Every hair on the back of her neck stood on its end. Rose became utterly still. There was no other changeling in East Laporte, except for her brother.
Below the eyes, the black muzzle gaped, revealing enormous ivory fangs.
Rose clutched Emerson, pulling him to herself, and flashed.
The white arch of Atamanas defense swept around her, severing the seat belt rope. Emerson fell. Two hundred pounds of dead weight hit her, and she Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( dropped him to the ground.
The wolf snarled. It was a horrible sound, fury and blood-thirst rolled into a savage promise.
aYou canat have him,a she said.
The wolf snapped. Its teeth rent the air a hair away from her flash.
Panic shot through her. The white arch split into three, each whip of white speeding so fast, they blended into a continuous white barrier around her and Emerson.
The wolf halted, puzzled.
They were trapped. She couldnat keep the three arches moving indefinitely, but to attack him with her flash, shead have to drop her defense. The gold eyes told her that if she gave him a fraction of a second, head tear her to pieces.
Rose slowed down the arches. They became distinct once again.
The wolf panted at her, as if it were laughing, amused by her wimpy efforts to keep it from its prey.
She slowed the arches enough that for a fraction of a second, as each arch pa.s.sed her, she was unprotected.
As the next arch slid to the right, Rose snapped her gun up and fired. The gun spat bullets and thunder.
The wolf dashed to the left, bounded off the oak trunk, and sprinted away, into the Wood. Rose swallowed.
At her feet, Emerson whimpered like a child.
aItas gone,a she told him in a trembling voice. aItas gone and gone.a She couldnat carry Emerson off the hill. She couldnat even drag him. Her fingers shook. She pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans. It took her three tries to dial the right number.
aEric Kaplan, Kaplan Insurance. How may I help you?a the voice on the other end said.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aThis is Rose. Iam at Dead Horse Oak. I have your uncle, and I need you to come and get him.a aHURRY, child.a Mmreas voice urged Georgie up the ladder. He squirmed up the steps into the attic and scooted aside, offering her his hand. She climbed up, carrying one of Grandpaas guns. They pulled the ladder up and the trapdoor shut with a slap. Mmre slid the latch closed.
It wouldnat help. The beasts would find them. They both knew it.
aIt will be fine,a Mmre murmured. aIt will be fine. Weare going to cast a spell . . .a aThey eat magic, Mmre,a George said softly. aThey like it.a She stopped. aThatas what Rose said.a Porcelain shattered downstairs. Icy alarm shot through Georgie. He jerked. Mmreas arms closed about him.
Another dish crashed. Something was moving through the kitchen.
aBe very silent, child,a Mmre whispered in his ear. aQuiet like a mouse.a Silence reigned. A long minute pa.s.sed.
Around them the attic lay dim, empty except for a few boxes.
A fine layer of dust covered the floor. Barely any light penetrated through the wooden slits of the closed shutter that guarded a single tiny window.
Georgie felt the houndsa magic. It hovered on the edge of his senses, waiting quietly and patiently, waiting for them to use their power so it could pounce.
The eerie sound of claws scratching at the walls nearly made Georgie jump. He clung to Mmre. She bit her lip and hugged him closer.
He couldnat let the hounds get her. Not Mmre.
But if he opened his mind, their magic would get him. Terror squirmed through Georgie.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( Claws skittered on the roof. Something b.u.mped downstairs, directly under them. The beasts knew where they hid. Georgie shivered. His teeth chattered, his fingers and toes gone ice-cold.
A hard punch struck the boards to the left. The scratching grew louder. The beasts dug through the roof, trying to break in.
He couldnat let them get Mmre.
Georgie fought against his fear and forced it down. He leaned back in Mmreas arms. It was time to find lost things.
He quested outward, searching the vast darkness before him with his mindas eye. The houndsa magic pounced on him in a smothering wave, like a flood of slime armed with a thousand mouths. Georgie choked. Something inside him whimpered. The mouths bit into him with tiny sharp teeth, winding about his legs, spiraling up his body. His mind burned with pain.
He quested harder, desperate to be heard before the foul magic drowned him completely. Somewhere impossibly far away, Mmre called his name. Her voice was full of tears.
He reached out to Rose, but she was too far away. He couldnat get to her. He had to find someone else.
He searched, his mind staggering under the pressure, until he finally saw it, a bright white star shining in the darkness. With the last of his strength, he touched it.
The beastly magic gaped below him, like the mouth of a horrible creature, and gulped him whole.
JACK sat atop the kitchen island and watched Declan search the fridge with a plate in hand. His stomach growled. Theyad spent the whole morning in the Wood tracking down the beasts. Declan called them hounds. They couldnat be killed with a gun, head said. The bullets went right through them. The only way to Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( kill them was to tear or cut them apart or to fry them with magic.
Head tracked the scents for hours, but most of them led out of the Wood, not to it. Declan followed him everywhere. Declan was fun in the Wood, Jack decided. He was quiet and he didnat do stupid things. But now they were both tired and hungry. He thought Rose would be home with lunch, but she wasnat here.
