by H B Lyne
'There,' he whispered. 'The one in grey shorts and a pink top.'
She was dancing up front, clearly the headline act. She looked only a little older than Stalker and had thick, glossy black hair pulled back loosely and falling free from the tie in places. She was wearing bright red lipstick and had a stunning smile. Stalker felt an unexpected stab of envy.
'Take a break!' Someone shouted from front of house. Josie and the other dancers dispersed, with Josie heading directly for Stalker and Claws. She caught sight of them as she stepped into the wings and came to a halt.
'Oh my gosh!' Stalker said, summoning as much enthusiasm as she could. 'I am such a big fan.'
'Thanks,' Josie said with a wary smile. 'How did you get in here?'
'Through the back door, I'm sorry, I know we shouldn't have. I just really wanted to meet you.' Stalker glanced sideways at two dancers passing them with curious looks.
'Come with me,' Josie said firmly, eyeing them suspiciously. She led them down the corridor and into a dressing room with her name on the door, which she closed firmly behind them. 'What do you want? Do you want to talk to her?'
Stalker and Claws looked at each other.
'Who do you mean?' Stalker asked carefully.
'I can tell what you are, or she can. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between what I know and what she knows.' Josie perched on the edge of her vanity station and crossed her arms.
'Okay,' Stalker said. 'So you know about her and us. That simplifies things, actually. We need her help.'
'What kind of help?'
'I think we would feel more comfortable if we knew we were talking to her directly,' Claws said delicately.
'You are,' Josie said. 'I am both Josie and Winding-Breeze-of-Petals. It's not like one of us needs to be unconscious for the other to be conscious. What kind of help do you need?'
'Someone has raised the Plague Doctor,' Stalker whispered, glancing over her shoulder towards the door. Josie closed her eyes and sighed.
'I see,' she said. 'And you need my help defeating him, again.'
'That's right,' Stalker replied. 'We understand that you helped last time by protecting the shifters that fought him.'
'That's right. I will do this for you, but you must do something for me.'
'Okay,' Claws said quickly, and Stalker cast him a sideways glance.
'What do you want us to do?' she asked cautiously.
'Make the streets flow with flowers.' Josie smiled and locked eyes with Stalker. It was a challenge, Stalker realised, suitably vague so that they would have to be creative.
'We can do that,' she said with a grin. 'Will you help us the same way you helped before? By inhabiting masks?'
'Yes, any mask will suffice and I can provide the petals.' Josie grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled an address down, which she passed to Stalker. 'Come here when you need me and you have fulfilled your side of the bargain.'
'Thank you, we truly appreciate this,' Claws said as Josie showed them out.
'Don't thank me yet, do as I ask and then we will talk again.'
Stalker and Claws left the building and met up with the others.
'We have a task to do, but she will help us,' Stalker explained. 'I have an idea, come on.' She set off running and the others followed. A plan had formed in her head almost as soon as Josie set the challenge, she just hoped it would work as well as she was imagining.
She led the pack to a small supermarket and instructed them to buy as many bunches of flowers as possible while she ran for washing-up liquid. They met up back at the exit with their supplies, everyone looked confused and asked repeatedly what the plan was, but when Claws laid eyes on Stalker's purchase his eyes lit up.
'Genius,' he said with a grin.
'Thanks,' she replied.
They had to wait until late in the night to enact the plan if they wanted to stand half a chance of not getting caught. In the meantime, Wind Talker contacted Last-Breath-Echoes and went off to meet her at work. He didn't say what it was about, but returned late in the afternoon with a handful of surgical masks.
After dark, Eyes came to the house and Stalker filled him in on the events of the day and her plan. The pack made their way into the city centre and stood in the central plaza where the huge fountain stood. They were wearing the surgical masks and hooded clothes to hide their faces from CCTV cameras, and they hurriedly scattered the flowers throughout the pool of water. Stalker leapt up onto the wall around the fountain and emptied the contents of several bottles of washing up liquid. The fountain quickly churned up the water and started generating thick, white foam.
