Jules Read online

  Resources. Use them or lose them.

  With a firm hand on Shawn's sleeve, we approached the bunker together. Surrounding us with Mother's magic, I began the tedious process of rearranging my matter from solid to vapor, and doing the same to Shawn. It had to be done carefully and with concentration; I had to keep our bodies going toward the door, while maintaining our separate entities in vapor form.

  I could feel Mother step in as my concentration began to waver. I focused on the motion and separation of Shawn and I while Mother continued weaving the spell for me. Shawn and I slipped through the cracks in the metal door, wafting through into the dark, stale environment. With a shudder, Mother receded and my concentration snapped. Shawn and I were rammed back into our original forms and we both had to stop for several deep breaths to make sure our lungs worked.

  The metal around us creaked with uncertainty as we made our way down a rusty set of stairs. While the bunker may have been lit with electric lights at one point, only darkness and broken light fixtures surrounded us. We stalked through the darkness together, little Foxy held tightly behind me. He occasionally squirmed, but the effort was half-hearted. He wasn't going to get away from me and he knew it.

  Shawn diligently guided me down through the maze of corridors and halls. All cave-ins and locked doors were taken care of with a little magical assistance. Before he knew it, we were standing at the top of another set of metal stairs leading down to the main lab.

  The lab that was supposed to be abandoned.

  The lab that currently echoed up sounds of another presence.

  Someone had beat me to the punch. I didn't like that.

  Letting go of Shawn's sleeve, I wrapped him in a little protective bubble, asked him to be quiet while I investigated, and strode down the stairs. Each step made a hollow ring as my boots struck the broken, crumbling metal. I drummed my fingers lightly against the wall, the tapping turning into a hollow, haunted noise.

  The sounds from the lab stopped immediately. I heard shuffling from below before silence filled the sloped stairway. As I approached the doorway, I stretched out some magical tendrils to feel out my enemy. He wasn't only a little magically inclined. Magical creature, probably. He had a weapon imbued with…No. Not imbued. It was tinted with silver at the edges. He was someone prepared to fight with a marwolaeth.

  Maybe I would give him what he was expecting.

  A smile curling around my lips, I used the intertwined magic of myself and Mother to change my form into that of a Fox. I chipped and barked, unfurled tendrils of magic to make clicking sounds against the walls. It was so much fun to scare my prey by making him think he was outnumbered.

  Darting through the doorway, I dodged the oncoming blade by a hair. The silver clipped my tail and sheared some fine bits of hair before I swung around to face my opponent. He stood tall, intimidating. Powerful. He drew his pike upward and swept the blade down at my neck, the white robes of a Keeper flapping around his elbows. I dodged again, darting around the sweeping, downward strikes and weaving through his attacks as I managed to get closer.

  He saw me coming and swung wide as he backed away a step, but he left his side open. I lunged, and caught the metal end of his pike in my ribcage. He flung me to the floor and the tip of his blade was pressed against my ribs.

  "Tell me why you're here, Fox," he said with an edge to his voice, "and I swear I will kill you swiftly."

  I let out a raspy, hollow laugh. "And why would I tell you anything, Keeper?" I turned my eyes to meet his. We made contact, his brown eyes showing sudden confusion. He blinked twice and gave his head a sharp shake as he shook off the feeling of familiarity. I twisted my Fox mouth into a grin and twisted my body just slightly, getting my ribs away from his blade and turning to face him more fully.

  "After all," I rasped, "you don't even know who I am." I kept his eyes locked on mine as my magic shifted around me, slowly melting my form into another shape. "What I am." My magic completed the transformation in a rush. All his bravery went out in one harsh breath.

  He was now staring at a hulking Hyena. My shoulders and flanks bustled with muscle. Thick, flat spines slid against each other as I pulled in my long, black, limbs and stood to my full hight. My shoulders were about as high as his waist, maybe a bit higher.

