Wolves and the River of Stone (16 page)

“We have to get it out of him,” Aideen said. “Now.”

Carter paled. “Get what out?”

We all ignored him. “What the hell is it?” I said.

Cara flashed, grabbed Carter’s wrist, and pulled his arm out straight despite the pain on his face. She got close to the pulsing blob and cursed. “We used to call them demon worms. Dark necromancers use them to turn a person into a vessel.”

“For what?”

Cara rolled her eyes up to me and blinked twice in quick succession. “For demons, boy, for demons. It would explain the vampiric zombies last spring. We should have seen it.” She bit the words off.

“The what?” Carter said.

“Shit, later Carter,” I said. “What do we do now?”

“Cut it off,” Foster said as he drew his sword.

Carter’s eyes went wide. “Are you kidding?”

“Stop, Foster,” Cara said. “Damian, you have to tear it out of his arm. It’s stealing his ability to heal as it feeds. Purge it and Foster’s sword will be able to kill it and Carter should be able to heal. Or he’ll die along with it, but I think we’re early enough to avoid that.”

“Do it,” Carter said. His mouth flattened into a tight line.

“How?”

Cara looked at me. “Like you fought the demon last year.”

“With dynamite?”

She gave me a flat look. “No, grab onto the aura, and then ... and then I don’t know.”

“That will have to be good enough,” I said. I took a deep breath and reached out with my necromancy to the demonic worm feasting on Carter’s body. I cursed as my power latched onto the worm’s sickly aura. At first I was relieved I didn’t get a burst of memories or visions from the thing, but my relief was short lived as the worm began to move. It felt greasy and warm and wriggly and wrong. I flexed my right hand into a claw, tightening my hold on the thing as I started pulling on it with my necromancy. My skin crawled as the feel of that greasy aura swam over my body.

I was aware, on some level, of Carter’s screams and agony. I was also aware that, if this was anything like the godforsaken dolls Zola had trained me to fight demons with, I’d better not lose my focus.

The worm stretched and wriggled as it tore through Carter’s skin, trying to escape my grip. Carter’s flesh began to tear open along his forearm. Cara’s words were all I had to go on. I focused everything on the parasite, extending my power as blades and lances, curving around the black and red abomination until my will held it motionless. And then I purged it.

“
Modus vectigalia!”

The blades of power spun around the worm, snapping it out of Carter’s body as the incantation sliced it away from his flesh. I screamed as its head turned toward me. A beak filled with sawblade teeth sprang from its eyeless, maggot-like face. It wriggled and scythed with that beak, trying to latch onto my aura. I couldn’t even stand as I batted the writhing monstrosity away with a surge of power. The floor was hard and unforgiving when my knees slammed into it and my throat was raw with my screams. I forced my aura over the worm, pinning it to the floor as the thing continued to bite at the concentrated aura between my hands.

There was a flash of gray as Foster’s sword impaled the demon worm and sunk into the floor below it. The worm vanished with a hiss and a few tiny curls of smoky power. The pain stopped and my hands shook while I stayed on the floor panting. Foster squeezed my shoulder, but no one else said a word. I knew why when I struggled back to my feet.

Aideen’s voice registered, and I realized I’d been hearing it since I started battling the slug. She’d been trying to heal Carter since it started.

“
Socius Sanation!”
Aideen said. Her face was pale and sweat poured from her forehead.

A fraction of Carter’s arm closed up, but there was still a gaping wound where I’d cut the demon out. Blood flowed in pulsing streams. He was unconscious and paler than the fairy. And the blood. Gods, the blood was everywhere.

“Let me help,” Nixie said.

Aideen turned to Nixie with wide eyes. “Yes, of course. Yes.”

Nixie closed her eyes and pulled her hands together in a steady, practiced motion. Her hands were flat and she formed a triangle between her waist and both arms. I saw a tremor run through her body an instant before I felt an alien power flood the room. Her eyes swept to Aideen and she nodded. I raised my Sight again and the disorientation almost put me back on the floor. It felt like I was watching things through the surface of a pool. Waves of power distorted everything around us.

