by Chase Connor
Then there were a pair of red, glowing eyes peeking out of the tree line, about waist high. Then another pair. Another pair. Then another. And another. Five pairs of eyes stared out of the darkness of the woods in our direction. Finally, a new pair of glowing, red eyes joined the bunch, but much higher than the others. Lucas squeezed my hand as we all stared towards the glowing, red eyes in the distance. We watched as one wolf emerged from the darkness, then another…until five wolves were standing just outside of the tree line, staring us down, muzzles pulled back, fangs bared.
Without having to be told, I knew the wolf in the middle was Jason. The pairs on either side of him were what remained of his functioning pack. They all stood there on all fours, snarling at us, fangs bared and eyes glowing, ready to tear us limb from limb if they could. The three of us waited, just like them, as the sixth pair of glowing red eyes stepped out of the darkness of the woods. But they weren’t shrouded by a hood any longer. Bloody Bones had pulled back his cloak, exposing himself finally. A gleaming white skull, smeared in rust-colored stains and dripping blood, bony teeth and fangs bared, red eyes staring out at us, Bloody Bones was no longer hiding himself away.
“Well,” Oma looked over her shoulder us, “I’m completely shocked by this turn of events. Are y’all?”
Lucas gave a whimpering groan as I glared at her.
Then the wolves were charging at us.
Chapter 13
Three things began to happen simultaneously, but not at the same rate of speed as each other. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Oma walking away, going to the far side of the fenced-in area of the garden, getting herself out of harm’s away. Bloody Bones began walking in an arc towards the other side of the garden so that he would be out of this part of the fight and watch as well. If his wolves could do his work and save him the trouble, that was good enough for him. He just wanted me dead so that he could continue on with his plans to rule over the lands once again. Thirdly, I felt Lucas step a foot away from me, his hand tightening on mine. As the wolves charged us, getting closer and closer, Lucas raised his arm, pointing it directly at the wolves, and I felt a tingle start in my back, move over my shoulder blade, and down my arm.
A fireball shot from Lucas’ palm and flew at the wolves just as they jumped in unison over the fence. Four wolves yipped and fumbled as the wolf on the left side of the pack burst into flames and fell to the ground, motionless. All four of the wolves seemed to be rethinking their tactic as their forward momentum halted so that they could glance at their fallen pack member. I wasn’t going to give them an opportunity to regroup. Like Lucas, I held my hand up angrily and shot a fireball at the wolf on the right. The fire washed over him, and the other three wolves jumped back, yipping and howling.
Before that burning wolf even registered that he was burning alive and had fallen over, Lucas had used my magic once again to send a fireball in the direction of another wolf. More yipping from the remaining two reached my ears as I swiveled to launch a fireball at another wolf—the one I knew to be Jason. He was larger than the other four had been, so I knew that had to be him. As I raised my arm, Lucas’ hand slipped from mine. I hadn’t been paying attention when I had turned to aim at Jason, so I hadn’t realized how loosely Lucas and I were holding onto each other.
As soon as my hand slipped from Lucas’, and our connection to each other—his connection to a source of magic he could use to protect himself—slipped away, the Not Jason wolf jumped. I screamed out in horror as the wolf crashed into Lucas, and the two of them fell to the ground in a heap, the wolf on top of Lucas, its jaws snapping. Screaming out in rage, I turned back, intending to jump on the wolf that had leapt upon Lucas, knocking it away, but then my body was lifted off the ground. A bag of fur with four legs and snapping jaws followed me to the ground.
Jason came to rest on top of me as my back slammed into the hard earth of the garden, landing on all four of his paws. Disoriented and having had the breath knocked from my lungs, all I could do was grab wolf-Jason’s neck and hold his head back as he attempted to snap at my face. Jason’s glowing red eyes glared down at me as fangs snapped, and spittle dripped into my face. My hands couldn’t even fit around his giant wolf neck, so choking him out wasn’t an option. I could see the murderous look in his eyes, even though the eyes I was peering into weren’t human. Lucas was screaming somewhere to my side, but I refused to turn my head to look for him, to see how he was doing, because it would have distracted me from protecting myself. I was no good to Lucas dead.
