by Bianca D’Arc
“We?” Cam asked.
“Me and my sister,” Ursula answered, innocently revealing way too much to this stranger.
John cursed under his breath. If the fey was playing a game with them, he’d just learned there were not one but two powerful witches in town. John hoped that knowledge wouldn’t come back to bite them.
“How about we talk about the leviathan?” John broke in before any more personal information about the Ricoletti sisters could be given.
“Aye,” Cam agreed somewhat reluctantly. “But ‘tis good fortune you have strega here to combat it. Now I understand where all the power is coming from. Some of those Italian ladies have very unique powers. I take it one of yours is to throw permanent wards.”
Ursula nodded to the implied question.
“Thank the Mother of All for that,” Cam said, aiming his words skyward. “I’ll admit, when I felt the disturbance in the magic up here yesterday, I was concerned. After this afternoon’s session, I grew even more so. The powers you’re throwing here are mighty and have drawn attention from all those who are sensitive to such things—both good and evil. I’m very much afraid that if you continue this work, you’ll be dealing with some of those on the other side of this war in the not-too-distant future. I’d bet they’re already on their way here, to investigate. Many Venifucus seek to steal power. You and your sister would make nice, juicy targets for an unscrupulous mage.”
John didn’t like the sound of that.
Chapter Eleven
“What exactly are the Venifucus now? I mean, I’ve heard scary stories all my life, and there are new reports from the Lords, but what’s truth and what’s fiction? What are they now? The bogeymen from my childhood tales, or some kind of paramilitary magical organization?”
Tom asked the questions, giving John a few minutes to try to calm his bear. Right now, the creature was roaring in defiance of anyone who would even think to target Ursula. For crying out loud, wasn’t she in enough danger already?
“When the Destroyer first walked in this realm, she drew around her a band of supporters. Mages, a few other fey, werecreatures who walked the dark paths, even a few vampires and many misguided humans. Any who sought power without really caring where it came from. Those who liked bloodshed and killing. Evil beings. They formed the Venifucus—a secret society that quietly supported and aided the Destroyer as she came to power. Once she was on her rampage, they came out into the open somewhat, fighting the forces of Light directly wherever they could.” Cam’s words held everyone’s attention. “The human organization called the Altor Custodis was formed around the same time to keep an eye on the magical beings. They had a policy of non-involvement, but they have been watching us for centuries, keeping track of our whereabouts and our family lines. Recently, some of yours discovered that the Venifucus have infiltrated the Altor Custodis at the highest levels and have been using their observations to target and eliminate anyone they thought might oppose them.”
“We’d had reports from the Lords,” Brody confirmed.
John hadn’t wanted to believe it and hoped the conflict would stay far away from his little town. He’d spent most of his life fighting, as had most of his men. He’d wanted to retire, set up the town, find a mate, and spend the rest of his life raising cubs and just living happily ever after.
It seemed like that wasn’t going to happen. Though he hadn’t invited it, evil had found him and he couldn’t do anything but oppose it. Fight it and defeat it. So they could all live in peace. Eventually.
“You bears have concentrated a lot of magical energy here in your cove,” Cam went on quietly. “I’m not surprised the creature was attracted to it. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a concentration of shifter magic quite this potent anywhere in the world…except maybe for the snowcat stronghold, but they’re protected by their terrain. Few outsiders venture into the Himalayas, and nobody can get near their cliff-top village without being seen long before. You don’t have that advantage here. You’re wide open.”
“So you think concentrating so many bear shifters here together is what did it?” Tom asked.
“Och, now. You know how magical you folk are. And you’re usually more solitary. Even bears who live in small family groups have been targeted by the Venifucus. You should have a talk with Rocco Garibaldi about his kinsmen and how they were kidnapped a while back. That was a family of just three bear shifters, one only a teenager, who managed to escape. Even so, working with just the magic of the mother and father—being siphoned off through torture and evil magic—the Venifucus were trying to open a portal into the farthest realm. Imagine what they could do with the number of bear shifters you have gathered here. It’s too tasty a treat for them not to try. You should warn your people.”
