Bayou Shadow Protector Page 15

  Together, they ran to the spreading fire. From ten feet back, a wall of heat stopped them in their tracks. April lifted her hair from the back of her sweaty neck. “What are you looking for exactly?”

  “Footprints, scents...the usual.”

  She opened her mouth to argue there was nothing to be smelled but acrid smoke, but the wind shifted and blew it in her face. Her eyes watered and she coughed. Silently, she followed him as he paced around the circle of fire.

  Wait.

  April glanced over her shoulder, drawn to a clump of bare ground encircled with mushrooms. Dread slowed her progress but she arrived at the edge of the fairy ring circle. Their magic tree, the portal to the Fae realm, had been here the night before. Chulah was right—this was no ordinary fire.

  Hoklonote knew where to find them. If the fire had burned their tree, their kind would die. The Fae would be extinct, gone the way of the dinosaurs. April squeezed her eyes shut. Had any fairies been killed by the smoke alone?

  They might put on airs, and they could be vain and petty and selfish, but half their genetics made up her being. She was raised in the realm.

  It was home.

  Somehow, she had to convince all the shadow hunters to help them. Otherwise they were doomed.

  Uniformed men ran to the conflagration, dragging a heavy hose. Orders were shouted. People milled everywhere on the outskirts of the fire. She could hear them through the smoke, even if she couldn’t see them. Water sprayed over the flames, creating a boiling steam.

  Chulah was lost to her in the mayhem. Panic pounded a drumbeat in her ears, loud and insistent, drowning out the sounds of the firefighters and the crackling destruction of cotton. She had to find him. She squinted through her streaming tears, unsure what hurt worse, the heat and smoke irritating her eyes, or her parched lungs inhaling air thick with ash.

  Find him. Find him. Find him. April walked blindly closer to the center of the heat. A muscled arm pushed her back, and she stumbled to the hot ground.

  “Get back,” the man dressed in firefighter red ordered. “You’re in our way.”

  High-pitched squeals erupted from behind. An undeniable sound of an animal in pain or terror or both. She rubbed her eyes, searching the gray hell for the source.

  Four baby rabbits were trapped under a fallen tree limb. Their mother opened her mouth and screamed, ears pinned back, a desperate cry for help. April crawled forward cautiously. “Don’t you dare bite me, Mama,” she muttered. “I’m trying to help you.”

  The raucous screaming grew even louder, more chilling. The rabbit thumped one of her hind legs on the ground. April knew nothing of rabbits other than their infamous proclivity to birth a bunch of other rabbits, but she recognized that thumping as an attack signal. Damn it, she didn’t have time to lie here and slowly try to win Mama’s trust. Chulah was out there somewhere, possibly hurt or at least worried where she had run off to.

  Sometimes, a fairy had to do what a fairy must do. April closed her eyes and breathed deeply, finding a calm, silent center within herself. She opened her eyes again and stared down the mama rabbit. Again, she breathed deeply, weaving in magic and enchantment. Keeping her eyes on the screaming mama, she exhaled long and hard, directing her magic.

  The screams stopped. Mama’s nose and whiskers twitched. Her tensed muscles relaxed and her ears unfurled.

  The magic was working.

  April crawled forward slowly. A mother’s love was a powerful thing, as powerful as any magic. Not that she had ever been the recipient of such love. She reached the large limb where the bunnies shivered and chattered rapidly. Poor things. Another quick glance at the immobilized, but tense, mama and April lifted the limb.

  A whole inch.

  Of course it weighed a freaking ton. Ignoring the popping of raining embers, she took a deep breath, directing magic to her arms and hands. Again, she gripped the limb and lifted, throwing it off the scared rabbits.

  Off they hopped, mama close in tow with nary a backward glance. So much for gratitude. Still, April smiled at the white cottontails racing for the shelter of the woods.

  “That was a good thing you did.”

  Chulah!

  Strong arms lifted her from the ground and she leaned against his hard frame. Relief jellied her knees in a whoosh and she melted against him, secure she was safe. In this moment, in a hellish inferno, she had no fear.

