by Mark Tufo
“You have got to be shitting me.” Pretty sure that was vocalized. It was Lunos; he sat against the tree opposite mine. There are a lot of unexplainable coincidences in the world, this wasn’t one of them. Him picking that tree I mean. We stayed that way in silence for nearly five minutes. I was beginning to think maybe I was wrong about my initial assumption.
“I would be quite the hero if I but shouted out in alarm.” His voice was low and gravelly. Most Lycan weren’t used to whispering, but it was something he’d had to master over the years.
“What are you waiting for?” No fucking clue why I was so annoyed he hadn’t ratted me out. Maybe it was because I was mad at putting myself in a situation in which he could do just that. I’d had a feeling he’d spotted me earlier. My hubris had kept me from relocating then.
“Are you in such a rush?” He sounded amused.
“You sound like my girlfriend.”
“Careful, Old One.”
“I didn’t necessarily mean that as a bad thing.”
He seemed to think on that for a moment.
“Lunos, what exactly is going on here?”
“I have a lot of things to consider at the moment. I am wondering if it would indeed be beneficial to me to have you captured and subsequently killed.”
“What do you want from me?” I turned my head, quietly looking for the best avenue of escape should the chips fall on the wrong side.
“What I need,” he stressed that last word, “is for you to kill my brother, but so far, that seems to be something you cannot accomplish.”
“Kill him? Kill Xavier. Don’t think for one moment I haven’t been trying. Why don’t you do it your damn self and save us both the trouble?”
There was a snort, although a snort from a Lycan sounds pretty ominous. “If I could do that I would have no need of you at all.”
“I would think with that big brain of yours, you would have found a way to poison him or perhaps make him fall into a trap of some sort.”
“I need a way that does not implicate me. In truth, it would be much better if I was the one that took care of the problem...that took care of him.”
“So let me get this straight, you want me to kill Xavier so that you can kill me?”
“Yes. That would be perfect.”
“For what?” Then it hit me. “Oh, I get it. You’re all of a sudden a fan of this ruling the world shit.”
“It has its benefits. I have lived on the edge for so long I have forgotten what it feels like to be a part of something. And now I wish to be a part of something big. Something which history can be written upon.”
“Your kind don’t seem like historians. Are you really going to start erecting monuments in you likeness and opening up libraries with your revisionist shit? Yo, Sasquatch, you daydreaming over there? You’d be forcing an evolution on your kind that doesn’t really fit the mold. You think baby Lycan are going to sit in school all day and learn about the great and mighty Lunos?”
“If I decree it.”
“Oh, you’re a special kind of crazy. What makes you think I would help you get rid of one crazy motherfucking Lycan and replace him with an even bat shit crazier one?”
“Because my brother will never come to an understanding with humans. He wishes to eradicate them completely from the planet.”
“Oh, and you wish to save us?”
“Some, yes.”
“That whole cattle thing isn’t going to work. People get funny about being eaten. Strange reaction, I know, but that’s just the way it is.”
“Well, I don’t see the need to have you around, then, if you’re not willing to work with me.” There was rustling as he began to stand.
“Whoa, whoa. Just...whoa. Hold on for a second. Let’s not do anything hasty.” I could hear him sitting back down. “I still plan on killing Xavier.”
“It seems we are back on the same path.”
This was a calculated risk but I dove completely in, not even knowing if there was water in this particular pool. “I’ve also added you to my list.”
“How long is this ‘list of retribution and revenge’ that my name has been placed on?” Again he seemed more bemused than worried.
“Oh, just the two of you, I suppose. For now.”
“Is there an order to this list?”
“Names go to the top when the opportunity strikes.”
“What if I were to assist you in the murder of my brother?”
“Well, that would definitely accord you preferential treatment.”
“We could work together on this, become allies for those precious few moments in time.”
“That’s it, Lunos? You would kill your brother so casually?”
“Do not attempt to impose your human feelings and emotions onto those of a Lycan. We are equipped with very different sets. Dominance over all others at the expense of all things is our main driving force.”
“So the one thing you have had so little of is what you now crave the most?”
“Yes. Now that I have but tasted a sample I wish to have the entire meal to myself.”
“You’re the far more dangerous brother, Lunos. Xavier is just a heavy handed brute; he’s predictable. You, on the other hand, are entirely too smart. I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil to kill a demon. But since Xavier is my primary enemy right now, I will use your help to dispose of the despot and then deal with the consequences later.”
“Splendid, Michael. I thought that we would be able to come to some sort of understanding.”
“Can you answer me something?”
“Make it quick. My presence here will draw attention soon.”
