The Protector and the Peacemaker

Chapter Twenty Six

Chapter Twenty Six

(Misty)

Misty lay on the cold, hard concrete, watching the sun set behind one of the hills that bordered the town. Her ears were perked up, twitching to follow every sound she heard. It was safe here, they had said, but she wasn't entirely convinced they were alone.

Beside her, leaning against the wall of a nearby building, was Ozzie. He hadn't said anything to her since Faska left, but they had both volunteered to stand first watch. Misty knew he felt like she did, because he kept reaching down and toying with the knife strapped to his belt. Droma had offered to give him a proper sword, claiming that a knife wouldn't do much good on a battlefield, but Ozzie had turned him down. This knife, he'd claimed, had always been his weapon of choice. He was more confident with it than he would ever be with a big, heavy sword.

The werewolf opened her mouth and yawned, but in truth she didn't think she could have fallen asleep if she'd tried. The knowledge of what they were about to do tomorrow gnawed at her stomach like a nest of ants, and it took a lot of self-control not to squirm. Going up against the Slayers and the Mythics? It was suicide.

If I had any sense, she thought for the hundredth time, I'd just get up and run away right now.

But she didn't. She turned her head to look down one of the darkening streets, where Porter and Sarah had gone a couple hours ago. It should have been weird seeing the sphinx walking on two legs all the time, but in truth she had gotten used to seeing her in human form lately. She'd almost spent more time like that than in her true form. Well, now it was her true form—and Porter's too. Misty shook her wolfish head. As a werewolf, she had two forms that were both natural to her. When Sarah turned human it was just an illusion. It was like wearing a costume, except that your body was the costume. Everything about her human body was real, but none of it had been...

Misty shook her head, chasing those thoughts away before they gave her a headache. She'd never really understood the concept behind shapeshifting spells, since her own shapeshifting was an ability all werewolves were born with. However it worked, the body Sarah had now was her real body, just like her lion-y body had been before. With a sigh, Misty shifted on the asphalt to make herself more comfortable.

If Sarah is my sister, she thought suddenly, remembering the conversation they'd had just a couple nights ago, what does that make Porter?

It was a strange thought. Porter and Sarah weren't married— they weren't even old enough to get married. That ruled out Porter being her brother-in-law. But then again, the bond he and Sarah shared was stronger than any marriage pledge, wasn't it? In a way, they were married, and there was no way for them to ever get divorced so long as their souls remained bound together. Misty had never considered herself the romantic type, but even she couldn't help smiling at the thought.

Speaking of family... she turned to look at Ozzie, and found that he was looking at her as well. She quickly faced forward again, but it was too late. Pushing himself away from the wall, he came to kneel next to her.

"So, what do you think of all this?" he asked, looking out into the forest with her.

"It's crazy," she answered. "How can they even think this will work?"

"I don't know," he replied, and she could hear the honesty in his voice. He didn't know what he was doing any more than she did. "But I'm still going to do it." He turned to face her. "And since you're still here, I guess that means you are too."

"Yeah," she agreed in a quiet voice, looking down at the ground between her front paws. "I guess."

Ozzie was quiet for a moment, and then he asked. "Misty, you're not still thinking about going back to Mortoph, are you?"