Talon began to clap. “Well, well, well…” he chuckled.
“Shut it, tuna-can,” Alucard snarled. Then he took in Yahn up and down, sneering. Yahn didn’t bat an eye. “We’ll talk.”
“We’ll see,” he said, a glimmer of a smile creeping over his cheeks. But… not a guilty smile, a possessive one.
“Fuck me,” I breathed, and then burst out laughing. Before anyone could get off track, I snapped my fingers. “Okay, everyone has their totem. Now, focus on it for a few moments. Imagine losing it forever, and what you would do to prevent that.” I waited a full minute. “Got it?” They nodded. “Okay, here’s the tricky part. I need you to be willing to let your monster out a bit as well. Your totem will help you dance the line, but you’re going to need that dark part of you, too. You might even need to rely on it at times. I know I did…”
They looked unsurprisingly uneasy at that, but gave me grim nods.
“Don’t be surprised if you look different. It might be immediate, or it might come about after our first skirmish.” I glanced at Talon, who shrugged disinterestedly. “Also, I’m in charge. Entirely. This isn’t a power trip or a joke. This is quite literally to keep you safe. What I become over there might look like Nate, but it ain’t. Wylde is my name, and I think you saw what he’s capable of when he feels disrespected…” They nodded soberly. I had killed Athena, that’s what.
“Let’s invade fairy town,” I said, and held out my hand. Gunnar latched onto it, and soon we formed a chain of clasped hands. Then I walked through the waterfall.
Chapter 28
We entered a thicket that I had never visited before. I crouched down low, squinting at the sunlight high overhead. Which didn’t do much good, because the thicket was made of glass grass. The stalks swayed in the breeze, and several crunched and shattered at our sudden arrival, but I felt everyone crouch down behind me. A quick look let me see no one had changed yet, so I studied our surroundings again.
I felt Wylde stretch out inside of me as if waking up after a long nap. Or a night of epic sex.
Home… he whispered excitedly. I let him merge with me, confident in our shared control. He murmured appreciatively at my display of trust.
Without warning, a very loud horn erupted, seeming to originate from… everywhere. Like an alarm had been sounded, and the grass thicket we stood in collapsed to absolute dust at the intensity of the sound. Each of us tensed, ready for an immediate fight since we no longer had any cover. Even Wylde was as tight as a spring inside me. But nothing else happened as the sound faded away.
But I certainly didn’t like the timing. Not one bit.
Listening to the heavy breathing behind me, I waited, scanning our surroundings, but I found nothing alarming, even with Wylde’s assistance. What was that? I asked him.
I… don’t know, he admitted warily.
I let out a nervous breath, deciding it was past time for us to move. Especially if that horn was for us. Anything nearby that had heard the horn would have immediately come to investigate, so I figured we were fairly safe. That didn’t mean I wanted to just stand around and wait, though.
“Scent,” I murmured. Gunnar immediately obeyed. He sniffed the air, but as a human that wasn’t much help. I cuffed his arm instinctively, feeling Wylde acting through me without warning. Gunnar grumbled, and then suddenly exploded into his wolf form.
Times about ten.
Luckily, he had tossed his bag beside him, because he suddenly towered over me, easily seven feet tall, and corded from claw to snout in muscle. Thick, wiry, matted, white fur covered his body, almost like dreadlocks in places. With his back to me, I saw that his hair was braided from his neck to his spine, and sporadically adorned with bones – like a light armor of sorts.
Some of those bones still had a bit of dried flesh on them, even though that wasn’t entirely possible since we’d only just arrived. Then again, Fae World.
He turned to face me, and I nodded back in approval, realizing I was smiling. His diamond claws extended inches longer than usual from his fur. His teeth were permanently extended from his jowls, in the world’s worst overbite. And his single eye was abnormally large and human, as clear as a glacier. The other was the uncut-diamond eye-patch, but it was obviously much bigger, and had a wolf-head engraved in the center. He also sported a tarnished bronze crown that was held in place by his braided fur. The fur below his jaws was also braided into one long cord.
