A Walk After Dark

by Kirra Pierce

  He heard someone creeping close and tensed, ready to strike. “Raphael.” The word barely loud enough for even his changer’s hearing. He relaxed, recognizing the voice.

  Ty joined him. He wore the same dark brown pants as Raphael, but carried a coiled rope with a multipronged hook and wore a sword in its sheath across his back. Although curious, Raphael decided to hold his questions in favor of silence. They carefully peered through the small spaces between the large rocks scattered at the lip of the river chasm. Fifteen, twenty, thirty, and last of all, a tall man with a wild mane of dark blond hair. He gestured to the crowd, which followed him to a difficult climb out of the river canyon.

  They are staying in human form. Why? The midform has claws and greater strength. He must have ordered them to stay in human form to better control them! In a bare whisper, Raphael shared his thoughts with Ty.

  He looked behind him and saw a pale, golden-haired brethren gliding over to him and Ty. The ravers had begun whispering among themselves, creating a quiet buzz that would hide the brethren’s own whispers. Raphael signaled the young brethren to quietly give his report.

  “Darius said to tell you almost half of us are here. As soon as the ravers reach the top, we will attack with the brethren here, and you” ‑‑ he looked at Ty ‑‑ “can go to your position.” A brief nod and he was backing away.

  Raphael stared at Ty. “What position?”

  “I will use this” ‑‑ Ty gestured to the rope with a multipronged hook on the end ‑‑ “to help me reach the bottom of the chasm swiftly. Once there, I’ll go to the tunnel, kill any guarding the entrance and kill any who try to retreat through it.”

  “Alone?”

  “Yes, even including the effect of your drug-tipped arrows, we are outnumbered. The first priority is to make sure none of them gets through to the village. We can spare no more to go with me.”

  Raphael frowned, then whispered back fiercely, “As soon as I’ve shot these arrows, I’ll join you. Cassandra will have my head if anything happens to you. And where is Cyn, anyway? I would have thought he would be trying to outmaneuver Darius to direct the fight.”

  Ty grinned. “We got him to move his base of operations to the healer’s cottage. He can still direct the town and keep track of the battle while guarding the women. Pantheros is also there with our prisoner, Melisande.”

  “What shall we do about her? I can’t see killing her, but we can’t let her go free or even speak, and then there’s her other brother, the king.”

  Surprisingly, Ty did not look concerned. His smile merely widened. “Pantheros has taken a great interest in her. You may trust she will be taken care of in a way that will protect the brethren, but will not require that we take her life.”

  “Pantheros? But, he had sworn to never ‑‑”

  “I know. His beast has other ideas. He won’t make it easy for her.”

  Raphael felt almost sorry for Melisande. Her life was about to change a good deal.

  The last raver reached the top of the cliff wall. Raphael shifted his position slightly and pulled the first arrow from the quiver. Immediately Ty set the hook and began practically flying down the ravine. At the same time, a sharp whistle cut through the air and arrows flew, many regular ones and Raphael’s, which were tipped with the last of Cassandra’s knockout mixture.

  Those struck with the drug-tipped arrows wobbled and quickly fell. A few hit with the regular arrows died. Most screamed in pain and fury. They pulled out the arrows and began shifting to heal and fight. The odds were better, but his Brother Wolves were still outnumbered.

  Brethren poured from behind trees and rocks to meet the attack with bloodthirsty abandon. The ravers had no time to think, but fought like the cornered beasts they were.

  Raphael saw a few go over the edge and begin the climb to the ravine floor and the tunnel. He grabbed Ty’s rope and descended almost as quickly as Ty himself.

  He arrived at the tunnel just in time to see the gleam of Ty’s sword as he beheaded one raver, the body of another already on the tunnel floor.

  “There are some climbing down!”

  A third figure ran away.

  “Can you get him?”

  Raphael set out after him, while changing to his wolf form and sliding free of his clothes. He was off before Ty finished turning to face the tunnel entrance.

  Although the wolf form was much faster, the raver hadn’t stopped to change. That marked him as a younger shifter whose change would take place more slowly. A wolfish grin lit Raphael’s muzzle, and he ran even faster to catch the young killer.

