Coven of Wolves (22 page)

The wolves around us are speechless. I look at Nicholas and tell him. "They're free now. Thank you."

Without saying a word, Nicholas motions for us to go to the stairs. I pick up Tobias' sword and hand it to him. I then grab my Synoro sword and the three of us quickly make our way up the stairs. When we get to the main part of the club, we are horrified by what we see. Everywhere around us are the dead bodies of not only the body guards hired by the Initiators, but also of the ordinary club attendees. Some are sliced with swords while others look like they were mauled to death. When we get to the foyer area I see the body of Sharon, tossed like a rag doll on the ground.

I look at Nicholas in horror. He looks back at me with an expressionless face. I'm suddenly aware of heat on my back. As I turn to look behind me I see that several of the Synoro assassins have set several portions of the night club on fire. With a sunken heart I wonder what I have gotten us into.

• • •

The car drive to the airport is so silent you could hear a pin drop. I notice Nicholas stare a few times, watching as Tobias holds my hand. I can't really tell if the look he gives us is revulsion or something else entirely. When we get to the airport we drive to an area set aside for what looks to be private charter planes. We drive into a hanger and inside are several expensive looking jet planes. The wolf soldier sitting in the front passenger seat gets out and opens the door for us. We file out, waiting to be told what to do next. Nicholas walks over to one of the jets with the cabin door already open. He stands beside it, waiting for us to go in first.

When we get inside, Nicholas points to a specific seating area and stands to the side to talk to one of the wolves. We take our seats and look around us. Aside from partly resembling a well stocked armory, the jet is obviously tailored to someone with very little worry in the money department. Just in our area alone are several large flat screen televisions, plush couches, textured carpets, and a very well stocked bar. If I weren't so fearful for our lives at the moment, I'd be impressed.

When we sit, Mika turns to Tobias and I and says, "I can't believe you two went through all that to save me. I don't think anything I can say will give enough justice, but...thank you."

We both hug Mika, feeling her arms clench tight around us. Still holding her, Tobias tells Mika, "Of course we'd rescue you. Who else am I going to watch Steel Magnolias with?"

Mika laughs through newly formed tears and says, "If we make it out of this, I'll let you play that corny movie as many times as you want. I'm just surprised that grandmamma isn't with you."

Tobias and I pull back from our embrace and look at each other. Mika notices the look. In a concerned voice she asks, "What is it? Did something happen to my grandmamma?"

"Yes and no." I answer back. "It's a long story but basically, she disappeared. We don't know where she is."

Now panic stricken, Mika says, "What? Was she captured by other Initiators?"

Tobias grabs hold of Mika's hands and says, "No Mika, nothing like that at all. We were trying to find out where you were being held and along the way...she teleported somewhere we can't trace. According to Fenrus, she and Sekhmet were pulled far away by very strong magic."

"Oh my god". Mika begins to shake. "What if something bad happened to her? What if she needs our help? We need to get out of here. We need to..."

Tobias focuses Mika's attention back onto him. "Mika, listen to me. We have no idea where she's at. We couldn't sense her anywhere in the city. When we get out of this, we'll help you find her. I promise."

Mika stands up. "But what if she needs us now! I'm sorry, but I can't wait. I have to find her. I have to..."

"You're not going anywhere." We turn to see Nicholas standing near us. "The three of you are coming to one of our west coast compounds. If even one of you thinks about escaping..." At this Nicholas takes out a hand gun and points it at Tobias' head. He then cocks the gun and continues saying, "your little trio is going to get knocked down a peg or two. Do you understand me?" He then takes the gun away from Tobias' head, and holds it at his side. "And before you even think about using your magic to escape, this entire jet has about twenty magic inhibitors hidden throughout it. You won't even be able to pull a rabbit out of your hats. Now, sit down and shut up. We're going to be taking off soon." Nicholas then points at me. "You." He then snatches the Synoro sword from my hands. "Come with me."

