Winter's Wolf (A Court of Shifters Chronicles #1)

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “He will know something is up, but he might not figure out exactly what.” I’d of course thought through all this information. “We need a head start. We can’t get followed back into Energo that quickly.”

  “Wait. What?” Preston narrowed his eyes. “We’re going to Energo?”

  “Interesting.” James made a tsking noise with his tongue. “You never told the kid you were heading to another world. That is probably important information for him to have in order to make an informed decision.”

  “We’re going to another world?” Preston gasped. “That’s awesome.”

  “Yeah, how did I guess that’s how you would react?” Frost shook his head. “Focused on the adventure not the risk.”

  “How else should I react?” Preston’s brow furrowed. “And you mean to tell me you aren’t the least bit excited about going to another world?”

  “How should you react?” James laughed dryly. “Oh, I adore this kid. Let me see. Maybe nervous? That is how most people would feel.”

  “I’m not most people.” Preston raised his chin. “This is awesome. I’m incredibly glad you asked me to tag along on the trip to Spring Court, Frost. It’s been way more eventful than I expected.”

  Frost shook his head. “How long is this trip going to take? Despite the zigzag.”

  “It depends on the conditions.” There was a roll of thunder as if right on cue.

  “If you’re asking how far the chasm is, the answer is not far. So it all depends on the zigzag bit.” James stretched. “But I do need to know where all those guards went. I am more than a little bit intrigued.”

  “It’s Thursday night,” Lacey said simply.

  “Is that supposed to mean something to me?” James crossed his legs at the ankles. “Or is it some fae tradition to leave your courts unprotected one night a week?”

  “Very funny.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “It’s poker night.”

  “So all the guards play together at the same time?” Frost’s eyes widened. “How horribly irresponsible.”

  “Not usually,” Lacey explained. “But Matilda helped spread the word about an extra big jackpot.” She grinned. “That did the trick.”

  “Matilda is loyal, isn’t she?” It was rare to find someone you could trust so completely.

  “She is. And motivated. And she trusts my judgment. Helping me is worth the risk for her.” Lacey folded her hands in her lap.

  “She knows you will protect her,” I pointed out. “That makes a huge difference.”

  “Of course. But there are always risks.” Lacey was realistic. I often gave her a hard time for having her head in the clouds, but when it came down to it, she understood that not everything in life could go according to plan.

  “Do you think the guards are going to be playing for much longer?” Preston asked. “I mean I get this whole zigzag plan in theory, but if they predict our destination they can cut us off.”

  “I don’t see why they would predict it.” I had thought through that exact scenario of course, but there was no perfect solution. It was impossible to create a perfect plan. “What would make them suspect it? Why head to another world? What good would that do for us in the selfish sense?”

  “They will assume all your decisions are selfish?” Elron asked.

  “I have no clue.” Maybe I had made miscalculations about everything.

  There was a roar of thunder.

  “You think the storms are going to follow us?” Lacey wrapped her arms over her chest.

  “To Autumn?” This was yet another question I’d considered myself. “I don’t know. I guess it depends if it’s really Summer behind them.”

  “Who else could be behind them?” Preston yawned again. It was late. Extremely late.

  “In theory, anyone.” There was magic in all the courts, which made everyone a suspect. “It’s dangerous to write any possibility off.”

  “Wren’s right.” Lacey sighed. “It could be any court, whether someone working in an official capacity or someone working on their own accord.”

  “It could even be our own parents,” I let the admission slip out even though I didn’t really believe it. At least with my mother. I knew she was capable of a lot and she had many working for her who could wield magic, but she wouldn’t have put me in that kind of danger if it didn’t serve a purpose. And those storms wouldn’t have served her in any meaningful way I could conceive of.

  “It could.” Lacey seemed to mull over the suggestion. “But I don’t think it’s likely.”

  “Likely or not, it is possible.” Elron rubbed his shoulder. “Never write off a suspect because they seem innocent. I learned that the hard way many a time.”

  “I take it you know war too?” I hadn’t had a chance to talk to the elf much yet, but I had a feeling there was a lot to learn. Was he a healer? Or only knowledgeable of the practice? Was he highborn? Did he have a title? But often you could find out more by asking less.

  “Oh yes.” He rubbed his shoulder again. Was he injured? “Far too well. And I am sorry you will be learning all about it too.”

  “I barely remember our last war.” Frost sounded so far away as he answered. He stared off into the distance. I knew he was probably lost in memories.

  Elron nodded in a knowing way. “You are lucky then.”

  “Or I was lucky. I suppose I’m not lucky now.” Frost spoke exactly what I felt.

  “Only time will tell.” Elron had this way of making even the most mundane statements sound wise.

  “Time is a strange thing.” Sometimes it went so fast and other times so slow. It changed some things, but some things never changed. “A very strange thing.”

  “You okay?” Frost caught my eye.

  “Yeah.” I tried to reassure him with my eyes. “This is all just a lot.”

  “I get it. I absolutely get it.” Frost put an arm around me. “None of us saw this coming.”

  Lacey pushed back the curtain. A flash of lightning lit up the sky. “Those storms must be following us.”

