"Fire!" again came the cry.
Susie grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the beach towards the greenhouses.
"Where the hell are we going?" I yelled at her.
"Dan showed me where the hoses were in case of fire!" she shouted.
I wondered how those two got any sleep with such a thorough tour, but my shallow thoughts were driven from my mind when someone drilled their shoulder into me. They came from around a corner and rammed into my side. I slipped from Susie's grasp and crashed hard to the ground. Susie skidded to a stop a few yards away and turned to find the problem.
That turned out to be Celeste, the constant companion of Blackwood. She stood over me with a sneer on her lips and the fire of anger in her eyes. She leaned down, grabbed my collar and pulled me up so we were nearly face-to-face.
Her voice was low and dangerous, and there was a slight hiss to her venomous words. "I would kill you here if I could, but Blackwood demands you come with me."
I covered her hand with both of mine. "No thanks," I choked out.
"That wasn't a request."
"It is now!" Susie yelled just before she rammed her body into Celeste.
All three of us tumbled to the ground. Susie and I jumped on our foe and attacked her like modern, civilized women. That means we used what nature gave us and bit, clawed, and pulled her hair. We handled her for all of five seconds before she grabbed Susie and tossed her into me. Her hip bone and rear connected with my nose and head, and I was left seeing full moons. Celeste stood and snatched the backs of our collars. She lifted us off the ground and held us away from her.
"Don't try that again," she growled.
We didn't try it again, but Nelson did. Dan flew from behind a nearby greenhouse and snatched us from Celeste's grasp. He stepped back a few yards and pulled us behind him so he stood between us and Celeste.
"Leave or you will hurt," he threatened her.
Celeste grinned. "Just the tasty little treat I was looking for." She put two fingers in her mouth and blew.
A shrill whistle echoed through the settlement, and in a few moments a dozen shadows jumped out from behind the greenhouses. They were scroungy werewolves from Blackwood's pack, and their yellow eyes gleamed with glee as they slowly surrounded us. The werewolves inched closer, and we inched closer together.
One of them broke from the pack and lunged at Nelson. Nelson grabbed the male wolf by the collar and tossed him into one of his companions. That was a signal that one wasn't enough, so the remainder of our enemies, excluding Celeste, jumped Nelson. They crashed atop him in one big wolfy pile and pounded away at his hidden body with their fists.
"No!" Susie yelled.
Susie tried to rush forward, but a new pair of wolves in tattered clothing came up and grabbed us from behind. They pinned our arms to our sides with more strength than we could break. We could only watch as the pile slid off Nelson and revealed him unconscious on the ground. He was covered in bruises and his clothes were torn. There were cuts all over his arms and face.
Celeste snapped her fingers and one of them slung Nelson over their shoulder. "Let's go before they put out the fire," she ordered us.
We were hefted over the shoulders of our captors as Celeste sprinted down the beach. She led our large group into the trees at the far end of the settlement. We turned and dove deeper into the woods, and with a sinking feeling I noticed we followed a small creek that ran northward. The werewolves ran in pairs of two, and I glanced to my side at Susie who lay over the shoulder of the nearby wolf. She was pale and her lips were pursed so tight there was hardly any color in them.
"You okay?" I whispered.
She shook her head. I couldn't blame her. She'd just watched her mate get pulverized by our enemies. We bounced onward until there was hardly any light left from the setting sun. The mountains grew closer to us and the terrain changed from dirt to rock. The trees ahead parted and revealed a large open area at the foot of one of the smaller, rockier mountains. The mountain was a patchwork of open mine shafts and sluices. Piles of fallen rocks and old, rotten boards lay at the bottom of the mountain near the creek.
The rest of the place was no less depressing. Between the mountain and where we entered was a single long, muddy road. Dozens of abandoned homes lined both sides. Their empty window eyes stared at us as though we intruded on its efforts to die a peaceful death. Large piles of trash covered the ground around the houses that were occupied. Outhouses stood behind every house, and there were a few sad-looking gardens between the homes. The sun was just setting, and the only sources of light were lanterns placed at intervals in front of the homes, and those were lit by thin, half-melted candles.