Wolf-Jason continued to snap his jaws, trying to get closer to my face as I screamed out in fear and rage and did my best to hold him back. While I never considered myself weak, my body wasn’t at its best—and I was fighting a fucking wolf. Hardly any man is a match for a werewolf with human intelligence and preternatural strength. They’d have to be…
Special.
I knew magic.
Fuck, I was dumb.
And so was Jason.
My fear bled into my rage as I stopped screaming. I looked up into wolf-Jason’s eyes angrily as I let my magic pour into my arms, down the length of them, and into my hands.
“Burn!” I growled, right before the fire burst from my palms.
Wolf-Jason was engulfed so quickly that I feared he might fall on me, trapping me beneath him, and sentence me to a fiery death as well. However, I couldn’t even feel any heat from the fire, even as it burned away Jason’s fur, and he leapt away, no longer trapping me beneath him. I watched just long enough to see him topple over onto his side, his legs kicking wildly, going nowhere, as he lay burning.
When I heard Lucas’ screams again, the fury no longer impairing my focus, I leapt up from the ground and spun around, looking for Lucas and the wolf that had jumped on him. Less than a few yards away, Lucas was positioned in the same manner I had been with wolf-Jason on top of me. The last werewolf was standing over him, on all fours, effectively trapping him against the ground, snapping and snarling as Lucas did his best to push the beast’s jaws away.
A few quick steps and my hand was against the side of the wolf as Lucas’ hands stayed around its throat. The wolf had just enough time to glance at me out of the corner of its eye before I felt my magic rolling down my arm once again. Lucas looked up at me from the ground, relief flooding his face as I grinned evilly at the wolf I was about to kill.
“And fuck you, too.” I snapped.
Then the wolf burst into flames.
As I pulled Lucas to his feet, the wolf leaping away to collapse in a fiery ball, the first thing I noticed was the gash on Lucas’ forehead, oozing viscous blood. Now that he had nothing to brace it against, his left arm hung limply at his side. Whether it was broken or dislocated, I had no idea, but something was definitely wrong with it. Fury rolled through me as Lucas stood there, bleeding and broken. I spun so that I could see all five burning heaps of wolf in the garden. With every ounce of energy I had in my body, and with my boyfriend bleeding and broken behind me, I summoned up my magic.
Sometimes, without being told, you just know some things to be true.
I knew that my eyes were glowing red.
Just like the wolves’ eyes had.
Just like Bloody Bones.
Summoning every bit of rage I could, I focused that magic on the four burning heaps in the garden…and commanded my magic to do my bidding. Five different holes opened in the ground, swallowing the burning wolves, pulling them beneath the surface, dragging them down. Though I had no way of knowing for sure if they would end up where I wanted, I knew where I had told my magic to send them. And I hoped that my magic was powerful enough to do it. The holes in the ground were just beginning to fill back up, sealing away the wolves, the light from the fires being snuffed out, when I turned back to Lucas.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my eyes going to his.
Lucas looked…amazed.
“What did you do?” He asked, his good arm moving to cradle his hurt arm.
“Permanently sol
ved a problem.” I shrugged, stepping closer to him.
Lucas gave a brief smile, which was quickly replaced by a wince. I cringed and started to reach out to him. Unfortunately, as my body and arm moved as one, my eyes also moved. Black flashed in my vision, and my eyes were drawn over to the side of the garden fence where Bloody Bones now stood, his gleaming, bony smile and red eyes looking amused.
“Well done.” He said as I stepped towards him, putting my body between him and Lucas. “Though I have to say, I am not shocked.”
“You shouldn’t be,” I said as I felt Lucas’ hand touch my shoulder for support. “You’re next.”
Bloody Bones’ skull tilted back towards the heavens, and a long peal of laughter escaped his maw. In the corner of my eye, I could see Oma standing at her post, looking concerned. Obviously, no one had faith in what I had said.
