Chapter Eighteen - Cleaning House

Dry pine needles shifted underfoot between broken paving stones as we crossed the uneven remains of what had at one time been a foot path. Now overgrown with trees and brush, only Lady Artemis' blessing kept us from twisting an ankle or worse. The sun had long ago disappeared to the thick canopy above us, filtering the light that reached us with an eerie green that was so unlike anything I had known living in the city.

We had left the creekside clearing nearly two hours ago, following the pack of wolves as they trailed the scent of the woman who had attacked us earlier. Here, deep in the woods, moss grew thick on large rocks and, as Hunter had pointed out to me, on the north sides of the trees. From that, I was able to judge we were moving mostly West.

We had initially started our trek by following the creek that ran passed the clearing we had set up in, though even with the goddess guiding our steps, we'd had to navigate around impassable terrain. I could still hear the water running, faster now than before, but couldn't see it through the thick overgrowth. That suited me just fine, though.

Suddenly, as if on some unseen signal, Zoë and Artemis simultaneously stopped walking, the lieutenant holding up a hand to signal for us to stop as well. For a second, I was confused, until I noticed a glow of warm light through the trees just ahead. Creeping closer as one, we got our first glimpse of the werewolf's hideout.

In the clearing, overgrown with dead trees and brush, stood a dilapidated three story house. Dry pine needles gathered in piles on the roof amid broken shingles and on the ground against the obviously crumbling foundation of the building. I let out an involuntary shudder. Even my old squat spot was less rundown than this place!

The wooden walls were completely dry rotted and flecked with peeling paint that might once have been blue, but was now bleached white with age. The windows that weren't broken out had old plywood boards nailed over them. The roof appeared to have collapsed in one spot, exposing the attic to the elements, and a colony of black mold was creeping down the side of the house nearest to us.

A sudden movement in an upper floor window confirmed that someone, or something, was inside. We quickly and silently pulled away about a hundred yards or so from the clearing, and back into the undergrowth.

"Gather close and listen well," Zoë said. "We are hidden well and have with us the element of surprise. Unfortunately, we do not have time enough for reconnaissance, and so do not know the number of enemies within."

"So, what's the plan?" Hunter asked.

"We shall spread out and split up into groups of three. Hunter, you take Amber and Caitlyn and flank the north. Celyn, you take Rebecca and Tricia and take the south edge. That leaves Phoebe with Sophie and London to move to the far side of the clearing. Penelope, you are with myself and Lady Artemis. When I give the signal, we strike as one. The wolf pack will rush in after to throw the defenders into further chaos."

"Um, actually..." I hesitated.

"Have you an issue with the plan?" Zoë asked, arching an eyebrow.

"N-not that!" I said, quickly. "I just... I can Look with my aura sight and get an idea for their numbers. Well, as long as there aren't mortals inside. They don't give off any colors that I can see."

There was a moment of silence, broken by a soft chuckle by the goddess. "Yes, I do believe that may work to our advantage," she said. "Take a wolf along with you, and follow her steps exactly. Return once you have gotten a look."

"Yes, goddess," I said, smiling as one of the wolves stepped forward. She was smaller than the others, but for a wolf that didn't mean a whole lot. Even a small wolf was bigger than most domesticated dog breeds, and this one was no exception. I probably could have ridden on her back! "Hello, girl. You're a beauty, aren't you? What's your name?"

Of course, I wasn't expecting an answer. While the hunters could understand the pack, the minor blessing I was given didn't extend that far.

"She is a wolf," Zoë replied. "A wild creature has no name such as you would consider it. She is known by her scent mark and disposition rather than any title."

"Oh," I said. "Okay. I guess that makes sense."

Zoë quirked her lips into a smirk, "This one, however, answers to 'Luna'."

The wolf quirked her head at the name and the other girls had a quick laugh at my embarrassment at having fallen prey to Zoë's brand of humor once again.

Luna and I crept back through to the clearing, taking extra care to not step on a twig or slip on the uneven ground. Aside from being embarrassing, the noise would no doubt alert our target. I had to assume Lady Artemis had done something to mask our scent as I was sure a werewolf should be able to smell a mixed group of apparent children and teenagers hiking through the woods. When we reached the edge of the clearing once more, I turned on my Sight and looked. The vibrant green of the woods around me faded away to a murky gray, almost as if a sudden fog had rolled in and settled.

