Diggin up crones, p.24
Diggin' Up Crones, page 24
“If you say so.”
Gunner was the first out of the blocks. He had longer legs, was faster than me, and physically stronger. The first strix that flapped into our path on the trail he knocked to the side as if it were a bowling pin. The three that subsequently moved to intercept him never made it because I tossed them back with magic.
I heard Evan behind us. I didn’t risk looking over my shoulder because I was the type who would trip over her own feet and throw the plan into disarray. Yeah, I was that girl in the horror movie. The one who tripped over nothing and allowed the killer to catch up.
It took us two minutes to get to the dome. Gunner ducked inside first, and only then did I allow myself to slow enough to check Evan’s progress. To my surprise, there was a trail of strixes in our wake. He’d slaughtered five or six and had another slung over his shoulder.
“Move,” he barked, rage filling his features. “Don’t stop. Move your ass into that dome.”
I did as he ordered but was annoyed when we were both on the other side, in the relative safety of Tillie’s utopia. “You’re not the boss of me,” I reminded him.
“Don’t give me any grief.” He dropped the strix on the ground and l leaned over the creature to get a good look.
“You knocked it out?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It seemed prudent. I didn’t want to get bit.”
“I doubt you can get infected.”
“I was more worried about him sucking my blood and turning into a vampire strix.”
“Oh, man!” Gunner threw his hands into the air. “For the love of all that’s holy, why did you put that idea in my head? We can’t have vampire strixes.”
The amused look Evan shot me said he was enjoying himself.
“It’s not funny.” I slapped his side. “We’re supposed to be adults.”
“Oh, that’s boring.” Evan started moving his hands through the strix’s feathers.
“What are you doing?” I asked, confused.
“He’s feeling it up,” Gunner replied. “He’s a pervert.”
“Um, he has a boyfriend.”
“I wouldn’t call him a boyfriend.” Now it was Evan’s turn to be embarrassed. “We’re just … getting to know one another.” He made sure to keep his full attention on the strix.
“That’s still fun,” I said in my fakest sweet voice. “I remember when Gunner and I were getting to know one another. How many times a week did we get each other naked?”
“Every chance we got,” Gunner replied. He didn’t look as if he was having a good time torturing Evan. “We need to tie that thing up. We can’t let it wake up and try to rip us apart.”
“He doesn’t have arms,” Evan said. “We can probably tie his feet.”
“We’re not tying him up.” I pulled cage stones from my pocket and built a rectangle. “Put him inside of that.”
Evan did as he was told. The rectangle was just small enough to cover the strix.
I stomped my foot to engage the trap just as the strix started to stir. It was fascinating to watch the creature get his bearings and look around. His confusion didn’t last long. As his eyes cleared, anger emanated from the creature in a series of hoots and beak clicks.
“What’s he doing?” Gunner asked as the strix got to its feet. “And, man, those things are unbelievable when they’re up close and personal.”
“They’re big,” I agreed. As for what he was doing, I had an idea. “He’s trying to communicate with the others. I don’t think he’s having much luck.”
Evan lifted his eyes. We could see the dome from inside. From outside, no one could see it because it was covered by a very elaborate glamour. Tillie had come up with the idea for the field so she could grow pot year-round. That was quite the feat without an indoor hydroponics setup in Michigan. The field had grown to something even she couldn’t have fathomed. Now it was climate controlled, which allowed for picnics in green fields even as the snow raged outside.
“Do you think the strixes realized this was here?” Gunner asked.
I shook my head.
“Is that good or bad for us?”
“It might be good, depending on what she saw when we ran from the inn. From their point of view, we might have just disappeared.”
“Which means they’re looking for us,” Evan surmised.
“They won’t be able to find us. I wonder how close the shrike was.”
“You have an idea,” Evan realized.
I nodded. “We can make the strix see what we want, projecting that image to Brenda, draw the shrike into a spot between the field and the house, and then catch her in a trap. She’ll have nowhere to run. We’ll have more firepower at our disposal.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Gunner said. “And I’m not just saying that because we’ll get a really good meal out of the situation if we end it all here.”
I smirked. “I’ll even put up with another round of pot roast if we can end it here.” My mind was working quickly. “Okay, I need to get inside that thing’s head. I need to look around. It can’t communicate with the others outside of the dome. When it’s time, when I’ve got things I want implanted in his brain, we can emerge from the dome.”
“And the shrike will come running because she’ll think we’re vulnerable,” Evan guessed.
“That’s the plan,” I agreed.
Evan managed a grin. “You’re way smarter than people give you credit for.”
“Okay, Mr. Easton Isn’t My Boyfriend.” I rolled my eyes. “By the way, I want to get to know him better if he’s going to become a member of the group.”
“I don’t even know him that well yet,” Evan argued. “We’re working on it, but between all the crises that you have … and Tillie has … and Stormy has, we don’t have a lot of time for just us.”
“Make time.” I moved to the edges of the trap. “You’ll have to hold him, Evan. I need to be able to get my hands on him.”
