In the Mouth of the Wolf

by Nicole Maggi

  “You won’t.” Jenny squeezed my elbow. “Carly and Melissa are going to be so psyched!”

  I let her chatter my ear off as we got closer to school. Maybe I would be able to go. Maybe everything would be quiet at the Waterfall. Maybe we’d defeat the Malandanti, and the war would be over. Maybe I could talk to Heath, and he’d see how hard I’d been working and say I needed a vacation too. I almost snorted out loud. Of those three maybes, the last one was the least likely.

  When I shed my skin and headed for the Waterfall that night, Nerina’s voice intruded into my mind. Come to the forest just beyond my place. I need you to help me with Bree’s training.

  But I’m on watch tonight.

  I’ve Called the Eagle to take over.

  I veered over the charred remains of our barn and glided lower, past the stone wall and into the bare trees. Now that the leaves were gone for the winter, the forest didn’t provide the same kind of shelter, save for the towering pines that populated the woods. Spotting Nerina’s soft blue glow through the dense pine needles, I slowed. Nerina hovered just above Bree’s head. Bree’s arms were raised, a harsh white light emanating from her palms. As I approached, the light flashed out in a circle.

  I was blasted backward, blinded for an instant. When I could see again, everything around me was haloed in shimmering light. The trees shone bright with gold and red leaves, foliage lush and full. I blinked. Leaves? The forest looked like it had months ago, in the ripeness of autumn . . .

  What—?

  A moment later, the light flickered and went out. Bree dropped her arms and fell to her knees, her chest heaving. The barren trees once again surrounded us.

  I fluttered down next to Bree. What the hell was that?

  Nerina landed with a soft thud. Pakistan.

  It was only then that I spotted the book at Bree’s feet. It looked as though it was made of stone, with Arabic letters etched into its face. The site at Pakistan—which we had just regained control of—had the power to manipulate time and space.

  I cocked my head. Did we just time travel?

  We didn’t, Nerina answered. The trees did. Bree turned them back to autumn.

  “Just . . . for . . . a minute,” Bree gasped.

  Don’t talk, Nerina scolded. Save your breath.

  Bree! That’s amazing!

  She shrugged, but I could tell by the slight curve of her mouth that she was pretty proud of herself.

  She is doing very well, Nerina said. This girl is quite powerful.

  Okay, okay, stop making me blush. Bree got to her feet. What’s next?

  We’ve been transporting objects through time and space, Nerina said. It’s time to progress to people. That’s where you come in, Alessia.

  We both swiveled to her. What?

  It’ll feel odd, but it won’t hurt. Nerina padded in a circle around us. This is a very powerful tool, Bree. If you can hone it, you will be able to transport an attacking Malandanti during a battle. Not permanently but enough to get them out of your way.

  Hang on. A wheel turned in my mind, clicking a series of images into place. Is this how the Raven makes himself disappear?

  Yes. I believe so.

  So he’s not turning off his aura like I thought, I said. He’s actually moving in and out of time?

  That’s not important right now. What is important is for Bree to master this. Nerina halted in front of Bree, her fierce, dark gaze on Bree’s face. Are you ready?

  Bree spread her feet and raised her arms. Yes.

  Good. Alessia, fly.

  Hang on, I said, fluttering over Nerina’s head. This isn’t going to, like, break down my molecular structure or something, is it?

  You’ve been watching too much science fiction. Of course not.

  You better be right. I took off into the air and circled the treetops.

  Keep flying, Nerina instructed me. She needs a moving target.

  I did as she said, dipping in and out of branches. A couple of times I felt Bree’s light touch my tail feathers, but I was too fast for her magic. I glanced down. Their conversation didn’t include me, but I could tell it was intense. Nerina sat on her haunches just in front of Bree, her lion’s head upturned, their eyes locked on each other. I focused on their bent heads. Nerina nodded once and backed up. Bree raised her arms again. I sped up; the Malandanti wouldn’t make it easy for her, so neither would I.