Shakily, I slowly get up from my seat. Tobias gets a look of fear on his face but I reassure him that I will be fine. He watches nervously as I leave the compartment he and Mika are in and follow Nicholas into another room, out of view.

Nicholas leads me to an isolated meeting room. As he closes the door behind us, I take a minute to take in my new surroundings. The first thing I notice is that the room is completely empty. On the large table situated in the middle of the room is a map of San Francisco with several areas marked with big red X's. I can also see another familiar looking map beneath it. I take a closer look and see that it is a layout of north east Phoenix.

Suddenly I feel Nicholas grab me by the back of the shirt, spinning me around to slam me against the wall. As my back slams against it, Nicholas then uses the scabbard portion of my sword and his forearm to pin me to it at my neck.

In a low guttural voice he tells me, "I'm only going to say this once so you better listen carefully. If you EVER embarrass me or question my authority in front of the other wolves I will kill you where you stand, promise or no promise. Do you understand me?" He then pushes harder against my neck. "Do &emdash; You &emdash; Under &emdash; Stand?"

Unable to speak, I try to nod my head as best I can. Satisfied with my response, Nicholas releases me, allowing me to breathe again. I instinctively grab for my throat and bend myself over, coughing and taking in as much oxygen as I can.

Nicholas then takes a few steps back and begins pacing. "I shouldn't even be here wasting my time on you. There are more important things I should be doing."

Feeling the color come back into my face, I stand up and say to Nicholas, "I know. You're readying my brother for his trials."

Nicholas whips his head towards me and says, "How do you know about that? Who told you?"

"I'm a witch.", I reply. "We're not all knowing, but there are ways of seeing glimpses into things sometimes. I told you before that I want nothing to do with the Synoro and I meant it. As far as I see it, the Synoro have brought my family nothing but grief. You stole my father from me and my mother when I was still a kid, and now I find out that I have a brother I didn't even know existed and he's about to be killed by his own people."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." I can tell by the tone of his voice that I hit a nerve.

"No?", I ask. "Then why can't you stop it? You're his family too Nicholas and a high ranking member of your clan. You can speak up and stop it."

Nicholas angrily shouts at me, "No I can't! You're an outsider and know NOTHING about our laws! The trials are in place for a reason. I may hate what is happening but this has been our way for thousands of years!"

"So you're just going to let him die?" I ask.

Nicholas lifts his arm to strike me, but instead he turns away.

"You're right.", I say. "I am an outsider and have no clue what it's like to be raised in your culture. I know to you I'm just an insignificant human who's only known, for the most part, an easy life. Up until recently, perhaps you'd be right. But I do know one thing: letting my brother die is wrong. He's only a teenager and hasn't had a chance at any kind of real life yet."

Still looking away from me, Nicholas asks, "What do you care? You've never even met him before."

I reply, "That's the difference between you and me Nicholas. To me, family is more than just who you allow yourself to know."

I then turn to the door leading back to Tobias and Mika and reach for the door knob.

"Stop.", Nicholas says. I turn back to face him. Nicholas is now facing me again but this time I can see that he's put back on his expressionless face. I'm no longer able to read what he's feeling. He then lifts the Synoro sword and says, "You took this from me in the woods. It doesn't feel 'right' anymore. What've you done to it?"

"I don't know.", I reply. "I wish I could give you an answer but I really don't know. I think I've bonded with it somehow. I can't explain why, but having that sword with me just feels right. If you take it back, I'll understand."

Nicholas removes the sword from it's scabbard and flicks it around in the air a few times. He then visually inspects it, looking for any flaws. "Only the most skilled wolves are given these swords. Just to own them gives you a certain level of status among my kind. By rights you shouldn't even be allowed to touch one of these swords. It is an insult to the legacy from which they're made."

Nicholas then puts the sword back into the scabbard and offers it to me in front of him. "Take it. You've ruined it for anyone else somehow. I've already had another one crafted for me to replace it at any rate."

I hesitate a moment but then reach out and take the sword from him. I affix it onto my back and look back at Nicholas, telling him thank you.

