Feast

by Merrie Destefano

  I pressed my foot against the gas pedal, leaned into the steering wheel, not daring to look behind me. Strange clouds were forming overhead. And a song began to wend through the air; tendrils of unearthly smoke snaking down the street, testing every window and door that they passed. Then one vaporous hand reared up alongside my car window, seemed to hover beside me as my vehicle raced down the street.

  Don’t look at it. It’s not real.

  Ghostly fingers tapped the glass.

  “Go away!” I shouted.

  Then it paused, seemed to nod at the other serpentine branches of mist, and it slithered on down the street. Hunting.

  My Chevy Tahoe swiveled. Skidded to a sloppy halt.

  I climbed out of the car, grabbed my rifle, made sure it was loaded and that the safety was off. I took a couple spare magazines and stuffed them into my jacket pockets. Then, clutching the weapon like a talisman, I strode through blackened brush and weeds.

  Toward the junkyard and the town’s children.

  Toward any beast that might even think about harming them.

  Chapter 79

  A Thousand Yellow Eyes

  Maddie:

  The heavens seethed with a mass of black wings and sharp claws, they rocked with the bellowing cries of those trapped in their midst. I slid to a stop at the edge of a weathered field, just outside a battered, fenced-in enclosure—a junkyard. Right now, hordes of children were clambering out of its narrow exit, climbing over refuse, Halloween costumes ripping, masks cast aside, makeup running in tear-stained rivulets. I latched onto Tucker, kept him at my side, all the while staring up at the tumultuous sky, at the storm of Darklings that continued to grow.

  The creatures poured in from surrounding communities, a murder of black wings that surged over distant hills until they all collided overhead. A thousand yellow eyes smoldered in the skies. A wild fury charged the air, forced a panic in my chest that made me want to run and hide.

  But I couldn’t.

  The incantation held all of us in place. Darkling and human alike.

  “Mom, I’m scared,” Tucker whimpered beside me.

  Me too, I wanted to say. “No one’s going to hurt you, Tuck. I promise.” I kissed his forehead, lifted his chin until he gazed into my eyes. “My seal of protection, remember?”

  He nodded.

  At the same time Samwise bristled. The dog grew, his chest widened, his teeth got longer, sharper, and he braced himself in front of us. He was watching the sky. Ready to protect us from anything that might be foolish enough to try and attack.

  Meanwhile, I sensed Ash somewhere in the darkness above. We were united now, bound by the red-black blood that stained my hands. I could hear his thoughts, disjointed, grief-stricken over what had happened.

  Flee.

  He was speaking to me through a darkened corridor of my mind. I saw him then, recognized his shape amongst the puzzle of black. He was tumbling, unstable as a babe.

  No, I can’t leave you, I whispered back, realizing what truly held me here. Nor do I want to.

  At that moment, in the shadowed edge of town, a chill wind brushed against me.

  I knew then that the century-old curse was gone. All it would take was one Darkling to realize how vulnerable we were, to launch down from whirlwind skies and claim the village with another curse. There would be no one to save us. Even Tucker and I would be prisoners here, bound.

  I shivered beneath the wild black sky, remembering the two beasts that had cornered me earlier, and I tightened my grip around my son.

  My kiss on his forehead. My vow to protect him, no matter what.

  Then the crowd parted and I saw Sheriff Kyle standing akimbo, a short distance away. Rifle in one hand, he was staring up into the sky. He was getting ready to fire into the cloud of Darklings. But he couldn’t—Ash was up there.

  “No!” I shouted.

  In that instant, before I could get Kyle’s attention, the crowd closed around me and I couldn’t move.

  Chapter 80

  Darkling-Filled Sky

  Sheriff Kyle:

  I hoisted my weapon and braced it against my shoulder, training it on the Darkling-filled sky with a well-practiced aim. The first shot landed square in the center of the vile flock that circled overhead. I grinned as I took a step back from the recoil. Years of hunting paid off, for I managed to hit two of the wild beasts with one strike; both creatures screamed and writhed in pain.

