Coven of Wolves (3 page)

Feeling their tension, I leap through the swirling dust and land on top of Malik, knocking him to the ground. Moving like quicksilver I use my arms and legs to knock Tobias, Cole and Kevin down as well. They tumble in different directions around me. I can sense Malik is about to reach up and strike me with a curse as I sit on top of him. I twist upward into the air, out of arm's reach. I spring open my claws and ready them to slice through Malik on my way downward. His eyes widen. He disappears before I can do so, causing my claws to grasp only open air. I land on all fours, looking around the room in anticipation.

With my new eyes I can see Malik's heat signature behind stacked boxes on an upper ledge of the building. I let him be for the moment and call forth enough magic to envelop Tobias, Cole and Kevin before they can get to their feet. The energy grabs them like a vise. Unable to move their limbs or speak, I will them to rise into the air and slowly drift towards me. I look around the room and see Luke still unconscious from his earlier tumble and Zack at the other end of the warehouse floor resembling a broken doll. Knowing they're both out of the fight, I turn back to the three I am holding. Looks of frozen terror appear on the faces of Cole and Kevin. In Tobias' case, however, I feel something different. His emotions flood into me as I stare into his haunting eyes. Instead of fear I sense sorrow and remorse. This confuses me for a moment but I'm quickly brought back to reality once I hear Malik rustling above me. Like a set of pawns I will the three floating bodies to hover behind me as I stand to face Malik in his hiding place.

"You think your becoming a monster will change anything? Do you honestly think you're a match for me?"

"Come out of the shadows and find out."

The sound of my voice startles me. The words sound savage, coarse like sandpaper. I know Malik will begin his onslaught at any moment so I cause the energy surrounding Kevin and Cole to accelerate. My magic drains their life energy, leaving them unconscious. Then I release them and they fall to the floor. I look at Tobias. I somehow know I don't need to worry about him anymore. I still hold him in his energy straightjacket but will him to be held to a far wall, out of harm's way.

The shock of my change gave me an advantage against Malik. Now he's had time to gather his thoughts he's a lot more dangerous to me. The hairs on my back stand on end in anticipation of the attack. I don't have to wait long as I feel Malik's energy shimmer and swarm in the air around me. Ghostly apparitions of Malik appear and disappear within his energy in an attempt to confuse me. Fragments of his spirit self but not the real thing. I close my eyes and focus my second sight. Flashes of the real Malik quickly wraith back and forth around me. I wait until he moves close enough to me then dart my hand at his essence, pulling it in front of me. He appears and I see I've got him by his neck. From behind him Malik pulls out two ceremonial daggers - athames - and slices into my hand. The pain causes me to drop him as he backs away and disappears again. A moment later he appears behind me and strikes again before disappearing. Then again on my right leg.

My wounds are mostly surface scratches and are already healing. I concentrate on working out where he will appear next. My left, I think. And there he is. I swing my arm and strike him down. With my other hand I bind him from being able to teleport. Binding a witch of his level requires an exceptionally powerful amount of magic. I feel my own strength being sapped from the effort. Furious, Malik fires a black bolt at me. I dodge it before it could strike but it singes my fur. He fires more and more bolts at me but I'm able to dodge each one, though barely. Malik then sends a telekinetic wall at me which does manage to knock me back. I stumble to my feet and will eldritch power to fill my right claw. I slash at the next wall Malik sends my way and it rips in two. The same thing happens with the next few walls as I continue to come at him.

Just as I'm about to close in, Malik poisons the air around me and I begin to choke. Binding Malik and breaking through his walls has left me more vulnerable than I realize. I release my binding on him and focus my will to clear the air around me. Malik takes advantage of the situation and slams his palm into my midsection. I can feel the full power of his pendant surging through his hand and attacking my internal organs. I double up in pain as his curse takes hold. Unable to block out the searing sensation, I fall to the ground and give voice to my agony. My body begins to spasm as I lose control of my limbs and lay on the ground helpless.

Malik walks over to me and kicks me several times in the stomach. He then grabs my face and turns it toward his.