  Light shot into the air, beaming through the trees and up to the stars. It caught me and turned me upside down. When I righted myself again, the pine trees were gone. Below me, the Waterfall rippled over rocks. Sunlight gleamed off the water and dappled the deep green leaves of the willow tree that hung over the pool. I spun. Something was wrong. The barrier over the Waterfall was dark and silvery, the halo of the Malandanti . . . Oh, God, had they come while I was with Nerina? Had we lost it again? Heart in my throat, I flew into the protective copse of birch trees where I had first seen the Waterfall with Heath.

  Twigs crackled below me. I looked down. The Lynx slunk on his belly through the birches, his eyes focused on the Malandanti-controlled Waterfall . . . No, it couldn’t be. The Lynx was dead . . .

  I froze in midair. The Lynx. The Waterfall. I blinked up at the sky. Sunlight . . . daytime. Green leaves . . . I ruffled my feathers. The air was warm and sticky. Humid. Summertime. Bree had sent me back all the way to summer.

  The incredible reality of it barely had time to register when the light flashed again, and I was back amongst the pines. Below me, Bree stood in the clearing, a white glow draining from her fingertips. I shot down to her. You did it, Bree. You did it!

  What did I do?

  You sent me to the Waterfall during the summer. I jerked my gaze to Nerina. It was still controlled by the Malandanti. And the Lynx was there. It was definitely in the past. She did it.

  Shaking, Bree sank to the ground. The light had left her. Her skin looked ashen in the moonlight. With trembling hands, she dug out a bottle of water from her backpack next to her and gulped down half the contents.

  Are you okay? I asked.

  I will be.

  Her strength will only grow. Nerina stretched her wings wide, then tucked them in close to her body. The more she practices, the greater her magic will become.

  I thought you said the more I used the magic, the more it would corrupt me, Bree said, shoving the water bottle back into her bag.

  I looked between them.

  No, Nerina corrected, what I said was if you use the magic for personal pleasure, it would corrupt you. Using it to defend the Benandanti will make it grow.

  God, there’re too many rules. Bree got to her feet. I can’t possibly keep track. Come on, let’s go again.

  Over and over, Bree sent me through time, just a few months or so. I found myself above Main Street on the first day of school or outside our still-intact barn in the still of summer. As the light flashed once more and brought me back to the pines, I had a sudden thought. Could Bree send me back to the time before my dad died? Could I see him one more time?

  But that would be using the magic for personal reasons, and I couldn’t ask her to do that.

  Finally, Nerina allowed me to return. I landed hard on a low branch. Bree stood in the center of the clearing. She didn’t look tired or even out of breath anymore. Instead, she was radiant. She was lit from within, her skin practically glowing. And there, just tracing her outline, was the faint blue aura of the Benandanti. She looked . . . otherworldly. Like the blue-skinned Hindu goddess Jenny’s mom had a statue of. Nerina was right. The magic was making her strong.

  That’s enough for tonight, Nerina said. Tomorrow we work on the Redwood power.

  The power to heal? Bree asked, wrinkling her nose.

  Yes. We followed Nerina as she loped through the trees, back toward the stone wall. And if you keep this up, Nerina added, clearing the stone wall with one graceful bound, you might just save us all.

  I left them at the edge of the farm and soared back to my open windo
w. My skin stretched tight and possessive around my soul when I flooded back into my body. I sat up. Bree? The savior of the Benandanti? Okay, fine, I couldn’t deny she was powerful. I couldn’t imagine tapping into the kind of magic she was accessing. My own magic was different, and it was one kind of magic that Bree would never have.

  There were still a few hours before daylight, but there was no way I could sleep. My brain still felt wobbly from being buffeted through time so much. I tugged on my boots and a thick sweatshirt, wound a scarf around my neck, and tiptoed downstairs. The world outside was black and grey. Moonlight reflected off the snow so that a soft light shimmered just above the ground. I crunched over the hard, snowy grass. I had the thought to go to Heath’s cabin, even though he was still on duty. I just knew if I stayed in my room, I’d go out of my mind.