  Both of them now fell from the sky.

  They pitched forward in turbulent spirals, wings outstretched and thumping without strength, limbs seeking purchase though none was found. They scratched at sky and cloud as they fell, leaving behind a trail of sparks. Then a sea of grass and earth met them both. They crashed to the ground with a loud, sickening thud.

  Their dead bodies were quickly surrounded by a mob of angry villagers.

  I aimed the rifle, ready to shoot again when several other winged beasts managed to break away from the flock and soared toward the ground. At first I thought one of them was coming for me and that was fine.

  I had the creature lined up in my sights when the beast suddenly changed direction. It swooped down and grabbed one of the teenage boys—Hunter Callahan. Then it charged back up into the sky, heading toward the woods.

  Toward another uninterrupted feast, no doubt.

  Just like what had happened to Agnes.

  “Drop the boy, put him back!” I shouted.

  The winged beast glanced down and laughed, a deep throaty cackle. It was flying too high now, taller than the treetops, almost as high as the clouds.

  I wiped my brow, squinted to keep my focus on the beast as it whisked away from the junkyard. “Bring him back, safe, or I swear, I’ll shoot you out of the sky!”

  The creature hovered over the trees, at least eighty feet off the ground. Hunter screamed and flailed in his grasp. I could hear the lad begging for his life.

  That was when the creature laughed again and looked right at me.

  Then it flung the boy toward the lance-sharp field of forest and death.

  At that instant—when the beast cast Hunter to the ground and a sharp gasp swept through the crowd—the sky cracked with my second round. The cartridge blasted straight through the monster’s chest, stained the sky red with his blood.

  And now the beast was tumbling to the ground too.

  Then the black hurricane that had been churning overhead slowed and stopped as bits of wing and tooth began to fly off; one by one, each beast had finally found a way to break the spell.

  They were all soaring down now, hungry and mad, toward the people that scattered, helpless, before them.

  Despite my efforts, the feeding was about to begin.

  Chapter 81

  Evil for Good

  Thane:

  Evil for good. I had watched, helpless, when shots cracked through the night sky. When the music of a hundred Darklings had sparked around me, cutting through the incantation like knives. When my own brother, River, had broken free, wings bristling, his body straight as an arrow as he sailed to the ground, trying to steal the lad we both wanted. But then the sky had burned bright and red with his blood.

  River on the ground. Dead.

  And now the tumultuous, crowded sky began to break up into black splinters. I shot a quick glance to the distant earth, sprinkled with white snow, covered with humans all looking toward heaven. Soon the northern barbarians would swoop down and claim what was supposed to be mine.

  Be damned, all of you.

  I cast a Veil, stronger than any I’d ever woven; dome-shaped and invisible, it would open only for me. I set the shrine-like structure near the edge of the wood, then I sailed to the ground, toward the man who had just killed my blood brother.

  Skin for skin.

  I flew so fast that I was nothing but a rushing, screaming wind. All the humans startled as I zipped past.

  Evil for good.

  This night shall become good for me, though you meant it fo
r evil.

  Then, as I drew closer, I flipped end over end and landed feet first on the village sheriff’s back. I kicked that primitive weapon out of the human’s hands. Then I followed with a swift blow, using strength from my recent feeding frenzy, and I tossed the man in a wide arc, over the junkyard and away.

  What’s mine is mine and ever shall be.

  There was one more thing that I needed to do, before it was too late, before all the other Darklings broke free from the incantation that still frittered through the skies. With a second burst of energy, I swung wide over the junkyard and the surrounding field, all of my attention now focused on Maddie. Like the other humans, she stood staring at the heavens, an expression of horror on her face—perhaps because of what I had just done to the sheriff. With arms outstretched, I flew toward her, my movements still so fast that no one had time to react, not even the dread werebeast that growled at her side. The dog-creature sniffed the air, tried to figure out where I was, but couldn’t. Madeline was the only one who seemed able to sense my presence as I approached. She turned, frightened, and stared as if she recognized me, though I was only a blur of dark color, and in that half second she pushed her son behind her, to shield and protect him.

