Coven of Wolves (7 page)

Mika looks at me in wonder. "That was amazing. I've never seen anyone heal an injury that fast before."

"I only wish I could do the same for Tobias."

Understanding my pain, Mika says, "He has non-magical poison running through his system. What he needs is an herbal healer. My grandmamma is an experienced herbalist. She'll be able to help him. We just need to get to her."

"I don't know how to thank you for helping us back there."

"No thanks necessary. Tobias is like family to me."

"How did you know where we were or what was happening?"

"Magic my dear Devin. Magic."

• • •

Within a few minutes we leave the quiet countryside behind us and land in the middle of a huge metropolis. The Golden Gate Bridge and steep roadways gave away what city we are in. Ms. Whiskers is still sleeping soundly in my lap. I turn to look at Tobias. All the color has left his face and sweat has formed on his brow. I will some of my own life force to mingle with his, hoping it will sustain him for the remainder of the travel. Onward we drive, swerving cars left and right. A few times I think we're close to causing an accident due to our break neck speed but as I look around me the fellow drivers and pedestrians don't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. At first I ask myself if this is really how people in San Francisco drive but then I sense low level magic streaming from Mika. It dawns on me that she's glamouring us from the people around us. Its old magic but still very effective. Basically the witch casting the spell clouds their victim's minds to see only that which they think is normal. I could walk by the Queen of England without a stitch of clothing on and all she would see is a properly dressed man of no real significance. I imagine the people around us probably only see a bicycle messenger or perhaps nothing at all. I'm impressed that Mika is able to focus on her driving and maintain the spell at the same time. Both require a high level of concentration but if she's having any difficulty it doesn't show.

We make a left from Bush Street onto Powell Street. I can tell Mika senses my agitation.

"Don't worry, we're almost there. It's straight ahead just before Sacramento Street."

Sure enough I see the Sacramento Street sign up ahead and Mika pulls the car into an empty space. Just in front of us is a large 6 story building made of red and brown bricks and trimmed with white accents. The black rot iron fire escape gives the building a classic look. Above the large front door is etched "St. Elizabeth". My newfound sight almost goes wild as I sense powerful magic within.

Still holding Ms. Whiskers, I race out of the car door and open the door behind me. Fenrus immediately jumps out and looks up to me for direction.

"Fenrus, can you carry Ms. Whiskers on your back."

In my head I hear, "Yes". I gently place Ms. Whiskers across Fenrus' back and will her to remain asleep. I then climb inside the car and dig my arms underneath Tobias, grabbing hold of him. Mika appears at the open car door and grabs Tobias' legs. Just as we are almost out of the car a cable car pulls up and a load of tourists step off. They take no notice of us and happily begin snapping photos of the buildings around us. We continue to the front door, which opens for us on its own magically. Upon entering a lavishly decorated lobby, we pass a beautiful curved wooden staircase which almost seems to be spotlighted by a series of custom stained glass windows. Just past the staircase an elevator door dings open and we step inside. The doors immediately close behind us and the car moves upward, finally stopping on the top floor. The doors open and I'm greeted with an intoxicating scent of sweet incense.

"This way."

Mika guides us past many pieces of ornate furniture and grand tapestries. We head toward an open door on the far side of the living room. As we walk through, the incense smell becomes stronger. The room is filled with many lit candles and along one wall stands many shelves, each containing several labeled glass jars. In the middle of the room is a red velvet lined folding table. Beside it stands an older woman immaculately polished with her pale white hands interlocked in front of her. Her stark white hair is neatly tied up in a bun and on her white high necked Victorian blouse she wears has a cameo perfectly centered above her chest. Her long black skirt goes down to the top of her high button boots, which carry a Victorian era look to them. The woman looks on at us with the same brilliant green eyes I see in Mika.

Mika and I position Tobias on the table. In doing so I feel that beneath the red velvet are several padded cushions. The moment Mika and I step away the older woman goes straight to work on Tobias. Within seconds she has a series of herbs placed on his tongue, a medicinal smelling cold compress on his forehead, and a couple small censers set on either side of his head giving off unique healing aromas.

