Throne to the Wolves: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Spell Slinger Chronicles Book 1)

by J. A. Cipriano

  He managed to crawl off of me while leaving a snail trail of blood across my clothing, but I was too busy seeing double to care.

  More fire filled the trailer, and it was coming toward Jimbo like it was after him. Part of me wanted to try and save him even if he was a werewolf, but I couldn’t. Not now at least. No, I had to ignore him. I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and flipped the mental switch in my head, the one my master had instilled into both my brother and I. The one that let me shut out the gnawing voice of my humanity and kill. The one that would let me ignore his plight until this was all over.

  “Sorry, Jimbo. It’s been fun. Try not to die,” I said, opening my eyes as I got to my feet and moved away from him. “If you can survive till I get back, I can probably heal you.”

  He nodded as I popped the “eat me” cake charm off my bracelet, sent a surge of willpower into it, and tossed it into my mouth. In Alice in Wonderland, “eat me” cakes had a very special effect. They made the eater grow enormous.

  Mine was no exception.

  Magic whipped around me like a tornado, filling me up and pressing into my cells before burrowing further still. The space between the atoms in my body increased exponentially, and as it did, I grew. My shoulders hit the blown out side of the trailer and burst through it like it was made of tin foil.

  I stretched, getting used to my new body as I became the fifty-foot woman. From the way I felt, I knew I had only seconds before I’d collapse, drained and unconscious. It was time to attack. Fast.

  My gaze flitted across the movie set before stopping on a sight that send shock rippling through me. In the middle of the abandoned hospital were a dozen guys in Darth Vader costumes. I wasn’t sure why, but the sight of them made me think of my brother, Gordon. He’d have loved them. I didn’t, and was instead thankful they didn’t have lightsabers, although I wasn’t sure the bazookas and machine guns they held were much better.

  I surged forward as they turned their collective weapons on me, but before they could do more than pepper me with bullets that were less annoying than mosquito bites thanks to my bulk, I kicked the lead one. It sounded like stepping on a snail, and as he flew backward into the guy with the bazooka in a spray of warm mist, I almost felt bad. Almost.

  As the realization that I’d killed him started to come over me, I pushed it down deep inside. I could feel bad after this was over. I reached out to the hollow, empty place inside me that had let me leave Jimbo behind and drew it up around me like a suit of armor. My feelings and sensibilities faded away as a cold emptiness settled over me.

  More bullets peppered me as I dropped into a crouch and spun, executing a perfect Cobra Kai sweep kick. Unfortunately for them, my oversized leg did a lot more than sweep their legs. The blow was powerful enough to break their tiny bodies and send them flying away from me like match sticks.

  I vaulted to my feet and ran my gaze across the rest of the burning lot. Smoke filled the air, coming from the hospital. It was on fire, as were most of the other trailers. Damn.

  As I started forward, ready to dismiss my power and save some energy, I saw Justin’s crumpled body. He lay beneath a flipped Humvee in a pool of steadily spreading crimson. Smoke billowed from the underside of the vehicle, and where there was smoke, there’d be fire. Soon.

  I bounded forward, dropping to my knees on the pavement with enough force to crack the asphalt and shear a layer of skin from my legs. I ignored the pain as I grabbed ahold of the smoking Hummer. My fingers closed around the roll cage as I began to shrink, my magic wearing off at dizzying speed.

  I barely managed to tug the Hummer off of him before I collapsed to the ground breathing hard. My muscles ached, my clothing was plastered to my body with sweat, and my vision had gone ten kinds of hazy. Using that much power that quickly was stupid but effective. Only now I didn’t have enough strength to get us away. I needed to recover, but I knew I couldn’t do that. I had to get us out of here. I had to.

  Justin lay a few feet away with his chest torn open like Jimbo’s had been. Blood poured from the wound as he tried to move, but his body was too busy trying to push his broken bones back together. The fragments writhed beneath his skin like a colony of ants, and even if I didn’t know that wound couldn’t be healed, I’d have worried about his ability to survive. Frak.

