by Ben Alderson
“I will not stand by and let you defy me again, George. This has gone far enough.”
She raises a hand to hit me again, and I flinch. The moment of stress opens my mind to the darkness, which fills every morsel of my being.
“Stop!” I shout, opening my eyes to see Mother frozen mid-slap. Her eyes are wide and unblinking. They look me up and down, but not even a hair on her head moves as the darkness holds her prisoner.
Do you feel in control now?
Yes, I reply.
Not a sound comes out of Mother’s mouth, because it is time for her to listen to me.
“You will not harm this vampire,” I tell her. “Not with me in the way. Enough times, I have given into your control. But I’m no longer your puppet, Mother. Not anymore.”
The voice is not mine. I can see through my own eyes, but it is as if I am watching from the dark corner of another room, witnessing as the darkness speaks for me. I can even hear the scratchy nature of the voice. It is lower than mine, deeper and malevolent. I can see my reflection in Mother’s wide gaze. My heart skips a beat as I see myself in her eyes.
My body moves against my will. My hand raises, and the chains around the vampire break. They unravel to the floor in a song of clicks. In a burr, she stands, offering me only the slightest of side glances before she is gone. But that moment is all I need. I know this girl.
Kim.
Savi’s good friend Kim, the owner of Crest Coffee, where I spend a good deal of time. The same Kim who grew up alongside Savi and her brother, because their parents were longtime friends. Savi once told me her mom met Kim’s mom while traveling in Asia, and somehow, they both ended up in Hillcrest to raise their families.
I hear the front door slam shut as Kim runs toward freedom. I don’t know what to think. I’m sure Kim will tell Savi or Chad, and they will finally know that I too have been keeping secrets.
“Why…” Mother croaks, her voice barely audible as the darkness wraps its presence around her neck.
“Because monsters like you must be stopped.”
In one blink, she is dropped to the floor, and her eyes roll to the back of her head. The darkness retreats all at once, causing my mind to turn and stomach to lurch. I gag above her, finally back in control.
I drop to my knees beside her, but no matter how much I shake her, she doesn’t wake. Her chest rises and falls slowly, but her gaze does not flutter.
I rock back and cry. My body is not my own. Somehow, I allowed the darkness to control me more than it ever has before. It used to be no more than a feeling, but now, I sense its presence as it pushes up against my fractured soul.
Savi.
I have to get to her.
Running from the basement, I leave Mother across the floor. She will wake, and when she does, her storm will devour everything in its path.
But I can’t worry about her right now. There is only one place I need to be. Forgetting Mother and the book, the urgency to speak with Chad before Kim does consumes me.
I run through the streets of Hillcrest, wind snatching my tears, and I don’t stop until I reach my destination.
I don’t bother knocking on the door to Savi’s home. Instead, I throw it open and burst in, shouting for Chad.
He races down the stairs, taking two at a time. I throw myself into his arms, something I’d never thought I’d do again, not after everything that has happened between us. I sense his reluctance to wrap his arms around me, but as my tears stain his cream shirt, he squeezes me.
“What happened?” His voice is soft as he runs his hand through my hair. “Where is Savi?”
“I’ve done something terrible,” I tell him. “I’ve kept secrets, and I hurt my mother and left Savi alone in Bane’s Forest. I just don’t know what to do.”
He holds me at arm’s length, his face screwed in confusion. “What is going on? What has happened to Savi?”
“She was dying,” I say through my sobs. “A wolf bit her, and I was losing her. It should have been me, but they got to her. I had to… I couldn’t bring her back without using the darkness. And now, I feel like I am losing myself. I am so scared, Chad.”
“Is she hurt still?” Chad is surprisingly calm. He stares down at me, looking through his long lashes.
I shake my head, “No, she is okay. I had to use forbidden magic to save her, but it worked. And now, it wants me.”
“You need to take me to her.” His words are not a request.
