Emily Shadowhunter 2 - a Vampire, Shapeshifter, Werewolf novel.: Book 2: WOLF MAN

by Craig Zerf

  He dropped Bart to the floor.

  ‘Now take them back to their cell,’ he said. ‘I grow bored. And will someone tell me why we still haven’t managed to take anyone alive so that we can send a message to that bloody Shadowhunter bitch?’

  One of the Bloodwraiths stepped forward. ‘They refuse to be taken, master, it seems as though they would rather die.’

  Nathan hit the Bloodwraith so hard that he flew across the room.

  ‘Pathetic,’ he screamed. ‘I don’t care what they want. Go and get me a live messenger. Now. Redouble your efforts. Even if you have to sacrifice your own lives. Emily Hawk must be contacted. Find. Me. A. Messenger.’

  Then he threw his head back and screamed. Windows shook and light bulbs shattered as his voice rose into impossibly high registers, venting his frustration.

  Chapter 35

  Not only had Emily witnessed the death of ten Pack members, she had been inextricably connected to two of them. In fact, when Alpha Lucas had died she had felt it. Every tiny detail. The pain. The frustration.

  The utter hopelessness of death.

  And a part of her had died with him.

  She lay on a sofa in the sitting room and drank when Tag held a cup to her mouth but she did not eat. She breathed and carried out all of the usual autonomic functions. But her eyes, although open, were blank. She didn’t turn her head from bright light or towards loud sounds.

  Every now and then a single tear would trickle down her cheek. Tag would wipe it away.

  ‘What is it?’ The big man asked Merlin who was standing over the young Shadowhunter.

  ‘Part of her thinks that she has died,’ answered the magician. ‘She was connected too closely with Lucas when he was killed and her psyche cannot separate her life from his. She experienced his death in such a real way that it has become reality to her. Fortunately she is so mentally strong that a semblance of life has remained. If this were any normal person they would have succumbed to the call of the ferryman. She would be gone.’

  ‘What can we do?’

  Merlin shrugged. ‘To be honest, I am not sure. I have contacted the Morrigan. She is coming. Perhaps she can help. The Prof wants to feed her one of his potions. Who knows, that might work.’

  Tag frowned. ‘If the Prof comes anywhere near her I will kill him. Genuinely,’ stated Tag.

  Merlin nodded. ‘I suspected as much. I told him so. He won’t touch her.’

  The air in the room shimmered and a huge crow appeared. Instantly it morphed into the beautiful Morgan La Fay, the form the Morrigan had taken to assuming when she was around Merlin.

  Without greeting she walked over to Emily and placed her hand on the young woman’s brow. Red light pulsed around her hand and Emily shuddered slightly.

  ‘Don’t hurt her,’ said Tag.

  ‘Quiet, fassy man,’ answered the Morrigan. ‘I’m concentrating.’

  She continued to stand there, touching Emily’s head for at least another five minutes before she spoke.

  ‘She’s gone.’

  ‘No,’ denied Tag. ‘She’s breathing. She’s still alive.’

  ‘Her body is,’ affirmed the Morrigan. ‘But her spirit resides in the halls of Charon. Even now she waits beside the river, waiting for him to take her to the other side.’

  ‘Do something,’ begged Tag.

  ‘I cannot.’

  ‘But you’re a god,’ shouted Tag. ‘Can’t you go and get her?’

  Merlin put his hand on the big man’s shoulder. ‘You know not what you ask,’ he said. ‘Yes, it is possible for Morgan to cross the veil. But she would be unable to return. The gods can bargain with Charon but he will always strike the same deal. A life for a life. And it is unfair to ask the Morrigan to give up her life for Emily’s.’

  ‘What about me?’ Asked Tag. ‘Take my life.’

  ‘I am sorry,’ said Merlin. ‘I mean no insult but you are a mere human. Your life holds little value to one such as Charon.’

  William walked into the room as Merlin was speaking. ‘What about me?’ He asked.

  Merlin shook his head. ‘You are Pack. We cannot afford to lose you. I forbid it and without Morgan’s and my help there’s no way that you will be able to pierce the veil.’

  ‘There is always the Right of Challenge,’ interjected the Morrigan.