  The raver came into view. The scent of fear rolled off his body. Raphael’s animal side responded with hunger. The desire to kill sharpened.

  He leapt onto the raver’s back, feeling the skin tear beneath his claws. He snapped his jaws close over the killer’s throat.

  A scream gurgled from the raver’s mouth as he went down. Blood gushed into Raphael’s mouth; he exulted in his triumph.

  With frantic hands, the raver tried to get a grip on Raphael and pull him away, but Raphael had completely torn through the artery. The raver’s body emptied its blood before he could tear Raphael away. There would be no changing of forms to heal this one.

  Fighting the beast’s hunger, Raphael forced himself away from his kill. There was always this moment of danger. During the chase, man and beast were one. After the fight, the beast did not want to cede control back to the man. He wanted to feast, to relish the victory as any wild predator would.

  The stress of the last few months ‑‑ spying alone on the ravers, never really resting as he watched them ‑‑ had worn Raphael’s reserves thin. The added stress of losing the bond with his chosen, if only briefly, made it worse. He felt the pull toward the body like a physical thing. Miranda. His desperate mind latched onto the thought of his chosen. She would not want this.

  Heat and then the change. He was in human form once again. The wolf still paced in his soul, but was unwilling to do anything that would cause his mate to reject him.

  There were no lights in the tunnel, but Raphael saw a faint light in the distance. The other entrance. He ran toward it. Would Ammon have more men stationed to guard that exit as well, or did he trust that none but his own would reach the other side?

  Cautiously Raphael exited after first testing the air for any sound or scent that might indicate waiting guards. There were so many scents from the ravers that had just passed through. He couldn’t be sure, but there were no sounds or sights to tell him others waited. He exited in a quick diving roll and looked around, ready to defend himself. There was no one there.

  He did a quick study of the ground. Two sets of footprints showed guards had run away! They must have heard the attack on their fellow raver and fled. At least they were running together. Raphael guessed they would make for their base camp. There was no telling what they might do to the women in their panic. He changed back to wolf form and raced after them. Like the raver he caught in the tunnel, they stayed in human form. He would catch them before they could reach the base camp.

  He tempered his speed to watch for any signs of a trap. Once they got past their first moments of panic, they might realize they had not heard a large group coming back through the tunnels and decide to try to kill him before he could stop them.

  He paused. Ahead the path narrowed and wound up a hill. High rock walls on either side provided the perfect opportunity for an ambush. He cocked his head. How to proceed? His muzzle pulled back in what could have been a silent growl or a wolfish smile.

  He veered off the trail, climbing onto the surrounding rocks. A raver with a stone the size of a large melon in his hand watched the path below.

  The raver turned, his eyes widening when he saw Raphael. He quickly glanced down to his weapon and threw it with a grunt of effort.

  Raphael leapt, feeling the stone brush by his fur. He landed on the raver, his claws slashing the creature’s abdomen while his jaws closed over the throat. The satisf
ying gush of hot blood told him he reached his target.

  Sharp pain tore through his side. The jerk of his head ripped the raver’s throat out. The second raver! He tore the knife free from Raphael’s side, and pulled his arm back, prepared to strike again. Raphael jumped free of the first raver’s body, away from the downswing of the knife, then he leapt back to the second raver, changing to his midform as he did. The force of his body striking the raver, along with his greater mass, threw the raver to the rock. Raphael quickly used his claws to finish him off.

  He stopped for a moment, panting from the expended energy. The change from wolf to his half beast healed the knife wound. But changing so quickly and healing cost energy, and he was not fully recovered from his earlier mission. Reaching within himself, he pulled upright and started back toward the tunnel at a quick pace. He hated leaving the captive women behind a second time, but he knew the ravers’ numbers at the base were still too many for him alone.

  He focused his mind. He might be needed at the battle, so he sped back toward the tunnel.

  * * * * *

  Raphael saw Ty’s tense form outlined in the light coming from the entrance. He was half crouched with a two-handed grip on his sword in a ready position. The floor around him was a bloody mess of body parts. While Raphael had been gone he’d been busy and was still primed for battle.

