I waited, hiding my smile. Geri meant Ravenous, which was appropriate, considering what I had seen from her in the Land of the Fae, and what I knew would come next.
Gunnar held out a hand to her. “If you wouldn’t mind a demonstration, my love.”
“Gladly,” she said.
And suddenly, Wulfra stood before the crowd, a savage, menacing wolf with accessories in her hair, and a wild glint in her eyes. The uncertain wolves looked suddenly impressed…
And then eager. Those once-skeptics were the very first to howl with pride.
Which was always a good sign. Win over the antagonists, and the rest would become as loyal as you could ever ask.
She nodded back at them.
Gunnar cleared his throat, glaring out at them. “Ashley has tasted the Wild. She has entered, and returned from, the Land of the Fae. A journey only a handful of people could survive. While there, surviving, fighting for her life, and fleeing nightmares that would give our entire pack pause… myself included,” he admitted. “She was forced to change in ways we couldn’t fathom. I’ve spoken with her, and quickly realized that this knowledge is an asset in our war. She truly has otherworldly knowledge, and with it, we will rip the flesh from every Greek who raises blade, tooth, or claw against us.” The last was a promising growl, an oath.
Ashley nodded. “In this form, I go by Wulfra.” The pack stared up at her in awe, because with that name, she became an otherworldly symbol to them, in her own right. Like a superhero. Something to fear, not just another wolf. “This same… gift was granted to Nate, and with it, he will kill a goddess. If that is any indication of what I learned over there.” She let that sink in for a good ten seconds. “I submit to Gunnar – even with my knowledge – because there truly is no better Alpha. My knowledge is war. But Gunnar far surpasses me in absolutely every other aspect. I pass on my thoughts, and his critiques only amplify my newfound knowledge. If I thought otherwise, I would challenge him for control of the pack.” She lowered her eyes. “And in so doing, I would fail all of you. But with my… changes, I am best equipped – under Wulfric’s authority – to strengthen our pack. Anyone who thinks otherwise dies. Here. Now.”
And she took a step forward, assessing the pack. Not a wolf moved. And I could sense that quite a few had silently considered that maybe Ashley should lead the pack. But her words, and her challenge, had abruptly culled that thought. If a wolf that powerful still chose to submit to Gunnar… what did that say about their Alpha?
Pretty much, that he was a force of nature.
And a good leader employed the best for his staff.
All in all, the pack of wolves had just doubled in strength. And this addition of a Geri that had a new freaking name, for crying out loud, helped them focus on something other than my lack of involvement. They suddenly felt they didn’t need me. Not with Wulfra and Wulfric at the head of their family.
I murmured under my breath, not moving my lips too much. “Very cleverly done, Wulfric…”
He turned to me, speaking for all to hear. “We will do you proud, Temple.”
I shook my head angrily, stepping past him, right in front of the pack. “No,” I snarled. “The wolves earn their own honor. You will do yourselves proud!” I shouted at them, and judging by how they had initially pranced back a step, Wylde had spoken through me, at least using his voice to amplify my words. Adding a bit of savagery to my statement.
Then, the wolves began their hopping thing, snarling, snapping, and howling at random, dancing with energy, ready for war. I nodded at them, turned, and bowed my head to both Gunnar and Ashley. Wulfric and Wulfra. Then I left, heading back to Tory.
So many things to do, so little time.
Chapter 51
I followed Tory to the Syndicate’s camp. They waited, watching me approach. Cindy stood at their head near a campfire. That wasn’t her real name, but she had been representing the Syndicate when I met her, so I had dubbed her Cindy. “This it?” I asked her.
Her face hardened. “Yes. This is all that is left,” she answered, studying my face intently, likely curious about the paint and beard. I pretended not to notice.
“And you speak for them?”
“I do,” she answered warily.
“Okay. Get packing.” And I began to turn away.
