“Gone?” I balked. I knew better. Energy doesn’t leave. It’s never destroyed. It just changes. And energy like that, energy that had been around since the literal genesis of the world, that’s the kind of magic that doesn’t come along twice.
“Transferred,” Mimi explained. “It can be moved. It can be taken.”
“Taken by who?” I asked. “That coven? Whoever that coven is working for?”
I remembered what that witch said, what Pearl said. Whoever the lunar coven was working for, it was a woman who both knew and probably hated me. But, using present company as an example, that didn’t exactly narrow the suspect pool down too much.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Mimi answered. “Grandma didn’t tell me that part, and she’s not answering my calls right now. Guess she’s on a smoke break or something.”
“Somebody wants to take your curse,” Andy said, glaring at me. “They want to use it to make themselves immortal.”
“Maybe,” I answered. “Or, they want to twist the magic to accomplish some other equally impossible feat.”
“Like what?” Andy asked. “What could they do with that kind of magic?”
“My curse was handed down by the Big Guy himself, no middleman. They could do anything.” I swallowed hard. “Anything they wanted.”
“And she’s the last one,” Andy deduced. “Six are already dead. They kill Merry, and they get your power.”
“It’s not that simple,” I answered. “It couldn’t be. Otherwise, why even bring me in on this? Why not just kill them all without me ever being made aware.” I took a deep breath. “No, this coven went out of its way to let me know this was happening. Bringing the bodies to my town, planting my own personal effects on them just to get my attention, and blackmailing Merry into kidnapping me; it can’t be coincidence. They need me there. They need me for the spell to work.”
“So what happens now?” Andy asked.
“We find them,” I said.
“We find them?” Mimi chimed in, throwing her hands into the air. “Let me get this straight. You just came to the conclusion that these crazy ass witches need you to finish a spell they have to do, so they can have the power to do another spell that’ll probably end the world or something. And you want to go find them? You want to deliver yourself to them like a pepperoni pizza to a frat house?”
“They’ll kill her if I don’t,” I said firmly. “And that would be on me.”
“And what if you do?” she asked. “Then what’ll happen? They could use the power they steal from you to kill millions. And that would be on you too.”
“I won’t let someone who needs me die if I can help it. I won’t let some child grow up without the people who need her.” I blinked at Mimi. “Not ever again. I thought you, of all people, would appreciate that.”
“My daddy issues ain’t got no place in this decision,” she said. “And neither do yours.”
“You all are overlooking something,” Clint finally chimed in.
“Pants?” Andy said. “Is it pants? Cause that would make this a trend.”
Clint rolled his eyes. “You’re taking for granted that we’re going to lose.”
“We?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. “Are you saying you want in on this? You’ve got dead to bury,” I said, looking around at the mound of bodies littering the parking lot.
“I have dead to avenge,” he answered. “I promise you, if my pack was here, they’d tell you that one task greatly outweighs the other. Whether you take me with you or not, I will find those responsible for felling my people. And I’ll make them pay, no matter what lengths I have to go through.”
“Even if those lengths involve putting your mouse back in its house?” Andy asked, taking off his jacket and throwing it to Clint.
He caught it and tied it around his waist.
“Thank you,” he answered.
“No, thank you,” Andy said.
“You want in, then you’re in. The more muscle the better,” I said, nodding at Clint. “But no one has to come.” My eyes drifted over to Mimi. “You can leave right now. Honestly, I’d feel better about myself if you did.”
“Which is only one of the reasons I’m not going to,” Mimi said. “The spirit world is catching wind of what’s going on. As they come across information, I need to be there to give it to you. And what’s more, my body will be rested enough for grandma to take over before long. And she’s your best shot when you decide to go up against these gravel chompers.”
“And when will that be?” Andy asked, looking at me.
“The last spell required the full moon,” I said. “I’m betting this one does too. The next one isn’t for six days now. Which means, more than likely, we’ve got the better part of a week to find out where they took Merry.”
“Or not,” Clint said, motioning to the sky.
The slivered crescent moon was inexplicably expanding.
Though I would have never believed it possible, I was actually looking at something I had never seen before; a rarity in my life.
The crescent moon stretched and rounded, becoming a full moon right before my eyes.
Our time had just run out.
“So, now then?” Andy asked, looking up into the sky.
“Now,” I answered. “We just have to figure out where they’re taking her.”
“Leave that to me,” Clint said. “If wolves are good at one thing, it’s hunting. If we’re good at two things, it’s hunting and fucking,” he grinned. “But we’re not bad at tracking either. I just need something that belonged to her. And the longer, the better. Anybody got anything like that.”
I grinned and lifted my pinky finger.
“How’s about a family heirloom? Would that work?”
28
In horror movies, people always show werewolves as tracking people like they’re animals.