"I gave you everything. A life, a home, a purpose...and what do you do? You betray me repeatedly."

I struggle to form words of my own. "Not...my...life. Yours..."

"You were supposed to be part of my life! When I found you, you were a common whore selling your body for money. I took you away from all that! You were going to be my heir. You were supposed to be at my side in our new kingdom! Now look at you."

Malik pushes my face away and takes a step back.

"You're a mongrel beast and a traitor. You must pay for your crimes against me and the coven."

Malik takes an athame and drives it into my chest. I howl. I can still see the glow of life all around me with my newfound eyes but my vision blurs as my life essence begins to fade. I take one last look at Malik as he stands over me with a look of triumph. I think of my family, my true family. I'll never be able to make amends with my mother. I'll never be able to find my father. I'll never be able to let them know how sorry I am for not being a better son. I send out a prayer of love and hope that they can forgive me.

I force my body to roll onto my side and bury my face into the floor. The pain is intense but I try my best to move my hand towards the weapon still buried in my chest. The curse within me intensifies and I fall to my back again. Malik laughs.

"You're dead to me now in every way. I curse your soul to live on, restless in the afterlife. You'll never find peace, in this world or the next. In the end you got what was coming to you."

Suddenly I hear Malik gasp and as I turn my head back in his direction I see something that surprises me. Malik's smug features have vanished and are replaced with shock and wonder. His wide eyes slowly look down to his chest and I see a long spear protruding out of it. Malik drops to his knees revealing Tobias standing behind him, the other end of the weapon in his hands. When he lets go, Malik rolls his eyes upward and falls forward. Tobias looks down at Malik and says, "So did you."

"NNNOOOO!! I'll kill you! Traitor! I'll kill you!" I recognize Zack's venom dipped voice cursing Tobias' actions. For all his bravado, though, I know he is just as weak and broken on the ground as I am.

"Hushhh..." escapes Tobias' lips and Zack's voice gently goes silent. Tobias rushes over to my side and inspects my wounds. He lays his hands over the athame and whispers in Latin. In a few moments my chest goes numb and he pulls the dagger from me. I wince.

"I'm gonna need your help with this next one. Malik's magic is very strong. I need you to focus on the words needed for the purification spell. Can you do that?"

I nod. Tobias lays one hand on my chest and the other on my leg. I hear him uttering the same words I think in my mind. We repeat the lines over and over again. I want to succumb to unconsciousness but I force myself to stay awake as best I can. Soon my mind goes blank and I'm no longer focused on my body's intense pain. Instead I'm fixated on the words both Tobias and I utter. After a while the mantra takes on a life of its own. I can feel my body healing and the curse reversing its spread. The words move from my thoughts and flood out of my mouth. I can feel my connection to the earth re-strengthen. Soon I can feel the wind and trees outside joining my voice in a whisper. Then the rest of nature around me. I'm flooded once again with all that life is. The excitement overtakes me and before I know what I'm doing I find myself standing upright with my back arched, howling in triumph.

"Devin."

I look down and see Tobias still on his knees, looking at me. Beside him lays Malik. Though he's still unconscious I can see a spark of life still burning within him. I growl in anger and lift my claw into the air.

"Devin, no! You mustn't take a life! You know the code. Once you kill another living being your soul will be damned as well."

"Malik deserves death."

"Maybe so, but not at your hand. His fate is already sealed. Don't let him set your fate as well."

The words sink in and I lower my hand. I look into Tobias' eyes and know his concern is real.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I couldn't stand on the sidelines anymore. I gave my oath to support the coven with my life but every day I'd see what Malik was doing to it and I'd die a little inside. I never wanted to see you hurt. You were my brother and the closest thing our coven had to a living heart."

"So earlier when you caused Cole's magics to hit your earth pillar..."

"To stop it from hitting you."

There it is. In Tobias' eyes I finally see what I never noticed before. Love. I feel dizzy and ease onto my knees. I close my eyes and rest my hands onto the ground before me. I can feel my newfound strength somehow shift to my side. I look beside myself and see part of my life force energy swirl and take shape. A wolf made of pure energy forms, then becomes flesh and blood.