Thin, pale faces peeked out from windows and doorways. The women and girls wore homespun tattered dresses, and the boys and those men not with us sported patched pants and shirts. Everyone sported grim, grimy faces, and watched us with sad, scared eyes. It was like we were transported back to a more primitive time when strangers were feared and basic survival was the primary employer.
"Where are we, old Salem?" Susie whispered.
"Quiet," I hissed. Part of me was afraid she was right and we'd be burned at the stake for heresy.
Celeste led us to the center of the settlement where stood a well made of stone. Its hole was covered by a rotten, moss-covered gable roof and a single worn bucket with a rope of equal antiquity helped retrieve whatever water would come from such an old well. We stopped near the well. Celeste tilted back her head and let out a howl.
The sound echoed off the rock mountain and the people at the windows and doorways shuffled from their homes. There was a well-kept home, brightly painted and with fresh boards, near the front of the street. The large oak doors swung open and out stepped Blackwood. His cold eyes fell on us, and I shuddered at their lack of humanity. He was more wolf than man.
Blackwood stretched out his arms and stepped off his small porch onto the muddy street. "Welcome, guests! Welcome!" he bellowed. I noticed the inhabitants shrank from his voice.
Blackwood strode over to us and stopped beside Celeste. She nodded at we three captives. Nelson, still unconscious, was dropped onto the ground and we were pushed onto our knees in front of Blackwood.
Blackwood looked past us and frowned. He turned his cold eyes to his lieutenant. "Where is Linda?"
She bowed her head. "We couldn't find her. She must have been on the other side of the lake."
His lips turned down. "I didn't ask for excuses."
Celeste cringed. "I'm sorry, sir."
Blackwood turned back to us and some of his good humor returned when his eyes fell on Nelson. "Well, it seems it wasn't a complete loss. We have Scott's friend, and his mate."
"I'm not his mate," I snapped, more out of habit than thought.
I stiffened when Blackwood's eyes turned to me. A grin slid onto his face. "Ah, but you are. Once a pair of wolves has chosen their mates than there's no fighting against the calling."
"Are you going to tell us why we're here or do we have to listen to you gloat all night?" Susie spoke up.
"Shut up!" I hissed.
Blackwood chuckled. "This is rather boring. Let's have some sport."
At his direction a few of our captors fetched a large tin wash bin. They placed the tub in front of Nelson's limp body and filled it with water from the well. The brown water was as clean as sewage, and even had a slight hint of sewer to it. Two of the werewolves lifted Nelson by his arms and dragged him forward so his upper body hung limp over the dirty water. Blackwood gave a nod to the pair who held Nelson, and with one strong push they plunged his upper body into the cold, vile water.
His lower body came alive. His feet kicked, and his hands found and grasped the sides of the bin. He pulled his head out of the water and gulped in a hearty dose of air before they pushed him back into the dark depths of the tub.
"Let him up," Blackwood ordered them.
The pair pulled Nelson out of the bin, but kept him close enough that
they could continue their torture. Nelson's upper body dripped with brown water. It ran off his short locks in streams and he coughed out several tablespoons of the stuff. Susie, her face a picture of concern, tried to tear herself from her captor and go to him, but the werewolf held her back.
Blackwood knelt in front of Nelson and looked over our friend's bruised face. "It's been a long time since you were here, Nelson."
Nelson's lip curled back in disgust. "Not long enough," he growled.
Blackwood drew his hand back and snapped it forward. The back of his hand slapped Nelson's cheek, and I winced when Nelson's head whipped to one side and his neck cracked. "You were always fast with your tongue, but now you've got to watch yourself or I might play with your mate before I'm finished with you."
Nelson curled his lips back in a snarl and lunged forward. Blackwood fell back onto his rear, and Nelson's sharpened, lengthened teeth and strong jaws missed our foe by a half a centimeter. Nelson's captors yanked him away from Blackwood. Blackwood stood and smoothed the wrinkles on his shirt as he glowered down at Nelson. He turned to our audience and gestured with one hand to Nelson.
"You see how vicious our enemies are? How they wish to do us harm when we have merely invited them here to see what they've done to us?" he called to the wisps of people around us.
