Scarlet Forest Page 7

  “You told me my mother listened to you when you warned her of Aelfric’s plans to open the Supernatural Prison gate. You even mentioned that she believed you when you said all magic in our world would cease to exist. How did you know about Aelfric? Can we destroy the gate? Are you sure we won’t have any more magic? Did my mother ever say anything about a weapon?” Her thin eyebrows touched her hairline. “Or being the Creator’s Champion?”

  “Those are a lot of questions.” She took a bite of her own cookie and smirked when Linc reached for one. “When I worked as the Human Ambassador, I was privy to confidential information and was sworn to secrecy on the pain of death. What you’re asking of me could get me killed.” She pointed at my violet eyes. “Those are new.”

  “I’m sorry, Julia. I don’t mean to endanger you. I have nowhere to turn.” I launched into what we’d suffered since we spoke about Ciro Weathers and Jessie’s mother. Once I finished, she gazed out the window and sighed.

  “You’re just like her, you know. The same need to save everyone around you with no regard for yourself. It’s what made her so lovable and a dear friend.” Julia placed her empty glass on the white ceramic counter and motioned for us to join her at the four-person dinette set. “I’ll help you. Your mother believed in me, so I’ll show you the same courtesy.”

  I pulled out a wooden chair and waited for her to continue.

  “During my time with the Council, Aerolynn was given an anonymous tip years before Aelfric gathered more members of his little club. She was warned about what he was planning, and I overheard private conversations on the matter. No one believed it. Aelfric had already been stopped and the prison gate was sealed with the Order in place.” Her voice lowered. “No one thought a hybrid would exist, but then love found a way. Your mother and father were already hiding among the Dire Wolf pack when the message reached Aerolynn. She brushed it aside because she didn’t think you or your mother would survive childbirth. You’re an abomination in their eyes, Kitra. If you didn’t die, the consequences for the Order were to be dealt with swiftly, sealing your fate.”

  “That’s how you warned her about Aelfric.” I rubbed my palms against my jean covered thighs. “What about the rest?”

  “The magic?” She nodded. “Your mother told me the Creator chose her to bring about the weapon to battle evil in the Supernatural world.” Julia held up a hand when I tried to interrupt. “I know you found her journals, but I don’t think the weapon is something physical you will weld. Don’t ask me what it is because I don’t know. I just have a feeling you need to look at this differently. I feel like it will end all magic everywhere.” She paused and let the words soak into my brain.

  “End magic everywhere?” My wolf whimpered, and I hurried to reassure her I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

  “I may be wrong, but I think this weapon will put us all on a level playing field in the future.” I held her gaze until she glanced at her lap.

  “Is that all you know?” Austin’s voice shook.

  “No.”

  “What else aren’t you telling us?” Linc leaned towards her.

  “The gate can be destroyed.” I sucked in a deep breath with her admission. “Meghan was taken before we could do it.”

  “How?” Linc’s palms fisted under the table.

  “It’s an ancient ritual. Meghan and I came across it when she was hiding.” She dusted flour from her apron. “Don’t look at me like that. We never got to try it, so I don’t know if it will even work. We thought it was a long shot then. I still think so, but I’m willing to try.”

  “Then, what do we do?” Austin’s fist thumped against the tabletop and a growl rose from Phobos. “If we destroy the gate, Aelfric doesn’t have a chance to release the prisoners. Or would that release them?”

  “No, it wouldn’t.” She rose from her seat. “The gate is only an entrance. It isn’t what keeps them locked away.” She walked to the counter and pulled a pen and a small notebook from the drawer. “We’re going to need a few things.”

  She passed me the list.

  Hybrid

  Human

  Spell Dancer

  Lapis Lazuli protected in the Council’s crypt.

  “Lapis Lazuli?” My brows drew together. “What’s that?”

  “A crystal. This particular piece is rumored to be a gift from the Creator to the Dire Wolves. It supposedly has magical abilities for protection, shielding, and nullification. The ritual says it will reverse the gate’s capability to open and shroud the entrance forever as long as the entire gate is destroyed when the ritual is performed. If any piece is left, the gate can open again with the right spell.”