“Why did you return to Xavier in the first place?”
“Because I could. I had a suspicion about your friend Mathieu, and I knew if I could prove his worth to my brother he would value my counsel and I could regain his trust.”
“That was a pretty big gamble.”
“Not really. I knew which plants he harvested and I conducted my own experiments.”
“Why, then? Why bother kidnapping Mathieu in the first place?”
“You cannot see the answer for the questions. I have my brother miles from his home. His Lycan are exhausted. He is running low on human subjects, and you are here.” With that he got up and walked away.
Son of a bitch. It’s not Xavier’s trap I fell into but rather Lunos’. How can I possibly show my face at the annual Half-Vamp Mixer next July after being duped by two hairy bastards? It was dawning on me that Lunos wanted me to kill Xavier but he’d not actually given me a way to do it. Short of a missile strike I was still at a loss. I was pondering my next move when I heard a disturbance over by the huddled people. Lunos was over there storming around, knocking a few on the tops of their heads and cursing their stupidity for almost tripping him. His tantrum was still in full effect as he left their circle. He kicked two of the bags about ten feet away from the others. The people cowered and waited for him to leave, then the bearers of the bags went and placed those two back in the neat pile they had been in. There are a thousand sayings: not the brightest bulb, not the sharpest pencil, sharp as a marble, couldn’t pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel—that kind of thing. This though, this I got. He’d just showed me the two bags I needed to destroy. Dumber than a box of hair, my antenna doesn’t pick up all the channels… “I get it!” I shouted at my psyche. “Oh forget it.” ...donated his brain to science before he was done with it… Apparently I was on a roll with giving myself shit.
Chapter 22
MATHIEU
MATHIEU WAS TORN when he heard the werewolves coming toward him. If he turned now he could beat them back to Azile and help her defend those that remained. Or he could avoid detection and forge ahead to find Michael and finish what they’d decided to do. He’d left the trail and gone into the woods, far enough away he felt reasonably sure that he would avoid detection. His heart nearly lurched from his throat when two deer bounded past in an eff
ort to get away from the approaching horde.
“Whoo! Scared the hell out of me.” He looked up in time to see a werewolf looking over at him. “Spoke too soon,” he said as he stood and transformed. The werewolf hesitated, not sure what to do. Mathieu had no such doubts about his intended target. His swipe laid open the other’s throat. Blood poured forth from the inches deep, foot-long wound. Mathieu moved quickly away from the spot as he heard more of them coming. He’d not gone far when he heard talking.
“Zayez! Something is out here with us!” Mathieu chanced a glance. He saw a Lycan standing over the body of the werewolf that was still alive, choking on its own blood as the liquid filled its lungs. It paws were clenched around its throat attempting to stem the flow. Another Lycan came over to investigate. Its massive head scanned the immediate area looking for threats.
“Is the Old One out there?” Zayez asked. There was a note of trepidation in its voice. Lycan and vampire had battled for countless millennia. A healthy fear had been fostered in Lycan young from birth. Xavier was attempting to change that attitude but old mindsets still lived on.
“I do not smell the earthy scent...perhaps a bear?” Ardron answered.
“It makes no difference. The bear has done us a favor. One less mongrel in the world.”
“Let’s go. I do not like being this close to the diseased ones if I do not have to be. Once the humans are dead I am going to kill all of these infected and tell Xavier they died in battle.”
“He will not like that.”
“Then perhaps he should stop turning our food into poison.” Ardron violently kicked the downed werewolf. It rolled twice before coming to a stop a few feet away. The two Lycan bounded off to keep an eye on the rest of their charges.
Mathieu waited a few minutes to make sure he was not surprised again. By this time, he figured he’d lost his chance to go back and decided to push forward. The force was too small to attack, he rightly figured it to be a patrol. He’d found where the Lycan had settled in for the night easily enough; locating Michael was not quite as simple. The Lycan had not posted guards and this gave him the opportunity to get close. He would have expected more activity if Michael had been discovered and was being held captive. Maybe even some celebration, if he’d been killed. The quiet therefore contained some comfort by that rationale.
He was tempted a few times to call out his name, but refrained from doing so. There were too many variables to contend with, this close to the enemy. As the night wore on, he began pulling back to find a place to rest when he witnessed one of the Lycan behaving oddly. It sat down against a tree and seemed to be talking to itself.
“What the hell?” Mathieu was not close enough to hear what he was saying. There was a slight movement on the other side of the tree that grabbed and would not let go of his attention. He could just make out that someone was hiding there. It was Michael, of that he was certain. What he could not figure out was why the Lycan, who most definitely knew he was there as well, had not alerted the others. “That has to be Lunos. Now what, my friend? Is he merely toying with you before he has you killed?” Mathieu did not know what to do. He decided he would wait and then react to whatever happened next.
