Necessary Magic

CHAPTER ONE

Come on, guys, it’s not funny anymore, said Zoe Patterson in a weak voice. She’d been following the light in the woods ahead of her for what seemed like a very long time. Now, she was deep out in the wild woods, and there was nothing around her on any side but tall tree trunks and dark shadows of foliage.

Only a short time ago, she’d been around a bonfire with some friends, drinking beer. She’d gone out to the cooler to get another can of beer, and she’d seen a light out in the distance. Not too far away, only a few feet. It was behind a tree branch. She’d called out, asked who was there. There had been no response.

Why had she followed the light?

At the time, it had seemed like an excellent idea. The light had called to her somehow, sang to something deep inside her body, and she had responded, gone after the light immediately.

Somehow, she’d managed to convince herself it was a flashlight, that it was one of her friends playing tricks on her. She tried to convince herself of it even now.

But if that were true, she needed to stop following the light, turn around, and go back the way she came. And she found that she didn’t exactly want to turn away from the light. She wanted to catch it. She’d been following it all this way because she had an inexplicable desire for it.

She wasn’t backing off now.

Even though she was beginning to realize that this light she was following couldn’t be connected to any of her friends, couldn’t be part of an elaborate prank.

That light was magic.

Zoe knew about magic, but she’d never seen much of it. She’d only been a small child when the Collision happened. She didn’t remember the world without magic, before the Collision, but her parents did. They didn’t trust magic, and they didn’t trust the witches. Zoe had spent her life in a small settlement of humans, who lived out in the wild lands, far from the witches’ reach.

The witches liked the comfort of the cities, and they employed humans to make all the things that they had come to love about this world—cars, computers, and pizza.

Zoe had never known any of those things, not really. She’d spent her whole life cut off, hiding from the witches. Not that there weren’t dangers out here in the wild lands. There were the unicorns, for instance. They didn’t much like humans and would only bargain with them to get what they wanted. And there were the roaming hordes of wolfwraiths, humans who had been bitten by werewolves and gone insane. The werewolves themselves tended to stay close to the cities and the witches who were their mistresses.

But the truth was, she was closer now to a city than she’d ever been in her whole life.

Keeping her eyes on the light, she continued through the forest. She must catch that thing soon. She needed to catch it. There was a strange stirring within her, a longing like nothing she’d ever felt.

Grown now, Zoe had struck out on her own, left the settlement she’d grown up in. Her friends had convinced her that going to one of the cities wouldn’t be so bad. They said that working for the witches provided luxuries that she’d never known, things like electricity and television and the Internet. They said those things were worth whatever the hardships were. Sure, the witches were known to be harsh taskmasters who didn’t value human life, but what kind of life did they have out here, anyway, hiding like animals?

Ahead of her, abruptly, the light stopped. It bobbed in the air, as if taunting her.

Zoe rushed forward. She was four feet from the light. Three.

It winked out.

She stopped, her heart thudding in her chest, the air chill against her skin, which was flush from drinking alcohol and from hurrying after the light. Where…? she whispered. Where had the light gone?

Here, said a voice.

She whirled.

Behind her was the most enormous wolf she had ever seen. He was all white, white and glowing, just as the light had been. He stalked toward her, head down, eyes glinting in the moonlight overhead.

She backed up, arms going around her belly instinctively. She wanted to protect her vital organs from his teeth—his long, sharp, white teeth.

Hello, said the wolf.

It talked. A talking wolf. She had heard that the werewolves were different from the wolfwraiths, but she had never seen one. Her pulse pounded at her wrists, at her temple. Please, she said in a breathless voice.

The wolf stopped moving, inches from her. Please what?

Please, don’t hurt me, she said.

The wolf chuckled. It was very odd hearing such a knowing, gentle laugh come from a wolf’s mouth. You don’t know who I am, then? I thought that all of you humans spun stories about me, from before the Collision, even. You know that there were tears and rips between our worlds, that some of us came and went between them?