  “Sorry, Jimbo,” I said, pulling the healing potion charm off my wrist as I collapsed next to Justin. My sight had gone blurry and darkness was fast encroaching on my vision. “I’ve only got one shot at this. Forgive me.” I pushed the rest of my power into the charm before shoving it into Justin’s mouth. It was the last thing I remembered doing before the entire world faded to black.

  7

  I awoke to find myself in the back of a limousine. Fear shot through me, causing my heart to pound in my chest. Where the hell was I? How had I ended up here? The last thing I remembered was Justin. Oh my god, was he okay?

  Before I could stop myself, I leapt to my feet, upending the glasses on the table in front of me. They crashed to the carpet, and I cringed, expecting the sound of breaking glass to follow. It didn’t, thankfully. Sunlight streamed in through the tinted windows, casting the inside of the car in dancing shadow as I whirled around, trying to get my bearings.

  Justin raised an eyebrow as he watched me flail around like an idiot, and I couldn’t stop the flush that spread across my cheeks when I realized he was okay. Part of it was embarrassment, but most of it was that I was really happy he hadn’t died.

  “You’re awake,” he said, reaching out and patting the seat next to him. He was splattered in gore and seated in the far corner of the limo nursing a bottle of sparkling water. “We have a few minutes. The spells on my limo keep everything that happens back here private, even from the driver. Have a seat. I’ll get you some water.” He gave me a reassuring smile. It almost made me want to go to him, to trust he could make it better, but after what had just happened at the set, I knew he couldn’t. Not by a fraking long shot. Whatever was going on was a lot more than just a string of murders. The sad thing was, I didn’t think Justin realized that.

  “I don’t want any fraking water,” I snapped, my embarrassment quickly giving way to anger. “What the frak is going on? Where are we? How’s Jimbo?” I let out a sigh and tried to ignore the fact I was covered in blood and guts. I mean, I’d practically gone spelunking in gore, and I hadn’t changed. I’d need to do so because if I thought about how gross I was, I might scream and that’d do no one any good.

  A million thoughts hit me all at once as I contemplated pulling off my ruined sweatshirt and tossing it onto the floor of the limo. The only reason I didn’t was because I was wearing only a bra underneath, and as cute as Justin was, I did not want him seeing me like that.

  Besides, one thought was first and foremost in my mind. Was he taking me to his secret werewolf lair to kill me? I mean, okay, he’d had lots of chances to do me in before, and so far he hadn’t taken advantage of them, but maybe he was playing the long game. Besides, that had been before the clan of Darth Vaders had laid waste to the set. Maybe his allegiance had shifted? Well, if that was the case, I hoped he enjoyed our contract turning into a puddle.

  I patted my pocket, and as I felt the rolled up contract, a surge of relief shot through me even though it was probably soaked in gore too. I wasn’t sure what would have happened if it’d gone missing, but I certainly didn’t want to cross that bridge.

  “Relax, Annie. I’m just taking us somewhere safe so you can read the prop without us all getting murdered. It’s right over there.” He gestured behind me, but I didn’t fall for that.

  “Sure it is.” I put my fists on my hips, which was awkward because I was somewhat bent over within the limo. I probably should sit down, but that’d be letting him win. Call me petty, but I didn’t want to. “How’s Jimbo?” He hadn’t answered that particular question, and it bugged me.

  Justin’s face paled. “He’s in a coma. The doctor’s don’t know if he’ll survive.” He di
dn’t look at me. “I’m guessing you didn’t get a chance to use whatever you used to heal me on him.” He touched his T-shirt clad chest with one hand. “Thanks, but I’m not really worth it. You should have saved Jimbo.”

  “Are you feeling sorry for yourself?” I exhaled, letting the breath out through my teeth. There was no way in Hell I’d have saved Jimbo over Justin. That was so not in the cards it might as well have been in a different deck. “How would Jimbo feel if you said that?”

  The look on his face told me I should have saved Jimbo before I’d gone all Alice in Wonderland, but I had wanted every last speck of power at my disposal. I probably could have done it without healing him, but if I had, Justin would be the one in the coma because I’d only had enough power for a single healing potion. Yeah, yeah, I had more on my bracelet, but my well of power was only so deep.

