“Susie, I’m…”
“Save it. You didn’t know,” Susie said, as if she had it all worked out. “And I don’t think she’d blame you either, so I won’t. Now I just need to wait until Dad turns up, which should be within a few hours.”
“What makes you so certain he’ll be here to so soon?” asked Teddy.
“Four Huntsmen, a Novice, who pissed him off, and his daughter, all in one place. He’ll be delighted.”
“We’re bait,” muttered John.
“Yes, but if it makes you feel better, so I am I,” said Susie. “Come on. It’s a good opportunity to rid Washington of most of its Wolfvolk.”
“We’ve been played by an eleven-year-old,” said Teddy, chuckling to himself.
“You’ve been played by an eleven-year-old Wolffrau. But even that isn’t true, which I wish was. This is the truth. Annie. Show yourself,” said Susie. And then something appeared in front of them.
It was Annie. At least it looked like Annie, just very pale, and slightly transparent.
“Annie’s dead, Susie.”
“I know she is,” said Susie, truly delighted with herself.
“Then how is she here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? That’s her soul you see. She’s been following you around for the last two years. Protecting you. And in her spare time, she haunted me. I convinced Trix to meet you because Annie told me to. She also told me it was an opportunity to escape my parents. You’ve been played by your dead wife, Marty, not me.”
Annie faded into non-existence again. Perhaps she was going to wait, to watch me for the rest of my life from the shadows, haunting the world that had mistreated her.
“Wait… I love you… Won’t she talk to me?”
“And reverse the healing of the last few days? You’re going to have to accept that she’s dead, Marty,” said Susie. She won’t leave your side – she won’t leave until you die, not really – but she’s dead, and she knows that. Her part in your life is over, Marty. I’m sorry. And you won’t be able to see her. I can, but that’s my gift.”
“You can see ghosts even when they don’t want to be seen?” said John. He sounded slightly nervous.
“Yes, I can. I talk to them,” Susie said. “They tell me things, a lot of things… Annie told me what to do. To help you. Mommy caught me talking to her one day. She thought I was schizophrenic or something, so she hit me…”
“You have Geister Sicht,” said Ashley. “Surely Wolfvolk know about that?”
“Oh, we do, but we have… our own traditions. Geister Sicht is a cousin of the Sight that the Sehervolk have. It’s a power the Nobles are capable of dispensing – at least one family. To Wolfvolk, Geister Sicht is a sign of Huntsman blood, of Huntsman heritage.”
Ashley looked at her as if she had two heads or sprouted an extra set of arms.
“What? Our kinds have been at war since the beginning of our existence. But war is not a clean occupation. So maybe a Huntsman gets himself a Wolffrau for a prisoner and his blood’s up and he takes her like an animal. Or you’re a softy like Marty and you take a fancy for a pretty Wolffrau or you’re a Rotkäppchen and you don’t want to be used like a broodmare, so defect to the enemy, where your talents will be appreciated, where your gender is irrelevant. Dad thought… that I wasn’t his, that Mommy had been unfaithful.”
“What are you suggesting?” demanded Ashley. I knew where she was going with this and I did not like it.
Susie smiled. I was beginning to worry about her. “Nothing. My Huntsman heritage – if I have any – is probably from way back in Europe, before the war. But Dad… he likes the old ways, he believes in them. And he acts on that. Why do you think they went after Annie, after all that time? The timing… it’s too coincidental. I guess this is the part where you disown me and tie me down.”
“No, we won’t,” I said. The others did not seem so certain about that, but they didn’t contradict me.
“Annie thought it would be… ironic to push Mom towards you.”
“And she listened? I thought she didn’t approve,” I said. “And why would… Annie?”
“Adrian has a different view of my abilities. He says they’re a gift. He says I should use it like you use yours. Annie thought… you could do with feminine company. Speaking of which, I trust you got Trix and Hilary out safely?”
“Yes.”
“Good. They loved hurting Trix and Hilary. Our little princesses, they used to call them.”
“How did she take it?” asked Ashley. “Day after day?”
