That thought was uppermost as she came down the stairs into Pete and Shelly’s front room. A ring of faces peered up at her, making her start and pause momentarily. It hadn’t occurred to her that she’d have an audience for breakfast. But then, it was probably easier than trying to talk to everyone individually. Maybe.
Pete walked in from the kitchen as she got to the last step and plunked a big pot of coffee down on the dining room table. There were a few platters of food, most of them half-full of what looked like different kinds of meat. Becca’s mouth watered the way that it never seemed to for, say, broccoli these days.
Erin cleared her throat. “After you’ve grabbed some coffee and some food, Becca, I’d like you to tell us what you can about the Nesters.” She turned back to the group sitting on the two sofas and said something that didn’t register with Becca. The grogginess that she’d been feeling the last few days seemed to be lingering.
Instead of listening, she took stock of who was in the living room, almost like she hadn’t seen them before: Molly, Pete, Mrs. Hui (one of these days she was going to have to ask what her first name was, once she worked up the nerve), Gladys, Carlos and two or three more folks whose names she couldn’t remember or never knew.
She wondered where Lizzie and Adelía were and why Gladys was there. It was hard to picture her tactless and taciturn neighbor as a leader in the Pack. But so it went; at least she was reliable. She realized that she was being a little mean. The thought made her feel even guiltier and she glanced around for Kira to make her apologies for kicking her out of her room.
Erin beckoned her over, breaking into her thoughts. Becca chugged half a cup of coffee, grabbed a plate of food and took the empty seat between the couches that they’d left for her. Everyone looked expectantly at her. They think I know where Shelly is. The thought was like a punch to the gut, especially when she saw the hopeful look on Pete’s face.
She made herself look away as she started talking. “I’m guessing you know that Oya took me with her to see the ‘proof’ of the Nesters’ cure. So I drove her up to their camp outside town, somewhere in the foothills. I think I can find it again, though I don’t know for certain. She also said there were other camps, though that might have been a lie.”
Becca paused and grabbed a bite of sausage. She kept talking, even though her mouth was full. So much for my manners. “I made sure to rub my hands against some of the rocks and trees on the way in. I was hoping that would be enough to mark the trail.” She glanced around, relieved to see some approving nods. It might be a help, if she couldn’t remember the exact route.
She took them back through everything that had happened up to Leroy injecting her, including the drunken hunters. Carlos shifted a little and she realized where she’d seen him before. “That was you!” He blushed a little and looked at his feet as she caught his hand. “Thank you for trying. It wasn’t your fault they dosed me anyway. Did you come back for the gunfight yesterday?”
Carlos smiled a little warily. “It wasn’t exactly a gunfight. A couple of us were checking out the area because we were going to go back at midnight to try to get you out. The trigger-happy Nester assholes started firing at us, so we fired a few shots back. Then they got distracted by some kind of explosion on their side and we got out of there.”
Erin made an impatient face at the interruption and Becca hurried to continue with her story. “The bad part is that I never saw Shelly. I couldn’t get them to tell me where they were holding her either. I’m so sorry, Pete.” He rubbed one large hand over his eyes and Becca wanted to sink into the carpet.
She’d wanted to be a hero this time, she realized that now. Or at least to be the one helping her friends out instead of the other way around for a change. But more importantly, she wanted this part to be over with, for Shelly and Pete to be back at the store and her to be working and everything back more or less the way it had been.
Instead, Erin was hugging Pete and everyone was looking everywhere but at each other. Finally, Mrs. Hui broke the silence, “Do you think they were holding her somewhere nearby? You said you thought there were fewer of them than we feared.”
Becca rubbed her chin in thought. “I’m not sure. I know there seemed to be more of them when we attacked the camp than there were around the trailer. But if they have a second camp somewhere else, the rest of them could have been there. I wish I knew more!” She slammed her fist against her knee as the sense of frustration overwhelmed her.
