Chapter Fourteen

And the unkindness of ravens tore the flesh from its bones

H orror passed through Ravyn, and she fought to control her emotions. If she let the fear overtake her, she might not ever regain control. Right now, her only chance of survival was to remain in control of her thoughts and actions.

Sister? Another sister? Or the same? How was it possible? Clearly, this doppelganger in front of her wasn’t her sweet, motherly sister Ibis. Unable to look at this woman any longer, Ravyn dropped her chin to her chest, before a smack immediately reverberated across her face and through her.

“Look at me!” the almost familiar face demanded of her, pinching her chin between fingers that dug deeply into Ravyn’s skin, forcing her face back upward to its own. “Look at what your ‘sister’ did to me.”

Ravyn did as the woman demanded, examining the creature in front of her—familiar, yet not. “How is it possible?” The words tumbled out, tripping over themselves. It was surely Ibis, just the same as Anya had been her.

The same features were etched upon this woman’s face, but like Anya, she was changed. Where Anya’s face had aged with soft, gentle laugh lines, this woman’s face had harsh, angry lines drawn across it. Her scent was unfamiliar but closely resembled burnt, blackened ash, not the sickly sweet scent that had surrounded Anya.

“That bitch sent us into the Houska Gate…” The woman spat the words at Ravyn. “And yes, it chewed us up and re-molded us into a new image. But it has left us connected in ways you cannot imagine.”

Us? This made no sense. Anya had claimed she’d gone into the Hellgate alone. Nothing about her story had seemed to be a lie, and usually Ravyn could tell truth from lie, although she begrudgingly admitted that the present situation might prove that she wasn’t on top of her game lately. “You’re not Ibis,” she stated flatly to the enraged woman.

“But I am, you stupid whore.” The rage emanating from the woman was palatable in the air. “Your stupid sister wanted to give up her immortality for love, of all things. But the Hellgate didn’t absorb what she gave up. It separated it. What the twins pulled from the hold was the useless creature that visited you. But me… I had to crawl my way out inch by inch, like the demons that used it as an escape route.” This Ibis sounded almost proud of herself. “It took me days to do so; all the while, other demons tried to pull me back in, crawling over me or latching on as their ticket to freedom. I am what that selfish bitch Anya left behind: the magic, the immortality, the greed, and the insatiable appetite.”

This explanation settled over Ravyn as she tried to understand what sort of thing stood before her. “But you’re aging,” were the only words that she could think to utter.

Examining her fingernails coolly, the woman hissed, “Of course I am. Those demons stole what they could from me while I clawed my way out. And my reward for reaching the top? Those twins kept me as a ‘welcomed guest’ for decades.” She sneered over the irony of it all. “They experimented on me for decades just for surviving. Called my magic an abomination, as if they were any better. What should have been eternal youth and life was distorted. I am aging—slower, of course, than a mortal—but still that which was rightfully mine was taken from me and I want it back. What I’m left with now is a shell. The magic that remained molded me, but I can’t even yield the magic. I am the magic and the magic is me. So much power and others have to harness it.”

The woman angrily spat once again in Ravyn’s face, and Ravyn willed herself not to flinch as the spittle ran down her face. “I was one of the most powerful creatures in existence and now, I’m relegated to boosting others’ magic and using them to channel my own power. I’m nothing. That mage you killed off thought he was powerful until I allowed him to channel his magic through me. Nearly unstoppable, that one was. The scryer? Barely a blip on the power scale. But channeling through me, we could see you wherever you hid, whatever you did. I am magic, but without magic users I’m nothing.

“You waste your power, your immortality, trying to fit into a life with humans. You—we—are above that. We were created as death-bringers to crush life. We should rule, not hide in the shadows like rats scurrying around for scraps. We were remade in the image of a goddess and you, you as well as Anya waste that gift. You deserve what you have wrought.”

The remnants of Ibis paced the room, anger seeping from her every pore; anger and hatred at what had been done to her and what sort of creature she’d become. If she wasn’t a psychopath and working with a psychopath, Ravyn could almost feel sorry for her.

“For seventy years, I’ve lived with the knowledge that I was the left behind parts of Ibis, the parts that Anya wanted to forget. But she didn’t really leave me behind, not like she thought. This connection will be broken soon enough when she dies and leaves that retched existence, but I’ve also been able to influence her a bit here and there. Anya never thought of you and the other sisters, not really. She wanted to leave it all behind for her family.”

The woman sneered the words. “No, I gave her nudges in dreams, in the moments she relaxed and let her guard down. ‘Find Ravyn. Find our sister.’ I knew I couldn’t get close enough to you, but she could if she tried hard enough. I’d nearly given up on her, but finally, she found her way to you and left behind a token in the couch. A single spelled picture, one she didn’t even realize she’d delivered. One that left yet another barely discernible crack in those wards and those determined little minds of yours. And she delivered you here to us. After all the work we’d done, you walked straight to us.”

