Compelled

by Shawntelle Madison

  As my hand hovered over the bark, waiting for the watch’s minute hand to hit twelve, I thought of Kiev. Every landmark I remembered from books and my studies in Russian literature. The Pechersk Lavra, with its golden-tipped buildings built so many centuries ago. Then St. Sophia’s Cathedral and Independence Square flashed through my mind. I just needed a place close enough for me to do what needed to be done.

  When the minute hand struck twelve, I fell toward the tree and grabbed it. The full power from the jump point shot through me, rolling over me like hard ocean waves. There was no escape, no way to fight the overwhelming feeling of drowning—then all that disappeared as the day turned into night and the ocean breeze became another kind of wind altogether.

  I’d placed us right on the edge of a tall downtown building.

  Chestibor cursed, turning sharply to grab the thick, gray bricks on the wall. The brothers followed suit.

  “Have we reached hell?” Dragomir whispered.

  Not hell, but close to it―rush hour in downtown Kiev.

  Wind from between the grand buildings whistled to us. I tried to scoot right far too quickly, and plummeted down.

  I expected to see the ground racing toward me, but I fell onto a balcony instead.

  Thud!

  Blazh called my name from above. The stone structure held my weight just fine, but the concrete wasn’t forgiving and my cheek slammed into it with a hard thunk.

  Ouchie. Why did everything have to hit my face?

  Balance was one of my fortes, but not like this. I rolled onto my back and cracked open one eye to see the guys climbing down after me.

  “That didn’t look good at all,” Chestibor tried to whisper to Dragomir.

  “I heard that,” I muttered. Blazh helped me stand. As much as I was in pain, I couldn’t help feeling exuberance. In the distance, I spied Independence Square and tried to grin. My face exploded in pain. Reaching up gingerly, I touched the skin. My cheekbone was broken and the puffiness meant I’d done other kinds of damage. An audible crunch along my jaw told me my body had begun the process of healing. Lovely.

  But the good news first. I pumped my fist. I did it. I’d set them free!

  Now the next question remained. How the hell would I get them down? I glanced through the balcony’s glass doors into the dark room beyond. Breaking in was an option, but getting them through the building would be a problem with security. A sigh escaped me. I’d have to either break in or get down the old-fashioned way.

  As I took in the busy street below I wondered if I dared to jump and see how well I manipulated the wind. Or maybe how fast I’d meet the ground to break more than my face.

  After climbing off the balcony, our ragtag group descended slowly down the wall, taking it easy to remain in the shadows as much as possible. With my luck though, we were seen. The guys had medieval garb on and Dragomir had a pretty big sword sheathed at his hip.

  When I reached the second floor, a small crowd had gathered, their phones out to record our progress to the ground. Well done, keeping things undercover, Nat.

  “Are you doing a stunt for TV?” one man asked in Ukrainian. “Are we on TV right now?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I replied in what little Ukrainian I knew.

  Folks glanced around and we beat a hasty exit before the cops showed up. As we ran down the street, the sounds of sirens increased behind us. Damn they were fast around here.

  The food smells hit me next. Not that what the acolytes had served me had been bad or anything, but grilled fish wasn’t the same as creamy fettuccine or even Dunkin’ Donuts. Yep, downtown Kiev has one. All the stores I passed smelled so good. Even the street vendors I passed made the wolf in me pant with excitement.

  Culture shock flashed across the guys’ faces at every corner. From the women to the cars and bright street lights. The crowds here in the city center were thick and I tried to get us out of there as fast as I could.

  According to Blazh, we had to head northwest toward the town of Kozelets off the Oster River. So northwest we went. The trip out of the city took forever, especially with a pit stop to a goblin’s coffee shop to charge my phone for a spell. I had plenty of messages, but not much time to check them. The goblin was about as stingy as Bill, charging me by the minute.

  “I don’t know why you werewolves think you can push people around,” the goblin said under the glamour of a balding young man. “I own the power here. If you want to chit-chat away on your little talking box you can pay me the money I deserve.”

  The acolytes remained quiet, taking the coffee I offered without sour comments to the irate shopkeeper. Maybe this new world was too much for them.

  I didn’t know the bus system, so we took the subway to Kiev’s outskirts. From there, we walked northwest.

  According to the map on my phone, the place Blazh described had to be at least eighteen hours away by foot. That was way too much of a jaunt for anyone on a quest.

  We kept going anyway. Another option would present itself sooner or later. As we walked, I couldn’t help but think about my friends. Oh, Tyler. What had happened to him and the twins? I called him, but he didn’t answer his phone. Had they escaped the house okay? I could only hope the twins took good care of him.

  The city turned into the countryside. The guys cheered up a bit when the distractions from the city melted away.

  It was amazing how within the last couple of weeks I’d gone from Russia to Finland and now the Ukraine. As much as I wished I could’ve had a real vacation here, I’d settle for this much.

  With a group so large and so strange, we had trouble finding transportation to take us out of the city. I was the only one who had any money to speak of—in the wrong currency—but we found a truck driver who took the American dollars and was eager to earn his pay.

  “It’s not often I get a pretty girl in my truck. Are you married?” he asked.

