“School principal isn’t exactly a job that pays top dollar, especially when you’ve been temporarily removed,” he retorted.
“Sorry.”
He nodded at my apology. “You meant no harm and hopefully things will change soon. Which way are we going to be heading for this battle?”
The five men that had been introduced to me the previous evening as Gilbert, Hans, Ronald, Ben, and Andy had opened up the back doors of the van. Enormous axes were being handed around as easily as if they weighed nothing.
“Um…” I waited until Giles had his ax, and then I pointed to the mountain. “We’re going to that ridge.”
“Is this everyone?” he asked. “Are we ready to go?”
Adam nodded, “As ready as we’re going to get.”
“You need to stay here,” I heard Brian tell Tori. “That way, I don’t have to worry if you’re safe or not.”
“I’m going,” she said stubbornly. “Deal with it. You can leave me back a safe distance, but I’m going up that mountain with you.”
He sighed, and then looked at the combat boots on her feet. “You had to wear those, didn’t you?”
She grinned. “They suited the occasion.”
“Okay, everyone, over here.” Adam motioned to Erik and Ed, who finished their goodbyes and trotted over. “We stay close together as a group until we near the ridge. Then, we split up. Do anything you must to draw attention away from Nikki.”
“That’s it?” the Woodsburl named Gilbert asked. “That’s the plan?”
Adam shrugged. “Do you have a better one?”
Everyone went silent and looked at each other. Clearly Adam’s plan was the only one.
“All right. Let’s get started.”
The atmosphere fairly shook, crackling with magic as everyone but Swift Foot and I shifted.
“Are you certain that you don’t want your magic back? It might be easier to keep up with everyone as a wolf.” I patted my book bag.
His eyes narrowed for an instant as he considered my offer, and then he shook his head. “No, I would prefer to meet Crow Woman in this form. She and I have a history on that ridge, and I’d prefer to be the man I was when she sees me again. Don’t worry about my ability to keep up.” He gave me one of his rare smiles—which looked even stranger in the midst of the war paint.
“Okay, human it is,” I said, tightening up my bag so that it wouldn’t flop around as I shifted. I knew I would have to be myself once I reached the ridge, but I chose to be my wolf for her speed and endurance to get me there.
Once I shifted, I looked at everyone around me. The wolves were all waiting patiently as Tori settled herself onto Brian’s back.
Those boots are going to kill my ribs again, he complained.
“I’m not that heavy,” she retorted, completely misunderstanding the reason for his light whine.
I had only ever seen one Woodsburl, and it hadn’t been for very long. But now that I was a wolf, the ones around looked even larger and fiercer than I remembered. They were giant gray-scaled things with large, curling claws and two tusks that jutted out from their lower lips—and the rumor that they became ill-tempered while in a group was no rumor.
One—who I thought was either Gilbert or Hans—was shoving another out of his way.
We’d better get going. The longer they are together, the worse it’s going to get, Adam warned. Try not to get too close to them.
Worry not, I thought, carefully sidestepping the one that I knew for certain was Giles. If there was one thing that I was sure I didn’t want, it was to be standing too close to anyone wielding a battle ax.
I stayed between Adam and Swift Foot as we began our trek up the mountain. Every minute or two, I would glance to my left to make sure that we hadn’t pulled ahead of the only one still moving on two legs—but Swift Foot was keeping up with us easily. The look on his face was intense, as if he were completely focused on the ridge above us, which was remarkable because if there was one thing that Woodsburls were not—it was quiet. There was no way that this was going to be a surprise attack.
The farther we went, the angrier they became. A couple of times I saw them throw their axes ahead of them, and then pull them free of the dirt as they passed them.
At least they aren’t throwing them at anyone in particular—yet, I thought, making a mental note to steer clear of all of them once we split up. If any of them had a bad aim, we were going to be in trouble.
