28
OH CHISPA LOCA
The benefit of being eaten alive and torn apart so many times and surviving was that a part of him had been rendered cold. He went to that part of himself and immediately stopped broadcasting. Sarah was curled up crying on the floor. Granny Nita keened and held her wrist. Chuck had dropped his illusion and was roaring furiously, a sound between a wolf and a human, as loud as a plane taking off. He was fearsome from his pointed teeth to his terrible claws to his thick fur. Justice and Mave were shouting at each other in total freak-out. Hank had fallen off his chair and was scrambling away from the Wild Man. Neeka stared blankly ahead.
(Kill and die, bucko.)
A flurry of black wings landed on the balcony and then Wee’git entered the apartment in human form, grabbing a throw blanket and wrapping it around his naked body. “Chuck! For fuck’s sake!”
Once the Wild Man had managed to stop roaring, Mave and Justice fell into each other’s arms, and Mave started to sob.
Chuck shut his eyes. His fur sank into his body, hardened, then became rough bark. What stood in Chuck’s place was a large old tree stump wearing Chuck’s clothes.
“It’s okay!” Wee’git said, holding up his hands as if he was surrendering to everyone. “Chuck’s upset, so he’s cooling off in his stump form. Everyone calm down. Calm.”
“Maggie,” Granny Nita cried. “Maggie!”
“What the hell is that!” Hank shouted, pointing at the stump. “What the hell is that!”
“Yelling is not helpful,” Wee’git said.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Wee’git,” Neeka spat.
“Is this really the time and place for a throwdown?” Wee’git said to Neeka. He turned to look at Jared. “How you doing, kiddo?”
“Mom said the splinter group of coy wolves have a farm in Abbotsford,” Jared said. “I need to go get her. Now.”
Wee’git flapped his arms in irritation. You can’t defeat a pack of coy wolves. You can’t out-magic a sorcerer. You can’t survive an ogress. To get to your mom, you have to take them all on at the same time, along with random mercenaries like Mallory who want to rip you a new one. You’re barely holding together, and your mom knows that. She’ll understand.
(I love my Shithead.)
The best plan is to get everyone to Whistler.
I’m getting her back.
Mave started screaming again, pointing to the ceiling as Bob drifted down and began running his tentacles all over the stump.
“Holy crap,” Hank said.
“It’s okay!” Wee’git said. “It’s just a transdimensional being that’s gotten stuck in the liminal space between our universe and his. Hers. Theirs. I’m not really an expert on octopus genders.”
“Not now!” Jared said to Bob, waving him off.
Bob slid his arms along the floor, heading for Sarah.
Get away from her, Jared thought.
Bob zipped through the picture window and then up and out of sight. Jared went to one of the bookcases, grabbed the pistol case and headed for the door.
“Stop him!” Wee’git shouted.
Hank tackled Jared, who saw the wall coming but couldn’t avoid getting knocked out.
—
He woke in his room. The blinds were closed and Mave sat on the desk chair, watching him. Then he remembered his mother, and sat up so fast his brain banged around in his skull.
“Take it easy. Hank rang your bell hard,” Mave said.
“Is Mom okay?” Jared said.
“No news. But Wee’git and Mother are working on it.”
He slid his legs over the side of the bed, gingerly touching the spot where his head had hit the wall. A decent goose egg, but no more serious than other blows to the head he’d taken.
“Did you…could you hear me when I was with Mom in the barn?” Jared said.
“I know they killed Richie and I know Mallory cut off Maggie’s hand.” Mave’s voice quivered on that last part. She took a breath. “But me, Justice and Hank didn’t experience it the way the others did. We just saw…we saw the Wild Man change.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Lord, you really are the king of understatement.”
“You could see Bob too. Can you see other things now?”
“Bob?”
“The octopus thingy.”
“Good Lord, Jared. Yes, I saw whatever Bob is. I saw Chuck turn human again. And Wee’git transformed into a raven in front of us and flew home to get some dirt, which he’s tasting with Mother. I owe you an apol—”
“Mave,” Jared said. “I put you in danger from some very bad people. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“I’ve dealt with dangerous people before,” Mave said. “Please let me say this: I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“Don’t worry about it. You couldn’t see what you couldn’t see.” Jared stood, wobbled and then headed to the living room. “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours.” Mave trailed him.
Wee’git and Granny Nita were sitting at the kitchen table as she sprinkled dirt over a map of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, arguing about where the clusters were heaviest. A divination spell, Jared thought. Sarah was sitting cross-legged on the living room floor. Lala and Lourdes were at the patio table, which was now covered in weapons and ammo. They wore straight-up army surplus clothes, in no-nonsense olive-green, and combat boots.
“Hey,” Jared said.
Wee’git and Granny Nita looked up. Sarah came over and hugged him.
I’m bringing Mom back, Jared told Sarah.
God.
I know, I know.
Jared, you can’t even ward.
“What’s happening?” Jared said to the room.
“Neeka’s driven the minibus to Agnetha’s with Hank and Justice,” Lourdes said. “Then they’re rounding up the kids and other elders for the first run up to Whistler.”
“Agnetha’s pissed she’s going to miss her soaps,” Granny Nita said. “But otherwise she’s excited to be going on an adventure.”
“Tell them to bring slippers and warm nightclothes,” Jared said. “Chuck’s ground floor is river stones and the walls are glass.”
I never thought I’d see him again, Granny Nita thought at him as the young otters hunched over their phones. Wee’git seemed not to be
