Vera's Song (Creatures of the Lands Book 2)

by Natalie Erin

  She paid him no attention, but continued walking towards the light. “Allie,” he called again. “Allakenzie!”

  It was too late, for she had disappeared. He leapt up from his spot and chased after her, wondering why she wasn’t listening. It wasn’t strange for her to disobey Kia and Keota, but she always did what Ionan asked of her.

  “Allie, come back! Listen to me this instant, young lady!” he cried as he chased after her, changing into a dragon.

  She didn’t even look at him. Every part of his brain was telling him to grab her and drag her back to the group, but a tiny part of his heart whispered to follow. So he wandered after her, hoping the mysterious light wasn’t a trap.

  They came to an opening in the mountains far above the rest. Allie stopped and giggled happily above him. Ionan rushed after her, wondering what she was seeing. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what was in front of him.

  A pure white she-wolf, one with two differently colored eyes, stood gracefully on the rocks. “I’ve seen you before! You’re Caini! Lottie and Lilja’s mother!” Ionan exclaimed.

  The she-wolf nodded with a smile, fading away into the night. His head turned as he heard Allie squeal. He gasped, trembling as he saw two griffins standing tall on the mountain side, their tails twirling and wings outstretched as they gazed down upon Allie.

  “Allyr,” Ionan gasped. “And Kotakenzie!”

  Allie’s tail twitched happily behind her. “Mommy and Daddy.”

  “I don’t think we should go in there,” Kia said, pointing at the forest in front of them. Even though her memory was lost, the group couldn’t argue that she had a good point. The forest that was bordering the Ice Borns was brown, dark, and the very definition of menacing. The ice that was beginning to form on the barren trees wasn’t making them look any cheerier, either.

  “Last time I checked you didn’t even know who you were,” Keota snapped. “What makes you think that I’m going to listen to you? OUCH!” he cried as Lilja came up and nipped cruelly at his ankles. “What was that for?” he asked.

  “Be a little nicer. It’s not her fault Wyntier did this to her,” the wolf growled.

  “Then maybe he should’ve taken her with him,” Keota mumbled.

  “He would’ve brought her back,” Snow Drop said, staring at a tree trunk and looking like she would love nothing more but to slam her head into it over and over.

  “Fine, I’ll be nicer,” Keota said sarcastically. He turned to face Kia. “We have to go in there whether you want to or not, because it’s our only way through to the Ice Borns. Now let’s go.” He walked on and the others followed behind him reluctantly.

  They were barely into the trees before trouble found them. “Who dares enter this forest without an invitation?” a booming voice asked, echoing about the trees. The group stopped dead in their tracks, searching the trees for the voice.

  Keota turned to see a tall, dark skinned elf looking at him, with long blonde hair and a bow at his side. A quiver of arrows clung to his back. “You all must leave this place immediately! You’re not welcome here,” he commanded. His muscles, which were bigger than his head, flexed threateningly.

  “My name is Keota and this is my wife Kia...” Keota started.

  “I just met you like, a week ago. We are not married!” Kia interrupted from behind him.

  Keota sighed and continued. “Our son was kidnapped and the only way to get to him is through this forest. Kia happens to be the queen of the Lands, so if we could just pass through...”

  The elf began to laugh. “You expect me to believe that thing is the queen? Queen Kiatana is a fairy not a...whatever she is,” the elf said, looking in disgust at Kia.

  “Excuse me?” Kia stepped forward. “I don’t remember being queen, but I don’t see why I’m not very queen-like to you!”

  The elf threw his hand up in a signal. In an instant the group was surrounded by armed elves who began to open fire on the trespassers. Keota grabbed Kia’s hand and instead of turning out of the forest, led the small group farther into the woods.

  They ran as fast as they could but it seemed impossible to escape the elves. Every time they seemed to have lost them, more jumped out from the trees to block their path. They made it to a clearing and, surrounded, the group stopped in their tracks.

  From out of nowhere the large elf jumped in front of them. He knocked an arrow into his quiver and let it fly. It struck Keota in the chest and with a cry of pain he fell, clutching the bleeding wound.

