Hounded By The Gods

by ST Branton

  “Why Greenlake?” I asked.

  Smitty gave a small, stifled shrug. “Hell if I know. Everything after that is a blank slate. I woke up in the water with my clothes off. Something was dragging me onto the bank.”

  I glanced at Maya. She was watching Smitty talk, her face impassive.

  “Dragging you?” I asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Yep. Don’t ask me what it was. Something big and hairy. That’s all I can tell you.” He held up one arm. “Oh, and I was bleeding like mad.” A coarse laugh made its way out of his throat. “Could be Bigfoot is real, after all. And maybe he’s my guardian angel.”

  I smiled, but my mind was occupied. Smitty recalled a big, hairy creature pulling him from the water after his wounds had been inflicted. That version of events implied strongly to me that a werewolf had saved him, a scenario which stood in direct opposition to all of my experiences with the beasts thus far.

  They could be frightened, driven back. But choosing to rescue a human? That didn’t fit in anywhere. Unless it wasn’t one of the Weres. I frowned. What else could it have been?

  “Don’t look so worried there, girl,” Smitty said. “I’ll be right as rain in a few days. Only thing that hurts now is my pride.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to finish that blade you ordered. It’s nearly there too.”

  “What blade?” Maya glanced between us.

  “Oh.” I laughed. “No problem. It was stupid anyway. I’m just glad you’re still kicking around.”

  The smile came back. “Gonna take more than a few cuts to check me out of this life.”

  Maya reached into her pocket and brought out a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers. “For when the bravado wears off,” she told me, winking.

  “Thanks.” There were a ton of things I wanted to ask her alone, but with Smitty right here, my questions would have to wait. “Could you stick around and make sure I get him settled okay?”

  “Sure.” She stripped off her coat and hung it on the rack inside the door. “Not like anyone’s bringing their dog or cat around to the clinic right now. People are scared stiff of whatever is haunting the streets of your little town. They’re probably better off staying in, behind closed doors.”

  I wanted to ask her how she knew about the Weres since she’d been AWOL the whole time they were in town, but I restrained myself. Smitty was almost as lively as ever, and he would certainly want to know details if he overheard. We tucked him in, fed him a couple pills, and watched him drift off to sleep as the excitement of being back home calmed down.

  I let out a breath when I saw him resting peacefully. He was a tough old badger, but he’d had a really freaking close call.

  “I should go,” Maya said suddenly, on her feet in a flash. “There are a lot of other people who need medical attention still. It’s too bad I haven’t mastered the art of being in two places at once.”

  I stood up, too. “Are you handling everyone on your own? Let me help. I know some first aid. It’s not brain surgery, but it’ll take some of the workload off you.”

  She smirked dryly. “No, you’re off the hook. The traveling doctor is going to get here today. You know, the one with a license to practice on humans? Apparently, one of the townspeople are bringing him in on some hunting trails on an ATV or something. I’ve been relegated to support staff.” With one last look at Smitty, snoring on his back in the bed we’d made out of his easy chair, she fished in her pocket and handed me a slip of folded paper. “My number, in case you need anything. I can’t promise I’ll be free right away, but I’ll come as soon as I can.” She paused. “I think he’ll be just fine, though. He’s a pretty sturdy old guy.”

  I pocketed her number. “Good luck out there, doc.”

  “Thanks. I might need it.”

  Then she was gone, the door closing softly behind her. I flopped down on the sofa and sank down into the overstuffed cushions. “She’s hiding something,” I said to Marcus, quietly enough that my voice was drowned out by Smitty’s vigorous sawing of logs. “Right? I mean, why else wouldn’t she tell me where she ran off to? If she was lost, she should’ve ended up like Smitty, or worse. She’s no match for a werewolf.”

  I do not disagree, but I think you should be able to present proof if you aim to accuse her of anything.

  “I don’t want to accuse her. I just want someone to level with me about what I’m missing. Because I’m definitely missing something.” The gap in my understanding stood out like a sore thumb, and it was driving me up the wall. “At least we know the way to stop things, right?”

  And what way is that?

  “The same way we’ve stopped everything else. We eliminate the source.” I leaned my head on the back of the couch. “If I can kill Lupres, then all his plans should come grinding to a halt since he’s the one producing Weres.” The more I talked, the more sensible the words sounded. “And then maybe the werewolves he has turned will be freed from whatever power he has over them.” I paused. “This is where you tell me I’m right, Marcus.”

  I certainly hope that you are, but I cannot be so sure. The servants of the gods must never be trusted, even when one is acting in their best interest.

  “They’re not servants of the gods. They’re more like unwilling slaves, as far as we know.”

  When they gave up their human form, they became his servants—willing or no. And that means they are operating in a different sphere of influence, further removed from you than you might think.

  I chewed the inside of my lip. “Fair enough. Next Were we meet, we let the Gladius Solis ask the questions. If these things can talk, the sword will get them to squeal.” I slipped out the door and locked it behind me. “It’s worth a shot, at least. We have nothing to lose at this point.”

