The cry sounded more like a command than anything else to Amellia and she hoped he was going to let them pass.
Next minute the alpha shook his head and stepped aside, crowding the other two animals out of the way.There was a narrow path between them and the trees.Amellia gulped and reached for Hagan’s hand.“I think we can go now.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen if myself,” he said, clasping her fingers tightly.“We’re not out of the literal woods yet.”
Hand in hand they walked forward and past the trio of huge predators, who growled menacingly but made no move to attack.Amellia felt as if she was trudging through thick mud as she started down the trail, dimly visible in the waning moonlight.The three wolves followed them and she dimly sensed others slipping through the trees in their vicinity, but there was no kind of overt threat.They’d been walking for maybe ten minutes when she heard the alpha growl behind her and when she checked over her shoulder she saw his hackles were up and his fangs bared.
“Why now?”she asked, her voice quaking.
Hagan swept her off the path and behind the nearest large tree.Pressing her to the trunk and standing protectively in front of her, he curled his tail comfortingly around her ankle and calf and held a finger to his lips.
Now she heard the voices of other people and shivered at what the group was casually discussing, which seemed to be planning for a major drug heist, including the killing of other drug dealers and suspected snitches.The voices were cold, unemotional and evil to her mind.Amellia held her breath, afraid to breathe in case the tiny sound would reveal their presence so close to the trail.Hagan had his blaster ready but just as the weapon wouldn’t have sufficed against the wolf pack, she knew it wouldn’t be enough against this humanoid pack.
The wolf brushed past, giving her a level glance, his eyes glowing red, as if to sayyou’ll be all right.
She realized the pack was on the move away from where she and Hagan were hidden, following the other humans.
Suddenly the alpha gave voice to a throat splitting roar and the cry was taken up by many other voices scattered in the woods.
Hagan took her hand again and dragged her away from the tree.“Run!”
She ran mindlessly, unable to do anything else.They fled toward where they’d left the car and behind her she heard more howling, the sound of shots and men screaming.Hagan came behind her, guarding her back.When she reached the groundcar, she clawed the door open on her side and basically fell into the vehicle while Hagan vaulted over it and slid into the driver’s seat.He put the car into motion even before she’d closed the panel on her side again.He sent the car hurtling into the sky and then rushing toward the city.
“Are you all right?”he asked.Although he was scanning the vids and instruments intently to see if there was any pursuit, he spared a quick glance for her.
“Scared out of my mind but yes, I’m fine.And I have the root.”She displayed the precious object in her hand.
“We’re headed for Cheline’s shop at top speed but while we’re on the way I’m going to call in a tip on those drug dealers,” Hagan said.“I’m going to make it anonymous though.We don’t need to be answering questions for the rest of the night on what we were doing way out there.”He proceeded to use his personal com and left a message which Amellia found incomprehensible but she assumed he was using special code words the law enforcement personnel would pick up on.
When he was done, she said, “The whole thing with the wolves was astonishing, beginning to end.If we did try to explain this night of ours to anyone but Cheline they’d never believe us.I’m starting to doubt my own eyes as to what I saw.”She poked at the root, which was very much a plain old piece of vegetation covered in dirt.
He reached over to clasp her hand.“Magic takes many forms.Perhaps Cheline is right and there are forces on this world to counterbalance the spell Sharshanna paid for.I have more hope now than at any time since I opened the damn box.”
Amellia rested her head against the cushions of his groundcar and breathed deep, trying to slow the crazy beat of her heart.
“We’ll be there in five minutes,” Hagan said.
“How long till the dawn?”She could find the information on her handheld but she was too tired and wrung out to make the effort.
“Cutting it tight, less than an hour.I hope whatever she plans to do for us can be done on an expedited basis and still be effective,” he said.
“We’re going to get stopped for speeding,” she said anxiously, scanning the readouts.
“I’m broadcasting a law enforcement signal which warns off all other authorities.”He grimaced.“Strictly speaking I shouldn’t use it but this is life and death for us so to hell with rules.”
Suddenly he took the controls and rose high into the sky, hovering.
“What is it?What’s going on?”Amellia checked wildly in all directions, expecting to see a ring of enforcement vehicles closing in on them.“Why aren’t we landing and parking?We must be almost there.”
“We’re right on top of the place,” he said, jaw clenched.“See for yourself.”
Her heart sank and she gasped as she checked the vids.The store was a small, brightly glowing oasis of purple illumination in the midst of the uncanny, roiling fog or mist which had been approaching as they left, so many hours ago.“It’s concentrated around her store and nowhere else.”
“She must be doing something to hold it at bay,” he said.
“How are we going to get through that?When it was coming at us before I—I saw things and heard things.I’m scared,” she admitted.
“Com your aunt and get her advice but hurry.”
