Kass leaned against the wall outside the store Indi had gone into and watched the world of the street. She could hear Wolf making his arguments. He was being careful at least not to mention anything about magic and he had managed to get Indi to transcribe some lines in return for opinions on clothes. Kass wasn’t convinced that Wolf’s opinions actually held much value. Both he and Falco simply remarked that things looked nice. Zephyr probably would have had more to say. He had more of a sense of style than Falco or Wolf did, but he was busy on his date with Arianna, and anyway, Kass suspected that Indi didn’t actually want genuine opinions.

  They’d managed to find a store that sold more modern clothes but it was a far cry from the sorts of style Indi claimed she usually liked. Kass had seen her in a t-shirt and jeans plenty of times though, or more commonly that favourite purple jersey. There were many clothes Kass had seen Indi buy and wear only a handful of times. She was at the end of the day, like most people, a creature of comfort.

  Kass smiled at the people passing by but only a few smiled back. She assessed their clothes, their postures, the places their eyes roamed. She had been wondering before they’d come if she should have dyed her hair but it was her lycra hiking pants that seemed to be causing their displeasure the most. Her strawberry blonde hair would catch their eyes but their gaze would drop, and then they’d frown.

  “I need a girl’s opinion.” Indi’s voice floated out from the shop. “Ka-ass.”

  Kass joined them in the store.

  Indi stood near a curtained off cubicle on one side of the store. She stood in a purple balloon like dress splattered with tiny pink flowers. The neck was square and the sleeves were all puffed up. It was hideous.

  “What do you think?”

  “Ummm...” Kass suspected Indi had picked it up because it was the only purple thing she could find in the entire store. Did Kass tell Indi it was ugly though? What if she actually liked it?

  “That is the most hideous outfit I have ever seen!” Cat said loud enough that the shopkeeper over by the counter scowled at her.

  The others turned toward the door in surprise.

  Cat shrugged. “I got tired of sleeping.”

  Kass had to agree with Cat’s assessment of the outfit, and she was glad Cat had said it.

  For a moment Indi pouted at herself in the mirror. Then a big smile lit up her face and she laughed. With a glance toward the shopkeep she turned back toward Cat and whisper-giggled, “It really is, isn’t it?”

  Meanwhile, Falco ripped his own t-shirt off right there in the store, much to the initial displeasure of the shopkeeper. However, her eyes didn’t leave his chest until he’d thrown another t-shirt on. He took that one off and replaced it with a slightly smaller one. The shopkeeper licked her lips and pretended not to be peeking out of the corner of her eye when Falco removed his shirt a third time. Her disappointment was obvious when Falco put his original shirt back on.

  Falco grabbed a couple of shirts all in the same size in a mix of black, grey, and white.

  On a nearby rack, Kass spotted a long brown skirt and matching shirt that would work for herself. They wouldn’t be great for running or fighting but they looked easy enough to take off and she could wear them over her lycra. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any running or fighting, but something in Kass’s gut told her to be ready for it and she’d long ago learnt to trust her gut.

  Kass tried the outfit on in the other changing room and was surprised that it actually fit almost perfectly. Cat gave her outfit an appreciative nod, which surprised Kass. When Kass went up to pay, Cat grabbed some clothes off a nearby rack and threw them at Kass. “Can you get these for me?”

  “You’re not going to try them on?” Kass asked.

  Cat gave an uncaring shrug. “They’ll fit.”

  “Me too please,” Falco said, passing Kass the items he’d selected.

  “Indi? Wolf? You want anything?” Kass asked, her arms laden with clothing.

  Wolf shook his head without even looking up from his pen and paper. “You don’t actually need to change your clothes everyday you know.”

  “I’d have thought given your scent of smell, you’d be changing them far more often,” Falco told him.

  Wolf gave a worried flick of the eyes at the shopkeeper and a warning look at Falco, but Falco didn’t appear to notice and his comment hadn’t mentioned werewolves specifically.

  “That’s the point,” Wolf replied after a few seconds. “You’re not supposed to hide your natural musk. That’s what draws a good match in a mate, for all creatures. Just cause you don’t notice it consciously doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “Hmm,” Falco looked at him thoughtfully as if trying to think of the best comeback.

  Kass could think of several, especially given Wolf was the one who was divorced, but she said nothing. And after several seconds of thinking, neither did Falco.

  “I’ve still got several things to try on,” Indi said, when Kass gave her a questioning look.

  Kass nodded. “I’ll get these now at least.”

  Thankfully the shopkeeper did accept their currency, although she did give it a bite followed by a close inspection. Kass doubted that there was anything she was actually checking for. It was likely more to send a message that she didn’t fully trust them.

  Kass gave Falco and Cat their purchased items. Then she put her new clothes on over top of her athletic wear. On her way out she handed Cat a two gold coins. “Don’t let Indi spend it all at once.”

  “I don’t think we’ll need that much,” Cat remarked as Kass headed for the door.

  They probably wouldn’t given what the clothes had just cost.

  Kass stepped back into the street and breathed in the fresh air. She could smell a hint of smoke coming from somewhere. It was a surprisingly warm day for this time of year, but then the mountains tended to protect this area from too much bad weather and it was a well lit valley. This end was more open than the section they’d driven through earlier. They must still get enough rain though, for much of the grass was a vibrant green with only a few patches of yellow. It was probably the stream. If she listened very carefully, she could just hear it. It was the willow trees by an open paddock at the end of the road that really told her it was there.

