Serpent Moon

by C. T. Adams

  She sat up straight and thought for a moment. What if it wasn’t the FMU who did that to Lucas? She’d presumed, because Dale had said so. But now she was wondering. She’d blamed it on being out of the group so long, but maybe it was just a splinter group of the FMU who went radical, and nobody else had a clue.

  What would Lucas say about her making this stuff public? Was this a situation where it would be better to ask permission or forgiveness? She shook her head. They’d never grant permission. But the Sazi needed eyes and ears out there if there was any chance they could be relied on. Would they help if the cause was serious enough?

  Blood was often thicker than water. She knew well that when it came down to life or death, old hurts flew out the window—forgotten in family unity. In the end even her sister Jasmine had tried to defend her from the bad guys, at the cost of her life. Not everybody came on the forum because they hated their family. Most just came for companionship. Sure, it was fun to bitch and have people validate your complaints, but not everybody meant what they posted in anger.

  She clicked on the button that said New Thread, and typed a one-word title.

  Attacks.

  She paused. It would be quicker and easier to use text-speak to type this, but she knew a lot of the older family members who posted here weren’t that up on the abbreviations. Anything more than LOL or BTW totally confused them.

  It took a long time to type out every letter and space on the tiny keys. When she was finished, her hands were aching and she had to stand and stretch. She stared out the window at the playing children for a long moment, enjoying the laughter and activity. Then she sat down to read the entry again before she posted it.

  A lot of you have questioned my post in the RIP thread, and I admit to being surprised so few of you seem to know what’s been going on. All over the world, packs, prides, and nests have been forced to scatter after coming under violent attacks by bespelled and enthralled snake and raptor shifters. They’re under the control of a big bad named Marduc and . . . well, we’re not sure how to stop her. It wasn’t just in Coober Pedy where there are multiple deaths. It’s everywhere. If you haven’t checked in with the shifters in your family, you need to. Now. I fear many of you won’t be able to reach them. I can’t tell you where they are, even though I may know in a lot of cases. Wolven is involved in this and while they’re trying hard to get details, a lot of their agents took the brunt of the attacks.

  Yes, I’m Wolven now. I know. Shocking, considering. But I’m not here to hunt any of you. I’m just trying to be fair by telling you what’s going on. I’ll probably lose a strip of hide for my trouble.

  The other reason I want to post is because it’s not just Marduc who’s attacking and destroying lives. It’s you—us—the FMU. For those of you who knew, I can’t begin to tell you how angry I am that you did this. You’re no better than the worst of “the animals.” You didn’t ask whether they wanted your “help.” How is it any different to force your will on others, than what you’ve endured? You’ve taken away some of our best and brightest—and, damn it, we need them to battle this threat. There are attack victims, like me, who would have given their eyeteeth for “the cure,” and you’ve wasted it on those who never did anything to you except try to keep the world safe. You’ve destroyed matings. Matings. Couldn’t you have at least picked people who were single? You wanted them to hurt. Fine. They are. Happy now? But I’ve had to watch what happens after, and y’know what? They hurt. They feel. Just like we do.

  So, now we’re all stuck with what a few of you have done. We’ve got an enemy that nearly kicked the collective asses of Charles, Lucas, and Jack back when they were in their prime. You all know who they are and what they’re capable of, so we have a big problem. What I wouldn’t give for a little of that “cure” to toss on the enemy who’s going to burn down the world shortly.

  I wish you all well. I suppose I’ll end this by saying you should run if you can, and hide if you must. Marduc’s coming, and there’s probably no place she won’t find you. You should know she’s invisible to everyone (so far) but me, so you won’t see her coming. Trust me when I say she’s the ultimate enemy—a flying snake with metal feathers who tossed around a councilman like he was a ball of yarn. I’ll be standing by those I love to put up a fight. Will probably be back in the RIP post soon. But I can’t make you join me there. I’ll give you a choice, what some of you took away from others, and what so many of us took for granted.

