by Nicole Marsh
He opens his mouth to reply, but a long howl cuts through the air, silencing his words. “Sounds like they’re already here,” he replies with a grin.
By the time we finally stop for a break, my feet are sore and I regret not investing in a pair of hiking boots for our trip. Or exercising more to prepare, in case I ever needed to hike six miles to find a spring that could possibly solve a centuries old curse that affects witches and shifters.
“Is it much further?” I ask, plopping myself down onto a log, then stretching my achy muscles out.
We’ve been walking for almost three hours, but the length of time isn’t even the worst part. It’s the walking straight uphill for twenty minutes, only to have to walk back downhill a half hour later, then repeating the process over and over. The guys haven’t complained a single time, even though they’re both laden down with packs of gear during all the ups and downs of our hike. Occasionally, I see our wolf escort flashing through the trees, but for the most part it’s just been us humans walking and stating random facts or thoughts on occasion.
Vlad sits down on the log next to me and pulls out a paper map. We discovered early on that the cell service here is non-existent, but thankfully Marc anticipated this, and his SUV worth of gear had been prepared for this scenario.
Vlad turns the paper this way and that before finally looking up to meet Marc’s gaze, then mine. “It looks like we’re close. Just through that patch of trees over there actually,” He motions to a large batch of fir trees that look the same as all of the other fir trees on the mountain. “The spring should be just a few meters past there.”
Excitedly, I leap off the log. Ignoring the pangs of protest from my tender feet. I march up to the patch of trees that Vlad indicated, then step to the side for a second to let him pass through first. We begin working our way through the thick foliage and a large clearing starts to become visible on the far side.
My hands are suddenly clammy from nerves. Whatever we find on the other side of these trees has the possibility to directly impact our lives. Potentially even lift the curse affecting shifters and witches.
It could be the Cure.
I let my imagination run wild over what we’re going to find and how we’ll be able to use it, as we plod across the damp earth, picking our way through the trees. I’m so lost in thought that when Vlad comes to a dead stop in front of me, I don’t notice. Instead, I run into him, bouncing half a foot backwards upon the impact to his pack. Marc is close behind and steadies me by placing his hands on my hips.
“What’s wron-“ I begin, but cut myself off when Vlad steps to the side.
We’re at the edge of the trees. Ahead of us is a large, grassy clearing with a huge crater carved out in the center. Trees surround the area on each side with a view of tall mountains available on at least two of the sides.
It’s a massive space, nestled in the valleys between the mountains we’ve been climbing up and down all day, and if it were filled with clean Spring water it would be magnificent. Unfortunately, the sight before us is anything but. The ground that once held a spring of supposed healing, is now filled with a murky, green colored water that emits a strange odor.
I walk forward, feeling like I’m in a daze. When I reach the edge of the spring, I look down, wishing it was a trick of distance. Hoping to see clean water after all. Disappointingly, all I can see is stinking green water, growing moss and bacteria, in every direction. Not a drop of clean spring water remains.
Reaching my hand out to touch the water. A thickly muscled arm blocks my path and shoves me back, causing me to stumble a few steps. I look up with a question in my eyes, trying to figure out why Vlad would push me.
He shakes his head. “It smells… dangerous.”
With that strange statement, he walks back into the woods. I watch his retreating form disappear from view, returning a few beats later with a thick, long piece of wood that looks like a sapling ripped from the ground. Vlad’s long legs eat the distance in quick strides until he’s back at the edge of what was once a spring.
He dips the edge of the small tree into the dirty water. The instant the wood breaks the surface, a sizzle sounds out. The water eats away at the branch like acid.
I let out a loud gasp, then watch as Vlad carefully lowers the rest of the wood into the water. He’s cautious to make sure that none of it splashes towards us as it becomes fully submerged and consumed by the toxic water.
Sinking to the ground, I feel defeated. We spent hours traveling here in hopes of a cure, but all we’ve found is a dead end.
A rustling noise comes from behind me, but I don’t bother to turn around or get up. Vlad’s feet step closer to me, but he doesn’t try to force me up, instead, he sits on the ground and wraps an arm around my shoulder. On my other side, large golden paws appear. I look up in time to see the golden wolf raise his snout to the air and let out a tortured howl.
The wolves are more disappointed that the spring is dried up than I am, it’s clear in the sound the golden wolf is emitting. When his howl ends, he lays down on my other side, with his paws in front of him and his head resting on top.
Still connected to Vlad, I lean over and stroke a hand across the fur covered back of the golden wolf next to me. He makes a grumbling noise, but leans into the touch. With a final pat, I lean back and direct my gaze to Vlad. “What do we do now?” I ask.
Vlad opens his mouth to respond, but quickly closes it. His eyes widen and focus behind me. I hear a snapping noise and whip my head around to see what he’s fixated on.
Behind me the golden wolf is shifting and morphing, growing smaller and losing fur. I panic, thinking he’s in trouble. Jumping to my feet, I look to Vlad, then Marc who is still standing a few feet behind us, for help. They both seem in shock, so I rush forward, ready to do…something. But when I reach the twisting form on the ground, the golden wolf is gone and in his place is a very naked…Marc?
