by Skye Knizley
“Fine, then. After you kill me, I’m going to haunt all of you.”
She raised her shield and continued to back away. They would be easier to fight if they had to come at her one at a time through the doors of the store.
She never made it. She’d walked less than ten feet when the largest of the lycans howled and the rest attacked as one. Aspen blocked the first two with her shield and threw fire at the next, sending it meet its maker in a cloud of fire and brimstone. Her shield collapsed under the next attack and she fell to the ground. She could taste blood in her mouth, feel it trickling from her nose, but she kept fighting. The next lycan near her got a face full of flame that sent it scurrying away in pain while another was blown off its feet by a gust of hurricane force wind.
Aspen spat blood and fought to stand, but her legs wouldn’t hold her. She rose to her knees and cast another flame spell, keeping the lycans at bay. In the sudden silence when the flame died, she heard another sound. A growl she knew all too well and never expected to hear in the middle of nowhere. She wiped the blood from her mouth and smiled.
“You hear that? That’s someone who makes your boss look like a docile Chihuahua, and she’s pissed.”
A black muscle car roared out of the darkness and slid into a controlled power slide. Raven Storm’s pistol appeared in the window and she fired six shots in quick succession. Four of the lycans were killed instantly, two were wounded and scurried away, confused by the new arrival.
The passenger door of the Bass opened and Raven looked out. “This? This is why you should have called me sooner.”
Aspen felt relief flood through her, along with other emotions she couldn’t vocalize. Love, confusion and fear all fought for her attention.
“You’re late,” she managed. Then she pitched over into the black waters of exhaustion.
CHAPTER TEN
Devil’s Lake, MO: 5:40 a.m.
Aspen woke to the sound of people arguing. She opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar and filthy ceiling covered in flaking paint and water stains. She was lying on a bed that had seen better days beneath a blanket she recognized as coming from the trunk of Raven’s car.
It wasn’t a dream, she thought.
“Kid, I don’t care how many so-called monsters you’ve killed or how badass you think you are. We aren’t going anywhere until Aspen is awake and I have some idea what the hell is going on,” Raven said.
“Don’t call me ‘kid’, bloodsucker,” Jynx growled.
Aspen sat up. “I see you two have met. Can’t we all get along?”
Raven was standing in the middle of the room in what was one of Aspen’s favorite outfits, though she’d never said anything. It consisted of a blue blouse of some silken material, leather pants and a black jacket that matched her own. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and her face was almost devoid of makeup. She moved to Aspen’s side and sat on the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
Aspen rubbed her head. “My skull is pounding and my mouth tastes like a wet dog slept in it, but I’m better than I would have been if you hadn’t shown up. That was nice timing, Ray.”
“That’s two you owe me, Asp.”
Jynx was leaning against the wall. “Yeah, okay, the skeeter is the big hero of the night, can we talk about what happened to Clanton? And maybe getting out of here?”
Raven turned. “Jynx, is it? Call me ‘skeeter’ on more time and you’ll be riding back to civilization in the trunk.”
She looked back at Aspen. “Did you have to tell your new friend I was a Dhampyr?”
Aspen blushed. “It came up by accident and I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Jynx popped her gum and sucked it back into her mouth. “It could be worse. You could be a furball and then I’d really hate you.”
Raven walked toward Jynx. “You have a serious attitude problem. How many innocent preternaturals have you blown away with that thing?”
Jynx straightened. “None. I only make sanctioned kills. How ‘bout you? How many innocent humans have you fed on?”
Raven glared at her. “None. I don’t feed, I’m only part vampire. My family only feeds from willing donors and it is against the Totentanz to commit murder. I execute the bottom-feeders that kill.”
Aspen stepped between them. “Okay, can we take this down a notch? There’s way too much estrogen flying around in here. You’re both goodguys, you kill the badguys, let’s all be friends now, ‘kay?”
Jynx glanced at her and after a moment her face broke into a smile. “Are you always this perky?”
Raven smiled. “So far. I don’t think anything can make Aspen not be happy. At least not for long.”
Aspen rubbed her head and wished the pounding would stop. “This headache is making me less happy. I think I have a magik hangover.”
“It will pass. I saw your handiwork on my way through town, it looks to me like you need a vacation,” Raven said.
Aspen sat on the bed, which creaked ominously. “How did you do that, by the way? I mean, find me? Not that I’m not grateful for the rescue from the forces of Alpo, but we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
Raven shrugged. “You’re my familiar, I can feel you. I could tell you were in trouble so I came to check on you. I guess it was sort of like following a homing pigeon. I just followed my instincts until I saw you.”
“Ten seconds more, I’d have been puppy chow,” Aspen said.
Jynx sat on the bed beside her. “What you did was stupid, Asp. Nobody hunts lycans alone.”
“I wasn’t hunting them, I was running from them. They cornered me and I fought back,” Aspen said.
“You’re lucky Ike didn’t gut you and make a necklace out of your intestines. I might have been able to protect you, he wants me as his—”
“Alpha mate. I know, he told me. The correct word is “wanted.” I buried him in enough silver to kill a normal-sized pack,” Aspen finished.
