VoodooMoon
by
June Stevens
Classy Scribe Publications
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Voodoo Moon
ISBN-13: 9781301780792
Copyright © 2013 Danette J. Westerfield
Cover Art Copyright © 2013 Danette J. Westerfield
COVER IMAGE CREDITS:
© Aleksandr Frolov | Dreamstime.com
© Ekaterina Yudina | Dreamstime.com
© William Attard Mccarthy | Dreamstime.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For my husband, without whom nothing I do would be possible. He is the love of my life, my hero and believes in me even when I don’t believe in myself.
And for my mother, who always wanted to write a book, but life was too short. This book is for you Mommy.
It only took Millie a few minutes to tally up the day's business and put the money in the safe for Mr. Fegley to find the next morning. She quickly wiped down the counters and made sure everything was tidy. She went into the backroom removed her apron and took a quick look in the mirror that hung next to the backdoor. Wisps and strands of tawny hair had escaped the ribbon she tied it back in this morning and formed a messy halo around her pale, freckled face. In the threadbare brown tunic and pants that were her normal work uniform, she looked drab and washed out. If she weren’t so clean she could almost be mistaken for a beggar. She swiped at her hair, but it did no good. No matter. She didn’t have time to pretty up and she wouldn’t be graded on her looks today, just her powers.
She jumped as the clock on the wall rang chimed the hour. She had less than half an hour to get across town in order to make the evening test. If she was even a minute late they would turn her away and she would have to wait six more months for another test date. Luckily she’d saved up a whole buck so she could take the trolley.
Being sure to lock the door behind her, she ran out into the early evening twilight. She just had a few minutes to make it two blocks over to the magi-trolley line. She glanced down the street. It was crowded with daytime shoppers hurrying home to dinner and the beginnings of night time shoppers coming out. Dusk and dawn was always the busiest time in this part of Old Nash City. The vampires who stayed out of the daylight to avoid severe sunburns and allergic reactions were venturing out and mingling with the norms and paranorms who had no such allergies to the sun. The shops and streets were usually crowded for the first hour or so past dusk.
Even as small and fast as Millie was, it would take her forever to slip through the crowd. She eyed the narrow alley to the right. The light from the blue tinged crystal street lights didn’t make it into the alley. It was dark and dirty and she hated walking through it even in the daylight, but she didn’t have much choice. Some things were just more important than her fear of the dark.
****
He leaned against the stone wall, deep in the shadows cast by the setting sun and the solar-crystal lights that illuminated the bustling street. This body was awkward and cumbersome. He’d used it too many nights now and it was starting to get stiff. He should have picked another for tonight’s hunt. No matter. He would pick another from his store tomorrow. But for now, he needed to find new food, another worthy enough to fuel his body and perhaps become a vehicle for his spirit.
He scanned the crowd using his second sight, his divine sight, to view the magical auras that pulsed around the unsuspecting people. They had no idea he was there, hunting, waiting for the perfect specimen. Of course, none of them had anything to worry about. Their auras were all dull and muddy. All no-to-medium powers. Not one bright aura in the bunch. Not one was worthy. He was just about ready to give up his search and move on to another street when a bright light caught his eye at the other end of the alley. He turned his full attention to the young girl moving down the alley quickly as if she were afraid. Her magic burned bright around her. Most people, common people, wouldn’t know what was inside the girl. But he did. Brilliant shades of purple and blue pulsed and shimmered around her. The colors of her aura were so dark and bright they were almost tangible. His fingers itched to reach out and touch it. She was brimming with untapped power. Oh yes, her power would be filling and delicious. She was worthy. He would have her.
I pulled the cloak tighter in an attempt to protect myself from the wind and rain. With short, stumbling steps along the uneven road I used the stick in my hand like a cane to avoid rocks, holes and other obstacles. There was a full moon tonight, but the dense storm clouds hid its light. I’d tossed my useless lantern aside over an hour ago when I’d had to dismount my horse and lead him along the treacherous path.
