Coven of Wolves

by Peter Saenz

  After he says this I can see he gives a brief look to one of the young werewolves standing at attention. I then realize the young wolf he looks at is Nicholas, now barely 17 or 18 years old.

  One of the other Archons then speaks. “Soldiers, arms forward!”

  At this the young wolves each hold out their arms.

  The Archon continues. “Bearers, present!”

  The solemn soldiers holding the boxes then place the gifts into the arms of each soldier before them. After releasing the boxes, the bearers then make a military turn and march single file out of the arena. Before they leave I notice that the bearer standing before Nicholas gives him a slight wink before leaving. It’s something I’ve seen many times before. I then realize that Nicholas’ bearer is my father.

  The world around us morphs into a series of flashes. In each scene we see Nicholas growing gradually older, using his swords in a series of battles and slayings. As each scene progresses into the next, his skill at killing seems to improve. Soon his swords don’t even seem to be weapons but mere extensions of himself. In one of the scenes I see Nicholas sneaking into a mansion compound at night, easily maneuvering around bodyguards without being seen. He eventually makes his way to a high window and removes one of his gloves. Once the glove is off, his hand morphs into a razor sharp claw. With his pointer finger he lightly scratches a circle on the glass big enough for him to fit through. When the circle is fully made, he taps the bottom of the circle and the round cut piece falls onto the palm of his hand. He then holds it as a discus and throws it soundlessly into distant shadowed bushes. After Nicholas’ hand reverts back to human, he places his glove back on. He easily fits through the newly created hole and falls, landing on his feet many feet below. He is then in a massive bedroom, moving to the oversized canopy bed against one of the walls. Horror grips me as I see one of the two sleeping figures in the bed has a familiar face: my mother’s father from the previous vision. When Nicholas raises one of his swords I quickly turn away, knowing what is coming next. Helplessness overcomes me as I know there is nothing I can do to alter what has already happened. After a few moments, I turn back to see Nicholas galloping up the wall and out the hole he just created, disappearing back into the outdoor shadows.

  Several more similar scenes play out, each depicting Nicholas using his swords in some cruel, unforgiving way. Looking at Tobias I see worry in his face. Fenrus’ voice can be heard in my head saying, “He’s worried about Mika”.

  The realization that she could be entering harm’s way hits me too. I instinctively turn to hold Tobias in my arms. He reciprocates tightly. We turn back and see many of the killing scenes have faded and only one solitary vision can be seen. In it, Nicholas is sitting in a claw footed bath tub. The only light comes from several lit candles scattered around the room. Their light causes the water in the tub to sparkle with each flicker. Nicholas has a stoic look about him as he stares off into space. He appears to be deep in thought when a single tear falls down his cheek. Slowly, he reaches for one of his swords leaning against the tub. He takes it in hand and looks over its details. He then quickly twirls the sword in his hand until the blade’s tip is pointed towards his chest. He plunges it forward into himself, the silver beginning to sizzle the flesh around it. He opens his mouth, wanting to shout out in pain but makes no sound. Slowly his eyes begin to close and he slumps forward.

  Tobias and I are too startled to do anything but look on in shock. A few moments go by before there is a knock at the door. After several knocks a voice is heard saying, “Nicholas? Nicholas, are you in there?”

  When there is no response the door slowly opens and I see my father’s face peer around the door. “Nicholas?” Once he sees the state Nicholas is in, he rushes over to his cousin and pulls his naked body from the water and onto the once white plush bathroom rug. He then lets Nicholas fall back into his arm and pulls out the sword lodged in his chest. My father Adam then bites his own arm, drawing blood. He pours the crimson liquid over Nicholas’ wound, watching it slowly close the puncture hole until it becomes non-existent. Nicholas remains unconscious as my father shouts for help. Guards rush in and the vision goes dark.

