Thrift Store Trolls, page 22
part #1 of Flea Market Magic Series
I stood and hurried to the staircase.
“Nat, wait…” Brenna whispered.
I ran up to Grandma but paused when she stooped over, murmuring magical words as she tapped a purple wildflower.
The strangest sight occurred. The harsh scent of ozone filled the air as the wildflower darkened to deep maroon before the petals glowed vibrant white. Then another nearby flower, closer to the tree line lit up, then another into the woods. I took in the path of glowing wildflowers as far as I could see until the trees obscured their lights.
I marveled at my grandmother’s wit. Someday she’d have to share her secrets with me.
With her job done, Grandma shuffled back to The Bends and returned the feather to me.
“The mouse is hungry and wants cheese. Now, he’ll come,” she said to me with a mischievous wink.
Now that Grandma tossed a proverbial flare into the air, everyone scrambled to a better place to fight. Will jumped into Thorn’s SUV while Karey waited in my Nissan with Mevelyn, Grace, and Dione. The Stravinsky clan and pack members disappeared into The Bends—only to emerge minutes later in their true form, beautiful wolves with coats ranging from midnight-black to deep brown. Nick passed by the wolves and joined Thorn on the lawn. He didn’t bother changing his attire this time.
I should’ve warned the wizard he might want protection from all the goo that was about to fly everywhere.
The last one to leave the back door was Brenna. The earth witch came out wearing a shimmering golden robe, her chin-length hair slicked back.
The goblin blade trembled in my hand. Was it time? At the farthest point in the woods, a wildflower winked out. Then another. Closer.
The wolves assembled a loose formation in the backyard while my friends stood their ground on the back dock. Nick’s grand white staff glowed brilliant red.
The wolves crept forward, their claws digging into the hard soil. Father’s back hunched and the muscles in his back legs tensed. Near the front of the formation, Erica bared her teeth and growled.
The wolf within me strained to fight. If I didn’t have weapons of my own, I would’ve joined them.
Yes, come play with us, you son-of-a-bitch.
I glanced around. Everyone was ready. Bill was nowhere to be seen, but he was the least of my problems. Let him hide. As long as he kept Grandma safe inside, protected by his wards.
Not far from me, Brenna shut the back door to The Bends and whispered, “May Mother Earth continue to bless us with breath.”
With a nod, I said a prayer of my own. I didn’t want God suffocating anybody today. The goblin blade grew heavy. The letter opener’s head lengthened to form a lance.
I turned to see Brenna grinning with glee as she extended her wand to the sky. Fireflies shot from the tip like tiny missiles and the fluttering streaks rained down on the trees, illuminating the forest floor.
“Incoming!” she yelled. “I’ll slow them down.”
Dark figures approached. Bird-like shrieks and squawks grew louder. The treetops shook, then branches shot down, spearing basilisks as they sped through. The wolves shifted to the oncoming attack.
Suddenly, the basilisks spilled through the trees like muddied flood waters. Thorn and the rest of the pack slammed into the brunt of the wave. They tore at the basilisks’ throats with their razorlike fangs. I entered the melee swinging hard. Bright lights blossomed across the space. But there were far too many. The basilisks gushed from the trees, creeping out of the bushes and clamoring down from the branches. Many of them were speared along the upper branches, but more and more came.
A plague of basilisks.
I never had a chance to catch my breath. When I cleaved an oncoming basilisk in two, another pair took its place. I caught the whiff of one trying to leap onto my back, but Thorn snatched it by the leg and flung the creature against The Bends. Instead of falling to the ground with a hard thud, the wood siding groaned and sucked the attacker inside with an audible slurp.
Now that wasn’t expected. Hope The Bends didn’t have trouble digesting them.
More basilisks spilled past us and the wolves gave chase. The Bends held the line. When basilisks tried to scamper up the walls toward the glass windows, shutters slammed over the openings. Approaching basilisks were sucked into the place like ships sinking into turbulent waters.
