The Caitlin Chronicles Boxed Set

by Michael Anderle

  “Hey. He jumped into your sword.” Ash shrugged. “The way I see it, you’re innocent in all this. It’s not like you started this fight either, right?”

  The bald guy roared and began throwing slashes at them both, turning between each in a frenzied assault. His face screwed up in a twisted red of anger, his teeth bared.

  “Though that’s not to say that some people don’t deserve it.” Ash planted his feet and swung, taking a big chunk out of the bald guy’s neck. “Some people are just monsters.”

  There was a moment of quiet as Caitlin collected herself, hardly believing the hatred that had been inside these people. It seemed that no matter what her intentions were, some people were simply downright cock-nuggets.

  It was as they were about to re-engage in the battle beside Mary-Anne and Alice that they caught the rat-man trying to crawl away. He stopped, cowering on his knees by the bodies of his friends, disbelief written on his face.

  They both advanced, towering over him.

  He dropped his knife and held his hands up in the air. “I surrender! I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry,” he whimpered. He bowed low to the ground, sobbing. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”

  “What do you think?” she asked Ash.

  Ash shrugged. “Not my decision. Why not ask the others?”

  “Good idea.” Caitlin cupped her hands and called to Mary-Anne. The vampire’s face was now covered in gore. “Is sorry good enough?”

  Mary-Anne looked over, her eyes ablaze. Her own chest rose and fell rapidly as she sat atop a man’s chest who had clearly just pissed himself with fear.

  “We should probably make a decision sooner rather than later on that. This guy says he’s sorry, too. But only after trying to stab a pitchfork into my shoulder.” She grabbed the man’s cheeks and squeezed so tight his lips pursed. “Ain’t that right, little morsel?”

  The man spat in Mary-Anne’s face.

  She punched him in the nose.

  It was his own fault really.

  It was then that Caitlin heard the kid’s cry and the padding of feet. A second later, a boy appeared, no more than five summers old.

  He sprinted across the grass towards the man that Mary-Anne straddled, his arms held out wide. “No, Daddy. No, no, no.”

  He was so focused on running towards his father that he didn’t see the man leaping at Mary-Anne from the shadows. The man was so focused that he didn’t see the kid until it was almost too late. Caitlin spotted the rock in the man’s hand ready to bash Mary-Anne’s skull in and yelled a warning. Mary-Anne moved with incredible speed, picked the kid up, and ducked out the way. A fraction of a second later, and he would’ve killed him.

  Mary-Anne stood with the boy in her arms, covering his eyes as the brute pulled back at the last minute, landing clumsily on the body of the boy’s father.

  “Idiots,” she whispered.

  The men rolled over in shock, not quite believing what just happened.

  “You…you saved him?” the boy’s father said, shoving the man off him and running to Mary-Anne to collect his kid. He turned to the others in awe. “A vampire saved my kid!”

  Those now left fighting seemed to notice her for the first time.

  Alice, who had been in the middle of clashing weapons with a lean man of a similar build to herself, lowered her weapon as he lowered his and stared. Jaxon kept his hackles raised, growling loudly.

  Caitlin seized the moment of pause to regroup. She left rat-man on the ground and took Ash with her to join Mary-Anne. Alice came over now too, the four of them a fearsome quartet.

  “That’s right. A vampire saved the life of a child and likely spared a lot of you tonight,” Caitlin said. “If you’re looking for a monster, look no further than the man who has you all thinking that this is as big as life gets. Look for the man who has trained you all into a life of misery and servitude.”

  As she spoke, she saw the heads of some of the women who had been around earlier in the day pop sheepishly out of their windows.

  “I should know,” Caitlin continued. “My brother has been taken by the governor and is being held prisoner in Silver Creek’s dungeons for doing nothing more than his job. He is an honorable man, rotting in a cell under the orders of a fat slob who has tried to have me killed, did have my friend killed, and would likely kill all of you before he had a chance to look at you.” She wiped her sword and sheathed it. “This fight is over. Before daybreak, we will be leaving to kick some governor ass and release my brother from his cell. Silver Creek is a big town with many guards. We’ll need all the help we can get. Those who are willing to journey with us and fight for a greater cause than your day-to-day lives, show yourself and come forth.”

