Moving over to the computer, I turned it on and waited for it to boot up. The Othernet was an electronic gateway to the otherworld. The human internet was great, but the Othernet was our very own specialised version and covered discussions, forums and websites on every conceivable magical aspect of the world that was kept hidden from most people. When the computer was ready, I clicked onto the search engine and typed in Iabartu. Instantly, several answers appeared.
I clicked on the first one and started reading. It turned out that the bitch was one of seven daughters of Anu, a Messopotanian sky god, and his human consort. I frowned. There was that number again – seven. Not only that but a half breed goddess would be difficult to beat. It did explain the floating above the dunes part, however. If Anu was her father, then she’d possess the ability to control the air currents and appear as if she was flying – or hovering. According to the Othernet page, she lived in an otherworld realm and didn’t bother herself with our earthly plane. Well that information was certainly out of date. I opened up several other sites but couldn’t find any details on how to defeat her or disable her. No matter. I’d work it out.
I had still had over an hour until dawn and the keep began to stir awake, so it was time to start on the Draco Wyr. I was nervous about what I might find with this one. I didn’t want any confirmation that it had anything to do with me, that my own human blunderings by inadvertently killing one of them had caused them to take their revenge and kill John in return.
Heart in my mouth, I typed in the words and hit return. Images of different coloured dragons appeared at the top of the page. They were definitely larger than your average wyvern. The first website returned was a gossip column, which I ignored, but the second one was from Otherpedia. That would do it. I opened it up and read.
Draco Wyr were intelligent members of the dragon family. They
possessed the ability to shift into human form and were known to
regularly visit the human demesnes. They were reported to be
an average size of eleven feet tall, with impenetrable scales
covering their dragon form. The Draco Wyr also had some magical
abilities, mainly from the power inherent in their blood.
Legend states that anyone who drinks the blood of a Draco Wyr
will be able to converse with animals and gain the strength of
twenty men. Most scholars believe that this is an over
exaggeration, however, as there is little evidence of this.
What is known is that the blood of a Draco Wyr contained
enough magical properties to be used as both a deadly poison
and a cure-all medicine for a range of ailments. There have
been no eye-witness sightings since 1666 and the Great Fire
of London, which is believed was caused when two Draco Wyr
lost their tempers and attacked each other near the site of
Pudding Lane.
I looked back at the artists’ renderings. The pictures indicated old-fashioned full-on fairy tale dragons, complete with red scales, pointy tales and sharp, gleaming teeth. They also all appeared to be about the size of a two storey house. Nope, I’d definitely never come across one of them before. So what on earth had the wichtlein meant when he’d said that the Draco Wyr had been involved in John’s death but that it was my fault? I didn’t feel that I was any closer to finding out anything of any real significance. And it had been three hundred and fifty years since anyone had even seen one anyway. Despite what Alex had said, Craw must have been lying. But then there was also John’s computer password to consider – that had been the Basque word for dragon. Was that a coincidence? And how about the fact that John had hidden the increased otherworld activity from the rest of the pack? And, in particular, me?
I leaned back in the chair and pondered my next move. With my research on the dragons creating more problems and questions than answers, I had to focus my efforts on finding Iabartu. It would be good to know what the Brethren and the rest of the pack had achieved the day before. Maybe Alex had uncovered some evidence of her trail. If not, then my best move would be to do something to draw her out into the open where I could attack her. I had no idea yet what that might be.
Figuring that Betsy would be a good person to deliver all the gossip on what had transpired over the last day whilst I’d been sleeping, I headed back to the dorm room to see if she was awake yet. I was just about to push open the door to go inside when Anton came out, clutching something white and scrunched up in his hands. What the hell?
I growled at him and his eyes snapped up from what he was holding.
“Human,” he hissed.
I answered in like. “Prick.” I looked at down at his hands but he stuffed them behind his back. “Sneaking around in the girls’ room now, are you? What have you stolen? Let me guess, someone’s dirty underwear so you can sniff at it at your leisure.”
Instead of the usual smart reply I was expecting, Anton actually blushed. Okay, now I had to know what it was he’d taken. I reached behind him, but he sidestepped and snarled.
“Stay away from me.”
Not a chance buster. I eyeballed him with my best steely gaze. “Then give me what you’ve got there and I’ll leave you alone.”
His body tensed and I could see dark spots appearing under the skin on his face. His were was trying to get out. I narrowed my eyes further. Something was definitely up.
“C’mon, Anton,” I coaxed, trying to reach behind him again.
He backed away against the door frame. “Fuck off.”
I rocked back slightly before feinting left and whirling round behind him, pulling the piece of material away from him. It ripped as I yanked it out of his hands. I looked down and saw my bloodied t-shirt from the day before which I’d left stuffed in the dorm’s laundry basket. Now I was seriously freaked out.