“My parents protected her,” said Susie. “They might have abused her, kicked her around, raped her, but they kept her alive. If any Huntsmen or Nobles came looking for her, you can be damn sure that Dad would have marked his territory. She was his and Dad protects things that belong to him, things like me.”
“They?” I said, suddenly realizing she had implied Sylvie had taken part in the festivities. I hadn’t thought about her like that, but if she was married to Merkel she must have known what was happening.
“We are social animals, Marty. Always have been,” said Susie matter-of-factly. “Who do you think took all the photos for Dad’s little book? Who do you think kicked them down again when his back was turned? Who do you think held Annie down as a show of loyalty to her husband? A woman that… a woman who… in her own way, she was worse than Dad, but… you know, that’s what did it in the end, that’s what changed her. He thinks we’re all the same. Women. And he makes sure we know that. You’re my pack now, Marty. You and Buster, here. I’ve made my peace with that.”
“One night, he… raped her and I heard her scream. No matter how much she had hurt me, she was my mother. So I took a knife from the kitchen and I went into the master bedroom. Trix told me not to, of course, gave me the standard hooker ‘girl-to-girl’ talk. It’s not your responsibility. He’ll just hurt you too. But I didn’t listen, I never do. I went straight in there and I pulled him off her. He hit me, of course, but then she was on him. She knocked him out. We left that night. I… had to dress her afterward or tried to. Trix told me I shouldn’t… she told me to leave Mom alone, but I couldn’t. She was my mother, after all.”
The conversation continued and the history of our peoples was debated once more, but I ignored most of it. I took out a little bottle of bourbon I’d snuck past Ashley the Customs Officer, then took a long drink. No one stopped me. Then I said “I thought Muller was supposed to be coming? He’s late. That isn’t like him.”
“He’ll be here momentarily, Marty. Don’t worry. He’s a few miles off,” answered Susie. Then, by way of answer, she said “I can smell him. Dusty books. Like a second-hand bookstore.”
Susie was right. Muller arrived within five minutes. He didn’t look good. I sighed. “What kept you?”
“Walker. His wife popped by to collect some clothes. He put her in hospital. It looked pretty bad. A lot of stitches. Her face is pretty beat up. I brought her to the hospital myself, though she’ll never thank me for it.” He sat down, clearly exhausted. “Marty, you need to talk to him. He’s falling apart. If this continues, I won’t be able to trust him like I need to.”
“What? So I’ve become your resident expert on falling apart”
“No, Marty… It’s just… I haven’t been married. I don’t know what it’s like. You do. And you’re more like Walker in the first place anyway.”
“Sorry, Wil,” I said, taking another sip of bourbon. “Today’s just been hard.”
“I know. What decision did you make about the Princess?”
“We banished her from the State, but we agreed not to tell the United Councils,” answered the Loner. He’d only spoken a few times during the whole meeting. I liked him for some reason. He was… less presumptuous than the others.
“I didn’t want to banish Trix. Only Teddy supported me. Apparently, a Novice doesn’t have a vote,” I said, stowing my bourbon again. I didn’t feel like having any at the moment. It didn’t seem… necessary.
/>
“He was being a fool basically, Wil,” said Ashley patronizingly. “Marty’s willing to sacrifice everything to give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“Yeah, well, someone has to be the fool. If there wasn’t someone like me, and there always is, to be stupid and foolish, while everyone else follows sense and calculation. Fools like me are needed to keep the rest of your morals in check.”
Teddy chuckled to himself. “You’re just like your father, you know that? He was just the same.”
“Everyone tells me that. It was the first thing Schlaukopf said to me the first time I met him.”
Susie came back into the room. She had been wandering the garden again, tempting her father apparently. “We’ve got guests.”
“How far away?” asked the Loner, checking his rifle.
“A few miles. We don’t have long. They’ll spread out. Attack from all sides. And, of course, it’s the full moon nearest Halloween.”
“So?” I asked ignorantly.
