The Witch and the Werewolf (18 page)

“
Well I’ll be damned,”
Dutch said from the driver’s seat. “The old coot really did
it.”

It wasn’t often you saw a
ship wedged between buildings in the middle of an urban city. More
so, it wasn’t often you saw a ship with dozens of campfires on its
decks and electric lights strung from one end to the other lighting
up the post-apocalyptic landscape. The massive container ship’s
lights lit the dark city for blocks. Cars and trucks, along with
heavy construction equipment, surrounded it. Even from as far out
as they were she could see hundreds of people working. A wall, made
of rubble from the surrounding ruins, was going up and ramps led
into the remains of the building the ship was wedged
against.

“
He’s building a new
city,” Jeremy said. “And has a bunch of good people doing it. It’s
pretty amazing.”

“
That’s not what I’m
talking about,” Dutch said, pointing to the highest point of the
ship. A flag flew there, white on black, depicting a wolf’s head,
ripped from the body. “He wasn’t kidding. He wants them to come
here.”

“
The one you caught,” she
said, unable to escape the old wolf’s attention. “What was he
like?”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
He’s calling to me,” she
said, feeling the wolf’s pain. “I don’t know if he knows it or not,
but I can feel him. He’s… he is a part of me. How was he?” She
imagined a very old man, like a wizard with long flowing white
beard and dark robes. There was so much complexity to the wolf, so
very different from the feral things that had been chasing her
since Worm Fall. He was a wolf first, but also a man who’d seen
more of the world than she’d ever hoped to. And he was in there,
somewhere in that Church, suffering.

“
Are you all right?”
Jeremy asked.

“
I’m fine,” she told the
boy, shaking the images from her mind. “Dutch… what is he like?
What do I need to expect?”

The mercenary shrugged. “I
don’t know what to tell you. We fought for just a couple of minutes
and then I dragged him to the church. He’s a young guy,” the man
said, surprising her, “and looks like he was a business man, or
something. A runner. He fought hard and didn’t go down until I put
three in his chest.”

“
Three silver
rounds?”

“
Yeah,” Dutch said,
guiding the big truck to a stop among the man vehicles, mostly off
road types, parked around the church. “Why?”

“
How many did you shoot on
the bridge?”

“
A couple. I don’t know
where you’re going with this.”

“
Me too. And when you
shoot one, they turn back into a man and die, right? One bullet
equals one dead wolf. You shot that one three times in the chest
and it lived?”

“
The priest said it was
old and strong.”

“
I think,” Cassandra said,
pulling Jeremy in tighter, “that the wolf you have is more powerful
than all the wolves behind us. He has the power to destroy us
all.”

Father O’Leary waited for them at the entrance to
his former church’s bunker. Beside the remaining foundation a ramp
led up into the ship, through a hole cut in the hull. The ramp, and
the hole, were big enough to drive a vehicle through. Men and women
worked piling rubble up around both the ship and the foundation of
the former church, piling concrete blocks, twisted iron, and
smashed cars twelve feet high. Other men wedged debris under the
ship’s hull, shoring it up. There were hundreds more people than
had been there when he’d left just a few short days
before.

“
Father,” Dutch said,
taking the grinning man’s hand. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t
good to see you.”

“
And you as well, me boy.
I worried after hearing so much gunfire to our east. I trust you
were responsible for that?”

Dutch nodded. “It’s a long
story that I’ll be happy to tell you after some sleep and a shower.
If something like that’s even possible.”

“
Of course it’s possible,
though the water will have to be heated on a stove and poured over
your head. We’ve made great strides in the last few days, but alas,
we have not yet managed to get the Perseus’ plumbing up and
running.”

“
The ship?”

“
Yes, me boy. The ship.
Our salvation in these wastes. I’ll give you the nickel tour once
you’re rested.” The man turned and appraised Cassandra. “You must
be Cassandra Kent. It is my absolute pleasure to meet you,” he
said, taking her hand, “But I fear your arrival here, with Mr.
Dutch, foretells something ominous regarding your mother’s
fate.”

“
She’s dead,” Cassandra
said simply and Dutch winced. The girl was in a daze. She said the
wolf was calling to her. Was it affecting her like this?

“
Oh dear lass, I am so
sorry to hear that. Your mother was a dear friend of mine since,”
the father paused, rubbing at his scraggly beard. “Dear me. I don’t
rightly know how long it’s been I’ve known your mum. I fear what
her loss means for us.”

“
She was a
witch.”

“
Of course she was a
witch. You’re a witch. Your family has been witches going back
generations. Your great, great, great,” he paused, counting in the
air, “well, it does not matter how many greats. One of your
ancestors was even a founding member of the Witch Guard. You come
from a long, prestigious line, my dear. Why would that surprise
you?”

“
She never told me
anything,” Cassandra said in a rush. “She never mentioned anything
until the night the wolves took her. I didn’t know. I still don’t
know. My body is doing things… I have these powers that I have no
idea how to control. I can feel things…”

“
You feel the wolves, do
you not?”

She shook her head in sad
agreement and again Dutch felt for her. He’d seen her in battle.
Even untrained and inexperienced it came naturally to the girl.
Whether she knew it or not she was one of those rare people who
thrived on combat and was natural at it. With training, and her
powers, she’d be a warrior queen. But there, her head held low,
staring at the icy ground, she looked like a sad little teenager
who’d lost everything and was left in a world that no longer cared.
She looked tiny and frail and he wanted to scoop her up and take
her away from all this.