  “I believe you are right.” I watched another flash of lightning. It was getting closer. It made no sense unless it was following us. But why? Who was trying to deter us? Did they know where we planned to go?

  “It’s going to be okay.” Frost kissed my cheek. “I promise it's going to be okay.”

  He couldn’t make that promise, just as I couldn’t make the promise to Lacey about her mother, but sometimes making promises like that were okay because it was better than the alternative. And maybe, just maybe, making a promise would make it more likely to come to fruition.

  “I know.” I leaned into him. He was so warm, and I wanted to wrap myself up in him and never leave. “I’m so glad you’re with me.”

  “You knew I’d be with you. I wasn’t going to let you go through this alone.” He nuzzled his face in my neck. Something had changed between us. Any other time I would have focused on over analyzing that, but there were too many other things to deal with at the moment.

  “I know.” I snuggled into him more. I knew we weren’t alone, and I was probably going to have a million questions from Lacey to answer. But, in the scheme of things I didn’t care.

  Thunder rolled again.

  “Maybe we should scrap the zigzag idea and get out of here.” James leaned forward to get a better look out the window. “If getting to Energo is the goal, we need to do it before this storm makes travel impossible.”

  “I agree.” I lifted my head. “We should tell the driver.”

  “I’ll do it.” Lacey opened the window connecting the passenger cabin to the front. “We are ready to go directly to the chasm now.” She closed the window.

  “So this is it.” Preston rested his hands on his knees. “We’re really about to enter another world.”

  James laughed. “I take back my earlier comments. I love this reaction. It’s so optimistic. I hope you keep it as time marches on.”

  “Enough about time.” Elron groaned. “James, you know fu
ll well the power of it.”

  “Oh, I do. For better or worse.” James leaned back against the seat.

  “Why do I get the sense I’m missing something?” Frost asked.

  “We have already told you we’ve seen lots of battle.” Elron set his satchel down at his feet. We were cramped in the carriage, but so far no one had complained.

  “That’s going to be us one day.” Preston had way too much excitement in his voice. “Waxing nostalgic about our war days.”

  “I doubt that.” Frost frowned. I was positive he was thinking the same thing I was about Preston’s reaction. “I don’t think I’ll ever get nostalgic about war.”

  I thought about it. About nostalgia and the way we view the past. “I suppose it’s going to depend on whether we win. Right? The victors and the losers remember war very differently.”

  “Wise words.” Elron nodded. “Very wise words. We would be best to win this.”

  “We will.” Lacey blinked a few times. “I know we will.”

  “Yes.” I mustered as much enthusiasm and confidence as I could. “We absolutely will, which is why we need to get to Energo. We need to get to the heart of this and make sure nothing else steps through.”

  “So that’s what we’re doing.” Preston’s eyes lit up. “Got it.”

  “I’m sorry we haven’t filled you in more, Preston.” I hadn’t had the time before we left, and the stress had hit me hard once we boarded the carriage. “It’s all been quite a whirlwind.”

  “I get it. I’m just glad I wasn’t left behind.”

  “Your brother would have never left you behind.”

  “No. He wouldn’t have.” Preston looked over at Frost with a look of respect and admiration. “He never would.”

  Frost moved his leg, and it brushed against mine. “Let’s just all get through this alive.” Okay?”

  “That is a lovely plan.” James grinned. “Although that should always be part of the plan. Death is overrated.”

  “Is that supposed to be some sort of joke?” Lacey snapped.

  “No. Just a statement on the obsession of the glory of death in battle. Sure, heroics are important, but living to fight another day is extremely important too.”

  “I agree.” Frost set his gaze on James. “As crazy as it is to admit, I agree with you.”’

  James smiled. “I have been telling you since the beginning. We are on the same side. Maybe now you will believe me.”

  “Let’s stop at my agreeing with you. There is no reason to get ahead of ourselves.”

  Frost

  This was it. It was time to cross over to Energo. I didn’t doubt Wren that this was the right move, but I was skeptical of how we were going to stop the flow of Dwellers into our world. Sure we had strength among us, but in general we were a motley crew.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Matilda offered. “I may be of aid to you.”

  “I don’t know what dangers we are going to face.” Lacey wrapped her cloak tightly around her as rain pelted down.

  “I’ll be facing plenty of dangers here.” Matilda stood right beside the carriage, which blocked some, but not all, of the rain. “When it’s discovered the role I played in getting you out without the guards noticing… well, you know your father will be furious.”

  “I won’t ask you to stay back.” Lacey took a step toward Matilda. “That wouldn’t be fair, and you are right that you will face risks whether you choose to stay or go. Ultimately, the decision is yours, and I will hold no judgment over you whichever choice you make.”

  It was different to watch Lacey step into a leadership role. I had always thought of her as more focused on fun than work, but we never know the measure of someone until they are tested.

  “I’ll take my chances with you rather than staying behind.” Matilda brushed her hair behind her slightly pointed ears, the characteristic that most easily set the Fae apart.

  “Very well.” Lacey nodded. “Thank you for all of your assistance up until now.” She turned toward the rest of us. “What now?”