“I’d like to say I trust that you know what you’re doing, Michael,” he whispered, “but then we would both be wrong.” Mathieu got ready to move as the Lycan stood. It walked away and towards the people, making a great show about some falsified transgression. Then it deliberately kicked a couple of the packs aside. “It can’t be...can it?” Mathieu asked, putting the pieces together much quicker than his friend. There hadn’t been any movement in the camp for over an hour, and even Mathieu, who had been on high alert, was beginning to flag. That was until he saw Mike’s hand reach to the tree in an assist as he got into a crouching position. Mike’s attention was completely riveted on the strewn bags.
“Too dangerous, Michael,” Mathieu said breathlessly. As if those very words spurred him on, Mike was in the open. His speed was an advantage, but he hadn’t gone completely unnoticed, one of the men sleeping closest to the bags had sat up just as Mike grabbed them. There was no hesitation in his actions as he plunged a knife deep into the chest of the person who’d had the misfortune to awake. Mike had covered his victim’s mouth so he could not yell out with his last breath. The man’s demise was dealt with such adroitness that Mathieu was certain it would be many moments before the Specter of Death would realize the passing and could come to collect his due. Mike stood in a half crouch and made a straight line for the woods. His path would come within feet of where Mathieu was hiding.
Mathieu knew he had to be careful with his next series of actions; if he startled Mike there was no telling what the other would do. One of them could get killed before they ever even knew what had happened.
Chapter 23
MIKE JOURNAL ENTRY 14
I DIDN’T HESITATE in the least when I broke through that man’s chest plate with my knife. It didn’t matter that he was a victim, didn’t matter that I was orders of magnitude stronger than him. Brother, father, son, still nothing. It was me or him. I’d boiled down survival to its most basic form. I’d surprised the poor bastard and he was on the verge of calling out; it was as simple as that. The Lycan would have made short work of me and I was pretty friggen’ sick of getting beat the hell up. I was twenty feet into the woods when I heard pursuit.
“So close,” I mumbled. The thought of turning and fighting sounded promising but not until I unloaded these bags, preferably over a huge cliff into a raging river below, though I knew of no such place in the general vicinity. The Lycan behind me chased in a silence I’d not been expecting. Was it Lunos changing his mind, or maybe coming to tell me more details of his plan for global domination?
“Mike. Michael,” drifted to my ears after about five minutes of running. I turned to see Mathieu chasing after, breathing out my name. He was in his werewolf form. He changed over when he saw me slow, then stop.
“Good to see you.”
“I saw you conversing with one of the Lycan.”
“Lunos.”
“So that was him. I thought it must be.”
“Get this,” I told him. “He wants me to kill his brother, and as much as I want Xavier dead, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
“How is killing the Lycan leader not a good idea?”
“Because Lunos fancies himself a dictator in training. He wants it all to himself and that fucker is entirely too smart. I think the right play is to rat out Lunos and deal with Xavier later.”
“Seems to me if you have an ally on the inside you should use him to your advantage.”
“Yeah, you’d think that,” I said. “Do you need any of this shit before I get rid of it?”
I watched as Mathieu opened up the bags; there was almost reverence as he did so. He had the same look I would have if I opened them up and there were bacon cheeseburgers and pizza in there, maybe some hot wings and a six pack of beer and a small television with a game on, any game, except soccer or golf, yeah, neither of those, but otherwise any game. Well, maybe not Nascar either, though...is that really a game?
“I cannot even imagine how long it took to harvest this much of it. I would like to take all of it…” I swear he licked his lips, “..but that would be irresponsible of me. What if I were to get caught again?”
“Speaking of which, Lunos had already known your secret long before he had you grabbed. All of that was a set-up to isolate Xavier, make him vulnerable—get him killed when he was at his weakest.”
Mathieu looked over to me as if to ascertain why I was so worried about Lunos. “So now what?”
“Getting out of this general area would be a good start. Xavier is going to go crazy when he realizes his party favors have gone missing.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stick around?”
“Tell me what you’re thinking, Mathieu. Seems like you’ve got an idea rattling around in that trap of yours.”
“Not only wi
ll Xavier be extremely mad but so will those that have followed him for all these miles. What do you think he has promised them? At least complete and total victory, and now he will not be able to deliver on that.”
“It’s not quite over Mathieu, there’s more Lycan here than there are people with Azile and Bailey.”