“
I’m sorry for that. There
isn’t anything I can do about that particular affliction,” the
father said, taking her hand. “Your mother not only lived with the
pack’s emotions, she used it to her advantage. Think how much good
you can do knowing your enemy’s whereabouts and thoughts. And make
no mistake, lass. They are your enemy. They will be your enemy
until the end of days. Unless they are eradicated you will never
again sleep a night in your life without looking over your
shoulder. And that, my dear, is why we have the wolf here who is no
doubt manipulating your thoughts; we will know where the alpha is.
Once we know that, we will destroy this vile race
forever.”

The priest bowed. “Forgive
me. I prattle on like an old woman. Please, rest, eat, and enjoy
the safety while there is time. The wolves are not far behind you.
I must see to our defenses. Use what time you have well. I fear the
coming battle.”

“
Come on,” he told the
girl. “Let’s find something to eat and a quiet place to get a
nap.”

“
I don’t want to go with
him,” Jeremy said adamantly.

“
Why not?”

“
He’s not right. I don’t
know what he is, but I know he isn’t like us.”

“
What color?”

“
Deep purple,” the boy
said. “Almost black.”

“
You know we’re putting a
lot of faith in the boy’s ability,” Dutch said, still amazed at how
easily the kid got around without eyes. The nuclear explosions of
Wormwood had taken his eyes but given him something else and Dutch
wasn’t entirely comfortable with that yet. “I don’t really know
O’Leary from Adam, but I can tell you this. He saved the people in
that bunker. And it wasn’t the rich and the famous. There weren’t
any politicians in there. It was full of homeless people… junkies
and whores. And then he’s built all of this,” he continued, annoyed
at the kid, “in a couple of days. He’s taken in people from the
outside and built those walls to protect this place.”

“
There still is something
wrong with him,” Jeremy insisted. “I can see it. I don’t know what
it means but it’s there. He’s not normal. He’s not…”

“
What Jeremy?” Cassandra
demanded.

“
He’s not
human.”

Dutch sighed. The last two
days had been hard on him. He was exhausted and said so. “Fine.
He’s not human. Neither are the werewolves and the two of you
together are even weirder than an entire pack of werewolves. Forget
it for now. We’ll deal with it later. Right now I’m eating and
sleeping. In that order.”

Dutch started up the ramp
into the ship, closely followed by Jeremy. Cassandra hung
back.

“
I’ll catch
up.”

“
You okay?” he asked the
girl, knowing better.

“
You bet. Just go on in.
I’ll find you later.”

Against his better
judgment he left without her. He wanted to pull her away from the
wolf in the basement, but the thing was in her head. There wasn’t
anything he could do besides support her later, if she needed
it.

Cassandra didn’t need anyone to tell her were the wolf was.
She felt it in the core of her being just as she had since Worm
Fall. The old wolf was so close; his thoughts beating like a dying
star in her mind. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat. She couldn’t do
anything until she confronted the beast in her mind. Her hands
shook with nervous anticipation as she descended the
stairs.

The basement was well lit
but trashed like the survivors had been in a hurry carrying out its
contents. Empty MRE wrappers and water bottles littered the floor.
The room stank of human occupation. Across the wide basement was a
solid silver door guarded by a man in a shoddy police officer’s
uniform.

“
Hi,” she said with the
best smile she could force.

“
Hello,” the man replied,
obviously exhausted. “How can I help you?”

“
I need to go through that
door,” she managed. The wolf’s emotions were pounding in her head.
He could feel her as well. He wanted her to come through that
door.

“
Yeah,” the cop told her.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. The thing behind that door is
dangerous in a way you couldn’t understand. Father O’Leary said not
to let anyone in.”

Come to me,
Cassandra,
the wolf said in her mind, his
voice the clearest she’d ever heard it.
I
would see you.

“
You have no idea what I
understand. You have no idea what I’ve seen in the last few days,
what I’ve done. I really have to get in there,” she insisted but
the former cop didn’t look like he was going to change his mind
anytime soon.

“
No, little girl,” the man
said. “That’s the big bad wolf. You don’t want anything to do with
it.”

She held her hand out,
palm up, unsure of what she was doing. She felt the power coursing
through her body and had no doubts that Jeremy would see that blue
energy forming within her. A tiny blue flame leapt into existence,
dancing on her outstretched hand. The guard looked on, eyes
wide.

“
I am the big bad wolf,”
she said, blowing the flame. A tiny blue fireball leapt from her
hand and slammed into the wall, leaving a fist sized hole
there.

“
What the…”

“
Open the door,” she said
forcefully.

“
Yes ma’am,” the cop said,
fumbling with the lock to the door. He was in a panic. “Whatever
you say, ma’am.”

Cassandra stepped through
the open doorway and into the dimly lit room. A couple of candles
flickered with the door’s closing behind her.

The wolf came to her and
her perceptions of the beast, based on his invasion her mind, were
wrong.

The werewolf was not the
withered old man she’d imagined. Instead he was a handsome thirty
something year old with bulging muscles and hard lines. His hair
was just starting to get shaggy and he had several day’s worth of
beard on his face. He stared at her with piercing blue eyes that
made her heart flutter and smiled with teeth so white she was sure
they glowed in the dark.

“
Hello Cassandra,” the
beast said, his voice full and rich, yet pained with the torture
he’d been subjected to. “It is a pleasure to meet you in
person.”

The beast was inside a
cage of silver bars six feet wide by six feet long. His arms were
chained to the top with silver chains as were his legs at the
bottom. His hard body was covered in cuts and burns and she knew,
both from looking at him as well as him having lived in her mind
for the last few days that he’d been constantly tortured with
silver implements. He smiled at her, but the smile bordered on
exhaustion. The silver had caused the skin around where it touched
him to burn and smoke even as she watched it.

“
I am, however, sorry
about the circumstances.”