Raven, Red

by Connie Suttle

  "Have you spoken to your supervisor, or the head of the Fish and Wildlife Service?"

  "No. You're the first one I've talked to."

  "Will this place your job in jeopardy?"

  "Maybe. I don't know. What I do know is whatever those things are, we have to get rid of them—and whoever made them. That can't be natural."

  "What the hell?" Ari snapped as she caught sight of Jeff Walker on television. She and Nico had walked into the family room together. "People do stupid stuff," Nico replied quietly.

  "Breakfast is ready," Ari announced. "Stop watching that crap. It'll just make you crazy."

  "Breakfast sounds great. Turning off the TV even better," Del agreed, rising carefully with coffee cup in hand. "Lead the way; I'm starved."

  Ari walked next to Nico on the beach after breakfast. Gulls took flight as they approached, while the surf washed over their footprints, convincing the sand to forget they were ever there.

  "The sound of the water is a good filter," Nico observed as they walked along. Occasionally, he stopped to watch in fascination as colorful coquina clams, uncovered by lapping waves, burrowed back into the sand to hide themselves from predators and the sun.

  "It's an allegory," he pulled his eyes away from sand-buried bivalves and squared his shoulders before walking away.

  "An allegory?"

  "For everybody, everywhere," Nico replied. "We're constantly struggling to survive, aren't we?"

  "Well, when you put it like that. Is Mac still trailing us?" Ari refused to turn around and look.

  "Yes." Nico bent over to lift a shell. "This is beautiful, but it's dead." He turned the shell over to reveal a small, round hole. "The shell is protection, and it's relatively thick, but it still fell victim to a predator." Nico pocketed the shell and continued walking.

  "Did you sleep all right last night?"

  "Yeah, with normal dreams, but they were still chaotic."

  "I sleep better when I'm in mountain lion mode. The cat rests better than the human does."

  "Sometimes I wish I had another form—a disguise, to disappear into and free myself from the constant bombardment of the negative energy the Adversary is creating. There was negative energy—a lot of it—already swirling around. Half his work has been done for him."

  "I used to tune out the news, because it was all bad, seems like. Now, it's worse, and we're stuck in the middle of it. How soon do you think the Adversary will turn his vermin loose on innocent people?"

  "Soon. I'm sure he's already preparing his manifesto against the witches, who he'll blame for creating the monsters. He may add to that list, too, because of those videos showing Hunter's change to wolf. In the past, people were tortured and burned for being witches or lycanthropes. It's only a matter of time."

  "Lycanthropes? They were burning people for being werewolves? If they'd had a real werewolf, anybody who tried to capture him or her would lose a hand at the very least."

  "Check the history of the inquisitions—all of them. Some list that as the sin or heresy committed by the hapless victims. You're right, though. All those people tortured and or burned to death were human."

  "Or half-human, as Mona and Lance are."

  "Yeah. It's easy to stir up the general populace, once they have an enemy to point a finger at. With the video of the vermin on every news channel, they'll be stirred up for sure."

  "Maybe we ought to tell all of them that guns are of no use against these things," Ari said, toeing a clump of seaweed out of her path.

  "You honestly believe that will work?" Nico turned toward Ari, a deep frown marring his youthful features.

  "No." Ari shook her head and kept walking.

  "They want to destroy the stone," Nico said after a while. "They'll have to kill me to get it."

  "Nico, they'll have to kill me first," Ari said. "And, if it's nighttime, they'll have a bunch of vamps to get through before that."

  "They'll figure out that attacking during the day is their best bet."

  "Then we ought to do our best to root them out before it comes to that."

  "Ari, that will take a miracle."

  Mac berated himself; he had nobody to blame but himself for the fact that he was trailing far behind Nico and Ari on the beach, instead of walking beside them.

  He also berated himself for admiring Ari from behind. She was dressed in a sleeveless tank top and shorts, and she'd chosen to walk the sandy beach barefoot. She was tall, lithe and fit, her calf muscles presenting themselves well at every step she took.

