by Chant, Zoe
“Is this… do you think this is what we were supposed to find?” she asked, her throat so tight that her voice came out as a whisper.
Now that she thought about it, Ella realized that she hadn’t been truly expecting to find anything at all once they got here.
We still haven’t, though, she reminded herself. It might be coincidence. And what if there’s nothing inside?
She started forward, heart hammering – but then, she felt Callan’s warm hand around her arm, holding her back.
“Wait – Ella, there’s something –”
Ella stopped short as she heard the thud of the panniers as Callan dropped them on the ground, and then a huge black shadow fluttered in the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw an eagle coming to land on the peak of the shed’s roof – a twisted sheet of metal, warped with age.
She identified it immediately as a wedge-tailed eagle, a large and beautiful bird, but this was at least twice the size of any eagle she’d seen before.
Still, as surprising as the bird’s size was, it was no reason to be alarmed. It was just a bird, and wedge-tails weren’t aggressive.
“It’s okay,” she started to say, looking back at Callan.
The expression on his face made her catch her breath in surprise – and fear.
Callan looked grim, eyes focused with a fierce concentration on the bird, his lip pulled back in a snarl. Callan’s expression had always been so gentle before now that it was a shock to see it like this. He looked… fierce. Like barely restrained fury was seething just below the surface of his skin.
And he looked powerful.
Ella knew he had muscles, of course, and that he was massively built. It wasn’t exactly something she could’ve missed.
But for the first time, Ella realized she was seeing what all that power and muscle meant.
And he’s directing it at a bird? she thought, bewildered.
Except that when she looked back at the shed, the bird was gone.
Or – no.
Not gone.
Something was still up there, where the bird had sat not ten seconds before. But it definitely wasn’t a bird anymore.
It was a twisted, distorted shape, bubbling in the air around it.
Ella’s mouth dropped open as she watched.
What the – what the hell –
And then, all at once, the shape stopped twisting, resolving itself into a recognizable shape: the shape of a human being.
A human being with dark red hair, thin features, and cold, cruel eyes, a small smile playing across his lips.
The man from the café, Ella realized, as her surprise suddenly gave way to fear, her blood turning to ice in her veins. And the one who chased us in the van.
“Well, well, well,” the man said, still sitting on the roof of the shed. “Good to meet you both, at last.”
Chapter 8
Ella stared, her brain refusing to process what she’d just seen.
No. No way. He just – he’s a bird? No fucking way.
Before she could think anything else – or anything even halfway intelligent – she felt Callan’s hands on her arms as he moved her behind himself, so he was shielding her with his body.
“Who the hell are you?”
Callan’s voice was a low growl. Despite the fact he was about twice as wide as she was, Ella managed to peek around his arm, staring up at the man… the bird… the bird who had become a man.
“I feel like I ought to be asking you that question,” the man shot back, his voice cold. “No one said anything about a bodyguard in all of this.” He paused, and then he raised one eyebrow. “Or did the Agency somehow get wind of this after all? Huh. I should have known.”
Ella blinked, trying to make sense of what she was hearing.
The Agency?
Okay, well, Callan had told her he was an undercover law enforcement agent. Ella supposed that the Agency was a suitably cloak-and-dagger kind of name for something like that.
But Callan hadn’t mentioned anything about men who could turn into birds, or vice versa. In fact, he’d seemed to know something was wrong from the moment he’d seen the eagle landing on the shed, when all Ella had seen was a perfectly normal bird.
She shot a glance up at the side of his face.
How did he know? And why doesn’t he seem particularly freaked out?
“You put a real dent in our plans, and held us up quite a lot,” the man on the roof continued after a moment. “Especially after that woman actually managed to throw us off. Had to waste a lot of time circling back looking for her. In hindsight we should’ve ditched the van, but at the time we didn’t know you’d gotten yourself a protector.”
Ella sensed Callan tensing.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he growled out again. “Who are you?”
“Not important.” The man shrugged. “Anyway, you already know everything you need to. You know who you’re up against.”
“Hargreaves.”
Callan’s voice was low and cold. Ella could tell it wasn’t a question.
“Well done, got it in one,” the man said sarcastically. Ella watched as, moving with a strange kind of grace, he leapt down from the shed roof, landing easily on his feet on the rocky ground. “So you know there’s not a lot of point in resisting. Though I’m feeling generous today – hand it over, and we’ll see just how far my generosity will go.”
Callan stiffened. His arms moved back, shielding Ella even further.
“Never.”
Ella could no longer see the man, but she could hear his exasperated sigh.
“Is playing the hero really so rewarding? I can’t imagine it is. Come on – just hand it over. Tell your boss the situation got out of hand, whatever you like. No one will ever know. I certainly won’t tell. I’m not asking for much. Just hand it over.”
Ella was shocked by the new note of viciousness she heard in his voice. Now that her brain had unfrozen, she realized just how dangerous a situation they were in. A man with strange, seemingly magical powers had appeared and was asking them with an obvious threat to hand something over –
Oh my God, is he talking about me?!
Ella’s eyes went wide.
