Germany, Present Day
Lukas
Harita and Virmal’s apartment was in the old city, but wasn’t old itself. It looked like it had been built in the 1960s, flat-faced, with red brick and symmetrical windows. It smelled like fake wood and glue, as well as long-boiled potatoes and fresh mud from the garden out front.
Lukas sniffed, but he couldn’t find a trace of that cool green scent he’d been expecting. Maybe they had the wrong place.
Harita let them in after they buzzed. The dim and narrow hallway made Lukas hunch in on himself. He could touch the roughly textured ceiling without fully stretching his arm out. Cheap brown carpet muffled their steps to the door of the flat.
The door opened before they could knock. The parquet floor in the vestibule bore evidence of claws as well as fresh dirt. They hung their coats next to the thick parkas and heavy jackets already hanging there.
“Would you like some chai?” Harita asked, leading them into the living room. Strings of white Christmas-tree lights hung across the front window, complementing the two lamps and giving the room a warm glow. A sleek beige couch with wooden arms stretched along one wall. Brightly colored pillows were scattered across the floor.
“No, thank you,” Rudi declined.
Lukas did the same. He kept sniffing, turning the corner of the room. Just off the long, galley kitchen sat a nook. A round wooden table with four chairs took up most of it.
A young Indian man waited there, in a dark burgundy shirt and jeans. He rose gracefully and strode out to greet them. His brown eyes filled up much of his face, with only a small, upturned nose and mouth. His hair was short, just over the edge of his collar.
Lukas held out his hand first. Only when he drew closer could he scent what he was looking for, that cool hint of power, spiced with mint and cardamom.
“Virmal,” the man said, his voice deeper than his slight frame would indicate.
“Lukas,” he replied, taking another step closer.
He couldn’t get over how Virmal’s scent complemented the others, a sweet harmony of the glass and warm feathers from Peter, the wild-beating heart of Sally, the rich earth and strong scales of Mei Ling, and now, this strength and calm, the opposite of the chaotic shadows.
If only Lukas knew what to do when he got them all together.
“Ah, sorry,” Lukas said, shaking himself and coming back to the present day and finally dropping Virmal’s warm, comforting hand.
Virmal looked suspiciously at him. Lukas immediately backed away. Damn it. He’d wanted to make a good first impression.
Rudi introduced himself, and Harita invited them to all sit around the table.
“Does your clan know anything about the shadows?” Lukas asked, seated directly across from Virmal, with Rudi on his right and Harita on his left.
“No, sorry,” Virmal replied with an educated English accent.
Harita said, “There is one old story about them.”
Virmal looked at his sister, puzzled.
“A man from the viper clan sought out one of our ancestors, warning of the shadows,” she replied.
“‘I’ve never heard that story,” Virmal said.
“Grandmother Irita told it to me, long ago,” Harita explained.
“So the viper clan knows about the shadows?” Lukas asked. Maybe he had more allies than he realized.
“They’d foreseen them, I guess? The mystics? Doesn’t mean their vision ever came to true, though,” Harita pointed out.
Lukas grimaced. “It’s true. The shadows are here. They’ll take over the clans, then move on to the human races. They’ll suck all the life out of the world. I’ve foreseen it as well.”
“Why are you telling us?” Virmal asked. He had drawn back in his seat.
Lukas wondered how close Virmal’s tiger soul was. Hamlin pressed up against his own skin, ready to defend him if necessary. “You’re part of the solution,” Lukas replied softly. “I’m starting to believe that there needs to be someone from every clan: hound, tiger, raven, boar, viper, and crocodile.”
Virmal shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t want to be part of your solution. Find someone else.”
“But—but, you have to!” Lukas replied. “It has to be you. You’re part of it.”
“Nope. Wrong chap,” Virmal said.
Rudi held up his hand to stop Lukas before he said something more. “We had those marvelous pickles of yours. They’re taste like the opposite of the shadows,” he said. “When did you start making those?”
“The summer I returned to New Delhi. My last year of university,” Virmal said, wariness in his voice. He turned to Harita and asked a question in a language Lukas didn’t know.
Harita seemed to be trying to convince Virmal of something. Finally, he nodded, turned back toward Lukas, and continued.
“I have a cousin, Niyati, who wasn’t the most kind,” Virmal said.
“That’s an understatement,” Harita interjected.
Virmal glared at his sister. “I was young, well, younger. I’d been raised primarily in England, and I was eager to impress my relatives. So I started following Niyati, emulating her, even.”
