Worth Your While

by Connie Suttle

  This was no ordinary fireball. This fireball rose from the ground and grew in stature and in fury, until the arms it possessed began lobbing fireballs into the attackers, making them scatter while shrieking. Many of them ran while burning, their black robes dripping bits of fiery cloth that hung in the air as they fled.

  Cassie.

  Cassie had come, in a way I couldn't determine, and she'd grown so huge, standing at the center of our attackers, that those close enough were consumed by her initial landing. Tossing fireball after fireball, she killed swaths of Shakkor Agdah, who couldn't run fast enough to escape her wrath.

  To your left, General, a newly-arrived sprite warrior shouted. Eons of battle training had deserted me while I watched Cassie's fire demon do battle. I deserved to be reprimanded for such a gaffe.

  Instead, I whirled swiftly enough to block a well-aimed blow, then delivered a death wound to my assailant. That blow was followed by the removal of his head before he could crumple to the ground.

  More fireballs rained on the invading army, spraying black-robed bodies into the air and deafening anyone who battled on while shaking the ground with their intensity. How had Cassie come by this much strength—to continue fighting in this way? I'd never seen anything like it.

  That's when three Black Myth troops ran in my direction, weapons in their hands and trained on me.

  Those weren't swords—they were demon killers.

  They had demon killers. Feet away, they stopped to take aim at me and the sprite warriors about me.

  "Retreat," I shouted at my troops. "Demon killers," I screamed as they stopped to look at me in confusion.

  The weapons were raised and trained on us. The one in the center was aimed at my chest.

  The firebolt that seared through his body from behind was like an arrow of flame. Two others followed quickly—for the two Shakkor Agdah on either side. In slow motion, I watched as three Black Myth captains dropped to the ground where they'd stood, their demon killer weapons dropping from lifeless hands.

  How? As I watched, Cassie destroyed the three weapons with well-aimed blasts. The meadow filled with smoke from her fire as I recalled I could still move. With haste, I began searching for more of the enemy. All I found were blackened corpses strewn across the field. Eventually, I discovered bodies of werewolves who'd died as wolves, caught in a trap laid by Shakkor Agdah and who knew what else.

  Wait.

  "Where are the Kings?" I spoke my question aloud, as thick smoke drifted across my path and obscured my vision.

  "They ran, like the cowards they are," Cassie snapped an answer at me. Smoke cleared between us; she stood there scowling at me, both naked and furious, with arms crossed over her breasts. "Just because I saved your ass—and Will's ass, too—doesn't mean I've forgiven either of you." Her glare could melt ice, it was so hot and intense.

  "Assholes."

  She turned and stalked away from me, her body stiff with anger. I still had to determine how she'd arrived to protect us, or we'd have been overrun by the sheer number of Shakkor Agdah sent to destroy anyone in the area, werewolf pack included.

  "Why did they attack here?" I flung at Cassie's retreating backside.

  "They thought Parke would be here, you idiot."

  "Someone gave them false information? Intentionally?"

  "That about sums it up."

  "Fucking hell," I breathed. Removing my helmet, I let it drop to the ground with a clank before wiping sweat off my face and forehead.

  "We've shielded the area so we won't get curious human visitors," Will and Yosuke walked up to me. "I imagine the Chancellor will want to see all this before we destroy the remains."

  "Where is the fire demon?" Yosuke asked. "Is she well?"

  "She looked fine to me, and she's pissed," I told him. "What worries me is that Morton and Dalton got away. If they suspect she was the one shooting fireballs, then Shakkor Agdah will have that information in no time."

  "You think they could identify her in that form?" Will asked softly. "I've never seen a fire demon grow so large."

  "Let's hope Black Myth thinks she's a male, then, but it still won't erase the target on her back. They'll be looking for a fire demon from now on. Her cover's blown, one way or another, and she did it to save our asses."

  "If my calculations are correct, there were at least a thousand Shakkor Agdah here tonight," Yosuke sounded thoughtful. "They planned to destroy the Chancellor and the Grand Master, didn't they?"