“It’s been eleven years since I’ve met a witch in battle.” His coarse, gravelly voice met my ears. “I forgot how entertaining your kind can be.”
“You want a show?” I snapped, my arm beginning to rise.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes in the past.” Bloody Bones said. “And a few new tricks.”
Before I could even blink, Bloody Bones’ arm snapped up, and an orb of sickly green light burst forth. I didn’t even have time to raise my arm. I certainly had no idea how to counter or block a spell. If I had a memory of being trained to do such a thing, it was failing me. All I had time to do was to realize that this was it. Maybe I had killed a few wolves…but I definitely was no match for Bloody Bones. Especially now that I didn’t have a reservoir of magic the well had provided. I wasn’t ready. And that was how I would die.
“NO!” Lucas screamed as magic flared in the air around us.
And then I was falling to the ground in a heap. The air was knocked from my lungs, and my vision blurred as a starless, moonless, black sky looked down on me. The world seemed to slow as my head swam from smacking against the ground so forcefully. Muffled sounds filled my ears.
Did you see that?
Shaking my head to clear the sounds and the confusion, I pushed off of the ground, rage filling me again as I came to my knees, my vision clearing, though I was still trying to catch my breath. Bloody Bones was still across from me at the garden fence…and he was smiling. Oma was standing a few yards away, a few feet within the fence perimeter, her mouth hung slack, her eyes wide and terrified.
All I could think was that, yes, Bloody Bones had knocked me on my ass…sent me reeling…but I was still alive.
But then I saw Lucas standing to my side. Looking up, I saw that he was looking down at his stomach, which he had his one good hand against. As I looked up, his head turned to me. His face was ashen, and a single tear was sliding down his cheek as his eyes met mine. Then he crumpled to his knees beside me. My voice caught in my throat as my face twisted in horror and disbelief when I saw the blood gushing out from between the fingers of the hand against his stomach.
My arms went out to catch Lucas as he fell into me, blood streaming down the front of him. Lucas’ body was nearly dead weight in my arms as his body slumped against me, turning just enough so that he could look up at me, his face pasty white, his eyes looking dim, though they were wide open. His lips quivered, and his mouth opened as if to say something to me, but nothing came out, though another tear escaped his eye.
“Lucas.” I gasped, holding him tightly, struggling to keep him off of the ground but also figure out what to do to help him.
Then Bloody Bones reeled back with an evil laugh, his arm held up aggressively. Another orb of sickly green light flew at us.
And nothing happened.
Bloody Bones jerked, and somehow, his skull-like face looked shocked.
“I told him ‘no.’” Lucas croaked from his place in my arms, making me look back down at him.
Lucas’ eyes searched my face as his blood oozed from his stomach and trickled between us, dripping onto my knees and the ground below. Reaching out with some part of my magic that was instinctive, something told me that there was nothing to be done. My boyfriend was dying right there in my arms as Oma watched—because that’s what The Guardian does. It’s what The Guardian has always done. And he had been killed by Bloody Bones. Because that’s what Bloody Bones does. That’s what he has always done. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked down at Lucas, trying to find the words to tell him how much I loved him. How sorry I was—how everything in this moment was my fault and no one else’s.
Instead of my voice filling the space between us…faint green light did. And it wasn’t coming from another offensive spell from Bloody Bones. It wasn’t my magic. It was Lucas’ eyes. They were glowing—like I had only seen them do once before. As if trying to communicate with me, and not having the use of his voice, Lucas’ eyes searched my face, desperately trying to get me to understand something. For what seemed like hours, but was probably less than a second, I tried to understand what Lucas’ eyes were telling me. Then, Lucas’ fingers slithered across my forearm, smearing it with blood. Weaker than ever before, I felt Lucas draw my magic down my arm, almost like a trickle from a faucet…and his eyes glowed red.
A sudden realization went through me, and I gasped as I held my dying boyfriend.