Harita sighed and shook her head.
“After a long and rather extracted argument with my sister here, I finally agreed to at least cook with her on a regular basis. That’s when I discovered my love of preserving things.” Virmal looked down at his hands, rubbing the palm of his left with his right thumb. “Harita urged me to follow certain recipes, more than others, and I noticed that not only did Niyati leave me alone when I did, so did some of my other cousins. It was a relief, to be honest, by that point. I was tired of the challenges. It was like they no longer saw me.”
Lukas caught a glimpse of the scar that Virmal rubbed. It ran from the base of his palm almost to the first finger. He could almost scent the old tears still salting the long-healed wound.
“We suspect that some of the tiger clan is already infected with the shadows,” Lukas said softly. “That it’s tied to their magic.”
At that, both Virmal and Harita looked up. “We noticed something like that as well,” Harita admitted. “When Virmal came back from any of his charms or spells classes, I force fed him his pickles until he came all the way back to me.”
“The shadows are real,” Rudi said softly. “We need your help defeating them. Freeing your clan.”
Virmal stood and strode from the table to the middle of the living room, where he paced. His right hand was clasped strongly around his left wrist, and his eyes watched his feet.
Was Virmal fighting with his tiger soul? Were they snarling at each other?
Harita spoke softly. “I’m sorry, you must go now.”
“But—” Lukas sighed. Virmal just had to see that he was important. Essential! Lukas needed him.
“We’ll go,” Rudi said, standing.
Virmal continued to pace, not even glancing at them as they walked through the long galley kitchen and back out to the vestibule.
“You must convince him that he needs to work with us,” Lukas whispered urgently to Harita after she handed him his coat. “Please.”
Harita shrugged. “He’s my brother,” she said softly. “Family, clan, always comes first.”
“And saving the world comes after that?” Lukas asked as he shrugged on his coat.
“We’ll be in touch,” Harita promised as she opened the door.
Out in the hallway, Lukas wanted to howl. He was so close! Hamlin pressed against his side, but it didn’t help. Rudi started walking toward the exit, but Lukas wanted to stay right there, to hound Virmal until he agreed.
With a huge sigh, Lukas followed Rudi out into the cold night. The air here smelled so different than from the States. He wasn’t sure what it was—maybe it was the closed-in spaces, or the age, or maybe it was just the earth speaking to him of his aborted childhood.
Lukas still wanted to just run.
“You could, you know,” Rudi said softly.
Lukas shook his head. Not yet. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, go back into his hound form until he absolutely had to.
Safe, Hamlin said softly. Trust.
Lukas bared his teeth and sucked in the cool air. He wanted to run. He wanted to fight. He wanted to do…something.
“I have an idea,” Rudi said. He ran a calming hand down Lukas’ back, then started back to their car.
“What is it?” Lukas barked at him, chasing after him.
“Patience,” Rudi said with a grin.
Lukas tried to take a deep breath, to relax, but he was too on edge. Ants were crawling over his skin like miniature shadows. He couldn’t pay attention to where they were going; the lights were too bright outside the dark of the car, and the traffic made them slow down too often.
Finally, Rudi pulled up in front of a modern, one-story building that had only one light in the front and a small sign that Lukas couldn’t read until they were closer: Sportshalle.
“A gym?” Lukas said. Why would Rudi bring him here?
“Want to go punch things?” Rudi asked with a toothy grin. “Learn how to fight?”
Lukas barked a laugh. He’d never had formal warrior training, but he’d watched Rudi go through the exercises twice a week.
“Yes,” Lukas replied. Though his skin felt too tight, and the world was too dark, he still couldn’t help but be grateful to this man, who continued to be more of a father than Da.
# # #
Lukas woke up to the blaring sound of the alarm on his phone. He groaned, stabbed at it, then curled back under the warm duvet. He took a deep breath, his limbs loose. The darkness of the hotel room lulled him to close his eyes. He scented warm water in the air—Rudi was probably already up, showered, and working on something on his computer.
Today, Lukas would have breakfast with Mama. It would be good to see her again. If only she would stay. But she’d be gone by that afternoon. She was too broken to remain.
Then, he’d go find Virmal and make him understand just how important he was. Maybe if Lukas transformed? Mei Ling had seemed impressed with his true hound nature.
Lukas relaxed, feeling more settled into his skin than he had since the curse had been broken. Learning how to fight the previous night had been epic. While Lukas had known joy in his hound form, blocking a solid hit, or landing one, had its own vicious joy as well.
