Cursed to Death

by L. A. Banks

  Hunter cried out as Shogun slammed on the brakes hard and bounced over the pavement and a median to head in the opposite direction, causing traffic to screech to a halt in four directions.

  “We have to get off the street before we kill somebody. I need a phone—take us inside a building, any building, where there’re no people on the first floor, then everybody scatter.” Sasha turned, repeatedly glancing back at Hunter.

  “We’ll be trapped, sitting ducks!” Seung Kwon shouted.

  “You trusted me back there at Dugan’s old place just now, right?” she shouted over the seat as the SUV almost rolled over. “Shogun found the symbol in his building, too, right?”

  “I trust the lady,” Shogun said, turning hard into a building and taking out the entire front bay of an auto body shop.

  Pedestrians scattered, metal slammed against metal, but she and all the others in their vehicle were up and out as airbags burst forward.

  Hunter slapped a shotgun out of a foolish owner’s hands. “Where’s the phone? That’s all we came for; insurance should cover the rest.”

  “Come out with your hands in the air!”

  The unmistakable blare of a police bullhorn made everybody freeze for a moment. Hunter, Shogun, and his men stared at Sasha as she dialed the telephone.

  “How’s the arm?” Shogun muttered.

  Hunter didn’t immediately answer, just wrapped the bleeding wound with duct tape. “It’ll heal.”

  “We have the place surrounded! Let the hostages in the store go!”

  “Hey, Sir Rodney?” Sasha said quickly. “How’s your Fae magick working right about now?”

  “We’ve gotta go,” Woods said to Fisher. He looked at Doc and then Silver Hawk. “It’s going down. You all have got to cover Bear Shadow, Crow Shadow, and ’Rissa in there. We can’t do anything but provide security out here, if maybe something tries to come out of the shadows on you guys, anyway.” He tossed Doc a nine-millimeter. “Saw that you know how to use one of these.”

  “That I do.”

  “Good,” Woods said, looking at Bradley. “You take care of our girl.” Woods gave Clarissa a brief hug.

  “Armed with iron, rowan, and brick dust, as well as a few little things that are a special blend of my own.”

  “Good man.” Woods bumped Bradley’s fist.

  “Did she say what she wanted us to bring?” Fisher started hunting through the cache of weapons hidden at Tulane from the last battle.

  “Everything and the kitchen sink.”

  “They don’t see us?” Shogun whispered, walking past police officers that had their weapons drawn.

  “Nope,” Sasha said quietly and quickly, hurrying the group along.

  The frightened Fae civilian that was called out of hiding kept his eyes squeezed shut for a second and then dashed ahead of them. “Hurry, hurry, please hurry . . . We just got our magick back and I’m only here because of Sir Rodney’s insistence. I’m an innocent bystander—we’re not even from New Orleans! This was not how we had intended to spend the day before the ball!”

  “Sir, I know you’re upset,” Sasha said calmly, glancing around. “But if we could impose on you for one more favor or two . . . We need that van over there turned into a military vehicle, if you can . . . and anything you need to use as material—like wheel lugs—to transform into AK-47s or M-16s, whichever is easiest, and silver shells for them. Maybe you can use the steel tire irons for the on-the-fly alchemy? But we need weapons, a vehicle, and a way out, stat. Appreciate your help.”

  Sasha went to the side of the van, marveling at how the police continued to shout through the bullhorn as the SWAT unit arrived. Shogun caught the Elf under his tiny arms before he fainted.

  “We’re a peaceful people,” the Elf said, gulping. “Do I have to make guns?”

  “I will be your eyes,” Silver Hawk said as he sat across the table from Clarissa, with Doc and Bradley by her side. He looked up at Bear Shadow and Crow Shadow and waited for them to nod.

  “I will be your ears,” Clarissa murmured, looking at both men.

  “Listen for our voices and only our voices to direct you . . . or that of the Great Spirit,” Silver Hawk said quietly. “I will call the positive ancestors. I will call the shaman guides. I will ask the Great Spirit for your protection. You must free our people from the shackles of this curse!”

  Sir Rodney dropped down from the tree line with a smile as soon as Sasha’s vehicle came into the long drive.

  “I knew you wanted us to be here,” he said with a wide smile, vindicated, and glancing at his astonished men.

