"Ashe, sunset is in half an hour," Winkler said. He'd pulled Ashe to a deserted part of the groves to talk. "Let's go get Hancock, your father and Nathan Anderson. I know you can carry them as mist without hurting them in sunlight. The Head of the Council has contacted another vampire who still lives in the area. He'll come as soon as he wakes and gets the message."
"What do you want me to do with Dad and the others?" Ashe had an idea, but he wanted to make sure.
"I'm coming with you, Ashe. I want you to carry Trajan, Ace, Marcus and the vampires, too. You'll have to send mindspeech when the sun goes down so they'll know what's happening. We'll hover over that camp. Shirley and her bunch will go in with boats north of the camp. I hope it'll send Zeke Tanner and his bunch in that direction. With the moon coming up too, all the wolves will be itchy. It'll be a real mess, Ashe. You've never seen a werewolf battle, and I wish you didn't have to see this one. But the vamps will be on our side, and that will make a big difference."
"But what do you want me to do after I drop you off?" Ashe asked.
"Get the kids, Ashe. We're asking you to be a grownup now. I know you pretty much are, but we're throwing things at you that shouldn't be thrown at anyone. Not without a lot of military training beforehand. Pull them into your mist and go straight to Star Cove. The Grand Master is sending as many of the San Antonio Pack as he can to help guard it, but the full moon may interfere with that. They're on their way and should arrive soon."
"But what about Dad and the others? How will you get back? Will there be enough boats?"
"Ashe, we'll work that out. You don't need to worry about it, all right?" Winkler squeezed Ashe's shoulder.
"All right. Should we go get Mr. Hancock now?"
"Yeah. Do whatever it was that you did before, Ashe. We may be short on time. Drop Hancock in your dad's bunker while we sort this out with your mom and the others left in Star Cove."
"Okay."
Winkler called Trajan, Ace and Marcus over; Ace was still wolf. "Ready?" Winkler nodded to all of them. They agreed. Ashe turned to mist and gathered them up. The hop to Winkler's beach house took little more than a blink. Ashe wanted to shout angrily at the devastation that met them as soon as they arrived atop the detached garage. The beach house had burned to the ground. A police cruiser was still parked out front, as was a fire truck.
Thankfully, Winkler had spoken to the local authorities—the apartment over the garage hadn't been touched. Ashe broke away from his thoughts and dropped through the roof after feeling Winkler's temporary anger and discomfort. Anthony Hancock lay quite still on a bed inside the larger of two bedrooms. Ashe gathered the sleeping vampire and hopped to Star Cove.
"My shields are holding—they suspect nothing," Sapphire reported to his oldest brother. They'd arrived shortly before sunset. The wolves wouldn't run until the moon was high overhead, but that time would arrive soon. Diamond wanted to stake out the camp and make sure they were prepared to take on the Destroyers and anyone else Baltis had thought to send.
"The boy we want is not among them," Ruby pointed out quietly. They were near enough to see and hear everything going on in the enemy camp.
"What?" Diamond whirled to stare at his brother. Ruby held the sharp hearing that a few of their race still had.
"I overheard them talking—they failed to take him on the first try, and the second try met with failure as well. Likely because only two Destroyers—the youngest—were sent after him. I imagine that he was well guarded by werewolves by that time. We can take them if we surprise them, but if they expect us, it is much more difficult," Ruby replied. "I think they will make a third attempt, once the werewolves turn to run."
"Where are they going? Did you hear that?" Diamond asked.
"Yes, brother. They figure he will be guarded inside his community home. That is where they plan to go. They have two fire blasters with them. Rend will take those two with him, leaving his brother to guard the young ones."
"That complicates things. Very much," Diamond grumbled. "We have no interest in the others. They are useless to us and the Queen will not allow them inside the camp. Besides, Rend is pushing it, relocating a third time today. He has to be using up his energy reserves."
"Perhaps one of the others can transport. Energy blasters are quite uncommon."
"True, but they may be nearing depletion as well. We are fresher. We will go in behind them, allow them to do most of our work for us and then take the boy—and them—while they are weak. This is becoming so much simpler than we thought," Diamond smiled.
"The Queen will be happy," Sapphire agreed.
"We'll take them with us," Winkler spared a few moments to explain to Adele Evans and Lavonna Anderson. "They can feed off the enemy," Winkler waved away Adele's concern.
"Then protect them while they do that, it takes a minute or two," Lavonna snapped.
"Mrs. Anderson, I know you are concerned about your daughter. Ashe will bring her and the others back here while the rest of us take on Tanner's wolves and those Elemaiya filth," Winkler growled. The full moon was beginning to affect everyone, Ashe knew. He heard it in Lavonna and Winkler's voices. Lavonna would have to turn, just as his mother and the other shifters would. Cori stood beside her mother, her face pale, her eyes focused on Ashe. Ashe reached out and gripped her hand.
"Ashe, let's go," Winkler commanded. Ashe dropped Cori's hand and became mist.
Somehow, Ashe knew the moment his father and the other vampires wakened inside his mist. Anthony Hancock, however, was the one with mindspeech. He cursed initially, before demanding answers. Zeke Tanner's werewolves and a few Elemaiya kidnapped Sali, Dori and the others from Shirley Walker's groves, Ashe explained as best he could. He didn't hold all the information, but he held enough. Winkler, Dad, Mr. Anderson, Marcus, Ace and Trajan are here with you. The others are coming by boat. I think Mr. Winkler plans to trap Tanner's wolves between both forces when they turn to run, Ashe added. He hovered briefly over the enemy camp—he could see Sali and the others, still sitting on the sand below. And then he gasped.
What is it, kid? Tony Hancock asked.
There's another camp with four more Elemaiya, and I think they're shielded from the others, Ashe moaned. They hadn't been there before. Where had they come from?
The other side, no doubt, Tony Hancock replied dryly. Kid, you're hotter than we thought. Why don't you drop us off farther north, beyond that big dune down there? Ashe turned slightly to glimpse the dune Tony Hancock meant. The tall mound was covered in grass and creepers. It might be home to a few snakes as well. Ashe pointed that out to Tony Hancock.