“That ward is a concealment spell, Captain.”
Kasia waited a beat, expecting more information. Then she sank into her chair, her stare focused on Anjili's clouded blue eyes.
“What is being concealed, Sensa?” I know. Oh, fuck-all-the-pixies, I know, but can't make myself say it.
“Presence.” Anjili lifted a hand to describe a graceful arc that brushed her own aura. Kasia felt her eyes following that hand, her sense of time slowing the motion, as if she dreamed.
“The ward is powerful,” Anjili continued, “and highly specific. I cannot break it yet. But I am sure of this, Captain: your werewolf is still in the Flatlands. And you will not be able to find him through magical means, unless we can break that ward.”
~~
Tina knew something was wrong as soon as she rounded the last curve to Sebastian Ruth's house. The lack of smoke from the chimney was a clue, but the cabin just looked wrong.
Afraid her patient was very ill, but not dead, please not dead, Tina scrambled from the car, swinging her medical bag onto her shoulder in the same movement. She didn't push the car door hard enough and the click of it closing was lost in her dash for the porch.
The front door stood open a fraction of an inch. She paused. The door looked strange, as if its ornate decoration had been burned away. Unease crawled up her spine. She shivered.
“Mr. Ruth?” She pushed the door further open, letting light curve into the shadows. The hearth fire was burning out, leaving a dim red glow in the ashes.
She smelled blood and shit.
As her eyes adjusted, a shape on the floor took form a few feet from the cool fire. Tina hurried over, jerking to a halt when her foot hit liquid. Pushing her feet into the floor to keep from slipping, she squatted next to the body.
“Mr. Ruth? Talk to me.” He was on his back, and she reached for the carotid artery, holding her breath as her fingers rested against his too-cool neck. Her fingers shifted a few times, sliding in the blood that streaked his body.
No pulse. Nor was he breathing. In the light from the doorway, she could see his face, agonized, terrified. The skin of his face and neck was slashed, as was his shirt, and the skin underneath it. She heard gasping and realized it was her own breath. She forced a cough, turned her head to take a few slow breaths, willing herself to remain calm.
Mr. Ruth never had the chance to die from the cancer.
When she turned back to him, her clinician persona was in charge, eyes darting over his body. Knife wounds. Too many to count in the darkness. Bruises and swelling indicated he'd been beaten, too.
But why? And who?
As the light behind her faded into deeper shadow, and a footstep sounded in the doorway, Tina remembered what should have been her first question: where was the killer now?
She spun, rising from her crouch, one arm reaching for the lamp that stood on a nearby table. For some reason, she never grabbed it. She stood in her place, not moving as the dark shape in the doorway stepped farther into the room. Tina's heart pounded against her ribs, but any action was a distant thought. The figure resolved into a woman, towering a foot over Tina. The dim fire cast red shadows onto a pale, angular face, with steeply arched brows over deep-set eyes. The woman had thrown back her hood, showing hair that was black, short and spiky.
Tina shivered as those eyes scraped over her, but then the woman seemed to dismiss her, stepping instead to the body. She knelt to examine him, and Tina itched to grab the lamp and bash the bowed head. Or run. That would be smarter. Unless the woman had a gun. Or could run faster.
But it was irrelevant since Tina could not move at all. She was paralyzed.
The woman stood, her dark eyes hard on Tina's face. “Who are you?” she asked. “Where is your partner?”
Tina blinked. “What partner?” She was surprised she could talk, the way her heart was pounding. But why was she was talking anyway? Why wasn't she running?
She yelped as the woman grabbed her arm.
“Don't mess with me, kid.” The woman leaned in, and Tina closed her eyes, desperate to escape that gaze. “My name is Captain Kasia Windblood. I'm with Portal Enforcement and I have a lot of questions. You're going to answer all of them. Start with the werewolf. Mr. Ruth has not been dead long, so I know he's around here somewhere. Where is he?”
Tina opened her eyes, flinching at the cold glare. She took a deep breath. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Captain Windblood tightened her grip and leaned in closer, ignoring Tina’s moan of pain.