She wasn’t an it, but they didn’t really have anything to hand over – not unless this guy had an especial craving for canned potatoes and half a packet of Tim Tams?
Somehow, Ella didn’t think that was very likely.
“And I told you never,” Callan said again, lowering his shoulders, his muscles tensing.
Ella realized he was expecting the man to attack them.
Given how close he’d come to shooting Callan from the window of the van, Ella didn’t think it was that big of a stretch. And that was before she even considered his magical bird powers.
I can’t let that happen, she thought wildly. I can’t let Callan get hurt just to protect me –
She tried to step around Callan to ask the man what he wanted – to tell him she’d do what he wanted as long as he didn’t hurt Callan – but Callan stepped in front of her again, keeping her behind him.
In an effort to head things off, she called out, “Tell me what you want – why you’re doing this –”
Ella could hear the wild note of panic in her own voice, and she willed herself to be calm. She wouldn’t help anyone by shouting and screaming.
Closing her eyes, she told herself to become the person she’d trained herself to be over the last few years: a calm, rational person. Not the impulsive hothead she’d once been.
“What do you want from me?” she asked, when she could trust herself to speak in a low, level tone. “What is any of this about?”
She managed to move her head enough to watch the man as he seemed to consider her question, his eyebrows drawing together.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” was the only answer he gave her, though, after a long pause. “You think that’ll save your hide? It won’t.”
Clearly, he wasn’t going to answer her
question.
“Last chance,” the man snarled, his voice growing even more aggressive. “I mean it – next time, I’m not going to be so polite about asking.”
“Just try,” Callan snarled right back.
Ella’s head spun wildly.
Is Callan really thinking he can fight this guy? This… this guy who can turn into a giant eagle at will? Apparently??
“Ella, get back,” Callan murmured to her, his voice low. “And – please. Try to remember that no matter what happens next, it’s still me, okay? I’m still here, protecting you. No matter what you might see. And if it seems like things’re going badly, you run, okay? Don’t wait around – just go.”
Ella just shook her head, bewilderment clouding her mind.
“Callan, what’re you –”
Ella felt his hands on her arms, giving her a firm shove into the thick forest of trees that lined the ledge. She stumbled, clutching at a smooth eucalyptus trunk to keep her balance.
Gasping, she looked up again to check on Callan – only Callan wasn’t there anymore.
In his place was a shimmering shape, changing and expanding before her very eyes.
It was different to the way the man had changed out of his bird form. His transformation had seemed almost violent, like water bubbling, roiling, as if it was a struggle for him to change. The movement she saw now was smooth and seamless.
Ella felt as if her heart had stopped.
The creature in front of her now was massive. She could only see it from the back, and from this angle it looked like a huge, shaggy bear – only she was pretty sure this thing was bigger than any bear that currently existed. It utterly dwarfed her, standing over six feet tall, and almost as wide as a bus. Its hindquarters were thickly muscled, and, from what little she could see, its shoulders were thick and strong.
What the – what the hell –
Ella fought down the urge to scream.
What was this thing? And where had Callan gone?? What was going on here –
Her breath caught in her throat as the huge beast in front of her swung its head back on its short neck to look over its massive shoulder at her.
Its eyes were a deep, dark brown, and even as Ella felt terror swelling within her, something in them told her that it wasn’t about to start charging toward her.
Wait – no. No. This can’t be possible.
Ella’s knees wobbled as the creature swung its head away again, looking back at the man in front of it.
The man who’d been an eagle. I saw him. I saw him change.
And she’d seen the beast in front of her change as well, she realized.
That movement I saw – the way it seemed to be shimmering. He was changing shape – from what he was, into this. It’s Callan.
It didn’t seem possible, but she knew it was the only explanation for the shimmering movement she’d seen.
Plus, it would certainly explain why she didn’t seen Callan anywhere around here.
Ella felt a mad kind of hysteria bubbling up her throat.
Her lab. Her home. Trekking across the countryside. And now this.
It’d be really, really cool if I could wake up any time now, she thought to herself, as she fought back the urge to laugh.
The beast before her let out a low, warning rumble, lowering its head.
They were going to fight. There was no other explanation, Ella knew. And she also knew that if she wanted to get out of here, then she didn’t have much choice but to get on the massive, hulking creature that Callan had become.
Try to remember that no matter what happens next, it’s still me, okay? I’m still here, protecting you.
Ella swallowed as Callan’s words suddenly came back to her, her fingernails digging into the tree trunk. Right now, she supposed she didn’t have a lot else to hope for but that Callan had been telling the truth, and that regardless of the fact that he was no longer human, he still knew who she was, and really would protect her.
She inched her way to her left, trying to get a better view of the man who’d been threatening them.
Even if he did have magical bird powers, Callan clearly had magical whatever the fuck that thing is powers. Ella wasn’t sure what exactly a bird was going to do against that, except fly away, or maybe swoop at him angrily like an especially huge magpie. Perhaps its beak and talons could cause some damage, but it wasn’t like they’d be able to have a proper fight. Perhaps Callan had only changed in order to scare him off.
