Sunblind (34 page)

My voice and my howl swirl and merge until they become one new sound that human and witch and wolf can hear. “Fight me like the animal you are!”

Luba proves that while she may be shrewd, she's also proud, and she can't refuse an invitation. To my left I hear Arla scream as Luba transforms into the black wolf that killed Essie. Despite how refreshed and youthful Luba now looks, her wolf-state is the same as it was before, mangy and foul and disgusting, the personification of her soul.

Her hand shaking, Arla fumbles with her coat to pull out her Taser gun, but Nadine gets to the weapon first—with her mind. It flies out of Arla's pocket and lands gracefully in Nadine's hand. “Nice try,” she smirks. “But we prefer to fight the natural way.” As she tosses the gun in the air, Archie jerks forward to grab it, but it dematerializes before he can wrap his hands around the metal. The only thing that remains is Nadine's laughter. Staring at the wolf Luba has become, it's my turn to show off.

Our bodies bang into each other as we both lunge forward at the same time. I feel Luba's claws piercing my arms and her fangs try to grab hold of my neck. Quickly I sense that I'm at an advantage; I've been in this body longer than she's been in hers, so I know how to use mine more efficiently and to the best of its capabilities. Snarling viciously, I swipe at her face with my paw, and when I let go, part of her cheek dangles in the air. The black wolf cries out in agony.

In retaliation, Nadine jumps off the couch, raises her hand and points it at me. She wants revenge. Napoleon wants mercy. “Nadine, stop!” I don't know what's keeping Nadine from taking action, Napoleon's command or her conscience, but she's abiding by her brother's wishes. For the moment.

“We don't have to destroy,” he continues. “We have all of Orion's power. We can honor our grandfather's legacy, but we can do it without leaving behind us a trail of destruction.”

The bee and the butterfly are staring at one another as if there is one lone flower in a patch of shriveled, sun-baked dirt. There's only enough food for one. And there's only enough room in their world for one to survive. Briefly, it looks as if Nadine may acquiesce, that she may relinquish some of the hold she wants on her brother's life, but when she speaks, it's clear whatever moment of reason she had is gone.

“A hunter needs to destroy,” she declares. “That is Orion's legacy, that is what he has taught us. Instill fear in our prey so they know who is the most powerful, and then we can have anything we desire.”

“We already have more power than anyone!” Nap shouts, his arms outstretched, grappling the empty air. “Look at us! We can do things people only dream about!”

“Thanks to Orion!” Nadine replies, her voice sounding like that of a vainglorious and brainwashed disciple.

“Yes!” Nap screams. “Let's prove to him that we can hunt with mercy, not for vengeance!”

Nadine takes a step forward and stumbles to the side. For a moment I can see her face completely; it's bathed by the silver starlight, and she looks more like a girl than a fiend. But she quickly steadies herself, and when she speaks, I don't hear a trace of the girl. “We have a mission,” she reminds him.

“To unleash Orion's spirit,” Napoleon cries. “Not to unleash his wrath!”

“And that's why you'll never be a true descendant of Orion!” Nadine says. “You don't understand that his spirit and his wrath are one and the same.”

Just as Napoleon is about to respond, he's distracted, we all are, as Luba shifts back from wolf to witch. She is crouched on the ground like a grotesque demon. Her long black hair thankfully covers her naked body as she looks at her favorite spawn.

“Nadine,” Luba whispers. “Don't you think it's time to show your brother and his friends which one of my grandchildren has inherited the real power of our ancestor?”

I scour Nadine's face in search of a hint of remorse or fear or sorrow, but can't find any. She raises her arm and points three fingers at her brother. I don't know if she's doing it because she truly wants to show her brother that she is stronger or if she's doing it merely because she cannot disobey Luba and Orion. But her target isn't her brother.

“Finish it, child!” Luba screeches. “Finish what I started.”

No, Nadine isn't aiming for her brother. She's aiming for me.