  I can still see Tobias and Fenrus before me, but everything else around us remains pitch black. A single light then begins to appear between the three of us. It starts to take shape and before long the light transforms into the form of the Synoro sword used in the ritual. It dangles in mid-air before us, a weapon made of pure shining light. I become transfixed by the object and feel my legs becoming weak beneath me. I reach out to grab the handle and see Tobias has done the same. The moment we both grab hold, we are both overcome with the sword’s light. It quickly surges through my arm, into my chest, up into my head, then down into my remaining appendages.

  Suddenly I realize that something potentially dangerous has happened as I no longer feel quite myself. The surrounding darkness begins to fade as Mika’s kitchen comes back into view. I then can see that my right hand is holding the sword’s blade and blood has begun streaming down my arm. I look toward Tobias and see he is in the same situation. We both instinctively let go of the sword and watch it clang onto the ground below. I feel very light headed and fall to the ground unconscious.

  *******

  I’m back in the Los Angeles mansion. I realize I must be dream traveling again as I can hear Malik laughing somewhere off in the distance. As I try to gain focus, I can see Luke sneaking off toward the mansion’s supply closet. I follow him as he looks around to make sure no one is watching. He opens the pantry door and eyes the many magical tools inside. His hands are shaking and all color has drained from his already pale skin. He quickly throws several herbs and sacred stones into a black felt bag. When he is finished he pulls the drawstring, sealing the bag and closes the pantry door. When he does, Zack is revealed to be leaning against a far wall with his arms crossed before him, staring coldly in Luke’s direction. Luke flinches and takes one step backward.

  “Well, well. We wouldn’t have another runner in the coven, do we?” The sound of Zack’s voice makes my skin crawl.

  “Nuh-no, not at all. I’m merely getting some supplies for Malik. He-he wanted to have the alter set-up and ready for the ceremony.”

  Zack gets a devilish grin on his face and says, “Funny, I’ve never known sage to be of any use for what he has planned. Seems to me the things you packed away in your bag are only good for blocking evil and hiding someone’s location.”

  Luke slowly begins reaching for his cane, affixed to his side. Zack notices and electricity begins to form in his eyes. Luke takes a slow side step to the right and says, “I-I can’t keep Malik waiting. He s-said he wanted the alter set up right away.”

  The electricity in Zack’s eyes grow brighter. Luke looks down to Zack’s hand and sees that electricity has begun to form there as well. By this time Luke has gotten a firm grip on his cane and is eyeing a nearby counter to possibly duck behind. Zack can see what he has planned and shoots electricity in Luke’s direction. Luke uses his cane to form a small shield, blocking the bolt. He lands to his side behind the counter. Zack quickly races over to the counter, eyeing Luke on the floor. In the distance I can hear the sound of feet running toward our direction.

  Luke is frozen with fear as he watches Zack raise his power filled hand into the air. A part of me wants to stay to see what Luke has coming to him. Another part of me however knows this would be wrong. In my spirit form I’m very limited with what I can do, but something inside me snaps into action. I will Zack to slam against the wall behind him. He does, but not strong enough to knock him out. Instead his face strikes a mirror, causing it to break. The shards cut Zack just below one of his eyes, disorienting him for a moment.

  I run over to Luke and say into his ear, “Run Luke, this is the only chance you’ll have. The others are coming into the room now!”

  Reality sinks in as Luke takes his cane and slams it into the ground beside him. Darkness covers his body then disappears, t
aking Luke along with it.

  Not wanting to stick around either, I will my dream self to return to San Francisco. Instead of arriving back in Mika’s apartment though, I find myself on a busy city street. Ahead of me I can see the entrance to a store. On the glass window beside the door is printed ‘Curious Collectibles &emdash; Odd Items of the Unexplained’. I hear a woman scream from inside so I will myself to glide through the wall to have a better look.

