Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  She was put on the ground but didn’t dare open her eyes until she had heard the guards place everyone down. Their footsteps receded again, and she heard the firm twist of a key in a lock before they walked away.

  She opened her eyes a fraction, checking that it was safe. Everyone was lying on the floor in a heap. Her eyes opened wider, taking it all in.

  She gasped. It was exactly like she had seen in the vision. Dark and dank, with a circular window covered in bars. Their home while they were at sea. Her chest tightened. Not if she had anything to do about it.

  Sienna sat up, turning to the others and shaking them. This time, some of them stirred slightly, moaning. Her heart leapt. They were starting to come out of it!

  “Wake up,” she hissed, shaking them harder.

  Fiona swatted her hand away, frowning. Then her eyes opened slightly, before rolling back in her head. Sienna shook her harder.

  Georgia sat up slowly, rubbing her side. Her eyes adjusted, and she started crying. “Are we on the ship? I don’t remember anything.”

  “You wouldn’t,” said Sienna sharply. “The cupcake you ate was laced with a sedative.”

  The others were moving now, turning to their sides and attempting to sit up. All except Barb. She was ashen and as still as a statue.

  Lola stared around the room, her eyes like saucers. “I must have fallen asleep,” she said in a thick voice. “I don’t remember a thing.”

  Sienna sighed deeply. “Lola, they sedated all of you. The only reason I was okay was because I didn’t eat a cupcake.”

  “Bastards,” hissed Fiona, in a shaky voice. She tried to sit up higher but cried out suddenly in pain. “What is wrong with me? I feel like I’ve been battered.”

  “So do I,” said Cara, frowning and rubbing her side. “My whole left side is aching.”

  Sienna took a deep breath. “They kicked you all to make sure you were unconscious,” she told them. “They had to make sure you wouldn’t make a sound while the transfer was happening.”

  “Lucky you that you didn’t eat your cupcake,” said Helen, fighting back tears.

  Sienna nodded. “Yeah, very lucky,” she said. “But I took a kick to the side just like all of you. I didn’t want them to know I was awake.”

  Lola stared around the room in horror. “This is a nightmare,” she said, her voice tremulous. “I thought I was resigned to what was happening, but the reality of it hurts more than that kick.”

  Sienna gazed at her. “Lola, none of us are sailing away,” she said slowly. “But we don’t have much time. I need you all to listen carefully.”

  She took a deep breath, making sure that she had their attention. They all stared at her, except Barb, who still wasn’t moving. Sienna frowned slightly. She had no choice but to speak now, before the guards came back and they sailed away.

  “I know you will think that I am crazy,” she began, “but I am a shapeshifter. I’m going to transform as soon as the guards come back into this room and attack them. When that happens, you all must be ready, and run as fast as you can to get off this ship.”

  “A shapeshifter?” Fiona’s eyes were wide. “Lola told us that you could see the future, and we saw you having your vision. But you are telling us you can change into an animal as well?”

  “An eagle,” said Sienna. “But I’ve never done it before. This will be the first time. I don’t know exactly what will happen, and I need you all to be prepared to escape.”

  They were all silent.

  “It’s true,” said Lola. “Sienna has told me.” Her eyes shone, gazing at her friend. “I believe her.”

  The others kept staring at her.

  “Well, I don’t know what to believe anymore,” said Helen, shaking her head. “It’s all crazy. I guess if it happens, it happens.” She turned to Sienna. “I’ll be ready to fight those bastards with you.”

  “No,” said Georgia fearfully. “We mustn’t. We could be killed!”

  “Georgia,” said Cara, frowning. “We must try even if there is only a small chance. I’m with you, Sienna. Stuff this situation.” She stared at the others. “If Sienna can really do this, then we can be free again.”

  Lola raised her chin. “I’m willing to take the chance. And if I die fighting, then so be it.”

  Sienna blinked back tears. They had her back. This motley crew of women, who had been taken against their will and imprisoned, who had been kicked around and treated like dirt, were on her side. They were willing to do whatever it took to free themselves. Even if it meant that they might be killed in the attempt.

