Guardian Hound (11 page)

Who was she? What was she?

And did Rudi have an ally?

# # #

“Lady Metzler will see you now,” the prim young man announced as Rudi walked back toward the reception desk.

The Asian woman was nowhere to be seen, but Rudi had enough of her scent to know she'd gone into one of the meeting rooms on the right, reserved for court ministers and visiting dignitaries.

The young man led Rudi through unknown parts of the castle, but he recognized the last hallway they entered, with the same worn rugs, old paintings, and closed-in feeling. They were going to Lady Metzler's rooms. He could smell the lavender and the chemicals used to clean the wood and the carpets here.

Relief cascaded over Rudi. If the lady had been really sick, wouldn't she be in the infirmary, and not in her own bed?

The receptionist opened the door and Rudi's sense of well-being flew away as the stench of shadows rolled out, mingled with old urine, musty books, and bitter magic.

Without another word, Rudi pushed into the room.

Lady Metzler sat up on her tiny bed, supported by pillows, the huge shelves of books that filled the room and blocked off the rest of it towering over her. Her gray curls flailed out from her head, and her amber-colored, normally clear eyes were dark and hazed. She wore a clean white nightshirt, but it was obvious she hadn't been dressed all day.

She wasn't sick with something easy to cure, like the flu.

“You have come,” Lady Metzler hissed. “Why have you come?” Her voice sounded querulous and old, her former strength gone.

Rudi's heart fell to his shoes. His former mentor was no longer there; just her shell remained.

“To see you,” Rudi said gently, walking further into the room. He glanced up. He couldn't see the shadows lingering in the tall corners, though he was certain they were there.

Along with more than one camera, which was easily justified by a sick woman who probably pushed away all company.

Rudi cursed himself, wishing he'd come more prepared to evade any electronic eavesdropping.

“Yes, yes,” Lady Metzler said, nodding. “I've changed.” She leaned forward, whispering, “It's those damn shadows. They won't leave me alone, won't leave my thoughts to myself. Yes.” She reached out and grabbed Rudi's arm with surprising strength. “They're everywhere, you know. Filthy shadows. Trying to reach my boy.”

“Your boy?” Rudi asked, confused. They'd already reached Lukas.

“The king. But I won't help them. They try to trick me, like they tricked me before. I've helped them too much, in the past. I only did it because I had to. I thought it would keep him safe.”

“Keep who safe?” Rudi knew it was dangerous to ask. However, he had to know. Had Lady Metzler been the one to curse the prince? If so, did she still have the mental capacity to reverse it? He'd promised the prince. Was he destined to be such a poor guardian?

“Gone, now. Gone, gone,” Lady Metzler sang out. “The shadows can't find him, can't take him, now. He's gone, gone, gone.”

“What if he came back?” Rudi asked.

“No, no, not until he's cured. Cursed and cured, cursed and cured.”

Rudi didn't want to give whoever was watching any more information. “Who is cursed, my lady? Who needs to be cured? I don't understand who you're talking about.”

“So good, you are,” Lady Metzler said, smiling at him. “To come and see your old pen pal. My dreams were right, at least about you. I need an old friend like you, now.”

“And I am here, my lady,” Rudi said gallantly while he thought furiously. Could he maybe take her out for a walk, in the garden, so they could talk more freely? Or should he build something tonight, some sort of jammer, and come back tomorrow?

However, this wasn't an American adventure movie: He didn't have the tools he needed, he didn't know where to get the parts immediately, not in Germany, and he also had no idea what frequency would work or if there were additional devices that he couldn't detect through the stench of sickness and shadow.

“Would you like—” Rudi started, when the door opened.

The prim receptionist was back, and the tiny Asian woman stood beside him.

“Lady—” the young man said.

“Please, bring her in,” Rudi said, giving the man one of his more charming smiles.

The Asian woman walked calmly into the room, as if the looming bookcases and rolling miasma of illness were nothing new. “I am Mei Ling Wang,” she said with a bow of her head. “I wanted to see you again before I go.”

Rudi introduced himself and Lady Metzler.

Mei Ling stared at the lady, then glanced around the rest of the room. Though she didn't show her displeasure, Rudi felt it rolling off her in waves.

“The hound clan ministers claim there are no shadows, that they are just the imaginations of a disturbed mind. Your mind,” she said coolly.

“My son, the king, he can't see the shadows, so they must not exist, no?” Lady Metzler replied.

Rudi stood up straighter, recognizing the sly voice. Lady Metzler, the supreme puppet master, seemed to be returning.

