The Marradith Ryder Series Part 17
When he closed his eyes, Leighton saw Marradith’s face. There was a smear of blood on her cheek, and she was surrounded by rising flames and smoke.
He bolted awake, and found everything quiet around him. His bedroom was dark.
He thought about going outside; prowling the grounds of his estate in his primal form. The walls of the compound and complicated security system allowed him the privacy to do so if he wanted. But he didn’t. Now, more than ever, he felt a sense of panic.
Something was wrong with Marradith. He couldn’t stand the idea of it.
Syd answered Leighton’s call on the first ring, as if he had been waiting. “Marradith and Granthem are still on the run. Bruce is dead. Will may be also.” Syd told him. Leighton made a dismissive gesture with his hand, as if swatting away a fly. “Are you any closer to her?”
“Yes, but I am not the only one. Have you seen the news tonight?”
***
Justin, Marradith, and Will stood together in the clearing of a secluded stretch of forest.
A few feet below the river glowed in the moonlight. Marradith had helped Justin gather together the wood to make a pyre for the remains. Will did nothing but sit and watch. She wasn’t sure if he was in any pain, but he claimed he was alright. Watching him, she wasn’t so sure. There was a burn on his left arm where she’d touched him. The two men had been arguing back and fourth all day, and she was getting tired of being the referee.
“One of the less appealing parts of werewolf hunting,” Justin said, “Is getting rid of the evidence. You can never leave behind a werewolf’s body. If you’re on a limited assignment, there are task members that can be called to take care of it for you. When you’re on the run, however,” he shrugged. “You have to be prepared to take care of it yourself.”
“Limited assignment?” Marradith said.
“He means a hit,” Will said. “A quick kill.”
“No one asked you,” Justin replied. “I was talking to her. Not like you know anything about it; you botched the job you had today. You’re not a Wolf.”
“Yeah, well I’d think you would be happy I did screw up. It’s a full moon, aren’t you supposed to be off licking your chops or something?”
“See, he’s been around Wolves all this time and he’s going to act ignorant,” Justin sneered.
“I don’t have to Change on the full moon, but I’d be happy to come on out and give your ass a demonstration.”
“Okay, enough. Seriously. How old are you? Both of you?” Marradith snapped.
She was wondering if she was going to have to get between them eventually to keep them from killing each other. Though, if it came to that, she’d let Justin throw a few good punches before she did anything.
Justin held out a pack of matches. “Want to do the honors?” he asked Will.
“Whatever,” Will took the matches and started the fire. In moments the flame grew tall against the darkness.
They stood in silence. Marradith thought it was an odd moment. Perhaps they were silent more out of anger than respect. She saw a tear in Will’s eye, but she was sure that had more to do with his arm than the fact that Bruce had betrayed him.
“I am going to get some water,” Justin said. He looked at Will. “I hope you know well enough to leave her alone.”
Will didn’t reply. Once Justin was out of earshot, he turned to Marradith.
“What I told you guys in the car is true. Leighton is Justin’s worst enemy. You don’t really believe that he didn’t know that’s who is behind all of this, do you?”
Marradith blinked. “Let me be clear about this. You’re not my friend. That man over there has risked his life for me, more than once. So if he tells me something, I believe him.”
Will put his hands in his pockets. “All I know is, in the months I spent with Bruce and Syd, they used me. They made me feel part of the team. They told me that the Circle would protect me from the Feds. As it turns out the system I hacked into belonged to a secret society of Circle members inside the government. Syd told me they’d put my skills to use. When really, I was a mean to an ends. They were going to kill me. Either today, or another day, but basically whenever they needed a human to sacrifice. Sometimes, when you’re taken in by them, you sympathize with these people. I mean, how long have you known Justin? You’re not what he is.”
Marradith smiled grimly. “But I’m not what you are, either. And I have known you for even less time.”
He touched her cheek, and she turned away from him. “You have some blood right there,” Will said. “You should get that off.”
She pulled a tissue from her pocket. “Thanks,” she said grudgingly.
The smoke rose, acrid and thick even though they stood upwind from it.
“Leighton wants Justin dead, and he wants you brought to him.”
“Okay. So what point are you making?”
Justin came back to the clearing . “Is he behaving?” he asked Marradith.
“Sort of.”
“I can get information on all of Syd’s contacts. Including Leighton.” Will said.
“You can access his information?” Marradith asked.
“I can access anything. I just need my laptop.”
“We need to leave,” Justin said. “And we have your laptop. It’s in the car.”
__
© 2009 Lori Titus
Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears each Wednesday on Flashes in the Dark. Many of her short stories have appeared on MicroHorror and Shadeworks, and she is currently writing an anthology of short stories with a tentative release date in 2010.
For more information see her at http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark.
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May 27th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Argh! I’m ready to sink my fangs into this novel. Sadly, I wait another week for more Marradith. Whatever you do, don’t slow down, Lori. Really, I’m loving the dialogue and where you’ve taken the story thus far. Your writing is getting stronger.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:19 am
No worries there Angel, I have enough updates from Lori to keep publishing Marradith stories for well over a year.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Thank you….
May 27th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Wonderful story! Keep it coming, Lori!
June 16th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Yes we can’t have the normals finding out there are other types of people. That would just start another type of panic that most wouldn’t want to deal with.