Finding a man that was an Alpha werewolf wasn't that easy, especially when I had to accomidate Colby Lopez into the whole ordeal. As my consort he had to protect me and watching the man carry a sword around was something a little unexpected. The rental car zoomed down the road in London, towards the outskirts where the Pack was located, at least the Alpha.
"What did that guy mean by 'the one Set is interested in'?" Colby asked after about twenty minutes of driving in silence.
"Set or Sutek is the Egyptian god of chaos. As for why he's interested in you, I can only assume it has something to do with the name Seth, another name he's called. I think it has something to do with Rollins, that's why I keep calling you Wolf. Rollins means son of Rolf, Rolf meaning wolf. You have a look about you, you kind of look like a werewolf to me."
He smiled. "Don't plan on becoming one soon, Babygirl."
Another awkward silence followed as the car continued on down the road.
"I think it will try to kill me, the Hound I mean."
I glanced at him as I turned off the main roadway and onto a back road heading further out of the city. "What makes you think it won't try to kill me as well?"
"Well I'm just assuming since you're a witch and all."
"Let's make something straight, Seth." I was tightening my grip on the steering wheel. "I am a simple pagan. In this time and era, witches have the powers. I'm as simple as a wiccan, someone who worships the gods and practice earth loving spells, but I'm not so much on the spell part. Understanding I know...I understand where they come from. I have no powers, aside from writing several books of fantasy on the subject. I'm a scribe, I guess. I honor the gods and that's all I can do at the moment."
"You don't worship Thor?"
"I'm eclectic." I shrugged simply. "I have this odd bond with his father Odin. I seek out metaphysical knowledge, I have to understand everything there is to anything. Celtic, Egyptian, Norse and some Vodoun I know and understand. Do I live by the Wiccan Rede, harm none and do what thou wilt, not really. I do believe in retaliation to a point." I said glancing at the iPhone I had in the cup holder. We were close. "When we get to the farm, I want you to be respectful. From what I know of Weres, and their counterparts of shape shifters, they want respect like the rest of the earth."
I was looking for James Atwood, the Alpha of the London Pack. Werewolves were generally larger than normal wolves, and since wolves were extinct in England, well, werewolves made up the population. Hounds were thought to have been their ancestors, that's why Hounds and werewolves got along, but in reality Egyptian werewolves were the oldest of the bunch, having been created by Set and Wepwawet. European werewolves were from Norse creations, from Odin. Berserkers, a form of bear shapeshifters, were created around the same time.
Parking in the driveway of this nice house in the middle of the woods, I gingerly got out. Colby opened the door to his side of the car but it was shoved shut by two large paws. This large wolf, larger than any I had seen at least in America, had the door pinned shut, black as night but two white paws. Just as his image was from the Akashic records.
"Mr. Atwood, I presume." I said looking over the top of the car. "I'm Amaris, the witch with an Unseelie problem."
Large yellow eyes looked at me, after staring a hole through Colby's head. Slowly he turned, I mean he changed from gigantic wolf to a man with black hair. He was charming to look at, kind of like Wade Barrett without the bent nose, though there were evidence of scars around his chest. As he walked around the car towards me I saw him wearing an animal skin pants, which gave Weres and shape shifters the ability to turn into their animal forms without ripping during the change.
"Since when do humans get involved with fey business?" The now man asked.
"Since he's had a beef with Morrigan, one of two deities that I worship, the other being Odin." I said, knowing that my connection with Odin was a given amongst that the Pack would help me. "I have been pulled into something. Prince Abastor has issued a challenge. If he wins, he gets his family's dagger back from Morrigan and me."
"You? What do you have that he wants?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Man-Stupid over there is supposed to protect me. Thor brought him a dwarf crafted sword to use. I have a feeling Abastor is going to play dirty. It's best if I have a little backup. He agreed to having Seth Rollins accompany me."
"He doesn't smell like a wolf."
"No, but he's apart of the Hounds of Justice, The Shield in the WWE. He's a mortal, like me, who wrestles."
"I see. You chose magic over might." Atwood indicated to my new Thor's Hammer pendant around my neck. "My Pack has dealings with Hounds." He glanced at Colby who was walking up behind me, sizing up the competition. "Though they have moved on since the Purge."
Damn the Purge.
While trying to rule over the Ancient Ones, Gods, feys and the like, The Vatican had nearly wiped out Hounds and others in various areas. Though The Olympians made it very clear that the Ancients were coming back into power and that the Christian God allowed it, well, it was a blow for even them. It's kind of ironic, the Church trying to stamp out everything ancient while learning that for once it wasn't just Christianity out there. But still, in some places the Vatican Warriors had decimated various species of beings, I'm surprised that the werewolf population wasn't completely wiped out around here.
"You have ancient in you, you know." Atwood said as we walked around towards the back of the house.
"I'm mortal, I assure you." I responded, glancing back at Colby who held hilt and sheath of the sword as if he was going to use it soon. "Don't know much about Man-Stupid here, aside from the fact that everyone keeps calling him my consort."
"He's protective of you, as any mate would be of his lover."
"I assure you, we're not together romantically."
"Well, after this, I plan on taking you out, Babygirl." Colby spoke up for the first time since getting to the Pack's property.
"Great, just what I didn't want to hear."
"Why? I figured you would like it."
