Winter Wolf

by RJ Blain

The book snarled in my head, then fell quiet. As its anger waned, the flames surrounding me went out. Richard stood over me, his hands pressed against my shoulders to keep me from surging to my feet. ~Witch,~ the book hissed. ~Enemy.~

  “Are you two quite done?” Richard glared at me, then focused his attention on the witch.

  “What is she doing here?” Laura grumbled. “I thought you knew better than to involve Normals.”

  “Does she look like a Normal to you, Amber? Anyway, she was kidnapped. We’re now the hostages, if you must know.”

  “Amber?” I asked, trying to crane my head to look over at the woman I’d been ready to kill moments before. “Her name is Laura. And what do you mean by ‘Normal?’”

  “Hostages?”

  “Her name’s really Amber, no matter what she told you,” Richard said, ignoring Laura’s question while keeping a firm grip on me to keep me from standing. “You’re too tired to think straight. Normals are what the Inquisition calls humans without talents.”

  “Come on in, Amber. You brought everything?” Alex asked. I heard the door to the suite shut.

  “Of course I brought everything. In and out in ten minutes, and I left the place trashed as requested. Just who do you think I am? What is she doing here?”

  Richard glared at me. “Are you going to behave now?”

  “She hit first,” I mumbled.

  “Amber?”

  “She surprised me. She’s the top suspect for killing that boy. What’s she doing here?”

  I went cold with rage. Before I could do anything, Richard rapped his knuckles on the top of my head. “Don’t do something stupid, Firecracker. We both know you didn’t kill those kids. Amber has the wrong idea.”

  “Why are you calling me that?” I slapped away his hand and winced a bit at the static that jumped between us.

  Richard backed away, rubbing where I’d touched him. “I thought it was obvious.”

  ~You took too much,~ the book scolded. ~Let some of it go.~

  I lurched upright. While I wasn’t familiar with the devices in the suite, I managed to redirect the electricity I’d stolen to into them. All of the televisions switched on for a few seconds before powering down again. Without the excess energy coursing through me, my head spun and exhaustion weighed me down until I couldn’t keep myself upright. Slumping back into the armchair, I glared at Richard.

  “What was that, anyway?” Laura—no, Amber—stayed in the foyer.

  “I was hoping you knew,” Richard said, stepping towards the witch. I don’t know why it irritated me, but I voiced a wordless sound.

  When I identified the noise as a growl, it startled me so much I fell quiet. Why was I growling? I shook my head to clear it. What was wrong with me? I didn’t growl. I also didn’t usually have urges to kill people, either. A chill swept through me. What was happening to me?

  I didn’t have any answers, and I helplessly stared at Richard, who stood between me and the witch.

  “What’s going on?” Amber asked in such a baffled tone she distracted me from my worries.

  “Come sit, and we’ll talk. Nicole, you have very pretty legs, but I’m not sure you want to be showing them off that much,” Richard said in a mild tone.

  It took several moments for me to comprehend what he meant. When I realized the bathrobe wasn’t doing a very good job of covering me, I sat up and scrambled to adjust my robe, blushing from embarrassment.

  “I’ll make some coffee. Who wants some?” Alex headed towards one of the hallways, pausing at a counter inset in the wall.

  I lifted my hand and waggled my fingers. “Pour some coffee in the sugar bowl and give me that, so it doesn’t taste like coffee.”

  “That’s disgusting,” Richard said, shuddering. “I take it you would rather have tea.”

  “Sure. Beats coffee,” I said, making a disgusted face.

  “Black here.” Amber sat down and stared at me. “I apologize. You startled me.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “Shall we try this again?” Richard asked, dragging the two suitcases Amber had brought to me. “Which case is the stuff in?”

  “The smaller one, wrapped in clothing. So that was your apartment?” Doubt laced Amber’s voice.

  “Pretty shitty place for an actress, huh?” I asked, leaning over to grab the smaller of the two suitcases. Batting my hands away, Richard unzipped it.

