I realized that in that conflict, I would stand with the wolves. Did that make me one of them? I had already been having the dreams.
While I was thinking about that, Gaven conceded the flooror firepit, more exactlyto Lia, who had something to say.
"You all know me, and that family comes first," she said, tossing her hair. She was holding the letter from the Lenoir in her hand. "I have heard it said that the best policy is to get to know your enemies. This Gathering gives us the opportunity to do just THAT." She dipped the letter into the fire, and it started to burn. The others whooped. I watched as the wax seal lost its shape and dripped like running blood. She held it in her long fingers, her crimson nails the color of her racing bike. "They"re supposed to come send a Finding-feeling, a touchy-feely, anyway something equally grabby-soundingsome Partyto come test Halls and me," she said. In the firelight her smile was pure wicked incarnate. "And I say amen to that."
The rebel werewolves threw their heads back and howled like a pack of animals; it made me laugh.
Lia was serious, but we had a moment, there in the fire. She and I were family, members of a pack, and I knew we had each other"s backs. It was all she had to say. She winked at me and relinquished the floor.
Gaven was back looking at all of them. "So," he said. You didn"t attack this and make it out alive. That was the gist. They all nodded at each other.
Gaven was concerned about one thing: What the Lenoir"s reaction would be when they learned of Rome"s policy. That werewolves had hunted and killed vampires beforeand would continue to do so, once this little get-together was over with.
"These are our killing fields," he said. "We will not yield a single inch to these madames et monsieurs. They have their city." The others whooped and yelled. It was like a battle cry.
"I was hoping you would speak to this," he said, pointing to me, and relinquishing the firelight.
I stepped forward into the pita gladiator in my own right. Their eyes danced like wild things.
"It"s true. The vampires are coming," I said. "And I would certainly be intimidated by you, if I were all of them. However, this is a civil gathering. At least that"s what they say. So let us use the caution Gaven spoke of."
They nodded, listening.
"I can tell you one thing. These vampires have their own mysterious rules. I don"t pretend to know them. They consider themselves the only vampires. In that respect, there has only ever been one true vampire in Rome. Lennoxlove Lenoir."
They all giggled.
Behold my icy stare.
"Right now this city is as empty of Immortals as you have made it," I said. "The Lenoir will not fault you for that. In fact, you will have their appreciation. They consider themselves of superior blood type, you see. Just don"t kill one of them."
I did not tell them about the Agoniesthat the vampires purged their numbers.
"Thank you," said Gaven.
"As for Magic, Lia and I will have to find out," I said. I joined the other bodies.
Gaven stepped into the firepit and it was like he transformed. Everything about him changed. From his tall and muscular form, to the way he held himself, and even his eyes; his hands were like claws, as he strode in front of the firing flames. Even his shadow took on something of the wolf. The fire flickered, and I could see his eyes, like two shards of onyx. Something had possession of him.
"Let me tell you Alec"s story," he said. "He was the first Werewolf. His name means Protector of Men. He was born in Greece. No history records his deeds."
Gaven threw his head back. The night itself stooped to listen.
"Moonlight healed him. He could run for days. The G.o.ds themselves attended upon his birth. So the wise women said. They spoke of him as they did their herbs: useful and trusty things, they could bend to their wills.
"Alec was given a choice. To live forever. Or do great things. He chose the latter.
"A lifetime unbounded by death? Who wouldn"t choose that?
"No; Alec would win renown for himself, and thereby be immortal. But first, he had to pa.s.s three tests.
"A terrible beast was rampaging through the countryside. "Kill it, Alec," they said to him.
"He nodded. "I will," he said. Alec had gifts. A strong body, and a well-tempered mind, but he was no wolf. He was just a man, and the nameless thing which hunted could kill and eat men. No one was safe. No one could stop it.
"It terrorized small coastal villages. Then would disappear. The townsfolk soon realized it must take up somewhere, either in a forest or a cave. It was to this place Alec would go, and kill it where it slept.
""Take an army, Alec. Let us dress you in the finest armor."
""Nay. I go alone, with only those things Nature and the G.o.ds themselves endow me with." He proceeded to bend a sc.r.a.p of iron with his bare hands. "I am strong enough."
"They all agreed that he was a most impressive young hothead.
""But he will come to no good," said one older crone. She heard things. The locals said she had The Ear.
"Alec mocked her and he did his Dance of Mockery. The others took it up, and so chased the old woman from the village. All thought it was a good riddance: the old crone gone and Alec off to fight the beast.
"Alec bid them farewell and undertook the destruction of the beast. There was no one whose paws it could not sully. Alec would remove the threat, and stop the gruesome murdering of the villagers.
"On the first day, he called down a crow. "Show me the way, crow."
""No," cawed the Crow.
""You see everything, crow. Surely you have seen this thing hunting at night. It cannot hide from you."
"The crow cawed. "What"s in it for me?" he crowed.
""You get to live." Alec grabbed the crow with incredible reflexes.
""He went thataway," cawed the Crow, before he flew off.
""I will shoot you from the air, if you"re lying to me," said Alec. He ran over the countryside. For days and days he ran. And the crow flew with him. Finally he stopped.
" He waived the crow down. "Crow, I have run for days and days. You said thataway, and thataway I have come. There is no beast."
""True, true," cawed the Crow.
