HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

  “Well, there’s a bit more to it, with Rayner and so forth. But I think so. I’m pretty sure, actually. I mean, that’s what I’ve gathered from all this information…” I trailed off.

  “How much time would we have?” Kalin asked abruptly. “We’d let him out, the boys wake up, and then what? The Deadlands would be open to this world, the battle lost.”

  “Not necessarily,” I said, pushing my glasses up. “If we were quick, we could shut the gate.”

  “Of course, and then Sivulk would fall – he cannot exist in this world without the gate open…” Aunt Sil sounded thoughtful. “This is a clever plan. But we’d need Quickfoot – well, all of them…”

  “It could work,” Hazel said. “Rayner, what do you think?”

  He was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. “No.”

  A shock went through the room.

  “What, why not?” Sky burst out, recovering first. “This is the best shot we’ve got.”

  “Too many what-ifs,” Rayner said. “Too many chances for the Skinwalker and Sivulk to claim victory, and easily.” He stood up. “I will offer myself up in exchange.”

  My entire body went cold as the girls broke out into a chorus of protest. Aunt Sil was shaking her head. “You think if we run, we can escape it? There will be nowhere to hide, Rayner.”

  “Do you honestly think Cree, Wes, Ben, and Burr will just wake up and come along with us?” Sky shouted at him. “They will run to you immediately!”

  “Lie, then,” Rayner said harshly, and she flinched away.

  “Rayner, what are you going to do?” I asked into the silence. “What if that doesn’t work?”

  His face was a mask as he gazed at us, seeing straight through us, straight through me. And he shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll think of something. This is my burden, after all.”

  “Our burden, Rayner,” Hazel spoke up softly, her voice hard as iron.

  “No, mine.” He got up and strode through the room. On the threshold, he paused and glanced back. “Tell you what, I’ll think about it. But I make no promises.” He didn’t look at me, but it felt like a slap to the face anyways. “I’m sorry.”

  A sense of the surreal came over me. Even when Rayner shifted into a coyote, I did not feel this kind of disbelief and confusion. No! A voice was screaming. This isn’t happening.

  Nim appeared, nestling his head onto my lap, and I saw Sky racing out of the room. Leaning down, I rubbed his silky ears and tried not to cry.

  An arm slipped around my shoulder, then another. Kalin and Willow had also come over and were holding onto me. Hazel sat on the floor, patting Nim and holding my knee.

  Four brave women, I thought dazedly. At least I’ll have them.

  “Wait a minute,” I murmured, and sat up straight. Kalin and Willow fell back.

  Hazel looked up at me, tilting her head. “What’s wrong?”

  Gripping my notebook, I flipped to where I’d made notes about the five who could lock the gate. It had to be coyote shifters or a servant, yes, but I’d also found indications that it could be…

  A shaman, a guardian, a warrior, a scribe, and a trickster.

  “Oh my god,” I murmured, a laugh escaping me. “I didn’t realize…”

  Sky came back, her face flushed and eyes bright. “Paige, you should talk to him.”

  “Come here,” I said, gesturing, and the four girls clustered around me. “I think I have another plan. One that might actually work even better.”

  Sky came running around the corner of the house and I caught her. “Did you do it?” I asked in a low voice.

  She nodded, eyes sparkling. “Yes! Don’t worry Paige, it’s a good plan.”

  “Let’s just hope it works,” I murmured. Suddenly I found myself in a tight embrace and I awkwardly patted Sky on the head. “What was that for?”

  “For helping us put the puzzle together and working so hard.” She stepped back. “And for making my brother happy. He’s always been a bit of a martyr, but it’s gotten out of hand since he found about Soren.” Her mouth curved down.

  “Soren?” I echoed. “Who’s that?”

  A startled, incredulous look came over Sky’s face. “Rayner said he told you everything.”

  Anger snapped, deep inside of me. “That’s what he told me, too.”

  Biting her lip, Sky explained and my vision seemed to go black. She filled in the thread that was missing from the story, one that tied everything together.

  And suddenly, everything made sense.

