by Charley Case
The road was overgrown with grass, really more of the idea of a path than a road, and the bike went airborne as they hit patches of thick grass growing from the crumbling pavement.
Mila sucked in a breath when she saw the Rougarou terrorizing the town. It looked like there was one or two at each house or business, tearing chunks out of walls and kicking doors in. They frothed at the mouth and howled loud enough that she could hear them over the bike’s motor.
“Park at the bar. I have an idea,” Mila said, pointing to the red one-story building.
Danica nodded and leaned the bike toward the building, taking them off-road—not that Mila could tell the difference. Locking the back brake up, Danica swung the ass end of the dirt bike into a slide and put the kickstand down as they came to a stop in the gravel lot of the bar.
Mila pushed off the back and took off toward the dumpster as soon as her feet hit the ground. “Cover me for a second. I’m sure the sound of the bike will bring them running.”
Penny launched herself from Mila's back to join Danica, while Mila ran for the corner of the building where she had seen the huge yellowjacket nest when they first got there.
“God, I hope this works,” Mila said to herself as she slid to a stop in front of the dumpster and started waving her arms above her head. “Hello! Mr. Yellowjacket! Hello!”
There was a pulse in the back of Mila's mind as her nature affinity kicked in and she gained the attention of the yellowjackets guarding the nest’s entrance. They turned their black eyes to her and cocked their heads, considering her.
“Look, I know you and humans in general have a bad relationship, but right now, I could really use your help,” Mila said, glancing over her shoulder to see Danica loose an arrow. A yelp not unlike a dog’s followed, letting Mila know Danica had hit her mark.
The yellowjackets put their heads together for a second, then one of them crawled into the nest’s opening. Mila didn't know exactly what they were saying, but she got the general idea. A feeling of “patience” filled her head. She didn't know if she couldn't understand them completely because they were workers, or if they were not trying to communicate with her directly.
Over the last few months, the one ability that had grown by leaps and bounds was Mila's nature affinity. All Valkyries had one, but no two were alike. Mila’s was an ability to communicate with insects. She had always had the ability to some degree, even when she was a little girl, but up until about six months ago, it had been nothing but feelings and gestures from the insects. When she had come into her power, however, she had started to understand them. It wasn't an exact understanding, and when she tried to explain it to Finn, the best she could do was to compare it to the way Penny spoke. Not exactly a language, but a mix of language and magic and body movements.
Mila pulled her Ivar out and switched the safety off before whispering her power word for her armor. After a second’s consideration, she pulled out Gram as well and held the handle close to her mouth, whispering a second power word. The gold sword unfolded in a flash, glowing with magical light as it fully formed.
The sword had been a gift from Finn, along with her armor. The dwarven sword was close to three feet in length and looked to be made of solid gold, but it weighed only ounces and held an edge that could shave the hair from Mila's arm without a problem. It was also the sword that had slain the dragon Fafnir, who ironically was a dwarf who had been turned into a dragon by a magical ring, then killed by his own sword. He was also Finn’s ancestor.
Buzzing made Mila look up in time to see several hundred yellowjackets come out of the nest’s opening and hover in the air before the queen flew out and shook herself as if stretching. She turned to Mila and flew a few feet closer.
“My workers tell me you have something to ask of me,” the queen hummed, or at least that was how Mila heard it.
“Yes. The town is being attacked by large wolf-like creatures. They’re going to take all the people from here. Will you send out soldiers to attack them for me?” Mila asked, wanting to get moving but not looking away from the queen as she considered, even when she heard another yelp of pain from behind her.
“Why would I sacrifice my brood for your people?” the queen asked.
Mila simply pointed at the dumpster, where a pair of worker yellowjackets crawled out of it as if making her point for her. “Because if my people go away, so does the easy source of food. Your nest is large and powerful because of the waste these people leave for you. They go, and your nest will collapse. You’ll run out of food.”
The queen considered for only a moment, seeing that Mila was right. “Very well. I will send half my soldiers to help. What do you need from them?”
“Swarm the wolfmen that are carrying people and sting them until they drop the person. Inflict as much damage as possible. We need to drive them away.”
The queen dipped, then flew back into her massive hive. A few seconds later, thousands of yellowjackets swarmed out of the nest and flew around the corner in a long stream of black and yellow bodies. It was honestly horrifying.
Mila tuned and ran to Danica, Penny on her shoulder. She saw there was one dead Rougarou on the ground in the gravel drive between the bar and the building beside it. “You okay?”
Danica nodded. “Killed this one with a shot to the throat, and put an arrow in another's leg. They go down easy enough, although they look strong as hell.”
They jogged toward the main street, Mila taking the lead. “Cover me. Penny, watch our backs. Those things are fast,” she said as a Rougarou shot out from between a yellow 1940s house and its cinderblock detached garage.
The wolfman took one look at them and bared its teeth before sprinting toward them. Mila didn't think twice. She aimed the pistol and pulled the trigger. A sucking of magic in the back of her head made her narrow her eyes in pain, but a bolt of gold light lanced out of the barrel and punched a hole through the charging beast’s chest. It died between strides, tipping forward and sliding to a stop at Mila's feet.