Faint traces of muddy red footsteps crossed the yard, but what really drew my attention were the walls of the house. I had never noticed a building with its own color before, but this one pulsed with a black energy that had veins of red coursing through it like blood. Puzzled, I filed that information away for later and turned my attention to the movement inside the house now visible to my eyes. I counted four human male shapes with the same muddy red as before, as well as another, more feminine shaped than the rest, whose color ran red with black veins - a mirror of the house. Satisfied, I turned off the Sight and gestured for Luna to guide me back.

"I saw five," I said, as soon as I had rejoined the group. "Four of those vrylo-vamp guys..."

"Vrykolakas," Zoë corrected.

"Yeah, those," I felt my face warm up but continued; "I also saw the woman from before. At least, I'm guessing? I didn't get a good look at her colors before everything happened, but there's definitely one female shape in there whose colors are different from the..."

"Vrykolakas."

"Yeah, those," I grinned, causing Zoë to roll her eyes. See how she likes being wound up? "Oh! And the house also glowed. Usually the only things that I see give off colors like that have some kind of magic or godly nature, so I figured it would probably be important."

"Indeed, it is," Artemis said.

"Mi'lady?" Zoë questioned.

"Likely, it means the house has been fortified with extra precaution," the goddess said. "The complete lack of other werewolves in the area leads me to believe our quarry has broken ties with Lycaon - whether voluntarily or otherwise. Her use of necromancy lends credence to the latter theory. Monster he may be, even he would not condone such things within his ranks."

"I see," Zoë said. "That will make this task simultaneously simpler while adding an unexpected layer of complexity."

"Let's go over the plan one more time," Artemis said.

The goddess spoke, and we listened. The anticipation was thick as the hunt grouped up and moved into position.

I watched the three other teams of hunters as they seemed to vanish into the trees, all of them moving into position around the clearing, and gulped to swallow my nerves. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my bare shoulder, and I almost shrieked before realizing it was just Zoë.

"Thou wilt do just fine, Penelope," she said, her voice clear despite being barely louder than a whisper.

"Do not worry about collateral damages. Preventing the fire from spreading is one of the ways I can intervene, and it is a small thing for me to do." Artemis said. "Keep in mind that you control your power, it does not control you."

I nodded, closing my eyes and letting go of my nerves. I could do this. I could.

Lifting my hand palm facing outward, I called on my inner flame. A spark appeared, and I grasped it mentally then, with a thought, began rolling it into a blazing orb the size of a golf ball. Keeping my breath steady, I willed the orb to grow until it tripled in size. Finally satisfied, I let go of the metaphysical hold I had on it, sending it flying straight toward the condemned house without a second thought. The fireball exploded on contact, instantly igniting the dry, rotten wood of the siding.

With Zoë and Artemis' silent encouragement, I reached out with my gift feeling for the fledgling fire. I grinned when I felt my connection to it, and the realization that came to me. What belongs to me will always answer to me.

"Burn," I encouraged. "Feed. Grow. Burn!"

The flames spread and grew, licking and burning as they went. Wood smoked and cracked, sending stray sparks flying. Those stray embers that landed outside the clearing vanished as if they never existed while the sparks that hit dry needles near the house caught immediately, joining the growing conflagration. Suddenly, I felt something fighting against my power - threatening to extinguish the flames.

Frowning, I Looked using my aura sight. Instantly I saw my orange and purple flames glowing against the black and red veined house. Inside, the necromancer's power was flaring even as her creations huddled in a far corner away from the smoke and flames. well, if she wanted to play, I would have to do my best to entertain her, wouldn't I?

Gathering my flames into another ball, I aimed for the roof this time. The dry needles caught instantly, and began spreading into the exposed attic. I repeated the action three more times, trying to aim the thrown fireball through one of the broken windows. After all three attempts failed, I felt a small hand rest between my shoulder blades.

"Do not turn around," Artemis said. "Breathe in, then let it out slowly." I did as instructed. "Again, breathe in. Now, when you let out your breath, throw the ball."

This time, the fireball flew right through the window as exploded in a glorious spray of orange and purple, eagerly consuming whatever it touched. I smiled, satisfied, as I saw the muddy red shapes inside begin to rush around in a blind panic - even knocking into the necromancer and disrupting whatever magic she was working.