  Why Rayner was desperate to keep us out of it, why he was punishing himself and why he also wanted to run away, both now and when it was all over.

  At the end of it, I nodded and squeezed her shoulders. “Thank you for telling me that.”

  “Um, try not to be too upset with him,” Sky said as I stalked away. “It hasn’t been easy.”

  I nodded jerkily and hurried to find Rayner. He was brooding under a tree in the corner of the garden, twirling a leaf between his fingers. A scowl flitted across his face when he saw me.

  “Did Sky send you?” he asked, flinging away the leaf.

  “No,” I said stiffly. “Not exactly.”

  “Paige, I’m…” Rayner couldn’t meet my eyes and my throat went tight.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Soren?” I demanded in a low voice.

  His head flew up and his fists clenched by his sides. “I couldn’t,” he finally said.

  Sinking to the ground in front of him, I let my fingers tangle in the cool grass. “Rayner,” I said, as gently as I could, “I understand why, but that information could be crucial. I feel like I read something about brothers and with you as a second son, how that’s a power in and of itself…”

  “No. He’s not my brother. He was my half-brother,” Rayner interrupted. “My brothers now are Wes, Cree, Ben, and Burr. And I love you Paige, but I will do whatever it takes to save them. To save you.”

  I stared at the ground, watching the green warp in my vision and then up at him. “You…”

  Rayner was standing up and offered me a hand. I was shaking as he helped me to my feet and then pulled me close. His lips pressed against mine with a sense of finality.

  And I couldn’t catch my breath.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured in my ear as he held me. “I can’t promise…” His voice broke. “Be happy. For me.”

  With that, he tore himself away and strode into the fading light, leaving me alone under the tree. I sank to my knees, a hand at my mouth, wondering if my plan would work after all.

  Wondering if even if it did work whether anything could work between Rayner and me.

  A tear fell to my lap and I closed my eyes. He never promised to stay with me in any words.

  No matter how many times I asked.

  Chapter 17

  It was somewhere after midnight when I left. Silent, I stole across the lawn, not looking back at the sleeping house. All around me was a hushed silence, with no breath of wind or animal stirring. Time had run out. There were no other choices. I had to do this – for all of them.

  Passing the healing tent, I stopped and laid my hand on the canvas wall. A soothing warmth pressed against my palm, but the rest of me was cold with purpose.

  I wish you long days of happiness and peace, brothers.

  Then, shouldering my bag, I headed off into the dark woods.

  Aunt Sil was sure the Skinwalker would reappear tomorrow, the day before the solstice, to demand the Moonstone again. But I was leaving now, the Moonstone tucked into my bag along with map, colored with a route to Central Mountain. I knew these lands well, but it never hurt to plot out a route that would keep me safe from unfriendly eyes.

  I’d planned on shifting once I was past the wards around Aunt Sil’s house, but I found myself reluctant to and kept walking, the air freezing my bones. It was almost as though I didn’t want to get warm. Memories were pushing into my mind, inexplicably of the day before I went to go get Paige.
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br />   “We need someone who can make sense of all of this!” Kalin had exclaimed, glaring down at the papers and maps encircling her. “Whitsy, maybe?”

  “I’m not sure this is his area of expertise,” Hazel had murmured, frowning over a book.

  “I don’t think a person like this exists,” Sky had sighed, flopping back. “It’s too specific and general at the same time. Someone who knows Montana geography, as well as old legends and Native American folklore? People are too specialized nowadays.”

  “Also geology,” Sky added, and I started.

  Willow was in the other room, on the phone with her brothers and I could hear the murmur of her voice, attempting to be reassuring. Once she hung up, she appeared and rubbed her cheeks. “Juniper and Fox want to come back right away. They better not. Any luck?”

  “It’s impossible,” Sky groaned and the room went silent.

  “I know someone,” I’d forced myself to say after a moment.

  At that, Willow had zeroed in on me. “Oh? Is it a girl?” Her smirk rivaled Burr’s.

  “Why do you ask that?” I’d asked in a tight voice. “That has no bearing – this isn’t the time.” Flustered, I snatched up a book and glared at it.