  He sighed. That is a point I cannot argue. We had an old saying when were on the outer limits away from Rome.

  “Oh yeah,” I said. “What was that.”

  If there is nothing left to lose, then we’re probably not winning.

  “If we make it through this, I’ll have to introduce you to one of earth’s wisest leaders. Her name is Oprah, and her thoughts about the power of positive thinking will blow your mind.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  No one seemed to notice as I slipped out of town into the woods. Without a clear path, my best bet was to head toward where I had last seen Lupres and hope that there was a trail to follow.

  Failing that, Plan B was to wait until nightfall for the werewolves to inevitably find me and tear me to pieces. So I was placing a lot of eggs in the Plan A basket.

  I was sore all over, but thankful for at least one peaceful night for my body to try and repair itself. Whatever I was walking into, it definitely wasn’t going to be a pleasant affair.

  If Marcus was thinking anything, he decided to keep it to himself. And for a while, my feet crunching over the forest floor were the only sound I heard, apart from the whistle of a cold wind through the branches.

  It was almost peaceful.

  Then something snapped behind me.

  I stopped and stood stock still in the middle of the vague path. A soft rustle reached my perked ears. I turned. It could have been an animal, but my paranoia suspected otherwise. I’d spent quite a bit of time in the trees surrounding Mormouth and Silver Banks since arriving, and the only real animals I had seen thus far were the Weres themselves.

  And I had that creepy feeling that comes with being watched.

  Wary, I started slowly forward, listening all the while. Sure enough, I began to pick out careful, rhythmic steps some distance behind me. They’d gone unnoticed while I was preoccupied with my thoughts, but now that my attention was undivided, the sound was unmistakable. I wondered how long whoever it was had been there and what they hoped to gain from tailing me.

  A firsthand look at a viciously ugly werewolf god, followed by a swift, yet painful death? That was about all I expected as far as rewards went.

  My follower drew closer, but it was such a gra
dual change that I doubted they even noticed. I kept pretending to be oblivious, letting their apparent curiosity do most of the work for me. Then, I whipped around in one, dizzyingly quick motion, just in time to catch the disappearance of a silhouette behind a tree trunk. They’d walked themselves into a trap; anywhere they tried to go, I would see them.

  I approached the tree with my hand over the Gladius Solis, all my muscles tensed in anticipation. Rather than peering around the trunk myself and allowing for the possibility of a surprise attack, I stopped a few feet away and squared my stance. “Show yourself,” I called.

  At first, I got no response. Just as I was about to make my demand again, someone emerged from the shelter of the trunk. Maya smiled sheepishly. “Uh, hey, Vic.”

  “Maya?” I cocked my head to the side. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

  She dug the toe of her shoe into the dirt, studying the ground. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on around here, but I want to find out. And I think you know more about it than you’re letting on.”

  I frowned. “What makes you say that?” Other than the fact that I was currently sneaking through the middle of the woods a couple days after the town was attacked.

  The vet gave me a look. “I’m not dumb, Vic. You showed up, the first stranger we’ve seen in weeks, and then, what? A day later, Silver Banks gets decimated by some kind of insane horde of monsters? That can’t be just a coincidence. Nothing ever happens here.”

  I groaned, running my fingers through my hair. “You’re going to have to trust me on this, all right? I’ll take care of it. Go home and lock the doors.”

  “Hell no.” She stared at me with defiant intensity. “You can’t just turn up here and appoint yourself hero of a place you don’t even know. If you can handle it, that’s great, but it’s my town more than it’s yours. I deserve to be able to help where I can.”

  I eyed her, formulating an answer. A heavy thump broke the silence. Over Maya’s shoulder, I saw a form striding toward us. “Oh, no,” I muttered.

  “If Silver Banks is anyone’s town, it’s mine.” Amber had her rifle and a pack on her back, and she too had fire in her eyes. “I was born here. I grew up here. My granddad’s lying in bed all torn up. And I’m not going anywhere until I figure out what happened to him.”

  “It’s dangerous,” I persisted. “You’re asking to get killed.”

  Amber rolled her eyes. “Please, Vic. I can hold my own out here. You know this gun isn’t just for show.”

  I did know that, but it didn’t reassure me. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

  “That’s the point,” Maya interjected. “Face it, Vic. You’re not doing this alone. There are people here who care. Amber and I are two of them.”

  I heaved a grudging sigh. “Girl Power it is then. If this is what you want, then come on. We don’t have any more time to waste.”

  After that, I kept going, more than a little annoyed. I had nothing against either of these ladies; in fact, I liked them both a lot, but they sure had a knack for getting in my way. I resolved not to let it bother me. As long as they were here anyway, I might as well embrace the help. We weren’t in any danger yet. Most likely, the second they laid eyes on Lupres, they’d be out of there no matter what.

  I was kind of counting on it.

  None of us spoke as we worked our way toward the river. Minutes turned to hours, but the forest seemed to stretch on without end. Amber kept pace with me well enough, but I kept noticing that Maya was distracted by something, lagging a bit. Knowing I couldn’t risk losing her among the trees, I slowed down and let her catch up. She was looking around as if expecting someone or something to leap out at her.

