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A teen fencing champion’s Olympic dream shatters when she becomes embroiled in a battle between werewolves and shapeshifters for humanity’s survival.

Excerpt

Chapter 15

The sun was a giant orange ball just above the horizon, backlighting the Collier County State Fair banner, as we made our way back to the SUV.  It was time to help set up for the concert.

‘on our way 2 help set up. will be there in 5,’ I texted, using Luke’s phone.  I really needed to get another cell phone, but I hadn’t exactly told Mom and Dad about the old phone yet.  I was sure to hear the ‘We need stock in AT&T’ line, along with the usual various condemnations about being careless.  I’d heard it all before.

‘gr8. is this a hawt dood or bff txt?’ came Taylor’s response.

‘bff,’ I replied.

‘damn, was hoping to glom on 2 hawt dood.’

‘very funny,’ I answered.

When we arrived, she and the band members were waiting.

“You two look like you’ve been having fun,” Taylor said, grinning at me.  She reached around and tugged at a stuffed orangutan riding on my back, its velcroed hands clasped around my neck.  “What’s this? You got a monkey on your back, girlfriend?”

I unhooked his little hands, and held him up for Taylor to see.  “Luke won him for me.  And it’s not a monkey, it’s an orangutan.  Isn’t he cute?”

“Yeah.  Cute.  And he matches your hair color – orangutan red.”

“He does not!  My hair is so not red.  It’s… auburn.”

“Auburn.  Right.”

“Hey, you girls quit monkeying around and let’s get everything unloaded,” Matt said.

I groaned at the pun, but opened up the back of the SUV, tossing the stuffed animal inside.  I grabbed one of the plastic containers marked ‘memorabilia’ and tucked it under one arm, hauling it to the pavilion.

“Red,” Taylor whispered as she passed me, ducking as I took a swipe at her.

While the guys unloaded the equipment, Taylor and I decorated the pavilion, stringing lights and putting up posters.  We set out several baskets of giveaways – glow necklaces, bracelets and sticks with ‘Manifest’ imprinted on them – at the most prominent entrance locations.

Even after everything was set out, Taylor kept going, taking each basket, sorting and resorting the glow sticks and jewelry.  First she sorted by shape, then by color.

“Okay, okay, your organizational skills are powerfully honed, Taylor,” I said, taking the last basket from her.  “What’s going on?  Are you nervous?”

“Omigod, I’m gonna puke,” Taylor said.  Sure enough, her face did look a bit green.

“You’ll be fine,” I assured her, gripping her hand tightly.  “It’ll be just like the benefit you did for the animal shelter, Music for Mutts, remember?  Just… a little bigger, that’s all.  And you look great!”

She did, too.  Her blonde hair, carefully styled in artful disarray, framed her heart-shaped face.  Violet contacts blazed from heavily-kohled eyes, her lips a magenta bow. She dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt with a zombie slogan imprinted on it.  Knee-length boots completed her wardrobe.

“Come on, Taylor, we’re all set up.  Let’s go over a few things before we start,” Matt said, looking only a little less nervous than Taylor.

“Did you set up all the lights already?”

“Yeah, it’s all done.  Come on.”

I squeezed her hand.  “Break a leg, Taylor,” I whispered to her as she left to join her band.

“Shall we grab a good seat?” Luke asked, coming up to me.

“Yeah, I want front row center.”

“Of course,” Luke said, grinning at me.

I took one more look at Taylor, worried that she might make good on her earlier complaint and actually puke on stage.

“She’ll be fine, Savannah.”

“You’re right.  I know she’ll be okay.  Once she gets on stage, she’ll forget the nervousness.”

We left the stage and sat right in the center of the first long wooden bench, and watched as the crowd slowly assembled.  The giveaways went quickly – the glow bracelets and necklaces first, followed by the sticks.

The last of the daylight slid away.  Strands of tiny white lights, wound around wooden posts and strung across low-hanging eaves, suddenly lit up.  The audience whistled and waved their hands, wrists glowing in a rainbow of fluorescent color.

A pure, sweet voice came from the pitch black stage, A cappella, the lyrics slow and haunting, eerie in the dark.  A pause, then the darkened stage suddenly came to life, blue light flooding the band, a gold spot on Taylor.  The drums began laying down a strong rhythm, followed by hard-edged guitar riffs.  Taylor was all over the stage, voice powerful, overriding the hard music.  There was no trace of the nervous teen-aged girl I’d spoken with earlier.  She was confident, assured.  She was Manifest.

I gripped Luke’s arm.  He grinned down at me, then hugged me and kissed the top of my head.

The next song, a popular cover, showcased Taylor’s powerful voice and vocal range, and was immediately followed by an original song that the drummer, Matt, wrote.

