Were-seer Denied
#67 of The Moonrise Chronicles
Sorry I only had time for this one chapter. Tiring weekend.
Maggie
jumped on the comatose body and pummeled it with her fists. "Don't you dare go
out on me right now! What the hell were all those things you were saying?"
It did
no good. He was out like a light. The tsarina held out her hand. "Come on
child, let's get him inside. I'm thankful he has recovered who he is, but he
seems to have dragged along something more, something potentially harmful. I
think we would have been wiser to extract the bullet when we had the chance."
Maggie
stood and put her hands on her hips. "Harmful? I now know that my grandmother
is alive. And she has the other ring! I'd think that you'd be grateful to know
your sister is still alive. What kind of bitch are you?"
"An
alive one. If I know my sister, she has kept a low profile for as long as I
have. Now your friend here can suddenly see anything that comes to his mind. Do
you have any idea how dangerous that makes him? Why do you think they tried to
kill Rasputin? He saw so many things coming that he hardly knew where to
start."
"But
that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Knowing
the future? That's the most dangerous thing anyone can know. Some of the information
may seem inconsequential my dear, but other things people will kill to
protect." Her face was drawn into a severe frown.
"Let's
assume what he said was all true. So my grandmother is alive. Don't you want to
have a reunion?"
"Child,
I would love to see my sister again. But if we are together, then it makes
things even easier for whoever is trying to kill me to kill two birds with one
stone."
"So
then we kill him first."
"But
who is he? A boy? Why would a boy be trying to kill me?"
"Did
you kill anyone in St Petersburg recently?"
"I kill
people all the time dear. So if you're implying that I killed someone's father,
it's possible. But it doesn't go far in explaining the length of time that I
have been pursued. And yor friend said
that it was a boy, but not a boy. What the hell does that mean?"
"I
don't know. Peter Pan maybe?"
The old
woman made a gurgling sound in her throat. "You speak with more wisdom than you
know child. That could make sense in the right context."
"Peter
Pan? Really? Now I'm totally confused."
"It's
alright. I think that to end this long exile, I will have to do as you say. We
will go to St Petersburg when your friend has recovered."
"But
what about the silver in his head?"
"That
has not killed him as of yet, so I would have to retort in kind to you that it
isn't my concern. I feel that you will never leave this country safely if we
first don't remove the threat that is now directed against all of us, not just
the one in his head."
Maggie
sat down on Edward's prone form and wept. After expending her tears and then
wiping them dry, she assisted in carrying him indoors. He was laid to rest on a
pile of pillows, covered in old furs and left to recuperate. Maggie stripped
and joined him. The tsarina held her tongue. She knew when to leave matters be.
He
didn't move for a day. During that time he would mumble words and snatches of
phrases, and Maggie tried to commit every one of them to memory. She was still
thinking that he was crazy when he had mentioned Fangboner Road. There could be
no such place. But he mentioned it again in his sleep. It sounded more sexually
vulgar than real.
He
spoke of Leonardo again, and his whispering voice was filled with admiration
for the man. "Pure genius" and "sly dog" were only a few of the compliments he
paid the man. His ramblings went on for hours, suddenly stopping and then
resuming an hour later.
Maggie
tried to remain awake during it all, but she was exhausted from worrying over
him. She fell into a dream-torn sleep. In it, she was assailed by strangely
formed men armed with silver swords and exotic sidearms firing silver
ammunition. She was dodging bullets and swipes of the blades as she dashed
about looking for something; what it was she had no idea.
She twisted
and turned avoiding one onslaught after another. But then she saw what it was
she was looking for. In the back, under a low hanging lamp, was a boy, a young
man really, sitting there looking extremely gleeful. She stared hard at his
face as the action in the room froze into slow motion. He looked to be her age,
maybe a little older. What set him apart from most kids her age was the custom
suit and the cigar in his mouth.
Oh, and
the fact that he too was packing heat.
He
seemed to see her and pulled out a pistol and began firing. Despite her
flexible body and quick reactions, she was struck down. She hit the floor as
the burning began. In seconds she was nothing more than smoke and dust.