  The ruined remains of the barn loomed in the darkness like a charred, broken-down Stonehenge. I paused at what was once the sliding door and looked up through the skeletal walls to the stars. Too bad Bree couldn’t send me back to just before the fire. I could take out that damned Raven once and for all. My fingers gripped at the splintered wood. Could she do that? Send me back long enough to change something?

  Soft footsteps echoed over the snow. I peered into the night. Bree was heading back from Nerina’s. I slid into the shadows of the barn, but she had already raised a hand to wave at me. I waited while she broke into a jog and skidded to a halt in front of me.

  “Shouldn’t you be catching up on your beauty sleep?” she said.

  “I don’t sleep anymore.” I was too tired, and my nerves were too raw to do the sarcastic wordplay thing with her. I stepped away from the charred beam. “See you at school.”

  “Wait.” She fell into step with me. “Where are you going?”

  “To Heath’s.”

  I felt her glance sidelong at me. “What’s with the ’tude?”

  “Really, Bree?” I stopped so suddenly she almost stepped on me. “I just spent the last four hours being thrown around in time. I’m a little out of sorts.” I started walking again, so fast she had to jog to keep up with me.

  “Hey, I wasn’t the one who volunteered you for the job,” Bree said. “Take it up with Nerina.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  We were almost at Heath’s cabin. The windows were dark save for the soft gleam of moonlight off the glass.

  Bree bolted in front of me and blocked my path. “You know what I think? I think you’re jealous.”

  “What? You’re insane.” I folded my arms and looked at her, not quite meeting her gaze.

  “Yeah, I don’t think I am on this one.” Bree stuck the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. “I think I just swooped in and stole your thunder. Not to mention your special little Concilio friend.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I mean, Nerina came here, to your farm, but now she’s spending all this time with me.” Bree planted her hands on her hips. “And you’re jealous. Which is really unfair, since you were the one who dragged me into this. I didn’t ask for any of it.”

  “Yeah, you keep saying that, Bree,” I said, jabbing my finger at her, “but you certainly aren’t turning any of it away. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Bree rolled her eyes.

  But then she looked right at me, and I looked at her, and we stared at each other for a few long minutes. Finally we both rolled our eyes.

  “Okay, maybe we both a have a point here,” Bree said, sitting down on the step outside Heath’s door.

  I squeezed in beside her. An unnatural warmth emanated from her. Now that I was right next to her, I saw the faintest blue trace of light around her. The magic still clung to her.

  “I guess I am a little jealous.” I kicked at a little clump of snow below the step. “I mean, I’m just a Benandante. You can do all this other cool magic.”

  “But I’ll never be a Benandante.”

  “You kind of are. I mean, you’re a member of the Clan.”

  “But I’m human.” Bree looked up at the stars. “Do you know how intimidating it is to be surrounded by these huge, powerful animals? You guys are impressive, man.”

  I shrugged, but I was smiling. “I guess. But doesn’t the Tibetan site have the power to separate your soul from your body? So I bet you’ll get that power, too.”

  “I’ll be able to ‘shadow-walk.’ That’s what Nerina called it. My soul can travel, but it won’t take on the form of an animal. Not like a real Benandante.”

  “Still. That’s cool.” I bumped her arm. “I guess we’re even. You get to do all this magic . . . but you’ll never know what it’s like to soar above the trees like me.”

  Bree coughed and looked down at her feet. “Actually . . .” she muttered.

  I straightened. “What?”

  “Um.” She glanced over at me. “When I was Called, before I Refused, I transformed. I mean, you know that. All Refusers transform once.”

  “Oh.” I blinked. “I guess I never realized that.”

  “Yeah, well, they do.”

  She didn’t say anything, so I nudged her.

  She sighed. “Look, don’t read too much into this, okay?”

  “Okay . . .”

  She pressed her lips together and looked up at the sky again. A very thin blue line was forming on the horizon. “When I was Called, when I transformed, I turned into a Falcon. Just like you. So I do know what it’s like to fly. But just that once.”