Zoe couldn’t speak. She just shook her head.

They call me Jack of the Lantern, said the wolf. Jack the Tempter. Jack the Seducer. You’ve never heard of me?

She licked her lips. Jack-o’-lantern? Like Halloween? She knew the witches’ magic was called the power of The Hallows, and she had heard stories of the old holiday. Amongst her outpost, it was no longer celebrated. They called it celebrating the enemy.

He inclined his head. Indeed. I’ve hidden my little light in hollow gourds before, and I’m told your people took up the practice, either to call in those like me or to ward me off, I’m not sure which. I’ve always found that quite charming.

She swallowed.

Well, said Jack, if you’ve never heard of me, I suppose I shall have to enlighten you. I leave my light out to lure what I can into the woods, and then I feed. I can feed on flesh, or fear, or… He stepped closer, and his wolf form seemed to flicker, and she could see a naked man beneath, one with wild, wild eyes. Pleasure, he breathed.

She stepped back again. She tripped over a branch and went sprawling on her backside.

Jack chuckled again, now a full wolf again. He stepped closer, and now he was towering over her, because she was lying on the forest floor. Which will it be?

Couldn’t you… not feed at all? she squeaked.

He sniffed her, his nose going into her armpit. You smell of fear. Delicious fear.

She tried to scramble away from him.

But he caught her with his gaze, with his wild eyes, and she was frozen there, gazing at him, her body shot full of terror like she’d never felt.

It went on an on, twisting down horrid corridors, opening doors that filled her with fresh panic, excruciating fear that made her sweat and gasp and whimper.

When it was done, she fell to the ground, her limbs loose and useless. She gazed at the starry sky with unseeing eyes.

Tell the others about me, won’t you? said Jack, stepping over her motionless form. It is tiresome to have to educate my meals.

* * *

Kenneth Hughes was still in his pajamas and not in the mood to be dealing with the likes of Elmer Myers and Henry Ford. He had been the leader of Harmony Village practically since the Collision, and back in the first days, when they were still fighting for every inch of land they could get, tangling with waves of wolfwraiths nearly every day, men like this had been necessary. They were rough men, strong men, not necessarily bright men, however. He had hoped that age would scour off their harsh edges, but it hadn’t.

Now, they were nearly forty, and they were still the kind of men who got drunk and rowdy and made women feel uncomfortable.

His wife Martha didn’t like the outposts, didn’t like the men coming back with tales of whores and scavenger women, but Kenneth thought it was better all around if the men found a release. He didn’t want them to bother people’s daughters and wives, because he still owed these men for their service back in those first days, and he couldn’t very well kick them out of Harmony.

Still, he really wished they hadn’t awakened him. He stood at the doorway to his house, which had once been one of those McMansions in a planned community before the Collision. Now, this subdivision was Harmony, and it was surrounded by fences and sentries.

Elmer and Henry were on the front stoop, and both of them had big open wounds on their faces, as if they’d been cut. Between them, they were dragging a girl. She had long dark hair that was tangled around her face, and her wrists were lashed together. She couldn’t have been older than eighteen, but she didn’t look frightened. Instead, she looked defiant. She was probably one of the scavenger women. Why they’d tied her up and brought her here he couldn’t fathom. Even when the scavengers did underhanded things like steal or cheat, which they were wont to do, they were outside the laws of the various human villages and outside the purview of the witches in the cities. There could be no formal retaliation from Kenneth.

Kenneth rubbed his forehead. It’s late, gentlemen. He purposefully called them gentlemen, even though they were anything but.

We realize that, Boss, said Elmer.

Kenneth sighed. He wished that they’d stop calling him that. Made him sound like some sort of mafia don or something. Well, if you realize it, why are you disturbing my family and me in the middle of the night?

This is important, said Henry. We thought you’d want to know right away.

Kenneth raised his eyebrows. How important could it really be? And what was this girl doing here? What happened to your faces?