The man lowered his head, his cold eyes glinting. Ella watched as his skin distorted, bubbling almost, as his body contorted unnaturally, his features twisting.
He’s turning back into a bird, Ella thought.
Except that no – he wasn’t.
His body wasn’t twisting itself into the shape of an eagle, but something larger, with four legs, a stocky body and a short, thick tail.
Ella stared.
She realized after a moment that the thing she was looking at reminded her of a Tasmanian devil, except that it was far larger, and its fur was more brown than black.
So what the hell is it, then? And why was he a bird before?
Feeling utterly overwhelmed, Ella had to grip onto a tree trunk to stop herself from sinking to her knees. Obviously, something was going on here that she had absolutely no comprehension of. She could only stare.
The massive beast Callan had become seemed just as surprised as she was at the new form the man had taken. He started back, one massive, clawed front foot lifted, eyes blinking as he took in the sight before him.
The other creature didn’t give him much time to think about it, however. With a vicious, feral cry, it leapt forward, teeth flashing in its mouth.
Callan – it was strange, Ella thought, how quickly she’d come to think of that huge creature as Callan – dodged away, but it was clear that while the other animal might be smaller, it was much, much faster.
It twisted away from the swipe of Callan’s massive front paw easily, before leaping into the air, front legs outstretched, mouth open.
It was then that Ella noticed the huge claws the animal had in place of what, on a human hand, would be its thumbs. They were cruelly curved and glinting in the sun, and the animal struck out with them, raking them across Callan’s shoulders as it landed on his back.
Callan!
Callan let out a low grunt of pain and anger, twisting his massive body to try to throw his attacker off him. But it was stuck fast to him, its claws embedded deep in his flesh. Ella could see blood welling up, trickling through Callan’s shaggy fur. It kicked at him with its hind legs, claws raking, while its front dewclaws sunk ever deeper into the muscle of his shoulders. It lowered its head, teeth flashing, as it let out an angry snarl. Blood poured from the wounds its teeth created as it tried to find the right place to bite.
Growling, Callan threw himself sideways, smashing his own body against the side of the gorge and rolling, clearly trying to crush the animal between himself and the rock.
For a moment, Ella’s heart was in her throat as she heard a wild cry of pain that definitely hadn’t come from Callan – it was too high-pitched, almost a squeal, for that.
Did he get him? she thought desperately, shifting her position to try to see more of what was going on. Is it down?
But no – after a moment she saw the animal again, scurrying back, one of its back legs dragging, leaving a trail of blood. While he hadn’t managed to kill it, it was clear Callan had injured it, possibly seriously, and he’d managed to get it off his back.
But it had also injured Callan.
Ella glanced back at him, biting her lip. His massive shoulders were lowered, and he was still on his feet. But she could see the blood dripping down his sides, spattering onto the rock beneath him.
Feeling furious at her own helplessness, Ella wondered what on earth she could do to help. She didn’t have another bottle of Coke, so that wasn’t an option, and she figured that her perfect aim before had mainly been a fluk
e anyway.
But there has to be something…
Whatever it was, she’d have to make sure it worked, since she wouldn’t last half a second against those massive, curved dewclaws on the animal’s front feet. They’d rip her to shreds before she even had a chance to reflect on her mistakes.
The two creatures were circling each other warily now, both injured, both looking for an opportunity to attack. Ella felt her blood run cold as the smaller animal flicked its head toward where she was standing, only half-concealed amongst the trees, clearly calculating the distance it would have to cover to get to her.
But Callan noticed it too – and it was clear he wasn’t about to let the animal get near her.
With a low, terrifying growl, he rushed forward, as unstoppable as an avalanche. The smaller animal ducked away, snarling, but its movement was slowed down by its injured hind leg. It darted toward Ella before realizing it wouldn’t make it, and then skittered away.
Callan came to a halt, dust rising beneath his enormous feet as he put himself between Ella and the animal, letting out another low growl.
More important, Ella realized, was that the smaller animal now had the deep gorge at its back – she wasn’t sure how far down the drop was, but if it was going to stay in that form, it was far enough to injure it.
Ella heard a snarl, and then a banging sound. A moment later she saw the animal scrambling gracelessly to the top of the shed. Callan, growling, rammed his shoulder into the structure, making it shudder dangerously, but the animal held on.
And now, its eyes were trained directly on Ella.
Baring its teeth, it leapt from the shed roof, launching itself directly at her.
Ella froze, but then she heard Callan’s deep, urgent roar – a roar that, while it might not have been in any human language, had a clear message: Run!
Without stopping to think, Ella shot away, her feet scrabbling on the loose stones and dry leaves. She heard the animal’s enraged shriek, and then a moment later a cry of pain as Callan clearly caught up with it. But she didn’t dare look back.
Where can I go – there has to be somewhere –
She could scramble back up the steep slope they’d descended to get to this ledge, but it would be even harder going to get up than it had been going down. On the other hand, the shed wasn’t particularly structurally sound, but it might provide at least a moment or two of time if the animal came after her again. At least in there, she wouldn’t be so completely exposed. Callan could fight without having to worry so much about having to protect her.
