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

by Craig Zerf

  An hour later Emily pointed. ‘There. Bridge.’

  Troy snorted. ‘I reckon that’s stretching the use of the word some.’

  The bridge was little more than a series of frayed ropes and rotten boards that stretched across a chasm of unquantifiable depth. It wasn’t long. Perhaps only two hundred yards. But it swayed in the wind and, as they watched, some of the planks fell off and ropes frayed even further.

  ‘Well it’s the only way out,’ replied Em. ‘So let’s not tarry and so forth. Let’s just get across it as soon as possible.’

  Emily broke into a full sprint. Troy morphed into wolf mode and followed.

  But twenty yards before they reached the actual bridge the skies darkened even more and a swarm of large bat-like creatures swooped down, biting and clawing at them in an attempt to stop them.

  Troy snapped back at them, catching the odd one in his massive jaws and tearing it apart. Emily tried to strike back but it was almost impossible. Whenever she did land a punch or kick the bat-like thing would simply tumble over in the air, right itself and launch straight back into the battle.

  Blood started to run freely from both her and Troy as the hundreds of nips and scratches began to take their toll. Em searched about frantically for a weapon. Anything. A rock, a branch. But the land was bare. Desolate and blasted.

  And then she saw it. Sticking out the side of a huge boulder only twenty yards away.

  She sprinted over to check that her eyes weren’t deceiving her and realized that, although it was what she had thought, it was also totally useless to her.

  Embedded into the rock was a four foot long axe. It’s head a poetry of shining steel. Double sided like a butterfly. Plain and un-engraved but made with symmetry and beauty.

  In desperation she grabbed the handle and pulled. And fell over as the weapon pulled free of the rock with the greatest of ease. Amazed, she swung it about her head a couple of times, marveling at the balance and weight of the weapon and then she charged back into the fray.

  The axe sang its song of death as it danced about her, slicing and dicing the bat creatures like a combine harvester. Blue lights sparkled along the edges of the blades as they clove through the air and Emily felt her spirits lift and her strength increase every second that she held the wonderful weapon.

  Thousands more creatures flew down towards them, hissing and spitting as they came.

  Troy turned to look at Emily and tilted his head to one side in an attempt to communicate.

  ‘You can talk to me, you know,’ said Emily. ‘I mean, we can communicate telepathically you know.’

  The wolf managed to look embarrassed. ‘Of course,’ his voice echoed in her mind. ‘With all of the stress I forgot.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ assured Em.

  ‘Well why didn’t you tell me?’ He asked. ‘I could have run all this way as a wolf. Would have been much easier. I only stayed human so that I could talk.’

  Em grinned. ‘What and lose the opportunity of running for miles next to a strapping young naked man?’

  The wolf raised an eyebrow. ‘Whatever,’ Troy said. ‘I don’t see how we’re going to get out of this one. There are literally thousands of those creatures coming. They’re going to overwhelm us by force of numbers alone.’

  ‘All we can do is fight the good fight,’ said Emily as she hoisted the axe.

  The wolf nodded and pulled his lips back in a snarl.

  ‘Halt!’

  The command shook the very firmament itself, such was its power. And the creatures simply froze in mid air, seconds before they were about to sweep over Em and Troy like a tidal wave of teeth and talons.

  Charon appeared beside them and pointed his staff at Emily. ‘How did you get that?’ He questioned.

  Em hefted the axe. ‘It’s mine,’ she answered. ‘Took it out of that big rock over there.’

  ‘Impossible,’ returned Charon.

  Emily laughed wryly. ‘You’d be surprised at how often I hear that word. But it’s patently possible because, well, here it is.’ She swung it around her head and the blade made a soft fluting sound as it cut through the air.

  The Ferryman’s shoulders slumped. ‘You are correct, girl,’ he admitted. ‘It is now yours. In as much as it could actually be possessed by anyone. Treat it with respect and it shall always be with you, waiting for your call. However, if you use it for immoral purposes then you shall feel its wrath.’

  Em raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s just an axe,’ she said.

