The Witch of the Western Gate: Dragon's Gift (20 page)

"I see."

"Where's Rafe and Talon?," asked Blue.

"I dropped them off to do reconnaissance on the vampires," replied Brando.

"Reconnaissance? How do you know where to look?"

"Soon as the vampires showed up in town, we tracked down their lair, figuring they'd cause a problem eventually. Vampires usually do."

"That's terrific!" said Blue. "I'm so relieved that you know where they have Took. There's no way I can do another tracking spell with Cormac in the house. He'd wake up for sure."

"Why not just tell him so he can help?," helped Stella.

"I can't cause a conflict between him and the Paranormal Council and Zerelda."

"Makes sense," replied Brando.

"This is such a relief that you already know where to look."

"Hop in the car," said Brando.

"You brought the Sybil!," exclaimed Stella. They all hopped into the antique fire engine carriage.

"Yes, Blue's spell from the other night is still in effect, so the Sybil is running fine. The way it hovers along over the snow makes it ideal to take across pasture. Also the illusion spell is still working, so it looks like an SUV to mundanes."

"Perfect!" exclaimed Stella.

Within a few minutes they were out of town and skimming across remote pastures near Shelby Center, a small hamlet of old country houses, the largest of which belonged to Zerelda Reynard.

"Where are they staying?," asked Blue.

The Sybil came to a stop and Brando pointed. "That is Zerelda's house. We have to pass it, so I wanted to point it out. The blood suckers are further out in the backwoods, in the old Reynard farmhouse."

"Zerelda's house looks creepy," said Blue, referring to the large dark brown wood house with olive green trim. It looked bleak and ominous.

"Yuck," said Stella.

The Sybil continued, further out into the countryside. Blue was surprised when it came to a stop. There was nothing to be seen except empty pasture criss-crossed by lines of windbreak trees. Finally, against the horizon, where the first glow of sunlight appeared, Blue saw it, the burned down shell of a large house.

"There's nothing there but the ruins of an old, burned out farmhouse," said Blue.

"That is not just any burned out old farmhouse. That is what remains of the old Reynard farmhouse," Brando explained. It burned down thanks to careless spellcasting, though the mundanes think that careless smoking was the cause. The Reynards, what's left of them, don't even farm the land anymore. They prefer to leave the land fallow and collect the government subidies."

"Wow, the Reynards are having hard times," said Stella.

"Zerelda does fine," replied Brando "Most of the remaining family money was funnelled into her accounts."

"I see," replied Blue. "But where's Took and Quantrill?"

"In the root cellar, of course," replied Brando. "Even though the house is burned down, there is a large basement room underneath. Perfect for vampires. Just wait here a few minutes for Rafe and Talon to return."

"Why do they need a basement?" asked Blue. "Quantrill walks around in daylight with no problems."

"Old vampires can tolerate the sun to some extent, but they prefer the dark, and they like to sleep in a dark, cool room," replied Brando. "Also, some of the vampires in his gang are much younger than he and can only come out at night."

A few minutes later two wolves loped by and ran behind a nearby brush, emerging a few minutes later in their human forms.

"You were right, Brando," said Rafe. "All the bloodsuckers are down in the basement root cellar of the old Reynard place. We counted nine of them lurking around here, drinking wine and laughing. They went into the basement about an hour ago."

"Oui," said Talon. "Aussi the dragon Took was with them, tied up."

"Tied up like a turkey," added Rafe.

"The vampires, they poke petite Took with a broom handle," said Talon, his voice ending in a low growl.

"It gets worse," said Rafe. "Quantrill put out his cigarette on Took's back." Blue gasped.

"Oui, vampires, tres mal.

"Let's get him back!" Blue started walking toward the burned out house. Rafe grabbed her arm and held her back. Blue struggled against him and he wrapped his arms around Blue to hold her, pounding fists against his chest.

"No, let me go! I must get Took!"

"Stop, Blue, hush be quiet!" whispered Brando. "Everyone in the Sybil." They all piled into the antique, fire engine carriage, Rafe dragging Blue. Fortunately the Sybil, being an open carriage, had no doors to slam.