  “Okay. We have a hybrid.” I folded the list and slipped it into my pocket.

  “And a human.” Julia held out her hand to shake mine. “I want to end the man who ended Meghan.” She pumped my hand twice. “I’ll need to get a few things and then I’ll join you at the ranch.”

  We stood at her dismissal and went back to the car. Two things down, but the others on the list were going to be harder to acquire. I hoped the next part of my plan worked as well as this had.

  Chapter 10

  Kitra

  W HEN WE RETURNED TO Moon Stone Ranch, a familiar face greeted us. Elder Dylan seemed out of place in his black suit as he leaned against a railing on the western-themed front porch. He waved as we parked, and his muted green eyes lit up when I raced towards him. Gray mixed in with his now longer curly brown locks and they bounced when I threw my arms around him. I bear-hugged him until he coughed. I’d missed him. He’d become another father figure to me, and I was ecstatic to have him back.

  “Remember, I’m an old man.” I lifted a brow because he only appeared slightly older than my uncle. Elder Dylan chuckled and kissed my forehead. “It’s good to see you too, but I’m out here to give you fair warning.” He never got to finish what he was saying.

  “Kitra!” Uncle Kalen’s anger shook the walls of the main house and I winced and ducked my head once I noticed our gathering audience. “All of you get in here now!”

  Several adults in the yard smirked while others shook their heads, and my cheeks heated. I may be their Luna, but I was still a seventeen-year-old with parental guardians. I ran up the steps with my tail tucked between my legs as the others followed close behind. I entered the front door with my head hung low, waiting for the verbal lashing and noticed the rest of my friends as sulking behind my uncle.

  “What do you have to say for yourself?” A vein bulged on his forehead and I knew he was a few seconds from sentencing me to a fate worse than death.

  “I take full blame for our actions today. I used my position as Luna to leave pack lands and visited Julia Hughes. The others aren’t at fault.”

  “Aren’t at fault?” Lilly stepped next to him and Sable moved to the other side of her. “Did you hold a gun to their heads to get them to take part?”

  I glanced up and saw the unshed tears in Gwen’s eyes. “N… No.” I gulped as wetness stung my own eyes. “I wanted to get information from Julia without too many people knowing what we were doing. I knew if you all found out, you’d try to stop us.” My chin touched my chest again.

  “That’s exactly right!” Spittle flew from Uncle Kalen’s mouth. “You would’ve been locked in your room with the keys thrown away. Each of you.” Fire blazed behind his gaze as he captured our fallen faces. “You all don’t know how stupid your actions were today.”

  “We know how to destroy the gate.” Austin’s voice wavered, and he slipped back behind me when Uncle Kalen roared.

  “You could have been killed!” Uncle Kalen’s chest heaved, and he walked forward. He’d never hit me, but I took a step back when he approached me. The heat in his gaze dimmed as he cupped my face. “I can’t lose you, Kit Kat.” He pulled me to his chest and spoke over my head. “I can’t lose any of you.” Uncle Kalen stepped back and hugged Linc and Austin. “Everyone in this room besides Lilly and Gwen has lost family membe
rs to this war and some of you still have some remaining family left in this room.” He moved to embrace my other Guardians and friends. “What you haven’t thought about is how much you’ve gained.” He motioned to each person. “We’re family and when you put yourself in jeopardy, it affects all of us.”

  All of us muttered apologies, but I waited for the ax to fall. Uncle Kalen excelled in handing out punishment when you broke his rules, and I knew this time wouldn’t be any different.

  “Lilly, Sable, and I agree with your punishment.” Sable passed Uncle Kalen a white wicker basket as he spoke. “Cell phones inside. They’re gone until I say otherwise.”

  “Oh, come on!” Allie stomped her foot and her hands landed on her hips.

  “Do you want to lose it until you're legally an adult on Earth?” Uncle Kalen held the basket out to her after the rest of us placed our phones in it without argument. “Allie, if you want to be treated like an adult, you first need to learn to act like one.”

