Beyond the Dawn (Life and Death, Book II)

19. SHOWDOWN

PART THREE

BEAU

Life and Death have been in love

for longer than we have words to describe.

Life sends countless gifts to Death,

and Death keeps them forever.

The icy wind shook the tent again as the storm picked up. I could tell the temperature was plummeting as the weather raged on through the night. Luca was sound asleep, fully dressed, wrapped like a burrito in a sleeping bag. Even as the cold continued to plunge further, he never seemed to notice it. I kept worrying that he was going to freeze to death out here, and he probably would have if he weren't so abnormally warm. But I could feel the heat radiating off his body; it never seemed to drop.

The blizzard howled loudly now as it attacked the tent. Sarah Clearwater was outside in the cold, but Edythe assured me over and over she wasn't bothered by it either. The wolves were covered in thick fur that worked better against the cold than any parka.

When day broke, there was a lot less snow than I was anticipating. I bet it had mostly blown away in the wind, never getting a chance to stick very well. It was odd how dead calm the air was now as the sun climbed higher.

Sarah was still curled up in the snow, her head resting on her paws. Her sand-colored fur almost matched the dead pine needles all around her.

Soon, dozens of bloodthirsty newborns would be tearing into the baseball clearing miles below us at the base of the mountain, and here I was, doing absolutely nothing to help.

I started walking toward the trees absentmindedly, and the sun reflected off my skin in glittering rainbows that danced on the snow ahead of me. Edythe didn't reach out to stop me until was several paces into the shadows of the forest.

"You can't go down there, Beau. I don't want you involved in hand-to-hand combat situation until you're more experienced. Besides, it's almost time. It would probably be over by the time you got there," Edythe said.

Before I could answer, Sarah whined and got to her feet. Her nose pointed to our west, and she began to whimper.

"What is it? Is it the others, Sarah?" I demanded. "Are the newborns in the clearing?"

Edythe sighed. "It's going to be fine, Beau. We've got skill, training, and surprise on our side. It will be so easy. If I didn't believe that myself, we would be down there now—and Luca would be hidden away in La Push somewhere."

"I just can't help but think this is because of me... and I'm stuck here doing nothing to help," I thought out loud.

She chuckled. "It isn't your fault our enemies are so stupidly vindictive. Besides, no one is going to be hurt. We have nine giant wolves. No one could touch Archie if they wanted to. Jessamine has decades of battle time. Carine and Earnest have a lifetime of experience. And Eleanor and Royal are so intimidating, the newborns will probably run screaming."

Sarah yelped softly once, and then her ears laid back as she whined again.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" I asked.

"She's just angry that she's stuck here with us," Edythe said with a laugh.

"Do you hear the newborns yet?"

Edythe shook her head. "I don't, but the rest of the pack can. That's what Sarah noticed. The newborns have apparently reached the end of that trail. It worked like a charm. Jess is a genius, and they've caught the scent of the others waiting in the clearing, so they're splitting up now. Just like Archie said."