It was Ashley who answered. “Wolfvolk are most powerful on the full moon nearest Halloween and Walpurgis night”
“Walpurgis night”
“April 30th. Traditionally the day when we're supposed to meet,”
“Obviously,” I muttered. “And how does this work?”
“To hell if we know, Marty. I think the full moon messes with them like with the tides,” answered Teddy ruefully. “That’s just the way it is.”
“We don’t have time for this, Huntsmen,” Susie reminded us. She was right, of course. We did not have time for talking. Not now. Places to be, people to kill.
As usual, Ashley took control of the situation. “Marty, Loner, snipers. The rest of us will wait in the hallway” She turned to Susie. “Right, get down to the Den. Marty, you take her.”
“No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’?”
“I mean no, Phillips,” said Susie, folding her arms petulantly. “I’m staying up here. I want to kill the bastards as much as you do.”
“Fine, you’ll go upstairs with me.”
“No. He’ll expect that. I’ll go with the Loner.”
“I’ll get our guns,” said Ashley, making to leave the room.
I grabbed her. “Don’t. Do you think all that firepower won’t be heard? If we’re going to do this, we do it properly, legal. Muller can deputize us. I assume you’ve all got legal firearms on you?”
“Yes, we do. But only handguns apart from the Loner,” answered John, taking out a Colt 1911. Teddy and Ashley both had Glock 26s.
I shrugged. “I’ve got my Python, and my Ruger. The Winchester’s in the back of the Jag. I’ll get it.”
“If they come while…” began Teddy.
“Cover me then. We don’t have much time.”
“Here goes nothing then,” he said, smiling half-heartedly. He put the Glock’s magazine back in. “Let’s give them hell.”
13
A Fight
‘Do I find you, old sinner! I have long sought you!’
(Red Riding Hood/Rotkäppchen)
I shoved the keys in the trunk of the Jag. There wasn’t any sign of Merkel and his pack, but I was still jumpy. They were coming. I grabbed the Winchester and a few dozen rounds I’d been carrying with it. I’d just closed the trunk when a bullet zipped past my head. I swore. From the doorway, Teddy took a shot. I ran inside with his covering fire.
Susie and the Loner had already gone upstairs. The other four were waiting in the hallway, guns drawn. I ran up with stairs without a word. Each end of Bergman Mansion, north and south, were two tower-like structures, where the building bulged out into octagonal shapes. Inside were rooms with views of the side, back and front. Perfect for snipers. Susie and the Loner had taken the northern side, I took the southern one. I set up the Winchester, shoving the magazine in.
Then I rested the Winchester against the windowsill, the window open, and waited for the fight to begin. My left shoulder still ached dully. I wasn’t up to full fitness, and my aim would be out. It would have to do. I couldn’t see anything yet.
They knew we knew they were there. It was only a matter of time. Eventually, after about five minutes, one of them ventured forward. I didn’t see much of him, high up as was. I could see that he wasn’t human, his head was furry. That was enough for me. I fired. He fell, dead. I smiled. I was out of practice and I still hit straight.
Over the other side of the building, another shot rang out. The Loner going about his work. I dreaded to think how comfortable he was doing this. Even the way he carried his rifle was experienced. He knew exactly what he was doing. I was an alright hunter – well, I’m probably being modest, but pride’s the crime, isn’t it? – but the Loner scared me. There was a reason the Loner was a Loner. Everyone else was scared of him.
Another Wolfmann emerged from the undergrowth. I fired. I heard the Loner take another down. We’d identified ten members of Merkel’s gang. Four down. Six to go. And I hadn’t seen anything but Wolfvolk. That left Löwenvolk and Riesen. Simple. Right?
Then something grabbed me from behind, pulling me onto the floor. Something far stronger than any human had right to be. Far stronger than even Michael Merkel. A giant! A bloody giant! The Winchester fell out of my arms. I was done for it seemed.