  “Very much so, but I’m flattered.” I tried to be friendly, really I did.

  He shrugged. “You can’t blame a man for trying.”

  By twilight, we reached Kozelets. The historic town that was the final resting place of the band of werewolves who never made it to Kiev. Along the way to the town center, we passed beautiful white cathedrals with green rooftops. The place had a small-town feel to it.

  “Any ideas where we’ll find the site?” I asked Blazh.

  “The merchant told me the original location was at least a mile to the east of the town center. The only important descriptors were that the house had a stone path with pine and spruce trees. A well was not far from the house, too.”

  “That could be anything…” I said.

  Chestibor gave me stern eye. “Back in my time, we’d have no problem with this. Right now, not so much.”

  He had a point there.

  Blazh found a patch of grass in front of a shop and rested his hand on the green blades. He mumbled a bit under his breath.

  “Can any of you sense them?” I asked him.

  “There’s something to the east, but I’m not sure if it’s them.” Blazh sighed and ran his hand over his head.

  We had no choice but to search.

  So we went east, following the pull Blazh detected in the ground. After a long walk, we reached what was left of a house on an embankment. All that remained were the stones, covered in grass high as my knees and a nearly hidden well.

  “There’s power hiding here,” Blazh said firmly. “We have found it, my friends.”

  Everyone nodded with smiles all around.

  My smile ended when I looked beyond the stones to where the green grass died. The yellowed patch of earth was circular and extended wide enough for a group of people to stand within it.

  Not a single living thing grew here.

  We really had found it.

  A dying place for trapped souls.

  Chapter 17

  No one followed me as I approached the dead patch. I didn’t go all the way though, just lingering along the edge. A wise wolf d
idn’t jump into danger. A stench, similar to rotting flesh, reached my nose and my face scrunched up.

  “Death lives here,” I whispered.

  Radomir joined me and nodded. His older brother paced not far from us, his grip tight on the sword on his hip.

  “So what do we do now, then?” Chestibor asked.

  “Someone used dark magic to seal them inside,” Blazh said softly.

  “Any ideas as to what trapped them?” Dragomir asked. “Now that we’re finally here after all this time, I thought the answer would be clear, but it’s not. I wondered what would keep such powerful men and women in this spot.”

  “Something terrible indeed,” Blazh said. “This type of magic was before our time. As to what trapped them I hope it isn’t around here.”

  I glanced at Blazh. “So what do we do now?”

  “We prepare.” He appeared thoughtful. “For the next one hundred days.”

  Dragomir and Radomir gathered wood while Chestibor prepared a fire faster than most folks lit gas fireplaces.

  “Whoa there!” I grabbed Blazh’s arm. “I don’t have one hundred days for us to prepare to set them free. Thorn might be…My time might run out before then. Is there a reason why we have to wait?”

  Blazh rolled his eyes as if he wanted to humor me. “I’ve waited countless moons for this day. Everything must be perfect. We must feast to gather strength! We must rest! We must cleanse ourselves.”

  “I feel clean. Didn’t we sleep last night?”

  “That is not what I meant, Natalya.” He left me behind to go through his bag.

  I couldn’t help but feel disappointment. Maybe after some rest I could think of a way to convince them.

  Soon enough the other acolytes had set up camp. The two brothers had left to hunt up the evening meal.

  I didn’t have the heart to tell them their options were limited and we were better off finding a butcher shop.

  I plopped down on the cold grass, not caring to look where I sat. All I felt was regret. I could’ve been in St. Petersburg right now. I might’ve had a longshot chance to convince the local packs to help the wizards, but I could’ve tried.

  Time passed, long enough for me to doze off. A hard tap to my shoulder woke me up.

  It was Blazh and his eyes were wild and harried. “We need to move!”

  He pushed me toward the dead field.

  “What’s going on?” I blurted, trying to find my bearings.

  “Something is following us.” Blazh found a spot near the edge of the field and sat.

  Not again. Had the warlocks found me again? If so, how the hell did Cato pull this one off?

  Blazh continued. “While the brothers were out hunting, they spotted something strange along the river. Dragomir led it away while Radomir returned to warn us. He said we won’t have much time before the diversion falls through.”

  “Why don’t we run away and come back later?” I took a spot next to him and the reality of the situation was like getting dunked in cold water.

  “I’m not letting this opportunity go. Not after waiting for so long.” The eager look in his eyes vanished, only to be replaced with hesitation. He’d been put on the spot to perform.

  “Might as well get this done and over with, right?” He gave me a shaky smile. “It shouldn’t take long to bring them out of the fold and reform them here. We’ll be done before Dragomir comes back.” He offered his hand and I reluctantly took it.

  “The earth magic is like a piece of parchment here,” he whispered to me. “Like someone has folded it multiple times into a shape that covered those who are imprisoned here.”

  My face scrunched up. “Like origami.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  “It’s an art form where you take thinly flattened paper-like materials and fold them into shapes like birds or animals. It’s quite beautiful.”

  “You’ll have to show me sometime.” He took a deep breath. “Are you ready to begin?”

  “As ready as I can be,” I murmured.

