The Wolves of Rio Hevrir

By Carrie Baize

Summer vacation's over but the monsters don't care that school's in session...

The Summer of Blood is over... at least according to the calendar and the school system. But the monsters that plagued Rio Hevrir and brought together the unlikely band of heroes were just the tip of the iceberg, and there's a whole lot more work to be done.

With Josh and Staci back at the prestigious Rutherford Academy in Delora Valley and Tiffany beginning her undergraduate degree at Cal Poly, it's up to J.J., Liberty and Billy to act when the mysterious Sister Amanda appears one afternoon just after school's begun to enlist the group's help against a new threat.

As if the place wasn't strange enough... now they've got a pack of werewolves to contend with...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carrie Baize
• Release date: Apr 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476114118

Carrie Baize

Carrie Baize was born in Santa Rosa, and has lived most of her life in California's Central San Joaquin Valley. She graduated from C.L. McLane High School and continued her education at Fresno City College. She is an avid role player and has spent a great deal of time in a number of fantasy worlds... some well-known, and some of her own design.She credits her parents with her love of the arts and her father, particularly, for her love of role playing and fantasy world creation.Carrie is blessed with a family who, although scattered across the United States, are incredibly supportive and truly believe in her ability to make her dreams come true. She lives in the foothills above Fresno with her husband, four daughters, and a mob of fuzzy four-legged feline children.

Book preview

Chapter One

Sarah Tannemann watched with a smile as the wolf that had been Colin Schell trotted back toward her after gorging himself on a small calf. Ty Brewer's ranch was an excellent training ground, and since Ty was part of the pack, he didn't mind losing a couple head of cattle now and then. In fact, he encouraged it.

Better to lose a few head of cattle than bring a bunch of glory-hungry hunters down on the pack, he always said.

Good work, little brother, she laughed, scratching the wolf behind his left ear. You're a natural hunter. Now, you just have to get control over your transformation. Under her hand, the wolf growled softly and Sarah laughed again. "It's not that hard. Just concentrate."

Under her hand, Colin whined softly.

Okay, Sarah nodded, we'll head back to the den. Just don't go chasing any cats or anything. Colin growled quietly and Sarah laughed loudly. Let's go then.

Colin trotted along beside the young woman who had spent the last three months trying to teach him how to live with what he'd become. Matt hadn't seemed to have any problem with the whole thing... but he'd also taken off as soon as he thought he could handle it on his own and hooked up with another pack.

Sarah called them The Ferals, though that wasn't exactly an accurate description of them. From all Colin had heard, they weren't necessarily wild... just different and a lot less controlled. As far as Colin could tell, Tannemann's pack was pretty much just one big happy family that happened to dig on raw meat and turn into dogs... everyone knew that Tannemann was the boss – and no one questioned his authority... but it was out of respect, not fear.

The Ferals, on the other hand, were more like a street gang. Their alpha's orders were followed, just like Tannemann's were, but there was one key difference that, basically, completely separated the packs. The Ferals feared their alpha... that was where their obedience came from. They were strong and fierce and didn't care nearly as much about living in peace with the humans or keeping a low profile. As far as they were concerned, they were the top of the food chain rather than just another link in it.

Colin had spent the last three months almost constantly at Sarah’s side. Tannemann’s daughter was the old dog’s right hand, and everyone knew it. There was no question in anyone’s mind that she would take the alpha position when Tannemann grew too old to continue, and most everyone already considered her authority absolute.

So, when The Ferals started to act up, it was no surprise that Sarah had to deal with it. Only a few weeks had passed, but Colin had noticed a major change in Sarah since she’d left him with the rest of the pack and gone to deal with them alone. It was easier, she’d argued, to deal with the wild bunch without anyone to worry about besides herself… but Colin was certain there was something else. As they walked through Rio Hevrir’s deserted streets, he tried to figure out what was so different about her, but he couldn’t come up with any answers and Sarah wasn’t offering any information. He thought about asking, but decided against it.

