Principal Sampson stepped into the guard’s body and disappeared completely. The guard looked confused, then worried, then scared, and then he began to twitch. He moved around awkwardly, as if he wasn’t in full control of his limbs. He staggered over to the control panel looking a little like a baby giraffe that was walking for the first time. He ran his fingers over a few buttons, looking for the right one, and flicked a switch. Colin’s bars slid open.
The other prisoners looked on with growing interest as the guard punched himself in the face and fell down unconscious. Principal Sampson floated out of the body and placed himself back on his feet.
“Ugh, possessions always leave me feeling greasy,” said Sampson.
“That was amazing!” said Colin.
“Are you sure you want to release these people?”
The troll had started banging his head against the bars in a slow rhythm.
“Colin?” said a sleepy voice from one of the cells.
“Hi, Terry,” said Colin, and he flicked a switch on the console. Terry’s bars slid away into the ceiling.
“Principal Sampson? What’s going on?” asked Terry.
Colin placed a hand on Terry’s shoulder. “Terry, Elwood is in serious trouble. I need you and the rest of the prisoners to work with me.” Colin raised his voice so the others could hear him. “I need all of you to help me defeat the man who is about to attack our town.”
The troll continued to bang his head against the bars. The purple dragon curled up in the corner of its cell. The vampires turned away from the bars.
They weren’t listening to him. And why should they? He was just a kid. But he’d come so far. He wasn’t that same loser from six months ago, the one who got beat up every day and lived in fear of everything. He was so much more.
I’m a werewolf! I can do this.
Colin hopped up on the guard’s chair. “Listen to me you, uh, prisoners! I know you’re probably all in here because you did something bad or maybe you’re just too dangerous to live in town. This is the second time I’ve been in here. And funnily enough, it’s the second time I’m breaking out too. A man and a pack of bloodthirsty werewolves are about to destroy Elkwood. Whether you live in town or in a cage at the base, this is still your town! Fight with me! Fight with me to protect your home!”
There was a dramatic silence. The troll had stopped banging his head. The dragon watched Colin attentively. Even the creature in the giant tank of liquid peered out of the water with two large plate-sized yellow eyes.
It’s working! I’m reaching them!
Then the laughter started. The vampires were the first, then the ogres joined in, then the troll. The sea creature clicked and bubbled in his tank, and even the dragon chuckled out a few bursts of smoke.
Colin hopped down from his chair. “Well, that didn’t work.”
“Don’t be silly,” said Principal Sampson. “That was an excellent speech. They just need the right motivation.” He winked and then disappeared in a wisp of smoke.
The temperature began to drop instantly and Colin could see his breath. The pressure in the room was fluctuating wildly.
“Colin,” said Terry, clutching at Colin’s sleeve, “what’s happening?”
“I have no idea.”
The lights flickered on and off. The hairs on Colin’s arm stood on end and he felt a chill through his body. It was fear. He could feel massive amounts of fear in the room. He closed his eyes and opened his senses. In his mind the cellblock sprang to life in frosty blue colors. And there was something else. A force of some kind, almost like a cloud. It moved quickly from cell to cell, whispering to the inmates. The fear in the room grew every time the cloud touched another cell. And then the temperature began to rise, the lights stopped flickering, and Principal Sampson appeared back in front of Colin and Terry. He was very red in the face and looked a little woozy.
Every inmate in the prison was now cowering in fear at the back of their cell. One of the vampires was actually crying a little.
“I apologize,” said Principal Sampson. “I haven’t done a haunting of that size in quite some time.”
“You scared them, I could feel it.”
“I did. If you’re an old ghost like me, you can haunt people. I’m not talking about slamming doors in the middle of the night or moving plates around in the kitchen. A true haunting reaches down into someone’s deepest, darkest fears and brings them to life. That’s what I just did to all the inmates. I warned them that if they don’t listen to you and do what you say, I’ll haunt them forever. I have nothing but time, after all.”
