Cloak of Wolves

by Moeller, Jonathan

  He strode down the aisle, hurrying down the broad concrete steps and past the rows of seats. Memories flashed through his mind. Owen had been here numerous times – he and Anna had gone to see basketball games while they were dating, and sometimes the department had family nights where officers could bring their spouses and kids to watch games or to shoot hoops on the court. Those were good memories.

  Owen hoped a bloody slaughter wouldn’t drown those out. There were only a half-dozen Elves on the stage, Duke Tamirlas and some of his knights. If Warren and his remaining wraithwolf pack struck hard and fast enough, they could overwhelm the Elves and kill the rest of the guests with ease.

  The basketball court would become a slaughter pen.

  The officer guarding the aisle looked at them, eyes narrowed, hands straying to his weapon.

  “He’s one of them,” murmured Nadia.

  “Get ready if he puts up a fight,” said Riordan.

  The officer stepped into their path, hand raised.

  “You can’t be here,” said the officer. His mouth tightened with repressed rage. No doubt the wraithwolf had twisted his mind and was screaming for him to transform and attack. “You can’t be here without an invitation.”

  God, he was so young. Late twenties at the most. What had Warren told him? Likely the officer had been a decent man before the Fusion device had warped him into a monster.

  Warren was going to pay for that.

  A few of the guests turned to look, frowning at the sight of soldiers in full tactical dress.

  “Son,” said Owen, using what his daughters called his Scary Dad voice. “I’m Colonel Owen Quell, head of Milwaukee special investigations, and this is Major Jacob Giles, head of homicide investigations. We are here with an urgent message for Duke Tamirlas that his lordship must hear immediately. Step aside.”

  “I can’t let you through without an invitation,” said the young officer. His teeth were bared in a snarl, and the fingers of his free hand had curled like he was preparing to slash invisible claws.

  “Either you get out of my way,” said Owen, “or I’m going to arrest you for obstructing a superior officer.”

  And if the kid refused, he would lose his temper and transform. Either Nadia or one of the other wizards would blast him, and the fight would begin right here.

  At last, the officer gave a curt nod and stepped to the side. Owen strode past him without looking back, though that made his back itch.

  But the officer didn’t attack, and Owen and the others walked down the basketball court to the stage. The guests stared as they walked past. Owen’s eyes flicked over the tables, noting details. No plates had been set out yet, though he did see small trays of bread and appetizers. Probably the main course would be served while Brauner was giving his remarks.

  They reached the stage, and Owen felt the gaze of the Elves and the human political leaders.

  “I know you,” said Arnold Brauner in his bluff, hearty voice. He wore a black suit that was just slightly rumpled, like a farmer who had put on his best clothes. The cold, shrewd eyes belied the image of the simple farmer than Brauner liked to cultivate. Next to him, his wife Tansy looked remarkably attractive for her age in a sleek black dress. “You’re Colonel Quell.”

  “Sir,” said Owen. He offered a bow to the Duke, and the others followed suit. “My lord Tamirlas.”

  “Colonel Quell,” said Tamirlas, Duke of Milwaukee, in his quiet, deep voice. The Duke had thick black hair with silver wings at the temples. His alien, aloof features put Owen in mind of a fierce hawk. The Duke wore a knee-length blue coat with golden trim, and Owen glimpsed an ornate sword at his waist. Around him, his knights wore similar blue coats, though less elaborate. “I remember you. You fought well under my command during the Archon attack a few years ago.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” said Owen. “I have an urgent message for you.”

  He risked a glance around. None of the wraithwolf officers were within earshot. Of course, the wraithwolves might have given their hosts improved hearing, much the way the Shadow Hunters seemed to possess enhanced senses.

  And all six of the officers were staring at Owen.

  “Well, what is it?” said Tamirlas. The stern Duke seemed caught between amusement and annoyance.

  “I ask your lordship not to react with alarm,” said Owen, “but your life is in danger, right now. Assassins are watching you as we speak.”

  Tamirlas’s golden eyes narrowed, and his knights shifted, hands moving towards weapons. “Indeed? Explain, Colonel.”

