by MJ Caan
There it was. That name again. “Mother, who...or what is Mallis?”
“You’re going to find out for yourself sooner than you think,” came a voice from behind us. I recognized it immediately, and spun around to face the warlock.
He wasn’t a spirit anymore, but was there and solid in all his physical, gangly glory. He was tall and thin, his skin wrinkled and impossibly pale. His long, unkempt hair was a crow’s nest above rheumy, bloodshot eyes. He was dressed in dirty rags that hung off of him in tattered pieces, barely clinging to his withered form. He also wasn’t alone. Standing behind him were three men and one woman, all dressed in what I was beginning to recognize as the signature black garb of the Order of the Fell.
“Hello, Angel,” he said, directing his cracked, strained voice at my mother. “It’s nice to see you from this side again.”
“Don’t call me that,” replied my mother. Again, the air around her began to crackle and blaze as she drew upon her magic and readied herself to throw it at the creature before her.
“Oh, please,” the warlock replied, “you’re all show at this point. We both know that you are little more than smoke and mirrors as the anchor that tethers you to this world quickly fades.” The four members of the Fell that stood behind him stepped forward so they were all in a single line. Together as one, along with the warlock, they raised their right hand and aimed at my mother. I could feel the wave of magic that struck her, threatening to snuff out the mystical flames that she had summoned.
“No!” I screamed. I didn’t think; my body acted on its own. I raced forward and placed myself between the warlock’s horde and my mother. Before I realized it, I had my silver belt in hand and was whipping it in a figure eight pattern in front of me.
The air between us exploded with light and heat as the magic I generated collided with the force coming from the warlock. My belt hummed with power as it cut through the tendrils of mystical energy that were attempting to get by me. Beside me, Cody had gone full wolf and roared his defiance.
The cave seemed to roll and groan beneath our feet, and the rock wall split under the force of the pressure wave where our two magics collided. I held my free hand in front of me, creating a shield that also parted the mystical energies before us, giving me a clear shot at the warlock. My belt was charged and I let it fly, spinning through the air on a direct course towards his neck.
Maybe I only imagined it, but I’m pretty sure the warlock actually laughed. He held up a single hand, palm out, with two fingers raised, and stopped my belt in midair.
Just as Cody charged at the members of the Order, fangs bared and claws gouging at the rock to propel himself forward, the warlock redirected the spinning belt at the wolf. The glowing silver wrapped itself around Cody’s front legs, sending him crashing to the ground. He howled in pain as the mystical silver began to cut into him. His sharp cries were enough to divide my attention so the Order of the Fell were able to punch through my shield, striking me with a battering ram of dark magic.
The impact drove me backward, slamming me into the cave wall. I felt the breath flee my lungs as bright pinpoints of light began to dance in front of me. I slumped to the floor, struggling to maintain consciousness. I sensed one of them approaching quickly and barely managed to hold up a hand to conjure a blue shield that deflected the knife that was diving at my face.
It was one of the male members of the Fell. His lips were moving quickly, invoking God-knows-what manner of incantation. He drew back his fist and slammed it into my shield. It felt like I had been struck by a hammer, and the glowing force field cracked and split apart under the weight of the blow. Before I could move, he had his knife, the blade crackling with black energy, at my throat. I closed my eyes as I felt the pressure that preceded the cut.
“Stop!” said the warlock. The man continued to hold the blade at my throat, but did back it away from the skin the merest fraction of an inch. “Yes, I understand you had some measure of success against two of my neophyte members. But these…” He gestured about the space. “…are my more seasoned acolytes of the Order. Your parlor tricks will do you very little good against them, as you can see.”
I looked around through the blinding pain and saw two of his accomplices squatting down next to Cody’s struggling form. Their knives were drawn, held at the ready to plunge into his dark shape.
“Your aunts really should have prepared you more for this,” he said. “Maybe I should say your mother should have done a better job. If she had been there to teach you the true ways of magic, you wouldn’t be in the predicament you are right now.”
He walked up to me, and crouched down until his face was inches away from mine. His friend with the knife backed away, but still remained close enough to step in if I tried anything. The presence of the warlock so close to me was offensive in every way. I felt sick to my stomach, and his warm, fetid breath threatened to make me lose all control of my gag reflex. His pale, filmy eyes flitted across my features. I turned my head to one side as he raised his hand and gently placed it against my cheek.
“You’re lucky,” he rasped. “You’re lucky that Mallis still has a need for you. Otherwise, I would let them slit you open and feed on your insides in front of your mother. It would be the last memory she took with her on her journey into the netherworld.”
He stood up and looked down at me, and then motioned for his minion to put his knife away and step back with the others. The warlock walked over to Cody and regarded him with a blank stare.
“I should put you down,” he said. “But I respect the lives of all my pets. Even the turncoats. I have faith that you will be returning to the pack before too long.” He bent down and ran his hand through Cody’s fur, mindless of the harsh growls his contact elicited. “Indeed, I have a feeling that you’ll be begging to rejoin my army before long.”
