by Amber Lynn
"Avery, you do know I'm not going to allow you to go after the guy alone, right?" Nate didn't need to ask, but he did anyway.
I didn't figure he would, which meant someone had better come up with a good idea for taking the warlock down. If they didn't, I was going to find a way to get away and handle the problem myself.
"Of course I wouldn't think about going after an unknown by myself," I told him. "I want him to be stopped, though, so you better come up with a plan."
"The wheels are already turning in my mind. I think we can figure something out where you can get the bad guy and not endanger yourself," he replied.
"You better hope so." I had my own ideas turning in my mind if I needed to get away because he wasn't moving quickly enough.
"I'm way past ready to get out of this cabin," Jim said.
The others mumbled their agreements, so we helped them up and started the walk back to the snowmobiles. The atmosphere had turned even tenser than it had been when we were on our way to the cabin. Hearing what amounted to a direct threat to my life made Nate and Rick take on their demeanor that indicated they wanted to kill something.
"Sorry, but you guys are going to have to walk a few miles to get to the transportation," Kyle said.
In the shape they were in just an hour ago, I was still shocked they were even up walking around. It made me curious why I'd been knocked out in the hospital for two little bullet wounds.
"I think we'll be fine. I'm feeling at least eighty percent," Hayley said.
We made the long trek back to the snowmobiles without any problems. We had six snowmobiles to get twelve people home, so that meant there was going to have to be some doubling up.
I didn't remember all the shifters names, but Jim rode behind me and Rick got Haley. Nate got the bear; Kyle, the hyena; Liam got the lion and Joseph got the wolf. I was going to have to buy everyone nametags, or come up with nicknames based on their species. I thought they might be offended if I yelled "Hey, hyena, how ya doing?"
On the way back, we weren't as worried about talking out loud, so we were able to have vocal conversations. The conversation kind of echoed around the wilderness surrounding us, so I hoped they knew what they were doing.
"So, you guys said the doc is missing. Have you been able to find her? I don't think she was caught by the guy that was holding us," Jim said.
"It turns out it was just a misunderstanding. She had to go help the unicorns and forgot to cancel an appointment before she left," I explained.
"That's good. She may be busy for a while when we return," he replied. "I don't think there's permanent damage, but I'm not the expert."
"Where does everyone call home?" Liam asked.
"We live about twenty miles west of Eek, in Tuntutuliak. It isn't an all unique town, but there are probably thirty or forty of us. After talking with Jim, Carol and Shane we've been thinking about maybe moving, so we don't have to hide who we really are. It has to be freeing not to have to worry if you run faster than you should or make purring noises when you're happy," the lion said.
"Living in Eek isn't bad, but after living around here for a while, things can get a bit tedious. We're having our annual games in a few days. You should come and check them out. It's basically just a big party with a hockey game and a carnival type atmosphere," Kyle said. "It would give you a chance to meet all us crazies before making a decision on a move."
"We might just have to take you up on that," Haley said.
Hearing Kyle mention a carnival made me think about kids. I hadn't seen any kids around town, so I decided to ask Nate about it telepathically.
"Nate, why haven't I seen any unique kids?"
"I remember one of us mentioned it briefly recently, but uniques have had a lot of problems reproducing for a while now. We haven't found a reason for it, but it has been depressing some couples and most have given up trying."
"Do you think it could be part of this war?" I asked. "Maybe the warlock shifter did some kind of spell that doesn't allow us to have kids."
"Could be, we really don't know what he's capable of. You're the one with the most knowledge on the subject, so if you can't answer the question, I doubt anyone else can."
"Hey, Avery," Liam said in a sing-songy voice, breaking up our conversation.
"What Liam?" I replied.
"Looks like we are going to be back in time for lunch. What are you going to make me?" he asked.
"I think a rock stew may be in order for you, but I haven't been able to find enough rocks," I said, sticking my tongue out at him. "Lunch usually isn't a big meal part of the day, so how about some chicken salad sandwiches and chips? The real question is, how soon after lunch are you going to be asking about supper?"
"Hey, I'm a growing boy," he said. As huge as he already was, I couldn't imagine him getting any bigger.
"Well, I'll warn you, everyone is going to be helping out with supper," I replied.
"Are you sure there'll be enough room?" Nate asked. I could tell he didn't like my idea. "Elizabeth's kitchen isn't as big as ours."
"We'll make due. I have to try to get Liam and Kyle better prepared to feed themselves in case anything ever happens to me," I said. It was meant as a joke, but it wasn't the best time to tell it.
"As your protector, I just want to go on record that I don't like the way you just said that," Rick said.
"I wasn't really meaning if I die, but what if we vote and decide they don't get to come with us, or if I'm called away on some assignment?" I asked, throwing some ideas out there.
"I'm pretty sure they'd follow you around on any mission, and you know you're going to let them come with us," Rick replied.
"I know nothing of the sort," I retorted. "Vinnie wants to be included on the decision and I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet. What do you think he's going to have to say about the idea?"
