Read Online Cold Moon Rising by Cathy Clamp - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cathy Clamp
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well, let’s just say the tornado will have been the least of this town’s worries.”
“But badgers aren’t carnivores, are they? Don’t they eat bugs and stuff? She wouldn’t chew up the residents even if she turned.”
His light snort made me wonder just what we’d be up against. “Oh, they’re carnivores all right. But lesser ones—rats, gophers, snakes . . . that sort of thing. She probably wouldn’t eat them. But chew them up? Uh, think of a Freddy movie, but with two knife hands, equally sharp teeth, and a worse disposition.”
That raised my brows, and made me feel for my Taurus in the holster on my hip. Maybe I should have made the loads a little hotter. They’re already above average, but I could go up a few grains and stay within extreme barrel limits.
I nodded and pointed out the window as buildings began to appear in the distance. “Looks like a town coming up ahead. Yeah, I think I remember you mentioning a badger back in Chicago. Some English guy who vowed never to set foot on U.S. soil because all Americans are traitors to the crown?”
It was Lucas’s turn to nod. “Nigel Sutton, tenth earl of Suttcliffe in his present incarnation. Kendall says the girl’s mother was his multi-great granddaughter. Except Nigel doesn’t know he has a granddaughter, and he was one of the ones who helped eliminate others of his kind when they went berserk. Said his people were too dangerous to live among humans . . . sort of like the were-spiders. But for the girl, it’s a black sheep issue, I think, so even if he doesn’t kill her outright, it’s not going to be easy to convince him to teach a ‘colonist’ the ropes.”
A red barn passed under us, but without grain silos. Then a pair of silos, but no barn. Then three silos and a white barn. And all appeared to have plenty of room to land a plane. “You sure about the directions? Lots of barns, lots of silos, but no matches so far and we’re just about out of town.” I could see now where the water tower had been, owing to the massive crane parked next to the remains of the supports. Okay, maybe it was a big deal that she killed the tower. There wasn’t a stream or lake to be seen for miles, and close to a dozen buildings were rubble. “You can force this earl to train her, though, right?”
The old white wolf chuckled and tilted the wings a bit to head toward a spot of red on the horizon. “I’d have about as much luck forcing your pack leader to tap dance in a tutu. It could be done, but it wouldn’t be pretty.”
Yeah, Nikoli might not be as powerful as some, but boy is he stubborn! “Ah, got it. And thar she blows.” I pointed out the window just as Lucas spotted the same thing—two silos and a red barn. Right next to the barn was an old bi-wing crop duster that had seen better days. But it was parked on a tidy, smooth runway that looked easier to land on than a country road. I’ve done that, and it’s not much fun. “There’s our target. We got some way to get from point A to point B, or is this the Kendall farm?”
He shook his head and lowered the flaps to slow down. “This is the Sampson farm. Fringe relatives to one of the Boulder pack members. The Kendalls live in town and Ralph Sampson is going to let us borrow a car for a few days . . . if it takes that long. I want to have a look at the site before I visit the family.”
Lucas landed the plane with nary a bounce of the wheels. I suppose if I’d had a hundred or so years to practice, I’d be pretty good too. “So what’s my purpose here? I can’t imagine you need an enforcer for one badger. Or am I the bad cop to your good cop?”
The whine of the prop spinning down was replaced by the sound of a tractor far out in the field. It was a good thing Lucas was damping the moon’s effects, because right now I’d be screaming if not for it. Ever filled up a water balloon until it was so heavy it could break with each new drop from the faucet? Now imagine
“But badgers aren’t carnivores, are they? Don’t they eat bugs and stuff? She wouldn’t chew up the residents even if she turned.”
His light snort made me wonder just what we’d be up against. “Oh, they’re carnivores all right. But lesser ones—rats, gophers, snakes . . . that sort of thing. She probably wouldn’t eat them. But chew them up? Uh, think of a Freddy movie, but with two knife hands, equally sharp teeth, and a worse disposition.”
That raised my brows, and made me feel for my Taurus in the holster on my hip. Maybe I should have made the loads a little hotter. They’re already above average, but I could go up a few grains and stay within extreme barrel limits.
I nodded and pointed out the window as buildings began to appear in the distance. “Looks like a town coming up ahead. Yeah, I think I remember you mentioning a badger back in Chicago. Some English guy who vowed never to set foot on U.S. soil because all Americans are traitors to the crown?”
It was Lucas’s turn to nod. “Nigel Sutton, tenth earl of Suttcliffe in his present incarnation. Kendall says the girl’s mother was his multi-great granddaughter. Except Nigel doesn’t know he has a granddaughter, and he was one of the ones who helped eliminate others of his kind when they went berserk. Said his people were too dangerous to live among humans . . . sort of like the were-spiders. But for the girl, it’s a black sheep issue, I think, so even if he doesn’t kill her outright, it’s not going to be easy to convince him to teach a ‘colonist’ the ropes.”
A red barn passed under us, but without grain silos. Then a pair of silos, but no barn. Then three silos and a white barn. And all appeared to have plenty of room to land a plane. “You sure about the directions? Lots of barns, lots of silos, but no matches so far and we’re just about out of town.” I could see now where the water tower had been, owing to the massive crane parked next to the remains of the supports. Okay, maybe it was a big deal that she killed the tower. There wasn’t a stream or lake to be seen for miles, and close to a dozen buildings were rubble. “You can force this earl to train her, though, right?”
The old white wolf chuckled and tilted the wings a bit to head toward a spot of red on the horizon. “I’d have about as much luck forcing your pack leader to tap dance in a tutu. It could be done, but it wouldn’t be pretty.”
Yeah, Nikoli might not be as powerful as some, but boy is he stubborn! “Ah, got it. And thar she blows.” I pointed out the window just as Lucas spotted the same thing—two silos and a red barn. Right next to the barn was an old bi-wing crop duster that had seen better days. But it was parked on a tidy, smooth runway that looked easier to land on than a country road. I’ve done that, and it’s not much fun. “There’s our target. We got some way to get from point A to point B, or is this the Kendall farm?”
He shook his head and lowered the flaps to slow down. “This is the Sampson farm. Fringe relatives to one of the Boulder pack members. The Kendalls live in town and Ralph Sampson is going to let us borrow a car for a few days . . . if it takes that long. I want to have a look at the site before I visit the family.”
Lucas landed the plane with nary a bounce of the wheels. I suppose if I’d had a hundred or so years to practice, I’d be pretty good too. “So what’s my purpose here? I can’t imagine you need an enforcer for one badger. Or am I the bad cop to your good cop?”
The whine of the prop spinning down was replaced by the sound of a tractor far out in the field. It was a good thing Lucas was damping the moon’s effects, because right now I’d be screaming if not for it. Ever filled up a water balloon until it was so heavy it could break with each new drop from the faucet? Now imagine
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