  “Sorry,” she mumbled and dropped her phone into the basket.

  “Now, for the rest of your punishment.” Allie clamped her lips together and glared at my uncle. I thought better than to smirk at her as he continued. “You will be helping in the kitchen and doing the daily laundry until I say otherwise.”

  Zander’s mouth unhinged as he glanced at his aunt. Curtis groaned and muttered a “yes sir” before he scrubbed a hand over his face. The rest of us glanced at the floor until Lilly cleared her throat.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Kalen.” She turned to Austin. “But did I hear you right when you said you learned how to destroy the gate?”

  We launched into our visit with Julia and I passed the list she made to Uncle Kalen. Elder Dylan came through the door and the note was passed to him. Everyone had just gotten a look at it when lunch was announced. My stomach growled and Sable ushered us out the back door. The large deck filled quickly as plates were filled and conversations began around us. I picked up a few comments made about our punishment amongst the chatter, but mostly everyone discussed what they thought about the plan I had to defeat Aelfric and rescue Caden.

  After my fourth barbequed rib, I pushed my plate away. Soon after, Uncle Kalen made us clear the trash and clean the deck before he marched us to the kitchens. He left us in front of a mountain of dishes and told us to get to work. Phobos morphed into his tall shadow and filled one of the many industrial sinks as the others scraped food from plates. I was elbow deep in suds when Allie started complaining. I thought she’d be used to his manual labor punishment by now. She had suffered through it once before, but she was infuriated over losing her cell phone. She swore her life was ending if she couldn’t stay updated on the latest celebrity gossip or fashion. However, I believed her grumpy mood came from not using a certain app. I had caught her videoing herself while she did a choreographed dance for an online challenge and knew she wanted to check what her followers thought of it.

  We quickly finished in the kitchen and worked on laundry for another hour in the room next door. It was set up like those laundry-mats on TV shows and I was thankful the task went as fast as it did. Once we had everything folded and stacked, we searched for my uncle and the others. He and Elder Dylan met us in front of the office and motioned for us to join them. I took my place behind the desk and the others found seats on the small couch and chairs on the other side of the desk. Linc, Zander, and Curtis leaned against the wall as Phobos settled next to my feet.

  “So, what’s with the creature from Faerie?” Elder Dylan peeked under the desk and I heard Phobos grunt.

  Each of us took turns discussing our adventure in Faerie. When it was my turn, I told Elder Dylan about the shadow creature that protected us throughout our journey, and then I showed him the purple crescent moon I shared with Phobos.

  “How’s Layla?” Elder Dylan shifted in his seat and picked at his fingernails.

  “She lost the baby.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and water filled my eyes. Layla had made many mistakes and Aelfric used her to create his own hybrid, but she didn’t deserve this. My heart ached for her loss.

  “Aelfric did something to her.” I stared at Elder Dylan. “Her mind is gone. Most days she babbles or stares out the window in her room. Amara has become protective over her and won’t let many of her vampires near her. I see you’re missing your other suitor.”

  “Ryn revealed our rescue plan to Aelfric.” My fingernails created half-moons in my palms. “I ordered him to go back to Faerie. If he can’t follow my orders as Luna of this pack and Princess of the Seelie Court, he doesn’t need to be here.”

  Elder Dylan stared into space for a moment. “Ryn is part of the Creator’s plan as well, Kitra. Otherwise, you wouldn’t wear his mark.” I opened my mouth, but he continued. “I’m not trying to change your mind. Ryn has to learn from this, but so do you. Life is hard and heartbreaking sometimes, but it doesn’t mean we can’t pick ourselves up and dust off our errors. If we don’t learn from them, we can’t change in the future.” Elder Dylan clasped and patted my hands. “Ryn may surprise you yet. You might even surprise yourself.”

  We spoke for a while longer and then the conversation turned in another direction.

  “Have you figured out any more on the subject we spoke about before I left?” Elder Dylan leaned forward and peeped at Uncle Kalen from the corner of his eyes.