The number of basilisks far outnumbered us. I whistled hard. Time for phase two. The pack concentrated their efforts from the frontal assault to clearing a path for me to reach the cars.
In the parking lot, the headlights for the SUV and Nissan turned on. I broke out into a hard run, leaping over basilisks to race toward the cars. Basilisks danced about, scratching and nipping at my heels. I extended the lance in front of me, stabbing and flicking at any bird-snake daring to get in my way.
At the edge of the parking lot, I pivoted to glance back at the battlefield. In the middle of the fray, I caught a glimpse of Thorn. He paused and watched me leave.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Whether he heard me or not didn’t matter. I had a job to do, and Thorn would stay behind to protect Grandma just as Nick would do whatever he could to protect me for the second part of the plan.
A herd of basilisks jumped in front of me, forcing me back into the moment. The ground opened up. Brenna materialized on top of the truck and jerked her hands to the right. The ground turned to mud and the basilisks sank deep into a boggy pit.
I made it to the SUV and hurried to the passenger’s side. Immediately, I realized the lance wouldn’t fit in the front seat. Nick and Brenna materialized in the backseat—right as a boulder smashed into the side of the Nissan.
Shit, I’m gonna be eating TV dinners for a while.
Nick rolled down the window. “Give me that.”
I passed him the lance, and he took hold, guiding it in through the window in a seemingly impossible feat. He’d probably find a place for the weapon in that super coat of his.
I jumped in the car and cringed as more boulders—the size of big screen TVs—rained down and slammed into my enemies.
“Was that you guys?” I yelled into the backseat.
“Definitely not me,” Brenna said with wide eyes. “Those rocks…they’re alive.”
Will peeled out of the parking lot, darting out of the way from a large rock that rolled eastward and headed back to the troll mart across the Parkway.
Looked like Kramkar wanted to kick some slimy basilisk ass, too.
As we roared northbound up the Parkway, I bumped my fist and roared, “Get ‘em, Kramkar!”
This early on a Friday night, there was traffic on the Parkway and I didn’t want to stay here for long. As expected, the unceasing current of basilisks stuck to our tails and formed a rip-tide of goo down the highway. Cars swerved and honked to dodge the obstacles.
From behind us, a vermillion light blossomed and grew brighter.
“What’s that?” Will breathed. The car engine roared as he leaned on the accelerator. “Is that the Basilisk King?”
Nick glanced back. “It’s Sedgewick. He’s mopping up our rears to keep the humans safe, but he won’t be able to cover us forever.”
“Yeah, I need you to gun it until we get to Highway 28. Then we need to head northwest,” I ordered Will.
“Where are we going?” he asked. “Do the nymphs know in case we lose them?”
“They know where we’re going,” I said smoothly. “We’re heading to Sourland Mountain Preserve.”
As we reached the outskirts of the wildlife preserve, my heart threatened to stop from beating so fast. But, then again, wasn’t fear a good thing? Didn’t that mean I was still alive?
I glanced out the window and recalled the unnatural chill from before. I didn’t dare open myself to feel for the fairy path this time. She was closer now. I didn’t have to go far.
We roared into the park through the southern entrance. The park closed about an hour ago, but the spellcasters in the car broke through the gates. We pulled into the empty parking lot and spilled out of the car.
“How much time do we have before they arrive?” Will asked. “I tried to pull ahead as far as I could.”
“Not much,” I said with a sigh. “He could’ve called them back to their trunks and brought them here.”
The nymphs pulled up next to us. Mevelyn, Grace, and Dione jumped out.
“Get in the car with Karey,” I said firmly to Will.
“What?” his mouth dropped.
Nick passed me the goblin blade from his coat. I didn’t have long to get Will out of here. As I wrapped my fingers around my weapon, I told Will, “Karey’s got a kid and you have to make sure she returns home.”
“Thorn made me promise I’d protect you,” he said firmly.
“And now I’m here and I’m your alpha. I’m ordering you to make sure Karey returns home to see my niece.” I added a push to my words.
