Carl watched the atranger step across the patio toward the house. The man paused in front of the threshold as Carl walked in. Jordan was watching over his shoulder as he stepped in behind Carl. Then, Carl looked at the man, surprised to see how this one person took up all the space in Carl's mind; he seemed immense, and his face was overlaid like a dual picture with the head of a white wolf with blue eyes. Carl felt his soul searched out, judged, and laid back down again.
“May I?” the man said. He nodded.
The door seemed to slowly swing open without being touched, and the vision stepped into his meager home. The ceiling seemed to fall away for the great creature, then the huge space collapsed rapidly to become its usual space as all proportion became normal and Carl breathed again. There was a relatively plain looking blond man before him, now standing in the entry, and Carl looked down at the towel he had opened the door with.
Luke spoke. "You are allergic to silver." Carl nodded, unable to look the man in the eyes. "Cub," the man whispered, and the word twisted and sighed around his head and in his ears, and he felt so relaxed he became sleepy. Carl could look at the man's eyes now, and they were blue like a glacier over water.
The man looked into the living room, where Jordan stood stiffly, having slowly backed off from his place at Carl’s shoulder. Jordan seemed to be fighting an urge to step forward, between Carl and the stranger, and losing the battle.
The man turned back to Carl. "Shall we?" Carl nodded and they walked into the living room. The man peered into Jordan’s eyes, then a look of surprise slowly dawned on the man’s face.
Jordan apparently passed inspection, because the man began to speak, looking straight at Jordan the whole time, though his words seemed aimed at Carl. "I am sorry for what I came here for. It is against the law to spawn a new werewolf without the permission of an alpha. When it happens, by intent or accident, the newly spawned must be watched to be sure the metamorphosis will take correctly. Nearly one in three dies, some—” Luke glanced briefly at Carl, "become dependent on drinking the blood of others, and if the pack shirks the duty, it becomes my job to eliminate them, and punish the pack.” Carl wondered what the man saw in Jordan that fascinated him. Or was he concerned about how Jordan would react to what he was saying? It sounded ominous. He wasn’t sure he understood.
The man turned to Carl, but something had changed drastically. Until now, Carl had felt so safe in this man’s presence he hadn’t even questioned whether to invite him in. But now a rising panic gripped him by the throat. He could barely breathe, and it was impossible to talk. He gasped, over and over, trying desperately to fill his lungs but he couldn’t seem to get any air. He became dizzy, and the room was getting darker. He sputtered and coughed, but he still couldn’t breathe. Oh my God, he thought, I’m going to suffocate! Why can’t I breathe?
Jordan’s body shook, then he moved stiffly, launching himself at the stranger, whose look of shock was replaced by a mask of fury as he grabbed Jordan by the shoulders and threw him, hard, into the hallway. Jordan’s shoulder hit the slate tiles with a loud, crunching thud. The man turned back to Carl, but Jordan rolled determinedly onto his side, clutching his left arm, and bellowed as he struck the man’s feet from under him with a well-aimed kick.
The man tumbled to the ground, then rolled up and shoved at Jordan’s head before rising, seeming to stop Jordan cold.
“Faex!” the man cursed in a strange language.
Carl sucked in a deep breath as Luke gazed at the now immobilized Jordan, inspecting the powerful young man like a laboratory specimen.
“What in the hell are you?” the man whispered to himself, but Carl could hear every word reverberate in his own skull. It didn’t sound like English, but he understood it anyway. It sounded like the Latin he’d taken in college. The man continued talking, as if to himself but aimed at Jordan, and in English. “You are loyal, a defender, and you have an extraordinarily strong mind. You should not have been able to do that, not without an incredible will, and you seem to have greater concern for this man’s safety than for your own. All noble. But there is something else, and I can’t place it…” The man circled around Jordan, watching Jordan’s prostrate form carefully, on guard in case Jordan was able to attack again, but Jordan didn’t try. He barely moved his head so that he could continue to watch the circling man as he walked entirely around Jordan. The man lunged toward Jordan, but nothing happened, and the man stepped back, continuing the circle. As he came past the front door and back into the parlor doorway, he lunged toward Carl and Jordan gasped, then wrenched his body up off the ground awkwardly. The man stepped back and held up his hands. “No, I call a truce now. There is more here than I was aware of, and I must reconsider my plan; there might be something to gain.”