  “Thank you,” Sasha said, jumping down from the armored jeep and coming up to Sir Rodney with a wide smile. “Seems I’ve been saying that to you a lot, lately. Your man in town outfitted us beautifully . . . but we wouldn’t have gotten out of there if it weren’t for a traditional Fae glamour. Although I think your constituent was so upset that he may need medical attention—that or a good therapist. We stressed the poor man, and we apologize for that.”

  “Men, listen up—you ’eard what the lady said.” Sir Rodney beamed and glanced around at his troops. “There would be no more Seelie Fae glamour ’ad these brave wolves not gone in and undone a foul curse on the House of Clerk.”

  He waited until the cheers and whistles died down and then turned to Sasha. “We thank you . . . The least we could do was provide you some military fatigues, a wee bit of munitions, and a chance to escape . . . Standard bibbidibobbidi-boo; easy charms, milady. The stuff of Faerie tales and Dragon lore.” His men laughed as he took a deep bow, seeming much revived now that his magic was back to full strength outside his castle walls. However, when he looked at Hunter, his smile faded. “This man has been shot.”

  “Bullet passed through my arm, didn’t knick bone. Twenty-four hours and a session with a good healer, and I’ll be fine,” Hunter said, studying the plantation-style mansion. “Trees to the east are good cover. We have to decide how to take the property—there will definitely be security forces present. Humans to prevent daylight incursions. Maybe even some wolves from the Buchanan Brous-sard camp—so let’s not get overconfident. It ain’t over till it’s over . . . Never underestimate Vampires.”

  “True. And Vamps are like sharks,” Shogun said. “You know that, brother. You’re bleeding and you can’t merge into the shadows . . . This isn’t like going up against humans; in a pitch-black lair they move faster than—”

  “I know. I understand the risks. But we go in there full force, one clan, allies.” Hunter’s gaze slowly surveyed the group until he received nods of agreement.

  He motioned with his chin toward the large, antebellum mansion. “Quite a beaut . . . I’d say forty, fifty rooms to sack, and who knows what they’ve got under the ground?”

  Fisher lifted a shoulder cannon and smiled. “We could do it the quick, just-add-water way and be home before dark to have a brew.”

  “I like the way this man thinks,” Sir Rodney said with a smile.

  “Before we blow the roof off the sucker,” Sasha said, staring at the mansion, “we need to know if there are any innocents in there.”

  “Anybody in there is not innocent,” Sir Rodney said. “But if it’ll make you feel better, we do stealth very, very well.”

  Baron Montague opened his eyes and sat up slowly in the dark chambers beneath the house. “We have guests,” he said calmly as two female Vampires gathered in closer to him yawning. “I smell blood.” He looked up at the vaulted ceiling in the concrete cavern. “Blood tainted by silver,” he said snarling. “Guards!”

  A huge blast rocked the house. Small crumbles of concrete rained down on the bed as he jumped up and dressed in a flash. All above him he could hear battle raging. He shut his eyes and his entire estate came into view. The manor was an inferno above—that would draw humans!

  “Fools! There will be blood for this transgression!”

  “Give them Kiagehul!” one of his lovers screeched. “The little bastard has ca
used us nothing but trouble—we are not involved in this . . . There are Fae out there fighting alongside both wolf clans!”

  The baron slapped her in frustration, but fear for her life made her hiss and challenge him. “You may not like to hear my words but you cannot deny the truth.”

  Her sister screeched and drew to her side. “Listen to her, Geoff—they will find the vault and open this sanctuary in broad daylight, damn you! Give them the fucking little troll, or whatever he is! Let the Unseelie queen be outraged that they took the law into their own hands and beheaded him! This is not our battle.”

  “Oh, but there will be hell to pay for an unprovoked attack without proof!” the baron snarled between his fangs. “A botched attack on their human boy does not begin to redress this offense . . . We lost one of our own—according to law, that is enough of a fine for going after the little miscreant . . . And now they’ve laid siege to my lair in an unauthorized attack?”

  “Feel the walls,” the other sister said in a hiss. “They are practically glowing. How long do you think it will take for the house to burn down to ash and for them to find us huddled in a corner, screaming for them not to open this tomb!” She stood up on the bed and then levitated toward him. “Give them the betrayer!”

