Worlds Apart

by Marlene Dotterer

  The truth of this statement became evident as soon as Tina stepped out of the truck. Two tall and very strong figures blinked into existence on both sides of her, grabbed her arms and lifted her off her feet, putting her right back in. The door shut on her nose and they turned their backs to her, blocking her way out. When she turned to the other door, she saw figures surrounding the truck, as still and immovable as rocks.

  Behind the steering wheel, Eddie sputtered. “What the hell?”

  Shandari did not repress a snort of laughter.

  Tina slapped the window. “Goddammit, Kasia!” She didn’t quite shout, certain that Kasia would hear her even if she whispered. She concentrated on the panic in her middle and envisioned sending it out with her words, to smack the elf upside her head. “I know this is dangerous, but I also know I have to go out there. Don’t waste any more time, please. Clive is still alive. But he won’t be much longer if we don’t help him now.”

  The panic reached a high pitch and Tina winced. Placing her hands on the window, she directed the panic into a push, trying to break through the glass and the backs of her guards. A sharp pain pierced her head, but she kept pushing.

  In a swift move, the guards stepped away. One of them reached back to open the door. Tina fell into strong arms that forced her upright to meet Kasia’s furious glare. “Stop doing that before you hurt yourself,” she snapped.

  “I wouldn’t have to do anything if people would stop fighting me about it. I’m not a child, Kasia. I decide for myself what risks I will take.”

  “Do you see those people?” Kasia asked, indicating everyone who was surrounding the area, far more than just the few who stood by Eddie’s truck. “Every one of them is standing there for the express purpose of protecting you. Every one of them is willing to die or risk the werewolf’s curse, if it will keep that werewolf away from you. They understand the risk they’re taking. You do not.”

  “You’re right,” Tina said, anger still coloring her words. “I don’t understand everything. I don’t get how this magic works. I just know what it’s telling me to do. I don’t have any way of turning it off, Kasia. I’m going out there.”

  A touch of doubt moved across Kasia’s face. Her glance went past Tina to stare at a point behind her. “What do you See, Shandari?”

  Shandari’s voice was soft, but everyone could hear her. “I can tell you that Tina and Clive have worked a spell between them. I can’t see it all, but she’s telling the truth about its compulsion. I think...” and here, she paused, as if not trusting her own words, “...I think there is protection in the spell.”

  Kasia’s chin came up, and Shandari spoke with more urgency, faster and louder. “No. I cannot guarantee that. If Clive should bite her, there is no help for it. I do not think he will attack her. The spell will hold him back.”

  Kasia’s gaze came back to Tina, her chin moving with suppressed tension. “All right. I’ll take you myself. Just you and I, so bring whatever equipment you’ll need with you.”

  Tina breathed again, her mind in sudden turmoil. What would she find up there?

  Will pushed through the guards, holding a backpack out. “Take this. I’ve had it ready for several hours. Antibiotics, soap, water, morphine, saline solution and IV, bandages, scissors, tape... it will work for either wolf or man.”

  The first-aid list cleared Tina’s mind, allowing her knowledge and skill to return in full force. She grabbed the bag, shoving it onto a shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “Here, put this on,” Kasia said, tossing a piece of white fabric to Tina. “It’s protective clothing.” She demonstrated by shaking hers out and stepping into it. It somehow formed itself around her.

  “Like a hazmat suit,” Will murmured, as he helped Tina into hers. The fabric shaped into legs, torso, and arms, then hood and facemask. Tina felt a moment of panic, but the stuff on her face vanished as soon as it had formed. She knew it was still there, but it didn’t interfere with breathing or speaking.

  The panic had not left her belly. She hiked the backpack to her shoulder and stepped toward the outer circle. “Let’s go.”

  Kasia took her arm. “We’ll go the fast way.” She tapped her strap and threw something into the air in front of her. A portal appeared and Tina at last felt a bit of relief. She’d be there soon.

  Kasia tapped her forehead and that part of her suit lit up with a directional light. She shouldered a rifle-type weapon and jerked her chin at Tina. “Stay right behind me.”

