Splinter Skill

by A C Bell

  I nodded, swept by the sadness of Worg’s situation. I realized Worg kept sending me discreet, curious glances and I offered a smile. “Entschuldigung Sie bitte—er, excuse me,” he said, correcting himself out of German. “I don’t mean to stare. It’s just nice to finally put a face to what I’ve felt. Please, have a seat,” Worg urged politely. I was about to point out that there wasn’t another chair when Raiden brought one over from behind one of the alchemy tables. I flashed him a smile and placed myself awkwardly at the edge of the seat. My hands were sweating, I noticed. I pressed them to my jeans.

  “What do you mean by ‘what you’ve felt’?”

  Worg leaned forward and laced his fingers together on the desk. “How much do you know about what I am?”

  At first, I thought he meant about being a draugr, but then I remembered why they had brought me here to meet him. “Raiden says you’re a seer; that it makes you intuitive. He also said that seers don’t have visions to start with, but I’m guessing with your... advanced wisdom, that you must get them?”

  Worg laughed. “Correct. I cannot, however, receive visions of you; of your kind, to be more precise. There are only theories as to why, but the idea I maintain is that the human blood in you has found a way to protect you from the inhuman blood it knows exists in the world. With both samples present, it can find ways to battle and guard itself from anything that may be a threat.” He leaned back in his chair and mulled for a moment before continuing. “I knew Xavier and the other Vjesci, so I have learned to attune myself to his kin. Instead of having visions of you specifically, I merely had a sense that the youngest of the Cahn line had a darkness looming over them.”

  I frowned at his ominous words and glanced at Slade beside him. Slade grimaced. “We didn’t want to worry you about that,” he said. “After what happened with Justin, we assumed that had been the ‘darkness’ he meant.”

  “You thought the threat was gone?” Worg sat up straighter in alarm. Slade and Raiden nodded and a troubled frown distorted Worg’s sunken face. “You should have come to see me. No, no, it’s still there I’m afraid. Unfortunately, my vision is clouded by your mental block. Have you any other leads?”

  “Peter says a sorcerer attacked Adeline a few weeks ago. Knowing that, is there a way for you to find him? Get around whatever spell he’s using to hide himself?”

  Worg frowned. “I can try, but sorcerers wouldn’t cast cloaking spells if they were so ineffective as to be punctured by a seer’s inquiry.”

  I scrunched my brows. “Why would a sorcerer want to attack me?”

  Slade folded his arms over the Guns ‘n Roses logo on his shirt, “The Circle of Magi outwardly fights for fairness, but it’s no secret that there are still elitist sects who claim hybrids are unnatural and even encourage these kinds of hate crimes.”

  I sighed and crossed my arms. Really? This was about bigotry? I hadn’t faced much of it over the years for my mom’s heritage. I’d never imagined I would get it for my dad’s.

  “There’s really nothing you can do?” Raiden asked.

  Worg frowned. “I will continue to try, of course, but I have had no luck thus far. Unless this sorcerer slips, I highly doubt I will be able to find him.”

  “You’re the most powerful seer in the world,” Slade insisted. “You helped discover the location of the lost city of Caral back in 1905. If you can’t find him--”

  “And I am also the oldest,” Worg scolded. Slade fell quiet. “I can perform miracles no longer.” He turned a morose frown to me. “I’m sorry, Adeline. You will have to use more regular methods to find this man.”

  16 Monster

  Raiden helped me pick a few books from Worg’s study on the Vjesci royalty and dhampirs to help me get in touch with my roots, but I sadly didn’t have time to delve into them much over the next few weeks. I couldn’t afford to miss any more work and school kept me pretty busy with midterms. Fortunately, Hemway’s magic and the salve he’d given me had already done wonders.

  I’d been able to take my sling off over a week ago. I’d had to explain my ability to use my arm to Nikki as the doctors being overly-cautious about the damage done. Once I’d demonstrated to her that I could move my arm around without too much trouble, she agreed not to be my chauffeur. Lorraine insisted that I take the desk shift during work, regardless. I was starting to get tired of people being so careful with me, but I reminded myself that they were only doing so because they cared. At least Lorraine agreed to let me close up by myself since she got out half an hour before me.