“We’re not civilians,” Brody ground out, clearly angered by the idea that someone would harm innocents like Cam was describing. “We can take care of ourselves.”
Cam nodded once. “Aye, but you’ve got non-soldiers in your town too, I’m sure. Like the lass, here.” Cam turned his attention back to Ursula, his gaze speculative. “But I’m thinking the wards she’s putting up will go a long way toward keeping you all safe within the boundaries. What have you been putting into your wards, lass?”
“Protection against evil, safety for all beings of good intent, that sort of thing,” Ursula replied. “I kept it general because it’s not just one kind of bear shifter here, and I don’t know what might be out in the water besides the leviathan and its minions. There could be selkies or water sprites, or who-knows-what out there, just trying to live life in peace. I didn’t want my wards to keep them away if they were good.”
“You have a big heart, lassie,” Cam said, smiling kindly at her. “That was well done of you, and I think it will aid more in the protection of this town than you think. If I’m right, there will be a natural barrier when you’re done with your spellwork, that will help hide your town from those of evil intent. That would be the best outcome, in fact, and would go a long way in protecting the people here.”
John hadn’t realized the scope of Ursula’s work, or that wards could have different intentions, though he supposed he probably should have thought of that before. He was just glad to hear that Ursula had given this whole thing some thought and come up with what sounded like the most reasonable approach. He liked that she thought enough of the town and its people—and whatever innocent life might live in the ocean around them—to have planned her work so carefully.
“Now,” Cam said, drawing John’s attention, “if I’m guessing your pattern correctly, you’ll be planning a sunset ceremony for tomorrow, no?”
John didn’t like the idea that this strange fey could predict their actions so easily, but it did make sense. And if Cam could figure it out, so could the leviathan—and anyone else looking to prevent Ursula from completing her work. Damn.
Ursula nodded in answer to Cam’s question, her eyes wide. Clearly, the same thought had just occurred to her as well.
“We’ll need to establish trust fairly quickly. Alpha, would you object if I transported some of your allies here tomorrow, with me, to help your men stand guard while we do our work? If you’ll call Grif Redstone and ask if he can send Steve and maybe a few members of his security team, I’ll be able to bring a couple of people with me tomorrow when I come back. I’m also hoping you’ll take their word for my truthfulness. They’ll vouch for me.”
John was skeptical, but moving toward trusting the fey with each new revelation. Though he hadn’t mentioned it, John and all his guys knew Steve Redstone fairly well from the old days. Steve and his brother, Grif, who was Alpha of the entire Redstone Clan, had both been in Special Forces. John had fought alongside Steve Redstone a few times during his long military career and respected the man, even if he was a cougar shifter and not a bear.
“Sounds like you’re planning on leaving us?” John asked Cam, wanting to know more before he committed to the fey’s plan.
“
Well, I came to help the lassie, but as you’ve got all well in hand for tonight, there are a few things I need to do back in California this evening. But if you’re going to do more warding tomorrow, I’ll come back to help, and bring friends, if you’ll have them. It’s up to you, Alpha. This is your land, and these are your people.”
John chuckled. “They may call me Alpha, but it’s not like it is with the cats. Bears are independent thinkers. Only my military unit really listens to what I have to say, and even then, we discuss battle plans in depth. There are no blind followers among us. There never were.” John turned to Brody and Tom. “What do you think, boys?”
“Steve Redstone is a good guy,” Brody offered. “If he’s willing to come help, I wouldn’t be averse to having him as backup.”
“Agreed,” Tom put in. “I’d also take his word if he vouched for you, Cam, no insult intended.”
Cam nodded at Tom. “None taken.”
“I think it’s all overkill,” Ursula said. “But we can use all the help we can get. If this guy Steve can convince you that Cam is on the level, then I say go for it, even though you didn’t ask my opinion.” She stuck her tongue out playfully at John, and he felt the jolt of happiness at the way she interacted with him and his men. She was comfortable with them, which meant a lot to him and his inner bear.
