Savage Magic (Shifty Magic, Book 3)

by Judy Teel

  Mehk charged at the monster, slashing and biting, and then dodging away as it lunged for him. He was a second too slow and the thing's jaws clamped down on his left front leg. With a wrench of its head, the Tor'nysoos ripped the limb off at the elbow.

  He shuddered, blood spurting from the damaged artery, then steadied himself with his tail. Staggering back, he clamped his right hand on the ragged flesh to try and keep from bleeding out before his ability to heal sealed off the wound. He dodged to the left and the Tor stalked him, as if savoring the moment when its jaws would close around my father's throat.

  I rolled to my feet, struggling to stand. Pumping my wings, I willed my legs to work as agony wrenched through my body. My legs quivered under me, refusing to work and I collapsed back into the dirt. What was wrong with me? Why wasn't I healing? Why couldn't I shake this off?

  I brought my head around to look at my flank. Thick black ooze streaked my blood. The damn thing had poisoned me!

  "Oo 'uckin' 'on uh a 'ich!" I snarled. Fury poured into me and I pushed to my feet as Mehk ducked and rolled, barely missing getting his head taken off. I took a few steps and faceplanted in the dirt, my head swimming, my lungs feeling like they'd caught fire as I pulled in a wheezing breath.

  "Hey!" someone yelled.

  Cooper? I tried lifting my head, but I couldn't get it to cooperate. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and then Cooper came into view. Panic hit me.

  "Yeah, you, you ugly bastard," he shouted. The Tor'nysoos twitched and glanced in his direction. Cooper swung an old F-2000 assault rifle up. "Surprise." And opened fired.

  The bullets from the machine gun slammed into the monster's side, knocking it back as Cooper prowled forward, the stream of bullets blowing a hole in its body plating as he did. But even as he sprayed the thing with bullets, the edges of the wound were shrinking as the thing healed itself at a rate I couldn't even comprehend.

  Cooper was going to die.

  "Now!" he shouted, stopping in front of me.

  Miller stepped out of the woods, knelt down and aimed a Colt pistol at the Tor. As cool and steady as a sniper, he pulled the trigger, squeezing off two shots. A splat of goo from the closing wound was the only hint that he hadn't missed.

  The monster turned away from Mehk, picking up its insect legs with a delicate and terrible deliberation, the armored exoskeleton of its body already covering where the wound had been. We were all going to die.

  And then the bullets exploded. Chunks of its armor, muscles and organs sprayed out leaving two gaping holes, and the creature's legs buckled. Like a large tree, it slowly toppled to the ground, twitching, its disgusting tongue hanging from its crocodile mouth like a dead snake.

  But for how long? Because I knew it wasn't dead. The Tor'nysoos was forged from the endless hatred of a bitter god. You couldn't kill a thing like that.

  Mehk stumbled toward the monster.

  Cooper kneeled by my head. "Shift, Addie. We have to get you to the fountain."

  I blinked, which seemed to take a lot of effort. Of course. Why hadn't I thought of that?

  I turned my focus inward and opened my eyes in the fourth dimension. I stood in my human form, my pain gone. And in a flash, I was beside Cooper again.

  I screamed as the anguish of my injuries rushed back and my knees buckled. He caught me as I fell. "Why didn't I heal?" I gasped, panting as I struggled to control the pain.

  "Its poison must stop the DNA from repairing," Cooper said, and his fear for me hammered against my heart. Wrapping his arm around my naked waist, he lifted me, his grip slipping on the blood that slicked my skin as he carried me to the fountain.

  "No," I whispered, trying to push against him as he lowered me toward the water. "Not until he's gone." With great care, Cooper helped me kneel beside the basin.

  We looked past the fountain to the unmoving mound of the Tor'nysoos as my father laid his remaining hand on its snout. Mehk's gaze met mine and I saw the love he had for me shining from their midnight blue depths. Then he closed his eyes and the air shimmered around them. A heartbeat, and they were gone.

  I plunged my arms into the cool water.