Though I knew Mal could see better than me and had nerves of steel, the weather and pitch black was enough to send even the most steady of equines into a tizzy. But I didn't dare use magic to light our path so I trudged through the mud and grime, Mal following along reluctantly.
Lightning sliced the sky less than a second before thunder crashed. I hit the ground with a thud, knocked off my feet as Mal reared back, a shrill whinny voicing his dislike of the situation.
"Oh, come on, you big baby!" I shouted at the massive black beast as I struggled to rise out of the slick mud. Stabbing my stick into the ground, I used it to leverage myself up. After a feeble attempt at wiping the mud from my hands onto even muddier pants and cloak I grabbed Mal's lead. Pulling his head down, I ran my hand over his nose and put my lips close to his ear.
"It's ok, Big Bad. I hate it out here too." I soothed. "But we've got things to do and places to go and we can't let a little rain get in our way."
Mal snorted.
"The faster we get down this road and get this done, the faster we get somewhere dry with some nice crunchy oats."
Mal snorted again and nudged my shoulder as if trying to push me along.
"Okay, you big bad baby,” I laughed. “You'll do anything for food, won’t you? Let's go."
I turned and resumed my slow progress down the muddy road, Mal following behind. The rain began to let up and by the time we had made it about another half a mile the rain had gone completely and the moon was starting to peek out from behind the clouds--just in time for me to see a massive shape across the road about ten feet ahead.
"Stay here," I whispered to Mal. Dropping his reins I sloshed through the mud to inspect the tree. Not too big. On a dry day I could pull it out alone. With the mud to contend with and the inability to use magic for fear of being discovered, it was a good thing I had Mal.
I returned to Mal and patted his neck. "Well, big boy, looks like it's time for you to get to work. We are going to pull that little stick over there out of the road so we don't have to walk through the woods. Okay?" I said in a loud voice that could be heard over the wind and rain.
Mentally I spoke to him, “Be on the lookout. I don’t think the storm had anything to do with that tree.”
Mal snorted acquiescence.
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," I groused loudly as I dug through my saddle bag in search of the rope I always carried. "I should be at home in bed not skulking along a dark road alone in a storm."
"You’re right," a deep voice intoned at my ear. "But since you are, it would be my pleasure to relieve you of some of your burden by taking your horse and any valuables you have hidden under that cloak."
Shit! I folded my fingers around the stick I'd leaned against Mal's side as I felt the point of a knife dig into the skin under my ear.
I turned my eyes to look at Mal.
"You couldn't have warned me?"
Mal snorted. While he could use our mental link to communicate with me, he seemed to think himself above it and only deigned to do so under the direst circumstances. Apparently he didn’t feel this qualified.
"I don't want to have to hurt you, so let go of that little stick," the voice at my ear intoned menacingly.
A crack of laughter alerted me to another thief.
"As if that little twig could do any damage in the hands of a little girl!"
Oh, so that was how it was going to be then? No problem. I could play that game.
I let go of the stick and raised my hands above my head and turned around slowly.
"Okay. I'll do whatever you want. Just, please, don't hurt me," I whined, my voice tremulous.
"That's more like it!" Thug number one pulled the knife away from my neck with a lecherous grin. "Be a good girl and we won't hurt you. Now, let's see what you've got under that cloak, sweetie."
I took quick stock. There was one in front of me, the other behind him and to the left about six paces. There had to be more, though. I pasted on a naive smile and slowly began to lower my arms as I opened my senses just enough to pull in enough energy to get a read on the immediate area. These two punks didn't have any magic. Shifters, most likely. I could feel a fluctuation of energy coming from the woods. Someone was using power. I pulled in a little more energy as my hands reached the clasp of my cloak.
"I just have one question before I do."
"Come on, where are you hiding?" I asked silently. I pulled a little more, stretching out threads around them like a web. There he was. Lurking behind a tree was a mage, low level from what I could tell. Time to make my move.