“Honey, I was going to ask you. You just didn’t give me a chance,” he shot back, smiling at her.
“Good,” she answered back. “Then I’ll have to tell you that I would like Cam’s help tomorrow. The leviathan lured me in this afternoon when I thought I was safe from it. As magical as you guys are, you’re not mages. I need magical help, and I can’t imagine anything or anyone more magical than a fey knight.” She smiled at Cam, and John felt the stirrings of jealousy. “And if it hasn’t already occurred to you, he would never have gotten past the wards I’ve already cast if he was one of the bad guys. You probably don’t realize how my magic works yet, but you’ll figure it out when you see how the wards repel evil.” She looked a tiny bit smug. “That’s why the leviathan tried to lure me out, past the effective range of the ward. It wanted to get me into an unprotected area.”
John put his arm around her shoulders, offering support as her expression changed to one of fear.
“You were stronger than its pull, honey. You stopped walking all on your own,” he reminded her.
“But I couldn’t move,” she whispered. “And I might not have been able to hold out against it for long. You didn’t hear that song…”
“It sang to you?” Cam asked quickly, in a low, urgent tone.
Ursula nodded. “Like a siren’s song. It made me follow it through the woods, around the cove, where nobody would see me until it was too late.”
Cam frowned. “Not good. If you could hear the leviathan, it is more powerful than I thought. Did any of you hear it?” He looked at the men, each in turn, but they all shook their heads.
“I found her, but I didn’t hear anything,” John admitted. “She was just standing there, motionless.”
Cam seemed unhappy with the answer but said no more on the topic. After a moment, he spoke again. “Your granny, she’s in Italy?” he asked Ursula.
“Oh, no. She’s in San Francisco.” John might’ve wanted to keep such information private, but Ursula apparently had no such intention. She trusted Cam. John just hoped she wouldn’t come to regret it.
“San Francisco?” Cam sat back in his chair. “But…you’re not a Ricoletti, by chance, are you?”
Ursula smiled. “I am.” John could hear the pride in her tone as she claimed the relation.
Cam’s reaction was unexpected. He practically beamed with happiness. “Oh, this is grand,” he said. “I know your granny. Knew her when she was your age, in fact. I haven’t kept in touch over the years, but that’s mostly because I don’t always like reminding my friends of their mortality. They usually don’t take it well. I pass in and out of people’s lives, for the most part, but I remember your granny.” Cam winked at her as if sharing a joke…or a memory. “She was special.”
“She still is,” Ursula agreed in a quiet voice, giving Cam a kind smile. “And I think she would be happy to see you again, if you don’t mind the fact that she’s grown old.”
“Mind?” Cam seemed surprised by the notion. “It is the way of things in this realm, lass.”
That put a damper on the mood for a moment until Cam brightened a bit. “Now, let me tell you something few know, my new shifter friends.” He looked around at John, Brody and Tom. “I can travel by magical means, but not easily and not often. Your realm limits me a trifle. I was able to pop up here because of the lass’s prayer for help, and I will return on the same ticket, so to speak.” Cam gave them a somewhat mysterious look. “I will be able to transport two or three others with me tomorrow, but there is no guarantee they’ll be able to go back home that way. They’ll probably have to go back the non-magical way. Which means, you’ll have to put us up for the night tomorrow night, so we can be here both to help with the sundown ceremony tomorrow and for the full moon the following night. After that, we can make our way home by whatever means come to hand.”
“Even you?” Tom asked quietly, seeming intrigued by the fey’s open talk of magical transport.
This was something out of a storybook. As far as John knew, that kind of thing was limited only to the most powerful of mages and the truly magical races like the fey. But the fey weren’t of this realm. They traveled here at their own peril and weren’t able to access all of the magic they could command in their own world. John didn’t know all there was to know about fey, but he knew that much.
