Erin Dameron-Hill (28 page)

“Oh,” I said.

“But with a feather?” spoke the Hunter, which instantly set me at ease, it was so good to hear his voice, “It seems as if no one’s soul would be as light as a feather.”

“It is no ordinary light feather and you shouldn’t worry about the weight of your own soul. Neither of you. Your actions here tonight have proven your humanity and justice. There is no need for you fret upon the afterlife. Nor should you worry about your lost friends and family. They have been sent to the fields of Aaru, or in your terms, heaven. You should rejoice that in death as in life, they are happy still.”

“So, they’re happy?” I asked.

“Truly. I know you would rather have them here with you, but take solace in knowing they are at peace.”

“But wait, if they’re in heaven, then what about reincarnation?”

She sighed again, clearly annoyed with the ignorance of humans, “Reincarnation isn’t instant, my dear, when one person dies they don’t just rush into the baby being born. No, these things take time and honestly, I’m not here to discuss ancient religion with you. I’m only here to take down Anubis and now that I have found him…”

“So, you only saved me because it was in your own interest?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize gods could be so petty.”

“Dear, I’m an ancient mythological goddess and if you’ve ever read anything on old gods, then you would know that your interests are always secondary compared to ours. That’s just the way it is.”

“So, the climax to all this fighting and death,” interrupted Morty, “is that a Goddess won the fight but she doesn’t give a damn about anyone’s lives? That our suffering means nothing to you?”

“Being grim doesn’t become you,” she replied stiffly.

“But earlier you mentioned that Anput came from your womb…” I said, “shouldn’t you care about your…child?”

“Yes, Anubis stole my womb to create you, his feminine counterpart. As a goddess of fertility he knew, by using my womb, his creation would not fail.”

“Does that make you Anput’s mother?”

“In a way, I suppose…”

“Then why wouldn’t you want to save me?”

“I wanted revenge more than I wanted you. You were just a means to an end. I hate Anubis, he stole my womb and my life. And he will be dealt with.”

I couldn’t help but feel rejected once more. It’s amazing how people, even gods, can make a person lose what confidence they have gained.

“Bitch,” Morty said, “How can you be so callous?”

“Hmph,” she took in another deep inhale and I felt that soft sensation of cold wind slither around my fur, “Oh, Anput, I would have saved you regardless of my vengeance. You are a part of me and as such, I could never ignore you nor throw you to the wolves, so to speak. What both of you have done tonight, what your friends and family have done, has been miraculous. You should be proud of what kind of people you are. Few humans can stand against a god and live to tell the tale.”

She turned her bright blue eyes to the Hunter and said, “Ba-Pef, you are still so ornery and yet it is good to see you again. You were once my favored bodyguard but I asked you to protect Anput and I see you have. You two have a bond that will last forever, I believe that sounds clichéd, but you will always find each other and you will always love each other in this life and the next.”

Several loud howls erupted from the distance and both the Hunter and I stood at full attention. I had completely forgotten that there was still fighting going on and I guess, the Hunter had forgotten as well.

So much had happened that I wasn’t even paying attention to people who should matter to me, “What of the wolves? What of the people that have been turned into beasts?” I asked.

“They are yours; of course, you only need to command them.”

“Will they ever…?”

“No, they will never be human again. Anubis has taken that from them.”

I wanted to cry for the lost humanity, to shed a tear for all of the loss and suffering, but I knew that I shouldn’t because if I did, I wouldn’t be taking care of what remained.

“A part of Anubis lives within you as he is your father, your maker. Just say the word and they will obey you. You can still make their lives happy and meaningful.”

“I just say “stop fighting” and they will?”

“Believe in yourself as you have always believed in yourself and they will follow.”

I closed my eyes and felt deeply for my wolf and the Entity that resided in me. I needed to be whole, to be complete, before I could truly become myself, “but, what about the Entity, what is that?”

“That is me. I was a Protector of the ancient Egyptians, I saw trouble before it manifested. The gift of sight is my trait, please accept it and use it well. With both of your supernatural abilities, you should be able to make the world a better place. You only need to become one with those abilities.”

“But it’s not easy to tell the cops what I’ve seen…”

“You don’t have to. You are partnered with a Hunter, a bodyguard, he can be of help.”

“I know I’m asking a million questions here, but what exactly is Shirley?”

She smiled delicately with her cat lips and said, “that is not for me to say. Perhaps you should ask her yourself.”

“Okay, but what…”

“No more questions,” she swallowed deeply and her face looked pained as she said, “ my child… in time you will learn everything you need. For now, I must go and return to my duties.”

“But why don’t we see too many were-cats?”

“There is no such thing as a werecat. If you think you see one, it was not created by me. Most likely it is a curse or a demon. Werewolves were made by Anubis, but he was a mere Frankenstein, he wanted to create an army to overthrow Ra. Of course he failed in his attempt, but werewolves can still be found throughout the world.”