Cindy spluttered in shock, taking a step. I saw Tory step between us, veins suddenly pulsing with glowing golden light. Cindy jumped back a step. “That’s far enough,” Tory warned.
Cindy held up her hands. “We can’t just leave. They’ll destroy us.” She glanced over a shoulder. “What is left of us.”
I shrugged. “Not my problem. You’ve been a thorn in my side for far too long, double-crossing everyone and their brother. You’re not welcome here. You’re likely to turn your back on us when we need you most. I can’t trust you.”
Cindy looked desperate, turning to a few of her ashen-faced wizards. “Guestright! What if we claim Guestright! Swear to defend those under your protection. We couldn’t betray that without losing a large chunk of our power,” she begged, looking sick to her stomach.
I hesitated for her sake, biting back my inner smile. I had needed her to come to this conclusion on her own. I finally nodded. “That might work.” I studied the other wizards distastefully, openly sneering at them. They represented all walks of life. Old, young, bald, short, skinny, not skinny, and several obviously international wizards from different countries. “Do this, and I will allow you to remain, fighting where you are told.”
Cindy nodded in relief. “We will do as you command.”
“You will do as my family commands,” I corrected her.
She hesitated for only a moment, and then swore to serve my family for the duration of the war. She shook my hand, and soon, the rest of the wizards lined up. I studied them as they said the words, watching for treachery, and trying to remember each face. None were familiar. Then again, I sensed several disguises woven with magic. This wasn’t alarming to me, because I didn’t care about their secrets. They were hiding from the Academy, who were camped somewhere nearby. I was watching for treachery in their oath. And maybe this mysterious leader my friends thought was hiding in the mass of frightened wizards. But I saw nothing to indicate that.
Once all had sworn to serve my family, I took Cindy aside, Tory following us.
Cindy looked concerned, even knowing I couldn’t proactively harm her after her oath to act as a guest, because we were not bonded together. Still, wizards were sneaky, and I had a reputation for making other wizards look about as sneaky as snails.
The Huntress walked nearby with Alex, showing him how to hold a dagger. They didn’t even notice us as they passed, so engrossed in their conversation.
Cindy gasped, clutching her chest. “That’s not possible…” she breathed, staring at Alex.
And an icy shiver rolled down my neck as I turned from the departing Alex to Cindy. I grabbed her by the shirt, shaking her. “You know him?” I hissed in disbelief.
She was shaking, physically, and snapping her head back and forth, eyes wild as she tried to understand some contradiction in her mind. “The Changeling…” she whimpered. Then her eyes shot wide and she looked at me with fear.
“He’s not the Changeling. He’s the Manling,” I said, confirming her fear. “But how would you know about that, Cindy?” I asked in a very calm, deadly voice. “Be honest, or your Guestright is void. And instead of letting you go, my people will kill you all where you stand. They think they are safe. Tory’s monsters could destroy them in three seconds. All of them.”
Tory nodded, glancing back at the wizards who were watching us. They didn’t notice the gang of students circling their camp, laughing and joking as they casually walked the grounds.
But each one of them had spent a portion of their life in the ring, where they fought for their life on an almost daily basis. And some of them had only tasted their first free breath at the age of thirteen or so. Thirteen years of fighting for y
our life, and little more than one year of tasting freedom in a civilized world.
Cindy followed Tory’s gaze, and suddenly looked about to pass out, recognizing the kids for what they were. She turned to me, eyes glistening. Much different than the hard-ass I had met a year ago. Then again, she was a survivor of recent genocide. Her people had been hunted. And she was one of the lucky ones. I didn’t feel an ounce of pity for her.
“It was so long ago, but I fear it was the first domino.” I frowned, and she sat down with a weary sigh. “One of ours was attacked and killed. By a powerful child. We responded in kind, killing the child and his parents, thinking them all a threat. After, we realized the child was Fae.”
I let out a whistle. The Syndicate… had accidentally started all of this, pissing off the Fae. First domino, indeed. But this meant another thing. Alex was officially an orphan.