Carl saw Jordan get to his feet with what looked like an incredible effort, then stand, gasping for breath. His left arm, which he still gripped with his right, appeared longer, the shoulder smaller, and pain laced his glassy gaze. “Leave him alone!” Jordan hissed through gritted teeth, eyes uncharacteristically wide and dark.
The man still held his hands up. The words were again English, and there was no echo in Carl’s head. “I promise I will leave him alone this evening, from this point forward. We will discuss the future. I could have been wrong about the execution. I would be a fool to take action without more information.”
Carl found himself fully released in some fashion, and he stepped forward past the man to reach a hand out to Jordan, who flinched.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Carl challenged the stranger, as he looked at Jordan’s slack arm. He wanted to tell him to leave, but this man was clearly a threat. He needed to understand better whether there was more to come after this man left. For that matter, he’d immobilized the both, and without even touching them. Sending him away might be more dangerous than keeping an eye on him.
“I am sorry, that was not one of my best entrances. It went astray. This is a difficult situation. I really do not have time for this, but my other concerns must be put on hold briefly while I find out what the two of you are doing, and who you really are. I will make time.” The man was looking at Jordan as he spoke with an accent Carl couldn’t quite place. It was almost Italian, but slightly off.
“Just to be clear,” the man continued, “I have released you from the coerce I used on you, and I have released him from what should have been complete immobility.” The man gave a puzzled look at Jordan, then back at Carl. “If I wanted to, I could place you both under the umbra, but I will refrain because this little interchange has surprised me in a way that could be very important. After 2800 years, there is little that surprises me.” The man turned to Carl. “You are dying, and the only way you can survive is to consume blood, which will turn you into a vampire. This is why I or the pack must execute those in your condition. That is what the pack came here for. They should have done it several months ago and saved me the task.” Then he turned to Jordan. “But you are the enigma, and if you are as surprising as you seem to be, I might have to strike a bargain, which is why I am putting the execution on hold.”
Jordan was so shocked that Carl could almost see the entirety of both his irises.
“You have no right—” Carl’s voice stopped abruptly as he stood, gasping again. Jordan tried to lunge, but this time the man was ready and Jordan seemed locked in place. Carl found he could breathe, but he couldn’t talk.
The man replied in clipped words. “I have far more right than you know, and I told you I could coerce you again. I can kill both of you without touching you. You fared well, for humans, simply because you astonished me beyond imagining, but if I have to demonstrate why you do not have a chance against me, let there be no doubt in your minds that I will—”
The last two words filled Carl’s consciousness like air being forced into a balloon, stretching it to bursting, and Carl was afraid his mind would explode. Somehow. He motioned to Jordan. “STOP! Dear God, just stop!” he gasped as the two words were released from his head, and fell to his knees on the carpeted floor of the parlor. Jordan moved, and Carl yelled “NO! Jordan, STOP!” Jordan stayed where he was. The man was staring at Jordan again, mouth open and eyes wide.
“God, this is surreal!” Carl whispered. “Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing here?”
The man briefly looked at Carl, then back at Jordan. “I am called Luke. What you must know is I am literally the top dog on this planet, for werewolves, and I have tracked you down because you should not exist. I am giving you a reprieve while we sort a few things out. I might let you live, but I will not make any promises beyond tonight.” He turned to Jordan, who refused the man’s offer to help him up. “You will both be alive when I leave tonight; that I will promise for now. And if you refrain from more foolishness while we talk, I will leave you unharmed as well. But you need to understand this: I am in control, and nothing you do…” the man gave a puzzled glance toward Jordan, then shook his head. “No, nothing you can do can truly harm me, though I am surprised to say you could initiate injury to me, which is unusual. But if you try, I guarantee you will be dead before you can succeed. I have too many questions to want you dead. It is hard to get answers from a dead man.” Luke looked at each of them in turn. “If I promise to sit down quietly and leave your bodies and minds alone, for now, will you agree to do the same?”
