yes, we have more than enough of everything we need,” I said. “Now we must strategize with the wolves,” I said slowly. Alexis exchanged a brief unsure glance with Case. “Case, I need your help in rounding up the regions’ lead fighters. All that are present for the conference,” I said.

  “You plan to strategize with the wolves now?” he asked.

  “Yes, why not? We need a plan to bring back to the coven leaders,” I said. “I only have an
hour, will you be joining me?” Case stood up, setting his book down.

  “Alexis, can you inform my father that I’ll be strategizing tonight and will present a coherent plan to the conference when we return?” I asked her.

  “Alright, of course. But why can you not tell him?” she asked.

  “Alexis I brought a wolf into the coven without speaking to him about it. He is still angry with me for that,” I said. She nodded in understanding. I saw that there was much she still wished to say to me, but she held her tongue.

  Case and I left to round up the other fighters. Thankfully, he was good at convincing them that everything would be fine for us to go and speak with the wolves. Within the hour, I had a procession of cars headed back to Portland. I called Kai to make sure he’d been was successful in getting the wolves organized and ready. Kai had good news. All those who oversaw the fighting and formation of their packs were present at the public library’s conference room. Of course, the library was closed. But for supernatural beings, certain things were easy to bypass.

  We entered the library through a service entrance, then walked along towards one of their collaboration rooms. How fitting.

  “This should be interesting,” Case murmured just before we entered the room. I smirked and led our fighters inside. Kai was at the head of the room, in front of a whiteboard. The wolves were already seated on one half of the table.

  “Welcome everyone,” Kai said. “Take a seat. I’m sure you all are ready to get this started and over with, let’s try to make this process as easy as possible,” he said. I stood near the foot of the long, oval shaped table.

  “So, Gifford Pinchot,” Kai said. He drew a crude diagram of the forest and the border between Washington and Oregon.

  “But also…the many parks in Portland and Seattle which the Hunters are occupying,” one wolf pointed out. I didn’t recognize her.

  “And our blood banks,” Case said. There was a brief pause in the room as the wolves wisely decided not to question Case’s statement.

  “Right. There is one main concentration of Hunters and that’s here. So, the Preserve is where the bulk of our forces have to work together. These satellite locations, various parks and smaller preserves will have to be separate battles,” Kai said.

  “With our new firepower either of our kind can keep the banks and parks clear of Hunters,” I said. The table seemed to agree on that with nods and mumbles.

  “How do you all operate when sweeping through a forest?” Kai asked.

  “We usually keep to the trees,” another vampire answered. “We call it a wraith formation. Swooping down on anyone unawares pretty much ensures victory,” he added.

  “We’ll be in human form for the most part, on the ground,” Kevin said. He was sitting nearest Kai at the head of the table.

  Kai shared how we’d worked together in that forest before getting cornered in the safe house. After some discussion, eventually we figured out the logistics of taking back Gifford Pinchot. We’d group off in vampire-wolf teams. The vampires would take wraith formation in the trees while the wolves kept flush to those same trees on the ground and slowly sweep through the forest until each Hunter was taken out. We knew where their concentrations were. On the state border, and around hiking trails. Not to mention the area around the safe house. It seemed to be a hot spot for them.

  Once the bulk of their force was wiped out, it would be up to our respective fighting teams to handle whomever was left. The official coalition wouldn’t go past the Gifford Pinchot battle.

  After the meeting, it seemed like everyone was surprised that we were able to have such a productive meeting. The vampires and wolves slowly meandered out of the room.

  “That was…oddly easy,” Kai said.

  “It wasn’t easy, just simple,” I said.

  “True. So, you have to go back to your father’s coven?” he asked.

  “Yes, we have to present all this to the coven leaders…our own red tape,” I mumbled.

  “Alright, will I see you later?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Yes,” I told him. Soon after that, I left with the vampires. The coven leaders were convened just in time for us to arrive.

  “Sophia, what of this coalition meeting?” Wraith asked.

  “We have a strategy; a plan actually. It’s all a matter of when we’ll carry it out,” I said.

  “Will our fighters need training in using these weapons?” Paelin asked.

  “All our fighters know how to use a gun and other weapons. It’s always been a matter of having enough to equip them,” Case said. “We’re ready to deal with the Hunters,” he added. The leaders all glanced at each other briefly, then Wraith stood.

  “Then we will fight one night from now, under the full moon,” Wraith said. “Prepare your teams, do what you must.”

  They all left to get back to their covens and round up the army.

  “Well Sophia, you’ve certainly proved your leadership,” Arya said.

  “We all have our time,” I said pointedly. She smirked.