  The world was in slow motion as Keota collapsed, and as Kia watched a new image filled her head.

  She was lying on the ground. A man was standing above her, a man she thought to be the most handsome she had ever seen, with black hair and golden eyes. He was looking down at her in confusion. “What is your name?” he asked her.

  She swallowed. “Kiatana Abrilion Shaman...”

  The cliff side crumbled beneath her feet. She began falling to her death before she felt strong arms lift her into the air as if she weighed no more than a feather. The man that saved her was smiling...

  She and the golden-eyed man were facing a fairy with black hair and the ears of a fox. “It’s a rose,” a young wolf said proudly, wagging her tail…

  She lay in a bed, hot and sweaty, more tired than she had ever been in her life, yet more proud too. She turned and looked up to see the child in the man’s arms. “He’s got my eyes, doesn’t he...?”

  She was standing outside, covered in dirt as she watched a dragon and the man descend from the skies. A five year old stood behind her, sucking his thumb with one hand and petting a lynx with the other...

  She was sitting in front of the man, trying to convince him that she had never met him before. He cried and kept telling her that they were married. She told him that no matter what, nothing would convince her that she loved him.

  Nothing except for watching him die right before her eyes.

  Kia rushed forward to catch the one she loved before he crumpled against the ground. Keota landed in her arms and tears began to spring up in her eyes. She looked down at him and said the two words that made him the happiest man alive, despite bleeding to death: “I remember.”

  “About time,” he groaned, holding his side. “How?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I love you, Keota, more than anything, and if you die now I wouldn’t be able to go on any longer. I need you. You are my light, and without you I have nothing.”

  “Stop the attack!” a voice cried. The elves halted and Kia glanced up to see a black-haired man in a white robe, holding his hands high. From them a bright light shone and the elves turned and ran, blinded by the light.

  “Excuse me, my Queen,” the black haired man walked from the trees and knelt by her side. “I can help him.”

  Kia looked at him, terror in her eyes. “Please save him. I love him. I love him,” she whispered.

  The strange man pulled the arrow from Keota’s chest and placed his hands over the wound. A faint white glow appeared and as the man removed his fingers the wound healed. Keota sputtered for a moment, and then slowly sat up with Kia’s help. He wrapped his arms around her and they both began to cry.

  “I thought I had lost you,” he told her softly.

  “My mother used to say that no matter what, the memories of the past are always there. It just takes pain to make them show themselves,” Kia told him.

  The two got to their feet and Snow Drop whinnied, rising up on her back legs. “What is going on here? I just witnessed a miracle!”

  “Advanced priests of the temple can heal,” Keota said, embracing the man in front of him. “And this priest is the best of them all. Father. What are you doing here?”

  “WHAT? Your father?” Kia asked, staring at the man with an open mouth.

  The man smiled. “Yes, Queen Kiatana. I am Amancio Morimoti. I found your sister and she told me that your son had been kidnapped. She told me to stay behind, but I suppose it’s a good thing
I didn’t.” He smiled at Kiatana.

  “How did you get here?” Keota asked.

  “Who else?” Amancio smiled. “I asked Ignus.”

  “Ignus is here? Ionan’s father?” Keota said with wide eyes. “That’s not a good thing. He’ll tear Wyntier apart before we even get to him!”

  “Is that such a bad thing?” Lilja asked.

  “Do not worry, my son. We only came to make sure you were alright. Nicodemus will be furious if he finds out I left Nesting’s Haven without permission. But when has the Council ever decided where a priest of the temple goes?” Amancio shrugged.

  Keota shook his head. “No, Father. If you stay here the consequences will be terrible for you. You’re Head Priest, and that’s an important job. Everyone relies on you. You must go back with Ignus as soon as possible, before the Council gives your position to some puppet of theirs.”

  Amancio sighed. “You’re right. Though it would be worth losing my position, to be able to see my child and grandson,” he said slowly, his voice rough. “You never bothered to visit, since you left.”

  Keota looked guiltily at the ground. “I thought you didn’t want me back.”

