by Kali Harper
Dillon took a handful of breaths. His hands shook as he spoke. “I told them not to. Even Sam and Justin were against it. It was voted out. It went way over the line.”
“Dillon…” I hedged, placing a hand on his arm. “You aren’t in any trouble, but I need to know what’s in the water.”
“A drop of Lycanth Elixir.”
“Lycanth, as in werewolves?”
Dillon nodded. “When Matt and Toby first mentioned it, I thought they were pranking our group. The stuff’s incredibly rare and close to impossible to get, especially if you’re underage.”
“Why would anyone make an elixir for it?” It almost sounded like another form of Black Magic. “And how would Matt and Toby find it?”
“It’s supposed to reverse the virus in someone who’s new to shifting. It’s a lot like an anti-venom. Anyway, Matt and Toby looked into it and learned that if you give it to someone who doesn’t have the virus, it can infect them… temporarily.
It would eventually leave their system, which is why Toby and Matt thought it would be a fun thing to do. All of our pranks are temporary. Or, well, they’re supposed to be.”
“And you’re sure they drank the water?”
Dillon nodded again, then took out his phone to show me a picture of a snarling but very beautiful red wolf. “Toby sent me the picture an hour ago. He didn’t text me, call, or anything until then and hasn’t answered me since.”
“Ida…” I couldn’t breathe.
“I’m on it,” Sammy said, bounding off in the other direction as he went to warn everyone about the water.
“Dillon, I know this is hard, but did Matt or Toby say how long it would take for this elixir to work?”
“A few hours?” Dillon shrugged. “I know it takes that long to reverse the infection, but I kind of zoned out once Sam and Justin voted it out.”
“Is there any chance you were overheard?”
Dillon scoffed. “In this town? Even the walls have ears. Thing is, folks know we talk. We do it all the time. Last week, we joked about enchanting Mrs. Huckabee’s clothes she hangs out to dry. It’s stupid stuff like that.”
“But like you said, who would drink the water if it was infected? Dillon, I don’t think they did this. Not if it works the way you say it does. As for the water in the cooler, I’m sure it’s fine. Same with bottled water. It comes in from out of town.”
“But can you trust it?”
He had a point.
Once Sammy rejoined us, I said, “Wait, let’s say the water is cursed. How come it didn’t hit the rest of the town?”
Sammy considered my question a moment, then said, “My wards would’ve protected you.”
“Which also explains why Connie, Harris, and Felix are okay. What about everyone else?”
“Bottled water,” Sammy said matter-of-factly, staring at the water cooler. “Ida always drinks from a bottle unless she has her tea. It’s also possible the elixir is only hitting one side of town since it’s fitted with older pipes.”
It made sense. “Wouldn’t drinking the water a second time reverse the virus?”
“No, because the body would have already accepted it. There’d be no reason for their bodies to fight back. But if you were to quarantine them the way you did with Kat, then maybe… that would work.”
There wasn’t enough room at my house for the wolves to have their own space. The thought if putting them all together sounded even worse. The only damage Kat’s fox had done to my bathroom was scratch the bottom of the door, but a wolf? Dozens of them?
I’d have no house to go back to. The old inn would be no more.
“How do you quarantine an entire town?” Dillon asked, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
“I have an idea,” I said, turning on my heels to check on how Mr. Clark and Felix were doing.
I found them right where they were before, still talking about wolves and the one time Felix had gone hunting for a buck and ran into a bear instead. He laughed as he spoke, waving his arms wildly in the air as he recounted the horrifying day.
“I’d hate to interrupt,” I said, smiling at them both, “but I was wondering if I could borrow Felix a moment.”
Mr. Clark waved his hand, then said, “I should get myself something to eat anyway.”
“Not yet,” I told him. “No water, either.”
Ronan frowned. “Astrid?”
“He’s going to find out eventually,” Sammy said, sitting beside me.
“Find out what?”
I considered telling them, then thought better of it and addressed the entire crowd instead. It was better to keep everyone in the loop than to wait for the rumors to start. Not that either option was good.
“Everyone, listen up,” I said loud enough for them to hear. “We just found out there’s a virus going through town that could also be in the water. The virus is temporary, but until we can be sure the water’s pure, I suggest you don’t eat or drink anything.”
“What if we have low blood sugar?” Mr. Clark asked.
“If you truly need something to eat, go see Connie. She and Harris should’ve brought enough for everyone.”
“Do we have any idea who would do such a thing?” Ida asked, walking up to me.
“No,” I replied, meeting Dillon’s gaze from across the room as the teen shrunk in the corner, “but we’re planning to find out. For now, I need you all to stay here until I know it’s safe. Felix, I’m going to need your help. How fast can you work?”
Ida frowned, likely reading my aura. For whatever reason, she didn’t challenge me, leaving Sammy and me to do our work.
“What do you need done?” Felix asked.
“Cages large enough to fit one wolf each.”
“And how many wolves?”
“At least a dozen. Possibly more.”
Felix balked. “Astrid, it takes me days to do one of my sculptures. A single cage would take hours. I’m sorry, but this isn’t something I can do. Not unless I want to deal with a serious magic-drain.”
