Chương 36: Chapter 35 - The Late-Night Visitor

I jumped out of my cot. When Anna and Jacob raised their heads, I told them, in a voice that belonged to my inner doom-bringer, to stay there. I sounded menacing enough even Anna decided it'd be a good idea to obey. I wasn't trying to be quiet when I left my room, so I wasn't surprised when I heard Conrad's door open behind me as I stormed down the hall. He caught up to me at the top of the stairs.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's the wendigo," I said.

"It's outside."

"I thought it hunted in town. Why would it come all the way out here?"

"That's what I'm going to ask it." When we were at the bottom of the stairs, I yelled toward the library, "Darius! We have a visitor!" The count appeared beside me one second later. I didn't even have time to reach the front door where my boots and coat were waiting.

"Is the ward holding?" he asked. He didn't bother asking who or what I meant. He must have guessed based on the quaver in my voice. So much for sounding brave.

"Yes." I threw on my boots without bothering to lace them.

"You're going out there?" Darius asked.

"She wants to talk to it," Conrad said.

"In your pajamas?" I gave the vampire a look while I put on my coat.

"I'm not trying to impress it." After opening the door, I said, "Besides, what does one wear when confronting a man-eating evil?" Darius and Conrad were only a step behind me. The count said, "I've found a suit usually works well."

"Fangs," Conrad said.

"And fangs." A well-dressed vampire on my left flank, a massive wolfman on my right flank, untied boots and paper-thin pajama pants—even without fangs, I was ready to take on the world. The wendigo stopped pacing when it saw us come out on the porch. As we approached, Darius muttered under his breath, "Don't mention that we think we know who it's possessing." This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Why?" I whispered back. I hadn't been planning on it, but now I was curious.

"Because if we're right, it'll change bodies." That seemed like a good reason. I knew between Conrad's sense of smell and my eyes, we'd be able to find it again, but I didn't want to lose any more people than we already had. I stood a yard away from the glowing indigo line and stared at the thing in front of me. Its shape rippled like silent black flames, but I could see both of them were there—the human husk, and the horned beast. The wind started to pick up.

"Don't bother," I yelled.

"I know what you are. I won't listen." The thing swung its leg around, as casual as you please, and limped a step closer to me. The line glowed brighter near where it stood. It pulled at its hood, trying to hide its human face from me.

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. I was lost in the woods, and I came across a gate in your wall. I didn't think anyone would be awake—""Not a bad lie, but I told you, we know what you are. We're not going to invite you in." I couldn't see its face, but I could see its displeasure. Don't ask me how.

"Here's a hint," I said, "a real person would have stared at the wolfman for longer." I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. Conrad crossed his huge arms in front of his enormous chest. His fur hid all the muscle definition, but nothing could hide his size.

"Are you the witch?" the wendigo asked. I pressed my lips shut.

"This place reeks of witchcraft." It eyed me. It could stare at me until its eyes popped out of its skull and ran down its cheeks for all I cared. I was not going to tell it about Olivia.

"How did you find them?" I said. Its human head tilted one way. Its desiccated beast skull tilted the other. I raised my voice.

"I know you followed them. How?"

"You know that much, but you don't know the answer?"

"Why don't you leave them alone? What have they ever done to you?" The indigo light flared to a blinding blue when it lunged at me. Darius and Conrad both stepped forward. The vampire stood in front of me, with one arm back to keep me at a distance. Conrad's teeth were glinting. It didn't matter. The ward held. The wendigo pressed against the invisible field, its flickering form fixed on me. The wind said with it, "How many centuries did I have to wait for them to fade? —growing emptier with every endless season!

Then I learned they weren't gone at all! Witch, I will find them, and I will end their miserable existence." The magic of the ward screeched as he scraped his faces across it.

"And what will you do then?" The wendigo turned into the wind, stepped onto the air, and melted into the distance, disappearing as fast as a sliver of ice thrown in a fire. A few seconds passed before Darius lowered his arm. Conrad stopped snarling. And I…well, I started shaking. Hard. I had to try twice to take a deep breath before I could actually do it.

"Huh," I mumbled.

"That was…uh…that was"—I wanted to say "something" because I believe in the power of nonchalance, but the truth slipped out instead—"scary." Darius nodded, but he didn't look at me. He was staring in the direction the wendigo had gone.

"Could you catch him?" Conrad asked.

"With the wind like that?" the vampire said.

"Only during the witching hour. And only if I caught him in the first minute." He turned to the mansion.

"Let's get inside. I'll wake up Olivia and have her come out to check the wards." As soon as his words registered with my adrenaline-addled brain, I whipped around.

"No!" I took a step toward him and almost tripped on my laces.

"You can't send Olivia out here."

"Emerra, that ward took a beating tonight—""Not Olivia!" I tried to think how to explain as I stumbled toward Darius.

"It would find a way. It would break itself— beat itself, again and again—through the smallest crack to get to her." We'd made it to the three stairs that led up to the front porch.

"Why?" Conrad said. A voice from the porch said, "Because it hates witches." Olivia was standing there in her pajamas, black sweatshirt, and bare feet, shivering.

"What are you doing here?" Darius asked.

"I felt the ward buckling." She said to me, "I'm right, aren't I? It hates witches. For good reason."