My senses go into overload and I begin to feel somewhat light-headed. I look around and see Fenrus standing beside me still carrying Ms. Whiskers. I kneel down toward him and begin petting his cheeks and forehead. "Thank you Fenrus. You did great." He licks me in response. I then take Ms. Whiskers off of him and place her on a nearby chair. I then turn my attention back towards Tobias and the woman.

"Do you think you can help him?"

The woman continues her work but replies, "I'm definitely going to try. Mika, were you able to retrieve it?"

At this Mika reaches into her pocket and pulls out a thick white handkerchief. She opens it up and inside is the long needle and red feather the would-be assassin used on Tobias.

"Good. Drop it into this decanter." The older woman then holds a glass container with a clear liquid towards Mika and she drops the needle in. After a few moments the clear liquid begins to change into a misty purple. Noticing the color change, the woman moves over to the large shelved wall and begins pulling several jars down. She takes various amounts of the items from each jar and places them into a large vessel. She then grabs a small porous stone and begins to grind the items together. When she is done she takes the newly made powder and places it into a heating tea kettle set on a nearby table. She waits a few moments and then takes the kettle and pours its contents into a cup. Afterward she goes over to Tobias and with one arm manages to sit him up. She removes the herbs she placed on his tongue earlier with her free hand. When all the herbs are cleared she takes the cup and eases the concoction down Tobias' throat.

"Come on Tobias, the goddess isn't ready to receive you yet." The warm motherly tone of her voice surprises me. She places the cup down and instead of laying Tobias down as well she leans him toward her and cradles him in her arms. With her free hand she pushes his hair back and kisses his forehead before resting it on her cheek. It reminds me of Tobias pushing the hair from my forehead only an hour ago.

"You know Tobias?" I ask.

She smiles at me and says, "I should hope so. I was his mother's mid-wife. My family and Tobias' go back a long way."

Then it hits me. "You're Anna, aren't you?"

"Smart boy. Mika, can you take Devin and his friend down to your apartment? I'm sure after all they've been through they'll need a little R&R."

Mika nods and moves over to the room's entranceway. The idea of leaving Tobias causes a bit of panic in me.

"Oh but I can't leave..."

In a reassuring tone Anna says, "Don't worry about Tobias. He's in good hands. He just needs to rest and let the herbs take effect. I'll keep watching over him until the fever breaks. I'll make sure your cat friend there is comfortable as well."

I'm still a bit unsure but I grudgingly nod my head as well. Fenrus and I walk over to Mika and the three of us exit back into Anna's living room.

"He'll be fine. My grandmamma has healed people for years. We just have to wait it out."

Her words encourage me.

"Can I wait for him here?"

"No, I'm afraid grandmamma's friends won't like it. They're out on the roof deck getting some sun but when they come back down I don't think they'd appreciate seeing your...friend here. No offense."

I'm suddenly confused and a bit alarmed. "What do you mean? Are there more witches here?"

Mika giggles. "No, not at all. You have nothing to be alarmed about. I'll explain everything to you soon. Let's just go down to my apartment so you can get settled in. I'm sure you're probably starved."

I hadn't thought about it but it suddenly dawns on me that I haven't eaten anything in close to two days. I can feel my stomach move in anticipation for something solid to eat. Fenrus and I follow Mika out the front door and back into the elevator. We arrive one floor down and walk into her unit. The difference between the two floors is remarkable. Although the floor plan looks to be the same, the dA(c)cor is starkly varied. Whereas Anna's apartment is very decadent and old world, Mika's is very contemporary and modern. Neon signs hang off brick walls and a large computer work station takes up a good section of one of the corners. Through an archway I can see modern stainless steel equipment in the kitchen and a 10 speed racing bike stands upright along another wall.

"I'm gonna to go down and get your bags. Make yourself comfortable. The kitchen is through there. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."

Remembering I am a guest I say, "Oh, let me help you with the bags. They're pretty heavy."