  “And what about those who aren’t?” a voice said. Caitlin turned and saw the man Alice had wrestled with a moment ago. His black teeth and fierce expression gave him a savage look.

  “Well then, stay here and carry on as you were. There’s little I can do about that. I’m going with or without you. It’s your choice.”

  At first, no one moved, and Caitlin couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened. Then a young woman stepped forward and fell to one knee.

  “I’ll stand with you until the end,” she said.

  “And I,” another added.

  Soon, there was an echo of agreement as the men stepped forward in turn and pledged their allegiance to Caitlin. By the end of it, she had a group of men and women around her, each with steel determination locked on their faces. All were ready to fight and stand up to the governor, to reclaim their lives and their freedom.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Silver Creek

  Kain wasn’t entirely sure he liked this.

  Though it was late at night, the streets seemed to be more crowded than ever. He felt it with every step. With every movement, he was conscious of the threat of discovery. Sullivan seemed more at ease, like he was tired and just wanted to get home without being stopped by a friend or nosy neighbor.

  Or maybe harboring a fugitive brought out a fatalistic calm.

  A fugitive who also happened to be a werewolf. Kain tried to put himself in his companion’s shoes and failed.

  “Fuck me,” Sullivan grumbled as they snuck between some houses and peeked around the corner.

  “No thanks. I prefer my men with vaginas,” Kain muttered behind him.

  “Not exactly what I meant.”

  They sidled into the shadows. After a careful look around, they crossed the street, ducked between more houses, and eventually, Sullivan led them to a small house which squatted unobtrusively near the large wooden walls. He knocked three times—once loud, once quiet, once loud—and when he was satisfied there was no response, made his way inside.

  It was dark. The smell of extinguished lanterns still lingered in the air.

  “Good. We’ve missed them,” he said, crossing the room where the silhouette of a large wooden chest could be seen in the corner.

  “Missed who? We crashing a birthday party?” Kain laughed at his own joke, then stopped as he tried to remember the last birthday party he had been to. It had been havoc. Partying with Weres—Weres who hated you—was never the most pleasant of affairs.

  Sullivan ignored him. “Here, put these on.”

  Kain saw clothes flying at him in the dark. He caught them with ease. “What are these?”

  “You want to escape, right? You’ll need to look like a ranger to be able to pass for a ranger.” Sullivan began to straighten out his own fatigues, pulling his hood low across his face. Had it not been for Kain’s heightened senses, he would’ve blended in with the shadows. “Silver Creek’s a small town, by all accounts.”

  “Larger than any place I’ve seen in years.”

  “But small enough that everyone knows everyone,” Sullivan said. “You try and head through the gates wearing that, suspicions are going to raise. You need to blend in. Otherwise we’ll both end up in the shitter.”

  Kain chuckled. “You should smell my
cage, man. But if Silver Creek is such a small place, surely the guards will notice that I’m not one of the regulars?”

  “You give the guards too much credit,” his companion said. “If you look enough like a ranger, they won’t bat an eyelid. I don’t think you realize the distaste rangers and guards have for each other.”

  When they left the ranger’s quarters, Sullivan instructed Kain to walk with him in the center of the road. Now that they were both fully equipped, it was less conspicuous for them to walk out in the open rather than clinging to the walls. At least, that appeared to be Sullivan’s opinion, anyway.

  “Tell me,” Kain said as the gate came into view. He couldn’t remember them from the last time he had passed through. Though, of course, that time he had been carried in a cage. “If the rest of the rangers have already gone off ahead, what’s to stop these guys from wondering why the fuck we aren’t with them?”

  Sullivan shrugged.

  “Oh, good. I was worried that we didn’t have a plan.”