  Cat stuck her head out of the shop door behind Kass. “Where are you going?”

  “For a walk,” Kass replied. She hesitated a moment and then asked, “You get the sense we aren’t welcome here?”

  Cat shrugged. “What difference does it make? Whether they like us or not, they’re all just humans, and none of them looked armed.”

  Kass glanced at her. Cat had her sharp jaw jutted out like a challenge, but Kass didn’t feel it was aimed at her.

  Kass looked back around at the people in the street. “Never underestimate the power of a large group. It’s how Mercy gets their power.”

  “Yeah, that never made sense to me.” Cat replied quickly. “Pretty sure Mercy only holds any power when either the Sorcerers or aristocrats need a buddy.”

  “Need numbers you mean,” Kass replied with a sly smile.

  Cat wrinkled her nose, rolled her eyes, and returned back into the store.

  Kass headed in the direction of the stream.

  She hadn’t gone far upriver when she noticed Sirius coming down the path. She could tell instantly that something was wrong so she left the stream’s edge and met him on the path.

  His clothes were black but there was clearly blood on his hands, and from the slight glisten to the fabric, likely on his shirt as well. He was looking worried.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Have you seen Lily?”

  Kass shook her head. “Have you lost her?” She wasn’t sure why she asked that given it was obvious from his question, but it took a second for her brain to try to figure out possibilities for the blood. Then, fearing the worst she asked, “Is Amanda okay?”

  He gave a single nod.

  For a second she felt relief, but the worry quickly returned. “Whose blood is that?”

  For their entire conversation he hadn’t been looking at her. Instead, his eyes were scanning their surroundings.

  “Lily got a rabbit,” he replied as he tried to start moving.

  Kass stepped to the side and joined him as he continued walking downriver, but she wasn’t convinced he was going the right way.

  “I’ve just come up river,” she told him. “If she’d gone down, I would have seen her.”

  He stopped walking and frowned. Then he glanced around as if unsure where to go.

  There was something in his tone that made Kass ask, “Are you sure it was a rabbit?”

  Sirius nodded. “That’s what she said.”

  “But?”

  “I think Amanda thinks she was lying.” He turned around in a full 360 and looked more worried than ever.

  “Where is Amanda?” Kass scanned their surroundings as well. Where would she go if she was a little zombie kid?

  “She went to get a pig. Yeah I know,” he added at the look Kass gave him.

  She refrained from telling him that what they should be following Lily with was a gun and not a pig. “From what I know of necromancy,” Kass whispered, “needing to sacrifice a pig to maintain it will only buy you some time.”

  “I know. Maybe long enough to find to this guy though.”

  “If he’s even here,” Kass replied. She trailed off as her eyes settled on a building in a nearby field.

  “Hey!” Amanda’s voice drew their attention. She was coming up the hill, leading a black and pink pig on a lead. “Where’s Lily?”

  Kass could hear the worry in her tone.

  “I lost her. She got free.” Sirius rubbed one hand over his face.

  “Did she bite you?” Amanda asked, ignoring Kass.

  Sirius shook his head.

  Kass looked down at the pig.

  The pig looked up at Kass and gave a few oinks. ‘Pig doesn’t know what it’s in for,’ thought Kass.

  “Maybe she crossed over the river?” Sirius suggested.

  Kass jerked her head back up. “No, zombies head for people.”

  Both Sirius and Amanda turned toward the main part of town. They hadn’t noticed what Kass had.

  “There’s a barn over there,” Kass told them. It was back up the hill, opposite the side the river was on but it would have been right in the middle of a straight route from the river to the town, rather than the curve the path took and zombies didn’t bother about things like following roads.

  Amanda and Sirius looked at one another and then started heading toward it. Kass followed.

  The barn was two stories and in need of repair. The paint was chipped and the door was half falling off its hinges. It smelt musty and contained the pungent aroma of bird droppings. Still, it had been used for recent storage and there were bales of hay stacked in one half.

  It took a second for everyone’s eyes to adjust.

  “Lily?” Amanda called hesitantly.

  ‘She’s afraid,’ thought Kass, but she couldn’t be sure of what exactly. Was she afraid for Lily or of Lily?

  There came the sound of sniffing. Then a small voice. “Do you have to put me down now?”

  “No,” Amanda whispered back in the same low volume, as if afraid she might scare the girl away. She seemed to think the others might, for she motioned for them to stay back.

  “I did a bad thing, but I didn’t mean to,” sniffed Lily.

  “I know, honey. I’m going to fix it. I’m going to do another spell,” Amanda told her.

  The girl was sitting in the darkest corner of the barn, curled up with her knees to her chest. Kass took up position off to the side of the door and where she could still see Lily as well as anyone approaching from the south west. Lily didn’t sound like a zombie yet but she drew her pistol out, just in case.

  Lily’s next words sent a chill through everyone in the barn.

  “It wasn’t just a rabbit.”

  For a full few seconds, no one moved and no one said anything.

  Then Amanda asked, “What do you mean?”

  “I bit a boy.”