"Yeah, that might be a tough sell. He probably won't want you bringing more men in the house. Is it a vote? I think it might pass if we can bring it to a vote," Rick said.
"We'll discuss it tonight after everyone leaves," Nate said. Good, I didn't want Rick to push it right that second. I needed time to prepare my list of demands.
"So, any more thoughts on your plan?" I asked Nate. I was chomping at the bit to get the guy out of the way before the end of the day. I had an issue being forced to look over my shoulder.
"Yes, we're going to get everyone back to Eek, and then have a meeting to discuss what I think should be our plan of action," he replied.
"No hints at all? What's up with you and all these meetings?" I asked rhetorically as I sped up, hoping everyone else would do the same.
We made it back to Eek quickly and got the six injured uniques in to see Elizabeth. While they were being tended to, we grabbed Vinnie and the finally awake Frannie and Gary and headed outside.
"So how did things go?" Frannie asked.
"The rescue was a success, but the evil villain is out there hiding, waiting for Avery to come play with him," Rick said.
"Oh, how fun for you, Avery," she replied sarcastically. "Are you keeping track of all the evil masterminds that you get caught up with?"
"Don't worry. Nate has a plan. I'm sure he's getting ready to tell us just what that plan is, so we can cross this guy off the list and move on to the next," I said.
"The first question I have is do you have any uniques who are good trackers?" Nate focused on the berserkers as he asked his question. I would've thought the wolf king was a good option, but I didn't know what berserkers were.
"You're looking at one of the bests," Liam said. "I'm good at tracking energy and it seems this guy should output a pretty good signature. I haven't felt it today, but I'm sure I'll feel it when he's close by."
"Great. That's mainly what we're looking for. We'll all go together until you pick up the signature. Then we'll let Avery go on ahead to give the sense she came alone. Avery, sweetie, you're going to try to keep him occupied while we surround him as quietly as we can. I know
he has powers, so we have to watch out for alarms," he explained.
I about fainted. He was actually planning on letting me go in by myself. I thought about having Elizabeth check out his head to make sure he hadn't hit it on something, but I didn't want him changing his mind.
"Seems easy enough. How does one go about killing a warlock? They are killable, right?" I asked.
?"Yes, they aren't like uniques, but you do have to cut off their heads and burn their body and head separately. The head is probably enough, but we like to be extra careful. Their powers come from 'gods', so we want to make sure they can't be brought back with a spell," Nate replied.
"I did mention I wanted him in bits," Rick said. "I wasn't joking."
"Okay, so when do you want to head out?" Kyle asked.
"Well, I think we better get some lunch, so Liam doesn't starve and he can keep his mind on the task. After that, I think we should get this over with as soon as possible," Nate said. "I won't get any sleep until I know there isn't a threat lurking right out my window looking for my wife."
I wanted to remind him we weren't technically married, but I left it alone. In times of danger, our relationship always elevated from the fianc? status.
"Sounds good to me," Liam said.
We headed into the house and I made the chicken salad quickly. The rest of my group scarfed it down, but I was too busy thinking about Nate's plan to really eat. I wished I knew more about warlocks, so I knew what I was heading into. It was just another thing to add to my growing list of things to do research on. When I was finally allowed in the library with all the secret books, I wasn't going to come out for days, maybe months.
When they were done eating, we started the trip back to Eek Lake. We figured if he wanted to be found he'd stay in that general area. About ten miles out, Liam stopped us.
"I'm picking up an energy signature that I didn't feel earlier today. It's about five miles to the west of here away from the cabin," he said.
"I think we can safely walk three of those miles before breaking up and forming our circle," Nate said. "At that point, you should be able to better pinpoint his location, right?"
"Yes, two miles out he'll probably be glowing for me. Don't worry, Avery. You're still the strongest person I've ever met. From what I'm feeling, this guy has nothing on you," Liam replied.
We headed in the general direction Liam indicated. We walked in silence, not even mental conversations were taking place, because we wanted to keep on our toes and watch for any early warning alarms. I didn't have any clue what I was looking for, so I just walked along.
After almost an hour, we hit the spot where we had to separate. Still not speaking, Liam came and stood behind me and pointed me a certain way. Evidently if I followed the path, I'd meet the person who would like to end my life. At least one of the people anyway.
I gave Nate a quick kiss and took off down the path. After twenty-five minutes, I felt a sort of pressure change and saw almost like a transparent blue wall that appeared to encircle a thirty foot circle around me. I didn't take the new structure as a good sign.
A man stepped out behind a tree towards the other side of the wall. He smiled and said, "Well, if it isn't the queen of the phoenixes. I'm so happy you could join me, and just in case you decided to bring any friends, I've ensured this encounter will be private."
He swept he hands around to indicate the wall was probably going to keep the guys out. I didn't know if he'd ever met my friends, but I was hoping not even a magical wall could keep Nate away from me. I didn't like the idea of my first standoff with a person not exactly human happening without a little backup.
CHAPTER 20
Off with his head