  “Ty! It’s Raphael.” After all this, he did not want to be killed by accident.

  Ty spun around, sword still ready. His shoulders relaxed, and he lowered the sword.

  “Did you get him?”

  “Them. There were two more at the other entrance, and yes, I did.” His sensitive ears picked up a small scuffling sound of a step on the loose dirt around the canyon wall.

  Once again in a ready position, Ty turned back toward the entrance.

  “It’s Borak. I’ve come to take your place.” A large figure blocked much of the incoming light.

  Ty did not budge. Raphael realized that Ty did not know all the brethren in Darius’s command. “It’s alright, Ty. Borak is with us.”

  The sword was lowered, and Borak stepped closer.

  “Sorry,” Ty grunted. “You smelled of brethren, not raver, but…”

  “I understand.” Borak waved off Ty’s comment.

  Raphael bit back a grin. Borak was not known for his conversation. His dark hair fell in wild tangles about his shoulders, and he rarely smiled. “The battle is over above. We won. Darius said for me to take your place here in case those that escaped try to go back this way. We have brethren pursuing them, but Ammon and some others got away.

  “You both may go to your chosen to watch them. Darius is on his way to meet up with Marcus and the duke’s party to let them know what’s happened.” The brethren stepped aside so Ty and Raphael could move by.

  His chosen! Miranda would be well protected at the healer’s cottage with Cyn and Pantheros, yet he burned to be with her, to guard her himself.

  Ty appeared like-minded as they sped up the still-dangling rope to the top. “I’ll meet you there.” Raphael shed his clothes again and changed to wolf form.

  “Wait!” Ty pulled off the sword harness and made a quick adjustment to it. In moments, he had stripped, changed, and slid the harness so it fit over his wolf form. Then they both ran toward the cottage.

  The forest was full of the scents of changers. Many brethren and some ravers had crossed the same paths he and Ty now raced over. The scent of the ravers spurred him on to greater speed.

  They reached the cottage, where the scent of raver was strong in the air.

  Eric, the raver, stood outside. He had Cassandra and Miranda! The raver’s fists bunched in the material of each woman’s shirt behind her head. He shoved them along. Their hands were tied, but they looked unharmed. They twisted in his grip, but their strength was no match for that of the raver. The bodies of Cyn, Pantheros, and two other brethren were tossed to the side of the yard.

  Raphael heard a low growl issuing from Ty’s muzzle and nipped the brethren to silence him. Although Ty was an experienced warrior, he was a new brethren. His control over his beast was not complete. He knew Ty would be going crazy with bloodlust after seeing both his bond brother and his chosen in danger. His desperation to attack could be their undoing. Raphael felt the same, but had the control of years as a brethren. He jerked his head back, indicating for Ty to follow him.

  A short distance away, he changed to his half-beast form. He collapsed against a tree, trying to gather his strength once more, while Ty slipped free of the sword harness and changed as well.

  Ty visibly shook with the need to go to his chosen. But he maintained the discipline to look to Raphael, who pushed himself away from the tree. “There may be others. Ammon will likely want his sister back, and they have somehow taken out Cyn and our other brethren. We must make our attack count. There is a small window in the back of the bedroom. I could crawl through.”

  Ty nodded in agreement. His training and previous experience obviously coming into play. “I will draw their attention by tossing a few small stones in the bushes on the opposite side of the glade and hide nearby with my sword ready…”

  * * * * *

  Cassandra tugged uselessly at the bonds on her hands. Eric gloated in her ear. “We lost many today, but your brethren will lose everything. You see the brethren down there? We will kill them before we go, and your duke will not even wake up. Without the extra strength of the brethren, the drug will kill him.”

  He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. “I’m going to make you mine to make up for those your men killed. You may hate me, but your body will serve me willingly ‑‑ after a while.”

  Then he yanked Miranda close. “You’re pretty. I bet you would taste sweet. If you’re smart, you’ll cause me no trouble while I decide whether to keep you or…” Eric parted his lips in a parody of a smile. It became even broader when Miranda shuddered.

