Coyote's Howl (Cape High Series Book 17), page 18
“This isn’t funny, Cheval,” he says, slamming his fist through one of his reflections. “Do you really think I’m going to fall for this?”
A husky laugh comes from all directions and he turns, looking for her again. Instead of her, though, he sees himself step out of a mirror. “Do you really think I’m going to stand by while you kidnap my girl?” his mirror copy asks. “I don’t think so.”
It rushes forward, a fist lifted in the air. Badmoon slams his fist into the copy’s stomach. The copy shatters, and he smirks. “Weak,” he says. “I always heard you were tougher than that.”
“Oh, I am. He was just a distraction.” He turns, staring in shock as every single reflection of himself steps out of the mirrors that surround him.
He swallows loudly as one after another the copies start to shift. Soon he’s surrounded by half-shifted werewolves who attack at the exact same time.
***
“Noni, can they beat him?” Whitney asks, racing through the mirror hallways. She sort of knows where she is, at least enough to get home. She isn’t supposed to come through here without her grandmother’s supervision, though. She’s pretty sure that’s because her parents and Noni don’t want her seeing things that she’s too young to see. Right now, though, Noni is close enough that she knows she can hear her.
“Probably not,” Noni admits. “He’s tough, and more importantly, he knows how to fight as himself better than I ever will. But it’ll be enough to keep him occupied until they get here.”
“Who gets here?” Whitney asks.
“The ones that are hunting him. I’m a bit busy right now, sweetie, so why don’t you go straight home? I’ll have this all cleared up soon enough.”
“I want to help!” Whitney says. “You’re retired for a reason, Noni! You shouldn’t be fighting crazy hairy men with bad attitudes and no respect!”
“Honey, I really can’t talk right now!” Cheval says. “I told you to GO HOME!”
Whitney goes silent, looking at her reflection for all of a moment, and makes a decision. “I’m going to Century,” she says, turning and going the opposite direction.
“Whitney Marie—” Noni snaps, only to say a word that would get Whitney’s mouth washed out. “Just stay away from where I’m holding him,” she says before going silent again. It’s a sure sign that Cheval is having a hard time. Whitney’s hands go sweaty and she clenches them before running as quickly as she can. She’s going to get Century, and the wolf man is going to PAY for taking advantage of her kindness!
***
The house is surprisingly quiet for Badmoon being here. I look around, seeing both Pan and Adanna shift. Adanna’s cat form has gotten bigger over the past year. She’s almost as scary looking as her dad is. I don’t have time to admire that. I need to find my mom. I shift, as well, sniffing the air for the familiar scent. I hope he hasn’t found her. I hope that nobody’s gotten hurt. Well, no, I hope Badmoon’s gotten hurt, but he’s the only one I’m rooting for that to happen to.
I jerk as I hear the faintest of tinkling sounds. Glass, someone is breaking glass. I race for the house, scratching at the door urgently. I realize how silly that is a second later and shift into my human form. “I’ll go in, first,” Nico says, picking me up by the back of my shirt and placing me behind him. I feel like a scolded pup.
He opens the door without bothering to knock and steps into the room. I dare to peek around him when he just stands there for a moment. All I see is a mirror on the ground, face down. At least, I think it’s a mirror—it could be a painting, but considering what Cheval does, it makes sense.
“She caught him,” Mom says from the corner. I almost jump, since I hadn’t noticed her standing there until now. That’s embarrassing. “He’s after Panther’s way of giving our powers back. But he’s got a hostage. I don’t know if he still has her in there, but she’s in trouble. You need to save her.”
“Well… I’ll see what I can do,” Nico says, picking up the mirror and holding it up. It’s swirling—that means it might still be open, right? I don’t even think before running in.
“Lance!” I hear my mom shout. I turn around, just in time to see the mirror take place of the entry I just stepped through.
“I was expecting someone… taller, sweetie,” I hear Cheval whisper in my ear. “You need to leave. I’ll open a door for you—”
“Where is he?” I ask.