  “We always wanted you to come home, son,” Amancio said. “It was your mother’s dying wish.”

  “What?” Keota gasped. “Mom is…”

  “She died as she lived, protecting the ones she loved most. There was a great uprising in Nesting’s Haven, and she fought Wyntier until the bitter end,” Amancio told her, and the old man choked back tears.

  “I never got to say goodbye,” Keota whispered, and he leaned on Kia, burying his head in her shoulder. “All because I was too stubborn to visit. Ionan told me I should, but I never listened.”

  “She wouldn’t want you to regret anything, my son,” Amancio said, wiping the tears from Keota’s face. “All she wanted was for you to be happy.”

  Keota embraced the old man once more. “I’m sorry, Dad. I must’ve grown up to be a real disappointment,” he chuckled.

  “Oh yes, marrying royalty is definitely cause for embarrassment,” Amancio laughed. He gave Kiatana a kiss on the cheek and said, “You’re beautiful, my dear, even more lovely than I had hoped. I pray that we’ll meet again someday.”

  “We will,” Kiatana said, grasping his hand. “I don’t know when it will be safe for you to do so, but someday, you’ll be able to see us again and meet your grandson.”

  Amancio smiled sadly. “Ana and her team was headed that way,” he said, pointing directly in front of them. “I’ll lead you out of the forest, and then I’ll meet up with Ignus.”

  “Shouldn’t we be concerned about the elves? They could follow us,” Keota said.

  “They wouldn’t dare to attack us again,” Kia said, waving a hand. “Not after what just happened.”

  When they reached the edge of the forest, Keota gave his father one last farewell hug. “Tell Ignus I said hello.”

  “I will, although he’s a bit grumpy right now,” Amancio chuckled. “He resents I called in a favor on party day.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hatchlings, and Familiar Faces

  Ana and Maekrel flew with a team of ten policemen from Nesting’s Haven through the blistering winter wind. The Ice Borns were in sight, but the blizzard that had come upon them in an instant made it impossible for Maekrel to remember exactly where he had found Wyntier’s hideout.

  “Take me down, Nadeer,” Ana said to the hippogriff that was flying both her and Maekrel at the head of the group. The hippogriff turned downward and the team followed to land on a small ledge on the side of a mountain.

  An Accompany dismounted from his Changer, pointing at the sky. “There’s no way we’ll find Wyntier in this. We should make camp until the storm passes.”

  “What a ridiculous idea,” a Changer hissed nearby, and Ana felt herself turning pink. Lukas, Nicodemus’ own Changer and the python that had been sent out of the Council room earlier, had insisted on coming along to supervise. With his main form being a brown scaled wyvern, with two crooked, bat like wings, two spindly legs and a poisonous scorpion tail, Lukas had been known as the executioner when the Council needed someone to do their dirty work. Ana had seen the pure joy in Lukas’ eyes when he killed criminals for the Council, and she knew that if Nicodemus gave the order, the wyvern would have no trouble killing her as well. She wished she could’ve found a way to make the Changer stay behind, but she had no choice but to bring him along.

  “What we should do is split into teams,” Lukas said. “Ana and Maekrel should head one way down the mountain, and the rest of us will spread out. With any luck we’ll find him quickly.”

  “I don’t want to find Wyntier alone!” an Accompany protested, looking at his Pegasus with fright.

  “Are you a coward?” Lukas hissed and his tail began shaking behind him, giving off a deadly rattle. The Accompany gulped and said, “No. But shouldn’t Ana decide?”

  The team turned to Ana, and Lukas bared his fangs. She tried to keep a stone face. She was Head of Security, but it was clear who was running this mission. “He’s right. Best way to handle this is to split up.”

  “Are you sure, Chief?” a Changer asked.

  “This is the only way,” Ana responded. “We have to look over the entire mountain.”

  As the group separated Ana tried to contain her anger, but like always, Maekrel noticed.

  “You don’t think splitting up was a good idea, do you?” Maekrel said as they hiked together down the mountainside.