We were following an old, worn path, covered with a dusting of snow. The dirt beneath it felt packed, as if it had been a route used often by someone for a very long time. We stayed on it as it wound around the mountain and began to pass under the steep ridge—the place where Crow Woman was waiting.
I glanced up. High above us a stone jutted out like a ledge into the open air. There was no way to get there other than to continue following the path we were on. It was too steep, with a rock facing that was almost vertical—treacherous—if not impossible to climb.
As we passed directly beneath the rock, Swift Foot reached down and touched the ground.
“Tsi ga-no-du,” he whispered, and then spoke a few more words so low that I couldn’t make them out.
Adam, however, had heard them, and translated, My love, my life. Until we meet again.
That’s so sad, I thought, watching as Swift Foot stood and continued up the path with renewed vigor. Once this is over, I promised myself, I’m going to do everything in my power to reunite them. He deserves his happiness.
Once we made it to the next bend, the path cut back hard toward the ridge and flattened out. The snow completely disappeared and the atmosphere turned dark. We were in a Deadland and we were close. This was it.
I shifted from my wolf, reached into my bag, and took out the book. The trees twisted, wood groaning, as the Deadland noticed our presence. The Woodsburls spread out, walking between the trees, axes poised over their shoulders…ready.
I had already flipped to the page with the Deadland’s description and pricked my palm, ready to place it in the center of the page.
I waited for the trees to attack, for branches to reach for someone, for a root to zap out at a foot or paw—but nothing happened.
I glanced over at Swift Foot and he shrugged. I mimicked him and slapped my bloody hand on the book. I would deactivate this place anyway. It would be safer for everyone.
“It didn’t work,” Tori stated the obvious as she got off Brian’s back and peered over my shoulder as if she might find out what happened if she looked.
“I know,” I whispered. Nothing at all had changed, other than that there was now a bloody smear in the book that hadn’t absorbed into the parchment.
“Her magic is keeping it whole.” Swift Foot nodded to the hill above us, where things looked even more dire than where we were standing.
It makes sense, Adam added. We have to take her out before this Deadland will leave. We’d best split up now. Nikki, stay close to me.
Brian gave Tori a light head bump and a clear message not to go any further.
“I’ll stay here,” she promised. “I don’t have any magic or any way of helping, so I’ll do my distracting back here where I can jump back out of harm’s way.”
Pleased with her answer, Brian left to follow Erik and Ed along the opposite side of the hill.
Tori gripped my shoulder. “Good luck, Nikki. Be careful.”
“Thanks.” I took a deep breath and flipped the book to the first blank page that I came to and started walking toward the hill.
Chapter 12
WE REACHED THE top of the hill without any trouble, though I knew it was going to change soon, and when it did it would be fast.
I halfway wished something would happen, just so that I wouldn’t feel so on edge.
“She’s there,” Swift Foot nodded to the rock’s edge, where an Indian woman in a buckskin dress stood, staring out at the morning sky. “Crow Woman.”
At the mention of her name, her head m
oved, as if she had just noticed our arrival, but she didn’t turn.
“If you leave me now, I will spare you,” her voice was soft, unthreatening. “I have no need of your magic. Mine grows strong enough without it.”
As she turned, I got a better look at her. Long, silky black hair hung like a thick curtain to her waist. It swayed as she moved, in perfect time with the beads on the fringe of her dress.
I had expected her face to be marred, as it had been in my dreams, but two dark brown eyes stared at each of us in turn. There wasn’t any warmth in them, only indifference, I noted, as she gave me barely a passing glance.
But they changed when they lighted upon Swift Foot and a look of uncertainty passed across her face for a split second. Then, it was replaced with an expression of pure hatred that skewed her features, turning her face hard.
“You.” That one word held venom and I flinched.
The book jolted under my hands, writing a detailed description and sketching an imperfect replica of the woman before us. One eye on the paper was ruined by a scar that ran from hairline to jaw, the other glaring with the same ferocity that was bearing down on us in this exact moment.
