The two men glanced at each other, and the shorter one spoke up. “What the fuck do you think this is? Kid, we’re going to—”
Lee already had his hand up. He could see Tess shooting him with a disapproving glare, but the prospect of seeing what holy fire could do in the face of real opponents was too tempting to pass up. He tried to gauge how strong the ability would end up being by the amount of tingling in his hand before releasing the blast.
It didn’t end up being the same impressive fan of flames he’d managed before, but rather, a quick burst of white-blue, a holy flamethrower rather than holy fire. Both men jumped back, but one was slower on the uptake. He fell to the ground, screaming and trying to pat out his pant leg.
“I think this is why Harper loves her fireballs so much,” he said. “That’s real power, right there.”
“You idiot!” snapped Tess. “Your nose!”
He sighed and quickly exhaled through his nostrils, spraying out blood in a manner that seemed nearly as disconcerting to his opponents as the fire blast had. The taller one had been untouched by the spell, and he balled his hands into fists as he approached Lee.
“You aren’t the only one with tricks up their sleeve,” growled the man.
“Go ahead,” said Lee. “Transform into a wolf, or lion, or mole rat, or whatever your wereform is. I’d love to see how fast fur ignites up against holy fire.”
In truth, he had no intention of using his new ability again. He’d earned himself a throbbing headache with the last display, and his nose was still dripping blood.
“That risk doesn’t concern me.” The tall man slapped his hands together and a flash of white enveloped his body. None of Lee’s guesses had been close, which was more than a little unfortunate.
A crocodile twice as thick around as a man and three times as long stood in place of his opponent. Its head alone was as large as Lee’s torso, with teeth like daggers and a bite wide enough to crush any part of its body it came within reach of.
Lee brought his hands up on reflex, only remembering Tess’s condition and the danger of casting spells as he began focusing his will. He stopped immediately, not willing to take the risk but also not seeing any other option. The shorter man had recovered as well, though he seemed content to watch his friend attack first.
“A fucking were-croc,” muttered Lee. “How is that even a thing? Don’t you have to be bitten to become a were-whatever? A crocodile bite seems like it would do too much damage to—”
The crocodile snapped its jaws, intimidating Lee but also proving his point. It began wriggling forward and was far faster than he’d been expecting. Tess let out a worried cry.
“It’s fine, Lee!” she said. “Use your magic! I’ll be okay.”
“Not a chance.”
He remembered an old video he’d seen of Steve Irwin wrestling a crocodile, though whether the same techniques would apply to one with the mind and instincts of a man was an open question. The thought of flinging forth more holy fire made his head throb with pain. He glanced toward his dagger and pistol on the ground, feeling no small amount of regret at having taken the noble step of disarming himself.
In the end, he went with the approach that gave him the most faith, though his feet were reluctant to put it into action until the last second. The crocodile waddled toward him with surprising speed, its massive jaw ready to snap onto one of his legs and never let go.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t have much upward mobility,” he muttered.
Lee hurled himself over the croc, landing on its back with far less poise than he’d intended. He heard but didn’t see, the snap of its teeth. Only the lack of pain told him that he’d escaped nature’s homegrown beartrap.
He immediately exhaled and used dispel, leaning into his ability with all the mystic power he could muster. It made his nose bleed again, which was unpleasant, but more importantly, it untethered the lycanthropy transformation from his opponent. The were-croc flashed with light, and Lee felt the rather odd sensation of a being shifting forms underneath him.
The crocodile was gone, and the tall man was back. Most importantly, Lee was still on top. He quickly wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and tightened it into a chokehold. He felt his opponent kick, scratch at his forearms, and then go limp.
The other man who’d borne the original brunt of his holy fire was back up. Lee scrambled to his feet, regretting his earlier enthusiasm toward the two-on-one situation.
“Enough,” said a new, feminine voice. “I told the two of you to behave yourselves in town.”