Will’s jaw twitched, but he bowed his head and slid into the Nissan’s passenger seat. I watched the car disappear back to the entrance.
Mevelyn approached me. “Time to hold the line, Sister Wolf?”
I nodded to her.
Sweat formed on my brow, but not from the June heat, but rather from panic threatening to crash through my bones.
She is close, the wolf within me whined.
I clutched the goblin blade, still in its lance form, as the breeze shifted from eastbound to westward.
“He’s coming,” Brenna warned. “Y’all ready?”
The nymphs ran to the trees. I’d yet to see them fight, but more than anything, I hoped they stayed safe.
“The wolves had a tough time.” I glanced at the spellcasters. “You have enough gas in your tanks to help me drive them northward?”
Brenna’s smile deepened and the sparkles in her hair glinted. “The Basilisk King isn’t the only person affected by the fairy path. Get going, Nat. We’ll be fine.”
The basilisk horde emerged from the trees to the south and raced across the parking lot. I turned and sprinted to the north.
Behind me, great flashes of light and explosions filled the air. The spellcasters would hold them over, but I knew they wouldn’t be able to hold the line for long. I ran as hard as I could. Up ahead, I spotted the nymphs. They’d enchanted the trees to create a living dam. As I approached, the trees dipped. I leaped over them and they stretched up again.
More time bought.
The rocks jutting from the ground and the upward incline hindered me, but I climbed from rock-to-rock, knowing that sooner or later the basilisks would catch up with me, and in turn the Basilisk King would have me within his reach.
Soon, I caught the distinct crunch of breaking branches. The basilisks’ jubilant squawks and shrieks bounced among the trees. I paused and glanced over my shoulder—only to feel the strange sensation of someone brushing their hand down my cheek. The touch left a burn on my skin, and I growled in pain.
“Natalya…” a man’s deep voice intoned.
The Basilisk King was near.
With a sense of urgency, I climbed higher up Sourland Mountain. The top wasn’t steep. It wasn’t even a quarter of a mile high, but my destination was there. The final confrontation wasn’t far from where I stood.
I leaped up another rock, and the first basilisk caught my leg. I fell hard and they jumped in for the kill. Without hesitation this time, I clutched the feather under my shirt. I murmured the words to cast a spell, seeing the turbulent fires swirling in my head rise to reality. All around me, basilisks burned, many exploding before falling away. Covered in new scratches, I stood again and made my escape.
The spell only bought me a few precious seconds. Farther below, the Basilisk King walked toward me, flicking his hands to direct more trunks to appear and disappear. His movements were calm and precise.
Finally, I reached the summit. A flat area where I could see the rest of the preserve. The waning moon winked from behind thick clouds until my mother moon appeared again.
I took two steps before I was forced to my knees with a rush.
She Who Always Walked the Path had me now, but I wasn’t the only one she’d snatched.
Behind me, the Basilisk King grunted, and I caught the sound of him falling and his head hitting the ground to kneel before her.
Relief filled me.
You’re stuck with me now, I thought triumphantly.
It didn’t take long for the sensations from that strange night to take my breath away. A great weight pressed my shoulders down and forced my forehead to the cold rock. In my mind, I retreated again to that dark place as the muscles in my legs tightened and my jaw hurt from biting down so hard.
But through the darkness, I laughed and laughed.
Who’s the king now? I thought.
The essence of She Who Always Walks the Path called to the Basilisk King first.
You’ve culled too many prey, Erpetó Vasiliá, the paper-thin voice whispered. How dare you soil my path? You will worship me until I see fit to release you.
The lilting voice held me to the ground, but I caught the Basilisk King’s footsteps as he was drawn to walk past me then he disappeared to the north.
I waited, knowing I was next.
The tug came fast and hard, dragging me up like a pup by the scruff. My feet shuffled forward, and I gasped for breath.
You will run in reverence, Wolf, the feminine voice whispered.
