Barret raised his hands. “It was about this big,” he said, indicating a space of about five inches. One of those fancy keys with big teeth on it.”
A skeleton key, Wolfe thought with a nod. Together they worked, knowing time was imperative.
Scents and odors bombarded Wolfe as he bent his nose to the ground in search of Barret’s trail. He resisted the urge to howl when he came across it, instead focusing on using all of his senses to locate the missing object.
He caught the scent and traced it back but couldn’t see the key. Wolfe kicked up the scattered leaves, but already the smell was dissipating. The melting snow wasn’t helping as it washed away the trail.
A cry came from back at the shed. Barret looked at Wolfe before jogging out of the woods and directly toward whatever peril Ruby was alerting them to. Wolfe trotted after the boy, his senses on high alert for more danger, but nothing seemed amiss.
Ruby had somehow managed to salvage enough of her clothing that she was neatly dressed. Shifting into a wolf was far less rough on clothing than shifting into a bear, Wolfe thought with a grin.
Wolfe was pleased to see Oberon sitting, still a little drowsy around the eyes, but drinking fresh water from a cup. He sniffed the boy, and already, the odor of whatever toxin Mathilda had used was leaving him.
“What’s wrong?” Barret asked, taking in the scene.
Ruby pointed to a chain hanging about a foot above the oven. “I threw water on the stove to douse the flames and smoke. There were some charred remains of something I’d rather not think about in the oven and saw the key dangling, but I’m not tall enough to grab it.”
“That was just a roast,” Barret said, nose wrinkling at the burnt mass.
“Oh, good.” Ruby picked the tray up and tossed it outside. “Let the animals eat it if they will.”
Wolfe left to shift back into his human form and find some of his clothing. He returned to find Barret on top of Ruby’s shoulders, trying to nab the key.
“Mathilda isn’t much taller than you are,” Wolfe pointed out, his voice scratchy and rough from his recent shift. “There must have been a pole or something she used to get it.”
“Oh, good idea,” Ruby agreed. While Barret, Wolfe, and Ruby searched for the pole, Oberon coughed and pointed at something near the cage.
Barret, completely in tune with his brother, went to look. “Is this it?” He held up a five-foot-long pole with a shepherd’s hook on one end.
“Good job! Thank you, Oberon. You, too, Barret. You did a great job helping,” Ruby said with a nod as he took it from Barret. After getting the key down, she handed it to Wolfe to open the cage.
The creak of the hinges seemed inordinately loud in the close confines as Oberon, still a little groggy, scrambled out of the cage.
“Your father has been very worried about you boys,” Wolfe said as he cradled Oberon to his chest. The move felt both completely natural as well as totally foreign. He’d never held a child before. But somehow, holding this weakened bear-shifter cub made him think about the potential for his own children. He looked at Ruby, who promptly blushed, reassuring him that her thoughts weren’t too far off from his.
Barret’s bottom lip poked out a little. “I miss Papa.”
Ruby bent to pick him up and give him comfort. “I’m sure you do, sweetie. Let’s get you guys back to him as soon as we can, okay?”
They turned to face the door only to find it once again, occupied by Mathilda.
“Well, crap,” Wolfe muttered as he set Oberon down in case he needed to shift on the fly.
Chapter 7 – A Prophecy
Ruby
“I killed you too easily,” Ruby said, setting Barret down and standing shoulder to shoulder with Wolfe.
“Don’t worry, dear. I won’t give you the chance to do so again.” Gone was her kindly grandmother's voice and in its place, was the sharp, stabbing tones of an evil witch.
“What did we ever do to you?” Ruby asked, her heart pounding and nausea threatening to overwhelm her. It seemed as if she was just going to be able to relax and let go. The battle had been fought, and the children saved. Once they got word to their father, life would return to normal.
Or, at least as normal as it could be when you find out your adopted grandmother was a vicious, child-kidnapping old witch, and you weren’t a Mundie at all but a wolf shifter.
“I need a child,” Mathilda explained, her voice taking on a sickening, squeamish tone as she tried to explain her side of the story. “Just give me one of the boys, and I’ll leave quietly.”
