Arundia Returns Page 5

  I ran assessing eyes over those present. The four elders wore silvery pants and shirts that caught and held the moonlight, reflecting it back until they seemed to glow. Though of varying heights, they all wore long hair that cascaded down their backs while they stood as immobile as any vampire.

  Behind and slightly to one side of each figure stood a man or a woman clothed as the first man had been--tight dark shirt, dark pants, and boots. No weapons visible, yet their stance clearly stated that these warriors would safeguard their Elders.

  Ri stood behind and to one side of me, in much the same position as the Weres’ guards. I wished the young Were would step away or step back; in some small way dissociate from me. Whatever came down, I didn’t want Ri branded a traitor to her own kind. I turned enough that she could see my lips. Soundlessly, I mouthed, “You aren’t my guard. Go stand with your People.

  In a voice clearly meant to be heard, Ri replied, “I brought you here and I will guard you with my own life. I am not a traitor to my People simply because I survived what many could not. Nor do I intend to turn my back on First Councilwoman Serena Longer for she did not turn her back on me when I most needed a true friend.”

  Anger twisted the face of the Elder to the right. “Rianna Mayson, step away from the vampire’s human.”

  Instead, Ri stepped in front of me and swung around to face the Elder who had spoken. “Elder Coahoma appointed me escort. I am honor bound to keep Alexis Night Runner safe. I am honor bound to repay the debt I owe to First Councilwoman Serena Longer. I will not disgrace my mother’s name.”

  “Perhaps,” the Elder’s voice dripped acid, “you would like to feel the lash, young werepanther.”

  I stepped up beside Ri. “As she is honor bound to protect me, I am likewise honor bound to protect her. Would you allow your personal feelings to destroy any hope either of our People have in this war?”

  “You were not told to speak!” The snap of his words caused my skin to quiver.

  Before I could retort that I didn’t answer to him, Elder Coahoma spoke in a soft voice that brooked no disobedience. “Cease your verbal lashings, Elder Kilmore. We have invited Alexis Night Runner to treat with us. We will not dishonor the Were Peoples by breaking the rules of hospitality.”

  The struggle to rein in his temper played across handsome features. He’d be a hottie, if he wasn’t so hateful.

  The Elder stood in front of the other three and spread her arms wide. “Alexis Night Runner, forgive us our rude greeting, but as you pointed out we face a war and must not be lax in our vigilance. Allow me to greet you properly, as behooves us to greet the personal representative of the Vampire People who answer to First Councilwoman Serena Longer of the North America Region.”

  She glided to one side so that she faced me, yet could easily see the Elders. Raising one arm she waved a hand at the Elder on the right. “You have heard from Elder Ivan Kilmore, leader of the Werebadgers of North America. The Elder to his left is Elder Kiv Isloo, leader of the Coyotes of North America.”

  The slight form regally dipped his head in greeting, but I could’ve sworn his dark eyes danced with merriment.

  “Next to Elder Isloo, stands Elder Maria Many Horses, leader of the Wolves of North America. I am Elder Coahoma, leader of the Panthers of North America and the Great Leader of All Weres and Shifters of North America. I welcome you to my forest and grant you safe passage.”

  Ri had slid back into the place behind and to one side of me as soon as Elder Coahoma had begun the traditional greetings.

  I dipped my head in an abbreviated bow to acknowledge the Elder’s greeting. “I appreciate you meeting with me, though I wonder at your unusual demands governing this meeting.”

  Elder Coahoma cocked her head. “Our People have had, and still have, reason to distrust the vampires. Do you know the history?”

  With a brusque nod, I replied, “Yes, ma’am. First Councilwoman Longer apprised me of it. And, I know all of you have long memories, much longer than a human’s life span, but is it not time to let go of old resentments and grudges so that all of our Peoples might survive?”

  “Once the vampires are safe, they’ll turn on us!” Elder Kilmore thundered.

  Elder Isloo spoke. “I do not hold a grudge against the vampires. Even our long lives are too short for such resentments, but how can we trust them when we have found the bodies of our People murdered by vampires recently?”