“You idiot. Do you have any idea of the danger you're in? You took up with the wrong guy, big time. Do you understand that you're going to die? I'm surprised you've lived this long. But no matter what, you're going to answer my questions before you do.”
Tina yelled as Windblood pulled her toward the door, but her captor ignored her, walking with long, quick strides that forced Tina to run. She tripped down the porch stairs, the woman's grip keeping her upright. Her whole body shook as the woman led her into the forest. Her mind screamed at her to fight, to get away, but her body was incapable of acting. She could do nothing but scramble to keep up, harboring visions of her bloody body buried in the wet soil.
As she slipped through the mud, and dodged branches, she squelched her fear in chatter, unable to stay quiet.
“Wh-where are we going? What is Portal Enforcement? I swear I don't know anything. I'm Mr. Ruth's doctor, I was just checking on him. He was dead when I found him …”
Her breath gave out and she went silent, concentrating on keeping her feet on the ground, almost grateful for her captor's strength as the woman pulled Tina up steep hills, or kept her from falling on the downward slopes. The race seemed to last forever, but at last they stopped, Tina gasping for air and wiping rain from her eyes. It was dark under the trees, the pale daylight unable to penetrate the rain-filled canopy.
The captain let go of her, moving a few steps ahead, seeming unconcerned that Tina might run away. The woman lifted a hand, drawing a rectangle in the air before her. Tina felt a shift in the atmosphere and light of that rectangle, and narrowed her eyes, trying to see what was happening. Before she could resolve anything, Captain Windblood whirled, grabbed her arm again, and jerked her forward. Tina trotted beside her, straight through the non-existent rectangle.
Her skin tingled and she heard a distinct click in her mind. She stared around her, unable to process what she saw.
She was in a different forest. Rain still fell, but the light was brighter, the air a little warmer. The trees were bigger, denser. But the biggest hint was the three people standing before her. A woman about Tina's size, and two men, tall and bulky.
They weren't there a minute ago.
They seemed as surprised to see her, but Captain Windblood began snapping out orders and no one questioned them.
“Seal the portal. Blairwright and Copper, you two remain on guard. I want to know if you catch even a whiff of that werewolf. Riff, come with me. Bring the prisoner.”
Tina flinched as one of the men took her by the arm. Unlike the prickly captain, he was polite about it, his grip gentle as he gestured for Tina to follow Windblood. She stared into his eyes for a moment, hoping for sympathy or explanation. Seeing neither, she swallowed, and went with them.
~~
“I'm telling you, I don't know who killed Sebastian Ruth.” Tina pressed cold fingers against her eyes, seeking pressure to counteract the pain in her head. It didn't help much, but it did keep her from having to look at Captain Windblood, who sat across from her at a little table in the small, windowless room they'd brought her to. They'd come through an odd village filled with strange people, and other creatures she never imagined even in dreams.
Captain Windblood was every bit as strange. Once inside, her captor had stripped off her outer jacket, and the room's light revealed a thin, angular body. Her face was thin too, with sharp cheekbones and large eyes made stark by the paleness of the surrounding skin. They were cappe
d by eyebrows so pointed they made upside-down V's. But it was seeing the same V echoed in the shape of each ear that forced Tina to hide her eyes.
Kasia Windblood did not look human.
And she didn't like Tina. She leaned forward, poking a long finger on Tina's chest.
“I don't believe you. And believe me, you don't want to be on my bad side. I want to know everything you did today, and who you did it with. Talk. And look at me while you're doing it.”
Tina hunched her shoulders, unable to move away from the finger. She dropped her hands from her eyes, fumbled them on her lap, then ended by crossing both arms around herself. She placed a leg over the other knee, another barrier between her and her personal nightmare, and spoke to Windblood's chin.
“I went to my office right after breakfast. I saw patients all morning. Shar... my nurse was there, too. Right after lunch, I drove up to see Mr. Ruth. I'd only been there a few minutes when you came in.”