He turned me around roughly. His very touch seemed to bruise me. He obviously couldn’t control how much strength he was using. The Giant – or Reise, whatever – put his hands around my neck. He began to squeeze unmercifully, but he never got the chance to crush my windpipe. Vaguely, as everything faded around me, I heard someone who sounded like Ashley, say “Leave my little brother alone, monster”
I heard two shots. Then the Giant rolled off of me. But he wasn’t dead. He went after Ashley, causing interior design destruction as he did. Ashley offed a few more shots, but they didn’t affect the Giant any more than the first two. I dived towards the Winchester. It was a larger caliber than her Glock. Quickly, I aimed, at the base of the Giant’s neck. Nothing, not even that monster could survive a shot like that. I pulled the trigger. The Giant’s neck exploded into blood, but I wasn’t sure he was dead. I took a second shot. He fell down with a resounding crash.
Ashley looked towards me gratefully. “Thank you, little bro. He nearly had me,”
“Thanks to you too,” I said. “I was losing it there. He nearly crushed my windpipe.”
“How many did you get?”
“Two. The Loner got the same. Any more down there?”
“Just pair of Löwenvolk. One got away, but we killed the other one. Come on.,” said Ashley, leading the way down the stairs.
We were on the landing of the third floor when the Löwenmann jumped out at us. He was moving so fast, I didn’t get a good look. But what I could see was what appeared to be a lion’s man attached to a man’s face. I’d thrown the Winchester over my shoulder, leading with my Python instead. I pulled the trigger. It made to contact, but the Löwenmann knocked it out of my hand immediately.
He bowled me over. I held his head above me. His canines were huge, a true big cat’s. He attempted to chew on my neck, but I held him back, just barely. In my peripheral vision, I could see Ashley reaching for her gun. The Löwenmann must have knocked it out her hand when he first jumped out.
She fired, then tried another. She’d just annoyed the Löwenmann. Made him angry. Before she had a chance to pull the trigger a second time, he leaped from me to her, with frightening agility. He threw her against the wall and bared his teeth. I scrambled to my feet. Picking up my Python and Ashley’s Glock, I put two rounds in the back of the Löwenmann’s head. He rolled onto the floor, dead.
“Good job. Now give me back my gun,” said Ashley, brushing the hair out of her face.
I handed her the Glock. “Yeah, we make a good team.”
“Even if I’m in the KKK.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” I said, frustrated.
“I never said you did.”
Th
e hallway was utter carnage when we reached it. We heard a shot go out. It was on the same floor, to the north. “I’ll go after it. You check on Susie and the Loner,” Ashley said.
“Ashley… are you sure? Your stitches. If they…”
“If they break, so be it. We don’t have time for this, Marty. Go. Now.”
I went, cursing myself.
Susie was tied up when I found her. She was tied to a chair, a cloth shoved in her mouth. Blood was dripping from her chin, like a vampire. Her father’s Alsatian lay on the floor, in a puddle of congealing blood. The Loner was nowhere to be seen, neither was his rifle, but Merkel was there. I heard the door slam shut behind me. I turned around.
“Tut, tut, tut. Marty, seriously? Couldn’t you have been a small bit more careful?” said Michael Merkel, emerging from behind the door. His steps were big and confident. He was in full wolf-like form. Saliva was dripping down from his canine mouth. His teeth were huge. I shook my head dizzily. Seeing a Verstecktmann fully changed still gave me a bit of a shock.
“Go to hell!” I said. I had no idea what else to say.
Merkel smiled. I noticed a gun in his hand for the first time. My Glock. “Huntsman, I’m already there. And so are you.”
“Nice gun, by the way. You’ve kept it well,” he continued. “Shame I’m going to kill you with it.”
I raised my Python. “Not if I kill you first.”
“Really? I’ve got a shot on Susie from here” said Merkel confidently.
I moved directly in front of Susie.
Merkel smiled again. He was enjoying this. And that just tipped it. I was furious. “So that’s the way it is going to be. I kill you first, then take my daughter.”
“Is this the bit where you go on your big, evil villain, speech? Explaining your big plan. Well, I’ve got news for you, the bit that follows the evil villain’s speech is the hero defeating them.”
Marty Phillips (Book 1): Life Slowly Faded Page 10