Thug One grinned, "What is that?"
I smiled sweetly as I began pulling more and more power, holding my hands out, side by side, palms out. "What took you guys so long to attack? I've been out here trudging back and forth for three hours."
"Shit! She's a sorceress!" A frantic voice called at almost the same instant I clapped my hands together and pushed forward, palms out, forcing a wave of energy outwards.
The thug in front of me flew back four feet, landing against a tree at the edge of the road, but the second stood still, staring open mouthed at his unconscious buddy. Damn! I had underestimated the power level of the mage behind the tree. He'd detected me in time to throw up a barrier around himself and Thug Two.
It only took a moment for Thug Two to snap out of his stupor and charge. He was fast, but not fast enough. My hand shot behind my back and closed around the stick, whipping it around in time to jab the end into his solar plexus.
“Humph!” Wind whooshed out of him mixed with a moan as he doubled over.
"By the way, this isn't a stick," I said as I smoothly twirled it so that the other end slammed into the side of his head. "It's a hanbo."
He hit the ground with a thump and a howl. And then he let out another howl as his skin began to crawl and shift. Suddenly, it wasn't skin anymore, but curly brown fur. Within seconds, the thug’s body was no longer recognizable as human. When he rose he was a strange mixture of man and beast.
Shifters have three forms, their human, animal and were. The were-form is something between human and animal. In were-form, a Shifter has all of the best characteristics of both human and animal. They are fast, strong, fierce and terrifying looking. Shifters, especially those whose animal form is small, usually choose to do battle in Were form, as Thug Two had chosen to do now.
He stood a good six inches taller than he had as a human, his clothes hanging off of him in shreds. His arms and legs were lengthened and sharp claws jutted out of paws that had only moments ago been hands. His face had morphed into strange mixture of human and…
“Poodle? You’re a werepoodle?” I couldn’t stop the snort of laughter. I let out as I spread my legs, bent my knees slightly and gripped my hanbo in a defensive stance. Despite my derision I was still cautious. Shifters had superhuman strength and speed, no matter what type of animal DNA they were fused with. But a poodle? That had to be as humiliating as being a weremouse. It was hard to take the fluffy beastman with floppy ears and long snout seriously. Especially when the curly fur was matted and caked with mud.
The thug snarled, his lip curling back from long, sharp teeth. He let out a sound that was part howl and part bark and charged. I held my stance until a second before his teeth made contact with the soft flesh of my shoulder. I effortlessly sidestepped and brought my hanbo around to smash across his huge, muscled back. The force from my blow and his forward momentum sent him flying face first into a tree. He collapsed to the ground unconscious.
I heard the other thug starting to come to. “Oh, no you don’t. Stay!” Spreading my arms out I sent thin ropes of energy out to spiral around each of the thugs. “That should hold you…oomph!”
I stumbled forward and fell to my hands and knees, my hanbo flying out of my hands as a ball of energy hit me square in the back. Damn! I’d forgotten about the mage. I rolled to my back and threw my hands up in front of my face.
“Shield!” I screamed out the word and a field of protective energy encased me just as another burst of power snaked out of the trees. I felt the physical jolt as the shining blue ball of energy hit the shield. If I’d been on my feet it would have knocked the shit out of me. As it was, it sent me sliding back in the mud and grime a few feet. The mage must have cast a power cloaking spell earlier because now I sensed much more power.
In the now full light of the moon I could see a figure encased in a cloak moving from behind a tree and advancing on me, hands raised. “Get back!” I shouted, my hands pushing a wall of energy out. The mage toppled backwards with a grunt. While I didn’t have to use words to manipulate energy, when I didn’t have my staff in my hands, it helped me focus defensive magic. I had to get to my hanbo. In addition to being a powerful hand to hand combat weapon, the oak staff helped me focus my power and made it easier to draw and concentrate energy for use as a magical weapon.
