Flight From Death

by Yasmine Galenorn

  We drove past Tonya’s shop on Kearney Street, then took a right on East Sims Way.

  “When we get to Twelfth, take a right. We can pull into the Haines Park and Ride and get to the lagoon through there.” She reached between the seats to point toward the turnoff. “Right there.”

  Ralph turned into onto Twelfth Street and then, shortly after that, he swung a right into the Park and Ride. Tonya directed him toward the back and we pulled into one of the empty stalls closest to the trees that indicated the start of the lagoon. He put the Range Rover in park and turned off the ignition.

  “We will have to go through the underbrush, but it’s not far of a walk. There are other turnoffs, but this will be the fastest to the area where you think the wight is hiding.”

  Ralph had marked an area near an inn that overlooked the lagoon as having reported the most brawls and fistfights, and a couple disappearances. It was a little jaunt, but not too far.

  “How will we know where to find the creature? If it can hide in tree trunks or other nooks and hollows, isn’t it going to take us time to ferret it out?”

  Tonya shook her head. “I thought about that, actually. I’m going to wear the pendant. The wight can’t get out—he’s sealed—but it may lure this one out.”

  I stared at her. “Aren’t you taking a chance? If it gets hold of you, then there’s a chance it can break the pendant and free the king. Or try to take it and become king itself. But that would be a pickle, wouldn’t it? We’d have wight fighting wight.”

  “It’s a chance worth taking. Otherwise, it’s just going to take us too long to find him. We want to destroy both this one and Patrick’s wight before the night’s over. Once they realize their king is dead, they’ll be vying for power. But we’ve got luck on our side this time. Since it’s still daylight, this one will be weaker.” She gingerly slid the pendant around her neck and stared at it like she thought it was going to jump up and bite her.

  After a moment, when it did nothing but hang there, she shrugged. “I can tell he’s in there, but he’s sealed away and his energy feels very muffled.”

  “Okay then, let’s go see if we can lure out wight number two.” Ralph took up his place in the rear, as usual. Chai went first, with Tonya and me behind him.

  As we headed into the scrubby undergrowth, vegetation crackled under my feet. The surrounding growth had died back for the winter, and even with the rains, some of the reeds and bushes were still thick enough to crunch rather than turn into a pile of mulch. The ground was soft and I could feel the shift of the water nearby. It wasn’t ocean water, that I could tell.

  Lake and pond water had a distinctly different energy than free-flowing currents. It tended to be more resistant to outside interference. Mama Ocean was huge; nobody could take her down. But lakes and ponds were a lot like forests in that they worried about human intrusion and what it might do to them. Rivers, to some degree, did, too, but they had their own flow and power and they tended to ignore the surrounding world on their nonstop race to find their way back to the ocean.

  I inhaled deeply. The scent wasn’t fetid—not at all—but definitely had that still, quiet marshland sense about it. This was a place of refuge; the birds were active and seemed unperturbed by our appearance. As I tuned in, I could tell that the area was in the process of becoming. It was transitioning from something that was unwanted and ignored into a bustling avian metropolis.

  “I like it here.” I glanced around. “I hate to think of the wight getting his hands involved because he’ll ruin it. He’ll taint it. Right now, people are clearing away years of debris and neglect from this marsh. And the marsh is responding—it’s evolution in action. But the forest wight will bring a blight to the area. He’ll make people afraid of it and they’ll destroy the marsh rather than live in fear. He’ll cause the very downfall he’s angry about.”

  Chai moved forward as we came out of the undergrowth to the clearing overlooking the lake. The ground here was like any marsh—tenuous and mushy. The water was still and a low mist was starting to roll off it.

  “How are we going to find him?” I glanced around. There could be so many hiding places. I doubted he could exist underwater, but the vast amount of reeds and the thicket of shrubs provided an excellent shroud. Any duck hunter could easily create a blind out here, so it stood to reason a forest wight would have an easier effort trundling in with a burrow.

  Ralph stood back. “I’m shifting form. I can run through the brush easier in wolf form, and I can look for any signs of him.”