  Charon shook his head. ‘No, it is not merely an axe. It is The Axe, left embedded in the rock by The Legend himself before he crossed over. And now it has chosen you.’

  Then The Ferryman pointed at the bridge with his staff. Thunder rolled and the bridge was no longer a rickety collection of rope and wood but instead it became an edifice of sturdy stone that spanned the chasm with strength and purpose.

  ‘Go,’ he said. ‘Run and do not look back. I shall not bid you farewell, for we shall meet again.’

  And the girl and the wolf ran across the bridge and into the roiling darkness on the other side.

  ***

  The moment Em sat up Tag handed her a mug of super-sweet tea. Troy lay at her feet in wolf form, exhausted, his tongue lolling out as he panted frantically.

  William placed his hand on Troy/wolfs head. ‘Thank you.’

  The wolf whined and rolled its eyes before laying his head on his paws, closing his eyes and falling instantly asleep.

  ‘Is he alright?’ Asked Emily.

  William nodded. ‘The trip took a lot out of him. Technically he’s been dead for twelve hours. We were getting seriously worried. Thought that we’d lost both of you.’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Em. ‘You look real cut up about it.’

  William knelt next to her and took her hand. ‘Just because I’m not weeping and wailing doesn’t mean that I don’t care,’ he said. ‘I do. It’s just that I have to remain strong. For the Pack.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Em. ‘To live is to suffer is to blah blah whatever. At least you sent Troy.’

  ‘I didn’t send him,’ contradicted William. ‘He volunteered. I would have come myself but Merlin refused to send me.’

  ‘It’s true,’ affirmed the magician. ‘Both he and Tag wanted to pierce the veil. Tag couldn’t because he is human and I simply wouldn’t allow William to take the chance. We need him here.’

  Em’s eyes softened slightly at the news and she returned William grip. ‘I didn’t realize,’ she said. ‘Thanks.’

  Tag took her empty mug from her and helped her to her feet. ‘Come,’ he said. ‘You need to rest.’

  Em started to argue but as she stood she reeled from exhaustion so she simply allowed the big man to lead her to her room where he tucked her into bed like an infant.

  Seconds later she was in a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 36

  ‘So where is the axe?’ Asked Merlin.

  ‘I don’t think that it’s real,’ answered Em. ‘Perhaps it was just some sort of metaphor or something.’

  The Morrigan shook her head. ‘Charon doesn’t deal in metaphors. There is nothing more real than death. If he said that the axe will always be with you, then you have it.’

  Emily sighed and held her hands out, palms up. ‘See, no axe.’

  ‘Don’t be flippant with me, child,’ scolded the Morrigan. ‘If this is the weapon that Merlin and I suspect that it is then you will stop acting like a sulky adolescent and concentrate on bending your will to the problem.’

  ‘What problem?’ Insisted Emily.

  ‘The problem of, where is the axe,’ continued the Morrigan.

  Emily cast her mind back. ‘He said that the axe would always be there, waiting for my call.’

  ‘Well then, call it,’ said Merlin.

  Emily rolled her eyes. ‘Umm…axe…hello. Where are you?’ She shook her head. ‘Sorry, it’s not answering.’

  Merlin scowled. ‘Why are you being so obtuse, girl?’ He
asked. ‘It’s like you want nothing to do with this. It’s very unlike you.’

  ‘She’s scared,’ said Troy as he walked over.

  ‘Not,’ retaliated Em.

  ‘Yes you are,’ insisted Troy. ‘And with good reason. You see,’ he addressed Merlin and the Morrigan. ‘If Emily finds the axe, conjures it up, whatever, it makes what happened real again. At the moment both of us can treat it like some sort of nightmare and, eventually, maybe we can even convince ourselves that it never happened. Pain and fear best forgotten type of thing. And trust me, Charon’s realm is a place that you would rather forget.’ The young wolf shuddered. ‘I tell you, being dead sucks. It’s like an eternity of suckiness. I really don’t blame Em for trying to forget about it.’

  No one spoke for a while and then Emily gave Troy a warm smile. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’ll be alright now.’

  And then she held out her right hand, closed her eyes and called for the axe.