Jynx raised her eyebrows. “Clanton is dead?”
Aspen nodded. “Yes, very very dead. So dead not even Eliazarr’s blood can bring him back.”
Jynx studied the floor between her boots. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Jynx, I know you wanted to kill him, to take your vengeance…”
Jynx turned and hugged her. “What matters is that piece of filth is dead. My family can rest in peace, Piper and I can move on. Thank you.”
Aspen didn’t know what she’d expected. She hadn’t really expected to still be alive, but she also hadn’t expected Jynx to be happy she’d killed her arch enemy or for Jynx to hug her, which seemed odd. But weirder things had happened. She hugged Jynx back and met Raven’s eyes. Raven looked confused and Aspen mouthed, tell you later.
The hug was brief; Jynx let go and sat back. “Okay, so now what? Does the Mistress of the Night being here mean we can blow this pop stand?”
Aspen rubbed her lip in thought. “I doubt it, almost nobody gets out of here alive. The woman made it out like she’s been stuck here for ages and Martel getting out was a big deal. Where is she, by the way?”
“I put her in the next room to get some sleep. It took hours and a bottle of tequila I found to get her to calm down,” Jynx said.
Aspen stood and walked toward Raven. “I need to talk to her, there has to be something in her notes about getting out of here.”
She stopped and hugged Raven around the waist. “But first, I want to say thank you for being here. I should have known you’d come.”
For once, Raven didn’t seem to mind the hug. “You were in trouble, I came. That’s what I do. I’m still not up to speed, though. Why can’t we just get in the Bass and leave this place in rearview?”
“We already tried that. There is something here, some force preventing us from leaving. We just ended up driving in circles until we gave up,” Aspen said.
“Swell. Any idea what it is?”
“Before you showed up, we were investigating this thing called ‘the other’,” Jynx said.
“Who is the other? It sounds like a bad horror villain.”
“Don’t know who or what,” Aspen replied, “But everything we’ve found so far points to it being the local big bad, one among many.”
Raven made a disgusted face. “You mean there is something worse out there than a pack of pissed off lycans? Some vacation spot you two picked. Next time, go camping in a camp ground like normal people.”
“I didn’t know it was this bad, okay? I was just trying to solve a mystery, to do what we do. Things just didn’t go like I’d planned,” Aspen said.
Raven reached out and took Aspen’s hand. “I’m sorry, Asp, I didn’t mean to snap at you, it was a long drive. What do we need to do?”
“Talk to the woman with no name and go through her notes,” Aspen said.
“And find some food,” Jynx added. “I’m starving.”
“There is food in the Bass. Sort of, anyway. I have my emergency stash, and Rupert left a whole bag of Mondo Burger cheeseburgers on the floor. They might be a little stale, but should still be edible,” Raven said.
She handed Jynx the keys. “Why don’t you snag some breakfast and I’ll keep an eye on our favorite witch.”
Jynx spun the keys around her finger and looked at the chain. “Equus, huh? Is that the 770? I saw it in Modern Musclecars.”
“Yes, my mother got her hands on an early production model. Feel free to look, but no joy rides, she’s low on gas,” Raven said.
Jynx grinned and popped her gum again. “I bet it is still slower than Midnite. Speaking of which, we need to find her before we bail.”
She tossed the keys in the air, caught them and walked out the door. Raven watched her then looked at Aspen.
“What the hell is Midnite?”
“Her car. She names everything. One of her pistols is named Mary, the other is called Margaret, Maggie for short,” Aspen said.
Raven shook her head. “You have weird-ass friends, Asp. Since when do you hang out with hunters?”
She said ‘hunters’ in the same way someone might once have said ‘damnyankees’.
Aspen walked into the hallway. “They aren’t all bad, Ray. She and her sister are the good sort. According to Creek, they only take official jobs for rogue preternaturals and they focus on lycans and lone wolves.”
Raven followed her. “Where do they get official jobs, Slayers R Us?”
Aspen opened the door and looked in. The woman was sitting up and scribbling furiously on the wall with a red marker. Aspen could make out the words ‘the other’ and ‘alpha lycan’ mixed in with what looked like gibberish.
“Something called Section Thirteen, according to Creek,” she replied absently.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Do you feel up to talking?”
The woman didn’t look up. “The lycan is dead, something else will come. There is a mathematical probability it will be worse, something to cause more fear.”
“Did any of that make sense to you?” Raven asked.
Aspen chewed the inside of her lip then looked at Raven. “Almost. There is something really weird going on that I just can’t place.”
“And you think she can fill in the blanks?”
“I’m hoping, but so far I don’t even know her name. Jynx and I saved her from the lycans and then things got complicated,” Aspen said.
Raven pulled out her badge and flipped it open. “Ma’am, I’m Detective Storm with Chicago District One, I’m here to help. Can you tell me your name?”
The woman kept writing. “Police? What good are police against the Other? ... Carry the two…add seven…”
“Ma’am? Could you stop writing and tell me your name, please?” Raven asked.
