Ghosts of Winter: A Dark Shapeshifter Urban Fantasy (Echoes of the Past Book 2)

by H B Lyne

  Stalker drew a slow, deep breath.

  'Right,' she said. 'Honestly, I don't know what we can do about that. We have so much on our plates already.'

  'We have to do something,' Weaver said, reaching out for Stalker's hand. 'You know we do. We're responsible for protecting the humans on our territory from demons. That's our primary purpose for being.'

  Stalker smiled weakly. She was glad to hear Weaver say something like that. She had been worried that her pack were slipping too far from their humanity. She didn't say anything, she didn't need to, Weaver squeezed her hand, knowingly.

  James shut his laptop and looked up a short while later, looking grim but stable.

  'I think it might be Lassa Fever,' he declared. 'When is Eyes getting here?'

  'Any time now,' Stalker replied.

  'I just hope he didn't get too intimate with his good lady wife last night.' James shook his head and plodded into the kitchen to help Wind Talker clean up.

  Eyes arrived soon after, looking pale and clammy.

  'I had to stop twice on the way here,' he complained. He went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.

  'How's your wife?' James asked.

  'Fine,' Eyes said warily. 'Why?'

  'If this is what I think it is, it's transmitted from human to human.'

  'What?' Eyes snapped. 'How?'

  'Bodily secretions.' James coughed and turned away. Stalker tried not to laugh at the typically male awkwardness on display. Eyes dropped his head into his hands and moaned.

  'This is not good,' he whimpered. Stalker watched him carefully through the doorway. He didn't need to say it, she knew what had happened and the urge to laugh vanished. They had all been fine for several hours before the poison took effect. There was no way Eyes could have known he was contagious.

  'James, how serious is this for humans?' she asked soberly.

  'Very,' he replied. 'It can kill, cause deafness and miscarriages.' His voice trailed off.

  Eyes looked at him sharply.

  'Is there a treatment?' Eyes asked.

  'Yes, an antiviral drug. I highly doubt local healthcare services will be able to dispense it quickly though. The disease is from West Africa.'

  'Well I tipped off the police,' Stalker said, trying to reassure everyone. 'With any luck they'll test the beer, find the disease and get the drugs imported quickly, and be on the alert for people presenting with symptoms.'

  'We should summon a healing fae and see what assistance we can get though,' Wind Talker said, grimacing at the stink of the bleach.

  'Last time we tried that we had to strike a pretty harsh bargain to get Eyes healed up. I won't agree to those terms again.' Stalker kept her voice calm, but her pulse was racing.

  'Neither will I,' Eyes said, staring straight at her, and a nod of understanding passed between them.

  'I can try summoning a health fae,' Wind Talker said. 'Health, rather than healing.'

  'What's the difference?' James asked.

  'Hopefully a health fae won't require an increase in injured people for it to heal,' Wind Talker replied. 'It will get its rocks off by people being in good health, rather than fixing bones, which need to be broken in the first place.'

  The pack was stirred into action. Stalker, as the only one not ill, was the one to go out to buy supplies. There was a health food shop on the high street, which she headed for, and bought up bottles of vitamins, boxes of herbal tea and some protein bars.

  Wind Talker led them all across the veil and into the garden. Unchained Lightning was circling slowly above the garden, and looked down at them sleepily.

  'Greetings, Unchained Lightning,' Eyes greeted the elemental formally.

  'Poison,' he crackled.

  'Are you poisoned too?' Stalker asked in surprise.

  'What affects you affects me too,' he said slowly.

  'We are so sorry,' Eyes said. 'How can we help you?'

  'Heal yourselves and I will follow.' Unchained Lightning floated slowly up and over the house, drifting off into the grey sky.

  'Oh great,' Stalker said, rolling her eyes. 'So not only did we get ourselves poisoned but we poisoned our ally too. I hope he forgives us when we fix this mess.'

  'Okay,' Wind Talker said, clearing his throat. 'Start eating and popping pills while I cast the circle.'

