Nadia's Children

by Steven E Wedel

  “Morrigan is my daughter,” Shara reminded. “I’m not giving up my gun.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, her voice filled with uncertainty. “Holle was really clear about not letting anyone in with any kind of weapon.”

  “You think I would shoot my own daughter?” Shara challenged.

  “I suppose not,” Ali said. “Will you at least put it away?”

  Shara put the gun into her bag. The girl smiled and motioned that they should follow her, so the trio began walking through the woods.

  “It’s easier traveling as a wolf,” Ali said. “The rocks and stuff don’t hurt as much.”

  “I’m fine,” Shara said. She noted that Luke didn’t seem too bothered by the roughness of the terrain. “How much further is it?”

  “Not far,” Ali answered. “Why didn’t I hear you calling? I only heard Luke.”

  “I let him do the work,” Shara answered. “What has Morrigan been doing? Is she okay?”

  “Of course,” Ali answered. “She is the Alpha. Anything she wants, she gets it. Holle sees to that. I wondered where you were and why you weren’t here with the Alpha. Of course, I’ve heard about you, but I didn’t know what you looked like. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” Shara said. “I had business to take care of before I could come. Tell me, do you know what Holle has planned next?”

  “No. She hasn’t told us specifically. She just keeps saying our time has come,” Ali answered. “I’m not sure what she means.”

  “Luke, what do you think?” Shara asked. They’d come to another stream, a wide, shallow one with fast-flowing cold water and loose rocks on the bed. They began making their way across the stream, testing each step.

  “I don’t know,” Luke answered. “There was no denying the call, so I came. Ulrik never told me why the Pack would gather, only that the day would come that we must do it.”

  “What if Holle has something bad planned?” Shara asked.

  “Like what?” Ali asked.

  “I don’t know. Killing people, taking over the world, something like that,” Shara suggested.

  “Oh, she wouldn’t do that,” Ali said.

  “But what if she did?” Shara persisted as they came to the halfway point of the stream.

  Ali, a few steps ahead of Shara, stopped and looked back at her. “If the Alpha agrees that’s what he we have to do, then that’s what we’ll do.” Her tone suggested Shara was daft to even think there could be another option.

  “Do you agree with that, Luke? Would you kill innocent people if Holle tells Morrigan you should?”

  His eyes narrowed as he looked back at Shara. He shrugged his wide, muscular shoulders. “Our kind has waited centuries for the Alpha. I’ll do what I’m told.”

  Shara nodded. “Good. I was just checking. Let’s go.” She waved the two ahead of her to continue. They shared a confused look, but then moved on through the water.

  Shara pulled the gun from her bag, aimed quickly and shot Ali in the back. Luke didn’t even look back at her, but dropped to all fours and began to change back into a wolf. The slug tore into his neck before the transformation was complete.

  The water pulled at the bodies, rolling them over while ribbons of red unwound from their wounds. The stream was knee-deep on Shara. Luke was heavier and not moving so much. Ali’s lighter body bumped against him and they drifted in a circle before a stronger current caught them and carried them away. By then, however, Shara was on the bank and moving quietly through the woods that had become deathly still in the aftermath of her two shots.

  At least that’s two I won’t have to worry about.

  It wouldn’t be long until they were on her now. Shara gripped her gun and scanned the trees around her.

  Morrigan, I love you. I’m coming to get you. Mommy’s coming.

  Within a few minutes, it began. Wolves appeared from the floating mist at the base of the trees. Shara pointed and fired at every opportunity. Soon, however, she felt that they had surrounded her and were herding her on. Still, she aimed and fired at every head, tail, and flank that she saw, hitting some and missing others. She let the first empty clip fall, stepped over it, and slammed a new one into the butt of the pistol. Aim at a brown and white shape flitting from one tree to another, pull the trigger. The wolf skittered sideways and went down yelping, then was quiet.

  “Morrigan!” Shara called for her daughter. “Morrigan, come to your mother! I’ve come to take you home, Morrigan.”