  LittleSis signing off. Hopefully not for good.

  She copied the post, just in case she’d timed out, and then hit the Post Thread button. Now all she could do was wait to see what people thought. No doubt there’d be responses. There were always responses to controversial shit.

  There was a lot of activity around the main building now and Holly wondered what was up. Nobody had come to get her yet, but she might as well go face the music. But before she went, her teeth felt sticky and she ached. There wasn’t much in the way of hot water, but even a quick rinse would help.

  She used the same toothbrush she had yesterday. It had been new, still sealed, so she figured it was fair game. Eric had been right—there wasn’t room for two in the shower. She couldn’t imagine how there had been room for him.

  What the hell was she going to do about him? Was he right? Had she never gotten over her low self-esteem and just been blaming it on the fur? She hated the thought, but she never really had given in and let the wolf control her. She hunted alone, healed when forced to, and mostly tried to pretend it didn’t exist. What would it be like to revel in the experience like Eric did? To look forward to the moon rise?

  The RV was starting to feel too small. She needed to go outside into the sunshine. She took the cell phone with her. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t read posts in the sun.

  Soon she was sitting on a lawn chair she borrowed from the neighboring trailer, breathing in the cool, crisp air, and chomping on a bacon sandwich offered by the same neighbor. Meat was probably a good thing this close to the moon.

  She tucked her feet under her on the flimsy chair and rested the cell phone on her knees so she could eat with one hand. As soon as she logged on at FMU, a new screen popped up, showing there were three private messages in her mailbox. The first was from the owner of the site, Rattlegurl, thanking her for telling them about Breakneck. She promised Holly they’d keep the flame wars on her thread to a minimum since they felt it was an important “other side” to the discussions that normally appeared.

  The second message was from Nobodystoady. She opened it after taking a deep breath.

  Hi, Holly. I’m Beth.

  Matt talked about you a lot. Thought I’d update you on what I’ve found out. We called the Coober Pedy police after we saw your message and they confirmed there was a “massacre” at Rose and Dale’s house. A body was found with Matt’s wallet. Mom’s flying over to identify. We’re trying to hold onto hope, but I fear you’re right. Dale was taken in for questioning, but has been released and is no longer a suspect. They have a man in custody that they think is responsible. A Honduran national named Paolo Montez. They weren’t supposed to release his name, but it slipped. If you’re right about the bespelled snakes, then Wolven’s going to have to do something, because they denied bail. The full moon’s tomorrow. Thank you for posting what happened. I knew Matt was getting into something big, but could never figure out what. He was spending a lot of time around some shady characters, and we were afraid something bad might happen. We didn’t even know he was in Australia. Last we heard was he was in Central America. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about this “cure” but I hope you find what you’re looking for.

  Blessings and peace, Beth

  She replied with a simple, Thank you, I’m sorry. There wasn’t really anything more to be said.

  The final message was from a new user, called Bluetomcat. He had a total of one post, probably put up just so he could send the message. Her breath stilled as she read and she a
bruptly looked around. The poster was here, in the camp.

  Hey, LittleSis.

  I know you and Dr. Santiago have been working really hard to put us all back together. I would have lost my youngest to a snakebite if not for you guys using your magic. Maybe I’ve been taking my own issues out on the wrong people. All I know is that everybody here has been trying to keep us safe and comfortable. I didn’t expect help from the animals, but before now I didn’t know any other than my family. Those Wolven guys are amazing. They stand watch for hours, slam down some coffee, and go back to it again. It’s like the National Guard after a flood, y’know? You don’t really appreciate what they do until you see it firsthand. Anyway, the reason I’m writing is that I think I can help. I was one of the people given a vial of “the cure.” I was supposed to help in the attacks, but nobody ever told me I had to, and I just couldn’t convince myself it was necessary. After reading your post . . . well, I want out. Maybe since you can see the enemy, you can do something. I don’t know, but I’m really worried, because when Wolven and the council are running scared, I figure the situation’s bad. I’m probably a chickenshit for not just handing it to you in person, but I don’t have life insurance to take care of the girls, and I can’t imagine Wolven would have much sympathy for me after what I’ve done. I can’t fix Lucas, but maybe I can keep him alive to be with his family after this, like I’m with mine. I’ll put the package in the wheel well of the trailer you’re staying in. Good luck.