A knock on the door startled Lukas back awake. “I’m up!” he called.
“We have a visitor,” Rudi said. He smelled…worried.
That wasn’t good.
Lukas was up and fumbling into clothes in a flash. That had been something Rudi had commented on: What Lukas didn’t know in proper warrior forms, he could sometimes make up for in speed. His reflexes were faster than anyone Rudi had ever sparred with, and Rudi had been trained by the best of the hound guard.
It was only then Lukas smelled Virmal. Why was his scent so contained? Why hadn’t it preceded Rudi? Lukas raked at his hair with his fingers, trying to get his wild curls to lay flat. He didn’t want Virmal to see him like this.
But Lukas would have to pass through the living room of their suite to get to the bathroom. He tugged on a T-shirt and sweats. He didn’t have time to fiddle with his clothes, change into something else.
Maybe Virmal had decided to join them, though. Even if he hadn’t, Lukas could convince him. He was sure of it.
Lukas bounded out into the living room. “Hi,” he said. It was good to see Virmal. He was wearing the coolest blue shirt that set off his dark skin, as well as black trousers and finely made, black leather shoes.
“Good morning,” Virmal said, not smiling back. “I’m afraid I have bad news. I won’t be joining your battle.”
“You must,” Lukas said, gently. “The fate of the world depends on it.” He could do this; he could convince Virmal.
Virmal shrugged. “That’s what you’ve foreseen. But not every vision comes true.”
“I am a guardian hound,” Lukas told him. “My breed is rare, and only comes when there’s great need.” He didn’t want to transform, but he would if he must.
“Again, legends, myths,” Virmal said dismissively.
Lukas wasn’t sure what to say.
“Do you think the shadows don’t exist?” Rudi asked from the kitchen alcove where he was making coffee.
Virmal hesitated. “Something exists. I don’t know if it’s the shadows or not. Harita believes in them.”
“They’re real,” Lukas said. He didn’t want to be cursed again, but he wished he had some way of showing them.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Virmal admitted. “It will be dangerous, this battle of yours, yes?”
Lukas couldn’t lie about that, not to one who was to be part of the knight. “Yes.” His dreams had more than once shown the knight slain.
“Then I can’t,” Virmal said firmly.
“Harita would want you to,” Rudi said quickly, stepping around the breakfast bar and coming further into the room.
“And that’s exactly why I can’t,” Virmal said vehemently. “I won’t take her near battle, draw her into harm’s way.”
“But if we don’t destroy the shadows, she’ll be in harm’s way. You won’t be able to protect her,” Lukas said.
Virmal snarled. “You’re wrong. I will defend her and keep her safe.”
Hamlin pushed up hard against Lukas. He was there, ready, if Lukas needed to fight.
A knock on the door startled them all.
Virmal’s scent expanded as Harita walked into the room. Somehow, they were connected.
“You’re already here,” Harita said, looking at Virmal and sounding disappointed. She wore a bright red-and-gold sari today. “I’d planned on getting here before you.”
“Sorry,” Virmal said, sounding not sorry at all.
“Hmph,” Harita said. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m here to tell you that I will join your battle.”
“What?” Virmal asked.
Harita turned on him. “I’ve seen the cruelty of the clan. It isn’t natural. They’re infested, Virmal. This is our chance to help them all.”
“No,” Virmal said. “I forbid it.”
Harita’s merry laughter filled the room. “Has that ever worked? You saying that?”
“No,” Virmal said, begrudgingly. “But it’s dangerous.”
“And more dangerous if we don’t fight—am I right, Prince Lukas?” Harita said, looking at Lukas.
“Yes,” Lukas said. She wasn’t part of the knight. There was nothing in her scent that was part of that vision. But Virmal needed her. He wasn’t complete without her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the vicious shadows,” Harita promised Virmal.
“How?” Rudi asked. “I know the shadows exist. I’ve seen them. I can scent them, even just a trace of them. And yet, too much exposure to the shadows had even me questioning if Lukas was right.” He turned and looked at Lukas. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you about that yesterday. At the castle.”
Lukas nodded. “It’s all right.” But it worried him that even Rudi with his natural protection against magic had been affected.
Harita shook her head. “Even at the tiger temple, they weren’t able to affect my mind or my behavior.”
“That’s because you’re too good,” Virmal said, teasing. “Miss Innocent and Pure.”
Harita rolled her eyes.
