Page 67 of Scout’s Honor

“We should draw the Ingrav,” Dallas said. “If I can remember what it looks like.”

Bonhi shook her head, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. “I don’t know what that is.”

“It calls for help somehow.”

Outside, they heard angry voices and ran to the window to look out. A funky looking crowd was gathered at the edge of the meadow, and four more vampires appeared right in front of Bonhi’s eyes!

“Vampires,” Dallas said, wrinkling his nose like they stunk.

They were all dressed the same way, wearing jeans, work boots, and white t-shirts, their hair slicked back. They milled about, facing the cabin, not making a move toward it.

“Gross,” Bonhi said. “Why do they look like that?”

Dallas shook his head, his voice serious. “There’s a lot of them. We need reinforcements.”

The ground rolled under their feet and Bonhi held her hands out for balance. Dallas did the same. All around them, furniture appeared. Dallas was knocked to the side as a bed covered with pink pillows and blankets appeared where he’d been standing. The desk and wood cook stove appeared, and antlers popped into view on the wall.

“Whoa,” Dallas breathed.

“This is what it was like when I came before,” Bonhi said.

The cabin shook again and magenta light coalesced in the center. Bonhi ran to Dallas and took his hand. A wild-looking woman with black hair, wearing a leather tunic and bare feet appeared, glowing magenta.

“Warrior Woman,” Dallas breathed and Bonhi realized this was the woman she’d seen in the spray of light at Mama Soline’s. Now she looked real.

Warrior Woman stared at Dallas and held something out to him. He opened his palm and she dropped it.

“Thank you!” he called, deep appreciation in his voice.

He turned to Bonhi, saying, “Knife.”

And what a knife it was! Bonhi put her hand in her pocket and touched the lightning sand tube that Mama Soline had given her. Inside the clear handle of the knife was one just like it, only ten times bigger.

The knife called to Bonhi and she took it, wide-eyed. The grip was pleasing, buzzing in her palm gently.

“I made it for you,” Dallas said.

Bonhi shook her head. “When did you have the time? We’ve been together every minute since Mama Soline’s…”

He smiled. “I made it after I first saw you at the courthouse.”

She smiled back, gripping her knife and taking his hand. “I remember that.”

Dallas turned to Warrior Woman. She appraised him, hands crossed in front of her belly. The magenta glow had faded.

“Thank you,” Dallas said again, seeming to search for words. “Did you get this from the magic house?”

Warrior Woman made no response, but Dallas stiffened and looked past her. Bonhi stepped to the side to see what he was looking at.

On the back of the door was the weapon wreath, and right in the center dangled the bottle.

Dallas crossed the room in a few large strides and grabbed the bottle. “This is it,” he said. “We got it. As long as this stays out of vampire hands, we’ll be able to keep the upper hand in the war.”

“War?” Bonhi asked, her stomach falling.

“War,” Dallas confirmed, his voice grave.

Warrior Woman drew a large pink circle in the air with four slashes across it. It faded, and in the middle a scene right out of a movie appeared: four people standing around a television set in a large, grand room, like a fancy hotel lobby. Bonhi saw Cora, Jameson, and a man and woman she didn’t know. They all stood transfixed by the images on the television, which Bonhi watched like picture in picture.