by Laura Hysell
A rock came loose in my hand, tumbling down and bouncing off my shoulder. I winced, but tried to ignore the pain as I reached up, pulling yet another rock loose. This time, I was ready, and caught the rock before it dropped on me. There wasn’t light, but there wasn’t the overwhelming darkness coming from the space the rock had been in either. There was something in between. Once again, I could just barely make out the shape of rocks.
Izzy, where are you? Aidan’s voice called in my mind.
The tunnel caved in!
Hang on. I can sense you nearby.
You can?
The blade still calls to me.
I clutched the hilt of the dagger tighter, urging Aidan toward me. The magic pulsed again, and this time I felt an answering reply of magic. Aidan was close and moving toward me. I closed my eyes, straining my ears for any sound. The power resonating, slowly pulling Aidan toward my location. Would he even be able to get to me?
I’ve been trying to tunnel out.
That’s dangerous.
I know, but I couldn’t sit still.
Aidan stopped moving, but he felt so close. I can feel you.
“Hello,” I called weakly, coughing.
“Izzy! I can hear you,” Aidan replied.
Rocks and dust trickled onto my head as Aidan began moving debris from his side. I wiggled backward and braced myself against the wooden beam, covering my head with my hands as more rocks cascaded down. I could hear him moving rocks, grunting with the effort. He was so close. I closed my eyes and tucked my face into my shirt as dust dropped around me so I could breathe. Someone tapped my hand, and I looked up. It was still dark, but I could just make out Aidan’s face through the gap he had made. He smiled and went back to moving rocks. As soon as the opening was big enough, he reached both his arms through and grabbed me, yanking me out roughly.
My knees and back scraped on rocks as he pulled me out, but I didn’t care. As soon as I was free, I leaned against Aidan, exhausted and relieved. He patted my back roughly before pulling back to look at me. There was a faint light filtering down the tunnel, flickering in and out, illuminating his worried face. I took a deep breath and stepped back, sheathing the knife as I took stock of my injuries. My head hurt and I knew I was covered in scrapes and bruises, but overall I was fine. No major injuries, and I was standing fully upright.
I glanced around, taking in the remnants of the tunnel. The spot Aidan had pulled me from was completely caved in. Had I tried going any other direction, I probably would either be still digging at rocks, or I would have caved it in. The tunnel I had come out of was completely gone as well. Only one direction remained mostly intact.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“Chasing the vampire,” he replied, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. “I was with them until I felt you.”
“Felt me?”
He shrugged and said, “It was like you suddenly popped into my brain. I knew you needed me.”
“You left to come find me?”
He stopped bouncing around and looked at me, a frown creasing his forehead. “Of course I came to find you.”
I smiled weakly and nodded my head. “Well, I certainly appreciate it. Come on, let’s go kill a vampire. Or two.”
He nodded and said no more as he jogged down the tunnel. I followed closely as we made our way through the remnants of passageways. The closer we got to the entrance, the easier it was to move. The explosions had obviously been centered deeper in the tunnels. We followed the tunnel as it snaked its way toward the entrance area, where more bodies littered the ground. I stopped, surveying the carnage. Blood coated the walls and floor, along with bits and pieces of people. Vampire dust stuck to everything, relaying the casualties on both sides. I tried not to see their faces, but I couldn’t help looking for friends amongst the dead. So many dead, and so many I knew. The young man from Vanessa’s old Pack, Peter, lie dead with his head twisted around at an unnatural angle. I hurried past, staring at the sightless eyes of another Pack member. I stumbled, trying to remember the man’s name. He had a wife, I knew, who was human. Aaron, I thought, as I turned away.
Black head to toe leather caught my eye, and I rushed forward, stumbling over something or someone. I didn’t look back to see as I fell to my knees, grabbing the leather clad figure and turning him over. Blood coated the side of his face, but a groan escaped his lips as I rolled him onto his back.