  My blood curled up through the water from my wounds, like streams of scarlet ribbons and broke across the surface. An icy wave of energy slammed into my chest, thrusting me backwards.

  Cooper's strong arms came around me as my body shook, the bite of death gnawing across my neck, shoulders, head and then down through my body, each wound igniting as if fiery icicles were being driven into them.

  I screamed and writhed as the wind kicked up around us and Cooper held me, the confusion and terror flowing out from him squeezing my heart. Then finally, the unbearable cold faded.

  The wind intensified, churning around us like a tornado and the ground began to shake. Cracks spread out from the fountain, widening as they went. Cooper swept me up into his arms and surged to his feet. "Run!" he shouted to Miller.

  The smell of rotten Jasmine pressed in on us, and I gagged. Black shapes like ragged ghosts tore past us as the wind clutched at Cooper as if trying to drag him back. A man's face formed in the dust, average features, his hair cut in military buzz, and my heart leaped into my throat. Travis! Then the image melted like wax and was gone. Another face, a woman, and then another. And then the strong features of Ryker formed. He looked into my eyes as if he saw me, as if he wanted to speak, and then the wind carried him away.

  I struggled to get loose, terrified as more faces of those who had died formed and were swept away. Cooper's arms banded around me like steel, pressing me tightly against his chest as he sprinted across the ruins for the forest. Leaping over the wall, he skidded to a stop. Miller tumbled to the ground next to him.

  The air around us was quiet and still. Inside the border stones, the storm raged. Cracks spread out from the fountain like a spider's web, each trail stopping as it hit the wall. In the center, the water in the fountain slowed to a dribble and then stopped.

  Black veins of decay crawled up from the base, wrapping over the stone as they rose to converge at the top. The fountain crumbled into dust. As it did, a single tone sounded and was silent.

  As that touch of the Fourth World faded, the earth around the fountain gave way, the collapse rippling out along the web of cracks as a giant sinkhole opened up with a roar. The ruins of the village hurtled into it, garden walls, the chimney, all that was left disappearing, and a great billow of dust bloomed into the air.

  Coughing forcefully, Cooper and Miller retreated further into the trees as we watched what was left of my father's life disappear. When the dust settled the border wall outlined a gaping hole.

  Miller crept forward and peered over the stacked stones before making a quick retreat. "I can't see the bottom," he said. Then his eyes widened as he looked at me. "Your wounds. They're gone."

  I buried my face against Cooper's chest. He didn't know how wrong he was.

  * * *

  For Miller's sake, Cooper gave me his shirt to wear during our trek back to the compound. It barely covered the crucial areas, but if it kept the practitioner from having an aneurysm from embarrassment, I was willing. In fact, I was grateful. His nervous chatter made it easier to keep my despair at bay.

  I could feel it though, the grief and regret and guilt pushing against my will, trying to break out. If they ever did, I was pretty sure my ability to function would disintegrate.

  "Thank God it's over," Miller said as I snugged Cooper's shirt up under my butt and stepped over a log.

  "That's what I like about you, Miller," Cooper said, shifting the empty rifle to a more comfortable position across his back. "Always looking on the bright side."

  Despite his lighthearted words, I felt Cooper's urge to comfort me and was relieved that he didn't. Kind words tended to punch holes in shaky self-control as easily as a knife through paper.

  "Why did you follow us?" I asked, wanting to turn my mind away from my loss. "We agreed that you'd stay at the compound to oversee th
e evacuation if we failed."

  "We're FBI agents, paranormal division. We can put two and two together with the best of them," Cooper answered.

  "You'd told us the monster was highly adaptive. Ancient monster plus modern weaponry equals success," Miller said.

  Cooper smiled at me over his shoulder. "Once Miller has a plan, there's no holding him back."

  My throat clenched and I fought back tears. I could feel the glances Cooper and Miller threw at me when I didn't answer, but they were both experienced field agents. They knew when to give a comrade some space.