  I leered at him, letting my wide mouth spread into a frightening Hyena grin. While Hyenas easily intimidated everyone except hardcore warriors and Wolves, I personally hated taking their form. For some unknown reason, Hyenas were sightless beasts when they were quadrupeds. Their nose was the best of all three marwolaeths, hearing and touch far beyond anything a Fox could hope to have. But because I was now sightless, I couldn't see the horrified expression on his face.

  I let my mouth hang open for a moment, the trademark lilting laugh coming from my long throat before I spoke. "But I know you, Keeper," I said, my new Hyena voice sounding odd in such a higher register. "We met once before, you and I."

  He began to back away slowly, silently as he could. But I heard him and crept forward, listening to the creak of his bones and the rustle of his clothing. I let a little saliva gather at the edge of my fangs and pushed it with my tongue, letting the drool fall slowly to the ground. His heartbeat increased.

  As delicious as this was, I had other things to attend to.

  So I cut him some slack and broke the mood, giggling out, "you hit on me."

  He hesitated.

  Froze.

  I rolled my head and sat on my squarish haunches, my giggling growing to a full-blown laughing fit.

  He's staring, Mother responded. Either let him in on the joke already or kill him.

  I grinned, but obliged. The magic surrounded my again with a flair, changing my body back into my regular, biped form. The Keeper started.

  "Y - you…" he stammered. "You're the witch from the bar."

  I swung my feet around and stood, taking note that he was watching me. I bowed low, letting him get a better look and said, "at your service, handsome."

  "Hansel, actually," he said, correcting me.

  I straightened up and tilted my head in acknowledgment. "My mistake." I stretched my arms up and out a little, a nice long stretch. "What are you doing around here, handsome?"

  He let out a light shudder and looked back up to my eyes as he fished around in his head for an answer. "Sent here," he said quickly. "Higher-ups wanted me to investigate what happened here years ago. Got a tip that something might still be in the data banks to make my job easier."

  I let a smile slide across my lips as my arms fell back down to my sides, hands resting on my hips. "Who'd you hear the tip from?"

  He gave a decent impression of shaking his head. "Confidential. Can't say."

  "So there are still Keeper Rats among the ranks of the unscrupulous." I laughed, low and soft. "I thought I had managed to kill all of them."

  Hansel tried on a charming smile as he struggled to perform a careless shrug. "Don't know what to tell ya, gorgeous. Although, now that I've told you mine, you couldn't by chance tell me your reasons for being here, could you?"

  "This and that," I responded with a sigh. I walked away casually, letting a few fingers run gently along a nearby desk. An old monitor screen was broken inward, pieces of glass shattered all around. A thin wire coated with dust and debris lay limp nearby, finally dead after pining for the keyboard that was supposed to be attached. "I just like old places where I can smell the death of others."

  I glanced over my shoulder to check his reaction.

  His mouth was cocked up in a slight grin. He watching, but suddenly he wasn't buying it.

  It only made the game more interesting. This creature parading as a Keeper was a strange one.

  I let a slow smile spread over my lips again. Turned. Slid my hips over the edge of the desk. Crossed my legs. Leaned back.

  Hansel didn't move.

  "What's the matter, boy?" I asked slowly. "Don't believe me?"

 
"I never believe women," he responded. "Call it a personal problem."

  "Not even me?" I asked, feigning innocence. "I don't recall ever lying to you."

  "You don't need to," he said, walking over with his pike. "Everything you do is a lie."

  "You do have problems if you believe women are like that." I let him come. Sat up to meet him. Leaned into his space just enough.

  "I don't believe women are like that. I believe you are like that." He let out a laugh as he gently stroked my chin. "You can't seriously believe I'd fall for all this after the shape changing stunt you just pulled." He winked. "Nice acting, by the way."

  I chuckled, the sound low and husky as I raised a hand, fingers gently wrapping around his and slowly moving down his arm. "You have no idea how many I've done this to and gotten away with it." My hand danced across his shirt. "You men are just so—" I hesitated ever so slightly. Let the moment build with a breath or two. Locked eyes and leaned in another inch. He matched my movement. I finished the sentence in a hot breath "—predictable."

