Pack of secrets, p.20
Pack of Secrets, page 20
Chaz shook his head before she could put the jacket on. “Keep it visible. People will be less likely to mess with you if they know you’re packing.”
Grace stuffed the jacket into her bag. Worry filled her eyes as Chaz handed two pistols, a box of ammo, and a spear to Mackiel. Rust received an AR15, enough ammo to start a war, and a long sword. The alpha equipped himself with the same. Questions danced in Grace’s eyes, but she wisely kept her mouth closed.
Finished, the alpha zipped his bag and swung it over the shoulder opposite his rifle as his gaze swept the area. “Before the war, Al Mukalla was a beautiful city. The residents had reclaimed their port from Al Qaeda and survived the country’s civil war. Since the port is on this side of the fracture, we won’t have to deal with any Mondeine bastards, but the Tricari here can be a little… tricky to deal with. You saw the posters in the hall?”
Everyone but Grace nodded. “What posters?” she asked.
Mackiel nudged her leg with his. “I’ll explain later.”
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” Chaz continued. “And if you don’t like the scent of anyone or anything approaching, shoot or slice first. Ask questions later. Understood?”
“Is leatsa mo shaol, Alpha,” the three said in unison.
“Good. I’m gonna try to get us a lift to the coast. Stick close to me.”
Something plopped down at my feet, taking my attention from the orb. I looked down to find a worn leather satchel. There was no sign of Fred, but that did not surprise me. My peculiar little housekeeper liked to stay out of sight. Wondering what Catori had instructed him to pack, I picked up the satchel and placed it on my desk. The front pocket held a thick stack of bills. I pulled it out and thumbed through what had to be at least five thousand dollars.
Arching an eyebrow at my guardian, I asked, “You anticipate such expenses?”
“It is better to be overprepared than under. The cash came from your mother’s old safe. If you require more, Fred hid a bank card in the inside pocket.” She leaned over and pointed at the zipper. “You can use it to pull money from Mondeine banks. The pin number is zero-nine-two-zero.”
“My birthday.” Figured. Before my mother’s murder, she had transferred all her accounts to me, with Catori listed as my legal guardian. Mom must have suspected her life was in danger, but she had gone to the meeting anyway. I only wished I knew why.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” my mother’s voice said in my mind.
Ever since Grace had released the memories, they popped up at the most inconvenient times. I stuffed this one back with the others and put the cash away. Opening the main flap of the satchel, I found a few pairs of sweatpants surrounding a waterproof bag. The bag held a handgun and two boxes of ammunition. They were unnecessary and unwelcome travel companions, so I removed the waterproof bag and set it on my desk.
“What are you doing?” Catori asked.
“Leaving this here where it belongs.”
She folded her arms across her chest, and I could almost see her heels digging in as she prepared for battle. “I realize Commander Rivera’s unorthodox training methods were—”
“Barbaric?” I suggested. “Abusive? Torturous? Traumatizing?”
“Yes. But his methods do not negate the reason your father sent him to train you.”
I snorted. “My father was a sadistic bastard.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips drew into a disapproving frown.
“What? That could very well be the reason behind my father’s selection of trainers.”
“Perhaps,” she admitted. “But since we never met your father, we cannot assume cruelty was his motivation.”
“Fair. But let us examine what we do know. My sperm donor had a multi-generational curse hanging over his head. Knowing that, the coward impregnated my mother and then fell on his sword, leaving the responsibility of the curse to me. I think we can safely assume he was not a man of honor or integrity.”
“Your mother—”
“Had sex with a stranger,” I said, cutting in again. “I do not fault her for it.” Catori always tried to sugarcoat their story, but I knew better. For a long time, I had wanted to believe my father was something better than a piece of shit, but the evidence suggested otherwise. Not even Commander Rivera—a man who had beaten me and buried me alive—was evil enough to be cursed. The actions of my father must have been truly vile. It was past time for us to admit as much. “My mother was not the first lonely female to fall for the lies of an asshole at a bar.”