“And what about you?” Mei Ling said, turning to Rudi.

“I've dreamed about them,” Rudi said. “Attacking a boy.” That was the closest he could get, in that room, to telling the truth.

“A boy. A prince? The hound prince?” Mei Ling asked, turning back to Lady Metzler.

“I sent my grandson away, ten years ago,” Lady Metzler said sadly. “At first, I knew he was safe. But now he's hidden from me. My magic can't find him, though I've tried and tried over the years.”

Rudi had wondered why the hounds hadn't pursued him more closely. He'd known the lady had thrown them off the track. But that meant they didn't know where Lukas was, that he was safe.

They'd kill Rudi if they ever found out he'd taken the boy.

“I've been told he can stop the shadows,” Mei Ling said.

“I don't know where he is,” Lady Metzler said, her eyes clearing. “If I did, I would bring you to him.”

Lady Metzler didn't flick her eyes over to Rudi, or squeeze his arm suddenly, or give any sort of signal of the importance of what she'd just said.

Rudi knew an order when he heard it, though.

Seattle, Present Day

Lukas

Lukas waited impatiently for someone, anyone, to come back and tell him what had happened.

If the apartment had felt too small before, now Lukas paced from room to room as if it were a cage: kitchen, dining room—looping around the table in the center—to the TV cabinet in the living room, then the couch, into and out of the bedroom, to the front door, then back to the kitchen again. His nails clicked on the hardwood floors. He would bend down to sniff the air under the door leading to the hall, just for some sort of distraction.

Every time Lukas heard someone out in the hallway, he raced to the door to wait, disappointed when they didn't smell familiar and didn't stop.

Finally, he heard a key in the lock and smelled Sally and Peter outside.

“Hi,” Sally said, seeing Lukas when she opened the door. She stood awkwardly in the vestibule, Peter crowding in behind her.

“Hey,” Peter said. He glanced at Sally, then transformed slightly, his eyes going raven-dark.

The hackles stood up on Lukas' neck.

They knew. They both knew that he was more than just an odd dog.

Of course they knew. Rudi's scent still lingered, subtly, on Peter, though it was several days old.

Lukas peered curiously at the birdman. What did he see? Could he, a raven, see anything? Or did the old curse still work?

“Rudi said your name was Lukas,” Sally said quietly.

Lukas shook his head sharply.

“No,” Peter squawked, his voice mixed and harsh. “That's his human name. Not his hound soul.”

Lukas gave a yip. Exactly right. He walked closer to Peter, stood up on his hind legs, and rested one paw on Peter's knee. What did he see?

“You just look like a dog,” Peter told him. “I can't see anything special or different about you.”

Lukas nodded. Good. It was one of the things that had kept him hidden all these years: That to humans, as well as other clans, he appeared to be just a simple animal. The hound clan knew the scent of this shape, but they'd never found him. Other dogs knew the difference, but they were the only ones.

Were ravens the same? Did other birds sense the difference?

“I don't know what to call you,” Sally said, breaking in, her voice sounding strained. “And I don't know what to do with you.”

Lukas didn't know what he could do to comfort Sally. He walked over to her and butted his head against her calves, then sat back and looked up at her.

“I know you're more than just a dog,” Sally said quietly. “I hope I get to meet your human soul, someday.”

Lukas nodded. He hoped that time would come soon.

“There isn't anything we can do for now,” Peter said, softly. “Rudi's gone off to your court, and we're all waiting to hear from him.” Then he smiled. “Want to hear about the challenge and Ravens' Hall?”

Lukas nodded and led the way into the living room. He sat down, then lay down, his head on his paws.

Listening to stories was as good a way to wait as his constant pacing.

Because that's what Lukas still had to do: Wait, like he'd always waited.

# # #

The next afternoon, Lukas was at the door an instant before someone knocked.

It was Rudi, and something—no, someone else.

Sally opened the door. Lukas barged past Rudi to see who traveled with him.

It was a small Asian woman, who smelled of silk and scales—the scales of the knight Lukas had dreamed of, that Sally and Peter were also a part of. Those scales made the knight's armor solid and strong.

He gave a delighted yip, sitting up on his hind legs so maybe she would offer her hand to him and he could better take in her scent.

The Asian woman raised a single eyebrow. “This? This is the hound prince?”

She sounded so disappointed. Lukas whined, dropping down to all fours, his ears and tail drooping.

No, he could show her. He gave another bark, turned, and walked back into the apartment.