“Wright. Doctor Becky Wright, Stamford,” she said without stopping.
Raven moved closer and put her badge away. “Doctor Wright, please, Aspen and I are here to help. Could you talk to us, please?”
Aspen sat on the bed beside Dr. Wright. “I need your help, doc. I think I know what is going on, but I need you to tell me what you’ve seen. What’s in your notes?”
Wright turned from the wall. “Kris. It was he who worked it out, he saw the signs and he worked with us to find the door. He found it, he found you.”
“Tell me about the Other,” Aspen said.
Wright’s eyes looked haunted. “He is a terrible being, something from beyond. Kris named him the Other. He is not human, not monster, he is something else.”
“Yeah, great, we got that, doctor. Can you be a little less vague?” Raven asked.
Wright pulled the sheets over herself and huddled in the corner. “A terrible thing, terrible. When he appears, even the monsters flee. And we die.”
She pulled her shirt up to show the blue lines that traced beneath her skin. They stood out against her pale, dirty flesh like blue highways on an old roadmap.
“He is coming. Charles, Charles let the creatures take him rather than face the Other.”
She closed her eyes. “Kill me, do not let me be taken, don’t let him get me.”
With sudden speed she sprang forward and grabbed Raven’s wrist.
Raven pulled her hand free. “Look, doc, I don’t know what’s going on here, but we don’t kill people just because they ask. That’s called murder.”
“What does the Other do when he takes people?” Aspen asked.
Wright curled back up in the corner. “He takes their soul. He reaches in, pulls it out and swallows it whole. They are no more. Not just dead, no more. I would rather face the monsters, too. Even hell has to be better than being devoured.”
Aspen reached out and took Wright’s hand. “Nobody is going to devour anyone. My partner is here now and she isn’t going to let anything happen to you. She and Jynx will stop it. Tell me more about the Other, where is he, what does he look like?”
“No one can stop it, no one!” Wright cried.
“I can, doctor. I’m no ordinary cop. But you have to tell us what is going on, I can’t fight it if I don’t know what it is,” Raven said.
“No one can,” Wright muttered. “They all died, he killed them all. He will kill you, too. No one escapes.”
Aspen squeezed Wright’s hand. “I think we need to be just a little more constructive here, doctor. Tell us what you can so we can do down fighting.”
Wright pulled her hand away and sank into the corner with the sheets pulled up to her chin. “He comes from the north, a black figure in a hooded robe. His skin is charred and he drops smoking flesh as he walks, flesh that burns away behind him. He is accompanied by six silver men who take his chosen and bring them to him.”
Raven frowned at her. “Silver men? What does that mean, silver men?”
Wright didn’t look at her. “Men, with skin of silver, like flowing mercury. The come and there is no escape.”
Aspen looked at Raven. “Do you have any idea what she is talking about?”
Raven shook her head. “No, it doesn’t sound like anything in the Totentanz.”
“I can look in Dad’s diary,” Jynx said.
Aspen turned to see Jynx standing in the doorway holding a waxed-paper bag with a red M on the outside in one hand and a yellow-wrapped cheeseburger in the other. The way she was chewing reminded her of Rupert.
“Please do,” she said. “Anything we can find might help us get out of here.”
Jynx tossed her the bag of burgers and pulled a leather-bound notebook out of her jacket pocket. The journal was old, so old the leather was creased and the tanning had worn off most of the cover. Bits of yellowed paper, receipts and business cards stuck out at odd angles. Jynx sat against the wall and began thumbing through the book with great care.<
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“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable at a desk or something?” Raven asked.
Jynx didn’t look up. “No. Thanks for the cheeseburger.”
Raven shrugged and turned back to Wright. “I saw you had a bunch of maps, what is to the north of town?”
“The mine, the Devil’s Gate,” Wright said.
Aspen pulled a burger from the bag and offered it to Wright. “I though the mine was Devil’s Lake.”
Wright’s eyes bulged and she snatched the burger out of Aspen’s hand. She had barely unwrapped it before she bit into it like she hadn’t eaten in years.
“It is the Devil’s Gate, it bars the Devil’s Throat. You will see,” she said, crumbs dropping from her lips.
“Relax, lady,” Raven said. “You have worse table manners than my partner. Swallow and explain all this. Take it from the top.”
Wright swallowed and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. “Alright. It began with the mine. The odds of finding coal near silver and vice versa, enough to make either viable for mining, are slim. Silver is most often found on the western part of the country, not in the heartland. It isn’t unheard of, just less common. But… Kris and I developed a theory in the time we were here. What if the silver was planted, to get us to mine here? And then the sulfurous coal ignited to let whatever lured us here out.”
Aspen cocked her head. “Are you trying to say that the Other lured people here with silver to get them to mine? Why?”
Wright licked grease off her burger wrapper then smoothed it on the bed. “It was trapped. The miners found evidence of a Native American presence in the area, including pictographs at the mouth of the mine.”
She used the marker to draw a series of pictographs on the burger wrapper. “These are on the wall all over the cave. I found book in the library about them. They indicate a cell or prison within the mine and warn to keep away.”