  “A group of Homeland Security officers have been subverted,” said Owen. “An enemy of the High Queen gave them magical devices that allow the officers to transform into hybrids of human and wraithwolves. The wraithwolves have twisted them into spree killers. My lord, the Wizard’s Legion and Lady Tythrilandria, handmaiden of the High Queen, have dealt with several of the creatures so far. But between sixteen and twenty of the corrupted officers are still alive, and they are going to attack you at any moment.”

  “Bullshit,” said Martin Brauner, Governor Arnold’s eldest son and the current governor of Wisconsin. Arnold Brauner looked like an honest farmer, even if he wasn’t. Martin looked like the evil lawyer in a TV drama who foreclosed on the family farm. He lacked his father’s charisma, and Owen frankly doubted he would have gotten elected without Arnold’s influence.

  “My lord, you can put this to the test yourself,” said Owen. “I’m afraid the six officers guarding the aisles are part of the conspiracy. If you cast the spell to detect magic on them, you will sense the presence of their transformation devices.”

  Tamirlas said nothing, and then his gaze swung to Nadia.

  “I know you, woman,” he said. “Or I know of you. The Worldburner. The one who helped the Magebreaker destroy the Archons and reclaim our homeland at last.”

  Nadia offered a hasty bow. “Yes, my lord. My lord, I think you should listen to Colonel Quell right now.”

  “I owe you my life,” said Tamirlas. “I was in New York to greet the High Queen. I would have burned with all the others had you not thrown the Sky Hammer weapon into Venomhold.” A cold smile went over his hawkish features. “And the Knight of Venomhold was long our foe. It pleases me to think that she was overthrown in her hour of triumph.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” said Nadia. “And I would very, very much like to save your lordship’s life again, but we need to act now.”

  “Very well,” said Tamirlas. His voice rose slightly to address everyone at the table. “Remain calm, but we must evacuate the building. The wraithwolves can only be harmed by magic, and there are too many without magical skill here. Arnold, what do you suggest?”

  Governor Arnold had been staring hard at Nadia, but he shook himself and gave a sharp nod. “A gas leak, I think. I’ll announce that there has been a gas leak and everyone needs to vacate the building immediately.”

  Tamirlas half-smiled. “Cunning as ever, Arnold.”

  “I very strongly suggest we hurry,” said Nadia. “When the wraithwolves attack, they will target any Elves first.”

  Tamirlas frowned. “You have soldiers of the Wizard’s Legion with you. Will that not deter them?”

  “It didn’t when we fought them in Cedarburg an hour ago,” said Owen.

  “So be it,” said Tamirlas. “Arnold, make the announcement. See to it that the guests are evacuated in an orderly fashion. My knights, prepare for battle.” His intense golden eyes swung back to Owen. “You, the Worldburner, and the soldiers of the Wizard’s Legion are with us?”

  “Yes, my lord,” said Owen. “Those officers have betrayed everything that Homeland Security is supposed to stand for, and they have innocent blood on their hands.” He felt Nadia’s gaze on him. “I want to see them stopped before they add to that blood.”

  “Then let us proceed,” said Tamirlas, and Governor Arnold stepped to the podium.

  “Everyone?” said Brauner, his voice crackling over the sound system. “Everyo
ne, if I could have your attention please?” All eyes turned towards him, including those of the Fusion wraithwolves. Owen kept watching the arena. This would be a perfect time for Warren to attack. “It seems there is a gas leak on the lower levels of the arena.” A murmur went through the guests. “I would like everyone to calmly and in an orderly fashion to head for the lobby. Hopefully, this will get taken care of soon, and we can come back to dinner. Meanwhile, let’s show Duke Tamirlas how the people of Wisconsin keep their cool in a crisis. Please head out by table. Table one?”

  Owen watched the arena as Brauner directed traffic. He did a good job of it – Owen could see how Governor Arnold had ridden herd over the state legislature for twelve years. In short order, all the guests were on their feet and moving up the aisles to the lobby. Owen kept a close eye on the Fusion wraithwolves, fearing that they would attack while the guests were packed together in the aisles. Yet the six officers remained where they were. They looked confused. Perhaps they hadn’t expected this.

