World of Darkness - [Time of Judgment 02] - The Last Battle

by Bill Bridges (epub)

  Albrecht didn’t hesitate to take advantage of her imbalance. He leaped in and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her torso. He was big for a Garou, but she was bigger still. Once more, he called on his spirit gifts. The silver fur on his chest burst into flame, suffused with the solar power of Helios.

  Zhyzhak screamed, more in anger than pain, her leather bodice smoldering where the burning fur singed it. She leaned forward and clamped her jaws on his ear, her strength ungodly, far more than a match for Albrecht s. The touch of his silver ear was pure agony, but she wrenched her jaws and tore it off.

  Albrecht fell back, dazed for a moment with the pain. Zhyzhak grabbed him in an iron grip and drew back her free hand to slice his throat—and then stopped. She glanced back at something over Albrecht’s shoulder and her wolf-face contorted with even more rage and hate—something Albrecht would not have guessed possible.

  She turned her thrusting blow into a sideswipe, knocking Albrecht aside and to the ground, and leaped forward through the ephemeral spirit window he could now see was floating in the fetid air of this hellhole. A mist-shrouded realm lurked beyond it, but the window was closing fast.

  She spun around, growling, as Albrecht rose and blinked through the window, astounded by its appearance and her sudden escape.

  “You’re mine, Albrecht! ” she yelled. “I'll come for you, with the armies of Malfeas behind me! ”

  Before the king could deliver a retort or give chase, the window closed.

  • • •

  Zhyzhak spun and ran toward the beautiful man.

  Looking over Albrecht’s shoulder at the very point she was ready to finish him, she’d seen through the man’s trickery. She’d looked into the window through which she’d come, and seen the mist-covered darkness lit only by the faintly glowing path... the path that was slowly creeping away from the window, reasserting its own pattern. The beautiful man, the Bane of Enigmas, had smiled, pleased with himself. He’d known the path would resist her will once she ceased to concentrate on it, and delivering her King Albrecht, her worst enemy, was exactly the way to distract her. Now he would pay.

  But the Bane of Enigmas blithely sidestepped Zhyzhak's charge, his form already fading into nothingness. He simply laughed and shrugged, and then was gone.

  Zhyzhak pounded the ground in rage, but then lay spread-eagled upon it, catching her breath. Her abdomen hurt and still bled; the wound refused to seal. Her tongue also hurt, burned by silver. She gritted her teeth and stood up, kicking herself mentally. She had been a fool, underestimating the tricks the circle wardens would play to keep her from her goal. She would remember that and be more wary with the next circle. The last circle. The worst of them all.

  She shifted into dire-wolf form and loped forward on all fours; it caused less pain in her guts. She would remember this wound and who had delivered it. As soon as victory was hers, she would stand by her vow and come for Albrecht, with the fury of the Wyrm itself in tow.

  • • •

  Albrecht's warriors finished killing the last of the corrupt nature spirits. They had lost three of their own in the melee. They numbered only eight now.

  The bats, upon seeing the last of the creatures fall, fled back down the passage from which they had come.

  Albrecht, clutching the remains of his ear, which had finally stopped bleeding, stared at the spot where the window had been, looking at it from all angles. Hardtooth also examined the now-empty space.

  “It is gone, my lord, ” Hardtooth said. “No sign of its ever having existed. I have no idea what place it opened upon. ” “It was weird. Misty, dark. A snaking green trail, glowing like balefire. I could see it Imping around in the distance. For just a second, the sight of its tangled path made me dizzy, sick. ” Hardtooth raised his eyebrows. “It cannot be.... ” He frowned, shaking his head. He looked at Albrecht and seemed to notice his shredded ear for the first time. “Sire! Your ear! Let me heal it. " He stepped forward and placed his palms around Albrecht’s wound.

  “Mike Tyson’s got nothing on that bitch, ” Albrecht muttered, looking down while the shaman used his spirit powers to mend the ear.

  Hardtooth stepped away, a look of concern on his face. “It will no longer bleed. I could not make it whole again. ” “It’s pretty ugly, I’m sure, ” Albrecht said. “Another scar to go with the rest. " He squinted, looking at something on the floor. “What’s that? ”

  A tiny scroll, the size of a single finger joint, rested in the dirt above Albrecht's footprint.

