Authors: Robin Briar
Their entrances don’t disappoint.
Saffron crashes through the ceiling of Sylvia’s breakfast room and hovers above the table. Candice barrels through the front door, splintering it into shards. Mason launches himself at the same time, a coiled spring, transforming into a half-man, half-wolf behind me. I can hear his clothing tear away.
Saffron is the first to act.
“
Subvertat Cultris
.”
Throw Knives.
Every single piece of edged cutlery from Sylvia’s kitchen flies out of the cupboards. They target Trent alone, but simultaneously. Most will be steel, but Mason assured us that Sylvia owns a collection of silverware too.
We were pretty sure that not even Saffron could cast spells at Trent directly, limiting her arsenal of magic, but indirect spells are no less lethal.
The knives stab into Trent, including his engorged cock.
Candice is dressed head to toe in boiled leather armor while wielding a sword and a spiked wooden club, all from her time as a shield maiden, but with one difference: she melted all the silverware in my apartment with a Heat Metal spell and coated both the edge of her sword and the spike on her shield.
She wastes no time bashing Cropped Hair with her shield, knocking him prone, and then slashing at him with her blade.
Candice and Saffron are also moving much faster than normal, boosted by a spell they both know called
Celeritas Lupus
. Speed of the Wolf. Definitely appropriate in this situation. It levels the playing field considerably.
I didn’t have time to learn that spell as well, but Mason makes up for it by throwing himself at Baldy with a silver spike in each claw, the same spikes that were used to crucify him. He collides into his opponent like a freight train, burying both spikes in his chest.
Suddenly everybody turns into a blur, except for Sylvia, paralyzed by the Stop Motion spell I cast earlier. Now she’s the lone pillar of stillness in a tumult of chaos. As suspected, she’s not immune to magic.
The plan was to make one decisive attack against each werewolf, and that plans seems to have been executed perfectly.
For all the good it did.
Near as I can tell, each of the offending werewolves managed to protect their vital organs by twisting at the last moment.
So much for ending the battle before it began.
No matter. We’re prepared for that as well. If the initial strike didn’t succeed, my next job is to help Mason wherever possible. Before I can be of any real use, however, I need to pull my shorts up.
Trent leaps at Saffron, changing into a half-man, half-wolf as he hurls himself through the air. His clothing tears off his body, revealing a robust frame beneath. The body I have only ever seen in my visions.
“
Leva Ad
,” Saffron utters.
A deceptively simple spell and quickly spoken, but powerful.
She points at the kitchen island and moves the entire counter with an extended finger, slamming it against Trent. She drives him against one of the freestanding support beams in Sylvia’s house, pinning him there.
Cropped Hair changes into a half-man, half-wolf as well, and kicks Candice off him. She’s thrown backward, but lands on her feet, sword and shield still in hand. He leaps to his feet, but Candice is already charging. She backhands him with her shield and slashes at him with her sword, hoping to eviscerate him.
Baldy grabs the two spikes buried in his chest and tries to lift them out. He doesn’t have the strength at first, until he changes into a half-man, half-wolf. That’s when the tables turn. Mason pushes down on the spikes, but Baldy lifts them out of his body, slowly winning the contest of strength between them.
Sensing as much, Mason springs backward. Unfortunately, he only keeps his grip on one of the spikes. Baldy keeps the other one for himself.
That’s not good. I’m afraid Mason is outclassed by his opponent. His only edge right now is that he has me on his side—assuming I can accurately follow their movements.
Meanwhile, Trent pulls two silverware knives out of his body and brings both of his fists down on the kitchen island, getting everybody’s attention.
The counter sunders under his might, as he pulverizes the granite countertop and wooden frame in one combined blow. The power in his body is loud and frightening. There’s nothing left for Saffron to manipulate afterward.
Cropped Hair digs into the hardwood floor with his hind claws to secure himself, and clobbers Candice backward. She keeps her footing, but staggers with the blow.
Baldy leaps at Mason with the silver spike. Their arms collide, but Baldy pulls away first, angling the spike to cut across Mason’s arms. It’s a dirty trick, but effective.
Dammit, the werewolves keep healing. If only they were vulnerable to magic.