  The sun had long since sunk below the horizon when I locked up. I stepped into the crisp night air, October's chilled breath prickling at my cheeks. With a shiver, I hugged my windbreaker tighter around myself. Starting across the vacant lot, I noticed a tall figure leaning against Farrah. He didn't look familiar with his rugged clothing, scruffy afternoon shadow, and lengthy brown hair tied at the nape of his neck. Yet something about him felt familiar like a sense of déjà vu.

  "Hello," I called out. "Can I help you?"

  He turned chocolate brown eyes on me but gave no reply. The moment his gaze landed on me, a chill trickled down my spine, the hairs of the back of my neck stood on edge. Now, closer, I could smell the leather of his trench coat and the stink of cigarettes. He was somewhere in his thirties. The tanned skin around his eyes wrinkled as a grin carved into his features. A deeper chill. Something about him was definitely familiar, but where had I seen him?

  "Can I help you?" I repeated, more sternly.

  "Yes, you can. I’m Gabriel." His gravelly voice, thick with a Southern accent, was confident, almost arrogant. An alarm sounded in the back of my mind when he straightened and took a step toward me.

  "Do I know you?" I casually shifted my weight to retreat a step.

  "I can't believe you don't remember me! We had so much fun last time." Definitely arrogant. "Think real hard, love." He held out his arms and twisted side to side as if displaying himself would help jog my memory. His eyes gave a brief glint in the moonlight, almost reflectively like an animal's. Another rush of déjà vu passed and the memory of the cynocephalus with its gleaming eyes fixed on me flashed through my mind. Gabriel's teeth flashed as comprehension and fear dawned on my face.

  I moved to run but he moved quickly and snatched my wrists. Metal glinted between my middle and index finger where I had my car key, ready to jab him if need be. He gripped my wrist tighter and tighter until I loosened my grip and he made me throw them. I winced, but I didn’t resist. Since my arm wasn’t completely healed, maybe it would be better to catch him off guard if I could.

  "Where do you think your goin', darlin’?" His lips turned into a snarl and he pulled me closer. The pungent stink of cigarettes smothered me.

  "Hey, let go of her!" The shout caught us both off guard. I spotted Lorraine hurrying across the lot toward us from the side of the building and my fear doubled. Why hadn’t she gotten onto her bus? If I didn't act, she could get seriously hurt.

  "I thought I smelled something sweet." Gabriel smirked wickedly.

  Acting quickly while he was distracted, I thrust my knee into his groin. His grip on my arm tightened as he gasped for air and I took the opportunity to grab fists-full of his hair, slamming his face into my knee for good measure. While he stumbled onto his back, howling in pain and anger, I swerved and bolted toward Lorraine. He was too close to my car to give us a chance to find the keys, hop in, and drive off. We had only one option.

  "Run!" I yelled.

  Lorraine hesitated a moment, giving me the chance to catch up with her and then followed suit. I was careful to keep Lorraine a step ahead of me as we ran to avoid giving Gabriel the chance to grab her while my back was turned. But he didn’t follow. At least, not where we could see. At full sprint, we made it several blocks into the near suburban area before stopping to catch our breath.

  "Are you okay?" I asked, short of breath.

  "Me?" She retorted breathlessly. "What about you? Do you know that
guy? It looked like he was waiting for you."

  "Not exactly. How long were you there? I thought you'd left after your shift?"

  "I was leaving when he showed up and stood by your car. For a second, I thought he was trying to steal it or something since it's vintage and all, but he was just leaning on it. He didn't seem like someone you'd keep as company so I just wanted to make sure he wasn't up to something."

  "Thank you, but you have no idea how dangerous this guy is," I insisted.

  "Then how do you know someone like that?"

  "I ran into him once,” I answered vaguely. “I doubt we lost him, so we need to get someplace safe." I tried to think of where to send Lorraine. There was no reason she should get involved. I was about to suggest that we head to the nearest gas station so I could lose her there when a horrific thought halted my breath.