A rustling came from the trees. Three new arrivals pushed their way out into the park’s clearing, and he recognized all of them.
Shannara, the mysterious dark-haired leader of the Melting Pack, tall and beautiful in a long dress of black and purple.
Bryan, the man who’d once pretended to be his brother, with his ruddy face, sunglasses, and casual polo shirt and slacks.
And Kei Fujino, one-time Primhaven instructor and Toma’s wayward older brother.
CHAPTER 15
Kei looked no worse for wear despite the life-changing ordeal he’d undoubtedly gone through. Lee had been at Primhaven with him, in the middle of fighting a pack of zombies commanded by an insane lich, when Shannara had seized the opportunity to infect Kei with lycanthropy.
His hair was longer than it had been, with shaggy sideburns. He wore a plain Henley t-shirt with the top buttons down far enough to expose the corner of a rough-looking chest scar. He was smiling at Lee, though the expression was small and subtle.
“Well now,” said Shannara, her voice deep and sensual. “What do we have here?”
“Long time no see, my former little brother,” said Bryan.
Lee ignored them both or did the best he could in a situation where he was outnumbered by a potentially hostile faction.
“Kei,” he said, addressing the only one he considered a friend. “It’s been a while.”
“That it has, Lee Amaranth.” Kei furrowed his brow. “I see your circumstances have changed nearly as much as mine, in the interim.”
“Are you here of your own free will?” asked Lee. He’d never discovered the reasoning why, after being turned into a werewolf, Kei had remained with the Melting Pack.
“Interesting question,” said Kei. “Are you? Are any of us?”
Footsteps sounded from the trees before Lee could say anything else. A breathless Ryoko burst out into the clearing, doubling over as she caught her breath.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“That’s the question I arrived to answer,” said Shannara. “It seems two of my men discovered an old adversary of ours.”
“Lee…” whispered Tess. “I have an extremely bad feeling about this.”
“Mr. Amaranth has been working with us for the past few weeks,” said Ryoko. “He’s no longer affiliated with Primhaven or the Order of Chaldea.”
“Is that so?” Shannara took a step toward him, and it was only then Lee noticed she walked on bare feet. “Well, if he has the Dealmaker’s trust, I suppose I should consider extending mine as well?”
She was a beautiful woman, but it was the same kind of beauty one might find in a wildcat or bird of prey. She moved around him in a circle as though stalking a potential meal and drew up close enough behind him for her breath to tickle his neck.
“If I extend my trust to you,” said Shannara, “you would need to do the same toward me. Would you be willing to do that, Lee Amaranth, after what I did to you?”
She’d orchestrated a plot to force him to undergo the Cropping, a form of dream weaving used on Primhaven dropouts to prevent them from causing trouble in the mundane world with the Potential. Mattis and Constantine, the other two responsible, had both faced their judgments, but Shannara had never borne any consequences over what she’d done.
“I could say no,” he said. “I have no master now, Shannara. I decide who I work with and who I trust.”
“Were it o
nly that simple,” she said in a wistful tone. “Remember: the enemy of your enemy is your friend, Lee Amaranth. I suppose the real question boils down to just who that enemy is.”
One of her fingers ran across his shoulder, and he felt an odd thrill run down his back.
“Please,” said Ryoko. “Mr. Masterson will be arriving back at the estate very soon. I’m sure he’d like to speak with all of you without delay.”
She made a point of meeting Lee’s eye as she spoke. There weren’t any real objections from the group, not even from the two thugs Lee had only just finished trouncing. Ryoko led them back into town, and they followed.
Lee let himself drift toward the back of the group, falling in pace with Kei, who acknowledged him with a nod. He considered for a moment how to phrase the question he was dying to ask. Kei beat him to the punch.
“You’re wondering why I never sought out my family after my… change.”
Lee nodded. “It’s a bit of a noggin-scratcher, I’ll admit.”