  “We step through there.” Elron pointed to the edge of the woods.

  “Where exactly?” Preston peered at the thick line of trees. “Am I missing something?”

  “Through those trees,” James pointed. “Pretty straight forward.”

  “You’re telling me if we step through those trees, we will emerge in another world?” Wren squinted her eyes as she studied the trees. “That’s a bit hard to believe.”

  “There is plenty in life that is hard to believe.” Elron stood completely still. “Is that not the most enjoyable part of life? The unexpected things that take us by surprise?”

  “No.” Lacey shook her head. “I prefer to know what’s coming.”

  “Good thing that’s likely your gift.” Wren winked.

  Lacey smiled. “Agreed. But maybe that’s why surprises bother me so much. I’m not designed to handle them well.”

  Elron made a noncommittal sound. “That is because you are still young. When you are older you may change your mind.”

  “I don’t feel young.” Wren sighed. “Especially not now. I feel like the last few days have aged me years.”

  “I know exactly how you feel.” So much had changed so quickly. I could barely keep up. The things that had worried me before seemed so small in comparison to what we faced now. Even things with Wren had changed. Our connection now had an intensity neither of us could ignore. “I almost can’t remember what life was like a few days back.”

  “I take it your life was pretty boring then.” James adjusted the strap of his satchel. “If this is so stressful it makes everything else fade out of focus, there could not have been much action before.”

  “Boring is the right word.” Preston put his hand over his mouth in a motion meant to mimic a yawn. “Our lives were really boring. At least mine was. They.” He pointed toward Wren and I. “They got to do a lot more. I get it for Wren, she’s royalty and everything, but it really isn’t fair that just because Frost is the oldest he gets to do more.”

  “You really think it’s just because he’s the oldest?” James narrowed his eyes.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean.” He gestured between Wren and I. “Come on. Don’t tell me you are that innocent. You aren’t truly a child.”

  “Oh.” Understanding crossed his face. “Because Wren wants him. Gotcha.”

  “Hey!” Wren gasped. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “I can’t either.” My brother was really treading on thin ice. If he kept pushing his luck, not only might I not want to help him, I might not be able to. He was also lucky the queen wasn’t around, but then again he wouldn’t have said anything akin to that around the queen. At least I truly hoped not.

  “I can.” James chuckled. “He’s a teenage boy.”

  “You just said he wasn’t a child, and now you are calling him a boy?” I couldn’t hold my tongue. “Which one is it?”

  “A little of both. Don’t you think that’s what defines that age?” James pulled some sort of round fruit looking thing out of his pocket.

  “Absolutely. Although I can not claim I really remember being that young.” Elron rubbed his chin.

  “How old are you?” Preston blurted out.

  “Did you just ask that?” Wren put a hand on her hip.

  “What? He’s a man. What does he care?”

  “I am far older than you.” Elron wore an amused smile. “Let’s leave it at that. Time is relative.”

  “Ok. Back to what’s actually important right now.” Wren dug her boot into the dirt. “Please explain again what we’re doing?’

  “We are going to walk into those woods and come out the other side in Energo.” James took a big bite of whatever the fruit was.

  “Just like that?” In my experience, nothing was that simple.

  “Yes. Just like that…” He took another bite.

  “Wait. Why did you trail off that
way?” I tried to ignore the rumble of my stomach watching James eat. I hadn’t had much appetite for dinner.

  “Because nothing is ‘just like that’.” James used air quotes. “Things don’t work that way. There is always more to it.”

  “Ok, then we are on all ears.” I resolved myself to ignore my hunger. There were more pressing matters to deal with. “Explain it.”

  “It is better to experience it yourself.” Elron made a sweeping motion with his hand in the direction of the woods. “Some things cannot be explained.”

  “Like time?” Lacey grinned. “Sorry, I just noticed you guys seem super fixated on time.”

  The corners of Elron’s lips twisted into a smile. “Time does play a major role in life.”

  “That it does.” Sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. “But there’s no reason to waste any of it now. Is there anything we need to know before we go into those woods?” I wasn’t generally the one to rush into things. Usually I needed to know all the details before I moved forward. But it wasn’t as if we could trust anything James or Elron said. We couldn't trust anything, and that’s what made everything so difficult.

  James exchanged looks with Elron. “Just know we may not end up in the best place.”

  “Meaning what exactly?” Wren asked before I could.

  “Meaning exactly what I said. This is a chasm, it connects two words, but that doesn't mean it always connects those two worlds in the same place.” James started with his two fists far apart and had them collide.

  “Wait. So we may not come back through in the same place either?” Wren stiffened.

  James turned suddenly serious. “I find it highly unlikely we will.”

  “Wait. Then how come we are leaving through the place you arrived?” Lacey asked.

  “Because the chasm will not move in this world until someone goes back through that way.” Elron once again gestured to the woods. “It is awaiting someone to come.”

  “It’s awaiting? You are giving sentience to a chasm?” I wasn’t mocking. I was generally curious. Elron was an interesting character for sure. I wasn’t sure if it was cultural differences from coming from different worlds, or just his way of being.