The girl knew what it was to be a wolf. Colin was still learning. He knew, though, that he didn’t have the authority to press for details. She was teaching him everything. He and Matt had missed the Dragons’ season opener because of the full moon, and while neither of them had been happy about it, it had turned out that Sarah had been right. They were too young, she’d warned them. They couldn’t control their transformations, and wolfing-out on the field would have made for a really crappy game.

It hadn’t taken Matt long to leave Tannemann’s pack and hook up with the Ferals after that, but Colin stayed put and he’d actually grown to enjoy life as part of Tannemann's pack. Sarah was kind and helpful and behaved very much the way he imagined an older sister should. She actually looked a little younger than him and, though he still didn’t know how old she really actually was, it was obvious that she’d forgotten more about being a werewolf than he could ever learn... and that knowledge alone was enough to leave him content with the little brother label she’d tacked onto his chest.

Rio Hevrir wasn’t that big to begin with and the nights were pretty quiet since the leech king had been dusted, so it didn’t take long to get back to the den. The leeches were still around, sure... at least some of them. But Isaiah Jordan had called all the shots, and since he’d been destroyed, the group that had remained in Rio hadn’t managed to quit squabbling among themselves long enough to decide who was going to be in charge.

Sarah had watched the leeches abuse the pack and her father for years, and her only regret in the entire situation was that she wasn’t a part of the group that finally put the leech king out of commission. It was still hard to believe that a bunch of kids were able to waltz in and take him out, but every source told the same story... a bunch of kids - including the girl that Matt and Colin were supposed to cripple - found their way through the leeches’ tunnels and dusted the king.

Come on, little brother, Sarah chuckled as she bolted the door behind her. You’re out of the rays, now. Give it one more shot.

Colin paced the floor in front of her and whimpered softly.

Yes, you can, Sarah smiled, kneeling before the agitated wolf and scratching the top of his head. Just try.

Colin huffed again and sat on the cold cement floor of the warehouse. He’d done everything she’d told him to do out at Brewer’s ranch and it hadn’t worked. Since she’d been adamant that the actual light from the moon didn’t have anything to do with the transformation, he couldn’t see any reason why simply being inside the warehouse that hid the entrance to the den would make a difference.

Still, he did as she’d coached. He tried to visualize himself - not the wolf, but his human self. He told himself over and over that he was more than just the wolf and that his human side was just as strong and had just as much right to be dominant. The wolf didn’t like it, just like Sarah said he wouldn’t, and Colin clamped his teeth shut and whined as the beast tore at his human spirit with its claws and teeth. He pried his eyes open to look up at Sarah and beg her to let the transformation occur in its own time, but she was smiling and wrapping a blanket around his bare shoulders.

I knew you could do it, little brother, she smiled, kissing him gently on the forehead.

It took only a moment for Colin to realize that he’d actually succeeded, and he scrambled to his feet and followed Sarah through the warehouse to the shattered stonework that allowed them entrance into the abandoned complex most of the pack called home. The old apartment building had been condemned for years, but the pack had put in a lot of hours making the place a suitable home.

I thought you said the moonlight didn't have anything to do with the transformation.

Physically, it doesn't, little brother, Sarah smiled as she stopped in front of his door. "But you’ve lived your whole life believing it did. The rays don’t affect your body, but they do affect your mind."

So...

Mind over matter, little brother, she laughed, ruffling his hair. Now, get some sleep.

Sarah knew her father was waiting for them to return. She’d caught his scent when they were still inside the warehouse.

How’s he doing? Conrad Tannemann’s voice asked from the shadows of the courtyard.

Probably a helluva lot better than the other one, Pop, Sarah shrugged as she walked up to the old man and let her father’s arms close around her. He’s a good kid, though... and he learns quick enough.

Good thing, Tannemann said quietly, kissing the top of her head. I’d hate to see you hafta kill another one.

The Ferals don’t count, Pop, Sarah snarled.

Every one of us counts, girl, Tannemann growled softly. Don’t you ever forget it.

