by Luke Metcalf
As the three bodies turned to dust, Mitchell sheathed his sword and stared in the direction that Mephris had disappeared.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” he muttered. He started after him with the speed of a racehorse then stopped. Something was approaching on the street. He turned to see a truck hauling a large trailer, the type used to transport animals. He stepped into the road in front of it and held up his hands. The truck slowed to a stop.
*
Emily was just about to follow the young man out of the club when Mercurios appeared on her shoulder. “No, Emily, not yet,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s too dangerous! You’re not powerful enough yet.”
“Well then, you’d better figure out a way to help because I’m going,” she replied, heading for the door.
Outside she scanned the area, the parking lot, the nearby buildings, but the boy and the four men were nowhere to be seen.
“Where did they go, Mercurios?”
“I do not know.”
“And you wouldn’t tell me even if you did.”
“I must protect you, Emily. That is my command.”
“Mercurios, that was the boy I’ve been telling you about, the one from my dreams.”
“Very curious indeed.”
Emily’s heart sank as she walked across the parking lot and climbed into her car. She wondered how everything could have been so exciting and magical one moment and so depressing the next. She checked the time and realized that she had to get home soon or her mother would start to worry. She found it incredibly frustrating that she had been unable to gather any more useful information from the sinister-looking men and even more frustrating that she had no idea how to find the boy again.
She had been driving for a while when her car died on a side street right by Baxter Woods.
“Ugh! I forgot to put gas in it!” she said, tapping the fuel dial.
She switched on her hazard lights and pulled out her cell phone but the battery was completely dead.
“Perfect,” she muttered. “I don’t suppose you’re carrying a can of gas?” she asked the imp.
“No, Emily.” He sounded as though he was sulking at her disobedience but she ignored him.
“Okay, well if you can’t help, then could you give me some time alone? Please don’t pop up out of nowhere until I call you. Or summon you, or whatever.”
“As you wish.” The imp disappeared.
Emily remembered there was a gas station not far away if she cut through the woods so she took her wand and got out. She went to lock the car door, but then didn’t bother. “No one in their right mind would want to steal this piece of crap, and it’s out of gas anyways,” she thought as she walked down the side of the road.
It was a beautiful night, lit silver by the full moon and stars above. With a night like this it was impossible to be angry for long. Normally she would not have been foolish enough to go wandering through a patch of forest at night where potential lunatics could be lurking, but she had her wand and knew that Mercurios was somewhere close by. It wasn’t like she was out in the wilderness. The gas station was probably only a ten-minute walk away.
She stepped off the road and onto the damp, soft ground. There was a wide path blanketed in newly fallen leaves and she was grateful that her heels weren’t too high.
The crunching of leaves and twigs beneath her shoes echoed through the trees, a lonely sound that sent a chill down her arms. Every few steps she would slip, snagging her foot on a root or a fallen branch. What a strange sight she must be, she thought, stumbling about in the woods in her ball gown and vampire makeup.
After a few minutes she could no longer see the road behind her. In fact, there was no sign of civilization at all. She could imagine that she could’ve been hundreds of miles from the modern world, and it would’ve looked the same. The center of town seemed to have ceased to exist. A slight breeze blew and the nearly naked branches of the trees creaked overhead, their silhouettes dark against the stars and moon, their branches like the arms and hands of skeletons reaching out across the sky. She paused for a moment to try and get her bearings as a few leaves fluttered down from above. It was so beautiful and peaceful, yet spooky at the same time. Even here, in this little clump of trees between the city and suburbia, she felt the beauty, magic and mystery of a forest at night. A long, haunting howl sounded in the night air. She froze, spellbound by the lonely, soulful beauty of it. She shivered. That was no dog. A howl so deep, so wild could only be… a wolf.
*
Mitchell read the truck driver’s mind and saw that he was making a delivery for York’s Wild Kingdom Zoo. Having used his hypnotic powers to force the driver to stop, he sent him into a deep sleep. Walking around to the back of the trailer he opened it up. Inside were five fully-grown white Arctic wolves. Upon seeing Mitchell, and understanding his silent, psychic command, they leaped out of the back of the trailer and crowded around him like excited puppies welcoming home their beloved master.
*
Wait a minute, Emily thought. There aren’t any wolves around here… are there? To hear that sound at night, in the forest, under the full moon on Halloween was strangely thrilling, as though she was on some secret adventure deep in the wilderness. At the same time, it was unnerving. She stood still, holding her breath and listening for a few minutes before continuing.
She emerged into a small clearing. The trees cast long shadows across it in the silvery-blue light. She spent a moment or two listening intently for any other sounds nearby. She was wearing her Ring of Teleportation in case of an emergency, but was afraid to use it for the first time in case she messed up and ended up disintegrating. Although, she guessed that would be better than being eaten by wolves. Or would it?
“Mercurios,” she whispered fiercely. “Was that an actual wolf?”
“I don’t know,” she heard his familiar, insidious little whisper. “I think you should run, Emily. Prepare your wand and run back! Lock yourself in the car!”
