A Witch's Path (26 page)

"I think so." Her hand left the stun gun. "What do you know about Amber?"

"I just found out where Amber is being held."

"Are we going to rescue her?" Tiffany perked up.

Silently, I counted to ten. Tiffany was a friend, a hyper-focused, grief crazed friend, and I wanted us to be friends after this. She deserved my patience, even if it was in short supply tonight. "We need to talk about it. There's more at work than meets the eye."

Her breath hissed out from behind clenched teeth. "I've done all the chit-chat I'm capable of tonight."

"Unknot your panties. This isn't small talk. My source said Adder is holding a woman who fits Amber's description. There is a catch, Adder has a silent partner, one who's powerful enough to hide and evil enough to kill kids." I relayed the information as blandly as I could, not wanting my emotions to influence her choices.
 

"I don't like the sound of that."

I crossed my fingers; maybe the reasonable and logical side of Tiffany was coming out to play. "You shouldn't. If we go after her, we will be dealing with Adder, any guards of his, and maybe this mysterious evil."

"You're a witch. That has to count for something."

Shaking my head I answered, "Maybe from a distance, but up close I'm no match for a werewolf."
 

"Oh, what do we do? I want to help her."

"Option one: we wait until morning and I tell the nice detective what I know. Assuming it's enough information for them to act on, we cross our fingers, and hope they get her back with minimal collateral damage. I doubt my information will be worth much. Wells isn't going to be impressed by information I got from a guy, who got it from a guy."

"When you put it that way…"

"I know. It's worthless. Wells said only one bird mentioned smelling werewolves, and the rest won't talk to him. On paper, you heard someone say Adder, which the police can't verify, and I have a second-hand tip."

Tiffany's shoulders dropped. I felt her pain. We would sound like lunatics. Even if Wells wanted to believe us, on paper we wouldn't be credible.

"Option two," I continued. "We go after her. If we do this, it could be the two of us against Adder, his wolves, and his mysterious backer. Besides the obvious risks to life and limb, we'll be risking criminal charges and jail time." The part of me that wanted to save Amber was ready to blackmail Tiffany into helping me. The rest of me was announcing how dangerous and stupid it would be to invade Adder's territory.
 

If this conversation had taken place before I looked at the bodies of children, I would've been adamant that this was a job for the police. Instead, I had a feeling that I needed to be there. I needed to get a look at Adder and his silent partner.

"Let's do it."

I laced my fingers together and leaned forward. "I was hoping you'd say that. When do you want to do this?"

"Now."

"Now?" My eyebrows shot up.

"Yes, every minute that passes is one more she spends at his mercy. Besides, I doubt Adder likes overnight company, so there won't be as many guards."

*******

"We should've waited until morning," I whined, memories of my last nighttime battle shaking my confidence. I didn't want to be scraped off the pavement, or carted off in an ambulance again.
 

 
Since we got in the car, my butt-kicking, brave, heroic persona had gone into hiding. It was easy to be angry, determined, and bold when I was sitting at home. It was harder to be those things when facing the unknown and pointy teeth.

"Well, we're doing it now, so shut up about it and finish draping yourself with charms," Tiffany replied, not taking her eyes off the road.
 

"Hey, you hauled me out of my apartment without any time to prepare. I've got my wand. This is not prepared." Though, preparation hadn't helped with my last nighttime battle. Chain mail would've been a good idea. It could protect against teeth.
 

"You said less would be better, remember? Something about Adder's partner having magic. It would be better if you didn't bring charms. There was something about preventing others from using your own charms against you."

"Yah, thanks for reminding me why I'm going into battle naked." Note to self, buy chain mail when you get home.

"You've got your wand."

"And that might be a bad idea. I'd rather not end up with it sticking through a body part because a rogue wolf thought it would be fun."

Tiffany didn't bother to reply, which was probably for the best considering my mood. It wasn't often I was threatened with electrocution, rescued damsels in distress, battled werewolves, or played hero. If I was extra lucky this would go better than last time. I'd had my fill of hospital beds.