  “I suppose we all owe you a great debt as well. You’ve armed us for the future,” Paelin said.

  “No thanks are needed, it’s my duty,” I said. With that the meeting was concluded.

  “Alexis,” I called her just before she left the room. “I need to speak with you on something,” I said.

  “Anything, what do you need?” she asked.

  “It’s nothing I need, in fact, it’s something I need you to have.” I gave her the card with the weapons dealers’ contact information on it. “This is for the future. I know we’ll need to restock. But until we create our own vampire armory and weapons source, you can have them supplied by these men,” I told her.

  “Why are you giving this to me?” she asked. “Wouldn’t it have more purpose in your hands?”

  “No Alexis, the Portland Coven will have this,” I said. She studied my gaze for a moment and I knew that she put it together. She knew I was leaving.

  “Thank you, Sophia,” she said softly. I smiled, then left to go back to Kai.

  “So, when’s the big date?” he asked. I shut the door behind me and took a deep breath.

  “The night of the full moon. I said. That will certainly draw out a lot of Hunters,” I said. “Do you want to fight? We can slip away whenever we want at this point.”

  “I want to make sure the Hunters get decimated,” he said. I nodded. “But I don’t want you fighting,” he added.

  “Yes, but that is ultimately my choice,” I said. Kai nodded, we didn’t talk about it again. He knew I wouldn’t let him walk into battle without me.

  * * *

  I could taste the energy in the air. Both vampire and wolf alike were ready for the fight. The moon was just rising over the looming trees. I was with Case and Kai. Together our squad count was thirty-four. It was enough of a force to take out fifty Hunters and more.

  “Well? You ready?” Kai asked me. I tested the weight of the gun in my hand. It wasn’t an automatic like what everyone else sported. It was a simple silver nine-millimeter.

  “As I’ll ever be,” I said, smiling. Kai glanced at Case, who gave the order. We entered the forest along one of the hiking trails. Once the trees closed us in, we vampires took to the trees. We moved two miles parallel to the trail, then finally encountered our first group of Hunters. There were five of them and they didn’t expect that we’d be armed with guns. Of course, they saw the wolves first, but they didn’t even get a chance to raise their weapons before the vampires shot them down from above. We continued to comb the woods methodically. Soon our count of Hunter casualties was several hundred.

  “Case, what are the other casualties?” I asked him. He had an earpiece in and was connected to the other vampire squadron leaders.

  “So far, we’ve made a dent. Just under five hundred have been killed or run out of the forest,” Case said. I grinned at him from the branch I stood on. He nodded, his gaze equally as hopeful.

  “I
t’s almost boring fighting this way; it’s too easy,” commented a nearby vampire. I chuckled.

  “Don’t go getting bored already,” I called over my shoulder. I jumped to another tree and as I did, a bullet whizzed just past me. It was so close that it clipped my forearm. I hissed and made myself flush against the trunk of the tree.

  “Hunters!” Case shouted. We’d gotten sloppy for that brief moment and it cost us. Down below the wolves were trading fire and my heart was in my throat for Kai. Case ordered everyone to drop in order to help them. There were two truckloads of Hunters including twenty elite ones. I realized just how close to the safe house cabin we were. I dropped down from the tree, onto the back of a hunter and shot him, incapacitating him.

  “Sophia!” Kai’s voice called my attention to the left. He was waving me over, away from the thick of the fight. The number of Hunters were quickly dwindling around us. “I think we can make our exit now,” he said. He yanked me behind him, then shot one stray Hunter, trying to sneak up on Case. We still had our full fighting force and it was down to twelve Hunters. An easy mop up. I laced my fingers with Kai’s and we ran.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “There’s a trail nearby and a truck waiting for us,” he said.

  “Sneaky,” I said with a smile. “You planned our getaway.” Kai laughed.

  When we made it out of the forest and to Kai’s truck, I let out a relieved breath.

  “We did it,” I said.

  “Yeah, and relatively unscathed,” he said, studying my arm.

  “It’s just a graze,” I said. Kai cupped my face in his hands and kissed me deeply.

  “To the future?” he asked. I smiled and nodded my head.

  “To the future.”

  THE END

  = Bonus Book 15 of 16 =

  Learning with the Dragons

  It wasn't Linne's first time being in Professor Halthorne's class, but it was her first time entering as a teacher's assistant. A little trepidatious, but willing to overlook the butterflies in her stomach and help others work on the subject matter that meant so much to her was what was important. She was a young woman in her mid-twenties with straight black hair and bright eyes. She was lithe and lean with a small frame and not much in the way of curves.