Wyvern and Company

by Suttle, Connie

  I could see that my mounting questions would have to be asked soon; Mack and I were ill-equipped to handle all of this. Teddy Williams, too, was shaking his head in confusion. The others—they looked as if nothing Dragon said surprised them at all.

  He said they had to be imported, Mack's voice whispered in my head. Who is importing them, and why?

  I don't know, but he also mentioned gates. What are those? I replied. This is too much sci-fi for me, man.

  There's no fi in that—it's reality, dude, Mack pointed out.

  Yeah. That's what scares me.

  Our attention was turned back to the screen when Agent White showed us a map of the Everglades, and the point at which the footprint was found. The muddy ground was surrounded by a swampy area where bald cypress trees crowded in.

  "Could it be a trap?" Merrill turned to Dad and asked.

  "No idea. I can't see anything by Looking," Dad said.

  "Not good," Merrill said and leaned back in his chair. His fingers steepled and his eyes narrowed, as if he were considering the problems facing us.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  Lion had to bring the kapirus down before, Merrill sent mindspeech. While Dragon fought the Ra'Ak that appeared in Corpus Christi. We have vampires and werewolves to fight this one. What do you suggest we do?

  I have to wait until my son's life is in danger to intervene, I sent back, my anger boiling at a dangerous point. While it didn't surprise me that Ra'Ak were releasing spawn on earth in alarming numbers and sending them to make others of their kind in equally alarming numbers, it surprised and aggravated me that a second kapirus now inhabited the swamps of Florida.

  It concerned me, too, that if a kapirus were released on Earth, what else might the enemy have collared and released on an unsuspecting population? After all, the events of twenty years earlier had been isolated and quickly resolved with Kiarra's hard work and the assistance of Dragon, Lion and the handful of vampires with us now.

  Placing your son's life in danger is the last thing I wish to do, Merrill responded to my last sending, breaking me away from my train of thought. He fights well and with proper training and patience, will become an elite warrior. We are placing a new recruit into the midst of an overwhelming battle—the werewolf boy, too.

  I worry that this is a bigger trap than I originally imagined, I returned. While we can find no evidence of Ra'Ak upon the planet by Looking, we may not have sufficient information to Look for other forms of attack.

  I hear that the number of dangerous creatures throughout the universes is many and diverse, Merrill sent back. I understood he had that information from Griffin. I didn't want to bring that topic up, so I left it alone.

  You're right, I agreed. And until now, the only worry about the importation of illegal, nonindigenous creatures belonged to those worlds with space travel capability. It is illegal on all of those worlds to import anything dangerous without proper documentation and a cage strong enough to hold it.

  Do you believe these creatures are being sent through gates, then?

  It makes sense, although gates, for that sort of transport have to be held open at both ends.

  Who might accomplish that? Merrill asked.

  Elemaiya, I grumbled mentally. They're here, but as they're mostly content to kill their own, we cannot interfere. They're not sending creatures through, they're merely holding gates open, for whatever reason. At the moment, we can't prove an alliance with the Ra'Ak, even if we suspect it. Thorsten hasn't been forthcoming about that, and it's his job to watch for those things.

  "Are we ready?" Agent White interrupted our mental conversation. It was time to go; I worried for my son and those with him.

  * * *

  "Son, send mindspeech if you find that thing," I said, dropping a hand on his shoulder. We stood in tall grass not far from the swamp where the footprint was found. Dragon and I intended to find a coffee shop in Miami, close enough to fold to the Everglades in a blink should it become necessary.

  I could tell Justin was uneasy and Mack stood nearby, trepidation vibrating off him in waves. I hadn't informed Martin of the dangers they faced—I hoped it wouldn't prove necessary.

  "We're going now," I sighed, nodding to both boys. "Be safe." Dragon and I folded back to Miami.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  A feeling washed over me, like the ones I used to experience while watching a horror movie late at night and then being too frightened to sleep afterward. "Dude, I don't like this," Mack whispered as we waded through tall grass in Merrill's wake. The swish of tall, thick-bladed grasses against our jeans and the squish of damp ground beneath our feet almost drowned out his words.