“John,” I said, shaking the man and feeling at his neck. His pulse was strong and steady. I moved the jacket, searching for wounds and finding none other than the gaping head wound which still bled freely. “John, you need to get up.”
He groaned again, but didn’t move. “Izzy, we need to go. The vampires are moving away from us,” Aidan said, touching my shoulder gently. “He’ll be alright.”
I nodded and stood up, looking around at the bodies. Were more alive, but injured and unconscious? I turned toward the sensation of vampires, feeling them out of the tunnel and moving away. Beyond the tunnel entrance, stood what was left of two tanks. My heart skipped a beat. Justin. I ran, not thinking of anything other than finding my brother.
The tanks were destroyed, looking like overgrown toys that had been discarded by a giant. A few more bodies lie here and there, but my brother didn’t appear to be among them. No one I recognized, thankfully. Aidan touched my shoulder, making me jump.
“Your brother is alive,” he said, intuitively knowing who I was looking for.
“What? Where?”
He pointed to the left, away from the vampires. “The humans have regrouped over there. When Petrivian left, he didn’t care much about the humans as long as they stayed out of his way.”
“So they’re just sitting over there?” I asked, my voice squeaking.
He shook his head. “No, they’re tending the wounded. The magician, Brody, is with them. He has minor injuries but stayed to protect them.”
“What about Declan and Ivan?”
“Still nothing.”
“Henri? Have you seen him?”
A smile touched Aidan’s lips. “Last I saw, he was fighting beside Mark.”
“Fighting beside Mark? Really?”
“I do believe his hatred of Petrivian is real. He seems very intent on killing him.”
I nodded and took a deep breath, letting the magic of the knife flow through me. The vampires were still moving away from us. Next, I embraced the Pack magic. Dots of life flitted toward me; some behind, some to my left, and many more chasing the vampires. Mark was there, running and fighting. Jared. Vanessa. Jed. Behind me, John stirred, his flicker of life suddenly growing brighter. I turned around and hurried back to John, who was attempting to stand.
“John, careful,” I said as I reached out to steady him.
“The Pack… chasing… vampire,” he said, his words coming out between quick breaths of air. He held a hand to his side as he stumbled forward.
“You’re in no condition to chase after them,” I said, stepping in front of him.
He looked me up and down, shook his head, and pushed past me. “You’re one to talk,” he muttered.
“I look worse than I feel. You, on the other hand, appear worse than you look.”
“It’s just a couple broken ribs,” he wheezed.
“Aidan said the wounded are that way,” I said, pointing to the left. “You should go.”
John stopped briefly, but only to glower at me. “I will not.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“Fine,” he muttered.
“John, damn it, stop,” I said, yanking on his arm. “At least shift into wolf form if you’re going to go after the Pack.”
At this John stopped, his head drooping. He took a couple breaths, wincing at the pain, before shaking his head. “I’m better off with a gun,” he muttered.
“That may be, but you’ll be in better fighting form if you aren’t nursing broken ribs. And a head wound,” I added.
“You sh
ould shift,” he muttered sullenly.
“I will when I need to,” I replied. “Either go with the wounded, or shift, but the longer you argue the further away the vampires get.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, but it was resigned. He stopped, peeling off his jacket and dropping weapons to the ground.
“Catch up,” I said, turning and taking Aidan’s arm. “Let’s go.”