I leaned my head against Luke’s shoulder and sighed, contented.  Perfection.  In the arms of the man I loved while my best friend’s voice flowed around me… yes, utter perfection.

Suddenly, the arm around me went rigid.  I looked up to see Luke sniffing the air.

“Luke?  What’s wrong?” I questioned, but couldn’t even hear my own voice over the music.  I grabbed the arm slung around me and shook it.  “What?” I mouthed.

Luke put his lips to my ear.  “Wolves.  Get to the car, Savannah.”

“What?”  I looked around.  I didn’t see anything, and looked again at Luke.

In the festive, twinkling white lights, I could see his eyes already changing.

He gripped me tightly by the upper arms, turning me to face him.  “Get to the car, Savannah!”  He shouted to be heard over the music.  “Now.  Promise me you’ll go right to the car, lock yourself in and then drive to my house.  I’ll meet you there when it’s over.”  He gave me a little shake.  “Promise!”

I nodded my head and mouthed the word he wanted to hear.  “Promise!”

He leapt up just as I heard the beginnings of screams from the back of the audience.  The rest of the audience turned to see what the commotion was all about.  Four werewolves burst onto the concert-goers, snapping wildly at them while maintaining their forward momentum, aiming straight for us.

The band faltered, the music discordant.  Then nothing.

I jumped up and turned to Taylor, who stood there, motionless, violet eyes wide.  The other band members were nowhere to be seen.  Taylor’s eyes went even wider and I turned back just in time to see Luke transform.

He exploded into panther form, his shredded clothes falling behind as he sprang at the werewolves, taking two of them down with one lunge.  They rolled over and over, coming up growling and snarling.

I didn’t wait to see more.  I had to trust that Luke could handle it.  Had to fulfill my promise to him – I didn’t want him distracted by worrying about me.  I jumped onto the stage and grabbed Taylor’s hand.  She was still motionless, in shock.

Tugging at her was useless.  I got up into her ear and screamed, “Hey!”

She looked at me, face completely white.  “Come on, Taylor.  Now!  You gotta come with me right now.”

That galvanized her into action.  She looked around for her band members and not seeing them, let me tug her off the stage.  Together we wound our way through the frantically milling crowd toward the parking lot.  I held her hand tightly so we wouldn’t get separated.

I saw the SUV.  “Run, Taylor – get in the car!”  I shouted, pointing.  I let go of her hand and we sprinted for the car.  We reached it and I dug frantically in my pocket for the key.  I hit the unlock button and yanked open the driver’s door.

A high, thin scream stopped me from leaping into the driver’s seat.  Taylor stood there by the unopened passenger door, frozen.

Two werewolves stalked her, growling, saliva dripping from exposed, yellow fangs.

I looked around for a weapon, a rock, tree limb, anything.  Wait! I thought, the Dragon Prince!  It should still be in the car.  I reached in, fumbling under the front passenger seat.  Please let it be there, please let it be there, I chanted under my breath.

It was.

I yanked it out and slid it from the scabbard in one smooth, practiced move.  My fingers unerringly found the Bushido code along the blade.  Courage.  I ran around to the passenger side, jumped in front of Taylor just as the first creature leapt for her.

The Dragon Prince met the throat of the werewolf, the Damascus steel blade sliding clear through its neck, beheading it in one clean stroke.

I turned to the other one.  It was more cautious, darting in and out but staying out of reach of the steel blade.

“Omigod, there’s another one, Savannah!  No, two more!”  Taylor screamed from behind me.

“Okay, when I tell you to move, I want you to open the car door, Taylor.  Get in as quickly as you can and lock the door.”

I feinted and as the wolves jumped away, I yelled, “Now!  Now Taylor!”

Taylor opened the door and threw herself in.  I backed away slowly, the Dragon Prince never still, weaving in front of me as I sidled along the back of the SUV and around to the driver’s side.  Two wolves stalked me.  Where was the third?

Then I saw it, between me and the open driver’s side door.  Resignation flooded me.  I couldn’t get them all.  Particularly split up that way.

I set my jaw.  Lunging at the wolf between me and the door, I slashed at its neck.  Blood spurted in great, steaming gouts, covering me.  It staggered away and I slammed the door shut.

At least Taylor would be safe.

I heard an ear-splitting roar as the remaining two wolves leapt for me and everything went hazy after that.  Something heavy hit me from behind, knocking the wind out of me.  A sharp pain exploded in my back and I went down, the Dragon Prince skittering away across the asphalt.

Gasping, I struggled for breath.  I finally managed to turn over and saw a huge bear attacking both wolves.  The bear turned and roared at me.

Struggling to my feet, I yanked the door open and threw myself inside.