Chapter Two

Liberty Haley sat in the window of the Rio High art studio and stared at the blank piece of paper clipped to the easel in front of her. It was barely October and she was already tired of school, but it was J.J.'s senior year and the coach had promised to open up for him to work out and get ready for the season... and he was still at the top of a bunch of scholarship lists. She could be patient and stick it out this year to be with him then take the GED.

Billy, of course, had argued against her decision from the moment Tiffany drove away to start her undergraduate programming degree. He was a genius, though, and already lined up to graduate by Christmas if he wanted to... and he probably would if he could nag the admissions counselors at Cal Poly into getting him in for the spring semester.

Are you well, Miss Haley?

Bruce Rattlin’s concerned voice pulled her out of her daze and she nodded slowly. Sorry, Mister Rattlin, she shrugged. Just a little preoccupied.

The fact that his star artist was preoccupied wasn’t terribly surprising. Considering how little she seemed to care for school before, he hadn’t imagined he’d see her this year, at all. He’d assumed that she, like so many of Rio Hevrir’s victims, would just crawl under a rock somewhere in the wake of her mother’s murder early the past summer.

Just do... something, Rattlin said quietly.

Liberty nodded and Rattlin moved away from her, walking through the room and assisting other students. As much as he loathed the self-righteous arrogance exhibited by most of Rio High’s athletes, Rattlin had to give credit where it was due. He’d seen them around over the last few weeks and, though it didn’t make any sense to him, one thing was ridiculously clear.

The only reason Liberty Haley was in school this year was because of J.J. Dawson.

Liberty glanced out the window again and turned back to the easel, pulling her pencil across the page with long sweeping strokes. She didn’t know, yet, what was going to be on the page... but she knew what it wasn’t going to be, and that was pretty much all that mattered. Since she’d shoved one of Billy’s sunburst ultraviolet grenades in Isaiah Jordan’s mouth, she hadn’t been plagued by monsters invading the pages of her sketchbooks.

Just the shit they left behind, she thought grimly, shaking her head as the picture before her took shape. It was too late to stop, and Rattlin did want her to keep busy... but for some reason, she was pretty sure drawing the cemetery where so many families had been buried wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.

J.J.’s parents had been buried there, near some rose-arched memorial, before he’d even been released from the hospital; her mother’s ashes were in the marble walled mausoleum; Staci’s aunt, uncle, and little cousin were laid side-by-side near the still water of the reflecting pool that divided the family plots from the individual graves.

Liberty shook her head and continued to draw, trying to find amusement in the advice of one of her first art instructors. Draw what’s on your mind... what you’re familiar with... Mrs. Kramer had told the crowded room of fifth-graders at the summer art school. It seemed, to Liberty, that some lessons were never forgotten.

Rattlin glanced over her shoulder and shook his head as he walked past. The girl was obviously still troubled by the traumatic events she'd endured over the summer. So much had happened around the girl and her wrestler boyfriend that, in spite of the benefit of her returning to school, Bruce Rattlin still wasn’t convinced that the girl’s attachment to Dawson was necessarily the best thing for her... but her legal guardian at Saint Michael's didn't seem troubled by it. It was possible, he supposed, that he was just reading too much into the situation.

He stole one last glance at her sketch just before the bell rang. The amount of detail wasn't surprising... not in one of her pieces... but the image troubled him immensely. It wasn't the photographically accurate depiction of the landscape that disturbed him... or the way the nearly symmetrical stones cast vaguely humanoid shadows under the stormy sky... or even the group in the foreground deep in mourning over fresh graves...

It was a single tiny element in the background. It was a small thing; the sort of thing that normally gets missed in great pieces because there are so many other elements that draw the eye. It was an intensely personal detail no one was necessarily supposed to notice. Nearly lost behind the majestic willows that lined the drives, a petite figure with long curls spilling over a dark jacket several sizes too large stood with her head down and her hand resting on the wall of the mausoleum.

