I threw up a shield just in time to block a blast of
dark energy. Panting, we looked around. While we had been absorbed in our
conversation, twenty zombies had taken up perches on the roofs around us. Once
again, this appeared to be an ambush.
“Surrender now!” the zombie leader—different from
the warehouse one—shouted.
In response, Tatiana began shifting and I lit
myself with light. There was a ripping sound, and I groaned. Tataina, her
clothing lying in shreds at her feet looked at me in apology.
Smiling slightly, I shook my head. “At least Tyren
made sure I had a coat.”
The werewolf grinned sheepishly. Turning back to
the demon spawn, she growled. I grinned in what I imagined was a dangerous
manner. In sync, we leapt at our oncoming attackers.
Dodging a bullet from a revolver, I blasted the
owner of the gun with light. He died with an unearthly shriek. I blasted
another, but a nick on my ankle reminded me of Tyren’s words. We were to run,
not fight.
Backing myself near where Tatiana was wreaking
havoc, I called over my shoulder, “Remember what Ty said? We need to go!”
I bent and draped the werewolf’s weapon belts over
my shoulders. She growled in what I knew was disagreement. Great, I was going
to have to talk sense into a berserker wolf.
“We can’t win, Tati, you know that! There are too
many. We are going to go down, and then Melinda will have one half of the
heirs. Do you want that?”
Tatiana growled something that I did not
understand. “I don’t know what you’re saying, Tati!”
“She said to get on her back!” Noddah translated.
“You speak wolf?”
“Not fluently. Now, do it!”
Turning, I leaped onto the werewolf’s back. I
barely had a chance to grab fistfuls of red fur before we were falling. We hit
the ground with a “thump!” Suddenly, it was like we were flying. We were going
so fast that the buildings whizzed by in a blur. I could feel her powerful
muscles gather and then extend as she wolf-sprinted through the streets of London
I really hoped no one had fancied a late-night
stroll that night.
When we finally stopped, I slid off her back in an
alley. Frowning, I asked, “Don’t we need
to get underground?”
Noddah released my hair. My head now really hurt.
“She can’t fit down the hole like this.”
“Oh. OH,” I said. Laying out my coat, I turned my
back and clapped a hand over my eyes. “Okay, go ahead.”
“The coast is clear,” Noddah confirmed.
After several seconds, Tatiana took her weapons
belts back. “Thanks, M.C.”
“Sure thing. Let’s get underground.”
~~~~~
“It’s clear we have a mole,” I finished. “They came
prepared for us.”
“That was not just some overly-large patrol,”
Noddah confirmed.
Tyren sighed. We sat in her strategic room again.
Sai, Gordon, and Julian had joined us. I wished they had left Gordon out, but
what could I do? He was the vampire heir. There was no getting around it. I
would have to speak to Tyren in private.
Tatiana was once again dressed in her usual garb of
a white short skirt and a white tank top. I’m fairly sure it didn’t actually
pass as acceptable clothing outside werewolf culture. In her defense, she wore
enough guns and knives to cover the rest of her skin. Her feet rested on
Tyren’s map table. “I agree with M.C. There’s no way that was by chance.”
I glanced at Gordon. He had been silent the entire
time. He was probably upset that the second attempt to capture me had failed.
He could be deep in thought about who the mole was, but it was more likely that
he was trying to figure out how to get me out in the open again. Then again, I
might have been a bit biased.
Tyren stood. “Thank you for your report. I will
take everything you said into consideration.”
Everyone exchanged looks before standing. With
parting words, they all dispersed. I stubbornly remained in my chair. I would
talk to Tyren about my suspicions about Gordon. She would listen, right?
Tyren looked up from her map, apparently surprised
I was still there. “Can I do something for you, M.C.?”
“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you.”
She raised her eyebrows, inviting me to continue.
“I have my suspicions about who the mole is.”
The vampire tilted her head to the side, a slight
frown creasing her brow. She most likely knew where this was going. However,
she politely asked, “Do you?”
“Yes.” I took a deep breath. “I think it’s Gordon.”
Apparently, what I had said confirmed her
suspicions about my suspicions. She sighed. “M.C., Gordon is the vampire heir.
You can not simply accuse him of betraying us.”
On my head, Noddah snorted. “I don’t like him,
Lady.”
Tyren shook her head. “Noddah, you are influenced
by M.C. I am afraid—“
“Am not! I don’t like his aura, and he smells
funny. Besides, he’s not—“
“Noddah.”
The dragon clamped his mouth shut with an angry
snapping sound. Naturally, I was on his side. I stuck up for my scaly friend.
“Tyren, he’s right. There’s something very wrong about Gordon. I don’t care if
he’s the blinking son of King Vlad Dragoni himself!”
“M.C.—“
“No! Just listen! He cut the rope at the warehouse.
He abandoned us. He told them we were coming. He told them about the scouting
mission.” I held up my hand when she opened her mouth again. “Just listen to
me! Julian, Tatiana, Noddah, Sai, Gordon, you, and me were the only ones who
knew about the scouting mission. I didn’t tell them we were coming. Tatiana
didn’t. Don’t even think about blaming Sai.”
“I told them nothing, too!” Noddah chimed in.
“Right. If it’s not Gordon, it’s you or Julian.” I
spread my arms. “Julian is the oldest amongst us. He’s been fighting since
before we were born.” I was fairly sure Tyren was younger than Julian. The guy
was in his forties, after all. She couldn’t be very old, right? “I think we can
take him out of the list of possibilities. That leaves you or Gordon. Did you
betray us, Tyren?”
It was a ridiculous question, but it aided in
making my point very well. However, instead of proving my point to her, she
only became angry—well, angrier.
“Anyone could have overheard us, M.C.,” she
responded in the quiet tone that told me she was trying to keep her temper in
check.
“No, they couldn’t. You know full well Sai always
blocks our conversations!” My voice rose quickly through that entire sentence.
She was refusing to see reason.
“I will take your concerns into consideration.
However, I suggest you come to me with more proof next time you accuse someone
of being a traitor. More mere speculation will land you outside of my strategic
room.”
“Fine!” I exploded. I stood so quickly, Noddah was
nearly unseated. My chair clattered to the ground. “I will just leave then!
Don’t come crying to me when you end up dead by his hand!”
I exploded into 2011 with a bright blue pop. Henry
stared at me in disbelief. “What—“
I stormed past him, Noddah clinging to my hair for
dear life.
--------
In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man.....
Whoops. Wrong story. I've been watching British Telly again. That's from "Merlin"--one of my favorites. If you like King Arthur and British humor, that is the show for you. It's great.
Anyway. So, Tatiana loses her clothing, Noddah speaks werewolf, and M.C. and Tyren are in a little tiff. Do you think Tyren will ever listen to M.C.?
I dunno. We'll have to see.
Oh! I would like to make a little plug for one of my friend's blogs. It's . She's a not-so-average college girl who loves to write. Her take on life is witty yet thought provoking, and Christ-centered. I would suggest adding her blog to your daily reading list. She's great, so give her blog a peek!
Have a great week, all!
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