The ghost chuckled and there was a dark gleam in his eyes in that particular moment, and Colin believed the man fully.
“Terry,” said Colin, “open the cells.”
Terry fiddled around with the console and started flipping switches. Bars began to retract into the ceiling.
“Let’s meet the team,” said Colin, stepping up to the first cell and the purple dragon. It crawled forward and sniffed at Colin’s leg.
“This is Warzax,” said Principal Sampson. “He’s actually half man, half dragon, but he’s stuck in his dragon form. He can’t figure out how to turn back.”
“How do you know?”
“I learned about all the inmates when I possessed the guard. Ghost trick,” he said, tapping his head.
Next, they visited the troll’s cell. He was massive and smelled terrible. His thick gray skin seemed like that of a rhinoceros, and his huge head looked like a boulder upon a set of muscular shoulders. He squeezed his way out his cell and stood to his full height of almost fifteen feet and stretched.
“This is Danseg,” said Principal Sampson. “He might very well be one of the last cave trolls in the world. They’re simple folk, but violent when provoked.”
“And that?” said Colin, pointing at the large tank of water in the cell next to Danseg. Yellow eyes peered out of the murky depths and two black tentacles slithered out of the top of the tank.
“That is a kraken. A sea monster. The guards call him Norman. He was caught destroying fishing boats not far off the coast.
“And these two?” said Colin, his head spinning a little.
“Ah, yes. Monty and Albert. Vampires. They refuse to drink blood substitute so they’re imprisoned here.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Albert with a smile, though Colin could still smell the fear pouring off him. Colin kept his distance, knowing how vampires reacted to the smell of werewolves.
“And those?” said Colin, pointing at a quintet of human-looking creatures. They all looked like larger version of Gareth Dugan, only their skin was yellowish and their eyes were large and dark.
“A tribe of ogres. They didn’t want to integrate with the town. Great fighters, but they’re greedy and smell like garbage.”
Colin looked down the block: a dragon, a cave troll, a small band of ogres, two vampires, a kraken, a telekinetic ten-year-old, a fire imp, a ghost, and Colin. Not the greatest army in the world, but it’d have to do. He tapped on Burnie’s box. The little fire creature tapped back and smiled.
“Burnie, I’m going to let you out, but you can’t burn anything. Unless it’s a bad werewolf or a wizard with glowing red eyes. Do you understand?”
The little imp nodded enthusiastically.
“Do you really think he understood you?” said Terry.
Colin couldn’t explain how but he knew the fire imp understood him completely. “He does.” He tore the lid off of Burnie’s box and the imp floated out and joined the army of creatures.
Norman the kraken slithered out of his tank, two piercing yellow eyes glaring out from the mass of roiling, rubbery black tentacles. He made a loud clicking noise as he moved and joined the group.
“Thank you, everyone, for agreeing to fight with us.” A number of the group glanced nervously at Principal Sampson. “We’re going to head into town. We need to protect the people of Elkwood, so don’
t kill anyone.”
The group collectively looked sad. One of the vampires rolled his eyes. One of the larger ogres raised his hand.
“Uh, yes?” said Colin.
“What about these werewolves who are threatening the town?” said the ogre, his voice deep and cold.
“What about them?”
“Can we kill them?”
“Try to avoid killing them if you can.” The group groaned, particularly the ogres. Norman clicked unhappily, his tentacles shaking. Colin thought of a compromise. “But you can hurt them really, really bad,” he suggested.
The ogres smiled, Danseg the troll nodded his rock-like head, and Norman opened a wide, gaping mouth full of sharp teeth and grinned such a terrifying grin that Colin suspected it would give him nightmares.
There was just one final problem. Colin still couldn’t change.
If only there was a way I could get this stuff out of my blood. Then I could—
“Vampires!”
“Yes,” said Monty.
“Us?” said Albert.
“Are you hungry?” asked Colin with a smile.