""You tricked me, Crow. If I should meet the strange nightmare hunting my people, I shall be too tired to fight it. I need energy. To eat you." He grabbed the crow with his amazing reflexes. "Energy you can give me, after you tell me where I am, and how far it is to this evil thing"s lair."
"The crow said, "I already have told you. Don"t betray our covenant simply because you have no faith." He cawed.
"Alec broke the bird"s neck. That night he ate crow. And that is where that expression comes from," said Gaven.
"The crow"s feathers were left to the Wind to take up; it did, and they fluttered away. As evening pa.s.sed into morning, Alec decided to continue his journey. He had come to the evil thing"s lair. The crow had led him straight.
"He thanked it now, and journeyed into the dark cave.
""I am Alec. I have come to kill you," he said to the monster that was waiting for him there.
"The shapeless thing opened its maw. "I eat men. I will eat you too," it said.
"Alec didn"t think so.
"He had thought long and hard about his immortality. If it was to be the kind that lasted, no first challenger could stop him. Alec would kill the beast, and so gain his fame.
""I have three tests, and you are merely the first," he said. "They are guaranteed me."
""Yes, they are," said the beast, acknowledging Alec"s logic.
""Therefore, it has already been decided that I shall kill you. Otherwise, how would I ever get to the other two tests?"
""If that is so," said the beast, "I should be able to kill you. For, if you are immortal, and have other places to be, I can do anything I want to you, even kill you, and you will not die. For you are Alec. Immortal."
"Alec thought about this. It was a way of cheating death, of cheating the G.o.ds, who said he could be one or the othereither immortal or renownedbut not both.
""How do we do this?" he said, with his eyes on achieving the unprecedented.
""You jump into my mouth."
""Then?"
""I eat you. Just have faith," said the beast. It was almost exactly the same thing the crow had said.
"Alec was in a hurry to disprove the crow"s slight, to prove that he could have faith, and be famous, and be immortal. All three. He ran and leapt into the giant mouth of the beast, whose jaw snapped shut, and Alec was met by the crow.
""You killed me," said the Crow. "I was your friend and you took my life."
""Silence, Crow." Alec waited for whatever was going to happen to him. Any second now.
""I see you have learned faith," said the Crow. "You really believe what that animal said will happen. That you will somehow come back?"
"Alec smiled. It would just be a second. He imagined what he would do, when he got back, when the villagers all met him, and he told them the good news, that he had defeated the beasthe would take its pelt back to them, to show them.
"The crow cawed; it sounded an awful lot as though Crow were laughing at Alec.
"Alec became impatient. "Why isn"t it happening?" he said.
""Because you are dead. And there is no coming back from death."
""No fair," Alec said. "That beast tricked me."
"Crow cawed.
""I want another turn."
""I do know someone who can help you. She was eaten by the beast, too. I think you know her," said the Crow.
"Alec looked and the old crone whom he had chased out of the village with his Dance of Mockery had appeared.
""Crone, my life was taken from me. Give me it back."
""Very well," said the old crone. "But I will teach you a lesson. Your name means Protector of Men," she said, "but all you ever did was glorify yourself. I will send you back as the werewolf itself. Maybe then it will stop killing people."
"But Alec said, "I can"t be a beast. I"m a man. If I go back to the village, they will kill me."
"Old crone laughed. "You will be shunned as I was shunned, when you did your Dance of Mockery. Therefore, you will wander far and wide. A vagrant. And if any man meets you, he will try and kill you as you did Old Crow."
""Caw!" said the Crow.
"Alec said, "My three tests..."
""You already had them," said Crone. "A legacy of cruelty to me, of faithlessness to old Crow, and stupidity, walking into that beast"s mouth. But I will give you another shot, this time at redemption. If you perchance can find a home and do good, I will allow you to transform back into a man. But you will always have the other half. Maybe you can earn your name.
""However, you must never again kill the beast of the field. For you and it are family, you see, and as you come back, so will it.""
Gaven stopped speaking, but the others thought about that.
"But what happened to Alec? Are you saying he was turned by witchcraft?"
Gaven looked for who had spoken; a young warrior not much older than we were.
"Alec left his gift to us," he said. "We choose what we make of it. Protect Rome. Protect Lia and Halsey, and yourselves. But above all, keep the faith. It"s almost morning. Tomorrow we meet the Beast."
Chapter 8 Nightmares.
That night I had a terrible dream. The beast was after me again. It"s mouth gleamed with razor-sharp teeth. I turned to face it. But instead of trying to eat me, it spoke.
"You belong with us," it said.
I felt themlike there was more than one, and I was to join their rank. A hand reached out to me.
I twisted out of it, and fell onto the floor.
My eyes popped open. Suddenly, it all came flooding back; that I was still myself, and they couldn"t get to me, at least not yet, anyway. I longed for Lennox"s return.
I needed the calming serenity of his strong voice. What had Infester said? That we had a Power... a Power of Sight? I wondered what he meant by that. Maybe I could see Lennox? Maybe we could communicate with each other?
How?
I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to speak to someone about Magic, but as my eyes adjusted to the light filtering into my bedroom, I realized that that was not possible, that I was all alone, that there was no one else I could confide in, there was no one who could guide me, or help me out. I had never missed my parents more than in this moment.