I shuddered as the wolf beneath my skin quaked. Fur burst along my backside and I hunched over as my bones broke and reshaped themselves. My true form emerged. I collapsed again amid the vice-like sensation of a heavy metal bracelet looping around my neck.
Sleep now, Wolf.
The last thing I heard before I fell into slumber was Diana the Huntress saying, At the return of the full moon, you’ll hunt with my dogs for all eternity.
Chapter 29
I wasn’t sure how long I dreamed or whether I dreamed at all. I only recalled the weight of the collar around my neck and the chill from rocks pushing into one side of my body while the sun warmed the other.
The limbo of time grew murky as I caught the sound of light footsteps. It was night again. Had the Huntress come for me again? Yet instead of rising to join her pack of dogs, I felt the collar on my neck give way. The force holding me against the ground lifted, and Mevelyn knelt beside me.
A gust of wind flowed through me, bringing the voice of the Huntress, Your surrender is sacred and irrevocable.
At first, I thought this message was for me, but as I blinked to stare at the woman beside me I realized Mevelyn was the recipient.
With a wistful smile, the old nymph pressed her fingertips on my eyes to close them.
The wind whispered, May your sacrifice prove fruitful.
As darkness folded over me again, Mevelyn replied, “It shall. Sister Wolf still has work to do.”
When I came to again, it wasn’t night but day. The midday sun bathed my naked back where I lay in a field. The nearby rocks signaled I was still in the preserve, but what had happened to everyone? What about the nymph?
How much time had passed, and more importantly, what happened to Mevelyn? My thoughts were jumbled, but I had enough sense to notice someone left something next to me: a neatly folded pile of clothes with a letter opener on top. My goblin blade.
Chapter 30
Again and again, after my time in the clutches of She Who Always Walks the Path, I kept thinking about sacrifices and every time someone else had put their lives on the line for me.
My friends. My family. My grandma. Now I had a debt to Mevelyn, too.
No one could reach me for more than a week.
Thorn and the pack were kept from searching for me through Mevelyn’s urgent instructions to Nick and Brenna.
“She didn’t want the rest of our pack to be captured,” Thorn explained to me that hazy Sunday. “Karey told me they reached you the first time through their pacification rituals. Mevelyn did it again by herself—and it looks like she was successful.”
Successful how? I’m back home and she isn’t.
Now that I was safe and sound, my mate followed me every where. Made sure I ate my meals—even when I stared at the food. I had no words to say. Not yet, anyway.
Pack members stopped by the house from afternoon into the evening. Somber faces wished me well. But one face blended into the other. Until Grandma appeared. Neither of us spoke, and she merely held me close, whispering words from a Russian folk song I hadn’t heard in a very long time: Odnozvuchno gremit kolokolchik. The Lonely Bell.
The song told of a coachman who left home and never returned. In her sweet soft voice, I could hear her sadness, how she feared I wouldn’t return.
From across the room, I caught my father saying, “What’s wrong with my daughter?”
Thorn replied, “A part of her is probably still on the mountain. We need to give her time…and love.”
When twilight hit, my family left and Karey and her kin checked on me. I could smell them before they entered the cottage and anguish hit me like an ocean’s unyielding waves. All of us were back home, but not her aunt.
Instead of sharing tears, Karey, Dione, and Grace sat with me, their expressions bittersweet and pensive.
“Oh, Nat.” Karey hugged me again and again. “Auntie wouldn’t want to see you like this.” She placed the fly fishing lure her aunt crafted for me in my palm. The handcrafted wooden minnow had exquisite detail from its head down to its tail.
“Do you know,” I managed to ask, “if she’s okay?”
Dione shook her head. “Those who serve She Who Always Walks the Path are never heard from again. Knowing our aunt though, she’s alive and making things more difficult for her new mistress. We hope.”
Karey reached out to touch my knee. “We all make choices for the greater good,” she said softly. “Some of them grand. Some of them small. My aunt wouldn’t have taken your place unless she knew something we didn’t. You’re important to her. To everyone here.”
