by Cate Farren
“There’s revenge,” said Valko.
Rian was about to respond when Valko threw himself across the desk. Papers scattered everywhere. He pressed his hands around Rian’s neck, gently, which gave his enemy time to contemplate his mortality. “You took everything from me, and now it’s time to pay.”
Rian growled and bit into former friend’s arm, drawing blood. He roared and pushed Valko onto the floor and pounced, and then sunk his teeth into his neck. Blood flew around the room as he ripped, arteries and flesh slapping around like wet fish.
It was superb.
I’ve dreamed of this for so long!
When Rian looked down again, eager to tear his former friend limb from limb, there was nothing there. There was no taste of blood in his mouth. There was no flesh embedded beneath his fingernails. Valko had never been here.
He stood up, confused.
“What the hell is going on?” he called.
He ran to the window, and looked out over his estate. It was mid afternoon. Nobody was about. The sun was obscured by dark clouds, and the layers of snow were thick, crisp and white. Everything was quiet.
He could smell magic.
“You thought you could get away with it.”
Rian turned to find Valko standing before him. It was another magical illusion, that he was sure of. But even that could kill him, depending on the strength of the person wielding the magic.
“I don’t know why a witch is trying to kill me, but they’re going to regret it,” Rian promised. “Bring it on.”
The Valko construct charged at him. Rian roared with blood fever and joined the fight.
***
The guard slipped to the floor, unconscious from having lost too much blood. Alanna wiped the blood from her mouth, feeling energized and strong. She hadn’t felt this alive in so long. How had she subsisted on just cow’s blood without going totally insane?
And I’m doing it for a good cause!
“Is he okay?” Coy asked, concerned. He leaned over the body and felt for a pulse. “Phew.”
Alanna exhaled. “I promised Valko I wouldn’t kill anybody.” She paused before she added, “And I’m okay with that. A little.”
Another guard on the edge of the property spotted them. He charged forward. Alanna grinned, ran towards him, bowled into him at high speeds, and used her shoulder as a battering ram. The werewolf screamed in pain as he was flung into the air. She could hear several of his bones breaking as he smashed head-first into the frozen ground.
She kneeled over the body and stomped her foot down on the man’s head. He was unconscious, badly injured, but he’d survive. Just.
“How many guards are there?” Alanna asked.
Coy pulled her against the side of a barn. Their breath came out in icy wisps.
“A lot,” Coy whispered. “Rian knew how to stir trouble.”
“I can handle it,” Alanna declared.
“You’re being overconfident.”
Alanna turned away from him. “Maybe you’re right. But I’m going to fight for Valko. I’m going to fight for us.”
They were about to carry on towards their destination when a symphony of howling pierced the skies. Coy grabbed Alanna’s arm, and pulled her back. He was frantic.
“They know we’re here,” he told her. “This is bad.”
Her ears were assaulted by what felt like every wolf in the known world, howling mournfully. It was so loud she was surprised the people of Chapel Green didn’t hear it.
Maybe they can. Maybe someone will investigate.
“We knew they would,” she said direly. The howling died down in strength, but it still continued. “But this complicates things.”
A massive, shaggy grey wolf appeared around the corner of the barn. It stopped, hackles raised, and snarled at them. Its teeth were practically razors, waiting to hack into them.
“You should never have betrayed the Green family,” Alanna told the wolf. “It was your undoing.”
The wolf padded forward, slowly, in search of a weakness so it could attack. Alanna pressed herself against the side of the barn, and waited for Coy to change.
I’ve never seen two wolves fight before.
She looked at Coy. “Are you going to change or not?”
“I can’t do it,” he said. His voice was agonized, heartbroken. “I can’t attack them.”
The wolf was getting closer. The howls on the estate were increasing in urgency once again.
Coy looked her in the eye and said, “It’s my wife Tracey. I… I can’t hurt her. I’ve hurt her enough.”
