CHAPTER Five
Back in the dorm, I paced around, trying to release some of my earlier anxiety. I wondered if I’d able to sneak out and do some hunting without any of the Brethren noticing. Probably not. I picked up a pillow from a nearby bed instead and pushed it against the wall, starting to pummel it , the speed and weight of my fists keeping it in place. 3 days. That was just 72 hours – in fact make that 70 now. I could do this.
A throat cleared behind me. “Julia, won’t be pleased if you destroy her soft furnishings.”
“I’m not destroying anything, Tom.”
A few stray feathers fell from the edge of the now burst pillow. I cursed and let it drop, turning round.
“It’s okay,” he said, reassuringly. “The masking worked – they didn’t smell you.”
“Sure, as long as I don’t plan on bathing any time soon and keep slathering myself every 6 – 8 hours, then I’ll be absolutely fine.” I retorted sarcastically.
Tom came closer. “You will be great. They’ll do the rites, choose the alpha, ask for leavers and then it’ll all be over.”
“He’ll still be dead.” I looked at Tom and breathed out. “Sorry. I just….”
“I know.” He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my hair and changed the subject. “I miss the red.”
“Yeah, me too.”
I was pretty sure I could never be called vain but I did love my hair. I patted its new colour self-consciously.
Mackenzie.
Julia’s voice popped into my head.
I need you to meet me by the tree.
I’m on my way. I sent back immediately before turning to Tom. “I have to go.”
“Practise with me later?” His eyes held mine pleadingly.
“You want to join the Brethren.” It wasn’t a question.
“They’re not all bad, Mackenzie.”
“They’re brutes.”
“Please?” He blinked at me with large brown puppy dog eyes.
Oh for goodness’ sake. I sighed and nodded. “I’ll meet you at the usual place after dark. Around 8pm?”
Tom nodded at me and I spun around to leave the dorm. I padded down the draughty corridor to the stairs thinking for the millionth time how handy it would be to be able to shift into something warm and fuzzy. John had refused to install central heating, insisting that Cornwall’s warmer climate and woolly jumpers were enough. I shivered. My beloved keep was old and in dire need of a makeover. The stone steps leading down to the ground floor at least were covered with a shabby red carpet that had definitely seen better days. Some insulation was better than none, I supposed. John had said the keep had charm and character; I had retorted that Stonehenge had character but that it didn’t make me want to live there. I tugged at my ponytail and sighed. I missed him. I closed my eyes and briefly pinched the bridge of my nose, causing me to stupidly miss the hole in the carpet on the next step. My foot slipped and, before I knew it, I was sliding down the rest of the stairs on my arse, coming to land in a rather undignified heap at the bottom.
“Graceful as always, Mackenzie,” drawled Anton.
I glanced up and saw to my horror that he was stood there with two of the Brethren, the bored looking blonde and another, who were both looking down at me with slightly disgusted expressions. Shit. Shifters didn’t fall, they had too much balance and grace for that.
I cleared my throat too loudly, muttering something inane about ungainly new shoes designed for humans, and pulled myself to my feet. I aimed for the front door trying to pretend that my left hip wasn’t completely killing me and tugged at the handle to get out. I could hear Anton’s voice behind me. “Of course, not all our pack will impress you….”
I slammed the door shut behind me and stalked out before realising that stalking hurt too much and a limp was much more called for. That had been a careless move.
Several gleaming – and expensive – cars sat in the driveway. At the front was a sleek black sporty car and, just visible and bending down next to it, running his hands over the paintwork, was the green eyed Brethren bloke. I tried not to smirk as I realised that his showy pride and joy had clearly been scratched by one of the unreliable pieces of gravel that lined the ground of the drive. His back stiffened as he sensed my presence and started to rotate round to look at me so I quickly turned away and began walking smartly to the meeting point before he could start talking. I got lucky and he stayed silent, but I could feel his eyes on my back until I turned round the tree-lined corner towards the green.