  She continued to call as she walked. She continued to call as the circle of wolves moved her on. She continued to call as her ammunition supply diminished. She continued to call until, at last, she got an answer.

  “I am home, Mother.” Morrigan seemed to materialize out of the mist ahead of her. Shara stopped, staring at her raven-haired daughter. Tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. She could be happy later. Morrigan stood there, looking at her with an expressionless face, dressed in a long red cloth that went over her head and hung from her shoulders, tied off at her waist with a white sash. Her legs and feet were bare.

  “Morrigan,” Shara said. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Why are you shooting everyone?” the girl asked.

  “Morrigan, you have to come with me,” Shara said. “Holle wants you to do horrible things. She wants you to tell all these people to do bad things. You don’t want that, do you? Come back with me.”

  “No, Mother,” she answered. “Holle’s told me what I have to do. What I’m supposed to do. Orsel commands it.”

  “No, baby, no,” Shara pleaded. “I have a friend, a new friend. Her name is Cerdwyn. She is a real priestess of the goddess Holle is talking about. She can teach you how to talk to the goddess. She can show you that your destiny isn’t all blood and death.”

  “Blood and death?” Morrigan pointed to the gun in Shara’s hand.

  “I had to get to you,” Shara answered. “I’m your mommy. You have to listen to me, Morrigan.”

  “I don’t want to be a priestess, Mother. Holle said I am the Alpha. I am the queen of the werewolves. And the bears. There are bears with us. Look behind you, Mother.”

  At that moment, Holle stepped from the safety of a pine tree to stand behind Morrigan. She smiled knowingly at Shara.

  “Look behind you, Mother,” Morrigan repeated.

  Shara didn’t have to. She could smell the animal now, one scent, different from the others, closer. She whirled around, squeezing the trigger of her gun as she did. A wolf yelped off to her right. She saw a massive red-brown shape looming over her, then something clubbed her in the head and her whole world turned black before her body hit the ground.

  Fenris

  Fenris rushed back into camp, changing shape as he neared his pile of clothes. He ripped through them, ignoring the shouted questions from those around him until he found his cell phone. He hit a couple of digits and shouted into the phone. “Andersen! Now! Start the attack now!”

  Hands grabbed him by the shoulder. “Tell me, man! Tell me! Where is my wife?”

  Fenris shook the hands off and addressed the group. “She’s going in by herself. Stupid woman! She’ll give the whole game away. We have to move now! Gather whatever is ready and move out.”

  After saying that, he promptly doubled over and vomited beside the fire.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Chris asked.

  “He was close to the Alpha and moved away from her,” Cerdwyn said. “It happened to us when we went to Reno. When we went the opposite direction of what Morrigan wants, we got sick like that. Let’s do as he said. Hurry.”

  They all armed themselves while Fenris got dressed. He was embarrassed about the vomiting, and confused and angry. Could the Alpha really have that much control over them all? He remembered McGrath vomiting during their meeting in Reno. It only served to harden his resolve.

  I will not be ruled by another.

  He reached for the M60, but Thomas McGrath grabbed it from under his han
d. “I’ll take this one,” McGrath said. He tossed Fenris a semi-automatic .22 rifle.

  Fenris took up a belt with a .22 revolver in its holster. He strapped it around his waist, gave a look at those kicking out the fire, and said, “Follow me.” He ran up the slope and into the woods, McGrath close on his heels, with the rest stringing along behind.

  “How far?” McGrath asked.

  “I left her a few miles ahead,” Fenris yelled back. “I had to kill one sentry she almost ran into without even seeing it. About an hour later I heard two shots.”

  They ran, retracing Fenris’s route to the place where he’d left Shara. They paid little attention to the decapitated corpse, jumping over it and hurrying on.

  Now Fenris had to rely on his long years of experience as a tracker. Fortunately, Shara had not bothered covering her trail as she continued deeper into the forest, toward Lake Superior. The sun rose and climbed higher and higher in the morning sky, burning away the tendrils of fog that clung to the low places and hovered over the bodies of water. As they were crossing a wide, shallow creek Joey stopped and pointed downstream. Fenris looked and saw two human bodies bobbing against the bank where the stream curved.