Mevelyn’s words echoed through me. “Sister Wolf still has work to do.”
“Nat, wait…” Brenna whispered.
I ran up to Grandma but paused when she stooped over, murmuring magical words as she tapped a purple wildflower.
The strangest sight occurred. The harsh scent of ozone filled the air as the wildflower darkened to deep maroon before the petals glowed vibrant white. Then another nearby flower, closer to the tree line lit up, then another into the woods. I took in the path of glowing wildflowers as far as I could see until the trees obscured their lights.
I marveled at my grandmother’s wit. Someday she’d have to share her secrets with me.
With her job done, Grandma shuffled back to The Bends and returned the feather to me.
“The mouse is hungry and wants cheese. Now, he’ll come,” she said to me with a mischievous wink.
Now that Grandma tossed a proverbial flare into the air, everyone scrambled to a better place to fight. Will jumped into Thorn’s SUV while Karey waited in my Nissan with Mevelyn, Grace, and Dione. The Stravinsky clan and pack members disappeared into The Bends—only to emerge minutes later in their true form, beautiful wolves with coats ranging from midnight-black to deep brown. Nick passed by the wolves and joined Thorn on the lawn. He didn’t bother changing his attire this time.
I should’ve warned the wizard he might want protection from all the goo that was about to fly everywhere.
The last one to leave the back door was Brenna. The earth witch came out wearing a shimmering golden robe, her chin-length hair slicked back.
The goblin blade trembled in my hand. Was it time? At the farthest point in the woods, a wildflower winked out. Then another. Closer.
The wolves assembled a loose formation in the backyard while my friends stood their ground on the back dock. Nick’s grand white staff glowed brilliant red.
The wolves crept forward, their claws digging into the hard soil. Father’s back hunched and the muscles in his back legs tensed. Near the front of the formation, Erica bared her teeth and growled.
The wolf within me strained to fight. If I didn’t have weapons of my own, I would’ve joined them.
Yes, come play with us, you son-of-a-bitch.
I glanced around. Everyone was ready. Bill was nowhere to be seen, but he was the least of my problems. Let him hide. As long as he kept Grandma safe inside, protected by his wards.
Not far from me, Brenna shut the back door to The Bends and whispered, “May Mother Earth continue to bless us with breath.”
With a nod, I said a prayer of my own. I didn’t want God suffocating anybody today. The goblin blade grew heavy. The letter opener’s head lengthened to form a lance.
I turned to see Brenna grinning with glee as she extended her wand to the sky. Fireflies shot from the tip like tiny missiles and the fluttering streaks rained down on the trees, illuminating the forest floor.
“Incoming!” she yelled. “I’ll slow them down.”
Dark figures approached. Bird-like shrieks and squawks grew louder. The treetops shook, then branches shot down, spearing basilisks as they sped through. The wolves shifted to the oncoming attack.
Suddenly, the basilisks spilled through the trees like muddied flood waters. Thorn and the rest of the pack slammed into the brunt of the wave. They tore at the basilisks’ throats with their razorlike fangs. I entered the melee swinging hard. Bright lights blossomed across the space. But there were far too many. The basilisks gushed from the trees, creeping out of the bushes and clamoring down from the branches. Many of them were speared along the upper branches, but more and more came.
A plague of basilisks.
I never had a chance to catch my breath. When I cleaved an oncoming basilisk in two, another pair took its place. I caught the whiff of one trying to leap onto my back, but Thorn snatched it by the leg and flung the creature against The Bends. Instead of falling to the ground with a hard thud, the wood siding groaned and sucked the attacker inside with an audible slurp.
Now that wasn’t expected. Hope The Bends didn’t have trouble digesting them.
More basilisks spilled past us and the wolves gave chase. The Bends held the line. When basilisks tried to scamper up the walls toward the glass windows, shutters slammed over the openings. Approaching basilisks were sucked into the place like ships sinking into turbulent waters.
The number of basilisks far outnumbered us. I whistled hard. Time for phase two. The pack concentrated their efforts from the frontal assault to clearing a path for me to reach the cars.