If any of you have seen that old Ninja Turtles movie, you’d have an idea what I’m talking about. That large red-furred thing that was pals with the razorback turtle. The mutant bad guys from one of the sequels.
“Wulfric,” I murmured approvingly. He sniffed the air, turning his head back and forth before turning back to me with a shake of his head, which set his bones to rattling. “She’s alive,” he whispered, his lone eye seeming to glisten involuntarily. Then he shook his head. “She passed not far from here, but it’s faint,” he added in a low, low growl. Like a loud whisper in a cavern. Soft, but impacting.
I nodded, glancing back at the others. I waited for a few moments, but they didn’t shift.
Yahn stared at Gunnar in awe, likely wondering what he would look like when he changed. Part of me wondered why Gunnar had changed so easily. Was it his ties to me? Our shared family rune? Or the stone eyepatch?
I subconsciously checked the wooden disc at my throat, making sure I had the Horseman Mask. Because to get Ashley back, I would do whatever it took. Not just for Gunnar, but because she was my friend, and she also sported one of my family runes.
And… Indie was the one who had almost killed her, so it was all on me.
Alucard was grinning at Gunnar, glancing down at his arms as if hoping to will his change to happen. I shot him a dark look and a grunt. “If it’s going to happen, it will be sudden. I think Wulfric’s channeling me, so it was easier for him. Don’t be discouraged. Take out the feather,” I told the giant white wolf.
He reached into his pack to withdraw a pristine white feather. He closed his eye and said a word in a guttural growl. “Pegasus.”
“Grimm,” I murmured simultaneously.
The skies rippled, white and then black, and two winged horses erupted out of a haze of light, accompanied by bolts of lightning – one white and one black.
A deep gong reverberated through the land, as if a second giant fucking alarm had just been activated. Everyone stilled, turning to me warily as the horses landed beside us. But nothing else happened as it faded away.
I glanced at Pegasus and flinched. He was… dirty, and covered in blue tattoos. More like brands, because they could be seen through his fur with perfect clarity. His mane was still long and braided, but more wild and wiry, less shampoo commercial and more Seattle grunge.
His eyes were gold, and they actually smoked faintly, which I have to admit, was pretty unsettling. His wings flared back, and the feathers looked like they were tipped with razor blades, and one chrome hook protruded from the peak halfway down the length of each wing. The gleaming blade looked lethal – as if designed to rip someone in half without much effort.
He had fangs. Because, why not?
Talon purred excitedly.
Grimm looked the same as he always did, his peacock-like feathers sporting red, bloody orbs – that were actually wet with blood. But his wings were pure smoke and chips of obsidian stone, held together as if a dense fog of death. I hadn’t really taken a good look at them because he could kind of turn them on and off at will ever since I had donned my Horseman Mask. As if on cue, they disappeared, leaving the nightmare unicorn sans wings.
“Fairy fucks inbound,” Grimm offered casually, licking his razor-sharp teeth.
I glanced up, not feeling very concerned. Instead, I felt eager. Rarawk thundered over the crest of a hill a hundred yards away, and they had riders – tiny, feathered things with bows and arrows in their hands. I glanced over at Talon, who had an ingrained hatred for the beasts.
My breath c
aught at that thought.
Because… that memory wasn’t real. It was one of those flashbacks from Wylde, and it made me very nervous – again, wondering what Wylde really was. The real wrench in the whole thing was that Talon had been surprised to suddenly have new memories with Wylde, too – something he hadn’t had before coming with me to Fae the last time.
Which made me think we had been spelled. Because Talon remembered his past here. It was only when he came with me that he suddenly had new memories of Wylde.
But we didn’t have time to worry about that.
The Rarawk were much closer, covering the distance between us quickly. They resembled stags, complete with massive horns that fanned over their heads, the points easily several feet long. But instead of fur, their bodies were covered in a thick shell. They were usually solitary animals, loners, and didn’t work in concert. Which meant these feathered archers had subjugated them somehow. They were more dangerous than they looked, it seemed.