Ruby’s jaw dropped. “No. No, absolutely not!” She straightened her shoulders and advanced a little further.
“Oh, pish. What harm can one more child do?” There was a heartless twist to her lips that made Ruby’s stomach churn.
“How many others have there been?” Ruby didn’t know what shocked her more. Mathilda’s nonchalance or the idea that clearly, she had not been the test case.
Mathilda looked stunned. “Not that many. At least not when you average them out over the years.” She clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Come, girl. I took you in when your parents died. Give me the boy, and we’ll call it even.”
“Even? You probably killed my parents!” Ruby’s memories were still a little vague on the finer details, but she didn’t put it past the evil creature that stood before her.
Wolfe paced beside her, and his desire to shred the witch was communicated to all in the room with crystal clarity. Barret and Oberon held hands in a display of visible solidarity. And meanwhile, Mathilda continued on with her mad plan to find
“I need a magical child.”
“I’m not a Witch. I’m a Fable.”
Mathilda waved her hand as though the distinction was minimal. “Paulina predicted her downfall would be brought around by a child. The child would be drawn to a candy-colored cottage in a clearing.”
“You offered candy to children. Of course, they would find you.”
Mathilda didn’t look impressed by Ruby’s logic. “Upon that child’s 21st birthday, great powers would be revealed.”
“So, when my birthday came and went, you sought a replacement? What were you going to do? Kill me?”
“Oh, do stop being so dramatic, dear. It’s not good for my blood pressure.”
Ruby’s fists clenched at the recognition of how Mathilda had manipulated her for nearly her entire life.
“And what? This witch will fight for your place back in the Woodlands?” Wolfe demanded.
“That’s what the prophesy said,” Mathilda continued. “That’s why she had to kick all the Fables out of The Woodlands. Now, hand over the boy. He found the cottage on his own without any spell from me. He’s mine!”
“Never!” In a fit of fury, Oberon charged at the old woman. Ruby watched in disbelief when the boy shifted seamlessly into his bear form.
The little cub flung himself at the old woman, six razor-sharp claws aiming for her neck. Wolfe reacted before Ruby, trying to get to the boy before the battle could begin, but he was too late.
Mathilda, seeing that she was going to be denied the boy, backed up a step. But when Oberon’s claws caught her neck, she flinched. Barret lacked the aim and fire of the kill, but he had drawn first blood.
Holding her hand to the nick in her shoulder, Mathilda began a swirling dance that kicked up a cloud of dirt. Ruby picked Oberon back up, trusting Wolfe had hold of Barret. They were determined not to allow Mathilda to win this skirmish.
“You can’t outrun a prophecy,” Mathilda warned, her voice deep and ominous. A chill ran down Ruby’s spine as she stared at the old woman in horror. Why couldn’t the Fables live in peace? Would they forever be held captive to a cabal of witches and their vile intentions?
Then, in a putrid haze, she swirled and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the grey-haired woman was gone.
For several heartbeats, the group of four only stared at the fading wisps in horror. “She’ll be back
,” Ruby predicted. “She’s patient and cunning.”
“I knew those Hamm brothers were up to their chins in something,” Wolfe muttered.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they had nothing to do with it or her insane ideas of a prophecy. She hired them to do a job.”
Wolfe set his jaw. “Maybe.”
Oberon, still in bear form, chuffed his displeasure. He closed his eyes and with a grunt, shifted back to a little boy. A cold, shivering, still shaking off the effects of a toxin, naked boy.
“Okay. Let’s see get you covered and back home.” Wolfe slipped out of his shirt and handing it to the boy. “Bear shifters are tough on clothes.”
“I can’t believe you went bear,” Barret exclaimed as they left the cottage and began the long trek back to town. “That’s so cool!”
“A day of firsts,” Wolfe said as he smiled at Ruby.
“When do first shifts usually happen?” Being a shifter was all new to Ruby, and she had a lot to learn.
“Usually just before puberty. But it’s possible any time a shifter is distressed.”
Oberon preened as they walked. “I can’t wait to tell Papa!”