“I can’t…”
“No, George. You can, and you will. Savi is all I have left in the world. I will not take no for an answer.”
I look into his crimson eyes, the very same ones which made me weak in the knees. They used to make my heart skip beats and would stay in my mind even after I left him.
“I’ve missed you,” I whisper, regretting the words as soon as I say them. Am I delusional?
Chad drops my arms and steps back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” I put my face in my hands.
“Take me to Savi, please.”
Swallowing my pride, I nod. “But we need to get some supplies first. She is going to need some for the time being.”
“No, Savi is coming home. I will not leave my sister, my only blood, alone on werewolf territory.” He moves past me for the door and ushers me out. “Let’s go.”
I lead the way, Chad’s gaze never once looking at me as he focuses on the path ahead. If he didn’t have a clear reaction, I’d think he never heard my confession. Without light within Bane’s Forest, it is hard for me to find my way. Thankfully, Chad doesn’t have this problem.
“I don’t sense her,” he says. “I should be able to, but I can’t.”
“And you won’t,” I reply. “The cottage she waits in is charmed. I did it to protect us from the wolves. There’s a subtle charm on her, too. She can be seen but not sensed. It was the only way to meet in the forest and not be in danger.”
“Yet look at the mess you are both in. Charmed or not, Savi could be dead right now. None of this would have happened if you two stayed out of the woods.”
Chad is right, so I don’t even try to argue. We walk the rest of the way in silence. As soon as we’re close to the cottage, I skip ahead, wanting to go first and warn Savi that her brother is here.
“Savi, I’m back,” I say into the darkness of the cottage. I wait for a reply but hear nothing. Not a single breath responds back to me.
My blood chills.
“Savi?” I call again.
“What is going on?” Chad says, stepping cautiously behind me.
I turn to him, my tongue swollen with panic.
“She is not here.”
On cue, the night lights up with the howls of countless wolves. The noise echoes across Bane’s Forest, loud and intrusive. Chad doesn’t wait for me before he is running. We both shoot through Bane’s Forest toward the howling, which grows louder and louder. Up ahead, we see something through the break in the trees that makes us both stop.
Savi.
She stands in the middle of a field, the burning body of a werewolf beside her as countless wolves surround her.
Savi
Time seems to slow as I scan the small, tree-lined clearing. I pace in circles, eyeing my attackers while searching for the easiest escape, but of course, there isn’t one. Freedom from this wolfsbane field will come at a cost. One I fear may be too great to bear.
I close my eyes, focusing on the gnawing feeling within me. I don’t need to see them to know they are there, watching me, waiting for me to emerge from the safety this field grants.
I haven’t much time. George will return to the cottage, see I’m gone, and come looking for me. I can’t risk him running into all of Hillcrest’s wolves. I’d also prefer it if he didn’t witness them rip me apart, limb by limb.
I take a step forward, and the wolves howl in response. It’s so loud I’m sure their reaction is heard by drunken college students in the next town over. I ball my han
ds into fists at my sides. After all this work George and I have done to protect our involvement in the broken treaty, I cringe at the thought of exposing magic simply because too many wolves howled at once.
I take another step and consider bargaining with the beasts, but what have I to offer? They want blood—blood I’ve already spilled. As revenge for their fallen comrade, they took my life. I gladly offered my soul in exchange for George’s, but how was I to know he would simply bring me back?
“It doesn’t need to come to this,” I say. I don’t bother yelling. In their wolf forms, their senses are heightened like that of a vampire’s. I’m well-matched against one wolf in this form, so fighting my way through an entire pack is just reckless. But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s reaction by instinct rather than thought.
“There’s no need to shed more blood,” I continue. They bark in response, a clear chuckle at my feeble attempt to spare lives. I knew it was moot. A life for a life, and technically, I’m no longer dead. But giving away the second chance I’ve been given feels wrong.
Out of options and nearly out of time, I ready myself to outrun them, but just as I find a narrow opening in the clearing that would lead straight to the cottage, I lock gazes with the only non-golden irises in the forest.
