Greywolf

  Ghostdog had warned his son that when the wolf halo formed into a Shadow Wolf, it would use his energy as a way of binding itself to the real world. But his papa failed to mention how much of it the creature would steal as Greywolf collapsed on the floor.

  The Shadow Wolf left him behind and bounded towards Muzen. The creature was as long as Titan was tall, its grey skin stretched over bone like the Shadowcat, but with grey fur as well. Muzen's eyes went wide as his face took on a shocked expression. Then it was on him, Muzen knocked backwards to the floor as the gem flew away and rolled along the floor. The African woman ran after it and brought it back as the creature went for Muzen's throat.

  Its jaws met his forearm as the creature bit down. They began to wrestle, blood flowing from Muzen's arm as he gripped the creature's head with his other powerful hand and pulled it back, the two fighting for mastery as the guard ran over. He stopped and held his scimitar over the two as if waiting for a clear shot. The Shadow Wolf let go of Muzen's arm, jaws snapping as Muzen put both feet on the creature's belly and pushed it off. The guard swung hard, his scimitar ripping into the Shadow Wolf's side, and it snarled in pain as it turned on the guard.

  Strong ebony arms grabbed Greywolf by the back of his armor and hauled him away from the fighting, pulling him towards one of the shuttered windows overlooking the plaza. Muzen's uninjured hand began glowing blue, and as the Shadow Wolf lunged towards the guard, he thrust it forward. A crackling ball of blue energy shot out and exploded against the creature, flinging it back to slam against the wall not far from where Greywolf was being dragged.

  It landed on its paws, and as it shook off the force of the impact, its bone thin, shaggy grey head swung towards them. Both Greywolf and the African woman froze in fear. If the Shadow Wolf decided to attack them instead of Muzen, Greywolf knew he didn't have the strength to stand up, let alone defend them. Its grey eyes met his as its mouth opened in a ravenous smile.

  Then the Shadow Wolf turned back towards Muzen and raced towards him across the floor. Greywolf and the woman both breathed a sigh of relief before she resumed pulling him until they’d almost reached one of the shuttered windows overlooking the plaza. Greywolf glanced back at the African woman as she said, "If Muzen... well, Yun-Kax, is able to flip to their other self, there's going to be fire and it won't be pretty. Will that creature attack us?"

  She dragged Greywolf up against the wall next to Wysper, who had curled herself into a nude ball, as he replied, "Papa told me the Shadow Wolf will only attack my enemies." The Shadow Wolf leapt aside as another ball of energy exploded close enough to knock it off its feet. It scrambled back up and rushed him as Greywolf added, "It always attacks its strongest enemies first before going after anyone weaker."

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  "Can you control it?"

  The guard's scimitar missed the Shadow Wolf, who leapt onto Muzen once more as Greywolf shook his head. "I wish. It'll keep killing whatever it thinks is dangerous until someone manages to kill it."

  Muzen threw it back and flung the table at it, wine cups and a ceramic jug smashing on the floor as the African woman said, "Does that include us?"

  The creature was knocked back as the guard swung, missing the Shadow Wolf as his scimitar ripped out a chunk of wood. The Shadow Wolf leapt at Muzen, who grabbed it, the two wrestling like Greek Olympians as Greywolf gave her an uneasy look. "I don't know. I've never done this before."

  Her face mirrored his as a gateway formed farther along the wall they were crouched against. Stepping through it was Fox and Karl, with a pair of children... No, not children at all. It's Lys and... Yrg?

  It was Yrg, and the Winter Fae looked terrible, her black clothes dirty and ripped in places and her face badly bruised. She looked like death barely warmed over, her ebony skin pale as a corpse's while her white hair was tangled and filthy. Yrg walked towards the fight with a stiff legged gait and no expression on her face whatsoever.

  Her right hand was empty, but her left was holding something... Is that a human heart? Not only was it a human heart, but the dark blue mana nodes on its surface meant someone had killed a mage and ripped the organ from their body. Karl and Fox hung back next to the gateway, which vanished while Lys strode forward beside Yrg. She spoke into the Winter Fae's ear and they both stopped as Yrg held out her right hand. One of the mana nodes on the heart began to fade as a swirl of ice and snow formed in her empty hand, Yrg lurching as she flung the miniature storm towards the two combatants.

  The winter storm exploded around them. The Shadow Wolf froze solid while Muzen's skin was rimed with ice. The guard was just standing there, gaping, and Greywolf yelled at him, "Smash the Shadow creature with your sword before it thaws. Hurry!" The guard shook himself and whipped the scimitar down at the creature's back. It shattered as if made of delicate crystal, the pieces dissolving into a grey mist which then disappeared.

  Evidently Muzen was able to work a little fire magic without changing to their other side, because as he dropped to his knees, his eyes changed to an orange-red color while the ice on his face began to melt. His skin returned to its normal warm brown as he panted, "Yrg, thank the heavens you are here. I need your help."

  "Apologies, your holiness," Lys said in a mocking voice, "but I fear Yrg will no longer answer you. She only does what I tell her to do now."

  Muzen's eyes narrowed. "I see. You must be Lys, the Shadow Fae Yrg was hunting."

  "Alas not wisely or too well. Well met, Muzen, or should I say Yun—”

  The lock on the door shattered as the door was flung open, rebounding off the wall as Titan staggered into the room, Kula and a crowd of the Chosen right behind. Titan regained his balance as the guard went down under a storm of swords. Titan, spotting Muzen, pointed the tip of the enormous steel great sword he carried in one hand at the Celestial's face. "There you are. Before, I had no quarrel with you, but now that I know the truth about your ally, Ghash-Kimil, I will see you delivered to our enemies in chains of gold."

  "Titan," Lys called out in a sharp voice, "your vengeance must wait. Bukhara is about to betray us."