by Leela Ash
Once she was free, Maddie gave them all hugs. From Mr. Oh-So-Proper Briggs all the way down to a pair of scruffy teenaged Wolves. She could not stop grinning, even when her Witch Queen scowled at her in mock annoyance.
“Ms. Hunter, you have to stop getting kidnapped. It’s become quite the pattern.”
Chapter 15.
The next morning, safe and sipping a mug of coffee in Stillwater, Maddie marveled that you could tell a Shifter’s Kind just by the way they camped. The Wolves flopped on the ground around open campfires, free under the night sky. All the Bears had brought elaborate tents with cots, beer coolers, and folding chairs so that they could sit around in the evening, chatting. If there were Rats here, she couldn’t tell. Their bed sites were hidden somewhere in the desert. Witch Queen LePierre had arranged campers for all of her Hares (Maddie included). And somehow both Dragons had managed to get full-sized RVs down Stillwater’s hellhole of a ‘road.’
The thought made her smile.
We do have our quirks and hierarchies. I wonder where Chimeras fit into all of this.
Somehow she guessed Griffin would be out there with the Rats.
Heck, maybe he was here! Anything could be a Chimera. That hawk circling overhead. A lizard sunning itself on a rock. The hare nibbling pensively on a tuft of parched grass.
It was a thought that roused a half dozen contradictory feelings in her heart. Sadness at her Mate’s absence. Comfort, thinking he might be watching over her even now, protecting her. Yet beneath it all lurked unease. Only a thin line separated ‘eternal vigilance’ from ‘stalking.’ Griffin could spy on her any time he wanted.
Chimeras are going to take some getting used to.
In time, she’d learn to trust him.
If they got to have time together.
Her rescue had come before her Mate tried to steal the Aegis, so no one knew about the crime he’d planned. That secret she would take to her grave. Many of Griffin’s worries struck her as paranoid; this one didn’t. She herself couldn’t blame him. She was his Mate – what wouldn’t he do to protect her? Somehow, though, she thought the other Shifters would be less forgiving.
So when Danielle and the Dragons questioned her, all she said was that the Fangs had threatened her in hopes of drawing Griffin in. No one pressed her further. They just assumed he hadn’t come. Either the Rite of Parting had worked… or her Mate was a noxious creep who couldn’t be bothered to protect his woman.
That stung, but she didn’t correct them.
The truth might be worse for Griffin.
In the end, Maddie was right back where she started. Alone, with no idea how to pull her Mate into the folds of Shifter society.
Shaking her head, she scattered the clouds of gloom that threatened to choke her.
Sitting around brooding won’t help anyone. If I don’t have a plan, I can at least do some work!
Up at the Cauldron, four of Sedona’s most experienced Witches sat around the edges of the pool, stiff and unmoving.
Trance. They’re working some spell. A complicated one, judging by the Witches.
It looked like they were creating a ward, which was a disturbing thought. Stillwater ought to be safe. Her Warren had erected full wards around the gate the moment they arrived. Surely nothing could wear a ward down in just a few days? Yet now several junior Hares were inscribing runes on posts, as if they planned to set up a second line of defense.
Shoni Pensak, a cheerful Hare who was one of her favorites in the Warren, monitored the Witches in trance. Maddie sidled up to her, careful not to disturb any of the workers. “What’s going on?”
“The wards almost came down last night.”
During her rescue? Maddie shivered, despite the burning sun. The first time the Cauldron was left unwatched, the barriers protecting Stillwater nearly collapsed? That couldn’t be a coincidence…
“What happened?”
“Still trying to figure that out.”
The trail of salt that she’d lain down remained, a slender white line circling the dark waters. Without a full ward, though, that was a flimsy, pathetic ‘protection.’
“Anything I can do to help?” Maddie offered.
“Nope. The seniors are holding the gate closed while the rest of us replace those rune-staves.” Shoni’s eyes darted around the clearing. Never slowing. Alert for any mistakes or signs of danger. “Should be done in an hour or so. Then comes the hard part: figuring out what went wrong.”