  From inside I can now see Mika battling against a group of 10 or 12 large men. From behind the counter I see a scruffy young man in his mid-twenties. One of the Initiators is holding him from behind, one hand covering his mouth and the other holding his body in place so that he can’t use his hands or run. I look on in amazement as Mika seems to be holding her own. She quickly takes out two opponents at once and immediately starts in on a third. Something about her fighting seems very familiar though. After a few moments I realize that she is using some of the same fighting techniques I had seen my father use in our vision quest into the past. Can she copy any fighting move she sees? She makes it seem so effortless. Another wiccan gift perhaps?

  When one of the large men seems to shrug off her blows, she lets loose with her magic, scattering small daggers of light at various opponents. It does the trick as the previously immovable attacker falls to the ground in pain. Out of nowhere it seems, she is struck from behind by a magical bolt. As she falls to the ground, the men left standing pin her down. One of them snaps a large metallic disk around her neck. The disk is filled with various runes and unknown markings. I sense very old magic emanating from it. Instinctively, I will the attackers holding down Mika to experience intense pain. The spell works, but in my dream form the potency of the magic isn’t very strong. From out of the shadows steps a slightly older middle aged Asian man. He obviously senses my presence and slams me with a spell of his own. It causes me to land back into my own body again, this time with a feeling that someone had just punched me very hard in the stomach.

  I look at the ground beside me and see the unconscious form of Tobias and a very groggy Fenrus. Suddenly Mika’s front door swings open and Anna rushes in. She is surprised to see us on the ground and rushes over to us.

  “What happened?”

  I try very hard to catch my breath and say to her, “Something happened during a spell. Mika, she’s in trouble!”

  Sekhmet appears from behind Anna and quickly prances over to Fenrus. The two familiars nuzzle noses, which seems to help Fenrus regain his strength somewhat. Similarly, I begin to feel a bit better as well. Anna and I move over to Tobias to make sure he’s alright. I lift him into my arms and he begins to come to. When he opens his eyes, he looks deep into mine. His beautiful hazel eyes take on a warm brown shade. As we look into each other, I know he’s alright.

  I look down and see Tobias’ hand is still bleeding. We’re both too weak to try a healing spell, which does take a good amount of energy to project. So instead I take off my shirt and rip it in two. I use one half of the shirt to wrap his bleeding hand, forming a makeshift bandage. With the other, I wrap my own hand in kind.

  Anna places her hands over each of us and begins speaking in ancient Egyptian. After a few moments our hands feel somewhat better and the bleeding stops. When her spell is over, she says to each of us, “You two have been enchanted. There doesn’t seem to be any negative aspects I can sense, but something happened to alter both of your auras somewhat.”

  “That’s not important right now. I just saw Mika being kidnapped by a group of Initiators! She’s in terrible danger!”

  Anna gets a look of concern on her face. “I sensed something was wrong. I felt her anguish so I ran down here as fast as I could. I’ve been trying to magically see where she is and what happened to her, but something is blocking my vision.”

  “It must be the witch I saw with the rest of the Initiators. They put a strange disk around Mika’s neck. I sense it somehow blocks magic.”

  Tobias says, “A strange disk? It must be a Hexing Stock. Puritans used them on witches during the witch hunts in Europe and the early settlements of America. They inhibit a witch’s gifts, leaving them defenseless to protect themselves magically.”

  Anna’s eyes glaze over and I can tell she is trying to locate Mika again. When her eyes revert to normal, she says, “Nothing. Devin, could you see where Mika was when the Initiators arrived?”

  “She was at a store called Curious Collectibles. She went there to ask the store owner some questions. The Initiators were holding him captive while they went after Mika.”

  Anna says, “I know that place. It’s on Irving and 16th.”

  Tobias interjects saying, “I remember how to get to those streets. If we leave now maybe we’ll be able to track their essence back to where Mika is.”

  I hold Tobias and say, “You’re not going anywhere. You’ve lost some blood and aren’t yet strong enough.”

