I found another -- and yet another at my back. I turned slowly and marked all the ones I could see -- the three closest to me, and a few a little farther away in the snow. Though obviously aware of me, they didn't come any closer.
Time to get David and get back to town.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see David at all now.
"Hey! David!" I shouted. The sound echoed through the silence, and he should have heard me, but I got no answer. Oh hell. I'd been a fool to let him go wandering off alone, especially when I knew there were dangers here in the woods!
I hurried up the trail, watching his prints in the snow, searching for any signs of trouble. The snow fell harder, and the wind picked up. The calm and serenity of a few moments ago disappeared, and I feared I had made another really stupid mistake.
If he had been hurt because --
The tree beside me moved.
Not actually the tree, of course. I ducked and felt the sweep of something go over the top of my head. I dropped and rolled in the snow and came back up to my feet, spinning to find a hag of a tree sprite swinging at me with long, clawed fingers. Her desiccated skin hung like dead bark on her body, and her hair had long since lost the green of spring and turned to a dirty gray. The eyes staring at me flashed with red magic and she swung with a speed and strength I hadn't expected.
Damn! Another thing that shouldn't have gotten through. I was beginning to feel put upon by the constant attention of creatures who wanted to do me harm. This time I acted quickly and decisively. I pulled the power up inside me and focused the magic in my hand, sending a wave of magic to immobilize her.
The spell bounced off her dead, bark-like skin and nearly got me instead. I ducked as she laughed -- a sound reminiscent of twigs breaking. Not pleasant, especially when she leapt at me.
Slow, at least. Something finally in my favor. I didn't know what to do, though. She had shrugged off my magic. I might outrun her -- but I couldn't run to get help.
She swung, but I backed up and got out of her range.
The riders began closing in on me. I shoved one of the mist horses to see if I could move the creature aside, but felt as though I had hit a wall. Magic, of course, and this ward with a tag aimed right at me. Someone had set them to keep me in place, and if all those horses circled round me, I wouldn't be able to escape the tree sprite. Even if I called to David, he had no way to fight her.
Hell, hell, hell!
I backed into another of the damned horses. The rider reached for me, but he wasn't quite corporeal enough and I only felt a cold pass through my head. Not pleasant, but it could have been worse.
I heard an unexpected growl over my right shoulder saw a very large, and very rare, mountain lion bounding through the snow.
They're beautiful animals, and almost hunted to extinction. She appeared to have run a good ways, and she came to a panting stop as she navigated her way past the horses. The ward didn't stop her since the magic had been tagged specifically to me. She stopped again a couple yards away and then trudged forward as though she had to push through the last bit of snow.
She laid her ears back and growled at the tree hag.
"Careful," I said softly. "She's dangerous. And she's not from this world."
"I know," the big cat answered. She stalked forward, putting herself between me and the creature. "We've been noticing a lot of things not right lately. They seem to be aimed at you."
"Yes, I noticed," I said, keeping a wary eye on everything around me. "I can't use magic on this one."
"Well let's see if claws and teeth work better."
I almost warned her to stay back, but the cat made a leap straight at the neck of the tree sprite. Lucky for both of us, she didn't seem to have any trouble sinking her teeth into the creature and bearing her down. The sprite got in a couple cuts and I leapt forward, grabbing one of the arms, risking wounds, as the cat bit harder. The sprite bellowed, and I jabbed my fist right into her face when she twisted around and tried to bite.
There is something satisfactory about using brute force sometimes -- especially when you're already having a lousy day and creatures keep trying to kill you. I hit her once and her head snapped back. She grunted in surprise. The cat had nearly bitten through one arm and the sprite looked worried.
So I hit her again.
The wind kicked up in a fierce wave of cold making my fingers feel as though they had frozen to her arm. I lifted my other hand to shield my eyes and saw the riders galloping off, but not in the direction David had gone.
The tree sprite yelled, bucked and got free of both of us. She scrambled off, lost almost immediately against the bark of other trees and the veil of snow. I started to follow --
"I'll get her. You get out of here," my cat savior said. She stopped to lick a wound on her side, which I healed with a touch of my fingers. Great golden eyes stared up at me. "Thank you. But go."
"She's dangerous. I should --"
"There's worse than her in the woods right now. Get the human and get out of here. Don't come back until you're ready to fight the real battle."
Wisdom. What had made me come out here, knowing the danger? What made me come out with David, who not only couldn't protect himself from my enemies, but actually kept me from using my powers?
"Thank you. I'll get David and leave." I healed the wound on my arm, straightened my clothing, and even sent a rush of snow over the area where we'd fought, covering the marks and the blood.
The mountain lion took off, bounding through the snow after her prey. I wished her luck and watched until she disappeared into the snow. The riders hadn't followed them, at least, so I thought the big cat would have a chance.
I took stock of myself once more, making certain I showed no outward signs of the battle. I had a difficult time removing the tears in my clothing. I ached, too, as I hurried up the trail and found David closer than I expected, which could have put him in danger. I had been stupid to let my anger overcome my good sense!
He hadn't gotten out a camera, and he stood on the trail as though he didn't have a clue what to do now.
Fine.