"Here's the plan," Brando continued. "The bloodsuckers are probably asleep now. We'll wait another hour, until seven, just before sunrise. Then Rafe, Took and I will rush in with these high powered flashlights. Rafe pointed to a bag on the floor. That will stun them. We'll grab Took and run."

"I need to help too!" said Blue.

"I'll hand Took up the stairs to you and Stella. Run with him to the Sybil. Don't look back."

"What if they come after us?" asked Stella.

"If a vampire follows, then leave. Fast. Drive back to the McChesney house. Don't worry about us wolven. We're more than a match for the vampires. Most of Quantrill's gang is too young to take full sunlight. They won't be able to leave the basement. All we have to do is get up the stairs again and we'll be fine."

"Alright," replied Blue. Stella nodded.

"Take these," said Blue. She handed Rafe a bag.

"What is it?"

"They're magical capsules I made, containing smoke bombs. They'll go off with a bang and a flash of light and smoke."

"Perfect," replied Brando. "Going in." Brando opened the hinged metal door on the ground. It was locked.

"Without waiting for discussion, Blue blasted it with an energy bolt, breaking the lock. The vampires were sure to hear that. Brando opened the door and Rafe threw down all of the magical capsules. There were immediate screams and hollers as the bangs, flashes of light, and smoke went off. Brando tossed his flashlight down then jumped in after it, followed by Rafe and Talon. There were sounds of a ferocious struggle that went on for a few minutes then Took's head appeared. Blue and Stella reached down and grabbed Took. Just when they had him, Quantrill's hand appeared and he grasped the little dragon's neck. Blue realized that Quantrill's intention was to snap it and kill the little beast. There was only a moment to respond. Blue let loose with the thrumming of a shadowblast and caught Quantrill squarely in the chest. He few back down into the basement. Blue and Stella saw their chance. They carried Took to the Sybil. Blue held him firmly under her arm, like one would a chicken. Then they hopped in and drove away.

"I hate leaving the wolven there to do all the dirty work," said Blue.

"I know," replied Stella. "But it's the best way to help them. They can't fight if they're worried about you being hurt. Even though you're a powerful spellcaster, your body is only human and easily broken."

"So true," sighed Blue, steering the Sybil fire engine carriage toward home.

"It's ridiculous having so much spellcasting power, while being soft and fragile as a peach."

At the McChesney house, Blue scooped Took up into her arms and carried him to the sunroom. There she fed him and rubbed oil into his burn, both she and Stella cooing and petting the little dragon. Even LeRoy looked pleased. Took bathed in the fountain, gazing lovingly at LeRoy and Blue. Blue gave both of them an extra treat with their meal -- blueberries.

"Took purred in pleasure, like a cat."

"You two girls need to shower now and get ready for school, or else Cormac will suspect you were up to something tonight. So shoo, go on with you," said LeRoy.

Blue headed toward her bedroom and Stella toward the pale green bedroom she usually used when she stayed over. There she had a few extra sets of clothes.

"Let's shower and change fast. Then we still have time for breakfast," said Blue. Spellcasting always made her hungry.

As Blue and Stella sat down to their coffee and oatmeal a few minutes later, a text came in from Rafe.

"We all r OK and U?"

"Fine," replied Blue. T safe in house.

"Oh my god, Stella. I totally forgot about Ivy!"

Blue quickly texted Rafe.

"Is I OK?," asked Blue.

"I fine. I did 1st chng last nite & chngd bck." replied Rafe. "Needs ppl & talk. B&I at your house in 5 min. I is all yrs."

"Oh dam! The wolven want me to talk to Ivy. Brando is bringing her here! Why me?"

"Well she is your cousin, and she is your same age, and she just grew a tail last night in front of everyone and found out that she's a werewolf. A wolven's first change is a big ordeal, and Ivy found out the hard way that she's wolven. That would be hard for anyone. For a prissy girl like Ivy it's a nightmare. Her father was with her last night at the Mantooth place, but that's not enough."

"How do you know Uncle Basil was there?"

"I texted Talon to check on Ivy last night, and to make sure the wolven all got home alright. You were busy with Took." Blue nodded sheepishly. Her concern for the little dragon had outweighed her concern for her cousin and the wolven.

"I knew the wolven would all be OK. I do feel a little guilty though that I forgot all about Ivy."