“I spent many weeks after my transformation in a state of deep depression,” said Kei. “The Melting Pack didn’t imprison me, not in the way you’re thinking, at least. They brought me to one of their remote bases, so far removed from the civilized world that leaving meant traversing miles of tundra, spending days, if not weeks, in the wild.
“They were trying to teach me a simple lesson. How to accept the wildness within myself, within all of us. The clothes we wear, the languages we speak, even the food we eat is just a façade for the truth. We’re animals, no different from the beasts we tame and eat. Eventually, I came to see that for myself.”
Lee had been watching Kei as he spoke, and he was already shaking his head. “Come on, Kei. I wasn’t born yesterday. You forget I knew you before, even if only briefly. I’m not buying that you’ve drunk the Kool-Aid, if you take my meaning. Not you.”
Kei chuckled. “What other reason would I have for ingratiating myself amidst a faction of dangerous lycanthropes, Lee Amaranth? Why else would I abandon my family and shield them from what I’ve become?”
With the question presented like that, Lee could think of a few reasons and at least one that fit Kei perfectly. He didn’t dare speak his thoughts aloud, however, not with Shannara and the others barely out of earshot.
Jack was waiting in the foyer when they arrived back, dressed in a navy suit with no tie. He kissed Ryoko and gave Shannara a smile and curt nod.
“It’s good to see you again, Shannara,” he said.
“Likewise, Jack,” she replied.
“We have quite a bit to discuss. If you wouldn’t mind waiting for me in my study for just a few minutes?”
“Of course.”
Ryoko led Shannara and her followers, including Kei, off to the lounge through one of the side doors. Jack gestured for Lee to follow and brought him upstairs and into his study.
“What’s up?” asked Lee.
“I’ve made progress finding the man who can help your possessed friend,” said Jack. “His name is Xepher. He’s the most powerful mage I’ve ever met, and he’s helped me with matters concerning demons in the past.”
Lee nodded slowly. Tess had followed him upstairs, and he pulled her into his mystic stream on reflex, taking her hand into his as he noticed her wobble off balance as a result of her missing foot.
He felt an odd mix of emotions as he considered what the priorities of his heart were at that moment. He still wanted to help Eliza, needed to if he was to keep his promise to her family. But Tess… was Tess. She came first, whether he was ready to admit it to himself or not.
“Does he know anything about mysticism?” asked Lee. “About the way pacts between men and ghosts might sometimes evolve or break down.”
Jack shrugged. “If I had to bet on anyone knowing about such things, I’d put my money on him. Why?”
“Tess has been…” Lee swallowed, struggling with the phrasing. “Having some trouble.”
“Ah. Well, I’m sure Xepher will be able to point you in the right direction if nothing else. There is a second matter that I wanted to discuss with you, Lee.”
Jack’s tone put him slightly on edge. Lee crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”
“Zoe told me about the Sahara Base,” said Jack. “Given how the Order is using it, and its apparent importance to their strategy, we have to attack it. Would you be willing to help us locate it? We’d only be asking for coordinates, or for you to share with us the general location, as far as you know.”
Lee thought back to the way Miles’ ghost had spoken about Claire and couldn’t help but wonder how many just like her were already trapped within the Sahara Base. The idea of using the Cropping as a tool for war, a way of creating perfect, mindless soldiers didn’t sit right with him. It could have happened to him, even, given his own experience with dream weaving.
“I’ll do you one better,” said Lee. “I’ll go with you.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “I would welcome it, though I’m curious as to your motivation.”
“There are lines that just shouldn’t be crossed,” he said.
“Very true.” Jack smiled. “It will be a few days before I’m finished organizing the forces we need to mount the attack. Shannara will likely be joining us. That won’t be a problem for you, will it?”
“I’ll manage.”
“Good. In the meantime, you’re welcome to seek out Xepher. He’s in Japan, in a small seaside town in the Hokkaido region.”
“Really?” asked Lee. “What’s the name of the town?”