  The baron sent a black charge toward her, but she and her sister deflected it with a snarl.

  The eldest sister circled him like a hissing cat. “You do not have enough energy to hold them off from this lair, keep it cool enough in here that we not suffer, and fight us—now choose!”

  Priceless antiques were going up in flames. Machine-gun reports rang out and echoed in his mind’s eye. His best human security forces were slaughtered . . . his bouncers in upper-floor lairs had been sentenced to instant death by daylight. The baron turned away from her, closed his eyes, and sent a hard, flashing image of Kiagehul’s hidden coven to Sir Rodney.

  “Fall back!” Sir Rodney shouted.

  Sasha looked at Hunter as he jerked back a silver-shell-loaded AK-47. Shogun caught up to them, dusting dead Vampire embers off his fatigues.

  “Woods, Fisher!” Sasha hunted for her men in the billowing smoke, but let out a hard breath of relief when one last grenade blew and she saw them jogging from the far side of the building as it collapsed.

  Sir Rodney used two fingers to point toward the woods, and then closed his eyes and grabbed his forehead. “I can see him,” he said, wincing. “The Vampire gave him up, put the image in me bleedin’ ’ead! But we will have hell to pay . . . The Vampires were not involved, only spectators in the larger game. I can sense it in me magick; it’s deep in the marrow of me bones!”

  “Oh . . . shit . . .” Sasha stood numb for a second. “The retaliation is going to be a bitch.”

  “I’ll say.” Woods spat on the ground.

  “Who would ever have believed that Vampires were innocent?” Shogun dragged his fingers through his hair and began to walk in a circle.

  Hunter ran over, grabbed Sir Rodney’s temples, grimacing as his right arm shook from the pain. “We’re healers . . . by nature,” he said, breathing hard. “I’ll take the pain; he’s stabbing the image into your mind, enraged . . . but the information is invaluable.”

  “Your arm,” Sasha said. “Let me do the extraction.”

  Hunter just stared at her but didn’t stop. She nodded and backed off. It was an intimate process; if there were other thoughts, they could complicate matters.

  “Just get it outta me bleedin’ head! For the love of all things holy . . . it was duplicity in its highest form!”

  Sir Rodney slumped as two of his best men held him in Hunter’s grasp. After a few moments, Sir Rodney’s body relaxed and Hunter’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. When he came out of the daze, he was snarling and his eyes were pure wolf. He dropped Sir Rodney in the arms of his men, pivoted, and took off into the glen. Shogun and Sasha were right behind him with a retinue of archers swiftly navigating the trees.

  Helicopters were not far in the distance. Fire-engine and police sirens were closing in. But Hunter had the trail in his mind. He picked up the scent on the back of his palate; if he could have called his wolf, he would have been four paws on the ground and one with the wind.

  When Hunter found him, Kiagehul was barricaded in a mansion that instantly faded to nothing more than a quickly drawn black magick circle. The onslaught of now strong Seelie Fae tracking magick had left his target exposed. Hunter skidded to a stop, and the frightened Unseelie brandished a dark charm and a wand, following Hunter’s every move.

  “Stay back, wolf!” Kiagehul shouted, fear stripping his glamour.

  “Your head is mine,” Hunter said, taking short lunges to terrorize the evil being that had wreaked so much havoc.

  “If you touch me, you will be cursed for a hundred generations!”

  “Don’t touch him, Hunter!” Sasha shouted.

  But Shogun left her side to begin circling with Hunter.

  “MacDougall?” Sir Rodney said, pushing past the wolves. “Me own damned bodyguard—me best man? What is this madness?”

  “Kennan Kiagehul MacDougall! Did you even know my Unseelie name, Kiagehul?” the Unseelie shouted, holding his wand out before him. “Disinherited! Abused in your Seelie Court because of who my father was . . . Never in line for what was rightfully mine—well this time I decided to take it!”

  “Treason!” Sir Rodney shouted, his fingertip sparking as he pointed hard at Kiagehul. “You were my most trusted, because of who your mother was to my court!”

  “As though my father’s Unseelie line never mattered?” Kiagehul said, his eyes narrowed with hatred. “Had the Fae wars waxed differently, I would have been in line to rule.”