  Hardtooth bent down to examine it. “Strange. This doesn’t look like it belongs here. It was dropped after your battle, for it lies on your footprint. "

  “Be careful. Could be a trap. ”

  Hardtooth sniffed it without touching it. “It does not smell of the Wyrm. If anything, it smells like... saffron. The sort of scent one smells in a temple. ” He looked up at Albrecht. “With your permission...? ”

  "Hold on, ” Albrecht said, and whistled. The others gathered around, weapons ready. “Okay. You can check it out. ” The shaman picked up the scroll and unfurled it with his claws. As he did so, it grew in size, becoming as wide and long as a newspaper, revealing painted Garou pictograms. Hardtooth’s eyes widened as he read it. “I... I can barely believe it. ”

  “I’ve had well enough suspense already... ” Albrecht said. “Of course, my lord. The scroll is a messenger talen. It claims to be from Antonine Teardrop, the Stargazer elder. " “Antonine?! Where is he? ”

  “It reads: ‘I follow Zhyzhak’s steps upon the Black Spiral Labyrinth. ’”

  At that, a number of the Garou hissed and growled. Albrecht held up his hand, silencing them.

  ‘“If she succeeds, Gaia is doomed. I must ensure she does not. I beg you: Return to your packmates. Pray that Gaia endures. ’”

  Albrecht snatched the scroll and read it himself. “Is that it? Is there anything else? ”

  “No, my lord. It was written hastily by a spirit at Teardrop’s bidding. ”

  “If he walks the Labyrinth, ” Eric Honnunger said, “he’s doomed. If he falls to the Wyrm, they’ll have a powerful elder to use against us. He is a fool. ”

  “I knew the Stargazers couldn’t be trusted, ” Goldflame said. “Shut up, ” Albrecht said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into his head any more than you do, but he’s done right by me too many times to deserve that kind of second-guessing. Quit griping and get over to that incline out of here, hack to the glade. We’re getting back on that moon path and we’re not stopping till we’re home. ”

  He rolled up the scroll and stuck it in his belt, then marched over to the path leading upward to the hole in the tree trunk above. The light of the glade shone down through the massive rent in the roof where the ground had collapsed, lighting his path as he came once more into the sunlight.

  “The Dawn Rover Pack pledges itself to this cause, ” said the slim, young boy, his head and shoulders swaggering as he pointed out his three packmates, also young teens, a ragged group of ex-skateboarders and videogame junkies turned Garou.

  Evan nodded, hiding his deep disappointment. These were raw cubs, not even adults by human standards, untried Bone Gnawers all. They’d each had their Rites of Passage, but from what he could tell they’d gotten off easy with barely a challenge. He looked at Mari, waiting for her to give them some acknowledgment or encouragement, but her scowl showed she would have none of it. He turned back to the boy.

  “Great, ” Evan said with a weak smile. “You can bunk in the common room for now. We leave tomorrow. Cries Havoc will introduce you to the other packs. ”

  “How many others are he ref' the boy said eagerly. “How many do we fight with? ”

  “Two packs, ” Evan said, unable to hide the sour tone in his voice. “Six Garou. Ten, now that you guys are here. ” The boy looked startled, as if he’d just been told the big game had been canceled. He looked back at his fellows, who glanced nervously at one another. Then he nodded, raising his chin again.


  “Then we’ve got a true challenge at last, ” he said as he turned to lead his pack down the forest trail to the large cabin that served as the bunkroom for the gathering Garou.

  When he was out of earshot, Evan groaned. Mari put her arm around his shoulders.

  “It will get better, ” Mari said. “The word hasn’t had time to travel yet. More will come. ”

  “More like that? ” Evan said, gesturing at the departing gang of kids. “That’s all we need: the Children’s Crusade. Sweet Gaia, the Wendigo are going to lynch me. What was I thinking? That I could single-handedly gather a force capable of tackling a Wyrm Talon? Why didn’t you stop me? ” “Enough, ” Mari said, poking him in the chest with an index finger. “Quit selling yourself short. You know that the troubles are causing the low turnout. Otherwise, we’d have more Garou than we could count, all itching for a long-overdue fight. We do the best we can with what we’ve got. ” Evan threw up his hands. “If Albrecht were here, we’d have the whole northeast mustering. ”

  “I’m not sure even he could rouse them in these conditions. But he’s not here. Not yet. "

  Evan looked at Mari, his face stricken with concern. “What if he’s not back before we have to leave? What if we have to go fight this thing without him? ”

  Mari shrugged. “Then he misses out. His loss. ” “Seriously, Mari. What are we going to do? ”

  “Soldier on, Evan. We do the best we can. Now come on. Let's check in with Alani and see if any of the heralds from the other septs have arrived yet. ” She walked down the trail toward the lake, dragging Evan by his wrist.