  Sullivan smiled beneath his hood—a dozy smile which suggested it should all be really simple. As long as they didn’t act suspicious, Kain reasoned, hating that he was dependent on a complete stranger. Sullivan was well-known amongst Silver Creek as the dozy ranger, that much was obvious, but the fugitive guessed that many didn’t know that there was more going on behind the curtains than met the eye. His instinct might have served him well when it had honed in on Sullivan. Time would tell.

  “Good evening, gents,” a guard said, stepping forward with one hand out in front and the other on the handle of his sword. “Where might you fine gentlemen be heading to at this late hour?”

  “Good evening, Clint,” Sullivan said, doffing his hood. “We wish to embark on our rangerly duties under orders of our master, the governor.”

  Clint’s eyebrow raised. He looked behind him at a second guard who stood near the chains which operated the gate. “A little late to be playing catch-up with the rest of your group.”

  “Aye, it’s my fault. A day full of drinking and games can sometimes make it difficult to get out of bed.” Sullivan shrugged.

  Kain was impressed. Despite his clumsy size, Sullivan was smooth.

  “Very well,” Clint said, laughing as he nodded to the second guard. “If there’s one thing I know well, it’s the affection of dear Lady Booze. Say…you wouldn’t happen to have anything warm and naughty on you now?”

  Kain brought a scarred hand to his mouth in an attempt to stop himself from laughing.

  Sullivan carried on as if nothing had happened. “I’m afraid not, though I’ll be sure to buy you a round for your troubles next time you find yourself in Mother Wendy’s.”

  Clint studied Kain. “And who’s your friend?”

  “New recruit from one of the outlying towns. First in years,” Kain said, drawing out a hip flask from the inside of his cloak. “Here. I’ll bet my last dollar that you haven’t tasted anything like that before. It’ll finally put some hairs on your chest.”

  “I think what my friend here is trying to say is thank you for your help.” Sullivan pulled Kain by the elbow and wandered towards the gate. “Please, enjoy the brew from the foreign lands and have yourself a nice evening.”

  Clint sniffed the flask, then took a swig. He coughed the instant the liquid hit his lips, then went for another sip. “Hey, Mattis, give this a whirl. Tremendous stuff.”

  He tossed the flask to Mattis as Kain and Sullivan exited the gates.

  Silver Creek, Silver Creek Forest

  “This here is where we part ways, kiddo.” Kain stopped at a fork along the forest path. “Cheers for the help.”

  Sullivan looked suddenly afraid. Kain couldn’t blame him. If he were human and were about to be left alone in a dark forest where the Mad were known to roam, he’d be afraid too. If they could jump back some eighty years or so, it might not have been half bad. But Kain had seen a lot of things in his life, and the descending of the Madness was one of the things he wished he could forget.

  The worst part was that it did much more than drive those affected into a state of zombie-like lunacy. Kain had seen it first-hand with his own pack. He’d seen members of his pack struggling to change into their animal forms, and struggling to change back. He wouldn’t forget watching the Alpha resort to fear tactics to keep the pack safe.

  And, unfortunately, that was a pack Kain felt he could never go back to—not after the way he left.

  “Can’t I stay with you a bit longer, at least until I find the rangers?” Sullivan said, lowering his hood for the first time since leaving the town.

  Kain closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose, savoring the scents of the forest. Dirt, leaves…human. When he opened his eyes, he pointed down the path to Sullivan’s right. “Down that way. Keep heading straight. If you’re fast enough, you’ll find them.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “That ain’t my problem anymore. Here.” Kain pulled the key out of his pocket and handed it over to Sullivan. “Through the district. Bottom dungeon. Heavily guarded. However, if you think you’re going to get into that place alone, you best think twice. I doubt I’d have gotten away at all if the guards weren’t half surprised to see a wolf sprinting off.”

  Kain grinned, remembering the looks of shock and the shouts that followed him as he had sprinted into town and found a place to lie low. The governor’s smug fucking face had wobbled as he ran and chased him up the stairs, stumbling and heaving with every breath.