“Give us the amulet,” Swift Foot said, holding out his hand.
I gritted my teeth. Everyone, including him, knew that wasn’t going to happen, still I supposed that it wouldn’t hurt to try the easy route.
A small, dark smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. “No.”
The magic that had kept her looking beautiful left and the scar appeared. She lifted her hand and the Deadland began its attack.
Tree limbs crashed toward us, attempting to squash everyone in their path. Wolves and Woodsburls went everywhere—some managing to jump in time, some not.
Adam had knocked me out of the way just as a huge log landed where we had been standing. I tried to keep focused, to keep from seeing how many of my friends were hurt.
I jabbed my hand as hard as I could on the book’s claw, and then fisted my hand, squeezing so hard that I felt the blood squish between my fingers. I spread my hand out on the picture of Crow Woman.
Still, nothing happened.
“It’s the amulet,” Swift Foot shouted over the noise. “Her magic is too strong here. We have to destroy the amulet first.”
I nodded. Getting close to her was definitely going to be a problem with trees smashing this way and that. Swift Foot pointed to the left, where the trees hadn’t grown as thick. There would lie our best chance.
We’ll draw her attention, Adam said, sending me a silent message. I smiled, knowing he was okay.
“Now!” one of the Woodsburls yelled in a guttural voice. Axes were being thrown into trees, severing limbs and roots, as the Woodsburls ran, attempting to get closer to Crow Woman.
“Come with me,” Swift Foot urged. “Let’s go.”
The combined forces of the Keepers and the Woodsburls sparked a new fury in Crow Woman, and within seconds the woman that I had been watching disappeared and a black bear, bigger than any I had ever seen, took her place. It roared with such ferocity that the ground beneath us shook.
I couldn’t see the amulet in the bear’s dark ruff. The amber stone seemed to have been completely absorbed into its body.
My dismay must have shown on my face, because Swift Foot took my hand and tugged me along. “Worry not, it’s only magic. The amulet is still at her neck and we will get it.” He paused to look down at me. “I will protect you with my life, you have my word.”
This promise centered me enough that I scrambled after him, doing my best to ignore the sounds of pain as I heard one of the wolves yip after being hit.
Keep moving, keep moving, I began my inward chant, blocking every sound out as I concentrated on keeping up with Swift Foot. He moved quickly, but he was calm, as if he regularly snuck up on evil, shape-shifting witches and thought nothing of doing it again today.
Crow Woman grunted as one Woodsburl smashed into her, but the bear still managed to throw him off with enough force that sent him hurtling past all the others.
She’s slowing down. She’s getting weaker, I realized, as a cream-colored wolf with patches of blood-matted fur leapt at her throat. He missed his mark and his fangs found her shoulder. She roared and threw Ed to the ground hard enough that his body bounced as it hit the earth. It took him several seconds to get up and move, to ready himself again.
She might very well be getting weaker, but so are they. This can’t go on much longer.
Swift Foot motioned for me to stay down as we reached a small bank that rose up behind the bear. So far we hadn’t been noticed, and as he reached to his waist to pull his dagger free, I knew what he planned to do. He climbed up the bank and waited, poised to leap when the time came.
The wolves and the Woodsburls had taken to attacking her in groups now and while it was easy to see that she was wearing down, she was still flinging them off with hardly any trouble at all.
I looked back up at Swift Foot, he was half-crouched, ready to spring. The knife clutched in his hand glinted like silver in the morning sun.
A sudden flash blinded me, and I watched a memory unfold in front of my eyes, a near replica of the same situation that was happening right now.
Swift Foot was above, Crow Woman was below. I waited for him to jump, to try to save Shining Star—but for some reason, he waited. Two Keepers—Adam and Erik were attacking her. This is when I knew this was no vision of the past—this was a glimpse of the very near future.
As the two wolves were thrown, I heard someone cry out and I saw the decision form on Swift Foot’s face.