Alanna had half a second to resolve this. As the wolf pounced, and Coy looked impotently on, she slipped to the side in a blur of motion. She grabbed the wolf’s tail in mid-air, swung the creature hard, and catapulted her into the wall of the barn. She crashed through the wooden beams, and landed in a pile of hay. She seemed to be out cold.
Then the wolf got to her feet again. She was bleeding from the mouth, and her tail was bent at an odd angle, but she was perfectly fine.
“Your wife is very pissed,” said Alanna.
“I left her because I was gay,” Coy admitted. “She doesn’t know that though.”
The wolf’s eyes widened in surprise.
“She does now,” said Alanna.
***
Rian grinned as the second construct threw himself at him. He dodged the attack, but noticed one thing as they continued to fight. As punches flew and teeth were bared, he knew that this thing, this copy of Valko, couldn’t move as swiftly and expertly as the real thing.
“Traitor!” Valko roared.
Rian screamed, and grabbed Valko’s arm. He twisted, and pulled Valko’s shoulder out of its socket. He didn’t hear the pop he’d normally associate with such an action. It felt so fake.
“This is useless!” Rian shouted with the knowledge that the witch was close by. They had to be to keep the spell up. “You can’t defeat me like this! You have no chance!”
Valko punched him in the throat. Rian teetered back, unable to breathe for a moment.
Where the hell are my guards? Are they all asleep?
“You deserve this,” said Valko, his claws a blur as they slashed at Rian’s chest. He drew blood, and pushed him back towards the window. “You damn traitor!”
Rian blocked another attack. He swiped some of his own blood onto his hand and flung it at Valko’s face, which temporarily blinded him. Rian grabbed him by the arm and swung him through the window. When Valko hit the ground, he vanished.
Rian turned back to his room, cautious. “Where the hell are you, witch? Show yourself!”
He ran to his study door, opened it, and looked down the corridor. Several of his guards were asleep on the floor, snoring softly. The stench of magic was overpowering.
The witch is very close.
“I will find you!” he called. He enjoyed being the predator. He hadn’t had this much fun in such a long time. “And when I do, you’ll die in pain.”
Another Valko jumped through the wall in front of him. The two of them collided and crashed into a sideboard, and smashed the expensive vase on top of it. Rian punched at him, and grabbed him in a headlock. He twisted his neck, killing him. The construct vanished.
“I’m growing bored!” shouted Rian.
***
Coy’s ex-wife, in her new deadly wolf form, howled in pain. She charged forwards and pounced. Coy just stood there, looking dumb, seemingly afraid to do anything.
What is wrong with you?
“Watch out!” Alanna screamed.
The wolf collided with Coy, and pinned him to the ground. She bared her teeth, and stared down at him with such vicious hatred that Alanna wondered why she hadn’t killed him already. What was she waiting for?
“Please,” Coy begged. “You have to believe me that…”
The wolf snarled, about to bite down. Alanna kicked her off him, and sent her tumbling into a filthy snow pile by the side of the barn. She climbed to
her feet quickly, and looked angrier than ever.
“You have to protect yourself,” she told Coy as the wolf circled them in preparation for another attack. “She wants to kill you.”
Coy got to his feet. “She doesn’t want to kill me. She’s just hurt.”
“A hurt woman is capable of quite a lot of violence, especially if they’re a giant wolf!”
He looked towards his ex-wife, the woman he’d married and tossed aside because he’d been too cowardly to admit he was gay. In a way, Alanna didn’t blame her. She’d been through the exact same thing with Valko Senior. At the time she’d felt like killing him, even though he’d been honest with who he was.
This is up to me to solve this.
“I know he hurt you, but killing him won’t solve anything,” said Alanna with the hope that she could get through to her. “He’s a coward. You deserved to know the truth, but he kept lying to you. You could kill him, but that wouldn’t make you feel better. It would…”
She pounced again. Alanna intervened, and grabbed the wolf by the scruff of her neck. She twisted, and that killed her instantly.