Somewhat reluctantly, Carl nodded. He felt like a child being chastised by an adult, though he couldn’t understand why. Jordan didn’t move. The man glared at him. Finally, Jordan gave a minute nod. Carl watched Jordan rise gingerly, and it was clear his shoulder was dislocated, but he refused to let Carl help him. He was completely focused on Luke, who looked at him, then suddenly seemed to notice the arm. He moved swiftly forward, grabbed Jordan’s wrist, raised a leg and to place a foot against Jordan’s hip, and pulled and twisted his arm, which gave a sickening pop. Jordan’s face barely had time to register fear before the relief appeared. It was the fastest shoulder replacement Carl had ever seen, but Luke made no comment, just walked into the parlor to find a place to sit. In a few moments, they had all found the nearest , the tall stranger sat in the oversized, padded lounge chair that Carl usually preferred, right next to the fireplace. Jordan chose the wing-back tapestry chair his father had always loved, looking as if he was ready to jump up at any moment. Carl dropped onto the leather sofa. Slowly, Carl’s sense of alarm retreated. If the man intended to kill them at this point, surely he wouldn’t have fixed Jordan’s arm. And whoever he was, he had answers, and Carl needed answers. There was something else about the man that made Carl want to trust him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Who are you?” Carl asked.
Luke looked around. “Can I get a glass of water? This could take some time.”
Carl paused for a moment, then nodded at Jordan. “And tea would be good, too, Jordan.” He felt a little chilled, and something warm in his hands would make him feel better. Jordan slowly stood and stared at the man, then back at Carl questioningly. “I’m sure he’s telling the truth about the truce.” And also, that there was really nothing they could do, but he didn’t want Jordan thinking about that.
Jordan stood just a moment longer, then walked out the doorway.
“Remarkable,” Luke whispered, watching Jordan exit, then he turned to Carl. “What is he, a servant? Friend?”
“Closer to servant,” Carl answered, “but we call them employees here in America.”
The man laughed with delight. “Of course. I lost myself for a moment—”
“What did you mean 2800 years? Top dog?”
Luke’s grin turned into a coldly serious look. “I do not generally talk to… castoffs like you… let me think for a moment. There are things most of my people know but you are ignorant of. These things are usually explained by the pack. Do you know what has happened to you?”
Carl frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Let us start with you turning into a wolf three nights a month, in succession?”
Carl drew a swift breath and coughed. “Um, yes, I figured that out some time ago.”
“Well, that makes this a little easier. There are many of us human-wolf hybrids throughout the world. There are also rules that govern us, which are normally taught by elders, but occasionally a new cub slips through the cracks and is not taught what he needs to know. This is generally because of an accidental infection and abandonment by the pack.” The man’s lips curled, and the last words were tinged with anger. He went on. “Which means the cub does not learn how to avoid hunters, among other things. But an equally important fact is that one in three accidentally infected hybrids will start dying, and the only thing that will keep them alive is fresh human blood. Some figure that out, and of those, some get that blood by killing people. And that is why they must be terminated. It is unacceptable,” the man finished, shrugging his shoulders dispassionately.
Carl was silent, absorbing the information. Luke resumed.
“And this is you. Once I learned about you from my sources, and that the pack was aware but refusing to take responsibility, I had to come hunt you down for termination, which is why I am here.” He paused again, giving Carl time to absorb the information. “I do not like to take care of this task. Aside from the other tasks that occupy my time, I have been doing this job far too long. And that is what I mean by 2800 years. The hybridization also makes immortality possible, given a certain amount of discipline and training, which I have, along with wariness and luck. I have been alive and developing my skills for more than two millennia, and I am tired of doing this,” Luke explained and drifted into silence for a moment. Jordan walked back in with a glass of water, which he set down on the end table near Luke, and a tray with the steaming teapot and two cups. Apparently, Jordan decided it sounded good. Carl also noticed Jordan had his gun tucked into the waistband of his pants. It hadn’t been there when Jordan left. Carl realized that Jordan had kept his back hidden from Luke since he returned to the room.
Luke was gazing with great interest at Jordan as he slowly sat down, staring right back at Luke. “You appear to be fiercely loyal,” he said, his gaze unmoving.
“You attacked us!” Jordan answered, incredulously.