  She mustn’t let them down. She mustn’t fail.

  Georgia let out a shuddering sigh. “Okay. But if you can change into an eagle, why didn’t you do it before now? Before we got on this ship?”

  Sienna shook her head, not knowing what to say. Then she took a deep breath.

  “I didn’t believe in myself,” she said. “I was so scared of what I am.” She paused, struggling for words. “I was waiting to be rescued, but I remembered what someone told me. That I had the power to rescue myself, if only I believed.” She blinked back tears.

  The air vibrated with some strong emotion that thickened like fog between them.

  Lola took a deep breath, holding out her hand. “I’m in.”

  The others all placed their hands over Lola’s, repeating her words slowly. All except Barb, who still hadn’t stirred.

  Sienna gazed at her, frowning. Everyone was prepared now and committed to what was going to happen. They had to wake up Barb and get her moving before it was too late.

  ***

  Zach stirred slightly, tasting sand beneath his face. He raised his head a fraction before it fell back onto the ground like a dead weight. He couldn’t remember a thing about where he was, or what had happened.

  With difficulty, he sat up, staring around. He was in the desert. Yes, he remembered that they had taken him here in a van and dumped him. But everything else was a blur.

  His eyes widened. There were clumps of dark ash all around him. He stood up, slowly, and walked around them. They were all in the shape of upright creatures, almost like skeletons left behind.

  He knew what they were. He had seen it many times before. It was the ash left behind when a demon was defeated and dissolved back into the earth. He counted four of them.

  He took a deep breath. Yes, he remembered now. He was being hunted by them. He had turned into the wolf to battle them. Normally he couldn’t recall anything that occurred when he was the wolf, but this time a vague thought slivered through.

  He had howled and been deceived. He had been surrounded by them and thought that he was done for. How he was still alive, and how he had defeated them, was a blank. But he was very grateful that it had gone the way that it had.

  He stared down at himself. He was completely naked. How long had he been asleep for, and when had the transformation back to human form happened? He blinked rapidly, trying to take in the situation.

  Sienna. She was in danger. He had to get back to her before it was too late.

  He stared around. He was in the middle of the desert, surrounded by nothing. How would he get to her in time? She was going to be bundled up and taken aboard that ship, but he had no idea when it was going to happen. It was the Manta, he knew that. And he also knew that it would be pulling into the Covenester docks.

  His face darkened, thinking of Fitzpatrick, and all the damage the man had done. He had set the demons on him thinking that they would defeat him, but he had been wrong. Very wrong. And Zach was going to destroy him exactly as he had destroyed the creatures who had ruled Fitzpatrick’s life.

  It was so close he could almost taste it.

  He sighed in frustration. It was too far. Even if he managed to get back to a main road, there was no guarantee he would be able to get a lift. He simply had no idea how far out they had taken him. It looked like the middle of nowhere around here.

  He would have to change back into the wolf. That way, h
e could run faster. He could track his way out of this unknown terrain. The wolf had skills that he simply didn’t have as a man. And he needed to do it now.

  It was a tough ask. Undergoing two transformations in twenty-four hours was going to be rough. Even now he still felt shaky and sick in the aftermath of it. But he simply had no choice.

  Sienna. Her name rolled over his tongue like honey. He loved her so much. And he had never had the chance to tell her. The thought that he might never get that chance was beyond comprehension. The thought that she might simply sail out of his life and he would never find her again was simply impossible to contemplate.

  His sweet Sienna. She had never been a working girl; she had let him assume that she was. It had never mattered to him, anyway. He had glimpsed her fierce, undefeatable soul and had never looked back.

  He gritted his teeth. He was going to find her in time. And he would tell her how much she meant to him. How he couldn’t imagine a life without her. That somehow, he had been waiting for her all these long years and never known.

  And he was going to kill Fitzpatrick. For all the things the man had done to her. For the way he had made her life a misery. For her.