  “No,” Ana said. “But I’d like to put as much distance between me and Lukas as possible.”

  “But we might not find Wyntier that way,” Maekrel argued.

  “They took so long gathering the team, we probably won’t find him now. Wyntier probably left with Vera long ago. The Council lost our chance to stop him once and for all. Again.” She let out a loud huff, shaking her head.

  “You can’t give up so easily,” Maekrel argued. “With the weather like this, he might still be here.”

  “I doubt that. He’d force Vera to fly in anything. It’s not like a few flurries are going to stop him.” She began jogging down the mountain, barely paying attention to where she was going and looking down at the snow angrily.

  “Ana!” Maekrel said, but she didn’t listen.

  “Ana!” he said once again, and he grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “I know things seem terrible at the moment, but it’ll be alright!”

  “What makes you think it’s going to be alright?” she yelled. “Wyntier is going to get away with it once again, and this time, it’s with my nephew!”

  “Have you ever noticed that we have something Wyntier does not?” Maekrel asked slowly.

  “And what is that? More people on our side? Because he seems to be outsmarting all of us,” Ana snapped.

  “Love.” Maekrel took her chin in his hand and tilted her face upward slightly. He hesitated before he pressed his lips against hers in a kiss. Ana stiffened in shock, but then allowed herself to relax, looping her arms around him. He pulled away from her and smiled. “I think we can do this.”

  Ana smiled. “Me too.” For the first time in a long while, she believed in something again.

  From far away, there was a scream. Ana jumped forward but Maekrel caught her, holding her back. “Stay here. You’re Head of Security. If something happens to you, we’re all in trouble.”

  “You can’t go by yourself,” Ana said.

  “I might not be your Changer anymore, but I’m still determined to protect you,” Maekrel said. The scream became even louder and before Ana could protest further Maekrel ran away into the snow as fast as he could. He tried finding a sense of direction in the storm. But it was no use. The blizzard was so thick, he could barely see. It was one of the reasons he didn’t notice the carnage in front of him until he was right upon it.

  Blood. Blood everywhere. Changers and Accompanies alike laid slain in the snow, their bodies ripped open, some of them in
pieces. As he surveyed the scene, he realized the bodies lying around were those of his team. Maekrel walked around the scene in shock, stepping around limbs and severed heads. He finally found the hippogriff Nadeer, who laid on his side, his gut torn open. The poor creature was still breathing.

  “Nadeer!” Maekrel said, and he knelt by the hippogriff’s side. Picking up the Changer’s head in his arms, he looked into the creature’s eyes, which were slowly fading. “Nadeer, who did this?”

  Nadeer let out one wheezing, last breath and gasped, “Lu...kas...”

  Ionan stood half-terrified, half amazed as he gazed at the formidable creatures before him. They had once been his friends at Dinkleberry University, and may yet still be his friends, but he knew that they were no longer of this world. Vixen had proclaimed Allie’s parents dead, and so they were. But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that the parents of his adopted child were Allyr and Kotakenzie.

  Allie clacked her beak at them happily, and they turned towards her with a gentle gaze. Kotakenzie was large, with the back end of a cheetah and the face of an eagle, his feathers shimmering golden in the night. Allyr had the stripes of a white tiger on her back legs, her feathers gleaming white with a silver beak.

  “Ionan,” Allyr stated. “We need to speak with you.” Her voice was even more echoing and powerful than his was. It was Allyr’s voice, as he remembered it, but somehow at the same time, it wasn’t. “Don’t be afraid,” she laughed. “We are no more than you. Common Changers, all gone on.”

  “Why must you speak with me?” he asked, drawing his tail up. “It’s not often I consult with the dead, though I must admit of recent years it’s been more than I have liked.”

  “To tell you things you need to know and would not have discovered otherwise, yet things that must remain a secret,” Kotakenzie stated. Ionan noticed he had Allie’s same kind eyes, a detail he had forgotten over the years.

  Ionan bowed to them. “My dear friends, I must ask, if you have journeyed past death to tell me secrets, why must they remain so? Won’t your daughter remember what you speak of this night?”