Windblood tapped her finger on the table, a rapid staccato that echoed Tina's racing heart. She held her breath and refused to look up.
“All right.” Windblood’s voice was softer, as if she'd decided to believe that part of the story. “When was the last time you saw your boyfriend?”
Tina opened her mouth, then closed it, her bottom lip jutting out in a confused pout. “I don't have a boyfriend, Captain. Why do you assume I do?”
The woman waved a hand in the air, brushing aside Tina's comment. “Let me ask it this way, then: who fathered your pregnancy?”
This time, Tina's mouth stayed open, and she stared at Windblood in astonishment. “How did you...?” Then she shook her head. “That is absolutely none of your business.”
Windblood sprang. Tina threw her arms up, but it did no good. Windblood leaped the table, grabbed Tina’s shirt, pulled her up and flung her against the wall. Tina’s scream was cut off by Windblood's arm, which pressed against her throat. The captain leaned in, using her weight to pin Tina. Her eyes blazed, inches from Tina's, as she shouted.
“It's completely my business, you little human shit. Maybe you don't know it, but you carry the spawn of a werewolf. I don't know how you're even alive, and I intend to find that out. But right now, I want that werewolf. You're going to tell me everything you know about him, and fuck-a-god-dammed-pixie, you're going to tell me, now.”
Tina whimpered. Her voice was tiny as she tried to speak past the arm at her throat. And all she could think to say was, “There's no such thing as werewolves.” She didn't manage to sound sure of it.
Windblood's glare tamped down to wary, then she pulled away. Tina coughed and massaged her throat, staying against the wall. She kept her eyes on the woman, who stared at her as if in deep thought. Then Windblood shook her head.
“Oh, fuck-a-pixie,” she said, her voice low. She returned with rapid suddenness to her chair, leaving Tina to fumble her way back to her own seat. “You don't know, do you?” Windblood asked her. “You think the guy is human.”
Tina started to say, of course he's human, but a glance at Windblood's ears killed the words before she spoke them. “Are you... not human?”
Windblood lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, then rubbed her eyes in a thoroughly human gesture. Tina watched, afraid to move. Almost afraid to breathe.
“No,” Windblood said, then sighed. “No, I'm not human, Dr. Cassidy. I'm an elf, although that knowledge won't mean anything to you.” She lowered her hand, placing it on the table, palm up. Truce.
“I will tell you everything you want to know, Doctor. You'll need to understand many things, considering the child you carry. But not yet.” She leaned forward, earnest rather than threatening. “The man who fathered your baby is a killer. He's not supposed to be in your world at all, but he is there, and he is very, very dangerous. He's already killed Sebastian Ruth. I need to find him before he kills anyone else. You must tell me all that you know.”
Tina sat pinned to her chair, trying to process it. Werewolves and elves did not exist, and the idea that her baby was a werewolf was ludicrous. Yet, she'd come through a doorway into a new and strange place. She couldn't deny the oddness of the woman across the table and of the guards outside this room.
But she remembered Clive’s smile as they played pool, his gentle voice. His passion when they made love. His careful control as he met her need for roughness, never once going too far, never once hurting her, even when she was helpless.
A bubble of hysteria rose in her, as she thought of his insistence that he couldn't stay. She'd thought he was just brushing her off, like a dozen other guys. Well, if he was a werewolf, she had to admit that was a pretty good excuse to not get involved.
But a killer?
“I don't know what to think, Captain,” she said. “I'd have to be insane to believe you, but let's assume I do. Maybe there is a werewolf loose in Green Roads. But I don't think he's the guy I... was with.” She shook her head. “I just can't see him as a killer.”
“Perhaps he was just charming you, Doctor.” Windblood sounded tired. “How long have you known him? What do you know about him?”
Tina flushed. “I don't know anything about him. We just met in the tavern, had a few drinks, and spent the night together. He was... nice.” She stared at the table. “Very nice,” she whispered.
“Your pregnancy is not very advanced,” Windblood said. “I assume this was only a couple of months ago?”