  More likely they were awaiting orders. In the Shadowlands, wraithwolves always hunted in packs commanded by an alpha. Perhaps Warren and Hopkins were the alpha wraithwolves, and they would not deviate from instructions until Warren said otherwise.

  Tamirlas rose to his feet, and he made a small gesture with his left hand.

  “Yes, I see what you mean, Worldburner,” he murmured. “I can sense the aura of corrupted power around them. The poor fools. They were lost the minute they summoned the wraithwolves. Only the most accomplished and skilled magi and archmagi can summon Shadowlands creatures without suffering corruption effects. I would not want to attempt it myself save for a grave emergency.”

  “Yeah…I mean, yes, my lord,” Nadia said.

  “Men of the Wizard’s Legion,” said Tamirlas. “Once the guests are clear, prepare to strike, we…”

  One of the locker room doors opened.

  Owen turned in that direction, flexing his fingers as he pulled together power for a spell. He remembered all the times he had seen basketball teams emerge from those doors.

  As he looked, all six of the Fusion officers turned in that direction as well.

  Six more Homeland Security officers walked onto the court, their expressions angry, almost feral.

  Lieutenant Kyle Warren walked at their head.

  ***

  Chapter 18: Of Men & Monsters

  Warren and his goons stopped halfway between the stage and the locker room doors, and I tensed. My aetherometer was buzzing in my hand, and I shoved it back into my bag, preparing my mind to summon magic for spells. I was tired – I had cast a lot of spells and used a lot of magic today, but I ignored the fatigue.

  The thought of facing a mob of hybrid wraithwolves made it easy to ignore the weariness.

  I shot a look at the aisles to the lobby. The guests filed out in an orderly fashion, and most of them had made it out. Another minute or so, and the guests would be out of the arena. Would Warren attack them while they were packed together in the lobby or the sidewalk? I doubted it. He needed to take out the Elves first, else they could use their magic against his wraithwolves one by one.

  Riordan took one step forward, putting himself between Warren’s men and me.

  “Colonel Quell,” said Warren at last. The five men with him looked enraged, but Warren himself seemed at ease, almost relaxed.

  “Lieutenant,” said Owen. “Seems that you’ve been busy.”

  “My lord Duke,” said Warren to Tamirlas. “We have received word of a threat against your life. I urge your lordship to come with us at once so we can take you to a place of safety.”

  Tamirlas only raised a single eyebrow.

  “You know better than that, Lieutenant,” said Owen. “We know everything now. We know about Leon’s and Doyle’s deal. We know about the summoning devices. We know that you killed Ronald Doyle and his family.” His voice hardened. “And we know that you sent officers to murder my family.”

  “Goddamn it, Kyle,” said Giles, a mixture of weariness and anger in his voice. “You were the best detective I had in the department, the best officer. You could have been the branch commander someday. Instead, you did…this.”

  Warren smiled. He looked charming and gallant, like the sort of Homeland Security officer you see on posters urging the public to stay safe and contact the authorities if you see anything suspicious. “I just took the next step, Major. We’re supposed to protect and serve, right?” Owen’s lips thinned at that. “But how can we protect and serve if scum like Ronald Doyle and Pablo Leon and Arnold Brauner,” his calm wavered for an instant as he looked at Brauner, “can escape justice with their money?”

  “So that’s why you killed Doyle’s wife and kids, is that it?” said Owen.

  Again, Warren’s calm flickered.

  “I mean, I get why you killed Doyle,” said Owen. “Doyle hadn’t been punished for the people who died when that building fell over. So you decided to go vigilante. Except you also killed his wife and children. What, did a six-year-old child mix the bad concrete? Did…”

  “His wife and children benefited from his corruption,” said Warren. “They were just as guilty.”

  “Uh huh, sure,” said Owen. “And when your men tried to kill my family?”

  “They were there to kill you and the MacCormac bitch,” said Warren, glancing at me. I smirked and gave him a cheery little wave, my magic ready to strike. “Except you weren’t there. You were defending that toad Pablo Leon from justice.”

  “Leon’s greedy and stupid,” said Owen, “but that doesn’t merit getting torn apart by wraithwolves. And Doyle’s kids didn’t deserve what you did to them. And my kids? What is it, Lieutenant? What did I do that deserved to have my children attacked? I’m not on anyone’s payroll except Homeland Security. Explain that.”