What have I done…
Alanna let the body drop. The corpse changed instantly into her human form: a pretty woman in her late sixties with deep red hair in a bun. She seemed peaceful.
Coy stared at her in horror. “She didn’t deserve that.”
“Would you have let her kill you?” Alanna asked him.
I need to keep my mind off this.
I killed someone.
I swore I’d never kill again.
“Would you?” she demanded.
He nodded.
“I respect that,” she said. Her voice trembled as she looked away from the body, from the life she’d snuffed out. “But don’t do it again. I want to survive this day. Come on, let’s head to the house where they’re keeping the Greens. Maybe we can get to them during all the chaos.”
It was her or me. This was different from last time. Last time it was murder. This time it was self defense. There’s a difference.
They were about to head away when five more wolves appeared around the side of the barn. She took Coy’s hand and they ran.
***
The Valko construct exploded into pinpricks of light.
“I can smell you!” Rian teased. “I can smell your magic!”
He whipped open the door to the walk-in freezer. There was an old man standing there, shocked. Rian smirked, contemplated the bloody things that he was going to do to this witch.
I could skin him alive with my claws, or just lock him in here and let him freeze to death.
“You set my alarms off,” said Rian. He could hear the old man’s pulse, taste his fear. He was definitely real and not a magical construct. “Why have you come to kill me?”
“I didn’t come to kill you,” the old man explained. He held his head up high, trying to act brave. “I came here to help someone else kill you.”
Rian stepped forward menacingly. The old man stepped back. The air in the freezer was chill, but nothing he couldn’t handle. It was probably colder outside than it was in here.
“You’re not a very good witch,” Rian remarked. “You should’ve turned my blood into fire by now.”
“I’m not a killer,” said the man. “When I came back from the war, I vowed never to kill another soul ever again, even one as repulsive as yours.”
“Adrian is a good man,” said another Valko construct behind him.
Rian ignored him, content to scare this old witch. He was going to enjoy tearing him limb from limb. He’d never tasted witch blood on his tongue before.
“Did the Chapel Green town council send you?” Rian asked as he reveled in the old man’s fear. “Did their child sheriff not have the guts to come up here and kill me himself?” Rian laughed. “Idiots, the lot of them. When I take my place on the council, they’ll have to take heed of my ideas.”
“Since when were you intelligent enough to do something like address the town council?” the Valko construct mocked.
A fist grabbed him by the back of shirt and shoved him up against the door. Rian was surprised. The old man must have been saving his best work for last. This construct felt more solid, more powerful.
“You’re a traitor,” Valko spat. “And we’re here to take you down.”
A fist connected with Rian’s kidneys. The pain was biting, making him gasp out loud.
Something is wrong.
Shit. This is the real Valko!
***
Valko grabbed Rian by the back of the neck and dragged him out of the freezer. He threw him against the sink so hard that the faucets broke, and showered the kitchen with water.
“I said that I wasn’t going to enjoy this,” said Valko as he kicked Rian in the head. “But I think I might.”
He brought both of his fists down on the back of his former friend’s head. Rian went down onto the kitchen tiles, and his chin cracked against the hard surface.
Valko kicked him in the head again, the force of the impact so hard that several teeth spun out of Rian’s mouth.
“Stop this!” a voice screamed.
The familiar voice yanked Valko out of his thirst to hurt Rian. It was a mistake. The other werewolf used the opportunity to get behind him and grab him in a headlock. He couldn’t move.
“What are you playing at?” the voice cried.
Valko knew he had to be seeing things. It was impossible.
“Vasilka?” he asked.
My sister is alive…
Chapter 15
“Vasilka…”
She smiled hesitantly, and stepped forward. The light from the window outlined her form. His beautiful sister. Alive.
“What kind of madness is this?” Valko demanded.
Rian grinned, and gripped Valko’s neck even harder. Valko felt his vision going blurry as his throat was crushed and air was cut off to his lungs. He hung limp, not understanding.
