The wichtlein immediately looked up in our direction with a wide-eyed yellow stare and then heaved itself up, discarding the carcass it had been gnawing on and started running in the opposite direction. Fuck fuck fuck. Without pausing further, I sprinted after it, pulling the rope out of my backpack as I did so. At least it didn’t move that fast – thanks to the fatigue and pain I was pretty sure that even with the aid of the bloodfire I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it for long. I sped up slightly, shaking my head to clear the fuzziness and focusing my vision on the small ball of black fur. I began to swing the rope overhead. Up ahead was a clump of close-knit trees. I had to reach it before then as I knew I’d never be able to snag it with the rope with all those other obstacles around. I looped the rope faster in the air and then let it go.

The noose sailed through the air and, for a moment, I was sure that I’d missed. Then it arced downwards just in time to catch the wichtlein. As soon as it curved over the small running body, I yanked hard. The creature was suddenly pulled backwards and let out a high-pitched shriek. I wrenched harder on the rope and dragged it towards me for a few more feet, then walked unsteadily towards it, keeping a tight hold of the end of it. When I reached the wichtlein, I paused at looked down at it squirming uncomfortably. Its little clawed paws were scrabbling at the tight lasso, trying in vain to get it off, and it made little huffing sounds that were becoming more and more panicked. I bent down and scooped it up, then held it in front of me at arm’s length.

Yep, its eyes were a dull opaque so it was a given that its vision was virtually non-existent. Nonetheless, I hardened both my eyes and my voice.

“You set a stone here, two days ago, for a shifter. Why?”

It wriggled in my hands, still trying to escape and squeaking incessantly. I squeezed its body.

“Answer me!”

“Won’t speak. Let Craw go!” The wichtlein spat, shrilly.

Alex appeared at my shoulder, dripping wet. “Craw will speak or wizard will act.” He spun his pinky in the air, generating more blue smoke.

The wichtlein cowered and clawed at my arms. “Let Craw go!”

Alex jerked his pinky forward and the blue snake floated steadily towards the little animal.

“No no no no no no no no! I speak! I speak! Stop!”

I briefly wondered what it was about Alex’s magic that had the wichtlein so terrified. Perhaps there was more to my rather unfit newfound friend than I had previously thought. I couldn’t worry about that now though. The night air around me was starting to feel heavy and oppressive and I was fairly certain that it wouldn’t be long before I passed out in a heap. I concentrated on the flicker in my stomach, encouraging it to rise and keep me going long enough for me to get the information I wanted. It gave a feeble answering warmth in return. That would do for now.

I shook the wichtlein and repeated myself. “You placed a doom stone here two days ago for John Arton. Why?”

“He die soon. She kill him,” it squeaked, still squirming.

“Who she? I mean, who is she?” I tightened my hands on the wichtlein.

“Iabartu! Iabartu!”

“And who is Iabartu?” growled Alex.

“Sky god human woman.” The wichtlein stopped its pointless clawing and fumbling and raised up its head. “She seek wyr blood.”

“What? You mean dragon blood?” I was confused. We had a few little dragons occasionally rear their heads in Cornwall, but they popped up all over the country, much like the one I’d bagged for my first kill. This neck of the woods wasn’t special in that regard at all, and I couldn’t think for the life of me why John’s life would have been forfeit for one.

“Not little wyr, fire girl. Draco Wyr.”

“What did you call me?” Fire girl? How the hell did it know about my bloodfire? And what on god’s earth was a Draco Wyr? I shook the little beast, hard.

The wichtlein cackled unpleasantly. “Craw know many lots. Craw know who Draco Wyr. Man beast know who Draco Wyr. Man beast try stop Iabartu take Draco Wyr. Man beast die.” A single claw scratched my arm with intent. “You fault man beast die.”

My heart thudded. “My fault? Why my fault? I don’t know this Draco Wyr! What do you mean?” It couldn’t be my fault he’d died, could it? But why should I believe the wichtlein? I shook it even harder. “You’re lying. Tell me the truth.” My fingers curled round its whole body and, despite my condition, my bloodfire rose even further. The wichtlein shrieked in answering pain and began struggling again.

“It’s telling the truth.” Alex’s voice was quiet.

“You’re wrong!” I snarled, trying desperately to think of what I could to get the wichtlein to stop prevaricating and ‘fess up without killing it.

“Mack, I’m not.” He touched my arm. I turned and looked at him and saw it in his eyes. I stared at him dully for a second, then back at the little black creature.