  “The corruption in the department…” began Warren.

  “And you’re getting paid by Homeland Security, buddy,” I said. Warren glared at me, his calm fading further. He was keeping control of himself, but only just. I wondered why he hadn’t attacked yet. “If you’re on a crusade against corruption, kill yourself first and save us all a lot of trouble.”

  “They were all corrupt, and they deserved to be executed, to have their flesh torn apart by claws and their hot blood spilled on the earth!” said Warren.

  “That’s the wraithwolf talking,” said Owen, and he let pity and disgust fill his voice. “That’s the danger of summoning spells. The bond with the summoned creature goes both ways. Maybe you can control it, but it can also influence you, and it’s twisting your thinking around…”

  “The Fusion device is not a summoning spell!” said Warren. “It’s science, not magic. It’s something new. It’s the next step for humanity, the next phase of evolution. It will make us better and stronger than the Elves, and we can use it to purge the corruption from among ourselves.”

  “It’s nothing like that,” said Owen. “You’ve let a monster into your head, and it’s warped you into one.”

  “I will kill the corrupt and free mankind of them!” said Warren.

  “You can’t,” I said, remembering one of the books Riordan had mentioned.

  “I can do what I wish, and you cannot stop me,” said Warren.

  “No, you can’t, and yes, I can,” I said. “Because your entire idea is stupid. You can’t kill all the corrupt people because everyone’s got good and bad both inside them. You’d have to kill everyone. And you can’t change what people are. Trying to do that just makes people into monsters. Like you’ve become.”

  “Trite,” spat Warren, his eyes starting to turn yellow. “Useless clichés. You ought to be a Sunday school teacher.” He swept a furious glare over the stage and the Wizard’s Legion soldiers. “You are all corrupt, you are all cancers to be cut from the world. You, Major Giles and Colonel Quell, protect the corrupt like that leech Brauner and his cronies.” Brauner gazed back at Warren with a stony expression. “And you, my lord Duke!” Tamirlas seemed
only contemptuously amused. “You are the author of all this corruption. I know that Brauner is your shadow councilor. I know you turn a blind eye to his crimes in exchange for money. You and all the Elves are rotten, and I shall rid the world of you.”

  “Young man,” said Tamirlas, “I have been the Duke of Milwaukee for a long time, and I came to the same realization as the Worldburner centuries ago. There will always be corruption, no matter what I do. It can be managed and controlled, but the world cannot be made clean with the edge of the sword. That was the error of both the Archons and the Rebels, and it is the same error that has now ensnared you.”

  “You are a…” growled Warren.

  “Enough!” said Tamirlas. “I command you to surrender immediately and face justice for your crimes. Else my knights and the soldiers of the Wizard’s Legion will take you by force.”

  Warren laughed, high and wild, his calm mask gone entirely.

  “I know why you are talking to me,” said Warren. “You’re hoping to delay, letting all your stupid guests get out of the building.”

  “And it worked,” said Owen. The arena was empty but for the Elves, the Wizard’s Legion soldiers, and Arnold, Tansy, and Martin Brauner. I have to give the Brauners credit for not running. Though that would have been the smart thing to do.

  “Do you think I’m stupid?” said Warren.

  “Well, yeah,” I said.

  But maybe that wasn’t the right way to put it. The wraithwolf had corrupted his intellect and driven him insane. But he still had the cunning of a hunting predator. Things had been going well for him until I had gotten involved, and he couldn’t have seen something like me coming. I mean, if I hadn’t been there, he would have gotten rid of Owen and Pablo Leon at the same time, and he probably would have been able to surprise and kill Duke Tamirlas and his knights and wipe out Brauner’s guests.

  Surprise…

  Maybe he was stalling for a surprise, an ambush. I didn’t see how, though. We were in the center of a basketball arena, for God’s sake, and there was no way the hybrid wraithwolves could sneak up on us, not when we could see in every direction at once. The creatures were so big it wasn’t as if they could hide behind the rows of seats, and the Fusion wraithwolves didn’t seem able to transform themselves into mist the way normal wraithwolves did.