“That's just his disguise,” Rudi explained as he followed, closing the door. “It isn't his true form. I think it's part of what's kept him safe.”

Lukas nodded.
Yes.

But he was safe here, with these people. The heart and the feathers and the scales. Safe enough for a while.

Lukas turned in the middle of the living room and faced them. He gave a great shake, then Hamlin came forth.

Hamlin slowed down the process this time, enough so Lukas was aware of how he grew.

And grew.

Finally, Hamlin reached his full height. His head was easily level with Rudi's chest, lower than that with Peter, and he could almost look the Asian woman in the eye.

“This is the prince?” the woman asked, less disappointed now.

Lukas stood tall and proud.

“His true hound soul, yes,” Rudi said.

“I am Mei Ling Wang,” the Asian woman finally introduced herself.

“He's been cursed,” Rudi said softly. “When he tries to take human form—shadows attack.”

“Shadows?” Sally asked sharply. “Like that shadow creature who tried to attack me?” she said, addressing Lukas.

He nodded. Not exactly the same, but yes, that thing had been tainted with shadows.

“I went to Germany, to the hound court, to try to get the curse reversed.” Rudi turned and stared at Lukas. “I'm sorry, Prince. I failed.”

Lukas tried to hold himself absolutely still, not to let his ears droop or his tail fall. He didn't want anyone to know how disappointed he was. He'd thought it was time. That Oma would finally remove her spell, and let him be human again.

“Lady Metzler, his grandmother, couldn't help,” Rudi explained.

Why couldn't she help? How much longer did Lukas have to wait?

“She's infected. With shadows,” Mei Ling said, disgusted.

A sharp ridge of fear ran down the line of his back and his hackles rose. Oma was lost to the shadows? Was he stuck in hound form forever?

How long had she been infected with the shadows? Was that why she'd cursed him with them, so long ago?

“It is a curse? Some spell? That holds you?” Mei Ling asked.

Rudi said, “Yes,” while Lukas nodded.

“I know someone.
Here.
Who may help,” Mei Ling said, considering.

Lukas walked up to her, hopeful. Maybe this was why he'd dreamed of her, so long ago. Maybe not only was she part of the knight, but part of the cure.

“If I help you with this, you will help me with the shadows, yes?” Mei Ling bargained.

Lukas nodded without hesitation.

“Prince—” Rudi started, then sighed.

“Good,” Mei Ling said, satisfied. “We go see him now.” She looked critically at Lukas, then waved her hand and said, “Smaller, please.”

Lukas looked from Mei Ling to Rudi, who merely shrugged and said, “You'll never fit in my car like this.”

In the blink of an eye, Lukas transformed back down into a Scottish terrier.

Peter gave a cawing laugh. “I don't think I've ever seen anyone transform that fast.”

“Me neither,” Rudi said thoughtfully.

Was that something else Lukas should have kept secret? Oma had never said anything. Did he need to hide this ability? There was no longer anyone to ask, not if Oma had been taken by the shadows.

Maybe he could free her, though he'd never been able to save anyone in his dreams.

Resolutely, Lukas walked to the door, then looked back at everyone still just standing there. He gave an impatient bark.

“Yes, Prince, coming,” Rudi said with a grin. “Let's see if we can make you whole.”

# # #

Peter and Sally stayed behind—Peter didn't want to risk Sally, if there would be any danger. Lukas didn't blame him. He didn't want any risk coming to Sally—or Peter, or Mei Ling, for that matter. They were in enough danger from the shadows already.

Rudi drove his little electric sedan, with Mei Ling in the passenger seat and Lukas delegated to the backseat. He tried not to resent it—Mei Ling had to give Rudi directions, but she didn't know exactly where she was going. She kept making Rudi stop so she could roll down the window and smell the air.

Lukas tried to follow the scent Mei Ling did, teasing apart all the smells of the International District: overly sweet incense, deep-fried pork, roasted barley tea, cheap plastic goods, and expensive silks.

Finally, Lukas caught a trace of the bitter chemical scent he associated with Oma and her magic. He gave a quiet yip when he scented it a second time.

Mei Ling turned in her seat and smiled at him. “Yes, that scent. You have a good nose. Better than mine, I think.”

Of course he did. He was from the hound clan.

Mei Ling's smile increased. “But my teeth are sharper.”