  I met his dark eyes with a steady gaze. “We of the First Councilwoman’s Region have also found bodies of our People murdered by vampires. We have found Clans destroyed by vampires. We have discovered our humans drained and discarded to lie like trash in ditches and dumpsters.”

  My eyes roamed over the gathered Elders, stopping to briefly hold each one’s gaze before moving to the next one until I once again faced Elder Isloo. “No People are without those who are evil. Vampires are no exception. These are the ones we fight; ones who wish to destroy and control all of us.”

  Elder Many Horses cleared her throat and all eyes focused on her. “This is no longer a vampire problem. It has become our problem, too. I will not stand aside and let old wounds prevent us from making new allies, powerful allies even if they are vampires. As this young ambassador has pointed out, no People are without evil in their midst.”

  “You trust those blood suckers?” Kilmore whirled around to glare at her.

  She lifted her chin and met his glare with an implacable gaze. “I have no reason to distrust First Councilwoman Longer. I have watched her from afar and received only good words about her since she arrived on this continent. Of all the Supernatural immigrants, she is the only one who sent envoys to ask that she might settle and share these lands with us, The First People.” Her features hardened into sternness. “Your People, Elder Kilmore, would have driven my people off their own lands had you possessed the ability to do so those many years ago.”

  Kilmore narrowed his eyes. “We have long since made restitution for our mistakes. Do not bring up old conflicts that have been resolved.”

  “Then perhaps, you should let go of old grudges that no longer apply to the current North American leader of the vampires.” With a decisive move, she turned away from him.

  Coahoma turned her attention back to me. “Our council will discuss this offer to ally with First Councilwoman Longer and then I will meet with her no later than three days from now. I will send word by Rianna when and where the meet will occur.”

  “You can’t....” Kilmore burst out.

  Coahoma whirled on him. “I can, and I do, Elder Kilmore. I am the Great Leader of All Weres and Shifters of North America. Do not forget your place!” She narrowed her eyes. “Unless you wish to challenge me for my position?”

  He dropped his gaze and mumbled, “I apologize, Elder Coahoma. I was simply shocked at such a quick decision to meet with the vampires.”

  “As Representative Night Runner has pointed out—time is of the essence and First Councilwoman’s vampires face danger as well as our Peoples. They have a right to know if they fight alone, or if we stand with them.” She waved a dismissive hand as she pivoted away from him. “It appears that all of us, except you, realize the danger we face and are ready to at least hear what the vampire leader has to say.” She shifted her gaze to Ri. “Do you recognize this place?”

  Ri nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Return Alexis Night Runner to her vehicle, please.”

  Ri ducked her head in a deep bow. “Yes, Elder.”

  As Ri stepped toward the wooded path, the Elder spoke again. “Thank you for your service to our People, Rianna Mayson. And, thank you for standing firm on your honor. It speaks well of you, Young Panther.”

  Chapter 6

  Alexis Night Runner

  “How far is it back to the car? It feels like we’ve been walking a lot longer than we did to get to that clearing.” I glanced around, uneasy, but saw no one. Rubbing the back of my neck didn’t chase the tingly feeling away. Tension thrumme
d through my body.

  “I don’t know the shortcut the Elder used, so we’re only about halfway back.” Ri glanced over her shoulder. “Sorry about that.”

  With a shrug, I tried to blow it off. “I'm just whining.”

  She halted and waited until I got up beside her. “You don’t whine. What’s bothering you?”

  Eyes restlessly roaming the forest, I lowered my voice and leaned close to Ri. “It’s possible that I'm being hyper-sensitive, but I feel like someone’s stalking me.”

  Head ducked, she whispered back, “Not hyper-sensitive. Someone is stalking us. We picked them up a few minutes ago. At least, that’s when I became aware of them.”

  A frown tugged the corners of my mouth. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I had hoped that Elder Coahoma sent them to make sure we got back to the car safely.”

  “In that case, wouldn’t they have already made themselves known to us?”

  She briefly lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “Not necessarily.”

  The worry in Ri’s eyes told me the bad news. “Our stalkers weren’t sent by the Elder.”

