"Hello?" I said, tentative and worried.
"Good morning, Kat," David said, his voice a little quieter than usual. "How are you doing this morning?"
I felt better hearing the caring tone of his voice.
"I'll be fine. Are you ready to get going? Breakfast?"
"I'm going to jog to Bear Camp this morning. I'll meet you there, okay? I haven't been doing my morning jogs since I got here, and I think I can do this before the rain hits."
"Sounds good. I'll see you there"
I quickly got ready -- good hiking clothes, a warm jacket, and my hair pulled back in a tie. I left the house a few minutes later, promising Cato and Shakespeare I would be back before dark. I double warded everything on my way out and made certain I would know anyone messed with them.
A single cat sat by the trees -- Trouble, who seemed worn but unhurt. I went back in and got him some food. He glanced around, as though he couldn't believe his friends were gone.
"I went across town last night." He shook his head, his bright golden eyes blinking. "I heard the news from Mrs. Miniver. There's a lot of talk around town. Something bad is going on."
"Yes, it is."
Trouble nodded and nibbled at his food. I left him there and considered stopping to talk to Cato's mother on my way to breakfast. Unfortunately I could see the Mrs. Hale out in the yard with the cats so I didn't even slow down for fear she'd think I was going to leap out and grab a couple.
Lily's car sat in the parking lot along with two others, all of them looking like they'd been there for a few hours. I wondered what people thought -- and I found out as soon as I went in and Marylyn brought me some coffee.
"I hope you can see your car from here." She peered out the window and nodded. "Good. There's some sort of vandalism going on. They've hit dozens of cars all over town. The police think this is some teen prank, but they haven't caught them yet."
"I'll keep an eye on the car," I said, nodding thanks, grateful the humans always came up with reasonable, non-magical answers to troubles.
Lily and Jordan came in. They saw me and crossed to my table.
"We may not need Cago after all. We think we have something tracked to the Odessa Lake area," Jordan said as he dropped into a chair, nodding when Marilyn brought two more coffee cups and a full pot to sit in front of us. "There's been some kills near there last night, so we're hiking in today. If you're going to the park, stay clear of the area, okay? And watch this damned weather."
"I will," I said, in answer to the second part. I didn't, actually, answer the first part because I would have had to lie.
If there was something killing things up by Odessa Lake, I had feeling whatever they found would be dangerous -- and not anything they could handle. My bet was still on a gargoyle, and one in an extremely bad mood.
I had to get up there ahead of them and deal with the trouble, because they weren't going to survive an encounter with a gargoyle. Gargoyles are bad-tempered, fast and they usually fly. By the time you're close enough to shoot one, you're in a damned lot of trouble: They have skin like stone, and the bullets would just bounce off and annoy them even more.
I couldn't leave without giving some excuse to David. I couldn't ask the rangers to tell him I'd left on something important because they'd be suspicious at this point. I didn't have time to work up magic, or any other easy idea. The rangers all ordered more coffee to go and headed back out. Damn. Only one person I could turn to.
I Summoned Aletta. Not as strongly as I had the other night, but I let her know I wanted her to come to me right now.
She showed up not more than five minutes later, her dark pants and grey sweater more suited to the place. She scowled.
"Don't start," I said and waved her to a seat at the table. She took it, giving me a sullen glare. "The Park Rangers are heading up to corner something in the wild. I think there's a rogue gargoyle out there --"
"Gargoyle," she said in surprise though the wide-eyed expression looked faked. I needed to stop making snide judgments and get over my loathing of her in general. "How could a gargoyle get here?"
"Things are coming through The Edge. Trolls, peripix, who knows what else."
"You aren't going to send me after a gargoyle!"
"No." I hadn't even considered the possibility. I didn't think she would stand up to a gargoyle, and I knew she wouldn't do her best to protect the humans heading up there. "I want you to stay here and wait for David. Tell him -- tell him I am trying to reach the rangers to tell them something from Cago. I'll be back as soon as I can. The two of you should wait at my house. I have the place warded, so be careful going in. I'll set the wards to open for you."
She smiled and nodded agreement. Oh yes, this played right into her hands. She'd have time with David. I wasn't happy about the reaction, but I nodded, concentrated on my house for a moment and keyed the ward for her so the two of them could go in. I wanted them to there and not back to the hotel. I felt sorry for Cato and Shakespeare, though, but I trusted David to watch out for them.
"I hope this won't take me long," I said, and hurried out because I didn't dare be there when David showed up. I don't think I could have lied to him.
I got into the car and headed for the next block, turning away from the direction I thought David would be jogging. Everything outside felt damp, muted, and dangerous. I drove close to the park and pulled off on a dirt road where I hid the car behind an illusion. I couldn't go farther because the rangers would see me go in. I had to get to the area well ahead of them and --
And when I lifted my hand to feel out the magic I discovered something that scared the hell out of me.
The Edge had moved. The distance of the move stunned me -- farther than I had ever heard of a barrier moving. I found the magic settled near Odessa Lake, where the Rangers headed, and where the gargoyle -- or whatever other creature might be out there -- waited.