Grimm, not wanting to delay the fun, suddenly pounded towards the oncoming attackers, neighing loudly as the glass grass crunched under his hooves. His horn tore through the first Rarawk’s shell in an explosion of blue blood, coating Grimm’s face, even as the others raced past him, hungry to get to the rest of us. I saw the rider on the ground, backing up as he fumbled with the bow and arrow he had dropped.
Grimm saved him the trouble, impaling him in a quick serpentine motion with his barbed forehead horn. He lifted up on his back legs, the feathered creature still stuck to his horn, and whipped his head to the side, flinging the body away as he neighed delightedly. Then he dipped down on his front legs in a bow, staring at Pegasus, as if to say, your turn…
Pegasus obliged, returning the gesture briefly, his lips curled back in what passed for a grin. He zipped into the air, almost straight up before tucking his wings back, and plummeting back down to the ground. The talons on his wings stabbed through two of the riders when they were still two dozen paces away from me… and then the talons tore down through the Rarawks’ shells, shattering their antlers in the process, amidst shrieks of sheer terror.
The rest of the attackers scrambled, their formation broken, defining them into individuals rather than a single mass.
Grimm sniffed disdainfully at his brother before bounding in for round two. A wave of arrows was launched at Pegasus, who simply lifted his wings, forming a shield. The arrows struck it like metal coins thrown at a glass wall, splintering on impact.
I chuckled as I sat down, waving a hand in permission for Wulfric to cut loose. He slowly turned, and let out a booming howl akin to a Jurassic roar. Talon folded his arms as he approached me, watching the invaders with a derisive sneer. I could tell he wanted to kill them all, but he shot me a subtle nod of approval at deciding to sit the fight out and let my friends have play time with their new juice.
Which meant Alucard and Yahn suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Not afraid, but as if they were standing naked in a crowd. I shrugged, turning back to watch Wulfric.
He bounded straight up to the largest Rarawk, grabbing a hold of the beast’s massive antlers. The beast skidded to a halt, but not of his own volition. Wulfric’s back paws skidded across the earth a foot or so before halting, more glass shattering underfoot – which was pretty damned impressive. The Rarawk was at least eight-feet long and built of solid muscle. The feathered rider screamed as he shot an arrow at Wulfric’s face from point-blank range. I flinched in fear, but it was instantly quelled as I realized Wulfric was… laughing.
The arrow struck his diamond eyepatch and exploded, the tip ricocheting back at the feathered fuck, slicing into his cheek in a spray of blood. Wulfric flexed and the antlers in his fists snapped off. The Rarawk screamed in both pain and outrage – because those horns were signs of his authority – his power in this place. A sign that he had lived, fought, and fucked his way through the land, growing bigger, stronger, and had never been stopped before.
Wulfric didn’t much care for any of that.
He crouched down, wielding one of the massive antlers, and uppercut the Rarawk in the soft flesh beneath his jaw, piercing up through the animal’s forehead.
The creature’s knees wobbled, and then he fell.
Wulfric chuckled. “I made a unicorn!” He bellowed proudly.
“Too soon…” Talon murmured, but he was smiling, happy to see at least one of us embrace our wilder sides. The ones that the Fae World always brought out of those who dared enter.
I glanced up, studying the surroundings, only to find that the horses had dispatched the remainder of the attackers. Well, a few were fleeing – either Rarawks or their feathered riders – now on foot. I snapped my fingers, and without looking, the two horses pursued. Grimm lowered his head as he pounded after the feathered creatures, and Pegasus took to the sky with a single flap of his wings. He circled once, as if plotting the best way to take down the two fleeing Rarawks, and then he dove down like a hawk.
All I saw was an explosion of… shell, horn, and blood – and all I heard were horrified, begging screams. I shrugged, glancing back at Yahn and Alucard with a raised brow.
“Nothing?” I asked.
They shrugged. “I… never really felt in danger,” Yahn said, glancing out at the dead bodies. I noticed some of them moving, even though they were dead, and frowned. Then I saw scaled hands were actually tugging them away. The creatures disappeared as they were pulled underground by some… things. Free dinner, I guessed.
