Chills & Thrills Paranormal Boxed Set (69 page)

He tapped the side of his head and smiled mysteriously. A
small smile to be sure, but it made Lily feel somewhat better.
"Actually," he admitted, "it was a no-brainer. What else would
you be thinking at a time like this?"

"You know I couldn't alchemize when Sebastian had
me?"

"When you didn't, I figured as much." He paused,
draped an arm over her shoulder, and turned to a path that went past the
women's pool then on to the river. "But you were in the middle of the
inquisition, which sapped your strength. And you have the crystal. Keep it with
you. Use it."

"Something about it . . ." She felt bemused.
"It almost has the same effects as holy water."

"Only when it's in your possession. For anyone else
it's just a crystal."

She touched the stone. The now-familiar thrum emanated from
its clear depths, but she still felt unarmed. So many people depended on her.
How could she do it all? Again Tony seemed to read her thoughts.

"I'll be with you. And warriors will guard the
tribespeople during the exodus. We'll only have to contend with the
werewolves." He cleared his throat. "About the bear . . ."

He fidgeted, an uncharacteristic behavior for a shaman, and
Lily looked up at him.

"Well, it . . . it was me."

"You're becoming quite the shapeshifter." She
tried to sound light, but failed miserably.

"I don't know if I can do it again." He gave a
bleak smile. "We sure can't count on it."

They exchanged wan expressions, then Lily glanced away,
realizing they were finally alone. Now feeling fidgety herself, she asked the
question heavy on her mind.

"Do the stories say you and Shala live in
Quakahla?"

He stopped and brought her into the circle of his arms, the
plastic capes rustling as their bodies touched. She rested her chin on his
chest, waiting for his answer.

"There are . . . so many factors to consider. I'm a
shaman and warrior, a leader in the tribe. Riva is Shala's grandmother, and
Shala has her own destiny as a shaman. With Ravenheart lost, there aren't many
among the young ones who have chosen the shaman's way. The Dawn People need me.
They need Shala."

"You don't have to go?" She couldn't quell the
excitement in her voice.

"I have free will."

"Then stay! I don't want you to leave, Tony. Shala
doesn't want to go. Hasn't she told you that?"

He smiled grimly. "She is only now entering her seventh
winter. That's too young to make such far-reaching decisions."

"What about her free will?"

He answered with a frown, and she let her gaze drift to the
cattails swaying in the river. A new drizzle was starting. Drops collected on
the leaves, falling into the river to ripple in every direction, merging with
one another to create new patterns, just as her earlier acts had done. This
decision facing her would cause ripples too.

"Is loving me one of the factors?"

"Oh yes, my darling, the biggest one, and it's tearing
me apart."

He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger, wanting to
crush her to him and never let go. She trembled slightly, and he put a hand
under her chin, lifting it to gaze into her dark slanted eyes. They shone with
angry, distraught tears.

"Why can't I go too?" Her voice was husky.

So was his. "I don't really know. The stories only say
that Wolf and Bear get separated in battle. After a futile search, Bear crosses
alone. The Dawn People return to their true home and tell the White Wolf Woman
legends each time the dark moon rises."

Lily let out an agonized cry. Jerking from his embrace, she
planted her feet and slammed her fists on her hips.

"A stupid legend's going to decide our fate? A stupid
legend?" She spun on her heels and paced along the river, spun again and paced
back. "You and Star Dancer are mistaken. I'm not White Wolf Woman, I'm
not! I don't want to be a legend! I just want to be Lily!" She tapped her
breast rapidly several times. "Just Lily. An ordinary woman."

Suddenly she stopped and stared into Tony's eyes. He tried
to prevent it, but she read his thoughts too quickly. "You knew! You knew
we wouldn't be together even before we went to the sweat lodge!"

Flying at him, she beat her fist fiercely on his chest.
"Damn you! Damn you! You had no right to keep it from me!"

"Shh . . . shh, shh ." Her anguish was tearing
Tony apart. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her so close she lost her
leverage. She kept hitting him, but her blows grew weaker and more infrequent.
Suddenly, her tears broke loose. She collapsed against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he rasped, his throat
tightening. "I'm so sorry."