  "Cassie says that they were intentionally given false information as to where the Chancellor would be tonight," I agreed. "She didn't say who gave the information, though."

  "The Chancellor will also be pissed, then," Yosuke agreed.

  "I figure he's on his way here, somehow," Will sighed. "Especially if he knows that Cassie came."

  "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you'd stick a mole in our midst," Cassie walked toward us, wrapped in a purloined shirt that hung almost to her knees. I imagined the werewolf who'd left it in the woods wouldn't need it any longer.

  She'd pointed her words at Will, but her gaze had fallen on Yosuke.

  "I am Yosuke," he introduced himself. "I am at your service, lady demon," Yosuke bowed to her. "I pray you do not include me in the anger you hold against my companions."

  "Time will tell on that," Cassie sniped at him. "Where are the rest of the Douglasville Pack? Parke will want to offer condolences when he gets here."

  "They're under that stand of trees behind us; I've shielded them," Will replied. "They have to take stock and consider their dead."

  "There shouldn't be any dead," Cassie hissed. "If I were in charge, the idiot who sent Shakkor Agdah in this direction should lose his position at the very least."

  "Werewolf or demon?" I asked.

  "Hmmph. Why would I tell you?"

  Not Parke—she mentioned him offering condolences. Can't be Cliff—he's smarter than that, I informed Will.

  That leaves a certain Packmaster, then.

  That's my guess. If I know Cliff at all, that Packmaster's ass will be out of a job before lunch tomorrow.

  "Question," Yosuke turned toward Cassie. "Who was the information given to? Who actually lied to the one carrying the news to Black Myth?"

  "The new Prince of Alabama, who else?" Cassie's words were hissed, with smoke accompanying them.

  I've never seen that happen. Will sounded half amazed and half terrified.

  "It's like the old stories—about dragons," Yosuke's voice held reverence. "You are indeed special, lady demon." He had the nerve to bow to her again.

  "What the hell?" I turned to stare at the huge motorhome making its way across the field. It stopped roughly a hundred yards from us. That's when I noticed the huge rip in the side of it, because the metal screamed in anguish as it was shoved away from the rest of the vehicle.

  Three rock demons stepped out of the enormous gash, while a vampire rose from the driver's seat.

  Trey, Parke and two rock demons had found a way to get here. I imagined the interior of the motor home reflected the abuse it suffered from its passengers riding inside it.

  The last one to get out I certainly recognized, even in wolf form.

  Cliff, Grand Master of all werewolves, had come with them.

  Chapter 6

  BlackWing X

  Zarigar

  Travis, William Winkler and I watched the recorded images again. "You had nothing to do with this?" Winkler asked as we watched the fire demon killing swaths of murderous humanoids who called themselves Shakkor Agdah.

  "I watched it happen when she arrived. Her method of teleportation is new to her, but extremely effective. No interference occurred on my part."

  "That's outstanding. The hole she put in that one black cloak was as small as a bullet," Travis observed as he reviewed that section for the third time. "Where do you suppose the black robes got those ranos pistols?"

  "I do not know," I said. "But this concerns me a great deal. That techn
ology should not be anywhere near this planet."

  "Somebody had to import them, then," Winkler said. "I say we do some research and then investigate those black robes."

  "I concur," I told him. "We should certainly observe them—and anyone they've had dealings with. Someone sold or provided those weapons; they did not come from any world connected to this one."

  Near Douglasville, Georgia

  Cassie

  "I don't care what you have to do—take him into custody. I want a conversation with him, first." Parke was angry as he spoke into his phone. I had no idea who he'd called, and at this point, I didn't care. Weariness hit me shortly after sunrise, and I only wanted to crawl into a bed somewhere and sleep.

  I did know he was talking about the Prince of Alabama, though. If I knew Parke, and if Greenville had actually told Shakkor Agdah anything, he was a dead demon.