As above, so below.
All things have to be equal.
And I was holding something that still contained part of Bloody Bones’ stolen power. A piece that had refused to serve him. Someone who was going to die…no matter what I did. I could make things equal again. A tear slithered down my cheek as I looked down at Lucas in my arms, my lips slowly curling into a sad smile. Lucas somehow found the strength to give me a single nod, though no words escaped his lips.
“I love you,” I said.
He nodded once more.
When I looked up from Lucas, my eyes settling on Bloody Bones, I knew that my eyes were glowing red once again. Underneath us all, the ground started to rumble and shake, and from the look that suddenly flooded Bloody Bones skull-like face, I knew that he knew someone else was the cause of it for once in his long life.
“Ohhhhhh, shit.” I heard Oma crow, though I was too focused on the man made of bones in the black hooded cloak to search her out with my eyes. “You done pissed him off good, Red Eyes.”
I want to say it was fury once again that filled me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t a desire to make things equal due to altruism. It wasn’t anger or rage.
It was vengeance.
And that would have to be good enough.
A howling scream emanated from my throat—a noise I never would have known I could make—as my head went back, and my face looked to the heavens. I drew all of the magic I could from my dying boyfriend, summoned up all of my own magic, and…
I made a wish.
The only wish that could make things right.
Put them back the way they ought to be.
The ground continued to shake as I screamed to the heavens, commanding anything that was listening to let me have my vengeance. A loud cracking sound filled the air, and the Earth split. Bloody Bones screamed in terror. When I stopped screaming to find him with my eyes, the ground was open beneath his feet, and what I could only describe as arms made of fire and melting flesh were pulling at him, dragging him down. A wicked grin split my face as my eyes continued to glow red, and I watched those…things…drag Bloody Bones into the ground.
Bloody Bones thrashed and fought, cast spells at the arm-like things attempting to drag him downwards, slowing their pull until he was no longer moving downward. In fact, he might have been reversing the pull, moving upwards infinitesimally. Desperately, I tried to search out more magic, trying to figure out what else I could put with my vengeance to finish the job…and my eyes landed on Oma. As soon as she saw that I had spotted her, standing by the fence, she rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Fine.” She threw her hands up and began walking towards me and Lucas, who I couldn’t bri
ng myself to examine. “Ya’ can’t really create balance for good if you leave me behind, can ya’? Ain’t got no damn oracle anyway.”
My eyes met hers, and I smiled at her, unable to find words to say—not that my current state would have allowed me to speak eloquently. Bloody Bones saw Oma walking towards me and howled in rage, increasing his efforts to try and fight off the arms trying to pull him underneath. He fought harder and faster, but it didn’t take Oma long enough to cross the distance between her and us. Coming to stand at my side, my shoulder even with her hip, she turned to face Bloody Bones as he struggled.
“Fuck you, Red Eyes.” She cackled.
Then she placed her hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her.
“I only wish I’d eaten more donuts.” I managed to say.
Oma continued to cackle as I smiled softly.
And I drew from her magic forcefully, grinning at Bloody Bones, looking him in the eyes as he was forcefully yanked down into the Earth by the arms that still held him. Fire shot from the crack in the ground, soaring into the sky in a pillar of fire as Bloody Bones’ screams of agony descended further into the Earth until the sound of them could no longer reach my ears. Slowly, I crooked my head to look at Lucas. His eyes were closed, and I couldn’t sense anything from him. Quickly, I crooked my neck to look up at Oma.
“Here comes the good part.” She said, giving me a wink, though the smile on her face was sad.
I nodded at her, another tear rolling from my eye and over my cheek as I looked toward the house. The crack grew longer, reaching towards Oma, Lucas, and me. The three of us waiting for it to claim us as well. Just as the crack reached us, I saw movement at the corner of the house. Someone stumbling out of the decreasing shadows as the darkness dissolved from the sky, and the heralding dawn started to bathe the world in golden light once again.
Andrew?
Then the Earth was claiming the three of us.