  She and Nico were talking, and he should have joined that conversation. He should be privy to Nico's thoughts and musings.

  My fault, Mac reminded himself. It was time to admit that he was drawn to Ari like a moth to a flame, and, like the moth, risked losing his life in the process. He could recall the last of the curse laid upon him, after his path in this world had been laid by another.

  Should you ever become presumptuous enough to give your heart completely, your curséd life will end. She'd laughed after pronouncing his doom, and then disappeared.

  Through the centuries, he'd wandered in and out of the lives of those chosen by the stone. Most he had little affection for. A few he'd served with devotion, but never loved.

  Until now.

  Nico had drawn a response from him that no other had; he felt—fatherly. Nico was so young. Had been so unprepared. Mac couldn't help caring for the boy.

  Ari—even in raven form, his heart had lurched the first time he saw her. He'd ignored that reaction, focusing only on Nico. Whenever he found himself responding to Ari after that, he'd pushed her away. Been rude and hurtful, when it wasn't warranted.

  All to protect his own ass.

  She was devilish in her own way—the one who'd carefully laid the curse upon him. He was facing what could be the worst Adversary of them all. Mac needed to form a bond with Nico and Ari, to combat the Adversary's strength.

  He'd done just the opposite.

  You have to fix this, he chided himself. Get up there and apologize.

  Except he couldn't. Ari would hiss at him and he'd deserve it. When had the raven knight become such a coward?

  When I chose to love, came the simple reply. Who knew how fragile the heart could be, when the hard shell he'd built around it was breached?

  Are you ready to come walk with us? Nico invited.

  Hold up, I'll be right there, Mac replied and broke into a trot.

  "Here," Nico handed the lettered olive shell he'd picked up to Mac. "The shell wasn't enough; the creature needed protection from those around it. Left on its own, it perished."

  Mac turned the buff and brown shell in his hand until he saw the hole that another creature, known as a drill, had created to feed on the mollusk inside. What was left behind was a beautiful shell, but it was empty of life.

  Mac sighed and pocketed the shell. He was determined to carry it as a reminder—an allegory for his life.

  "Nico, I know you can sculpt as well as paint," Ari said after the three of them walked in silence for a few minutes.

  "You want me to create a false stone, don't you?" He turned toward her in understanding.

  "Yes. I think we can give it a bit of a spark—maybe enough to fool someone?"

  "Yes," Mac nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Only make more than one. Ari will carry one, I will carry one, and Renault will carry one. The fourth one you make should remain with you, Nico."

  "Yes," Nico agreed. "That's a fine idea."

  "We'll work on that when we get back to the ranch," Ari said. "We need to find some jet, Mac."

  "Yes. I'll look into it. Perhaps Claudio can help."

  "They can do research while we sleep tonight," Ari said. "Look, there's a great blue heron."

  The tall bird was wading through shallow water ahead of them, searching for small fish or crabs. Ari pulled her burner phone from a pocket to snap a photo. "I've never been this close to one," she breathed.

  "Should we turn back and
leave him to his breakfast?" Nico asked.

  "I think so," Mac replied. "We're three miles from the beach house."

  "How long is that going to last?" Darnell grumbled as Reverend Killebrew's wife, Phyllis, sniffled while filling the lodge's cabinets with canned goods, bowls, and pots and pans.

  "She'll get over it, or I'll help her get over it," Benny grumbled. "You wanted to talk?"

  "Yeah, but I only have folding chairs in my study right now."

  "That'll be fine. Are we getting more furniture soon?"

  "I asked Bobby Ray to scrounge. It doesn't have to be fancy; it just needs to be functional." Darnell led Benny away from the kitchen. "It's just through here," they walked along a hallway before turning left into a study lined with bookshelves. A TV tray was set up near the window, and Darnell's laptop was there, plugged into the wall.

  "I already got the ball rolling on the utilities and stuff, but we need funds. Don't want the Justice Department interfering because I diverted campaign funds, if you know what I mean," Darnell explained.