  Mindspeech, Merrill cautioned both of us. Mack nodded his silent assent.

  Radomir moved closer to Merrill when the sound of something slithered through the grass ahead. Faster than the eye could follow, both vampires disappeared from view, only to reappear, holding a huge snake between them.

  What came next was terrifying—the snake became a man, who struggled in their grip.

  Chapter 10

  Justin's Journal

  Mack growled and began shucking his clothes beside me. Something about the snake bothered him, that was easy enough to see, but the man the snake became? That was worse.

  In moments, Mack's wolf stood beside me, and I noticed in a distracted way that he was taller, now. The werewolf really was growing and Mom was right—he'd need new clothes soon.

  Lion snake shapeshifter, Merrill sent back to us, referring to the snake-man. Confirmed by Dragon and your father. He's more dangerous than the kapirus, according to them.

  "You kill, I not help," the lion snake shapeshifter wriggled again.

  "What the hell?" Radomir blinked at the man he and Merrill held.

  "I say I here to help. What wrong with you?"

  "He speaks English?" Will waded through grass to get to Radomir's side. Russell wasn't far behind as they studied the man. He wasn't more than five-six or so, I noticed, when they set him on his feet.

  "Who are you?" Merrill demanded.

  "I Darzi. You Merrill. I know this. Let go. Claws hurt."

  Merrill cursed softly in Latin, but he released Darzi. Mack and I watched, as if we were witnessing the most bizarre plot twist ever.

  "Why are you here?" Merrill wasn't done with the questions. I figured Will and Russell stood nearby, just in case the snake got out of hand.

  "Asked to come. Help," he shrugged.

  "Wait, I'm getting mindspeech from Dragon," Merrill held out a hand as he listened to the mental sending. Merrill never let you know how he was feeling—he kept that bottled up, somehow. I watched as his shoulders sagged in relief after the mindspeech was over.

  "They heard from a superior," Merrill said quietly. "This one is coming home with us afterward—he's extra manpower who volunteered to help."

  Wow, Mack mouthed at me.

  "I change. Go with," Darzi nodded to Merrill and Radomir.

  "All right," Merrill conceded. We watched as the man became a snake again, disappearing below the tall grass.

  Dude, Mack shook his head. There's something you don't see every day.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  Belen sent word? Kiarra was just as surprised as I'd been.

  He did. He says the Saa Thalarr boat is sinking, so he's providing a patch. Somehow, I get the idea that Thorsten knows nothing of this. Belen also said he is engaged in settling other abnormalities, but he's still keeping an eye on us, I added.

  If that's the case, then Thorsten isn't supposed to know about this, she pointed out. Just as well, I'm so pissed at that bastard, I can't think straight. Thank goodness Belen is still concerned about us.

  We'll have another houseguest when we get back, I said. Somebody Belen approved. I wasn't sure how Kiarra felt about snakes, but Belen said he could help and I wasn't about to turn that away.

  Who?

  A lion snak
e shapeshifter.

  Seriously? We have one on our side? Do you know how cool that is? Kiarra was excited, suddenly.

  I hear we have one, I haven't met him yet. He crawled right up to Merrill and Radomir to introduce himself and almost got killed.

  Wow. I'm glad they waited, Kiarra sounded breathless. What's his name?

  Darzi, or so I hear, my sending was dry.

  I'll make sure he has a room, she replied.

  Do we have bedrooms left? I asked.

  A couple of small ones.

  Good. I've lost track of everybody. I suppose we could build another guesthouse in the back—we have enough room.

  I'll let you worry about that. I can't build anything at the moment.

  You're building our daughter. I think that's enough.

  Yeah. I hope you're right.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  They were out there—we just didn't know exactly where. We were nearly to the swamp, too, and that wasn't a good thing. Merrill asked me to Look for spawn, and there was a hotspot in our area, but it faded in and out, as if somebody were taunting us with it.

