Blood Moon

A few hours later, a wolf howl cut through the night air. The group of four came to a halt in the middle of the dark forest. Their gazes darted around the shadows.

“They’re definitely nearby,” Sebastian said. “I can feel them, but—” He frowned as a second howl sounded, this one more distant. “Why go that way?” he murmured.

“Should we follow?” Arisa asked.

“I’m going to take a look real quick. You three get back-to-back,” Sebastian ordered. “Weapons up. I’ll be right back.”

Felix’s heart pounded an unsteady rhythm in his chest as the minutes passed. He tried to keep his breathing even. Tried not to imagine teeth tearing into his skin. He whirled around when a rustling came from the undergrowth behind him, opposite from the direction Sebastian had gone.

Wolf eyes glinted in the darkness.

“Run!”

Felix wasn’t sure who said it. All he knew was that a heartbeat later, his feet were pounding against the ground and his lungs were struggling for air.

“Why aren’t we fighting?” Arisa asked between breaths.

“I’m sensing ten wolves,” Mason said. “We need to find Sebastian—”

They stumbled into a clearing.

“Get to cover!” Mason shouted, but it was too late. Wolves emerged from the trees on all sides. Fifteen of them, forcing Felix and the others toward the center. The wolves formed a loose circle around the three.

A voice spoke from the shadows. “So, these are the three lost causes Sebastian has decided to train?”

Felix whirled around as the man behind the voice stepped into the light of the full moon. He was old. Fifties, probably. His gray hair and beard were a few shades darker than the pale shirt under his suit jacket. He studied the three through a pair of glasses with gold frames.

“It’s him!” Mason lunged forward. Two wolves immediately sprang on him. Mason jumped out of the path of the first, only to get slammed into the ground by the second.

“Mason!” Felix and Arisa shouted at the same time.

The wolf pressed its paw to Mason’s chest, keeping him pinned to the ground. The man’s expression was emotionless as he watched. “It’s him,” Mason gasped again. “Ernest Abernathy.” He grimaced in pain.

“You idiot!” Arisa hissed to Ernest. “We’ll tell the council about this, and you’ll be put on trial.”

Ernest flashed her a smile. “I’m from a prominent Bright Guardian family. I have two cousins on the council, and I’ve led countless successful missions. Atticus Brightland won’t throw me in a cell. And he certainly won’t side with three kids on probation over me. The Guardians would riot.” He looked to the wolves. “Besides, you’re going to die here.”

“Wait!” Mason exclaimed.

Ernest lifted an eyebrow. The wolf pinning Mason lifted its paw but didn’t back away from him as he sat up.

“What do you want with a witch’s wand?” Mason demanded. “You’re a magician.”

“Oh, this?” Ernest reached into suit jacket and drew out a wand that was over a foot in length. Black lines swirled through its red wood.

Mason exposed sharp fangs with a low snarl. “What are you planning?”

“Why would I tell you that?”

Felix raised his hands and reached for his lightning. Before he could unleash it, Ernest pointed the wand at him. An invisible force paralyzed him. Arisa froze next to him.

“Really, it’s a shame Guardians didn’t try utilizing these sooner.” Ernest examined the wand. “There’s so much more to the world than our innate magic.”

“That doesn’t belong to you!” Mason hissed.

“Oh, and you think you deserve it? You’re a demon. It’s only a matter of time before you become one of the monsters you hunt.” Ernest gestured to Felix and Arisa. “Your friends will probably have to kill you.”

“That’s never going to happen!”

The wolf next to Mason swiped at him. Mason yelped in pain and staggered sideways, three deep gashes in the side of his face.

Felix pushed harder against the magic holding him in place, desperately willing any of his abilities to work. The pressure on him increased in response.

“Don’t bother,” Ernest said. “This wand is more powerful than you three combined.”

Felix glared at him. There had to be a way to break through the spell. Or distract Ernest so that Mason could break it.

“You’re really going to kill us?” Mason asked, a hand pressed to the side of his face. “You’ll leave your magical energy on us. That will be proof enough for the council.”