  I didn't have a problem with that. "I hear you're responsible for turning our attackers into crispy critters," a werewolf in human form held out his hand to me. "Benjamin Stokes," he introduced himself.

  "I met your sister-in-law, Beverly," I told him, mustering up a tired smile. "She's awesome, by the way."

  "Hell, get her and my wife together, you get the best Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners you've ever had," he pumped my hand several times before letting go. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name," he added.

  "Cassie," I said.

  "Well, Cassie, we've got food coming in, thanks to a handful of human wives, mine included. You're welcome to join us. I have to say, I'd never seen one of your kind before last night."

  "And you probably don't want to see another," I said.

  "I think I'd be grateful as long as a fire demon was on our side," he assured me. "Come on," he motioned for me to follow him. "They'll be here any minute."

  "How many of your packmates died last night?" I asked him as we crunched over charred grass.

  "We lost nine. Almost half the pack. If the sprite and the wizard hadn't shown up, we'd all be dead. Would have been dead anyway, if you hadn't come along."

  "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, but I didn't get the information until it was almost too late."

  "I hear a Prince's head is gonna be on the chopping block over this."

  "You heard right. They’ll have to move quickly to take him into custody before the enemy kills him."

  "You think that could happen?" Benjamin stopped walking for a moment and turned his eyes on me, searching my face for the truth. If anything, he'd paled beneath his dark skin—Benjamin Stokes belonged to a rare strain of black werewolves, and they were powerful and effective when they turned.

  "Yeah. Did you happen to see the two ice demons who were here until things turned against them?"

  "I did." Benjamin continued walking, so I followed.

  "That was Dalton and Morton King. If they get to the Prince in question before we do, then he's a dead demon and we won't get our questions answered."

  "I want to watch him die—the one who sold us out, so I'd prefer the Kings don't get there before our side does."

  "Well, I want to watch Morton and Dalton die, so I understand where you're coming from."

  "Right on." He held his fist out—I bumped it with mine.

  "Solidarity, all the way," I told him.

  "Benny?" I heard a woman's voice calling.

  "That's my wife," he said. "Come meet her." We didn't get far before Beverly's sister, Faith, came running toward Benjamin. He took off and met her halfway, picking her up and hugging her, in the middle of that charred field. She wiped tears away when he set her down.

  "Baby, I want you to meet Cassie," he turned and motioned me forward. "She helped save us last night."

  "Oh, my goodness," Faith opened her arms and hugged me hard.

  "I met your sister," I gave her a watery smile when she let me go. "We love her already. I wish I'd gotten here sooner, but we did what we could to help."

  "Come on, then. We have food, water and coffee," she pulled Benjamin and me toward a table being set up not far away. I could smell the coffee already and went willingly.

  "Oh, my goodness, she's barefoot," another woman exclaimed as I accepted a paper cup of coffee from her.

  "It's okay," I attempted to wave off her concern. "I've gone through worse than this." Landing naked in a tree outside the burning courthouse in Tuscaloosa came to mind; that had been much more painful than this.

  "I have some flip-flops in the car," she said and took off before I could stop her. Soon enough, I had a pair of gold-studded flip-flops on my feet, and assured her that I'd return the shoes, even though she said I could keep them.

  At least her husband, like Benjamin, had survived the attack the night before. Several other women were gathered beneath a tree nearby, while Parke, Cliff and one of the local werewolves consoled them.

  "I know you're not feeling charitable toward me right now, but I want to thank you for what you did—and to extend Averill's gratitude as well," Rob came to stand next to me. Someone placed a coffee cup in his hand; he nodded his thanks.

  "Rob, you have no idea how much I'd like to wipe the last three months out of my life and take up where we were before, but that won't happen, will it?" I turned toward him then and looked him straight in the eye. He broke contact first, lowering his head in a slight nod.

  "I know. That debt will never be paid, Cassie. We both know that. It squeezes my heart to know I contributed to the pain you feel. All my life, I've considered myself a good sprite—one who's never caused an innocent's death. Turns out, I was fooling myself all along."