Tina nodded. “How do you know that? How can you tell that I'm pregnant just by looking?” A thought made her lean forward in surprise. “Is Mr. Ruth one of your people? He could tell I was pregnant, too, the last time I saw him.”
“It's your aura.” Windblood waved a hand. “You carry the child's aura as well, and it's quite visible, even this early. It is very much the aura of a werewolf. And yes, Mr. Ruth was one of us. I will explain all of that, I promise. Now tell me the name of the man you were with. When did you last see him? Where did he go?”
“I haven't seen him since that night.” Tina sighed. “I don't know where he went... wait. I just remembered. When Mr. Ruth realized I was pregnant, he asked about the father. He seemed very worried too, until I told him who it was. It turns out he knew him. And he said he was a good man.” Her chin came up as she said that, relieved to have the old man's vindication of her judgment.
She watched, fascinated, as Captain Windblood's face went through several remarkable expressions—astonishment, suspicion, wonder—until she settled into an expression of amazed disbelief.
“He knew him?” the captain’s voice squeaked, and she cleared her throat. “Are you saying… no, it's not possible. Clive? Clive Winslow is the father of your baby?”
Tina nodded, a tiny jerk of her head. Windblood seemed to stare inward, and when she spoke, Tina knew it wasn't to her. “I'll have his balls.” Her voice was low and hard.
Tina shivered as a thrill of horror went through her. She raised a hand to her mouth. “Oh my God. You’re… you’re not his wife or something, are you?”
Windblood stared at her for a moment, then gave a shout of laughter. “No.” Her amusement changed her from a terrifying other-worldly creature to something far more approachable, and Tina felt a constriction in her chest ease. “No, Dr. Cassidy, I'm not his wife. Rest assured Clive is not cheating on anyone.” She snorted. “That's the least of your problems.”
Tina rubbed her face and decided she was tired of innuendos. “What are my problems, Captain? You don't seem to think Clive Winslow is your murderer, and frankly, I don't quite believe this werewolf business. So what else do I have to worry about?”
“Oh, Clive's not a murderer.” Windblood's jaw rippled as she clinched her teeth. “But he is a werewolf, Doctor, and you need to listen very carefully.” She placed a hand on Tina's arm, all of her threatening persona replaced with concern. Tina tamped down on a shot of alarm—there's no such thing as werewolves—and nodded at the captain to continue.
“You know nothing about the land of Kaa
rmanesh, do you? But you've heard stories all your life, right? About werewolves and elves and other creatures? These stories are part of your heritage.”
“Yes,” Tina said. “Stories. That's all they are.”
Windblood shrugged. “Stories based on fact, on ancient times when the barriers between our worlds were thinner, when magic flowed among humans as well as Kaarmaneshians. Our world is part of yours. We live on the same planet, but on a different plane, tangential to your human one. At one time, humans and Kaarmaneshians shared both planes, traversing between them. But humans turned away from magic, regarding it as evil. Magic began to fade from your plane, and humans often became victims of our harsher creatures. In return, humans hunted us, killing without mercy. So our leaders began to thicken the barriers between the planes. Travel between the worlds was stopped. In your world, knowledge of Kaarmanesh faded to myths, kept alive only as stories to frighten children.”
Windblood stood to pace, and Tina watched her, unable to respond in any way. “The worlds could not be completely blocked from each other,” Windblood said in counterpoint to her steps. “There are portals—thin areas in the barriers that allow passage if one understands how it works. Some humans still practiced magic, and the most powerful of these occasionally found their way into Kaarmanesh. Usually, they would stay, but we never forced them. And some of our people could make their way into your world, which we call the Flatlands. I believe most of your stories come from these excursions—vampires in Romania, werewolves in Europe. Your witches are mostly your own, although some of ours have joined yours occasionally.”
“You need to understand this, Doctor.” Windblood stopped pacing, holding her hands out to Tina as if pleading. “I will do all I can to help, but you must realize this has happened before. Always with the same results. That's why I'm telling you the background, so you'll believe me about your pregnancy.”
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