  "If you need funds, then I can take care of that," Benny offered. "I can have those websites that carry our video messages ask for donations to further the cause. It's the least they can do for us since we put them on the national media map."

  "We did that, for sure," Darnell pointed Benny toward one of two folding chairs near the laptop. "Once the money starts coming in, we can do whatever we want with this place. How soon can you get that set up?"

  "Maybe tomorrow. I think we can pull in some big donors, too, if we handle it the right way."

  "Whatever it takes," Darnell said. "I just need names—and their wish list."

  "Wish list?"

  "Enemies? We can take them down—just tell us who. We'll tell you how much."

  "Seriously? I mean, Bobby Ray's good, but he ain't that good."

  "We don't need Bobby Ray for this—we have other allies."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Let me introduce you to Belhar."

  "You called, Master?" Belhar appeared and bowed his head to Darnell. "I must tell you that I have been searching diligently for the ones who destroyed much of your army last night. Should they be found, I will act on your behalf. I have also looked into replacing those destroyed. I will keep you advised on my progress."

  Benny Killebrew, who'd been too shocked to speak at first, took in every bit of Belhar's features, from the tips of his curved, black horns to the pointed, cloven hooves at the end of furred, goat-like legs.

  "Ah, Reverend Killebrew, so nice to finally meet you in person," Belhar smiled.

  "The Governor is considering a special legislative session," Del sat heavily at the kitchen table next to Lance's chair. The detective leaned both elbows on the table, morosely consuming a cup of coffee.

  "No doubt to discuss the vermin we flushed out of the refuge?" Lance asked.

  "He considers it an emergency," Del commented dryly.

  "It is an emergency. Too bad he can't do a damn thing about it," Mac set a cup of coffee on the table and joined the conversation.

  "Whatever they do, it'll be stupid and ineffective," Lance agreed. "They'll demand information, which up to now only the Governor and a few high-ranking senators have been privy to. Once it gets out to the entire legislative body, there'll be hell to pay."

  "Our Department has warned him and other state law enforcement that they may come across more zombies-in-the-making," Del said. "Which can turn into demons-in-the-making if we don't handle it appropriately. We may have to call in the regular FBI, because we don't have enough agents to spread throughout the state."

  "Humans will be more vulnerable," Erly arrived in the kitchen to rifle through cabinets for a snack. "Laronda and I aren't helpless, but we felt that way when those things popped out of the ground last night."

  "Few are invulnerable to those things, in my estimation," Mac shook his head. "Humans will become food if they get in the way."

  "If the regular FBI gets involved, then they need to start looking at places where a lot of people congregate," Lance suggested. "Music festivals, outdoor fairs, popular shopping malls—that sort of thing."

  "I've already passed that message along," Del said. "Mac, do you suppose Claudio can pull in more vamps for night events?"

  "I can ask. I'm sure their Council will see the sense in bringing more in."

  "What about werewolves to combat demons? If they won't pass along the disease, that is," Lance asked.

  "Some of ours went in to collect samples from what got killed in the refuge," Del admitted. "We should know for sure after they run tests."

  "You had a cleanup crew ready to go in?" Erly found a box of cheese crackers and carried it to the table.

  "Yep. Better safe than sorry," Del replied. "We don't need demon alligators, if that stuff can be transmitted."

  "You had to ruin my appetite, didn't you?" Erly made a face at Del. Mac snorted a laugh.

  "Why didn't I ever think of doing this before?" Laronda wiped her face with a towel after, she, Mona and Nico did Tai Chi with Ari.

  "It's good to work out the kinks and force the worries back," Ari said. "I usually do it every day—until recently. Nico used to show up at my studio and exercise with me."

  "I learned a lot from Ari, and it sure helped when the semesters got stressful," Nico said. "It's worth the effort."

  "I want to learn enough to do it on my own," Mona admitted. "That was a workout, even if it looks slow and effortless."

  "I'm all for a shower and then food," Nico said.