Stalker howled with laughter as she watched the foam fill the fountain and begin to spill over the sides. The flowers rose up on top of the foam and spilled onto the paving.
'Wind Talker?' she called. His eyes lit up and he barked with laughter. He ran for a wall at the edge of the plaza, in front of the museum and stood there, his arms outstretched as he focused his energy. Stalker felt the veil fluttering and then she felt the breeze pick up all around them, it built to a fairly strong wind and the gust blew the bubbles across the plaza towards the drains at the street end. The foam sank into the drains, taking some of the flowers with it.
The pack made a run for it, stopping occasionally to pour more soap and flowers down the drains. As they ran, the drains overflowed with bubbles and water carried the flowers down the streets. Over the course of the night they filled many streets in Caerton with soapy water and flowers, bringing people out to point and laugh. It was infectious, soon others were copying the prank and the pack checked the internet on their phones for news reports and Tweets about the chaos and fun in the streets.
It was more fun than Stalker had had in weeks, and for a short while she was able to forget her worries and enjoy being with her pack.
'Look!' Claws called out, his phone clutched in his hand. Stalker leaned over his shoulder and the rest of the pack gathered around. 'I found Josie on Twitter.'
Her latest Tweet was a photo of the foam in the street topped with flowers and the words View from my flat! Love it guys. You're on!
Stalker and Claws exchanged grins and Eyes patted her on the back.
'Good job, Stalker. Thank you.'
Stalker was content as she settled down to sleep, and she slept more soundly than she had in a long time.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Plague Doctor moved silently through the dark maze, his shoulders were hunched and in his hand was a heavy metal case. Rats swarmed all around his feet. He passed torches in wall brackets that threw eerie shadows across his dark face and haunting beak-mask. He moved into the light and lifted the case onto a table. Emblazoned in yellow and black on the front was a bio-hazard symbol.
Stalker woke with a start and her eyes met Weaver's. Weaver lay totally still, her eyes wide with fear. As one they both shifted form, lying face to face as humans.
'He has it,' Weaver whispered. Stalker nodded. 'We need to act now.'
'Yes, we do,' Stalker replied. The two of them just stared at each other for a long minute. Stalker's mind was blank and her body was numb. She felt lost and ill-prepared to face such a formidable foe. What would Shadow's Step say if he saw her now? She sat up suddenly, spurred into action by the thought of her lost mentor. 'Come on,' she urged Weaver.
The rest of the pack stirred at her sudden movement. Stalker called Eyes, not caring that it was only 6am or that none of them had had more than a few hours' sleep.
'What is it?' he answered, his voice thick with sleep.
'He has the plague sample, we need to act now. Meet us at Josie's flat.' Stalker relayed the address. Once they were all ready to go, they bundled into Claws' car and drove across St. Mark's to meet Eyes.
Josie lived near Crossway, not far from Eyes, in a nice apartment block. Stalker took the lead and rang the buzzer. Josie's sleepy voice answered after a minute.
'Hello?'
'Hi,' Stalker said, trying to keep her voi
ce low enough to not be overheard but clear enough to be understood through the intercom. 'It's us, we need your help now, I'm sorry for the unsociable hour.'
There was a long silence, but finally the door buzzed and Claws pushed it open. They bounded up the stairs to the fourth floor and Josie met them in the hallway, dressed in pyjamas and a silk robe. Without a word, she led them up to the roof. There was a beautiful garden there, quite unexpected and in contrast to the surrounding area. Josie had covered the roof in wooden planters and was growing all manner of winter greens and flowering plants. A delicate string of white fairy lights was strung around the rooftop and at the centre was a tall Christmas tree decorated with coloured lights and scarlet flowers.
To one side of the roof garden was a workbench. Josie led them to it and Wind Talker laid out the surgical masks he had collected from Last-Breath-Echoes.
Josie opened a box filled with bright red poppy petals. She laid a handful inside each mask and sprinkled scented water onto each of them.
'What will happen to you?' Stalker asked.
'I will leave this body and reside in these masks.'
'Will you be split into five pieces?'
