London Harmony: Minuette (17 page)

Books in the London Harmony series...
 
(All books are standalone and can be read in any order)

Water Gypsy

Feel the Beat

Roctoberfest

Small Fry

Doghouse

Minuette

Books in the Music of the Soul universe...
 
(All
books are standalone and can be read in any order)

Music of the Soul

A Deafening Whisper

Dating Game

Karaoke Queen

Silent Bob

Five Feet or Less

Broken Song

Syncopated Rhythm

Progeny

Girl Next Door

Lightning Strikes Twice

June

Dead Shot

Music of the Soul Shorts...
(All
short stories are standalone and can be read in any order)

Misadventures of Victoria Davenport: Operation Matchmaker

Wallflower

Accidental Date

Books in the Bridge series...

Trolls

Traitor

Unbroken

Books I collaborated with in the Bridge ~ Inner City series...

Gargoyles

Books in the Urban Fairytales series...

Red Hood: The Hunt

Snow: The White Crow

Ella: Cinders and Ash

Rose: Briar's Thorn

Books in the Techromancy Scrolls series...

Adept

Books in the Drakon series...

Awakening

Dragonfall

Books in the Valkyrie Chronicles series...

Return of the Asgard

Bloodlines

Folkvangr

Seventy Two Hours

Titans

Books in the Fracture series...

Divergence

Books in the Paranormals series...

Fleas

Urban Fairytales: Let Down Your Hair...

Chapter 1 - Chase

My black silken cloak billowed out behind me as the steed I had procured thundered through the forest on the faint path.  His great lungs heaving and sinuous muscles working to take great strides in the lengthening shadows of the eve.  I glanced back over my shoulder to see the sun dipping low over the mountains, like an orange and red fire consuming the sky.

I hadn't much time before the full moon brought the lycans out, but I was so close, I could just deal with the feral werewolves if need be, I would not cut off my pursuit.  Just a few minutes more.

I could see them like fleeting specters in the shadows of the ever thickening trees, I was gaining and would finally bring an end to this group of vrajitoare... witches.  They have plagued the nearby villages for too long.  Killing their men and taking their children for their dark rituals.

A trap spell hurtled toward me as we passed through its dark ward trigger, activating it.  Black energies slammed into me and dissipated with a familiar stinging sensation rippling across my skin.  I sneered and it became a snarl as I steadily gained on my prey.

It was a final lesson for them to learn that I was immune to dark magics though I was no witch nor possessed any charms nor wards.  I am merely an average, mortal woman.  It was through happenstance at birth that finds me impervious to magical assault.

I heard the whupping sound of a knife slicing through the air and I leaned to the side and grabbed the tumbling knife by its bone handle as it passed by my head.

Well, alright, I will make the concession that maybe I'm not your average maiden.

My snarl turned into an ironic grin, knives... blades were my weapon of choice.  I weighed it in my hand, fairly well balanced.  I flicked the knife smoothly with all the force I could muster.  Starting the release just above my target and to the left leading him.  The knife whupped through the air as it tumbled and I was rewarded by a wet thunk and a gurgled cry as one of the vrajitoare's henchmen fell.

I urged my steed to a fork in the trail, to try to cut off their escape.  I felt the horse's powerful muscles bunch up and with a great leap we cleared the trunk of a tree which had fallen in years past.  The smooth landing as we continued pursuit had me looking down at my mount.  The stableman I borrowed him from knew his horses, I was impressed.  What had he called this midnight black stallion?  Shadow?

I thumped his flank with a hand and encouraged him, “Good job Shadow.  Not much longer and then you can rest.”  As if he could understand me he huffed white foam and steam, from his hot breath in the chill autumn air, clouding the air in our wake.

We had to be close to where they were hiding out, with the sun setting.  The full moon was the domain of those cursed with the lycan contagion.  Yes... the moon belonged to the wolves.  These witches would have to have a protected location or they would have to deal with any ferals just as I would.

Just as I finished the thought, I came upon a clearing at a rock face.  Where two ridges seemingly came together, there was the opening to a cave.  The three vrajitoares stopped in the opening and turned to face me as they started chanting.

I looked around, the four remaining henchmen were nowhere to be seen.  I glanced at the sun again, there was maybe sixty seconds before the sun was swallowed by the peaks.  I was not about to lose my prize now that I had finally located the witches.  I would have to brave the perils of any ferals that came upon me.