  There, there, my love, no need to hide the child from me.

  I seized them both, one under each arm, and then I shot across the field, just an arm’s length above the humans. No one saw us. Only a vague disquiet stirred their gaze in our direction after we passed overhead, as if they each sensed that danger was near enough to touch. Through the sky, toward my lair, until we reached my hidden sanctuary. There, I dropped both Maddie and Tucker inside, where no one could hear or see them.

  Then I went out.

  Hunting for more.

  Chapter 82

  Tumult of Black Wings

  Elspeth:

  A tumult of black wings crashed for space, churning up clouds and blocking out the moon. Pulled by invisible strings, I sailed through low clouds, unable to break away. My wings beat a frantic rhythm as I struggled to stay upright and I glanced down at the crowd of children, so far away. Jake was down there, staring up at me, an expression of fear on his face. Only a few moments ago, the sheriff had shot two Darklings from the sky. Their bodies had littered the ground, alongside the rubbish that filled the area. Then my cousin River had broken free from the spell and now both he and Hunter were dead.

  All the villagers had flocked to the junkyard and as one, they now flailed angry fists toward the skies.

  Meanwhile, I tumbled straight for a thick knot of Darklings—all of them wild and yellow-eyed, their skin a strange shade of cool gray, like those from the northern provinces. Barbarians. These were the ones who often plundered the cities of home and stole what they wanted when their own supplies ran low. One of them turned and snarled, swiped at me with raking claws.

  I spun out of his reach.

  Down below, Jake was cupping his hands to his mouth and calling something, but I couldn’t hear.

  I wished I knew where Father was. He was in charge of this village and its magic, how had he let this happen? Then I saw him, tumbling through the skies just like I was, not that far away. The wound in his side was revealed for all to see now, silver light sparking inside. I flew to his side, wrapped one arm about him to steady his flight.

  “Father! What happened?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

  He tried to smile, but I could tell that it took great effort. “I let Driscoll escape.”

  Then the curse was over. Ticonderoga Falls was without a ruler.

  “Sing with me,” I said. The enchantment still wrapped about our limbs like fibrous tendons. Together we began to chant a song of release, each verse of the poem slicing through the spell, layer by layer. Already many of the other Darklings had broken free and they were flying toward the ground, a fury of black wings and hunger.

  A few more verses and we would be free.

  I kept my gaze focused on Jake, hoping that he would be safe until I got there. Then I noticed that he was standing near Maddie and Tucker and the werebeast. But as soon as I had fixed my eyes upon them, they vanished. Maddie and Tucker were gone. Only the dog-beast was left behind.

  “No!” Father cried.

  Then we sang one final chant, the spell fell away like broken chains and together we sailed toward the ground.

  Chapter 83

  Gone

  Ash:

  Madeline disappeared. Like a ghost in a nightmare, she just vanished, and in her place, the air simmered with the odor of mushrooms and cobwebs. I thumped to the ground, knees buckling slightly as I landed. With a sweeping glance, I knew what had happened. Thane hadn’t left Ticonderoga Falls. He was still here. Overhead the enchantment broke, causing an unnatural silence to fall upon the field. No birds, no wind, no sound of rushing water. Only the flutter of wings could be heard as the great cloud of Darklings descended and each began to cast his own spell, as all the children and a number of the adults sank to their knees in unison, then all collapsed supine on the snow-covered earth.

  Maddie and her boy were gone.

  Her dog whined and howled and he ran in circles, yipping and hunting for them. He pawed the ground and he sniffed the air. Relentless.