  Still, I’d have to get another healing charm to replace it, and to do that, I’d have to go home. The thought made me blush unexpectedly. There was no way I was letting Justin anywhere near my crummy apartment above the Sip n’ Go.

  “Yeah, he probably wouldn’t be pleased since he pledged his life to protect me.” He smiled at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Something was bugging him in a way I didn’t understand, something far beyond concern for his bodyguard. Even that was a little weird. I’d always thought rich celebrities didn’t care about their people much. “I’m starting to think there’s more going on than I was told. I mean, Jesus, there were ten Darth Vaders with bazookas…” He sighed. “I don’t know if they’ll go after Jimbo, but at the same time anyone able to get a mercenary army to cosplay…”

  “If you find me something, I can use my power to try and heal him,” I said even though I wasn’t sure I’d have the power to do that. It was always harder to empower things I was unfamiliar with and I’d practiced with my particular charms lots of times. Still, I could try.

  “No. There’s an empath on the way. She heals by pulling the injuries into herself or something.” He reached into a bag and pulled out a light blue sweatshirt before offering it to me. “I don’t keep a lot of spare clothes in the limo and we can’t stop for a shower or anything, but this might help…” he trailed off, gesturing at me with his free hand.

  “With my being covered in blood?” I asked. I’d been going for cute, but it sort of came out as callous. I felt my cheeks heat up as I took the sweatshirt and examined it. The werewolf ninja logo was plastered across the front, and as I stared at it, I realized it was identical to the one Ambrose had worn in the movie. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “Yeah…” Justin smiled and I could tell he was pleased with himself.

  I’d nearly pulled off my own sweatshirt and switched right then, but as I started to unzip my hoodie, I stopped, remembering my general nakedness beneath. I mean, there wasn’t a lot to look at and I could just turn away from him, but still.

  “Um… thanks,” I said, staring at the sweatshirt awkwardly.

  “Are you afraid to undress in front of me?” he asked raising an eyebrow, and as he did, I felt my cheeks go searing hot. “I can go first, if you like?”

  With that, he stripped off his Captain America T-shirt, revealing his chiseled physique. I won’t say my mouth watered, but it might as well have because I couldn’t have looked him in the eye for all the gold in Fort Knox.

  A moment later, he pulled on an Iron Man shirt, and as I watched it stretch across his chest, he said something along the lines of, “Don’t worry. Jimbo will be fine. As long as they keep him on an IV drip, his body won’t run out of fluids and energy to heal.”

  “I guess the blood banks will be happy,” I said, trying not to picture all the blood Jimbo would be producing just to have it spill from his unhealed wounds. Then as to not be outmatched by his display of chesticular fortitude, I spun on my heel and stripped off my bloody sweatshirt and pulled the one he’d given me on. It fit surprisingly well and part of me wondered if he’d want it back.

  “Yeah, probably.” He shook his head and let loose a slow breath as I turned back around to face him. If my naked back had any impact on him, it didn’t show. “Can you look at the prop please?”

  The way he said it tugged at my heart strings. He sounded so tired, so broken. It made me want to help him, and that scared me. I didn’t like the idea that I wanted to help him for non-greedy reasons. See, if this was just a job, I could always walk away. Sure, I’d have to go back to hiding, but at the end of the day, I was good at running. If I was doing this for another reason, well, that made things complicated, and I wasn’t a huge fan of complications.

  “Sure, but I might need some supplies.” I moved across the limo toward where the prop sat on the plush leather seats. I wasn’t sure how it had survived the battle without so much as a wayward scuff mark, but it had. Now was as good a time as any to find out how it worked. “Still, I’ll give it a go.”

  “Okay. If you need me to get something let me know. If you need anything, no matter how silly, if it’s something I can get, I will.” Justin leaned forward, watching me with eyes that suggested an intelligence I hadn’t expected.

  “I’ll let you know.” I sat down beside the prop, closed my eyes in concentration, and put my hand on the weird gun. “Show me what you saw,” I whispered, allowing my magic to flow out through my fingertips and into the weapon. “Let me know who killed Loraline.”