She
awoke with a start. Her breathing was coming in fits and tears were streaming
down her face. She retracted her claws from Edward's comatose body, carefully
licking the holes clean even as they healed. She didn't want anyone asking why
he was covered in blood. That had been the spookiest nightmare she had ever
had. She had to wonder if this was the boy that Edward spoke of, and the one
that the tsarina was now set on confronting.
If so,
then she wished she had gotten a closer look at him. She assumed that what she
had seen was real, in some way or another, and she had witnessed it through her
connection with Edward. Somewhere in the mangled folds of his mind was a newly
formed connection that was far superior to the one she had. She could sense
future needs and act upon them, but he was seeing things as there were going to
unfold. He could see lottery numbers, and government secrets and obscure
places; he could find people in the blink on an eye. She was beginning to see
where this would be good, and also how it could be very very bad. Edward had
morals, but if he were coerced into using his power by say, a government; then
things could get very bad, very fast.
She tried
to decide whether or not to remove the bullet or leave it. Leaving it meant
that he would always have the risk of it reacting with his body. Leaving it
meant he was to have mysteriously gained overt mental powers for the rest of
his life. When he woke up, he was going to have to make a big decision as to
which way he was going to have it. She couldn't be responsible for such a fate.
She
drifted off again, but was wracked with such severe visions that she forced
herself awake and remained that way until he woke. By then, she was exhausted
beyond belief and crashed for a few hours herself.
When
she awoke, he was dressed and in a deep conversation with the tsarina. When he
saw her he stood and grabbed her up off the floor, swinging her in the air.
"Mags! It's good to see you!"
Since
she was naked she felt a touch awkward. She morphed into her wolfgirl form. At
least it gave her some covering.
She
smiled at him quite tenderly. "I missed you more I think. You were gone for a
very long time."
He
slowed the twirl and set her on the ground. "So I hear. Sounds like I was
partying it up. Not my usual behavior, but it must have been one hell of a
ride. Is it true that I screwed a bear?"
His
manner was less reserved than normal, like everything he had to say made little
difference to him now.
"Yes
father, you did. A male bear."
"He he!
I wonder if I could find him again. I'd love to do it and remember it."
She
kicked him. "That's not funny!"
"Eh.
Maybe not, but it still sounds fun."
She
refused to get drawn into his trap. She knew he was just baiting her. "Father,
what about all those things you were saying before you collapsed?"
The old
woman spoke first. "We have been discussing that. Apparently he doesn't
remember saying anything. It's too bad really, for the more I've thought about
it, the more I think that his power could be beneficial to me."
Maggie
was suddenly suspicious of the woman, but still said what she was thinking.
"What if we tried all three rings on him again?"
He held
up his hand, pulling off one of two that were there. "Here you go Mags. One is
plenty for me. I don't want three rings. If what I had going for me returns,
I'll deal with it as it happens."
"So you
can't see into the future?"
"I
don't see how I could. It's subject to variables and nuances that can be
affected right up to the proposed event horizon."
"What?"
She was staring at him.
"You
heard me. You can't possibly predict something before it happens, not with one
hundred percent accuracy. So whatever I was saying has no basis for being factual."
"So my
grandmother?"
"What
of her?"
"You
said she was living in Pittsburg."
"Did
I?"
"Yes
you did."
"Well,
I have no way of determining if that's true or not, do I?"
She
stared at him, hard. "What about your parents?"
"What
about them?"
"You
said they were alive."
"Did
I?" His expression was hard to read.
"Yes
you did. And you mentioned so many other things. You can't have forgotten them
all already!"
"Sorry
kiddo, but I don't remember saying those things. If I did and I had some good information,
then do your best to remember it. We may need it later on."
"Riiiiight.
Fine. But if you start spouting off again, I'm memorizing every word of what
you were saying."
"That's
what I said. It would be nice if I could just see ahead, but if I was, it isn't
sticking with me." He ruffled her hair. "I think we have so makeup time in the
future though, if you know what I mean. I don't think it's takes a fortune
teller to predict that."
She
suddenly felt very wet."Do you mean it?"