I managed to draw myself up to my knees. I ignored the stabbing pain that seemed to be leapfrogging around in my skull, and summoned a flicker of magic in my hands.
“Do not try me, girl,” said the warlock. He gestured, and that small movement caused my body to be racked with pain, snuffing out the mystical energy I was trying to create. “We will meet again, and rest assured, when that happens I won’t have to hold back. Mallis will have what he needs from you, and I will be the one to reunite you with your mother’s shade.”
He turned his back and walked, flanked by his minions, toward one of the tunnels that led out of the cave. As he disappeared through the opening, I heard him whisper one last thing, the words carried to my ears on wispy remnants of magical energy.
“War is coming, little Allie, and you’re standing on the wrong side.”
And just like that, they were gone. I didn’t try to probe for them mystically. Instinctively, I knew that that would prove futile. Instead I rushed over to Cody’s side and began removing my belt from around his legs. Once the silver was off of him, he was able to transform back into his human shape. The cuts to his arms where the belt had entangled him were deep and worrisome, but he shook me off when I reached for them, and I watched in awe as the cuts began to close, and tissue and skin slowly began to knit whole again.
Together we walked back to where I had last seen my mother’s spirit. She was still there, but her form, which had previously been so dense, was now wispy and pale, like a barely-there shimmer in the summer air.
“Mother, what’s happening…?” My voice was raspy, and my head hurt so badly I could barely form coherent thoughts.
“I’m passing on, Allie,” she said. Her voice sounded disjointed and ethereal, and seemed to be very far away. “Unlike the warlock, I had no earthly body to which I can remain tethered on this plane. My time here is done, but yours is only just beginning.”
“You can’t go,” I cried. “Not again, please…”
“Allie, that warlock is pure evil, and the one he serves is worse by far. But he was right about one thing: I should’ve better prepared you for this. War is coming, and you need
to make certain that you can trust those around you. Even now, I can sense the world around us changing. Shifters, both old and new, are reemerging. Find them and help them. But never turn your back on the wolf, any wolf. For in the end they all serve Mallis.” Her voice was strained and the shimmer of her form was beginning to fade.
“Who is Mallis?” I asked through my tears. “How can I be prepared to fight someone if I don’t know who it is?”
My mother’s shimmer faded, and I could feel her presence slip away. I can only imagine the strength it took for her to utter her final words.
“Mallis is not a who, he’s a what. Mallis is a vampire; one of the true ancient ones…”
And just like that she was gone. I felt Cody’s strong arms gather around me as he pulled me into his chest, just as the tears began to flow unchecked.
29
The smell of baby back ribs slow roasting in the oven wafted throughout every level of the house. Aunt Vivian stood at the stove, stirring the pot of peach bourbon barbecue sauce that she would later slather on to the racks of ribs before passing them off to Aunt Lena to finish on the grill. For her part, Aunt Lena was outside, creating an elaborate tablescape on the deck in preparation for the feast to come. I sat at the large island, watching my aunt as she methodically added the secret ingredients to her sauce that would make it, in her words, “bone-sucking good.”
It’d been two months since my battle with the warlock in the cave, two months since the last time I had seen my mother. I had secretly tried out a couple of communication spells, seeking to contact her, all to no avail. While I had wanted to attempt the séance spell that my aunts had cast, I remembered the tone of my mother’s voice the last time she spoke to me. She sounded tired, and ready to go. Wherever she was now, she was at peace, and I owed it to her to let her rest.
Trinity Cove had been quiet since that day. No dead bodies had turned up, there had been no mysterious animal attacks, no burglaries or break-ins reported. Our sleepy little cove had started napping once again—only this time it was keeping one eye open.
There had also been a new influx of residents moving to the Cove since the warlock had vanished. Shifters, and a few other supernatural types, had slowly moved into town. They were drawn by the energy of Trinity Cove, and they sensed somehow that this was a safe place for them, a place where they could explore their newfound abilities. Most of the townspeople only knew them as strangers, and nodded politely and accepted them into the community.
For my part, I was beginning to recognize the unique bio-signatures and the mystical energy each gave off. They were as unique as fingerprints, and I cataloged each one in my mind. Surprisingly, there had been no new witches moving to town. My aunts said that was because they sensed the fall of the forbidding, and unlike the Shifters, they knew better than to come to a town that had been marked by a warlock.
I should’ve been worried, but in all honesty I was just happy to have my family safely back together again. My aunts had begun to teach me more about the history of Reliquaries and how to use my powers. They knew what I had been through, and more importantly, they had a feel for what I was in for. The covens to which they had traveled recoiled at the very mention of Mallis’s name. They told them the same thing that my mother had told me: that he was a vampire of unknown origins, and one whose power was renowned in the realm of dark supernaturals.