  The night sky was clear as we began chanting. I stumbled over the words—it was far too a long a spell for me to memorize in such a short time. But he should be able to say it backwards at this point.

  When he paused for breath, I remarked, “You’re not much of an acolyte anymore.”

  His grin was brief and his brown eyes shined. “A student should learn humility before he becomes a master.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  He began to chant again, encouraging me to follow. As I listened, I recognized many terms from what Tamara taught me. The best way to describe it would be like a chef putting together a recipe. Earth tugging against water, fire pulling at the wind.

  As we continued to speak, in my peripheral vision I spotted Chestibor pacing and Radomir with his gaze fixed on the horizon.

  Blazh tapped my leg and pointed toward the tainted land.

  Focus, his eyes said. Not much time.

  I closed my eyes and continued to chant. As time went on, something happened. A buzz formed in my toes and another strange sensation fluttered against my face. Almost like a hand holding my head in place.

  In the back of my mind, Blazh continued to work. The stench of ozone grew stronger and made my nose run and eyes water.

  The first sign of true werewolf magic.

  Blazh’s voice deepened when Radomir shouted something behind us. I wanted to tear away, to straighten and listen, but whatever I drew out of the field forced me to look straight ahead. Visions of light danced before my eyes. I spotted what looked like twelve men and women not far from us. Their eyes were trained on Blazh and me, their gaze blank and unwavering. I wanted to look away, to focus on where Radomir and Chestibor had gone. I couldn’t smell them anymore.

  “What’s going on?” I finally whispered. “Radomir...” My voice sounded far away to my ears.

  A hand touched my leg, the grip firm. “We’re under attack, Natalya,” Blazh said to me. Yet I didn’t hear him with my ears. The message came from elsewhere.

  “How are you speaking to me right now?” I asked in my head.

  “The spell has bound us together until one of us breaks it apart. If either of us breaks it, we will never save these people.”

  Our bodies were vulnerable. Anything could be happening right now. “But what about the others? What’s going on?”

  “We can’t look behind us anymore. Only ahead.”

  My heartbeat was loud to my ears in this place. I looked at the people in the field and watched as the discoloration over them passed from reds to greens. What once had been a scene frozen in front of me moved like a movie going from slow motion to full play. One man looked to me and pointed, his eyes growing wide in fear.

  Shouts behind me increased. What the hell was going on beyond Blazh and me?

  The fold around the spellcasters was shifting. Whatever boundary existed in front of us collapsed. Like fish caught on a line, they floated in our direction.

  Blazh chanted faster and I stumbled over the words. The faces of the people in the field contorted into an angry sneer, and I tried to keep my focus.

  One man in particular was taller than the rest. I couldn’t make out his eye color, but he had the most piercing eyes. He stared at me, or maybe he stared right through me. Then the bubble containing them shrank down to a point of light.

  At that moment, I had no idea what was going on. Did Blazh plan any of this?

  A hand touched my shoulder in the haze, but I ignored it. Someone was reaching out to me, someone other than Blazh. Their breath fanned my fears. They were shouting at me, but I couldn’t hear them. What were they saying? Was it something important?

  Were the acolytes in mortal danger?

  “Nat?” The voice was faint. Somehow, I stopped chanting.

  “Natalya, you have to wake up.” Blazh’s voice entered the din as my eyes slowly opened to see the real world.

  Smoke now filled the countryside. My whole body ached. Wh
en I tried to turn my head, it throbbed.

  “What’s going on?” I mumbled.

  Blazh touched my shoulder again, his movements sluggish. “We can’t stay here anymore. We’re under attack.”

  “From what?” I blurted.

  “Dragomir couldn’t lead them away anymore. Radomir said he saw some warlocks coming so he left to help his brother.” Lights danced along the horizon. The breeze to the west brought the stench of burnt flesh, ozone, and thick smoke. I could barely see Dragomir and Radomir fighting in the distance. They were holding back whatever was coming for us.

  “We need to help them,” I managed to say.

  “Neither of us is in any condition to assist.” Blazh’s eyes were still toward the field, toward the floating point of light.

  “Blazh?” I whispered.

  “I had them.” His smile widened then faltered. “I did, but—”

  “But what?”

  “There’s no time left to finish what must be done.”

  I tried to stand, but my legs had turned to jelly. Weakness clung to my limbs. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time. The memory came to me and I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t felt this way since Nick had drained me of power to save our lives from the pack in Maine when they’d attacked us.

  Pain blossomed anew when I moved my head.

  My voice was firm when I spoke though. “How much time do you need?”

  “Too much. They’re getting closer.”

  The cloud of fire and dust advanced. I couldn’t make out our friends in the haze.

  “But we can’t give up! Are we close?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” he groaned, obviously in pain.

  I couldn’t just sit here and let them die. I ignored my discomfort and managed to stand.

  “You will abandon the old magic spellcasters and leave us!” he thundered. His words had a sharp finality.

  We had to be close. We’d freed them from the field. With a final push, we could take them from the light into physicality.

  “I’m not letting them go,” I snapped. “You’ve worked for years on this spell. We can do this.” I had to believe Chesibor, Dragomir and his brother were fighting to offer us a chance at success.