Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,69
to his Packmate. He kept his hand on Calum’s ruff while he spoke with Helen and Jim. “Thank you for finding him.”
Joe didn’t get choked up, exactly, but Helen could definitely feel the emotion in his words. He spent a moment more just looking into the eyes of the young wolf, offering reassurance that everything would be all right now, then he stood and went over to Jim, getting a full report on the action. Helen ignored them while she did what she could for Calum, knowing that others would be joining them shortly.
Chapter Sixteen
Jim stood with the Alpha while Helen got to work on the boy. He was in awe of her power, and her bravery. His inner wolf had just about howled when she’d walked in, concerned for her safety, but he needn’t have worried. Helen was formidable! He’d had no idea she had that kind of power. She seemed so innocent, so demure, but when push came to shove, she had guts. Real guts. He’d have her at his back in a fight any day, and he was going to be sure to tell her as much, once they were alone.
“You got them both?” Joe asked, bringing Jim back to the matter at hand.
“I got the male. Helen got the woman,” Jim clarified. It was important to him that Helen get credit for her deeds.
Joe glanced over at the white-haired body. “An old woman?”
“She was younger looking than Helen when she attacked me,” Jim said. “Buford said her name was Otalla, but whether that was her real name is anybody’s guess. We figure she was using the life force of others to prolong her life. When Helen let loose with the chanting, Otalla’s power drained away, and she started to age right in front of my eyes. One of the freakiest things I’ve ever witnessed.”
“I thought Helen was a healer?” Joe said, looking over at her, kneeling in front of the crate and running her hands gently over Calum’s furry back.
“She is, but her heritage is very magical, going back many generations. I think maybe her magical education is more extensive than any of us realized. I suspect her strongest skill is healing, and that’s always taken precedence, but she knows other things too. Such as how to banish evil. She was chanting in ancient German, which makes sense when you realize her ancestry is from that part of the world, and her folks still live alongside the Amish and Mennonite communities of Eastern Pennsylvania.” Jim thought about what he had learned of the Richards family. “Her sister, Kiki, is non-magical, but she knew enough herbal lore to break a dark ward. I bet Helen did the same. She told me she used that lavender she picked this morning from the B&B’s garden to break the dark ward around this place. Their mother is a strong clairvoyant, so maybe she has a bit of that, as well.”
“I don’t claim to know much about mages,” Joe said, holding up both hands, palms outward. “All I can say is that I’m glad she’s here. I’m not sure Calum would have survived another day with these people.”
“Joe,” Jim pitched his voice low, “Buford knew about the town. He deliberately bought this land and set this trap to capture and drain shifters. He and his wife said they were both blood path mages who dabbled in black magic. This was going to be their honey hole, where they could capture nice, juicy, powerful shifters and drain them of their life force, for their own evil ends.” Jim shook his head in disgust. “It really sounded as if Buford had gone to West Virginia to trade knowledge with the potion witch up there. He was showing her blood path nastiness, and she was teaching him black wards, and the like.”
“Now, that’s a partnership made in hell,” Joe observed, his expression hard. “Did he give you any indication if he’d passed on information about the town to anybody?”
“It didn’t sound like it, but I can’t be one hundred percent certain. For what it’s worth, I believe they wanted to keep Big Wolf all to themselves, but you should be wary of travelers. He said he discovered the town when he flew through the airport. It might be wise to hire a few non-magical folk to deal with unknown flights that find their way here. Too many shifters in one place is too attractive a target these days. Just ask the bears in Grizzly