  She stepped through, and Tina followed.

  Chapter 38

  The forest was quiet, as if in shock. It was also very dark. The moon was too low to be seen through the trees, and its light did not penetrate to the forest floor.

  Tina tapped her forehead like Kasia had done and jumped in surprise when her own suit lit up. The lamps were bright, lighting the path up to twenty feet in front of them. The lower branches of several trees were full of ravens, all of them watching the women with unblinking eyes.

  Kasia was in front of Tina, blocking her view of what was ahead. The panic within her rose up and propelled her forward, past Kasia and around a tree.

  It took a few seconds for the scene to resolve itself in her mind. Her first awareness was of the blood. It touched everything in the small clearing and pooled on the ground. In the pool of blood was a figure. No. Two figures. She saw it now. They were wolves, one atop the other in an ugly parody of the love act. The wolf on bottom was on his back, his throat caught in the jaws of the upper wolf. His face was turned away from Tina, but she could see his eyes were closed. His forelegs were wrapped around the other wolf’s torso, his back legs raised underneath, as if to kick his attacker’s belly.

  Even in the flickering light of her lamp, Tina could see that the belly’s organs had poured out of the upper wolf. The bottom animal seemed to have a leg caught inside the cavity. The fur along the top wolf’s back shimmered silver in the light, in the few places not covered with blood.

  She realized she did not know which one was Clive. This seemed desperately wrong to her.

  Her first thought was to separate them, but as her legs tightened to move forward, a deep nausea shook her body and forced her back. Do not touch the silver wolf.

  Somewhere in the corner of her mind, she remembered that the wolf on her porch had been silver.

  Kasia shoved her back, rifle fixed on the animals. “Given the nature of Fontaine’s spell on you, under no circumstances should you touch him. The ravens tell me he is dead. Clive is not. Not yet, anyway.”

  “We’ve got to get him out of there,” Tina said, although she knew she couldn’t help. She blinked in shock when Kasia shoved the rifle into her arms. “What the fuck?”

  “I have to move Fontaine off of Clive,” Kasia said. Her eyes glinted black in Tina’s light. “You keep that trained on Clive. If he twitches at all, shoot him.”

  “Kasia...”

  “You have to do this, Tina. The spell will know that.” She set the weapon against Tina’s shoulder and adjusted her hands to hold it and rest on the trigger. “Press here.” She tapped the finger covering the spot. “One quick burst. It’s not meant to be lethal. If Clive comes to, you will have to shoot longer. He must not be allowed to attack.”

  “I can’t….” Tina stared down the sight at her lover, the rifle jerking up and down with her shaking arms.

  “Yes, you can.”

  Kasia turned away and approached the animals. The magic suits covered their hands as well, and Kasia reached without hesitation to work the jaws away from the throat. Her head lamp bounced around with her movements, and Tina had to concentrate on remaining still so her light kept them both illuminated. She could not imagine what Kasia was thinking, how she was dealing with her actions. Tina suspected Kasia had never done anything like this before.

  The panic still beat at her, although much subdued; it was as if it knew she was doing all she could. She watched Clive, her emotions torn in two, one half desperately wanting him to
move or make a sound to show he was fighting death, and the other half just as desperately hoping he stayed still.

  The rifle no longer jerked, and she realized she was not shaking now. She watched Clive, his closed eyes, his jaw, his paws. Her finger rested on the trigger, sure of its duty. There was movement from Clive in response to Kasia’s pulling, but nothing conscious.

  She could not say how long it took, while the panic rippled inside her, and she held the gun on the man she loved. It was odd, she thought. Now that she knew it was Clive, even in wolf form, she could see him.

  Or maybe I’m just going insane.

  Around her, the forest seemed to hold its breath. The ravens were glass ornaments in the trees. The only sound came from Kasia, gasping as she struggled to lift the silver wolf free of Clive’s back legs. As Tina watched, the clinical part of her brain tried to assess Clive’s injuries. The worst was his windpipe. He was alive, so it wasn’t crushed closed, but those massive silver jaws had done something. Several gashes were visible in various places, but Tina knew his fur could be hiding more. He was saturated in blood, but there was no way to tell which of it was Clive’s and which came from the other wolf.