George and Chad hold hands as they watch me. A shimmer of magic surrounds them, preventing the wolves from sensing their nearness. George lowers his magic just enough for me to acknowledge their presence. Both are unable to hide the fear in their eyes. All I want to do is explain how it came to this. Chad would understand that I was trying to protect George, but would George forgive me? I promised I’d wait for him to return to the cottage, and I broke that promise and ended up making things worse.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as I stare into my brother’s crimson irises. Tears pool in the corners of his eyes, and I know my fate is finally sinking in. Surviving an attack from this many wolves would be a miracle, and frankly, I’m fresh out of those at this point. I wouldn’t let George use his magic on me if this ends badly. I don’t know what he did before, but I can feel I’m not natural. “We—” I clear my throat “—I never meant to hurt anyone. Always remember that. No matter what happens. No matter what the council says.”
I tear my gaze from my brother to see the alpha wolf emerge. He growls, a roar erupting from his chest that sends a shiver from my ears to the very tips of my toes. I assume he mistook my apology as meant for him, and I don’t correct him. After all, I am sorry it has come to this. No one was supposed to die that day at the bonfire.
“You should leave,” I say, staring at the black-haired alpha, but knowing my friends would understand I am speaking to them. “I have to do this alone.”
My final admission has my enemy’s ears twitching in response. The beast’s eyes narrow, head tilting as it considers my statements. He turns to face his pack and growls. In unison, they begin to howl. A few wolves break from the pack and begin sniffing the surrounding area, and I know we’ve been caught. The wolves may not sense the intruders, but George’s magic can only hide Chad and him for so long.
Just as I consider offering them what they want—my life in exchange for theirs—my fellow comrades run toward the safety of the wolfsbane field. Breaking their connection, Chad dashes toward me, easily outrunning George. He’s by my side in a matter of seconds, but focus isn’t on him.
“George!” I scream. I bypass my brother’s embrace as I run toward my only true friend. Time passes as slow as a steady heartbeat, and I can hear George’s screaming in my mind.
Three beats pass by the time I reach him, but he’s already using his magic. Calling upon the element of air, he blasts his power out of his body, and wolves on all sides are propelled away by an invisible force.
Once at his side, I yank his arm, flinging his body past me and into the safety of the field. He falls against Chad, and together, they crumple to the ground. Though my family is safe, I find myself on the wrong side of the wolfsbane.
Chad’s cries for my safety are a distant memory as a wolf charges me, making impact. I’m tossed through the air as if I were one of the many yellowed leaves cluttering the forest floor on a windy day. I slam into the tree, crying out as something pierces my stomach. I push off the trunk and tumble to the ground. My blood drips steadily from a broken, low-hanging tree limb just above my head.
Already, I feel myself healing, the pain diminishing, and my anger multiplying steadfast. I’m on my feet when the surrounding wolves lunge for me. My fist greets my first attacker, and I give no pause to the fact that I send him flying into a welcoming field of toxic flowers. The darkness within me sparks to life, relishing in the fact that that wolf will soon burst into flames. His comrades will be forced to watch him die just as they forced George to watch me die hours earlier.
I leap over my next attacker before backhanding another. I move with such effortless grace I have to wonder if this is the tradeoff for death. If it is, I’ll take it.
By the time I’ve dodged a half-dozen more wolves, it feels as though I’m dancing. Their attacks are predictable and come as if they lunge in slow motion. I anticipate each bite, each snarl, each savage leap. In my mind, I fight to the slow strums of classical music, but even as I’m swaying to the beat, I’m reminded that every performance must come to an end.
I’m jolted from my dance and back to reality. Surrounded by the bodies of several Hillcrest wolves, I gasp, hands bloody and coated with matted fur. Before I can react to the idea I may have killed more wolves, I’m stunned by a mind-numbing scream.
Chad.