  Meanwhile, my strength returned, borne of anger. My skin darkened, turned blacker than the sky, my wings thundered, and with a wild cry I lifted above the crowd, leaving Elspeth and the others behind. I circled the field and the junkyard, then headed toward the forest. There the wind whistled, the trees bent to the side to let me pass. All the other Darklings watched me with a cautious gaze, almost all of them feeding. Within a few minutes, the grassy meadow had been transformed. Now it resembled a vision from centuries past, like the wars that had continually ravaged Europe; the earth trodden by horses; the bodies left scattered and twisted over an unknown battlefield.

  She would not be a casualty of this.

  “Maddie!” I cried. “Tucker!”

  But all I heard was a whispering in the midnight wind, a throaty song tangled in the willow branches, rolling over me like a silver river. Broken. Sad. Bits and pieces of the Legend were teasing me now, taunting my impotence.

  I had lost her. Before she had ever truly been mine.

  Chapter 84

  The Rules of Harvest

  Elspeth:

  Almost as soon as our feet touched the ground, my father flew off in search of Maddie. Now I sailed over the field of harvest on a mission of my own. I needed to find Jake and make sure that he was safe. I didn’t know if these wild barbarians knew the laws, whether they would even consider abiding by the rules of harvest. Just then, a child moaned as I passed overhead. Already the girl had grown pale and weak. I dropped from the sky, then delivered a swift kick to the feeding Darkling’s jaw, knocking the beast aside.

  “Let the girl go,” I cried.

  He whirled about to face me, assuming the stance of attack, his back hunched and his claws extended, a low growl in his throat.

  I returned his growl and kicked him again, harder this time, knocking him on his backside. It was a gesture intended to humiliate him in front of his clan. A twitter of laughter and harsh jests circled around us.

  “Life and limb,” I said. “ ’Tis the law here, same as anywhere else.”

  “You’re not in charge, child,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “This here is my rightful inheritance,” I answered with a sweeping gesture. “ ’Twas the curse of my father that claimed this land in the first place.”

  The Darkling clambered to his feet, stood two hands taller than me and twice as wide. With a hastily whispered enchantment, I matched his size in an instant.

  “And what if I were to claim it for myself, right now?” he asked, a challenge in his tone. The others around us had stopped feeding and were watching the banter, yellow eyes glowing in the dark.

  “Then you’d have to fight me for it.” Hands on my hips, I grew even taller, stronger. The moon was shining favor on me
, adding muscle to my flesh, sturdy weight to my bones. This was no mere skin I had taken on, this was magic of the strongest kind.

  Moon magic.

  “And if you happen to defeat me—though your chances be slim at best,” I said with a confident laugh, “then you’ll have to fight our werebeast as well.”

  Samwise towered over both of us then, snarling, leaning toward the Darkling, drool dripping from his glittering teeth. In an instant, he had transformed himself from a dog that meandered through the field to a massive monster with claw-studded paws and glowing silver eyes. A low growl was building in his throat; it reverberated down into his chest and shook the ground beneath us all.

  My adversary lowered his head with reluctance. “So be it, then. Take the girl. And the land. ’Tis not mine and I never wanted it.” With a dramatic gesture, he unfurled his wings and gave a sturdy flap that lifted him off the ground. Then he flew away, over the trees and into the black distance.

  Meanwhile the rest of his clan studied me with narrowed eyes, murmuring as I hefted the sleeping child over a shoulder and carried her a safe distance away, then awakened her. I could feel the tension all around us, sensed the helplessness of the few adults still awake who cowered and watched from the edges of the field, unable to enter or to help any of their children, knowing that they could easily become the next meal.

  If this wild flock wasn’t satiated soon, it might never be.

  Chapter 85

  Whispered Enchantment

  Maddie:

  I crouched on the ground, weary, limbs aching, fighting the brief whispered enchantment that continued to circle throughout the enclosure. Tucker and I were at the edge of the wood, trapped inside a transparent, smoky blue dome—some sort of magic. Already he had slipped to the snow-crusted grass, eyes closed, his breathing deep and steady. Meanwhile, I fought the compelling urge to sleep, forced myself back onto my feet, pretended that I had a deadline, that I had to finish one more thing before I could succumb.