  I didn’t like the idea of splitting up, but Ralph’s idea made sense. “Go . . . but don’t put yourself in danger. The minute you find anything, get your ass back to us.”

  He nodded and, without another word, smoothly transformed into his wolf shape. Within less than sixty seconds, he was off and running through the bushes. I turned to Chai and Tonya.

  “Either of you have any ideas while we’re waiting?” I glanced at the sky. “Not long till dusk. I’d rather not still be out here then.”

  Tonya held out her hands and slowly let out a deep breath. “Let me focus . . .” Another moment and she began to slowly turn in a semicircle, edging out, feeling her way through the rising mist that now rolled past our ankles. “Over there,” she whispered, nodding—still with her eyes closed. She had indicated a path to the left, which led to a large patch of scrub trees and undergrowth. “There’s a darkness . . . it’s unnatural. Like a shadow that has too much substance.”

  “Sounds like wight energy to me.” I was getting more familiar with these creatures than I ever wanted to be and welcomed the day I could cross them off the to-do list for my résumé.

  “Should we wait for Ralph?” Chai glanced over his shoulder. The werewolf had headed off in the opposite direction.

  I bit my lip. Being the one in charge wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, not when there were other people I was responsible for. It was one thing to be on my own: nobody’s slave or servant or employee. It was quite another to be in charge of an operation that could endanger others’ lives.

  “No . . . yes . . .” I fought with the desire to just rush ahead and kill the wight if we could find it. But Ralph was out there alone. Finally, I made a decision and stuck. “We’ll wait for Ralph.”

  “I think that’s best.” Tonya clapped me on the shoulder. “He’s a good guy. I wouldn’t want to see him in trouble.”

  But we didn’t have to wait long. Within five minutes, Ralph was back, shifting seamlessly back into his human form. He shook his head. “I couldn’t find anything.”

  “We think we know where the wight is.” I nodded in the direction Tonya had pointed. “Tonya felt something over there. We were just waiting for you.”

  “The path is wide enough to go four abreast. Do we want to do that?” Chai frowned. “I’m thinking two by two is better, to be honest.”

  “Ralph, you and Tonya in back. Chai and I will go up front. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and don’t hesitate to say anything. This isn’t the time to worry about playing . . . who is it? The Boy Who Cried Lion?”

  That made both Ralph and Tonya laugh.

  Ralph sputtered a little. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the story is. And no, you’re right. Better to be overly cautious than not careful enough.”

  As the afternoon light dimmed and the wind picked up, we headed forward. I had my dagger out, and Tonya, behind me, had readied her short sword. Ralph was prepared to shift form if anybody so much as got a scratch on them. And Chai—well, Chai was big enough that he really didn’t need a weapon, not for a wight. But I hoped he wouldn’t have to tackle this one. If we could just get in and out without a big fight, I’d count it a major coup.

  As we approached a large thicket to the left of the marsh, Tonya let out a gasp. “He’s in there. I can feel him—the energy reeks just like it did with the other forest wight.”

  With my breath caught in my throat, I very slowly turned toward the thicket. How far
in would he be? It couldn’t be very deep or we’d end up on the other side of the road. My heart thudding in my chest, I swallowed and looked up at Chai. He nodded and we headed into the brush.

  The scrub here was windswept—all the foliage along the edges of the peninsula seemed bent and gnarled, and with good reason. The winds came blustering in off the ocean and the strait, and their stiff, steady breezes bowed the trees back. The tangle of knee-high yellow grass crackled against my jeans as I pushed through, and all the while my pulse was keeping a staccato beat. I swept my gaze this way and that, trying to pinpoint where we should turn.

  Another few feet and Tonya’s voice whispered, “Over there.” She pointed past me to the right of where Chai was standing.

  I shaded my eyes in the diminishing light of the late afternoon. Sure enough, there was a dark hole leading into the brush—as if something had tunneled its way in through the foliage. There was a dank feel to it, and my stomach thudded as I stared at the circular tunnel.