  How was that possible? I gave him the information and watched him square his shoulders. Darzi dropped back to crawl between Mack and me. Now and then, he'd lift his head and sniff by allowing his tongue to slide out.

  I guess it was a good thing I'd studied all that in biology. Therefore, when Darzi veered to the left, crossing in front of me, I followed him. He'd found something. I became Wyvern almost immediately.

  It was a good thing, too.

  That meant Mack and I were facing the kapirus instead of letting it blindside us, as it did the others.

  * * *

  Merrill—Report to Wlodek

  The monster—a kapirus as suspected, rose from the swamp to our left. The creature was ten feet tall, larger than the one we'd faced in Texas. Justin Griffin, already shifted to his Wyvern state, went on the offensive.

  The rest of us had no warning of the creature, so I cannot say how he and the young werewolf knew to go in that direction.

  It failed to matter as a ring of spawn, some of them much older than the initial wave of young ones that attacked first, hemmed us in and prevented immediate escape. Somehow, with the wavering visions the boy offered and a shield provided by something we could not find or identify, the spawn had driven us into a trap.

  As you know, that is more than improbable, as spawn have no method of communication and far less skill at devising such complicated maneuvers. Nevertheless, we formed a loose circle and fought off hundreds of them, hoping that the boy at our back held the proficiency to defeat a kapirus.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  Mack's werewolf stood at my back, protecting that side from the spawn that popped up and down from the tall grass around us like a terrible game of whack-a-mole.

  The kapirus lunged while Mack snarled and fought at my back and I was distracted for a moment. If it hadn't been for Darzi's snake, I might have gone down in two feet of marshy water.

  As it was, the kapirus leapt toward my throat, locking its teeth onto it and stealing my breath when I heard Mack yelp in pain and Kyle shout a warning behind me. My attempt to shake off the kapirus met with too much resistance and my vision began to dim—until the grip of his teeth loosened unexpectedly.

  When I dropped with a splash, a wave of dark, stinking water washed over me while I struggled to draw a breath. The kapirus grasped at Darzi's lion snake, which tenaciously held onto his throat. Within seconds, the light left the kapirus' muddy-gray eyes and he fell, while Darzi's snake let go and swam in my direction.

  I struggled to rise before the wave created by the kapirus' fall overwhelmed me, only achieving it halfway when two more monsters rose from deeper water farther into the swamp. I had no idea what was happening behind me; all I could do was rise on trembling legs and attempt to stand upright, facing this newest attack.

  Bubbles began to form around my legs and something brushed past me with a sickening swoosh and a burst of bubbles—alligators had arrived to take the spoils of the fight. I had no idea if a snake could take on alligators, or whether Darzi would provide a good meal to larger predators. Some of the alligators were longer than ten feet and had to weigh a thousand pounds.

  Dad, I sent, I think we're in trouble. My mindspeech echoed in my own head—it hadn't gone anywhere.

  How was that possible? What was preventing it from traveling away from us? It was as if someone blocked the waves of it before it could leave my head. We were alone in our battle, and that lifted my fear to a different level.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  Karzac sent mindspeech. Of all the times for things to go awry, this was the worst, I think.

  Franklin's health was deteriorating and he was now refusing Karzac's help. Karzac, as a favor to Kiarra, had been tending Franklin all along. Justin assumed that Franklin was all right, although he'd only seen him for a short time after his arrival.

  Kiarra asked me to return to Fresno, and then to fold her to Franklin's bedside, upstairs. Did Franklin realize that Justin and Merrill were both gone? Did he want to slip away quietly so there would be no painful good-byes?

  Mindspeech to Merrill would be crippling, even in the best of circumstances. I couldn't send it.

  "Franklin?" Kiarra approached his bed. A dim, bedside lamp illuminated the room while Franklin drew uncomfortable, rasping breaths. His hands, thin and withered with age, lay on the comforter that covered him. His eyes were closed, as if he were hoping the end might come soon.