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you,” Ernest said. “The wolves are.”

Why were these werewolves obeying Ernest? Felix’s mind went back to the interrogation with the wolf they’d caught, desperately searching for some piece of information that might help. Anything.

His eyes widened.

Felix couldn’t move his limbs, but he could open his mouth. “Wait! Don’t you want to talk to Gideon?”

Ernest glanced at him. “Why would I care about Gideon?”

“The wolves work for you,” Felix said. “And the wolf we interrogated mentioned the Moonlit Army. You must be working for their leader, too.”

“So, what? You’re trying to bargain for your friends’ lives with Gideon?” Ernest asked, lifting an eyebrow. “I’m a businessman. I know a bluff when I see one.”

Felix braced himself for the pain and bit down hard on the inside of his mouth. “That necromancer seemed real determined to get him back,” he said as the coppery taste of blood hit his tongue. “Are you sure your boss won’t be mad if you kill me, and Gideon disappears forever?”

“No one knows what happens if you die,” Ernest said. “But if Gideon’s not powerful enough to stick around on Earth without you as a vessel, he’s no good to us anyway.”

Felix spat his blood out onto the dirt.

Disgust flashed on Ernest’s face. “Enough stalling.”

“I agree,” Felix said.

May appeared at Felix’s left, and Ezra on his right. Before Ernest could react, May vanished and reappeared next to him. She swung a fist at his face. Her hand passed right through him.

“May!” Felix exclaimed.

“Sorry, but you haven’t exactly given us a lot of time to practice being ghosts!” May swung again. This time, she hit Ernest and sent him flying backwards.

Mason used the distraction to jump to his feet and start running. Wolves lunged forward with alarming speed to chase him, but he flung out a hand and blasted them with a wave of hellfire.

Ernest sat up, still clutching the wand. Mason crashed into him. They rolled into a tree trunk. Mason wrestled the wand from Ernest’s grasp and pointed it toward Felix and Arisa. “Release!” he yelled.

The pressure on Felix disappeared, allowing him to stagger forward. Arisa was already drawing her daggers and charging at Ernest. Ernest lifted a leg and kicked Mason in the stomach, sending him crashing to the dirt. While Mason lay on his back, gasping for air, Ernest turned toward Arisa.

Felix drew his silver sword and ran after her but only made it a few steps. Wolves leapt into his path to cut him off. These were the ones Mason had torched, but despite their crispy appearance, they moved just fine. New fur sprouted from their skin as it healed from the hellfire burns.

Felix turned his head. “Ezra?”

Ezra watched the wolves approach with wide eyes. His hands trembled. “I’ve never fought this many of anything before.”

“You’re a ghost!” Felix exclaimed. “You’re not in any danger!”

“But you are!”

“Come on, Ezra. They’re just werewolves, right?”

Ezra took a step back. “They’re healing pretty fast for werewolves,” he said.

“They are?”

May appeared on Felix’s other side. “It takes so much focus to hit anything,” she complained. “Aren’t we supposed to be able to move stuff telekinetically? How does that work?”

“I don’t know, but we don’t have time for you to figure out your ghost powers right now,” Felix told her. “Maybe you should possess me again. Does holy water hurt wolves?”

“Nope.” May scowled. “I hate to admit it, but Ezra’s ability would be best here.”

“I haven’t practiced that much.” Felix glanced at Ezra. “Ezra, I need you to help me.”

The first of the circling wolves lunged at Felix. He swung the sword and left a deep gash across its chest. It lashed out with its claws. Felix jumped back, but they still managed to tear open a hole near the bottom of his pant leg.

Felix risked a glance beyond the wolves. Arisa circled Ernest, brandishing her daggers. Paper planes looped through the air around them. The Ironwood Wand lay in the dirt nearby. Mason kept throwing desperate glances at it, but another group of wolves kept him occupied.

“Ezra, possess me!” Felix exclaimed.

