by Cathy Clamp
“Where’s Dalvin?” Rachel asked, looking around. “He was here a second ago.”
Dani pursed her lips and shrugged. “Dunno. I don’t see Alek or Claire either.” She put a hand over her eyes and squinted through the bright lights that had been set up at the start line. “Hell, I don’t see the Council members either. Oh, wait! There’s that cute cat councilman. He’s coming this way.”
Larissa was fighting with the cloth tent, trying to wear it like a dress.
“What is wrong with this robe? There are sticks that poke me.” She kept hitting the poles with her arms, making them swing wildly and probably scrape against her chest.
“Larissa!” Rachel called out, hoping the bear shifter could hear her over the crowd of people surrounding the competitors. “It’s so you can get undressed and shift in private. Grab the poles with your hands, underneath the cloth, and pull them down. It creates a tent.”
Anica suddenly got it, saying, “Oh! Is clever. It holds itself up. You see, Larissa?” She reached through one of the holes and tapped on a pole through the fabric of the other woman’s robe. “Hold this pole inside and pull down. Makes tiny cabana, like at beach.”
Larissa ducked her head inside and pulled the poles. “Is sort of stupid. I do not mind undressing in public. I am not ashamed of my body.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “It’s just part of the ceremony. Deal with it.” She was sorry Dalvin hadn’t gotten to see the torch procession. Several hundred people walking through the forest with the torches was a wonderful sight. From the number of cars in the lot, it looked like most people had driven, which meant fewer torches anyway. She could understand why. Clouds were gathering at the mountain edge. It might snow.
Rabi stepped onto the dais, joined by the bear alphas and some of the town members. He cleared his throat, then tapped on the microphone to get the attention of the audience. Most all of the town was here, which wasn’t a big surprise. This was a unique event, like having the Olympics come to town.
The townspeople were all dressed in their formal Ascension robes. Most had been embroidered or otherwise embellished over the years to become works of art. Rachel spotted the Williams family; little Kristy was waving at her, dressed in a long buttercup-yellow robe with a circle of teddy bears stitched around the hem.
Kuric raised his hands and a wave of magic swept over everyone, stretching like a thin plastic sheet far above. The breeze that had been blowing was cut off so suddenly that hair flew up all over the audience, as though a charged balloon was pulling their hair toward the sky.
“Your attention, please.”
Everyone looked at the stage, because, well, he was worth looking at. His robes were shining white, glowing with power. If anything said Council, it was shining eyes and skin and the ability to shield the entire racecourse with an aversion spell while simultaneously holding off the push of the moon to keep the whole audience from turning.
“Thank you. For those who do not already know, I am Rabi Umar Kuric, liaison to the Sazi Council from the Hayalet Kabile tiger tribe.”
That caused a few whispers. Rachel heard, “Wait, he’s not a councilman?” and “What is the Haylet Kibble?”
“I am here, representing the Council, to settle a dispute between two bear sloths, one from Bosnia and one from Serbia. To my right is Larissa Grebo, omega of the Kasun family; to my right is Anica Petrovic, omega of the Petrovic family. They race tonight for both their family honor and the right to determine the fate of their homelands.”
Someone yelled from the middle of the crowd, “Why’s Rachel running? Hasn’t she run this damned course enough?” Rachel smiled as she recognized the voice of Fred Birch, the postmaster.
Rabi dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Tonight, Rachel Washington is an honored guest … the Council’s own champion!”
Paula, the waitress at the diner, raised her hand from the front row. “Why does the Council need a champion? Isn’t the Council going to decide who wins anyway?”
That caused more muttering in the crowd. Rabi raised his hand to silence the critics.
“If the Kasun omega wins, the Petrovics will lose their homeland. If the Petrovics win, the Kasuns will likewise have to leave. The Council proposes sharing the land, which both sides have refused. If Rachel wins, the Council’s solution will be imposed, and each sloth will have territory of its own.”
