NEWBORN: Book One of the Newborn Trilogy (40 page)

With no wand and no Merrifeather, Gabriel is
forced to defend himself on his own. He’s losing. Wolf is punching
him anywhere he can lay his fists, bludgeoning the wizard’s body
with all his might.

“Stop!” I scream. “Please! Stop!” I try and
get between them but can’t, so I run around them desperately. I
think of yelling for Merri, but I know she’ll take Gabriel’s side.
I don’t want Wolf’s eyes ripped out!

Gabriel gets hold of his wand.
“Decimate!”

Wolf is thrown back against a tree with a
sickening thud as the red jet of light hits him. No sooner is
Gabriel on his feet with his wand aloft than he’s facing a
snarling, fiercely manic black wolf, its eyes narrowed into deadly
slits. Wolf is barking into Gabriel’s face and for the first time,
I see fear stamped across it.

I throw myself between them as Gabriel yells,
“Nullify!”

Everything turns black.

* * *

The world is fuzzy. Colorful and fuzzy. But
not for long. Soon it’s just colorful. Opening my eyes, I see two
boys standing over me. The blond haired boy is wearing ivory robes
and is entirely dry. The russet skinned boy is wild-eyed and
soaking wet. Both are terrified as they stare at me.

“Are you okay?” Gabriel asks.

Sitting up, I rub my eyes confusedly. I feel
dizzy. “What happened?”

Wolf says, “You were cursed by an evil
wizard!”

Gabriel is too preoccupied to respond.
Cupping his hand around an imaginary glass, he points his wand at
it and says, “Aqui!” A glass appears and fills with crystal clear
water. “Here, drink this,” he orders, handing it to me. “It will
help. I’m sorry, Nora – it appears I attacked you by mistake.”

“That’s not ‘what appears’ to have happened,”
the werewolf corrects, “that’s what happened! There’s no mistaking
it, wizard! You clumsy great idiot! How could you attack an Immag?
You’re as bad as a vampire!”

Enraged, Gabriel opens his mouth. I get there
first. I splash my water into Wolf’s face so he’s even wetter and
throw the glass at Gabriel. It dings off his shoulder. “You’re both
fucking idiots!” I shout at them. “Look at us! It’s past midday and
we’ve accomplished absolutely nothing!”

They look at each other.

“You don’t
have
to be friends,” I
continue, gazing from one to the other. “But you
do
have to
get along for a day.
One
day! Can’t you manage that? At what
point do you realize both wizards and werewolves are degenerate if
they can’t work things out for twenty four hours? You guys
suck!”

Getting to my feet, I start walking through
the trees without a backward glance. Part of me seriously wishes
they won’t follow. But I know I can never make this happen without
them. A pipe dream. The Newborn isn’t going to walk up to me and
shoot himself in the head. If only, if only.

Gabriel and Wolf catch up to me. They say in
unison, “We’re coming!”

“Then I have conditions!” I tell them loudly,
stopping short. I look from one to the other – from the comfortably
dry wizard to the sopping wet werewolf. “Gabriel, you will put the
Equilibri charm on Wolf!”

Wolf growls, “He won’t!”

“He
will
!” I follow up. “And you will
both
stop fighting for the remainder of our day together! I
would hate to see the Newborn live another day,” I say
strategically. “So what’s it going to be boys?”

By way of an answer, Gabriel approaches Wolf.
The werewolf eyes him the whole time, but Gabriel’s stance isn’t
threatening. Tapping Wolf’s wrist, Gabriel mutters the incantation.
The water evaporates from Wolf’s form, leaving him warm and dry.
Wolf gasps his sudden comfort, black eyes blazing.

I’m watching them. All it takes is a spark.
“You’ll stop fighting?”

“Yes,” the werewolf exhales.

“Fine,” Gabriel says.

I swipe my brown hair behind my ear, enjoying
my position as moderator. “Lead on, Gabriel. It’s time we were
there!”

Continuing in silence – all of us protected
from the rain by the Equilibri spell – Gabriel, Wolf, and I keep
our eyes peeled and our ears keen for movement in the woods. After
a bit, a thrush zooms away through the undergrowth. Later, we spot
a deer about thirty yards away. Neither gives us trouble.

“Could really use the Vampass right now,” the
wizard muses.

“Sorry,” I say to him, “for breaking your new
one. I didn’t know the candles would go out all at once! Took me by
surprise…”

“Magic candles,” Gabriel explains. “They’re
on a timer of sorts. That way they can be synced together to create
the effect you experienced. It’s beautiful when it’s not a
surprise.”