A research project to which she was sure to be assigned. “Well, I’ll be down at my camper then. If you need anything, just…”
One of the youngest Hares trotted past, carrying a bundle of small cedar posts. As she scurried around Shoni, a rock twisted under her foot. With a yelp the girl fell. Instinct made her reach out to break her fall. And as she did, her hand brushed against the line of salt.
Breaking that feeble magical shield.
Instinct kicked in. Maddie dropped to her knees beside the gap. Placing a hand on each side of the break she summoned the power that dwelt within her, silently screaming for her Hare’s aid. Magic answered her cry, and as the power rose within her…
…she realized she was being silly.
The salt doesn’t matter anymore. Witch Queen LePierre is the one holding the gate closed, not my foolish…
Before she could finish that thought, the surface of the Cauldron exploded.
A geyser of black filth erupted into the air, filling it with the stench of rot and death. Tendrils lashed out. One slammed into each of the senior Hares with bone-shattering force, flinging them away like broken dolls.
As if their wards had no power.
As if the salt truly was the only thing that had ever kept this creature at bay.
A salt ring which was now broken.
Years of practice, years of training gave her a warrior’s reflexes. Maddie slammed her hands down on the ring’s broken ends, palms flat to the ground. Beneath her fingers she felt it, the faint, tingling power all salt possessed. She summoned her own magic from deep within her soul, mingling it with the salt’s virtue. Making herself the link that completed the circle.
For now.
“Salt!” she screamed. “Salt now!”
Eyes appeared in the darkness, burning with rage. Pain lanced through her skull as the spirit threw itself against her spell, seeking to shatter it with brute force.
Maddie gritted her teeth. Pain was nothing.
Magic is a Hare’s battleground. Here, I am a warrior!
She would not break, would not bend. No spirit, however dark, was stronger than her will!
Her attacker seemed to sense that. It drew back – then filled the air with soft whispers.
“Release me and I shall make you queen of this world. Oppose me and you will die, in vain.”
Maddie grinned at the feeble threat.
I’ll take Option #3: Hold you here until Shoni gets this salt ring repaired.
As if it could hear her thoughts, the Thing snarled. “So be it. Kill her.”
Who was it talking to? Too late, Maddie realized that Ash Anderson might have goofed. Maybe the psychic had missed one of Nemagorix’s Darkborn and now some evil spirit possessed her sister Witches!
No. None of them turned on her.
Something worse happened.
Boulders littered the edge of the clearing, casting shadows across the sand. One of those shadows suddenly grew pitch black and swelled, spreading out towards the Cauldron. It rippled and rose, forming the outline of a human figure. A ‘man’ with a head like a starfish, a fanged maw ringed by tentacles.
Those tendrils tasted the air – and the thing charged forward towards Maddie.
Dimly she heard the other Hares screaming. For salt, for help… or just from sheer terror. In the distance a Dragon roared. Nowhere near close enough to help before this monster reached her and tore her apart.
Her Hare shrieked in terror and bolted. Instinct urged her to follow it, to abandon her spell a
nd save herself.
Yet she knew that if she did, this darkness – Nemagorix? – would be free. So, despite her fear, despite the terror radiating from her Hare soul, she knelt unmoving. Wide-eyed, holding the gate closed as her death thundered towards her.
High above, a circling hawk vanished in a flicker of light, and suddenly a winged lion hovered in its place. Golden wings fanned the air as a proud, maned head glared down.
Griffin!
The Chimera folded his wings to his side and dropped, stooping like a hunting hawk. Down he swooped towards his foe. No thought for himself. Intent only on saving her.
His Mate.
The demon towered over her. Its maw gaped wide, revealing row after row of needle-like teeth.
Then a ton of muscle and claws slammed into it, pinning it to the ground. Griffin sank his teeth into the monster’s shoulder. It thrashed and shrieked, clawing viciously at her Mate’s wings. In vain, for with a quick jerk the Chimera snapped its neck.
Shoni dodged around the battling Shifter, a bag of salt in her hand.
“No!” the Darkness howled. “I will not be denied.”