Someone at the back called out, “So because they’re being petty and unreasonable, Rachel has to be humiliated one more time?”
Both of the Alphas behind her growled. Rabi opened his mouth, but Rachel stepped forward, gesturing to the microphone, and he gave it to her, with a smile that crooked only one corner of his mouth—the side away from the audience.
“Look, you guys. I appreciate your concern, but I’m okay with this now. I wasn’t thrilled at the beginning, but there’s no downside for me. Even if I lose, I’m still going to go to college, like I planned. And if I win, the Council is footing the bill. Full ride, tuition and expenses.”
“Well, hell!” Jim Jakes, the fifth-grade teacher, said. “I’ll run the race for that! I’d love to get my doctorate.” There was a smattering of applause and laughter. Jim started to cheer, “Ra-chel, Ra-chel, Ra-chel.”
Others picked up the chant until the whole audience was calling her name. That had never happened before. Maybe Scott was right. Maybe it had just been Monk mind-controlling the town.
Rabi raised his hand again. “You all know Ray Vasquez, the new police chief.” There was some shouts and applause. “Ray will officially start the race while I head to the finish line. Could we please have the competitors’ Alphas to the start line?”
Ray hopped up on the stage and took the microphone, while Rabi got into one of the SUVs.
“Okay, folks, you all know how this usually works, but for our visitors, we’ve set up a course like none before. We have two bears racing an owl! Rather than try to modify an existing course, the Council members, with help from our own Nathan Burrows and Agent Dalvin Adway from Wolven, created a brand-new one!”
Say what? Rachel stopped meditating and started to listen closely. When had Dalvin had time to help design the course?
“Here’s what’s going to happen. The omegas will start on the cat course, which will test the bears’ climbing and jumping abilities. The reward at the end of the agility test will be an energy-packed snack that will fuel them for the rest of the race and settle their animals. Then, just like you all enjoy, the competitors will go over logs, under bridges, and across the rocks to the top of the mountain.
“Rachel will test her flying skills, moving through thick branches and along sheer rock faces. In addition, each racer must touch a series of markers that match the color of the collars they will wear. The more marks they miss, the more time will be added to their final score.
“The markers are scented with carrion as well, to make them easier to find. Nathan Burrows and Jim Jakes made the collars, which also hold tiny live-action cameras and trackers so we can chart the competitors’ courses and get them back on track if they go too far astray.”
Anica looked at her parents. “Jumping over rocks? I am not a jumper, Mama.” The female alpha patted her daughter’s hand, glowering at Ray.
“After that, there’s a hunting test, where the racers will track the scent of their favorite prey. The bears will search for fresh salmon that have been dropped into the lake … and don’t worry, we stocked the lake with plenty of live salmon, which will be available for the residents once this test is over!” A few cheers went up—the locals enjoyed ice fishing. “Rachel will search for a passel of wild mice that one of our residents donated.”
The bird that was fluttering inside her was excited to hunt. Local mice were easy to see, fat, and slow. Rachel hated hunting, especially mice and rats, but her owl demanded the squeals and burst of blood. Her limbs started to hurt; her arms wanted to twist into wings thanks to the press of the moon. Only the bubble of magic that Rabi had put up kep
t her from turning in an agony of breaking bones and shrinking skin.
“After the hunt comes the traditional final leg, the speed race. If the competitors are too tired, Marilyn Bearbird and Councilman Kuric have offered to chase them in their animal forms. Who wouldn’t run from an alpha Caspian tiger and golden eagle, folks? I know I sure would!”
He waited for laughter and got it. That got her anger up. Yeah, laugh away, asshole. You’ve never had it done to you. It was humiliating to be chased. She remembered a few races where she was just too exhausted to fly anymore, ready for whatever was chasing her to catch her and be done with it.
“Attendants, please help your champions to the starting line.”