I smile at him, making sure to swipe my hair
behind my ear as I do. “It was beautiful
as
a surprise,
Gabriel.”

Wolf is level with us. “What are you guys
talking about?”

“How I hate the Northwest,” Gabriel answers,
looking up at the sky as we walk. “It’s so rainy and damp. Leave it
to a vampire to find it hospitable.”

“Or a werewolf,” Wolf growls, “because
we
live here too, you know!”

Dangerous waters. Time to steer clear.

“Where do you live, Wolf?” I ask quickly,
before there’s much friction. “You never talk about your home.”

Wolf launches into this willingly. “With most
of my pack on a farm north of Olympia. What?” he asks as the wizard
snorts. “Is living on a farm funny to you? I suppose you think
we’re animals so it’s suitable. Gabriel, you can go –”

“How big is your pack?” I interject
loudly.

“Maybe eight or nine of us.”

Surveying the trees, I’m distracted. “Where’s
Merri gone to?” I ask.

Gabriel swipes his blond hair to the side of
his forehead. “She’s scouting ahead for us. She’ll tell us when
we’re close.”

“This Newborn,” Wolf says thoughtfully, “we
wolves know it’s the thirteenth vampire in these parts, but that
doesn’t explain why the Bureau of Magic sent somebody. Vampires
have been here for ages.”

“It does explain why, actually,” Gabriel
tells him. “We have a vampire limit that can’t be exceeded. The
limit depends on the size and geography of each state. The rainier
and cloudier the region the larger the limit, since vampires like
that sort of weather. Washington – along with Maine and New
Hampshire – exceeded its limit this year. Washington by one. Maine
and New Hampshire by two and three, respectively. Accordingly, the
Bureau sent multiple Releasers to those states. But here I am
alone.”

“You’re not alone,” I begin, “you have –”

“I get it,” Wolf interrupts, scratching his
russet arm. “This is another Bureau of Magic control freak-out –
trying to sanction what isn’t under your jurisdiction. I shouldn’t
be surprised,” he concludes, his crooked smile dangerous.

Gabriel’s right hand is resting on the wand
in his pocket. “Control, yes,” he says calmly. “It
is
a
matter of control. I am a Releaser of the Bureau of
Beast
control. You would do well to remember that, Wolf, because I have a
license to kill, maim, and torture sub Purids. I’m not sorry to say
that includes you!”

Fucking shitballs!
Here we go
again.

“Me too!” I’m trying to diffuse the
situation. “Immags, too! It’s not only you, Wolf! He can kill,
maim, and torture me too! So it’s okay!”

Turquoise eyes are deadly as they reflect
black. “And what’s this about sanctioning what’s not under our
jurisdiction? Talk about hypocrisy! You wolves made yourselves the
sworn protectors of humanity! How about your
own
crusade for
vampire mortality! You say nothing of that!”

Wolf is holding his own. “There’s a
difference, Gabriel,” he says levelly, unflinching. “We kill
vampires in moderation. We only attack when
they
attack
humans,” he explains. “Your lot fires at will!”

“We don’t! That’s why we have the limits,
idiot!”

The werewolf is about to throw himself on
Gabriel again when a screeching hoot issues through the trees.
Merrifeather soars into view and lands on Gabriel’s outstretched
arm, her hoots turning soft and low. “There you are!” Gabriel says,
patting her white plumage. “I’ve missed you!”

Growling, Wolf turns away. Crisis averted for
now.

We continue through the trees. Nobody is
speaking and I think that’s best. Now I don’t have to worry about
being treated to a front row seat of the werewolves against the
wizards all time world slam. Or whatever the hell those fighting
thingies are called. It’s time we should be doing something.

Merri hoots at Gabriel, amber eyes wide.

“We’ve been followed,” the wizard
translates.

“Oh no!” I gasp. “For how long?”

Gabriel continues communicating with his owl.
“We’re safe,” he reassures. “A vampire followed us for a while then
circled around and ran ahead. You know what that means,” he says,
gazing at Wolf.

The werewolf nods. “We’re getting close.”

Silence.

“Kind of embarrassing,” Gabriel says at last.
“We were so busy arguing we didn’t notice being tracked by a
vampire. Only Merri had the wherewithal to figure it out – you and
I couldn’t get it together. You – a werewolf sworn to protect
humans, and me – a Releaser from the Bureau of Beast Control.
Shameful.”

