by Judith Post
"Hypos isn't powerful." Samuel's voice was drenched with worry.
Ally thought of Samuel's beautiful partner—slender, with long, silky, white hair. "If she shifts, she is. One kick would daze most men. And with her wings, she could fly away."
Samuel's gaze shifted to the tulip tree outside the window. "I don't want her to leave the house. There's no reason to. I'll bring her and Tepo anything they need until we catch this killer."
"Probably better," Ally admitted. "Hypos isn't a fighter. It's not in her nature."
Dante's gaze slid to Ally. "I don't suppose…."
"That I'll stay here and hide? Not my style. Let the creep try to grab me. He'll be a stone statue before he can get it up."
Dante couldn't stop a grin. "At least, be careful, will you? There's no reason to take chances. I'd rather…."
She shrugged his worries away.
Samuel looked at the sketch again. "We'll do everything we can to find this man."
Ally pursed her lips, studying the hedge that surrounded their backyard in a new way. She loved it, but it was a perfect spot for someone to conceal himself. "You might not have to. He might come to us. He tried really hard to get on the property."
Dante's dark brows furrowed in a frown. Sidewalks bordered them on two sides, with an alley behind them. He liked not having neighbors surrounding them, Ally knew, but it made them more vulnerable. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, ready for action. "Why not cast your spells now? Inside and outside of the house. Samuel and I will walk around the area, see if the guy is hanging around."
Ally nodded her agreement and set off to chant more protection spells than usual while Dante and Samuel checked out the neighborhood.
* * *
Two days later, Ally drove her Jeep home from the north side of town. Her shopping trip was a complete success. She'd seen an ad from an unfinished furniture store for a massive table with a thick, central pedestal and four leaves to make it longer—perfect for entertaining. She'd wanted eight chairs to go with it, and she wanted them all unfinished so that she could stain them red. With the dining room's cornmeal-yellow walls, she thought it would make a happy match.
She'd found everything in stock, along with a matching buffet. Better yet, the store promised to deliver them in two days. All that was left to finish the dining room was to select curtains for its deep, bay window, and she knew just where to look. But why stop there? A shop close by sold essentials—like cookware and dinnerware, as well as a variety of fun, tempting things she probably didn't need. But how many times did you buy a house?
She turned her Jeep toward the southwest side of the city. Air whipped her brown curls into frizzy corkscrews, but she didn't care. This might be the last time this year she could drive it with the top off. Cool weather was predicted in the coming days. For the moment, though, they were enjoying an Indian summer. The sun shone, and the temperature hovered at the mid-seventies. Her idea of heaven.
She looked at the few remaining red and gold leaves that clung to the trees. When she reached the bridge that crossed one of the city's three rivers, she slowed the Jeep and inhaled. Wrinkling her nose, she breathed in more deeply. Whiffs of dying magic lingered on the breeze. An unpleasant smell. She turned onto a side street, close to a popular park, trying to find its source. She ended up at a picnic area near the river.
Not many people were in sight. Kids were in school. Parents were at work.
She walked toward the river banks. The odd aroma hung in the air. She covered her nose with her hand. As she got closer, she realized it came from the stump of a recently cut willow tree. Oh, Zeus, no. It couldn't be. Her stomach rebelled, wanted to retch. She was Greek, after all. And she'd known nymphs most of her life. Not that she knew any dwelled in Summit City. But they wouldn't know she was here, either, would they? Every supernatural tended to hide, to blend in with the mortals who surrounded them.
She pressed her hand harder over her nose and mouth, trying not to gag. Summit City made an effort to provide nature areas for its citizens. It planted trees along its streets and boulevards. Daylilies bloomed in its meridians. She thought of this past summer when nearly every ash tree in the city was afflicted with a disease. Things like that happened when the nymph who protected them died. Just like this nymph, who was killed, along with her willow.
It was a mutual calamity. If the nymph died, the trees she protected died too. If the tree died before the nymph left it, she followed. Ally made herself sniff. There was no denying it. Someone had cut the tree with the nymph inside, probably to drive her out, but she hadn't left. The essence of the scent was too strong for her to have escaped before a saw buzzed through her willow's bark.