I don't see Nadine move, but I see the blast of silver-black smoke race toward me, and I know whatever's contained in that mist is vicious and hateful and deadly. Acting quickly, I spring to the left and let my body roll into the wall. I'm safe, but Archie isn't. I whip my head around just in time to see him take the full blast into his chest, the blast that was meant for me.

A silent pause is followed by the most horrific screams I've ever heard. Archie's voice is unrecognizable, but I know he's the one who made the sound. He's the only one who was propelled into the air, and he's the only one who crashed onto the floor face-first. The only reason he turns onto his back is because his body is writhing so violently. When I see his face, I howl; I don't know where the terror ends and the agony begins. And no wonder. Nadine's black energy is burrowing holes into his body, drilling her foul stench deep inside of him, embalming him with her evil.

Napoleon's voice thunders through the room with such authority that everyone except Archie freezes; his body continues to pulsate. Only when Nap embraces his boyfriend does Archie's body begin to quiet. But there's nothing that Nap can do to help Archie now; all he can do is seek vengeance.

Standing in the middle of the room, Nap turns to face his sister, his voice almost sounds as wild as his eyes appear.

If Nadine is frightened by her brother's maniacal proclamation, she hides it well. She actually looks amused. “Looks like you chose the wrong side to play on, brother,” she says.

“You don't know how right you are, sister!” Napoleon seethes. “I've spent my entire life obeying you and that evil witch, and all of that ends right here and now!”

He raises his hand, and a pure silver light streaks out of Napoleon's flesh, piercing the air like a steel arrow, and hits Nadine right in the stomach. Shock overtakes her face and then terror when she looks down to see that her midsection has been ripped apart. There's no blood, no organs pouring out of her, just blackness. Looks like Napoleon hit her soul.

But her soul is starting to change. Within the black two silver lights begin to twinkle and pulse. I have no idea what they represent, but Nadine is horrified by the sight.

“No!!!” Nadine wails, falling to her knees.

She then turns to the only other being in the room who she knows will help her: Luba.

“Help me!” she cries, covering the hole that used to house her stomach. “Help us!!”

Us? What is she talking about? Oh yes, of course, if Nadine dies, Luba loses one-third of her power. And without Nadine it will be even more difficult to keep Napoleon under control.

Psycho Squaw understands the urgency and races to her granddaughter's side. She places her hand on the hole that used to be Nadine's stomach and begins to chant. Like before when I've heard her doing her imitation of a holy prayer, I can only pick up certain words, not entire phrases, so I don't know exactly what she's saying. Now, however, I know exactly which god she's praying to: Orion.

Luba's lips are moving frantically, and she's filling up the hole with her own black energy.
Orion, child, three, preserve.
These are the words I hear. I can string them together to figure out their meaning; she's begging Orion to preserve the life of her granddaughter. She leaves out the part about how she couldn't care less if Nadine lives or dies, how her request is completely self-serving. Which is interesting, because the more I learn about this Orion person, the more I think the sicko would help her more if he knew the truth.

But even with Luba's lies, it seems that Orion is helping his minions. Slowly the gash begins to heal. Flesh grows out of the emptiness, and soon Nadine's body is fully repaired. She's exhausted, but whole.

While Luba attends to Nadine to help her regain her strength, Napoleon and Arla try to revive Archie. Like the hunter I am, I spot an easy prey, and my body twitches as my eyes zero in on Luba. One jump, one slice into her flesh with my claws and I could kill her; but no, sometimes a hunter needs to protect his pack and not just give in to his cravings. Somewhere up in the distance, Orion, the original hunter, must be looking down at me with pride.

Or perhaps with disappointment.

Revived, Nadine has risen, her eyes filled with rage and the desire for revenge and retaliation. But that's not all. Her body is bathed in silver sweat that clings to her like a steel body shield. Obviously, Orion rewards taking action against your enemy, more than he does showing loyalty for your supporters.

“Now it's time for you to pay, brother!” she howls. “You and your chosen one.”

