The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Six
6The Horizon's horn blared, waking Will from what had already been a less
than restful sleep. He rubbed his eyes and looked up to the small round window
just above the bed. It looked to him as though it was early morning, though it
could be tough to tell as the window didn't let much light in to begin with. He
sat up and shook his head, wondering what had possessed the crew to wake up the
passengers--few though there were--at such an absurd time and in such a noisy
manner.Then it clicked. After nearly ten days at sea they were about to arrive
in London. Will licked his lips nervously. While it was undoubtedly good that
they had made it without incident, something had come to worry him as they
traveled. There was a good chance that this woman Quentin was sending them to
wouldn't be able to do much--if anything--for Jenna's condition. If that was the
case then Will knew that Jenna would likely be just as upset as when she had
first changed.He pushed those thoughts from his mind, resolving to stay focused on the
task at hand and worry about possibilities as they arose. His mind back to
where he felt it needed to be, he looked down beside him where Jenna was still
fast asleep, snoring softly with her tail wrapped around her. At least that was
what he assumed based on what he could see in the dim light.He squinted as he looked at her, confused. He wasn't sure if he was
imagining it or not, but it almost looked as though something was flickering in
her slightly parted mouth. He leaned in close to her, trying to get a better
view. It was entirely too dark to see clearly enough to confirm it, but he was
certain there was something there.He edged slightly closer until her muzzle was an inch from his face. He
held his breath, trying not to do anything that could wake her. He gritted his
teeth in frustration a heartbeat later when she closed her mouth completely. He
back off from her and let out a sigh.Will shook his head. What did it matter? He had probably just been
seeing things anyway. Besides, there were more important things to deal
with--waking Jenna so they would be ready when the ship docked, for example.Per their usual pattern her placed a hand on her shoulder and nudged her
just enough to rouse her. With bleary eyes and a questioning scowl she looked
back at him, less than thrilled with being woken up. He fought back the urge to
laugh at her expression. Much as he longed for her to return to her normal
self, he had to admit she could be rather adorable at times in her new form. He
smiled softly as he said, "I think we'll be docking soon. Thought you'd like to
be awake when we did."Her scowl faded as she closed her eyes and snuggled up closer to him,
making a contented sort of grumbling sound. Finally,
she thought, We'll be able to put all of
this behind us.She made a less contented sound when Will pushed her away a moment
later. Once more she looked to him for an explanation, to which he responded,
"We may not have much time. I'd like to get ready to leave now."Jenna nodded reluctantly. The sooner they could get off the ship the
better.With her approval Will slid out of bed and proceeded to gather up their
few belongings, making sure everything they needed was packed away in his bag.
Then he got dressed, trousers and suspenders going on over a white buttoned
shirt with a jacket over it all. Last he put on the cloak, the black fabric
matching well to the dark greys he wore underneath.Once he was dressed he attached his holster and sword to his belt and
put his bag over one shoulder. Turning back to Jenna he asked, "You ready?"With a dissatisfied grumble she stood and stretched out before lightly
hopping off the bed to stand in front of him. She nodded to say she was ready
to go.The two of them left the room behind, making their way to the upper
deck. From there they watched as England's shoreline drew near in the minimal
light of false dawn. As time ticked by the Horizon made its way around the
southern shores through the English Channel until reaching the mouth of the
Thames around an hour after sunrise. The little ironclad ship chugged along
down the river until finally London's skyline was in sight, the rising sun
revealing what buildings could be seen through the fog that covered the city.When the Horizon pulled into and docked at the port of London Will and
Jenna were the first ones to disembark. After spending an hour dealing with
customs they finally set foot in the city. Following a map Will picked up at
the port they made their way through the cobblestoned streets. As they went
along they did their best to ignore the strange looks the two of them were
getting from some of the residents of the city, focusing instead on finding the
residence of Quentin's friend Anita.Finally--after having to ask for directions twice--they found the right
street. After checking a few of the two story buildings they found the one that
matched the address Quentin had given them. They walked up the steps to the
door, and after a brief moment of hesitation Will gripped the brass knocker and
pounded it against the door several times.The most immediate and notable effect was indistinct angry shouting
coming from within the house. Jenna's ears splayed out in concern. That
couldn't be a good sign.A minute or two passed in silence after the initial noise. Then the door
flung open, nearly knocking Will off the steps. Standing before them was an
angry looking brown haired woman in a nightgown. She looked Will up and down a
few times before asking in an English accent, "Do you have any idea what time
it is?"Will hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uh...not really.""Of course you don't! Otherwise you would not dare be knocking on my door!"She pointed to the north and asked, "You see that big clock tower there?