  “I could tell by the tone of your voice. And I’m only doing what Burr would have done,” she retorted, and I flipped aimlessly through the pages. “So what’s her name?”

  The rest of the girls had stopped doing what they were doing and sat up alertly. For the first time in a few days, each of them was smiling and their gazes were bright.

  “She sounds smart and pretty,” Hazel said in a tone of satisfaction.

  “I haven’t even–” I started to say.

  “Rayner!” Sky squealed and threw a pillow at my head. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Well, there’s–”

  “Does she live close?” Kalin asked, looking thoughtful.

  “I’m not sure, maybe–”

  “What is her name, Rayner?” Willow asked again.

  In my mind, I was comparing their reactions to my brothers, who would have given me hell and made jokes at my expense. The girls were much nicer. Yet still, in a way, each of them were “standing in” as Willow had said.

  “It’s Paige. Paige Green,” I muttered. “She was on the survey.”

  “Paige?” Hazel exclaimed. Everyone glanced at her as she went pink. “Oh,” she murmured, twisting her fingers together and biting her lip. “Um, I need to apologize to her.”

  “You, Hazel?” Willow gasped and then began to laugh.

  Hazel went even pinker. “She um, asked me about Ben before we got together and I wasn’t very polite. I kind of freaked out on her. But that’s when I thought he hated me!”

  The girls made sounds of laughter and sympathy as they now asked Hazel questions.

  As they talked, I remembered I’d dully wondered how hard it would be to convince her to come. And how I would have to walk a fine line between telling her too much and keeping her safe and telling her enough to help my brothers. Then all I could wonder was how much Paige hated me.

  I winced. Now I wondered how much she would hate me when she woke up tomorrow and found my note – with my pathetic apology as to why I couldn’t do the one thing she’d asked of me.

  As dawn approached, I paused on a small hill south of Central Mountain. To the east, the valley spread out, a small town barely visible on the horizon. I’d only rested a few hours, fitfully and not deeply. Exhausted, I stared up at the jagged peak and gripped my bag.

  Shifting last night had been strange. It was almost like I’d struggled to do it, something that had never happened before. And now, both my body and mind were sluggish.

  Lifting my nose, a foul smell teased beneath the breeze and I bristled. Sulfur and ash.

  The stench of the Deadlands.

  Here I’d leave my backpack and continue on with only the Moonstone. Reaching in my bag, I found it secure in the side pocket and then I paused. It was rough.

  No, what?

  I pulled out a flat, pale gray stone and a paper crinkled underneath. Tearing it open, I read the first words and let out an exasperated growl.

  Rayner – don’t panic. We, well I, knew what you were going to do. But I have a plan.

  A good one!

  It will work. I promise.

  “Paige,” I growled under my breath. “What the hell did you do?” Smoothing it out, I read further and then tried to smother an incredulous laugh. “What? This is your plan?”

  As I read it again, my breathing slowing down, hope leaped through my chest.

  “You’re right, this could work…” I murmured as I opened another pocket and pulled out a vial. Holding it up, I shook my head. “But now you’re not playing with fire, you’re playing with an inferno.” I let out a sigh, deliberating. “Okay, Paige.”

  Gripping the fake stone, I let my hand warm until it went white from the heat. Lifting my head, I was surprised to find a smile spreading across my face.

  Paige’s last line danced through my head.

  Tricking the trickster.

  And then I let the paper fall to the ground, smoldering into a ball of ash.

  Warmth was flooding through me now and I laughed. “If this works…” I murmured, walking down the hill and staring up to Central Mountain. “Damn, I hope this works.”

  The mountain was green and lush from a distance, but as I got closer, all of that started to vanish. Burned patches appeared, along with the skeletons of trees. A dark scar ran diagonally across the mountain peak as I stared up at it. Then I saw the slinking shadow of a mountain lion high among stones.

  As I climbed the mountain, I had to stop and rest. It wasn’t so much that it was high, but there was a grim shadow that clung to it. Something that befouled it and had no place there. It poisoned the air and confused the eye. My shifter instincts raged, demanding it be put right, but I ignored them.