  "He's right," Will came forward, then, with Yosuke beside him. "All this time, we were sacrificing the wrong ones."

  "This isn't helping you in the forgiveness column," I snapped.

  "He knows that," Yosuke said quietly. "He will survive without forgiveness. None of us may survive if we fail to work together to eliminate the threat of Black Myth."

  There it was—truth in a single sentence.

  "I will never trust you again," I told Will. "But I will agree to a truce, if the Chancellor also agrees."

  "I do have one question," Rob said.

  "What's that?"

  "How did you get here last night?"

  "I have no idea," I replied.

  "Trey had to smooth things over with Georgia Highway Patrol on the motor home before he had to leave—probably got singed before getting to a safe place for the day. As for the motorhome, we had to promise to replace it with a newer model and pay for the loss of personal belongings and the unexpected rental of the ah, vehicle," Parke explained as we drove away from the field two hours later.

  I hadn't really paid attention to what he, Pete, Jerry and Cliff had dressed in at dawn, but it looked like hunting and fishing outfits to me. Parke sipped on a fourth cup of coffee he'd gotten before we left. Cliff stayed behind with the pack to help them sort things out—they had unexplained deaths to make sense of.

  As for Rob, Will and Yosuke, they took up the back portion of the damaged motor home; Parke agreed to the truce, so they decided to ride back with us. If we kept the motor home, I wondered if Will had a spell to fix the enormous gash in the side of it. For now, the faster Jerry drove, the louder the wind whistled around the torn metal. If I weren't so tired, I'd have become fire again just to seal the damn thing shut.

  That could wait; I wanted a shower and a bed, in that order.

  The door squawked when we opened it after our arrival at the house; Beverly waited at the front door for us when we reached it. Parke and Pete walked in first, followed by Jerry and me.

  Beverly didn't do more than nod at the others. I was pulled into a hug so tight I almost couldn't breathe. "Faith told me what you did," she whispered against my ear. "Thank you."

  "Beverly, I would do it again if I had to," I said. "Let's hope it won't be necessary."

  "I see we have some new ones," she said, stepping back to let Rob and Will walk in ahead of Yosuke. "I may have to find ro
om in a closet somewhere."

  "Yeah, they may have to sleep in the stolen motorhome," I joked. "After I fix it."

  "What's wrong with it? Is it really stolen?"

  "Not now," I patted her shoulder. "We're paying for it, and then some. As for what's wrong with it, well, the door wasn't big enough for a rock demon to climb in, so they ah, made some adjustments."

  "With Cassie's help, I believe we can heal the gash," Yosuke told Beverly. "If you need me for anything, I'll be in my room."

  "I need a shower," I said. "And some sleep. But if you need anything, like Yosuke said, let me know."

  "I can call the police," Beverly said as I walked toward the hallway and the suite waiting there—and a shower and a bed.

  "Beverly," I turned back toward her, "if this enemy shows up, the police are the last folks to call."

  Parke

  Daniel and I couldn't go to bed; that meant Pete and Jerry were with us when the word came that Ralph Greenville had been found and taken to a safe place. The fool had stayed the night near a lake, where his van was parked. His full moon had been peaceful and uneventful. Ours was anything but. The former Prince of Alabama now waited for my arrival—and his judgment.

  He should have skipped town the second he gave information to Shakkor Agdah. Wrong information, as it turned out. As yet, I hadn't spoken with Cliff about Mac, who'd given false information to Greenville—he was also responsible for deaths in Douglasville, and that was untenable.

  Perhaps Cliff should allow the Douglasville Pack to decide his punishment. Granted, the lie had saved us from being attacked directly by Shakkor Agdah and the Kings, but an unsuspecting pack had paid the price for it.

  "I have Cliff's key to the Escalade—he had it built with bulletproof glass," Daniel informed me. "Pete and Jerry are already waiting for us in the garage."

  "If you don't mind, Will and I would like to go with you," Rob walked into my makeshift office.

  "Good enough, just don't piss us off and don't interfere with our questioning."