“He’s fighting his reflection,” she says, sighing. “Well, if you won’t go back out, will you check on my granddaughter? She’s—” she stops and I hear the crashing of glass grow louder. “Go, boy! Hurry!”
“I hear youuu,” Badmoon calls from a distance. “I can smell you, boy! Maybe you’ll tell me what your mom refused to say.” The wall to the left crashes and I see him step through. “TELL ME!” he roars, grabbing for me. I feel myself jerked backwards and a mirror comes up between us.
“RUN!” Cheval shouts. I run. I hate myself for it, and I promise myself that I’ll come back.
“Open the mirror portal to your house!” I say.
“Who’s there?” she asks.
“The son of Superior! He’ll take care of Badmoon!”
“DON’T YOU DARE!” Badmoon roars and I hear more glass smashing. I speed up, my mind not on the man chasing me, but on the girl somewhere in here with us. She’s innocent. She has nothing to do with our family matters. Neither does Cheval. I see myself, see the fear in my eyes, and I know what I have to do.
I stop and turn, just waiting for him to get to me. “BADMOON!” I shout. “MOON CHASER! SON OF COYOTE, BROTHER OF COYOTE! I’m the one you’re mad at! I’m the new Coyote!”
The wall crashes and he steps through, rage on his face, but that’s not all. There’s hurt, I realize. I just struck a blow. “Who told you that?” he demands.
“Coyote did,” I say. “I’m the next Coyote. It has nothing to do with my mixed blood.”
“You’re lying,” he says lowly.
“I’m not lying. You hate me, because I’m exactly like you, but I’m still a true Coyote. I understand that feeling. I hated knowing I was losing my powers. But you know what? Did you ever say goodbye?”
“Goodbye to what?” he demands. “My powers?”
“To the animals,” I say. “Did you ever say goodbye to them? They were a part of you!”
“They WERE me, you idiot!”
“Then why didn’t you say goodbye?” I ask. “Did you ever accept that part of you? Did you ever think of them as something important? A sign of something bigger than just you?”
“You make NO SENSE!” he yells. “I missed the power, not the animals! They were just a part of the power! A tool!”
“Then why did you release them from the zoos?” I ask. “Why did you take the dogs from their homes? I thought you were trying to liberate them, or something, but it sounds like you really don’t care!”
“I don’t,” he says. “They were the tools that I needed at the time, just like my animal forms were. Wasn’t it kind of the norms to provide me a nice little pool of weapons?”
“How can you even think such a thing? You’re a shifter! How can you not think of the wolves in the world, when you turn into one?” I demand. “How can you not think of how they’re being pushed out of their territory? Or of how you might be able to help them?”
“You’re a sentimental idiot, just like your grandfather,” he says. “Did you ever think of your own people, boy? Did you think of how THEY were shoved out of their territory? How they were stuck on reservations? I don’t see you doing anything for any of them, so stop your stupid big talk!”
“I will,” I say. “When I’m the Coyote, I’ll make it my mission to spread awareness of how we need to take care of our people, our animals, and our land. I might just be one voice, but God gave me this ability for a reason.”
“God,” he repeats. “The Creator, some higher being,” he scoffs. “You’re JUST like your grandfather, boy, still believing in fantasies and lacking the one thing a Coyote REALLY needs to have.”
“What’s that?” I ask. “What do you think a Coyote needs to have?”
“Bloodlust,” he snarls, racing straight for me.
***
“Okay, I just need to find… um… where I am,” Whitney says, looking around blankly. She’s surrounded by reflections of herself, but they all look as lost as she feels right now. She dares to peek into a mirror, and blushes as an old woman lets out a gasp of shock. “Sorry, wrong window,” she says, running away.
At least, she thinks as she slows down a while later, she hadn’t seen something shocking. There are things in this world that should NOT be seen by anyone other than one’s doctor and maybe their husband or wife. She fully holds to that belief. Thankfully, an old woman’s face isn’t one of those. She stops, daring to peek into another mirror portal, only to come face to face with a strangely familiar person.