  She looked over at the trailer. There was no sign of any sort of package yet, but no doubt the vial was small. She hit the Reply button and typed a simple, Thank you. Will do what I can.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sanchez?” Holly started so hard the chair rocked and nearly fell over. Her finger automatically hit the Log Out button, just like she used to do when Dad would catch her online.

  She looked up to see Tony standing over her, rifle still slung over his shoulder. “Um, just surfing the Net to kill time.”

  He reached for the phone so fast she nearly couldn’t end the Internet session, but she saw it blink off just before he raised it to look at. He pressed the Call button and swore when the dial tone buzzed. “I cannot believe this!” He shook his head and started to walk away.

  “Hey!” she shouted and leapt from the chair so quickly her foot got tangled for a second. “Come back here with my phone!”

  But he had too much of a head start. He reached the main building in seconds and even though she was hot on his heels, she couldn’t get the phone away from him. He blocked her effort to grab it and growled. “Knock it off, kid.”

  “Tony? What the hell are you doing? We’re supposed to be helping these people, not threatening them.” Lucas glared at the pair of them, but his jaw dropped when Tony tossed the phone his way. He caught it on the fly and stared in utter disbelief at the screen.

  “Our new healer has been playing on the Internet. The phone works too.”

  Lucas turned shocked eyes her way. “How long have you had a phone signal, Holly?”

  She shrugged. “Couple of days. Why?”

  “Oh, for God’s sake! Why in the hell didn’t you tell us? We could have been contacting other packs for two days.”

  What was all the fuss about? She pointed toward the stairs. “You have a phone inside. What’s the big deal?”

  Tony let out a burst of laughter. “That’s a special, secure satellite link-up, kid. You have to know the GPS location or another set’s ID to reach anyone. You can’t just call a phone number and have it ring.” He pointed at the phone. “Not a single person here has a working phone. The raptors and snakes took out the local cell towers when they attacked. Even the land lines in Cortez are down, waiting for repairs. We’ve been blind and deaf, and you’ve been surfing the Net. See why we’re a little ticked?”

  Okay, that was embarrassing. She felt her face heat as they both looked at her with heads shaking. She mumbled under her breath, “Well, you could have used Raphael’s too.”

  Lucas scowled. “Excuse me? Raphael has a phone that works too?”

  She shrugged. “Probably. Cat gave me this one for Christmas, and I know she gave Raphael an even better one.” She pointed at the screen. “His number’s in the phone book. You can call him to see if he has it with him.”

  Lucas punched the buttons so hard she was afraid he was going to put his finger right through the screen. A second later, she heard ringing on the line, and then Raphael’s voice. “Hello?”

  “Jesus Christ, Ramirez!” Lucas yelled. “You had a goddamn working phone and you couldn’t mention it when you got here?”

  There was a long pause and then a sheepish reply. “You said the towers were out. I didn’t even . . . um, think to look.” Another pause. “Oops.”

  “Oops? Oops?” Lucas thundered. “Get your ass back here with that phone. We’ve got calls to make.”

  “But you’re calling me. That means the phones are back, right?”

  Tony was shaking his head, his fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose, a grin that was as much frustration as humor on his face. Lucas sighed. “No, it means we have Holly’s phone. Apparently, your phones don’t require cell towers.”

  She could almost see Raphael blush. “Oh. Probably not. Cat designed them. She’s been thinking of marketing a new phone. Come to think of it, these two were probably the prototypes. Didn’t even think about it until now. Sorry, Lucas. Really, I am. You want to send someone for it?”

