Wen Spencer - Wolf Who Rules

Wolf was too angry to acknowledge the veiled insult of Earth Son's greeting. "Has the Stone Clan all run mad? We do not know the number of the oni forces, and the way between our worlds is not fully shut, and you're already asking for a clan war."

"Us?" Earth Son feigned confusion.

"I may be young, but I spent my doubles at court. I recognize power maneuvering when I see it."

"You are seeing things that are not there - like your so-called oni." Earth Son's First, Thorne Scratch, tried to silence her domou with a hand on his shoulder. Earth Son flicked the female sekasha's hand away. "I have been out for hours doing scrys." He waved toward the forest beyond the clearing. "And found nothing remotely resembling an oni. 'I can see the shadows of the oni on the wall,' is that not what you said at Court? Apparently that's all that you've seen - shadows! You're jumping at phantoms if you ask me."

Wolf didn't even bother with magic. He stepped forward and caught Earth Son by the throat. "Listen you little turd, my domi is under the Queen's Protection which means you are not to attack her. But if you can't get that through that rock skull of yours, then understand this - if she is hurt in any way-I will hunt you down and tear out your throat."

"You would not dare." Earth Son managed to whisper.

"I started with nothing here. I can do it again. If my domi is killed, I will let the crown strip me bare to have my revenge. Do not think our royal cousin will protect you either - after you shit all over the queen's commands, True Flame will not stop me."

"I can not be held accountable for what that the others-"

"You are clan head for this area and I will hold you responsible."

"Forest Moss is mad!"

"If you didn't want the disadvantages that the mad one brings with him, you shouldn't have chosen him."

"I didn't choose him."

Earth Stone's Hand looked relieved as the clearing filled with Wyverns.

"Wolf," True Flame followed on the wash of red. "Let him go."

Wolf released Earth Son, turning over this new piece of information. He knew that Earth Son did not have considerable standing in the Stone Clan, but he thought that Earth Son would have at least been party to picking out the clan domana that would be under him. Now that Wolf had talked with Forest Moss and Jewel Tears, learned their situations, their inclusion seemed less an personal attack on the Wind Clan, and more a statement of the Stone Clan's assessment of Pittsburgh. They had sent two of their most disposable domana. Or was the count three?

In the clans, birth did not guarantee rank. It was acknowledged, though, that children of the clan leaders learned much observing their parent. Genetically, too, the leaders were the best that the clans had to offer. True, barring accident or assassination, it was unlikely clan head would ever change - but as his mother's only child, Earth Son was a likely future leader. Then again, he had arrived with only one Hand. Was he escort for the other two, or fellow exile? If the later, what had Earth Son done to be sent to Pittsburgh?

"I did nearly a hundred scrys," Earth Son reported to True Flame while he rubbed his throat. "There's no oni here."

"The oni are savage but not stupid," Wolf snapped. "Acting quickly is not to their advantage. They are hiding themselves well and waiting for the best time to strike."

Earth Son scoffed at this. "If that was the case, they should have struck while you were here alone, with even your voice turned against you."

"They tried. They failed." Wolf did not mention how near the assassination had came to succeeding. The brutal attack killed one of his sekasha, damaged one of his hands, and stranded him deep in Pittsburgh's territory just as it returned to Earth. If not for Tinker, the plot would have succeeded. "If the Ghostlands can be used to their advantage, they will wait for reinforcements."

"Wolf is right," True Flame said. "That they managed to stay hidden for nearly thirty years shows that they have patience. No matter what happens, we need you to ferret them out."

Tinker sat high up on a towering cross, clinging to the cross-brace. Black was sitting at the very end of the cross-brace, sobbing quietly. The delicate-boned woman wore a puffy black mourning gown and a crown. Laying beside her was a long wand with a star attached to it. Her host of crows sailed over head, cawing "Lost, Lost!"

With a flurry of wings, Riki perched on the tip of the brace between Tinker and Black. He was wearing an odd red outfit. "There's no shame in being afraid of heights. Most people are."

"Oh, go away monkey boy." She snapped.

"I'm not a flying monkey," the tengu said. "I gave that up. You melted the witch, so I got out of my no-compete contract. I'm working strictly as a freelance crow. The health benefits suck, but I make my own hours."

Tinker pointed to the sobbing Black. "Why is she crying?"

"She gave her heart to the tin man but she lost him." Riki told her. "Not even the wizard can fix that."

"Hey!" On the ground, Esme gazed up at them, wearing blue checked overalls and red ruby boots. "You can't get down. You're not smart enough. You're head is full of straw."

"I'll figure a way down," Tinker shouted back.

"Falling will work," Riki said.

And Tinker was falling.

The dream seemed to hiccup and she was safe on the ground then. Esme had a wicker basket and a little black dog. Pony was there, his hair loose and curly as a mane, whiskers, cat-ears and tail to finish the cat-look. Oilcan too, looking like he was made out of metal.

"You have Black's heart?" Tinker asked Oilcan.

"I have no heart." He thumped on his chest and it echoed.

"That was a different tin man." Esme butted between the two of them. "We need to find the wizard! Only he can solve all our problems."

"I can take you to the wizard." Oilcan squeaked as he moved his arm to point down a yellow brick road that lead into a dark forest of black willows. "But we don't need to hurry, it's only six o'clock."

"We've murdered time," Esme took out a pocket watch. It seemed to be coated with butter. "It's always six o'clock - we have to run to stay in the same place."

"We will have to go through the trees." Pony's cattail danced nervously behind him.

"I don't know if that's smart," Tinker said.

"Of course you don't, you have straw for brains." Esme picked straw out of Tinker's head to prove her point. "Look! See!" She held out the straw of evidence. "We have to get to the wizard. He's the only one to give you brains so you can solve this problem."

"But the road ended with the tree." Tinker pointed out as they crept forward, clinging to one another.

"It's not the tree," Esme said. "It's the fruit."

The trees turned, their gnarled faces looking at them with wooden eyes. They were black willow trees but there were apples - red and tempting - in their branches.

"You need the fruit." Esme pushed her hard toward the trees.

The trees plucked the apples from their branches and flung them like hard rain at Tinker.

Tinker flailed her way out of her sheets to sit up in bed. It was very early morning by the pale light in the window - the birds hadn't yet started to stir. Windwolf was awake though, and dressing.

"I didn't mean to wake you." He came to kiss her. His shirt was still unbuttoned, and she burrowed into his warmth.

"I had another dream about the Black, Esme and the black willow."

"Esme?"

"I figured out who White was - she's Lain's sister."

"Ah, the one in white-you're dreaming that she's dreaming." He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hair.

"Hm? Oh, yes, the Escher thing." Gods, it felt so right to be held by him.