"Damn!" Frustration brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't handle this kind of trouble. No one had ever talked about barriers leaping miles of wilderness and move closer to towns. I didn't know what to do!
I had to keep the rangers safe, and afterwards go home and contact someone on the other side to find out what the hell else I could do. People hiked in this area, even in winter. If they found The Edge -- I didn't want to think about the consequences.
Do the first job. I thought of Jordan, Lily and Jim facing a gargoyle, a creature which could blend into the scree of the mountains, become another boulder among many -- until it was too late.
I started to run rather than fly. I couldn't risk someone spotting me on this bright, clear morning and I didn't dare waste the power on being invisible. I darted up over the rocks and down through the gullies, knowing I could out distance the rangers who would stick to the trails. I had no idea what I would do with the gargoyle. None at all. Sometimes they can be quite reasonable. Other times --
And this would be an 'other time' because everything else was going bad.
Even I slowed going up the incline to Bear Lake and finally stopped when I reached Nymph Lake. I had seen no sign of people on the trails I had crossed -- still too early, and besides the weather felt dangerously changeable. Thunder rolled somewhere off in the distance, but I reached upward and felt snow in the clouds above me.
For the first time in a couple days I even spotted birds. Three stellar jays, their bright blue plumage standing out against the gray world, came hurtling down at me so quickly I stumbled back and landed on my ass. Lucky for me only the birds saw and they appeared too frantic to laugh today.
"Trouble, trouble!" they cried in unison.
"I know. Can you show me where?" I asked.
"No, no, no -- kills everything. Trouble, trouble!"
And they flew off.
Well, at least I could mark the direction by their flight. After making certain no one was around, I lifted over the lake, hit Flattop Mountain Trail for a short distance of easy running, and made a difficult transition to Fern Lake Trail.
And along the way I found increasingly frantic birds. I nearly tripped over a couple blue grouse sprinting along in the underbrush, racing from one cover to the next. Owls flocked about by day, unusual behavior in both ways, since they are solitary nocturnal creatures. From them I got better directions.
"Is he near Notchtop?" a long eared owl said when I asked where the creature might be.
Notchtop would be perfect terrain for a gargoyle, with lots of rocky areas where he could blend into the scenery. I headed in that direction, and managed not to curse as a light snow began to fall with a hint of white in the air. I thought I saw something else white in the woods, but I didn't stop to see if I could spot another of the damned riders. I had other problems to deal with today.
Magpies and Flickers flew past and I took my new bearings from them. Not long afterward a Northern Harrier hawk swept down from a tree and kept pace with me.
"Trouble," she said. "Bad trouble. Something has set a monster in the woods to destroy us."
Hawks and their conspiracy mentality . . . but I nodded, somewhat breathless.
"The monster is closer than you think."
Those words brought me up short, stopping with my hands on my knees, breathless and unable to ask her any questions. She landed in a tree to my right, her head flicking to me and ahead, as though she expected the trouble to burst out of the woods a few feet away.
Watching her made me nervous. Magic almost tingled along my hands, but I pulled back, trying to control both my fears and my body. I would need the power later. I dared not waste any.
When something did move in the woods I spun and saw a bear gambling out of the trees. He gave me one distraught glance and took off down the opposite side of the trail. You know, it's never good when something worries a bear that much.
I went forward, though I moved much slower.
And heard something -- but not a gargoyle. Distant growl of a sound --
The rangers had come up on dirt bikes, and even with all my running, I had barely reached here ahead of them! I thought about the bear and used some of my magic to keep the more dangerous creatures out of the way of the rangers. They were apt to kill some hapless bear or big cat that was running and trying to escape something worse. They wouldn't realize the mistake, seeing only something acting oddly.
I looked up at the hawk, surprised to find she had stayed with me.
"You need to fly away," I told her. "Escape. This place is dangerous."
"Help you," she said, her head bending low to stare into my face. "Help set the woods right. Trust you."
My breath caught. I had never known a hawk or an eagle to trust anyone at any time. Her words sent a shiver of surprise through me, but coupled with a surge of pride as well. I bowed my head to her.
"Thank you. I need help. Can you find the monster for me? But carefully. I think this creature might fly." And I thought about the little nuthatches and their big wings. Poor little guys must have been scared out of their minds -- and I'd ignored them.
"Carefully," she agreed, and took to the air, flying off to the right. I could see her long, brown wings glide up over the top of trees, passing an owl heading in the opposite direction. They barely even acknowledged each other.
I needed to move off the trail. The rangers sounded far too close, and I could never explain how I had gotten here ahead of them.
I found an easy answer to hold them back for a while yet. We'd had a few storms lately. I found a huge dead branch clinging tenaciously to a Douglas fir. I pulled it gently down and over to make the trail difficult to traverse. I didn't think they'd try to take the dirt bikes around, but to make certain, I brought some ground water up near the surface and created huge, muddy flats on both sides of the trail.
I rushed to follow after my hawk companion. I barely got out of sight before the dirt bikes roared up the trail and came to a sputtering stop. I glanced back and could see movement, and hurried to make certain they didn't see me. As the silence filled the woods I could hear Jordan's voice, clear and strong.