  Merlin raised an eyebrow. ‘No one has tried that nonsense for over six hundred years,’ he said. ‘And with good reason. No one ever survives. It’s just another way of saying suicide.’

  ‘What Right of Challenge?’ Asked Tag. ‘Can I do it?’

  ‘No,’ answered the Morrigan. ‘Once again, the whole human thing stands in the way. Charon would never accept a challenge from a mere mortal.’

  Tag looked pointedly at William.

  ‘No,’ repeated Merlin. ‘I’ve already said, he is too valuable to risk on such a long shot.’

  ‘What about one of the other wolves?’ Asked Tag in desperation.

  ‘None would stand a chance against the denizens of the underworld,’ said Merlin.

  ‘Perhaps,’ said William. ‘But then, there might be one who could stand a slight chance of pulling it off.’

  ‘Who?’ Asked the magician.

  ‘Young Troy,’ answered the Omega. ‘He’s young and he’s more powerful than he knows.’

  ‘But would he do it?’ Asked Merlin.

  William smiled. ‘I have no doubt that the puppy would do anything for Em. Anything.’

  ‘Well call him,’ said Tag. ‘Get him here as soon as possible.’

  ***

  Troy had arrived, pushing his Harley to the extent that he completed the five hour drive in just less than three hours. He kicked the stand down and ran into the house, bursting into the sitting room and rushing up to Emily’s prone body.

  ‘What is it?’ He asked.

  Merlin explained Emily’s predicament and then went on to tell him how he could help.

  Troy frowned. ‘I’m not sure that I fully understand,’ he admitted. ‘Obviously I’ll do whatever needs doing but are you saying that I have to somehow go to, well, purgatory or whatever and bring her back.’

  ‘In a nutshell,’ agreed Merlin.

  ‘Seriously?’ Asked Troy. ‘I mean, where is this place? How do I get there? How do I get back? What do I do when I’m there?’

  The Morrigan took Troy by the arm. ‘Young wolf,’ she said. ‘Let me answer your questions. Firstly, the place that you would go is oft referred to as the river Styx. It is the boundary between the Earth and the Underworld and is controlled by Charon, the Ferryman who takes the departed across the river to Hades. As to how you get there,’ the Morrigan took a deep breath. ‘Only the departed can pierce the veil.’

  ‘Departed?’ Questioned Troy. ‘By that you mean, Dead, don’t you?’

  The Morrigan nodded. ‘But it’s not as dire as you think. Merlin and I shall put you under a spell, stop your heart, your breath. Your life. But we shall keep you just within the boundaries. Then, if all goes well, we should be able to revive you.’

  Troy nodded. ‘Should? Okay, carry on.’

  ‘Finally, as to what to do when you are there.’ She shrugged. ‘That will depend on Charon. You may have to fight. You may be subjected to tests. Torture. Whatever happens, it will not be pleasant.’

  ‘Let’s do it,’ affirmed the young wolf.

  ‘Fine,’ said Merlin. ‘Lie down on the floor next to Emily.’

  Troy followed instructions.

  ‘Now take her hand,’ continued the magician. ‘The physical contact should help you to locate her when you reach Charon’s realm.’

  Troy lay still and the goddess and the magician stood over him and started to cast their spells that were needed to break the veil. Light shimmered about them, coruscating and roiling. Growing as they chanted. If they were speaking in a language it was one that Troy had never heard before, ragged and discordant. Unsettling.

  The light grew brighter and both the Morrigan and Merli
n started to wave their hands over the two prostrate bodies, increasing the volume of their chants as they did so.

  The sounds of crashing waves filled the room, louder and louder until Troy felt as if his ears were going to implode.

  A flash of even brighter light.

  Silence.

  Black fading to red and yellow.

  Troy opened his eyes.

  He stood alone. The blasted and ruined land stretched about him for many miles. The very earth was scorched shades of black and mustard-yellow. Above him a blood red sky with shreds of stygian cloud. Rivers of lava inched their way across the ground and above them arched ancient and crumbling bridges of stone.

  In the near distance, a few hundred yards away, ran a river. The water was deep scarlet in color and a mist of ochre seethed and bubbled over it like pus running from an infected wound.

  And on its banks sat Emily, staring out across to the other side.

  Troy started to run towards her calling out as he did so.