Instead he and Declan had to raid the fridge.
aIt seems we have enough food for a feast. We can even make our own Edger burgersa"a Declan dropped the plate. It crashed to the floor with a thud. Jack jumped at the sound.
aStay here!a Declan barked, his face terrible. aDonat follow me, donat leave the house! Do you understand?a Jack nodded.
aIam going to get your brother. Do not leave!a
SIXTEEN.
LONORE cradled Georgie. He lay limp, his skin cold and clammy. His pulse fluttered like a dying b.u.t.terfly under her fingertips. She tried to reach him again and again, but he had slipped somewhere deep, far beneath her power.
Below her the house shuddered and snapped, loud with breaking wood and heavy crashes, but none of that mattered. She focused on her hoa.r.s.e whisper, pouring every iota of her power into the words. aCome on, sweetheart. Come back to me. Come back to your grandmre.
You donat want to leave me, do you?a She sensed only darkness.
aCome back to me, baby.a Her magic suffused her. A faint glow spread from her face to her fingertips. In the darkness of the attic and in the darkness that had swallowed Georgie, lonore became a beacon.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aCome back to me.a She was so intent on finding him, it took her several seconds to realize that all had gone quiet.
The trapdoor quaked. Someone or something had grasped the pull rope from below and jerked it. lonore began to chant soundlessly, gathering the magic around her.
She couldnat flash, not like Rose, but she had the old magic. She wouldnat roll over and let them rip her to pieces without a fight.
The next tug tore the latch from the wood. The ladder dropped down.
The magic swirled around her like a death cloud. Malevolent streaks shot through her glow, twisting about her in furious ribbons. The spell would take her life in payment for its services, but she had no choice.
Anything to buy Georgie a few more minutes.
The magic hovered at her fingertips, itching to be unleashed.
aItas Declan!a a male voice called. aIam coming up!a She saw the blond head rise through the opening. His face was covered in silver spatter.
The death magic vanished, replaced by a single urgent needa"to save Georgie.
aHurry,a Declan called.
aHeas fading!a She thrust Georgie at him. Declan grabbed the body and disappeared down below. She scrambled after him.
Declan rushed through the house. She followed him, stepping over beast carca.s.ses and shattered furniture.
Declan swept the kitchen table clean with a brush of his arm, sending dishes and jars to the floor, and deposited Georgie on the table. He briskly lifted Georgieas eyelid, exposing a tiny line of blue surrounding a black dilated pupil.
aI need a candle,a he said.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( lonore turned, sliding on gore splashed across the kitchen floor, grasped a candle and a box of matches.
She lit the candle with shaking hands.
Declan dug into his clothes and pulled out a small pouch. He pulled a small piece of paper from the pouch, sprinkled herbs on it, rolled it like a cigarette, and set the end on fire. A tangy sweet scent spread through the room. She realized what he was trying to do and swept Georgie up, raising his head off the table. Declan held the burning incense under Georgieas nose.
The boy didnat move. Declan gulped a mouthful of smoke, pulled Georgieas mouth open, and blew into it.
No response.
Heas gone, she realized. Itas a nightmare. It has to be a nightmare.
Declanas face turned grim. He grabbed a handful of the boyas T-shirt and ripped it apart, revealing his bare chest. aLay him flat.a She grasped his hand and saw his magic gather, blazing with white. aNo! Youall kill him!a aThis is the only way.a He pushed her aside, thrust his hand against Georgieas chest, and flashed. The spark of magic slashed through the small body.
Georgieas eyes snapped open, but they were pure white, his eyes rolled back in their sockets. He made a terrible creaky sound like an unoiled door, and Declan thrust the burning herbs under his nose. Georgie inhaled, coughed, inhaled again, blinked, and she saw his blue eyes looking at her.
aMmre,a he whispered and coughed out a tiny puff of smoke.
lonore clutched him to her. She smelled his hair, felt his heart beat, and finally understood that he was alive.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aWe must move,a Declan said briskly. aI canat protect you here. Can you carry the boy?a He needed his hands for his sword. She swept Georgie off the table. aHold on to me, darling.a Declan pulled a sword from his back and strode on. As lonore followed him, she realized his back was red with blood. Beasts bled only silver.
They crossed the kitchen to the front door. Declan kicked it open. A hound lunged at him from the right and was cut down in a flash of steel.
Declan crossed the porch and nodded to her. She followed.
To the left, near the bushes bordering the lawn, foul magic bloomed like a polluted flower, growing from several beast corpses. The silver blood from their carca.s.ses pooled into a large puddle.
The silver surface shimmered and twisted up in a corkscrew fountain, turning dark and ghostly, flowing into the outline of a man. lonore couldnat see his face or any features, just a black shape, like a hole in the normal fabric of the world.