  With a firm tone Tobias says, “Devin, we’ve both lost blood but I’m not letting Anna go by herself against a group of Initiators. To hell with the coven and the werewolves. Mika is like a sister to me and I’m not going to leave her out there to die.”

  Before I can realize what I’m saying I hear the words “I love you” leave my lips.

  Tobias smiles and says, “Ditto”. I take off the bloody bandage from his hand and inspect the wound. Thanks to Anna’s spell, it has completely healed. I take off my bandage and see the same result.

  After putting the bloodied bandages into my pocket, I look over to Anna, ready to tell her that we’re both coming with her whether she likes it or not. Instead, I’m surprised to see she is already standing at the door, waiting for us to follow her. I nuzzle Fenrus’ fur, signaling him to come with us. For some reason I instinctively grab hold of the Synoro sword on the ground. I see one of Mika’s empty scabbards nearby and place the Synoro sword inside it. I swing the harness around my chest and feel the sword fall securely in place on my back. Tobias and I then walk over to Anna. When we reach her, Anna extends her hand. On her palm materializes two brown leather bands. Etched into the leather is a cat’s eye and several Egyptian hieroglyphs around it.

  “I was meaning to give you both these bands after All Hollow’s Eve, once you’ve left my home. They are enchanted to help hide it’s wearer from other magical beings and their magic. Powerful magic might be able to break through the enchantment’s veil, but they still should be able to help you somewhat once you leave my protection.”

  Tobias and I each take a band and examine them. The energy from the leather pulses in my hand. When I put the band on my wrist, I can see a clear coat of magic envelope me then disappear. The same thing happens to Tobias. When I look at him I still see the same Tobias, but magically can no longer sense anything coming from him. It’s almost as if he didn’t exist at all. I try magically scanning for Tobias’ devotional necklace, but nothing. The expression on his face tells me he senses the same from me.

  “Thank you”, I tell Anna. She nods and wills the door to open, allowing us to leave the building. The elevator takes us to an underground garage. Anna walks us over to a stall where a large car is parked with a car cover draped over it. Tobias reaches for the front of the cover and dramatically throws it off to the side. Underneath is a beautifully kept silver Rolls Royce. The metal is still shiny, as if it had just been taken off of the factory production line.

  Tobias turns to us and says, “I’m driving.”

  Anna gets into the passenger seat with Sekhmet curling up on her lap as she fastens her safety belt. Fenrus and I climb into the back. No sooner do I close the door than Tobias has the car revved and peeling out of the building. Tobias zooms around several slow moving cars, but much like our previous experience with Mika’s driving, no one outside of the car seems to notice. I look over to Anna and see that it’s not her that is glamouring our dangerous driving, but Sekhmet. The magic slowly streams out of him as he lays curled up in Anna’s lap purring with his eyes closed.

  Aft
er a few blocks I can feel the protective magic that shielded us in Anna’s apartment building slowly begin to fade. After a few more blocks, it disappears altogether. I rub the leather band Anna gave me, hoping it’s own set of magic will hide us long enough to find Mika.

  We arrive at the destination in no time. As we approach the building there’s no sign of disturbance at all. Once we walk in however, things couldn’t be more different. The store is in complete disarray. Broken candles and mini-statues of gods are scattered across the floor, and jars of herbs sitting on the counters are shattered, filling the store with a smell of wilderness and fauna. Along the far wall I can see the store owner from my previous spirit travel picking up several books from the floor and placing them back on the shelves that previously housed them. His dark hair is unkempt, as if he were just in a tousling match with someone. His vintage Smiths t-shirt is ripped and dirty, which only seems to match the condition of his blue jeans. I notice one of the shoe laces on his black and white Converse All-Star shoes has come undone as well. The jingling bell of the open door alerts him to our presence. With a defeated voice of sadness he says, “I’m sorry folks. I forgot to put up the closed sign on the door. As you can see, the store was just ransacked and robbed. The store’s probably gonna be closed for the next few days.”