Evan moved forward. “Gunner, stay back. I have no idea if this thing can infect you.”
“I’m good over here,” Gunner assured us. He’d plucked a tomato from a nearby plant and was eating it like an apple. “Just let me know if you need me.”
Evan kept his eyes on the chirping strix. It was getting louder and shriller. “Ready?” he asked me.
“Yup.” I took a deep breath, then dropped the trap walls.
Evan took one step forward and grabbed the surprised bird, holding it in place. I was two steps behind him and had my hands on either side of the strix’s head before the bird could even blink.
There was a wall inside the strix’s mind, but I pushed my way through. I found myself in what looked like a pretty field, in a forest I didn’t recognize. There were birds chirping, butterflies flitting about, and what appeared to be a man with weird feather clothing standing in the middle of everything. He glared at me.
“What the hell?” I demanded as I took him in. “Why do you look like a bad Halloween costume?”
“You can blame yourself for that,” the strix replied in a nasally voice. “When you walked inside my head, you changed things so you could understand. This is not what I see. This is not what I look like.” He gestured toward his body with disgust. “This is certainly not how I talk.” Disgust rolled over his features again. “You sound like an idiot when you make me talk.”
I stood there, frozen, for a long time. Then I burst out laughing. “Good to know I can do something like this. I didn’t realize it was possible. I thought we were going to have to draw things to understand one another.”
“What do you want? Why haven’t you killed me?”
“I don’t blame you for any of this,” I replied. “The shrike is to blame.”
“You think she has us under her control.” The strix, who bore a striking resemblance to a social worker I hated as a child, made a face. “You’re wrong. We help her because we have a symbiotic relationship. In return, she helps us.”
I didn’t believe him. “You help her because you have no choice. She’s more powerful than you. I’m guessing she killed a bunch of your people until you bent the knee. I bet you’re constantly trying to figure out ways to escape from her hold so more of your people won’t die.”
“She’s going to take this area and we’re going to rule it with her.” Even when he said it, the strix looked unsure.
“She’s not going to take this area. We’ve already removed the school from her control and the shifters are half cured. We can free you.”
“Why would you want to? We attacked you.”
“I understand why you did it. I won’t hold it against you … as long as you pack up and leave as soon as she’s gone.”
“What do you want me to do?” The strix looked pained. “You’ve cut me off from my people. I don’t even know if I’m still alive. I don’t understand where I am.”
“I’m not going to tell you where you are. You’ll be part of my plan to take down the shrike. Going along with the plan means your people survive afterward. Fighting means I will kill you all.”
He looked pained. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’m going to make you do what I want. You don’t get a choice because I don’t trust you and there’s no time to build trust. I want to know if she’s determined to kill me herself. Will she come out if I show myself?”
“Yes. She wants your magic. She wants all the magic. She thinks it will make her even more powerful.”
“She doesn’t have the bandwidth to wield that sort of magic.”
“She wants all of you dead. She’s going to isolate the witch and torture her when it’s time. She knows she has to get rid of you first.”
“Then I guess I’d better not disappoint her.” I smirked. “I’m going to take over your mind now. It might hurt. It will definitely be uncomfortable. Just know, that when this is finished you and your friends can go. If you stay, we’ll kill you. You’ll have one chance to make something of yourself. I don’t give second chances.”
The strix nodded. “I want to be done with this. We all do.”
I stepped toward him. “This is going to suck, but you’ll appreciate it when I’m done.”
“If you say so.”
I glanced at Evan and Gunner in turn. “It’s time.”
28
TWENTY-EIGHT
The strix didn’t put up a fight when I took control of his mind. Somewhere deep down he decided to believe me.
“Are they ready?” I asked Evan when the strix was pumped full of the information I wanted him to share with the shrike.
Evan nodded. “They said they’ll do what you want. Tillie and Bay will move beyond the dome as bait.”
I nodded. I wasn’t keen on using any of my friends as bait, but it was our best option to end this. This plan would only work if we could catch the shrike by surprise.
“They’re at the back door waiting. As soon as the strix is out, the shrike should be curious enough to show herself.” Evan hesitated. “I could do it myself. When she shows herself, I could swoop in and snap her neck.”
I shook my head. “I want to talk to her first.”
“So she can see reason and surrender?”
“So I can understand everything. She’s going to die no matter what.” If only because Gunner had been hurt. That was reason enough alone to make sure she couldn’t come back. The fact that she went after kids didn’t help.
“If I get the chance, Scout, I’m going to kill her,” Evan warned. “I’m not playing games with people’s lives.”
“This isn’t a game. I have questions for her. When I have the answers, you can do whatever you want to do.”
Evan didn’t look as if he believed me, but nodded. “Let’s do it.”
The strix was prepped, so I sent him through the dome—making sure to strip him of the rune as he cleared the threshold—and then I waited. I didn’t want the strix—or anyone for that matter—to be able to get back inside the dome if things went sideways.
“How long do we wait?”
“Not long.”