  With a shimmer of blue light the weapon appeared in her hand. She swung it in a figure eight. It felt as light as gossamer in her hands, perfectly balanced and deadlier than any weapon that she had ever held before.

  The Morrigan stepped forward. ‘May I?’ She asked as she held out her hand and touched the blade.

  Em was surprised to see the goddesses’ eyes shine with unshed tears. Merlin also looked emotional and had taken to hiding his feelings under a dark scowl.

  ‘I still miss him,’ said the Morrigan.

  ‘We all do,’ added Merlin. ‘All who knew him. Take good care of that axe, girl,’ he added. ‘It was once owned by a truly great man. A legend in his own time. A man who lived by a simple code, saw right and wrong as opposite sides of a coin. There were no gray areas for him. He fought evil at every turn and became known as Deathwalker by those who opposed him. He has done you great honor by leaving you his weapon.’

  Emily felt the axe return the emotions that radiated off the Morrigan and the magician, almost as if it were a living thing.

  ‘I will do my best,’ she replied. Then she brought the blades close to her face and kissed them. ‘And I shall call you, Deathwalker.’

  Merlin nodded his approval.

  Emily closed her eyes and opened her hand.

  The axe flickered and disappeared.

  ‘Child,’ said the Morrigan. ‘There is one more thing that I would like to ask. Alpha Lucas. Has he gone?’

  Emily looked puzzled. ‘Well, yes. Obviously. He died.’

  ‘Think before you answer,’ urged the goddess. ‘Has Alpha Lucas gone?’

  Em thought. She delved deep inside her own consciousness, looking for any sign of the werewolf that she had died with. The man that she had pierced the veil with.

  And there, right at the very edge of her perception she thought that she caught a glimmer. A single firefly in a stormy night. Almost not there. She concentrated on it but the harder she tried the more elusive the tiny spark became, blurring and dancing away from her.

  ‘He has gone,’ she concluded. ‘But there is something there. A part of him, very small, still remains.’

  Merlin puffed his cheeks out. ‘Damn Charon playing games again,’ he muttered.

  The Morrigan shook her head. ‘I don’t think so,’ she argued. ‘I think that the residue is natural. After all, Lucas was a very strong being, it was inevitable that a part of him would be left behind. But it is of no moment.’ She looked at Emily. ‘Keep an eye on that spark. If anything strange happens, tell me. Or tell Merlin. Okay?’

  Em nodded.

  ‘Right,’ interjected Tag. ‘Emily needs to go to her room. She needs more rest,’ he flapped his hands at the others, shooing them like a flock of chickens. ‘Tomorrow is another day and the girly is tired.’

  Em laughed. ‘That’s true. But before I do head for the pillows, I wanted to quickly discuss a plan.’

  Merlin nodded.

  ‘It’s obvious that the vamps have figured out that we’re hunting them.’

  There was a chorus of agreement.

  ‘Cool,’ continued Em. ‘And it’s also obvious that the last two hunts ended with our boys being ambushed by vastly superior forces.’

  Again all agreed.

  ‘But there’s more to it than that,’ she said. ‘In the last fight, when I was with Lucas, I saw that these were not your normal common and garden blood suckers. These guys were disciplined. Trained. They fought like Shadowhunters. There were only ten of them but they took our team apart with ease. And normally five of our boys could take ten vamps. Or at least stand a chance of doing so.’

  ‘So?’ Said Merlin. ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘I’m saying that we call a halt to all hunts for now. We tell the Guardians to keep watching and we wait until we have a vamp within striking distance of us. This core team. Me, Troy, Tag, William, Sylvian and Bastian. From what I’ve seen I am more than confident that we could take ten of these new improved vamps. Then we bring one back here and question it.’

  William nodded. ‘Sounds good.’

  Tag punched his right hand in the air. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Go the A team.’

  Troy raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

  Tag covered his embarrassment by gently pushing Em out of the room. ‘Come on, girly,’ he mumbled. ‘Time to rest up. We can discuss this all later.’

  Chapter 37

  It was fully two weeks before Emily got the call.