Lukas cocked his head to the side. He'd been thinking Mei Ling was from the viper clan. But no, she was from the crocodile clan. He nodded, slowly. Yes, her teeth were very sharp and strong. He could see that now. A shadowy twin imposed itself on her form for a moment, with golden eyes, a long snout, sharp claws, and wicked teeth. She was a fierce warrior, indeed.

Rudi had the scent now as well, and found a place to park in a nearby lot. Mei Ling led the way down the cracked sidewalk to a small side street. They passed a market with ducks hanging in the window, spiced red and smelling smoked; then past a merchant selling dusty tea that made Lukas wrinkle his nose; then finally to a “massage” studio, the smell of semen and baby oil wafting from the open door along with soft Asian
Muzak
.

Rudi didn't say anything, but Lukas knew he didn't approve.

Mei Ling looked at Rudi curiously as they passed through a side door. “You feel nothing?” she asked.

Rudi shook his head, then gave her a wolfish grin. “Not my style.”

“Curious,” she replied. She led them down a service hall and past the business doors to a narrow, dark staircase in the back. A rope hung across it, with a sign: “No entrance.”

Mei Ling ignored it and they climbed to the top, third story. The walls up here were painted gray, dingy with age. The floor was wood that would have been pretty if it had been restored; now, however, it was streaked with gouges and stinky black stains, and was sticky along the edges.

The smell of age and decay overlay everything. However, underneath it all, Lukas tracked that thread of magic.

They stopped at a door didn't look like a door: It looked like a large, eight-sided wood carving, covered in black painted characters. A black mirror that didn't reflect anything bulged in the center.

“What is that?” Rudi asked, pointing to it.

“Nothing. Just a test.” Mei Ling looked from Rudi to Lukas. “I guess you're not demons,” she said with a small smile.

Demons? Really? The hound clan had no tales of hunting demons. Lukas would have to remember to ask later.

Mei Ling pulled open the door, struggling with its weight. The tiny room she led them into had wood cabinets with clear glass doors crowding against every wall from floor to ceiling. A small red couch that stank of sweat crouched in the center of the room.

A large man, bald, with bulbous eyes, a fat nose, and ears that stuck out like the handles on a jar, sat in the corner behind a tiny desk, more like a black, skinny table. He wore a stained white robe and smelled like cheap wine.

But his eyes were sharp, and he greeted Mei Ling by name.

They spoke rapid-fire in some language—Mandarin? Cantonese?

Lukas didn't try to follow. Instead, he looked around the room. Glass jars filled with herbs and Asian medicine, pungent and dried, filled all the shelves.

The smell of magic came from the ceiling, above the couch. A round, golden lamp hung there. Lukas couldn't see anything about it, but it smelled…different. Was it enchanted, somehow?

“No,” Mei Ling said firmly. “You may not.” She turned to Rudi and asked, “Your teeth will not grow back, correct?”

“They won't,” Rudi confirmed. “Why?”

“Albert wants one from one of the hound clan for payment,” she replied.

“What about a nail?” Albert asked, addressing them with a startling pure British accent. “Nails grow back, don't they?”

“You're not pulling a nail,” Mei Ling growled. “Clipping only. You just want some blood.”

Albert shrugged. “Didn't hurt to ask.”

“Why do you want it?” Rudi asked.

“Albert wants one of my scales for his concoctions,” Mei Ling replied for him. “Which I will pay. But if you ever consider using it in a spell against me, I will hunt you down and eat you.”

Lukas knew she wasn't kidding.

“I'd never turn against you, madam,” Albert assured her.

“You lie,” Mei Ling said with the sweetest smile. “You'd sell your mother if you saw enough profit. But I can track you, anywhere you go. And I will.”

“Understood,” Albert said.

Mei Ling turned to look at Lukas. “And a clipping of your nails.”

“He can have mine,” Rudi said, stepping forward.

Lukas shook his head. There was no need for Rudi to try to protect him like that.

“He's the one who's cursed,” Albert pointed out.

“You're going to use these in other potions or spells, right?” Rudi guessed.

Albert nodded cautiously.

“Like with her, I'll come after you if you try to use it against me. And I'll bring a pack,” Rudi added with a wolfish grin. “But you should use mine, not his. Mine may be more interesting to you.”

“Really? Why?” Albert asked, obviously intrigued.

Lukas was also curious. Rudi was just…Rudi. What did he have that was special about him?

Rudi took a breath, paused, then pushed forward. “I'm bad with magic. Very bad. So bad that often simple spells don't work on me.”

“Ah, that's why the charms downstairs didn't make you uncomfortable,” Mei Ling said.