Chapter Sixteen
The Battle for Elkwood
Maybe Silas was right. Maybe I am going crazy. Turning full werewolf.
Wind rushed through his fur, and his clawed hands and feet kicked up dirt as Colin ran through the forest toward Elkwood.
A normal person who wanted to get something out of their bloodstream would go to a hospital. But no, Colin’s solution to getting the werewolf suppressant out of his body was to let two vampires suck his blood on the theory that if his body were emptied of blood, his werewolf healing would kick in and replenish his body, and he’d be free of the chemical.
Sure, it had worked. But who does that? Not a normal person.
But I’m not a normal person. I’m a werewolf. And I’m not crazy.
Colin’s change had happened moments after the vampires finished feeding, exploding out of him painfully as his body regenerated more blood and grew and stretched into his werewolf form. The other freaks had taken a step back at seeing the teenager before them transform into an eight-foot-tall wolf creature. None of them had actually seen a werewolf before.
Monty and Albert had been more than happy to feed on Colin, despite Principal Sampson’s protests. They had trouble getting close to Colin as the werewolf smell made them want to throw up, but once they had dug in their fangs, one into each of Colin’s wrists, they were fine. In fact, feeding on blood had thrown them into a bit of a frenzy, and the two vampires were itching for a fight.
Getting out of the base had been easier than Colin suspected. They only had to knock out two guards. It appeared that Varson had confined the rest of the soldiers to their rooms on one of the lower floors of the base. Colin had thought about speaking to them to try to convince them of what was going on, but they wouldn’t have stood a chance against the rebel werewolf pack.
As Colin charged along his familiar pathway he could hear part his ragtag army following close behind. The ogres could move at a considerable speed once they got started. The vampires had been running so fast they were little more than a blur so Colin had sent Monty and Albert and Principal Sampson on to check out the town but to stay out of sight. Warzax the dragon was flying high above in the sky, happy to be free of the cage. Burnie was up there too, flying alongside him so as not to set fire to the forest.
Danseg the cave troll had been a bit more of a challenge to get out of the base. While the elevator had been big enough to fit him, his weight put considerable pressure on the mechanics and Colin was worried the elevator cables would break. But he made it up and out and was now thundering through the forest, knocking over the occasional tree as he went.
Norman the kraken had destroyed one of the base bathrooms and slithered down through the waterworks. Colin wasn’t sure where the tentacled creature was, but Principal Sampson had assured him that krakens don’t travel well over land.
Terry rode on Colin’s back and seemed to be having a great time.
What would Silas think of all this?
Colin wished his mentor were here. Being a leader was not something he felt comfortable with. And charging into a fight with a group of werewolves that had already kicked his butt once and a mad wizard with a hellstone seemed like a really bad idea. But if Colin didn’t do anything, who else was there?
His Night Watch uniform fit snugly, having stretched with Colin when he changed. He’d grabbed it on the way out of the base. At least this way he could turn into a human without worrying about clothing.
The light of the full moon blazed down through the trees, throwing shafts of light across the forest floor. This final night of the full moon, Colin’s werewolf side was very strong. He could feel it wanting to take control, to edge Colin to the back seat, but he had to keep control. If he had any hope of stopping Talbot, he needed to be able to put his inner wolf on a leash.
He reached the edge of the forest, and Colin stopped and waited for everyone to catch up. Terry slid from his back and Colin stood up on two legs and stretched. He really wanted to howl at the moon but he didn’t want to alert the other werewolves.
The cave troll lumbered out of the forest carrying a tree he must have accidentally run into. The ogres weren’t too far behind and the dragon flew down and landed. Burnie also descended and floated next to Colin’s shoulder.
“What now?” said one of the ogres. Colin couldn’t tell the ogres apart; they even smelled the same. And the smell was not a good one.