Ezra shook his head. “That sounds like a really, really, really—”

“—really bad idea,” Felix finished with him. “Yeah, I know. Just do it for a minute, okay? We can’t let Ernest get away with the wand. May, try to keep as many wolves busy as you can.” He hesitated. “You’re not going to disappear, are you?”

“Given that bleeding gash on your leg, I think we’ll be okay a little longer,” May replied.

Felix glanced down. “Uh, that won’t turn me into a werewolf, will it?” he asked.

May shook her head. “They have to bite you.”

“Good.” Felix lifted his chin. “Let’s do this. Ezra?”

“How do I possess you?” Ezra asked.

“Just get in his head and reach for your ability,” May told him.

“I don’t like how easy you made that sound,” Felix muttered.

Ezra disappeared from view, and Felix felt his brother’s presence enter his mind. Ready? Ezra asked.

Ready, Felix confirmed.

One of Felix’s hands lifted into the air in front of him, and Ezra’s ability came to life. The ground rumbled. Thorny vines burst from the dirt and wrapped around the closest wolves, pulling them to the ground. As yelps and howls filled the air, Arisa turned and watched with wide eyes. Ernest dove past her and reached for the wand.

Ezra, the wand! Felix warned.

A cactus popped up from the dirt and bent over the wand to shield it from Ernest. Spines sank into his palm. He yanked his hand back with a hiss of pain, jaw clenching.

Felix experienced relief for approximately half a second. Then, Ernest sucked in a deep breath and shoved his hand under the cactus. Another growl of pain escaped his mouth, but when he raised his hand, he was holding the wand. He rose to his feet and ran for the edge of the clearing. Arisa gave chase, but she was lagging. Ernest was surprisingly fast for his age.

Ezra brought another vine up from the ground to grab Ernest’s ankle. Ernest drew a knife from his side and sliced through the plant with ease.

Panic made Felix’s heart quicken. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was his panic or Ezra’s. Ezra!

Ezra spoke through Felix’s mouth. “What? Oh, no, what do I do?”

I don’t know, just do something! Ernest was almost to the tree line.

“Got it.” Ezra lifted Felix’s trembling hands. “I’m going to grow a tree beneath him and trap him at the top.”

Oh, cool! Felix exclaimed. You can do that?

“Well, theoretically. I’ve never actually succeeded before. But now’s as good a time to try as any, right?”

What? Wait, no, now is NOT as a good a time as any—

Felix’s protests were in vain. Ezra latched onto a patch of dirt a few feet in front of Ernest and pushed his magic into it. Branches erupted from the dirt as Ernest’s foot hit the ground right in the center of Ezra’s target. They wrapped around him and lifted him into the air, carried by a slender trunk. The tree reached fifteen feet in height before stopping.

“I did it!” Ezra exclaimed.

Felix’s body swayed. Dude, I’m going to pass out.

Ezra’s hold on his body slipped away, leaving Felix back in control. And in pain. The world spun as he pressed a hand to the side of his head.

Ernest yanked one of his arms back. The branch wrapping around it snapped in half. He used his freed hand to break off the branch pinning his other arm.

May appeared at Felix’s right, but her form was flickering. “It was a nice try, but that tree’s too weak and short to hold him,” she said. “And he’s got the wand.”

Felix looked at her. “I’m still bleeding! Why are you flickering?”

“It’s not just blood,” May told him. “You’re low on energy. Sorry.”

She vanished.

Felix scanned the clearing. Mason was cutting down wolves that had broken free from the vines. Arisa stood over the body of a hopefully dead wolf, her dagger dripping with blood. Felix wanted to help, but when he took a step forward, he stumbled.

The wolves were mostly taken care of, Felix told himself. Arisa and Mason can handle it. He fell forward onto his hands and knees. Now all that was left was—

Ernest rolled and dropped from the tree. It looked like a rough landing, but he forced himself upright and pointed the wand at his leg.

Mason sprinted toward Ernest. Ernest held his fingers to his mouth and let out a low whistle. More wolves emerged from the shadows behind him.

“Better hope your teacher finds you before the wolves overwhelm you.” Ernest backed into the trees and disappeared.