“Yeah,” she said as another howl rose up, louder and closer. “I think you’re right.”
She drew her wand and was about to start back toward the car, when she heard a rustling nearby. It sounded as though a light breeze had sprung up, but she couldn’t feel any wind. She sucked in a breath as five huge white wolves loped into the clearing like ghosts.
Sixteen
For a moment, Emily couldn’t tell if what she was seeing was real. Her eyes and ears delivered the message to her mind, but her mind refused to accept the package. The wolves drifted into the clearing, their eyes like shining amber, their tongues lolling out across their fearsome teeth. The leader of the pack saw Emily and came toward her, sniffing the air. She readied her wand as he emitted a low growl and crouched back on his haunches, preparing to jump.
Halfway across the clearing a dark shadow materialized in front of her out of the night air, just as the wolf launched itself at her with a blood-curdling snarl. The animal crashed into the shadow and was thrown backward as though it had hit a wall. She could see now that the dark shape between them looked human. A commanding voice said what sounded like “Stregoya!” and the shocked wolf immediately lay down, submitting to the authority of the dark shape standing above it. The figure knelt down beside the wolf, petting it and whispering in its ear. The wolf licked at his hands and face, whimpering happily.
As his face turned toward the moonlight, Emily gasped. The dark figure was the boy from the club. Her mind reeled, trying to absorb what had just happened while she watched in wonder as the wolf, which had looked so ferocious a few moments before, rolled onto its back to be petted.
He stood up. “What are you doing out here?” he demanded, glaring at her.
Emily shrank back. She observed that when angered he was fearsome and ferocious like a wild beast. The wolf slunk back to join the others as they formed a circle around her and the young man. She stood there, mute, returning his glare with wide eyes feeling totally intimidated by him.
; “I told you not to follow me.”
“I-I…” Emily’s mouth hung open.
“You are a very unusual girl.” His tone had softened slightly as he gazed intently into her eyes. “Is this normal for you? Are your parents aware of your… habits?”
“M-my what?”
“Well, most girls your age, or any age for that matter, don’t dress up as vampires and go wandering around the forest alone in the middle of the night for entertainment.”
“The wolves…” she stammered, recovering a little of her composure. “Did you…”
He looked at them as if he had forgotten they were there. “I helped them reclaim their freedom.”
Emily tried to look at anything but his eyes. They were just as powerful as in her dreams and the memory made her feel hot all over, filling her with fear and desire. She couldn’t think straight when she looked into them. They hypnotized her. She felt that after a few moments of gazing into them, he could have complete power over her, which was a thought that scared and at the same time excited her.
She cleared her throat, staring at the ground. “Assuming you aren’t some kind of disgruntled zookeeper…” His chuckle made her glance up and she was lost again in his gaze, like she was floating toward him. With enormous effort, she lowered her eyes again and continued, “Then why did you…”
“I don’t believe that wild things should be caged.”
“Oh.”
“Especially when they are my brothers and sisters.”
“Excuse me?”
“In a spiritual sense.” He smirked.
Okay, she thought. Is he kidding or is he a nutcase?
“This poses an interesting problem,” he went on, thoughtfully.
“What’s that?”
“What to do with you.”
Emily realized that she had no idea who this guy really was. She didn’t know anything about him, only that she dreamed about him, and that he was somehow associated with some very dangerous people. Now, here she was, alone with him in the middle of the night with a pack of wolves he seemed to somehow have control over. He obviously had superhuman powers. Could he also be from Magella? Was he an actual real-life vampire? Is that why his eyes hypnotize me? she thought, and then felt foolish. She wondered if her wand would even work on him if he turned out to be from Magella. She tried to think of how to escape if he survived one of her lightning bolts.
Her car was only a few hundred yards away, yet it was as if she had stepped out of it and into another world. It might as well have been a million light years away.
Whether or not he was a vampire, the young man was obviously much faster and stronger than she was, so running away was out of the question. If she started screaming he might just kill her immediately. The only chance she had was to try and befriend him. If he thought she was on his side, maybe he’d let her go…
She thought of the ring again. Maybe it was her only hope. She desperately tried to remember the command words to activate it, but her mind was blank. If she were going to use magic it would have to be her wand. Most disconcerting of all, however, was the way he kept staring at her.
“Do you always do that?”
“What?” he asked.
“Stare right through people. It’s almost as if you can see through my dress,” she said.
He said nothing. Her heart pounded and it took all her willpower not to run away.
He gently reached out and took her by the chin, lifting her face to stare into her eyes. “Your eyes, they’re…” he said.
For a moment Emily stared back into his eyes. She inhaled softly as the hypnotic power of his eyes engulfed her. It was intoxicating. She wanted to give in to it, open herself and give herself to him completely. But then, after a moment of bliss, her instinct for survival shot adrenaline through her veins and she broke his gaze.
She cleared her throat and tried to speak evenly, but her words tumbled out in a confused rush as she slowly backed away from him, looking up at the full moon.
