Wizard's Sword (The Battle Wizard Saga, No.2) (21 page)

Jacob growled. "Rick, don′t go there."

"Our Alpha is Jacob′s brother and they′ve reached an accommodation. History says that Jacob could take him."

"OK, if we′re telling stories out of school, Rick will probably be the next Alpha. He′s the only wolf as big as me and he hasn′t finished filling out."

"I′m not going to be Alpha. It′s too much responsibility and work, and I′m having too much fun. I want to be the wolf-of-the-party."

"So now you know the dirty little Were secret, no one in their right mind wants to be Alpha."

Lenny and Tommy looked uncomfortable.

"We′ve been telling you our secrets, now it′s your turn. Rick evaded the question about your magic. Said I had to ask you."

"I don′t have much. I change form, like you."

"You′re a Were? What kind?"

"No, it′s a little different."

"Show us."

Sig reached into his shirt, pulled out his medallion, and looked at Rick. He nodded.

"Aðalbrandr." The flickering campfire light made the scene surreal as he changed.

The boys scrambled away from the fire. Jacob looked up in amazement "Crikey. A Battle Wizard, a big one."

Sig waved his sword back and forth a few times, and set its point down on the ground. "This is my change. Not nearly as sleek as a wolf."

The boys crept back and sat down. Jacob sprang to his feet to compare scale. "Whew, that′s impressive. I want you on my side in a fight. Are you as strong as you look?"

 "I saw him pull a tractor out of a ditch. It was stuck in mud and I couldn′t budge it. Show him a jump Sig," Rick said.

After sheathing his sword, he took five strides and leapt to catch a large branch nineteen feet from the ground. Using his momentum, he swung up into the tree and whipped a leg over the branch before pulling himself up to sit on it. It creaked noisily, so he jumped down, and said "Koma Aftur," when he landed.

He strolled over and sat down at the fire. "That′s my magic. I′m supposed to have more, but it seems to be misplaced. Nothing else works."

"Changing into that form is amazing by itself, and that is an impressive sword."

Rick pointed at the two-foot diameter tree that Sig had been in. "He could cut that tree down with three whacks."

Sig looked at the tree and shrugged. "Maybe two."

"Leave me your number. I′ll call you when we need trees felled."

The flames flickered over a glowing bed of coals. Everyone agreed it was a great day and they′d have to do it again. Jacob, Tommy, and Lenny headed to bed.

Sig and Rick stayed up to put out the fire. "You said Jacob should be your pack Alpha, but his brother is. Is it a hereditary position?"

"No, it's anything but hereditary. You have to defeat the current Alpha. Jacob did it twice.

The old Alpha made it a point of principle to force Jacob to obey. He insisted that Jacob give the pack this land. It′s been in Aunt Amanda′s family for hundreds of years and Jacob refused."

"That sounds reasonable."

"The Alpha became desperate after Jacob defeated him the first time. He feared losing control. The second time there is a challenge; it is usually a fight to the death. Besides being the biggest and strongest, Jacob also spent time as a Special Forces commando. Weres rarely serve in the armed forces. Yet, another of Jacob′s Lone Wolf characteristics. He has tricks in either form that other Weres don′t know."

"To the death?"

"The old Alpha isn′t around. Jacob′s brother bested all challengers, but it might have been because they didn′t want to deal with Jacob." Rick looked into Sig′s eyes. "Jacob is a bad mofo in either form. It′s best if he likes you, or at least doesn′t hate you."

Sig nodded. "Good to know."

"Just because you go to bed at sunset, isn′t a reason to get up before sunrise." Sig grumbled and pulled the pillow over his head.

Rick shook him again. "C′mon, you′re the last one up. Jacob wouldn′t let me pour a bucket of water on you. Something about ruining the mattress."

He shook Sig again and jumped back. "If you don′t get up, he might reconsider."

"Man, you woke me from such a beautiful dream." Sig stood, pulled off his jeans, grabbed a towel, and shambled out of the door in just his underwear. He broke into a run and hollered as he dove into the pond. When he hit, the freezing water sucked the air out of his lungs. By the time he recovered, he wanted to holler again, but couldn′t with his head underwater.

After scrubbing himself, he climbed out of the pond and wrapped the towel around his waist. Shivering, he walked past Rick into the cabin. "Three problems solved."

"Three?"

"Clean, awake, and dream obliterated."

Giselle walked out of her room. "Let′s go. Man up. I′d like to get this expedition on the road."

"Did you get a new car? I thought you had a Jeep. You have an Expedition now?"

She gave Rick an exasperated look. "See if you can get your buddy moving. Since the chili′s gone, I need to stop somewhere for breakfast. I′m starving."

She walked out of the cabin to find Jacob bent over the fire pit, stirring the contents of a large frying pan. He looked up at her. "I′ll have this deer scramble ready in a few minutes. Do you have any more espresso to go with it?"

She saw peppers, onions, mushrooms, and deer meat in the scrambled eggs and smiled. "I′m going hunting with you from now on. This is the way to do it. Show up, get a deer, great grub, and then home."

"Thank me with espresso."

"Coming right up."

Sig walked out of the cabin lugging two packs and went back in to get Giselle′s pack. He set it down with the others, stepped off the porch, and muttered "Aðalbrandr."

Jacob dropped the pan into the fire. "Crikey, give me some warning when you′re going to do that. I almost changed forms and spilled the breakfast into the fire." He tugged the pan back out with his mitt and flicked embers from the eggs.