  Climbing to the peak, I came across a wide clearing. Two cougars lifted their heads, but I ignored them and stepped forward.

  At the edge of the clearing, staring across the valley, a twisted and tall figure stood. It was all black, a blot against the sky and earth. Slowly it turned around, a look of puzzlement crossing its twisted face, followed by cruel amusement.

  “What’s this? You, here, Rayner?” A smirk tugged up in its cheek. “Ah, yes. Come to beg?”

  “No, I’ve come to talk to Sivulk,” I said calmly, belying the pulse pounding in my throat.

  “Hm, not sure that can be arranged. However, riddle me this: isn’t your life tied to your brothers?” The Crooked Man tilted its head. “I could kill you right now and be done with you and your kin forever. It is so tempting, Rayner. Shall I?”

  “You could, but I doubt your master would be pleased,” I retorted evenly.

  Blue eyes flashed red, then the Crooked Man’s face darkened and it shuddered into its Skinwalker form. “Coyote,” it said, speaking in a silkier and crueler voice. “You called?”

  I held out the fake moonstone. “In exchange for this, I ask that you let my brothers go free.”

  It eyed me and chuckled. “That was not my doing, though I was impressed at Soren’s cleverness. No one had ever thought of something quite so calculated and vicious. Bad blood, eh?”

  “I don’t mean now; I mean in the future.” I swallowed. “After I let you out.”

  The sky seemed to darken, even though the sun should have been rising. The Skinwalker cocked its head, eyeing me and taking me in. For several moments, there was silence, then it spoke slowly, “You cannot. Only the five together possess that ability.” Its eyes gleamed. “You could give it to my servant, however.”

  “There is another way,” I said, sweat beading on my temples. “With shifter blood. Akba Atadia’s blood on the thorn and vine.” Stashing the fake moonstone in my pocket for a moment, I pulled out a knife. “Although it will only free you, not the Ash Walkers. That’s my deal.”

  It looked surprised
and then suspicious. “What’s your game, coyote? You know what I will do. No Ash Walker is needed if I am here.”

  “No game. And if it was, we lost. You can even take me as a gesture of goodwill,” I said in a low voice, gripping the knife in a shaking hand. With my other hand, I carefully pulled out a small vial I’d secreted there and it almost slipped away from my sweaty fingers. “My life for theirs.”

  “Ah, you shifter brothers are bound even more closely than your blood-kin, I suppose.” A ravenous look was coming over the Skinwalker’s face and a greedy smile spread across it. “Fine, I accept. I could never turn down a deal in which I got the better end.”

  It held out its arm and a long black vine, pierced with deadly thorns. The ground rippled and it sprang free from the ground in front of me. Flicking off the tab from the bottle, I poured the contents onto the vine as I slashed at my own palm. Red hit black and the vine withered, turning to gray ash.

  A laugh burst from the Skinwalker as its jaw elongated, making its grin all the more twisted. Suddenly it seemed to pull away from itself, as a shadow might detach from a person if it became sentient. Oozing and thrashing, Sivulk pulled free, and Soren stumbled back, his face gray and twisted, hands deformed, but suddenly far more human than he’d been before.

  Meanwhile, Sivulk was staring down at his form of ash and hellfire, grinning as he opened and closed his fists. Then he threw his head back and inhaled deeply.

  “Ah, I have missed the world,” he said. “My thanks for safe passage, shifter.”

  Soren was clutching at himself, his hands shaking and his eyes lost. “What is happening?” In the distance, I saw the cougars shaking their heads as though waking up from a bad dream and rushing away. “Why are you doing this?”

  “You served your purpose, Soren,” Sivulk said with a grating laugh. “My thanks, too. Both of you brothers have been so useful. Your brother’s blood and your form.”

  At that moment, Soren glanced at me and my stomach roiled. A scar ran down Soren’s face, over his chin and tracing down his neck, before vanishing into his shirt.

  On one side he was human and blue-eyed; the other was red-eyed, gaunt, and cracked with red-black lines. Half-Skinwalker.