“It’s another vortex,” I yelled over the sound of the wind. No surprise there.
Callan surged forward and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He was a magnificent animal. Strong and determined. Even if I hadn’t known it was Callan, I would have admired the wolf.
By now, we’d reached a rural location and it was easy to identify Mona and Kendall’s car because the black sedan was the only vehicle on the country road. Finally, they pulled over and left the car on the side of the road. I understood. We needed the element of surprise. They’d travel the rest of the way on foot. It wouldn’t be an issue for either of them. Kendall was a werebear and Mona was an Amazon. Woodland terrain was second nature to them.
Callan continued to race ahead, his pace never decreasing. He seemed to know exactly where he was headed. A minute later and so did I. There was no mistaking the destination now. The wolf slowed to a trot and I stared ahead, gobsmacked at the sight. Long, ivory branches clustered together to form a structure that looked like the skeleton of a castle. As we drew closer, I realized that my first impression was wrong. The castle wasn’t made of branches at all.
It was made of bones.
I gaped at the structure in the distance. It seemed to be set high on a hill. “Where did all those bones come from?” I shivered. “Forget it, I don’t know want to know.”
Callan shifted out of his wolf form and I tossed him the bug out bag. “Thanks. I don’t mind fighting naked, but clothes give me that added layer of protection from nasty cuts and stab wounds.”
“Not to mention preserves your modesty,” Mona said, appearing behind us. Kendall lumbered a few steps behind her.
“Do we still need Wolverine?” I asked, patting my pocket where the figurine now resided.
“No, I’m good,” Callan replied. “Besides, I think we can guess where to go next.”
“The magic is strong here,” I said. “It’s another convergence of ley lines.”
“I can’t believe I don’t know about this place,” Mona said. “It’s never come up on our radar.”
“That’s probably why he chose it,” I said. “It’s powerful enough to support his spell but also mask his use of magic.”
“Not completely,” Kendall pointed out. “We were able to get a hit on the magic he used at Allegheny. That’s how we stumbled upon you, remember?”
“Yes, but there was a delay,” I reminded him. “Some kind of cloaking spell.”
Mona and Kendall exchanged glances. “The signal was weak. We weren’t sure whether it was a magical flare or just bursts of energy from the vortex.”
“It was a good thing we hedged our bets,” Callan said.
“Fifty bucks says the boys are in that heap of bones up there,” Kendall said.
“And fifty more says that the Hunter isn’t,” I added. “I bet he’s waiting somewhere else in the forest. He wants to make it challenging, so if he’s watching…”
“Then it’s too easy,” Mona finished. “You and Callan see about rescuing those boys. Kendall and I will search for the Hunter.”
“Good luck,” Callan said.
I noticed that Mona now wielded a spear. Kendall wasted no time shifting into his bear form and dropping to all fours. The Hunter was about to become the Hunted. I didn’t envy him.
I produced a few rune rocks from my pocket. I pulled a strand of my magic and placed it in the one for perseverance. I handed another stone to Callan.
“What’s this for?” He studied the rune.
“Protection,” I said.
He handed it back to me. “I don’t need a rock to protect me. That’s what I have you for.”
I imbued the knowledge stone with energy and placed the rest back in my pocket. When I looked up again, I noticed him staring at me. “What?”
“How about another kiss for luck? I want to know if I still taste like beer and honey or that was just a fluke.”
I smiled, my earlier apprehension dissolving. Callan seemed to have that effect on me. “Cider and fig,” I corrected him.
“Excellent. A smile. That’s what I was hoping to see.” He leaned down and fastened his lips to mine. They were as soft as I remembered. Mmm. Still cider and fig. I hoped there would be more kissing in our future. Right now, though, we had to move. Reluctantly, I broke off the kiss.
“Will you flirt with me over babka tomorrow?” he asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Babka, huh?”
“A guy’s got to eat.”
“As you’ve demonstrated many, many times.”
My pulse raced as I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “You’ve got yourself a date. Now we need to save a few lives.”