  I stared at her. Was there one thing—one thing—I had and she didn’t? She had magic. She had Nerina. God, she even had Jonah. She got to see him every day, sleep in the room next to him . . .

  I swallowed hard and looked away. It was idiotic to be jealous. She couldn’t help what she had transformed into. I certainly didn’t choose to be a Falcon. But now that I was, I wouldn’t choose anything else.

  “That’s weird,” I said at last. “Why didn’t you turn into a Panther, like Jonah?”

  Bree shrugged. “I guess I have more falcon in me than panther.” She tucked her hands into her pockets and shivered. She swallowed hard and met my eyes in the silvery dawn. “What’s going to happen, Alessia?” she whispered. “What’s going to happen when I have to fight him in battle?”

  My throat closed tight. I couldn’t answer. I just sat still with her, and together we watched the grey light break over the barren trees.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Dipping My Toe into the Dark Side

  Bree

  Alessia and I left Heath’s cabin before he even got home. She ducked back into her house, and I trudged on toward home. The thought of going to school in a couple of hours seemed pointless. I mean, what could they teach me there that would outdo what Nerina was teaching me? Every time we unlocked a book, I felt its knowledge flow into me. There wasn’t a teacher on this planet who could do that.

  The pink fingers of dawn grazed the street as I walked along. My skin still hummed from the remnants of magic clinging to it. Tomorrow—actually today—I’d learn how to heal. And maybe the day after, I’d unlock the book that would tell me how to save my brother.

  I turned the corner onto my street. A house and a half away, I heard the yelling.

  Crap.

  My mom’s voice echoed into the outdoors as I crept around the back of the house. She couldn’t have extended her little trip to wherever another few days?

  “You are on thin ice, mister. If I catch you sneaking out one more time, you’re going to be grounded until summer.”

  I didn’t hear Jonah’s muttered reply, but it obviously wasn’t an apology.

  “What did you just say to your mother?”

  Oh, shit. Dad was home. I pressed myself against the house. My heart beat faster than it ever had during the night’s training.

  “Apologize to her. Now.”

  “No.” Jonah’s voice roared through the walls. “She’s been at the spa for the past
week. I could’ve blown up our street and she would’ve been too deep in a mud bath to know. And now she’s trying to ground me for sneaking out?”

  I clenched my hands into fists.

  “You say you’re sorry right now—”

  “Travis, it’s okay—” Now my mom’s voice was placating. I could picture the scene—her hand on my dad’s chest, trying to keep him away from Jonah. He’d called out her crappy parenting, and she knew he was right, but my dad would rather die a fiery death than admit his son was right.

  “You know, I don’t think either one of you has ever said to me, ‘Don’t sneak out.’ Until you start to give a shit about me, I don’t think it’s any of your damn business what I do.”

  The sound of flat palm against cheek rang out into the backyard. My mom shrieked. Jonah yelled something I couldn’t understand until another slap silenced him. My hand was on the door; I was ready to run into the kitchen and fling myself between Jonah and my dad . . . and I froze.

  I didn’t care about getting caught sneaking out. My dad might hit Jonah, but he had some weird fifties-sensibility about hitting a girl. I could handle him. It was Jonah who couldn’t know I had been out.

  Because the magic still tinged my body the faintest Benandanti blue, and his Malandanti eyes would see it.

  And if he knew now that I was working for the Benandanti, I might not get the chance to save him later.

  I felt like the most cowardly piece of turd, climbing up the branches of the tree and in through the bathroom. They were still yelling downstairs by the time I changed into my pajamas, messed up my hair, and checked the mirror to make sure the magic was gone. I stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing my eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “Your brother was out all night.” A cigarette perched between my mother’s fingers. Its light pulsed as she sucked a breath on it. I itched to snatch it out of her hand and take my own drag. Then I realized I hadn’t smoked since I started training with Nerina. Huh.

  “Nice.” I hopped onto a stool and pulled the bowl of fruit toward me. “Hope she was worth it.”