“Granted. But I tested you, and you were unable to break the coerce when I attempted to subdue you with my mind. However, when I feinted at both you and Carl, you managed to break free entirely the first time, and almost entirely even when I was prepared for you. Which should not be possible.” Luke picked up the glass of water and took a long swallow.
Jordan shook his head. Carl thought about that. It had happened exactly as Luke said: apparently, for all his surly demeanor, Jordan was even more protective of Carl than he was of himself, despite his refusal to accept the official title of “bodyguard.”
“Furthermore, the incredible strength of mind you exhibited in doing so is astounding.” The man paused again, as if allowing time for what he was saying to sink in. “All that remains of what I would need from you is a demonstration of devout discipline. The size of your muscles suggests it is possible that you possess such a trait.”
Jordan exploded from the couch with a furious exclamation. “Need? You don’t need anything from me and you sure as hell aren’t gonna get anything from me! Why the hell would I help you?”
Luke took another long swallow of water, then answered, “Because Carl’s life depends on it.”
Jordan looked confused. Carl heard what Luke was saying, and what it meant. He still didn’t understand all of it, but a few pieces were beginning to fall into place. “You want to trade my life for Jordan’s service to you?”
Luke looked at him carefully, and then gave a slight nod. “That is close enough to what I mean. It is more like he and I would both serve the world, as I do now. It is much more than that, even, and Jordan will probably have much more freedom, and even power, than he has now, though he would also have a list of responsibilities.”
“I can’t afford more responsibilities.”
Luke responded with wry disdain, “Do not be selfish!”
They all stared at each other, suspiciously.
Luke swore. “I am trying to explain this to you, and you are not listening!”
Carl frowned, “We’re listening, you’re just not making sense!”
“And what has made any sense to you in the past few months?” Luke retorted.
Jordan frowned, then said grudgingly, “Good point.”
“Listen to me.” Luke stood up. “Listen to me… it is not going to make sense right away, but you need to keep listening until it does. I told you the normal sequence of events in these circumstances includes your death, if not by execution, then by the wasting.” He looked over at Carl. Carl wanted to squirm, but managed to keep perfectly still. Luke looked at Jordan. “But I need someone I can train to take over some of the responsibilities so I do not have to do all the work that needs to be done. It is getting out of hand. I have one apprentice in this region, but I must accept that he will never be good enough to replace me. I need someone who can work with me on the same level as I operate, but there are several traits that are required to reach that goal. I have been looking for a good man for a very long time.” The last was clearly directed at Jordan.
Apparently, that surprised Jordan as much as it did Carl. His eyebrows rose slightly.
“I don’t have time—” Jordan started.
“It will not take you more time than you are already spending, and Carl will not need you soon,” Luke answered, apparently having anticipated this.
“What?” Carl said.
Luke turned his glance to Carl. “I can grant you a form of asylum for your remaining days, but you are not far from your own end. There is nothing that can be done.” He lifted the glass and took another drink of water as he thought for a moment, then continued. “You are forbidden to victimize humans to extend your life.”
Carl shook his head in amazement. “Jordan has been giving me blood.”
Luke looked at Jordan. “Your own blood will not be able to keep up with his need.”
“I’m not giving him any more blood, dammit!” Jordan swore.
Luke’s eyebrows rose, and he looked back at Carl.
“Whatever. What’s overwhelming me right now is finding a cure. And I am close.” Carl asked.
“There is no cure for what is causing you to waste away,” Luke replied.
“You could be wrong about that,” Carl replied, panic rising again.
Luke rolled his eyes. “I think not. We have been looking for a cure for a very long time, and we have not found it yet—”
“But you haven’t had access to the latest technology…” Carl cut in, as cold fear made his voice rise.
Luke slowly shook his head and spoke as if explaining a simple concept to an idiot. “Perhaps not. This current technology has only become available in this latest era, and, like all technology, only to the extremely wealthy.”
“So, there could be a cure that couldn’t be found until now?” Carl asked.
Luke nodded slowly, eyebrows slightly raised.
“And I need Jordan to help me with that,” Carl finished.
Luke took another long swallow of water. Carl reached over and poured himself some tea. Jordan took the pot from him and poured himself a cup and held it in his left hand without drinking any. He was keeping his right hand free at his side in case he needed to draw the gun. Carl didn’t like the idea, but it made him feel a little safer. He looked at Luke, and realized he was being measured. Did Luke know about the gun?