Keeping the temporary shield up with one hand, I frantically searched the ground for my weapon. It was lying on the edge of the road about a foot beyond my reach. I was about to send out a rope of energy to float it to me when I felt a burst of power strike my shield. The mage was still down, but sending small balls of energy at me in rapid fire succession in an attempt to weaken my defense. I couldn’t split my focus to get the hanbo magically. Pulling in energy from the surrounding air I focused it through my hand to bolster my shield and using my feet pushed closer to the staff. I let out a disgusted groan as I slid through the mud and grime, rocks biting into my skin.
The balls of energy came faster and harder as the mage rose and began advancing. I pulled my legs up, digging my boots into the mud and gave one last hard push. Gravel tore at my cloak and flesh as I slid across the road. Pain shot through me. Straining and stretching my arm out as far as I could, my hand searched through the mud as I kept my eyes focused on the advancing mage. His cloak had fallen back and I could see his face. He was nothing more than a boy, barely of age, if I guessed right. He had a lot of power for a kid that age, and was pretty good at focusing it. And he was using offensive magic. The ability to form energy into visible bursts that could be used like a weapon was rare. I had only met two other mages besides myself who had the ability, one being my mother. We both could form energy into shining streams of energy using a focusing tool. My mother had carried a thin wooden wand to focus the energy. I preferred my hanbo staff. It was larger but could be used for fighting and I could focus larger streams of energy to blast out of the end. The other mage was a Blade in the Atlanta City-State division. We’d worked together on a case of gang smuggling between the two city states. He hadn’t used anything to focus the energy flow, but instead of a steady stream he produced small, lightning-like bolts that appeared in the air and struck the target.
This was the first time I’d seen a mage able to form a ball of pure energy that could be thrown. Though there were many mages that could form and throw fireballs, this was very different. Fire magic was pretty common. This kid was forming and throwing actual balls of pure energy? Rare indeed.
He was only a few paces away. Though I could tell by the strain on his face and the diminishing size of energy bursts he was starting to tire and run out of energy, one good blast like the last one would disintegrate my shield, leaving me defenseless.
As he took another step and raised his hands for another assault, I felt the smooth oak of my hanbo. I closed my fingers around it and brought the staff around, shifting all of the energy I’d been using to shield myself directly into the 36 inches of smooth carved wood, and out the end. Just as the mage was bringing his hands down in what would have been a knockout blow of energy, a bolt of lightning shot from the end of the hanbo and struck the boy square in the chest. He let out a pitiful cry and crumpled to the ground.
Using the hanbo for leverage, I vaulted to my feet and hurried over to the boy. He was out cold, but still breathing. Lying there, he looked like a peaceful, sleeping child. He looked even younger than I first thought. Even in the dim light I could see the smooth skin of his face with no sign of facial hair. Was he even over sixteen?
He would likely be out for a while, but I didn’t want to take any chances. I carefully wove a shield of null energy around the boy. It was a temporary measure and would dissipate in about an hour, but if he did wake up before I got him tied up and neutralized, he would be unable to use any magic.
Exhausted I flopped down onto the ground next to him. For someone so young, the mage was strong and fending him off had taken a lot of energy. Add that to the power I had just expended to neutralize the little creeps and I could have gladly taken a long nap, even in the cold, wet mud. But, napping wasn’t a part of my job and the energy fields keeping them contained wouldn’t last forever. I gave myself a few moments, rose to my feet and, once again, wiped mud off my ass.
I whistled and Mal calmly walked over to where I stood.
“What happened to you?” I asked the horse as I rummaged through the saddle bags. “You couldn’t kick him? Or even warn me he was behind me? What kind of partner are you?”
Mal stared at me silently, flicking his tail from side to side.
“Okay, I get it, he wasn’t worthy of you unleashing your considerable badness on him.” I laughed as I retrieved a thick, strong rope and three hanging crystals from the packs and went on with my business.