That’s when it dawns on me what Baldy almost said before he was cut off by Cropped Hair. Of course that’s what he meant.
I have to get Mason’s attention. I don’t know if that’s going to be possible without distracting him in the middle of his fight, but he needs to know. It’s the only way I can possibly help him in this battle.
Their tattoos protect them from magic. That’s what baldy almost said, pointing at the star design.
Only lieutenants get immunity
.
I’m nowhere near the level of witchcraft that Candice and Saffron can wield, but magical immunity? That’s a whole other level. Definitely not the work of the Romanian witch who tattooed Mason and Sylvia. It must be another spellcaster, somebody powerful enough to create such a ward.
I can yell my discovery out loud, but that would only make the werewolves cautious. I’d rather keep the element of surprise.
For now I can only watch as my friends battle the three shifters. Saffron hurls anything not nailed down against Trent. Chairs, pedestals, the kitchen table, but he shatters them all. Then she hurls the wooden shards at him as well.
Trent just pulls them out, including the knives. Every time he rips silverware out of his body and tosses it aside, Saffron is quick to snatch it out of midair with her spell and throws it back again.
If nothing else, she’s keeping Trent on the defensive, but it feels like the two them are at a stalemate. All he needs to do is get his hands on Saffron and snap her neck. Knowing that, she stays calm and keeps him harried.
Candice, on the other hand, is unhinged, her face filled with rage. I’ve never seen this side of her before. She’s gone utterly berserk. Still, it seems to be working. She collides with Cropped Hair often, slamming the silver point on her shield into him each time.
They otherwise slash at each other with blade and claw, parrying attacks in turn. The two seem well matched, until Cropped Hair tries something new. He grabs the spike on Candice’s shield and rips it off.
It leaves him vulnerable for a second, allowing Candice to strike, eyes aflame with bloodlust. She draws her sword across his side. Cropped Hair howls. It’s a good blow, but not a finishing one.
Mason is faring less well. Baldy is armed with a silver spike as well now. It’s the only weapon that does any lasting damage to a shifter, and they both have one. Mason tries to keep his distance, jabbing at his opponent, but it doesn’t come naturally to him. He’s probably more used to fighting with his claws and teeth.
Baldy is more confident with his spike, holding it like a knife. Clearly he’s done this before, switching it back and forth between his clawed hands without looking. Mason doesn’t know where to look, and that’s when Baldy lunges. There’s barely enough time for him to dodge in time, but he does.
Baldy presses the advantage. Mason can’t get an attack in edgewise. It’s all he can do just to avoid being stabbed. Baldy is whittling him down, killing with a thousand tiny cuts. I get the feeling Mason needs to do what comes naturally. To get in close and really tear at his enemy. Yet even that tactic comes with pitfalls.
Baldy is stronger than Mason. He proved as much already. If they start wrestling, Mason will lose. Still, for my idea to work, Mason needs to do get in close. To do that, however, he will have to lower his guard. He needs to let Baldy attack. That way he can counterstrike with surprise.
“Mason! Forget the spike! Get in close! Use your claws!”
I can’t tell if he heard me or not. He doesn’t look back at me, too focused on the fight. Not just that, but I don’t know how aware Mason is of his surroundings right now. He always describes being a half-man, half-wolf as a blur, but that’s when the wolf is more in control. Right now he’s fighting more like a man. I can only assume that means he’s thinking like one as well.
“Trust me, Mason! Forget the spike! Fight like a wolf!”
He keeps his guard up as Baldy explodes with renewed ferocity, but gives ground as his opponent advances on him. That’s when Mason sidesteps and Baldy drives past him.
It happens quickly. I didn’t even see it coming. Mason anticipated the attack and simply got out of the way.
Baldy is off balance, leaving his flank wide open. Mason spins around, using the momentum of his dodge. He can stab him through the back, maybe even the heart if his aim is true. He can end the fight right here.
If only it were that easy.
Baldy pivots on one foot and turns his body around with enough time to bring his own spike up and deflect Mason’s attack. He’s still off balance and heading to the ground, but he’s not going to die, having blocked the killing blow.
The force of Mason’s attack does send him reeling into the drywall.