  “Hey,” I called. “What’s the deal? I thought you were little miss nature lover? You’re looking over your shoulder like a tourist who took a wrong turn and got lost in the Bronx. Pretty sure no one is going to mug you out here.”

  “What?” She jumped and stared at me. “Sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” Her eyes made another circuit of the surrounding area.

  “I get it. I’ve been dealing with this shit for a little while now. You don’t really get used to it. Especially the blood.”

  “No, it’s not that,” her voice was low.

  “Then what is it?”

  “Um...no. It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Maya was definitely nervous, tugging at her clothes and hair. She nodded in the direction we were heading. “Let’s just keep going.”

  “Wait a second.” My voice was like steel, and I put my hand on her arm for good measure. “You said you wanted to help. If we’re in this, you’ve got to be straight with me. What the hell is going on?”

  Maya opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her eyes were wide, like she was afraid of me, of what might happen if she spoke.

  Amber’s bootsteps fell silent, and I turned to make sure she hadn’t wandered off either. But she was simply leaning against a tree, watching me and Maya. I noticed she kept her hand resting near the gun’s safety.

  I looked back at my new friend. “Well?”

  Maya hemmed and hawed for a minute before giving in. “I’ve just got the craziest feeling of déjà vu. Or déjà rêvé technically.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  It means she has seen this place in her dreams.

  I rolled my eyes. Showoff.

  Maya didn’t notice. “Ever since you showed up, I’ve been having the wildest nightmares. Like, off the chain. I’m running through the woods—these woods—and there’s this voice calling to me. And no matter how hard I fight it, I can’t disobey.”

  That is not an encouraging sign.

  I nodded in agreement but didn’t want to freak her out. “It’s just a weird dream. You shouldn’t take it seriously.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand, last time it happened, I woke up in the middle of nowhere, with no idea how I got where I was.”

  I forced a smile. “Plenty of people sleepwalk.”

  “I was also completely naked.” She rubbed a hand over her face.

  “That,” I struggled for words. “okay, that’s less than normal.”

  “I thought coming out here would help clear my head, you know? But it’s only gotten worse. I’m afraid I’m losing my mind.”

  I do not like this at all, Marcus chimed in.

  “It’s fine,” I said as much to him as to her. “You’re with us now, and we’re not going to let anything happen to you, right Amber?”

  I look toward the girl and she nodded in agreement. “You saved Pops, so as far as I’m concerned, I’ve got your back for life.”

  Good girl.

  “On one condition that is.”

  Shit. Spoke too soon.

  Maya looked up at her tentatively. “What’s that?

  “If you get the urge to take your clothes off, you’ll warn me first.”

  No one spoke for what felt like an hour, until Maya double over laughing. It was contagious, and before we knew it, the three of us were laughing our asses off in the middle of the woods.

  This is why war is the domain of men.

  I tried to tell Marcus to go screw himself, but his comment only renewed the bout of laughter.

  By the time we settled down, I felt pounds lighter.

  ***

  I took point again, leading our little party through the steadily darkening trees. The air grew cold and dense as the sun slid down below the horizon. I zipped up my coat. By the time it was dark, I could see the ghost of my breath in front of me.

  I turned back to see Amber and Maya walking close together—like sisters. It made me smile.

  Victoria, what do you make of Maya’s nightmares and new nocturnal proclivities.

  “You mean the nighttime nudism? I’ll admit, I don’t love it.”

  She’s a risk.

  “Hey, we don’t know that yet. Maybe Lupres is messing with her mind, maybe it is just the stress of everything. She s
aid she didn’t start feeling weird until I showed up, right? I’ve been known to have an uncomfortable effect on people.”

  I cannot deny that.

  “And besides, you heard her. She’s been trying to fight it, whatever it is. So we treat her as a person in need of help, not as the enemy, got it?”

  What happened to finding Lupres by any means necessary? She could be our link.

  I shook my head. No. You said it yourself, this is my quest. I can’t run it that way. I just can’t Marcus.

  He was quiet for a minute, but his voice was softer when it returned.

  You truly have a heroic spirit Victoria. Let no one tell you otherwise.

  A small lump threatened to form in my throat, but I choked it down. “Thanks Marcus. That was really sweet.”

  I meant it. And if your heroic spirit gets you killed, it will have been an honor serving with you.

  And there it is. You can take the Roman out of Rome...

  “Hey, Vic.” Amber’s voice touched my ear. She jogged to catch up with me, then grabbed my arm. “Let’s take a break. I think we all need it.”

  Out of concern, I looked back at Maya, but she seemed as strong as ever. Stronger really.

  “Really? I figured we could get another couple of miles in. Don’t tell me you’re wimping out on me.”

  “Well...not exactly.” Amber’s tough exterior softened, and she seemed almost sheepish.

  “Spill it,” I said.

  “It’s you. You’re making so much damn noise, whatever we’re tracking could probably hear us clear on the other side of the state. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to shuffle your feet when you walk?”