  Lucas’s deep sigh sort of said it all. “No. Just start calling anyone you know from there. We need reports from anyone you have a number for. I presume the number for this phone is in your list, so have them call here.” He pressed the button to end the call and started to scan down her phone directory while speaking. “Sorry, Holly, but I’m confiscating this until we try to reach everyone. Go get your charger and bring it back here.” He passed it to Tony. “You first. Get hold of Nikoli or anyone else you can, or contact Sue and give her this number so they can call us.”

  Holly nodded, happy the phone might help. Plus, if she went back to the trailer for the charger, she could also get the vial of the cure. She didn’t want to mention it yet, in case Bluetomcat changed his mind. “The number’s printed on the back. Oh, and keep an eye on the minutes. This is a prepaid unit, so when they’re gone, they’re gone, and long distance takes two or three at a time. I can buy them online, but I need at least ten minutes left to do it.”

  Lucas pointed. “Go. Get the charger. I’ll take care of getting more minutes.” He turned and stalked toward the stairs with Tony on his heels. “Hold off on those calls, I guess. We need to load up the minutes first.”

  Holly saw Eric coming up the stairs just as Lucas was going down. He looked her way and immediately smiled. But then the smile turned to a frown. Rather than face him, she turned and left, letting the door shut behind her. She raced across the large lot, heading for the trailer. It didn’t look any different than before, but she decided to stop to retie her sneaker next to the first wheel well. A quick glance didn’t show anything, so after looking around to see if anyone was watching her, she felt up and around the inside of the metal.

  Nothing.

  She repeated the exercise at the next set of wheels before she stopped, chagrined. Of course he wouldn’t put it in the wheel wells that faced the public. Duh. It has to be in one of the back ones—if he hasn’t chickened out.

  But first, the charger. She opened the trailer door and stepped inside. It was where she’d left it, under the table. She probably wouldn’t need the twelve-volt converter, but she took it along anyway. After a quick trip to the bathroom she tried to figure out how she could check those other two wheels without being obvious. She glanced out the windows again. There are just too many people.

  The thought made her blink.

  Why did it matter if anyone saw? Did it need to be a secret? Why was she making it one? Part of me wants it for myself. It was the truth, but was so totally wrong
on every level. It could possibly save them all from Marduc. Or maybe it will have no effect and I’ll have wasted it. She shook her head, realizing she needed to think about this more. Maybe she was still too messed up to have anyone in her life.

  WHAT IN THE heck was Holly doing around the trailer wheels? The tires didn’t look flat. But no, she was examining them—like she was looking for something. A key? Was she locked out?

  No, that wasn’t it. Eric watched as she opened the trailer door and stepped inside. What the hell? He crept up to the trailer and listened. When he heard her slide open the bathroom door, he went around the back of the trailer. There was a small cardboard box tucked up on the axle behind the second wheel well. Holly’s name was scrawled on the box in pencil. He opened the tape and found two metal vials about the size and shape of a toothpick case, wrapped in tissue. One had a chain attached, like it was a necklace, but the other didn’t. Each bore a white label with the identification, RSA17, in black marker. Eric felt his blood run cold as he remembered his conversation with Dale. Someone was giving Holly the cure. She must have asked for it. How could she hate this life so much?

  He stared at the vials for what seemed like a lifetime, but when he heard the toilet flush, he realized he needed to do something quick. Closer examination revealed that the vial without the chain had a second label, also handwritten in pencil. Sorry, I lied. I had two. Yours if you decide to go back.

  If you decide to go back. Then what was the first one for? What was she planning?

  Eric took the second vial and slipped it into his pocket. She was only expecting one, and that’s what she’d find. He put the box back where he found it, and hoped she wouldn’t sniff around too hard to notice he’d been there. He was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but he also eased open the mental connection. If she revealed anything that could endanger her . . . or him, he’d step in. He wasn’t sure what would happen if Holly turned human again. Tatya wasn’t doing so well, and that was only a one-sided mating.