 
Werewolves were dangerous, resilient, and smart. Trolls weren't blessed with intelligence. We needed back up that could go toe to toe with a werewolf. I grabbed my phone and started dialing.
 

"What are you doing?" Tiffany asked.

"Calling a guy who might be able to help. Now hush." The phone started to ring.
 

"Hello?" A voice rumbled.
 

"Liam?"

"Ya found me, Lass."

"I'm going after Amber. If you want to be there, we'll be at Adder's house."

"That's not the brightest idea, Michelle."

"What did you think I was going to do with the information?" He sighed. "I know it's a bad idea, but she needs help."

"Alright. I'll try to help. If nothing else I'll take the pack when he's arrested. If he attacks you, killing him will be justified. That would make the council happy."

"If we can, we'll have the police arrest him. Otherwise, we will play bait."

"Good girl."

We both hung up, and I ignored Tiffany's silent plea for information. She'd heard enough to get the idea. Besides, Liam didn't want me telling anyone about him, so I couldn't answer her questions without betraying his trust.
 

"Alright, we're getting close. Do you still agree with the plan?" Tiffany asked.

"Yes, this is the best plan we have," I said.

The plan was to park the car by the side of the road near the driveway to Adder's house. Then we were going to creep through the woods until we found the house, at which point the details got fuzzy. As Tiffany had last described it, we would grab Amber, get back to the car, and drive like mad to the police station. I still hadn't figured out how we were going to explain rescuing her, assuming we made it to the police station.

"Are you sure you can't think of a better plan?" I asked.

"No, you vetoed my other plans because they were worse than this one." She pulled the car off the side of the road.

To be fair, I doubted there was a good plan when crossing paths with an unhinged werewolf and an unknown evil. Even with days to prepare, there isn't much I'd do differently given the current information. "True. Let's get her back."

Tiffany tugged on my arm. "This way."
 

I followed her into the woods, shivering. Even with my jacket it was cold. I wasn't a fan of cold weather, but smells didn't travel as much in the cold. We needed every advantage against a werewolf's senses.
 

After pushing my way through a pine tree, climbing over two fallen trees, and dodging thorny berry bushes, I slipped my wand into the wrist sheath. I figured it was better off attached to me, than dangling from my fingers while I beat my way through the backwoods of North Georgia. If I couldn't get to it later, I'd reevaluate.
 

When we got to the stream I knew it wasn't my lucky day. Slipping down the bank was bad enough, but I got water in my shoes and fell face first into mud on the other side. Tiffany pushed through it like she was part nymph. I wiped the mud off my face, wrinkling my nose at the smell. This wasn't spa mud that would improve my complexion, but smelly farm mud. Luckily, it didn't get in my eyes. Giving my feet a half-hearted shake, I resigned myself to being cold, wet, and miserable. A few minutes, and three holly trees later, I started to see lights though the woods. Tiffany stopped, and I nearly ran into her.
 

"What?" I hissed.

"The house," she answered.

"Okay, what now?" Leaning to the side I could see the front porch. I had all sorts of bad feelings about trying to sneak into Adder's home. I really hoped I wasn't going to be giving a wolf a dental exam.
 

"I don't know. We could bust the door, deal with Adder, and find Amber," Tiffany offered.

"Oh, I love it. As easy as one, two, three."

She poked me in the ribs, "Well, what do you suggest?"

"It would be good if we knew who's in the house, and where Amber is being kept."

"I'm going to look in windows until I find her." She took a few steps forward.

"Tiffany, stop. You can't do that. He'll hear you. Then you'll be dead and Amber will still be his captive." Like standing outside his house whispering wouldn't call his attention. We might as well have been shining a spotlight on his place and using loud speakers.
 

The front door opened, blocking our view of the light, sending the porch into a shadow my eyes couldn't penetrate. A voice drifted out, "You said you wanted to talk. Let's go for a walk. I need the fresh air, and she can't hear us out here."