“Aye, lad. Even me. This is your realm, not mine. I pay a price to walk among you, and hoofing it, or taking the bus, happens more often than you’d think.” Cam had the grace to look embarrassed, but John figured the humble act was just that—an act. Still, it was nice of the fey to make the effort of letting them think he couldn’t wipe the floor with them all magically, with one hand tied behind his back.
“I’ve got a place in town where you can stay,” Zak volunteered. “I’m building a restaurant. It’s not quite finished yet, but the upstairs apartment is good enough for guests, even though the furnishings are bare minimum. There’s heat and running water. Beds in the bedrooms and a big couch in the living room. No cable TV yet though, sorry.”
“If all goes as I expect, there won’t be much time to be watching telly,” Cam said with a laugh. “Thank you for the gracious offer. I accept.”
John nodded over at Zak. It was a good solution. Zak could keep an eye on the visitors, and they’d be in the center of town, well within the already warded zone.
“Now I suggest you get on the phone and figure out who I should be picking up for the journey tomorrow,” Cam said, rising from his seat. “I’m heading to Las Vegas, home base of the Redstone Clan. I’ll be back on the morrow with as many as I can bring with me. I expect you to settle just who that is between yourselves and the Redstones. Sound good?”
John rose as well. “I can live with that.” He liked that Cam wasn’t forcing anyone on them.
“Then I’ll take my leave of you until the morrow.” Cam leaned across, offering his hand to John first, then to the other men as everyone rose. They all shook hands with new respect for each other. Cam simply nodded at Ursula, tipping an imaginary hat in her direction. “I’m glad you asked for help, and did not need much of it today. The Lady sent me here, I believe, because of what you will do tomorrow. She knows, lassie. She knows all and gives aid where it’s needed. What you’re doing here is bigger than you realize. And quite frankly, none of us expected the leviathan to be on our shores. I’ll do some research tonight, but I believe, now that I think back, there was some talk of a creature like it in the Atlantic several months ago. I’ll track that down,” Cam said, looking at John. “We’ll need all the information we can get about this menace.”
“Agreed,” John replied. “I’ll place some call
s myself. I had no idea anyone else had been dealing with this kind of thing.”
“The oceans are vast, and most of us are land-based. It would probably be a good idea to try to speak with some of the ocean-going shifters, if at all possible. They probably know more about this than we do,” Cam suggested.
John nodded.
“Thank you for coming to help,” Ursula said in an emotional tone.
“It is my honor, lass,” Cam said in all seriousness, nodding to her in an old world way. He held her gaze for a beat, then turned to the men, nodding at each in turn. “Until tomorrow.”
Cam walked away, down the steps of the deck, toward the forest. They all watched him go. As he entered the tree line, he seemed to glow, and for a split second, John saw the magical armor of a golden knight walking away from them, into the misty forest. Between one blink and the next, the knight was gone…and so was Cam.
“Did you just see…?” Tom trailed off in confusion, shaking his head.
“Dude in a full metal jacket, disappearing into the trees?” Zak replied, also shaking his head. “He sparkled like nobody’s business. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“That was armor,” Ursula supplied. “He’s a Knight of the Light.”
“No shit? Seriously?” was Tom’s candid reply.
“What do you know about them?” John asked his friend, knowing Tom had always been the most studious of his buddies.
“Chevalier de la Lumiere is a sacred title earned by only a few souls in the mortal realm and beyond. It is an ancient order. Knights are chosen by the Lady Herself, it’s said. Usually though, they hide their nature. I’m kind of surprised—and a little worried—that he’s shown himself to us this way. Frankly, it also makes me suspicious, though I have no idea how someone could fake what we just saw.”
“Anything evil couldn’t get past my wards either,” Ursula put in. “And you’re right to worry. All strega know that when the Destroyer returns, the Knights will reveal themselves and work with those on the side of Light to fight Elspeth’s evil again.” Her brow furrowed as her words took on an ominous tone. “If the Knights are showing themselves, then perhaps the rumors out of Italy are true. Maybe Elspeth, Destroyer of Worlds, is back.”