Care to tell me what time it has?"Will looked to where she was pointing. Through the fog he could just
make out the clock face. "It looks like...it's about 8:30.""That's right! Half past eight in the morning, and you're disturbing me!
It had best be for a very good reason.""Well that depends. Are you Anita Conlin?"She gave a curt nod. "Yes, I am. Who are you then? What is it you want?"He hesitated then said, "My name is William Keller. I have a bit of a
problem to deal with, and someone I know recommended--""Do you have an appointment?""No I don't--"She held up a hand to cut him off. "Then come back in two hours time. I
won't be doing any business before half past ten."Before he could say another word she shut the door in his face, leaving
both Will and Jenna in a state of shock. After a moment Will found his voice
and--with more than a hint of sarcasm--said, "She seemed...pleasant."Jenna nodded, thinking, This may
not have been such a good idea if that's who we're looking to for help.Will sighed and walked back down the steps with Jenna following at his
heels. He looked around for a moment, then dropped down to sit on the bottom
step. "Well what are we going to do now? That...woman clearly isn't a morning
person."Jenna nodded and sat beside him. She had no more idea of what to do than
he did in their current situation. Not
knowing what to do is becoming far too common for us, she mused.They both sat there for a while, lost in thought. After half an hour of
sitting on the damp stone steps Will stood up and turned to face the door
again. "You know what Jen? I suddenly don't care that she's upset by us waking
her. We have far more to be upset about, and I'll be damned if some self entitled
woman is going to make us wait any longer."He took all three steps at once and immediately knocked on the door once
more. A single frustrated shout came from the upper floor, followed a few
moments later by Anita throwing the door open again. "What? Didn't I already
tell you to come back later? Or are you just too thick to understand simple
directions?"Will shook his head. "No ma'am, I understood perfectly. But I just spent
a week and a half on ship to get here, and I'm in no fit mood to wait any longer."She didn't respond with words, but chose instead to stare him in the eye
as though waiting for him to back down. He stared right back with unflinching
resolve. A few quiet minutes passed before Anita spoke. "I suppose you won't be
leaving then, yeah?"Will nodded and Anita sighed. "If I get my hands on the poor bastard who
sent someone so bloody stubborn to me they'll regret it."Will smirked. "I was sent here by a man named Quentin. He said you were
a friend of his."Anita quirked a brow and looked him over again. "Quentin eh? Haven't
heard from him in while. You can be sure my next letter to him won't be too
pleasant. Well then, I suppose you and your er...wolf...can come in. She's tame,
yeah?"Will nodded. "Perfectly, as long as you don't do anything to irritate
her."She eyed Jenna for a moment then said, "I'll keep that in mind. Come on
then. Hurry up."She stood aside to let them through the door, closing it behind them
once they were inside. They stood in a smallish entry way with a doorway
straight ahead as well as one on their left while to their right was a stair
case to the floor above. Anita pointed to the doorway on their left. "You two
can go find a seat in there. I'll be with you once I've changed into something
more acceptable for entertaining guests."She then left them to their own devices as she went upstairs. Doing as she had asked, Will and Jenna walked
into the adjoining room to find themselves in a room where there were two sofas
facing each other across a small oval table that was bare except for a small
wood box. There was a large window at one end of the room, letting in a small
amount of the sun's light. At the opposite end was a fireplace made of red
brick. Will took a seat on one of the sofas and Jenna curled up beside him as
they waited for Anita to return.After ten minutes she finally came back down the stairs, now wearing a
pink dress. She sat across form them and crossed her legs as she looked them
over a few times. "So then. This problem you're having. What is it, and what makes
you think I can assist you with it?"Will gestured to Jenna and said, "It starts with her. Until about two
weeks ago now, Jenna wasn't a wolf. She was as human as you or I. But something
happened. She was surrounded by some sort of energy field that changed her
body. When I went to Quentin and asked if he knew anything that could help, he
recommended I come to you. He said you were doing research into applying
alchemical practices to living creatures. He though you may be able to help
return her to her true form."Will waited, wondering how she would react, or if she would even believe
him. Anita said nothing, but instead leaned forward an opened the box on the