Once more, pain seared Maddie’s mind. This time, desperation added power to the demon lord’s attack. To her horror, Maddie felt her spell buckling. Her tie to the salt weakened as its tattered energy slipped away between her fingers. Blackness welled inside her and pulled her down.
The last thing she saw before she fainted was a shower of new salt pouring out between Shoni’s hands.
Sealing the wards once more.
Chapter 16.
In the end, it was love that destroyed him.
I should have run when I had the chance. Now I’m trapped.
Griffin’s ‘prison’ was a camper. Neat and cooled with air conditioning, but tiny. The ‘chain’ that bound him lay on a tiny bed.
Maddie. Still unconscious a half hour after the attack.
If I had fled as soon as I killed that demon, I could have dodged the Dragons. Escaped out into the desert, dropped my Chimera form, and slipped away. By now I’d be miles away…
Miles away from his Mate’s side. Unable to protect her. Abandoning her to the care of others, strangers to him.
He couldn’t do that. No matter what the danger to him, he couldn’t abandon her again. Love was an anchor, dragging him down. Dooming him. Yet even as he pondered his grim future, a sullen rebellion swelled within his heart. Would these Shifters kill him? Probably. Every other Chimera he knew was dead. Somehow, though, he didn’t care.
I’m done with running – unless she chooses to run with me.
One other person had been stuffed into this cramped camper: his jailer.
Finn Donnelly lounged nearby, his long legs stretched out. His folding chair quivered under the big Dragon’s weight. At any moment, Griffin expected it to snap and spill its burden to the floor. Arms folded across his chest, Donelly waited patiently, a bland, almost drowsy expression on his face. Despite that, the Chimera was sure that the man would attack in a heartbeat if he tried to Shift or leave.
“So what’s your Kind called, anyways?” he rumbled.
“Chimeras.”
“Huh.” Donnelly scratched his head. “I thought Chimeras were supposed to have three heads. Like, goat, lion, and dragon, or something.”
Here we go again. Back to the Greek myths.
“Nope. That’s BS. The winged-lion form is our true Shape.”
Another non-committal grunt. “Always golden and feathered?”
With that ‘innocent’ question, the Dragon confirmed Griffin’s suspicions. Anger stirred deep in his soul and he turned to face Donnelly directly. “No. Sometimes our wings can be leathery. Like a bat’s wings. The cat’s fur shades from gold to a rusty-red, or even black.”
The Dragon was cool, Griffin gave him that. Not a single blink of surprise as he said, “I think I’ve run into a couple Chimeras.”
Their eyes locked. “Maurie and Queenie. New York City, back in the ‘30s.”
Neither shock nor rage disturbed the Dragon’s bland expression. “You knew them?”
It was a little late to make up a story now. Plus, he was tired. Tired of lies. Tired of hiding. Tired of running. So he simply said, “Yeah. I was one of the Lost. They found me and taught me about Shifters.”
“They were your mentors.” Donnelly sighed and shifted, earning another soft squeal from his distressed chair. “Might not have been smart to mention that.”
“Sorry. I’ll be sure to lie more in the future.”
The Dragon gave a soft chuckle. A simple, innocent snort of amusement – not the reactions Griffin had expected at all. And was it his imagination or did the big man relax a bit? “Did you know what they were up to?”
“Not until the end. I was still trying to figure out what to do about it when you killed them.”
“You know about that.” Most men would grow wary, hearing that. After all, he’d just admitted he killed two of the Chimera’s associates. Not Donnelly, though. He just sprawled there, waiting.
“Know? No. But it made sense, once I saw you. The First Flight is based in New York City and I heard that it was a white Dragon that took them out. Can’t be too many of those in your Flight.”
“Only one. Me.” Donnelly peered a little more closely at him. “That going to be a problem?”
Griffin leaned forward too, closing the distance between them. “If I had a problem with what you did, you would have met me decades ago.”
At his veiled threat, delight – not outrage – flashed across the Dragon’s face. “Hah! Briggs has everybody out there clutching their pearls in horror. But I think I’m starting to like you,” he cackled. “You gotta love a guy who flips the bird to a man that can crush him like a bug.”