The shade spoke. aI just want the boy. Just a taste . . .a Declan spun about. A grimace clamped his face. A torrent of white ripped from him, disintegrating the beasts, the puddle, and the shadow with it.
aCome,a Declan urged her. aThe wards at Roseas house are better. Hurry.a In the distance, lonore heard the rumble of a car engine. A moment later a truck shot out around the bend, Roseas face behind the windshield.
ROSE gently pulled Georgieas blanket up and glanced to Grandma. aAre you all right?a Grandma nodded wordlessly. Rose stepped to her and hugged her. lonore was a plump, happy woman, but right then her shoulders seemed fragile beneath all those layers of tattered cloth. She raised her hand Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( and patted Roseas arm gently. aI thought I lost Georgie.a aYou didnat.a As long as Rose could remember herself, Grandma had served as the source of her strength. She was the one and only thing that remained constant. Mother, even before her death, had stopped really being there.
Grandfather died. Relying on Dad was just asking for heartache. But Grandma was always present, always sure what to do, and if she couldnat help, she would at least make them laugh about it. No humor remained now. She sat on her chair, weak and gray. Even her teased-up hair drooped in defeat. Roseas chest tightened with ache.
aWould you like a cup of tea?a Rose asked.
aNo.a Grandmother looked at the two boys. Georgie slept.
Jack curled next to him, not really sleeping but being quiet, watching Georgie through the narrow slits of his half-closed eyes.
aI just want to sit,a Grandma murmured. aI just need a bit of time to understand that theyare okay. You go on. See to Declan. His back is all ripped up.a Rose studied her for a long moment and quietly slipped out of the room. In the kitchen Declan sat on a chair by the table. He had shrugged his leather and undershirt off, and his back was to her. Two long, ugly gashes scored his skin. Blood caked in the deep, raw wounds.
A cold needle of worry stabbed her. For all his strength, the beasts couldave torn him apart in that house.
aI donat suppose you know how to sew the wounds shut?a he asked.
aYouare in luck.a She stepped into the bathroom and brought out her first aid kit. aI can take you to the hospital, if you want. I have the money now, thanks to you.a He shook his head. aI trust you.a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aFamous last words.a She handed him a gla.s.s of water and two Aleve gelcaps. aTheyare anti-inflammatories.
They will dull the pain a little bit and keep down swelling and redness. Swallow the pills, donat chew.a aWell, I thought Iad stick them into my nose and impersonate a walrus, but if you insist, Iall swallow them.a Rose blinked. Too much time with Jack and Georgie, not enough adult interaction. Next thing she knew, shead be threatening to take away his comics if he didnat finish his dinner. aJack always tries to chew his,a she murmured. aSorry.a aHe told me he tried to eat cardboard.a aAnd candles. And soap.a Rose popped open the kit, talking as she worked. aOnce, when he was a baby, I was in the yard, hanging the sheets out to dry. He was in the gra.s.s next to me. I turned away for ten seconds, and he was gone. By the time I chased him down, his face was covered in purple berry juice. I made him vomit on the spot, and he fell asleep right in my arms. I thought head pa.s.sed out from the poison, and my father had the truck, so I ran with him to Grandmaas.a Rose took out a ziplock bag containing a white cloth, spread the cloth on the table, and retrieved three curved needles and twenty pieces of precut thread, each about a foot long. She threaded the three needles, poured water into a pot, put the needles, thread, and a pair of small tweezers into it, and set the whole thing to boil on the stove.
aHow did it end?a Declan asked.
aTurned out to be pokeweed. The berries are poisonous, but he hadnat gotten enough of it in him to do any damage. I still remember every step of that run. Worst five minutes of my life.a aHow old were you?a Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( aSixteen. Come on. I need to wash off your wounds,a she said.
He followed her into the bathroom, where she took the shower head out of the holder and rinsed the wounds on his back with lukewarm water. Afterward, they returned to the kitchen, where the light was better, to examine his gashes. aOnly the top one needs to be st.i.tched. The bottom one we can hold together with medical tape and b.u.t.terfly bandages.a She turned off the pot, let the needles cool, washed her hands and arms to the elbows with soap, and opened the bottle of Betadine. aAre you allergic to seafood?a aNo. You can use iodine on me. I wonat suffer any side effects.a aOh, good.a She doused the gauze with Betadine and proceeded to clean the gashes. His back remained rock steady. It was a huge back, too, covered with bulges of hard muscle and scars.
aYou donat have to be that much of a hard-a.s.s,a she said.
aWould you find me more sympathetic if I cried?a aNo.a She finished cleaning and bandaging the lower wound.
aLast chance for a Broken surgeon.a aNo need.a Rose carried the pot over and retrieved the first needle with tweezers. She held it for a minute or two, just to make sure it cooled off, then she brought the edges of the top wound together, clamped the needle, and pierced the edge of the gash. She pushed the needle through, pulled it free with tweezers, and made her first st.i.tch. By now either of the boys would be crying. She would be crying. Shead had to sew up cuts on herself before. Eventually you did get numb to the pain, but the first few st.i.tches hurt like h.e.l.l. He just sat there.
He really was a very scary b.a.s.t.a.r.d.