"Damn you." She sobbed and wrapped her fists in
the folds of his plastic rain cape. "You had no right . . . You had no
right."

"I know. I know."

Tony's eyes stung and he blinked hard, wondering if he
should point out what Lily failed to notice. It seemed as cruel as dangling a
carrot before a horse, but she deserved to know this part as much as the rest.

"I have a hope." He pressed her head more tightly
to his shoulder, unwilling to meet her eyes. "It is not already done.
There are many possible outcomes. Anything can happen."

A measure of tension left her body. She let go of his rain
cape. "Does that mean I might enter Quakahla after all?"

Tony cleared his throat. "It's only a possibility. A
small one. We have to be careful not to hope too much."

"I see." She stepped from his arms and dabbed at
her tears with a piece of her own cape. "I've never been much for
caution."

Dropping the cape, she jutted out her chin and met his eyes
decisively. "I'm staying, Tony White Hawk. If there's any chance we can be
together, I'm not turning away from it."

* * *

They spent the rest of that afternoon quietly with Shala.
The entire village was subdued. To Kessa and her family's relief, the warriors
found Frieda's remains, and the women of her family prepared for the funeral
that would be held after the crossing.

Only half in jest, Tony had pointed to the place where Lily
had climbed to the rim, with a remark that he wanted to be sure she hadn't
forgotten where it was. She knew he was trying to get her to reconsider. But
Star Dancer's guardedly jubilant response told Lily the High Shaman was more
relieved than she was willing to let on. Lily suspected that if she had refused
the challenge, not only would the People fail to pass into Quakahla, none would
survive the werewolves' siege. This made her more determined to stay, and
finally Tony gave up his attempts to change her mind.

Then the sun began to set, barely noticeable behind the
relentless drizzle. Men, women, and children began filing into the longhouse,
all in rain gear, carrying satchels with the remainder of their belongings.
Tony and Lily passed out the last of the ammonia capsules and holy water to the
warriors who would guard the people's passage. When the sun's meager light
finally disappeared, Gerard closed the door.

Amid candles and incense and wafting herb wands, the
villagers chanted and sang in their own language, holding hands in a circle and
swaying rhythmically. Lily heard Quakahla mentioned several times, but other
than that she didn't understand the words. She stood between Tony and Shala,
and found the swaying movement eased her tension.

Finally Star Dancer broke the circle. The room grew hushed.
Outside the storm picked up. Raindrops pounded the roof of the longhouse. Wind
beat at the eaves. Thunder clapped faraway. Bleats and grunts arose in the
animals' pens. Then the first howl rose. Soft at first, sounding almost like
the wind, then piercingly louder, closer.

"The dark moon rises," Star Dancer said,
shattering the stillness inside the room. "Quakahla awaits."

Gerard opened the door. Wind blew rain into the room, and
the temperature dropped sharply. People moved from the circle, lining up in
front of the door. Mothers held their babies tight and kept their other
children close to their sides. Warriors stood behind their families.
Grandmothers and grandfathers picked up their burdens. Then everyone turned
their eyes to Lily and Tony.

"We must go out first, before the warriors," Tony
told Lily. "It's our job to fend off the beasts. If we do it admirably,
they'll pass through safely."

He bent to kiss Shala.

"I'll see you in Quakahla, Papa." Then she turned
to receive Lily's kiss. "You too, Lily."

So Tony hadn't told her. The coward. But this night promised
enough pain. If he'd held back to spare his daughter from any more, Lily
couldn't truly blame him. And his lapse renewed her hope. Perhaps his faith
that she'd make the crossing with them was stronger than hers.

Suddenly he looked up, his eyes growing distant, a sign he
was projecting the hawk. "Hurry," he said. "The werewolves are
in the maze."

They exited into a wind-driven downpour, but even the clouds
didn't hide the first movement of the eclipse across the moon. The warriors
formed a protective line from the longhouse to the canyon that held the cave.
Lily and Tony moved to a spot between their position and the maze. People began
filing out the door toward Quakahla, moving behind the warriors' shield.

More howls sounded. Only yards away, blurred shapes took
form in the curtain of rain. Then Sebastian appeared, his lips curled into a
feral smile. Beryl, Philippe, and Ravenheart flanked him.

