White Winter (The Black Year Series Book 2) (38 page)

“You ask the weirdest questions sometimes, kid. But sure, I’ll write it down for you,” Jim said, not really paying attention to him anymore.

Jonas gave Viviane a tight smile and walked out.

There were over a dozen people in the hallway being ushered to transient quarters by some of Chief Grady’s operators. As he got closer, he recognized them. “Amelia?”

She dropped the blankets she was carrying, unslung her backpack, and shoved him. “Where were you, huh? This is supposed to be your pack. Your clan! What was so important you couldn’t come?”

Kieran stepped out of the group and put his hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “Come on, Ames. We need to get everyone settled.”

“Kieran, what’s going on?” Jonas said. Amelia had deep scratches on her face, and the whole hallway smelled like smoke.

“You didn’t tell him?” Amelia asked Kieran.

“The house on King’s Point was attacked,” Kieran said. “Clanless, almost a hundred of them. They burned it down.”

Jonas felt the ground shift under his feet. The Macreadys stood silently in the hallway. Steve and Ryan looked at him with some trace of sympathy; most of the others wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

“Where’s Nell? Where’s your mother?” Jonas said, looking through the crowd. He felt like a giant fist was squeezing him. “Where’s Caleb?” he whispered.

“This is all that’s left, clan leader,” Kieran said. “There were jackals in the mob, shouting orders.” Jonas could see he was struggling to maintain his composure in front of his kin.

“You should get them settled,” Jonas said.

“That’s it?” Amelia said. “After all you’ve-”

Kieran wrapped his arms around her and whispered. “Let’s just get them taken care of, okay?”

Tears ran down her cheeks. She nodded and bent to pick up the stuff she’d dropped. Kieran met Jonas’ eyes and nodded, then followed the others down the hallway.

♘

Jonas stuffed the blood packs into his jacket’s inner pockets, where they wouldn’t freeze, and zipped it up. He grabbed his father’s daggers and belted them to his lower back. He didn’t bother with a gun; the armory was locked and, if it came to shooting, he wasn’t going to make it anyway. He opened the door.

“Heading somewhere?” Kieran asked.

“Thought I’d take a walk,” Jonas said.

“I told you he wouldn’t just let this happen,” Amelia said.

“Yes you did, dear,” Kieran said.

Ryan and Sean were there too. “The army crossed into the city. Got themselves surrounded at Columbus Circle.”

Jonas gritted his teeth. He locked the door with a few key presses, then headed for the elevators.

“Pretty messed up, what they did to my family,” Kieran said.

“Yeah,” Jonas answered.

“Someone might be tempted to do something about it.”

Jonas stopped. “Look, I’m going to see the council.”

“To do what?”

“To stop this from happening to anyone else.”

Kieran stepped around him and blocked the hallway. “So you’re going to what, exactly? Talk to them?”

“I’ll do whatever I have to,” Jonas said.

They stared each other down for a few seconds. Then Jonas realized Kieran and the others were already dressed in combat gear. Kieran turned and headed for the elevators. “The law protects a clan leader’s access to the council,” he said.

Jonas hurried to catch up with him. “You don’t have to come,” he said.

“It’s my duty.”

“I’m releasing you from it.”

“I
want
to,” Kieran said.

Jonas sighed.
This was supposed to be
my
crazy suicide mission.
“I thought you hated me.”

“I hate them more.”

The five of them squeezed into the elevator and rode it to the ground floor. The security guards were gone; temperatures didn’t get above freezing anymore and all the floors above ground had been evacuated as soon as the magical storm hit.

Jonas pulled the earpiece he’d borrowed from his mother’s desk out of his pocket, put it on his ear, and tapped it.

“Yes, Mrs. Black? I didn’t know you were-”

“It’s me, Chief.”

“Jonas? I mean, Mr. Black, what are you doing on-?”

“Are you in contact with Lieutenant Colonel Edwards’ forces?”

“Yes, sir. If I may, sir, the Director was very specific about you not leaving the building.”

“She gave me different instructions in the event the military was dumb enough to attack. Can you make sure Edwards’ troops don’t shoot at us when we pass their position?”

“I’ll do better than that, sir. I’ll put you in touch with him directly.”

Jonas frowned. “I’m not staying in the building, Chief.”

“What? Sir, that earpiece links directly into all Agency networks, cell towers, and satellites. The Director didn’t take it to DC because they’d try to steal it. Just don’t lose it.”

The line crackled, then Edwards’ voice rang in his ears. “Who the hell is this?” Jonas could hear gunfire in the background.

“Helsing, this is… umm… Black Knight, over,” Jonas said.

“Helsing? And who’s…” Edwards unleashed a stream of expletives on the radio, some of which were truly foul. “I don’t have time to play with you, kid. Either tell me something useful or get off the channel.” The last word was cut off by a loud boom.

“I can solve your werewolf problem,” Jonas said.

“What?” Edwards said.

“I said I can solve your werewolf problem!”

There was a pause, then Edwards said, “What do you need?”

“Nothing,” Jonas said. “Just don’t shoot when we pass by.”

“Kid, do you have any idea how much wolf is between you and me? You’ll never make it. Hold for Spooky. And kid?”

“Go for Black Knight,” Jonas said.

“Spooky’s the only thing keeping my boys alive. You’d better be worth it.”

The line went silent for close to a full minute.

“Black Knight, this is Spooky, AC-130 gunship with a 25-millimeter Gatling, 40-millimeter BOFORS cannon, and a 105-millimeter howitzer currently at 2000 feet over the city. Say your position?”

“Spooky, this is Black Knight. I think I can do better than that.” Jonas put his hand over his pendant.
Madoc?

I’ll get in touch,
the specter answered.

