do you do it so easily?”
She opened her eyes and gave me a knowing smile. “Ten years to discover what the werewolves had lost. Another twenty years looking for a master to teach me werewolf magic. Another ten years to find the spellcasters who would teach me.” Her voice rose as her determination shone in her brown eyes. “Time was on my side to master what I needed to know. But there are still secrets to be found, and I want to find them all.”
Her head jerked to the left. The upside-down rain changed direction, coming back down as it did before. She shoved me in the back toward the house. “Demonstration is over. Back to the house. Now.”
“What’s going on?”
A strange smell drifted toward us from downwind. To the east, something a few miles away advanced quickly. The rustle in the trees increased. The crack of a branch reached my ears. “What’s out there?” I whispered. The need to freeze touched me, but Tamara kept pushing me toward the house.
We rushed up the two steps and past the red door. She slammed it shut behind her, and, shortly afterward, leaned against it to whisper something to the thick wood.
Luda thundered down the stairs in a nightgown with a robe. Tyler wasn’t far behind her.
“Is it here again?” Luda asked.
“What is it ? What’s going on?” In a few minutes, I’d be turning into a damn parrot with these people.
Tamara pressed her palms against the door and spread her fingers wide. She continued to mumble, ignoring me as I paced the space in the living room.
She stopped to turn and look at me. “Shut up! Luda, send them back to their rooms. I need to concentrate.”
Luda took my arm and tugged me toward the steps. Outside the windows, the sky had darkened instead of lighting up with the sunrise. Rain continued to belt the glass, removing any opportunity to listen for what lurked outside.
“Why can’t you tell us?” I hissed at her.
“We’re under attack!” Luda said.
“No shit. From what?”
As we approached my room I tried to slow her down, but she was stronger than she looked.
She shrugged and I smelled the truth in her confusion. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it and Grandma said I wouldn’t want to know.”
“Well, I do.”
“We could help her fight it,” Tyler said.
A laugh came from downstairs. “You go ahead and come try,” Tamara said.
“Did you see anything?” Tyler asked.
“Not really,” I replied. “I just caught a scent. One I’ve never smelled before. It was really weird.”
Luda leaned in to whisper to us. “I’ve never seen it, but I know it did walk up to the front door once. When it first started attacking us, she said it couldn’t cross the field. Then she said the wards in the house walls should hold it back. That the beings trapped inside—”
The front door creaked as if the wood shuddered from something hard leaning against it. Then the wood rattled and shook.
Screw standing around. I raced into my room. My backpack should’ve been on one of the chairs by my bed, but it had fallen over onto the floor. One of the objects I’d brought with me gleamed on the floor: the goblin blade. It had come in handy during my road trip to save my father, so I took it with me. The goblin blade had transformed again, leaving something long poking out of the zippered opening.
The door downstairs shook again. Zoya screamed while Tyler tried to calm her. All the while, I stared at what the blade had become. Each time it changed like this, I dreaded what had to be nearby. What evil force did the blade try to prepare me to face.
The knife’s hilt had elongated to baton length. The sharp blade was now an opaque crystal. My breath caught as the crystal pulsed with a strange dark blue light. The stench of burnt hair made me blink. Before my fingers touched the weapon, the house went silent. For seconds, I hovered, waiting for the next sound.
But nothing came. Nobody moved.
The
She opened her eyes and gave me a knowing smile. “Ten years to discover what the werewolves had lost. Another twenty years looking for a master to teach me werewolf magic. Another ten years to find the spellcasters who would teach me.” Her voice rose as her determination shone in her brown eyes. “Time was on my side to master what I needed to know. But there are still secrets to be found, and I want to find them all.”
Her head jerked to the left. The upside-down rain changed direction, coming back down as it did before. She shoved me in the back toward the house. “Demonstration is over. Back to the house. Now.”
“What’s going on?”
A strange smell drifted toward us from downwind. To the east, something a few miles away advanced quickly. The rustle in the trees increased. The crack of a branch reached my ears. “What’s out there?” I whispered. The need to freeze touched me, but Tamara kept pushing me toward the house.
We rushed up the two steps and past the red door. She slammed it shut behind her, and, shortly afterward, leaned against it to whisper something to the thick wood.
Luda thundered down the stairs in a nightgown with a robe. Tyler wasn’t far behind her.
“Is it here again?” Luda asked.
“What is it ? What’s going on?” In a few minutes, I’d be turning into a damn parrot with these people.
Tamara pressed her palms against the door and spread her fingers wide. She continued to mumble, ignoring me as I paced the space in the living room.
She stopped to turn and look at me. “Shut up! Luda, send them back to their rooms. I need to concentrate.”
Luda took my arm and tugged me toward the steps. Outside the windows, the sky had darkened instead of lighting up with the sunrise. Rain continued to belt the glass, removing any opportunity to listen for what lurked outside.
“Why can’t you tell us?” I hissed at her.
“We’re under attack!” Luda said.
“No shit. From what?”
As we approached my room I tried to slow her down, but she was stronger than she looked.
She shrugged and I smelled the truth in her confusion. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it and Grandma said I wouldn’t want to know.”
“Well, I do.”
“We could help her fight it,” Tyler said.
A laugh came from downstairs. “You go ahead and come try,” Tamara said.
“Did you see anything?” Tyler asked.
“Not really,” I replied. “I just caught a scent. One I’ve never smelled before. It was really weird.”
Luda leaned in to whisper to us. “I’ve never seen it, but I know it did walk up to the front door once. When it first started attacking us, she said it couldn’t cross the field. Then she said the wards in the house walls should hold it back. That the beings trapped inside—”
The front door creaked as if the wood shuddered from something hard leaning against it. Then the wood rattled and shook.
Screw standing around. I raced into my room. My backpack should’ve been on one of the chairs by my bed, but it had fallen over onto the floor. One of the objects I’d brought with me gleamed on the floor: the goblin blade. It had come in handy during my road trip to save my father, so I took it with me. The goblin blade had transformed again, leaving something long poking out of the zippered opening.
The door downstairs shook again. Zoya screamed while Tyler tried to calm her. All the while, I stared at what the blade had become. Each time it changed like this, I dreaded what had to be nearby. What evil force did the blade try to prepare me to face.
The knife’s hilt had elongated to baton length. The sharp blade was now an opaque crystal. My breath caught as the crystal pulsed with a strange dark blue light. The stench of burnt hair made me blink. Before my fingers touched the weapon, the house went silent. For seconds, I hovered, waiting for the next sound.
But nothing came. Nobody moved.
The
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