Behind Lily, the villagers calmly started their pilgrimage,
giving the werewolves no attention. Beside her, Tony shifted form so rapidly
she hardly had time to blink, becoming a bear of such enormous proportions his
back almost reached her head. Magnificent, she thought, deeply relieved he'd
shifted so effortlessly.

Breathing easier, she put a hand on his shoulder.

Alchemize.

She remained as she was. A second try also failed to produce
results. Shocked, and suddenly terrified, her mind spun. What use was she here?
How could she protect the Dawn People with only the knife Tony had belted
around her waist? This was foolishness. No, craziness. Sebastian would steal
her from the village and keep her captive for life. Tony would have to protect
his people alone.

The satisfied gleam in Sebastian's eyes told her he'd read
her thoughts and knew she was helpless. She struggled to pull herself together,
to block her mind and make him believe she could still fight.

"The gemstone, Lily."

At Tony's words she reached inside her rain cape, finding
the smooth hard edges of the crystal. She wrapped her hand around it and pulled
it out.

The bear growled. In that same instant, Sebastian took a
menacing step forward. "I see you have a new skill, Shaman," he said.
"But that will not be enough to save Lily, nor stop Arlan from making a
coat out of your dead hide."

Tony lunged at Sebastian. Using his werewolf agility, the
King sidestepped. Propelled by his own momentum, Tony sped forward, crashing
into Ravenheart, who leaped on his back, growling.

"Your time here is short, White Hawk." Ravenheart
snarled, nipping and tearing at Tony's shaggy fur. "Soon all that was
yours will be mine."

Roaring denial, Tony rolled, crushing Ravenheart beneath his
weight. The werewolf whimpered, wrapped a clawed hand around Tony's ear, but
Tony rolled again, landing on all fours, head lowered.

Philippe and Beryl alchemized to wolf form and flew at Tony.
Sebastian closed in on Lily.

"This will be much easier than I anticipated, dear
one." He moved a hand toward her shoulder.

Lily clutched the crystal tighter. It pulsed to life just as
Sebastian grabbed her. A pained moan left his lips and he jerked back as though
he'd received an electric shock. The smell of burning hair filled the air.
Searching for the source of Sebastian's injury, Lily looked around wildly, her
eyes coming to rest on her own body. It glowed with light, just as it had in
her dream. But it hadn't been a dream. This was the weapon Tony had promised
would come.

She had no time to wonder how. Sebastian was jabbing at her
like someone trying to see if a coal was still hot. A finger grazed her hand.
He moaned again, then dropped his arms and let out an enraged howl.

To her right Tony battled Ravenheart. Beryl and Philippe
nipped at his flanks with their wolf-form teeth. Mud flew everywhere, and all
of them struggled for footing on the slick ground.

Disregarding Sebastian for the moment, Lily rushed to Tony's
side. Avoiding a kick from Beryl's hind leg, she enclosed the limb with her
hand. He gave a high-pitched squeal, then cart-wheeled and landed in the mud,
panting as he scrambled to make another leap.

The loss of a foe gave Tony new strength. With a twist of
his massive body, he jarred Philippe loose. Lily bent down and touched the
omega wolf's back.

Screeching in pain, Philippe ran off to lick his wounds.
Having lost the advantage given by the other wolves, Ravenheart strained to
break free of Tony's hold, finally managing to rock to his feet. Then he saw
Lily. His eyes widened and he backed away.

"Lord," he called, "we must devise another
tack. The wolf woman has the power of the light. She is invincible."

Still rubbing his scorched hand, Sebastian inclined his head
gravely. Then he gave a guttural order to Beryl and Philippe.

They streaked toward the villagers, who trudged quietly
through the rain to the cave. The warriors guarding them threw ammonia
capsules. Beryl and Philippe skidded to a stop almost simultaneously. Coughing
and cursing, deforming hideously, they kicked the capsules beneath the mud.
Several moments passed while the pair transformed to human shape.

A woman warrior moved forward, holding a vial of holy water.
Lily saw her hesitate, knowing she'd been warned to use it sparingly. When the
two resumed wolf shape, they charged again, and the woman sprinkled drops, some
of which landed on Philippe. Philippe yowled and collapsed on the ground,
writhing in the mud, trying to rid himself of the burning liquid.