Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews

The power word punched the flock. For a moment they were still running at us, their eyes wild, and then the magic sunk in, and they scattered, fleeing for their lives. We thundered forward, straight at the rhino.

“Turn! Owen, turn!”

We didn’t turn. We didn’t slow down. We galloped faster.

“Turn!”

The rhino loomed in front of us, the huge horn poised to gore.

Oh my God.

I threw myself to the right, tucking my legs and arms in. The ground smashed into me. My teeth rattled. Owww. I rolled, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Owen veer to the right, missing the horn by inches, and slam at full speed into the rhino’s left foreleg, hitting it from the side, all of his weight and momentum hammering the leg inward.

The rhino crashed. The ground shook as if a giant had punched it.

Owen bellowed and rammed the fallen rhino, sinking his horns into the bone armor plates protecting the monster’s gut.

I scrambled to my feet and sprinted to the summoners.





Curran





“Again, Mayor Gene, they weren’t Pack shapeshifters.”

We’d been over this, but the mayor simply couldn’t seem to grasp that the bodies in the cells were as much a mystery to us as they were to them. I hadn’t expected to give a lecture on Shapeshifters 101 but here we were.

“Meaning what?” The short, powerfully built older man leaned forward, placing his tanned forearms on the table. Visible among the scars was a blue-green blob of ink that may have been a legible tattoo at some point.

“Meaning most shapeshifters belong to one of the larger, organized packs who claim an area. For instance, shapeshifters who live in Wilmington belong to the Atlanta Pack. The Pack maintains a regional office in Wilmington, and Keelan oversees it. If new or unaffiliated shapeshifters moved into the area, they would be obligated to make their presence known to him.”

“Obligated?”

“Yes. It is considered polite. It avoids unfortunate misunderstandings.”

Keelan cleared his throat. “It’s not really optional. They introduce themselves in twenty-four hours or we come to see them.”

“You said most shapeshifters belong to a pack,” one of the council members said. “So, some don’t.”

“Those shapeshifters who don’t belong to a pack generally fall into two categories. The first would be individuals and small family units who live in unclaimed territory.”

“And the second?” Mayor Gene said.

“Loups.”

“The crazy ones?” one of the council members asked. Everyone at the table drew back a little.

“The correct term is magic-induced psychosis.”

“These aren’t loups,” Keelan said, nodding at the bodies in the cells.

“How can you be so sure?” Ned asked.

“One of them was a little late to the fight,” Keelan explained. “I caught a glimpse of him shifting, which means at least some of them were in a human shape right before they attacked us.”

“So?” Mayor Gene said.

Keelan looked at me. I made a go ahead gesture.

“Loups are stuck in a sort of half form,” he said. “Never fully human but unable to transform completely into their beast shape. They are trapped in a constant shift, and because of that, they burn through magic. Magic takes energy, which requires calories. They’re always hungry and always in pain. No matter how much they kill, how much they eat, it’s never enough. Within hours of succumbing to madness, a loup’s body begins to cannibalize itself, and when that happens, they give off a stench. We all know it, we all recognize it, and it smells like nothing else.”

It was Ned who spoke up. “And that particular scent was not present in the bodies you brought in?”

“No,” I told him. “Before today, were any of you aware of a family or clan of people living in woods? Maybe reclusive or isolated from civilization? Do any of them look familiar?”

I pointed to the seven heads arranged on the examination table we’d rolled into the conference room. They all turned, studying them again.

“No,” Ned shook his head. “Definitely not locals.”

“I’ve lived here more than fifty years,” Mayor Gene said. “Not only I’ve never seen them, I never saw anyone like them. The horns are hard to hide.”

He had a point.

The town bell tolled. A long, continuous, frantic note.

“Well, that’s not good,” Keelan murmured.

No, it probably wasn’t.

“Ned, would you and the mayor please get everyone to safety?”

“Of course. We’ll stay here.”

Mayor Gene laughed. “Yep, this old prison is the safest place in town.”

Super. Keelan was already headed toward the exit. I followed.

Outside, Troy was sprinting toward us. He looked like he’d run all the way from the house.

“We’ve got company.”

“How many?” Keelan asked.

“Ten that we could see.”

“Shapeshifters?”

Troy shook his head. “Eight with spears. Plus, a couple of priest or mage types. Real creepy bastards.”

That was all I needed to know. As I headed for the North Gate, I heard Keelan order Troy to round up the rest of our group.