  Though it hadn’t been a question, she answered. “No. I caught the scent a little while ago. Four strangers. Werepanthers.”

  “Damn, what I wouldn’t give for enhanced senses.” My shortcomings frayed my patience. “That’s why you stepped up the pace. Tell me--how do I kill a werepanther?”

  “Depends on how old the panther is. You can only kill an old one by cutting the head off, destroying the heart, or inflicting so many lethal injuries that the panther can’t heal before he bleeds out. That can be tough because an old panther heals so fast that it’s hard to make one bleed out.”

  “Sweet Goddess! That sounds about as easy as killing a vampire.”

  “Yeah, except cats don’t move or think like a human or a vampire, so it’s more difficult to guess where and how they’ll strike.”

  “Let’s hope these are young ones then. How do I kill a young panther?”

  “Pretty much the same way. You cut off the head; deliver a heart strike with a bullet or a knife--just a direct strike will kill a young panther where it takes destroying the heart to kill an old one; or you inflict injuries that cause them to bleed out--that’s way easier when they’re younger since the younger you are the slower you heal.”

  “Do they regenerate limbs they lose?”

  As her eyes searched the surrounding woods, she gave a slight shake of her head. “No, like Serena told me about vampires--once it’s gone, it’s gone unless you can get it pushed back into place before the injury heals too much for it to reattach.”

  “Let’s stay close together and keep moving. Maybe they’re just sizing us up, watching to see what we’re doing.” I knew that kind of thinking was akin to a kid whistling as they passed a cemetery.

  We made it back to where the Elder had first appeared then hurried past that small clearing. Heavy brush scattered through the trees and along the narrow trail, obscuring sight.

  As we rounded a blind curve in the path, Ri stopped abruptly and threw out one arm. Busy eyeing the sides of the trail, I ran into her arm. My eyes darted to Ri then followed her gaze.

  Crouched in the middle of the trail, two panthers stared at us with slitted amber eyes while the black tips of their tails flicked with metronomic regularity.

  “Tell me they’re ordinary--though ginormous--everyday, brownish-red cougars, or panthers, or whatever people call them.”

  Ri barely shook her head, her eyes never leaving the animals. “Sorry. Werepanthers. Older ones. Not ancient, but pretty old.”

  “Damn! I thought you said you smelled four? So where are the other two?”

  “Probably watching from the brush. We don’t often hunt in packs, except during our Gatherings. Elder Coahoma does it to teach us to work together when we’re facing an enemy who might be too many or too strong to face alone.” Ri shot me a sideways glance. “Pack hunting is mostly a wolf kind of thing.” As she talked, her fingertips elongated into hooked claws.

  I drew my gun from its shoulder holster.

  She flashed a derisive look at the gun. “I'm afraid that isn’t going to be much help, unless you have a lot of bullets and can fire that thing superfast and super accurate. Stay close to me.”

  “Oh, this will work just fine. This is a semi-automatic .45 and I loaded it with bullets that mushroom as they tear through a body. If I blow a really big hole through their head, it will at least scramble their brains enough to stop them for a while. I hope.”

  Ri hiked her brows up. “Good thinking. If you aim right behind the elbow, that kind of bullet would probably destroy the heart, too.”

  No sooner had she finished speaking than a rustle of leaves caused me to jerk around. A panther launched at me. I dropped to one knee. As the panther sailed overhead, I rapid-fired twice. Before I could lunge back up on my feet, a second panther leapt. Unable to get a shot off, I threw my hand up, the body of the gun in front of my throat a nanosecond before the animal clamped down.

  Teeth locked around the weapon, it yanked its head left then right. The gun sailed out of my hand. I planted both feet on its gray underbelly and heaved. The animal flew backward and slammed into a tree.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw a panther take Ri to the ground. Before I could rush to her aid, the panther I’d thrown rose to its feet. It shook itself like a dog flinging raindrops. A rumble vibrated from low in its chest as it stalked toward me.

  I snatched the hunting knife from its sheath on my belt and set my feet. No wonder the panthers hadn’t checked me for weapons before meeting with me. I felt seriously outgunned.