Ally rubbed her arms, trying to chase away the chill that shivered across them. Dante had said that the woman's body they'd found wasn't quite human. A nymph's?
Ally returned to her Jeep, deep in thought. She'd meant to keep shopping, just for fun, but the joy was gone. She felt sick and shaken. She wanted to return home, to talk to Dante.
She found him upstairs with Samuel, Hypos, and Tepo. Their appliances had been delivered that day, and Dante was helping install them. There was no more appealing sight than her tall, dark gargoyle, muscles bulging, while he wrestled a refrigerator into place, but even that couldn't lift her mood.
"Our TV's bigger than yours." Tepo ran to her and pulled on her hand, dragging her to see, as Samuel finished mounting it on the far wall. Samuel had bought another TV for the boy's room. Tepo was bouncing around, running back and forth from one new item to the next, too excited to settle down.
Ally waited for him to disappear into his room, fiddling with his Xbox, before she told the others her news. Tepo came to join them, his face solemn. "A nymph lived in the glade with us when I was a little boy. She used to play with me. I liked her."
"You could hear me over your game?" Ally asked.
Hypos raised an eyebrow at him. "Tepo has radar ears. He always hears what I don't want him to."
Ally nodded. She should have noticed that the boy was being too quiet. That's when kids weren't doing what you thought they were. She answered carefully. "Even after my sisters and I were cursed and changed, the nymphs were kind to us. I like them too."
Dante scraped a hand through his thick, black hair—a habit of his when he was upset. He glanced at Tepo.
The boy was awfully old for a ten-year-old. "Why would someone cut down her tree to kill her?"
Dante tried to put a different slant on it. "Most people wouldn't think of that these days. It might not have been on purpose."
Tepo frowned, ready to ask more questions, but Hypos said, "Have you checked out your new game to make sure it works? Did you even turn it on? I heard it start, but how far did you play? If something's wrong with it, we can take it back."
The boy ignored her hint. "The centaurs chased us forever. They wanted us dead. Did someone want the nymph dead too?"
"We think so." Hypos raised an arm and pointed. "Go. This is adult talk."
Shoulders stiff, Tepo stomped to his room. A little Pegasus wasn't any different than other kids, Ally decided. She waited until the TV blasted, then kept her voice low. "The nymph could have fled her tree and gone to another willow. She didn't. She was more afraid of who was after her than she was of dying."
Dante's expression shifted to stormy. "You think whoever cut the willow did it to force her out, so he could capture her, abuse her."
Ally nodded. "What did the girl look like that they found in the river? Did she have pointy ears?"
Dante glanced at Samuel. "That's the only thing I saw that was different about her. Did you notice anything else?"
Samuel shook his head. "She was lovely, though. A beautiful face. Lithe, willowy—sort of like Ally—but not as tall."
Ally blushed. "Thank you."
Samuel's gaze roved to Hypos with her shimmering, platinum hair and golden complexion. There was no doubting whom he considered the fairest of all.
Dan
te's gaze, on the other hand, shifted out the long, narrow, upstairs window to the tulip tree in the backyard. "You made it sound as though the man wanted in our yard, like he wasn't interested in the house. You don't suppose…."
Ally walked to the window to see the tree better. "It's in perfect health, a perfect shape, not a leaf out of place. Vibrant, like the oak tree, almost as if…."
"….Someone cares for it," Dante finished.
They crowded close to look at the graceful balance of its branches, the symmetry of its shape.
"How can you tell if it's a nymph's home?" Samuel asked.
"We can ask it." Ally started for the private staircase that led to Samuel and Hypos's back door. The rest followed—even Tepo, who miraculously appeared as they left the house. Just as she thought, he'd been listening the entire time. She crossed the yard to the tree and said, "Hello. We're supernaturals too." She pointed. "Gargoyles, winged horses, and I'm a gorgon. We watch over this city. Do you need our help?"