Lukas, however, knew what Virmal meant. Harita was good, and there was something pure about her.
“So you’ll join us, when the time for the battle draws near?” Lukas asked Virmal. Then he added, “Both of you.”
“We will,” Harita said, stepping forward.
Virmal grudgingly nodded and stood beside his sister.
“Thank you,” Lukas said.
Virmal finally smiled at him. “One thing you need to learn about Indians: When they say no, it’s actually just the start of the negotiations.”
“Hopefully you won’t say no to our next request,” Rudi said, drawing closer.
Virmal just looked at him, coolly.
“We’d like more of your pickled vegetables. And anything else that you’ve used to help keep you safe against the shadows,” Rudi said. He turned to Lukas and simply said, “Greta.”
“My sister is infected with the shadows,” Lukas said, the words tumbling out.
“Of course,” Virmal said, instantly.
Harita nodded. “Anything you need.” She glanced at her brother and they shared a smile that was all about family and clan.
“Thank you,” Lukas added. “For everything.”
He didn’t know if he could save Greta, but at least now he felt like he had something he could try.
# # #
Lukas marched directly into Greta’s lab. Harita followed, carrying over a dozen jar of pickles, Virmal’s entire supply. He promised more the following week.
The stench of shadows overwhelmed the fresh earth and plant smells, the bitter chemical smells of magic, and the modern chemicals themselves. Lukas carried an open jar of pickles. The clean mint couldn’t overcome the sludge of the shadows, but still, Lukas was hopeful.
Greta still sat in her lab, still in her white coat, her curls still perfect and her eyes still glazed. She stood and walked to her side of the dividing tables. “What’s that?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Try one,” Lukas said, pushing the open jar across the table toward her.
“No, thank you. I don’t like pickles,” Greta said primly.
“These will help your experiments,” Lukas promised. He reached into the jar and pulled out a carrot, then ate it himself while Greta watched with large, blank eyes. “You should try one.”
“What is she doing?” Greta said, finally tearing her eyes away from Lukas to watch Harita. The young Indian woman walked from shelf to the next, placing open jars of pickles, then shuddering as she removed the tainted charms, dropping them into jars with just brine.
“Harita, this is my sister, Greta,” Lukas said.
“Hello,” Harita said, her accent pure and her German flawless. “I’m a medical student, here to take care of your grandmother.” She continued her work, first down one side of the room, then up the other.
“Nice to meet you.” Greta turned to Lukas. “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing?”
“You really should try one of these,” Lukas said. He fished out a baby cucumber from the open jar between them.
Greta wrinkled her nose, but finally took it. “Pickles?”
“Preservative,” Harita explained. “You’re doing growing experiments, right?”
“Yes,” Greta said. She seemed to relax. “And you’re a healer? You understand these things?”
“I try,” Harita said modestly. “Growing and preserving, and healing, are all related.”
Lukas watched with interest as Greta finally took a bite. The loud crunching filled the quiet lab. Greta seemed puzzled, her head twisting to one side, then the other. “What are these?” she asked again.
“They’re preserved vegetables,” Harita said, coming over to stand next to Lukas. “Extending the life of fresh, growing things,” she added.
Lukas handed Greta another pickle. “They’re good, aren’t they?”
Greta nodded, still puzzled. But she ate it, as well as the rest of the jar.
The shadows didn’t suddenly flow away from his sister, and her scent didn’t suddenly change. However, she did look more human, her eyes growing softer, less doll-like.
“I think that you should experiment with preserving, not just growing,” Harita said. “I could help you, while I’m here.”
“I could use the help in the lab,” Greta said grudgingly. “None of the lab attendants ever want to stay,” she complained.
“Maybe you’ll be able to preserve some now,” Lukas told her.
Greta nodded, and blinked, straightening up again, her voice growing more harsh and chipped. “It is good to see you, brother,” she said.
“And you,” Lukas said. He wondered if her soul wandered like his had when Oma had first cursed him, returning only for a few moments at a time.
With Harita’s help, hopefully Greta’s soul could come all the way back, like his had.
# # #
“How soon can you get us to Seattle?” Lukas asked as soon as he said goodbye to Peter and Sally on Skype. He got up out of the hotel desk chair and strode to the kitchenette in the suite. Rudi had coffee going, of course, though he complained about how it wasn’t as good as Seattle coffee.
Rudi was already working his magic on his phone, the only real magic Lukas knew he had. “Noon, tomorrow,” Rudi said distracted.