“You are making a lot of assumptions.”
“I am only stating the obvious. The most reasonable explanation is usually the truth, Catori. You have taught me that.”
“And as usual, you have taken my wisdom out of context and used it against me.” She unfolded her arms, dropping them to her hips, where she smoothed away imaginary wrinkles in her skirt. “There is no point in arguing about two souls that have passed beyond this world. What matters now is ensuring you are properly prepared for what you are about to face. The wolves will have a head start in their recovery from this travel fatigue.”
“Yes, but they are not dragons,” I said. “And as you pointed out, Grace expended a good deal of energy last night.”
“And Seattle is further away than you have ever flown before. You may be winded before you take the portal as well.”
She had a point. “There will be snacks along the way.” Maybe I would find myself a nice juicy deer or a fat grazing cow.
“Do not be stubborn, child. You saw the alpha distribute firearms, even equipping himself. Are you afraid you have forgotten how to shoot a gun?”
I bristled. “I remember everything that bastard taught me.”
“Then what is the problem? As I said before, it is better to be overprepared. If you do not need the weapon, you do not have to use it, but I would feel much better knowing you have every available resource with you.”
As much as I hated touching anything that reminded me of Commander Rivera, Catori’s logic was sound. And surprising since Dryads loathed guns almost as much as they loathed chain saws. Yet she was essentially begging me to take one.
“What are the chances of you dropping the matter?” I asked.
“You are not leaving without a firearm, Arioch. I will die on this hill if I must. Please do not make me.”
“Fine. I will take the gun.” I relented.
“And the appropriate ammunition.”
Despite my annoyance, a smile tugged at my lips. The relentless woman never let anything slide. “And silver bullets.” Picking up the waterproof bag, I tucked it back into my satchel.
“And Tyrin,” Catori added.
We had already had this argument, and my stance had not changed. “He will only slow me down.”
“His flight speed may not be as fast as yours, but his skill with weapons makes up for it. The portal will leave you exhausted, and you will require someone capable to watch your back. Tyrin is sworn to protect you.”
If only that were true, it would have saved me years of pain and misery in my youth. “No, he is sworn to keep me breathing. There is a difference.”
Catori frowned but did not argue. There were long stretches of my life when she had hibernated while Tyrin had remained to oversee the training my father had ordered. The gargoyle may not have been an active participant in my more… distressing lessons, but his unwillingness to shield me from them made him every bit as guilty as my trainers.
“Regardless, you cannot deny his skill,” Catori said.
I glanced at the orb where Mackiel was helping Grace into the back of a beat-up truck. The rest of the shifters climbed in beside her. The alpha tapped on the back window, and the vehicle started moving. Grace hunkered down, and Mackiel draped an arm over her shoulders. Confusion wrinkled her forehead, but she did not fight it when he tugged her against him. Laying her head against his chest, she closed her eyes. The sight of them together like that made something menacing and possessive stir within me. I wanted to yank her out of his arms and… and…. I refused to consider what I wanted to do to her, so I focused on the matter at hand.
“On Tyrin’s watch, she stole the chalice,” I reminded Catori.
She inclined her head. “Grace bested both of you individually. Perhaps you will have better luck fighting her together.”
The simple truth infuriated me. “I do not have time to wait for him to thaw.”
“Which is why I thawed him out last night. Other than some healing frostbite, he is well.”
I gritted my teeth. “That useless gargoyle will only get in my way.”
“That useless gargoyle would take a bullet for you.”
“Good. Perhaps I shall throw him in front of one.”
Catori took a deep breath as her temper raged in her eyes. “Do not be petulant now, child. You were doing so well. We were compromising.”
“Compromising?” I snorted. “You do not know the meaning of the word. If we were compromising, I would get to leave Tyrin here since I gave in and packed the gun.” But she was right; I did sound petulant and childish. Everything was getting out of hand, and I needed to feel in control of something.