“Whoa!” Molly jumped back, staring at Becca’s hand. Becca couldn’t help but notice that she put her arm up in front of Carlos, like she was protecting him.
“Becca!” Erin’s voice barked across the room, her tone as full alpha as Becca had ever heard it. “Get that under control.”
Becca stared at the fur-covered hand on her knee like she was trying to bend spoons with her mind or something. She could feel tears welling up, then running down her face, and she rubbed her eyes angrily with her other hand. How was she supposed to stop this? Now she felt silly as well as out of control.
Erin cleared her throat and looked away. “All right. We need to figure out where Shelly is. Some of us will need to go looking for the camp where they held Becca. Maybe we can find a clue on where their other camp is. Do you think you can get the aftereffects under control in a few hours?” She leaned forward, her eyes holding Becca’s once more. “I wouldn’t ask this of you if we had other options.”
Becca sank into her gaze, forgetting that they had an audience for just long enough to be slightly embarrassing. It was hard to find the words. “Um…I think I can. I’ll try.” She glared down at her errant hand as a thought struck her. “Hey, they still have my car!”
Gladys smothered a snort of a laugh and Becca glared at her. But at least she didn’t growl or feel like she was going to go full were, at least not more than she already had. Maybe she could beat this in a few hours after all. The tears receded in a wave of new-found resolve.
Looking around, she realized that the group’s attention had shifted. Erin was giving out assignments and she’d missed the first few. “…Molly, you go to the Nesters’ site with Gladys, Mei, and Becca. Take whoever else you need. Lizzie said she’d come when we called her so make sure you get in touch with her before you get out of range.”
Carlos raised his hand and Erin gave him a surprised nod in response. “Me and Jason want to go in too. You might need some cover and we could definitely provide that. Besides, we don’t want to sit around worrying.” He gave Molly a crooked grin.
Erin nodded slowly. “That makes sense. You can help Becca locate the camp. Pete, can you stay here and be our base again tonight? We’ll all meet back here as soon as we can.” At his answering grunt, she got up, brushing her pants off and grabbing her bag from behind the couch.
“Where are you going?” Becca blurted the question, wondering a second too late if Erin had already said it while she’d been daydreaming.
“I need to go talk to the Circle about how to use the valley’s magic.” Erin gave her a swift smile, then looked stern as she turned away.
Wait! Didn’t Shelly say that was dangerous? Becca wasn’t willing to ask the question out loud. After all, everything they were doing was dangerous. Besides, Erin hadn’t actually said she was going to try it, just ask about it. All the same, she couldn’t say that she liked the feeling she got watching Erin walk out the door.
But there was other work to do. Speaking of which, she’d had a job a few days ago. It was probably time to ask whether or not she still had one. “Pete, who’s minding the store?”
“Kira. I don’t think you’re quite ready yet,” Pete nodded at her hand, nearly, but not quite furless now.
Becca blew out her breath in frustration. She’d have to ask for a lift home, then asked to get picked up again if she didn’t stay here. What was she supposed to do for the next couple of hours while she tried to get herself back to normal?
Molly supplied the answer by dropping some
maps and aerial photos in front of her. “Let’s try and get a bead on where they’re at. Here’s where we picked you up…” Becca wondered briefly why she didn’t ask Carlos but Molly seemed so focused, she didn’t get around to asking that question.
Molly kept her so busy with planning that Becca didn’t notice when most of the group left, then trickled back in a few hours later with additions. They came back with equipment: flashlights, backpacks, food packages and a several guns. “Do we really need those?” Becca asked without thinking. Everyone looked at her like she was growing fur. She checked: nothing new so far. “Never mind. I suppose we might.” Which didn’t make her like them any more than she usually did.
“Got the radios?” Molly took a bag from Adelía, and at her nod, started handing out what looked like walkie-talkies. That made sense, Becca realized, seeing as they’d be heading out past the town’s cell-phone coverage area.