Time slowed as he leapt, his hair streaming back from his face. Knife held high, he was ready to sink it into the side of the bear’s neck, when she turned and one giant paw smacked him the second that he reached her.
He was thrown against the rock from which he had just jumped with such force that a sickening crunch echoed in the air, and I saw his eyes go blank…into the stare of the dead…
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the future in time to change it. When I looked back up, I saw Swift Foot on the hill, still waiting—still alive.
Then I heard a familiar growl and turned to watch Adam with Erik on his heels as they ran full-tilt toward the bear.
No, no, no, I thought, knowing what could happen in the next moment if I didn’t stop it. I laid the book on the ground and stood. I had to get Swift Foot’s attention. We had to find a different way. I knew that I wouldn’t have time to skirt around the fight and climb up the hill in time. Somehow, I had to do something from where I stood. There just wasn’t enough time. I waved my hands in the air, hoping he would see me. He didn’t.
Adam and Erik attacked the bear, and were thrown off seconds later.
Now…I had to do something now. And if I couldn’t get Swift Foot’s attention, perhaps I could get Crow Woman’s.
“Hey!” I shouted. The bear turned toward me as I waved my arms wildly.
It’s going to work, I thought, taking a step toward her. If I keep her occupied, he’ll make it.
As the massive bear took a single step toward me, my eyes wandered to the hill behind her. Realizing it was a trick, she spun away from me just as Swift Foot jumped.
“No!” I shrieked—but it was too late.
His knife hadn’t found its intended mark, but rather found her heart. And as I watched Swift Foot strike the rock and crumple at the base of the hill, the bear blocked my view. As she saw Swift Foot lie motionless, she threw back her head. Instead of a roar, a human, heartbroken scream rent the air.
As she twisted away from him, the image of the bear vanished, leaving a frail old woman in its place. The front of her dress was soaked in blood, Swift Foot’s knife sunk into her chest.
Tears ran down her withered face and she began backing away. “It is finished,” she whispered. “His spirit is gone.” She had reached the edge of the ridge, her back to the open air. Her focus was still locked on Swift Foot’s body.
She turned her head and looked at me. Then, she smiled. It wasn’t an evil smile, or a happy one. It was one that spoke centuries of sadness. “It is done.”
Then, she fell.
“IS SHE DEAD?” Erik peered over the side of the rock as if he expected Crow Woman to float back up and attack him.
“Yes,” I said, brushing tears from my eyes. The broken body of the old woman was lying far below us on the path we had used to come up, nearly in the exact place that Swift Foot had stopped to pay tribute to Shining Star.
“But you didn’t de-magic her,” he said, confused.
“I didn’t have to. The amulet that was around her neck is gone.”
“It’s over here,” Adam spoke up from behind us. He was kneeling next to Swift Foot’s body. He waited until I walked over, and then pointed to Swift Foot’s hand.
A string of bone beads dangled from his fist. I knelt on the other side of his body and took his hand in mine. The amulet spilled into my palm. The square stone had a crack like a spider web that ran in every direction. It was broken—and the magic it possessed was gone.
The other amulet caught my attention. It was resting against Swift Foot’s chest, the blue stone pulsing in a way that reminded me of a heartbeat.
“He’s the Wolf. He can’t die,” I said, watching to see if his chest would rise—if he was breathing. I was certain that the amulet wouldn’t still be working if he was truly dead.
“He’s gone, Nikki,” Adam said softly. “I can’t hear his heartbeat.”
He reached across and took my hand as my tears took over. “I had a vision seconds before that it would happen. That’s why I went out in the open. I was trying to change it, but I was the reason she turned around,” I said, my voice breaking. “This is my fault.” At the last word, my voice broke and I heard a soft howl. It was a couple of seconds later that I realized it came from me. My wolf was coming to see what was wrong.
“Nikki, look at him,” Adam urged, turning my attention from the white mist that had started to encircle me.
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