Hunter's Moon

Thirty-Two: Nadia

The wolves were still snoring when I woke up. At some point in the night, Delta had come over to curl up on my side, head resting on my shoulder. I peeled my eyes open, groaning softly as my muscles spasmed and shrieked in pain. He pressed his nose against my cheek, smoke curling from his nostrils. I chuckled and forced myself into a sitting position, ignoring the aches and pains in my body. Delta slid down into my lap as I moved before hopping onto the floor to stretch.

When we all passed out, Riley used me as a pillow. She must have moved during our nap, because now she was sprawled all across the mat, just like the other two wolves. I chuckled softly and rolled my eyes, looking around the gym.

Jack was standing over by the arrows and bolts, examining them. When I sat up, though, he put the arrow he was holding back in the bin and turned towards me, crossing his arms over his chest. "So?" He asked, a smile splitting his face. "What do you think?"

I laughed, pushing myself to my feet. I groaned as I stretched, and my spine popped in a few places. "I think," I murmured as I straightened, "that I haven't been that sore in a while. Not since my last tournament, anyway."

"What happened?" He asked as I approached, Delta at my heels.

"Shoulder got kicked out of place during a match," I said. "That was the summer before sophomore year. I healed fine, but eventually drifted away from martial arts as the school work piled up along with track meets."

He nodded. "Makes sense," he said. "It's good that you know how to defend yourself."

I shrugged. "Just one of the perks of having a former Marine officer, current Sheriff for a father," I laughed.

Jack's shoulders shook as he laughed along with me. "I get it," he said. "Having hunters for parents means I'm up-to-date on weapons and fighting."

"Have you always wanted to be a hunter?" I asked, reaching out to stroke the smooth wood of a nice recurve bow.

"Eh," he droned. "Not really. When I was a kid I wanted to be a vet. Something about helping animals always felt good." A grin spread across his face as he said, "I remember when I was a kid, my mom and I helped a bird with a broken wing. We took it in, nursed it back to health, and set it free again. That was a great feeling."

"And now...?"

He sighed. "Now, that probably won't happen. Once you're in this life, there's no going back." He jerked his chin to the sleeping wolves. "They're never going to have a normal, quiet life. For a human, anyway. Because of the bite, whatever future they had in mind for themselves has changed." He gave me a pointed look and said, "Same thing for you."

"But I'm still human," I said. Wasn't I?

He shook his head. "No," he said. "You're not. You're a mage, Nadia. And a powerful one at that. There's never been a mage who's had a quiet, normal life. Something about the supernatural, or those who involve themselves with the supernatural, prevents that from ever happening."

"So, are there always going to be psychotic werewolves and other wonderful delights in my life?" I grumbled.

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Not always," he said. "You'll have quiet moments, but it won't be often."

My body slumped in sudden exhaustion. I moved over to the nearest heavy bag and rested my back against it, sliding down until I was perched on the base. The water weighing it down sloshed around, and I almost lost my balance. Delta made a soft keening sound as he came over to me, resting his chin on my knee. As soon as he made contact, a sensation of calm rushed over me.

"Nadia."

I looked up. Jack had moved to stand in front of me, but now he crouched down, bringing himself down to my level. "It'll be all right. What you guys are all going through is something that no human will be able to handle. Why do you think the world of the supernatural is kept secret?"

"But what about you?" I asked. "And other hunters?"

He grinned. "We're equipped to handle it," he said. "Besides, it's better for a small number of humans to know about the supernatural than the entire world. Remember the Salem Witch Trials? Or the Werewolf Hunts in France?" When I nodded, he added, "That's why we don't let humans know. They panic, and they let fear rule their lives. Then, the fear cycles around, until it gets back to those who are being hunted."

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb, squeezing my eyes shut. This was all so much...

"I know," Jack murmured. "It's a lot to take in." After a moment, he asked, "Have you done anything with your fire? Since Dominic?"

"Only a little bit at night," I said. "Other than that, though, I haven't done much." I've been too afraid to do more than summon fire, letting it hover for only a few seconds before I waved my hands and dispersed it.

I suddenly straightened, staring at Jack. His eyes widened in surprise, and before he could say anything, I blurted out, "Why is my fire blue-and-green sometimes?"

He blinked once then laughed. "It's called magefire," he answered. "It's usually the strongest weapon in a mage's arsenal. It can be used for two things: battle, and healing. When used for battle, magefire burns much worse than any chemical burn, but when it's not used for battle, it can even bring someone back from the brink of death."

I frowned. "Why is it like that?"

He shrugged. "The only thing I really know about it is that magefire is connected to the soul. When it's being used as a weapon, it cuts and burns through more than just flesh and bone. It goes right down to the very center of a person, straight to their soul."

"What about regular fire?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I've heard different things about it," he said. "Whether normal fire wielded by a mage can burn the soul or not, I have no idea. But, that doesn't make it any less powerful. There's so much more you can do with it than you can magefire."

I straightened, excitement fluttering through my chest. "Really?" I breathed.

He chuckled. "Definitely," he said. "I was on a hunt with a mage about a year ago, and we were tracking down a nest of vampires. One of their weaknesses was fire, and the mage created a wall of fire to trap them."

I grinned. "That's so cool," I said.

Jack laughed, but after a moment his face fell. "It can be," he said. "But at the same time, it can be dangerous." His eyes pierced through me as he said, "Promise that you'll be careful while you practice, all right?"

I nodded. "I promise," I whispered. After what happened in the woods, I had no intention of doing anything reckless.

He nodded. "Good." After a moment, he asked, "Have you spoken to your dad about it yet?"

I sighed. "No," I muttered. And I had no intention of doing so. At least, not until after the Dominic situation was resolved. With all of the attacks going on, my dad had too much on his mind. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to ambush him and say, So, turns out I'm a mage. Something you wanna tell me?

While my heart was telling me he would never hide something like this from me, the logical part of my brain was telling me something different. When I thought about it enough, it kind of made sense. Dad dealt with the supernatural every day. Why shouldn't he hide something like the fact I had magic from me?

Then again, knowing what he knew, wouldn't he want me to have that kind of protection? My strange, new magical abilities had saved my life so many times in the past month, I almost lost count. Jack told me there was no such thing as a late bloomer for powerful mages, which meant I had to have had magic when I was younger. So, why didn't I?

"You're going to have to confront him eventually," Jack said. "You know that, right?"

I sighed. "Yes," I murmured. The problem was, that's exactly what I was afraid of. While I wanted—needed—answers, I didn't know if I was ready to learn the truth yet.