My cheeks heat from embarrassment at the naked form before me and my brain goes haywire with confusion. “What is going on?” I ask, my voice shaky. I turn back to look at Marc, clothed Marc, suddenly suspicious. “Leif, is that you again? Is this another trick?”
Marc shakes his head and puts his palms up in the universal sign of “calm down, I mean you no harm”. “No, Mira,” He says, his tone is low and soothing. “Just give me a second to explain, okay?”
I let out a deep sigh, confused to the max. But this is Marc, who’s helped me, met my family, never done anything to harm me. At least not that I know off. While I think, Vlad lets out a deep growl. My gaze connects with his amber eyes, and he seems to calm a bit when I shake my head at him.
I turn back to clothed Marc and simply say, “Okay, explain.”
He scratches the back of his neck for a second, exchanging glances with his naked doppelganger on the ground. The naked Marc shrugs and clothed Marc sighs.
“This is my twin brother, Marc. My name is Alex,” clothed Marc, err Alex, finally begins. My eyebrows furrow, but when his emerald gaze meets mine, I nod my head indicating he should continue. he lets out a sigh before he speaks again. “About a year ago, Marc came to Florence to buy the Daily. Our family has always been interested in documenting history, everything that I told you about that is true. The only thing I lied about was my name… and owning the Daily.” Marc-now-Alex widens his eyes as he looks at me, as if he’s trying to convince me.
I look between the two, comparing their appearances. “And you two are twins?” I finally ask. Marc-now-Alex nods briefly. “Okay, but why are your pretending to be your brother?” I continue, confused.
Alex sighs again. “A few months ago, Marc missed his weekly check-in with our family. It was part of our parents deal with him to allow him to leave our…family home. He had to check-in every weekend. When he missed the week after too, I boarded a flight, committed on coming to find him.” He pauses, looking at his brother and I can see relief in his eyes that he’s okay. “I showed up at the daily and someone m
istook me for Marc. At that point, I had the idea to pose as my brother while I looked for clues about what happened to him.”
Vlad interjects, “I remember when Marc went missing. He just didn’t show up for a while, and no one knew where he went… When he came back, he said he had a family emergency and had to fly home and that he came back as soon as he could. Glenna said she forgot to tell us about a message she received from Marc and we all let it go. But for a little while, he was off—I can’t explain how—he just didn’t seem the same.”
Marc, no Alex, laughs and his perfect teeth flash with the motion. He collects himself and continues, “The first few days were hard to settle in, then I found my brother… well he found me. He came to me in the woods behind the house I was staying at. We’ve always had this connection, kind of like the pack. One where he can communicate with me with images and a few words. He gave me the few snippets he could remember of his routine at the Daily and then I realized he was fighting his wolf instincts. He had fallen prey to the curse and was trying to figure out how to break it during his brief bouts of humanity.”
“I kept, seeing you…” I say to the real Marc. “At the council and the expo, and out in the woods. Then in Vlad’s new pack… were you following me?” I ask hesitantly.
The real Marc meets my gaze with his emerald gaze, then clears his throat a couple of times. His head dips briefly and the movement shows a small, glimmer of a scar intersecting his eyebrow. I catalog the difference while waiting for his response.
When he finally speaks, his voice is gravelly, like it’s the first time he’s spoken in months. According to Alex’s story, it very well could be. “I felt, feel, this connection to you. I’m not sure how to explain it.” His gaze shifts to the ground near my feet, then he continues, “For some reason, especially in my wolf form, I feel very protective of you.”
“Even though you hadn’t met me before?” I ask, perplexed.
“We both felt that way. Well, feel that way,” Alex interjects and I shift my eyes from his twin to him.
Sinking back to the ground, I place my head between my hands. “What does this all mean?” I ask, lifting my head after a few minutes of thinking.
Vlad sinks to the ground beside me, wrapping his arm around me once more. Alex walks up to my other side and sits on the ground. Marc shuffles a little closer to our group as well. The four of us sit on the grass in silence, gazes focused on the dirty, murky water that was supposedly once a magical spring.
Vlad is the first one to break the silence, his words startling me. “We’ll figure this all out, Mira.” He gestures with his free hand, making a swooping motion that encompasses the four of us sitting in a half circle and the lake.
As I look at him, then to the identical faces sitting to the opposite side, each one of them nods.
It’s not much, but it’s a start.
21
The Threat
Mirabella
I walk into my kitchen the day after Marc, Alex, Vlad, and I return home from our failed trip to the spring. Both of my parents are seated at the breakfast nook, their serious expressions visible when they turn to face me. Their looks halt me in my tracks. “What’s going on?” I ask nervously.
My dad silently slides a black envelope towards me, leaving it resting on the edge of the table. His gaze flits from it to me pointedly. Their expressions and behaviors are so irregular, dread begins to form in the pit of my stomach, and I quickly stride to the table to snatch up the envelope. Ripping open an old-school, wax seal I let the envelope fall to the ground and unfold a thick piece of parchment paper.
My eyes skim over the words it contains and my brow furrows. I read the parchment three more times, before I look at my parents questioningly. “A summons from the coven? What is this about?”