  By the time we reached the rocks where Mehk and I had hidden our gear, I had gotten myself under control. The rawness of losing my father still sat close to the surface, though. I had to fight hard not to break down when I pulled my pack and duffle out and his things tumbled to the ground.

  After I geared up, I carefully placed his backpack into the crevice and methodically stacked the rocks to cover it. Later, when I felt better I could come back for it. Until then, his things would be safe, a personal shrine, only for family. Whispering a prayer that he had died painlessly, I climbed back up to join Cooper and Miller.

  We'd just started down the path for the compound when a chill twisted down my back. I came to stop at the same time as Cooper.

  Miller drew his Colt. "What's wrong?"

  Cooper and I pulled in long, deep breaths and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. The sharp coppery smell of blood and the stink of death tainted the light breeze coming from the direction of the compound.

  We took off running, only slowing as we approached the cleared area that surrounded the compound. Using the trees and underbrush for cover, we crouched down and stalked silently forward. Miller caught up to us and I was glad to know we had his special ammo backing us up.

  But when we got within sight of the fortress, I wasn't sure if even that was going to be enough. Something massive had blown the gates open from the inside. Shattered bones littered the ground, the few remaining pieces of the gate dangling from the hinges and clattering together in the light breeze like morbid wind chimes.

  Ralph lay halfway across the entrance, face down, his shaved head streaked with blood, his tattooed arms stretched toward the compound. Whatever had attacked Bone Clan, Ralph had made a stand against it.

  As my gaze swept over the grass, my breath caught in my throat and the world around me slowed as my mind struggled to make sense of the ragged piles of clothes scattered across the compound... No, not rags...bodies. They were bodies. Dozens of them.

  Cooper's people. Innocent people.

  A cold, furious hatred welled up inside me.

  "Oh my God," Miller whispered behind me.

  "Find the survivors," Cooper ground out. "I'll find the cause." He sprinted through the gate like a rocket and cleared the grassy area, ducking behind the cover of the barn in seconds.

  "Stay with him," I said, drawing my gun. I covered Miller as he ran past the gate to the barn and then I followed, stopping next to Ralph's body. Crouching down, I pressed my fingers to the side of his neck. His skin was cold. My gut churned, then a weak pulse touched my fingertips.

  Gently, I rolled him over. Blood soaked his torn shirt where something with teeth had attempted to tear out his chest. Lacerations covered his arms and face. Half of his ear was bitten off. But he was Were and he was alive. In time, he'd heal.

  I rocked back on my heels and scanned the open area in front of me for movement. The dead spread out as far as I could see, in groups and alone, some so savaged they looked more like meat and rags mangled together than people. I turned my head to the right, listening hard. Had I heard something, or had I imagined it?

  Keeping my body low to the ground, I raced toward the pond and the bodies next to it. Deg lay sprawled on his back across something, his throat torn out, his milky eyes staring sightlessly at the sky. An unconscious woman lay a few yards from him in the churned up, bloodied grass, her clothes tattered, her mouth smeared with blood, her thin face familiar — Marie from quarantine. Shock quickened my pulse.

  Underneath Deg, something whimpered.

  When I pushed the body away, I discovered a boy of about four years. He was tucked into a ball, trembling, his eyes closed. Scratches covered his small arms and legs, and blood splattered his clothing. A quick check told me the blood was probably Deg's.

  "I'm taking you to safety," I said in a low voice, and his eyes opened, cutting around to look at me in alarm. When he saw me, he sat up and wrapped his arms around the back of my neck. With the child clinging to me, I ran for the barn where Cooper and Miller waited.

  "From what I could see, the dead account for about fifty people," I said as I eased the child to the ground. "The wounds look like some kind of animal attack."

  "No." Cooper nodded toward the entrance to the ground-level tier of the cliff. The enormous reinforced door that led to the underground cells had been ripped from its hinges and lay crumpled on the ground.

  Anger speared through me. "Danny," I snarled.

  "One vampire couldn't have done that," Cooper said.