When the bell rang, Liberty stuffed her sketchbook in her backpack and walked into the hallway. It had already been a long day and she really didn’t want to do anything but go home.

J.J. walked up behind her with a long stride but decided at nearly the last possible moment that dropping his hand on her shoulder probably wasn’t his best choice for a surprise greeting. Hey, he chuckled, setting his hand on her shoulder only after she had a chance to hear his voice. What’s the hurry, beautiful?

I thought you had a workout scheduled, Liberty laughed, pulling J.J.’s arm around her shoulder.

Me, too, J.J. shrugged. But coach’s got a bad case of we-really-gotta-win-this-game goin’ on for tomorrow night.

Football? Liberty sneered. Still?

It’s a small town, baby.

Whatever, Liberty shrugged. There wasn’t anyone in Rio Hevrir... or anywhere else, for that matter... foolish enough to believe that Liberty had any love at all for the Rio High football team. The athletic clique that pretty much reigned over the school had, collectively, done their best to make her life a living hell as soon as she transferred... and that was before they’d tried to kill her over the summer. She still wasn’t sure she completely believed the story Colin Schell had told Billy... but Matt Dally had quit coming to school after he saw her and J.J. in the hall near the art studio. "Must be a pretty bad case of gotta-win to bump a real champ’s workout," she laughed.

"I'm not the only real champ at Rio High," he smirked, pulling her close.

My titles don't count, Liberty giggled. "They don't make Rio High look good."

J.J. shrugged. You ready to blow this joint?

"Like you wouldn't believe," Liberty laughed.

Chapter Three

Okay, sis, Colin Schell sighed as he climbed into Sarah Tannemann’s Jeep. "Either I’m just stupid or this still doesn’t make sense. What makes you think I’m gonna be okay to play, tomorrow?"

"You’re not stupid. It does make sense. And the answer’s simple… your team needs you," Sarah laughed.

Sarah, I’m serious…

So am I, little brother, the girl smiled, shifting the Jeep back into park. You’ve done it, Colin, she explained, turning in her seat to face him. "You’ve been doing it for weeks now. The wolf isn’t gonna take over."

But you said the moon…

Isn’t full until Saturday, if you’re gonna insist on getting stressed out about something irrelevant, she laughed, turning forward in her seat again. So, am I taking you home or are you coming back to the den?

How much longer do I have to do this double-life thing? Colin sighed. Matt doesn’t…

Matt gave up, little brother, Sarah interrupted. He ran away. He’s hunted. Her voice dropped to a dangerous growl as she spoke. "He’s one of them. He doesn’t count."

Colin sighed softly and looked out the window as they passed the stadium. Sarah had a lot more faith in his ability to control the wolf than he did, but she also had a lot more experience knowing what to look for. He wasn’t going to push any more, though… not now. Once Sarah started thinking about The Ferals, she got scary.

He wondered, again, what it was about them that bothered her so much. She said it was because they were a danger to the pack and that their carelessness made life worse for everyone, but Colin couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else... that there was more to it than she wanted to admit.

Colin had his own demons to face, though... things he didn’t want to admit, either. But it was getting harder and harder to keep his mouth shut.

Sarah, I… I have to do something, and I don’t know if I should.

Sarah rolled her eyes as she pulled up in front of his parents’ house. How many times do we have to go through this, little brother? If you have to do something, you do it.

But it… Colin turned his back to the house. I don’t know what’s gonna happen.

So you want advice, she chuckled, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel softly. Guess you’d better spill it then, little brother.

I… remember the girl the leeches wanted me and Matt to…

Yeah. What about her?

I… I can’t do it, sis. I see her every day and it kills me that I didn’t have the balls to do more to stop him.

Sarah’s eyebrows rose and she began to chuckle. So… wait… what are you saying, little brother? You’re just gonna walk up to her, she laughed, shaking her head. Up to this martial arts prodigy from hell and just... what? Apologize for your part in tryin’ to kill her? Is that it?

You’re right, Colin sighed. "It does sound pretty stupid."

"Not stupid, little