  ***

  Jack Fitzpatrick tightened the cufflinks on his Giorgio Armani shirt as he stared at himself in the mirror. Yes, he was looking good. He turned this way and that, making sure that everything was just right. Power dressing had never felt so good.

  He checked his gold watch. Yes, he still had plenty of time to make it to the Manta before it was due to depart. He hadn’t been planning to do this, but once the thought had occurred to him, he had realised that it was indeed appropriate. He had to cut short the weekend on the boat, but it was going to be worth it. Veronique hadn’t been happy, of course, but he had dealt with her.

  He smiled in satisfaction at the very thought of seeing Sienna and gloating before she sailed away to her new life.

  His smiled widened. He had seen the room where the women were tucked away on the ship before. He knew how small and dark it was. He couldn’t wait to see her cowering in a dank corner, defeated. Perhaps she would beg him to save her. Perhaps she would offer herself to him in the way that she had always denied him.

  His face darkened at that thought. She had given herself to Zach Byrnes. Sacrificed her gift of being able to see the future to lie in his arms. She was just like all the others. He had offered her a life of luxury and comfort, and she had spurned it. And now she was paying for her decision.

  He walked out of the mansion quickly, climbing into the car. As it sped down the driveway he thought of Zach Byrnes. The wolf shapeshifter who had tried to save her. He had dealt with him, too. His masters had been very happy when he had handed the man over to them. He knew that they were looking forward to the hunt.

  Yes, he had handled everything with aplomb. It was a pity about Sienna, of course. He had grown to rely on her visions. But he was used to moving on, and he was never sentimental about it. Sienna had supplied a service to him that she was no longer able to deliver. It was as simple as that, really. He had dealt with her in the same way he dealt with a caterer who didn’t deliver food they promised, or a chauffeur who suddenly couldn’t navigate traffic.

  Jack Fitzpatrick never looked back. It was the future, or it was nothing.

  The traffic was thick through downtown Covenester, but he made it to the docks in plenty of time. He got out, his eyes straining upwards as he stared at the ship. The Manta. He had been using this vessel for years now, and he had never experienced a hitch with it. The captain knew the score, and he was paid handsomely for it. The whole operation ran as smoothly as silk.

  He stared at the shipping containers all loaded on the ship, ready to depart. Yes, he could see the red one that he used to keep the women contained before the ship got in. They would have been taken out of it by now and placed in their room on the ship. He only hoped that the sedatives that had been fed to them had worn off by now. It would be a pointless enterprise if Sienna was still unconscious. He could hardly gloat if she wasn’t awake to see it.

  He walked up the gangplank, smiling widely at all the crew. They knew him by now. Not all of them were aware of their special cargo tucked away in the bowels of the ship, but they knew enough to not ask too many questions. They were mariners, after all, on a rough Eastern European cargo ship.

  Captain Kolisnyk was waiting for him at the top of the gangplank, having been informed that he was intending to come aboard before departure. Fitzpatrick’s smile widened, and he held out his hand to the man, shaking it vigorously.

  “Captain,” he said. “Everything has gone to plan, I hope? Is my cargo safely aboard?”

  The captain was a grizzled-looking man in his late fifties. He smiled, exposing broken top teeth. “All good, Mr. Fitzpatrick. The cargo was carried into the holding room half an hour ago. There was no noise from it.”

  “Excellent,” said Fitzpatrick, his smile dazzling. “I have a small request. I want to see them before you sail.”

  The man raised a grey, bushy eyebrow. “Sir? I don’t understand. The cargo is all present and correct. We did a head count three times.”

  Fitzpatrick shook his head. “I’m not questioning your methods, Captain. I am sure they are all there as directed.” He took a deep breath. “It’s personal. I need to say a special good bye to one of them.”

  Captain Kolisnyk nodded slowly, puzzled. Jack Fitzpatrick had never requested such a thing before, and he had been transporting his cargo for many years now. Did the man have a soft spot for one of the women? He would never have dreamed it was possible. In fact, he could have sworn that Jack Fitzpatrick had no heart to soften at all. It was a mystery.