  • • •

  “Damn it! ” Julia cried, slapping her laptop computer with her palm. “I can’t get through. There’s a blockage I just can’t circumvent. ”

  “What do you mean by that? ” Cries Havoc said. He moved to stand behind her, peering over her shoulder at the computer screen. “The ISP is down? ”

  “No, I mean something’s preventing me from hooking up with the London sept, ” Julia said with her clipped British accent. “Every time I get a connection, it’s severed or freezes. ” “What could cause that sort of thing? ”

  “Net spider, ” she replied with a frustrated frown. “It’s like there’s a horde of them swarming the sept. I don’t like it one bit. I need to get home, make sure they’re okay. ” “Run out on us? ” Carlita said, putting down her music magazine and sitting up on her bunk. “We gave our word to Evan, your highness. You can't back out on that. Besides, if they’re under attack, what the hell do you think you could do? If the place is swarming with net spiders, you’re not getting in without getting caught. Not unless you've got some kind of net bug spray I’ve never heard of. Give it up, girl. Things are screwed up all over. ”

  Julia sat back in her chair and gritted her teeth, holding back tears of anger and frustration. Cries Havoc stepped around and sat on the edge of the desk, catching her eye.

  “She’s right, Julia, ” he said. “There’s nothing you would be able to do. I'm sure they’re fine—they’re top notch Glass Walkers. A net spider attack’s nothing to them. A temporary denial of service is all. Right? ”

  “I guess so, ” Julia said, her shoulders slumping. “Maybe I’m overreacting. It’s just... well, it’s not easy being an ocean away from your sept in times of trouble. ”

  “Tell me about it, ” John North Wind’s Son said. He sat on a bunk with his legs crossed, watching the new, younger Garou packs who’d gathered across the large common cabin, their bunks lined up against the far wall. “I had to put up with all that crap in Europe, remember? Not exactly the Pacific Northwest. "

  “You’re right, of course, ” Julia said, standing and stretching. “I am being a drama queen. I admit it. But it’s still not easy. ”

  “Why don’t you get your mind off it by helping me organize the packs over there T Cries Havoc said. “They haven’t been fully introduced to one another yet. ”

  “I guess I should, " Julia said. "1 don’t even know them all yet. Right, then, let’s go say cheers. ” She pushed her chair away from the desk and headed across the room, followed by Cries Havoc. Carlita lay back down on her bunk and resumed reading, while John, unmoving, watched them go. Their pack’s alpha, Storm-Eye, was outside, roaming the Finger Lakes bawn and woodland.

  As Julia approached the line of bunks where ten young Garou milled about in three distinct groups, she clapped her hands loudly. Once she’d gotten their attention, she surveyed the group.

  “All right, let’s line up here, shall we? ” she said. “So I can get a good look and get to know you, right? ”

  The young Garou grumbled but fell into a single line that stretched across the row of bunks. Julia walked to the end of the line to her left, where a girl of Middle Eastern descent slouched uncomfortably. She was obviously shy, and wore loose-fitting khakis, walking boots and a thin shawl around her neck.

  “And who are you? ” Julia said.

  The girl looked at Julia but did not lift her head. “Uhm, I’m Shazi. Uh, Shazi Windwhistler. ”

  “Let me guess. You’re a Silent Strider. ”

  “Yeah. I guess my ethnicity gives me away, huh? ” “No, I could tell by that tattoo you try to hide under your shawl. I don’t know what it means, but I recognize an Egyptian hieroglyph when I see it. ”

  “Oh. Yeah. Uh, it means ‘sandstorm. ’”

  “Where are you from? ” Julia said, crossing her arms.

  "I was bom in Egypt, but my parents moved to Buffalo when I was five. I... had my First Change last year. I’m fifteen. It was pretty rotten. ”

  Julia nodded. “Not many Striders here in New York, as I understand it. Who helped you out? ”

  “Oh, there are some here. They wander through. ” She clearly did not want to reveal her mentor’s identity.

