Destroyer Rising (30 page)

“Yep.”

“You’ll get used to their antics if you stay with
us,” Ashley said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Beth said. She squeezed
Ashley’s hand and leaned on her shoulder.

Foster ripped a huge snore and woke himself up. “What
happened? Where are we?”

“You ate my S’more,” I said flatly.

“Oh, yeah,” The fairy said, flexing his wings. “It
was good.”

Sam steered us through the small town of Farmington
and parked in front of the Catfish Kettle. Foster insisted on
riding on Sam’s shoulder. She finally gave in. “I’ll be right back.
Damian, stay here. I know they know you.”

The door slammed closed.

“They know you here?” Beth asked.

I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I used to pig out here
with Zola. They have a picture of me on the wall.”

“Quite the legacy there,” Ashley said.

“Shut up, witch.”

Sam came back a few minutes later, loaded with fried
catfish nuggets, hushpuppies, and four drinks precariously balanced
in one hand. I leaned over and pushed her door open.

We ate as we drove back to Saint Louis. By the time
the White Castle in Festus passed our windows, the weight of what
was coming fell heavy on my shoulders. We were saying goodbye to
Carter and Maggie for the last time.

I closed my eyes when we neared Highway Forty. It was
effortless now, reaching out to Happy. Not so long ago, it took
every fiber of my being to find him across the city. Now it was
more like flipping on a radio.

“Happy.”

I could see him there, on the second floor of Death’s
Door with Bubbles nestled at the foot of a chair. Vicky was curled
up and nestled into the stuffed leather with a blanket over her. I
looked closer and realized it wasn’t a blanket at all. Jasper was
spread out, keeping her warm.

“How is she?”

Happy looked away from Vicky and it felt like he was
looking into my eyes.

She still sleeps, though she has stirred many times.
She is well, Damian. I will watch over her. Honor the Ghost
Pack.

I nodded and let the vision fade.

“Let’s go,” I said, and Sam steered us onto the
highway, heading straight for Howell Island.

***

“I’ve never seen so many cars here,” I said as Sam
parked on the grass below the levee. There was nothing hidden about
the pack tonight. A fire turned the woods to orange and black
shadows in the distance, and visions of the Burning Lands came
screaming back.

“Aideen’s already here,” Foster said. He closed his
eyes and smiled. “I can feel her. I’ll see you inside.” He launched
himself off the roof of the SUV, gliding over the steep incline of
the levee before diving into the tree line.

“Is that Frank’s car?” I asked, eyeing the old green
Challenger. I caught sight of the license plate—FNGLVR—and groaned.
“Never mind.”

“You love it,” Sam said, putting an arm around my
shoulders. “Come on, now you’re just procrastinating. Let’s go see
Hugh.”

I took a deep breath. She was right. I didn’t want to
do this. I wanted to see Carter materialize in front of me again. I
wanted Maggie’s golden glow to light up a room one last time. I
didn’t want to bury them again.

Sam ushered me forward.

“Should we be here?” Beth asked. “It seems like we
shouldn’t. I didn’t know them that well, or at all, really.”

“You know Alan,” Ashley said with a tired smile. “We
should be here for Alan, if nothing else.”

Beth followed in silence.

“What’s in the trees?” Sam asked as we made our way
onto the island. The humidity on the river was overwhelming, and
muffled voices sounded deeper in the woods. Something that looked
like canvas stretched across the canopy above us. I smelled the
leather mixed with river water.

“I have no idea,” I said. We followed the curve of
the trail and the voices grew louder. I took a slight right at the
gnarled old tree. It was a good reference to find the clearing
where the pack gathered, but tonight I didn’t need it. This was one
of the few times I’d been on the island when the voices whispered
louder than the river.

I focused on the path ahead of us and the ley lines
burst into view, blinding in their intensity. When I’d last seen
them, they were strong, but they were candles beside the sun
compared to the energy running through the island now.

My heart jumped when I saw a golden werewolf around
the next corner. A moment later I realized the fur wasn’t golden
because it was dead. It belonged to an eight-foot-tall werewolf who
was very much alive. “Wahya?”