My guess turned out to be right because Brenda—there was no way that was her real name—appeared from the tree line closest to the inn after only a few minutes. She was wary when emerging, and even though she couldn’t see or hear us, I held my breath.
“Where is she?” Brenda demanded. Her attention was directed at Bay and Tillie, who had their heads bent together just outside the inn but still in the safety of the dome.
“Where is who?” Bay asked.
“The pixie apex.” Brenda’s fury was off the charts. “I know she’s here. I’ve had enough of her games. It’s time to end this.”
“She’s not in the inn,” Bay replied.
“Of course she is.” Brenda’s lips curved into a sneer. “She did a magic trick and disappeared out here so she could hide in the inn and lure me in.”
I smirked and slid a glance toward Evan, offering up a quick nod as he headed to the trees. He would climb them and go in above the shrike.
Then I would show myself.
Bay and Tillie just had to keep her busy for a bit.
“I’m not a liar,” Bay replied. “She’s not here.”
Brenda’s eye roll was pronounced. “If she’s not inside, where is she?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t think she’s far.”
“Like I’m going to believe a witch. Give me a break.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I checked the screen. Evan was in position. It was time to show myself.
“Stay here,” I told Gunner as I started toward the exit. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“I’m not leaving you, Scout.” His determination was obvious. “I know you’re afraid for me, but we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together. When it comes to things like this, we’re going to be together.”
I hesitated, then nodded. In truth, it would be easier for me if he stayed behind. He needed this, however, and I couldn’t take it from him. The big battle from the prophecy had us fighting shoulder to shoulder. Yes, I felt guilt for what happened to him. Yes, I wished I could take it back. But I wouldn’t make him smaller to alleviate my guilt.
“Let’s go.”
I was the first to exit the dome. I recognized the moment the shrike felt me walk on the playing field. Her eyes jerked in my direction, confusion coloring her features, and when she tried to smile it came across as a grimace.
“How did you do that?” she demanded.
“Do what?”
“You walked out of … a place that shouldn’t exist.” She was trying to wrap her head around it. “You can walk through plane doors.” Now she was talking to herself. “You went to another plane and set a trap. I should’ve anticipated that.”
In hindsight, opening a plane door would’ve been the smartest way to go. I could’ve opened a plane door directly behind her once I knew where she was. I was still getting used to having that ability. I would have to get over my mind block for my magic. I would need that ability when it came to defeating Bonnie.
“That’s not what I did, but if it’s any consolation, I wish I would’ve gone that route. We’d already be done.”
“So haughty,” she drawled. “I like how you think a little sleight of hand has sewn up the win for you.”
“That’s not why I’ve won,” I replied. “I’ve won because you never had a chance of winning.”
“Because you’re so powerful?”
“It just wasn’t in the cards for you. I do have questions. I was hoping you would answer them before … well, you know.”
“I’m not sure I do know,” she fired back. “Why don’t you tell me what it is I’m supposed to know.”
“You came into my town and threatened the people I care about,” I replied. “I won’t let you live after that. If you talk, I’ll make it quick.”
She snorted, amused by my audacity. “Well, listen to you. That’s quite the ego you’ve got.”
“It is,” I agreed. “I’m pretty proud of it.”
“Look around. You’re outnumbered. Even if that one is defective.” She gestured to the strix I’d had inside the dome. Her forehead creased as she tried to read the creature. “There’s something wrong with that one.”
“If you say so.” There was nothing wrong with the strix. He was simply no longer part of the game. He did, however, have a message implanted inside his head, and shortly would send it to the other strixes.
For now, however, it was just her and me.
“Tell me about your mother,” I prodded.
Brenda was caught off guard. “Why do you care about my mother?”
“She’s the reason for all of this.”
She snorted. “You think you know everything, don’t you?”
“Pretty much,” I agreed. “Why did it take you so long to dole out punishment for her death?”
“I didn’t know.”
At first I thought I’d misheard her. When she didn’t expand, I frowned. “You didn’t know what?”
“I didn’t know she was dead. We’d had a falling out, so to speak, and I had no idea she was gone. I didn’t go looking until years later.”
That made no sense. “But you inserted yourself into the pack a long time ago.”
“I didn’t do it for her.” Brenda looked amused at the suggestion. “That was for me.”
The way she said it had a few things falling into place in my head. “Oh, geez.” I rubbed my cheek. “You did this for yourself, not for your mother. It was just a coincidence you ended up here.”
“That’s not entirely true,” she hedged. “When I found out a witch killed her, I wanted some payback. Falling victim to a witch is embarrassing.”
“I’m fairly certain witches feel the same way about falling victim to a bird.”
“So smug,” she muttered. “You’re just so freaking smug. I knew it the second I saw you, the second you walked into that office and thought you were better than me.”
“I am better than you.”
“At the time, you thought you were superior to a simple human,” she pointed out. “That’s just pathetic. The way you got off talking down to me. Or rather, Lynn Barris, the woman who was supposed to be the new principal.