Lukas nodded, though he knew Rudi didn’t see him. It was so great about the mystics. Most clans had some foresight ability, but the vipers were best known for it. And they knew about him! The hound prince. That meant he allies among the viper warriors.
Surely it was time for the great battle.
“We’ll have to bring Virmal and Harita,” Lukas warned. He regretted having to take Harita away from Oma, but he needed her more.
Rudi nodded. “Already on it.”
“And then…” Lukas sighed. He didn’t know what to do next, what they would do, this disparate collection that made up his knight.
Sally and Peter hadn’t been able to find the viper warrior again before they left Tulum and returned to Wyoming. Lukas hoped they didn’t need him, that he’d already paid his part by making the shadows physical.
Physical! That had always been Lukas’ problem, in his nightmares, fighting mere clouds. Now that the viper warrior had made the shadows corporeal, Lukas and the other warriors would surely be able to destroy the shadows for good.
When Rudi looked up from his phone, Lukas continued his thoughts out loud. “We have a raven, tiger, and crocodile warrior,” he said, then paused. “I need to get them together, to see if that’s all we need.” He’d recognize the knight by their combined scents. “Hopefully that’s everyone, and I don’t need to find a warrior from every clan, like a viper, a boar, and a hound.”
Rudi frowned, his gray eyes troubled. “What do you mean, maybe find a hound warrior? You’re a hound warrior.”
Lukas shook his head, the old disappointment pressing against his chest like a solid fist. “I’m not part of the knight. Oma was always clear on that. I just gather the warriors together.” He looked down at his hands, laced together and squeezing tightly, one against the other. It was all right. The knight destroying the shadows was enough. It had to be enough.
“My prince,” Rudi said softly.
Lukas reluctantly looked up.
“You talk about the knight. And his sword. And occasionally about his battles. But how do you know?”
“I watch,” Lukas said.
“But how?” Rudi insisted.
Hope flooded through Lukas, like the sun breaking through a cloudy Seattle day. “I watch as the knight’s hound.”
“So maybe Oma was right. You aren’t part of the knight. You play a more important role. His faithful companion. His hound.”
Lukas nodded. He couldn’t help himself—he reached out and gave Rudi a quick hug.
He’d been so certain his role was almost over.
But maybe, maybe, he could play a part still.
# # #
Lukas stepped across the threshold of their Seattle house, then paused and took a deep breath, taking in the scents of home.
This was home, really. Not the cold stone and delightful grasses of the castle in Germany. He knew he should feel more sad about leaving Da and Greta, but he just felt relieved. The acidic metallic scent of all of Rudi’s computer equipment; the rich, wet dirt of Seattle’s spring; the comforting, lingering smell of the bacon that Rudi cooked every morning: These were home.
So many scents of home involved the man standing next to him. Lukas didn’t know what he’d do when Rudi decided it was time to move again. Lukas desperately wanted to stay, to settle here, in this city and into his human life. Sally and Peter wouldn’t always be here, but they’d come back. They’d help him, even if Rudi left.
“Good to be home, eh?” Rudi asked, his smile echoing the joy Lukas felt. “You hungry?” he asked, shedding his coat and hanging up Lukas’ as well.
“Always,” Lukas said truthfully. And he was. He didn’t know human boys ate so much. It was like his legs were hollow in addition to his stomach. There was no place else for all that food to disappear into.
“It won’t last forever,” Rudi assured Lukas, leading him into the kitchen. “You’ll stop growing eventually, and it won’t feel as though you’re starving all the time.”
“But when?” Lukas whined as his stomach growled again. Just the mention or promise of food set him on edge.
“Soon,” Rudi said with a grin. “So what do we do next?” he asked quietly as he got frozen hamburger patties out, then chucked an apple toward Lukas.
“First, this afternoon, we meet with everyone,” Lukas said. He bit greedily into the apple, the sweet juice trickling down his throat. “Then tonight, we’ll gather. Outside. At Miller’s Park.”
“Why there?” Rudi asked as he started grilling the patties.
“It’s wide open,” Lukas explained. “There are houses near by, but not too close. The sports lights on the field will keep it bright, make it easier to see the shadows. You can hack those, right?”
“I’ll figure something out,” Rudi said dryly.
“Good,” Lukas said, devouring the rest of the apple, core and all. “Thanks,” he added. He could never thank Rudi enough, for everything.
“Will the shadows come?” Rudi asked as he flipped the patties.
“They’ll come,” Lukas said grimly. They had to come. It had to be time.