By the time I reached the old oak tree where I used to practise archery, dusk was approaching. I could just make out Julia’s figure in the dim light.
“I’m sorry it took me so long, I…er…” I didn’t want to disappoint her with tales of my already clumsy human behavior.
“Enough. It’s not important,” she said dismissively. “Whatever you’ve done so far can no doubt be explained away.”
How did she do that? I could feel myself redden in embarrassment; it wasn’t my fault that the carpet needed replacing after all.
Julia ignored my blush. “We’ve got more pressing matters to discuss,” she continued. “I wasn’t expecting the Lord Alpha himself to be here.”
“You mean the gray haired guy? He didn’t seem that bad actually, “ I commented, swinging myself on to a low branch.
“Fool,” she hissed unexpectedly. I almost preferred dear. Almost. “He’s not the Brethren’s alpha, that’s just what they want you to think. He’s merely their spokesperson. I thought you’d have picked up on where the real power was coming from.”
I suddenly had a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Ummm…green eyes?” I offered tentatively, hoping I was wrong.
“Green eyes of the devil, hair as black as his were’s and physical strength to match his strategic skills.”
“Oh.” I’d only noticed his eyes. My hackles rose. “So he thinks that he’ll trick us by pretending to just be a minion?”
Julia sighed. “It’s a smart move. He can find out more about us if we’re not jumping to attention every time he walks past. Besides which, regardless of the attempts at blurry paparazzi shots on the Othernet, he appears to dislike the limelight.”
“We’re not his enemy, Julia, he doesn’t need to dislike us,” I pointed out.
“He doesn’t know that. There was a lot of resistance when he took over as Lord. And he’s only been in that position since August - he’s ridiculously strong, and not just physically, but there are a lot of the Brethren who still don’t feel that they can trust him.”
I dismissed the topic. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll stay out of all their way and he’ll never notice me.” Of course that meant trying to ignore the fact that he’d noticed me during the welcome ceremony.
“You can’t,” she said flatly. “He’s demanding that every single pack member’s skills are tested and that he personally oversees each evaluation. I can’t gainsay him. No doubt there will also be interrogations to find out who is responsible for John’s death.”
“But everyone’s whereabouts have been accounted for!” I burst out, suddenly angry. The embers of flame inside me that had been quashed since the terrible meeting in the hall were starting to flicker. “What right does he have to come in here and do this? We don’t need to be evaluated to know what our skills are. And what right does he have to take away pack members to London? Why the f*ck should we do anything they ask?”
“Because no matter what your opinions may be, Mackenzie, they are the alpha pack, and he is their alpha leader. Without the Brethren we would not exist. They support us financially and allow us to live here with minimum interruption in the relative safety of Cornwall.”
I scoffed. “If it was safe here in Cornwall then John would still be alive. Besides, why is this the first time they have come here in thirty years? They didn’t care about us before.”
“For which we should be thankful, dear.”
I could feel the flames continue to rise, scorching my insides and daring me to let them out. I forced myself to control them and looked at Julia right in the eyes. “Are you going to let them just take our people away?”
Julia sighed. “You know as well as I do that those who leave will want to do so. The old ties to the pack are gone with John’s death”
I wasn’t going to give up and was breathing harder at the effort of banking the fire. “Why are they going through this pretense of choosing our new alpha? We all know it’s you already!”
“We’ve been through this. The rituals are what keep us together, and this is one of the most important. If I want to be a strong leader, then I need to be seen to be following the Way.”
“It’s stupid,” I muttered childishly.
“It’s the Way.”
Julia folded her hands together implacably and looked at me. “At the risk of repeating myself, you need to rein in that temper if we are to get through this.”
I was immediately apologetic and could instantly feel the fire falling back down to a smoulder. “I know. I’m sorry.” I suddenly thought, and not for the first time, that I should have left when I became 18 and couldn’t be turned. This wasn’t fair on any of them, even bloody Anton.