Tobias looks on in wonder. "Gaea!"

The wolf's coat has black and white markings, similar to a Siberian Husky but slightly larger. He has the yellowiest eyes I've ever seen. He looks at me and in my mind I know he is another blessing from the earth mother herself. I instinctively feel for my necklace but realize it's gone. In doing so, I touch my chest and feel flesh. I look at my hands and body and realize that I'm back in my human form. Somehow I know my pendant is no longer necessary. The realization that the beautiful creature beside me is my pendant and life force made flesh sweeps through me. I mentally tell the wolf hello. I sense a greeting back. I wonder what his name is. In response I mentally hear the name Fenrus. I smile.

"Devin, is that what I think it is?"

"I believe so. Tobias, this is Fenrus."

Tobias stares at Fenrus in awe. Clearing his voice Tobias says, "Hello Fenrus." Fenrus turns to Tobias and nods his head in greeting. Tobias extends his open palm. Fenrus sniffs it in return and licks it as a sign of acceptance. Tobias smiles and pets Fenrus' fur, marveling at his beauty.

"Devin do you understand how rare it is for a witch to manifest a familiar? The Goddess rarely ever bestows such a gift to anyone, let alone a familiar so powerful."

I look at Fenrus with pride but am suddenly reminded of where I am.

"Come on. The others will be reviving soon and we need to get as far from here as possible."

I stand up and run to my pile of clothes and quickly begin to put them on. I grab my satchel and return to Tobias only to find him merely staring back at me, with sadness in his eyes.

"I can't go Devin."

"What are you talking about? Of course you can. Come on. We don't have a lot of time."

"It's no use. If I've learned anything from all of your escape attempts it's that they'll eventually find us. I've broken the oath and betrayed my coven. There's only one outcome for that."

"That was before. Things are different now. I'M different now. We can help each other."

"Against all of them? There's no way. I know better than to prolong the inevitable."

"Really? And how long did you prolong your feelings for me?"

Silence.

"Tobias, I won't let them harm you. The Craft teaches that there is a purpose for all things. Do you really think that Gaea would give us a gift like this and then allow it to be taken away so easily?"

"This is your gift Devin, not mine."

"Bullshit! We were brought into each other's lives for a reason. You can't deny that."

"No."

"Then come with me. Let's devote ourselves to the Craft in a new way. A good way. The way you know to be true."

I extend my hand to Tobias. He looks at it and slowly he raises his own to mine. I smile at him before we break into a run toward one of the warehouse walls. Just as we are about to make impact we close our eyes and imagine ourselves on the other side of the wall and push our will outward. When our eyes open we find ourselves outside the warehouse but still running. In less than a minute the building behind us becomes smaller and smaller with each stride. I'm still holding hands with Tobias on one side of me and see Fenrus running alongside the other. I have no idea where we're headed but I can sense freedom directly ahead of us.

• • •

"I don't know why we have to come back here. We should be miles away from this place by now!"

"I told you, if we're gonna make a break for it we have to get supplies first. We may be witches but we can't make something out of nothing."

"I still say it's a bad idea."

"Give me the benefit of the doubt, will ya? Now quiet, we're here."

Sprawled out before us stands Malik's mansion home. Much like Malik himself, it carries an air of being large, grandiose and overly decadent. Even standing under the night sky, the building yearns to be looked at and envied. After we silently make our way to the darkest side of the manor I turn to Tobias and say, "Fine, we go in and out but we're not sticking around long."

Just as I'm about to lean through one of the side hedges and onto the property Tobias grabs me and pulls me back. "Don't!"

"Do you want me to go in or not?"

"You can't go in. Malik cast protection hexes on the manor against you. If you take one step onto the property you'll be riddled with death spells."

"Thanks for telling me."

"He cast them just before we started searching for you. He wanted us to know that no matter what, you weren't coming back to us. I'm sorry."