Coven of Wolves (8 page)

She stops to think a moment then says, "Not really. His aura was very subtle. Yours on the other hand was pretty bright."

"And now?", I ask.

"No, not that much. You have a different magical presence about you but now that you're human again, it's not that noticeable. Why do you ask?"

"The other night I came across the guy in black in full werewolf form and only sensed limited magic from him. The cat sleeping upstairs was the only other person able to see it too."

"Ah." Mika gets a look of understanding and says, "Cats have a special sight all their own. They can sometimes see things even witches overlook. They're very special in that regard. That's one of the many reasons why they're so respected in the Wiccan world."

Suddenly my shortcomings become very evident to me. "I'm afraid my lessons have been a bit limited. Over the past few years I've been intensely trained in the Craft, but once I was taught the basic ground work of how Wicca works our coven master immediately threw me into learning a lot of the more physical spells. The lessons in-between were either glossed over or completely ignored."

"That's a shame. There's a lot to learn about the Craft besides spells. The old saying about knowledge equaling power has so many more meanings than the obvious. My mom used to say..."

At this Mika stops speaking. A look of sadness goes over her face. I get the impression we reached a topic she isn't yet ready to delve into. I try to ease out of it by changing the subject.

"I really hate to ask, but do you think I could use your shower? I've had these clothes on for a few days now and I'd really like to freshen up with something new."

"Oh, of course. Your bags are over there. I'll go and get you some towels."

Mika heads toward a doorway on the other side of the apartment and disappears. I go over to the bags and find a clean set of clothes. I then notice that alongside the bags is the sword from earlier. I pick it up by the black leather handle and examine the blade better. Despite its strong resemblance to the many swords I've seen in 80s ninja movies, I take a better look at the blade's etchings. They don't seem Asian at all but rather Greek. I'm close to gliding my finger along the wording but suddenly remember my newfound weakness to silver. I put the sword down and find Mika has returned with the bath towels.

"Here you go. The guest room is through there. It has its own bathroom attached to the suite so make yourself at home. If you don't mind, I'm going to go back up to grandmamma's apartment to see how Tobias is doing. I shouldn't be too long."

"Thanks Mika. I really don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything. Just get some rest and we'll figure out everything later."

Mika then goes back out the front door, leaving Fenrus and I to ourselves again. The generosity and kindness both Anna and Mika show me is completely unexpected and appreciated. I'm a complete stranger to them yet they've taken me in without any hesitation. The past few months have been pure hell for me. The kindness shown to me by Tobias and now his friends... I'm completely humbled.

I wander into the spare bedroom and find it neatly organized. Along one wall is an open door. I walk over to it. Through the doorway I see a nice sized bathroom. The shower is a spacious walk through shower with full length glass doors and a multi-choice shower head. The slate tile backsplash gives the shower a very masculine look. I place my fresh set of clothes and towels Mika gave me on top of the toilet and begin removing my clothing. I leave them in a pile on the floor and turn the water on. After a couple adjustments the water becomes a comfortably heated temperature and I step in.

"You wanna come in too Fenrus?"

Fenrus woofs and steps in after me. I close the door and allow the hot water to cascade over me. Pure heaven. I wash myself, then Fenrus before returning under the water. The stress of the past few days falls off of me as easily as the dirt and grime. I can't remember the last time I've ever felt so pampered. It feels so nice that once I'm done rinsing I sit on the floor and let the water continue to work its magic over me. Fenrus sits next to me and does the same. I rest my head back against the tile and before I know it I feel myself nodding off.

I imagine myself back in Malik's manor. Wandering down one of the upstairs corridors, I hear intense screaming coming from one of the rooms ahead. In front of me I eventually find a lit doorway. Inside I find Malik, Luke, Cole and Kevin sitting in a circle. Laying within the circle is Zack. He's completely nude and writhing in pain. To my surprise Malik is sitting in a wheelchair. He is obviously not in the best of health but still carries a look of determination. The others however have looks of anguish and fear on their faces. The coven chants in unison, which only manages to increase Zack's pain. In the background I hear bones snap and a sickening sound of flesh repairing itself. Just as Zack's screams reach their crescendo, the chanting stops and Zack's arched back slams to the floor. He's unconscious now but his once mangled body now appears to be completely healed.