Oh, that was the girl, said Henry. She put up a bit of a fight.

Had a knife, said Elmer.

The girl struggled, gritting her teeth.

Why are you bringing me a girl? said Kenneth. Especially one who fought with a knife? Had she hurt someone? Killed someone?

We won’t have to have a lottery this time, said Elmer grinning.

Henry thrust the girl forward. We just send this one instead.

You two do understand that the unicorns need virgins? Kenneth was flabbergasted. How idiotic could the men be? The scavengers were happy to find money however they could. They went into the old towns that were too small for the witches to bother with, gathered up old electronics, wood, cans of food, anything they could scavenge, and they sold it for as high a price as they could fetch. But if there was nothing to scavenge, they weren’t above selling other things, and most of the women did a steady business selling their bodies as well. A scavenger girl was hardly fit to send the unicorns as tribute.

She’s a virgin, said Elmer. We know this one.

It’s true, said Henry. She had an older sister. Wouldn’t ever let a man get near this one. Sister’s dead now, though, and without anyone to protect her, she was easy to capture.

The girl shot a venomous glance first at Henry and then at Elmer. Why don’t you let me go, and we’ll give it another go? I’ll take you both together.

Kenneth held up his hand. You can’t be sure this girl is a virgin.

Believe me, we are positive, said Elmer. We came upon her with her older sister, two minutes before the sister turned.

The girl’s face twitched.

Turned into a wolfwraith? said Kenneth. What if she’s infected? I can’t believe you brought—

Not infected, said the girl, fire in her voice. You think I’m an idiot? I promised my sister I’d never let her become one of those things, and I killed her the minute the change took over. These two grabbed me in my grief. She struggled. You’re trash, both of you.

Kenneth felt his heart go out to the poor girl. Back in the first days after the invasion, he’d had to kill his share of friends and loved ones who’d been bitten. He knew the horror of that feeling firsthand. Even the toughest man could hardly adequately defend himself in the wake of something so traumatic. Elmer and Henry were certainly trash. But if what they were saying was true… Kenneth stroked his beard. Are you a virgin, girl?

That’s none of your damned business, said the girl. I thought you were supposed to be civilized in the villages. You have to let me go.

Kenneth swallowed. It was a nasty business, giving the unicorns their tribute, but it was something they had to do if they wanted to maintain their permanent home. The unicorns protected them from the witches and werewolves, but only if they had a virgin.

He didn’t know what the unicorns did with virgins, and there was no pattern to how often they demanded one. Sometimes years and years passed with no demands. Sometimes they needed a new one in a matter of months. Whatever happened, the girls were never seen again.

Only a few days ago, Jonquil, the unicorn he always dealt with, had appeared in the village asking for another virgin. That meant that Kenneth had to hold a lottery, draw from a hat, and send some random girl off to the unicorns—probably to her death.

But here was another girl, a girl that wasn’t the child or sister of anyone in the village. It was going to happen to someone, why not let it happen to an outsider?

Kenneth let out a noisy breath. If you’re wrong, if the unicorns smell her and she’s been with a man, you know that our trust is broken with them.

We’re not wrong, said Elmer.

The girl gritted her teeth. My name is Bree, she said suddenly. I was born two years before The Collision and both my parents died on the day. It was always only me and my sister, and she’s gone. This is the worst day of my life. Please. If you have any shred of human decency within you, make these men let me go.

Kenneth flinched. I’m sorry, Bree.

She shut her eyes, and she didn’t look defiant and tough anymore. Only young and scared and sad.

Kenneth looked away. He hadn’t gotten to be the leader of this village being soft. Someone had to make hard decisions. He felt sorry for the girl. He did. But that didn’t matter. He had a responsibility to this community first and foremost. He had to keep the daughters of Harmony safe. Bree wasn’t from Harmony. She wasn’t his responsibility. He reached out and took Bree by the arm. He tugged her away from Elmer and Henry. All right. If you promise me you are absolutely positive she’s a virgin.