Wolfe
Wolfe didn’t like leaving the cottage standing but didn’t have a choice right now. He wanted Oberon seen by a professional and both boys safely home. He made a mental note to come back and take an ax to the cottage.
He grinned, wondering if he still had some huff and puff magic left. It would be a fun test at any rate.
“Goldie’s cottage is on the way,” Ruby said as she forged ahead. Walking would be easier now. The sun had returned and the day promised to be cool but clear.
“Who’s Goldie?” Oberon asked.
“She’s a local healer,” Ruby explained. “We need to get you boys checked out.”
Thirty minutes later, they came up to Goldie’s snug little bungalow. Ruby knocked on the door and waited for her friend to answer. “I hope she’s home.”
Wolfe stood with his back to the house and kept senses go on high alert.
The door opened. “Ruby. Sheriff. What are you doing here?” Goldie greeted after opening the door. She glanced down at the two small boys. “Oh, goodness. Look at you two cute things. You look positively frozen!”
“I’m a bear shifter,” Oberon said in lieu of a greeting. Barret growled at him, gave him a sharp elbow, and declared he was, too.
“Oh, are these the Bernard boys? Come in, come in! Let me put some tea on and get you all warmed up. What happened? What’s going on?”
Wolfe understood Goldie’s natural curiosity but waited until Ruby and the boys were safely inside. “I’m going to get their dad. Is it okay if everyone waits here?”
Goldie and Ruby exchanged a quick glance before both women nodded. “Sure, no problem at all.” Her hand touched Oberon’s shaggy brown hair. “I’ll get everyone comfortable and check them over.”
“Thanks, Goldie. I owe you one.” Wolfe turned to Ruby and held his hand out. She took it immediately. With a small sigh, he touched his forehead to hers. “Keep safe while I’m not here.”
Ruby blinked back her tears and cradled his face. Her hands felt cool against his skin, and he closed his eyes, wanting to savor this moment forever.
“I will keep us all safe,” Ruby vowed. Standing on her toes, she brushed the smallest of kisses across his lips. “You stay safe, too.”
With one last kiss, he turned and ran into the woods, shifting mid-stride.
He found Tarron in the woods. The bear shifter bellowed out as his sensitive nose attempted to locate his children. Wolfe let out a call, alerting the bear of both his presence and the good news.
Tarron tilted his head, looked at Wolfe as though to interpret the wolf’s sounds. Wolfe ran a few paces, paused, and turned back. Some behavior was universal, and Tarron seemed to understand.
Both men could travel faster through the wooded terrain in their animal forms. Wolfe led them the several miles to Goldie’s house. When they got to the clearing, Tarron let out a bellow loud enough to raise the fur on Wolfe’s spine.
Barret ran out of the house. “Papa!”
Tarron shifted back into a human mid-stride and caught his son around the waist. He spun him around, tears falling freely down his cheeks. “Oh, thank God. I thought I’d lost you both.” His voice was broken, and Wolfe felt his own stomach clench to the emotional need in the other man’s voice.
“Where’s your brother?” Tarron demanded, his arms still tight around Barret’s slim form.
“In the house. Miss Goldie has him on the couch.” Tarron took the stairs leading to Goldie’s house two at a time and burst through the front door.
Pausing to grab his pants, Wolfe got dressed as he heard Goldie scream, probably at the sight of a naked man in her house. He climbed the stairs at a more sedate pace and felt the day’s events begin to catch up with him.
“Put some clothes on,” Goldie scolded as Tarron knelt by her couch. Barret was in one arm, and the other was wrapped protectively around Oberon.
“Tell me what’s wrong with him,” Tarron demanded.
Goldie put both hands on her hips and faced off against the large man. “It looks like he was poisoned.”
“Poisoned?”
“Papa, you’re squeezing too tight,” Barret gasped out.
“Sorry.” Tarron loosened his grasp but only fractionally.
“Ruby and Wolfe made sure he had plenty of water. I’ve given him some tea.”
“Should we take him to Dr. Grimm?”
Goldie snorted with derision at Tarron’s comment.