The heat was gone. “Why is it my fault? What did I do?”

But there wasn’t any answer. I dimly heard Craw cackling again. Blood was thumping in my head and the edges of the world were going blurry. I couldn’t keep my head clear this time. I shook myself but the edges blurred further and I heard a roaring in my ears. My grip on the wichtlein loosened. Then everything went completely dark.

Chapter Fourteen

When I came to, I was lying against a tree. Alex’s face loomed towards me, concerned. “Mack Attack? You okay?”

I struggled to sit up. I felt very nauseous and the wound in my side screeched at me with sharp pain. I pulled up my t-shirt and looked down at the blood that was seeping through the bandages.

“Shit, Mack! Where the hell did that come from? Have you been bleeding this entire time?”

I tried to focus. “Craw?”

“He’s gone. You dropped him when you passed out. To be honest, it was either catch you or catch him. I went for you.”

I cursed and tried to sit up again. My head swam. “You need to get Julia.” It was a strain just to get the words out.

“I don’t even know who Julia is, Mack!” Alex’s voice was high-pitched and strained.

“Keep.” I gasped. “Older woman. Grey hair. She’ll be the new alpha when the Brethren go.”

“Okay, okay.” Alex nodded and started to move away then abruptly came back. “How the hell do I get back to the keep? And how can I leave you here alone? Shit, shit, shit.”

“Go west.” My vision turned dark for a second before returning. “I’ll be fine.” My daggers at least were re-strapped to my arms in case anything nasty came close.

“Okay.” He nodded again but remained where he was, looking at me.

“Alex? No Brethren. No matter what.” My life wasn’t worth the consequences of them finding just how very humanly weak I really was.

“Okay.”

“Go!”

“Okay.”

He turned and ran out into the dark trees. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I tried to think about what Craw had meant about it being my fault. Had I met a Draco Wyr before? Perhaps I’d killed one? I was drifting in and out of consciousness and couldn’t work any of it out. There must be a reason as to why the bitch woman – Iabartu? – needed him. Goddammit, my brain just wasn’t cooperating. I gave up and opened my eyes to the stars instead, marveling at how they seemed to be moving around the sky as if they were dancing. Milky Way, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia…so pretty and shiny….I blinked slowly. I was starting to feel very cold and shivery. I tried to pull my knees up to my body to curl into myself and generate some warmth but a shooting pain ran through me instead and my vision started to cloud over. Closing my eyes, I felt my whole body fall into shut down mode. A stray thought crossed my mind that if Alex didn’t get back here with Julia quickly, then I might soon be talking to John himself. A quiet smile curved my lips and everything went quiet again.

“Mackenzie!” Mackenzie!

Someone was shaking me.

“Mackenzie! Look at me!” Now.

It was Julia, not John. Go figure. I forced my heavy eyelids open and looked away from the sky and at her. “Hey, Jules.”

“Hello, dear. I need you to hold on to Mr Florides’ hand for me, please. This is going to hurt.”

Alex’s face swam up. “Hi, Alex. Where’s your blue smoke?”

“Hush, dear. Hold his hand and grip it tight.”

“’kay.”

He placed his hand in mine and I held it. I looked at him and told him how pretty the stars were. He just looked back at me solemnly. I was aware of Julia pulling off my blood-soaked bandages and taking a jar of something from a bag beside her. It smelled awful and had a very green tinge to it. She scooped a dollop out.

“I’m sorry, Mackenzie.” Julia’s hand smeared the green gloop onto my wound and I screamed. I heard Alex next to me moaning as I squeezed his hand. Julia started rubbing in the ointment and I screamed again. Nothing had ever hurt this much before. Nothing had existed before this pain. I fainted yet again.

This time, when I woke up, there was a wolf looking at me with pale yellow eyes. Tom. Julia was still there too.

“What the hell did you do to me?” The pain had gone but the memory of it still remained.

She put her hand on my forehead. “It’s an old remedy called trieswater. Particularly dangerous to humans, I might add, Mackenzie. You’re lucky that Mr Floride found me when he did. Much longer and I don’t think it would have worked.” She removed her hand and looked satisfied. “There’s no fever at least. You’ll live. You’re a damn fool for staying out after a fight like that considering your injuries though.”

“John…”

“Is still dead and nothing you do will change that. Can you stand? We need to get you back to the keep. Dawn will be breaking soon.”

With Alex’s help, and Tom nudging me gently, I managed to get to my feet.