I dismounted and slapped Shadow's flanks.  Sending him galloping into the dense forest.  He would stand a better chance on his own than if I brought him into this battle.  Just as he disappeared into the wood, I heard movement all around me.  The henchmen stepped into the clearing, wielding knives, clubs and one with a slim sword.  They had me surrounded.

I huffed and then looked over at the witches, studying their smug faces.  I was again disappointed that Dame Gothel was not among their numbers.  My lifelong hunt for her has yet to bear fruit.  I called out to them, “Eight versus one.  Those are acceptable to me, but if you wish to call more to assist you to make it a fair fight, I can wait.”

The eldest crone of the lot cackled and smirked. “Your bravado is wasted on us, the sun is extinguished.”

I narrowed my eyes, what did she mean by... the last rays of the sun trickled out, leaving the forest in a twilight lit only by the bluish glow of the full moon.  Their men began to change.  They were feral werewolves!  But they would attack the witches too, wolves do not discriminate, they have no intelligence like the men they spawn from, they are just mindless killing machines.

My skin felt like a thousand bees were buzzing along it, as the witches lashed out with one arcane spell after the next.  Wasting the putrid energies against me.  I could see their frustration as the spells melted away in a fury of crackling light against me.

I understood, though, they were stalling, giving time for their men to finish their change.  I calmly reached up and pulled the tie of my cloak at my neck and let the black silk drop to the ground at my feet.

I clenched my fists and twisted slightly side to side and my leather armor creaked and loosened up as the loops of metal covering it, shining white in the moonlight clinked gently.  I shook my long dark hair down, and it chimed in the night air as the seeming net of decorative silver feathers that adorned it rustled.

The crone smiled cruelly with rotted teeth as deep growling started all around me.  She said in the old tongue, “A storm is coming you arrogant cur, you should have sought shelter.”

As the werewolves stood, shaking off the last of the energies from their transformations, I smiled coolly at the woman and said, “I do not fear the storm...”  The first wolf leapt at me and my hands blurred to my sides, pulling two blades out of the dozens of pockets sewn into my leather armor, by the rings and flicked them.

They buried themselves into the wolf's skull, burning, sizzling, and foaming white as the silver plating on the blades killed the beast.  I barely yelped before its body fell at my feet.  It started transforming back to its human form in death.

I narrowed my eyes at the old witch and hissed, “...I am the storm!”  Just as all hell broke loose.  I toke three pivoting steps as I snatched more blades from my armor.  The pirouette allowed me to take in the battlefield and keep track of all my opponents.  Then the dance began.

The wolves all rushed me, ignoring the witches.  What sorcery was that?  Why did they not go after them as well?  Were they somehow commanding the beasts?

I spun under the leap of the largest wolf, his recurved claws and snapping fangs just missing me, and I dragged two razor sharp silvered blades along his belly as he passed.  He landed with a yelp and tumbled to the ground, his entrails spilling out behind him.  The acrid smell of foaming and burning flesh of silver burns filled the air.

It took a lot to kill a werewolf.  They could take insane amounts of damage that would kill any other mortal creature.  But in recent times, as the lycan curse spread throughout the realms, it was discovered that they cannot abide the touch of silver.  The different churches say it is the purity of the metal.  I didn't care about that, all I cared was that silver was anathema to wolves and could kill them as surely as if they were mortal creatures.

I slammed the back of my arm against one that tried to come in under my guard, and it yelped and backed away for a moment when its face and fur were singed by the loops of silver on the blades that covered my entire form like chain-mail.

I had to drop into a three-point stance and then spun, kicking him in the temple with a silver tipped boot.  There was a satisfying crunch as the sharpened tip penetrated his skull.  I tumbled on the ground, out of the reach of the others as my latest kill started his change back in death.

The final two circled me, and I readjusted the grip on one of my blades for a backhanded strike.  I just pivoted with them, leaving them a tempting target with my arms stretched out to my sides, leaving my body open.

I took in a deep breath and held it, listening.  I could hear their breathing, their claws on the gravely ground, then the slight intake of air as both launched themselves through the air at me.  I windmilled as I ducked and bobbed.  Blades glinting in the light of the moon as they slashed in each direction.