  He stopped short where most men charged forward. He let out a small smile. His eyes turned an odd shade of brown. Darker. With a hint of a deep, forest green.

  "You're here for the same data I'm after, aren't you?" He pulled his face away from mine as he asked it, smiling a triumphant smile. He placed a hand on either side of me and waited.

  Interesting.

  I leaned back again with a little sigh. "Fine," I responded. "You win. And you're right."

  "How'd you get in?"

  "I'm magic, darling. I can 'get in' to anything."

  "And how'd you get around?"

  I laughed, the sound a deep, husky noise. "Again, I'm magic."

  "Is that your answer to everything?"

  "Everything that matters, darling." I pressed a boot tip into his leg. "Let me up?"

  "Only when you tell me who came in here with you."

  "You really do have problems."

  He smiled, the motion a bit of a cocky one. "A witch that can teleport anywhere didn't bother teleporting into the central lab. You walked here. Magic doesn't always play well with technology. You brought someone to help you."

  I waved a hand dismissively. "That only applies to Terran magic. My magic gets along quite well with technology, thank you." When he didn't move, I gave a theatrical sigh and said, "oh, very well, pesky bee. Let me up and I'll call him down here. Just don't scare the poor thing."

  With the cocky smile still in place, he moved aside and watched me slide off the desk. "If he traveled with you, I doubt I can do much to scare him."

  I ignored him. With a flick of the wrist, I released the protective energy around Shawn and called out, "we're fine, Foxy. It's safe to come down."

  "Foxy?"

  Within seconds, I heard footsteps in the hall outside and Shawn's little brown mop of a head showed itself. Hansel stared for a moment or two, a very calculating look entering his eyes. He glanced at me and gave me a wry smile, leaning on his pike.

  "I didn't think people like you traveled with guys like him," he said. "You have a thing for children?"

  I rolled my eyes as I walked to Shawn's side. "Luckily for you, no." I placed my hands lightly on Shawn's shoulders. "I prefer men and rogues. Shawn happens to be a rogue Fox, freed from Afanasiy's clutches by his own merit. He bravely volunteered to help me navigate this metal bunker."

  Shawn looked up at me hurriedly, concerned about my telling a Keeper that he was a Fox. He apparently hadn't been around enough Keepers to know that Hansel had spotted him immediately.

  Keepers, unfortunately, had a strong mistrust when it came to any of the marwolaeth clan. They were willing to pardon the ones that hadn't made a nuisance of themselves, but every Keeper worth his weight knew how to identify a marwolaeth at first sight. The longer they stayed alive in their profession, the more creatures they could recognize on the spot.

  "So," Hansel said, "you brought a techie with you. Because...?"

  "Because while my magic plays nice with your technology, I don't much care for the stuff. I have no head for it. Shawn does."

  Hansel nodded. "Alright, cool. Now that we're all on the same page, mind if we work together?"

  Shawn scrounged around the place until he found and assembled all the unbroken pieces of lab equipment he could find. The room was full of old lab equipment and dusty desks. There were only two doors in this whole room, and that count included the one we entered through.

  Despite the lab looking like a junk room, Shawn managed to bring together a workable monitor, keyboard, mouse, computer tower and other, smaller parts he apparently needed that weren't in too much disrepair. He set to work assembling it, Hansel right by his side and offering advice. The two of them began a long string of words and phrases I didn't understand or bother to translate.

  Shawn slid a piece into place and he happily declared it done. The two of them congratulated each other, turned to look at me.

  "We need electricity," Shawn supplied. "Or something similar."

  "And?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.

  "You're magic, gorgeous," Hansel said, sitting back on his haunches and giving me a smart-ass smile. "Think of something."

  While I tried to look annoyed, I couldn't stop the very edges of my mouth from curling up in a smile. Stretching out my hand, I played with the energies from the earth around us. It wasn't much, but the land surrounding the bunker held enough energy for a conversion. I flicked my wrist upward to draw the energy in then leveled my hand, palms-down with each finger spread completely out, spreading the energies around the room.