  They did as he instructed, and Stalker watched him walk around the garden, ripping open tea bags and scattering the herbs on the ground in a circle around them as he walked. The pack formed a loose circle and passed the vitamins around. Stalker chewed on a protein bar, it was foul, chewy and tasteless. She persevered and swallowed the mouthful she had already taken, and made herself finish it off in two more bites.

  Wind Talker came to a halt and took his place in the circle. 'We consume these goods in order to maximise our health and well-being, in honour of the gods and fae of healing, wellness and health. We honour our bodies as gifts from Artemis and thank her for giving us rapid healing abilities. We call now in this time of great need, for some extra assistance. Fae hear me and answer my call.'

  There was a rushing sound overhead and Stalker looked up, searching for the source. A dark shape was hurtling towards them, and landed with a thud on the soft earth in the centre of the garden. The figure uncurled before them, taking the form of a tall man with enormous muscles and tanned skin. He had a full head of impossibly wavy hair and looked rather like a caricature made to mock bodybuilders. Stalker stifled a laugh and exchanged a glance with Weaver, who also looked amused.

  'Fleshlings,' the fae Adonis greeted them with a broad grin, flashing them his bright white teeth. He placed his hands on his narrow hips and puffed out his chest. 'Did you summon me to marvel at my magnificence?'

  'Perfection-of-Flesh,' Wind Talker addressed him with a slight bow of his head, and Stalker spotted a smirk poorly hidden on his lips. 'Thank you for coming. We are in need of your assistance.'

  'Perfection-of-Flesh can do anything. Speak. What is it that you require?'

  'We find ourselves poisoned, the victims of sabotage. There may be humans who are also affected. We need to detoxify ourselves and the innocent bystanders.'

  'Perfection-of-Flesh does not like this,' the fae said, looking crestfallen. 'Children of Artemis, your creator greatly aided mine in a time of dire need. I shall return the favour.'

  'Who is your creator?' James asked.

  'Heracles, of course.' Perfection-of-Flesh grinned and shook his head so that his hair rippled.

  'Of course,' James replied with a grin.

  'My wife may be poisoned also,' Eyes said, his voice trembling slightly. 'I believe we will mend ourselves given time, but I am worried for her.'

  'The disease within you is sometimes fatal to human bodies.' The fae's tone was blunt and Stalker blanched at its unsympathetic honesty.

  'Can you help her?' Eyes asked, growing impatient.

  'I can aid recovery, but I cannot directly heal. I can stay with her and aid her body in doing the job itself.'

  'That would be great,' Eyes replied, the relief evident in his voice.

  'What do you require of us?' James asked cautiously.

  'Eat well, exercise regularly and get plenty of fresh air. Look after yourselves and I will look after your human.' The fae gave a firm nod and jumped high into the air, disappearing over the house.

  'That sounds rather too good to be true, doesn't it?' Stalker said sceptically.

  'I think we should be extremely thankful.' Eyes rubbed his face wearily as he spoke.

  Wind Talker closed the circle and collapsed on the ground. Stalker rushed to his side, the others quick to follow.

  'Are you all right?' she asked him.

  'Yes, I'll be fine in a minute. That took a lot out of me.' Wind Talker stood up slowly and the pack crossed back into the human world and led him to the sofa to rest.

  'I need to go home and check on Chloe,' Eyes said. 'Stalker, can you hold down the fort until tonight? I'll meet you all at the Circ
le. Assuming we want to go ahead?'

  'I think we have to,' Stalker said. It didn't feel right, but they had little choice. They were so short of leads or any kind of plan. This was all they had. They just had to trust that Raigo was true to his word and that it was the Red Minister that had poisoned them. Eyes nodded in agreement and slipped out of the house. Stalker looked after her suffering comrades during the afternoon, hoping that they would be sufficiently recovered to face their fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  When it was time to go, with the help of a nutritious meal and some of the herbal teas that Stalker had bought, everyone was feeling much improved. They drove in James's car to the Circle and parked half a block away. It had once been part of Blue Moon territory, but Stalker had never set foot near the place, and the Lightning Lords were not yet bold enough to try to claim territory this far east of the river.

  It was dark; half of the street lights weren't working and ice cold rain fell upon the city in a fine drizzle. Stalker spotted Eyes pulling over a short way up the street and wondered if all of the wheels would still be on his car when they returned.