“Toyotomi. Why?”
“I know someone who lives there,” said Lee. “I’m not sure this is a coincidence.”
The fact that Xepher was in Japan—in Toma’s hometown, no less—gave him one more pressing reason to call his friend on top of the appearance of Kei. Jack nodded to him and stood up from his desk.
“Ryoko can help you travel there and get settled,” he said. “I need to meet with Shannara in the meantime, but I’ll send a message along as soon as we’re ready to begin the attack on the Sahara Base.”
“Works for me. Thanks, Jack.”
“You’re more than welcome.”
CHAPTER 16
Lee heard an argument as he left Jack’s study, and the sound of it drew him to where the second level overlooked the foyer. He was surprised and more than a little fascinated to find Zoe standing in front of Bryan, an accusatory finger held in front of his face.
“Answer my question,” snapped Zoe. “Are you or are you not the man who pretended to be Eldon’s older brother?”
“The circumstances were different at the time.” Bryan held out his hands, palm-up. “What do you want me to say? Yes, I did that, but it was only to—”
Zoe lashed out with her leg, striking Bryan solidly between the legs with her foot with enough force to lift him an inch off the ground. The sound echoed through the foyer, a dull, slapping thud that nearly triggered a rush of sympathetic pain within Lee, despite having no love for the man.
It was followed by a clipped squeal of pain and several long moans of agony as Bryan doubled over, falling to the tile floor and lying on his side. For a moment, Lee suspected that Zoe might continue with her ruthless assault, but she simply stepped over him, glancing upward and grinning.
“Bravo!” He gave her his best one-man applause. “I should have done that myself.”
“The thought still makes me sick to my stomach,” she said. “Also, it hurts a little to know he managed to fool you.”
“Cut me some slack. I had no memories.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
Zoe headed upstairs and took his place in the study for her own meeting with Jack. Lee took his cell phone out and made his way into his room. He hesitated as he scrolled through his contacts, considering how to approach the conversation he was about to have.
Finally, he called the number.
“Lee?” answered Toma after a single ring.
“Hey. It’s been a whil
e. How are you?”
There was a beat of silence, long enough to tell him that he’d caught his friend off balance.
“I’ve been good,” said Toma. “Still living with my family for the moment. You?”
“Same,” he said. “Staying with, uh, my sister and her friends.”
More silence. Lee wasn’t interested in dancing around the awkwardness, not with one of his best friends.
“So, I don’t know if you heard about what happened after you left Primhaven…” he began.
“Which part? How Eliza was possessed by a demon and destroyed Gillum before taking over the college, or how you were supposedly killed by her in the battle?”
“They said I was killed?”
“Harper called to tell me the truth.” Toma cleared his throat. “All of the truth, Lee. About the ghost, too. Jess or Jane, or whatever her name is.”
“Tess,” said Lee. “Look, I’m sorry. I should have told you, I know.”
“Eh, I got over it pretty fast. I’m not great at keeping secrets, and I’m not entirely sure I would have believed you without some serious proof.”
“I still should have told you.”
“It’s like I said, I got over it. You’re my friend, Lee. You’re like a brother to me.”
Lee chuckled into his phone. He walked deeper into the guest room, looking out the window overlooking the yard. A certain shaggy-haired man with forearm tattoos was admiring the cherry blossoms and having a conversation with Ryoko.
“Speaking of brothers…”
***
“It’s on speakerphone,” said Lee. “He can hear you.”
“You’re serious, Lee?” asked Toma. “This isn’t… some kind of joke?”
Lee passed his phone to Kei, who took it from him in what seemed like slow motion.
“It’s no joke, Toma-kun,” said Kei. “I’m here.”
Lee heard a disbelieving laugh followed by the sound of Toma calling for the rest of his family in Japanese. He gave Kei a thumbs up and slipped out of the yard, content to get his phone back later if it meant allowing them a private conversation.
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