  “It’s barely tall enough for Ralph in his wolf form. What do we do? I’m open to suggestions.” I didn’t want to go in there bent over, my face forward to whatever might be coming down the tunnel at us.

  “I could burn it off but that wouldn’t be a good thing for the rest of the marsh.” Chai frowned. “I can go inside and find out. If I shift into smoke form, I can filter in and find out what we’re facing. But if the thing sees me, it has a chance of trying to capture me.”

  I knew there was a reason Chai seldom shifted into the smoky form all djinns could, but until now, I’d never known why. That solved one mystery.

  “Don’t do that. I don’t want that creature even having the remotest chance of trapping you. What else have we got? I suppose we could just take your short sword, Tonya, and start hacking away at the brush.” I raised my hand to stop Ralph even before he could speak, because I knew what he was going to say. “And you aren’t going through there in wolf form either.”

  “Then we all head in, I suppose. We hack and slash our way through.” Tonya shrugged. “It might alert the wight, but one way or another it’s going to find out we’re here.”

  “Then we go full steam.” Chai stood back and held out his hand. “I don’t often have call to use this but . . .” As we watched, the air around his hand shimmered and a big-assed scimitar appeared. It was far bigger than Tonya’s short sword, and the edge glinted, wicked sharp. “If you three will stand out of the way . . .”

  We immediately backed away. Nobody wanted to be within striking range. Chai began to sweep the blade from side to side. The scimitar sliced through the vegetation, sending sparks into the air as it did. But nothing caught fire. The faint scent of the burning foliage only made me think of how much I’d rather be inside around the fireplace than here.

  A couple of moments and Chai was five feet into the tunnel. And one more moment and a rumbling sounded from back in a big mound of detritus. Then, the sound of a slow freight train, and Chai jumped out of the way as a bent and gnarled figure darted out through what was still left of the passage. The forest wight looked similar to the first, but he was shorter, and more hunched over, and his movements were erratic. I realized that he was focused on Tonya and remembered—she had the pendant!

  “Don’t let him near Tonya!” I pushed her behind me as he darted toward her. “Get back!”

  “Give me—give it to me.” The low voice hissed like leaves crackling on the wind and, with narrowed eyes, he kept his focus on Tonya as he rushed forward toward us. As he swept past, Chai whirled around and raised his scimitar. Horrified, I watched as he brought it down, whistling through the air, to catch hold of the single-minded creature and cleave deeply into his back.

  The blade bit deep, splitting the wight’s shoulders, and as he screeched, falling forward in front of us, the ooze that flowed from his body stank of decay and mold and mushrooms. The wight writhed for another moment, but Chai pried his blade free and struck again, beheading him. Smoke poured from his mouth as it had with the king, but this time, it dissipated as it hit the air, drifting harmlessly off like soot.

  I glanced over to see that Ralph had fainted dead away. Tonya was trying to wake him up.

  “Two down, one to go.” Chai looked down at the creature with disgust.

  I stared at the djinn. He hadn’t been lucky—that had been all skill. In all the time I’d known him, I never knew he was so good with a weapon. He caught my gaze and held it, his lips set in a thin, grim line.

  “You didn’t mention that you’re skilled with a blade.” It was a statement, not a question.

  He shrugged. “You never asked.” And then, perhaps because I continued to stare at him, he added, “At one time, I was an executioner. Leave it at that for now, please.” And with that, Chai turned and headed back the way we’d come.

  Ralph sat up, moaning. Tonya flashed me a questioning look, but I just shook my head. Now wasn’t the time or place to explore this. I could recognize Chai’s moods by now, and he wasn’t in the mood to talk. I’d have to walk the line cautiously and accept what he was ready to tell me.

  “Let’s get back to your house. It will be dusk soon, and we have to plan out our attack on the wight at Patrick’s house.” I glanced down at the body. It was already fading into the foliage—blending in with the sticks and dried grass and scrub brush, almost invisible. Within the hour, my guess was that if anybody came upon the body, they’d just think it was the remains of a small fallen tree trunk.