  A flash of imagery hit me, but it was too vague for me to get anything more than bits of shadowy color and blurry scenery. Hell, I could barely make out the weapon itself and that should have been clear as day. I tried to draw the memory into me in order to make it clearer, but as I did, it shattered into a billion crimson shards. Agony exploded across my brain, ripping into my mind like razor wire and hot pokers as the flash of a crimson lightsaber blade slashed across my consciousness. I cried out, pulling my hand back like I’d touched a live snake, which let me tell you, weren’t my most favorite creatures.

  “What the frak is going on?” I asked, shaking my head as the feeling slowly faded away. Even so, I knew I was going to be dealing with an aching throb between my temples for a while.

  “Is it not working?” Justin asked, and there was an emotion I couldn’t identify in his voice. It sounded like disappointment, but not the same disappointment I was used to. This felt different, weighty almost. It made me not want to disappoint him, which was stupid because he was just some werewolf dudebro who liked comic books. No, that feeling needed to die a horrible lag-induced death.

  “Not like how it should.” I shook my head, wondering if he had aspirin handy. Then again, that might make me look weak. Sigh. This is what I got for trying to act tough. “Normally this is easier.” I glared at the prop. “That should have worked.” It didn’t respond because it was fraking stupid and I hated it.

  “So is there something we can do?” He bit his lip and chewed on it for a second. “There has to be something.”

  “Well, there’s one thing maybe.” I sighed. Normally, even when I didn’t know what objects did, it was easy enough to read them… still, if he had a clip of this thing in action, maybe it’d give me a little burst. “It might help if I knew how it should work.” I pulled my eyes off of him and settled them on the prop with all its weird buttons and switches. “I don’t even know what it’s called.”

  “It’s a BFG.” I could hear the glee in his voice, like a kid happy to show his mother the drawing he’d made in preschool. “Not the same one we pulled from the body of the doomed space marine. This one’s better because it has not one, not two, but three chainsaw bayonets.” I heard him moving, and I turned my head to see him coming toward me. He sat down on the floor in front of me and the gun. “Cool, huh.”

  “So you ripped it off Doom and Gears of War? Does BFG stand for ‘Big Fucking Gun’ like I think it does?” I smiled at him, surprised he’d made not just a Doom reference, but a Duke Nukem one as well. See, there had been a part in Duke Nukem where you could find a hidden alcove with a c
orpse. When you examined it you found a chain gun and Duke proudly proclaimed. “That’s one doomed space marine.” At least I think that’s what he’d said. It’d been a while since I’d played the original.

  “Yep. Why change what works?” He reached out to touch the tri-blades with one delicate finger. “These are the adamantine saws. The trigger makes them rev at a frequency able to cut through Warlock vibro-shields.” He moved his hand and pointed out a dial on the side of the handle I hadn’t noticed. “This switches between pulse cannon, flame thrower, and good old fashioned bullets. Big bullets.” He spread his hands wide. “They’ll make a hole this big in an elephant.”

  “Do you fight a lot of elephants in your movie?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “I’m pretty sure Eternal Vendetta didn’t have a single elephant in the comic.”

  “You’ve read it?” he asked, and his cheeks flushed. “Even Loraline hadn’t read it, and she was in it. I had to buy the rights myself. I’m paying for the whole shebang, which is why it’s so frustrating that Sanchez Miller keeps trying to replace me with CGI Ryan Reynolds.”

  “Of course I’ve read it.” I smiled at him. I hadn’t known he’d paid for everything, but I was just happy the movie was getting made. The comic had defined my life, even if I hadn’t read the spinoffs where they’d actually shown the mythical BFG. Knowing he was responsible for making the movie real almost wasn’t fair because under other circumstances, I might have asked his driver to find a nice secluded spot so I could properly thank him.

  He looked at me for a long time, and as he opened his mouth, I waved his coming response away.

  “If this is the part where you ask me about the comic trying to mess me up,” I said, leaning in close to him so I could whisper in his ear just like Agatha, The Red Queen had done to the Marquez right before she shivved him in the throat. “Let’s just say you’ll wish you were fortunate enough for vampire slugs to eat you.”