I was already shaking my head before he could finish. “It’s okay. We’ll think of something.”
“I can still work on one if you need it,” he offered after a bit of hesitation.
“Then I’ll get you to your shop so you can work.” To the crowd, I said, “I want the rest of you to stay here where it’s safe.”
“Safe?” Connie laughed. “Our entire police force is on the other side of this wall with a wolf! How is that safe?”
“The wolf is Ivan, a friend, and a fine detective like Lance. He’s a shifter—a normal one. The reason he’s in there right now with the other officers is because they were in contact with the wolf running around town. He’s trying to keep Max under control.”
“Did he drink the water?” someone asked.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry, but that’s all the information I have.”
I couldn’t take the questions anymore. In fact, I shouldn’t have been answering them at all. I wasn’t a cop. I wasn’t a detective! If I thought Lance’s job was hard before, I had a renewed appreciation for what he did and didn’t fault him for the date he’d cut short or any he’d have to skip in the future.
Investigating without him was exhausting, and having to keep an eye on those who weren’t infected and fielding all their questions was insane. I had no idea how Lance did it. No wonder he never sleeps.
After asking Kat to stay behind, I slipped past the barricade with Sammy following right behind me. Ivan and Max were in the middle of the room, their hackles raised as they both stood in wolf form.
The other officers kept to either side of the room with their backs pressed against the walls behind them.
Studying the other officers, it seemed as though Max was the only one who’d been infected. Once I was sure, I let them leave. Max, on the other hand, was very much a wolf, his silver coat balding in several areas.
“Is he okay?” I asked Ivan, slowly making my way over to him.
“For
now,” Ivan replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Max. “I’m glad he got it over with.”
“Shifting?”
“Yeah. He fought it, which was terrible to watch. Thank you for getting the others out.”
“He’s kind of…”
“Big?” Ivan laughed. “Our animals take on a similar form to our own. So, what’s with the cookie?” he asked after spotting it in my hand.
“It’s a suppression charm. Harris said it won’t work on a newly turned wolf…”
“But you wanted to try anyway.” Ivan nodded. “Throw him half. It should be enough to test. If it works, then maybe we can do the same for everyone around town.”
“I… don’t think that’ll work,” I said, tossing Max part of the cookie I got from Harris before explaining the Lycanth Elixir along with the elaborate prank Dillon suspected his friends of doing. “Which is why we need to quarantine them.”
“What about a good pantsing? That’s what we did when we were kids.”
“Glad to hear we aren’t so different… humans and supernaturals, I mean.”
“You still consider yourself human?” He cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to being a witch.”
“You’ll get there. This wolf skin itched for close to a year. Now, I couldn’t see living my life without it.”
“I do like you better as a wolf. You aren’t as greasy.”
“Hey, I’m not a greaser.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
Max whimpered off to my right, his wolf coat receding as his body started to change shape.
“You should probably look away,” Ivan suggested, placing himself between us as Max changed shape. “It appears your suspicions were correct.”
“For Max, at least,” I called back over my shoulder, scrunching my eyes shut until I was sure it was safe to look.
“Because he was bitten,” Ivan agreed. “How ya feeling, Max?”
Max coughed and grumbled, crouching close to the ground when I finally faced him again. His face was ashen, his body limp, but it was Max. Our Max.
“Remind me never to take the place of animal control ever again,” Max said, wobbling when he went to stand. “Am I supposed to feel this drunk?”
Ivan released a soft chuckle. “The first shift will do that do you.”
“And what is that horrible taste?”
“Most likely the charm Astrid brought in. It’s temporary, but it’ll help until we can figure something else out.”
“One of Harris’ charms?” Max asked, looking right at me.
“Yup,” I said, joining them once I was sure Max wouldn’t change back into his other form. “I would’ve asked Maggie, but she’s at home. I’d also have to bake and—”
“We all know how good you are with that,” Max teased.
“Hey, I’m getting better at it. Right, Sam?”
Sammy smiled, then stepped over to the door, possibly listening for anyone who might be on the other side.
“Why were you doing animal control’s job?” I asked Max. “I know you have some training in taking folks down, but a trapped animal sounds dangerous.”
“The guy never showed up,” Max said, throwing his arms in the air. “Though now, I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t. I heard what you told Ivan about the town. You don’t think the Henderson kids did this?”
“I don’t. Especially not since Dillon showed me a picture of one of the boys shifted in wolf form.”
“No one would put themselves through this,” Max agreed.
“So what do we do now?” Ivan asked. “The longer those wolves roam the streets, the more lasting this virus’ effect.”
“We quarantine them,” I said again. “We need to keep them from drinking the water as it will prolong their time as a wolf.”
“I don’t think they’ll all fit inside your bathroom,” Ivan said with a wolfish grin.
“Felix agreed to work on a cage for me. I promised to fly him to his shop, then Sammy can help Felix’s gecko ward the place off.”
“What do you want me to do?” Max asked, finally steady enough on his feet to stand without Ivan hovering over him.