  My temper soured, and I pointed my finger gun at Richard. “I can handle this. Go sit over there like a good hostage.” I pointed at the other armchair across the room.

  “You’re holding him hostage with your finger?” Amber asked in disbelief.

  Richard sank down on the chair across from me and stretched out his legs. “Dig through your things, Nicole, and I’ll fill Amber in. Though maybe one of you should tell me what happened between you two to cause that little scene. I thought I’d be hiding bodies for a second there.”

  “I wasn’t going to kill her,” Amber replied with a sniffle.

  “I was,” I admitted, shrugging as I dug through the clothing for the book with my left hand. I relaxed when my fingers touched the leather cover.

  “You?” The disgust in Amber’s voice drew my attention, and I narrowed my eyes.

  “And what do you mean by that?”

  “After that boy died, you fell apart. Do you really think you could kill someone again?”

  “Again?”

  Richard cleared his throat. “Ladies, please.”

  I met Amber’s gaze. Her eyes were dark blue, and she stared back at me without so much as flinching. All of my hesitance and fear melted away, and my muscles tensed in anticipation. I felt the comforting sources of electricity around me. Without looking away, I lifted the book out of the suitcase, holding it out above the coffee table.

  When I let it go, it floated in the air because I desired it too. Energy trickled through me, and sparks danced across the book’s cover. Leaving it suspended in the air, I hunted down the debens, all without breaking away from my staring contest with Amber. They too floated in the air when I let them go. One by one, I pulled out everything I needed to scry into the past, leaving them to drift in the air.

  “I didn’t kill Scott, Amber.”

  She straightened. While she looked a little pale, she didn’t back down or look away. “Then who did?”

  “A disease did,” Richard said. “She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Snatching my things out of the air, I set them down on the coffee table. I glared over at Richard, and by the time I remembered he was a Fenerec, he met my stare, his brow furrowed while he frowned at me.

  Amber stiffened, and scooted away from Richard. “That’s really not a good idea,” she hissed at me.

  ~We can take him,~ the book whispered to me, eager.

  “Tea,” Alex announced, setting a cup in front of me. The chink of porcelain startled me, and I recoiled in my surprise. Richard cleared his throat, turned his head, and broke eye contact.

  “Are you insane?” Amber glared at me. “Don’t you know nothing about them? Are you trying to get us both killed?”

  “She’s exhausted, been in a car accident, had someone point a gun at her, tasered, and kidnapped,” Richard said, dismissing Amber’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “She’ll probably be back to her quiet self after she’s had a good meal and some sleep. I hope. Any sane soul would snap under that strain.”

  Amber straightened. “What?”

  “She’s had a really long day, so I’ll make some allowances. Alex and I were keeping an eye on her after someone tried to kill her at her job. She was out walking her dogs when four Fenerec kidnapped her. Considering her current temperament, I feel it’s wise that we maintain our role as cooperative hostages until she feels comfortable letting us go. As I don’t think she really wants to kill anyone, she is using her very effective finger gun to keep us in line. If she points it at you, do as she says, Amber.”

  Richard was laughing
at me, a silent, merry sort of laugh that showed in his eyes without ever leaving his lips. Amber stared at him, then at me.

  ~You should tame and keep him,~ the book told me, amused.

  I glared at the book, but couldn’t yell at it, or everyone would know I was crazy. Instead, I rose, taking the tea cup with me, and stomped my way over to the piano. After taking a sip, I sat down and stretched my fingers, ignoring the pain in my right hand.

  “Again, Nicole?” Richard asked with a sigh. “You’re really going to damage your hand.”

  I played with my left hand to prove I could, though I couldn’t recall the name of the song I played. It was elegant and dignified while also a little sad. Maybe my hand was trying to express what I could not, so I let my fingers roam over the keys as they willed.

  “If she tells them I exist, they’ll kill me,” I said, staring down at the keys, ceasing to play the melody. Over and over again, I depressed the same key. “We can’t afford that, not yet.”

  “She won’t tell them you exist,” Richard reassured me before twisting around in his chair to look at the witch. “I gave her my word, Amber.”