  'How's Chloe?' she asked him as they all greeted one another.

  'Fine, but she may not show symptoms for a few days if she has caught it. So we just have to watch and wait. She knows I was sick this morning, so she's alert to the possibility of catching something, and I told her to tell me if she starts to feel ill.'

  'I hope she doesn't get sick, I really do.' Stalker patted him on the shoulder and he smiled appreciatively.

  'Okay,' Eyes said, shaking off the blues. 'Let's do this. Meet Raigo and get in and out of there as fast as possible. We're looking to take down the Red Minister and find the body.'

  The five of them walked briskly up the road to the meeting point. The three rats were waiting for them. 'Raigo,' Eyes greeted the leader.

  'Is everyone ready?' Raigo asked, looking them each over with his sharp, shrewd eyes.

  'Absolutely,' Stalker replied. She felt fired up and ready for a fight, and was further reassured by Raigo's presence that he hadn't been responsible for poisoning them. If he had, and the appeal for an alliance had just been a ruse to get them drinking in that pub, then surely he would have expected them to be incapacitated and not show up.

  'We will lead you into the courtyard and across the veil,' Raigo explained. The body is under ground, we will take you to it and divert the Red Minister's forces while you deal with the body and the Minister himself. Does that sound agreeable?'

  The Lightning Lords murmured their agreement. The rat in a man's body twitched nervously, his eyes darting from one face to another and around their surroundings. Stalker watched him carefully as they set off towards the Circle. The rats led the way, Stalker just behind them. The rest of the Lightning Lords followed, with Wind Talker taking the rear and watching for anyone following them.

  The rats led them through a tunnel under the towering flats above. The Circle stood six storeys high and the walls were crumbling in places. Stalker looked overhead as they passed through the tunnel, the ceiling looked solid enough. There was graffiti all over the walls, and a strong smell of urine, which bothered her sensitive nose.

  They emerged into the vast central courtyard. It was almost pitch black as there was no lighting here, and very little that could reach from the lit areas outside the Circle. The sky above glowed orange with light pollution from the surrounding areas and that was their sole source of light. Stalker looked cautiously around, checking for movement on any of the balconies that ringed the courtyard. It was still and silent.

  'We cross the veil here,' Raigo whispered. Stalker glanced back at Wind Talker, who was wearing his new talisman. He nodded, giving them the all clear, and Stalker stepped across the veil behind Raigo and his companions. The rest of the shifters followed. The Circle in Hepethia was an exaggeration of its human equivalent, being even more dark and dilapidated. The courtyard was overgrown with long grass and moss climbed up the walls of the building. There was old graffiti peeking out between patches of moss and bits of the towering concrete circle had crumbled away and lay smashed on the floor. Movement caught Stalker's attention high up on the Circle and her gaze snapped to it. It was just a trickle at first, but it quickly became a blur of motion all around them on the balconies.

  'Movement,' she hissed. Everyone became alert and cast their eyes up and around the space. It was too dark to see anything clearly. Stalker felt a rush of air beside her and her eyes darted to Raigo and his friends. They were sprinting for the centre of the courtyard, two of them shifting form mid-stride into small rats. Raigo scurried behind the others and glanced back over his shoulder at her before disappearing into the darkness. 'Raigo!' Stalker snarled.

  'Where did they go?' Eyes whispered. 'Back across the veil?'

  'No, not so much as a flutter from the veil.' Stalker ran after them, Eyes hot on her heels. As they reached the centre, Stalker spotted a manhole cover and heard it clunk into place. She skidded to a halt over it and looked around in the blackness. There was no other sign of Raigo and his friends. 'They must have gone down there.'

  'The son of a bitch double-crossed us,' Eyes growled.

  Wind Talker, Weaver and James caught up to them, and the five of them immediately turned their attention to the buildings around them. The walls were crawling with movement. Stalker snarled in frustration; her human eyes were totally inadequate. She shifted form into a brown barn owl and flapped her wings to hover just above the pack.