Henry and Elmer both nodded vigorously.

We’re sure, said Elmer. We swear it.

Come with me, said Kenneth to Bree, and he guided her inside his house.

CHAPTER TWO

High Mistress Zhanna Seale of the Broom glared at the white wolf as it loped over the threshold of her bedchamber. The room was lavish and huge, high on the top floor of the highest skyscraper in New Ansel. Zhanna’d had these rooms redone especially for her nearly twenty years ago, in the wake of the Collision. She understood that the human government had ruled from some place called Washertown or something equally dirty sounding, but near as she could see New Ansel was the center of everything, and that was why she’d set up her court here.

She didn’t meet with every werewolf in her service in her bedchamber, but Jack Bastian was different. Jack Bastian was powerful. And Jack Bastian was essentially her lapdog. He came when she called, he sat when she snapped her fingers, and he shook hands on command if she commanded it.

At least, he was supposed to. This evening, she’d been kept waiting. It had been nearly forty minutes since she’d sent for Jack.

Where have you been? said Zhanna. She was sprawled on top of her king-sized bed, running her fingers over the plush red velvet bedspread, her body sinking into rows and rows of velvet pillows. If she hadn’t been so angry, she might have enjoyed the comfort of the bed.

Jack jumped up onto the bed and stared at her.

She sat up and ran a careless hand through his soft fur. You know you aren’t to keep me waiting, snookums, she crooned.

He bared his teeth at her, letting out just a hint of a growl. He did so hate it when she spoke to him like an animal, and that was why she did it, and why she demanded he spend most of his time in her presence in wolf form. It was all part of the way she controlled him. Jack should never be allowed to think of himself as a man, not a real man, anyway. He was a pet. He was a servant. He was a toy.

She smacked his muzzle. Bad dog.

He snarled at her.

She giggled. Well, you’re here now, aren’t you? I suppose we might as well let it be. But if you keep me waiting again… She let her voice trailed off threateningly. She had long ago discovered it was more effective to keep her threats nonspecific. It allowed her subjects to imagine all kinds of awful things, much worse than she herself could come up with.

Jack jumped off the bed.

Get back up here, she said in a severe voice.

He didn’t.

She sat up straight, smiling down at him. I have a job for you, Jack. One you’ll enjoy. Come up here with your mistress and let me stroke you. She patted the bed next to her body.

Jack settled on his haunches, regarding her coolly. How about you just tell me what you need done.

She stuck out her lower lip. Doesn’t snookums like being stroked? She liked keeping him in a state of confusion sexually as well, pretending to come onto him in wolf form. She knew that the human part of him was disgusted by an animal/human pairing, and she liked disgusting him. She liked causing him any kind of discomfort she could.

You know that I have to serve you, Zhanna, said Jack.

You know that you should address me as High Mistress, she countered.

High Mistress, he repeated, and his tone was laced with venom. I will carry out your every command. But I don’t care for your games.

And yet I have repeatedly asked you to come up on the bed next to me, and you refuse my commands.

What is the job?

She reached over to the end table next to her bed and brushed her fingers over a whip that lay there. Maybe you need a bit of convincing.

He snarled again, but he jumped up on the bed and lay down next to her. Somehow, even as he submitted, he retained an air of superiority. It made her even angrier. If she hadn’t needed his services tonight, she might have taken some time to try again to teach him manners. But there was no time, not tonight. Even now, the banquet was underway downstairs.

She ran her fingers through his pelt. Mistress Ruby Wallace.

What about her? said Jack, and she could hear his annoyance with her petting him in his tone.

Do you think she’s attractive?

No, said Jack.

No? Zhanna scoffed. I think she is. Most men would. I think you do as well.

Jack sighed, a funny noise coming from a wolf. Am I a gift or a weapon, High Mistress?

Zhanna giggled again. Why, a weapon, of course.

You want her broken or dead?

I want you to give her the most intense pleasure that she has ever experienced, said Zhanna. She scratched