Strange Omens

by Jim Stein

  She seemed about to protest, but Max pushed his way between us and nuzzled his big boney head into her palm. She sighed and gave in to the big doofus, then gaped at Ralph still playing jockey.

  “We have wounded.” Dwain wore a cut across his cheek and a good natured grin. “Got em on the run, so it’s a good time to regroup. Some of the troops need treatment. Where do you want the rest?”

  Good question. I’d lost track of Manny during the encounter, and Quinn gave me an absent shrug as she scratched behind Max’s ears. This wasn’t the end of our problems. I hadn’t seen a Grim since approaching the door earlier in the evening, and more Teihiihan could come through at any moment.

  “The Brights are under siege in town. Let’s see if we can give them some relief.” It occurred to me that he wouldn’t know about the Brights and Grims. “They’re humans like me. And we have what might be ghouls giving them problems.”

  “Ralph filled us in.” The sprite waved toward Main Street. “Lead on.”

  ***

  Uktena watched the battle for the ruins of Milwaukee with interest. The Teihiihan were in trouble, not that the little devils would acknowledge the fact or care. They were a nasty race, totally lacking in many respects, although tenacity was not one. On the other claw, he admired the sprites. Their marvelously efficient fighting style conserved energy while using that of their opponents against them. Similar to how he mesmerized prey and let them cross those last few delicious steps. Elegant solutions gave the old reptile nearly as much enjoyment as the hunt.

  The Dark Court squandered their resources. Finding an elder elemental imprisoned was an unforgivable affront. By their very nature elementals did not choose sides. Making a slave of such a power was cowardly and gave undeserved advantage to the dark. The Neutral Council did not abide such things, one of their few tenets the horned serpent fully supported. The council would have sanctioned involvement to rectify the situation.

  Uktena’s talons had itched to intervene. Unfortunately, the human boy made it unnecessary. Breaking the elemental’s restraints was both impressive and foolish. So great an entity could have readily destroyed little Ed Johnson and the city around him, especially when enraged by pain and subjugation.

  The boy’s feat left Uktena again skulking in the shadows and simply observing. Nothing about the current conflict would be of interest to the council, let alone empower him to get involved and…do something. Tia and her strutting peers would politely worry upon hearing sprites and humans died, in the same sort of way Uktena himself honored the death of prey. The sentiment was not quite regret, more of homage to a necessary sacrifice. Yes, some on the council would at least acknowledge the carnage, perhaps even lament gains by the darkness. But they would never deign to choose a side and spill blood.

  Uktena hissed out hot breath, blowing away the tension pulling his coils tight. It was senseless to rail against what could not be changed. He relaxed onto cool stone farther back in the old building. His serpent form negotiated the ruins with ease. The council might ignore the plight of humans, but couldn’t deny mankind’s short-lived achievements. These wonderful structures were ideal for ambush hunting and resting protected from uncomfortable temperature swings.

  The leader of the forest sprites gathered his fallen and assigned guards to escort the wounded. Their blood smelled of fresh grass and autumn leaves. Uktena cringed and scraped his tongue along both fangs to clear the scent. He’d as soon swallow rocks and mud. Foul as they were, at least the Teihiihan smelled like prey.

  ***

  Quinn was right, the Brights held their own. For the most part they holed up in the hostel. The building was an old school, and the wide sweeping stairs left anyone approaching the entry vulnerable. Those stairs and much of the surrounding street were cracked and rubble-strewn, indicators Shawn and his Earth wielders had been busy. Further evidence were the dwarves scattered about and stuck fast in concrete or asphalt.

  “Back ’em down!” Dwain called over the clamor.

  Sprites flowed around two abandoned police cars with lights still flashing to hit the dwarves from behind. The rescued Brights stayed by the cars with Quinn and me, trying to make sense of the scene. What did the authorities think of this? For that matter, where were they?

  About fifty remaining dwarves concentrated on a wall to the left of the entry, rushing overtop one another to get at the sturdy brickwork. Brights harried the attackers by raining down chunks of cement and whatever else they got their hands on.