  Peter said that I didn’t have a scent to follow. One of those weird “defense mechanisms” that comes with being a dhampir. But Gabriel had seen me leave with Lorraine, and she did have a scent. I knew little about werewolves and had never owned a dog. How far could he follow her? What if we separated and he found her by herself? Would he do something to her out of spite? I couldn’t take that risk.

  I looked around, my mind scrambling. The street we were on was empty save a few cars parked outside their garages. No witnesses. That was probably a good thing.

  "We need to get back to campus. Peter can help us."

  Lorraine pulled her cell from her pocket. "Shouldn't we go to the police?"

  "Normally, yes, but we need to involve as few people as possible. Anyone in his way could just get hurt."

  "Okay, but wouldn't the cops be able to do more? What can Peter—"

  “There isn't time to explain. I need you to trust me, okay?” I said. After a pause, she gave a feeble nod. I pointed at her phone. “Can I use that?”

  She handed it over and I dialed Peter’s number. No answer. I tried a few more times while we swung around a few blocks and turned back toward campus, careful not to stay on one street for too long. I also tried to keep us moving upwind so Lorraine's scent wouldn't drift back to Gabriel, but the wind kept shifting obnoxiously.

  Finally, we reached the gas station on Lincoln Street near campus and stopped for another breather and hid along the side of the building to keep out of Gabriel's sight. I hoped the overwhelming smell of gasoline would hide Lorraine’s scent, but there was no way to be sure. We sat down so we were below the natural line of sight and I tried calling Peter again to no avail. His cell was probably on silent so he could sleep. He’d always been easy to wake. Maybe it was the enhanced hearing. My next option was to call Raiden and Slade, hoping they were awake. Raiden didn’t answer, either and a surge of panic and frustration struck me. I tried again.

  As the phone rang I shoved my free hand into the pocket of my windbreaker and paused when my fingers touched cool metal. The pocket knife Peter had given me. I must have stashed it there sometime. Though the thought of using it made my stomach turn, I couldn’t afford to be squeamish. I gripped it and hid my hand in my sleeve so Lorraine wouldn’t see it. Finally, Raiden answered his phone.

  "Hello? Who is this?" Since he didn’t know Lorraine’s number, it made sense that he was confused. I could hear Slade laughing loudly in the background about something.

  “It’s Adeline. We’re in trouble. I—” A hand gripped my wrist and yanked me to my feet, pulling the phone away from my ear with it. Gabriel’s long dark hair was strewn messily around his face. His lips curled upward in a poor attempt to hide the obvious livid anger he was feeling. It would seem that all I'd accomplished was pissing him off. Great. Lorraine leaped to her feet, fear and anger stamping out her exhaustion, but she seemed unsure what to do.

  "That hurt, love. Y’broke my nose." He moved closer and I could see a smear of blood across his face. I stifled a smile. Apparently, it hadn't been a complete failure.

  "You poor little monster," I lulled in sarcastic sympathy. His grip on my wrist tightened and I moved protectively between him and Lorraine. "If I throw a stick, will you leave us alone?"

  He glared, clearly not appreciating my canine sting. "Why? You worried I'll bite?" He flashed pointed incisors as he spat the word.

  I glared. "What's your game here? Do you actually want something or do you just enjoy chasing girls around?"

  "It is fun, but I'm looking for a friend of yours. You know, has hair coming out of his ears?"

  This was about Peter? “What do you want with him?” I asked.

  “That’s between me and him. Where is he?”

  I scoffed. “Fat chance.”

  He grinned again. “Alright, we can do this the fun way. And lucky for me, you even brought a toy. So, what’ll it be? Tell me where he is, or I’ll ask your friend. I’ll take my time, I promise."

  Lorraine whimpered under his gaze.

  "You're not touching anybody," I snarled.

  "No? Watch me."

  Now that he wasn't distracted, I realized just how fast he could act. He pulled me to him by my wrist and before I'd even withdrawn the pocket knife from my sleeve, he kneed me in the gut. I lurched over in pain, gasping for breath. With a harsh backhand, Gabriel sent a now angered Lorraine to the ground and pinned me to the brick wall by the throat. I dropped the cell phone but kept hold of the knife. The rough brick scratched against my back as my feet lifted off the ground, I grasped his forearm with my free hand to prevent suffocation as much as possible. His grip, however, was tight enough that my head began to throb as my oxygen supply was cut off.