  “Don’t worry. They know I’m the Creator’s Champion. He made it sort of hard to keep it secret.” Elder Dylan sat back with his face slack. “Julia said my mother thought the Creator chose her to obtain the weapon we would use to defeat Aelfric.” He sat up straighter. “She also thinks it's not something physical, but she wasn’t sure. Do you have any idea what she was talking about?”

  “Your mother returned to Faerie under the premise of visiting Mauve. However, she told me she had to search Oberon’s Forest for the key to the weapon.” He stood up and began to pace. “Meghan didn’t say if she found it or not, but according to the evidence you found, she did. That’s all I know. She was more secretive after she returned. She did slip over here once or twice after she became pregnant with you. I never knew what she was doing besides taking a huge risk in coming here.” He rubbed at his temples. “I don’t understand why Julia thinks the weapon isn’t physical if Meghan stole an object from the forest. It has to be something we can weld. If it wasn’t, then why steal it?”

  “Join the club.” Linc pushed off the wall. “This mystery is a maze with too many dead ends. We need to find where Meghan stashed it and come up with a plan to use it.”

  “We continue searching. She had to have left another clue somewhere, and I do have a plan to lure Aelfric out once we’ve found it.” Everyone’s attention piqued. “We can’t search for ourselves. Aelfric’s army has grown. He won’t stop until he has what he wants. We need help.”

  “What do you suggest?” Elder Dylan took his seat.

  “I need a private meeting with the leaders of each Supernatural clan, but first I want to start with Brannon and Amara. I also want to call Dannick in from Faerie.”

  “We can do that.” Uncle Kalen nodded and stood.

  “But this information doesn’t leave this room.” The tear in my heart pulled, and I clutched my chest while my wolf whimpered. “I can’t have another person betray us if my plan is going to work.”

  “Your uncle and I will reach out to the others. No one will be watching our actions as closely as they do yours or your friends. We’ll set up a date.”

  “I also need a room for Julia, made up.” Uncle Kalen stopped mid-step and spun on his heel. “She’s volunteered as the human for the ritual and she knows the most about it. I’ll need her to explain that part of the plan when I meet with the others.”

  A knock on the door interrupted us and Sable poked her head in. “Luna, can I have a moment?”

  “Yes.” She entered and looked at the others. “What’s going on?”

  “The men have been training for the battle w
ith the Dark Ones.” She glanced at my Guardians. “But the women of the pack have also asked to be trained as well. Normally, we only train those who show an aptitude for fighting, but they’ve petitioned me to speak to you on the matter.”

  “If they want to learn, why not teach them?” Elder Dylan grinned when he looked at me. “I’ll help lead the training myself. We’ll need as many abled fighters as we can get.”

  A slow smile spread on Sable’s lips. “I thought you’d agree. When do you want to start?”

  “How about now?” I stood and walked around the desk as the others followed suit.

  “I’ll gather the women and meet you in the training field.” She turned to leave and paused. “You’re doing a great job, Luna. The women look up to you and want to be just as strong as you are.” She exited the office and my mouth fell open.

  Elder Dylan clapped me on the shoulder. “Go show them your true strength.” He and Uncle Kalen left me with my friends.

  “We’ll show you the way.” Curtis opened the door, and we followed him outside, down the hall and out onto the deck. “The training fields are over that grassy knoll.”

  “Do you want us to join you?” Zander stood beside me. “Or would you prefer for us to check on the men’s training?”

  “Check on the men and then join us.” I started in the direction of the knoll. “Allie, Gwen, and I can get them started, but they need to learn to fight the opposite sex as well.”

  We parted ways after Zander pointed to where Sable was standing with a large group of women. An empty pit formed in my stomach and I bit my lower lip. Once we made it to the group, Sable turned the training over to me and I cleared my throat several times as I glimpsed out at the sea of faces. Most were closer to our age, but quite a few were older women. I even noticed the four girls who had challenged me, after Lucian’s funeral.

  “When learning to fight, I believe the first thing to master is falling properly.” The group remained silent and watched my every move. “It’ll guarantee you won’t get hurt worse if you’re put on your rear.”