  Julia shrugged and moved down the line to the teenage boy standing next to Shazi. He was black and wore a new pair of jeans, perfectly clean running shoes and a button-up shirt. Julia looked him up and down. Obviously middle class, she thought. The lack of tribe signs is odd, though.

  “All right, I give up, ” she said. “What tribe are you? ” He looked surprised and gave her an admonishing smirk. “I'm a Glass Walker, like you. ”

  Julia raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? You don’t look it. ” “My equipment got fried on our last action. Me and the gang here, ” he gestured to Shazi on one side and a large redheaded kid on the other, “ran into bane trouble. Lost my prize PDA-cell phone getting rid of it. ”

  “Sorry to hear it, uhm...? " Julia said, clearly waiting for the Glass Walker to give his name.

  “Feedback, ” he said, smiling, proud of himself.

  “If you need help making a new fetish. Feedback, let me know. ”

  “All right! Let’s do it! ”

  “Later, when we’re done here. Okay? First, who’s your friend? ' Julia indicated die redhead. “And what’s your packs name? "

  “Jacky Brokentooth, ” the redhead said. “Fianna. And we’re the Open Road Pack. Wanderers all. ”

  “Wanderers? How far have you gotten? ”

  Jacky frowned, as if she’d made an unfair social foul. “Across the state so far. But we’re just getting started. ” “Well, pleased to meet you, Open Road wanderers. I’m glad you’re with us. We’ll need all the muscle and brains we can get. ” Julia moved down the line, to the next pack, also three in number. All beefy white males in their late teens, they looked like American football players and dressed alike in jeans, T-shirts and sports shoes. One of them had a klaive hanging from a makeshift sheath on his back.

  “Let me see if I remember your name, ” Julia said. “The Vanguard, right? Get of Fenris? "

  “You got it, ” the one with the klaive said. He seemed to be their leader. “I’m Jim Jurgens, this is A1 Krupp and that’s Fred Berger. ”

  “Not very Garou-like names. Haven’t you earned monikers yet? ”

  “Yeah, we each got one of them, but they sound
sorta silly. They call me Broadshanks. Al’s known as Ironpaw and Fred’s called Runestone. Among our tribe, that is. ” “Okay, you guys are football players, right? New to this whole thing? ”

  “Yeah, we were all on different high school teams across the counties. It was kind of weird to all be having our First Changes at the same time, but it also works, if you get what I mean. Like fate, you know? ”

  “Why are you here? Why not with the other Get in the Adirondacks? ”

  “Well, we were sent to New York to look for an old fetish that somebody’d seen in a pawn shop when we heard the call. We’re not detectives, ma’am; we figured coming up here to fight was a better way to serve Fenris than going from pawn shop to pawn shop looking for an old hammer. ” “Glad to hear it. Oh, and please, don’t call me ma’am. I may not be a teenager anymore, but I’m nowhere near old-maid stage yet. ”Julia stepped down the line to the new pack, the one that had just come in today. “Dawn Rovers? ” “That’s us, ” a young boy said, stepping forward slightly. He wore baggy pants, Doc Marten boots and a T-shirt depicting some sort of hip-hop group. “Me, Tommy D, and the others: Sasha Sharpeye, Dweezil, and Loper. ”

  Sasha Sharpeye was a small girl with a surly look that showed she’d had more rough living than most her age. Dweezil was a white kid, dressed similarly to Tommy D, his pockets filled with a Gameboy, an MP3 player and junk food. Loper was clearly a lupus, a Garou bom as a wolf, but he had worn his human form ever since arriving at the Finger Lakes caern. He looked like a homeless kid with no sense of hygiene.

  “Good, good, ” Julia said, nodding politely at them. She turned to address the whole line. “Well, I’m sure you all heard the introductions. I’d like you each to spend the next few hours getting to know one another. Find out the others’ capabilities. You’ll be fighting together, so this is important. Don’t be shy. Others will be coming and I expect you all to take the initiative and introduce yourselves when they arrive. By the time we leave tomorrow, you need to all have some idea about how to react when we’re attacked. Know which among you are the warriors, and which the tricksters. Plan accordingly. ” She turned to Cries Havoc, who had followed quietly behind her during the line review. “Anything to add? "