  Tina stirred, shifting her feet as a vision of the cave wall, covered with her blood, came back to her. She clenched her jaw and banished the thought, forcing her feet not to carry her away.

  You’re okay, she told herself. He can’t hurt you anymore.

  What could she do for Clive? In all her panic to get here, she hadn’t considered that she’d be the only one to treat him. I’m not a veterinarian. How do I treat a wolf?

  The clinical portion of her mind clicked into gear. She let it work, separated from the part of her mind that concentrated on Clive’s movements and the gun.

  If he were in human form, what would he need? How would she treat him in an emergency, when help was an hour away?

  Oxygen. Fluids. Warmth. Contain the bleeding.

  How would she provide that to a wolf?

  Ironically, the silver wolf had provided warmth by his position on top of Clive. Tina hoped it was enough to keep him from going into shock. Bandaging the worst of the cuts should be easy. But where did the IV line go in canines? How would she give him oxygen?

  Kasia dragged the silver wolf several feet away, then straightened, huffing as she nodded to Tina. “Give me the gun. You can treat him now.”

  As soon as she’d passed the gun to its rightful owner, Tina turned to Clive and slipped the backpack from her shoulders. It was stuffed with supplies. As she dug through it, Tina began to wonder if it had the same magic as the refrigerator Shandari had given her. It wasn’t possible for one small pack to hold so much.

  There was an oxygen tank, and with it, a large cone-shaped mask, which solved the problem of how to give him oxygen. She checked his windpipe with tender fingers. It was crushed, but he was breathing through it in tiny, rattling puffs. She slipped the cone over his muzzle and started the flow.

  Perhaps it was her imagination, but he seemed to look better right away. She wasn’t sure how to judge it in a canine patient.

  The oxygen had been the work of less than a minute, and Tina turned to the next urgent item. She didn’t see any place where blood was pumping or pouring out, so she didn’t think any arteries were damaged. He needed fluids. She spent a moment running her fingers over his left front leg, but couldn’t determine where the vein was.

  Subcutaneous, then. She set up the IV, found a loose clump of skin and fur along his side near the shoulder, and plunged the needle under the skin. Clive made no sign of having felt it. She set the flow and sat back on her heels to watch the rate, and to make sure the fluid went where she wanted it to.

  Now that she was touching him, she could see several gashes that were bleeding. Will’s backpack contained several rolls of pressure bandages as well as antiseptic. She poured the stuff all over him, in liberal dollops, searching with her fingers for the larger cuts. She bandaged what she could. It was impossible to flip him over, but she felt underneath him.

  She gave him a shot of full-spectrum antibiotics, and covered him with the Mylar thermal blanket she found at the bottom of the bag. Then she sat back and watched him.

  “He looks better,” Kasia said from behind her.

  Tina jerked in surprise. She’d forgotten all about Kasia, as well as the silver wolf. She nodded, but did not look away from her patient.

  “If he were human, I’d be looking for skin color and condition, vital signs, but I have no idea what to look for in a wolf.” Tina paused, sharpening her gaze. “But I think you’re right. He does look better, whatever that means.”

  “As long as he stays unconscious. Can you give him something to make sure of that?” There was something in Kasia’s voice, almost a plea.

  “I’ll give him a mild sedative.” Tina began digging through the pack again. “How much time do you think we need?”

  “Perhaps another hour.”

  Making a quick calculation, Tina injected a tiny dose of sedative. The panic inside her had stopped, replaced with a calm feeling of safety. Even if Clive woke up, she knew he would not hurt her. But she had no guarantee about Kasia, and she knew she couldn’t take the chance. She’d keep more of the sedative ready, just in case.

  “I understand why Shandari could not treat him,” she said, turning halfway so she could see Kasia while keeping an eye on Clive. She noticed the night had lightened during the time she’d been working, allowing her to see the shape of things. “She’s still too weak from healing me. But why couldn’t you transport him to Kaarmanesh so another healer could help him?”