In the parking lot, the headlights for the SUV and Nissan turned on. I broke out into a hard run, leaping over basilisks to race toward the cars. Basilisks danced about, scratching and nipping at my heels. I extended the lance in front of me, stabbing and flicking at any bird-snake daring to get in my way.
At the edge of the parking lot, I pivoted to glance back at the battlefield. In the middle of the fray, I caught a glimpse of Thorn. He paused and watched me leave.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Whether he heard me or not didn’t matter. I had a job to do, and Thorn would stay behind to protect Grandma just as Nick would do whatever he could to protect me for the second part of the plan.
A herd of basilisks jumped in front of me, forcing me back into the moment. The ground opened up. Brenna materialized on top of the truck and jerked her hands to the right. The ground turned to mud and the basilisks sank deep into a boggy pit.
I made it to the SUV and hurried to the passenger’s side. Immediately, I realized the lance wouldn’t fit in the front seat. Nick and Brenna materialized in the backseat—right as a boulder smashed into the side of the Nissan.
Shit, I’m gonna be eating TV dinners for a while.
Nick rolled down the window. “Give me that.”
I passed him the lance, and he took hold, guiding it in through the window in a seemingly impossible feat. He’d probably find a place for the weapon in that super coat of his.
I jumped in the car and cringed as more boulders—the size of big screen TVs—rained down and slammed into my enemies.
“Was that you guys?” I yelled into the backseat.
“Definitely not me,” Brenna said with wide eyes. “Those rocks…they’re alive.”
Will peeled out of the parking lot, darting out of the way from a large rock that rolled eastward and headed back to the troll mart across the Parkway.
Looked like Kramkar wanted to kick some slimy basilisk ass, too.
As we roared northbound up the Parkway, I bumped my fist and roared, “Get ‘em, Kramkar!”
This early on a Friday night, there was traffic on the Parkway and I didn’t want to stay here for long. As expected, the unceasing current of basilisks stuck to our tails and formed a rip-tide of goo down the highway. Cars swerved and honked to dodge the obstacles.
From behind us, a vermillion light blossomed and grew brighter.
“What’s that?” Will breathed. The car engine roared as he leaned on the accelerator. “Is that the Basilisk King?”
Nick glanced back. “It’s Sedgewick. He’s mopping up our rears to keep the humans safe, but he won’t be able to cover us forever.”
“Yeah, I need you to gun it until we get to Highway 28. Then we need to head northwest,” I ordered Will.
“Where are we going?” he asked. “Do the nymphs know in case we lose them?”
“They know where we’re going,” I said smoothly. “We’re heading to Sourland Mountain Preserve.”
As we reached the outskirts of the wildlife preserve, my heart threatened to stop from beating so fast. But, then again, wasn’t fear a good thing? Didn’t that mean I was still alive?
I glanced out the window and recalled the unnatural chill from before. I didn’t dare open myself to feel for the fairy path this time. She was closer now. I didn’t have to go far.
We roared into the park through the southern entrance. The park closed about an hour ago, but the spellcasters in the car broke through the gates. We pulled into the empty parking lot and spilled out of the car.
“How much time do we have before they arrive?” Will asked. “I tried to pull ahead as far as I could.”
“Not much,” I said with a sigh. “He could’ve called them back to their trunks and brought them here.”
The nymphs pulled up next to us. Mevelyn, Grace, and Dione jumped out.
“Get in the car with Karey,” I said firmly to Will.
“What?” his mouth dropped.
Nick passed me the goblin blade from his coat. I didn’t have long to get Will out of here. As I wrapped my fingers around my weapon, I told Will, “Karey’s got a kid and you have to make sure she returns home.”
“Thorn made me promise I’d protect you,” he said firmly.
“And now I’m here and I’m your alpha. I’m ordering you to make sure Karey returns home to see my niece.” I added a push to my words.