From the crowd came a meek, quiet female voice. "He was always nice to me."
Chapter 5
Blackwood's eyebrows crashed down and he scanned the crowd. "Who said that? Speak up!"
A small woman of about twenty squeezed past the front of the crowd and stood before Blackwood. She clutched her hands in front of herself and her shoulders trembled. Though she faced Blackwood, her eyes looked at the ground. "I-it was me, sir," she admitted.
Blackwood pursed his lips and closed his eyes as he shook his head. "Stephanie, you of all people should know how they have stolen our people from us."
Nelson tried to stand, but his captors held him in a kneel. "We stole no one. They came to us to escape this poverty," he argued.
"Frank would never have left on his own. He was therefore stolen," Blackwood countered.
"Frank? I know him," Susie spoke up. All eyes turned to her, and she smiled back at them. "He's in charge of the front desk. We saw Blackwood talking with him the other day. He should know Frank's happy where he is."
Stephanie gasped and looked to Blackwood. "Is this true? You've seen Frank?"
Blackwood straightened and coughed. His eyes flickered to us and I didn't like the glare in their depths. He returned his attention to Stephanie. "Yes, of course I've seen him, but he's a prisoner in his own life. They control him-"
"The only controlling is what you're doing," I snapped.
Blackwood curled his lips back in a snarl. "Quiet, woman."
"Telling us to be quiet is like us telling you to stop lying. It ain't gonna happen," Susie quipped.
Blackwood's gaze caught on Nelson. Susie's mate still sat on his knees close to the dunking bin. A grin slid back onto his lips. "If you choose to disobey me then I have no choice."
Blackwood nodded at the pair who held Nelson. They yanked him forward and plunged his upper body into the dank water. Unlike before, Blackwood didn't give the signal for them to pull Nelson out. Nelson thrashed and kicked, but the pair held him tight in the water. My eyes widened when I beheld air bubbles rise to the surface.
"No. . ." I heard Susie whisper. I turned and saw her pull against her captor. Her eyes shone with a strange, unnatural yellow light that I knew all too well. "No!"
Susie spun around and her swift movement freed one of her arms from the werewolf who held her. She dragged her lengthened fingernails across the face of her captor. He cried out and released her to clutch his wounded, bleeding gashes. She lunged for the pair who held Nelson and crashed into them. They lost their grip on Nelson who immediately pulled himself from the water and gasped for breath.
I looked over my shoulder and noticed my captor had his full attention on Susie. I jerked my head back and slammed into his nose. He yelped and I felt his hands loosen. I broke from his hold and shoved him into a group of werewolves who charged towards us.
The street was chaos as people ran towards their houses at the same time the werewolf fighters tried to get at us. The two factions collided and slowed down one another in a mess of screaming people and shouts of command from Blackwood and his minions that were ignored by the terrified followers.
The shit really hit the fan when I heard a wolf howl from the woods. I looked to the trees in time to see dozens of shadows swoop out from behind the trunks. They raced towards us and the unknown forces collided with the first line of Blackwood's men. One of the shadows became known to me when he rushed to my side and pulled me into his arms.
"Are you all right?" Scott asked me.
Tears sprang into my eyes and I wrapped my arms around him. It was nice to bury my face into his chest and deeply inhale his fresh, clean scent. "I am now," I replied.
His chuckle tickled my body. "It seems the others are not in need of my help."
My eyes widened and I half turned back to the well. I was just in time to see Nelson swing and punch the last of his captors unconscious. Beside him Susie swung the tub like it was a bat. At her feet was Nelson's other captor. He sported a large bruise on his forehead that matched an indent in the tub. Our other foes were preoccupied fighting those who had come with Scott.
"Who wants some more?" she growled.
Nelson snatched the tub from her. "Hopefully no one," he replied.
Susie, her hands now free, jumped onto Nelson and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was shorter than him by half a head, so she dragged him down to her height. "Don't scare me like that again! I thought I was going to be mated to a fish!"
Nelson smiled, dropped the bin and hugged her. "So was I."