“You misunderstand. The compromise here is that you do what I tell you, and you get to live. If you do not take him along, Tyrin will follow you anyway.”
Reading between the lines, I replied, “You will tell him to follow me, you mean.”
“I will do what is necessary to ensure your safety. As I always have.”
Apparently, there were multiple hills my guardian was prepared to die on today. I honestly did not believe I would be any safer with Tyrin than without, but I would relent if it made her feel better. “All right.” I blew out a breath. “I will take the damn gargoyle.”
The smile she blessed me with almost made it worth the hassle. Almost. “Good. He is prepared and waiting by the front door.”
Of course, he was. I ran a hand through my hair. I should have just given in from the start and saved us both the headache. My guardian always got her way in the end. “You know, your methods could be seen as manipulative,” I told her.
Reaching forward, she patted me on the shoulder and said, “It is not manipulation when it is for your own good.”
Her disturbing logic did not even bother me anymore. It was a good thing she was on my side because Catori would make a terrifying enemy. “Thanks.”
She held my gaze. “Reclaim the chalice and come home safely. That is all the thanks I require.”
Touched by her concern, I nodded. “And bring back the beast, so I can question her, kill her, and end the curse.”
My guardian frowned, her expression thoughtful. “Prophesies rarely turn out as expected. Be careful with your assumptions, child. Your little wolf is broken, but she may not be the beast you need to slay. I want you to make me a promise.”
I eyed her, wondering what she was up to. “I am listening.”
“Promise me you will not kill Grace until you bring her here.”
“Why?”
“I wish to speak to the girl.”
I considered her request and felt strangely relieved by the prospect. I did not want to kill Grace. She had shown me mercy when she could have ended my life, and it would be cruel to return her compassion with bloodshed. But she was dangerous. What she had done to me … I could never allow her to do that again. And there was the curse to consider.
The truck stopped, and the group climbed out of the bed. Chaz paid the driver. The truck drove off, and the wolves walked through the sand until they reached a cliff.
“Wow,” Grace said, her entire face lighting up at the sight. “It’s beautiful.”
She was beautiful. Spending any time at all with her would be a mistake, but I would not refuse to honor Catori’s request. “Okay,” I said. “I promise to bring Grace back alive.”
Catori smiled at me. “Good. Thank you. Now, be on your way, child. You must catch up with the wolves.”
Grace
Portal lag was no joke. I felt like death as I stretched out on my sleeping roll, but my internal clock seemed to know it was still the middle of the day back home and refused to let the Sandman drag me under. I tossed and turned most of the night, but I wasn’t the only one. It was well before dawn when we gave up on sleep and broke camp.
“I called for a ride last night,” the alpha informed us as he handed out rations of jerky.
Wondering how and when he called, I tugged my cell phone out. It was just as I suspected. I had no bars. I glanced at Mackiel, and he gave me a slight shrug.
“It should be at the port by now,” the alpha continued. “No use sticking around here when we can get started.”
“Is that the port over there?” Rust asked, gesturing to the east.
There was a small peninsula about a half-mile away from our vantage point. But that wasn’t what he was talking about. No, he was pointing beyond the peninsula. Squinting, I could barely make out what might be ships at a dock. But I was still more interested in how the alpha had called for a ride.
Had it been when we’d first made camp? He’d walked down to the water, and moments later, there’d been a deep, resonant rumbling sound, almost like someone was blowing a horn. It wasn’t loud but had echoed long into the night. Neither Rust nor Mackiel knew what it was, and when my father rejoined us, he was throwing off some pretty strong don’t talk to me vibes, so I hadn’t asked him about it.
“Yes.” Dad shouldered his bag and adjusted the rifle sling around his neck and opposite shoulder. “It’s about a four-mile walk. Let’s head out.”
Following the road along the coast, we avoided the peninsula, which was abandoned and super creepy. About a half-mile beyond it, we came upon a peculiar translucent material flitting in the wind on the side of the road. The alpha held up a hand for the rest of us to stay back and proceeded alone to investigate. With weapons drawn, we monitored the area and watched his back. As my father approached, it struck me how enormous the gauzy material had to be. It dwarfed my old man.