Another low growl from his Chimera.
I agree, buddy, he told it. That thug is going to get one hell of a surprise if he tries to squash this ‘bug.’
He was about to say as much when a soft groan silenced both Shifters.
Maddie’s eyes flickered open. “Griffin?” she whispered.
One word, soft and weak as a butterfly, and a fierce, protective urge welled up within him. “I’m here.” He scooted closer and took her delicate hands in his.
“What hap… Oh! The gate! What…”
As she struggled to rise, he gently pushed her back down. Knowing her, she’d go pelting back up to the Cauldron, despite her injury. Something she didn’t need to do. “The gate is closed again. Your Warren’s second stringers are putting up permanent wards. More carefully this time.”
“But the Witch Queen… the other Hares…”
“Hurt badly. No one died though,” Donnelly interjected. “We got a private company to Life Flight them out of here.”
His voice startled Maddie. This time she sat up more slowly, her eyes darting between the Dragon and the Chimera. “And you stayed?”
The hope in her voice was a bitter pill for Griffin. “Yes,” was all he said – and still he knew she’d read that wrong.
Donnelly didn’t. “For a little while anyway. Though now that your Mate is awake and fine, I bet he’s starting to think about Shifting into a gerbil and taking a runner. Let’s just skip that part, shall we?” There wasn’t an ounce of friendliness in the big man’s hard grin. “I’d hate to have to hunt you down and burn you alive just when I was starting to like you.”
Somewhere outside the camper, Griffin’s Chimera snarled. A Dragon’s deep rumble answered it.
Which didn’t intimidate him one bit. “You could try,” he sneered at the Dragon.
At once, Maddie broke the budding argument. “Guys, please. Let’s not fight about this. I mean Griffin’s not a prisoner, is he?”
“Well, uh…” The Dragon wrinkled his nose.
The Chimera finished his sentence for him. “Yes.”
“Why?” Even though Donnelly was twice her size, Maddie scowled at him. Full of the furious indignation that only a Hare could muster. “He has
n’t done anything wrong!”
“Except kidnap you… and steal the Aegis… and maybe a bunch of other stuff. That’s what we need to find out.”
“Is he on trial?” she demanded.
“I wouldn’t call it that, no.”
Griffin disagreed. That was exactly what it was. A trial.
And if he was convicted, the penalty would be death.
They were careful, these Shifters. From the moment Maddie awoke there were always at least two watching him. A constant, unblinking surveillance that gave him no opportunities to escape. Their distrust was about what Griffin expected – and their watchfulness more professional than he’d hoped. Patient, poised, he waited for a mistake… one that never came. Maddie, however, stewed with irritation. She scolded and snapped at his captors like an irate squirrel. It would have been adorable, if the situation wasn’t so dire. Even now, though, it warmed his heart. His Mate didn’t possess the paranoia that kept Chimeras alive. Yet he could no longer doubt that she cared for him. A keen, if bittersweet, joy.
By sunset the Hares had erected new wards around the gate, locking those malign spirits within. For now. With that done, the assembled Shifters turned to their next problem.
Him.
The jury they assembled was impressive. Two Dragons, Donnelly from the First Flight and Casey Briggs of the Flight of the Snows. The Alphas of three Wolf Packs. Witch Queen LePierre, who had refused hospital treatment. Representing the Bears was a man he didn’t know, Rex Fairburn.
Fairburn seemed confused and ill at ease. “Why am I here again? I know zilch about Cameras, or whatever the hell this guy is supposed to be.”
“We need leaders of all the Kinds,” LePierre told him.
That didn’t do a thing to calm the Bear down. “You know Bears don’t have ‘a’ leader, right? If you tell the other Bears that I’m ‘in charge’, there’ll be fights and arguments for a week.”
Bree Donnelly, Finn’s Hare Mate, calmed him with a bright smile. “No worries. If anyone asks, we’ll say we needed help from a Bear and chose you to do all the work.”
“Eh, that’ll shut ‘em up,” Fairburn chuckled. “Bears aren’t big on hard work.”