Wolf flushes. It’s so noticeable when this
happens because his usually russet skin turns light. An odd sight.
“Yeah, that – that
is
embarrassing,” he agrees. “I’m glad
the pack can’t see me now. Nora and Merri are the only ones with
sense here. We need to find some before we get there, Gabriel.”

“Too late,” says the wizard, grinning back at
the werewolf as he points to a shadowy structure in the
distance.

I’m squinting
through the trees. I see the outline of the place from here. It’s
tall and blocky, but all else is lost in the shrouding rain of the
forest around us. The wetness seems to engulf my senses, dulling
them. Not what I need right now. In any case, there can be no
denying the path forward.

Gabriel seems to agree. “Looks like this
was
the right direction,” he says, speaking to Merrifeather
but loud enough so everyone can hear. “Fine work, Merri. You
remember this place. Don’t you? Don’t you?” he coos at his owl,
stroking her magnificent white plumage. “We’ve been here
before!”

Excitement is building in me like a tidal
wave. So far I haven’t allowed myself to acknowledge my nerves.
Strategically, I only do so now, when my excitement and adrenaline
is such that my nerves are dashed. Eclipsed. Annexed. The structure
in the distance is putting a thump in my heart.

“Let’s get closer,” Wolf says. “Not too
quickly or too loudly. They’ll know we’re coming now their tracker
has run ahead, but we should be careful anyway. We’re going to need
a fool proof plan.”

Swiping my hair over my ear, I gaze into
turquoise eyes. “This is where you’ve been coming to do
reconnaissance work?”

“Yes,” answers the wizard, still petting his
owl. “You see the trouble? It’s hard to get a reading on whose
inside let alone whether the Newborn is among them. Not
surprisingly, I have yet to be certain who the Newborn is,” he
says, dislodging his eyes from mine. “You know I have a hunch.”

“You think you know?” Wolf asks curiously.
“Who is it?”

Gabriel is staring at the building in the
distance. “There’s a vampire named Jack,” he says ominously, “I
think it’s him.”

Wolf frowns in confusion. “Why?”

“Because,” Gabriel answers the werewolf, “he
is
both
manic and uncontrolled. Sure signs – as I’m sure you
know – of a newborn vampire. Also, there’s something else
intriguing me,” he muses, trailing off.

“Well?” I coax him. “What intrigues you?”

“He – Jack, I mean – is Mortimer’s second in
command. I can’t begin to reason why – it’s so puzzling. It’s
unusual in a coven for a veteran like Mortimer to have a newborn as
second in command,” he explains.

My head is spinning around his words,
confusion mounting. “I don’t understand,” I tell him. “Who’s
Mortimer?”

“Mortimer is the leader of this coven,” the
wizard answers. “There is almost always a single leader. Vampires
are by nature primitive and tribal creatures. They haven’t the
intellectual strength or mental capacity to construct sophisticated
governments. Their intelligence – once human and considerable – is
leveled by a mad desire for flesh. They become consumed by it.”

Wolf cracks his knuckles. “Don’t
underestimate vampires, Nora. I never do,” he says, flashing me his
dazzling, crooked smile. “Pretending your enemies are halfwits
doesn’t save you from them.”

“This Jack,” I start hastily before they
begin arguing again, “do you notice anything else about him,
Gabriel?” My tone is enormously hinting. I mean, how can he not
notice? They’re practically twins!

He shakes his head. “Nothing beyond him being
the Newborn, which in my opinion is damning enough! Why should we
need more reasons to attack him?” he asks, clearly misunderstanding
me.

The werewolf speaks before I can. “Come on –
we’re wasting time here,” he says to Gabriel and me. “We
can’t
be sure the Newborn is in there. If not, we’ll have to
track him down tonight. Let’s go!”

So slowly and quietly, we begin moving
through the forest. The building draws closer, its outline becoming
clearer. When we’re only a short distance away, we find some
undergrowth to hide behind. I’m not sure why, considering we’ve
almost certainly been seen by now. Gabriel is leading. Not me.

Thank heaven, too
, my alter ego
remarks.
Or you would all be dead!

I hope you die, bitch
, is my
response.

The building is a stockade. Made entirely of
wood, the walls rise ten feet into the air, their palisades rolling
away to the back of its construction. Sentinel towers are
positioned on both sides of the double front gate. The whole place
looks poorly kept and derelict, as though neglected for a long
time.