“Seven,” he corrected me. “A few is three or four.”
“Noted.” I closed my eyes and tapped into the nearest power line underground. I tried to feel my way around the land. If there were any obstacles between here and the bones on the hill, I wanted to know now. The sound of leaves rustling distracted me. There was no wind, which meant it had to be woodland creatures.
Callan sniffed the air. “Something’s coming.”
A flash of brown fur sprinted through the trees.
“Great Goddess of the Moon, what was that?” I spun around.
Callan swore under his breath. “This is not a good development.”
“He has minions?” I asked. There’d been no evidence of minions at Allegheny or in the Wild.
“Not minions,” Callan said, his whole body tensing. “Prey.”
Oh gods. My palms began to sweat. “The potion worked?”
There was no time for an answer. A furry creature lunged from a nearby bush and narrowly missed Callan’s throat with its clawed hand. It let out a sharp cry as Callan pounced, knocking it to the ground. If Callan was right about the creature’s origin, that meant we were too late to save them. The potion was irreversible.
I looked away as Callan broke the creature’s neck with his bare hands. He stood and wiped off his hands on his black sweatpants—a force of habit because there was no blood. He must have noticed my expression because he said, “It’s a mercy killing, Cerys. There’s nothing we can do for them now, except prevent them from killing us first.”
“Then tracking Sean here was for nothing,” I said through gritted teeth.
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not for nothing. The Hunter is here. He won’t leave if the potion worked. He’ll want to hunt them down.”
I thought of the figurine in my pocket. “He’s a monster.”
“And we’re going to find the monster and we’re going to make him answer for his crimes because that’s what we do. Are you with me?”
I met his steady gaze. “I am.” The problem was that Callan and I were tasked with rescuing the victims from the belly of the bones. Were we now tasked with killing them instead?
“Maybe they haven’t all taken the potion yet,” I said. “There’s still a chance.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. “There’s that dose of rainbows and unicorns I’ve come to appreciate. Don’t ever change, Cerys.”
“Change comes for us all whether we want it or not,” I said. It had come for these young men today and they would pay the ultimate price for it. I brushed my grief aside. I’d dwelled enough in sorrow and regret.
We raced through the forest toward the bones. The ground began to slope as we neared the hill. My body pulsed with energy. If I came face-to-face with the Hunter right now, I would have no problem destroying him. I wouldn’t even need a wand to do it. I had direct access to all the ancient magic lurking beneath our feet.
In the mouth of the bones, I saw movement. I ran faster, jumping over fallen trees and scraping my legs and arms on thorns. Callan had shifted back into his wolf form and stormed ahead. Even though I lost sight of him in the thickness of the brush, it was comforting to know he wouldn’t be more than thirty feet away.
I didn’t see the next creature coming. He rushed me from the side and knocked the breath from my
lungs. My shoulder slammed against the ground and an involuntary cry escaped me. I flipped onto my back and held up my hands in an effort to block the creature from biting me. Whatever humanity he’d possessed was gone. The creature’s eyes were black and expressionless. It growled and grunted as it clawed at my clothes. I drew my magic to me, pulling the energy from the ground beneath me. I felt a surge of power and held up both hands, palms out. Golden light blasted from my hands and the creature sailed through the air, landing in a thicket ten feet away. Its fur was singed and smoking. It seemed momentarily stunned.
I took the opportunity to jump to my feet and sprint toward the bones. I knew it would likely chase after me, but if I faced off with it here, I’d have to kill it. I wasn’t ready for that. Better to take my chances and outrun it.
I didn’t get far before the creature caught up with me. Faster, indeed. Its claws reached my back, swiping my sword to the ground. It launched itself at me and I fell forward. Tree branches covered in leaves lowered to cushion the blow. I struggled to get the creature off my back. It tore at my clothes and hair. I called the magic to me and summoned help from our surroundings. Vines slithered down from nearby tree trunks and attached themselves to the creature, holding him in place long enough to extricate myself from his unwanted embrace.