“Um, well, yeah, I agree, yes,” she gasped, “all wild animals should be free. And wolves are really important to the health of the herd and the whole ecosystem and all that stuff. They keep the populations balanced and healthy. Did you know they even change the landscape they live in through affecting the course of rivers? I saw this awesome five-minute clip on YouTube the other day called, ‘How Wolves Change Rivers.’ It was one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen.”
Oh my god, she thought, what am I talking about? Please someone stop me! She abruptly stopped her babbling and bit her fingernails.
“Don’t bite your fingernails,” he ordered.
Emily dropped her hand to her side. “Sorry.”
They stared at each other in silence. His presence was as intimidating as it was exciting and Emily could feel her heart pounding in her ears. The first wolf broke the silence with a howl, prowling back and forth impatiently. Then they all followed suit.
“You’re quite right,” he said eventually. “Are you a biology student?”
“Um, no, I mean yes. Also, I watch a lot of nature programs in bed, like National Geographic and Planet Earth… but yeah, I’ll definitely probably be pursuing biology in college…” She was babbling again and felt like a complete fool.
Mitchell continued to watch her, his head cocked to the side. “Everything you said is true. But wolves are much more than that. Many cultures believe they are a link to the spirit world.”
“Oh? I didn’t know that. They don’t teach stuff like that in biology.”
“I can assure you… they are.”
She looked up into his eyes and he gave her a penetrating look. Another shiver ran down her spine. Again she felt as though he had opened her up and was looking into her mind and heart, entering her through her eyes and coming deep inside her. She glanced at the circle of wolves and wondered if she should tell him about her dreams. She decided against it. The memory of his eyes turning crimson and then the sickening feeling of plunging to her death and encountering that terrifying demon shot through her mind. Her throat was tight as she tried to swallow. The wolves paced about, restless, their eyes never leaving the two of them.
“So, what are you doing out here?”
“I ran out of gas and my cell is dead and I have to call my mom.”
Mitchell tried to read her mind. A dazed expression came over her face. She squinted her eyes and clutched her head. Her mind had automatically erected a defensive wall, and after learning that her name was Emily he stopped.
“What are you doing to me?” she moaned, but her words weren’t really meant for him.
“Emily, I…”
“How did you know my name?” She pulled away from him.
He drew closer. “Shh. Don’t be afraid,” he whispered as he took her hand. He felt her palm warm against his. “I hear your heart pounding. You’re frightened, but we won’t harm you. You’ll have to excuse them.” He nodded toward the wolves. “They’ve never been on a real hunt and they are very, very eager. We have a long way to go tonight.”
Emily was close to hyperventilating now, but only partially out of fear. His proximity and the feeling of his hand in hers were overwhelming sensations. Her brain was on overload. Even though his flesh was cool the place where he had touched her felt like it was on fire. She didn’t know why but it seemed as though his touch spoke to her, it told her “I want to protect you and take care of you. You are the most precious thing in the world.” How had he known her name? She was almost sure she had never mentioned it at the club.
“Look into my eyes,” he coaxed her in the same low, velvet voice. “Don’t be afraid.”
“Who are you?” Emily parted her lips and drew a deep breath into her lungs, looking directly into his eyes. He gazed back at her, and once more she was transported into that beautiful, emerald world, as the full moon soared high above, like a great, silver peach, pouring its pale nectar down upon them.
“I won’t harm you,” he said
softly.
“Okay,” she murmured, in a trance, feeling calm and tranquil. When she was fifteen she had badly broken her ankle playing soccer. The doctor had injected her with a painkiller and it had felt kind of like this. Her breathing slowed as her heart rate returned to normal.
“That’s better.” He peered at her. “There’s something about you, I can’t quite…”
His voice trailed off.
Emily emerged from her trance and returned to her normal state. “What?”
“Never mind.”
“You think you recognize me from somewhere? Like a dream?”
“I don’t think so… but… possibly. Why?”
She wanted to tell him everything but the intensity of her desire for him in her dreams made her blush and she felt too embarrassed to talk about it. She was mesmerized and dazzled by him. Biting her lower lip and brushing her hair back over her shoulder, she revealed her neck…
Mitchell gasped involuntarily at the beauty of her throat. Primal desire and hunger flashed in his eyes. He inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of her hair and skin. He bared his teeth and bent closer to the soft flesh. But then, with a supreme effort of will, he looked away.
“There’s a dangerous man on the loose in this area. It’s time for you to go home. It’s incredibly foolish for you to be walking around in the middle of the night out here alone. You should have locked yourself in your car. Didn’t your parents teach you anything?” he scolded, looming over her, big and intimidating. The severity of his tone and the displeasure in his eyes surprised her, making her want to win back his approval.
“Yeah, um,” she stammered.
“Next time try not to be so foolish,” he snapped, like a father scolding his teenage daughter. “Try thinking before you act.”
“Okay, sorry.”
“Which way would you be going?” His tone was kinder. “We will escort you.”
Emily spotted Mercurios above them on a branch, frantically motioning to her, dancing about, and waving his hands in the air. She ignored the imp and lowered her wand. He noticed it for the first time.