"What are you?", he asks. "Only two wolves can create a werewolf. Your mother was human, but you were able to change the last time we met. How is that?"

Quietly I reply, "I wish I knew. I don't exactly know why either, only that it was a gift given to me by my goddess Gaea. She blessed me with a way to help me survive. She gave me Fenrus, and with him I'm able to tap into that side of myself and manifest the wolf."

"Your dog?", Nicholas asks. "That's how you change? Where is he now?"

"I don't know. I sent him away just before we were taken by the Initiators. I was afraid that if they got hold of him that they'd hurt him somehow. As far as I know, he's still hiding somewhere in the city."

"So without him you can't change back into your wolf form?", he asks.

I look deeply into Nicholas' eyes, trying to see if his questions are stemming from true curiosity or if they are meant to find a weakness to better reign me in. Nothing.

"No.", I answer. "My senses are sharper, but without Fenrus I can't change anymore than Tobias or Mika can."

The look on Nicholas' face changes somewhat. I can now see a slight look of sadness in his eyes. Suddenly the jet engines come alive all around us. The plane gently lunges forward, probably taxiing itself over to one of the runways.

"You and your friends should be seated and buckled up. We'll be at the compound within the hour." Nicholas then walks past me and back into the next room.

I am suddenly swept with a feeling of complete defeat. Feelings about several things I've tried to steel my heart against have now come to the surface after my talk with Nicholas. I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with them emotionally, but now there's no way to stop it. Knowing my father will be that much closer, possibly seeing my half brother, not knowing where Fenrus was, and now not knowing if I've just killed Tobias and Mika along with me...it almost seems too much to bear.

I walk back into the next room and sit next to Tobias. He puts his arm around me and asks if I'm okay. I look out the window, feeling for the first time in my life truly helpless. I tell him "no". The rest of the ride ends up as silent as the trip to the airport.

• • •

When we land, several soldiers walk over to us and place black blindfolds over our eyes. They then guide us off the plane and into awaiting vehicles. During the drive I can sense that one of the wolves had opened some type of strong smelling oil and had begun dabbing some of it onto different parts of my body. The reaction from Tobias and Mika tells me that they are getting the same treatment. When we finally stop, we are escorted out of the cars. I hear the sound of running water nearby. We are eventually led into what seems to be some type of building. There are a lot of people talking around us, but eventually we are led up a series of stairs and into a room. It is here that our blindfolds are finally removed. We find ourselves in a large bedroom with two sets of bunk beds set against three of the four walls each. On the fourth wall is a window framing what seems to be an endless forest of trees.

Standing beside us are several wolves and Nicholas. "You three will stay in this room until the Counsel is ready to speak with you. There's a connecting bathroom through there. There is a lot going on at the moment, so it might be some time before we summon you. A guard will be posted outside the door and countless more are scattered throughout the grounds. Just so you know, we are very secluded here. There are miles and miles of forest all around us. You won't be able to find help anywhere near the compound, so don't even THINK of escaping."

Nicholas and the wolves turn to leave but I shout out to them, "Wait!" With a look of annoyance on his face, Nicholas turns back to me. I ask, "Can I please see my father?"

Nicholas barks, "No, you can't. He has more important matters to attend to. Stay here, don't make a sound, and DON'T make me regret not killing you earlier."

Nicholas and the others then leave the room, slamming the door shut behind them. The sound of the door locking can be heard immediately after. Tobias places his hand on my shoulder and says, "At least they didn't take our swords."

I reply, "I don't think they have much faith in us being able to use them."

Mika asks, "What are we going to do?"

Tobias feels the handle of his sword, then takes Mika's hand and walks her over to one of the bunk beds. They both sit down on the lower bunk. Tobias then says, "The first thing we're going to do is put your mind at ease about Anna."

He then takes off his sword and removes it from it's scabbard. He rests it on his lap and says, "Do you see this sword? It has the ability to communicate with witches who have died. If Anna really is dead, we'll be able to communicate with her and find out who is responsible. If not, then we know she's still out there somewhere."