  Pain blistered her right forearm and she yelped, swatting at a burning ember. Chulah took her hand, guiding her away from the crowd. The air cooled a good ten degrees and the noise level was tolerable.

  “It was Hoklonote,” Chulah said. “I found his footprints and picked up his scent. Can’t be a coincidence that he was nearby and this fire erupted soon after. I just can’t figure out why. Why here?”

  “Because he was trying to burn down our magical tree.”

  Chulah looked around. “It’s here?”

  “Not anymore. It’s moved again.”

  “Seems like your kind would keep it more to the middle of the woods.”

  Her kind. Always, he reminded her of the gulf between them.

  “Our safety is in moving it constantly. A foolproof method, or so we thought. Hoklonote could have only found our location from Grady.”

  “And how do you know the tree was here recently?”

  “I’ll show you.” April guided him to the edge of the woods where the large mushroom ring flourished. “It’s what we leave behind to help us remember we’ve been and not to return anytime soon.”

  Chulah gave a low whistle. “How much damage would have been done if the tree burned?”

  “We would no longer exist.”

  “I’ll do my best to keep that from happening.”

  The quiet authority in his deep voice impressed April. She raised a brow. “Didn’t think you’d particularly care. You’ve been quite clear on your opinion of us. Not that I can blame you.” The usual stab of guilt washed through her.

  “It’s wrong. It goes against the entire spiritual order of the universe. Anytime a race or spirit—or even an animal, plant or tree—becomes extinct, all of us are the worse for the loss.”

  “Even if you don’t know of their existence?”

  “Especially then.”

  April took his hand and squeezed it. She’d never loved him more than at this moment. He had every reason to despise her and the magic that ran through her being. Yet he would defend their right to live.

  “Hey!”

  Tombi, Tallulah and a dozen other shadow hunters hurried to where they stood.

  “Got here quick as we could,” Tombi said breathlessly. “Appears they’re starting to get things under control.”

  More smoke than flames now fanned the air. And yet April watched Tallulah and sneaked covert glances at Chulah to see his reaction to her presence. April had never been with them together before. In the midst of chaos, jealousy squirmed and pinched inside like an unruly two-year-old denied attention.

  Tombi peered at them intently. “Y’all okay? You look like hell.” He swiped an index finger down Chulah’s arm and held up a blackened fingertip. “Your skin and clothes are smeared with soot.”

  Chulah ignored the question. “Hoklonote started it to wipe out the fairy realm.”

  “So what?” Tallulah interrupted, tossing her sheen of black hair. “I feel sorry for Jeb and his family. This loss might bankrupt them. But why should we give a damn about fairies?” She fixed her gaze on April.

  As if I were to blame for the fire. Her tongue felt thick in her dry mouth. Again, guilt reared its ugly head. Logically, she realized she wasn’t to blame. But the guilt reflex was as swift and unpredictable as a flooded river on the rise, snaking a course over all boundaries.

  “Because their world affects our world,” Chulah said, sparing her the need to defend her realm. He waved a hand over the scorched field. “The fire could have been worse. At least no one was killed.” He slowly took in each of the hunters’ faces. “This time.” />
  “You’re missing my point,” Tallulah said. Anger flushed her cheeks. “Let Hoklonote have them and be done with the whole thing. We never even knew they existed until she suddenly showed up out of nowhere.”

  What a bitch. Outrage trumped April’s intimidation. “Don’t be stupid. Besides the fact that we’re talking about the death of an entire race of sentient beings, there’s a reason Hoklonote wants us. Ever think about that?”

  * * *

  One of the hunters spoke up. “If he wants to capture the fairies, your kind must be able to assist him in some way. Otherwise he’d have no use for you.”

  “That’s what I’ve tried to tell you all along,” Chulah said.

  “So she says,” Tallulah sniffed. “But she hasn’t explained exactly how they can help.”

  “My name’s April. And you haven’t really given me a chance.”

  An earthy scent of peat moss and pine wafted through the air, temporarily refreshing the burned odor of cotton. April’s shoulders sagged. Backup had arrived.