  A polka-dot-covered chair tumbled down to knock an attacker senseless, yet still the dwarves hacked at the bricks. Then I spotted Claude and two others trained in small illusions hanging out the windows. From this distance the flows of Spirit feeding their misdirection barely registered. Way to go, guys.

  Dwain’s force brought down a good fourth of the attackers before they knew what was happening and turned to engage. The streetlights here glowed bright, cheerfully illuminating the carnage as three more sprites went down.

  Max stayed glued to Quinn’s side, demanding attention, and Ralph patted her forearm in a consoling gesture. I dropped her other hand and dredged up the bit of power sloshing around what I’d come to think of as my reserve tank. But before I decided on a spell the front doors flew open.

  Two dozen Brights poured down the broken steps, catching the dwarves between enemies. Teihiihan staggered, choked, and thrashed at unseen things as the humans brought all three elements to bear. Our students’ weak individual magics wove through the enemy in a beautiful tapestry of confusion. A handful of older Brights took the lead, cudgeled the floundering dwarves, and worked toward the oncoming sprites.

  The fighting ended abruptly as the last dwarf fell unconscious. Cheers erupted from humans and sprites alike. A man and woman dashed back inside, returned with rope and rolls of heavy tape, and set to tying up the surviving dwarves.

  “How bad is it?” I joined Dwain, Shawn, and their troops.

  “Only a handful hurt, thanks to your people.” Dwain said.

  “Glad you showed up.” Shawn shook his head. “These things just wouldn’t leave, and our smokers were running out of juice. What do we do with them?”

  “Good question.” I counted four darkly dressed figures among the downed enemies. My stomach flipped when I realized there wasn’t enough left to tell if they had been ghouls or simple thugs. “Where are the rest of the Grims?”

  “Damned little cannibals scared them off.” Shawn grimaced and pointed toward the music and arts center. “I think they headed to the lakefront. We were pretty busy.”

  I squinted into the night at the lonely waterfront trail with its lights casting semi-circles on the path and calm water. Moonlight bathed the distant sails of the center in cool pale light, but clouds rolled inland, blotting out stars and dimming the sliver of moon.

  “We need to get this sorted, before—”

  Wind sliced at us, savage and cold. Clouds roiled in from the edge of the ruins toward the hostel. Blackness ate the stars like spreading ink. Fog rolled across the ground beneath the approaching storm and swirled up to intercept clouds that dropped impossibly low. Metal glinted where the two met, coalescing into a massive rectangle.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Shawn asked as the vapors receded to reveal towering bronze.

  The bronze doorway stood a hundred yards away at the foot of the gentle slope. Oily magic pulsed as it solidified, unlike the clean, aloof feel of the guardian. This door stood two stories tall and green light spilled forth as it swung outward.

  “To arms!” Dwain called.

  Dark shapes loped two abreast through the opening. They looked small compared to the massive bronze slab, but that was just a trick of perspective. Though skinny, the hunched ghouls stood as tall as me and came on fast. The conscious Teihiihan howled and struggled against their restraints.

  “These things don’t fool easy.” Earth power flickered weakly around Shawn as he planted his feet.

  The Brights were
all hurting, yet they turned toward the threat. Twenty creatures fanned out to skirt the knot of defenders, avoiding the sprites entirely. One darted close and snatched at Emily. The curly-haired woman shot a thin billow of smoke at the creature. The ghoul hacked and spit, but still managed to grab her around the waist and fall back with his prize before the nearest people could turn to help.

  “Defensive circle! Sprites on the outside.” I’d regained enough energy to shake things up, but my potential targets zipped all over the place.

  Another ghoul attacked the far side of our circle. A pair of Dwain’s folks beat at it with stout clubs, but the creature reached overtop them and dragged a man out by his jacket. A kick blurred out from one of the sprites. The ghoul screamed and staggered on a leg that bent sideways at the knee. The Bright tore free and dove back into the circle.

  Feigns and forays were met by the little people. Occasional smoke or a tongue of fire helped, but the ghouls were immune to the threads of Spirit and illusions. Shawn and I were in the same boat; we couldn’t unleash Earth power without hurting our own people. A few attackers fell, but more kept darting in from the shadows.