Which, I suppose makes sense. After all, they are animals to a point. But, they’re more than that. They’re also mystical creatures, created and held together by the same sort of magic that the lunar coven manipulated to get us all into this mess, by the same magic that kept me standing here countless centuries after I should have been dust in the ground.
Well, more or less.
In truth though, wolves tracked in a very different manner. And Alphas even more so.
Clint wouldn’t go sniffing around Merry’s ring and follow the scent wherever it led.
He’d grabbed it, and using his wolf tracking abilities, formed a connection with her.
The stronger the tie to the item in his hands, the more potent connection. And, with something that had been in her family for as long as her grandmother’s ring had, the connection might as well have said Skype across the bottom.
“You get anything?” I asked, watching Clint’s hand close around the ring.
“She’s unconscious, but unharmed,” he answered.
“Good,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “And, do you know where they’re taking her?”
“I’d know better if her eyes were actually open, but it feels like they’re heading north.” His eyes flickered up at me. “And Callum, I don’t think they’re driving.”
“Goddamn it!” I said, kicking at the pavement.
“What am I missing?” Andy asked, looking from me to Clint and back again.
“They’re flying,” I answered, looking up at him.
“Flying?” he asked, “like on a broomstick?”
“Not that kind of flying,” I answered. “There are different frequencies in the world, like how the home of the Romani also existed inside a Baby Gap.”
“What?” Mimi asked, looking over from her cigarette.
“People who can channel magical energies can sometimes tear through those frequencies and use them to travel to different places within the world or the hidden places within the world.”
“And I’m guessing it moves a hell of a lot quicker than I-20?” Andy asked.
I nodded.
&nb
sp; “I swear, this magic shit could complicate a ham sandwich,” Andy muttered, shaking his head.
“Maybe, but it’s the world we live in,” I said.
“So where do that leave us?” Mimi asked.
“The same place it left us before,” Andy answered. “We get in that pickup and we drive north. These lunar bitches need Uncle C to get the job done. They won’t do anything to Merry without him being there.”
“You don’t know that,” I said. “And we don’t know that they’re taking her to anywhere on this frequency. There are a lot of hidden folds in this world. Our best bet — our only choice really — is to bust a hole into the frequencies and use Clint to track them once we get inside the Nexus.”
“The Nexus?” Andy asked.
“The point between the frequencies. It’s vast plane of nothingness, an endless void. I think the Catholics call it Purgatory.”
“Well, that’s comforting,” Andy answered. “All we’ve got to do is try to navigate our way through Purgatory. I’m assuming you can get lost in there?”
“Pretty easily actually,” I answered.
“Why does that not surprise me?” he murmured.
“Cause this isn’t your first rodeo,” I answered.
“Enough talking,” Clint growled. “My pack is rotting on the ground. They’ll have vengeance, regardless of where I need to go to get it.”
“And how do we get there?” Mimi asked, tossing her cigarette on the pavement and stomping it out. “I’ve been trying. Grandma’s still not answering me. I guess my body isn’t ready to be used again.” She looked over at Andy and winked, “Figuratively speaking.”
He narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down.
“We won’t need her,” I answered. “I have a plan. But we can’t do it here.” I glanced over at Clint. “If you need to call someone to attend to your pack, do it now. We’re taking a drive.”
“This is a field,” Andy said, standing beside me and looking out at the expanse of empty land that stretched out before us. “It’s a nondescript, empty field.”
“Sure is,” I answered simply.
“I’m so glad we drove half an hour to get here,” he muttered.
Clint and Mimi came walking up behind us. Luckily, one of Mimi’s gentleman callers left a pair of raggedy jeans in the backseat of her double-cab. I shuddered to imagine how they got back there.
They were a couple of sizes too big. So he had to hold them up with a piece of rope we found on the ground, but it was still better than nothing.
“I need you guys to get on three sides of me and stand back as far as you can and still be able to hear me,” I said.
“Okay…” Mimi started. “Why?”
“Because if you can hear me, then I can hear you. And I’m going to need to be able to hear what you call me, if this is going to work.”
“Good Lord!” Andy snapped. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
“I think I am thinking what you think I’m thinking,” I said. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m not saying your name,” he shook his head. “My entire life you’ve told me how dangerous it is.”
“And I was right to do it, but we’re in a weird situation.” I nodded. “Saying my name produces some kind of energy. It comes from the earth, I think. And, if I try hard enough, I think I can harness it.”
“And if you can’t?” Andy asked, his jaw tightening the way it did anytime I was about to do something stupid, which happened a lot more than either of us would have liked.
“Well, that’s why we’re out here in the middle of nowhere. There’s not really anything that can get wrecked if I screw this up. So, I’m going to need the three of you to get as far away from me as you can, and start screaming my name at me. It’ll produce energy. I’ll try to grab ahold of it and use as much of it as I can to punch a hole through the frequencies.” I swallowed hard. “But, if something happens, I want you guys to get the hell out of here. The minute things start going south, you haul ass. You understand?”