“Sister,” Ravyn rasped out, her throat barren but pleading, questioning. Her sister’s convoluted dark magic explained so much. Suddenly, it was clear why none of the wards could keep the wendigo’s spirit from dropping off gifts, as well as the spying eyes. This unfamiliar magic had been free to assault her simply because it was unrecognizable by her security team. This magic didn’t exist and shouldn’t exist.

“Don’t bother.” Ibis turned her back on Ravyn as the young wolf curled around himself drew her attention. She examined him intently while Ravyn mentally begged for Toby to remain quiet. “And I thank you for bringing us leverage against you. All wrapped up in a neat little bow, this pup will work quite nicely.”

“Ibis, this can’t work. Surely you know that, Sister,” Ravyn cracked out, anything to get the witch’s and wendigo’s attention off Toby.

“I sssee the wheels turning, my little queen,” the creature hissed, its raspy voice barely able to curl around its forked tongue, unable to remain ignored for long. “But there is no hope; there is only time. And the time isn’t quite yet. You have a gift for the both of us.” Gesturing a curved claw toward itself as well as the evil remnants of Ibis, it went on, “You shall give your sister back her immortality, and be done, but you and I will be together a much longer time.”

Ravyn struggled to comprehend the words as Ibis once again twisted her face to look her in the eyes, her beauty so much like her beloved sister it hurt. “I’ll spell it out simply enough that even you can understand. You’ll be re-gifting me eternal life soon, very soon, and as for him… Well, you’ll be gifting him plenty for all of your remaining eternal life. And if you think for even a moment that you won’t do these things, then realize that my magic will simply make you and it won’t be nearly as pleasant or as easy as it could be.” Pausing to let her words sink in, she added, “Not that I would mind either way, Sister. And anything I do to you will be done to the pup as well.”

At least for a short time, Toby’s life was ensured, even if was meant to be used as a way to control Ravyn.

With a swirl, Ibis stood just a breath away from Ravyn. Leaning in with a soft whisper that a mortal would never hear, she admitted, “He’s a tool for me to yield. He delivered you to me, but once you change me, you are his. He believes you can satisfy the hunger, but nothing and no one can. You will turn to dust beneath his teeth and then you will be no more. Remember this, Little Sister: after you’re dust, you’ll be no more remembered than I was. Gone, forgotten, and still unloved.”

Flipping around so quickly that she was nearly a blur, Ibis once again took in the room before settling her gaze on the wendigo, which whined under its breath long and low while its lanky legs rocked back and forth under her scrutiny. “I will retire for now and began my preparations for my purification. And under no circumstances are you to begin anything without me or before my own change is underway,” she reminded the wendigo before leaving the cold room with a flurry of movements. Not as fast as the vampire she once was, but certainly faster than a normal human, Ravyn noted from under nearly closed eyes.

“That damn witch told me that the ritual must be done under a new moon. The wolves have power under the full moon, but my power lies within the new moon. So, until then we must wait.” With a coy look toward the cowering pup in the corner, it lisped, “Although sssome of us have more time than others.”

Ravyn bit back the threat she wanted to spit at the creature. If she angered it, she realized it wouldn’t be her who paid the price, at least not this night. She caught a glimpse of a quiet Toby over its shoulder, silently observing the exchanges from his spot of the floor, trying to not draw any attention to himself. It would be too much to hope that he would be forgotten, especially not when he was recognized as a weapon to control her.

“But you and I can play before the new moon.” Dropping its shrill, hissing tone, suddenly the deep, comforting voice of Bash came out of it. “Do you like this voice better, my love? If you close your eyes, I can be whomever you want.” It ended its offer with another shrill giggle, amused by its own abilities. “Or I can play both parts,” it offered suggestively in Ravyn’s own voice before dropping back to its own. “Ah, yesss, I can do that if I decide to cut out your vile tongue for a night.” It thrusted its hips toward her in a threat as well as a gross parody of its plans for the inevitable future. “You might even grow to like it. After all, you are but a whore who lies down with dogs.”

Her stomach twisted as the wine she drank earlier seemed to curdle inside her before she emptied its contents down her front and onto the floor, gagging and retching as it spilled out of her. The smell of blood, vomit, and poison filled the air, nearly overpowering the creature’s own stench.

It drew back from her in a look of disgust.

“You are better than thisss filth, my queen.” Its own lispy voice was filled with revulsion. “I expected more from you.”

Toby cringed back deeper into the shadows as the creature eyed him.

“Ah, my young pup.” Pacing toward him, it veered off to the bracket in the wall where it harshly pulled up on the chain, forcing Toby to stand as one arm was pulled upward by the unforgiving silver chains.

Toby attempted to shrink back but the chain forced him to half stand, facing the wendigo. As it reached him, he curled up his hands to fend off the evil, but to no avail. Its oversized, clawed hands curled around his chained wrist, prying the fingers open.

“Foolish superstitions,” it muttered. Once it held the thumb, index finger and middle finger open in its paw, it studied them intently as Toby quietly struggled to close them back up.

The wendigo opened its mouth as Ravyn gasped, knowing that Toby stood face to face with its rows of tiny, sharp canines.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Ravyn shrieked, not recognizing her own voice. “She said not to hurt him.” Straining against the bonds that kept her in place even as they ripped into the skin around her wrists, she fought to get closer to the two.