  "I found Marie next to Deg's body. Danny must have released the infected Weres."

  "Mama," the child wailed softly and then he started to cry. Miller gathered him up and cradled him against his chest.

  "Not even then," the practitioner said, as he rocked back and forth, soothing the little boy. "Their infections were in different stages. They wouldn't have shifted and gone crazy at the same time even if he did let them out."

  The boy whimpered and huddled closer. Maybe they hadn't gone crazy, but something sure had.

  "Whatever it was, people would have holed up in their apartments, or gone to the upper level where security is heavier. We might find the rest of the survivors there."

  "We'll take Todd to the Children's Fortress," Cooper said to Miller. "And then secure the rest of the compound." Miller nodded. I keyed my Browning for Were and took the lead, sprinting from the cover of the barn to the gate. Crouching down behind the debris, I scanned for threats while Cooper got Miller and the child to the relative safety of the apple grove behind the pond.

  As I raced along the wall to join them, something moved in the shadows and a wolf trotted into my path. I jogged to a stop and eyed the animal as I pressed my thumb into the hidden button above the Browning's grip, arming the firing chamber with bullets. The wolf stepped closer, and I recognized him. Blood caked the black and tan fur around a gash in Jesse's side.

  He looked at me and whined. Trotting a few yards ahead of me, he stopped and looked back. I reloaded my gun for Were and with a mixture of bemusement and worry, I followed the wolf.

  The closer I got to the apple grove, the higher the body count grew. When I reached the orchard, I went into stealth mode, darting from tree to tree, my senses on high alert. The dead lay all around me, torn, broken, their eyes staring sightlessly as I passed. A chill spilled over me.

  This was where Bone Clan had taken a stand against their own. This is where they'd fought...and died to protect their future.

  I found Noah leaning against a tree at the far edge of the grove, Cooper kneeling next to him. Behind them, Miller paced back and forth, still holding the little boy.

  The teen's jeans were shredded and the bone of his shin bulged up under the skin. Bite and claw marks covered his legs, some already partially healed. He clutched my old knife in his hand. Dried blood stained the blade to the hilt.

  Jesse trotted up to him and licked his face. "Thanks, bro," Noah said, wrapping an arm around the wolf's neck and burying his face in the thick fur for a moment.

  "We need to move fast, before the bone in your leg heals wrong," Cooper said to Noah. "I'll have to carry you."

  "I'll cover you," I said.

  Cooper picked the teen up as gently as he could while I slipped ahead, alert to any threats, and we reached the first wall without incident. The raspberry vines had been torn from the stones and lay shredded and trampled. The door had
been ripped from its hinges like the one to the lower tier. I eased through the opening first, my gun up, ready for whatever was on the other side.

  At the second wall, armed Weres knelt along the top, their weapons aimed at me. I raised my hands, my Browning dangling from one finger. "All clear," I called back to the others. Cooper and then Miller squeezed through the door.

  Spread between us and the other wall were what was left of the thirty new cases that I'd found with the scanner. Men and women, some naked, some not, all of them mangled almost beyond recognition by the number of bullets that it had taken to kill them.

  Miller pressed Todd's face into his shoulder, shielding the little boy from the gory testimony to the efficiency of the Children's Fortress staff to protect their charges.

  Badly dented and scratched, the second door groaned open and we were hustled inside by a grim-faced commander. "Aesei Siian," she said, relief underlying her voice as she gave Cooper a short bow.

  "Take him to the infirmary," Cooper said, easing Noah down as a guard came forward to help the teen. "And the boy." Miller stepped forward and passed Todd to an older Were.

  Jesse whined.

  "Go with them," Cooper commanded him, and the wolf trotted off behind the injured boys.

  "We heard fighting in the grove," the commander said as another guard handed each of us a freshly loaded assault rifle. "They almost breached our second defense line." She straightened her back, her jaw tightening as her gaze tracked over the bodies. "They were out of their minds. I don't think they knew what they were doing." Regret shadowed her eyes.