Keys!  Where were the damn keys?  I searched the seat under me, then the floor.  There.  I grabbed them, fumbling with the ignition, hands shaking, covered in blood.  The engine caught and I slammed it in reverse, backed out then shoved it in forward and shot out of the parking lot, narrowly missing several fair-goers who were also trying to escape.

It was a short drive from the fair to Luke’s house.  It seemed to take forever.  I almost missed the turnoff, but braked at the last minute and turned, rocketing along the gravel road.

I pulled up to their house and turned off the car, leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.

“Savannah?”  Taylor’s voice was small, uncertain.  “Savannah, your back – it’s bleeding.  I saw it when those… things… attacked you.”

“It’s not from them,” I hastened to reassure her.  “I landed on a really sharp rock back there.  I think it cut me.  It’s not from the wolves.”  I hoped I was right.  I wasn’t actually sure what had happened, right at the last.

A scream from Taylor made me jump and I automatically reached for the Dragon Prince, then remembered it was still at the fair somewhere, likely underneath a grizzly and some werewolves.

Two panthers paced in front of the house.

“Relax, Taylor.  They won’t hurt you.”  I could tell she wasn’t listening, her eyes wide with shock, the kohl around her eyes smeared in great, sooty streaks all down her face.

I grabbed her shoulder, shook it hard.  “Taylor!  Listen up!”

That got her attention.  I got right up in her face.  “These are the good guys.  They won’t hurt you, okay?”  Taylor just looked at me, then stared blankly out the window as a woman came out of the house, running toward us.

Ruth.

I opened the door, practically falling out of the SUV.  Ruth’s eyes widened as she saw the blood.

“Not mine,” I choked out.  Well, most of it wasn’t mine, anyway, I thought as my back burned.  “Luke, back there… he needs help.  There were so many…”

“It’s okay,” Ruth said.  “It’s done.  Over with.  Everyone is okay, and they’re doing a bit of damage control.  They’ll be here soon.”

“Luke’s okay?  Are you sure?”

“Yes.  I’m very sure.  They’re disposing of the…” Ruth looked over at Taylor, not sure how much she knew.  “They’re cleaning up the area.  Come in the house.  You can take a shower.”

“Come on, Taylor,” I said, leaning in the open driver’s side door.  “It’s safe here.”

Taylor wouldn’t budge, her wide eyes taking in the panthers stationed in front of the house.

I turned back to Ruth.  “Could you ask them to disappear for a moment?” I asked wearily, pointing to the big cats.  “I’m not sure that Taylor can handle anything else today.”

She turned and gave a hand signal, and the two panthers melted into the woods.  I went and opened the car door and helped Taylor out of the SUV.

Later, while Ruth plied Taylor with hot tea, sitting with her at the kitchen table, I took advantage of the shower offer.

Ruth had thoughtfully left me with a change of clothes, hers most likely, along with a clean towel and washcloth.  I peeled off the bloody, torn clothing and put them in a pile in the corner.  I couldn’t see my back, but when I got in the hot shower, the stinging signaled the length of the scratch.  It was long.  It burned like fire.  It would burn even if it was from the rock, I told myself.  It’s just a scratch.  Just a scratch from a rock, I kept repeating to myself.

I stayed in the shower till the water turned cold, washing myself more than once, making sure the water no longer ran red down the tub.

Drying off, I was careful not to use the towel on the scratch lest it start bleeding again.  I hurriedly dressed, and combed out my wet hair.

When I finally went back to the kitchen, the others were already there.  Taylor, the worst of the kohl scrubbed from her face, was babbling, gesturing with shaking hands, voice high and fast, words running together.

“… and Luke changed into a panther, just like that, and Savannah grabs me and we run to the car only I can’t get in because these wolf-like creatures are stalking me and Savannah grabs her sword and goes all ninja on their ass and chops one’s head clean off and she’s everywhere all at once and I’m finally able to get inside only three other wolves lunge for her and Savannah chops into one of them but the other two keep coming and then suddenly there’s a bear too and the bear and the wolves all jump at Savannah and she goes down and there’s all this blood and I can’t tell who is bleeding – the animals or Savannah and then Savannah gets up and she’s clutching her back with one hand and she says her back got cut by a rock but I don’t know…” Taylor trailed off as everyone stared at her, shocked.

“What?  What did I say?”

Oh, Taylor.  Now look what you’ve done.

I sighed as Luke rushed over to me, followed closely by Aaron and Ruth and Emma.  All demanded to see my back.

“I just scratched it on a sharp rock, guys.  Come on.  Chill.”

Read more about Children of the Lost Moon and Gabrielle Blue HERE.

Copyright 2010 Gabrielle Blue. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.