Witches & Werewolves: A Sacred Oath (28 page)

“Oh no,” Harlan chuckles. “You are going to pilot the drones remotely from the command center. Just like a video game.”

“
If
, and that’s a big
if
, you can get the rings from around Cerise's neck, how are you going to destroy them?” Jake asks.

I ponder this for a moment. “Cerise said that each person in her bloodline siphons off a little bit of her power.”

“So?” Jake asks.

“So, then, I’ve got a little bit of Cerise's magic,” I say. “But I don’t know the first thing about it. We’ll need Jen’s grimoire.”

“Where is it?” Jake asks.
 

“In her locker at school,” I say. “That was the last time I saw it.”

“But the school is locked up,” Noah says.

“We’ll just have to break in,” I say.

“We can take my truck,” Harlan says.

“No offense, Harlan, but I think we need something a little more reliable,” I say.

“Not that truck, nitwit,” Harlan says. “I’m talking about my
truck
! My mobile strike force vehicle. Armor plated 4 x 4 with a 50 caliber machine gun turret and enhanced survivability package with mine resistance technology.

“Sweet,” Noah says.

“Alright, let’s take your truck” I say.

CHAPTER 39

HARLAN’S ARMORED PERSONNEL carrier is like a tank. The massive tires are taller than I am. You could roll over land mines in this thing like they were speed bumps.

Inside, it is a mobile command center. Display screens, drone controllers, satellite uplinks—the works. The diesel engine clatters and the tires whirr against the asphalt as we roll toward town.

 
We pull up to the school, and I climb out of the hatch. I jump down to the ground and scurry to the glass doors, but they’re locked.
 

Harlan’s head pops up through the hatch. “Step aside.” Harlan drops back down inside, moments later the mammoth vehicle lurches forward. The diesel engine roars. The armored personnel carrier crashes through the doors. Glass shatters and sprays. The metal door frames buckle. Debris clatters across the floor. Harlan drives the APC into the lobby.
 

My eyes grow wide, like saucers. I hear Noah’s muffled yell from inside the APC. “That was awesome!”

 
Harlan pops his head through the hatch. “Well, are you coming inside, or are you just going to stand there all night?”

I step through the gaping hole that used to be the main entrance. Shards of glass crunch under my footsteps.
 

“Hurry up before the cops get here,” Harlan says.

“We’re gonna get in trouble for this,” I say.

“I’ll make a very large anonymous donation to the school, don’t worry,” Harlan says.

“Harlan, what do you do for a living?” I ask.

“I don’t do nothing now. I’m retired.” Harlan ducks back down into the APC.

I do my best impression of a run and dash down the hallway toward our lockers. I’m out of breath by the time I reach Jen’s locker. I shouldn’t be out of breath at all, but the werewolf venom is weakening me. I’m feverish and have broken out in a sweat. I grab the padlock and yank down, summoning all of my vampire strength. What’s left of it, anyway.

 
The lock snaps free, and I open the locker. My eyes catch on a photo of Jen and I, taped to the inside of the door. My eyes instantly fill. I pull it from the door to take with me.
 

I grab Jen’s grimoire and have a twinge of guilt, as if I’m about to look through her private diary. I take a deep breath and open the leather bound book. My fingers flip through the pages, but they are empty.
 

It doesn’t make any sense. The pages were full of handwritten spells, notes, and sigils. I saw them with my own eyes. My heart sinks. I panic and feel crushed. I hear the distant sound of police sirens approaching, which only adds to my frazzled state.

I slide the picture of Jen and I in between the pages of the empty grimoire. Then I close the locker and head back down the hallway.
 

 
In the lobby, Harlan sits in the turret, manning the 50 cal rifle, waiting for me. I climb back into the APC. Harlan ducks inside and rumbles the vehicle forward. We crunch over the debris and drive into the parking lot. Harlan swings wide, and turns out onto the highway.

“Well, did you get it?” Harlan asks.

“Yes, and no,” I say, in utter despair. “It’s empty. The ink vanished.”
 

“How does ink just vanish?” Noah asks.
 

“The spells must have died with her,” I say. “Without her spells, we’ll never be able to unmake the rings.”

“As long as you have that attitude, then you’re right,” Harlan says. “You’ll die. Cerise will make an example of your boyfriend. And I’m convinced the werewolf apocalypse will happen.”

“Attitude? It’s not my attitude,” I say, incredulous. “It’s just a fact.”

Harlan shakes his head, frustrated. “Do you really think Cerise would be so worried about you if you weren’t a threat?”

“I guess not,” I stammer.

“You’re a descendent of one of the most powerful witches ever to walk the earth. You’ve got more strength inside you than you realize,” says Harlan.

I ponder this a moment. “Jen said magic is personal. Each witch keeps her own grimoire.”

“Sounds like you need to write your own spells,” Harlan says.

“But I don’t know anything about this,” I protest.

“I reckon you know a lot more than you think,” says Harlan. “Take that book and start filling the pages back up.”

“How?” I ask.

“One word at a time,” Harlan says. “You’ve got a destiny. It’s time to fulfill it.”

The task seems overwhelming. I try to remember everything Jen told me about spells and magic. Intentions, elements, incantations. With my eyes closed, I focus on my intention. I try to let the words come to me, but I remember Jen’s admonition to be careful how I word the spells. It freaks me out a little, and I worry that I’m going to totally screw this up. Before long, I’m scribbling words into Jen’s grimoire. Well, I guess it’s my grimoire now.
 

Harlan drives us up into the mountains, to a remote part of the forest.

“What are we doing here?” I ask.