Will’s jaw twitched, but he bowed his head and slid into the Nissan’s passenger seat. I watched the car disappear back to the entrance.
Mevelyn approached me. “Time to hold the line, Sister Wolf?”
I nodded to her.
Sweat formed on my brow, but not from the June heat, but rather from panic threatening to crash through my bones.
She is close, the wolf within me whined.
I clutched the goblin blade, still in its lance form, as the breeze shifted from eastbound to westward.
“He’s coming,” Brenna warned. “Y’all ready?”
The nymphs ran to the trees. I’d yet to see them fight, but more than anything, I hoped they stayed safe.
“The wolves had a tough time.” I glanced at the spellcasters. “You have enough gas in your tanks to help me drive them northward?”
Brenna’s smile deepened and the sparkles in her hair glinted. “The Basilisk King isn’t the only person affected by the fairy path. Get going, Nat. We’ll be fine.”
The basilisk horde emerged from the trees to the south and raced across the parking lot. I turned and sprinted to the north.
Behind me, great flashes of light and explosions filled the air. The spellcasters would hold them over, but I knew they wouldn’t be able to hold the line for long. I ran as hard as I could. Up ahead, I spotted the nymphs. They’d enchanted the trees to create a living dam. As I approached, the trees dipped. I leaped over them and they stretched up again.
More time bought.
The rocks jutting from the ground and the upward incline hindered me, but I climbed from rock-to-rock, knowing that sooner or later the basilisks would catch up with me, and in turn the Basilisk King would have me within his reach.
Soon, I caught the distinct crunch of breaking branches. The basilisks’ jubilant squawks and shrieks bounced among the trees. I paused and glanced over my shoulder—only to feel the strange sensation of someone brushing their hand down my cheek. The touch left a burn on my skin, and I growled in pain.
“Natalya…” a man’s deep voice intoned.
The Basilisk King was near.
With a sense of urgency, I climbed higher up Sourland Mountain. The top wasn’t steep. It wasn’t even a quarter of a mile high, but my destination was there. The final confrontation wasn’t far from where I stood.
I leaped up another rock, and the first basilisk caught my leg. I fell hard and they jumped in for the kill. Without hesitation this time, I clutched the feather under my shirt. I murmured the words to cast a spell, seeing the turbulent fires swirling in my head rise to reality. All around me, basilisks burned, many exploding before falling away. Covered in new scratches, I stood again and made my escape.
The spell only bought me a few precious seconds. Farther below, the Basilisk King walked toward me, flicking his hands to direct more trunks to appear and disappear. His movements were calm and precise.
Finally, I reached the summit. A flat area where I could see the rest of the preserve. The waning moon winked from behind thick clouds until my mother moon appeared again.
I took two steps before I was forced to my knees with a rush.
She Who Always Walked the Path had me now, but I wasn’t the only one she’d snatched.
Behind me, the Basilisk King grunted, and I caught the sound of him falling and his head hitting the ground to kneel before her.
Relief filled me.
You’re stuck with me now, I thought triumphantly.
It didn’t take long for the sensations from that strange night to take my breath away. A great weight pressed my shoulders down and forced my forehead to the cold rock. In my mind, I retreated again to that dark place as the muscles in my legs tightened and my jaw hurt from biting down so hard.
But through the darkness, I laughed and laughed.
Who’s the king now? I thought.
The essence of She Who Always Walks the Path called to the Basilisk King first.
You’ve culled too many prey, Erpetó Vasiliá, the paper-thin voice whispered. How dare you soil my path? You will worship me until I see fit to release you.
The lilting voice held me to the ground, but I caught the Basilisk King’s footsteps as he was drawn to walk past me then he disappeared to the north.
I waited, knowing I was next.
The tug came fast and hard, dragging me up like a pup by the scruff. My feet shuffled forward, and I gasped for breath.
You will run in reverence, Wolf, the feminine voice whispered.
I shuddered as the wolf beneath my skin quaked. Fur burst along my backside and I hunched over as my bones broke and reshaped themselves. My true form emerged. I collapsed again amid the vice-like sensation of a heavy metal bracelet looping around my neck.