  There were rats everywhere, a vast swarm pouring out of every doorway, off every balcony, and heading straight for them. She searched the swarm for anything that stood out. Amongst the normal-sized rats were several bigger creatures, rat-like monsters roughly the size of large dogs, with massive jaws and glinting teeth. Scurrying down one of the huge pillars was a human-sized rat creature in a red coat.

  Below her, her pack had figured out what was coming and were readying themselves for a fight. Eyes, Wind Talker and Weaver had shifted into their Agrius forms. James had drawn his gun. Stalker rolled her eyes, exasperated by her new pack mate's reluctance to take non-human forms. Stalker swooped down to the ground and shifted to match most of her pack. The first wave of rats was just a few metres away on all sides.

  A rat leapt into the air straight at Eyes and he easily swatted it aside with one massive, clawed hand. The small ones were easily dispatched, but their numbers were significant. One of the large, dog-sized wererats bounded right at Stalker and she slashed at it with her claws. At her back, James was buffered by Weaver and Wind Talker while he bided his time. Just as Stalker ripped the head off the wererat that had jumped at her, a shot rang out behind her, then another. Wind Talker stepped out slightly from the pack to give himself room as he grabbed hold of one of the big creatures and swung it around, clearing the floor of the normal rats briefly. Stalker drew her swords and strode forward to meet another big rat creature, slicing it neatly in three with her blades as it leapt into the air.

  She searched the swarm for the Red Minister, but there were too many of them and she couldn't find him. She continued cutting down the wererats and stomping on little ones, feeling their bones crunch beneath her monstrous feet. She was aware of James firing shots somewhere behind her and heard the snarls and grunting of her pack mates as they each did their share of fighting. It all seemed pointless though; the rats just kept on coming. They needed to find the Minister.

  Stalker broke rank and waded out into the swarm, searching for the leader. She had seen him from above, he had to be here somewhere. She circled around, careful to avoid James's line of fire, and took out as many wererats as she could.

  Suddenly there was an impact on her back. She felt sharp claws digging into her fur and skin and tried to shake the thing off. She roared and writhed around, but its grip on her was tight. She couldn't let it bite her and risk being poisoned.

  A shot rang out and the scrabbling, scratching at her back stopped suddenly. The werera
t slid to the floor and she wheeled around to look at it. A clean gunshot wound scarred its ugly head and blood spattered its fur. She turned to James, who was still aiming his gun her way. She gave him a quick nod of appreciation and he returned it before turning and taking aim at his next target. Perhaps his gun was useful after all.

  She saw him then, the Red Minister, just beyond James and making straight for him. Without the ability to warn him verbally in this form, Stalker howled and charged towards him, bounding over the rats covering the floor and leaping over Weaver as she grappled a wererat and ripped its throat out. Stalker pounced with her swords raised straight at the leader of the swarm. She landed with a thud before him and he raised himself up to his full height. He easily matched her for height, but was much more wiry. His face was cruel and pointed, his fur black, and his red coat was splattered with blood.

  Stalker went to strike but he dodged and spun behind her. She turned to face him and slashed again, this time he caught hold of her sword in his hand and pulled it towards him, dragging her with it. She lurched forward and headbutted him, sending him reeling, forcing him to release both her and her sword. Stalker went in for a low blow and managed to swipe one of his knees before he leapt out of her reach. Blood sprayed out onto the floor and he roared in pain as he went staggering backwards.

  There was a gunshot and the Red Minister's eyes darted to his stomach. A pool of blood was appearing there and he dropped to his knees, staring at the wound.

  Stalker pounced, plunging one of her swords into his chest and ripping it upward and out through his shoulder. His torso split in two and fell apart, like a banana peeling and out poured a dozen or more regular-sized rats. Stalker jumped back as his body fell to the floor and the blood-soaked rats climbed out of his remains and retreated towards the building.

  A terrible shriek filled the courtyard, a million rats squealing at once, and all of them turned tail and fled for the cover of the buildings. Stalker stood panting and looking around at the fleeing vermin. The others ran over to her and she shifted back into her human form. She had scratches all over her body and her head was throbbing like crazy, but she felt amazing, exhilarated from the fight.