“Gahh,” Zoey said, breathing through her mouth as she made her way back to Dominic. where they lay sprawled on the ground. “That stench.”
Arturo started to say something and Dominic barked “Quiet!” That instantly drew snarls from Ottavio and Carlo.
“What is it?” Arturo demanded.
Dominic stood there, concentrating. “There’s a portal close by. I can feel it. Believe me, when you’ve been partway through a portal, you don’t forget how that feels.”
Arturo nodded. “I sense it too. Powerful pulses of magic. Definitely a lesser portal, but I can sense that chaos magic leaking through. There’s something strange about it, though. Lesser portals usually fade at a steady rate, they don’t pulse.”
“We need to go investigate,” Ottavio said suddenly. He turned and hurried through the woods, and Carlo followed behind him. That was odd, Zoey thought. He was actually leaving Arturo’s side? In the middle of a magical meltdown?
But Giuliana jumped up and followed him, and Dominic hesitated and then grabbed Zoey’s arm. They pushed through thick underbrush, made their way around a hillside – and there it was. It was a bizarre rip in reality, a big wavery hole about eight feet high and equally wide. It hurt to look directly at it, and the air in the clearing was wavery.
And standing there, pointing a long, slim wand at the portal, was Benedict. His hand shook. His face was pale and sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Close it!” Arturo shouted.
“Can’t you see I’m trying! I’m not strong enough on my own!” Benedict panted. His hair was plastered to his skull with sweat.
A strangled scream came from the woods off to their left. “Primo,” Arturo said aloud. “That’s his scent.”
Ottavio was behavingly oddly, Zoey thought. He had stepped close to Arturo, but he was putting Arturo in between him and the portal. It should be the other way around – he should be placing is body between Arturo and the portal. Arturo, distracted, took a couple of steps back – closer to the portal.
Dominic noticed at the same time. “Stop that!” he bellowed at Ottavio.
“Stop what?” Ottavio was all innocence.
“We need to go get help for Benedict,” Arturo growled. “A couple more mages will be able to help him close it.”
“No, we need to stay here. In case more ghouls come out,” Ottavio said.
Arturo looked at him strangely. “Since when do you argue with me?”
A strange question bubbled up inside Zoey’s head. It had been nagging at her subconscious for a while now, but all of a sudden it seemed extremely urgent. “Giuliana, how many times did you follow me and try to kidnap me?” she blurted.
“She did what now?” Dominic barked.
“You’re asking me this now?” Giuliana squinted at the portal, then looked at Zoey, blinking hard. “Twice. Why?”
“There were dozens of times something was blocking me, trying to get at me. For weeks. Ever since Dominic bit me. It was you, wasn’t it, Ottavio?” Zoey demanded. “You’re up to something.”
They were distracted for a minute when Luigi Bianchi came bursting through the bushes, grinning fiercely, covered with blood. “It’s done,” he said to Ottavio. “I killed them.”
Primo, and his loyal Capo Salvatore, Zoey guessed, her stomach clenching tight.
Quick as a flash, Ottavio jammed his pistol up against Giuliana’s head. Giuliana cried out with rage, clawing at Ottavio’s hands. Arturo let out an infuriated snarl.
“Careful,” Ottavio snapped. “A silver bullet through the skull and she’s beyond the help of any med-mage.”
Dominic moved protectively in front of Zoey, putting himself between her and Ottavio.
“Why?” Arturo demanded, his eyes glowing a deadly gold.
"Because you are weak," Ottavio said. "And so was Primo. You should have killed Primo and taken the east side for the pack a long time ago. And Primo should have been willing to do the same or die trying. No real Alpha lets another pack operate in their territory.”
Carlo looked hurt and baffled. “What are you doing?” he demanded of his brother. “Why are you hurting Guli?”
Ottavio ignored him, and looked at Arturo with hatred. "You should have killed Carlo when he failed the turn. He's an embarrassment. A weakness."