  “Before I go…” Sullivan paused, unsure whether to ask the question. “Can I see it? The change?”

  “Not this time,” Kain said. “There’s a lot you don’t know about Weres, and a lot that has changed since the good ol’ days. Maybe someday, you’ll find out. Maybe you won’t. To be honest, at this point, I couldn’t give two shits.”

  Sullivan smiled and held out his hand. Kain took it and shook. Not two moments later, Kain headed off into the blackness of the forest.

  He had smelled another scent, and there was someone he wanted to find.

  Somewhere, Silver Creek Forest

  “You know, for a town as small as ours, your conversion rate is rather high,” Alice said, walking at a steady pace at the front of the group. Caitlin led the way, riding atop a moderate chestnut horse that had been hiding around the back of one of the houses. It turned out to have been Ash’s, but he donated it eagerly.

  “His name is Silver,” Ash had said, stroking the horse’s nose.

  “That’s a dumbfuck name for a brown horse. Why don’t you call it something closer to its hair color?” Caitlin said, stroking her chin and thinking.

  “What about shit nugget?” Mary-Anne offered.

  Alice chipped in. “Or stallion?”

  “Or combine the both?!” Caitlin said, clapping with excitement. “I dub thee: Shitallion!”

  They had all laughed then, though Shitallion had seemed unimpressed. Maybe that was the new name choice, though it probably had something to do with the horse’s unease at a vampire standing a few feet away from him. Caitlin had heard that animals could sense the differences between creatures. They could sense fear. Jaxon certainly could.

  And from what Caitlin had seen, Mary-Anne was something to be a-fucking-fraid of.

  Now, riding along at least an extra person’s height above the rest of those following, Caitlin looked down with questioning eyes at Alice. She had really come out of her shell quickly.

  “Conversion? What were you talking about?”

  “Don’t pretend you can’t see it, Cat,” Ash said. For someone who had been one of Trisk’s guards until very recently, he certainly seemed to fit in well with the crowd. “Look behind you. Your following. You entered a town with one vampire and came out with twenty people willing to follow you and fight for your cause. Or has that escaped your notice?”

  Okay, maybe he had a point.

  Not only did she have over twenty women and men from New Leaf following her thr
ough the dark of the wilds at early dawn, but she had also accrued a guardsman and a sidekick along the way.

  It felt funny, that. To think that these people felt her cause and could see the downright indignity of how people lived under the governor’s rule after so short a period. It was as though his regime was a pimple ripe for the popping.

  Caitlin felt a surge of warmth and closed her eyes. For half a moment, she was back in her house with Dylan. He had just come back from his duty, and Caitlin was sorting the clothes and tidying the house—and wishing yet again that she could be out there with him, serving the town on a bigger scale instead of staying inside. The only perk of staying at home could be found in Jaxon’s company.

  “Cat?” Mary-Anne’s voice through her memory. “Caaat.”

  Caitlin turned sharply. “Don’t call me that.”

  Mary-Anne looked on, unfazed. “But it’s fine for you to abbreviate my name at every opportunity?”

  “What’s wrong with Ma?” Caitlin said, catching Alice’s eye as they both tried not to laugh.

  “It makes me sound old.”

  “You are old!” Ash declared, though not without a careful look to gauge Mary-Anne’s reaction. “You’re a vampire.”

  “That doesn’t mean I need constant reminding, least of all from children such as yourselves. You agree to stop calling me Ma, and I’ll agree never to call you Cat. How’s that sound?”

  Caitlin considered this a moment. “Nah. Not worth it. Now, lead the way, Ma!”

  Alice and Caitlin shared lighthearted laughter. Even Ash had to try his hardest to fight it. Jaxon whirled and wove between Shitallion’s legs, causing the horse to rear and buck.

  Once Caitlin had regained control, they continued through the forest at a steady pace. Her following grew more and more quiet with every step. They were tired and used to traveling and walking during the daytime. Caitlin pitied them and sought comfort from Mary-Anne who was eyeballing the sky, the black canvas already beginning to turn to purple.