Dani picked up Rachel’s robe and shortened the stakes. Music started to play over the loudspeakers. The first few notes made Rachel laugh. Really? “Eye of the Tiger”? She tried to catch Rabi Kuric’s reaction. Since he was American, she thought he’d get the joke.
Yep. He was struggling to maintain his somber, tough-as-nails councilman visage, but she saw him roll his eyes.
The three women made their way toward the start. Zara Kasun was holding the train of Larissa’s robe, and Draga Petrovic was doing the same for Anica. The scent that drifted to Rachel’s nose from her competitors was determination, mixed with a healthy dose of fear.
The moon pressed on her. Her chest felt tight and painful from the wings that struggled to break out of her skin. The others seemed to be feeling the same as the moon rose above the horizon.
“Now it is time for the instruction from tonight’s judge to the competitors. Please keep quiet for the benefit of those who wish to listen.” Ray turned off the microphone and made a slashing motion across his throat. The blaring music fell silent.
An owl hooted in the distance, Whoo-hoo, hoo, hoo, and Rachel responded instinctively.
Her head turned sharply, suddenly intensely aware of the forest around her. No breeze. The food would be easy to hear tonight. She blinked and tried to focus on the shining man who had parted the crowd in front of her, but the night was coming alive and pulling her attention away.
She felt the call of her Alpha. The big owl must be obeyed, even when she was just a tiny human. The old woman smelled of owl, and that was good. A voice echoed through her head. Focus, Rachel. Listen to the shining man now.
“Alphas, there have been a few changes to the competition in response to objections by each of you. After you turn your omegas, you may use some of your power to help your omega retain her human mind. Our Council physician will be monitoring you all closely to be sure you are not influencing your champion’s decisions. All decisions must be made by your omega.”
Two large men, who stank of not-food animal, nodded in agreement.
Rachel felt her mind clearing as Rabi continued. “There will be two hunting challenges instead of one. The first will involve climbing for food. The bears will be looking for a honeycomb inside the top of a hollow tree. Rachel’s prey will be near the top of the cliff behind me, inside a crevice where space is tight and she will need to use her talons to keep her position on the rock face.”
Great. She hadn’t trained in rock climbing, couldn’t even remember a time when she’d had to do that.
“For the bears, the second hunting challenge will be fishing. Only whole fish will count toward the total. The goal is five fish, caught by paw or mouth. For Rachel, a box of native mice will be released near the water’s edge. She must try to catch five whole mice and return them to a holding basket. A single white mouse will also be released. Returning the white mouse will count as all five mice.
“Two salmon in the lake have been marked with a temporary nontoxic yellow color on their tails. Catching a yellow-tailed salmon is the equivalent of catching five salmon, and the competitor may then move on. The water closest to the edge of the lake has been seeded with food to keep the fish near shore.”
The councilman paused to take a drink from a plastic bottle of water.
“We estimate that it will take approximately three hours to complete the course. The woods are still the woods, of course. The racers may encounter native animals that live in this area. It will be up to each of them to engage or retreat from a threat.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
The Petrovic alpha female raised her hand. “What if the girls begin to fight each other?”
Rabi shrugged. “We must start the competitors together. Fighting is a possibility with their animals at the forefront.”
There was angry murmuring among the alphas.
“I’ll monitor the race from inside the forest,” Liz said, stepping forward to stand beside Rabi. “If there is an actual fight, I will separate the parties and get them back onto the course.”
Zarko Petrovic nodded. “This is acceptable.” He cupped his daughter’s face in his hands. “Run fast, my daughter. For all our sakes.” He kissed each of her cheeks and she clutched his hands, tears rolling.
“I will do my best, Papa. For you, and for Bojan.” Anica didn’t mention Samit, causing Rachel to lean toward Bitty.
“What happened to her other brother, Samit?”
Bitty cupped her hands to Rachel’s ear. “Deported. Sent home on a plane his morning, with a rather large bandage on his leg.”