“I don’t like it,” Andy said, which didn’t surprise me.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to. You just have to do it.”
Andy glared at me for a long moment, but then turned and starting walking out into the field.
Clint and Mimi followed suit.
I walked out into the field, settling at an equal distance between the three.
I took a deep breath. This seemed so out of place, so in opposition to the norm. I had spent most of my existence trying to stop people from saying my name, trying to outrun all of the carnage it would cause.
And here I was, invoking the damn thing and exploiting the curse for all it was worth.
Here’s hoping it actually worked.
I nodded at Andy and he started.
He was low at first, which was to be expected. He had seen the hell that saying my name could unleash on everything around.
I looked over at Mimi and then Clint. They both started too, albeit much louder.
I felt the energy. The world started to shake under me, looking for something — anything — to drive this force into.
Other than being assaulted by them, I didn’t have a whole lot of experience with magics. Still, I knew enough to channel, and this was connected to me, which made it all the easier.
I pulled at it, bringing it into me.
Feeling it build up, I took a deep breath.
The power was insane; as destructive as anything I had ever felt before.
It rumbled up through me. The earth quieted as they continued to say my name over and over again. The power funneled up into my chest, speeding up my heart, and causing me to sweat in cold sheets.
“Uncle C,” I heard Andy yell, breaking out of his ‘Cain’ routine.
“Keep going!” I assured him. “I’m fine! Keep going!”
Metal flooded my mouth, the taste of blood and copper.
It was okay. It wouldn’t kill me. It couldn’t.
Blood trickled from my nose, dripping onto the ground below.
I heard them in the distance.
“Cain. Cain. Cain. Cain. Cain.”
It was an onslaught, a terrorizing of my senses.
But it wasn’t enough. Not yet.
“Cain. Cain. Cain.”
I held it in so tightly that it felt like the top of my head might blow clean off.
That wouldn’t kill me either, though it wouldn’t be much fun.
I heard it once more. “Cain.”
A rumble shot through me and I knew it was all I could take.
It was now or never.
Using the bit of focus I had left, I channeled all the power flowing through me into my fist.
And then, I punched at the air.
It caught hold, and I felt reality itself tear under my force.
A hole formed in all that was, and I released the energy into it.
Shuddering as it left me, I fell to my knees.
“Come on,” Andy’s voice was behind me. His hands pulled me to my feet. “You sure about this?”
“Hell yes,” I said, breathing heavy.
My eyes cut over to the others.
“Still got the ring?” I asked Clint.
He nodded.
“Then let’s go,” I said.
I shot a look back at Mimi. It was still her, still her eyes.
I had done so much to her, taken so much. It seemed wrong for me to take more. But she was grown woman, and she was making her own decision. I needed to respect that.
So I mouthed, ‘be careful’ and jumped through the hole.
I found myself floating, swimming in a scape of nothing as vast as any ocean.
The darkness was oppressive, though I could still see the others. So maybe it wasn’t darkness at all. Maybe the black that I thought was shading everything was just the landscape. Maybe it was just that empty.
“Where do we go?” I asked, looking over at Clint as he swam through t
he void alongside me. “Where do you feel them?”
“This way,” he nodded to the left and we changed course.
Andy and Mimi swam in tandem right behind me.
Seeing them together was a trip. One, I had left to grow up without me in what had to be one of the biggest mistakes in a life full of pretty huge ones.
The other, was the closest thing I would ever have to a son.
And here they were, both with me when I needed them.
I didn’t deserve that.
A chill ran down my spine and I knew we were in trouble.
I had only been in the Nexus once before, tracking down a particularly nasty individual who I’d rather not go into right now.
But, I knew how dangerous it could be, and not just because you could get lost and drift aimlessly for all eternity.
“What the hell is that?” I heard Mimi asked from behind me.
Turning back, I saw it.
A ragged black specter with glowing yellow eyes and long fingers that stretched out into forever was coming up on us quickly.
“It’s a soul,” I said instantly. “A lost soul.”
“A soul?” Andy asked. “That thing was a person?”
“Sometimes, people get lost after they die. Sometimes, they get stuck here on their way to somewhere else.”
“We have to help him,” Mimi said softly.
“We can’t!” I yelled. “We don’t have the power to do that. This place is like a sea and that soul is drowning here. Think of what happens when you try to save a drowning man.”
“He pulls you down with him,” Andy said.
“And that’s what’ll happen if it catches you. It’ll pull you down and keep you here trying to save itself. We have got to go faster!”
I wriggled, speeding up.
“Clint!” I yelled.
“Right up there!” Clint said, pointing to a speck of light off in the distance.
It was a way out, something only the living could see while in here.
I turned.
The specter was closer now, gaining on us. We couldn’t outrun it. Not all of us anyway.
“This is gonna sound cheesy, but go to the light,” I said, nodding at Mimi and Andy.
Mark of Cain (Immortal Mercenary Book 1) Page 19