table. From within she withdrew a cigarette and a book of matches. She pulled
loose one match and lit it, using it in turn to light the cigarette. She
returned the book of matches to the box then leaned back against the sofa. She
took a few long puffs before asking, "How much do you know about alchemy mister
Keller?""Uh...not much beyond the basics. I know it involves working to change the
state or make up of chemicals."Anita nodded. "Essentially yes. Years ago it was thought of as a 'dark
art' that held no real value. Once we discovered energy manipulation we were
able to start working in the field in ways we never could before. Some are
still foolish enough to try to change lead to gold, but most alchemists work
with more realistic projects. Creating new alloys. Mending objects. Even
discovering new elements along the way. That's what I've been doing for ten
years. That was until about two years ago.Science has yet to teach us everything about biology, but we do know
that humans--and other animals--are made of chemicals just like everything else.
We're mostly carbon and water, with some calcium, sodium, and a dozen other
less significant things. In theory we shouldn't be all that difficult to effect
with alchemy. In fact, I've had rather promising results with changing the
chemical properties of plant life so far.The difficulties occur when I try to work with something more complex,
like a mouse for example. I've done tests on more that a few mice. Aesthetic
changes are easy for the most part--like changing their fur color." She paused for a moment to take another hit off her cigarette then
continued. "However, if I were to try to change one on a larger scale, say to
look more like a rat...the results are unpleasant. Not only do they suffer
extreme pain during the process, but it almost always results in a fatality.
And even when they don't die immediately, what's left is usually little more
than twitching bloody fur that dies after a few very painful minutes.Give me twenty years and I may be able to do it, but as things are now
it would only result in her death if I tried to change her back."Will and Jenna both sat in stunned silence, trying to absorb all she had
said. Both were thinking the same thing though. All the time and money spent
traveling, and they were no better off. When they offered no response Anita
asked, "I may not be able to change her back, but would you mind if I did an
examination of her? Nothing too intrusive mind you, just looking her over.
Can't say I've ever heard of something like this before, and in all honesty I'd
hate to pass up the chance to have thorough look at her."Will hesitated before saying, "That's up to her."Anita looked to Jenna for an answer. After a moment of consideration
Jenna nodded. Maybe she can offer some
advice or insight, she thought."Lovely. Let's not waste time then." Anita opened the box on the table again
and pulled out an ash tray, putting out her cigarette before standing and
stepping over to Jenna. "On the ground please. I'd rather look at you
standing."Jenna nodded and hopped off the couch. She did her best to keep still as
Anita knelt beside her and began to examine her. After a minute or two she
said, "I've no wish to be insensitive, but this really is amazing. This isn't
some illusion or deception. She really has had her physical form completely
changed. Her mind is unchanged though, yes?"Will and Jenna both nodded in response. Anita only seemed more
interested then. "If her mind is still her own, then that means it was
something that changed every organ in her body--including her brain, as a human
brain wouldn't fit at all in a wolf
skull--but it also managed to preserve her personality. Whatever did this came
from an incredibly powerful source to be able to do accomplish something so
complex."Anita spent a few more minutes looking Jenna over before saying, "I'm
nearly done here. I just want to check her body's energy. It may be able to
tell me something about how this actually works."As Will watched Anita's left arm began to glow with a whitish light. She
placed her left hand on Jenna's side and the energy began to flow from her to
envelope Jenna's body. The effect was immediate, with Anita yelping in shock as
she was thrown backward a few feet by a surge of energy. Will was on his feet
in an instant, both he and Jenna rushing over to make sure Anita was alright. Before they could help she pushed herself up and stood, waving them
away. "I'm fine. Just caught me off guard is all. Whatever it is that changed
her, its energy is still in her body. Not only that, but when other energies
get too close it seems as though it defends itself. That would make it rather
difficult to remove. Unfortunately, removing that energy may be necessary to
reversing this change."Will sighed. "It seems like everything is difficult lately."Anita nodded. "The good news though is that that energy doesn't seem to