  Ralph scrambled to his feet, still looking a little woozy. “I’m fine,” was all he said when I started to ask him.

  Turning, I took the lead and we trudged back to the Range Rover, where Chai was leaning against the hood, staring off into the distance. As I passed by him on my way to the front passenger seat, I reached out and slid my fingers along his arm. He patted my hand and smiled, but as we all buckled up, he was very quiet.

  • • •

  We made it back to Tonya’s without any problem, though we stopped at Jo’s Chicken—a local eatery. As we pulled into the parking lot, I glanced at the clock. Nearly five thirty. Alex and Patrick would be awake by the time we got back to Tonya’s house.

  “Jo makes the best chicken around. She’s a genius in the kitchen and one of the nicest people I know. You guys wait here while Shimmer and I go in—the place is small, it’s always packed, and there isn’t a lot of room to stand around.”

  Tonya led me into the restaurant and boy, was she right about the patronage. The counter was a spotless Formica blue, lined with bar stools. Every stool was filled with someone eating. There were three tables for eat-in, all occupied as well, and one long bench for people waiting for takeout. She motioned for me to take a seat while she went up to the counter to place the order.

  I found myself next to a tall, gangly man with long hair draping around his shoulders. He was wearing a turtleneck and jeans, and he looked wiry but tough. He flashed me a smile and leaned over so I could hear him over the din rising from the number of people who were crammed into the joint.

  “You had Jo’s chicken before?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not from around here. This will be my first time.”

  The man laughed and his voice sounded easy. “You’re in for a treat. I’m Marty. So where are you from . . . ?” He held out his hand.

  I accepted the handshake and answered the implied question. “Shimmer. My name is Shimmer. I live in Seattle. Just up here for a few days to help out a friend.”

  The side of his lip tipped up with a gentle quirk, and it made me smile back. His eyes were dark brown, and he smelled like cinnamon. He paused, and I knew he was looking me over, but the way in which he was doing so didn’t feel invasive.

  “You wouldn’t have the time to maybe visit a few of the local attractions with me, would you?”

  I shook my head. “I wish I did, but no. I’m actually on a job and there isn’t much downtime.” And then, without thinking, I pulled out my wallet from my purse and hand
ed him my business card. “If you’re ever down in Seattle, Marty . . . give me a call.” At that point, I remembered Alex and wanted to hit myself upside the head, but then again . . . it never hurt to make contacts, did it?

  He glanced at it. “You work for a PI? That’s cool. I’m sure I’ll be down there at some point.” And then, before he could say anything else, the server called out a number. “That’s me. Nice meeting you, Shimmer. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.” As Marty headed toward the counter, he pocketed my card.

  “You just reel them in, don’t you?” Tonya’s laugh startled me and I realized she’d been sitting next to me for . . . I didn’t know how long.

  I let out a snort. “I don’t try.”

  “You don’t have to. You really are striking—your eyes are so blue they practically vibrate. And your hair . . . the blue and purple streaks look totally natural.”

  “That’s because they are.” I grinned at her. “Before I came down from the Dragon Reaches, my hair reached my knees. The Wing-Liege cut it as punishment.” I sobered. That was a huge insult in the Dragon Reaches—having your hair cut off.

  “Why?” Tonya sniffed as one of the cooks pulled a fresh batch of chicken out of the fryer and spread it out on a pan.

  I glanced around but once Marty had left, nobody else was paying much attention to me. Everybody was busy texting on their phones or reading off their tablets. I saw one woman holding an actual book—it was a paranormal romance with a leather-clad woman on the front page.

  With a soft sigh, I turned back to Tonya. “Watch my hair closely.”

  She looked confused but did as I asked. I closed my eyes and thought, Untangle . . . and my hair began to loosen itself. I could feel the leather of my jacket through it, I could feel the air pulsing by. I willed a strand to reach out and lightly touch Tonya’s face, and I could feel her skin under the strands. Her eyes grew wide, but she giggled, sounding more delighted than scared.