Her group headed out in three vehicles, looking for all the world, Becca thought, like one of those military convoys on TV. Except that they weren’t driving jeeps or anything like that. Still, it didn’t feel quite right, the way they were doing this. They should be running through the woods, hunting their prey by smell and sound and sight, guarding the valley the way the original inhabitants had intended. Guns and jeeps and GPS weren’t weapons for wolves.
Of course, neither were explosives and she’d tried to use those herself against the Nesters not too long ago. It made her wonder why Oya would want to kill her one night and save her the next. A lot of what the Nester leader was doing didn’t make much sense, at least not as far as she could see. But then, maybe if they could get her “uncured,” she’d go back to whatever normal was for her and figure it out. That was the point where they cleared town and Molly looked to her to find the way. Becca tried to focus on that on the drive out.
Chapter 27
~
The trip back up seemed to go a lot slower than it had the first time. This time around, Becca was looking at every single dirt road turnoff, wondering if it was the right one or not. She thought she remembered checking the mileage when she drove Oya out here, but what if she remembered wrong?
“Here!” She said, almost without thinking. Then after the second false alarm, “No, wait. Damn, it all looks so much alike!” She could feel a flash coming on and a trickle of sweat ran down her hairline.
Molly blew her breath out into her bangs, clearly swallowing her frustration. “Okay, Becca. I’m going to pull over. How about you get out and check things out? The smells might get you to the right place sooner than looking out of a car window.”
Becca nodded. It couldn’t make her feel any worse than she already did about this. And the longer they took, the more likely it was that the Nesters would disappear to who knew where. If they were taking off, they might decide to hurt Shelly. She remembered the coldness in Anderson’s eyes and shivered.
Molly pulled over and Becca got out and walked away from the car. Once the smell of asphalt and gas was less overwhelming, she took a deep breath, then another. She looked up the dirt road in front of them, trying to remember all the twists and turns they’d taken on the way in. Then she caught something, a scent not quite wolf, not quite human and her whole body tensed like she was going on point.
Molly was out of the car in a whirl of limbs. “You got something, don’t you?” The anticipation in her voice lent weight to every word. Becca took another breath and nodded cautiously. Molly clapped her on the shoulder, “Good job!” She turned and signaled to the third car as it pulled up, gesturing it up to the next turn off. If they spread out the vehicles, Molly hoped they might be a little less noticeable to anyone watching.
Becca thought that any vehicles parked by the side of the road around here might tip them off. The Nesters had to be more alert than that, didn’t they? But she didn’t have a better idea and this could still be the wrong road. There was no way to find out except to head up there and take a look. She inhaled again, feeling the wolf stir inside her. Side effects or no side effects, someone should take the woods while the others took the road. They were less likely to be surprised that way.
She caught Molly’s eye as the thought crossed her mind. The other woman gave her a surprised look, her expression shifting slightly toward what looked like fear. But if she was scared, she got it under control fast. As the group assembled around them, she gave Becca a quick nod. Then she drew everyone’s attention to herself while Becca slipped away.
Mrs. Hui gave her a curious glance as she faded into the trees, then looked deliberately away. Had to say something for Pack discipline, Becca thought. Even if she hadn’t managed to embrace it herself yet. She stepped further into the woods, letting her senses feel their way around her.
After a few minutes, she could no longer see the Pack down by the road. Then she couldn’t smell them as easily. Once that happened, she stopped and began taking off her clothes. It was dusk now, and the moon in her blood told her that it wasn’t full yet. But she could feel the wolf riding under her skin, looking for a way out, just as it had since she left the Nesters’ camp.
Somehow, she could do this, even though it seemed impossible. I can. I will. Once she was naked, she stood in the trees, arms outstretched and eyes closed. She let the wind caress her skin, not caring if anyone saw her. The land washed over her in a torrent of sounds and smells, the very earth beneath her bare feet teeming with life in a way she’d not felt before. For that moment, she was one with the Valley and the magic, and it meant to make her its own.