be having any negative effects, aside from the obvious of course."Jenna shook her head while thinking, It
doesn't matter if there's only one negative effect. That's bad enough!Will sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back
of his head. "Well uh...thank you for your time if nothing else."Anita placed a hand on Will's shoulder in a small gesture of attempted
comfort. "It won't be easy--in fact I imagine it shall be rather difficult--but I
do believe you can discover some way to reverse this. Also, for whatever it
might be worth, I am sorry I wasn't able to do more for you two.""It's...well frankly it's depressing but I think I speak for both of us
when I say the effort was appreciated."Jenna nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly. She was really only being
polite. She hated the only thing they had been able to do had turned out to be
a total waste of effort.Anita yawned and covered her mouth before she replied. "Well I suppose
appreciation is all I can really ask of you. I'll be nice and not ask you to
pay me. However, I will ask you to be so kind as to leave now. I'd like to get
what sleep I can before I have to start dealing with my day, and you two have
caused me enough trouble already."***Bereft of any purpose, Will and Jenna spent the rest of the day
wandering the city as they tried to think of something they could do. Both felt
an empty sadness in the wake of the morning's events. With Anita unable to help
them, neither had even the most remote idea of what to do next. Eventually,
with the sun setting over the city, the two found a cheap hotel to stay for the
night that was willing to accept a wolf. Both barely slept that night, their
minds too occupied to find the necessary peace.When the next morning came they didn't bother to leave their room,
neither feeling the motivation to do much of anything. Jenna was curled up on
the bed and Will sat on the one chair in the room, both struggling to find any
bright point of hope in their situation. Eventually their stomachs won out over
their moods though, so the two begrudgingly left behind the comfort of their
room.Their hunger led them to a restaurant where they sat at one of the few
outdoor tables available, eating in silence. Even once their stomachs were
filled they stayed there for a while, neither having any desire to move. After
nearly an hour Will spoke for the first time since the previous morning. "At
this point, I think our best option may be to head home."Jenna raised her head sharply to look at him. He's not serious, she thought. He
can't be ready to give up so quickly.Seeing her surprise he explained his reasoning. "We have no leads to
follow, so there's no point in staying here. The longer we stay here the more
likely it is that we won't have any money left when we do get home. That means
we could lose our apartment and we're no better off. I'd rather at least be
home if we have to keep dealing with this transformation. I'd rather at least
be able to have a stable life while we try to figure this out."Jenna considered his words for a moment or two then nodded slowly. She
knew he was right of course. There was no where else they could go, and at that
moment, nothing else they could do.With the two of them in agreement they both stood and--after Will left
money on the table to pay for their meal--the two started walking on the
direction of their hotel. As they walked Will outlined his basic plan. "We
probably won't be able to leave immediately, but I'm going to go to the port later
and find the earliest--and preferably cheapest--ship leaving for home. Then it's
just a matter of waiting until we can ship out."Jenna nodded. She had already figured that would be what they were
doing, as it was really the only way to do things. Were she able to speak she
might have said something to him about explaining things that didn't need it,
but she would have to let it pass for now.They had almost reached the hotel when they heard shouting voices coming
from around the corner of the intersection up ahead of them. The source was
revealed as two police officers who came running around the corner, looking
frustrated and out of breath. As Will and Jenna were among only a few people on
the street--and were the ones closest to them--the two officers zeroed in on
them, one immediately asking, "You there, did someone just run by here? Black
hair down to his shoulders? Long grey coat? Sound familiar?"Will shook his head. "No. May I ask what's going on? I might be able to
help."One officer--that taller of the two--laughed and asked, "And what's it that
makes you think you can help then eh?"Will didn't answer, but instead reached into his bag and pulled out his
I.O.M.E. badge, holding it up for them to see. The shorter officer rolled his
eyes. "Well that explains the sword, the cloak and the wolf. You I.O.M.E.