We ran, chasing the vampires. I tried counting them, but it was no use. There were not only too many of them, but at this distance I had no idea which vamps belonged to Petrivian, Henri, or the mob. John caught up to us after a few minutes, his large tan wolf form loping along easily. He nudged me lightly before racing off to join the rest of the Pack. Ahead, I could sense more fighting. The vampires for the most part had stopped, as had the Pack. Through the Pack connection, I felt fear, anger, pain, determination, and a dozen more emotions flowing from the werewolves. I tried reaching out to Mark, but he was too busy fighting for his life to answer. Pain coursed down my arm, and I clutched it suddenly, before realizing the pain had come from Mark, not me. Reaching out like that, I had inadvertently shared his pain again. This time I did it on purpose, pulling his pain away and sending waves of healing toward him. Not a lot, but enough. It weakened me briefly, causing me to stumble, but I felt the renewal in Mark. He fought harder, stronger, defeating his foe before turning to another. Aidan urged me on faster, until we met the first group of vampires, and the fight was on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
I slashed out with my knife, taking the first vampire in the chest. A second attacked me from behind, knocking me to the ground. I gripped the knife harder as teeth bit into my shoulder. Pain erupted a moment later. I rolled, trying to knock the vampire off my back, but he bit down harder, draining my blood as he tore into my neck and shoulder. I screamed, a mix of pain and anger, as I bucked and rolled, trying to dislodge the vamp on my back. Still, he hung on, his hands digging into my arms and pressing them to my sides. This was not how I was going to die! I used one last surge of strength to move my arms up, plunging the knife over my shoulder and into the face of the vampire.
He dropped immediately, as the dagger’s magic made quick work, turning the vampire’s sallow skin a charred black. Within moments, only a pile of ash remained. I rolled onto my back in exhaustion, ready for the next attack. I reached out with the knife’s power, feeling for vampires. Thankfully, none were nearby. Aidan returned suddenly, staring down at me in worry. Dust coated his arms, but there didn’t seem to be a scratch on him.
“Damn, are you alright?” he asked, reaching a hand out.
I took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. The world swam around me, and I stumbled into him. Mark reached toward me a second later, but I pushed him back. He needed his strength. I could sense his frustration, but I pushed him away again. There were other ways to heal. I sheathed my dagger and peeled off the bits of armor.
“What are you doing?” Aidan asked, trying to stop me. “Keep the armor on.”
I shook my head. “I’m shifting,” I replied weakly.
Blood was pouring freely down my arm and I was very close to losing consciousness. I dropped my clothes to the ground and reached out to my inner wolf. She was there, waiting eagerly for me. This time, I embraced her, letting her take the reins. Werewolf magic coursed through my veins, changing my body from human to wolf. Bones shifted and rearranged; fur grew over my skin. I screamed in pain, which turned into a howl as the change consumed me. My wolf form took over completely. I was exhausted and hungry, but the pain was gone. Tentatively, I took a few steps forward, feeling for any remaining sign of injury to my shoulder. There was none. If I could have smiled as a wolf, I would have. Aidan stepped toward me, touching me gently on the head. I nudged his hand in response, watching him smile.
“The vampires are moving again,” he said, pointing away from us. “Let’s go get them.”
My wolf form was strong and agile, easily running alongside Aidan. He glanced at me, then pushed himself faster, jumping over logs with ease. I moved faster still, marveling at Aidan’s speed and agility. My human form was hard pressed to keep up with werewolves, but Aidan was actually outpacing me in my wolf form. I didn’t have time to marvel at his speed as we raced headlong into the battle.
Wolves and vampires fought ferociously, tearing into each other. Now that I was with the Pack, I could sense individual wolves more easily. Both Jed and Mark were farther ahead, chasing more vamps. They both sent out waves of Pack magic, urging us to follow. That was the way we needed to go, but these vampires were holding us off. I leapt forward, taking down a vamp from behind and tearing into his neck quickly. He was done in a matter of moments, and I felt a bit of payback. I turned to the next bloodsucker, stopping before attacking as I noticed the strange shimmer around him. He looked at me, nodded, then turned away. So the contract still held.
Aidan dashed between two vampires, slashing out with his twin blades to destroy both of them. He turned to move back into the fray, but I ran toward him, pushing at his legs. He got the hint and turned to follow me as I hurried toward the Alpha’s call. Petrivian was the main goal. With him dead, many of these vamps would either die or be confused. Jed and Mark had stopped running again, and I knew they were engaged in fighting once more. I reached out through the magic of the dagger as I had in human form. My body tingled in response, and I could sense the vampires ahead of me. I pushed the power harder, even as I pushed my body to move faster. Without human form, and the dagger in my hand, the magic didn’t respond the same way. I could feel vampires, but they were indistinguishable from each other. It would suffice, though.
