Free Coven of Wolves by Peter Saenz

world."
    Suddenly my shortcomings become very evident to me. "I'm afraid my lessons have been a bit limited. Over the past few years I've been intensely trained in the Craft, but once I was taught the basic ground work of how Wicca works our coven master immediately threw me into learning a lot of the more physical spells. The lessons in-between were either glossed over or completely ignored."
    "That's a shame. There's a lot to learn about the Craft besides spells. The old saying about knowledge equaling power has so many more meanings than the obvious. My mom used to say..."
    At this Mika stops speaking. A look of sadness goes over her face. I get the impression we reached a topic she isn't yet ready to delve into. I try to ease out of it by changing the subject.
    "I really hate to ask, but do you think I could use your shower? I've had these clothes on for a few days now and I'd really like to freshen up with something new."
    "Oh, of course. Your bags are over there. I'll go and get you some towels."
    Mika heads toward a doorway on the other side of the apartment and disappears. I go over to the bags and find a clean set of clothes. I then notice that alongside the bags is the sword from earlier. I pick it up by the black leather handle and examine the blade better. Despite its strong resemblance to the many swords I've seen in 80s ninja movies, I take a better look at the blade's etchings. They don't seem Asian at all but rather Greek. I'm close to gliding my finger along the wording but suddenly remember my newfound weakness to silver. I put the sword down and find Mika has returned with the bath towels.
    "Here you go. The guest room is through there. It has its own bathroom attached to the suite so make yourself at home. If you don't mind, I'm going to go back up to grandmamma's apartment to see how Tobias is doing. I shouldn't be too long."
    "Thanks Mika. I really don't know what to say."
    "Don't say anything. Just get some rest and we'll figure out everything later."
    Mika then goes back out the front door, leaving Fenrus and I to ourselves again. The generosity and kindness both Anna and Mika show me is completely unexpected and appreciated. I'm a complete stranger to them yet they've taken me in without any hesitation. The past few months have been pure hell for me. The kindness shown to me by Tobias and now his friends... I'm completely humbled.
    I wander into the spare bedroom and find it neatly organized. Along one wall is an open door. I walk over to it. Through the doorway I see a nice sized bathroom. The shower is a spacious walk through shower with full length glass doors and a multi-choice shower head. The slate tile backsplash gives the shower a very masculine look. I place my fresh set of clothes and towels Mika gave me on top of the toilet and begin removing my clothing. I leave them in a pile on the floor and turn the water on. After a couple adjustments the water becomes a comfortably heated temperature and I step in.
    "You wanna come in too Fenrus?"
    Fenrus woofs and steps in after me. I close the door and allow the hot water to cascade over me. Pure heaven. I wash myself, then Fenrus before returning under the water. The stress of the past few days falls off of me as easily as the dirt and grime. I can't remember the last time I've ever felt so pampered. It feels so nice that once I'm done rinsing I sit on the floor and let the water continue to work its magic over me. Fenrus sits next to me and does the same. I rest my head back against the tile and before I know it I feel myself nodding off.
    I imagine myself back in Malik's manor. Wandering down one of the upstairs corridors, I hear intense screaming coming from one of the rooms ahead. In front of me I eventually find a lit doorway. Inside I find Malik, Luke, Cole and Kevin sitting in a circle. Laying within the circle is Zack. He's completely nude and writhing in pain. To my surprise Malik is sitting in a wheelchair. He is obviously not in the best