  Max growled and pushed past a female sprite.

  “No you don’t.” I grabbed his collar.

  Ralph looked at my restraining arm with something much like disgust and slapped his heels into my dog’s shoulders, urging him forward.

  “Not happening.”

  “Quinn!” I turned at Anna’s shout.

  Quinn strode away from our position, heading across the broken terrain toward the doorway. Ghouls flowed past her and drove back the one sprite close enough to follow. Her swaying gait told me the compulsion again had her in its grip.

  “Stay here.” I fixed Max and Ralph with a stern glare and ran after Quinn.

  A pale form moved to intercept me, but I unleashed a tight burst of Earth to send him face-first into the sidewalk. I chased her, but Quinn moved fast. A dark tendril like the one that had hold of Anna snaked from her chest. The glow from beyond the bronze door made her dark hair shimmer with green highlights as she stepped through.

  The doorway darkened. I put on a burst of speed, determined to get to Quinn before it closed. But the door hadn’t moved. A shaggy wall blotted out the light from the other side as it stepped onto the streets of Milwaukee. It walked on two tree-trunk legs. Paws like mattresses hung at its sides. Snorting from overhead told me it scented the air as its massive snout turned left and right.

  The bear shook itself and roared out waves of dark energy. This was the evil presence that nearly caught me as we rescued the Brights. Its head swung from side to side as it lumbered toward the battle on oddly stiff legs. Though resembling a bear, it walked on two legs with knees that didn’t bend. Fifteen feet at the shoulder, its wide, flat head held a distended snout full of pointy teeth. The naked face with its mottled gray skin sat at odds with the furry body, as though an opossum’s head had been stitched onto a grizzly.

  The ghouls sensed the dark energy and yipped like demented jackals. I used Earth coiled tight around the A-Chords’ rock anthem to topple the monster as I sprinted past—at least that’s what I intended. My magic sank into a foul, springy shield without touching the bear. It lumbered on toward the knot of sprites and humans. I sent power into the street surface, flowing the stone and concrete up around its feet. It slowed and should have fallen because it had no joints below the hip. If the creature fell, it might not be able to rise.

  The stone encasing its lower legs shattered. Shards of rock cut viciously into the backs of the closest ghouls as the bear waded forward. Dwain saw the danger. His people turned to meet the new threat. Though impressive fighters, the sprites didn’t stand a chance against the massive creature. We needed guns or, better yet, a damned tank.

  “Over here, you big ugly creep-show!”

  My questionable insult didn’t faze the monster, but the fireball I launched into its furry back certainly did. Flames splashed against its shields, but the hungry fire persisted and scorched fur before dying out. My knees turned to jelly as the monster spun and roared forth a nauseating wave of oily power.

  31. The Serpent Rises

  T HE BOY was insane and about to die. Uktena regretted the necessity. If Ed had gone on to rescue the girl, he might have survived. Of course, the others were dead…or worse. Katshituashku stood near the top of the dark hierarchy and was too powerful to be brought down by any of the assembled creatures. Humans spoke of him in legends as the stiff-legged or great-naked bear. Natives thought there to be a race of man-eating demon-bears, rather than the single ancient deity.

  His coils pulled from the recesses of the building, tight with anticipation as fangs pivoted into strike position. Uktena’s tongue flicked out, tasting, testing. Despite the bear’s power there were vulnerabilities. His dragon form could best exploit those, but this was not his battle. Katshituashku drew energy tasting of green grass and wildflowers from a bond extending through the gateway—flagrant and unnecessary given his weak opponents. The bear was always the devourer, taking and using what he could.

  A paw lashed out, caught the boy across the chest, and sent him flying toward the bronze door. The bear toyed with him. Raking claws would have eviscerated the soft human. Ed struggled to his feet, gasping and bleeding. Tougher than he looks. But the fool stepped forward, elemental force rising in him when he clearly should run.

  The bear caught the spell and flung it back to slam Ed into an abutment. Even from this distance, Uktena felt the snap of his left arm breaking above the elbow. Anxiety flooded him and he surged to the doorway before catching himself. His sinuous length vibrated with odd sensations.