Sleep now, Wolf.
The last thing I heard before I fell into slumber was Diana the Huntress saying, At the return of the full moon, you’ll hunt with my dogs for all eternity.
Chapter 29
I wasn’t sure how long I dreamed or whether I dreamed at all. I only recalled the weight of the collar around my neck and the chill from rocks pushing into one side of my body while the sun warmed the other.
The limbo of time grew murky as I caught the sound of light footsteps. It was night again. Had the Huntress come for me again? Yet instead of rising to join her pack of dogs, I felt the collar on my neck give way. The force holding me against the ground lifted, and Mevelyn knelt beside me.
A gust of wind flowed through me, bringing the voice of the Huntress, Your surrender is sacred and irrevocable.
At first, I thought this message was for me, but as I blinked to stare at the woman beside me I realized Mevelyn was the recipient.
With a wistful smile, the old nymph pressed her fingertips on my eyes to close them.
The wind whispered, May your sacrifice prove fruitful.
As darkness folded over me again, Mevelyn replied, “It shall. Sister Wolf still has work to do.”
When I came to again, it wasn’t night but day. The midday sun bathed my naked back where I lay in a field. The nearby rocks signaled I was still in the preserve, but what had happened to everyone? What about the nymph?
How much time had passed, and more importantly, what happened to Mevelyn? My thoughts were jumbled, but I had enough sense to notice someone left something next to me: a neatly folded pile of clothes with a letter opener on top. My goblin blade.
Chapter 30
Again and again, after my time in the clutches of She Who Always Walks the Path, I kept thinking about sacrifices and every time someone else had put their lives on the line for me.
My friends. My family. My grandma. Now I had a debt to Mevelyn, too.
No one could reach me for more than a week.
Thorn and the pack were kept from searching for me through Mevelyn’s urgent instructions to Nick and Brenna.
“She didn’t want the rest of our pack to be captured,” Thorn explained to me that hazy Sunday. “Karey told me they reached you the first time through their pacification rituals. Mevelyn did it again by herself—and it looks like she was successful.”
Successful how? I’m back home and she isn’t.
Now that I was safe and sound, my mate followed me every where. Made sure I ate my meals—even when I stared at the food. I had no words to say. Not yet, anyway.
Pack members stopped by the house from afternoon into the evening. Somber faces wished me well. But one face blended into the other. Until Grandma appeared. Neither of us spoke, and she merely held me close, whispering words from a Russian folk song I hadn’t heard in a very long time: Odnozvuchno gremit kolokolchik. The Lonely Bell.
The song told of a coachman who left home and never returned. In her sweet soft voice, I could hear her sadness, how she feared I wouldn’t return.
From across the room, I caught my father saying, “What’s wrong with my daughter?”
Thorn replied, “A part of her is probably still on the mountain. We need to give her time…and love.”
When twilight hit, my family left and Karey and her kin checked on me. I could smell them before they entered the cottage and anguish hit me like an ocean’s unyielding waves. All of us were back home, but not her aunt.
Instead of sharing tears, Karey, Dione, and Grace sat with me, their expressions bittersweet and pensive.
“Oh, Nat.” Karey hugged me again and again. “Auntie wouldn’t want to see you like this.” She placed the fly fishing lure her aunt crafted for me in my palm. The handcrafted wooden minnow had exquisite detail from its head down to its tail.
“Do you know,” I managed to ask, “if she’s okay?”
Dione shook her head. “Those who serve She Who Always Walks the Path are never heard from again. Knowing our aunt though, she’s alive and making things more difficult for her new mistress. We hope.”
Karey reached out to touch my knee. “We all make choices for the greater good,” she said softly. “Some of them grand. Some of them small. My aunt wouldn’t have taken your place unless she knew something we didn’t. You’re important to her. To everyone here.”
Mevelyn’s words echoed through me. “Sister Wolf still has work to do.”