It didn’t matter. Swiftly and without preamble, the wendigo chomped down with a loud crunching sound that snapped across the room. For a brief second there was silence, then a shocked Toby let out a scream of pain that surely could be heard for miles.

Turning half toward her, the creature crunched the fingers loudly in its half open mouth as it hummed in apparent pleasure, watching her while it savored the moment. Still it held the wolf’s shackled hand as the boy continued to scream. The blood shot into the air before spewing from the two missing appendages down the monster’s clawed hand. It observed the flow intently, fascinated and completely oblivious, uncaring, to the wolf’s horror and pain.

Toby’s screams nearly broke Ravyn. She hadn’t been able to stop this.

“Kill… She didn’t want him killed, but I can cccertainly ensure that doesn’t happen. For yearsss I have perrrfected that art.”

The creature loosened its grasp on Toby’s bleeding hand before cupping its palm to hold the warm liquid in it, turning slowly and shuffling almost reverently toward Ravyn, bringing to her its grotesque offering.

“For you, my queen.” It held the cupped hand dripping with the strongly scented blood.

Ravyn’s nostrils flared as she scented the horror and fear the blood offered and she wanted to cry when her fangs dropped down, cutting into her clenched lips. Closing her eyes against the tainted offering, she shook her head no, not daring to open her mouth to say a word.

“Drink,” it ordered in Sebastian’s dulcet tones, then repeated the word in Toby’s youthful voice. “Please, please,” it pleaded before grasping her cheeks between two sharp claws, forcing her lips open, and rubbing a rough, blood-coated finger along her gums and teeth.

Rayvn’s mind begged her to stop even as she instinctively swallowed the boy’s unwilling life force before suckling the offered bloodied finger. After the first tumultuous years, she’d never taken from an unwilling victim and certainly never a child, but her body betrayed her. When it weakened briefly against the onslaught, the wendigo forced more blood into her unwilling mouth.

With a low laugh of satisfaction, it smeared yet even more blood around her mouth, as if daring her to lick off the offering.

This time when it released its grip, Ravyn’s head fell forward in defeat. She hadn’t even the strength to hold it up after this brutal violation of both herself and young Toby.

“Sssee, I can take care of you, and you will take care of me. My queen, you will keep up your strength until the new moon.” The wendigo wiped its bloody fingers across her face before finding a clean spot on her dress to continue wiping them clean, ignoring her tears and the tears from a sobbing Toby. Disgust entered its tone once again as it tsked. “You are a messs. I will send in my Lilith to clean you up. I expect more from you.”

Ravyn remained silent, raising her dark eyes to watch the wendigo stalk from the room. Closing the door tightly behind itself, it left the two alone in their pain.

Rage replaced the disgust she felt in herself. He would die. Perhaps not tonight, but soon. “Toby,” she whispered softly to the crying pup, “I’m so sorry. Can you shift?”

The sobs quieted for a moment as he struggled through both pain and shock. If he could shift soon enough, the magic of the shift could heal his missing fingers. If not… well, she refused to consider that right now.

“I-I can’t,” he hiccupped after a brief pause. “The chains won’t allow it, and if I fight through it, if he told me the truth, the collar will rip my head off.” A gasping sob escaped the wolf as he fought to control the pain and staunch the blood while applying a tourniquet of sorts with his uninjured hand.

“Just breathe deeply. I know it hurts, but breathe through the pain, in and out, in and out. Let your wolf shoulder some of the pain,” Rayvn encouraged him as her brain frantically ran through the options, any options available to them. She might have time, but Toby didn’t. If they stayed here, his time was limited to days or even hours with the unpredictable, ravenous wendigo.

So many mistakes. Her ego would be her downfall and worse, Toby’s young life hung in the balance. At least one of her men had made it inside the gates with them, but she began having doubts about the chances of his survival. She’d seen roughly half a dozen men at and around the gate. If human, the vampire would easily be able to cut them down, but if they were imbued with magic or other supernatural forces, the chances that her driver was gone grew exponentially.

The other car had been left outside the gates. Regrettably, this creature seemed to have planned for every situation, so it was doubtful they’d made it inside; if she was lucky enough, they were at least alive. But help hadn’t arrived yet, and it might not come. She had to plan for the fact that no one would come. Like the old days, she was on her own to save herself; however, Toby’s life was also held in the balance.

Despite the mess of vomit down her chin and dress, hurling had been useful in clearing out more of the poison from her system. And despite the regret of ingesting even a tiny bit of Toby’s blood, it had, in fact, helped to clear her head as well. Her extremities moved a bit easier now, and her previously immobile feet tingled as new blood circulated through them. If she had her way, forcing her to take the boy’s blood might prove to be a fatal mistake. Hope rose through her as she tested wiggling her toes; the feeling was returning to them. Hissing as her wrists shifted against the silver chain holding them in place, she continued testing the restraints to no avail.

“Uncle Bash will come,” the boy whispered, his words more of a prayer than a promise. The room began to darken a bit as the moon continued its path across the sky, marking the slow passage of the night.