I nudged Tiffany and mouthed Adder since it was a man's voice.
 

"I don't see why we need to talk outside. Can't you do something about her?" A woman replied.
 

I looked at Tiffany. She shook her head. She didn't know the voice either.
 

"She's in her own room. There isn't much I can do about sound traveling."

"Render her unconscious."

"I will not hurt her. She's mine."

"Careful, Adder. I can take away what I helped you gain."

"It's a nice night. Let's take a walk and talk."

I didn't think it was a nice night, but werewolves enjoyed the cold. Heavy footsteps, like a man in work boots sounded, followed by the sharp thwack of high heels. The footsteps moved across the porch, down the stairs and onto the gravel.
 

Adder's mysterious partner was a woman. Any woman capable of bringing a werewolf to heel wasn't one I wanted to cross, though I couldn't help but wonder how she was managing the gravel driveway in heels.
 

I bumped Tiffany with my elbow, and made a walking motion with my fingers before pointing at us and the house. She nodded, and we quietly moved towards the house.
 

This was our best shot. The two of them were walking down the driveway, going away from us, and the house, with every step. There was a chance they could hear us, but I was banking on the wildlife and wind covering up our movements. If we were really lucky, Amber would be alone and we could do a rescue and escape without a fight.
 

 
We tiptoed out of the woods, and across the grass surrounding the house. I paused to listen, but I couldn't hear Adder and his friend any more. The driveway wasn't that long. Unless they stopped to talk, they would be back in minutes.
 

The house was a doublewide, with bricks along the bottom, and clean siding.

Tiffany slowly twisted the doorknob, and the door popped open. With a smirk she pulled it back enough to peek inside. I pulled out my wand. This was the dangerous part. Tiffany opened the door and we stepped onto a strip of vinyl floor separating the kitchen on our left from the living room on our right. Luckily, both rooms were empty.
 

We walked into a living room with a large tv, an old couch, and a battered wooden coffee table. There were posters from football teams and popular movies on the walls. Beer bottles, stale nachos, and old macaroni and cheese sat on the coffee table. Behind the couch was a large window, partially covered by curtains.
 

The window was wrong. It was strange to have a window between two rooms of a house. The frilly white curtains didn't match the movie posters and sports memorabilia decorating the room.

I walked over, and pushed back an edge of the fabric. The window looked into a room. It was lacking furniture, with only a twin bed covered in rumbled blankets in sight. The blankets twitched, and light red hair fell across the pillow.

Dropping the curtains, I grabbed Tiffany, and pulled her around the corner. Luck was on our side, because this door was open too. When I walked into Amber's prison, emotions and thoughts rushed through me. It was so good to see her. I wanted her to be unharmed. Adder was a piece of garbage that deserved to be put down. The emptiness of the room would drive me crazy. The walls were white, and the outside window had been boarded up from the exterior. The inside window had a view of white, unless Adder opened the curtains, at which point she would have a lovely view of the living room and her abductor.
 

Tiffany and I reached the bed at the same time, seeing the tears in her eyes, I let her wake Amber.

"Amber? Can you hear me? It's Tiffany. Michelle and I are here to save you."
 

Amber didn't move.
 

Tiffany touched her shoulder. "Amber, wake up."

Amber rolled over, eyes unfocused, and a soft smile on her lips. "I knew you would save me." She closed her eyes and appeared to go back to sleep.
 

"Narzel, she's been drugged," I said.
 

"We are not leaving her here," Tiffany hissed.

"I didn't say we were. Let's get her up. This is going to slow down our escape."
 

We untangled Amber from the sheets. A shackle was attached to her arm, and I unlocked it with a tap of my wand. Now that I could see Amber, or the parts of her that weren't covered by her flannel pants, and long-sleeved shirt, she looked surprisingly healthy. Her hair was tangled, and her eyes glassy, but she didn't have any visible bruises and her clothes were clean. The lack of visible injuries didn't mean she was unharmed. There were plenty of injuries, to the body and mind, that I wouldn't be able to see.