"Of course
I do! It had to be hard on you watching me doing it with all those cousins of
yours."
"It was
sort of aggravating..."
"Then
it's a date. But before we can take a little time out ofr ourselves, we need to
figure out what we are going to do now that we're here. Your great aunt wished
to confront her antagonist, and I for one think it's both a good and a bed
idea."
"Oh.
Why?"
"Because
it will be touching the match to the powder keg. Whoever this person is, they have been
working in the shadows for a long time. Being exposed and confronted will
likely send them into a rage. That's what I think, not that it matters much."
The old
woman frowned. "I don't care what happens. The more I think it over, the more I
feel it needs to be done."
"As you
wish," said Edward. "But understand that the results on this confrontation will
be on your head."
"After
all of these years, I think I can accept that. Can I expect to receive your
help?"
Maggie
looked at him expectantly.
"Yes,
we'll help... On one condition."
The
frown deepened. "I don't like conditions."
"This
one is simple. It will be just Maggie, myself and you; no one else."
"That's
utter foolishness!"
"Is it?
Would you rather take a small army of werewolves into a possible trap? Would
you risk their lives and possible exposure over this little vendetta of yours?"
"It's
not a vendetta. He has been trying to kill me!"
"That may
be, but I have no desire to get in the middle of this fight. I have been in enough
already, even if this person was responsible for my present lot in life. The
bullet isn't causing me any grief for the moment, and if it has to come out, it
will be done by a surgeon, not a broad ax in the middle of nowhere."
The woman
looked ready to burst in her anger. "Fine! As you command. But you had better
be up for one hell of a fight. I have dealt with his henchmen more than once in
the past."
"I
think that I am more than ready for anything anyone can throw at me. We'll
leave tomorrow, so get everything together that you think you'll need. In the
meantime, I have a promise to keep." HE took Maggie's hand and they walked out
into the wilderness.
"Father?"
"Yes
dear?"
"You've
changed."
"Yes, I
believe you're right. Is that a problem?"
"I don't
know yet. It's like it's you, only not you."
"How
very descriptive! But I see your point. What can I say? I had my brain rearranged
by a silver bullet. That's not something you walk away from unscathed, now is
it?"
"I
guess not. And I feel stupid for mentioning it. You could just have easily been
killed at Da Vinci. Between them and your transformation you nearly leveled the
place."
"So I
understand. It's regrettable, but not our fault." Then he stiffened. "I just
got thinking. They'll be able to identify me by my credit card."
Maggie
smiled. "No they won't. The place was a mass of flames. It'll have burned up in
the fire."
He seemed
to accept this, and after another minute of walking he stopped. "How about
here?"
She
looked around. "It's not very far from the others."
"I
know. I assume you watched me mating with them. Don't you want them to see me
making love to you? Show them who has my heart?"
"Yes!"
He
tossed his clothing over a branch and transformed. Not into that huge mindless
thing, but into a straight up, run of the mill werewolf (if such a thing
exists). His size was comparable to hers, though still larger.
She was
still her wolf-girl form. "Do you want me like this, or what?"
"Go
like me. I want them to see nothing but two werewolves so there will be no
doubt in their minds that when it comes down to it, there is only one mate in my
life."
"What about...?"
He
hushed her. "Not now. You and I are here together and that's all that matters
at the moment."
She
leaned up against a tree, allowing him to take her from the rear. After watching
him with the others, she expected that she was going to have to steel herself.
But his touch was surprisingly gentle for this form, and his entry into her smooth
and comfortable. His bite-hold on her neck almost tickled in its subtlety. And
his knot; well that was just perfect. She nearly melted, and then she did. She
could smell him and knew he was cheating. She couldn't find it in her heart to
complain.
That didn't
keep the couple from filling the woods with howls and growls. Once he got
going, the tempo never slacked, until in the wee hours of a moon-lit night, even the other werewolves
finally covered their ears and wished that they'd knock it off for a while.
They didn't. By sunrise, two very tired and very happy humans made their way to
the pile of pillows and collapsed into a deep sleep. By the time they awoke,
the tsarina was packed and patiently waiting for them to get a move on it.