I pulled the dagger from my boot just as the creature broke free of the vines. It knocked me to the ground and I gasped as the back of my head smacked against the hard ground. I held him back with all my strength, the dagger still in my grasp. The creature hovered over me, its face inches from mine. I could see sharp fangs in its mouth. Fangs that had been human teeth only hours before. The knowledge was unsettling. This thing had been a young man. Someone’s son. Someone’s brother. Suddenly Folant’s face loomed above mine. I choked back a cry of anguish.
“Cerys, do it!” Callan’s voice sliced through my moment of panic.
I would do it again, if I had to. That was the thought that came to me. The one reassurance I gave myself over and over. I’d used my father’s sword on a husk that looked like Folant, but it had no longer been my brother. He had not come back from the dead. Something else came back in his place. There had been no metamorphosis, only death.
The creature snarled and tried to bite my cheek. I thrust the dagger into his chest, right between the ribs where I knew it was most vulnerable. Then I withdrew the blade and stabbed it again. It squealed and rolled off of me, clutching its wounds.
“Four to go,” Callan said. “I got another one back there.” He handed me the sword that had fallen. “Found this, too.”
“Thanks.” I wiped the dagger on my shirt and vaulted to my feet before taking the sword.
He studied me closely. “You okay?”
I nodded. “I didn’t kill him. The Hunter did.”
“Damn straight.”
“Callan, we need you,” Mona’s voice rang through the forest.
He was back in wolf form in the blink of an eye and I chased after him, not wanting to fall thirty feet behind. He slowed momentarily so that I could jump on his back and then we rode together toward the source of the sound.
Mona was pinned to an oak tree with arrows protruding from her skin. Blood streaked her body.
“Great Goddess.” I stared at the arrows. “Can I pull them out or will that make it worse?”
“Pull them,” she ground out, so I did.
“Where’s Kendall?”
“Behind you,” Mona replied. She dropped to a seated position on the ground and leaned against the tree.
Kendall’s bear form was sprawled over a log with Mona’s spear sticking out of his gut.
“Oh no, Kendall,” I yelled, rushing to him.
“He’s alive,” Mona said, “but barely.” Her voice was weakening.
“Where’s the Hunter?” I asked. I reached out to the land and felt for his presence.
“Right here, my pet,” a voice called.
I turned around, my sword unsheathed. The Hunter stood on top of a boulder. The wolf beside me growled.
“Worthy foes,” the Hunter said. Goldhorn had been right—the Hunter was a centaur this time around. He was larger than any centaur I’d ever seen, with a massive chest and dark hair that streamed down his shoulders. His bottom half was a giant black stallion. “How refreshing. I’ve already killed three of my new playthings and I’ve grown bored. I thought my new potion would be a cure to my malaise but it wasn’t to be.” He heaved a regretful sigh.
“You’ve had enough fun in this world, Hunter,” I said, injecting as much venom into my tone as I could muster. It wasn’t difficult. “It’s time for your death to have permanence.”
The Hunter’s deep rumble of laugh echoed around us. “Death holds no permanence for me. It is only a respite until I rise again.”
No, not this time. No more rising from the dead. That changes now.
The wolf exploded forward. The Hunter reached for his quiver, pulling an arrow taut before firing. The arrow landed squarely in the wolf’s chest, but, to the Hunter’s surprise, he kept moving forward.
I had to help Callan. If he got much closer in range, he’d do the Hunter’s job for him. I concentrated on the boulder, reaching out to the magic lodged inside it. The boulder shook and fractured. A fissure stretched from the top of the boulder to the bottom. The Hunter was too focused on the approaching wolf to notice.
I called to the trees. Their branches reached for Callan, preventing the wolf from gaining any more distance. A vine wrapped around the arrow and dislodged it from the wolf’s chest.