  “What the hell is she, Richard? You didn’t tell me you had a rogue with you. You know how the Inquisition feels about rogues. If I hide her, it’s my head.” Amber shuddered, hugging herself. “You’re not paying me nearly enough for this.”

  “Then I’ll just have to double your rate. The Inquisition doesn’t learn about her from you, understand?” Richard glared at Amber, and she recoiled across the couch, cowering under the intensity of his stare.

  “I understand,” she whispered. “Double the fee, and I won’t say a word. She doesn’t exist, so far as I’m concerned.”

  “Oh, she exists, but she’s just a Normal, an innocent caught in the cross hairs, through no fault of her own.” While his laugh sounded forced to my ears, Amber relaxed and straightened her posture.

  “Important? How? She’s an actress, I know, but…”

  “Take a good look at her, Amber. Forget everything you know about her, and really see her.”

  Hiding my confusion behind a neutral expression, I took a sip of my tea and watched Richard and Amber. Amber stared at me, her gaze settling on my scars. It was a long time before she managed to look at my face.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Muttering curses, Richard got up and picked up the photograph of my sister and slapped it down on the coffee table. “Look again.”

  Amber picked up the picture, stared at it, then turned to me. Her blue eyes widened. “She’s not her.”

  “Of course not,” Richard agreed, taking back the picture of my sister and bringing it to me. “This is yours.”

  Taking the photograph with a trembling hand, I laid it on the keys and stared down at my sister’s smiling face. “Why are you doing this to me?” I whispered.

  “Lisa Desmond is one of the Inquisition’s best coverts.” Amber’s voice sounded weak. When she fell silent, we waited for her to continue speaking. “You’re not her. You’re younger. Why do you have her face?”

  “I’m older by ten minutes, actually,” I admitted in a strangled whisper, slapping the photograph off the piano with the back of my hand. The piano made an ugly sound as I pressed my fist against the keys. The picture fluttered to the floor, and I considered smashing the delicate teacup on the image, but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t have a right to be angry. Maybe she had chosen to become a Fenerec, but I had been the one to run away.

  It was my fault we weren’t together anymore.

  “You’re twins.”

  “I doubt anyone from her family could be normal,” Richard grumbled, bending over to pick up the picture. He set it on the back of the grand piano, far out of my reach. “Someone knows who she is and is willing to kill people to get her out of the way. The boy in the mall died of the plague, Amber. Her being there was just a coincidence.”

  “No it wasn’t,” I whispered, staring at the piano keys, too ashamed to lift my head. “If I hadn’t been there, he might’ve lived a little longer.”

  Richard froze. “What do you mean?”

  “I…I didn’t think the police were going to do enough to try to find his killer, so… so I tried something.”

  “Something?”

  I pointed at the mirror. “I used that.”

  Richard left my side, and despite the presence of others in the room, I felt alone.

  “It’s a silver mirror. No offense, but I’m not going to touch it. What’s so special about it?”

  “There’s nothing special about it. Sure, it’s a bit old, but it’s not special. It’s just silver.” I drew in a deep breath and let out in a sigh. “I took Scott’s blood and used it.”

  Amber cleared her throat. “Excuse me, did you just say you used Scott’s blood?”

  “I did.”

  “You’re a necromancer?”

  “No.”

  “No? But that’s blood magic. Only—”

  “I am not a necromancer or a sorcerer or a demon summoner,” I said, unable to keep the exhaustion out of my voice. “I’m not a witch, either. Please let me finish.”

  When no one said anything, I twisted around on the bench to face them, though I stared at the book instead. “He panicked when the lights went out. He hadn’t meant anyone any harm. I don’t know why, but he wanted to protect me. When he tried to become a wolf, he lost control. The… the disease tore him apart. He couldn’t become a wolf, and he couldn’t return to being a human. And just like that, he was gone.”

  A tear streaked down my cheek and I angrily wiped it away. The Fenerec and witch waited in silence.