“You’re stealing my clothes? With my blood on them?” Was he going to take the t-shirt to the Brethren to prove to them that I wasn’t human? The hackles on my back rose and I felt hot inside. I’d known he hated me but I hadn’t thought that he’d really put the whole pack in jeopardy just for a little revenge.
Tufts of dark hair began to spring out on his cheekbones. “Keep it. I don’t need it,” he bit off and pushed past me down the corridor. Fear and fury rose inside me and I was about to go after him with a vengeance when a door on the floor above slammed shut and I heard a couple of Brethren coming out and talking loudly. Resignedly, I watched him disappear round the corner. This was definitely not good. I considered whether I should go and tell Julia what he’d done. That felt a bit like running off to the teacher but he must have worked out some way of getting round the geas to tell the Brethren who I was - and that put everyone in danger. He was getting far too dangerous for his own good. I looked down at the t-shirt. I was going to have to dispose of it before I did anything else. It hadn’t occurred to me that leaving it in the dorm was a bad idea but clearly I was going to have to be a lot more careful from now on.
I went straight into the bathroom and found some bleach in a little cabinet. I poured it liberally over the shirt and stuck it into sink, watching the brown red colour slowly disappear. Betsy wandered in, wearing pink frilly pyjamas and yawning loudly.
“Now you’re cleaning, Mack?”
I told her what Anton had done and she looked alarmed. “I know he doesn’t like you, babe, but I don’t think he’d tell them you’re human. Besides anything, the geas would stop him. And with Julia confirmed as alpha, she can stop him from doing anything at all.”
I stared down at the sink. “Please don’t call me babe, Bets.”
She rolled her eyes. “I mean it, Mack. We still don’t know enough about how the Brethren would act if they worked out what you were. Anton might be a wanker but he’s loyal to the pack.”
“Then why was he taking my clothes, Betsy?”
“I don’t know,” she answered softly. “But Lynda likes him and I think he like
s her. I’ll get her to hang on his coat-tails for the next few days and make sure he doesn’t do anything. Maybe he’ll confide in her.”
My fists clenched. “I do not need him screwing things up at the moment. There’s enough to do and enough to worry about as it is.”
“Yeah, especially with that spooky portal that the mage uncovered.”
I looked at her. “Portal?”
“Oh, yeah, you were asleep all day. He did some kind of uncloaking spell. It turns out that there’s a portal on the beach, not far from where John died.”
“A portal? As well as the seven stones? And you’re only telling me about this now?” My voice was rising to a screech.
“Jesus, Mack, give me a chance. No-one’s gone into it because we don’t know where it leads to. Even the mage can’t work out where it goes. The Brethren are staking it out in case anything else comes out. They reckon that’s where both the terrametus and the woman came from.”
“Iabartu.”
“Huh?”
“The woman is called Iabartu. She’s some kind of demi-god.”
“How did you….?” She shook her head, “Never mind. Most of what you do is a mystery to me, Mack.”
I ran water into the sink to rinse off the bleach. “Does Julia have a plan?”
“I think she’s letting the Brethren make the decisions for now.”
Fuck that for a game of soldiers. This portal was clearly where the action was going to be. I wrung out the t-shirt and dumped it in the bin. At least now I knew where to go next.
“You’ve got a scary look on your face, Mack.”
“Get Lynda to stick with Anton, as you said. I’m going to head to the beach.”
I started to walk out the bathroom. Betsy called after me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? By all accounts you were half dead yesterday. The Brethren have got things under control.”
“I feel fine. And I know things they don’t. If you see Julia, tell her about Anton and where I’ve gone,” I flung back, then picked up my backpack and made sure I had everything I might need. Time to rock and roll.
Chapter Sixteen
By the time I reached the beach, the sun was high in the sky and glinting off the glittering sea. There were some human shaped figures at the far end, closer to Trevathorn. I figured that Alex would have already set up some kind of warding spell to stop any innocent person on a morning stroll from haphazardly stepping into the portal to another dimension.
There were also a couple of Brethren shifters a few hundred metres away. I briefly debated whether to try to stay hidden or not but reckoned I wouldn’t really manage it for long. Julia’s lotion might mask my human stink but it didn’t mean that I was scentless, and the eddies of wind swirling around the beach would advertise my presence before long.
As I got closer, I recognised the shifter I’d taken for a werefox on the first day and another Brethren male. They were both standing on the sand, their backs to me. Ahead of them I could just make out the portal. It shimmered with light purple waves. Few pack members had ever stepped into one of the gateways to other planes. Shifters didn’t possess the ability to conjure portals, and, unless you were very sure that you knew where one was leading, it was pretty much advisable to leave it well alone. There wasn’t a Way Directive about them but there probably should be. There were plenty of nasties that wouldn’t take too kindly at all to a stranger, even a shifter stranger, stepping into their living room. By the time you’d worked out where you were and what was going on, you could easily find yourself lying in a puddle of your own entrails. It had happened before.