  “Keep moving!” he ordered, and plowed on through the swift water. As he was stepping onto the bank, he heard the first sounds of battle in the distance. Wolves howled and automatic weapons answered. “Come on!”

  Shara’s trail moved mostly east. The sounds of battle were coming from the northwest. That was good, Fenris decided, provided Shara had any idea where she was going. It would be just like the woman to be lost and roaming around in circles out here.

  But no, that wasn’t the case. The pull in his belly was drawing him onward in the same direction as Shara’s obvious trail.

  More bodies were found. Every one of them had a bullet wound in them. Fenris didn’t give anyone time to inspect them, but pushed them forward, yelling at them to be ready to fire on anyone they didn’t recognize.

  “Be careful,” McGrath insisted. “Don’t shoot Shara or Morrigan.”

  They continued on, moving slower, more carefully, watching the woods closely for any sings of movement, listening intently for the sounds of wolves approaching them. The noise of fighting to the northeast intensified. Moving closer? Fenris believed it was.

  Then they found what they were looking for as they topped another rise in the land. Fenris immediately dropped to his belly and all around him the others did the same. They looked down into the clearing, a place they all recognized from their vision.

  The stone table was there, a dull black slab of rock jutting from the dark earth, flat on top, about three feet high. Lying on the table, bound at the wrists and ankles, lay Shara, the Mother, naked and helpless. Standing around the stone table were five adults, three of whom were male, and the child, the Alpha.

  A little girl. I never would have guessed it. I should have, though. I should have remembered the ancient Europeans worshipped a female deity.

  Fenris wondered at the strange, blood red robe-like garment the child wore.

  Red for blood. Sacrifice.

  Driven into the ground at the corners of the table were thick wooden posts. From his vantage point, Fenris could see the posts were carved and painted with designs, but he couldn’t make out what they were. As the watched, the blonde woman standing behind the child stepped forward and cut the ropes binding Shara. Before the captive could move, the other four had her limbs, pulling them away from her torso and wrapping them in new ropes that were then stretched and tied to the posts.

  “Old Ones,” Skandar whispered. “I know them all.”

  “That’s Holle behind Morrigan,” Thomas whispered from his place beside Fenris.

  “Then get your rifle ready and shoot the bitch,” Fenris hissed at the Irishman.

  Cerdwyn dropped back down the slope and moved over to come up beside Fenris, putting him between her and McGrath, who was slowly bringing the M60 to a firing position.

  “See how her body is shiny?” Cerdwyn asked.

  “Yes,” Fenris answered.

  “They’ve cleaned her with oil,” the priestess whispered.

  “So?”

  “She’s a sacrifice.”

  “What?” Thomas looked away from sighting the rifle to face the woman.

  “Pay attention to your shot, McGrath,” Fenris warned. “Why a sacrifice?”

  “Holle’s people see the goddess as a mother bear. They make blood sacrifices to her.”

  “Why would they sacrifice her? The Mother?” Fenris asked.

  Cerdwyn shook her head. “I don’t know. She should hold a position of reverence.”

  Fenris could only snort at that. He looked at McGrath and said, “You take your shot when you can get it.” He then unbuckled his gun belt, but tucked the nickel-plated revolver into the back of his waistband. He slipped down the hill, moving off toward the east until he was out of sight of his companions, then walked into the clearing holding a rifle usually deemed appropriate for a kid hunting rabbits.

  They didn’t see him right away. The woman, Holle, was holding a knife above her head and had turned so that she was in profile to Fenris. The knife glinted in the late morning sun, but it was a dull glint.

  Not steel.

  Silver.

  So it really was to be a sacrifice.

  “Morrigan, please,” Shara begged from her place on the stone slab. Her voice was shrill and shaking with emotion. “I’m your mother. I love you! You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Orsel! I, Holle, thank you for sending the Mother to us. I, Holle, thank you for the child she has given us. I, Holle, thank you for lifting the curse that has been upon your favored people.” At this point she turned to face another direction. “We send her back to you now. Her duty here is finished. Her purpose fulfilled.” She turned again.