Finally, Luke responded. “What if we all three worked at it until we exhaust the possibilities you have in mind now? Once you are out of ideas, will you let Jordan go? After all these years, perhaps I can wait just a little longer.”
Carl considered. “I’m not sure I trust you,” he answered honestly.
“That is fair,” Luke nodded. “What if I win your trust?”
Jordan shook his head at Carl, but Carl wanted to think about it. He’d been developing an idea of what the next steps were, and he was pretty sure it would take more than himself and Jordan. He had no idea yet how to do it, but an additional assistant could make a huge difference, especially one with the type of skills Luke seemed to have. He was far from ready to call Luke trustworthy, but he wasn’t sure he had a lot of options, with time running out. He needed more information, which Luke clearly had, or could probably get. “Get me samples of blood from all of those werewolf people we saw today.”
Luke snorted. “How about I just sing down the moon for you? I can give you their names if you will guarantee it will be confidential. You seem to have some access to medical information, from what I read on the surface of your mind when I entered.”
Carl thought about that. “It’s a start,” he answered. “I need to review medical data on a large number of werewolves to see if I can find any common threads that will tell me why one-third of them have problems.”
“Okay. I will get you a list tomorrow, and I will see if I can get you a larger number of them so you have more to work with.” Luke swallowed the last of the water, then stood. “Where was the woman staying?” he asked.
Carl and Jordan looked at each other, then Carl asked, “What do you mean ‘was?’”
Luke brushed a hand through his hair. “My apologies. You do not remember. The black-haired woman who was staying with you was here to kill you. She was what is called a cryptoclast – a hunter of mythological creatures, including werewolves. She is gone now, and will not be coming back. She stole something from me, and if it is here, I need it back. What room would her belongings be in?”
Carl looked at Jordan, then at Luke. “I don’t have any reason to believe that…”
“Then go into her belongings. You will find a grimoire for a werewolf hunter. That should help you believe. And while you are among her belongings, find the crystal skull. It is mine.”
They both looked at Luke, clearly suspicious, and finally, he threw up his hands. “Fine.” He said, then placed one hand on Carl’s jawline and forehead. Images of a large gathering of trucks and people flooded through Carl’s head, men stepped out of the trucks and aimed guns at him. Diana came out of the house, then Luke arrived, everyone froze in place, and Diana dropped to the ground, nose bleeding. He heard everything that was said, but he also knew the thoughts in Luke’s mind, and he was aware of Diana’s thoughts as well, and her intention to kill him. Luke pulled his hand away from Carl, then did the same thing to Jordan, who flinched, then allowed it.
Carl was stunned.
“I told you she was saying some scary shit,” Jordan said, dazed, as Luke pulled his hand from Jordan’s head.
“I’ll go check her things,” Carl replied, and disappeared upstairs. Jordan and Luke followed him. He opened Diana’s suitcase and dug through her books. There, at the bottom, was a book in a velvet bag. He pulled it out and tried to read the runes on the cover, but he couldn’t make any sense of them. He opened it and was relieved to find the words inside were in English, but then paled as he read the table of contents, which gave the names and pages of chapters dedicated to locating, identifying, and killing werewolves, among other legendary creatures. He wondered if all of them existed. Mermaids? Centaurs?
“The bag to your right,” Luke said. “Hand it to me.”
Carl saw a second velvet bag, round, and lifted it. Luke stepped forward and grabbed it from him, then slid out a perfectly shaped skull that looked like it was made of clear glass with streaks of cracks running through it like cobwebs. He cupped it lovingly in his left hand, and placed the fingers of his right hand along the jawline, up the cheek and at the temple, the same way he’d placed his hand on Carl’s, then Jordan’s face. His lips opened and his eyelids sagged. He stood unmoving for what had to have been at least thirty seconds, then slipped the skull back in the bag and wrapped his arm around it. “Give me your phone number,” he said to Carl. “I am unable to stay longer. I will connect with you this evening.”
Carl recited the number for his cell phone, and the man let himself out through the front door. He didn’t even look back as he broke into a jog and disappeared down the trail through the trees.