They told my aunts that if he had teamed up with a warlock, and the two of them had set their sights on our town, then our town was as good as dead. That all we could do would be to try and save ourselves. But I wasn’t going to run. I had grown to love my friends, my family, and this town. And if I had to lay down my life to protect all of them, then that’s what I was going to do.
“Allie, would you stop daydreaming?” Aunt Vivian said. I looked up at her and realized that she was half turned from the stove, facing me. I had no idea how long she had been speaking to me.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Vivian,” I said. “What was that?”
“I said go and tell the boys to wash up; dinner will be ready in less than a half an hour. Plus, our guests should be arriving any minute now.”
I nodded obediently and hopped off the stool. I made my way downstairs to the large space where Cody and Garland were sprawled on the couch, a PlayStation 4 controller in each of their hands, their eyes glued to the giant screen before them as they argued and jibed with one another about kill streaks and team scores.
“Hey, you two,” I said, “time to wash up and get upstairs. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Just then the doorbell rang, and Gar jumped up from the couch like a scolded cat. He dropped the controller and bolted up the stairs. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself as Cody stood up and turned off the game and the television. He leaned over and kissed me before heading up the stairs with my hand in his. As we ascended, I could see the scars on his wrist where my belt had bound him in the cave. Despite his healing power, those scars would most likely always remain. I felt a pang of guilt, but that was quickly swept away by the reassuring squeeze he gave my hand as we entered the living room.
Garland had already opened the door, and I could hear him speaking excitedly to someone.
“Hey, Allie,” his friend was saying, “thanks again for letting me come over for dinner.”
“Not a problem, Jhamal. My aunts have been wanting to meet you for some time now,” I said, winking mischievously at Gar.
“And are you guys sure you don’t mind my cousin joining us?” he said. “She just got into town and doesn’t know anyone, plus I think she needs to eat something other than McDonald’s for a change.”
“Of course not,” said Aunt Lena as she stepped into the room to introduce herself. “Where is the dear girl?”
“Oh, we stopped to pick up a pie and a bottle of wine as a thank-you,” he replied. “She wanted to bring those.”
Just then the door opened again, and the young woman who could not have been too far past her thirtieth birthday stepped into the room. She was petite, barely reaching five feet in her stylish boots. The tan khakis and light blue sweater she wore did little to hide her athletic figure. Her dark skin, sparkling eyes and brilliant smile were all capped off with a head of curly hair that spilled out in all directions.
“Hello,” she said, stretching one hand out to make my aunt’s acquaintance. “I’m Isla, and I can’t thank you enough for opening your home to me. Jhamal has told me so much about you.”
“The pleasure is all ours,” said Aunt Lena. “It seems like your Jhamal and my little Garland have taken quite a… liking to one another. I’m betting we’re gonna spend quite a bit of time together, so we might as well get to know one another.”
Aunt Lena took the pie from Isla’s hands and headed back into the kitchen. I took the bottle of wine and motioned for her to step inside. “My name’s Allie, I’m Gar’s big sister, and this is Cody, my boyfriend.”
Isla reached out a hand and shook Cody’s, flashing that smile once again at him. “Nice to meet you, Cody. I’m Isla Garner.”
We both froze slightly at her words.
“Garner?” said Cody. “Are you any relation to Eugenia Garner?”
“Yes. She was my aunt.”
I could see the shock in Cody’s eyes, and I tried to deflect as quickly as possible. “I am so sorry to have heard about your aunt.”
Isla nodded sincerely, her smile fading only a bit. “Thank you for that.”
“Are you in town to settle her affairs?” said Cody. “I mean… Trinity’s a small town and I didn’t know that Dr. Garner had any relatives.”
“You could say that’s why I’m here,” Isla replied. “I couldn’t make it to the funeral because I was out of the country. But I’m actually here to take over her business. I just graduated from veterinary school, so I’ll be the town’s new vet. I hear that the animal population around here is really booming lately.”
She smiled at us as she smoothed her immaculate sweater and headed into the
kitchen. I looked at Cody and simply shrugged. It looked like Trinity Cove had just gained its most interesting new resident.
The End
Enter The Wolf: Book Two of the Shifter Wars
Available at: My Book
From The Author
First and foremost, thank you. Thank you dear reader for making it to the end of my first Urban Fantasy novel. It’s been a long journey for me, getting this book into your hands. As a writer who loves reading, I have the greatest respect in the world for the written word. This work of fiction has been a labor of love from me to you. I assure you it won’t be the last. This book, along with its follow up works, Enter the Wolf (Shifter Wars Book Two) and The Return of the Witch (Shifter Wars Book Three) will be the beginning of a brand new universe featuring witches, shape shifters, vampires, angels, demons, demigods and all manner of creatures that go bump in the night. I hope you come along for the ride.
https://www.mjcaanauthor.com/
About the Author
MJ Caan is an emerging author of science fiction and fantasy. He loves all things fantastical and entertaining. He is studying to become this worlds next Sorcerer Supreme. Okay, maybe not.
Also by MJ Caan
Earth’s First
Dark Days
A Hero Rises