I smiled, thankful they had saved me some work.
Chapter 29
I glanced at Alucard. “That… is going to happen to us?” he asked, sounding both fearful and excited. I nodded. “Wow… I didn’t feel anything, but to be honest, someone could have crept right up on me and I might not have noticed. That was epic…” he said, staring at Gunnar in awe.
I was mildly surprised the two hadn’t shifted at the first sign of attack. Last time I had visited, merely arriving had turned us into our new forms.
But we had been Invited that time… Maybe that was why it was different. I grunted, hoping that this wasn’t going to be a problem – that the two of them weren’t going to be liabilities.
Wulfric had kept one of the antlers, and was walking back up to us, studying it thoughtfully. I arched a brow and he shrugged. “Souvenir?” he asked, setting it down beside him.
I grinned. “Sure.”
“That was… so refreshing!” he finally said. Then he saw Alucard and Yahn, and frowned for a moment. “Why didn’t you come play?”
I waved a hand at him. “They will. Don’t worry.” I studied him curiously, then glanced at Talon, who shrugged. “You feel okay… Gunnar?” I asked casually.
He nodded. “Yeah, Nate. It felt like I had stretched muscles that had been sore for so long I couldn’t remember even having them.” He stared down at his claws, shaking his head. “Think Ashley will like it?” he asked, gesturing at his entirety.
I chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you two will get along just great.” But I was mildly surprised. He had responded to Gunnar, called me Nate, and asked about Ashley. Not shying away from our real, human-world names. The last time I had been here, a blood-fever of sorts had taken over everyone, totally washing away our memories of our real lives. Which had made me think I would have the same problem this time. That Wulfric wouldn’t remember Gunnar, Nate, or Ashley, but would instead remember only Wulfric, Wylde, and Wulfra.
But why was this time different?
I was leaning closer and closer to the hypothesis that we had been spelled last time. It was possible that Gunnar was simply in better control with his monster. Or that he was immune to the brain-wash due to his ties to me, with his fancy new eyepatch that matched my Horseman Mask.
Those who were already wild and savage beings in our world typically didn’t have a problem remembering who they were. Carl, for example, had felt incredible, but hadn’t had a problem remembering our world. Kind of like Gunnar, now.
Talo
n was originally from the Fae, so this was just a trip back home for him.
Studying the horses, I realized that they were also savage at heart – Pegasus merely masked it when in my world – because they were teasing each other back and forth as they approached.
“I’ve missed you, brother. Whatever convinced you to act prim and proper back home was a waste of years,” Grimm said in a throaty rasp, licking the blue blood from his lips.
Pegasus grinned, walking prouder than I had ever seen him. As if I was seeing him in his true skin for the first time. “Maybe it was all that time with the Greeks – always trying to be sophisticated. Must have just rubbed off. But this…” he trailed off, arching his neck to glance at his wings. “Feels right. Sorry for being a dick,” he said, bumping shoulders with Grimm.
Grimm shoved back, snorting. “No, you’re not,” he teased. “But I’m glad to have you back.”
I shook my head, turning to Alucard and Yahn. It looked like they were the only ones I would have to keep an eye out for. To make sure this place didn’t mess with them too much.
“Which way, Wulfric?” I asked, feeling a sudden surge of impatience from Wylde.
Wulfric sniffed the air again, closing his eye as he did. He pointed to our left, where I could see the earth rising gradually in the distance into small, rolling hills of purple trees like willows. I climbed to my feet and picked up my satchel. I studied it for a moment, considering the items I had brought with me. I had shoved the foodstuffs and water on top of the hourglass and pyramid.
Maybe when we set camp I could study them a bit more in-depth. Maybe Wylde would even have some thoughts on them. Probably not, but you never knew with Wylde.
“Let’s walk for a bit, get a feel for the place. Maybe give them a chance to… adjust,” I said, flicking my head towards Yahn and Alucard.
War Hammer: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 8 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 15