"Let's go," I said. "The weather is changing, and it's not safe to stay out here any longer."
"I didn't think a little snow would scare you off."
"Oh stop with the damned macho crap," I said, and startled him this time. Maybe he didn't think he could push me so far that I lost my temper. "Come on. You obviously aren't going to take any pictures anyway."
He tapped the backpack, frowning, as though he intended to argue with me. I saw a rider, not far behind him, a faint shape in the falling snow. I feared they might be preparing for another attack, and I was half tempted to leave David and go take care of the trouble.
I took a deep breath and prepared to cast a quick spell to compel him to go with me. I didn't want to, especially considering how much the last spell had backfired.
I carefully lifted my hand preparing to use magic, but at the same time David moved, going past me with a slight snarl.
"Fine. We'll go back."
I dropped the spell and turned to follow him. He moved as though something made him uncommonly angry as he limped unsteadily down the trail. We reached the car without trouble, even though the wind had kicked up and the snow fell harder. Riders moved in the trees, but David obviously didn't see anything out of place.
I drove back out of the park, David silent and sullen in the seat next to me. I gave a wave to Tom as we went past and headed out.
I had barely begun to relax when I saw movement at the side of the car. A rider kept pace with us, and another took a spot on the other side. Heading into town didn't seem to deter them at all.
I saw more of them on the streets as we came back into Estes Park. I shivered, my breath catching at the sight of such blatant magic right there in the heart of technology. Too many, everywhere. I thought the army I had seen on the other side of The Edge must have come through. Damn, damn, damn.
I picked up speed. Dav
id didn't notice. He seemed oblivious to everything, in fact. He sat back, his eyes closed. Maybe he had a headache. I couldn't feel sorry for him or call up the energy to care.
I saw a couple riders close by the house, but they galloped away as I pulled up. As the car came to a stop David finally lifted his head. His glare remained. So did mine.
"I'm going back to the hotel and have lunch with Aletta."
"Have a nice time," I said. I didn't care; I wanted him away from me and the problem I had to solve, and which he only complicated.
He got out of the car.
"Take your damned camera equipment with you."
He snarled something I didn't quite understand, got the pack out, and went back to his car. He seemed to have some trouble with it at first, but he drove away without crashing into my car or a tree. I watched him go, a couple riders trailing after him, which worried me -- and didn't. They were everywhere. I worried about everyone at this point. Besides, he did have Aletta.
I trudged up to the house and threw the door open.
"Oh human love! Thou spirit given, on Earth of all we hope in Heaven!"
I sighed when I saw the cockatiel shaking his head in disbelief. "No luck, huh?" I asked.
"Not so you'd notice," Gaylord said. "Sorry."
"I expected this might take a while. You've barely had a couple hours." I threw my jacket on the chair and went to the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator. Cato showed up at the sound, of course.
"You know, I can just look at you and see this is a chocolate day," the cat said. "Things did not go well?"
"Oh, everything went swell. The riders hemmed me in while a tree sprite tried to kill me. I got away with the help of a mountain lion. And then I had to deal with David, who suddenly seems to think the world revolves around him."
I reached for some fudge I had stuck back in the corner of a shelf where the temptation wouldn't draw my immediate attention. I also pulled out a piece of cheese for Cato. I hate wallowing alone.
"The riders are those guys on horses, right? Not something new? We've been seeing a lot of them out in the yard today. They make me nervous."
"They're not good news, that's for sure."
I sat down at the table. Cato leapt up beside me. I broke up a piece of cheese for him. Then I stood and got the birds some fancy crackers. Like I said, I don't like to wallow alone. I'd be a pathetic drunk.
"What are you going to do now?" Cato asked as I sat back down.
"I haven't a clue. Try to reach home, I suppose." I saw a rider go by the window, almost on my property. They seemed to be keeping some distance away, probably because of the ward. Glad it worked for something.
I also felt out The Edge. The damned thing had moved again, and this time even closer to the town. I felt as though everywhere I turned something hit me in the gut. I wanted to go curl up in a ball until all the trouble went away.
I wanted -- needed -- help and I knew I wouldn't get any from the only other fae within the area. I had to take care of this myself, and I didn't know what to do.
I ate my fudge in silence while thoughts crowded round my head, and I didn't know which way to turn or what to think.
Cato ate his cheese. Then he leaned over and rubbed his head against my shoulder. I petted him and he purred for a moment before he sat back.
"You'll do all right, Kat. You really will. I know it."
"Cato, I don't --"
"You don't have answers. You'll find them. Don't let David get you down. You know humans are fickle."
"Yeah." I sighed and ate the last piece of my fudge. I'd have to make more, and soon, the way this week was going. "I need answers. You're right."
"Where are you going to get them?"
"I'll try to reach home." I stood and headed for the chair. "Afterwards, I'll go talk to the pigeons if they're around."
"I haven't talked to any of the cats for a couple days now. As soon as the storm dies down, I'll go ask around," Cato said, though he looked out the window with some disgust. "Despite how I feel about the snow."
"I don't know if I want you out there. It's dangerous --"
"There are dangers everywhere," he said, a statement of fact. "I'll be careful. I expect you to do the same."