"Never really had anyone interested in me. Once they find out my title as pagan, they sort of split on me."
"Well, I don't know you but I'm sticking with you." He said, giving me a smile when I looked back at him.
The sight of wolves, varying in sizes, in one area startled me. Colby made a sound like a wimper or something of the fact as Atwood nodded to everyone in attendance. "Tonight, we find a Hound. This pagan is tasked, her and her consort have been tasked to help the Goddess Morrigan find a Hound. Time is important. Go."
And like that, the twenty or so wolves disappeared into the night. Silent, deadly and sure footed. I just hoped we wouldn't spend the next two nights, three if we were lucky. Colby needed to be at the next venue for tomorrow's SmackDown event.
"We haven't found one in a month though. Usually they hunt with us, albeit they find the lost dead but still. I called in a favor for you." Atwood said looking upwards.
Up in the sky a host was. Horses with riders, hounds, they all were dark as night but fey just the same. Yet, from my guessing, it was something different. The lead rider, a male of course, as he came to land on the ground with his horse, was wearing something akin to Cernunnos or Herne's horned appearance. The head of a stag and the body of a man, that's some of the images that they bring up. There were five in the host, all fey and all otherworldy beautiful. The horses winnied and scratched at the earth beneath their hooves, as if they weren't used to it maybe.
"Dark Riders, welcome." Atwood said.
This was the Hunt, not the Wild Hunt that occurs from Samhain to Spring, but it was a minor representation until the Wild Hunt and all the Hosts merge together.
"This is what we have to ride in." Colby said staring at the four Hounds that were apart of the Host.
"I will, yes."
"I am not leaving you alone. Not now, not ever." Colby said coming to stand next to me.
"This is Lord Lorlin, of the Northern Realm." Atwood said as the main antlered rider dismounted. "He's the lead Dark Rider in this Hunt."
"Help me, don't piss them off." I whispered to Colby.
"You're not hunting tonight, old friend." Lorlin said walking up to Atwood.
"We're hunting for a wild Hound. A bet has been placed between Morrigan and Prince Abastor of the Unseelie court of Scotland. This is the pagan and her consort." Atwood motioned to us.
What is with the consort crap all of a sudden?
"Hi." Colby said
"Hello." Lorlin said, looking him over. "So you both are looking for a Hound?"
"Much like the ones in your Hunt." I responded.
"They have traveled north, most of them. There are a few here but more elusive. And they don't take to humans well."
"Humans, or do you mean mortals like us?" I asked, motioning between Colby and me.
"That, too. Unfortunately we have to get back to the Hunt, we cannot aid you tonight, Pagan. There is no time to dawdle, Riders. There is more death on the air." He glanced back at the Riders on their horses with the braying of the Hounds they were with.
I nodded as the Hunt mounted their steeds. Watching them take flight was the most amazing thing to do. It was like something from that Nightmare Before Christmas thing. Colby was diligently watching the group as they flew off into the sky. If we couldn't find any Hounds out here tonight, might as well move on.
"Thank you for the help on looking. I think we'll have a better chance moving north. He has work to do, so do I and two more nights to do it in." I told the Alpha.
"What about the Prince?" Colby asked.
"He probably has his own troop doing his business. Not to speak ill of the fey, last I heard, Hounds and fey magic don't get along with each other." The Alpha said. "But we'll keep an eye out for you."
We said our goodbyes and headed back to the car.
"Okay, Man-Stupid, what is it tonight that feels off?" I said as we were standing in front of the rental. "Something doesn't feel right."
"It should." I heard that damned voice again, the one belonging to Prince Abastor. Of course he would be spying on us, he was a fey and a fey of nature it would seem. "Considering you've got help."
He stayed at the roadside, near where the car was parked. I don't know why he couldn't just walk onto the property, but considering that Atwood was on our side of things, Abastor was probably afraid to get shreddded to pieces so far from the court.
"Don't you have enough Hounds in Scotland to be coming down here to bother us?" I asked as Colby started pulling the steel sword out of it's sheath.
Atwood was standing near the house, arms crossed, waiting for the fey to enter his property. Abastor had decided to step back, a little further into the road.
"I know you have help. It doesn't seem fair on my end does it?"
"We're mortals, weaklings, we need all the help we can get. After tomorrow night, we're on a time crunch to finish this. You have all the advantage on your side. So we asked around if someone knew where the Hounds would be. You could have won the bet now but you haven't."
"Don't question me, human. I will have my family's dagger and you by the three night mark." He looked me over, smiling slightly.
"You're not really a threat on your own." Colby told the Prince. "You talk all high and mighty but you don't act upon it. Why don't you just kill her now and see how far you get." He pulled the sword from it's sheath. "I bet the Norse don't fool around with these things."
He stepped further back, Abastor knew that Colby wasn't playing. "The aim is to ride a Hound, not to kill it. Are you stupid or something?"
I smirked. "Only I can call him stupid. But apparently not as stupid as you were to bet your family's royal dagger to The Morrigan in the first place."
The fey growled, showing off some pointed teeth that I hadn't notice on him before, then he disappeared from sight, shimmered like air rippling in a hot desert. This to me was indicative of his magic, fire. I knew that if I toyed with him much harder then I will going get burned and bring Colby into the middle of it.
I didn't want to do that.