“Brother.” His voice was throaty and deep. I hadn’t
seen him since the battle at Gettysburg. If his appearance—crowned
by a sharp snout and sharper fangs—wasn’t enough to strike terror
into the hearts of his enemies, his voice was up to the task.

I extended my arm to trade grips, and the werewolf
pulled me into a hug instead. I tried not to sneeze as I got a
faceful of golden fur.

“How are you here?” I asked. “I thought you were
managing the werewolves’ interactions with Falias near
Gettysburg.”

“I flew in this morning,” Wahya said. “I will leave
again tomorrow, but this is a celebration I could not miss. We
honor Carter and his pack for all that they were, and all that
they’ve done.”

I could feel the pressure at the back of my eyes. I
nodded to Wahya and squeezed his arm. He handed me a silver flask.
“For the dark times. It is my own recipe, though many do not
appreciate it.”

It fit neatly into my jeans pocket. “Thank you.”

He didn’t say more, merely stood to the side to allow
us passage.

“He’s huge,” Beth whispered.

“I hear quite well,” Wahya said from behind us. “But
thank you, tiny blood mage.”

The clicking sound I heard next may have been Beth’s
teeth snapping closed, or it may have been the shifted wolves’
claws around us. I wondered why only a few were shifted and the
rest still looked human.

I would have said more, but I was too busy staring at
the slightly raised earthen platform where Haka and Hugh stood
before Camazotz and Zola.

“How are they already here?” Beth whispered behind
me.

“No clue.”

“Thank you for coming,” Hugh said, exchanging a
forearm grip with Camazotz. “It means a great deal to us.”

“Our alliance will never fade so long as I live,
Hohniokaiyohos. I remember what your people sacrificed to aid my
children.”

Camazotz bowed slightly before leading Zola off into
a crowd of werewolves. Zola raised an eyebrow as she glanced at me
over her shoulder. There were werewolves and Fae and gods in a
circle here, not so unlike our gathering around the bonfire at the
cabin, but the mood was far more somber.

Haka hopped off the low platform and walked over to
us. Hugh followed.

Hugh made no motion to grab my arm. He wrapped Ashley
up in a brief bear hug. “Welcome, priestess.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Ashley whispered. She
kissed Hugh on the cheek and he patted her back before releasing
her.

He turned to me and knocked my offered arm to the
side, instead crushing me in a short hug. “Welcome home,
Damian.”

Haka mimicked Hugh, slapping me on the back hard
enough to crack ribs. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid.”

He smiled and stepped back beside his father.

“How’s the pack since the …” I hesitated. “Since it’s
not being drained anymore?”

“You have seen the island for yourself,” Hugh said.
“Did you not notice the life and the energy all around you? The
pack magic is stronger than it has been in a very long time.”

“It wasn’t just you,” Haka said. “The Ghost Pack was
a drain, sure, but every pack’s magic was choked off when the Fae
first cut Faerie off from the world. Thousands of years, now.”

“Haka, go tend to the guests,” Hugh said.

Haka glowered at his dad and stalked away.

“Was that true?” I asked.

Hugh sighed and gave a sharp nod. “He talks a great
deal when he is sad. Some of us are not taking this loss as well as
others. How is the child?”

“She’s sleeping, but Happy seems to think she’s
okay.”

“Good. That is good.” He turned to Beth. “Alan has
told me much about you. You are welcome at our home anytime you
choose, as is your master.”

“Thank you,” she said.

Hugh smiled at the unmasked surprise in her voice.
“Samantha, it is always good to see you have not had to kill your
brother yet. I applaud your patience in all matters related to
him.”

“Smartest damn werewolf on the planet,” Sam said with
a huge grin.

“Please, find a seat, or stand if you wish. We begin
soon.”

Hugh walked past us to greet another couple coming in
beside Wahya.

“I see Alan,” Beth said. She squeezed Ashley’s hand
and started weaving between the werewolves. Some stared at the
scars on her arms, while others took no notice of the blood mage in
their midst.

I glanced up at the great canvas dome reaching across
the forest’s canopy. At its center stood the fire pit, not so far
from the entrance to the wolves’ underground lair.

A golden light glinted in the shadows near the
bunker. I did a double take as I realized it was Edgar, fully
armored. I made my way over to him, slipping behind wolves I didn’t
know and others I did. He was gesturing widely and speaking in
hushed tones.