George
Chad stops dead in his tracks as the howls light up the night around us. He takes my hand in fear, squeezing tightly.
“Stay close,” Chad says.
“Wait,” I pull back as he walks forward. “I can keep you hidden from the wolves, but you need to stay connected to me.”
We both glance down at our entwined hands. I imagine the protection charm I have created expanding from my skin into a bubble which encases us both. As long as he stays touching me, I can keep enough power up to keep him hidden. If he lets go, the wolves will sense him.
Again, the wolves howl and rush around us, not once noticing our presence, not when their golden gazes are pinned to Savi as she stands in the middle of the field.
Unlike the wolves, Savi can sense us. She stares directly at Chad and me. Her brows crease. I can also taste her distress at seeing us.
I want to shout, to ask her why she left the protection of the cottage. But I can’t, not as we are surrounded as more wolves join those who watch Savi. One sound, and they will hear us. Keeping us invisible to their senses takes more power than the normal charm.
I feel Chad pull against my hand, trying to break free, and with it, the charm wavers. Savi’s eyes widen. Can she sense it? I hold on tighter to her brother’s hand while holding my breath.
Savi and Chad share a moment together regardless of the distance. Her mouth is moving, and her face is pinched with sadness. I look up to Chad and see a dribble of blood fall from his eyes as he listens to whatever Savi is saying. I don’t have the sense to make it out, but the wolves do. They turn their attention to us, sniffing the air as if they are missing something. Savi’s attention has caused them to look for who she speaks to. Their tongues lap the empty air to find what only she can see.
Then everything changes.
Chad tugs his hand free and runs. I sense the snapping of the charm, making him visible to the wolves’ eyes. Confused, they attack, but their hungry snaps miss him.
Straight through the field, he runs for his sister, my magic no longer protecting him. In response, some wolves growl and snap in my direction, trying to find where Chad came from. Some try and go after him but soon halt as the wolfsbane herb brushes against their paws.
He left me alone and surrounded by the enemy. Chad and Savi watch from a distance. In the brief moment that follows, I see the regret in Chad’s eyes. He knows what h
e has done, what it could cost.
In another blink, Savi is running for me, screaming my name. The moment she leaves the protection of the field, she will be bait.
I ready my power, calling on the winds to spin and build into a powerful storm. The element rests at the tips of my fingers, and the moment Savi gets close enough and the wolves bend their long legs to pounce, I throw out every inch of power. Bodies slam into trees. All I can hear is the wolves’ whimpering.
Then I am airborne.
I watch the ground disappear as I am flung toward Chad. Time doesn’t slow down as my body smacks his and we both tumble to the ground. My head spins and the muscles in my back scream in agony. Chad groans beneath me, which helps me register what happened. Savi threw me, sent me away from the wolves and to the protection of the field.
I look up from the ground to search for her. Her limbs thrash frantically as she fights off wolves who try and stop her from reaching the protection of the field. Effortlessly, she wins, leaving a trail of injured wolves behind her.
The alpha notices and steps forward toward Chad and me. I grip hold of Chad without even realizing. His presence is all I need.
Savi moves with unimaginable speed, standing between the alpha and us. With her back now to me, I can’t see her face, but I can hear her growl louder than any other around us.
The alpha releases the mightiest of roars, even the wind recoils in fear. Savi doesn’t flinch or show a sign of horror. In the next moment, he pounces. Darkness coils inside of me as I watch him charge my friend.
Jumping for the floor, I run, leaving Chad on the ground. But he moves with lightning speed and stops me, his hand on my chest.
“I go. You stay,” he says, pushing me backward slightly.
“No.”
I look over his shoulder for Savi, but I can’t see her. The ground rumbles beneath my feet, mirroring my anxiety, as I call for earth’s aid. A split in the ground runs from my feet to the edge of the field, where wolves wait for us. They tumble into the hole I created, their barks and whines echoing across the jagged walls of the hungry earth.