“The element of surprise,” Harlan says. “Underground passageways crisscross all over this
 
mountain. They lead straight to Cerise’s.” He curls out a wrinkled finger, pointing into the woods. “About a thousand yards that way is an entrance to one of the passageways. I caught one of them mangy varmints coming out of there once. Let’s just say, he didn’t have a good day.”
 

Harlan looks at Noah. “Okay little man, you’re running the show from the command center.”

Noah salutes. “Yes, sir.”

Jake, Harlan, and I climb out of the APC. The air is crisp and filled with the scent of the forest. Crickets chirp incessantly. Harlan has a grave look on his face. “This whole thing hinges on you.”

“No pressure,” I say.

“Let’s see what you can do,” Harlan says.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I’m more than willing to go in there and risk my butt,” says Harlan. “But in the end,
 
you’ve got to come through.”

 
“What was all that talk about destiny?” I say. “You don’t believe I can do it.”

“Oh, I believe,” Harlan says. “The question is, do you?”

 
I scowl at him. “Okay, fine.” I close my eyes and focus on the leaves on the ground. After a moment, dozens of leaves rise from the ground and swirl around us like a flock of birds.

“Satisfied?” I ask.

“Child’s play,” Harlan says. “Let’s see something significant.”

I clench my jaw and furrow my brow. The leaves fall out of the air.
 

After a moment of thought, my mind becomes singular of purpose. I feel the energy of the forest rush through me. Words flow from my mouth in an almost inaudible murmur. “What you see and hold so dear, now becomes the thing you fear.” I repeat the phrase, growing louder and louder with each recitation.
 

Harlan’s rifle becomes a rattlesnake. He drops it instantly, leaping away in a panic. The snake clanks and rattles to the ground. By the time it settles, the snake has transformed back into a gun.

Harlan grimaces. “I hate snakes.”

I smile at him.

“Not a bad start,” says Harlan. “What else can you do?”

“Cerise once hid Jen’s mouth,” I say. “I can try to hide the rings from Cerise.”
 

“What’s that going to accomplish?” Jake asks.

“It will distract her,” Harlan says. “She’ll be frazzled. Just the diversion we need.”

“I said, I can try. No promises,” I say.

“Then try,” says Harlan.

I focus intensely on the rings.

Hide from eyes that wish to see,

From all the senses be set free.

I command the be concealed,

Until I wish the be revealed.

I chant the spell over and over again, with a clear vision of the rings in my head. A singular purpose—hide the rings from Cerise’s sight. Energy rushes through my body. Wind gusts and leaves swirl in the air. Branches shake and trees sway. Thunder rumbles. The power of the forest builds within me. The energy peaks, like a rubber band that’s wound too tight, then snaps. With a blinding bolt of lightning, I’m knocked to the ground.
 

I feel like I’ve been tackled by a 300 pound linebacker.
 

Jake and Harlan stare at me, eyes wide.

“Are you okay?” Jake shouts, rushing toward me.

I peel myself from the ground. “I think so.”
 

Jake helps me to my feet. “I don’t think it worked,” I say. “I think I just got cosmically smacked for tampering with Cerise’s energy force.”

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Harlan says.

I scowl at him. “Easy for you to say.”

Harlan turns and marches into the woods. After a few paces he glances back over his shoulder. “What are you waiting for? We’ve got a mission to accomplish.”

We creep through the forest like commandos on a predawn raid. We are loaded down with automatic rifles, grenades, and rocket launchers. And I don’t know the first thing about using any of this weaponry. Harlan leads us through the forest with surprising agility. He zigs and zags silently through the trees.

Harlan holds up his hand and makes a fist. We all come to a stop behind a tree. Harlan points his crooked finger. About a hundred yards away, two werewolves guard an entrance to one of the passage ways. Harlan twists a silencer onto the end of the barrel of his rifle and takes aim. His finger wrapped around the trigger.

SNAP!

A bullet rips through the air. A split second later, I hear the thud of the impact. Then a second thud of the werewolf dropping to the ground. The remaining werewolf scans the perimeter frantically.

SNAP!
 

Harlan’s second bullet drops the beast. “The old man’s still got it,” he says, with a grin. Harlan darts toward the entrance, motioning for us to follow.
 

At the entryway, Harlan shines a flashlight into the hole. “Ladies first.”
 

I give him a look.

Harlan reaches over to my weapon, flipping on the tactical flashlight that’s affixed to the barrel. “You might find that helpful.”

“Thanks,” I say. “How do I use this thing?”

“You point it at something you want dead. Then you squeeze the trigger until that something
is
dead,” Harlan says. He points toward the safety selector. “Switch that off when you want to shoot, flip it back on when you don’t.”
 

 
I crawl down into the hole in the ground. Jake and Harlan follow.

 
It’s cold and damp in the passageway. The left side of my body burns from the venom, and I can barely lift the rifle. My flashlight beams down the corridor and fades into the empty blackness. The tunnel is carved of rock and stone. Creepy crawly things slither about the walls.

“I don’t know where I’m going,” I say.

“That’s when GPS is for,” Harlan says. He pulls out his phone, opens a map app, and plugs in Cerise's address. “At least this will tell us if we’re going in the right direction or not.”

“Well, then, maybe you should lead the way?” I say.

Harlan huffs. “What, are you afraid of the dark?” He marches past me. Jake and I fall in behind him. We twist and turn through the passageway, moving uphill. The tunnel branches into another passageway, and then another.
 

 
Harlan raises his fist again, bringing us to a halt. He covers his flashlight beam with his palm. Jake and I do the same. It’s pitch black, except for the red glow of the light through my skin.

 
I hear heavy breathing and snarling. Lumbering footsteps cross in front of us where another passageway merges. We hold still as a massive werewolf plods ahead.