'Only temporarily,' Josie gave her a sad smile.
'You'll never be able to return to Josie's body, will you?'
'Probably not, no. But that's okay.'
'What about Josie?' Weaver asked, her voice quiet but insistent. Stalker felt a lump rise in her throat.
'I'll be fine,' Josie replied, her duality never more evident. 'I'll carry on just as before, though perhaps with some memory gaps.'
'We are truly thankful for your sacrifice,' Wind Talker said solemnly. Stalker glanced at him, trying not to react to his choice of words. Josie nodded and then sat down in a lawn chair nearby. She closed her eyes and turned her face up to the slate-grey sky. The sun was only just above the horizon and thick clouds filled the chilly winter sky.
Stalker watched as Josie's body began to shudder slightly. She felt a ripple in the veil and saw Winding-Breeze-of-Petals lift gently out of Josie's body. The fae was a beautiful, wispy thing, fluctuating between all the colours of the rainbow and smelling of flowers. She drifted across the garden and settled over the table. She split smoothly into five smaller versions of herself and sank down into the petal-filled masks.
Stalker went to the human's side and checked her pulse; it was fine, she was in a deep sleep but seemed like she would be all right.
'Is that it?' Eyes whispered.
'I think so,' Wind Talker replied. He picked up his mask and placed it over his face. Stalker did likewise. She could feel the fae against her face, moving ever so slightly, like a soft breath. Stalker removed the mask and held it gently in her hands.
'That's it, we need to go before Josie wakes up and finds us here. She may not have any recollection of us.' Stalker waited for the others to pick up their masks and then led them quickly back to the stairs.
They left Claws' car parked outside Josie's building and drove in Eyes' car across St. Mark's to the retirement home. As he turned into the sweeping driveway, Eyes glanced around the car at everyone.
'Has anyone ever taken a car across the veil before?' he asked, a glint in his eye.
'There's a first time for everything,' Weaver replied.
Stalker grabbed hold of the car door and gripped tightly. She closed her eyes as Eyes put his foot down hard. She willed them all to cross safely by this highly unorthodox method. When she opened her eyes they were in Hepethia, surrounded by twisted, dead trees and dark shadows. Weaver and Claws looked as alarmed as she felt, but Eyes and Wind Talker cracked up laughing.
'I cannot believe that worked!' Wind Talker cried.
Eyes drove slowly along the gravel driveway and stopped the car in the cover of the twisted old trees, out of sight of the retirement home. They got out of the car and quietly made their way towards the treeline. Stalker gasped when she caught sight of their destination. On this side of the veil the old manor house was indeed like a castle, just as Wind Talker had described. It was ancient, perhaps even older than the Watchtower, but not in ruins. It was well maintained, with battlements patrolled by huge rat-demons.
'Are we going to call Tar Peter?' Stalker whispered.
'Absolutely not,' Eyes replied. 'We're not falling for that again.'
They put their masks on and made their way through the trees around to the back of the castle. There were no guards on this side and the trees pressed almost up to the walls. Stalker led the Lightning Lords cautiously towards what looked like a cellar door down some steps, and they crept down them. The door at the bottom was black and heavy with huge locks all over it.
'How are we going to get through this?' she whispered in frustration.
'It depends if we want to remain stealthy or not,' Weaver said, peering over her shoulder. They exchanged glances and Weaver gave Stalker a wink.
Claws squeezed past Eyes and Weaver and fished his lockpicking equipment out of his jacket pocket.
'This might take a while,' he whispered. Stalker watched him work, while Eyes and Wind Talker kept watch at the back. Slowly, carefully, Claws tackled one enormous lock at a time. Some were padlocks, others were old-fashioned door locks. Just as the last lock clicked, the whole door gave a shudder and Stalker reflexively tensed up. Claws groaned and hung his head as a hundred new locks shimmered into existence all around the door.
'So much for stealth,' Weaver said with a sigh.
