Finding Monsters (24 page)

“Get her into the chamber, now!” he ordered.

Missy flexed her back and unfolded the dragon wings b
e
fore leaping into the air just as the two guards charged. She dropped down and attacked one from behind, tackling him. She jumped up and shot a fir
e
ball toward the other. She tried to take off toward Anukhan, but one of the guards grabbed her foot and threw her back down to the floor. She rolled just as he tried to seize her. Jumping to her feet, she landed a kick to the advancing jackal’s neck. He fell backwards gasping for air. Missy heard Kell’s warning cry too late. Anukhan slammed the sho
t
gun barrel down on her shoulder sending her crashing to the ground. He snatched her up before she could move away and threw her into the clear chamber, locking it shut. He stepped over the gasping jackal at his feet, kicking him once in irritation then went to his machine. Saal tried to get to his feet but fell down again.

“Anukhan, stop this,” he croaked.

“You still have no idea, do you, Saal?” Anukhan said as he readied the machine.

“Anukhan!” Missy shouted from the chamber. “You will bring destruction to this clan if you continue. The Bullclan is massing an army against you. The dr
a
gons and the Oceclan are joining them. They are prepared to destroy your clan if you continue in this madness!”

“Soon it will be too late for them to stop me, little mo
n
ster,” Anukhan said.

“But I’m not a monster! You’re mistaken! The machine won’t work on me!” Missy yelled as she threw herself against the sides of the chamber. She conti
n
ued to hurl blow after blow against the sides but it wouldn’t bend, crack, or break. She looked up and Anukhan stood just outside the clear walls.

“If you planned to use me like all the others, why try to kill me?” Missy asked.

Anukhan laughed. “Ah, I see you got my little present. I hope it was your size.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I needed a challenge. The Bullclan think their lands are secure, but I’ve managed to breach their borders countless times. I knew that half-breed boy wouldn’t kill you but I was hoping they’d a least challenge me a little. What a disappoin
t
ment.”

“Your machine still won’t work on me,” she warned.

“But the machine will work on you. Oh, I’ve been waiting for you, little monster. Or should I say, new monster,” he said locking eyes with her.

Missy stared in stunned silence. She hadn’t finished her final quest, had she? She thought back to what Drago had told her. She’d been tired but she had not mistaken his words. ‘Find out how the jackals are moving between worlds so we can stop them’. Missy looked back at Anukhan, who’s evil smile widened at her understanding. She felt the first tingle in the back of her skull. Not unlike the feeling when she’d realized she had wings. Her jaw dropped in utter disbelief. Anukhan was right.

“Oh, no,” she whispered. “Not now!” she yelled, pounding her fists on the walls, the screaming muted from the other side of the thick Plexiglas. The change began slowly. Her quests were complete but now the blue light would be used to empower a maniac. Anu
k
han laughed as he went back to his machine. He turned dials, threw switches and watched as Missy’s own blue light filled the chamber for the first time. She felt its power, strong and racing through her b
e
ing. She threw herself hard against the structure one last time before her strength started to fade, drain from her body. She continued to pound the walls with no success. Anukhan’s body took on a faint glow. As Missy’s light faded, his grew stronger. When the transfer was co
m
plete, Anukhan had captured the shimmering blue light. He laughed a dreadful laugh as Missy sank to the floor of the chamber. She felt sick, and she was growing weaker by the m
i
nute. Her vision blurred and sound ceased. She lay in the cha
m
ber, not seeing, not hearing, and knowing she was going to die.

C
harlie’s reflection faded as it came through the portal. Dozer hit the floor of his dwelling with a loud thud. Dredge came to his aide immediately.

“Dozer! Let me help you, son,” Dredge said.

“No time, Father. We need to find Charlie and the others, and Missy still needs our help.” He pulled himself up with diff
i
culty and made for the door with Dredge behind him. Dozer stumbled as he made his way but he wouldn’t stop. Dredge caught up with his son and threw his arm around him. He ran, half-dragging Dozer to Atian’s quarters. Sophie opened the door and ushered them inside. Dozer co
l
lapsed on the floor gasping for breath and grimacing.

“There’s no time. We need to get back through the portal for Missy. Where’s Charlie?” he managed.

“He’s here! Come!” Sophie said as she led the way to their bedchamber.

“Where is she?” Charlie said, still trying to collect his strength after his reflection faded. In his human form, he looked small in his parents’ massive bed.

“I have the coordinates,” Dozer said as he made his way across the room to the mounted wall mirror. Atian followed him, and with his help, Dozer pulled up the coordinates to the jackal’s temple. Charlie stood up and stopped. He felt a familiar tingle in his skull. Something he’d been without for a long time. Sophie gasped as she watched. Charlie began to glow blue and he knew what that meant.

“She’s done it!” he told them. “She’s completed her quests!” Then he felt something else, the small pain he normally felt in his chest when they were s
e
parated started to grow. It ached now like a burning fire in his chest. Charlie clutched his hands to his heart, trying to hold the hurt back, but it burned u
n
relenting. “Mother?” Charlie looked to her.

“She’s dying,” Sophie choked out.

Charlie bellowed in sheer fury as he stormed to the po
r
tal. The shimmering blue light rippled down his body tran
s
forming him into his true bull form. He let loose another fur
i
ous cry of rage before plunging through with Atian behind him.