  “I didn’t just see it in the mirror. I was there, and I died with him, because the same person can’t be in the same time at one time. That’s one rule not even I can break. Don’t you understand?”

  “Oh my god,” Amber whispered. I looked up in time to see her lift a hand to her mouth. The color drained from her face. She knew, and because she knew, my guilt smothered me. She rose to her feet and stepped towards me. I flinched and twisted away from her. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?”

  I tensed at the horror in the woman’s voice. I expected an immediate execution at the hands of an Inquisitor, but Amber didn’t do anything other than watch me. If she decided to eliminate me, she’d find me an easy enough victim. I was so tired of running, hiding, and fighting for my survival.

  “She’s one of what?” Richard asked, his tone curt from frustration.

  I bowed my head and tried to convince myself I wouldn’t break under their scrutiny. When the violence I expected from Amber didn’t come, I dared glancing at the woman out of the corner of my eye. All I could see in her expression was pity, and that was almost worse than her attacking me outright. I chewed on my lip and tried to gather enough courage to speak.

  Amber spared me by saying, “She’s a wizard, Richard.”

  “A wizard, Amber? They’re legends.” Richard sounded skeptical, and I didn’t blame him.

  The Inquisition worked hard to make sure people like me didn’t live long.

  “And now you know why she was ready to kill me. If the Inquisition finds out she exists, they’ll never stop until she’s dead, and they won’t care how many they have to kill in the process to make sure she’s gone. They want you to think they’re just another myth or legend.”

  Movement drew my attention. Richard rose to his feet and approached the piano, his focus entirely on the witch he had hired. “And what are you going to do about it, Amber?”

  Amber held her hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. “I’m not going to do anything. My word is good, Richard. The Inquisition isn’t going to learn anything from me.”

  “You changed your tune mighty fast, Amber,” was the suspicious reply.

  “I might be a witch, Richard, but I’m not a monster, and neither is she. Even I can see that.”

  ~~*~~

  When the events of the day finally overw
helmed me, I retreated to the safety of one of the suite’s bedrooms. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but when I awoke, an unfamiliar weight pressed against my back. I cracked open an eye and groaned a little. The sun blazed in my eyes and I threw the pillow over my head.

  When I couldn’t fall back asleep, I sat up and rubbed at my eyes.

  I was completely surrounded. Richard and Alex were dressed in the clothes I remembered them being in the night before, sprawled on top of the duvet in a tangle of arms and legs. To my relief, I was dressed in my pajamas, though I didn’t remember putting them on. Amber was curled up next to me, her back pressed against me.

  I remembered going to bed, but I couldn’t recall agreeing to share a bed with two men and another woman. I sat up, rubbing at my eyes in my effort to disbelieve the sleeping figures surrounding me. They didn’t vanish. I rubbed at my eyes again.

  They were still there.

  ~Fenerec do not enjoy sleeping alone, and the witch didn’t like the thought of abandoning you to the wolves,~ the book informed me in an amused tone. ~You were not very sensible or coherent last night, so I shall fill you in. The witch didn’t try to kill you, you didn’t try to kill her, and the Fenerec decided Amber wasn’t a risk to you, so they let her live. Pack politics. It’s a shame you missed most of it, you might’ve learned something. It seems Amber’s grandmother was a wizard. The Inquisition murdered her. Amber was give a choice: join or die. They talked about it after you locked yourself in the bathroom and cried yourself sick.~

  I had wanted to forget that part of the evening. I considered lighting the book on fire, but thought better of it. It wasn’t the book’s fault I had humiliated myself. Scouring my memory didn’t help me any; I didn’t remember what the book was talking about at all.

  None of my uninvited bedmates stirred as I crawled out from under the covers and tip-toed my way across the suite. Once I was in the sitting room, I stared down at the book, which was still on the coffee table. “So Amber has a history with wizards,” I whispered.

  ~So it seems. I think she’ll keep our secret safe. The Fenerec, too. But if you don’t believe them, it’d be simple enough to take them out, though I think the witch could be a good ally. She can help you hide from the Inquisition. She knows their ways.~