"We might as well leave them here," Jordan said. "We need to get in on foot anyway. Don't want to scare it off."
"Yes," Lily agreed and her voice grew a little softer. "I assume you guys saw the bobcat running full out back there? What the hell do you think could have set him running?"
"I don't know," Jordan answered. "Make sure you have your rifle ready. Whatever is up here has to be damned dangerous."
They were right, and they took reasonable precautions for what they expected to find. I must outrace them to the danger.
I saw one little rabbit rushing down the hillside, but nothing else moved except the wind in the branches. My hawk companion circled around and landed on a branch a few yards ahead of me. I jogged up to her and stopped, catching my breath again.
"I found the monster. Up and up," she said, her head lifting.
"Is it flying?" I asked, worried.
"No. Up the hillside. Noisy. Those other humans will find it, and it will find them."
My worst fear.
"Up and up," she repeated. "By the rocks. The monster leaves a trail of bones and dead things."
I started to rush forward, wondering if I should bring the rangers in on the secret and get help destroying this thing. Very few humans know about the fae, but I trusted Jordan and Lily, though I wasn't certain who else had come up with them. If they showed up at a bad time, I would tell the group everything, and live with the results.
The decision calmed me, giving me one less thing to fret over. Under the circumstances, I didn't think I would have a problem with the rest of the fae world if I had to give away our secret.
As I stepped past the tree line, I saw something move along the shadow and rock; a hulking shape of magic almost blending into the natural magic of the world. I found him, lost him . . . and found him moving along the line of scree toward the trail where the rangers would appear.
I suspected he could scent them coming since gargoyles are damned good hunters and predators. There is something about the un-magical nature of humans which draws such predators their way, probably because they're much easier to kill than something with magic.
I suddenly had an idea which might help keep my friends away and my secret safe from them as well. I sent a sprite breeze off down the hillside, having it make enough noise to draw the rangers. I even added the bellowing sound of a bear to get their attention. I didn't think any real bears remained in the area, I hoped. And if not . . . well, the loss of a bear would be bad, but not as bad as the deaths of several rangers. Sometimes you have to make those choices. I knew the need in the logical part of my brain, but still I did my best to avoid the possibility of an animal needlessly dying.
I stood still and tested with a hint of magic, making certain they had gone chasing after my phantom. I got my breath back and calmed before I faced the real problem. I was about to take on one of the most dangerous creatures from my world. I didn't dare charge in, and I knew I wouldn't talk this one into going back. I needed a plan and a way to get closer without the gargoyle killing me.
The hawk landed beside me, patiently waiting.
And there was an answer.
"I can't," I said softly. She tilted her head. "I can't take your form. I've never done the magic before. I know others of my kind do, but I can't --"
I was babbling, and the hawk remained oddly silent, even though she knew what I suggested. She could have flown away. She should have.
"I need to get there," I said softly, feeling chill in the morning light. I thought I saw either a ghost rider or morning mist moving off to the left. "I need to get there where I can catch the gargoyle off guard."
"I know," she finally said.
"I could hurt you."
"But you will not do so on purpose. There is danger in these woods, fae. There is trouble others make. I have fought to be here with you, because I think you can end this trouble. I wish to see this monster gone."
"Thank you,"
I said. I set the release spell in my mind, ready to trigger at a thought. I reached up to rest my hand on her willing head and thinking about what I must do --
And I slipped in.
The change came too easily and startled me. I fought to keep control of myself; I didn't want to take over the hawk, only ride along. I didn't know how to fly and I needed her to do the work. Besides, this felt too strange, confined to this body without hands and arms. I wanted --
I shoved my wants and needs into the tiny corner of my being and let the hawk do what she needed to. Other fae don't like the loss of full control and they don't enjoy sharing thoughts with something which isn't akin to them.
I found the link fascinating. She could see little mice trying to run away, and she wanted to pluck them up, such tasty little tidbits there for the taking. But she lifted upward instead, sweeping into the cold, cloud-covered sky.
Flying. Really flying -- not just the race across the sky as I had done with Cato the other night. This felt far different, with the wind against our feathers turn as we skimmed over the trees and headed up toward Notchtop. We could see Grace Falls, the clarity amazing. We wanted to sail on the winds, slip off into the wilderness, away from the others --
Others. The thought finally drew my thoughts back from hers. Gargoyle.
She found the gargoyle -- I don't know how. I didn't see the great hulking rock-like creature, even when she did -- not until he moved. We swept through the sky above him and the gargoyle's wings started to unfurl. I didn't want to face the creature in the air, so the hawk and I slipped straight down to the ground and we landed in a tumble of boulders and broken trees.
Out! I thought, almost frantic and afraid.
I came out of the hawk in a flash of power -- like the heat of fire and the cold of a wind all at the same time. I stood shivering for a moment at the transition. Confused, I looked down and found I was myself. The magic had worked.
The hawk, however, walked in circles, obviously dazed. I'd been careful, and I thought she might recover soon. I carefully put her up in a nearby tree, but she fell off the branch. She panicked when I started to leave her and came after me, rushing forward on foot.
Kat Among The Pigeons Page 12