“This is your home.” She reached and touched me softly on the arm and then reiterated her point from the previous night. “We need you too.”
I looked down at her face. Her repeated reassurance didn’t change the truth of the thought, however. If I wasn’t here then there would be no danger to them. I should have gone years ago, even if I had nowhere to go to.
“Here’s what you’ll do. Continue with the lotion. Do NOT bathe. When you are called to interview, act meek and weak. When you are asked to fight in an evaluation, then do so poorly. We do not need them to pay you any attention whatsoever. If they ask you to shift, tell them you’re embarrassed because you’re only a werehamster and of no use to anyone anyway.”
“ A were hams…!” I spluttered.
“It was the easiest scent to replicate. It’s not completely accurate but werehamsters are rare enough that I think you’ll manage to pass further inspection. Above all, do NOT lose your temper.”
I jumped off the branch. “Okay, “ I said quietly. “What about John’s killer?”
“Once this is done and they’ve gone, then we deal with that. Who knows, they might even find the culprit themselves. They are the Brethren for a reason, after all.”
I scoffed again. “They might be strong but that doesn’t make them smart.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Julia said with a steely expression. “Especially the Lord Alpha.”
“I won’t. But John’s killer is going to be mine.” I looked at her steadily. “68 hours to go.”
After leaving Julia, I wended my way to Trevathorn, the local village, skirting the keep just in case any of the Brethren decided to take in some of the night air. The village lights were on and I could hear the hum and murmur of voices from the Hanging Bull as I passed. Most of Trevathorn’s inhabitants were under the impression that we were some sort of cult – probably a fair assumption actually – but as long as we didn’t trouble them too much, they left us alone. Shifters had been in the keep for at least the last couple of hundred years so even the most fiercely Cornish of the locals would nod if we passed them in the street, accepting us as part of the scenery. I occasionally wondered if they suspected the truth but, if that was the case, they never let on. Nick had certainly never said anything about the pack, other than to murmur a few easily dodged questions about why I lived with them.
I didn’t wear a watch but I was conversant enough with the night’s sky to know that I was early and had time to kill before meeting Tom. I paused briefly, just past the door of the pub, before turning back and heading in. John had said that the locals had initially alerted him to the clearing where he’d found the wichtlein’s little stone so perhaps I could dig something else up.
Inside the pub, the lights were warm and welcoming. There were a few people at the tables along the edges whilst Adam and the Ants bopped out from the ancient eighties’ heavy jukebox. I nodded hello at a few familiar faces before perching on one of the barstools and ordering a diet Coke. I chatted to the barman whilst he poured my drink and tried to think furiously of a way to bring up strange noises and black pebbles without being too obvious.
“Is this seat taken?” A smooth voice uttered from behind me.
It was Nick. Excellent – if anyone knew about anything strange happening, it’d be him. I turned and smiled, probably a mite too brightly by the sudden wary look on his face. I had to admit that he was looking good, blond hair smoothed back and a light tan that would be unusual in any other part of England bar Cornwall. I patted the stool next to me and gestured for him to sit down. He grinned at me, flashing a display of even white teeth and highlighting the little dimple at the side of his cheek. There was no denying that he was very cute, and that many girls would consider themselves lucky to have his attentions, but he was just so…old-fashioned.
“Hitting the hard stuff, are you Mack?” he asked.
“I’m working out with Tom in a bit,” I answered, taking a swig of Coke and crunching down satisfyingly on a cube of ice.
He frowned slightly. When we’d been dating, he’d never quite been able to believe that Tom and I were just friends. I didn’t really care.
“What the hell have you done with your hair anyway?”
“I fancied a change,” I said airily. He didn’t look very convinced so I moved swiftly on. “So how are things in the land of the crime-stoppers?” I took a sip of the Coke and hoped that was enough of an opener to get him talking.
“Same old, same old,” Nick said with half a grin, “although there was a shocking case of burglary this morning.”
“And….?”
