Bloodlust - Helen Harper Page 0,92

wrong place, my Lord.

It’s not just yourself any more. You need to show a bit more maternal responsibility.

I just slaughtered half the bloodsuckers in the city. My maternal responsibility is doing just fine.

He snarled in my head. Were they threatening you?

Solus cleared his throat. I realised Corrigan and I were facing each other, gesturing expressively with each Voice communication. I guessed it looked pretty strange. I snapped back into the physical world as Alex broke in.

“Which way, dudes?”

Focusing on what we were supposed to be doing, I took a step backwards to stare into the darkness. There was very little to be seen. I was getting so very tired of the dark. Corrigan raised his head and sniffed, then pointed to his left.

“Can you smell Endor?”

He shook his head. “Nothing so specific. But there are living creatures off in that direction.”

It was good enough for me. We headed off in single file, Corrigan in front so he could use his superior sense of smell to keep us on track. The ground beneath us was crunchy, making it difficult to tread quietly. I peered down, trying to work out what it was we were walking on. It seemed to be a mixture of materials, different sizes and lengths. There was a curved shape to one that was just like…I looked back up. Okay. We were walking on hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bone fragments. Excellent.

The air felt clammy and heavy, almost as if a thunderstorm was about to break. I sucked a breath deep into my lungs. It left an unpleasant taste on my tongue and I made a face. I really didn’t like it here.

We’d hardly travelled any distance, when Corrigan halted. I almost went careening into Alex’s back, and only just managed to pull myself back in time. I leaned out to my right, trying to see why we’d stopped. There was a faint glow up ahead. Bingo. I crossed my fingers that it was as a result of Endor himself, and not some other nastie we’d have to avoid. Tapping Alex on the back, I motioned for him to veer right, and then for Solus behind me to head left. If we could flank whoever it was, and get close to see what they were up to, then we might just learn something useful. Corrigan turned and looked me. He flashed a sudden grin, and exploded in a mess of ripped clothing and black fur. His werepanther form padded up and he butted his head against my stomach, purring. He might have been trying to look like a cute harmless cat, but the powerful muscles rippling down his black feline body belied his true self. I scratched his ears, then pushed him gently back around and forward.

Corrigan as a werepanther made no sound at all while he picked his way through the path of bones. I, on the other hand, was like a heavy footed elephant in comparison. No matter how gingerly I tried to tread, there was still a sickening noise of crunching under my feet. I lifted myself up onto my tiptoes and began to move more slowly. We didn’t have the Palladium with us and we weren’t prepared for a fight. It was imperative Endor didn’t hear me.

The light grew stronger as we approached. It was some kind of fire, burning in a small metal barrel. Surrounding it were several free standing walls which oddly appeared to be moving. I strained my eyes. What the fuck was it?

Corrigan spoke in my head, causing me to jump. Birds. Lots of birds.

I peered closer and realised he was right. Each wall was covered with them. Different kinds and different sizes. I spotted crows, pigeons, even a peacock. Every single one of them seemed to be affixed somehow through their bodies. Their wings, however, were flapping and free. The lack of sound caused by their continuous movements was beyond eerie.

Air. My returning Voice to Corrigan was grim.

Indeed.

Is Endor there?

He shook his great panther head, stating the negative. Then the smell hit me. I wrinkled my nose; it was blood, lots of blood. You’d have to kill a lot of bloody birds to make the atmosphere smell that strongly. I drew closer to see what it was, and spotted Alex gesturing to me from the other side. There was a stone table close to him with something outstretched on it. I took another step and realised it was a kelpie, spread-eagled and sliced open. Nausea rose again through