"Malik, I don't think he's ready for the next step. Weak as he is, his spirit will never have the strength to fight for control. His body may be healed but that makes it all the more dangerous if something were to go wrong." Luke looks like he's about be become sick after saying the words.

Malik takes his advice to mind for a few moments then barks, "Kevin, go down to my private study and bring me the open book on the desk."

"Yes Malik." Kevin then disappears out through the door.

A concerned Cole then says, "Are you sure you're up for this Malik? No disrespect meant, but you're still pretty weak yourself. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

A devilish smile spreads across Malik's face. "Come over to me Cole."

Cole gets a fleeting look of terror on his face but quickly gains his composure. He stands up and walks over to Malik. He gets on his knees to better meet Malik's eye level. Malik takes his hands and places them on either side of Cole's face. He then pulls Cole towards him and passionately kisses him. A few moments into it Cole completely submits himself to Malik and kisses back with enthusiasm. Luke turns his head to look away. Malik suddenly jerks Cole's head away from his in mid-kiss. Cole looks confused but Malik just smiles at him.

"Thank you for your concern but don't be fooled. I'm not as helpless as I look. I'm growing stronger already. Soon I'll be out of this god damn chair and back to my old self again."

Malik lets go of Cole's face, allowing Cole to stand and move back to his original spot. Luke looks back at Malik and says, "But are you sure this is the way you want to go about getting your revenge? There are a lot more...safer ways of getting to Devin and Tobias."

A calm anger ignites in Malik's eyes. "Yes, there are safer ways Luke, but I want them to feel pain. I want them to know what true terror is like. No one does what they've done to me and gets away with it. No, this is exactly what we're gonna do and on All Hallows Eve they're going to get exactly what's coming to them."

I'm suddenly awakened with the sensation of being licked on the cheek. When I open my eyes I realize I'm still sitting in the shower with Fenrus beside me. In my head I hear, "You can't wonder long in one place Devin. The others will eventually sense you're there listening. They'll be able to track you back to your body and find us."

I'm still a little groggy from waking up but immediately sense the danger in his words.

"Sorry about that. I was just so tired...I couldn't help myself. Before I knew it I was back at the mansion. Come on, we've used up enough water. Let's get out and dry off."

I get up to turn the water off but before I do Fenrus relieves himself down the drainage pipe. I can't help laughing and do the same. When we're both done I turn off the water and open the glass shower door to grab a couple of the towels. I dry off Fenrus first with one towel and then myself with the other. I'm still exhausted but after the shower I also feel like a million bucks. I slip into the fresh clothes and throw the towels and dirty clothes into an empty hamper standing against the wall. The fresh after shower feeling is wonderful. We then wander back into the spare bedroom area and sit half upon the bed, letting Fenrus sit beside my free leg hanging off the side.

"So what now?"

Fenrus thinks for a few moments then says telepathically, "We can't leave without Tobias. He's done so much for us already."

"I feel the same way but at the same time, wouldn't he be in more danger if he stays with us? At least here he has people he knows and who care for him. Wouldn't that be the safer place for him to be?"

Fenrus looks deep into my eyes and I hear, "You should give him that choice to make for himself."

A bit crestfallen I say, "You're right. He deserves that. So, we wait until he's healed and then ask him what he wants to do. I don't feel comfortable putting someone else's life at risk because of me but fair is fair. How do you think he's doing?"

Fenrus closes his eyes and stands very still. After a few moments he opens them and I hear, "He's still pretty weak but Anna was able to negate most of the poison from his system. He'll sleep soundly through the night."

"Well, that's a relief."

I yawn and stretch out my arms. I then slide my forearms across the slightly cold bed and lay across the well cushioned bed comforter. It's so sumptuous I can feel my body tingle with delight as my eye lids draw heavy again.