She walked slowly towards me, muscles and bones moving at odd angles, “I hope to one day see you again, and perhaps I shall. But I will no longer worry for you because you are strong, capable, and loving. And let’s not forget, you have a love that will span the ages. Goodbye, Anput-Sarah-Sophia Morgan of Anubis and Bast, until we meet again.”

“Wait…”

In a flash of light and silent meow she disappeared into the dim swamp. I had so many more questions I wanted to ask but as soon as I looked to Morty, Shirley came running through the thicket with a few wolves on her tail.

“Damon! You promised me this would never happen again!” She yelled halting to take a stand, black guns dancing in the faint light, facing the wolves with eyes so fierce I knew she would never stop fighting them.

“Stop!” I yelled into the throng of ravenous mouths and bloody claws and now it was my turn to feel my own power swirl throughout the sky and into the wilderness of the swamp. It was nothing like Anubis’; it didn’t bite, it didn’t sting, instead it whipped around everyone as a cool hale on an autumn day. All at once, the pack stopped and faced me, their eyes confused and glistening, “She’s a friend, and we’re friends here.”

A few of the older, bloodier ones came padding towards me, licking my hands and nuzzling closer to my legs. They knew that I would protect them, they could feel my love and caring for them in my power. I wasn’t mean and callous like Anubis; instead I would forever care for them as a mother cares for his children. They were my wolves, they were my pack. I felt two soft nudges on the backs of my knees and both Sheila and Matt looked up towards me with their very amber wolf eyes. I knew that they had only recently changed so their human bodies should still be intact and ready to be eaten. At least they would return and live life normally.

As I looked over the several wolves, I finally noticed that Billy’s animal wasn’t here. I don’t know why I didn’t look before, I guess I was just lost in all the fighting and confusion, but why wasn’t he here? Where was he?

“Well, that was easy,” Shirley said, interrupting my stupor, “so, you’re queen of the wolves now?”

“I don’t think they’ll all fit into your one bedroom condo,” Morty replied with a slight smile on his face.

“Yeah, I guess not,” I replied still lost and wondering where the hell Billy was. I needed to find him. He was my safety partner, he had always looked out for me and it was my turn to look out for him.

“What’s wrong,” Morty asked looking intently at my worried face.

“Billy’s not here.”

The Hunter turned around in place and looked at Shirley, “did you see him?”

“No. He wasn’t in that warehouse they kept me,” she replied.

I brought my paw up to my face and realized I was still in wolf-form, that I couldn’t wipe the tears from my face without my claws digging into my skin. Where was Billy? What had Anubis done with him?

“Don’t worry, Sophie, we’ll find him,” said Morty, “I am a Hunter. This is what I do.”

“Yeah…yeah, this is what you do. And I’ll be able to help you this time. Bast left me a gift, and I will use it to find Billy.”

“That’s right, we will find him. If he’s not here, then most likely he is still alive.”

I nodded and smiled. It was the first bit of good news that I had heard in awhile. Billy was still, probably, okay. I didn’t have hard proof that he was, but I knew in my heart that he would be fine and that we would find him, it was only a matter of time.

And just as Bast had said, “with the Hunter at my side, I could accomplish anything,” which is nice to know.

I finally looked at myself in wolf-form and looked at the Hunter standing at least two feet shorter than myself and I had to laugh for just an instant. It’s pretty comical seeing werewolf holding hands with a Hunter.

“So what now?” asked Shirley, more towards the Hunter than myself but I answered anyway.

“Honestly, I want to do something normal, like go grocery shopping. This whole thing has been weird,” I said.

“Grocery shopping sounds good. You know, I can make a terrific steak,” said Morty.

“Mmm, steak.”

I took his firm hand and began the walk back through the swamp with fifteen werewolves following at my heels. Even though my life had changed dramatically over the course of a few days, many new positive events had happened making me stronger and better. I grew through my adversity, through my loss into someone I could be proud of. And as the sun rose on the mucky swamp, I was truly happy.

I looked at the Hunter and wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but he already knew, after all, we had always loved each other. Instead I asked something that had been plaguing me for the last few days, “So, why exactly is your hat lucky?”

Epilogue

It has been over three months since Billy went missing and neither myself, Morty, or Shirley have found any leads; it’s almost as if he disappeared off the face of the Earth. But I will never give up on my best friend because I know he is still alive somewhere, I just know it deep in my heart that Billy is waiting for us.

It’s so aggravating and upsetting to find neither hide nor hair of him but I keep busy and try to keep focused. My client list is continually full and my clues and predilections keep Morty and Shirley busy saving lives. It is very comforting to know that some good has come out of all the bad…

As for Morty and myself, well, he is my soul mate. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He loves me dearly in the way that he always has, in this life and the next. When Morty is around, I never worry because I know that, together, we can accomplish anything.