And then Aideen spoke.

I never heard her voice, but the room pulsed with warmth and light. I could see the tiny white trail of the healing incantation within the maelstrom of Nixie’s power. It snaked from Aideen’s hand to Carter’s arm, growing with every heartbeat in size and intensity. It slithered into the werewolf’s arm and the room went white.

Everyone stumbled when the power surrounding us dissipated in a snap. I heard the cu siths whimpering in the silence that followed, and I was pretty sure I knew exactly how they felt.

Foster and Aideen returned to their normal size and hugged each other on the Formica table. Cara stayed so she could shift Carter’s bulk and look him over repeatedly.

The werewolf was sprawled across the floor, his eyes covered by the inside of his elbow. His breathing was ragged, but steady. As he lowered his arm and closed his eyes I could see the tiny scar where I’d torn the worm from him.

“Get the poor man a towel, Damian,” Cara said. “He’s quite naked.”

And he was. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Yeah, and get me a shot of whiskey.” I nodded to Cara and stepped carefully over Carter on my way to the closet. I pulled out an old blanket when I couldn’t find a towel. I turned around to find Nixie staring at Carter for a moment before she giggled. I felt an irrational surge of jealousy, which vanished as soon as she put her arm around my waist.

I could just hear her whisper, “You did good.”

Carter dragged himself to his feet, glanced down at his starkness, and turned toward me with a blush growing on his face. I tossed him the blanket.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Get him water, would you?” Cara said.

I pulled open the fridge and grabbed the filtered water pitcher. Nixie pulled a glass off the shelf beside the closet and set it next to Carter. I filled the glass and left the pitcher. Carter sucked the liquid down in two quick gulps.

“There’s lots more, if you want it,” I said.

“No, thank you, I’m alright. Or at least I will be.” He stared at his shaking hands and shook his head. “I need to tell you what’s going on.”

“We’re listening,” Foster said. His voice held a hint of ice and I glanced at the fairy before returning my attention to Carter.

“We have friends in the east. Two Taverns, Pennsylvania. It’s practically within walking distance of Gettysburg.”

Though he didn’t pause, the name hung in the air and time seemed to slow. The moment passed as Carter went on.

“Well, not really walking distance, but it’s damn close.” Carter poured another glass of water and drank. “Their pack is small, but the wolves are resourceful. Their Alpha called us today. Dark necromancers have been found around Gettysburg and the pack wants to know why. Some of the necromancers were already dead, torn in half, missing arms, shredded,” Carter shook his head. “God knows what did it to them.”

“Gravemakers,” I said.

Carter shrugged. “Maybe. It’s one theory. There’s also talk of rival cults attacking each other, although Two Taverns says two of the cults were organized. Too organized to be a cult. More like a militia. All the Alpha seemed sure of is the fact the necromancers are hunting for soulstones.”

“How does he know that?” Cara said. “More importantly, why? What do they need the soulstones for?”

“I don’t know,” Carter said as he sat down. “Apparently another Alpha has moved in on the Two Taverns pack. He’s trying to split them down the middle.” Carter laughed without humor. “Good luck with that, idiot. Two Taverns is closer knit than most families I know. But a hostile Alpha, that’s a problem I know too well.

“The Saint Louis pack is not as tight knit as Two Taverns. Another Alpha has moved into our territory too. He’s peeling wolves away from us. I think I’ve already lost ten.” Carter closed his eyes and sighed. “Some of the pack thinks I’m weak because I don’t treat humans like fodder. And now,” he paused and clenched his jaw, “now we have some serious troublemakers knocking on our door about
you.”

“Oh,” I said loquaciously.

Carter laughed lightly and shook his head. “I like you Damian. What you and your friends just did for me, I don’t have the words, but I can’t abide a threat to the pack. We’ll have to remove you from the city if you won’t leave of your own free will.”