I shifted back to the boulder. An arrow skimmed the side of my head. I stayed focused on my task. By the time the Hunter realized what was happening, it was too late. The boulder split open and the centaur dropped inside. I summoned more energy, letting it flow through me. I concentrated on pushing the sides of the boulder closed again. The Hunter fought hard but his strength was no match for my magic. The earth would reclaim him, right here and now. His hooves scraped against the rock and his muscles bulged, but I persevered. The two sides of the boulder finally squeezed shut.
“Like a fly trapped in amber,” Callan said. He’d shifted back to his human form and the branches had released him.
“Except flattened and encased in a boulder for eternity,” I said. I tossed the werewolf his bug out bag, not that I minded the view.
“We can take him into custody in that boulder,” Mona said, her energy fading. Her eyes were fluttering open and closed. “Dead or alive, the Hunter is coming back with us. Not risking it.”
I hurried to check on Kendall. “His pulse is faint, but it’s there.”
“Thank the gods,” Callan said.
I stroked the bear’s fur. “We need a healer here. We can’t move him like this.”
Callan already had his phone out of the bug out bag. “Michael will handle it. He’s sending a team to collect the boulder, too.”
I gaped at him. “You type faster than I think.”
“You should text more.”
I rose to my feet and went to examine him. “How’s your chest?” I tugged at his shirt. “Show me.”
He wrapped his fingers around my hands. “It’s fine. Nothing to see here. Not now anyway.” He smirked.
“Get a room,” Mona said, her voice barely audible. Even injured, the Amazon had moxie.
Callan smoothed back my hair. “You did well, Cerys. You’re a true champion.” His eyes glazed over and he inhaled deeply. “Sean.”
I reeled back. “Sean? You smell him?”
Callan appeared confused. “It smells fresh.”
“That’s good, right?” My heart soared. “That means he might still be alive.”
Callan didn’t answer. He immediately began to follow the trail. I tried not to be too hopeful, but it made sense. Only six creatures had been killed. There was either a seventh lurking or there was Sean.
He stopped in front of the end of a fallen tree and I stooped down to look. A young man trembled inside.
His knees were drawn to his chest and his eyes were closed. He rocked back and forth, talking softly to himself.
I crouched down to his level. “You’re okay. We’ve come to help you.”
He squeezed one eye open. “I didn’t drink the potion. I don’t want to be turned into a dog.”
“What’s wrong with being turned into a dog?” Callan asked.
I held out my hand. “No one is turning you into anything. What’s your name?”
He studied my hand, as though weighing the risk. “Sean,” he finally answered.
I couldn’t help myself. I burst into tears.
He released my hand and patted me on the back. “It’s okay, remember? You told me so.”
I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Your mom is waiting for you at home, Sean.” I fished the figurine out of my pocket and held it in my open palm. “And I brought this.”
His face lit up at the sight of his beloved toy. “Wolverine?” He snatched the figurine and held it against his chest.
“Yes, Wolverine,” I said. “He saved you. He really is a superhero.”
Sean gazed at me in wonder. “No, not Wolverine. You. You saved me.”
Chapter Sixteen
As much as I missed Callan’s constant presence, I was thrilled to finally be back in my room at the academy and with my friends. It had been a challenging two weeks, and it made me appreciate my time at Spellslingers even more. Chancellor Tilkin wasted no time summoning my roommates and I to her office.
“You should be proud of yourself, Cerys,” Chancellor Tilkin said. “You showed incredible bravery and fortitude.” She sat behind her desk, looking every bit her usual, elegant self.
“Thank you, Chancellor Tilkin.”
“We always knew she was more than a cheerful smile,” Dani said.
“Cookie?” Hazel shoved a tray of baked goods under my nose. I selected two colorful ones and thanked her. She bustled over to Dani next. Hazel lived to serve and it showed.
“It must be a relief to be free of your bond with Mr. Mulroney.” The chancellor’s focus turned to Bryn. “Though we should take greater care in exercising our more potent powers.”
Outwit: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Enforcer of the East Book 1) Page 18