“And nothing. It was probably just kids. Perkins was broken into but nothing much was taken.”
Perkins was the local hardware store. It sold an array of DIY tools and kitchen implements. Probably not anything that a supernatural creature that left no tracks would be involved in. Not unless they had a penchant for home/cave/backwater portal improvements at least.
I feigned interest to keep him happy. “So what was taken?”
“A bag of coal and an electric screwdriver.” He leaned back on the stool and folded his almond brown arms.
“Riiight,” I said slowly.
“Like I said, probably just kids.” He smiled. The wariness in his eyes had gone and been replaced by a slightly over-eager expression that vaguely alarmed me. We’d parted on good terms but I wasn’t keen to have to quash any lasting hopes he might have that I was the woman of his dreams.
“Well, whatever keeps you busy, I suppose.” I gulped down the rest of my drink. Clearly there wasn’t anything to be gained from staying any longer.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked, the smile leaving his eyes.
“Like I said, I need to meet Tom.” I stood up.
“You should be careful out there, Mack. By the sounds of things there are a lot wild animals around at the moment.”
I paused briefly, half turning towards him.
“Didn’t you hear the racket last night? It sounded as if we’d been invaded by London Zoo.”
That would have been the pack, when John’s death was discovered. Nothing new for me there then after all. I pulled out a screwed up five pound note from my back pocket and left it on the bar, motioning to the barman to pay for Nick’s drink too. “Well, if I see any polar bears walking around with electric screwdrivers, then you’ll be the first person I’ll call.”
“Do,” he replied, with a cheesy wink.
I sighed inwardly and headed back out.
Trevathorn was a pretty place with window-boxes and cobbled streets but it was not exactly a teeming metropolis. After ten minutes of brisk walking from the door of the Hanging Bull, I was leaving the outskirts behind me and was in sight of the beach. The roar of the waves and salt in the air beckoned me and I quickened my step. I had briefly considered standing Tom up and going back to the site of John’s death to see what else I could dig up but I recognised that with the Brethren around that probably wouldn’t be smart. They had to have people out there already.
I stepped up to a jog, skirting the tough grass that scattered the path to the dunes. The moon remained high in the sky, throwing shadows across the landscape, although fortunately it would not be full again for another fortnight. By the time I rounded the top of the dunes, Tom was already on the sand, waiting. I slowed and took my time walking down towards him. Falling down once a day thanks to my seemingly inborn clumsiness was more than enough, thank you very much, and the sandy slopes were steep enough to warrant at least some care. The tide was out, leaving strands of seaweed and ocean detritus behind it. A small crab scuttled out of the way of my feet as the sand levelled out. Tom stood patiently, watching my approach.
I gave him a mock salute and, wordlessly, he handed me one of two wooden staffs before widening his stance in preparation. I ran my hands down its unvarnished length and it occurred to me that I was in need of some sparring. I had a lot of aggression still pent up inside. I wiggled an eyebrow at Tom, ducking just time to miss being hit by his first swipe. I retaliated with a crouching sweep that knocked him off his feet but he leapt up with more agility than he’d shown in recent sessions.
“Been practising much?” I inquired lightly.
He didn’t answer and instead began circling me. His left flank was open so I jabbed him under his ribs and was rewarded with a faint ooph. He tried to even the score with a swipe but I pulled back just in time so that his staff found nothing but the wind. He immediately recovered, spinning the wooden pole adeptly in his hands and then lunging forward with an underarm attack that caught my clenched knuckles. I hissed slightly in surprised pain and retaliated.
We continued for some time, with no sounds to be heard other than our breath, the knocking of wood as the staffs connected and the rumble of the sea. I was beginning to feel my muscles tingle with pleasure at the exercise and a faint sheen of sweat graced both our foreheads, when he suddenly grinned and threw away his staff, pulling off his t-shirt and sweats. I took a step back and watched, ready.