I shook my head, trying to quench my anger. Alex’s parents were dead. Shit.
“Ever since that event, things have been… spiraling. First, with you, and your sudden awareness of us, when we had remained hidden for so long. And Ichabod returning.” She pointed a finger towards the gates. “And not just returning, but returning to tutor a Grimm! A Grimm you had brought into our world. Then, the Circus. And awakening a god,” she waved a hand at the camp in general.
To be honest, that was kind of when my life had really started to go sideways, too. All the craziness amplified beyond my usual demon-hunting, or monster killing. Things had gotten… bigger since I fought the Grimms, met Ichabod, and when Death had brought Indie back from the dead.
I froze, my heart almost stopping at a sudden revelation.
“You didn’t really do it…” I whispered to myself. “The Syndicate didn’t…” I trailed off, remembering something Death had once said. Everything clicked into place. But I only had one way to be sure. Because this was huge, and I couldn’t let on that I knew. It had to be a surprise. Even then, I didn’t know how to use it to our best advantage.
Cindy stared, bewildered. “I just told you we did. We killed the Fae child,” she admitted.
“Stay away from the boy,” I warned in a low growl. “Or I will personally kill each of you. Now, go.” She nodded adamantly, and began climbing to her feet. “Oh, and just so you know, Ashley and Gunnar are literally family. Obey them.” She stiffened, but gave me a shaky nod, remembering her oath to serve my family, not just me.
“Okay,” she whispered. She left hurriedly, walking on shaky legs back to her people. They instantly swarmed her, talking in low voices, asking what had just happened. She was broken. Nothing like the woman who had plagued me last year when I had been trying to stop Indie. The smart-mouthed woman who had once worked with my father…
Because my father had been extorted to either join the Syndicate, or come home to find his wife and child murdered. My mom and I.
Which meant there might be a few good people in the bunch, but I couldn’t bank on it. Not when weighed against the safety of my friends. My family.
“Right,” I said, shaking my head, trying to process my thoughts. “I need you to bring Talon to the tree, now. No one else. Then I need you to arrange a meeting with Ichabod. Grant him a truce. Just him. I need to show him something.” Tory frowned before leaving in a hurry after one look at my face. I made a phone call as I walked.
Chapter 52
I had ended my call with Othello about an hour ago, telling her what I needed, and had since been lurking around the camp, waiting to see Talon near the tree from a distance. Not spotting him, I had decided to actually go stand beside the tree to wait for him.
Because who knows? Maybe he was doing the same thing. Circling the tree, waiting to approach until he saw me standing there. Like a couple of idiots.
I felt excited and nervous as I approached the tree. I stared up at the branches to find the usual suspects lurking. “Fuck off, Feathers,” I shouted up at the two ravens.
“I don’t have feathers,” Talon griped, suddenly beside me. I managed not to flinch, and turned to him. “Well?” he asked.
“I need you to run an errand for me.”
“I’m not very good at errands.”
“What if I told you I stole some of those pods from back in the Fae?”
His ears perked up. “You… smuggled Fae catnip?” He scratched his furry beard, then wiped his whiskers really quickly, as if wiping away drool. “I may be interested…”
“There’s a burner phone in my office desk. Write a sticky note on it that says ‘answer me,’ and then answer the call. Follow the directions you receive to the letter.” I stepped forward. “As fast as possible. No delays.”
He frowned at me. “Is this an Alice in Wonderland fetish? I’m not the fucking Cheshire Cat.”
I blinked. “No. But I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”
He studied me skeptically. “I take it since I am writing a note on the phone, that I am supposed to give it to someone?” I nodded. “Which means I would need to be a cat. Sir Muffle Paws. Otherwise I could simply tell the person to answer the phone.” Again, I nodded. “And how would a cat carry a phone?”
“There’s a backpack with a unicorn on it in my office.”
He stiffened in disgust. “Why on earth would you have such a vile piece of merchandise?”