“Hiiii,” Skystep says, waving at her. “Are you stuck in there? It’s funny, I can’t sense Rocco when he’s in the shadows, but I CAN sort of sense you when you’re in the mirror! Maybe the Mirrorlands is closer than Shadowlands.”
“I’m actually looking for, um, Century,” Whitney says, her heart pounding in her chest. “You’re really Skystep?”
“REALLY Skystep!” Skye says with a bright grin. “I can take you to Century, but why do you want to see him? He’s a stuffy fuddy duddy that steals first kisses.”
“He’s a what?” Whitney repeats, even as Skye starts tapping on the mirror. “Hey, hey, stop doing that, please, it’s really loud!”
“Well, I would if I could get in!” Skye says. “I can go THROUGH the mirror, but I can’t get INTO the mirror, which is really annoying. Hey, hey, can you get me into the mirror?” she asks.
“Um, wouldn’t it be easier if I just came out?”
“Well, yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” Skye asks blankly, only to press the sole of her foot to the mirror. “Maaaybe if I do this—nope, not working…”
“Stop! Stop! You might break the glass!” Whitney says. “Look, I have no idea where I am, and you obviously DO know where you are, right? So the smartest thing to do is for me to come out and you help me go to Century to tell him that Noni has a very crazy guy stuck in the mirror with her!”
“Noni?” Skye repeats curiously.
“My grandma, Cheval! Now if you would back up—” Whitney says, only to groan as Skye keeps poking. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”
“Nope! I’ve traveled through air and through shadow, but never, ever by mirror! Think of all the pranks I could pull!” Skye says, pressing her face to the mirror and crossing her eyes.
“Okay, FINE!” Whitney says, slipping her hand through the mirror. “Grab on, I’ll pull you in.”
Her hand is grabbed and Skye literally jumps into the mirror, tackling poor Whitney to the ground. “SO AWESOME!” Skye says, looking around.
“Now will you take me to Century?” Whitney asks.
“Mmmm… yep! This way!” Skye says, taking off. Whitney has no choice but to chase after her.
***
“Are you truly the son of Superior?” The question comes from the mirror that Nico is trying to hack into. He’s never even thought of traveling by mirror, but in theory he figures it’s the same as the Shadowlands, a connected form of subspace, as he’s started calling it. The others are all searching for another, active mirror in the house. The chance of them finding one is slim, and they all know it.
“What?” he says.
“Lance said I should let you in, since you’re the son of Superior. Are you?” the woman demands.
“I am, but I like me, better,” Nico says. “Let me in, I’ll take down Badmoon for you.”
“My granddaughter is in here, and Lance is fighting,” she says as the mirror starts to swirl again. “It’s too hard to keep everyone apart and fight Badmoon at the same time. Save Lance, please.”
“I’m on it,” he says, jumping into the mirror. Before it can close, Coyote jumps in right behind him.
***
I’m bleeding and cut up, I keep shifting to try a different attack, but with only one form I’m pretty limited. I stagger to my paws, shaking my head and trying to focus my eyes. He’s in wolf form, now, growling at me. I’m stupidly proud of the bite marks he’s sporting, even though they’re healing already. I take a deep breath and leap forward, going in for another attack. He catches my chest with his shoulder, sending me flying across the room and through another mirror.
I can’t win against him head-on, I realize. I’ve been trying so far, and all it does is get me beat. I’m just trying to keep him preoccupied while Cheval’s granddaughter gets out. Taking him head-on is the easiest way to keep him preoccupied, sure, but it’s also the easiest way to get myself killed. I really should have shoved Nico into the mirror instead of jumping in, myself.
I look around, seeing myself shift and sit there, a blood splattered teenager that’s still pretty short and—as much as I hate to admit it—looks a little like a girl. The wall that I just crashed through is rebuilding itself with a now-familiar tinkle of glass, blocking me from the wolf. Cheval is trying to save me, just like she’s trying to save her granddaughter.
