Chapter 46

Gunnar picked up his gun off a rock where the weapons had been drying out. Thomas placed Sidnee in my arms and I felt how cool her skin was. I tried to call up my inner heat but it responded sluggishly. I couldn’t chuck any more fireballs at the kushtaka, so I might as well use what little warmth I had left to save Sidnee.

The icy cold made me think of the cold I’d battled when Aoife had swept through me. If the banshee could do that to me, maybe she could do it to the kushtaka. It was a long shot and I had no fricking clue how to summon a banshee spirit, but I had nothing to lose.

‘Aoife!’ I shouted, making Thomas and Gunnar look at me weirdly. ‘Aoife Sullivan, I summon thee!’ Everyone always used thees and thous in spells, right? They sounded way cooler.

Nothing happened. That wasn’t a surprise but I was still disappointed. Something in me had really thought she would come.

Thomas picked up his gun and he and Gunnar stood backs to back, waiting for the kushtaka to attack. Our only chance now was to wait for the boat.

The kushtaka’s crying was getting louder; it sounded like a vulnerable, sobbing woman and every instinct in me wanted to go and help, but it wouldn’t fool me again. I’d seen what made the cries and I knew it was no victim.

There was a crashing from the trees and Gunnar and Thomas levelled their weapons. Then I saw a flash of slick brown fur and it was charging at us again. I couldn’t do anything but watch in horror and clutched Sidnee more closely.

The kushtaka was easily ten feet tall and its fur was dark brown, lighter on its belly. Its hands were human-like but disproportionately large and they ended in long sharp claws. Its head was a mix of human and sea otter. It was monstrous; if we survived, I would see it in my nightmares. Not that I’d be having any nightmares because surviving seemed unlikely; we had no escape.

The kushtaka wailed – then the air in front of it wavered and the banshee form of Aoife appeared in front of it. She’d come! Would she – could she – help us?

Aoife opened her mouth and screamed. Her deathly shriek tore through all of us, making us clasp our hands to our ears, but it affected the kushtaka most of all. The creature dropped onto all fours and wailed right back.

Her scream intensified and she ran at the kushtaka, passing through him like she’d done to me, only she didn’t emerge from the other side. The kushtaka screamed and stumbled away. It was gone – for now. We stared at the tree line, anxiously waiting for it to return, poised to do or die. Do what, I wasn’t sure. Probably die.

The high whine of a motor broke the tension and I whipped my head around. Stan was heading in to save us. I felt a measure of relief – but the skiff could only hold three people, and Sidnee needed to leave now. I rushed out to it with her in my arms. Stan took her, laid her gently in the bottom and wrapped her in a blanket. ‘Get in,’ he barked.

I shook my head. ‘No, Thomas should go next.’ He needed to get warm more than any of us supernats. Thomas didn’t argue. He passed me his gun as he jumped into the boat and pulled Sidnee close to warm her.

I saw a flash of brown fur: the kushtaka was coming back. That motherfucker did not know when to quit!

‘I can try to fit one more,’ Stan offered.

I looked at Gunnar and he looked at me. ‘You go,’ I said. ‘You’ve got a wife. Sig needs you.’ I resisted the urge to call him Bam Bam.

Gunnar smiled. ‘Do you know, I’m pretty comfy here. You go.’

‘Neither of them will leave without the other,’ Thomas barked, interrupting our stand-off. ‘Let’s move then we’ll come back as quickly as we can!’

Gunnar and I helped push the boat out then stood in the water watching the small skiff leave. Stan’s eyes lingered not on me but on Gunnar; his jaw working, he backed up the boat and took off.

‘Thanks for not leaving me,’ I said softly to Gunnar as we moved out of the water to stand by our small fire.

‘Back at you, Bunny Rabbit.’

I let the moniker slide since he was willing to die with me. We stood side by side and waited for the kushtaka’s next attack. When the wail came, Gunnar raised his gun as I reached inwards. I blinked with surprise when I felt the heat broiling there when moments ago there’d barely been a wisp of a flame. I’d have to time it right. I had one shot at this; I’d already learnt that my supply of fire wasn’t inexhaustible.

The kushtaka charged. Gunnar fired and I held my nerve until it was almost close enough to touch my boss with its long arms and claws. Then I let rip.

Fire poured out of me and struck the beast. It screamed, and the smell of burnt hair filled my nostrils. Lit up like the Statue of Liberty, the thing ran back into the forest; if it had had a lick of sense, it would have dived into the water.

We could still hear it screaming – until it stopped abruptly.