  Lights flickered. A hum echoed throughout the bunker, dancing around the room and growing into a firm vibration. The computer in front of Shawn and Hansel kicked into life, its gears whirring loudly.

  It clicked.

  It groaned.

  It grated.

  The screen flickered before it suddenly came to life. Some sort of old booting sound echoed about, the speakers scratchy and screeching. A symbol flashed on the screen with a small bar at the bottom, and Shawn let out some sort of excited noise.

  Fingers flying over the keyboard, he activated the computer quickly and easily. The two of them were off again, Hansel pointing and suggesting things, Shawn responding and clicking and typing.

  After maybe a minute of those two speaking their foreign language, Shawn gave a shout of triumph. I walked around the computer to see what they had discovered as he pointed to a small symbol of a folder on the screen. He clicked on it and revealed several files and documents. Some were forms, filled in electronically. Some were hand-written notes, scanned into the system.

  "I've got it!" Shawn said excitedly. "Everything my father had on file, minus the corrupted data."

  "This is amazing," Hansel said under his breath as he stared. "I … I can't believe a human could have gotten this far with the genetic code of a marwolaeth."

  "Anything on the test subject herself?" I asked, kneeling down to see better.

  Shawn searched for a moment then clicked on a file labeled Aliea. "Here it is," he said softly. He became subdued as he went over the files, taking the time to read them over.

  According to the records, Shawn's mother Aliea was bitten on a humanitarian mission to Africa. She was hospitalized there, but they couldn't stop the infection. She was sent to a hospital back home, where she "miraculously" recovered. But she was different. Too different. So different, in fact, that Shawn's father knew something was wrong. He began researching his suspicions and stumbled on to the legend of the marwolaeths. It apparently sounded just insane enough to be right.

  Directly after finding out about the Marwolaeth Curse, he was selected for an undercover research team. Someone had discovered a new disease, he had been told, and the symptoms were incredibly close to what his wife suffered from. It was worse than cancer, they told him and the team, and had to be dealt with immediately.

  His notes indicat
ed that it sounded too good to be true, but he wasn't willing to dig very deep. He had a chance to save her, he noted, and he didn't believe that he would get this chance again.

  So he took her underground and locked her into a quarantine section of the lab, along with a number of other "infected" humans. They began to run tests, experiments, identify unique genetic strains. They tried everything they could, the team being under direct instruction that, should they get "infected" by one of the subjects, they were to permanently remove themselves.

  Whoever thought up this whole "infection" lie was brilliant. A whole host of teams working on a way to reverse the poison of a marwolaeth bite. A genetic discovery into what makes a human turn into a shape-shifter.

  And this team had managed a breakthrough.

  No wonder Afanasiy had come down here. This data would prove invaluable for keeping his subjects in line and for keeping his enemies at bay. If anyone managed to cross him, he'd be able to threaten to turn them back into a human, even if he didn't have his hands on the completed formula.

  For once, I was glad of the difficulty in obtaining this information. It meant that Afanasiy still didn't have his hands on this particular data.

  I put a hand on Shawn's shoulder and said quietly, "Good work."

  "Is there any other way to access this information?" Hansel asked.

  Shawn shook his head. "No. You'd have to hack into the system from the outside. And that means you have to know the passwords and safety codes for every single restricted piece of information."

  "Good."

  Taking a small disk out of his pocket, Hansel pressed a button in the center. It made a loud beeping sound in response, and he raised his hand high as it changed to a piercing, warbling sound. A strong pulse of energy shot out, and as the wave hit the surrounding computers, every single one of them shattered. Including the one at Shawn's knees.

  The casing split.

  The components popped and smoked.

  Everything in the lab shattered, including the overhead lights.

  I extended an arm over Shawn and myself to create a shield, watching the shards of glass rain down from above and sprinkle around us.