  “Of course,” he said. “It is your cargo after all. Please, follow me.”

  The captain led him through the ship, past the bridge with the large steering wheel and sophisticated navigating equipment, traversing the labyrinth of corridors quickly. Fitzpatrick gazed around, smiling at crew as they travelled. When they got to the top of a narrow steel stairwell, he turned to the captain. “I’ll take it from here.”

  Captain Kolisnyk frowned. “Are you sure? My men can come with you.”

  Fitzpatrick smiled. “No guards. I want to do this alone.” He climbed down the stairwell.

  Once he had descended, he gazed at the door to the room, feeling a stab of excitement. This was it. This was the moment when he would see Sienna, in all her degradation, for the last time.

  He did so hope that he wouldn’t shed a tear.

  He took a deep breath and opened the door.

  ***

  The women in the room all stood up when they heard the door start to open. They turned as one to Sienna, who was standing directly opposite it, watching carefully. Her eyes were wide.

  “Ready?” she said to them.

  They nodded. Even Barb, who had only been awake for a short time after repeated attempts to rouse her, was on alert.

  Sienna’s eyes met Lola’s. Her friend smiled at her encouragingly.

  A man stepped into the room. They gasped, almost as one. This man was the last person they had been expecting.

  They all knew him, of course, to varying degrees. It was how they had ended up here, after all. He had played with them all when the urge had come upon him and tossed them aside in equal measure. Each one of them had very valid reasons to hate him above all others. He had taken everything from them.

  Sienna raised her head, staring into the eyes of Jack Fitzpatrick.

  The mocking smile which had been plastered onto his face faded just a little as he stared at the women, all standing there watching him. He obviously hadn’t been expecting it. Sienna knew that he probably had turned the handle on that door expecting to see all of them huddled in a corner, raising their eyes fearfully at what was to come. She realised that he had wanted that. It was the only reason that he was here.

  She smiled slowly. She hadn’t been expecting him any more than the others, but it was truly
perfect. She felt a rush of giddiness to her head and recognised it for what it was. Anticipation. It tingled through her body, and she flexed her hands, gazing at him.

  “Jack,” she said politely, as if she had just seen him at a garden party. “We weren’t expecting you.”

  His smile dipped again, but then he recovered. “Sienna. So good to see you. I do hope that you are being treated well? Hardly five-star accommodation, but you can’t have everything in life, can you?”

  Her smile widened. “No, you can’t.” She walked up to him slowly. “You have taught me that lesson very well.” She paused. “For my own good, of course.”

  “Of course,” he said nervously, his eyes flickering towards the others. They were all moving around him, surrounding him on all sides.

  And before he knew it, one of them had closed the door.

  “What are you doing?” he said, attempting a contemptuous tone. “The captain and crew know that I am in here. If you try anything they won’t take it kindly. You will all be shot and thrown overboard.”

  There was no answer. They just stared at him, their eyes cold.

  “Sienna,” said Lola, glaring at Fitzpatrick. “It’s time.”

  Sienna nodded, taking a deep breath.

  “Good bye, Jack,” she said slowly. “We won’t have cause to meet again. Just so you know, this is for all of us. For every woman that you have betrayed, and broken, and thrown into this room. For every woman who you thought you could play with and toss aside. Your number is up, well and truly.”

  Fitzpatrick’s face darkened, and he turned around, attempting to go out the door. But Helen and Cara blocked him. He spluttered, staring at them disbelievingly.

  “Who do you think you are?” he hissed at them. “All I have to do is scream.”

  “Do it, then,” said Barb, her voice venomous. “I’d like to hear you holler like the pig that you are.”

  Sienna closed her eyes. She pictured the eagle, its wings wide and pure, the claws sharp and flexed. Come to me, she thought fiercely. Come to me!

  Her body started twisting, and flexing. She could feel it moving through her like a river of fire. It was happening. For a split second she felt afraid, instinctually wanting to fight it. But then she heard Zach’s voice ringing in her mind like a declaration of war.