“It’s based on a sweat lodge, but I’ve never seen
anything so large before,” Edgar said.

“And that’s why the entrance faces due east?” I
hadn’t realized the man beside him was Frank until he spoke.

Edgar nodded. “It’s amazing.” He looked up as I
approached.

Sam drifted over to Frank. The smile that lit up the
man’s face made me happy for them both.

“Weren’t you in Falias?” I said, turning my attention
to Edgar.

“I would not miss this, Damian. Carter was an old
friend. I’ll return to Falias when the ceremony ends. Is Nixie
still coming?”

“Oh, shit,” I said, fumbling at my backpack. I pulled
out the Wasser-Münzen. “She’ll be here in a sending.”

“You should call her now. Hugh will be starting
soon.”

“Where?” I asked. “If I head out to the river, no one
will see her.”

Edgar pointed to the opposite side of the clearing.
“The wolves carved an inlet for her. Alexandra is already
there.”

I could just make out her waist-length black hair in
the firelight. “Do you think she already contacted Nixie?”

“Perhaps,” Edgar said, “but Nixie will wait to appear
until you call. It is a symbol of the alliance between the wolves
and the witches, an alliance you helped to forge.”

“Beth will be glad to see Alexandra here.” I started
toward the water witch, and then paused, looking back at Edgar.
“I’m glad you’re here. You should say hi to Beth when you see her.
I think she’d like to meet you.”

Edgar nodded. “I will bear that in mind.”

I didn’t tell him anything else, but I heard Ashley
sigh behind me. She stayed with Sam and Frank, talking quietly to
Edgar. It always amazed me how one person whispering could be so
quiet, but a hundred whispers became a rolling thunder.

“Cornelius,” I said as the old blood mage stepped out
of the woods beside Alexandra. “Beth’s around here somewhere with
Alan.”

“I am glad to hear that,” he said.

“As am I,” Alexandra said, looking over my shoulder
into one of the groups.

“I feared what might become of her when she opened
the portal into the Burning Lands,” Cornelius said. “I’m thankful
you helped her, and I’m thankful Adannaya trained you so well.” He
walked away without another word, heading toward Beth and the
smiling werewolf beside her.

“Hugh is about to start,” Alexandra said. “Summon
her.”

I bent down and slid the blue obsidian into the
water. “I’m pretty sure she’d kick your ass if she thought I was
trying to ‘summon her.’ ”

Alexandra narrowed her eyes and I gave her a weak
smile. The water boiled around my hands.

“It’s time,” I said into the bubbles.

Nixie appeared in an instant. There was no slow rise
of the bubbles, no ceremony. One moment she wasn’t there, and the
next, a translucent vision stood beside me.

“Thank you both,” she said, looking from me to
Alexandra. “We have lost great allies, and I wish to honor them
all.”

Hugh stepped back up onto the raised earthen
platform.

I’d half expected the werewolves to be naked. It felt
like they did everything naked, but here they wore simple skirts
and jerkins. Most were cracked and dark like ancient leather, but a
few were modern. The shifted wolves wore silver-colored medallions,
though I didn’t know why.

Frank stood beside Sam. They waited with Ashley and
Edgar at the edge of the woods.

I saw faces I didn’t recognize, and some that
surprised me greatly. Gosha, ally of Wahya, who had fought with us
at Gettysburg. Carter’s lost love, Caroline, Alpha of the Irish
Brigade. She stared into the flames and did nothing to hide the
tears flowing down her cheeks.

The wolves closest to the fire sat down, and the
motion moved out in a cascade. I settled in between Alexandra and
Nixie, crossing my legs and catching glimpses of the other guests
as I could.

Alan sat down across from Alexandra, his eyes red and
puffy. Beth stayed at his side. We exchanged a short nod.

Hugh was the last to join us on the earth, now
dressed in only a pair of modest leather shorts and two feathers
tied into his braided hair.

He raised a hand and the entire assembly quieted.
“Let us begin this very day …” Hugh paused and frowned at the
flames licking the side of the fire pit. “I suppose this is not a
day for our traditional prayers.” He took a deep breath and looked
skyward, as though he could see through the canvas and into the
stars above.