  The panther lunged. I leapt to one side. As it breezed past, I threw myself on its back. One arm locked around its neck, I stabbed wildly. The knife skidded off bone. A few strikes sunk into its chest, though none were immediately lethal. Blood poured from the animal’s wounds making it more difficult to hang on.

  The panther screamed and threw itself to the ground then rolled. I wrapped both legs and my one arm tighter around the furry body. I couldn’t hang on long. Desperate, I plunged the knife in again. It slipped between a couple of ribs. With a grunt, I shoved it to the hilt.

  Frantic, the animal rolled and flung itself around.

  More hot blood gushed over my hand. My grip on the knife hilt slipped and slid. Fingers aching, I clenched the weapon tighter.

  The panther twisted its head around. Its teeth snapped an inch from my face. I jerked away from the flashing canines. The sudden, violent movement loosened my precarious grip. The blood-slicked knife hilt slid out of my hand as I dropped to the ground. As soon as my body slammed into the dirt, I rolled and shoved to my feet. Crouched, I faced the snarling jaws of my adversary.

  The big paws padded toward me. The hilt of the knife jiggled with each step. It stumbled. Yellow eyes locked on me, mouth twisted into a silent snarl, the panther hit the ground chin first then slowly sank to its side. It heaved a breath then stilled. Its eyes stared beyond the mortal realm.

  Off to one side, Ri lay in a motionless heap against the base of a tree. The panther standing above her body turned and faced me. A second panther held a bloody foreleg off the ground. I looked again. Not held off the ground; the bottom part of the leg had been ripped off leaving jagged white bone protruding. It hobbled to one side and a half step behind the other panther as they stalked me.

  Bleeding from gashes I’d been unaware of, with a flap of skin hanging from one forearm, I slid over to the dead panther. My knife lay trapped beneath the heavy body. A glance around failed to reveal my gun.

  Heart pounding, I inhaled deeply, but dared not close my eyes as I beseeched Hecate, Mother of Magic. “Mother of Us Who Carry Your Gift, aid me. Bring fire to my hand so I might destroy my enemy.” A blue spark snapped along my fingertips.

  The animals slowly closed the distance, amber eyes never drifting from my face.

  “Mother, please aid me!” A stir
ring of heat coiled in my middle. I focused my Will on the coil. It slowly grew.

  The first panther leapt, its graceful arc bridging the distance between us.

  Fire flared up from my palm. Quickly, I shaped it into a spear. The animal slammed into the point of the spear. I dropped the magical weapon and lunged to the side.

  The spear lodged in the animal’s chest. Blue fire raced along the tawny fur. The panther screamed as flame engulfed it. It crashed to the ground, and fell silent. The flame burned for a moment more and then flickered out.

  The three-legged animal slunk across the space. Its mouth open in a snarl, rage vibrated its chest.

  Drained from forcing the fire, I staggered back. My eyes never left the approaching cat.

  The slight rustle of branches momentarily yanked my gaze to one side. From the shadows, a deep reddish-brown panther--much larger than the ones that had stalked us--emerged. My heart thundered. No way could I win against the crippled animal, much less this newcomer.

  All of a sudden, the newcomer sprang and slammed into the three-legged animal. Snarling, they rolled across the path and into the bushes. As the bushes shook with their struggles, I rushed over to Ri. I dropped to my knees, my trembling fingers searching for a pulse.

  A faint throb fluttered beneath my fingers. I leaned over and slid my arms beneath Ri’s slight body. Injured and exhausted from the fight, I struggled to my feet, staggering before I regained my balance.

  Elder Coahoma appeared in front of me. I jerked to one side, nearly dropping my burden. “Sweet Mother! Where did you come from?”

  “We followed you to guarantee safe passage. I apologize that we didn’t arrive sooner. Let me have the child.” The Elder held her arms out.

  I shook my head. “No. I have no idea who set those panthers on us, but you’re their queen.” I left the rest of the accusation unspoken. “There is no way that I’ll trust you to take care of Ri, especially not when some of your People think she’s a traitor.”