Sig rumbled down at him, "Sorry. I′m going to carry the packs to the Jeep and come back to help with the meat. I carry more this way." He lifted all three packs in one hand and jogged into the woods. "Save some for me," he hollered back.

Breakfast made a great end to an excellent hunt. After exchanging thanks all around, Sig and Rick carried a folding thermal carrier full of meat. After they finished loading Giselle swung the Jeep towards Chicago.

Back on paved roads, she pulled into a combination country store, gas station, and bait shop. She filled up while Sig purchased bags of ice for the meat.

Rick leapt down, put his front paws out, and stretched his back. A large German Sheppard mix trotted around the side of the building. Rick spotted him first and stood still on all fours, waiting for a reaction. The dog halted and growled. Rick sat on his haunches and stared at the dog, until it slunk back around the building, still growling.

Rick remained sitting until everyone climbed back in and then leapt back on top of the luggage.

A mile down the road, Giselle looked in the rearview mirror to see that Rick had changed forms. "That dog didn′t seem to like you."

"That happens all the time. Weres and dogs don′t get along. With one of my little cousins, or a pack of dogs, there might have been an altercation. But, and I say this in all modesty, I′m a little too impressive for a single dog, no matter how tough it thinks it is."

"Of course you say that in all modesty."

"When you got it, you got it."

"Modestly put."

"That will be a hunt for the bards to sing of. The problem with a hunt is bringing the prey down. The chase is great and the meat, exquisite. Regardless, you′re still bringing down a wild animal that has defenses and Weres can get hurt."

"This way you still get the chase and the meat, but we brought the deer down."

"Exactly, this is the only way to do it. And, the chili, don′t forget the chili. It makes a fire down below."

Giselle grinned at the compliment. "Now the only problem is we′re headed back to the real world."

They approached a highway entrance. "Let me know when we arrive in the real world." Rick changed back, pawed at the packs, circled twice, and settled for a nap.

Giselle and Sig chatted about the hunt, Sig being part Amazon, Jacob and his boys, work, and just about everything except what had happened yesterday evening.

Sig, Rick, and Giselle prepared dinner for the Professor with the fruits of the hunt. Sig roasted corn and grilled deer loin marinated in garlic, olive oil, and Worchester, Rick baked biscuits, Giselle made a Caesar salad, with real anchovies, and the Professor surprised them by whipping up a Chimichurri sauce for the meat. They washed it down with a velvety Zinfandel from the Professor′s wine cellar.

"Don′t get used to this, it′s for special occasions. I meet on the budget tomorrow morning with Dean Heathcoat. Closure is close. It helps that the lovely Bernadette participated to guard her investment."

Sig raised his glass and they toasted the budget. It would be the culmination of a memorable weekend. With an agreement, they would be able to continue their research.

Before the Professor retired for the evening, he asked Sig, "Would you please join me to meet Dean Heathcoat? We discussed new students in the program and he mentioned your name. He′d like to meet with students who have elected to study the physics of magic, instead of 'real′ physics, as he puts it."

Sig agreed. The Professor bid everyone a fond adieu and retired for the evening. After three bottles of wine, it sounded like he bid them a fondue. Either he slurred his speech, or Sig′s ears slurred his hearing.

†††

In the morning, Professor Herman offered Sig a ride. He accepted the offer and prayed the insurance check would arrive soon so he could stop bumming rides.

After his morning class, he met Professor Herman in his office. He handed Sig an object wrapped in dried leaves. "Put this in your pocket. Leave it there until after the meeting. Now we′d better get over to the Dean′s office."

Dean Heathcoat had a reception area three times the size of the Professors office. It came equipped with an efficient secretary who looked up and nodded to Professor Herman when they walked in. "He′s running a little behind schedule. He asked that you wait for a few minutes." She gestured toward a seating area with maroon leather couches and two comfortable chairs clustered around a large, low table. Soft music played over concealed speakers. "May I get you something to drink?"

"Some lemon grass tea would be very nice, Virginia."

She looked to Sig with raised eyebrows. "I′ll have the same if it′s no trouble, ma′am."

She smiled, nodded, and stepped into a small kitchenette. Returning in a few minutes, she set two large black cups emblazoned with the University logo on the low table, and returned to her desk.

Sig felt queasy. It compared to the feeling he had when he passed the Dean in the hall outside the Professor′s office, but not quite as rancid. He sipped his tea, hoping it would purge the nausea. Professor Herman looked at him with concern. Sig glanced over at him. "I′ll be OK." If Rick could get used to the multitude of smells that assailed him, Sig decided he could handle this.

After ten minutes, the Dean′s door opened and he emerged to greet them. He extended his hand. "Arthur, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Our lovely benefactress, Bernadette, called to check on her money." Pleasure didn′t reflect in his eyes.

A greater wave of nausea passed over Sig. The Dean turned and extended his hand. "You must be Sigurd Stromgard. Are you all right? You′re a bit pale around the edges."

Sig forced himself to grasp the Dean′s outstretched hand. It felt like clutching something in the bottom of a garbage pail. He didn′t want to embarrass the Professor by throwing up on the Dean. He improvised, "My allergies are in full bloom, and I′ve run out of my medication. I′ll be fine."

"I′m sorry to hear that. Please come in, I′ll keep this brief."

Sig followed them into an office larger than the reception area. He took a seat beside the Professor in front of the Dean′s desk.

"Bernadette Hanson and her lawyer called to inquire about the spending of her bequest. I assured her that the entire amount would support the study the Physics of Magic." He gave Sig the impression of someone sucking on a lemon as he said it.