I nodded agreement.
"I'll go nap now. I think this is going to be a long night," he said and headed back to the bedroom.
I spent the next hour in a futile attempt to reach home. The connection seemed to have gotten worse instead of better. I wondered if my problems also came as a backlash of my own unsteady powers. Everything had been going wrong, after all.
"You don't look happy," Gaylord said, coming to sit on the side of the chair. "I know things are bad. I mean, I don't understand the ramifications of what you were saying to the fuzz ball, but I could tell from the tone that you talked about some dire stuff. And those big white things out there, the half human things -- man, I ain't never seen anything like them. I about laid an egg when I saw one riding past."
"They aren't good. But I don't think they're so much the real problem as a manifestation of worse things. I think they'll be a true problem when they get wholly into this world, but right now they're still half illusion. And those are men riding on horses."
"I've heard of horses." Gaylord turned to the window and shook his head so hard his entire body followed the action. "Never thought they'd be so big. Damned dangerous things, aren't they?"
I almost told him I'd seen far worse lately, but why should I worry the little guy?
"Yeah, they are dangerous. Especially when the people riding them are not friendly."
"And they're after you?"
"Yes. You want to go back to the nice safe bird store now?"
"Are you joking?" he asked, startled. "Yeah, those things are dangerous. But here I am in a nice warm house, free to fly around, with a parrot who doesn't jabber about how pretty she is all day, and even the cat sleeps most of the time. I'd be an idiot to go back to the store after coming here."
"This place isn't safe, you know. What would you do if you had to face down one of those horses?"
"Jab it right in the eye. And the rider, too."
Really, that sounded like a good plan. I nodded and petted him on the head. Cato had been right about there being nowhere safe anyway. This house had wards. Gaylord might be safer in here than anywhere else in town considering I had seen the horse and riders everywhere.
"I've got to go out. I'll be back before sunset, if I can. If I'm not, stay inside and keep out of reach of anything if it breaks in. If Cato tries to urge you to do something, follow his lead."
"You want me to follow the orders of a cat."
"Yes."
"I'm supposed to trust him, am I?"
"Yes."
"You keep him well fed, do you?"
"Very well fed."
"Okay then, but I have to tell you, if he tries anything funny, I'll take a chunk of out of his cute little furry ass."
"Next time I see him, I'll warn him."
"Good." I stood and Gaylord fluttered up to stand on my shoulder. "Be careful out there. Things don't feel right. I'm worried."
"I'll be careful." I felt sort of all soft inside, thinking about the warning from both the cat and the bird.
"My breast her shield in wintry weather," Shakespeare said and bobbed his head several times.
"Thank you," I replied, believing he had said much the same thing as Gaylord. I had good friends.
I put my jacket back on and stepped out onto the porch. The riders began to close in a little. I sent a wave of magic toward them, and the horses bucked as they hit the wall that hadn't been there a moment before. The wind kicked up as well, which meant there was too much magic in the air. What a surprise.
I got to the car without a problem, and drove down to the park, the riders tagging after me, but at a good distance. I could see them in my rearview mirror, a trail of oddly shaped white smoke following me.
I didn't see many other cars on the
road and the riders, avoided moving vehicles by some prodigious leaps and bounds. If there had been no other people on the road, I would have tried my luck at running a few of them down.
I had lost a lot of my 'don't hurt others' feeling in the last day. I hoped I got it back later, after this trouble ended.
At the park, I saw a flutter of pigeon wings at the barn and grabbed the bag of food, heading there. However, when I arrived and stepped into the building I couldn't find a single bird.
"What the hell is going on?"
Riders had trailed in behind me. I sent them off with an angry wave of my hand and a flash of magic. I feared getting rid of them wasn't going to be easy when they got more solid. I wanted answers from the pigeons -- or from any other bird. I reached out to find them --
And I found the hint of a spell purposely keeping things away from me -- a shell about two yards beyond my physical reach. The only birds and cats who had been able to get near me were either my own, the ones in the shop who couldn't be repelled before they came within my shell, and ones like the hawk -- who had said she'd fought to be near me.
I'd been an idiot. Again. I tried to feel out who had made the spell. Aletta? I truly didn't think she had that kind of finesse. Someone else might be here. I couldn't grasp the key, and I had to let go and concentrate on destroying the magic instead.
The spell came apart in strands -- birds here, cats there, and a more general feeling for everything else. No wonder animals had run from me when I approached them in the wilds. The work had been very intricate and fae made, beyond a doubt. I could feel the world changing around me as I tore the spell apart. I felt a subtle shift and my nerves calmed. I hadn't realized how deaf I'd felt until I heard bright, bird voices.
"Kat, Kat, Kat!" The pigeons cooed as they flocked down around me. I poured out handfuls of grain, but they seemed more interested in me than the food.
"Dark things," Pretty said, stopping by my shoes. "Dark times and creatures wandering the night that should not be here."
I wasn't particularly surprised to find there was more trouble. I would have been far more shocked if the pigeons hadn't given me news of something else gone wrong. It had been that kind of week. "Where do they go in the daylight?" I asked, leaning down toward her.
Kat Among The Pigeons Page 16