"We really need to give her support," added Stella. "By 'we' I mean mainly you, Blue, her cousin." Blue groaned.

"I will go to school today and you will take the day off and spend it here with Ivy," said Stella. Don't worry. I'll pick up the homework assignments today for you and Ivy. I'll tell everyone that you both came down with a stomach virus."

Blue groaned again even louder, then took out another bowls and coffee cups for Ivy and Brando.

Chapter 20

"I'm just so outraged that no one told me about any of this wolven stuff!," exclaimed Ivy, digging into her second helping of pancakes. Brando helped himself to more eggs and bacon. Fortunately, Blue had anticipated the wolven being hungry, especially Ivy after her first change. Wolven, with their high metabolisms, ate a tremendous amount of food on an average day. When they were active the amount of nourishment required increased dramatically. While waiting for them to arrive, Blue cooked a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, pancakes, oatmeal, sliced fruit and coffee.

"So sorry you found out in such an unpleasant way," said Blue.

"Did you know?"

"Well, I knew your mother was wolven, and of course Grandpa Lou is also. So that makes you three-quarters wolven. I suspected it might happen. But you're late to be going through your first change. I guess I figured that since it hadn't happened yet that it never would, and you were just going to have unusually good senses and athletic ability. Your sense of smell is amazing, your reflexes are incredible; your eyesight is unusually sharp. You know…," Blue's voice trailed off as Ivy glared at her.

"That's exactly what my father said."

"It's what we all were hoping," said Blue.

"Why? You all thought I couldn't handle being a freak? Like the rest of you?"

"Something like that," mumbled Blue.

"Calm down, Ivy," said Brando. "It's not Blue's fault that you were not told. If you want to blame someone, then blame your father. It was Basil's decision to handle it this way, and we did as he asked out of respect for him."

"Don't worry, I blame him plenty."

"So mature of you," grinned Brando.

"What do you mean by that?" said Ivy, slamming her coffee mug down on the table so hard that Blue was surprised it didn't break.

"You must admit, Ivy, that you don't seem like the type of girl who would enjoy uh… paranormal powers. You've always embraced the mundane world. So we all hoped things would stay simple and normal for you, to spare you."

"I suppose you have a point," said Ivy. "But I still should have been told, especially about my birth mother."

"I understand," said Brando, nodding. "But it is what it is, and the thing to do now is move forward and make the best of the situation. In time you may even find that you enjoy your powers and your wolf nature. You might even find that you blame Basil less for how he handled things."

"I supposed I have no choice anyway," grumbled Ivy.

There was a knock at the door and Aunt Violet stepped in.

"Hi everyone. I called the Mantooth home and found out that Ivy is here. I just want to make sure you're OK, Ivy, and also I brought you some cookies."

"Don't tell me you have First Change Into Werewolf cookies," said Ivy.

"Uh, as a matter of fact, I do!" said Aunt Violet, tenatively fingering the bag she carried. She pulled from it a large round time decorated in folkstyle stencils of wolves hopping and dancing. Blue started to giggle, then quickly repressed her laughter. Brando starting coughing into a kitchen towel, trying desperately not to meet Blue's eyes.

"Shoot me now!" moaned Ivy.

Aunt Violet patted Ivy on the back. "It's not so bad, Ivy. You'll get used to it in time. I made your favorites, oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip."

"Thank you, Aunt Violet. I really need to get a grip and calm down," said Ivy. "There are worse things that can happen to a person, I'm sure."

"That's the idea!," said Aunt Violet. "Enough coffee for you. Have a nice lemon tea now, with a few cookies. I guarantee you'll feel better in a few minutes." Ivy was on her third cookie already.

"I need to hurry back to my store, and relieve Grandma Violet. Raveen is in labor.

"That would be worse than turning into a werewolf," observed Ivy.

"How is Raveen doing?" asked Blue.

"It's her first baby, so that's difficult." Aunt Violet sighed. "Plus I feel twins insider her and one baby is turned funny. Plus Raveen is not in a good fame of mind, due to her personal problems. So it's going to be a difficult birth. That much is clear."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Blue. Ivy kicked Blue under the table.

"Actually, there is, now that you mention it," replied Aunt Violet.