  The land shook as the Troy ran, shivering beneath him like it was seriously unstable. Jets of lava shot into the red sky and noxious gasses belched from open holes, filling the air with purple vapors.

  Emily was no closer than when Troy had started to run.

  After ten minutes the young man changed from human to wolf and increased his speed, pushing as hard as he could. All day long he ran, his muscles burning with fatigue, his paws bleeding from the numerous sharp rocks and stones that lay scattered across the land. His fir singed from flying droplets of molten rock and his eyes seared by poisonous gasses.

  Not once did he falter or even slow. In fact the longer it took the harder he ran, pushing himself way beyond his physical capabilities and letting his mental side take over. Willing himself to keep running. To keep moving. To keep heading towards Emily.

  And then, suddenly, he was there. Next to her.

  He morphed back into his human shape and knelt beside her, ignoring the fact that he was naked because he had no choice and he could not communicate via his wolven jaws as were incapable of uttering human speech.

  ‘Emily.’

  She turned and looked at him, her face blank. Expressionless.

  ‘It’s me, Troy. I’ve come for you.’

  Emily frowned. ‘Where am I?’

  ‘Charon’s realm. That’s the river Styx. I have come to take you home.’

  ‘Why am I here?’ Asked Emily.

  ‘Long story,’ answered Troy. ‘But that’s not important. I think that we should start by standing up and walking as far away from the river as possible. Not much of a plan but at the moment it’s all that I have.’

  Emily shook her head. ‘No. I can’t leave here. This is where you wait. You see, I’m waiting for the ferryman. That’s how you get to the other side.’

  ‘No,’ argued Troy. ‘You don’t want to go there. You aren’t dead. You’re alive. Come on, Emily.’ He held his hand out.

  Emily growled at him and when she next spoke it was in Alpha Lucas’ voice. ‘Let me go, young wolf,’ he said. ‘I am weary and in pain. The suffering will not end until I cross the divide. Please leave me. I do not know how much longer I can stand the pain. Leave me.’

  ‘No,’ shouted Troy. ‘Emily, talk to me,’ he continued. ‘Listen. Where are you?’

  ‘What are you going on about, young wolf?’ Asked Lucas. ‘There is no Emily. Only me. And Charon will not ferry me across until you leave. Go. Now.’

  Troy grabbed Emily’s arm. ‘Talk to me,’ he urged. ‘Fight it. You are alive. Emily.’

  Her eyes fluttered and then her whole body shivered like a dog drying itself. ‘Troy?’

  The young wolf let out a sigh of relief. ‘Yes. I have come to take you home.’

  ‘What am I doing here?’

  ‘When Lucas died his soul and yours were linked. He dragged you down to purgatory with him. I am here to get you back to the land of the living.’

  ‘How?’

  Troy smiled wryly. ‘Not sure. To be honest I didn’t even think that I’d actually find you. But I reckon that the further we get from the river the better. Come on.’

  Emily stood up but when she tried to take a step she could not. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘But he won’t let me go.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Alpha Lucas. He is in pain. He wants to end it and he can only do that if he takes the ferry.’

  Troy growled in anger. ‘Can I talk to him?’

  Emily nodded and her eyes went blank.

  ‘What is it, puppy?’ Asked Lucas.

  ‘Let Emily go. She needs to leave this place.’

  ‘No,’ said Lucas. ‘You know the Pack credo, youngster. Life is suffering. To suffer is to live. I am no longer alive so I no longer have to suffer.’

  ‘But the strength of the Pack is the Wolf,’ countered Troy. ‘And the strength of the Wolf is the Pack. Be strong, Alpha. Your suffering is nothing. It is imperative that Emily Hawk Shadowhunter live. She needs to continue the fight. The Pack needs her.’

  For a moment Lucas was silent. Finally he spoke. ‘You shame me, young wolf. And you are correct. To suffer is our way. I will sit quietly and take the pain, although it tears at my very sanity. No one ever told me that being dead was so painful. I leave now. Do as you will, I shall not get in the way. But please promise me that you will let me pass over if you get the chance, I yearn for peace.’

  ‘On my honor,’ assured Troy.

  Emily blinked. ‘Right,’ she said. ‘Let’s get moving.’

  The two of them set off at a jog, heading at a right angle to the river. Not knowing where they were going, merely trying to distance themselves from the land of Hades on the other side of the river Styx.

