Free Black Wolf by Steph Shangraw Page B

needed a bathroom break or a
moment to stretch, or possibly a refill from the array of drinks
and munchies spread on the coffee table, but the thought vanished
instantly when he finally picked up how serious his seer coven-mate
was.
     
    "What's
wrong?" Bryan asked, probably catching Flynn's mood by scent.
     
    Flynn shook
his head. "I don't know, but something is. I can't quite get a grip
on it, but it's really nagging in the back of my mind."
     
    "Then let's
circle and see if we can give you enough of a boost to get a fix on
it," Naomi said practically. "Someone shove the table out of the
way."
     
    The ring
wasn't technically round, working within the space limitations, but
it was good enough for all eight to be within hand-clasping range
of those on either side. Deanna and Cynthia, working together with
the ease of familiarity, cast a circle around them to contain any
energy raised and protect them from outside energy; to Kevin's
senses, it was clearly visible as a glowing rainbow line against
the russet carpet, as easy to see as the webwork of strands that
bound a coven together in or out of circle.
     
    Hands linked
all the way around, and Lori led them through a simple exercise
they all knew well and used often, one to lower barriers and allow
personal energy to flow into a common pool. Kevin tested it
automatically, analysing and identifying the various sources:
varied innate natures and learned skills, the true best strength of
any mixed coven—or better still, more than one. The two wolves were
part of it, wild and primal, but had little to add; this simply
wasn't within their own abilities. Brilliant with fire and
sunlight, his own gifts and Lori's were the most dramatic and,
strictly speaking, the most powerful, though that came at a cost:
they were restricted to that element only. Naomi and Cynthia's came
from a soul-deep connection to all the elements, though Cynthia's
strongest affinity was with air, and being inside, air's pale
colours were much weaker than he'd seen them outside; Naomi's
inclination was towards earth, especially with plants, and while
its greenish-dark tones were more muted now than they were in
warmer seasons, it nonetheless surged up into the circle with all
the quiet vibrancy of spring growth. Deanna's own bond to the earth
was very different, not so useful for summoning or manipulating
power, but it ran deep as the roots of a tree and could ground and
stabilize it at even very high levels. Flynn's contribution was a
more subtle shimmer that danced into bright sparkles each time his
inner sight gave him another bit of information—and currently, the
sparkles were a cascade, surging and ebbing without ever entirely
fading.
     
    "Something's
certainly trying to get through to you," Kevin observed. "What
would you like to try first? Your cards?" It was a safe bet that
Flynn had his cards somewhere on his person; they were rarely out
of his reach.
     
    Flynn nodded,
brought them out of somewhere, shuffled them, and handed them to
Bryan. "Pick one, then give them to Cynthi."
     
    When they
finished, there were eight cards chosen. Flynn took them, kept them
in order, and started laying them face up in a matching circle
before him on the carpet.
     
    A wolf in
silhouette, howling at the full moon. A skull. A simple pentagram
of five lines in a circle, black on white. A grinning gargoyle, its
hide a muddy brown-green, crouched with wings spread and claws
extended. A tangle of thorny vines and bright roses. An androgynous
elf standing in the midst of a rainbow halo of light, hands raised.
A pair of crossed swords. A serpent coiled in an infinity
symbol.
     
    "Oh, hell,"
Flynn breathed. "We've got lack of hope, magic, a predator
involved, protection from a threat, conflict… Generally, kids,
someone is in deep trouble and needs help." He gazed at the layout
for a moment, his eyes only half focused. "And y'know, I suspect
that it's probably Jesse. We haven't seen him in a couple of
months, and he