“Try to stop the ones with people in their arms, but for fuck’s sake, don't hit the captives,” Mila shouted, taking aim at another Rougarou, this one loping across the street with an elf woman slung over its shoulders.
Another blast of raw magic and the Rougarou’s legs were gone at the waist. The torso fell to the ground, sending the elf woman rolling away as she continued to scream. Only when the beast didn't come after her did she realize it had been killed.
“Get to the bar. We’ll send anyone we find that way,” Danica shouted to the woman as she let an arrow fly. The missile struck a Rougarou in the small of its back, severing its spine. The man in its grasp tumbled away.
The woman nodded and ran to the newly freed man, pulling him up and helping him to the bar behind Mila and Danica.
Mila watched as a black cloud of yellowjackets descended on a wolfman as it tried to make a run for the forest, its prey in hand. Within seconds the beast had dropped the man, who scrambled away as it was repeatedly stung by thousands of wasps, their yellow bodies standing out against the black fur. When the hulking figure finally stopped moving, the yellowjackets lifted off the dead wolfman as one and flew to their next victim.
Mila sprinted to a house where a Rougarou was struggling with the occupant, but before she could get there, a bubble formed around the wolfman’s head. It staggered back to fall off the porch and into the small front yard. It kicked and ripped at the bubble, but to no avail.
A man came out of the house, a wand in his right hand aimed at the Rougarou’s head. “How do you like that, you fucking pup?” he asked in a proper English accent. He saw Mila and Danica and waved them away. “No worries, ladies. I have this one in the drink.”
Mila saw that the bubble was actually a sphere of water, and the Rougarou was well on its way to drowning. “I see that you do. Uh, you should head for the bar when you’re done here. That’s where we’re sending survivors. They could use a fighter like you.”
He chu
ckled darkly. “I was already headed there. Nice to know I’ll have company. Ladies.” He tipped an imaginary hat and started toward the bar, a wobble in his step and the smell of gin wafting off him. The bubble popped and water splashed around the Rougarou’s head, but the beast didn't move, already dead.
“This is a really weird fuckin’ town, Mila,” Danica said, shaking her head.
A long high-pitched whistle sounded, cutting through the screams and growls of the beasts. As if a switch had been flipped, the Rougarou turned and sprinted for the woods. A good third of them still had victims in their arms. Danica was able to hit two of the retreating wolfmen in the thighs. One dropped the screaming woman it held, but the other was able to keep hold and vanished into the trees at a limping gallop.
Within seconds it was over, the only sign of the retreating Rougarou a high keening wail that was picked up by the remaining pack as they made their escape.
“So, we’re not going home?” Danica asked.
“Not just yet,” Mila confirmed as Penny landed on her shoulder. “Can you follow them?”
Penny nodded. “Chi.”
“Can you follow them safely?” Mila amended.
“Chi shir?”
Mila rolled her eyes. “Safe for you.”
Penny nodded. “Chi.”
“Okay, we’ll be at the bar with everyone else.” Mila held out her fist. “Be careful.”
Penny bumped the offered fist and took off.
“She’s just so cocky,” Danica said, watching the little dragon as she grew smaller.
“Good thing she’s not a male.”
“Why’s that?” Danica asked, frowning.
“Because her balls would weigh her down too much to fly.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Mila! Danica!”
They turned to find Harvey jogging up, his hand to his head and blood running down his cheek and neck, but otherwise looking unhurt. Danica immediately slung her bow over her shoulders and formed a bubble around herself.
“Be right back,” she said before the bubble popped and she was gone.
“Uh, okay,” Mila said to the empty air where her friend had just been.
Harvey came to a stop and pressed a hand to his scalp, putting pressure on a pretty bad cut if the amount of blood was an indication. His previously white t-shirt was now half-red, and the top of his well-fitting jeans had a dark bloodstain on one side.
“Where did Danica go? The blood scare her off?” he asked, wide-eyed.
“I have no idea, but I know it wasn't the blood since she’s a doctor. This kind of stuff is her bread and butter. Well, she mostly deals with kids, but still.”
“What the hell happened? I was getting the bar set up for tonight, and all of a sudden, the front door was kicked in by a fuckin’ werewolf. We haven't had werewolves around here since the 80s. Why were they stealing people? And why the hell didn't they change completely? That had to hurt, to walk around half-formed like that.” He was rambling, but Mila gave him a pass since he was more than likely in a state of shock.
Blood loss like he’d had could cause all sorts of problems, including wooziness, which his swaying indicated.
“Harvey, I think we need to talk inside. You don't look so hot,” Mila said, stepping to his side and trying to take some of his weight. She was so short, though, that she ended up hugging him around the waist. Hooking her fingers around his belt, she was able to keep him relatively steady as they headed for the red building a block and a half down the road.
A popping sound made Mila look over her shoulder. Danica had reappeared, and she had her medical bag over her shoulder. She spotted them and jogged to catch up, taking Harvey’s weight on the other side. She was tall enough that his arm rested on her shoulders, making the task much easier for her.