Mom and dad exchange a glance before looking back at me. “Mira, honey. You haven’t been using any potions in a… malicious way, have you?” My mom finally asks, hesitantly.
“No.” My face pales. “Is that why they sent this? I haven’t even been brewing potions. I left my manual at home when Vlad and I went camping!” I exclaim, defending myself against the accusation.
My dad stands and comes closer, wrapping me in a brief, warm hug. “We believe you, Mira. We aren’t really sure what this is about. The only way to find out is to respond to the summons and speak with the coven.”
“Can you come with me?” I ask, nervous by the vivid image my mind creates of having to stand in front of a bunch of powerful and important witches by myself.
My parents both solemnly shake their heads, but my mom is the one to answer verbally, “No, honey. You have to do this by yourself. I’m sure if you haven’t done anything wrong, everything will be fine.”
Glancing back down at the page I realize the summons is for an hour from now. “Oh crap,” I mutter. “I need to go get ready, so I’m not late.”
I rush out of the room without waiting for their response and dash upstairs to my room. I hop in the shower and start the quickest getting ready session I’ve ever had, hoping I can make it on time. I’m not sure what this summons is for, but I have a feeling the coven won’t be very happy if I’m late.
I pull my Prius into the parking lot of the coven, and eye the building with trepidation. Before exiting my car, I decide to send a quick text to Vlad: Received a summons from the coven. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ll message you as soon as I’m out.
I hold my phone for a few minutes after I hit the send button, hoping for an immediate reply. When nothing comes, I power down my phone and shove it into the glovebox before exiting the car.
Upon reaching the front door of the towering structure, my nerves have almost completely taken over. The knot of dread from earlier remains, sitting low in my belly. My hands are clammy and cold. I wipe my hands down on my jeans; then shake out my arms taking a deep breath. Combined, my actions help settle me and I enter the coven building for the second time.
My gaze scans the empty lobby, stopping briefly on the vibrant koi swimming through the small pond before continuing to the two ladies standing behind reception, clad in black robes. My steps are purposeful as I walk towards the desk, pulling my summons out of my back pocket.
Immediately upon my arrival, one of the women looks up from the tablet she’s working on. “Mirabella Love?” She asks my name like a question. A single manicured brow raises up her forehead.
“Yes-s.” I stammer out, taken aback.
She meets my eyes briefly, then turns her gaze back to her tablet. “You can step to the side. The head of the coven will be down to meet you shortly.”
My pulse begins to pound in my head, but I follow her instructions, stepping to the side of the reception desk. I place the summons back into my pocket, not wanting to ruin it with my, once again, clammy hands. The wait is about five minutes, and I take that time to think over every action I’ve taken since I became a witch.
Did they find out about my neighbor’s cat? Am I in trouble for being a bad witch?
A pinging noise sounds from above the elevators, providing a small warning before a woman and two men step into the lobby. The three are dressed in the black robes that appear to be the standard for the coven, but unlike the other witches I’ve seen in the building, they reek of importance.
As they walk closer, I feel the air thicken. It’s as if their magic has a physical presence and I want to shrink from them and their expressionless faces. Forcing myself to stand tall, I ignore the urge to flee. I’m proud that my feet remain firmly planted on the concrete floor as the three imposing figures near.
I look at the female in the center. She appears to be around my grandmother’s age, with gray hair pulled into a severe bun resting against the nape of her neck. Her lips are puckered as if she’s just sucked on a lemon, with several lines surrounding it. The color of her eyes is hidden by half-moon spectacles perched on her small, pert nose.
My gaze scans the males flanking her. Both are around my fath
er’s age. One is tall and lean, with dark brown hair and a square jaw. The other is shorter and rounder, with a ruddy complexion and red-orange hair. The trio stops before me, standing in a straight line with the female in the center, a male on either side.
She runs her eyes over my frame, examining my jeans and fluttery blouse prior to sticking out a weathered hand before her. “Esmerelda Fink, head of the coven.”
Her tone is firm, as is her grip. After our brief handshake she turns to her left towards the dark-haired man and says, “Paul.” Then she moves her head to the right towards the shorter man and says “Ruben.” Each of the men give me a brief nod after she provides their name in lieu of an introduction.
A pause falls over our quartet and I stammer out, “Mira-bell-a.” Clearing my throat, I try again. “Mirabella Love.”
Esmeralda dips her head in acknowledgement. “We know who you are. Do you know why you’re here?”
I decline with a quick shake of my head.
“We have received a summons from the Elder Shifter Council on your behalf. Paul and Ruben are coven attorneys, coming along to represent our interests. We must head there, straightaway.” Without waiting for my response, she twirls on her heel, her robes billowing about her in a half-circle with the motion. She strides quickly across the lobby in a diagonal angle, heading towards a door in the far-left corner, one I hadn’t noticed previously. Paul and Ruben walk in sync behind her.
I wait for a beat, before scurrying after her. While I walk, her words replay on repeat in my mind. Another summons from the Shifter Council?
The climb up the steps preceding the giant, log structure that houses the Shifter Council triggers a sense of déjà vu. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I wholeheartedly wish that Vlad was with me to address the council once more.