  Steven wiggled his way between her and Chulah. His already-wan face was even more haggard. “Have you convinced them yet?” he asked.

  “No. Maybe you can, though. They want to know how we can all work together.” April waved her arm in the air, searching for the right words. “You know, what we bring to the table that will help them defeat Hoklonote.”

  “Our senses are even better honed than yours and we can cloak our presence more than you hunters. While you directly attack will-o’-the-wisps, we fly in from behind to kill them and release trapped spirits. What’s more, we can identify and communicate with the released spirits.”

  “I know this,” Tombi interrupted. “But you were looking for a particular spirit and when you found it you were going to trap it.”

  Murmurs of discontent spread through the hunters.

  “We won’t do such a thing. It’s an abomination,” one of them said. The other shadow hunters glanced at one another in silent agreement.

  “Doesn’t matter anymore,” Steven said grimly. “Grady, the traitor who brought Hoklonote to the very throne of our realm, is no longer. I heard that when Hoklonote captured our queen, he killed Grady and destroyed his spirit.”

  April could hardly feel it in her heart to feel sorry for the former Council member. Because of his compulsion for power, he’d put their entire race at risk. She touched Steven’s arm. “How bad is it at home?”

  “It’s bad. I’ve never seen such despair. We knew the danger, but none of us ever thought it would come to this. If Hoklonote had arrived even a minute earlier...”

  April nodded, swallowing hard. “Do you think the queen is dead?”

  “No. He sent a message through the Ishkitini. We have one week to bow to his demands.”

  “Which are?” Chulah prompted.

  Steven’s face grew tauter. “To join him in battle at the next full moon. He would force us to use our magic against the shadow hunters in an attempt to free Nalusa Falaya. Your defeat would be certain.”

  “And you expect us to believe this preposterous story?” Tallulah snorted. “How the hell can you get messages from a freaking bird?”

  Steven lifted his chin. “Like the Ishkitini, we are creatures of the sky and the wind and the land.”

  “Give it a rest, Tallulah.” Tombi cast her an exasperated glance. “I say we can’t take a chance that he isn’t being truthful. Chulah?”

  “My position hasn’t changed. I’m in favor of an alliance.”

  Tallulah walked to him, much too close for April’s comfort. She laid a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. “Chulah, she’s a trickster. You can’t believe anything she says.”

  He almost imperceptibly inched back from her touch. “My mind is set.”

  April, just barely, stopped from smirking at the overconfident Tallulah.

  Tombi raised a hand. “I pledge my support to help the Fae. Who all is with me?”

  A chorus of assent followed. Only Tallulah abstained. They all stared pointedly at her. “Fine,” she said, throwing up her hands. “You need someone with skepticism to keep an eye on the Fae.”

  The woman didn’t have a speck of graciousness. Whatever had Chulah seen in her—past the obvious good looks? April bit the inside of her lip, realizing her error. He might still find her attractive. He might even love her. It wasn’t that long ago he’d proposed.

  “I’m going back,” Steven announced.

  He turned to leave, and April put out a hand to stop him. “Wouldn’t it be better to stay here and fight with us?”

  “My place is in the realm. I was only here briefly to ease you into this new world. You’ve succeeded and now I must return.”

  You’ve succeeded. The simple words warmed something cold deep in April’s soul. He didn’t have to, but Steven left the group before disappearing behind a tall oak. The hunters exchanged astonished glances at their first glimpse of Fae magic.

  Tombi clapped his hands together for attention. “Let’s strategize. I say we capture Hoklonote and force a prisoner exchange. His life will be spared if he allows the fairy queen to return to her kingdom.”

  “We can’t let him live on. He’ll start causing trouble again,” Tallulah pointed out.

  Tombi cut her short. “We defeated Nalusa, who is greater in power and strength. Hoklonote may live, but we’ll restrain him another time from ever again roaming the bayou.”

  “In the meantime, April and I can try to track where Hoklonote is hiding out. If we’re lucky, we’ll spot the hostage with him and try to steal the fairy queen from under his nose.” Chulah paused. “If not, we have a battle the next full moon.”