I gawked at Carter for a moment, speechless. “You think this shit will just disappear if you ‘remove’ me?”

Before Carter could respond, Cara said, “Nudd be damned, wolf. You’re buried in crap up to your eyeballs and getting rid of one bucket,” she slapped me on the shoulder, “isn’t going to help.”

“Um, thanks?” I said.

Carter’s confident air cracked. His head sagged and he ran his hand through his hair. “It’s all I can do. They attacked Maggie because I defended Damian to the Watchers. If Cassie hadn’t been there, she’d be gone. The other wolves think we’re in league with a dark necromancer. It’s all I can do.”

“No, it’s not,” Cara said. “You will join us.”

I was still looking at Carter, wondering just what in the hell he was talking about.

Carter pulled the blanket tighter and looked at Cara, drawing his eyebrows down.

She didn’t miss a beat. “In exchange for our help with the deserters, you’ll help us destroy the dark necromancers and assassins pursuing Damian and Zola.”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, I can’t put the pack at risk like that.”

“If you don’t,” Aideen said, “you’ll die along with everyone else when Philip unleashes an arch-demon onto our plane.”

Carter’s eyes widened. “What?”

“His group plans to revive Prosperine, the Destroyer, with Damian’s blood,” Foster said. Not the entire story, but I think it got the point across. “You really think if they fail to bring Prosperine into our plane they’ll stop?” He shook his head.

Cara placed her hand gently on Carter’s cheek. “Child, if we do not destroy the necromancer and his cult, they will destroy us all.”

Carter stared at her for a while and Cara’s gaze never wavered. “You stand with him,” Carter said as he nodded toward me.

Cara smiled. “As if he was my son.”

“As if he was my brother,” Foster said.

“Because he’s our friend,” Aideen said.

My eyes started to burn, so I bit my tongue, hard. I’ll be damned if was going to tear up in front of a werewolf. Nixie squeezed my arm.

Carter sighed and stood up as he looked me up and down. “You have the backing of three Fae, Vesik –”

“Four,” Nixie said.

“That ... well, it says something.” A dark smile curled his lips. “I will talk with the pack. Some of them are going to think I’m insane, but if it helps keep them safe and keeps the other Alpha out of our territory, they can think whatever they want.”

I nodded and extended my hand. Carter shook it and said, “We are bound in death, Vesik. I hope one day we are not.”

“As do I, noble wolf,” Cara said as she put her hand on Carter’s shoulder. “As do we all.”

“Ah’m afraid now is not the best time for us to pursue Tessrian’s demise, Damian.”

I looked up and met Zola’s gaze.

“Why don’t you put this away for safekeeping,” she said. “Ah think you know a place it will be safe.” Zola untied a small pouch from her braided belt and handed it to me. “Now,” she said.

I grabbed the pouch and squeezed around Carter as I headed for the stairs. Zola’s favorite place to hide something was in my reading nook. I crouched down behind the overstuffed leather chair on the left and grabbed the nearest handle of an old trunk. It was a couple feet wide and maybe a foot deep.

The trunk was set into the wall, but it slid out easily. It had been a gift from an old friend, a celebration of Zola gaining the right to vote. The man, known only as Ward, had given it to her, and wards were what he did. My hand trailed along the gouges in the wood and the old iron that formed the corners and the metalwork of the latch.

The contents of the trunk were hidden from the world. Zola said nothing inside it could be tracked, and no one could even see the trunk without permission. The wards formed a permanent misdirection spell.

The hinges were whisper quiet as I opened the trunk. There were a few old keepsakes tucked away inside, along with some of our most dangerous manuscripts. I opened the pouch and briefly looked at the bloodstone. It looked like a plain stone to the untrained eye. I frowned, closed the pouch again, and placed it inside before I slid the trunk back into its nook.

I was halfway down the stairs, looking up toward the front of the store when the cu siths ran into the front of the shop. I heard someone clear their throat when Bubbles and Peanut started growling.