  "Let her go!" Lorraine shouted.

  I flicked the pocket knife open and thrust it into his forearm. He released me with a cry, howling louder as I ripped it back out. I started to cough, holding my throat, but regained myself quickly. I had the sense to scoop up the cell phone and ran to Lorraine. We took off again. Adults telling me not to run with scissors as a kid echoed in my ears and I flipped the knife closed to avoid any accidents. The few late-night pedestrians on Lincoln Street gave us strange looks as we bolted past, some complaining irritably as they lunged out of our way.

  Screams roared behind us as we reached the end of the block and Lorraine halted to look back. I turned to usher her on but my words caught in my throat. Everyone was fleeing the sidewalk, desperate to get out of the way of a large lanky hound bounding toward us, limping badly on his front right leg. I felt myself pale. He was clearly done messing around and I wasn’t sure I could take on a changed cynocephalus by myself, even if he was injured.

  "What's that?"

  "Him!"

  "What!?" Lorraine shrieked.

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her along, running as fast as my feet could carry me without making her stumble. I lifted the phone to call Raiden again, but dropping the phone hadn’t actually ended the call.

  “Raiden?”

  “Where are you?” He asked frantically.

  “We’re on Lincoln, almost to the park across campus.”

  “We’re on our way.”

  We made it to the park when Gabriel caught up. In a last effort attempt to avoid being mauled, I hurled myself at Lorraine. Pain wailed from my shoulder at the impact as we rolled down the hill. All fell still, the only sound the faint squeaking of the swing set in the breeze and the rustling of dried leaves. No growls and fortunately, no more screams. Maybe that meant no one was hurt back on the street. Lifting to my knees, I looked around frantically to find where he'd gone.

  "Did we lose him?" Lorraine asked rising to her hands and knees.

  "He was right behind us. He’s here somewhere."

  I scanned our surroundings. He could be in the trees at the side of the park. Catching a glimpse of movement, I swerved to my right. Nothing. My heart pounded. I felt my senses begin to push into overdrive as fear pumped through my veins and my surroundings became sharper.

  A twig snapped behind us and I moved to act, but this time Lorraine tackled me, barely avoiding the large beast that was no
w leaping over us as we fell. Air rushed out of my lungs for the second time as we collided with the ground and the muscle in my shoulder tightened up from repeated abuse. A loud blood-curdling scream escaped Lorraine and she was dragged off of my back.

  "No!" I cried.

  Gabriel had her leg gripped in his teeth and snarled through the blood pouring from the punctures. I stood to face him and he spat her out and stood up tall to intimidate me with his height. I flipped my pocket knife open again and chucked it. Gabriel yipped as the blade sank between his collarbone and right shoulder. He ripped it from his skin with a lanky clawed hand and discarded it to the side. Savage eyes turned on me. A growl snarled through his lips and he crouched to lunge.

  I dove for the knife and scooped it up and rolled to the side. He landed where I'd been. I sprung to my feet and brandished the knife toward him. My whole body was shaking. A growl reverberated deep in his throat, glowing eyes glaring, and for a moment we faced off. He started to circle and I kept a firm grip on my knife. Fortunately, he was so angry that he didn’t seem to be thinking all that clearly and the stab wound in his forearm was making him clumsy.

  I waited until he bounded forward into a lunge and then I quickly swerved out of the way, jabbing the knife into his side and ripping it back out. Landing with a yelp, he kicked his foot into my gut. I was knocked to the ground by the force. He was too distracted by the pain in his side to do whatever he’d planned to do once I was on the ground.

  I forced myself to my feet and matched his glare as best as I could. Those teeth looked big up close. I stood my ground as he barreled toward me again and ducked under the wide swings of his claws as he struck out at me. I slashed out with the knife again, delivering a deep gash to the side of his jaw and another to his chest. With another stumble and a loud yelp, he shook his head as if trying to shake the pain off, then snarled at me.

  A shotgun blast rang out with a BLAM! It startled me and I clamped my hands to my ears. Raiden and Slade had shown up and were crossing the grass, shotguns pointed at Gabriel.