  Chapter 12

  “Well, what did they say?” Chulah pressed.

  “They’ve agreed to help in the upcoming battle.”

  No need to fill him with the details of the panicked, yet still obdurate Council members. After all she’d done for them, and after the news that the shadow hunters would help their realm, the Council still sniffed their noses at her and the humans.

  “You’re just like your mother,” they’d sniped. “Undependable. Nothing but a human-lover.”

  She still fumed at the insults. And was even more filled with resolve to prove them wrong. To restore her family’s honor.

  “Meaning they will jump in the fray and risk their lives like we are risking ours?”

  “It took some persuasion, but yes, they will.” As she’d pointed out, what choice did they have? Their queen was gone and the balance of power in the universe had tipped to the bayou’s shadow spirits.

  They headed out to the woods. The night air was chilly and still held a hint of burned cotton from yesterday. A reminder of the serious threat they faced.

  They wandered off the beaten paths, searching for signs of Hoklonote or the Fae queen—a scent, a soft cry for help, a released spirit with information. The odds of them encountering such a spirit in the vast acreage was slim. But they had to try. They needed any edge they could find to prepare for the full-moon battle.

  They lapsed into silence. No point hunting if they continued talking. April followed Chulah dispiritedly, dragging her feet and paying little attention to the landscape. Instead, she replayed the Council members’ words in her mind like an evil mantra. Not good enough. Useless. Just like her mother.

  Numbly, she kept her feet moving. Chulah stopped abruptly and she plowed into his hard back. He turned and held a finger to his lips. Shhh. April nodded to show she understood. He pulled her arm until they were crouched under the cover of a saw palmetto.

  April gazed ahead, curious as to where they were. Less than twenty feet ahead was a small, circular clearing and an ancient oak draped in Spanish moss. The Choctaw’s sacred land and tree.

  He leaned in, and with the barest sound of a whisper in her ear, he said, “Nalusa is trapped in that tree.”

  Her stomach flipped and she clasped his hand. His strong warmth pressed the trembling out of her. Chulah wouldn’t
have brought her so close to Nalusa if he didn’t believe he could protect her.

  “Your queen?” he asked, pointing to the tree.

  Ah, so that was why he’d brought her to the sacred land. As a human, even with a shadow hunter’s abilities, he couldn’t sense the old, wily queen.

  But she could.

  April concentrated, tuning out superfluous noise and smells. Creating a silent abyss on land and attuning to another plane of existence.

  She waited. Straining with all her essence.

  A squeak. Then another. And another. A pattern of squeaks. April centered her magic, deciphering the pattern into vowels and syllables.

  Help. Please help. Over here.

  The queen, her queen, cried from inside the Choctaw tree.

  April clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping. How awful to be trapped with Nalusa. Chulah arched a brow and she pointed to the tree, mouthing, “She’s there.”

  He nodded matter-of-factly, indicating he’d already surmised that much. April had to admit it was the perfect prison. No one wanted to be near Nalusa. And Nalusa would guard the queen well from any escape attempt. After all, she was his ticket out of hell.

  A rattle, quiet yet deadly, emanated from inside the oak. Chills chased up and down her spine. Nalusa was in snake form. A viper ready to strike. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the tree, expecting a giant rattlesnake to slither out from inside the trunk. The queen must be terrified to be trapped with such a beast. She’d die of fright after the first minute alone with the evilest of the shadow creatures.

  A stench of rot and decay assaulted them. Hoklonote was nearby.

  Chulah grabbed her hand and they rose. Nothing to be gained waiting for the shadow spirit to check on his hostage.

  April followed Chulah’s lead and stayed crouched as they beat a hasty exit. About twenty yards away from the sacred ground, Chulah motioned her to rise and they walked briskly toward his cabin while casting quick looks back.

  Hoklonote had apparently not seen them.

  “Do you think they’ll kill the queen before the full moon?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer immediately. “Hopefully, she’s worth more to them alive than dead.”