'Fine,' Stalker replied. Weaver and Claws stepped back, giving Stalker space to shift. Stalker's limbs lengthened and her muscles bulged as her skin sprouted thick hair all over. The surgical mask over her face stretched to accommodate her muzzle, and she felt the presence of the fae within easing her breathing in this small space. In her Agrius form Stalker was able to rip the padlocks from the door and smash the whole thing in easily, but the racket echoed around the little stairwell and she heard movement inside.
The narrow hallway beyond the small doorway was empty and dusty, but there was a scurrying sound in the distance.
'Here,' Wind Talker called in a whisper from the middle of the pack. He passed a torch to Weaver, who shone it over Stalker's shoulder and they proceeded carefully inside. Stalker barely fitted into the hallway in her Agrius form, and she walked with her shoulders stooped and her clawed hands scraping the walls on either side of her. It was hard to see, but she reached out with her thoughts and connected to the darkness demons. She could feel them shielding her. It was almost impossible to be stealthy in Agrius form. Her breath rattled, though it was slightly muffled by the mask, and her feet thudded on the floor, but at least she could be partially hidden from sight.
The corridor opened up into a sort of boiler room, and rats scurried away into the corners. The room was hot and filled with steam; pipes hissed and the boilers clunked noisily. There was a dripping sound nearby, and Stalker crept as quietly as she could into the room, followed by the others. She caught the scent of oil and moved carefully to where it was leaking and forming a puddle on the dusty floor.
Suddenly the scent changed, tar and rot poured into the corner from the leak in an overhead pipe, and out of the pool rose Tar Peter.
'You didn't call me,' he hissed. Stalker shifted into her human form and the others gathered quickly around her at the sound of his voice.
'No, we didn't,' Eyes whispered. 'So what are you doing here and how did you know we were here?'
'You brought a car across the veil,' Tar Peter said incredulously. 'Every construct of roads, traffic, cars, mechanics and electronics felt it, you idiots.'
Stalker smirked inside her mask and glanced around at the others. Everyone's eyes looked surprised and torn between amusement and concern.
'Seeing as you're here, do you want to help?' Stalker asked.
'Of course, that's why I'm here. Wait here for my signal, then follow the stairs down in that corner.' Tar Peter pointed to a corner of the room and then disappeared back into the pool of oil. Stal
ker looked anxiously around at the others.
'We can't trust him,' Wind Talker whispered. 'Let's go now. That door is the only way out of here aside from the way we came. But let's not wait and give him time to warn anyone.'
Eyes gave a curt nod of agreement and they all followed him to the doorway. A steep staircase led down, right under the basement and into the earth. There were no man-made walls, just wooden slats pressed into the ground beneath their feet, creating rough stairs. They moved quickly and as quietly as possible. Just as they reached the bottom Eyes stopped dead and raised his hand to halt the others behind him.
Stalker listened, she heard scurrying feet and squeaks. Rats. Dozens of them. But they were running away from them, not towards them. She felt rather than heard the explosion. The ground shuddered and dirt rained down on them.
'What was that?' Wind Talker hissed.
'A signal?' Stalker said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Eyes glanced over his shoulder at her then set off at a run along the passage. It wasn't quite high enough for any of them to walk upright, even Stalker, who was the shortest of the bunch. So they all ran stooped over.
They burst out into a cave and Stalker just caught sight of the last wererat disappearing down another hole. There were half a dozen more passages leading off this cave and they looked around with no clue which way to go.
There was a scuttling sound to her right and a monstrous wererat burst out of one of the passages, running right into Stalker. It yelped as it stumbled backwards away from her. Another followed, tripping over its fellow and falling at Stalker's feet. Swiftly and silently she drew both of her dha and in one fluid movement took the heads off both creatures.
There were more noises and everyone readied themselves, Claws drew his gun and the others began shifting form. Stalker gripped her blades and pointed up the tunnel that the two wererats had burst out of. 'This way, come on.' She led the pack up the passage. It was almost pitch black, but for the torch Weaver held casting its eerie white light up the tunnel, broken by Stalker's shadow. Stalker could see just fine, however, and had to assume that her darkness allies were allowing her to see the way.