  "Should we get something delivered, or can we go out?" Laronda asked.

  "I think we should go out," Nico said.

  "What he said," Ari leaned her head in Nico's direction. "I'm hungry, and I always heard this is a good place to get shrimp or locally-caught fish."

  "I'll let the others know, and then head for a shower myself," Mona said. "Last one out pays."

  Ari ran upstairs, following Nico. Once there, she turned toward one of three bathrooms located on that floor.

  Ari, there's something I need you to help me do, Nico sent.

  Not a problem, Ari said after Nico told her what he wanted. "Get in the shower. I'll have it finished by the time you're out."

  "Best idea today," Laronda grinned as a server placed a margarita in front of her.

  "I agree, and I'm not old enough to drink," Nico told her. "Shrimp cocktail is awesome, though."

  "Best view in Port A," their server said as they watched a sailboat dock right outside the open-air restaurant.

  "It sure is," Erly said.

  "I think you'll like the red snapper you ordered—we got it fresh this morning."

  A distant, booming sound interrupted the conversation. Nico exchanged a glance with Ari, while Mac looked from one to the other.

  We moved the vamps—they're back at the ranch, Nico told him. Ari and I—we had a feeling that the Adversary was honing in. That's why we wanted to go out to dinner.

  Ari waited for their server to leave the table before telling everyone the news. "I hope you didn't have anything important back at the beach house," she sighed.

  "Why?" Del's forehead creased in a frown.

  "Because it just blew up," Nico replied.

  "Weapons are in the back of the van," Laronda said. "I have my purse and my sunglasses—I can replace everything else."

  "I'll let the Department know," Del stood and pulled out his cell phone.

  "Good idea," Lance said. "I'll come with you." Del and Lance walked toward the front of the restaurant to find a private place to hold a conversation with Del's superiors.

  "Ari, do you think you can move a vehicle?" Mac asked quietly.

  "Maybe."

  "We can drive away from here to a secluded spot, and then you can get us out of here. Nico, please don't leave me out of this conversation again, I beg you. I would have agreed with your decision, I promise."

  "I told Janie the vamps were back in the basement, and left no
tes for Claudio and Renault to find when they wake," Ari said.

  "We may be back there before they wake," Nico mumbled as their server, bearing a tray and a tray stand, approached the table.

  "Thank you," Laronda told Nico. "I appreciate what you and Ari did."

  "Governor just called a special session," Mona lifted her cell phone when it chimed. "Captain wants to see us when we get back, too."

  "Tread carefully from now on," Mac warned after their server walked away. "The enemy has the talent to pull many to his cause. He managed to find the beach house, likely because it was a recent rental large enough to house a bevy of agents. Don't trust anyone outside this circle."

  "Because that wack-job ranger spilled the beans to a reporter that we were there, no doubt," Laronda sniffed. "Asshole."

  "One may wonder if he's still alive—or wholly human if he is," Mac grimaced.

  "I can check," Laronda said, lifting her cell phone and sending a text.

  "Let's eat, I'm starved," Lance said as he and Del returned to the table. "Then we need to get the hell out of here."

  "You're all on the Department payroll going forward," Del said as they loaded into the van to drive away. "Lance and Mona are on loan from Dallas PD until this is over. Your pay will go into bank accounts under a brand-new alias. The alias you used here will officially be retired, because you'll all be officially reported as deceased.

  "Going forward, if you need supplies, we can have money diverted from your pay to cover expenses, and the packages will be delivered to a single Post Office box in Abilene, under the names of Kirk and Scottie Shipman. That includes anything from shampoo to sneakers. Agents posing as Kirk and Scottie will pick up the packages, and they'll be delivered to the ranch."

  "I get a paycheck," Nico bumped shoulders with Ari.

  "We get a new alias, too?" Laronda asked Del.

  "Officially, yes. I can't say how glad I am that we used one this time. That fool ranger may have given the names he could remember to the enemy."

  "Is he missing?" Mona asked.