This has to be a trick. This has to be magic.
“Let him go,” said Vasilka. “Please, Rian.”
“He came here to kill me!” Rian roared. “He deserves to die. If he hadn’t escaped in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
Vasilka smiled. Valko had missed that kind smile, so full of hope and expectation. She had to be an angel.
“I saved him,” Vasilka explained.
Rian shook his head. “No.”
Valko’s memories of that night were still cloudy. He could swear Vasilka had died. He had no memory of how he got to Baxter State Park before Adrian had enchanted him to seek out Alanna’s cabin, but that much he did know. His sister had died. Rian had butchered her.
So how is she standing here? Is this a dream? Am I still still suffering through my injuries back in Alanna’s cabin?
“I had to save him,” Vasilka confessed. She smiled sweetly as she stepped forward. She was wearing a light blue dress, the one their mother had gotten her for her last birthday. “He’s my brother.”
“We agreed on this!” Rian shouted. “He had to die!”
“As long as you thought he was dead, it didn’t matter either way,” said Vasilka. “Did it?”
Valko knew that lack of oxygen was making him hear things that made no sense. Did his sister know about Rian’s coup? Did she help him in his endeavor?
Did my sister betray her family?
“Don’t kill him,” Vasilka begged. She held her hands out in an attempt to calm the beast. “Let him live. Let him live for me.”
“If I let him live, he’ll stop at nothing to get back what we stole,” said Rian. “I have to kill him.”
“If you truly love me you’ll let him live.”
“You know I love you. You’re my wife. I love you more than anything.”
She smiled angelically, and placed the palm of her hand against Rian’s face. He smiled too. Valko could smell his sister properly now she was up close. She had a different sense to her. She felt alien, unfamilia
r. She didn’t smell like family, a scent so familiar he’d know it anywhere.
Why does she smell different?
“I love you my Rian,” she whispered, and kissed him on the cheek. “Knock him out and lock him up.”
“I will,” Rian agreed.
Valko looked up into his sister’s precious eyes. She stroked his face gently and smiled before he finally passed out.
***
The basement door heaved, and shuddered under the weight. Dust fell from the ceiling as that too shook. They were trying to get in through the floor above as well.
“Who built this house?” Alanna asked, nervous.
“I did,” said Coy. “And I built it with great care. They won’t be getting through the floor or that door any time soon.”
He didn’t seem to sure about that. Most houses weren’t built to withstand the multiple impacts of a dozen angry werewolves, even ones built for a werewolf community.
She started to pace, and wondered what was going on with the others. Valko must either still be fighting or be dead by now, otherwise the attack would have been called off. She didn’t dare think about Adrian. Despite the fact that he seemed a powerful witch, he was old, and he hadn’t been given formal training. Perhaps bringing him along had been a bad idea after all.
“Do you…do you think Valko’s dead?” she asked him.
Coy shook his head. “Of course not.”
“Then what’s taking so long? He should’ve killed Rian by now.”
“Just like we were supposed to be rescuing his parents?”
She turned her back on him, determined to think positive thoughts. It was hard to stay on track. Their plans had gone terribly wrong. They’d underestimated their enemy and overestimated their own abilities. Now they were trapped in Coy’s basement.
Her eyes sought out what appeared to be a gun cabinet. An idea formed in her head.
Coy shook his head. “Don’t. No killing, remember?”
“I’ve already killed,” she stated. “Besides…”
They heard what seemed to be a chainsaw.
“What the hell is that?” Alanna demanded.
“Exactly what it sounds like,” Coy answered.
She looked up just as the edge of a chainsaw exploded through the basement door. Splinters and dust swirled all around them in a maelstrom. Alanna backed against stacks of pickled onions, and wished that she hadn’t agreed to a no-killing policy. There was no way she was getting out of this alive without resorting to dangerous measures. Killing Tracey had been one thing, but killing more would just be extreme.