  A Guardian by the name of Rockstill who lived on the church spire in the village of Damerham contacted her with the news that a pair of vamps were cruising the village. They were simply walking around, peering into windows and gardens, sticking to the shadows but also ensuring that they could be seen.

  Emily consulted the map.

  ‘Right,’ she shouted. ‘Ten minutes tops. Let’s go.’

  The team piled into the Landrover Discovery, flipping down the rearmost seats so that they could all fit in.

  William and Troy carried no weapons. Their teeth and claws were enough. Sylvian carried his customary rapier. Bastian had his katana, heavy daggers and throwing knives and Emily had her axe, although it wasn’t yet visible.

  Tag looked like Robocop. He had a Mil-Tech tactical vest with every accessory that he could find clipped on to it. Extra magazines for his two MP5 submachine guns. Six of the Prof’s special silver charged grenades. Two cans of silver-nitrate aerosol spray that the Prof had recently perfected. A Cold Steel machete that had been silver-coated and a Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistol with an extended magazine capable of carrying ten rounds.

  On his thighs he had another two heavy daggers and each boot had a back up pistol in .45 Colt APC with five rounds in a boot holster.

  Finally, hanging from his neck, a large silver crucifix and a vial of holy water.

  Sylvian smirked and pointed at the holy relics. ‘Those don’t work,’ he said. ‘It’s a myth.’

  ‘Says who?’ Asked Tag.

  ‘Everyone.’

  ‘Well maybe everyone is wrong,’ snapped Tag. ‘Anyway, I believe in them and that’s good enough for me.’

  Sylvian grinned. ‘That’s cool,’ he said as he climbed into the car.

  William drove, pushing the SUV to its limits, making the trip in just under eight minutes. He eschewed stealth and caution and simply drove into the center of the village as fast as he could, screeching to a halt as they all barreled out.

  The theory being that they didn’t plan to sneak up on the vamps at any rate so they may as well make an entrance.

  ‘Where are they?’ Pulsed Emily at the Guardian.

  ‘Two roads down,’ answered Rockstill. ‘Tree lined avenue called Byers Lane.’

  Emily pointed. ‘Down there,’ she said to the team. ‘A tree lined avenue. Ten to one the other vamps are waiting in the trees. Let’s go and spring the trap.’

  ‘Hold on,’ interjected Tag. ‘Let me take point. See if I can thin the tree climbing leeches out a bit.’

  William nodded and they set of at a
sprint, Troy and William changing as they did. Emily noted with a shock that Troy had changed into a half wolf half man just like William. According to the Pack, the Omega was the only one capable of doing that.

  But there was no time to speculate as they arrived at the entrance to Byers Lane.

  Tag waved them back. Then he took an MP5 in each hand, flipped the safeties of, pointed at the treetops and opened up. Sixty silver tipped rounds tore through the foliage and immediately two vamps dropped from the branches, their bodies limp as they struck the ground. As the submachine guns ran dry, Tag dropped them, pulled out two grenades, slipped the pins and threw them into the trees. The evening sky lit up as the two explosions rocked the night air. Another vamp fell from the trees and the rest of the team charged.

  The vamps were definitely of a superior cast to any that Emily had faced before but they were disorientated from the massive amount of firepower that Tag had laid down and they were also facing a team of the deadliest warriors on the planet.

  Emily held out her hand and willed Deathwalker into it, spinning her arm as the axe materialized and lopping of a vamps head as easily as she was pruning a geranium. She turned and dispatched a second blood sucker just as easily and then started looking for the next.

  Troy and William simply ripped their opposition to shreds with tooth and claw. Bastian danced his dance of death and Sylvian leapt in and out, his rapier cutting and stabbing as he did.

  ‘Leave one alive,’ shouted William, his voice a guttural growl.

  The team stopped fighting, however it looked as though William’s command had come too late.

  But then Em looked over to see that one of the blood suckers had a hold of Tag. His talons were wrapped around the big man’s throat and the vamp was poised ready to slash his arteries open.

  ‘Don’t move,’ shouted the blood sucker. ‘If any of you come any closer I shall kill your friend.’

  Sylvian shrugged. ‘Go ahead. We don’t really care.’