  The boy needed help. A growl rose from deep in his throat, warning the thing that threatened his human. He would drive it away, tear it to pieces, and ensure it never came back. His nails dug into the rubble, fur spiking high along the ridge of his back. First the legs, then the throat, when it—

  Uktena shook his head, dislodging rotting panels from the adjacent wall. Dust settled along his hide—scales, not fur, and certainly no claws. Determination to protect the human pressed in, coiling him tight. The growl arose, more distanced this time—from an animal hunched in the rubble to his right. Max bared his teeth at the scene. The need to act pulsed strong along the hunting bond, reverberating and feeding back on itself.

  “Stupid dog.” Uktena hissed the words gently. “It isn’t for us to intervene. Besides, what good can you do? Formidable you may be, but there is always something more so.”

  Uktena forced out a calming breath and pulled in his fangs. Such strange feelings. He dampened the bond, further distancing himself from the animal’s strife. Max felt the change and looked up with pleading eyes…with four pleading eyes.

  “How did you get tangled in such a mess, little imp?”

  The small figure clung to the dog’s neck with one spindly arm and brandished a stone knife in its free hand. Uktena swallowed his annoyance at having yet another creature hidden from his senses. The imp glared up at him, so small yet so intense. Were they all unbalanced? The imp sneered, looked to the bear, and slapped his heels impatiently against the canine’s sides.

  “Go home, little one. You don’t belong here. And dog…” Uktena sighed. “…Max, find the woman, keep her safe if you can.”

  Max raised his tail as the serpent spoke, giving a half-hopeful, half-beseeching look. When Uktena made no move to help, the hope faded into palpable determination. Max snarled, lowered his tail into a bristling arrow, and shot out of the building.

  The bear never saw him coming. Gleaming teeth latched onto the back of its right leg. If the thing had tendons, the bite might have hamstrung it. Instead, the thick leg swept back to crush the attacker against a retaining wall. Max took the brunt of the hit, but managed to roll sideways, claw up the back of the bear’s leg, and delivering a savage bite just above its hip. Uktena opened the bond, letting the dog’s rage and satisfaction flow into him.

  Fur and
muscle were foul in his mouth, but teeth punctured and blood flowed hot and sour over his muzzle. The imp stabbed, old magic pricking at the beast with each thrust from the odd little creature.

  The bear grunted and shook, but he held tight, jaw locked in an unbreakable grip. A swiping paw knocked the imp away and wrapped around him. Claws pierced white-hot into his side, tearing him free with a mouthful of bloody fur. He kicked and flailed, then slammed into cold oblivion.

  Uktena’s bond to the stubborn, clever dog winked out. The great serpent fell sideways into the wall, gasping at the sudden void.

  ***

  “Max!” I screamed as the bear slammed him to the ground.

  The massive paw slid away leaving a dark furry mound. Max lay motionless, all four legs together as if he slept. The monster snuffed at him, then rose and took a step toward the line of sprites. Arrows flew from Dwain’s archers. The flight flew true and disappeared into the furry torso, but did nothing.

  The thing was simply too big and powerful. Despite its appearance, it was more than just an animal. There was malevolent intelligence there. And it controlled the elements. I’d been shocked to find my own spell used against me. My Fire caught it off guard, but only made the bear angry. My left hand hung limp, my bloody right cupped another Earth spell I didn’t dare cast. Useless.

  The forest people threw up a magic shield that made the creature pause. It sniffed then batted at the barrier glowing pale gold in my Sight. The wall flared and the bear jerked its paw away. Magic gathered around the giant creature, pulling streams of power though the bronze doorway. The power came, fitful and reluctant, but with deep quiet energy and a stillness that reminded me of Pina when she managed to be in two places at once. In fact, it felt exactly like her.

  The energy streaming through the door was Pina’s. Beautiful green power fueled this dark creature. The bear slammed a paw against the wall, energy flaring, and the golden shield shattered. A swipe of its other arm sent sprites flying. Plumes of smoke and rubble flew from the Brights, but they had no chance. Faced with being trampled, the sprites scattered. The bear ignored them, focusing on the Brights hemmed in by the ring of ghouls.