"Do you think it will be alright if I close my eyes for a bit?"

In my head I hear Fenrus say, "I'll be here to watch over you. You're safe with me, but Devin, remember what I said about letting your spirit self linger. Don't stay in one place too long. You'll only put yourself in danger if you do."

My eyes close as I faintly hear myself respond, "I promise puppy, I promise..."

I'm soon cast into the sheer wonder of darkness and I allow myself to float in its vast emptiness. Is this what Luke feels when he disappears into shadow, I wonder? Intense freedom surrounds me as I feel the sensation of drifting forward at high speeds but with no real visual proof that I'm doing so. I could be anywhere. Blind as I am I allow myself to zig and zag to and fro with no real direction. I will myself to stop in place and slowly I begin my decent. I feel myself drifting downward and downward and soon wonder if I will ever really reach bottom. Casting my apprehension aside I stay the course until I finally feel the soles of my feet touch ground.

Looking around I find myself standing in the middle of a forest area. It's dusk and the remaining sunlight casts a very beautiful glow on everything around me. I hear the sound of running water nearby. Around the bend I see a faint light so I drift forward a bit until it becomes clear. A few paces in I discover the light is coming from a large free standing three story home. It's isolated and I can somehow sense the nearest neighbor is at least a mile away. The road leading away from the house is made of dirt, but is well worn.

Suddenly my ears perk up and every part of my body is at attention. The feeling that something is close by and prowling is overwhelming. I wait for a moment, unsure of what I'm anticipating. Just when I can wait no more I see two pairs of people patrolling in my general vicinity. Both sets are wearing the same black clothing I saw on the would-be assassin earlier, and like him they all carry two sets of swords strapped firmly to their backs. I can see their breath as it hits the cold air, becoming white mist. I instinctively turn to hide behind a nearby shrub but remember I'm for the most part invisible to everyone around me. I drift closer to see if any of them carry the attacker's face but find no such luck. One set has matching brown hair which contrasts with the attacker's black, and the other set has one red-headed male and one dark haired female. I remember Fenrus' warning and decide not to press my luck, leaving them behind. I move closer to the house and peek in through one of the windows.

Inside I see a fireplace is roaring nicely. Three more assassins in black pace past the hallway doorframes. I move past them and see a metal door with a small security code access panel beside it. I walk through the door and see a set of stairs leading downward. As I descend them I can hear arguing further below. At the bottom of the stairs is an open room with more armed guards in black walking back and forth. Several doors lead away from the room and I follow the sound of arguing to one of the closed doors on the left. Inside I find the assassin I fought with earlier. His shirt is off and he is sitting on a medical table being attended to from behind by another soldier in black. In front of him is an older man of some authority with an expression of extreme annoyance.

The person behind the assassin is swabbing his back and says, "There's no reason why these wounds haven't healed yet. Our metabolism completely heals cuts this deep in an hour. This claw mark still looks like it was just made. The good news is that it does look like it's healing, just at a much slower rate. I've cleaned the wound and will bandage it up for you but you're off any assignments for the next few days. Check back with me tomorrow so that I can change out the binding cloth."

As the assisting soldier begins bandaging the assassin's back with white linen cloth, the authorative figure paces back and forth with his hands locked firmly behind him.

"Are you SURE the wolf had black AND white fur?"

"Yes Archon, I swear to it." The assassin winces in pain due to the tightness of the binding.

The older man looks straight into the assassin's eyes. "If word of this were to reach the other clans, we could have a potential war on our hands. The Lykaion wolves have always been neutral. You've told no one else about this?"

Holding his stare, the assassin responds, "No, I came straight to you only."

Satisfied with his answer the older man says, "Good. This news doesn't leave the compound until I'm ready to inform the rest of the counsel. You did good Nicholas. I'll send a team to San Francisco to track their scents. We need to find them as soon as possible."

Nicholas gets a look of concern on his face. "But the witches, their power...and the boy, you said..."