"Now somebody, anybody, everybody scream," I muttered. Then laughed as I heard the answering shriek of rage or terror - I couldn't tell. I didn't care, either.

Moments later, the front door burst open as the vrykolakas scrambled to get away from the inferno inside. That was the signal for the other girls, and the first volley of arrows was soon joined by a second and third as the three teams coordinated and began picking off the monsters while they were still confused and panicked. This time, with arrows blessed by the goddess herself, the monsters thick hide stood no chance and they were quickly reduced to piles of yellow sand.

"You did well, now rest," Zoë said to me, and as I turned off my aura vision. The world around me was bathed in a strong orange glow and I wondered that I couldn't feel the heat coming from the large blaze.

"NO!" This time, the necromancer's shriek of rage could not be mistaken for anything else. A blur of black-streaked red burst out of the burning house into three rapid volleys of arrows. With a feral growl, she swiped her hand sending a thick black cloud overhead causing the arrows to lose all momentum and clatter uselessly to the ground.

"Fall back," Zoë shouted as she stepped passed me into the clearing.

For a moment, rage battled fear as the necromancer werewolf saw the Lieutenant of the Hunt step out of cover, and it looked as if she would charge the eternal teenager. Instead, it seemed survival instinct kicked in as she turned to run. Already prepared for this, I reached out to the burning building and willed my fire to spread around the edge of the clearing - trapping them both inside.

"Welcome to the Thunder Dome!" I heard Phoebe's voice say, her tone light and mocking.

"Phoenix Dome!" Another shouted.

"It's not a dome," chimed in a third voice.

Not yet, I thought. With a smirk, I closed off the obvious escape route. Behind me, I heard Artemis giggle slightly before covering it up with a cough. For some reason, my stomach did a happy little flip at the sound.

"Is this really okay?" I asked.

"Zoë can handle her," Artemis said, her voice giving no doubt to the words. "The Necromancer may be quick on her feet, but you closed off all possible route of escape. Zoë will likely let her run herself to the point of exhaustion before going in for the kill."

"She has magic, though," I said, eyes narrowing as I batted away another attempt to extinguish my flames.

"Yes, she does," Artemis agreed. "However, you have more than enough to counter her attempts at escape. In a way, it is unnerving."

"My lady?" I asked.

"No, not like that," she shook her head. "Your gift is incredibly powerful, and as dangerous as it is rare. However, despite your young age, you have an uncanny amount of fine control over it. I have encountered wielders of flame like yourself over the millennia that I have been alive."

I could hear the sounds of fighting ebb and flow within the 'Phoenix Dome' as Zoë and the necromancer fought their running battle.

"Few ever reached your level of control within their lifetimes," the goddess continued; "and most never lived long. That is why I find your power unnerving. Your level of control flies in the very face of reason and actively works to defy it."

"So, it's a good thing?" I asked, flaring against yet another attempt at extinguishing. With a sharp gesture, I sent the flames inward - envisioning two grasping hands reaching to take hold of her. In that moment, I could feel the fiery constructed hands grasp a struggling leg as if they were my own. Surprised, I let go and felt the fiery hands recede back into the barrier.

"You are a rare prodigy, Penelope," Artemis said.

"But you still won't accept my oath to join your hunt full time?"

"Not a chance," the goddess grinned. "Even blind as I am to such things most of the time, I could see you would be unable to hold true to the oath in your heart. You give it away far too easily." Holding up a hand to stop me, she continued; "That is not a bad thing. Giuseppe, your uncle Joe as you call him, has done an admirable job with you. He is a rare example of a decent man. Though, if you tell him I said as much, I will deny it and curse you."

I stared at her, eyes wide and opened my mouth to deny it when I saw the corners of her lips twitching upward. She really did have the worst poker face. Suddenly, I felt the necromancer's presence inside the dome vanish. A moment of panic gripped me as I thought she had somehow slipped passed my guard, when I heard Zoë call out.

"It is done!"

I pulled the flames back into myself, willing the fiery dome to vanish. Zoë Nightshade stood in front of the smoldering, half collapsed ruins of the old house. Even though her clothing was torn in places, and she was bleeding from various cuts, she showed no sign of discomfort. A cheer erupted from the trees as the three groups rushed forward to congratulate their victorious lieutenant.

"Well done, my friend," Artemis said, and Zoë smiled brightly.