I shrugged. “Indie got it for you. It’s actually a toddler’s backpack. She was going to take a picture of you wearing it, before…” I waved a hand at the current situation.
He glared at me. “I will not.”
“Oh, yes. You will, Talon.” I said, leaning closer. He actually shivered instinctively, and then gave me a curt, begrudging nod. And left.
I checked over my shoulders, and even walked the perimeter of the tree to make sure I was alone. Then, cautiously, I placed a hand on the trunk. It felt the same, even glowed in darkness still, although not as distinctly as it once had. I wasn’t sure why, but it still had some juice in it.
I lowered my voice, and spoke. You in there, pal?
A great hollowness answered me, and I sighed. It had been a long sho—
Yes, a voice answered, sounding sleepy.
I almost jumped out of my skin in surprise. But now that I focused, the bark did feel warmer where I touched, as if a presence was leaning against the other side.
Is this your new place? And why are you tired? You’ve been cooped up forever!
Long night, he said with a yawn. I stepped back, frowning at the tree. Then shrugged.
Okay, your life, I guess. Listen, can you find another Beast?
He chuckled. Oh, yes. That’s easy.
I told him what I wanted, feeling a sudden surge of excitement, equal to my task for Talon.
Before I had even finished telling him, he answered. Done. Now go away.
I stepped back from the tree, scowling. Bird shit fell from the tree, narrowly missing my shoes. I raised a fist up at the two ravens, who cackled back loudly. But I did keep moving, just in case they wanted to try again.
Tory called out from a distance. I turned to look at her, and rather than asking her to come to me, and possibly be attacked by the foul ravens, I walked her way. She hadn’t wanted to interrupt our conversation. I loved it when people listened.
“He’ll be at the gate in one hour. We granted a full truce that he will be safe and unharmed, returned no more than an hour later. The Greeks will be waiting at the gates to accept him.”
I nodded. “We’ll swaddle him up and hand him back, no trouble.”
She watched me, wondering what I planned, but also knowing I wouldn’t share.
They were to act as if I wasn’t a part of the war. My actions were separate.
They went to war.
And the spoiled little billionaire played his little games.
Chapter 53
The gates stood open when I arrived. The greatest of the Greek warriors stood as they had before, watching, waiting, eager. But they didn’t move. Indie stood beside Ichabod, arms folde
d. I saw the pyramid-shaped stone hanging from a net at her hip.
The Hand of God.
And judging by her smile, she carried it around as a trophy, a reminder of power.
Because some of the Greeks also shot her sidelong, carefully controlled looks, as if secretly wanting to shove it down her throat. The Greeks weren’t ones to appreciate servitude, unless it was to the god of their choosing.
Take Leonidas, for example. He hadn’t liked the friendly proposition to bow down to some strange Persian dude, even if he did claim to be a god in the flesh, or work directly for a god. The Greeks were simple folk. Live their lives, and end any wars.
With extreme prejudice.
Which made me doubly glad that Leonidas hadn’t stumbled into this mess.
I hadn’t gotten a good look at their bench, but I was pretty sure the big dogs were up here. And that whoever hung back were monsters of one flavor or another. Perhaps a chimera or dozen. Thing was, I wouldn’t know unless I sent Yahn out, risking his life.
And…
It wasn’t my war.
Only Ashley could make that request. But I had full confidence in her.
I was here for three things.
I held up my arms, spinning in a slow circle, a gesture that I was weaponless. Even though everyone knew wizards didn’t need anything to be deadly. We were the weapons. Still, it was a gesture of goodwill.
Then I extended my arm out towards my camp, welcoming him.
Indie opened her mouth to speak, but Ichabod ignored her entirely, walking through the gates. The Guardians, my lethal griffin statues on the walls, followed his every step with their eyes. Not attacking, but promising to end any subterfuge with excessive gifts of pain and agony.
Wild Side: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 7 (The Temple Chronicles) Page 29