  "Let me go," he gasped. "Want to."

  "But Merrill?" Kiarra took his hand in one of hers and brushed tears away with the other.

  "Best father. Tell him," Franklin whispered.

  "How can I tell him?" Kiarra held back a sob. "How?"

  "Love. Forever," Franklin said. "You. Mean it." His eyes were glassy as he made the effort to open them. "Honey, no," Kiarra dropped her head on the comforter and wept.

  "This will be hard for him to accept, you know that," I said softly, taking the chair next to the bed.

  "Know. Someday, understand."

  I hoped so, because those were the last words he spoke. Twenty minutes later, he exhaled his last breath and left us, grieving at his bedside.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  The two monsters I faced casually stalked in my direction. I'm sure they knew how easily I'd fallen prey to the first one. Darzi couldn't bite two at once, and I still wondered at how he'd killed something that large so fast. He hadn't reappeared, either, so the gators could have already gotten him.

  It didn't matter—I was bleeding, I knew that—blood dropped into the water around me, sending the alligators into a near-frenzy.

  Dude, I think my arm is broken, Mack sent, as sounds of fighting behind me pervaded my senses. I'd almost blocked it out, facing what I knew could be my end. At least mindspeech from close range worked—I'd attempted to reach Dad again, with the results still echoing inside my head.

  The swamp pulled at the feet of both monsters as they took another step toward me, the muddy waters reluctantly releasing their feet with strong, sucking noises. I forced myself to ignore the pain in my neck and stand upright, stretching my wings out to their widest.

  Making myself look larger didn't fool them for a minute. Another sucking step. Then another.

  They were close enough to jump.

  Frantically I studied them—they were armored with scales, I knew that much, as Darzi had a difficult time finding a place to bite the first one.

  Once more, I attempted mindspeech with Dad. Again, it echoed inside my head, the desperate notes mocking me and my fear as death approached.

  Somewhere behind me, Mack was injured. Perhaps dying. This time, the Dallas Pack couldn't come to our rescue.

  This time, the enemy was going to win.

  * * *

  Adam's Journal

  I knew
before Gina called. The Fire Department was on the way but her mother was trapped in a burning house and the firefighters wouldn't arrive in time.

  Yelling at Lion to come with me, I folded to the small, frame house two miles away. Gina stood outside the house while flames roared and shot high into the air—this was no ordinary fire. Part of the roof collapsed while fire sucked at the new source of fuel and sparks popped high into the night sky. Neighbors watched from their yards, many of them dressed for bed but outside, curious but unwilling to help.

  "Mom's trapped in her bedroom," Gina shouted, tears streaking her soot-smudged face.

  "We'll handle it," I said, allowing Lion to pull her away from the blaze while I formed a bubble shield about me and stalked through the front door.

  The bedroom was at the back of the house; fire surrounded the door. Sadly, iron bars covered the only outside window, keeping burglars out and Gina's mother in. She'd die if I didn't pull her away.

  Heat surrounded me and flames licked at the bubble shield; fire has no thought as to prey—it only consumes as it goes in its attempt to stay alive. I had to kick the bedroom door down—Marie Allen huddled in the farthest corner of the bedroom, her tears dried by the heat almost before they formed.

  A rush of fire bloomed and followed me into the room but it found no victim—I'd already included the terrified woman inside my shield. Striding carefully across a sagging wood floor, I lifted Marie Allen, kicked out the bedroom window and the iron bars beyond it and slid out.

  She fainted on the way and I was grateful.

  * * *

  Justin's Journal

  They were close enough to leap, like the last one had. Backing up in muddy water, I searched for solid footing in a swamp, bracing myself with my tail and hoping to withstand the onslaught.

  The first one leapt at me. I shouted, which became a roar, while flames poured from my mouth.

  The kapirus screamed, its eyes singed by my weak fire. I had no idea what to do past that point—even blinded, the monster prepared to strike again. It jumped toward me just as a huge, black-scaled hand appeared from nowhere and caught the monster by the throat in mid-leap.