  The cottage door opened behind them. Ammon stepped through with Melisande by his side. His movements were abrupt, angry. However, he looked pleased he had recovered his sister. He turned toward Eric. Cassandra did not think he caught Melisande looking at the still form of Pantheros.

  She tore her eyes from Ammon. The way he commanded her gaze was amazing. For all that she knew he had done, he still pulled her attention. There was something magnetic, about him. She guessed it was this power as much as anything that allowed him to control the ravers.

  Melisande turned her head back toward Cassandra with an attempt at her normal proud bearing, but Cassandra could see she was shaken. Her eyes were wide, and there was a slight trembling in her hands.

  Ammon spoke with a cold voice. “The women will make good hostages. Finish off the brethren and let’s go.

  Cassandra’s heart raced. How can I stop this? She braced to throw herself into a fight, praying that Cyn would wake in time to help.

  “No, just leave them. They will be more demoralized by their failure, and that will help us,” Melisande replied, stunning Cassandra with her response. Could she feel something for Pantheros already?

  Ammon hesitated and then seemed to accept his sister’s decision, nodding agreement to Eric. “Then come.” He bent as if to lift Melisande over his shoulder, when he froze and gestured to Eric toward a dense growth of trees and bushes just beyond the open space in front of the cottage.

  In a blur of motion, Ammon dashed to the trees.

  A roar sounded in Cassandra’s ears. Raphael tore open the cottage door and burst out, attacking Eric with clawed hands. Her own hands and Miranda’s tore free of Eric’s as Raphael’s body struck him, tumbling them both to the ground in a struggling heap.

  Miranda threw her body over Melisande, stopping her from aiding the ravers. Cassandra started to run to Cyn, then dashed into the cottage instead. She grabbed a knife from the worktable and held it between her knees to slit the leather tie holding her wrists together. Then she snatched the small vial of knockout mixture she and Miranda had prepare
d while the fox’s blood distillate cooled, and ran back out the door.

  Eric had changed to his half-beast form. He and Raphael twisted, grappling in the dirt, each seeking an opening. Meanwhile, Miranda struggled with Melisande.

  Cassandra moved around the two men, hoping for a chance to help Raphael. For a moment, she caught his eye and held up the flask in her hand. An instant later he seemed to slip, giving Eric the advantage. He pinned Raphael to the ground. Eric’s head reared back, baring his fangs. Cassandra smashed the vial over his forehead.

  Broken bits of glass and solution embedded in his skin. He froze while solution ran over his face to his mouth. He made a gagging noise and then fell over. Raphael scrambled backward, away from the still raver and the remains of the knockout solution. He rose, wobbly, to his feet, then fell to his knees.

  Cassandra rushed to help Miranda. Melisande had a stiletto in her hand. Miranda, her own hands still tied, struggled to keep the knife from her. Cassandra grabbed the wrist of Melisande’s knife-bearing hand and threw her weight onto the arm. She felt a snap under her, and Melisande screamed in pain. Melisande’s arm had broken over the stone-lined edge of the path to the healer’s cottage.

  The stiletto dropped from Melisande’s hand, and she rolled over cuddling the injured arm and crying.

  Miranda went to the struggling Raphael, while Cassandra looked warily to the trees, then ran to check on Cyn, who began to stir along with the other brethren.

  “Who is with you, Raphael?” Cyn’s voice was groggy. He clutched Cassandra as he slowly stood.

  “Ty was with me.”

  There was a rustle of bushes, and Ty stepped out with his sword. Both he and Raphael were naked from their shifts to wolf and back. Cassandra shared a quick glance with Miranda who gave her a small smile and headshake.

  “Ammon escaped. As soon as he saw me with a sword, he ran the opposite way. I chased briefly, but thought you might need me here.”

  Pantheros awakened and rose on unsteady feet. He went directly to Melisande, who let him hold her without struggle, her face still contorted in pain. Miranda sped into the cottage and came out with scissors, and a basket of medical supplies. She knelt by the pair and started snipping back Melisande’s sleeve. Cassandra admired the woman’s adherence to her vow to heal. She would have let Melisande ‑‑ the deceiver ‑‑ suffer longer.