blokes are all touched in the head. Never met one who wasn't some sort of
strange. Still you could help...plus I think you outrank us in this instance."Hiding his irritation Will asked, "So care to explain what's going on?
And provide some names so I know who I'm addressing."The taller one nodded. "I'm Constable Smith. This'd be Constable Morris.
We was just chasing after this sod what been stealing everything that weren't
nailed down. Been using some sorta illusions or somethin' to keep us off 'im.
Makes 'imself invisible, or tricks us into followin' him the wrong way. Ain't
that right?"Morris nodded. "He's a real slippery one. Most of what he does is petty
theft. Pick pocketing really. He's still wanted for quite a bit though. He's
been keeping us rather busy of late. Which all in all I suppose it's a good
thing that the worst we've got is a thief."Will thought for a moment then asked, "These illusions, can they only be
seen, or is there more? Can they be heard? Or felt?"Smith looked confused by the question. "What you want to know that for?
Don't matter do it?"Will shook his head. "It does matter. It would tell me whether this is
light based energy he's using, or if he's screwing with people's senses and
perceptions. And believe me, the second is far more dangerous."Morris nodded. "Quite right. I do think it was just visible, but there
might have been sound. I don't quite remember.""We should be careful just the same. People who use energy to create
illusions are tough to deal with. You can't trust what you see. When you came
chasing after him, you thought he came this direction, correct?"Morris nodded again. "That's right."Will sighed. "Then odds are he ran in the complete opposite direction.
You even said he had tricked you into going the wrong way before, right?"Both nodded and Smith said, "We was even sure we had 'im cornered once,
but he wasn't actually there at all."Will nodded. He was beginning to get a clear picture. "He obviously
skilled. There's no doubt about that. However, when pressured, illusion makers
tend to make errors. Small things really. Not giving an object a shadow. Giving
something the wrong texture. Things like that. So, here's what I want you to
do. The two of you will head back the other direction, and see if you can track
him down. I'll see if I can find anything this way. Look for anything out of
the ordinary. Anything that doesn't quite fit."While Will added a few more instructions for them Jenna sat by
impatiently, waiting for him to finish. She really had no desire to help these
men. While she knew Will had a sense of duty that was driving him to help, she
really just felt it was going to waste their time.She was distracted by the two officers setting off down the street. She
looked up to Will who said, "I know what you're thinking, but we should at
least try to help. They seem a bit lost and--"Will looked up in surprise to see the two of them walking back. He
quirked a brow and asked, "Is something wrong?"Morris nodded. "Yeah, actually I think there may be. You told us to look
for anything out of the ordinary, right?"Smith added, "You was saying to look for anything that don't fit too.""Yes. So where are you going with this?"Morris shook his head, chuckling. "You know, you almost had us there.
But then I thought, what is more out of the ordinary than an American I.O.M.E.
officer in Britain, wearing a cloak and a sword, and traveling with a wolf? You
should've been more discreet."Will scoffed. "What? You think I'm this illusionist?"Smith said, "Yeah, we got good reason though don't we? You was right on
the street corner there when we came around, right where that illusionist ought
have been, weren't you? That seems awful suspicious, don't it?"Will rolled his eyes. "You're grasping at straws. I'm no illusionist. I
can't even use any magic.""We can't really be too sure, now can we?" Morris asked. "We should take
you in just to be sure. Let the local I.O.M.E. office take a look. See if you
and your wolf are what you appear to be."Will gulped. He didn't want I.O.M.E. any where near Jenna. He had no
idea how they would treat someone in her condition, and he didn't want to find
out. Since Morris and Smith seemed convinced he was a criminal in disguise he
really didn't have many options. "Well...I can see you two are beyond reasoning
with at this point. So...uh...Jenna, run."It
took no more than a split second for what he said to register in Jenna's mind.