  As before, even though they knew that they were moving they seemed to stay almost in the same place for ages, moving mere feet for every hour of running. But as they had no other plan they simply kept moving.

  ‘Is this real?’Asked Emily as they ran.

  ‘In what way?’ Asked Troy.

  ‘I mean, are we actually here or are we actually somewhere else and this is simply a construct that our minds have created to provide an analogy of what is happening?’

  Troy laughed. A short bark of amusement. ‘Wow, deep. Not sure. I do know that our bodies are lying together in the sitting room at the Omega’s forest lodge. We’re holding hands.’

  Emily blushed. ‘So we aren’t actually here.’

  ‘We are,’ countered Troy. ‘Merlin assured me of that. Well, put it this way, this is no dream. If we stay here, we die. If we cross the river, we die. If something kills us here – we die. So it’s as real a place to be as any other.’

  ‘So how do we get out?’ Asked Em.

  ‘You don’t,’ said a voice like rolling thunder. ‘Not without my permission.’

  The two friends stopped running.

  ‘Who said that?’ Shouted Troy.

  ‘I did, young werewolf.’

  A man appeared next to them. Eight feet tall and dressed in rotting animal skins with a cloak of rags. In his hand he held a staff of ebony that matched his height. His features were skeletal, mouth but a cruel slash in his gaunt flesh, teeth gray and rotten. And he had no eyes. Instead his upper face was smooth, as if his forehead joined the top of his nose. Wisps of wiry red hair poked out from beneath his hood and stuck out in sparse clumps on his chin.

  And he stank of rotting meat and sulfur.

  ‘Charon?’ Asked Troy.

  ‘I am known as thus,’ agreed the entity. ‘Also known as Kharon or Heros. I am the ferryman and you are in my domain.’

  ‘We are here in error,’ said Troy. ‘Emily came here by mistake and I was sent to take her back. Tell me, great Charon, how can we leave?’

  Charon turned his head towards Emily. ‘Interesting,’ he said. ‘You are not human. Close, but not quite.’

  ‘I think that I’m connected to a werewolf,’ said Emily. ‘Maybe that’s what you’re seeing.’

  Char
on shook his head. ‘No, I see him as plain as day. Lucas Cain. Alpha. He is dead. You, however, are not.’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been saying,’ interrupted Troy. ‘So perhaps you could show us how to get out.’

  Without turning, Charon flicked his staff at Troy, catching him in the chest and throwing him twenty feet away. ‘Manners, young wolf,’ he said. ‘Charon had not finished speaking.’

  Troy got to his feet, wincing as he did so, and walked back. He noticed that when he moved he did so like he would have in the land of the living. Unlike moments before, he now did not take a few hours to cross the twenty yards.

  ‘I apologize, great Charon,’ he said.

  The being waved his words away and continued to face Emily. ‘Yes,’ he said eventually. ‘I remember your parents. And their parents. And your entire line before. You are a Shadowhunter.’

  Emily nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Normally,’ continued Charon. ‘They only way to leave my domain would be to cross the river. There is no way back. No official way, at any rate. But as a Shadowhunter you are entitled to the right of challenge.’

  ‘Good, I think,’ said Emily. ‘And what is that?’

  Charon pointed. ‘There is a bridge between here and there. It pierces the veil. But its way is treacherous. Cross the bridge and you will find yourself back home.’

  ‘That seems simple,’ said Emily.

  Charon laughed. And it was like the thunder of a thousand coffin nails being driven home. ‘Nothing is simple, Shadowhunter. In fact, since the beginning only a handful of people have managed to cross the bridge. Custom dictates that you shall have a chance. It does not, however, say how small that chance can be and I am afraid that your chance of getting home is very small indeed. Infinitesimally so.’

  ‘We shall see about that,’ answered Emily. ‘How do we get there?’

  ‘Run,’ said Charon.

  ‘How long will it take?’

  ‘It will take as long as it takes,’ answered Charon. And then he simply disappeared.

  ‘Weird,’ said Troy. ‘Come, let’s run.’

  They headed off in the direction that Charon had indicated, running at three-quarter pace. It didn’t take long for them to realize that their locomotion was no longer impeded by time and space as it had been before. For every step that they took they traveled one step forward.