Ruby cleared her throat. “Goldie is a healer. She didn’t want to do anything unless she thought he was in true danger, of course, without your permission.”
Tarron looked up at Goldie as if seeing her for the first time. His jaw dropped as he took in her long, waist-length blonde hair and crystal-clear blue eyes. She sat beside Oberon with the boy’s head on her lap and stroking his brown hair.
“You’re beautiful,” Tarron blurted out, his eyes slightly unfocused.
Goldie blushed. “Thank you. Now, is it okay if I work on Oberon?”
Tarron shook his head, “Yeah, sure, of course. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Goldie lifted a slim hand to touch his bare shoulder. “It’s okay. You’ve had a trauma, and now both boys are back. Let’s expel the last of the poison from Oberon’s system.”
Tarron nodded. “What can I do?”
“First, let’s see if I can find you some clothes. My father might have something in his room that will fit. Ruby, could you go look for me?”
Ruby headed in the direction Goldie indicated. “Now, let’s go back to my treatment room and get started.”
Wolfe cleared his throat. “Could I ask for a favor?”
Goldie turned to look directly at him, and Wolfe took a step back at the power she was beginning to channel for her upcoming healing session. “What is it?”
“When you’re done with Oberon, could you check out Ruby? Mathilda had poisoned her, as well.”
“Mathilda?” Tarron asked.
“It’s a long story. We’ll get it all sorted out after the healing,” Wolfe said.
Goldie frowned and looked back at her father’s room, concerned for her friend. “Naturally, I will take a look at Ruby, too.”
Chapter 8 – A Healing
Ruby
Goldie’s healing chamber was warm and cozy. There was a fire in the fireplace casting a warm orange glow over the room. It was a little warmer than comfortable, but no one else seemed to notice or complain, so Ruby didn’t, either.
“One of us should alert the baron,” Ruby said while Tarron put his son on a pile of blankets warmed by the fire.
Goldie nodded but set her jaw firmly. “I’m going to need all of you to help me with this, first. The baron can wait.”
Ruby looked out the window, unsure what she expected to see. A coven of witches baring down on
Goldie’s cabin, perhaps? With Mathilda in the wind, a sense of unease tightened Ruby’s stomach.
There was a cauldron of stones over the fireplace and a jug of water nearby. As soon as Oberon was comfortable on his pallet, his flushed face looked up trustingly at his father.
Goldie unbound her hair, letting it flow freely about her shoulders. Taking the cue, Ruby did as well until they looked like untamed healers of an earlier time.
Goldie began a quiet chant, calming words the others easily picked up on. Together the five other voices chanted their soothing refrain to Oberon.
“Small boy of the Bear Clan, can you hear me?” Goldie called out while everyone else’s voices fell to a hushed whisper.
“Yes,” Oberon said.
With a nod, Goldie indicated for Wolfe to put a ladle of water over the hot pile of rocks. Wolfe took the scoop and spilled it across their heated backs. A hiss surrounded them, and an instant billow of steam surrounded them.
“A witch tried to take something from you,” Goldie continued, her blue eyes turning an eerie silvery color as she continued. “She tried to hide your bear from you.”
Oberon began crying. “I can’t find my bear.”
Tarron stilled and looked at his son with shock. “You have to find him. He’s your soul.”
“Call him back, Oberon of the Bear Clan,” Goldie intoned. “Call him back.”
Ruby’s eyes prickled with tears as she realized that Goldie was helping the boy find what had been taken from him just as Ruby’s wolf had been denied her. “Come home, bear,” Ruby called, her voice breaking with emotion.
Wolfe held her hand and howled, the call of a wolf for a lost pack member. Ruby’s soul understood it and responded. She imitated his call, surprised to feel her inner wolf preen with pleasure.
Ruby was becoming one with her soul. Now, they had to reunite Oberon with his. The next howl felt more natural.
Barret became overcome with emotions as well. He placed another cup of water over the hot rocks. “Can you see him?”
Oberon nodded. “He’s almost home.”
Ruby: A Retelling of Red-Ridinghood (Thistle Grove Tales Book Book 3) Page 5