I had seen a few portals before – not usually out in the open like this – and they were pretty much the only way that otherworld creatures could travel from one demesnes to another. The friendly ones would usually give us warning that they were coming, and would establish their gateways out of the way. The unfriendly ones would materialise anywhere and start attacking anything that came near. There had even been one in Julia’s herb garden once when a particularly ugly gnome had decided that it would be far easier to nab some of her plants, rather than take the time to grow them himself. She had not been impressed and had dispatched him to the underworld before he could pick even one delicate primrose.
Mackenzie? How’s the pain?
I started and almost tripped over my own feet. It was Julia, at least, not Corrigan. His Voice wouldn’t work from great distances; no-one’s did. I relaxed minutely. It’s fine, I sent back silently. The green stuff worked a treat and I enjoyed seeing pixies and flying babies. Did Betsy tell you about Anton?
She did. He is on his way to talk to me.
I didn’t fancy being in Anton’s shoes right about now. Served him right. I’m almost at the portal, I thought at her. I’m going to stay here and see what happens.
Be careful dear. Mr Floride updated me with what you had found out. There may be more to all this than meets the eye.
There is. I flashed up an image for her of what I’d uncovered on the Othernet.
She was silent for a second, then spoke in my mind again. A demi-god will not be easy to defeat. I should inform the Brethren.
It won’t make any difference, I urged. If nothing happens for a day or two then maybe they’ll leave. You know that I’m strong. I can deal with her myself.
I don’t like this. I had a sudden vision of Julia pacing around the office.
Julia, trust me. I wasn’t trying to inflate my own skills. I had as much physical power as any of the pack shifters, and I didn’t doubt that I couldn’t match most of the Brethren either. If all this did have something to do with me – if it was my fault that John had died – then it was probably related somehow to my humanity. And that meant that the less the Brethren knew, the better.
She sighed mentally, then agreed. Fine. But be careful. Remember that we need you, Mackenzie. I don’t have any more trieswater to bring you back from the brink again.
I will.
I sensed her pulling back and moving away. I walked up behind the two Brethren.
“Hi!” I said with forced cheeriness.
Neither one turned. Corrigan had them well trained. I moved round so I could see their faces although they kept their stony eyes trained on the portal. At least they took their sentinel posts seriously. There was one time that Tom had been sent out to guard a newly opened portal that opened up near Penzance. He’d fallen asleep and missed several faeries emerging. They’d caused particular havoc that night, and the local police were kept extraordinarily busy stepping in between several faerie induced street brawls. Nick had even been called in from the sticks to provide support. He’d later told me that he’d never seen anything like it before and that the superintendent suspected that some city based drug dealers had infiltrated the town and spiked drinks in pubs and clubs from one end of Penzance to the other. John had put Tom on kitchen duty for a month as punishment, which ended up being punishment for everyone. The food had tasted even worse than it usually did and we were all glad when his penance was up.
“I thought I’d keep you company out here,” I said, again with the cheeriness in my voice.
One of them flicked their eyes at me for just a second then focused back on the purple portal. “Whatever.”
Friendly talkative pair. Deciding that there was no point trying to engage them further, and as they obviously weren’t going to make me leave, I moved a few feet away from them and sat cross-legged on the sand. I stared at the gateway. If I strained my ears, I could just make out a low humming sound emanating from it, like the buzz of electricity. That probably meant that it was still very active. Good. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to wait too long until Iabartu or more of her minions decided to appear again. I planned out defensive and attacking strategies in my mind. I had my throwing daggers attached to my arms, as always, and my curved knife in my backpack. It was a shame that again I’d been forced to leave the silver back at the keep, but wielding it would raise far too many awkward questions. It was st
ill annoying though.
With no information from the Othernet to go on for how to kill Iabartu, I’d just have to settle for good old-fashioned brute strength. The ‘daughter of a sky god’ part might prove tricky, given that if she could fly it would be difficult to catch her. The only way would be to get her unaware when she stepped through the portal.
I looked around. The Brethren guards were in a good position to see the portal opening but it did mean that she herself would be able to see them as soon as she materialized as well. It would make more sense to cut around so I could flank her. When her attention was taken by the Brethren, I’d be able to sneak up behind and slit her throat. And that would mean that I would get my revenge personally. Sweet.
Standing back up, I started to move for the rear of the portal. Although it was virtually transparent from the front, despite the purple shimmers, it was obvious which was front and which was back because from the rear there was nothing to be seen at all. In fact it was as if there was nothing there at all. Before I’d taken more than three steps, however, I heard voices coming from the direction of the trees, the words becoming more distinct as they drew closer.
“What you have to understand, Lucy, is that humans don’t think like us or act like us. Effectively they’re cattle who get in the way and mess things up.”
I immediately stiffened.
“Yeah but the mage is human, isn’t he? And we’re half human.”
“The mage has skills. He’s part of the otherworld. And we might have a human side but we’ll never be that stupid or that vulnerable. You know that joke, right? What do you call a human with a half brain?”
Bloodfire (Blood Destiny) Page 15