“Stay here and keep everyone calm. If you start to feel sick—”
“Get Harris to make a charm. Got it.” Max was quiet then, averting his gaze. “I’m sorry if I snapped at you earlier. I can see why Lance has entrusted you with some of our investigations. You should consider training sometime.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass. I only stepped in after you enlisted my help earlier.”
“About that…”
“It’s okay. It helped me get an idea of what was going on. I’m going to get Felix to his shop since I can take him by broomstick, then I’ll be back.”
“I’ll hit the streets,” Ivan added, holding open the door for us as we shuffled into the hall. “I want to see if I can find someone else who may have been bitten. At least those we can suppress with charms.”
“Funny how the water can’t reverse it.”
“Mostly because the bites will come from the wolves infected by it,” Ivan said, a twinge of regret in his voice. “I hope this quarantine idea of yours works, otherwise we’ll have to look for a new elixir.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Ten
Main Street was as busy as before, packed with wolves walking in every direction as they chased one another, fought, or searched for food.
“The infection’s getting worse,” Ivan said, standing beside me in his wolf form. “They’re going through the various stages most wolves face after their first shift. In a normal pack, the other, more seasoned wolves would be ready to feed and tend to those new to the pack.”
“And in cases like this?” I asked, swallowing around the lump in my throat.
“There are no cases like this. Their hunger will only get worse unless we can find a way to reverse it.”
“No pressure,” I said with a nervous laugh. Then, after summoning my broom, I helped Felix get on while Ivan went off to sniff out whatever wolves he could find.
“He sure is a talkative fellow, ain’t he?” Felix asked from his seat behind me, gently holding onto either of my shoulders so he wouldn’t fall. “Sorry.”
“I’m starting to think I need to have a sidecar installed,” I teased, waiting for Sammy to pile on before flying over the rest of town.
It was a good thing Felix’s familiar fit in his pocket, otherwise it would’ve been close to impossible to fly without diving face-first into the dirt. My broomstick didn’t have a weight limit, but there was only so much broom for us to sit on. Having Sammy along with another passenger was more than enough without having a second familiar to fit somewhere else.
Behind me, Felix made a handful of choice words I’d rather not repeat as he peered at the streets below. The wolves had started to branch out. I’d hoped they would’ve stuck to one side of town as they’d already been down this way before, but it seemed as though a few of them had either enjoyed the area so much they decided to stay, or their shift was recent.
“Do you have any metal at home?” I called back over my shoulder.
“You think it’d be safer there?” Felix countered with an edge of panic in his voice.
“I guess not.” If I could conjure things stronger than a simple wardrobe change for Maggie’s ghost or a way to shield myself, I could’ve conjured the metal Felix needed and we wouldn’t have had to come out here in the first place. “Can your familiar ward the shop enough to keep the wolves out?”
“Sure, but then how am I supposed to get the cages to you?”
“A tow-broom?” I suggested.
Felix laughed that time. “If Sammy wouldn’t mind warding my shop, Nemo could level out my magic. This way, I can finish two cages instead of one.”
“Does that sound good to you, Sam?” I asked Sammy who was clinging to the broom in front of me.
“Get me off this thing and you’ve got a deal,
” Sammy said, every one of his hairs standing on end as we neared Felix’s Hardware.
Felix had a gift for sculpting metal with his hands, so I hoped making the cages would be even easier when compared to the beautiful pair of bronze gryphons he had sitting out front. He also had a collection of elaborate fountains and birdbaths in the back, one of which I promised to buy in the spring once I finished working on Maggie’s garden.
It was strange, not having her around. In fact, I almost felt bad for keeping her out of the loop. Ghosts couldn’t use cell phones, but so much had happened since I left the house last night, I knew I’d hear about it once I got home.
Meeting my worried gaze with one of his own, Felix forced a smile, then unlocked the door to his shop and quickly ushered us inside before locking the door behind us. The wolves in the area were preoccupied, but that didn’t mean staying on the street was a good idea. Even with a wall of metal and glass between us, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I watched the scene outside.
Sammy was quiet, his eyes closed and his ears pinned back as he worked on his wards so Nemo could help Felix with his magic. Felix mumbled something under his breath. A moment later, metal tubes clanged against one another as he added them to the piping he’d already gathered inside a shopping cart. Then, once he had my attention, he gestured to the back where he planned to work.
“Call me if anything changes,” he said, his voice rough around the edges.
I nodded, then returned my attention to the street out front. The bronze gryphons, while beautiful, also blocked my view, causing me to crouch or stand on my tiptoes in order to keep an eye on the wolves currently walking down the sidewalk.
One wolf in particular caught my eye, keeping to the very edge of my vision. His lower legs were barely visible as he kept to the far side of the building. He wasn’t like the other wolves. His hesitated with every step while the rest of the wolves loped around like they owned the place.
Getting as low to the ground as I could, I squinted from the glare on Felix’s statues so I could get a better look at the wolf. The loner’s front legs were black, not brown. He had a slight limp on his left side, and it wasn’t until he walked into my field of view when I realized who the wolf was.