I studied the material. Tinted orange and black, it was a cross between plastic and mesh. The sight tickled my memories, but it took me a moment to realize where I’d seen the substance before.
“That’s not… shed snakeskin, is it?” I asked Rust and Mackiel.
It couldn’t possibly be. The snake that had shed it would have to be enormous.
Fear skittered up my backbone, and every ounce of my consciousness went on high alert. Last night, Mackiel told me about the warning posters he’d seen in the portal station, filling my head with all sorts of disturbing images.
“I hope not,” Mackiel replied.
Rust made the sign of the cross and muttered a Hail Mary.
Dad approached the film, and I held my breath, waiting. He examined it, frowned, and then waved us forward. As soon as we were within range, he said, “The good news is the snake that shed this has to be about eight feet wide and at least a hundred feet long.”
“That’s the good news?” I asked.
He gave a curt nod. “Yeah. We’ll see it comin’.”
I fought the urge to suggest we go home and give up on this crazy quest. Releasing my wolf wasn’t worth getting eaten by Snakezilla. A breeze lifted the stench of sea brine and sunbaked fish off the skin and smacked me in the face with it. Bile rose in the back of my throat, and I held my breath, trying not to throw up.
“How fresh do you think it is?” Mackiel asked.
“Hard to tell,” the alpha replied.
Drawing closer to the skin, Rust sniffed and then wrinkled his nose. “Never seen anythin’ like it.”
“You okay, Grace?” Mackiel asked. “You look a little pale.”
“How can you guys handle the smell?” I asked.
“Breathe through your mouth,” Rust said.
I tried, but that was worse. “Gah! I can taste it.”
“We need to get goin’,” Dad said. “We don’t want to be here if this thing returns.”
No, we sure the hell did not. I hooked my arm in Mackiel’s and started walking, dragging him right along with me. Snakes had never frightened me before, but the reptiles back home were considerate enough not to reach bus size. Coexisting with reptiles I could step on was no sweat. Living in a world with snakes large enough to swallow a small town… I wasn’t down with that.
“How are you okay right now?” I asked Mackiel as we walked. “You saw the size of that thing, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. It was big.”
“Big?” Never in the history of language had anyone used such an inadequate word to describe something. “Big?”
“I’m tryin’ really hard not to think about it, Chip.” Mackiel had a pistol in his right hand and a spear in his left, and I realized both weapons were trembling slightly in his grip.
Satisfied I wasn’t the only one freaking out, I muttered, “There’s no reason for anything that big to exist.”
Mackiel grunted in agreement. “Stay close to me.”
Duh. He was out of his mind if he thought I’d go wandering off now that I knew what was roaming around the desert. I doubted I’d ever sleep again. At least not until we got home. I planned to be attached to Mackiel’s hip for the foreseeable future, keeping both the alpha and Rust in view.
We continued along the coastline, skirting the city of Al Mukalla. In addition to colossal snakes, I watched for zombies, creepy half-skeleton people, and giant murder birds. The posters in the portal station had been candid about one inconceivable monster, which meant the others probably existed as well. Comforting thought, that. It made me want to simultaneously curl up in the fetal position and sprint away from this giant sandbox as fast as I could. My weapons felt grossly inadequate, and I was ill-prepared. What could a Glock do against monsters? Bullets would probably only piss off the snake. We should have brought C-4. A truckload of it might do the trick.
The further we marched from the fracture, the more dilapidated the buildings and landscape became. Sand had attacked and overwhelmed the district from the backside while the sea brutalized and demolished it from the front. Still, despite its disturbing monsters and an ongoing battle against nature, people called Al Mukalla-Ferra home. The occasional flicker of a ratty curtain or waft of pungent cooking spices made that much clear. Thankfully, the residents kept to themselves.