One wolf fell dead with a blade buried in his eye socket the other landed in a graceless scrabbling thump, limping with a gash along his flank and the tendons in its left front leg severed.  It snarled and snapped at me, saliva dripping from its fangs.

I tried to circle, but I instead was circling to his weak side.  It frustrated the animal and it made a limping charge.  I dove over the animal and it snapped at me as I arced through the air above it.  I landed behind it and dropped my blade as I grabbed its tail with both hands and leaned back as I twisted and yanked with all the strength I could muster.

It growled in protest as I sent it head over paw through the air and tumbling into the witches who were trying to avoid the enraged wolf.  It got instantly to its three good feet and charged me, not caring that its mistresses were in its way.  He grabbed one of the vrajitoares in his jaws and threw her aside to get to me.  His fangs puncturing her thigh.

I smirked at her high pitched screams, her knowing that she had been infected by the lycan infection and was now one of the cursed.  Fitting.  I slid out two fresh blades and just stood my ground waiting for the wolf.  As it reached me, it snapped, wasting its bite on the loops of silver.  Which put him in the perfect position.  I struck down with all my might with both blades, cracking and sizzling through bone.

For two heartbeats the wolf stood there, motionless before it fell in a heap at my feet.

The other witches back up, as their companion started her change into a ravening beast under the influence of the cursed moon.  I walked slowly but purposely toward them, they seemed to be distracted by their companion's fate.

I started unwrapping the slender rope looped over my shoulder that was woven from my own hair and slender strands of silver.  It had the same properties as I myself since it came from me.  It was immune to dark magics and was inexplicably many times stronger than any other rope.  I let the two heavy weighted blade tied at either end dangle almost to the ground as I held loops of the rope in my right hand.

The cursed witch made an old scraggly and mangy looking wolf, on the small and sickly side of the scale.  She immediately lunged at the other two when her change was complete.  But the crone held up something that looked like a tangled mass of dark fur and blood on a leather string around her wrist, and yelled, “Stop!”

I blinked.  The wolf obeyed her and stood looking at them, growling.  That is why they traveled with wolves and were not afraid of ferals finding them in the wood on a full moon.  Some sort of cursed talisman let them control the wolves.

The crone smiled evilly and turned to me and pointed.  She started to order the wolf to attack me but I spun, letting out rope as the weighted blades whirled around on the rope, whistling as they split the air.  I let loose one end and the blade launched at the crone slamming through her wrist.  She screamed as I yanked back and coiled the rope smoothly, keeping tension on the blade as It sailed back to me and I caught it under my arm.

I smiled as I pulled the talisman off my blade and crumbled it in my hand.  The crone's eyes went wide in terror as she snapped her head over to the side to see the wolf attack her companion.  The screaming of the vrajitoare made me show her mercy as she was being disemboweled.

I swung my blades around slinging them behind me then into a high arc and with a yelp and a thud, a blade buried deep into the wolf and the witch.  Giving them both a mercy they never showed their victims.

I stepped slowly up to the crone as I coiled the rope and slung it back over my shoulder.  She feebly pulled a small bone knife from her cloak, blood freely flowing from her wrist.

I shook my head and just slapped the knife from her hand and lifted her off the ground and pinned her to the stones at the entrance to the cave.  She weighed no more than a dried corpse.  The price they paid to use the corrupting magics as it withered their body and soul.

I hissed at her, “Where are the women and children you took last night?  Are they dead?”  I hooked a ring with the thumb of my other hand and drew out a blade which I held to her throat.

She looked terrified but then started cackling.  “Do you hear it, child?  It makes no difference if I tell you or not.”

I listened to the night, I could hear dozens of howls.  Feral wolves had heard the battle and were coming to join the hunt.  She grinned through rotted teeth. “The sacrifices are in the cave, but they will die along with you.  No matter how formidable you are against four wolves, even you cannot take on dozens and still protect the sheep in the cave.”

I looked around at the dark forest on three sides of us then at her.  “Then you die with us, at the fangs of the cursed.  I can grant you a swift death if you answer one question.”

The howls were getting closer and I could see her eyes futility searching the clearing as her fear grew.  She licked her cracked lips. “Ask your question.”

I leaned in and locked eyes with her.  “Where can I find Dame Gothel?”  A new fear flooded her eyes, as the Dame, could find her in death.  She shook her head and another howl split the air, much closer.  I started to release her with a smile on my face.