The leaves on the tree shivered. The branches swayed. A spot darkened on its bark, and a woman stepped toward them. Her chestnut-colored hair was pulled up in loose waves. Her moss-green eyes narrowed, studying them. She wore very little, a well-placed leaf here and there, bark where necessary.
She saw Tepo staring at her pointed ears. "So that I can hear the whispers of the forest," she told him.
Ally motioned toward the house. "Can we talk? We'd have more privacy inside. I'm thinking you don't want anyone to see you."
The nymph hesitated, staying close to her tree, so that she could duck back inside it. She looked at Ally. "I felt your magic and reached for you. Is that why you bought the house?"
"That's part of it."
She rested a hand on her tree. "I'm desperate. I need help. We all do."
Dante stepped forward. "We've found the bodies of three of your friends. We know there's a problem."
"They're dead?"
Samuel nodded.
She blinked away tears.
Ally reached for her hand and led her to their living room. Dante and Samuel carried old, wooden chairs from the kitchen, moving them in a circle around the sofa and love seat.
Dante said, "We'll have to make do. You ladies can have the couches."
The nymph looked at Ally. "How did you know I live in the tree?"
"I saw a man trying to enter our yard. He didn't seem interested in the house. I didn't understand it until I found the stump of a willow tree today. It was cut down with its nymph still in it."
It was a bald, horrible way to answer her question, but Ally assumed the nymph would rather know the facts. Still, her expressive face showed pain. "Four of us, dead?"
"Unless there are more that we don't know about." Ally glanced away to give her a moment to compose herself.
Finally, her voice unsteady, the nymph said, "My sisters and I came here decades ago. Six of us in all. Our previous forests were razed to build new housing additions—we had plenty of warning, so escaped safely. It was sad to see our trees destroyed, but we found new ones here. We got together often to celebrate the seasons until…." She put a hand to her throat, unable to go on.
"You're under attack now," Hypos said. She leaned closer to Samuel. She knew how it felt to run for your life. She and Tepo barely escaped the centaurs before they came to Summit City.
The nymph nodded.
"May I ask your name?" Samuel smiled, trying to put her at ease.
"Zimaida. My sisters and I cared for this city, this area, but when we met for the fall equinox, three of us were missing. We had no way to discover for sure…." Her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath.
Dante nodded. "The bodies in the river…"
"Can you describe them?" Zimaida leaned forward, hugging herself, anxious for information.
"One had dark-brown hair and eyes…" Samuel motioned toward Dante. "…like his." A pale-gray, luminous. Perfect with his black hair. Ally loved her gargoyle's coloring.
Zimaida's expression clouded. "Daphne's oak was just down the street from mine. We visited often."
Ally swallowed, uncomfortable. "That tree was cut down. It died."
"All of the oaks in this area will perish if we can't find a young nymph to take Daphne's place. It's not safe now. She'll just be a target." Zimaida frowned. "You mentioned Ianthe's willow, but what of Talia?"
"What's her tree?" Ally asked.
"The ash."
"The ash trees are all dying."
Zimaida pinched her lips together. "Gone then. What else?"
Ally did a quick count on her fingers—three bodies and one willow. There was one nymph unaccounted for. "Crabapple trees are beginning to wither."
Zimaida lowered her head to hide her distress. "Callista. Her trees will die next. Only Lexi and I have survived."
Dante crushed his hands into fists. "Do you have any idea who might be hunting you?"
Zimaida shook her head. "I don't understand it. We're friends to all. We cause no harm, no hard feelings."
Hypos and Ally nodded agreement. "Nymphs nurture," Ally said. "That's all they know."
Samuel asked gently, "Who's Lexi? Which tree does she dwell in?"
Zimaida sighed. "She's protector of the maples, has bright-red hair, like their leaves. She's funny, vibrant…."
"We need to find and protect her. Do you know which specific maple she calls home?" Dante looked ready to jump from his chair and go to her at that very moment.
"There's a college campus, near the river, on the north side of town. It's home to many types of trees. She lives in a red maple there."
Dante nodded. "I know the place. Can you take us to her? No mortal killed your friends, but we couldn't identify the scent of whatever attacked them."