Mika simply smiles and says, "I'm stronger than I look. Really, just get something to eat and I'll be right back."

With that she turns from us and exits back into the outer hallway, closing the front door behind her. I suddenly feel helpless and lost. I hear whimpering and look down toward Fenrus. In my head I hear, "Don't be sad. I feel they are good people. They'll help us."

"You really think so?"

Fenrus' voice reassures me, "Yes. Their concern for Tobias was genuine. We just have to wait for him to get better."

I bend down on one knee and hug Fenrus tightly.

"Thanks Fenrus. Say, are you hungry?"

I hear Fenrus enthusiastically say, "Yes!"

We both head toward the kitchen and I open the refrigerator door. Inside is a cornucopia of food. I quickly grab a container of lunch meat and open it. I grab a few slices and hand feed a few to Fenrus before eating several myself. Once the lunch meat is gone I reach in and pull out a half stick of pepperoni sausage. I bite off a few pieces and feed them to Fenrus and pretty soon the two of us manage to polish off the sausage as well. I then bring out a bucket of cold fried chicken and place it on the counter top. I close the refrigerator door and move to the stainless steel kitchen sink. Through the clear glass upper cabinets I can see a stack of large bowls. I grab one and fill it with water. I place the bowl down and Fenrus immediately begins to drink. I then grab a large drinking glass from another cabinet and fill myself a glass of water as well. The taste has never been so welcome. When we have our full I go back to the chicken and begin breaking off pieces of meat from the bone. I toss them toward Fenrus and he catches them with his mouth. We're halfway through the bucket when Mika returns with our things. I'm embarrassed at how much food Fenrus and I have polished off and try to slowly finish chewing what's in my mouth.

After dropping the bags onto a nearby couch Mika walks over to us and pulls a piece of chicken for herself and begins to eat. Between chews Mika says, "This probably would have tasted better last night when it was still hot but I figured you'd probably be so hungry you wouldn't mind if it was cold or not."

I become confused again. "You bought this for us last night, before we even got here?"

"Yeah. Grandmamma told me that we were going to be getting company and that I needed to stock up on food. I wasn't sure what you like to eat so I got a little of everything. Have you tried the pudding yet? There's this chocolatier nearby who makes the best chocolate pudding. You'll swear you've never had anything as good."

"So it was Anna that told you where we'd be?"

"Of course. She's the one who told me where to wait for you and around what time you'd be there. She's a really gifted Seer. I don't have that gift but it runs strongly in the family. She told me that I will be too late to stop Tobias from being hurt but that I needed to help you stop the man in black and get the both of you back here as soon as possible. I have to say, I was a little shocked when I saw you in full werewolf form. I've never seen one before. To be honest, it was a little scary. I could tell though that you were trying to protect Tobias so I bit the bullet and jumped in to help. You have no idea how afraid I was that you were going to bite my head off and slash me to little pieces."

"Uh, thanks...I guess. To be honest all this werewolf business is pretty new to me too. The first time anything like that has happened was last night. You don't have to worry about the crazy savage stuff though. I'm guessing that's all made up for the movies. When I transform my adrenaline is definitely high but I think like a normal person. Actually, as a witch it's pretty great since I'm able to tap into the nature around me for anything I might need."

"Wow, that's pretty cool. Your aura was pretty massive though. As soon as you changed I imagine any sensitive witches in a 10 mile radius probably picked up on your magical energy. That was another reason why I wanted to get us out of there as soon as possible."

Her words hit me hard in the stomach. Was I responsible for putting Tobias and Fenrus in danger? Am I doing it now? Visions of several covens, including Malik's, storming through the doors dance through my head and suddenly my appetite disappears. I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to them because of me. Still, something else is now troubling me. I was near a fully changed werewolf just last night and I didn't sense anything until I was a few feet away from him. I didn't even know he was there until I saw him with my own eyes. How is it I'm giving off noticeable attention but he isn't?

"Mika, earlier today, did you sense any magical energy from the guy in black?"