here.”
Melissa knew she was stretching the truth a bit, but Donna had gone off on a very convoluted metaphysical tangent involving multiple planes of existence and mythology . The upshot was that she if could take the skin of the avatar of the pack, an energy being that existed outside of normal space/time, she could become a shapeshifter.
“I would never want this life for you.” Greg said squeezing his temples hard in a vain attempt to crush out the incipient headache brewing behind his eyes.
They were no closer to resolving this than they ever had been. Melissa knew what she’d have to do. She waited until Greg had been asleep for a couple of hours. Then she slipped away into the forest.
Melissa walked the island feeling rather than seeing following the lines of subtle energy seeking the heart of the island. Not necessarily the geographical center of the island but its spiritual heart where the energy of the place and people was strongest. That is where the avatar of the pack would be.
As she moved closer to the heart of the place the lines of energy that crisscrossed the landscape glowed brightly leading her deeper in to the forest at the center of the island. This was the furthest she’d been from the shore since she’d arrived. Melissa looked back, but she couldn’t see the lights of the Hamptons across Long Island Sound anymore.
At the edges of her vision figures shifted flickering in and out of existence. They were possibilities, might-have-beens, the anima of a place might spin off paths, but we choose to walk them or make our own.
She opened a door in her mind. That was how she always imagined it a door covered with intricately carved symbols opening. She could see the heart of the island now shining like a jewel. Drawing a deep breath, tried to contain her excitement, this was what Mages did she was walking between worlds. She stepped into the light and was gone.
A wave of nausea passed through her quickly as she moved between worlds. Existing in one world or another wasn't a problem, it was passing through the space in between that briefly sickened most Mages. She looked around, in her world, the island was largely undeveloped and the trees were old growth and healthy looking. Here she could see the true condition of the place. The rot that had slowly crept into the pack was everywhere. The trees were gnarled,was the air tainted with the smell of decay, even the sky seemed smudged with a grayish grime.
A few yards away, a machete inscribed with silvery symbols lay as if waiting for her on a large hunk of granite. Not exactly the sword in the stone, but it would do. She was worried that the pack’s avatar might not acknowledge her because she wasn’t a shape shifter. According to her research, there would be a test or challenge of some kind, but she had no idea what form it would take. There was nothing to do but wait.
She waited for what felt like hours. Eventually, she decided to move deeper into the woods. The forest was dense here blocking both warmth and sunlight. Throaty growls of anger and pain grew louder as she continued, cutting through the tangled under growth with the machete.
She wanted to run away, but she forced herself forward if she could be accepted into the pack as Greg’s mate they would both be safe from the worst of Roxanne’s spite. A few yards away, a black wolf lay on its side, its eyes half closed curled in on itself with pain.
Melissa glanced at it and looked away quickly being sure not to stare at the injured wolf. It wouldn’t be wise to issue a challenge by looking it too long. Pain could enrage the wolf and if it had any strength left at all it would attack a challenger. If she died here she would be just as dead in the upper world.
The wolf’s gaze was fixed on the silvery machete. Melissa looked down at the knife in her hand she closed her fingers around the hilt more tightly. Steeling herself for what she knew had to be done if she was going to survive. The wolf’s eyes flicked to hers it was resigned to its fate. Melissa took a step forward. She raised the machete. The wolf didn’t move.
“I’ll make it quick.” She said to the panting wolf. She tried to imagine slipping the wolf’s skin over her shoulders and transforming into a wolf herself, but all she could see is the grisly business of killing and skinning a being that was already suffering. She put the knife down.
The wolf allowed her to approach. Slowly, making sure it could see her every move, Melissa lowered herself to her knees next to the injured beast. The wound in its side was festering. Pus ran from the swollen flesh. Its fur dull and matted, Melissa tentatively touched the wound the wolf growled and snapped at her in warning.
“I want to help.” She said slowly stroking its flank. The great beast relaxed slightly under her touch.