  The child looked up from her begging mother and her gaze found Fenris approaching. She did not speak, though. She didn’t warn the others. She only watched.

  Holle turned again, but her words did not come right away. Fenris met her eyes and did not stop walking. Behind him, he thought the sounds of gunfire had dwindled. He listened, paused in his approach. One burst of automatic fire reached his ears from far away. Someone screamed closer. Then he smelled the scent of wolves returning to the clearing. It was difficult to sift the different smells, but there were none he recognized as those loyal to him.

  We’ve lost. They were already too many. Why doesn’t McGrath shoot that bitch?

  “The Alpha you have given us, Great Orsel, will destroy the vessel that brought her to us,” Holle called. She passed the knife to the child, with the command, “Kill her.”

  A howl and the sounds of sudden violence erupted from the top of the hill where Fenris had left the others. Heads turned that way.

  Fenris centered the .22’s sites and shot Holle between the eyes.

  Shara

  Shara saw Holle’s body stiffen, then topple over backwards, hitting the ground with a wet, meaty thud. Morrigan never blinked.

  “Baby, she’s gone,” Shara said. “The evil woman is dead. Let me up and I’ll take you away from here. Please, Morrigan.”

  “The goddess …” Morrigan began, the knife rising to strike.

  “Do it, girl!” Audric shouted at her from his corner of the table. His eyes glared at Morrigan while his hands struggled to unstrap a pistol in his belt holster. “Orsel demands it!”

  “No,” Shara argued. “What goddess would tell you to kill your mother?”

  “Do it and become the queen,” Audric hissed. “Orsel demands her blood.”

  Shara saw the confusion flicker out of the girl’s eyes, replaced with a hard resolve.

  I was wrong. Again. Every time I rely on the good in others, I’m always wrong. This will be the last time, though.

  “I love you, Morrigan. Mommy loves you.”

  Thomas

  Thomas had watched Fenris enter the clearing, wondering what
the white-haired man would do. He looked from the calmly approaching man to Holle as she faced the four directions of the wind, calling out her prayer. He hadn’t noticed the fading sounds of battle. He hadn’t taken note of the scent of other werewolves around him, assuming it was only his companions.

  Then a huge gray wolf pounced on Janice, tearing at her throat. Another fell on Chris and another went after Cheryl. Merin intercepted a fourth that was going after Joey.

  A shot rang out below them. Thomas turned his attention back in time to see Fenris had his rifle to his shoulder. He watched Holle fall over backwards.

  Then he saw Morrigan raise the silver knife above her mother’s chest.

  Shara spoke to the girl, but Thomas couldn’t hear what she said. Chaos boiled around him.

  Then he saw Chris Woodman break from the group and race down the slope toward the altar. Toward Shara. A black wolf ran after him for a moment, then somersaulted and lay dead, its body changing to that of an unknown naked man.

  Fenris was aiming again, his rifle lower. Audric had given up on drawing his weapon. He and the three other adult figures around the table changed shape and rushed at Fenris. One of them was a huge brown bear. Fenris steadied his rifle, the barrel pointed at the girl holding a knife over her mother’s breast.

  He’s going to shoot Morrigan!

  Thomas hesitated. He couldn’t even bring his eye to the scope of the rifle.

  Who do I shoot? Who …?

  Shara screamed as the knife tore into her body.

  Something crashed into Thomas’s back. He grunted under the impact, then felt teeth snap on his shoulder.

  In the clearing, one more shot was heard, but Thomas couldn’t tell what was going on now. Pain ripped through him as he struggled to turn over and fight. Another body slammed into the one already on him, knocking it off, but the wolf tore a mouthful of skin and muscle from Thomas’s shoulder as it went.

  Small-caliber shots rang out all around him suddenly.

  Thomas felt hot blood gushing from his shoulder. The pain was intense, but he forced his eyes open. He looked down into the clearing.