"Focus, you two. There's a war around us," Scott reminded the pair.
Indeed, there was the usual carnage of a tough battle. Claws and teeth were bared, and fur flew as our side tried to make doggy treats out of Blackwood's side, and vice versa. There were half-transformed and fully-transformed werewolves caught in hand-to-hand combat that pitted former friend against former friend. The meek followers were caught in-between, but most managed to skirt the violence and reach their homes. They watched the chaos with faces willed with awe and terror.
Among the chaos I saw shreds of hope. Frank swept through the crowds and his eyes fell on Stephanie. Their gazes met, and smiles lit their faces. They ran to each other and grabbed the other in a tight hug. It was a charming scene, but the exception to the carnage.
Blackwood himself did battle with three of our allies, and he won. He was larger, stronger, and faster than all of them, and they soon ended up in a pile of limp bodies beside him. He whipped his head to and fro, and his eyes fell on our little group. A hellish fire lit inside them, and he let out an angry growl that echoed through the sounds of war. He tore open his shirt and revealed fine shoots of hair that sprouted from his chest. His arm and leg muscles bulged out and tore open most of his pants. He tilted back his head and his hair cascaded down his furry back as his neck stretched and snapped. Blackwood flexed his hands, and long, dagger-like claws slipped out from the end of his fingers. When he finished his transformation he was a hunched, fur-covered monster. Drool dripped from his fangs, and his yellow eyes glared at us with such hatred that I leaned into Scott.
Scott slid me behind him and Nelson did likewise to Susie. Blackwood snarled and rushed us. His speed was almost impossible to follow. He crashed through a half dozen other fights, but they didn't slow him down. His target was Scott and me. Scott pushed me away from himself a second before Blackwood flew into him. I fell to the hard dirt and watched them collide a yard in front of me.
The pair turned into two streaks of fur and torn clothes as Scott transformed to match Blackwood. They tumbled past where I sat and moved closer to the woods. Scott had the disadvantage from the start in that he
didn't want to kill his opponent while Blackwood had every intention of taking Scott's life.
Nelson jumped forward to help, but Celeste made her appearance. She flew from the fighting crowds and collided with him. They crashed into the wall of the well and the old stones didn't hold up against their weight. The wall caved inward, and they followed the stones down into the depths of the well. Susie dove for the new opening and stretched out her hand. She snatched Nelson's arm and slammed her hand into the ground. Her claws dug deep into the hard-packed dirt, and she stopped their joined slide into the well.
I heard a cry of pain and turned to see Scott with his back up against a thick tree trunk. Blackwood's hand was around Scott's neck and lifted him a foot off the ground. Scott grabbed Blackwood's hand, but he couldn't pry open the fingers.
"No more of your interference, old friend," Blackwood growled. He tightened his grip on Scott's neck.
Scott flailed and clawed, but he couldn't free himself. I felt a swell of anger rise within me. My clothes stretched and tore as fur sprouted from my body. I flexed my fingers and hardly noticed as they lengthened into sharp points. Scott gave another cry, and like my earlier run I tore off the ground and raced towards my mate and Blackwood.
I had no plan, but I did have a hard, stubborn head. I slammed that and my pointy shoulder into Blackwood's massive, hairy body. He was better placed than I guessed because my effort only moved him a foot. Blackwood swung around and swiped at me with his free hand. I ducked and rolled as Scott took advantage of my distraction and tore himself free. He dropped to the ground and slammed a fist into Blackwood's face.
Blackwood stumbled back, but in my direction. He caught sight of me and figured I was a better target, or at least a prospective hostage. Scott swept past our foe and snatched me from Blackwood's claws. He pulled me five yards from Blackwood, tilted back his head and let loose a strong, loud howl.
I heard the pounding of bare feet in the woods close at hand, and in a moment a shadow flew from the trees. The shadow wore the ruins of a flowered dress, and though it was small it tackled Blackwood with such force that he crashed to the ground. The shadow snarled, growled and clawed at him. Blackwood couldn't predict the chaotic attacks. He could only squirm and thrash beneath the thing. There was nothing very life-threatening about the shadow, but Blackwood was left preoccupied.