A few seconds later, his earpiece crackled. “Uh, Black Knight? Confirm the voice in my head is your target acquisition officer?”

Jonas smiled. “Confirmed, Spooky. You are cleared to engage.” He looked at the others and said, “Let’s go.”

“Where are we headed?” Amelia asked.

“Where does a werewolf feel safe?” Jonas answered. He turned right and headed north, toward Central Park.

Jonas? I’m going to try to buy Lieutenant Colonel Edwards some breathing room,
Madoc said.

Do whatever you think best, Madoc.

Seconds later, the first rounds started to fall.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!
Jonas looked up to see a line of fire streak across the sky, then several brighter flashes.

“You coming?” Amelia asked.

He nodded.

After a few steps of foundering in the snow, Kieran transformed and the others followed suit. They dropped on all fours, the wider pads of their feet and claws letting them spread their weight. They moved more like bears than wolves because they had arms instead of forelegs, but it was still better than walking.

That left Jonas to sink halfway up his shins with each step.
If I do a partial shift upward, that should-

“Piggyback ride?” Kieran asked.

“What? No! That would be ridiculous!” Jonas said.

♘

Wind and kicked-up snow hit Jonas in the face as the pack ran north. He gripped the shoulder straps of Kieran’s gear harness, trying not to choke him, and pressed his body flat against the winter wolf’s back. They were managing about the speed a man could run on a paved road, even with the occasional buried car. Spooky rained steel on the werewolves attacking Edwards’ position and packs moving to intercept Jonas.

“Black Knight, this is Helsing. Thanks for loaning us your spotter. We’re going to try move to the top of 5th Avenue and speed you on your way.”

“Black Knight copies, Helsing. We’ll see you there.”

Boom, boom! Brrrrrrp, whump whump whump!
The intersection one block to their right disappeared in a hail of explosions. Jonas watched the line of fire chase a werewolf across the side of a building, showering the street with broken glass and concrete. Then Jonas and the pack were past, running up 3rd Ave.

“Take the next left!” he yelled.

Amelia looked back over her shoulder and barked. The twins shot forward to scout the intersection, while she and Kieran ran side by side.

“They seem to think you’re their new pack leader!” Jonas said, surprised.

Amelia flashed her teeth at him, half smile and half threat.

They turned left on 54th Avenue, past the bookstore, and sprinted west. Jonas heard howls. Dozens of werewolves spilled out of and over buildings into the street and chased after them. “They’re gaining on us!” Jonas said. Kieran strained to speed up.

“They’re ahead of us too!” Sean or Ryan said, running back toward them with ten more werewolves in tow.

Jonas heard a loud whistling pass by and the street ahead of them detonated, engulfing the hostile werewolves in fire. Jonas could see the big, gray plane banking left above the end of the street, then Spooky opened up behind them with the Gatling and 40-millimeter cannon, lighting the 30 or so werewolves up like a string of firecrackers. A severed arm spun 20-feet in the air. Kieran ran through the smoke of the first explosion and they were crossing Lexington Avenue.

A werewolf ran toward Amelia, but Kieran surged forward and trampled him underfoot. Ryan and Sean pounced on and mauled a second werewolf, then fell in behind the group.

“This is Spooky, sir. We’re going to lose line of sight while we circle around.”

“Understood,” Jonas said.

More werewolves moved to cut off the far end of the street. Jonas heard glass shatter behind them, blocking their line of retreat.

“We’re going to have to fight through this one!” Kieran said.

A big, black and gray werewolf stepped out of the group ahead of them and bellowed, “Do you have any idea-”

Jonas recognized him. It was the wolf who’d killed Amelia’s father. “Stop!” he shouted.

Kieran dug his claws in; Jonas burned blood and pitched forward, rolling as he hit.

“-how many-”

Jonas shifted forward, putting him within ten feet of the wolf.

“-good men you just-”

He pulled himself sideways and up, like he was sliding down a steep slope, skidding around his target in an arc and pulling the blackened silver daggers out of the scabbard. Snow dust hung in the air, catching the light.

“-killed?” the werewolf finished.

Jonas blurred up and slammed both daggers down into the black-and-gray’s back, just above the shoulder blades. It had all happened in the space of a breath. Time returned to normal and the wolf howled, trying to reach back and throw him off. Jonas worked the daggers like he was climbing a ladder, throwing his weight on one while he drew the other and stabbed. The wolf fell to one knee. Jonas stabbed the right dagger to the right of the werewolf’s spine and levered it back and forth like a crowbar. It grated against bone. The creature finally collapsed.

Jonas panted. He unzipped the front of his jacket off one shoulder, venting the heat through his shoulder blades, then he slipped it back on and planted his foot on the dead wolf’s back. He yanked the daggers free, slinging black blood on the snow.

“Murderer!” someone shouted.

Jonas looked up. He couldn’t find the source of the voice. “He killed a human in cold blood! I witnessed it!” Jonas shouted. The feral wolves were in a circle around Jonas and his pack, blocking the way out, too close for Spooky to fire. They were of every breed and size Jonas had seen, and more. A jackal hung near the back of the group. “I’m a clan leader on my way to address the Council! You have no right to stop me!”

“We don’t recognize your right to leadership!” someone shouted behind him.

He spun. “Then challenge me according to the law and prove your point!”

The jackal pushed through and spat on the snow. “The law doesn’t apply to you, vampire. Everyone! Attack him together!”

They charged.

Jonas bumped into Amelia’s shoulder. The five of them were back to back. Jonas braced for the impact.

A large, white shape fell from the sky and landed on the nearest feral, then rose in a whirlwind of claws and teeth. Another dropped next to Jonas and tore out the throat of a rushing wolf before clotheslining a second. Snow and blood flew everywhere, and then the ferals were dead or running away.