Charlie came through the portal with unbridled rage. He looked around the room. One jackal lay bleeding heavily as a
n
other tried to plug the wound. The strange machine stood u
n
manned, with no sign of Anukhan. Charlie’s eyes focused on the chamber. He ran over to it and saw Missy collapsed on the floor inside. He let out a maddening cry before he pounded the chamber with his fists. He swung again like a madman, sla
m
ming into the chamber with the force of a thousand bulls. It cracked and shattered under his full strength and rage. Charlie pulled Missy from the chamber and held her as she convulsed in his arms.

“Missy, I’m here, I’m here,” Charlie wailed but she didn’t answer. He looked toward the portal and saw, his father stan
d
ing there, then suddenly his mother, Vrag, and Elyen were there as well. Elyen ran to Charlie’s side and examined her quickly.

“Her blue light has been stolen. She can’t survive in mo
n
ster form,” Elyen said.

“Can we change her back to her human form?” Charlie sobbed.

“She has to change,” Sophie said as the others gathered around the dying girl.

“She’s never had to change before; she doesn’t know how!” Charlie said, unable to stop the shaking in his hands and voice.

“Sophie, we need to guide her,” Elyen said as she pulled the girl into her arms.

Charlie watched in numbed horror. Sophie dropped down beside the doe and touched the young girl’s face. Her spasms were diminishing.

“We need to hurry,” Sophie said. “Link to her mind.”

The women worked feverishly to link with the dying girl.

The world seemed dull and subdued, dark and detached. Missy felt nothing, heard nothing and blurred shadows clouded her vision. She thought it mildly surprising when she heard voices. In her world, hearing voices usually signaled the end. Missy didn’t fight the urge that was pulling her down. However, the voices grew louder and Missy recognized them. She tried to make out what they were saying.

“Missy, dear child, listen to me.” It sounded like Elyen. Missy strained to hear more. “You are a monster now but your light has been stolen.” She feared as much. The voice continued, this time it sounded like Sophie, “You are in your monster form, but in order to survive you must transform back to your human self.” Missy wanted to ask how. She strained now against the urges pulling her away. “Follow our lead, child, feel what we do and follow.” Missy felt the presence of Elyen and Sophie toget
h
er, they shifted just a little. Missy thought about it and tried the same in her mind. It seemed to work. As their presences swayed and bent, so did Missy, the dullness became clearer with every step. And so she followed them, every movement, thought, shift in presence she followed, hoping they would lead her home.

Charlie’s mouth gaped open at the sight, not quite pr
o
cessing what his eyes told him. Emotions rolled through him like a turbulent ocean. Dum
b
founded, he watched his mother and the doe as they gradually changed. He blinked then stared in disbelief as his mother became a beautiful human woman, her dark brown hair fell well below her shoulders. Her face a
p
peared smooth and delicate with only small laugh lines telling her age and her eyes, that curious gray, glistened with tears. The doe was equally stunning. Her hair was a light auburn, her skin the color of milk and cocoa. And in their arms, they held his beloved Missy. She sucked in a shuddering breath and gra
d
ually opened her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she gazed into the faces of the women holding her. Then recognition dawned. She lifted her hand to Elyen’s face. Elyen smiled, not holding back the tears spilling from her eyes.

“It’s me,” Elyen said, with a little laugh and a little sob mixed together.

Missy smiled. “Mother,” she whispered. Then she reme
m
bered Saal. “Please help Saal,” she croaked out. “Help him, Mother, please.”

Elyen looked up in confusion at Charlie. Charlie rose and found Kell still tending Saal who looked u
n
responsive.

“Over here,” he called to Elyen.

Sophie took Missy into her arms as Elyen rose to check on Saal. His eyes were closed and his breathing sounded ragged and labored.

“He tried to save her,” Kell said, his voice catc
h
ing.

Elyen examined the wound. She pulled up the blue light and started working on his injury. “I’m not sure if he will reco
v
er. He is badly injured. I will do what I can,” she said. Vrag moved to her side as she worked on him

“And what of you, jackal?” Vrag threatened.

“I believe Saal was right. Anukhan used our clan for his own selfish gain. Now that he is gone, our people will return to our old ways. We don’t want a war. We will destroy the wea
p
ons and the device.

“Where is Anukhan now?” Vrag asked.

“Once he possessed the blue light, he disa
p
peared into the portal. He’d gone to the human world so many times; I can only imagine that is where he went,” Kell said.

Charlie walked over to them carrying Missy. “We need to get her home,” he told Vrag and Elyen.

“I agree,” Elyen said, “We should take this jackal as well so I can continue to work on him.

Kell stood and shook Vrag’s hand. “Thank you for helping him. If you need any assistance from my people, please feel free to ask.”

“We will,” Vrag said as he lifted Saal from the ground with Atian’s help. They made their way through the portal. Kell watched them leave, then set fire to the temple, ready to lead his clan in a new d
i
rection.

S
aal lay sulking in his bed. His arms and torso bandaged heavily, prevented him from moving them. Missy sat in a chair next to the bed with a plate of meats and sweet bread.

“Don’t make me force you to eat, Saal,” she said in her most menacing voice.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, human?” he complained.

“Not even, now open wide,” Missy said. Saal co
m
plied but he nipped her finger in the process.

“Ouch!”

Charlie walked in with Elyen carrying more ba
n
dages. He preferred his human form more often than not these days. “Is the patient giving you trouble?” he asked.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Missy replied.

Elyen removed the bandages and examined the wounds again. “Much better,” she said. “If you promise to stay in bed for at least one more week, I’ll leave the bandages off.”