It didn’t take long to catch up to the main fight. Jed, in wolf form, lunged and fought viciously, tearing into vampires who surrounded him. Sorcery tingled the air, confusing my senses. With the dagger’s magic, I could sense the undead creatures around me, but could only see a handful. Petrivian was working his magic still. Aidan darted ahead of me, slashing into bodies with ease, but I moved past him. I ran faster past Jed, who was still surrounded, past Mark in his wolf-man form, toward the blond vampire who moved with unusual swiftness through the trees.
As soon as I closed in on Henri, the magic dissipated once more. Dozens of vampires sought to block his path, but Henri was old and powerful, slashing through the other vamps and making slow progress on Petrvian. I looked toward my quarry, unimpressed by what I saw. Petrivian was short and thin, with a large nose that overwhelmed his face and beady black eyes. The magic coming from him, though, was certainly impressive. The air shimmered around him as illusion broke only as Henri closed in on him. There, at the outskirts of his illusion, I saw something to make my heart race. Declan.
I jumped on the nearest vamp, tearing into him before quickly moving on to the next. Henri yelled at me, but I ignored him, moving on to the next vampire. More of the Pack were coming quickly. I could feel Mark close behind me, lending me his strength. This time, I let him, using his strength to take down two vamps in a row. Henri moved closer to Petrivian, yelling at one of his minions angrily. I didn’t listen to the words as I concentrated on the still form of Declan who was now visible. Beside him, I could just make out the form of Ivan. Neither man was moving, seeming immobilized.
Something hit me from behind, knocking me forward. I rolled, got up, and continued to run straight at the two wizards. Someone yelled my name and I hesitated, glancing behind me to see Henri staring at me with a look something close to fear in his eyes. He opened his mouth, but I couldn’t hear his words. I couldn’t hear anything. All movement seemed to cease. My forward progress halted suddenly, steps away from Declan. I took a slow breath, urging my body to move forward, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Henri was speaking again, his mouth moving quickly, but no sound reached my ears. I struggled to turn my head. I moved, but it was as though I was moving in slow motion, my head barely turning inch by inch.
Mark, I called out. I could still feel the Pack around me
, moving closer. I had to warn them. I’m stuck. Some sort of magic, I think.
I can’t see you, but I can feel you. Mark sounded angry, and slightly distracted. He was fighting still.
Go toward Henri. He’s the only one who can break through Petrivian’s illusions.
Mark didn’t respond, but I could feel him moving closer. Slowly, my head turned until I could just see Petrivian. His mouth was moving as though he was speaking to someone. Henri, I presumed. His black eyes turned toward me, a frown creasing his face. He stepped forward until he stood in front of me. Fear raced through my body as he reached out a hand and touched my head, patting me as though I were a dog.
Pack magic hit me suddenly, forcefully. I screamed, startled to hear my voice as I suddenly shifted back into my human form. The transformation was always painful, but this time it felt as though my entire body was being torn apart. Never before had I shifted so quickly, and the effect had me gasping in pain and exhaustion. I was free of the slow spell though. I stood upright and quickly stumbled backward, away from Petrivian. He stared at me, but let me go, a look of amazement on his face.
“Well, what a surprise,” Petrivian said in a thickly accented voice. “I can see why you wanted the wolves now, Henri. Quite powerful. I may have to take these.”
“She’s mine,” Henri said from behind me. I dared to look around. Petrivian’s magic was broken by Henri’s presence, creating a circle of reality around us. Inside that circle were several vampires, the two frozen wizards, and several wolves. Mark stepped forward, a growl coming from his strange lips. While his face was mostly his own, just covered in fur, his mouth was elongated, revealing long canine wolf teeth.