It was a perfect feint, but Mason had to set it up first, taking a beating to reach that point. Baldy won’t make the same mistake twice. Not only that, he’s freakishly fast. Now Mason really does need my help, but only if he does what I say. I can help him take Baldy out, but only if he listens.
“Throw me the spike and get in close. I’ve got your back!”
Mason looks at me, just for a second, but nods this time. Good, he heard me. To prove it, he throws me the spike.
It’s still in the air when Mason charges. He collides with Baldy at speed. The force of the impact pushes him deeper into the wall, through the metal and wood. It looks bloody and painful, but Baldy holds on to his spike.
I catch the spike Mason threw me.
Mason braces the arm of his opponent with one of his own, keeping the silver spike away from his body. The two shifters are up close and personal now. Mason has Baldy at a disadvantage, but it won’t last.
Their arms strain against each other, but Baldy manages to slowly elbow his way out. Mason makes him work for it, resisting every inch of the way. At least I can see both men clearly. I have to play my hand. It’s now or never.
“Rip the skin off the back of his neck!”
Baldy actually looks at me when I say that. His eyes go wide. He knows I’ve figured it out.
Mason doesn’t hesitate—he grabs Baldy’s neck in one hand and pulls his fist closed, raking his claws across the flesh. It shreds the Norse star tattoo. Mason completely rips the skin off the sinew beneath, which isn’t that different from what I’m about to do.
“
Caro Tollere.
”
Remove the Flesh.
I’ve known this spell for years, but I’ve never actually seen it work. The effect lives up to the name.
Every layer of skin covering Baldy’s musculature is flicked off him like a cloth being snapped from a table. He explodes with blood. Mason is drenched in viscera, but there’s no helping it. This is definitely better than the alternative.
Baldy stands there in shock, motionless but still alive. I don’t know if a werewolf can survive such a spell, but Mason doesn’t wait to find out.
He wipes the ichor from his eyes, takes the hand off his opponent, still grasping the silver spike, and drives it into the front of his chest, stabbing him through the heart. That did it for sure. There wasn’t even a moment for Baldy to scream.
Mason immediately turns his attention to Cropped Hair. His back is turned. He’s not aware that his partner has been killed, but Candice saw it all. Trent as well. Sylvia remains silent and unmoving in the room, bound by my spell, but she would have seen it too.
Candice keeps attacking Cropped Hair so that he remains focused on her alone, which allows Mason to leap across the room at him.
“Behind you!” Trent roars, but it’s too late.
Mason lands on Cropped Hair’s back on all fours. He sinks his teeth into the back of his neck and rips the tattooed flesh away. He springs off him in one motion, rendering him vulnerable to magic. Now it’s my turn.
“
Prohibere Motus Corporis
.”
The same spell I cast to paralyze Sylvia. No point in being wasteful by casting Remove the Flesh again, not when Candice is right there, armed and deadly. She winds up and swings hard through muscle and bone. Not even a werewolf can survive a beheading. His body slopes to the ground.
That’s two down. Now it’s Trent against three witches and a werewolf.
“Surrender,” Saffron commands in a voice that shakes the room, “or die.”
She’s still levitating.
Trent looks back and forth between the four of us.
“I don’t know how to do either,
witch
,” he says in a guttural voice.
“Well then, let’s see if we can make a lie of at least one of those boasts,” Saffron chirps.
Mason leaps at Trent first, claws outstretched. Candice is right behind him with sword and shield.
I thought Baldy was fast. Trent is faster. He grabs Mason by the wrist, still airborne, twists, and spins him around in a circle, hurling his body at Candice behind him. She barely manages to get her shield up in time to protect herself from Mason.
The strength of the man is truly horrific.
Candice and Mason are sent tumbling back into a corner, a mess of arms and legs tangled up in each other. I’m sure that hurt.
“You won’t remove my tattoo so easily,” Trent says.
“No. It seems you’re too quick for that,” Saffron replies in a sour tone of voice. “So be it.
Leva Ad
.”
She cast the same spell again. Which means she’s activated two versions of the same spell simultaneously. I didn’t even know that was possible. Saffron can wield some serious witchcraft.