Before Morris or Smith could react, Will and Jenna took off down the street,
trying to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the
constables. After a second or two of dumbfounded shock, Smith and Morris
started to run after them. Will
and Jenna could both hear the officers' foot steps, their voices ordering them
to stop as they raced down the narrow street. Each breath burned in their
chests but still they ran. Will was having a worse time of things than Jenna,
something she could clearly see. He had to deal with the weight of his bag, his
weapons, and the resistance provided by his cloak. She had four legs and
nothing to carry but herself and her scarf. Even though she could have easily
out run him she stayed by his side, determined not to have them split up. It
had been just a minute or two but Will could already feel the effort taking its
toll on him. He
couldn't keep going for much longer, but the road in front of them seemed to be
one unending stretch. There didn't seem to be any way to--Suddenly
Will's vision blurred then cleared again almost immediately. He stopped cold,
Jenna bumping into his leg from behind. They were standing in some back alley,
where only seconds before they had been running down a street. What the hell
had just happened?They could hear the voices of Smith and Morris, receding into the
distance and still shouting at them to stop. How had they managed to lose their
pursuers? Will certainly didn't remember any point where the officers had been
more than a few yards behind them. Looking to Jenna he asked, "Do you have any
idea what happened?"She shook her head in response. She didn't understand why he was so
confused. He had turned down the alley and she had followed. She didn't know
how they had managed to evade the officers, but she wasn't overly concerned
with that question."I could tell you what happened mate. Actually, you could thank me for
what happened."Will and Jenna both turned around at the sound of the voice. Standing
there was a man with shoulder length jet black hair and a long grey coat over
his clothes. Will gritted his teeth and Jenna growled softly. There was no
doubt in either of their mind that this was the illusionist Smith and Morris had
been after.Keeping his expression neutral Will asked, "Who are you? And what do you
mean we could thank you?"The man grinned, his expression radiating congeniality. "The name's David.
I said you could thank me because I'm the one who got you away from the
constables. I'm sorry to say I'm the one they were after originally. I was
nearby when you spoke to them. You provided a pretty good distraction for me,
so I thought I'd lend a hand and return the favour so you could escape as
easily as I did. It was a bit tricky getting you to think you were still on the
street while making them think you
were still on it as well. But it all worked out."Will quirked a brow. "Why make me think I was still on the street?""Well, if I hadn't you would have kept running and it would have missed
the point of helping you escape. So, feel free to thank me."Will's frowned and shook his head. "I'm not going to thank you. You're a
criminal. And we could have been arrested because of you. No, I'm going to deal
with you the way you should be dealt with."Will drew his pistol and leveled it at David's chest. "You're under arrest."David gave an amused snort in response. "Who are you to arrest me then?""Lieutenant William Keller of I.O.M.E. Now then, are you going to
comply?"Silence fell as the two men stared each other down. Jenna looked back
and forth between them, wondering who would back down first. She knew Will could
be incredibly stubborn and David didn't seem like he would back down easily.
After a moment David took a few steps to the left, still starring at Will. Will
didn't react though, to the point where he even kept his pistol pointed at the
spot where David had been standing.Jenna tilted her head to one side, trying to make sense of it. Will didn't
even seem to realize David had moved. Then it clicked. Will wasn't reacting
because he thought David was still right in front of him. He could alter people's
perceptions so easily. The thought of it sent a shiver down Jenna's spine. But why can I still see the real David?,
she wondered.Then it occurred to her that--much like others who had mistaken her for just
a wolf--David hadn't thought to use his power on her. She had an advantage, and
she was all to willing to use it. Before David even had a chance to react she
charged him, jumping up and slamming into his chest to knock him to the ground
with a muffled thump before pinning him down by standing on his chest, fore
paws pressing on his shoulders. David started struggling, trying to push her
off, but she was too strong for him to move.Will blinked a few times as he realized that David wasn't in front of
him any longer, but was now on the ground, held in place. He smirked as he
realized what must have happened. He holstered his gun and walked over to the
two of them, watching as David fought to get out from under her. He knelt down
beside David and asked, "I'm guessing you used you power on me right? Guess you
should have made sure to use it on both of us."Looking to Jenna he said, "Thanks for that. Who knows how long I would
have stood there like a moron."Jenna nodded, wagging her tail a few times.David snarled as he continued to fight her. "Oh piss off the both of you!