He bowed his head and tensed, beginning his shift. It amazed me every time how an 80 kilogram man could become such a huge animal. Where did the extra weight come from? Shifters didn’t transform into normal looking animals – even the smaller weres, the rodents and such-like, became larger than their human forms. And again, most definitely not for the first time, I wished I had my own shift.
Tom’s bones creaked and his skull elongated outwards. His muscles rippled and the hair follicles around his chest and legs extended till he was shaking out his coat on all fours, with fangs bared and yellow eyes gleaming. Tom was a wolf. Generic, I know, but he had both speed and strength and wasn’t afraid to hold back.
He leapt at me without any further warning and I rolled to the side on the soft sand just in time, springing back onto my feet and turning to face him again. His haunches tensed and he tried to feint left but the tension in his body had given him away. This time I used the staff to snag him under his belly and twist him onto his back. He whined slightly before staggering back to his feet. I paused for a second, just to check, but his tail gave a brief wag. Good, I wasn’t ready to go home just yet; the fire in my blood was only just starting to flicker.
He manoeuvred around so that I ended up with my back to the ocean. Clever boy, now he had the high ground. He rose up on his hind legs and snapped at my face so I was forced to take a step back. Then, without warning, he barrelled into my midsection and knocked me off my feet, landing on top of me on the sand. I could swear I saw a glint in his eye.
“Tom, if this is when you decide to shift back to a naked man, I will not be happy,” I mockingly warned. He was a friend, but most definitely without those kind of benefits.
He licked my cheek and went for my throat. His canines scraped the skin on my neck before I managed to twist and pull out my knife whilst using the staff to knock him to the sand and pin him down. I smiled.
Tom blinked slowly, a sign of defeat, so I let him go. He shook himself out and shifted back to speak. “One day, I’m going to beat you at this, Mack.”
“I have no doubt,” I murmured turning my head slightly to give his some privacy to get dressed. “You need to watch your left side before you shift though. You keep leaving yourself open and you need to work on your body tension. I know what move you’re going to pull five minutes before you do it.”
“Are you using mind tricks again?”
“I don’t need to, your body does all the talking.”
“I’ll practise in the gym when we get back.” He had an almost deranged glint in his eye.
“Tom, about the Brethren.”
“Don’t. I know you’re going to try to talk me out of it, but don’t you see I have to try? John is gone, there’s no reason to stay.”
“It’s because John is gone that you have to stay,” I snapped. “We need shifters who can guard against whatever got him.”
“Mack, if you couldn’t track it and John couldn’t survive it, I don’t think I’ll do much good.”
“And what good do you think you’ll do you in London, then? You’re my friend, I need you here,” I said softly.
He jerked. “I asked you not to try to change my mind. Not everything in this world can be done to suit you, Mack. I want to go and if they’ll take me then I’m leaving.” He walked off away up the dunes.
I frowned after him. Well, that could have gone better. I probably shouldn’t have tried to guilt him with the whole ‘I’m your friend, don’t leave me’ part - that wasn’t fair. I just didn’t want to lose him to the big bad because I wasn’t sure that he’d be able to hold his own. Perhaps I was just being patronising and over-protective, but he probably was my closest friend. If I wasn’t going to look after his best interests, then who would?
I sighed and picked up the other discarded staff. As I stood back up I felt a prickle on the back of my neck, as if someone was watching. Tensing, I searched the line of trees. Way Directive 3: All shifter activity must be kept hidden. The locals never bothered coming out this far, especially at this time of night, but it would be just my luck that a stray tourist out for a midnight stroll would decide to head my way. I tried to pierce the night gloom, searching for a hint of anything sentient, but came up with nothing out of the ordinary and eventually shrugged at my own paranoia. The tension of having the Brethren here was clearly playing tricks with my mind.
I turned to face the sea and gazed out at its expanse, emptying my mind for a brief moment. The gentle swish of the waves rhythmically beat against the beach and I closed my eyes for a second, breathing deeply. Then I turned back towards the heavy dunes and headed for home.