Mustafa Kasun was giving a similar pep talk to Larissa, if you could call it that. “Do not fail me, Larissa. You know what will happen.” She nodded, her eyes filled with fear. Only Zara touched her, gave her a quick pat on the back.
“I’ll do my best, Bitty,” Rachel promised.
The woman smiled calmly. “I know you will, chère. Just fly hard and try not to focus too much on what Dalvin is doing.”
“What do you mean?” Rachel asked. She had no idea what Dalvin was doing, or where he was.
Before Bitty could answer, the shield Rabi had erected earlier disappeared.
“Alphas! Shift your champions.” The moon crashed down on Rachel so fast and hard it was like a brick wall had fallen on her. She screamed.
Bitty’s magic surrounded her, filled her. Her wings spread inside and pushed out of her suddenly liquid skin. As her feathers began to flow, she saw Dalvin in her mind.
He was inside a building, standing in front of a chained Tamir.
“Who are you working for?”
The alpha bear spit at him. “Go to hell, stupid bird! I should have put you down in Serbia.”
“Chère! Rachel! Go, go!” Bitty was yelling.
Shaking her head, banishing the intrusive image, Rachel realized she was the only one still on the starting line. What the hell had just happened?
“Bitty?” she said uncertainly.
“You’re mated, Rachel. Dalvin is your mate. But you must not focus on that. Pull yourself out of his head and stay in yours. I can’t help you with that. Now go!”
She took off, the cold wind pulling her into the night sky. Mated? To Dalvin? Her eyes adjusted quickly to the moonlight. Flapping hard, she pressed into the forest to make up for lost time. She could see the blinking red lights of the tracking collars on the bears ahead.
They were colliding with one another, each trying to push the other off course. They seemed well matched, neither giving ground.
Her own first obstacle—a thick branch right across her flight path—was coming up, but it was one they’d practiced. Re. The note echoed in her head and her wing dropped. She sailed under the branch without a single additional wing flap.
Chelle? She heard Dalvin’s voice in her head and it made her miss a wing beat.
Can’t talk now. Racing. Focus. She had to focus. Flapping harder, she caught a tailwind for a moment, shooting ahead enough to once again catch sight of the blinking lights below.
The tailwind tried to turn her, so she fought her way out of it, back to still air. She was catching up! Movement caught her eye, and her head turned toward it before she could think.
Squirrel. Food.
She swooped toward the meat, talons open.
* * *
Dalvin dropped to his knees, suddenly flying. The press of the moon felt like a clutching hand, reaching inside him, trying to pull out his wings. But his wings were already out. He felt the air rushing past his face, the beat of his wings. But he still had arms—he held them up and stared at them, trying to sort out the sensation.
Chelle?
She responded, but it didn’t sound like a mental response, more like she was right there in the room, whispering in his ear. Can’t talk now. Racing.
He felt dizzy as he tried to sort out the sensation of his shoulders moving when his arms were at his sides.
Alek touched his arm. “Hey, you okay?” He led Dalvin away from the table where Tamir was bound. Claire continued questioning him.
“We already know a great deal. Enough to convict you before the full Council.”
“Do you?” Tamir said with a sneer. “Then tell me.”
Dalvin shook his head. “I need some air.” Wind pressed against his face as he dove through the cold air. Food. The twitching tail of the squirrel was his whole focus, his whole world. He could nearly taste the warm, sweet meat.
They stepped out of the building and he took in great gulps of air. He put his hands on his head. “What the hell is happening to me?”
Alek was staring at him with an odd look on his face. “Tell me what you see.”
“I’m flying. Right this second. I can see a squirrel on the branch. My talons are open. But I’m here too.”
Alek laughed. “This is not funny,” Dalvin said, furious. “Something weird is going on.”
“They’ve started the race. Didn’t you say you had a mental link with Rachel’s pack?”
“Parliament, not pack. But yeah. I just contacted her through the link. She said not to bother her. She’s racing. But right now I’m watching a squirrel get closer. Like it’s right in my vision, overlaid on your face.”