I think I might be a little in love with the woman, honestly. She would be an AWESOME grandmother to have. I mean, in comparison to the granddad I’ve got, she’s way better. But right now, I’m a little irritated with her. I’m going to have to do a bit of searching to find Badmoon again, since the Mirrorlands is like a mind-warping maze.
“Don’t think this is going to keep me from the kid for long, Cheval,” I hear him say. “He’s my ticket to being a Coyote.”
“Don’t think I’m going to let you get to him,” I hear Cheval say from all around us.
“Either I go after the boy or I go after your precious granddaughter!” he snarls. I hear a mirror wall crash and know he’s getting destructive again. “She’s a pretty little thing, don’t you think? Just barely coming into her powers. She would have less of a chance against me than your pathetic glass men did.”
The world seems to shake around me, and I can almost smell Cheval’s rage. “You won’t get near—”
Before she can finish, I hear the crashing of wall after wall of glass shatter and barely manage to jump out of the way as Badmoon lands. He lays there, stunned and bleeding, and my heart leaps into my chest. “Nico!” I say, turning to look through the hole in the wall.
I stare, in shock, as I see Coyote standing there, instead of my principal. “I have finally made my decision, brother,” he says almost mildly. “It is long past the time where I must deal with you.”
I hear a groan and I turn, seeing Badmoon sitting up. He stares with utter loathing at the man that just hit him. “I always knew you would turn on me, someday.”
“It did make the decision easier when you stripped me of my powers and beat me, yes,” Coyote says. “You have disrespected blood bonds just as you have disrespected everything else in your life. I should have done this years ago.”
“You think I don’t know how to deal with you?” Badmoon jumps to his feet—but instead of rushing towards Coyote, he lunges at me, grabbing and hauling me close as a hostage. “I used to care for you, brother. Now I want to take everything you have from you, starting out with your mutt heir.” His fingers press into my neck and I know he’s going to snap my neck.
“Let the boy go, Moon Chaser,” Coyote says. “Or it will be much worse for you.”
“How about we make a deal?” Badmoon says. “You tell me who gave your daughter back her shifting powers and how, and then you forget you ever knew me. If you do, I’ll let the kid go.”
“I cannot do that,” Coyote says. “I don’t know how she got her powers back, some sort of pan. Now let the boy go and face me like a man, Moon Chaser.”
“I’m not an idiot, Coyote. The moment I let the boy go is the moment you try to kill me. I don’t have time for that. I need to find out how to regain my powers before—”
“Before I find you?” Nico asks from behind him. Badmoon goes still and I feel the faintest of shudders run through his body. It shocks me. I’ve seen Badmoon go toe to toe with two tanks at once, and not even blink—but if I didn’t know better, I would think he was terrified right now.
“Technico,” he says.
“I know how she got her powers back,” Nico goes on, conversationally. “I can tell you. Just let the boy go.”
“Since when have you cared about a mutt?” Badmoon demands. He turns, trying to keep both Coyote and Nico in view. “Move,” he demands, motioning with his free hand. “Move over there, where I can see both of you, or the boy gets it. It’ll be easy to snap his neck, like snapping a twig.” He digs in his pocket, pulling out his power blocking gun. “Do you hear me? Once I shoot you with this, it’ll be just as easy to take the two of you down. So TELL ME! Who gave her back her powers?”
“Science,” Nico says, almost sauntering over to Coyote, and then stepping in front of him. “Science gave her back her powers. But you’ll never get yours back, Badmoon. I’ve always thought that was a stupid name, have I mentioned that? We really should be calling you ‘bad dog.’”
“MOVE!” Badmoon shouts. “I want to see both of you!”
“Shoot me,” Nico says. “SHOOT ME! Do you remember saying that to Rocco, Badmoon? Do you remember assaulting another of my kids?”
Badmoon pulls the trigger and the light flashes right next to my face. I feel my abilities leave me and the pressure on my throat has me gasping for breath, now. I jerk, futilely trying to get free, knowing that’s stupid. I couldn’t even get free when I had my powers. Badmoon doesn’t even notice that I’m trying. He’s smirking at Nico, as if he did something great.