"Mortals?" Zimaida didn't look surprised. "Humans might be thoughtless. They might cut down the tree we call home, but the gods made us fleet of foot. No mortal could catch us when we flee."
"What can?" Samuel asked.
She shook her head. "Something else the gods created, whether purposely or not."
Ally understood her answer. The gods had never intended for centaurs to walk the earth. They didn't mean to create demi-gods either, until their lust overcame their reason and they mated with mortal women. Not every supernatural was well thought out.
Zimada paced to the door. "I'd like to see if Lexi's still safe."
"I can drive," Ally hurried to explain. "Do you have a mortal form?"
Zimaida nodded, shifting into a lovely, young woman, wearing snug, chocolate-colored pants and a moss-green tunic. She cocked her head to study Ally.
"I've heard the tales of gorgons, but I wouldn't know their scent. I recognized your magic—a witch's. The two don't seem to fit."
Ally took a deep breath. Her origins usually confused people. "Athena took pity on my plight and asked Artemis to help me. She taught me her magic. I can place protection spells on Lexi's tree."
Zimaida tilted her head, studying Ally more closely. "You've lost your sisters too. You know how I feel."
Ally swallowed a lump in her throat. She'd always miss Stheno and Medusa.
Hypos's arm tightened around her son. "Your Jeep can't hold all of us. Samuel, Tepo, and I will stay here. We'll finish our work on the apartment. You and Dante help Zimaida. Save her friend."
"But, Mom…."
Hypos cut him off and turned to Zimaida. "I hope you find Lexi well and safe. But in case, Tepo's staying with me—here."
Ally didn't wait to hear Tepo argue. She led Dante and Zimaida to her car, and they sped toward the north end of town.
* * *
Ally slowed to a sedate speed as she turned into the college campus. She came here a few times a year and knew its paths. Its landscapes and buildings pleased her. The college organized an annual, summer celebration with river boat rides, ski shows, and food vendors, but Ally's favorite part of the campus was the master gardeners' flower beds, tucked in a corner, away from the regular buildings.
/> Today, she drove toward the river and the red maple that stood nearby. She parked, and she, Dante, and Zimaida hurried toward it. They slowed their steps as they saw a man, sitting on the grass, leaning against its trunk. As they approached, he stood and crossed his arms over his chest. As tall as Dante, he looked just as solid.
He motioned them back to their car. "If your freak friend sent you to finish his job, you're wasting your time. Turn around and leave while you still can."
Dante took a deep breath, sniffing the air. Ally and Zimaida followed his example. "A werewolf," Dante said, planting his feet firmly.
The branches of the maple stirred. The trunk blurred in one spot, and a stunning nymph stepped from its bark. Her hair shone a vivid red in the sunlight. Her eyes matched the sky overhead. She laughed and rushed toward them. "Zimaida! You're still alive!"
Dante scowled at the werewolf. In return, the Were growled a low warning.
Lexi waved both men's concerns away. "No worries, Lance. This is my friend, Zimaida."
Lance still stood, muscles flexed, ready to spring into action. "If you tricked the nymph into bringing you here, it won't do you any good. Lexi's mine, and you'll die if you try to harm her." He sniffed the air, studying them. "What are you anyway?"
"She's yours?" Dante frowned, looking from the werewolf to the nymph.
"And he's mine," Lexi said. "It's mutual."
Ally nodded and slid an arm through Dante's. "He's here to protect her. He probably saved her life. It sounds like the killer got here before we did."
Lance didn't budge from the tree. "You still haven't explained what you are and what you want."
"I'm Dante, a gargoyle, one of the four guardians of Summit City. We came to see if Lexi was safe."
Lance raised his eyebrows in surprise. "And you?" he asked, staring at Ally.
Ally didn't care what he thought of her. "A witch and a gorgon. I'm with him."
"What the hell is a gorgon?" Lance gave a canine grin. He wasn't a handsome man. A scar ran from his outer lip to his right nostril. His nose was a little too large, his eyes a little too hard. But Ally would want him as a friend, not an enemy.