“Sorry, had to grab my bag. I take it we’re headed for the bar?”
“I should have guessed,” Mila said, nodding. “Yeah, we’re headed for the bar. How are you doing, Harvey?”
“Okay, I suppose. Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, I’m getting a little weak.”
Danica stopped them and had Harvey sit in the road. “I need to take care of this now. No sense letting him pass out.”
She pulled a spray bottle off saline out and ripped open a fresh package of gauze. Gently moving Harvey's hand away from the wound, she began spraying it down with saline to see what she was working with.
“Mila,” Harvey said, reaching for her hand, “they took a bunch of my people. We’re not fighters up here. Most of us came here because we wanted a simple life. We don't have a Market or any other connection to the rest of the magical community. I know you have a relationship with Meriwether. Is there any way you can convince him to send some help so I can get my people back? Those monsters are going to eat them alive or something, I just know it.”
“Calm down, Harvey,” Mila reassured him. “Preston is already working on getting me some people. I’ll need to use a phone to call him, though. My cell doesn't work up here.”
“I have a phone in the bar—” He sucked in a breath of pain as Danica pressed the two halves of his scalp together.
She closed her eyes, and her hands began to glow with a blue light Mila had become familiar with. She was channeling her elven healing magic into the wound. Her artificial hand glowed a magnitude brighter, all the magic channeled through it visible in its woven diamond lattice. After a few seconds, the glow diminished, and she removed her hands, spraying the area down one last time to get rid of any residual blood so she could check her work.
“The wound is healed, but you still lost a lot of blood. We need to get some food in you, and you need to take it easy for a day or two while you recover.” Danica stood and helped Harvey to his feet, steadying him with an arm around the waist. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”
They made their way to the bar without much problem, though Harvey did almost trip twice, and Mila had to help keep him steady.
Pushing the heavy wooden door open, Mila wasn't surprised at the interior in the least. It was the classic small-town bar: lots of wood, and a dingy red carpet that had last been cleaned in the 70s. There were two pool tables in the back section and a long dark-wood bar along the right side, opposite a set of bathrooms. The middle area was cleared for a relatively new wooden dance floor, and round tables with simple wooden chairs filled in all the rest of the available space. It looked like they could fit the entire population of the town in the place at once, and Mila guessed they did so on the regular.
There were already a dozen people inside, most injured in some way and being taken care of by their friends and family. Several people were openly crying and not always from their injuries.
Danica and Mila helped Harvey to a stool at the bar, where he nearly collapsed onto the wooden bar top. He pointed a shaky finger at an old cream-colored phone that looked like it had come out of a 1980s TV show prop room.
“There’s the phone. Can you grab me a beer or something? I’m really thirsty,” he said drunkenly.
“Give him water and find something for him to eat. I’m going to help the rest of these people.” Danica patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, Harvey, we’ll have you drinking beer again in no time. For now, just do what Mila tells you.”
She glanced around the room, quickly assessing who needed the most help first, then heading off to a table with a young elf with a severely broken arm, digging out what she needed from her bag as she went.
Mila opened one of the coolers behind the bar and didn't see any bottled water, so she went to the next. In the third cooler, she found a small stack of waters and grabbed a couple. On the wall was a rack with snacks, and she snatched a couple of packages of cookies before heading back to Harvey.
“Here, eat these,” she said, dropping the cookies and waters off in front of him before lifting the heavy telephone onto the bar and pulling her phone out of her pocket.
As Harvey slowly tore open the first pack of cookies
, she scrolled through her phone until she found Preston’s contact info. Lifting the receiver, she punched in the number and turned her phone’s screen off when the line started ringing.
“Mila?” Preston asked, his voice concerned.
She blinked. “How did you know it was me? I’m calling from a landline.”
“The caller ID said the Red Brick Tavern, which is the name of the only bar in Elk River. I assumed if anyone was calling me from Elk River, it would be you.”
“Well, aren’t you the clever one?”
He chuckled. “I’m not a billionaire by chance, Mila.”
“Fair enough,” she conceded. “Listen, it’s gotten really bad up here. The Rougarou I told you about? They just attacked the town. Broke into the homes and started stealing people. About half of the town was taken if I had to guess. I need that G.A.E.L. team asap.”
“They attacked in broad daylight?” He sounded incensed. “I’m glad I went with my gut on this one. I recalled a team right away. One of the missions I had wasn't as time-sensitive as we first thought, and I brought them back. They’re eating a quick meal now, but I’ll inform them that they need to get moving now. You said they took the townsfolk alive? Why?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Mila said, opening one of the waters and taking a drink to wet her dry mouth. She looked at Harvey and turned away, talking in a low voice so he wouldn't hear. “When Penny, Danica, and I first found them, I heard their leader talking about her ‘Lord.’ At first, I thought she was just some religious nut or something, but now I think she might be using people as an actual sacrifice. Obviously, the Rougarou are the bodies of her victims, but I don't understand what she’s trying to accomplish.”
Preston was silent as he thought. “Do you know where they are keeping the townsfolk?”
“Not yet, but Penny is following them now. Hopefully, she can tell us when she gets back.”