Without thinking, Napoleon stands in front of Archie's still-limp body to defend him from his sister's wrath. He's fully prepared and willing to die to protect Archie. I know exactly how he feels, but still, I can't let that happen. Unfortunately, I've learned enough to know that I can't keep him safe on my own.

The room remains lit only by the glow of the moon; there's no blinding sunlight to destroy the shadows, turn the darkness into something different, something good.

This time my voice is louder, more desperate. I need my friend; I need her to fight alongside me, to protect me and keep my friends and me safe. Where is she?! I scream her name one more time, and finally I'm successful. Just as Nadine raises her hand at Napoleon, the room is filled with Jess's golden light, so intense it makes Luba cry out in panic as if it's scalding her skin.

“Hurry!” Luba instructs.

Luba waves her hand, and it takes me a moment to realize what she's done—she's put Arla and me under a spell; we can't move from our spots. Jess is Napoleon and Archie's only hope against Nadine.

This time the light that rockets out of Nadine's fingers isn't silver, but pure black. In the middle of the room the black stream splits in two, one heading for Napoleon and one for Archie. She's not taking any chances this time; she's aiming to kill, and she wants two for one.

“Jess, do something!”
I scream.

But Jess doesn't act; she seems as frozen as I am. It's because she has to make a horrible choice. “I can only save one of them,” she confesses.

Her words echo in my ears, creating an intense pain, but it can't be nearly as unbearable as what Jess is feeling right now. Save her ex-boyfriend or one of her best friends—that's her choice. I don't know how she'll ever decide, but she has to. And right now!

The two streams of Nadine's black energy hit Napoleon and Archie at the same time. Both separately fly into the air. Both tremble as if they're being electrocuted. Both disappear into mists of black smoke. Only one cries out in sheer horror.

Archie's voice makes me shudder. It sounds like the cries I make when I transform, when it feels like my body is being ripped apart from its limbs, which is exactly what it looks like is happening. Hanging in the air, Archie's body shakes like a rag doll as ribbons of black and yellow light infuse it. Arms outstretched, he looks like a martyr nailed to a crucifix, but instead of bleeding blood, he's bleeding sunshine.

Somehow, Jess has made her choice—she's chosen to save Archie. In spite of that, Nadine is fighting hard to make Jess regret her decision to interfere with Nadine's devilish plans.

Nadine is dripping with sweat, the constant exertion draining her, and her legs are starting to shake almost as wildly as Archie and her brother. I turn my head from Napoleon; I can't bear to watch his lifeless body thrash in the air any longer. Howling, I call out to anyone listening, to anyone who can hear me, for mercy. Miraculously, my cry is heard. By Luba.

Aware that she's already lost one grandchild, she doesn't want to risk losing another, so she grabs Nadine by the shoulder and commands her to stop.

“Enough, child,” Luba says.

But Nadine is far from ready to give in. She flicks her shoulders and breaks free from Luba's hold in the same exact way Melinda broke free from Winston. Like mother, like daughter. But Luba is through playing. She doesn't care if Nadine wants to continue.

“You've done all you can!”

“And so have I,” Jess tells me, her voice uncharacteristically weary and resigned.

Finally, Nadine lowers her hands, and the energy flow is broken. Napoleon and Archie hang suspended in the air for a few seconds more, and then both crash to the floor, lying next to one another. The two look so peaceful now, like they're sleeping, but only one is destined to wake up.

No one speaks as Luba scoops up Nadine in her arms and Arla crawls behind me for protection. There's no need to speak; there's no need to comment or say a word. The battle is over. For now.

“You've merely been granted a reprieve, Dominy,” Luba hisses. “Use your time wisely.”

Psycho Squaw and her granddaughter leave the cabin without glancing back to see if Nap is alive or dead, not out of compassion or out of curiosity. I guess they made their choice too.

Looking over at Nap I have no idea if he's alive or dead—he still isn't moving—but when Archie opens his eyes, I hear Arla and Jess breathe sighs of relief. Nadine hasn't succeeded; she hasn't taken Archie from us; she hasn't taken yet another life! But when we look at our friend closer, we see we might be wrong.