Melissa closed her eyes and poured mana into the wolf. In the “real” world this was usually just a magical metaphor, but in the causal plane she became a conduit for healing power. She drew mana, life energy, the forest, the earth and herself and poured it into the dying wolf. The wolf yelped in surprise as the white light filled it burning out the infection. For a moment, the wound blazed bright and the pus flowed thickly in a hot, sticky stream over her hands.
Melissa watched as the wound filled in from the inside. New flesh grew followed by new skin and hair. The enormous beast let loose a howl of relief and joy. Melissa fell back when the wolf rose to its feet. She scooted back even more when it was joined by two other huge wolves. The three looked at each other intently. Melissa sensed that there was communication between them, but she couldn’t penetrate their link.
“Are you certain, Sister?” The grey wolf said.
“She will heal the pack as she healed me.”
“This is not our way.” The Red Wolf objected.
“Our way is to survive.” The black wolf said. Her eyes were calm now evaluating the human who chose to heal rather than kill.
“Human,” the Grey wolf said he looked directly into her eyes as if measuring her. “Do you accept our gift?”
She felt power gathering without a mind to give it purpose, the wave would peak then dissipate into nothing.
“Yes, I accept.” The sound of her voice rang through the forest of dying trees sending reverberations through the multiverse. In the world above, there was a rumble like thunder. Greg woke from a restless sleep to find that he was alone.
The black wolf ran toward Melissa. She stood, her arms out, ready to embrace the beast. The wolf and the Mage merged in a cataclysm of magic that burned the dead and dying trees and shook the earth. Melissa rode the tsunami of power for what seemed like forever before everything went black.
Melissa opened her eyes and met a worried pair of amber eyes hovering over her. She managed to croak out “Water?” Greg gave her a sip of water. He slumped in relief.
“What were you doing out there?” Greg said. “You’ve been out of it for about nine hours.” “
“It doesn’t matter. We’re leaving--today.” He said cutting her off.
“What about your dues?”
“I’ll come back when she’s willing to see me.”
Melissa was too tired to argue. She didn’t feel any different she wasn’t sure what to tell him. She closed her eyes and tried to change. Greg once said that the change started as a tingling started in his hands then spread to his whole body. She didn’t feel so much as an itch.
“Let’s get you something to eat.”
As soon as he got the words out she was starving. “I need some more water too.”
While Melissa showered, Greg made a breakfast feast a couple of stacks of pancakes, sausages, bacon, toast, eggs, and his special baked apples stuffed with brown sugar and cinnamon. Melissa felt better once she’d showered and the food restored her strength faster than she’d expected. She was eyeing the last survivors of the stack of pancakes when Greg’s phone trilled.
He listened intently. “Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
He looked tense when he turned to face her. She waited knowing that she wasn’t going to like this.
“She’ll accept my dues today. We’ll have to leave immediately following the ceremony” He sa
id.
“I’ll have everything packed by the time you get back.” Melissa said. She would talk to him about the ritual she’d attempted when they got home.
“Stay inside.” He bent to kiss her before grabbing his jacket and hurried out the kitchen door.
She smiled trying not to look worried. They’d been on the island a week and Roxanne and wasn’t willing to let them leave until now. Was it too much to hope that Roxanne given up after their last run in? Melissa wondered.
Melissa busied herself packing the last of their things and double checking that they weren’t going to be leaving anything behind. She wouldn’t want to have anything connected with her left behind in this place. Mages tended to be cautious in that respect as a rule, but in this place among the changing kind she felt the need to be extra vigilant. She even poured drain cleaner down the drain to dissolve any hair that got trapped down there.
She was still in the bathroom when the first window exploded in the living room. Melissa ran toward the sound. The couch was on fire. Melissa couldn’t wrap her brain around it for a second. The window was broken and the couch was on fire. Something came crashing through the other window. Melissa saw the bottle and the flaming rag stuffed in the top.
“I don’t believe this shit.” Melissa threw herself back toward the bathroom to avoid being burned.
The second Molotov cocktail exploded in a shower of glass and