The change, when it came on, was swift and nearly painless. She felt as if her wolf self emerged and wrapped itself around her body like a cape almost as if this was how it had always been. Becca Thornton hit the forest floor on all four paws and raced up the hill, following the general direction of the road.
Far below her, she could hear Molly and the others walking the road, their footsteps cautious on the gravel. Above her, she could smell fragments of wolf and fear and burning metal. Occasionally, there was the smell of human. But most of all, there was blood. Her Becca-self shuddered, fearing what she might find when she got to her destination, but it just drove her wolf body faster.
She slowed down when she got to where she’d left her car. She could see the tire tracks leading off toward the trees, but it was nowhere in sight. What had they done with it? If she’d been able to curse through her wolf muzzle, she would have done it then. Instead, she smelled something that sent her belly down into the brush.
Once there she made herself stay still while she tried to figure out what it was. It seemed like a whole hour later that she heard human voices on the trail. They were coming from somewhere up ahead of her, but what they were saying didn’t seem to make much sense. She wondered if they’d seen her yet.
An eternity passed before she ventured to inch forward, then to stand up and slip as silently as she could up the hill. She could smell her own scent on the branches, then the smell of more humans, not all of them familiar. That alone was enough to send her deeper into the woods, away from the trail. She remembered to watch for the cameras in the trees this time, dodging the few she saw.
The clearing emerged in front of her and an overwhelming stench of burnt metal assailed her sensitive wolf nose. When she poked her head around a thick tree trunk, the sight of the trailer, or rather its burnt-out shell made her start back. It looked like it had been hit with an explosive of some sort, something strong enough to rip the metal apart. She could still see the bullet holes in the remaining metal. Maybe one of Carlos’ bullets had hit the gas main or something.
There was a human lying in front of it. She could smell his death from her hiding spot. There seemed to be another one in the field further over. She thought she recognized Scott’s white-blonde hair, but she couldn’t see well enough to be sure. Her wolf senses were filled with blood and death, sending a panicked impulse through her until it was all she could do to not tear blindly through the woods.
But s
omeone was alive and talking when she’d reached the clearing; she had to find out who it was. If she had to pick, she hoped it was Oya and not Anderson. She began circling the clearing as carefully as she could. Molly and the others would be up here soon enough. She needed to warn them about whatever they were walking into.
She slipped carefully through the trees and the brush, trying to look for cameras and survivors at the same time. It took a few minutes to locate the source of the voices, and she might have missed it if she hadn’t been checking the trees. Anderson was up in one of them, his camouflage gear making him nearly invisible to human eyes in the greenery. He had a walkie-talkie held to his mouth and was speaking very softly into it.
Becca ducked behind some bushes and concentrated on listening. He seemed to be talking in some kind of code, as far as she could tell. “…take the package and drop it off. Repeat: we can’t take it with us. Once the package is dropped off, meet me at the bridge. Over.”
“Package?” What was he talking about? Her Becca-self screamed itself back to life. He must mean Shelly. And if they were “dropping the package off,” that could only mean one thing. She slipped away from Anderson’s tree and made her way toward the road as quietly as she could.
She hit the road at a dead run once she was certain Anderson couldn’t see her. Whoever he was talking to had to be nearby: Adelía had said that the range on the Pack’s radios was about two miles in these mountains. She couldn’t imagine that the Nesters’ had much stronger ones, so it stood to reason that if she could find vehicle tracks, she might be able to follow them.
Her heart was pounding as she skidded out on to the dirt. She stuck her nose into the ruts in the road and took a deep whuff of dirt and grass, wondering if this was how bloodhounds did it. Then there was a faint smell of tires, followed by the burnt butt of a cigarette, then a bit of oil. She started following the track downhill, nearly bowling Gladys over as her neighbor slipped noiselessly around a bend in the trail. They stared at each other for a moment.
Silver Moon (A Women of Wolf's Point Novel) Page 21