Get this bitch off me already!"Will shook his head. "I don't think so. As I said before, you're under
arrest. You're a thief, and you use your abilities to commit thefts. Both
qualify as criminal acts."David gulped. "Look, I don't...I can't go to jail. I just can't. I wouldn't
be able to live confined like that. I'll do anything you want. Name your price.
Just let me go, alright?""I don't have a price. Unlike you I actually have morals."David shook his head. "Oh no. Everyman has a price. Come on now, what is
it? Money? I can get you a tonne of it quite easily. If not there's got to be
something I can do! Maybe I can do something for you with illusions eh? They
can be useful in more ways than you would likely imagine."Will laughed. "I don't want money. Or anything you could give me for
that matter. And unless your illusions can safely remove powerful and potentially
dangerous energy from something or someone, then you have nothing for me."David blinked a few times, and a hopeful sort of smile spread across his
face. "Wait a tic. I...I can't do anything like that, but I know someone who
does! Promise you'll let me go and I can take you to him!"Will frowned. "Is that so?"David gave an emphatic nod. "Yeah. Someone I've known for years. He does
stuff like that all the time. I swear!"Will didn't answer immediately, taking a moment to think things over.
David could easily be lying. But if there was even a slight chance of helping
Jenna he should look into it. He glanced over to her, trying to guess what she
was thinking. She seemed as pensive as he was. Noticing his stare she looked at
him, and after a moment nodded.Will sighed. "Alright then."Turning his attention back to David he said, "You're sure about your
friends abilities?"David nodded. "Absolutely.""Where is he?" Will asked. "Who is he?""His name is Maxwell Greyson. His home is in a town in the south
of France."Will nodded. "Good. You're going to take us to him. Do that..."He hesitated. What he was about to say went against all his instincts as
an officer, but he didn't have much choice. "Take us to him and I'll let you
walk away free afterward. Do we have a deal?"David nodded. "Of course. I never break a promise if I can avoid it. I'll
get you to him.""Good. Jenna, let him up."Jenna complied, though with some reluctance and stepped away. David
pushed himself off the ground and stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes.
"Bloody hell...she is strong. Well trained though. You'd almost think she was
human the way she behaves."Will gave a hollow laugh. "That's because she is."David started to laugh then stopped when he realized it wasn't a joke. "W-what
do you mean 'she is'?" "Exactly what I said. She is
human, but something changed her into a wolf. We're trying to find a way to
change her back."Jenna nodded to confirm what he said was true, an action which seemed to
distress David a fair amount. "I...you...what the hell? How is that even possible?"Will shrugged. "We don't know. But we do know that whatever energy
changed her is still in her body, and is likely what's keeping her in this
form. I know it sounds difficult to believe, but it's the truth."David didn't answer immediately, instead looking back and forth between
the two of them, as though trying to decide whether they were crazy, or he was.
Finally he said, "That may well be oddest thing I've ever heard of...but you both
seem pretty convinced. Which for her to even look convinced...well it must mean something
right? I'll be honest, I don't know if Max can help with something like this,
but I'll still take you to him."Will and Jenna exchanged a brief glance then looked back to David. Will
offered a grateful smile and said nothing more than, "Thank you."David nodded. "Right then, let's move out shall we? No point in wasting
another moment here!"Without waiting for a response from them he turned and walked back out to
the street, clearly expecting them to follow. After a second or two Will and Jenna
set off after him, both of them hoping that they were following the right path
to undo what had been done to her.