  “We don’t heal werewolves.” Kasia’s forehead wrinkled as she glanced at Tina. “No one would ever consider getting close enough to one.”

  “That’s blatant prejudice.” Tina thought of mothers and teenage boys, and felt heartsick.

  “Partly,” Kasia admitted. “We have a long way to go in this matter. But perhaps you don’t understand how the healing works.”

  “Probably not,” Tina admitted.

  “Empathic healing requires a deep mental connection between healer and patient. Such a connection with a werewolf would be far too dangerous.” She held up a hand, as if to forestall any protest from Tina. “I know you think it’s Clive in there. But during the Change, their humanity is completely lost or buried. We do study the werewolves, Tina. Many of them cooperate with us in their human form. They have no memories of the time they are werewolves, even if they have severe injuries. The few werewolves that have been observed in captivity show no sign of recognizing anyone, even loved ones. There is no evidence they know they are human.”

  “He knew,” Tina said, jerking her head toward the body of the silver wolf. “He told me that he remembers everything that happens in both forms.”

  “I have never heard of that happening.” Kasia’s voice was thoughtful. “We have much to learn about this man. He may have accessed an old magic, long forgotten. I will begin the investigation as soon as we are back.”

  Tina shivered, knowing she would have to participate in that. She would have to tell them what happened. Once again, she realized that while her body was healed, her mind still sought to hide away. The magic with Clive held it at bay, but somewhere inside, she longed to curl up in a corner and cry for hours.

  She was watching Clive. She stiffened to alertness as something began to happen. Before she had time to react, he seemed to fold in on himself, as if turning inside out. Then he was there, human and male, naked under the blanket. The canine oxygen mask hissed air against his face as it slipped sideways.

  She rushed to him, frantic and afraid, assessing his condition as she began to adjust the IV and bandages. Behind her, Kasia barked an order. “He’s back! Go! Go!”

  All around Tina, the air seemed to explode as portal after portal flashed open. People were suddenly assisting her, replacing the canine mask with a human one, lifting Clive, placing him on a stretcher, adding blankets. Four people
grabbed the corners and a portal opened in front of them. Tina grasped a side of the stretcher, but a hand circled her arm and pulled her back.

  “No, Tina,” Shandari held her close, her head bent to speak into Tina’s ear. “It’s too near the full moon. Remember, it may not be safe for your baby in Kaarmanesh.”

  “He needs me, I need to know….” She gulped, realizing the panic was gone. Clive and his bearers disappeared into the portal. She felt lost without that panic, that connection to Clive. She turned to Shandari. “What will happen to him? Will they take care of him?”

  “Absolutely.” Shandari smiled at her. “I’ll direct his care myself. You have saved his life by stabilizing him. We’ll finish the work with magic.”

  “But you can’t...”

  “I won’t. But there are other healers who can and will. I will keep you apprised of his condition.”

  Tina stepped back. Around her, Kasia’s agents were following her rapid orders to bag the silver wolf and secure the crime scene. She saw Will standing a few feet away, his face pale. No doubt it was shock from traveling through his first portal, or from seeing his first werewolf. She understood how he felt.

  She squeezed Shandari’s hand. “Go help him. I’ll wait.”

  Shandari nodded once, kissed Tina’s cheek, and disappeared into a portal.

  Tina went to Will and slipped her arms around his waist. He was shaking, but he returned the hug.

  “Riff is waiting to take us back to the recon site,” he said. “Eddie will drive us back.”

  “Go,” Kasia said, from behind Will. They broke apart and turned to her. “I’ve told Ringstrom that we’ll handle the investigation and cleanup around here. I also told him that we would arrange for the majority of your people to forget what happened. They will know that Fontaine was here and that he did the things he did. But they won’t remember the rest of it. The only people in town who will remember are the two of you and Sheriff Ringstrom. You’ll have to help him carry out the deception.” Kasia shooed them toward Riff and went to deal with the body baggers.