Albert appeared in the middle of the group. His fangs were still extended and he had a sparkle in his dark eyes. Moments later Principal Sampson floated down from the sky and the group took a step back. They were all still clearly terrified of the ghost and whatever he had done to them back at the base. Colin was thankful he had a ghost on his side.
“The Town Hall meeting is in progress,” said the ghost.
“No sign of anyone with red eyes,” said Albert. “The town seems quiet.”
“Where’s Monty?” growled Colin.
“He’s not back?” asked Albert.
Monty zipped into the group and stood with his hands on his knees, out of breath. Colin smelled blood.
“Wolves!” gasped Monty. “On the other side of town. They’re making their way to the Town Hall.”
“Are you okay?” asked Colin.
Monty stood up and Colin saw the vampire had claw marks across his chest. His ragged clothing was ripped and his pale skin was cut. “I’m fine. I’ll heal. They’re fast, these werewolves. I thought I was moving faster than they could see but one caught me.”
“It’s a full moon,” said Colin slowly, trying to wrap his wolf mouth around the words. “They’re going to be strong tonight and most of them, maybe all of them, will be a full werewolf. Their human selves might not be in control at all.”
“Why aren’t you like them?” asked one of the ogres.
Colin didn’t tell them that he wanted nothing more than to run and hunt right now. It took all of his willpower not to. “I have more control over myself.”
The ogres nodded approvingly.
“FIGHT,” said Danseg in a voice that sounded like rocks rolling down a hill. The cave troll was easily twice as tall as Colin and was idly stripping the branches off the tree he’d been carrying.
“Yes,” said Colin. “We fight, but with rules. No humans can be harmed.”
“Aww,” said Monty with a grin. “Not even a taste?”
“Just a nibble?” suggested Albert.
“We need to stop the werewolves before they reach Town Hall,” said Colin, ignoring the vampires. “There’s a dark wolf with them, bigger than the rest. We need him. He’ll know where Talbot is.”
“Can we kill the rest?” asked one of the ogres.
Colin rolled his eyes. It appeared he’d assembled a bloodthirsty crew. Maybe that’s what was needed though? He knew how powerful werewo
lves were. He didn’t want anyone to die. But if it came down to the people of Elkwood or a murderous werewolf, it was an easy choice.
“Spare them if you can,” said Colin.
The ogres seemed okay with the decision. Warzax coughed a smoke ring. The vampires nodded. Burnie was happily floating around in circles.
“So what’s the plan of attack?” said Terry, who reeked of excitement. Apparently the only thing cooler to a ten-year-old than finding out your new friend is a werewolf is the prospect of running into a deadly battle. Colin had wanted to keep Terry at a distance but Principal Sampson had convinced him otherwise, explaining that Terry was one of the most powerful telekinetics on record. He may be ten years old, but he packs a punch.
Colin remembered how the pack had surrounded him in the forest, hunting like wolves. He had to assume they’d do the same thing again. He had discussed his plan with Principal Sampson before leaving the base. Colin had tried to imagine what Silas would have done.
Colin crouched down and, using his claws, scraped out a rough outline of downtown Elkwood, including the spot where Town Hall was located. He tapped the main street. “We want to get them all here so they’re contained. Monty and Albert, block the north end. Ogres, the south end. Danseg … ”
The cave troll hoisted the tree onto his shoulder and stood up. “FIGHT?”
“I have a special place for you,” said Colin. “Warzax and Burnie, give us support from the air. Principal Sampson and Terry, I want you at Town Hall. You’re going to need to knock out Mr. Varson and explain the situation to the residents. Everyone clear?”
Howls floated from the direction of the town.
“It appears they’ve reached town,” said Principal Sampson.
“Let’s move!” said Colin. The dragon leapt into the air with a great flap of wings. Burnie shot off after him like a firework. Monty hoisted Terry up on his shoulders and the vampires blurred away while the ogres charged off ahead. Principal Sampson turned to Colin.
“This is very brave of you. There’s something special inside of you, Colin, something different. And it’s not just that you’re a werewolf.”
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