  “But they didn’t . . . and I gave you a high post nonetheless—for your Seelie mother!” Sir Rodney shouted, veins of rage now standing in his neck and at his temples. “You take up your fate and lack of inheritance with your cold hearted queen, not me! She was the one who passed you over because of your father’s ineptitude in battle. I gave you asylum!”

  “Dead man walking,” Hunter said, snarling.

  “It’s like watching a foxhunt when the quarry is finally at bay, eh Kiagehul, you rat bastard?” an archer shouted from the trees, and then spit out the twig he’d been chewing on. “Only I’d like to see these dogs of war leave nothing of your stinkin’ carcass to bring home.”

  “Did your queen know?” Sir Rodney paced along the perimeter of the black magick circle. “Out with it!”

  “My queen will benefit greatly from your fall,” Kiagehul sneered.

  Woods and Fisher finally caught up to the group, but all the Fae backed up as Kiagehul began to scream.

  “Thrash him with the rowan branches to strip him of his power,” Sasha ordered. “Then cross his pentagram with the iron, gentlemen, and make sure you put a piece in his pocket so there’s no chance he’ll get away. This SOB is going to court tonight.”

  Bear Shadow stood in the mist beside his pack brother, nerves taut, gaze sweeping. Crow Shadow held the implements to break the curse; his job was to walk point and call the spirits. But something was wrong as he called Hunter’s name. Only strange silence came back . . . Then he saw it. Hunter’s wolf with red glowing eyes, a demon version of his courageous alpha.

  The beast lunged so quickly that he didn’t have time in his human form to evade it. It was not pure mist but was dense, had weight, its jaws savaging his skin, tearing his flesh. Crow leaped in and tried to stab it with an iron stake, but it grabbed his arm between massive jaws, almost snapping bone, but Bear had climbed on the beast’s back to force it to turn its attention away from Crow.

  There was no time to see with Silver Hawk’s eyes or listen to Clarissa’s shrieks. Crow Shadow gored the beast as it reared on its hind legs, standing Hunter’s wolf height of seven feet tall. Iron plunged through the beast, exploding it to cinders. Bear Shadow hurled a handful of rowan berries over Crow Shadow’s shoulder, screaming for him to get down as Sasha�
��s wolf charged out of the nothingness.

  But that only burned away her fur, leaving a scorched demon wolf skull with glowing red eyes and a mangled, bloody coat. She stalked both men, circling them and waiting for Silver Hawk to enter as a demonic version of his Silver Shadow self.

  “Something’s gone wrong!” Bear Shadow shouted out loud. “They’re not etheric doubles, they’re demons!”

  Crow Shadow backed up with him as both warriors took a stand, surrounded.

  “Pull them out!” Clarissa shouted, breaking the trance. “Something’s happened, Bradley.”

  Doc shook Silver Hawk as he slumped forward on the table. Bradley jumped up from the table with Winters and dashed to the computer.

  “The spell’s been changed, reinforced somehow. The one who cast it had to have been tipped off!” Bradley began searching through screens.

  “They won’t last that long,” Clarissa shouted. “They’ve got one demon down; call Sasha’s cell! See if you can get through to Hunter to go in there and get his men out!”

  Sir Rodney handed Sasha the cell phone as his retinue of soldiers blended into the trees. “It’s for you,” he said, puzzled. He nodded as she accepted the unit and pressed it to her ear.

  “What?” Sasha grabbed Hunter’s uninjured arm as the retreat came to a full stop.

  “I don’t mean ta rush the lady,” one of the archers said, “but we’ve got to get this bag of rot back to the dungeons and us out of the humans’ way, posthaste . . . And problem is we need a wolf to carry ’im through the forest, due to his iron-clad condition.”

  “Hunter’s men are trapped in the shadow lands,” Sasha said quickly, relating the drastic events. “They’re up against my dark shadow self and Silver Shadow’s evil etheric, as well as Shogun’s, all alone . . . And who even knows how formidable the others will be?”

  “It’ll take me a half hour to forty minutes to go back, assuming I’m not stopped,” Hunter said, beginning to pace.

  “They’ll be dead by then,” Kiagehul called out, laughing a hysterical laugh of the criminally insane.