“Fuck,” Plamen said under his breath. Both of the men looked at me.
“We keep heading towards Rapture,” I said.
Kem’s keen sense sought anything that looked out of place, or anyone who might be watching us. He sniffed the air—then looked at me with a blank expression. I wasn’t expecting anything more. It was bright enough to see whether anybody was peeking around any corners, out of any of the windows, or if any of the curtains were pulled back... They all were in place.
Plamen asked, “What are we going to do when we get to Rapture?”
I had formed a new plan, but would tell them in the confined area of the Jeep, not in the wide open where anyone would have the chance to hear.
Plamen pressed, “We’ll arrive early tomorrow morning.”
“We’re not going to arrive tomorrow.” I ignored their baffled stares. “Load up. I’m going to sweep the room one more time, to make sure we got everything.” I said.
Tracked
Anger mixed with frustration as I twirled the feather between my fingers. Whoever had left it was toying with us. We had been raised to defend and protect, not to be a pawn in someone’s game. I locked down the fierce feelings rioting inside me, so I could think rationally. My men would do as I told them, but it was much easier when they agreed with my decisions, for them and me. What I was about to tell them would push their respect for me to a new limit.
The Jeep’s oversized tires hummed. It was the only sound in the small space, aside from Kem’s stifled growls. I tucked the tip of the feather’s hollow shaft into one of my dread beads and slid my phone from my bag. Taking a deep breath, I carefully constructed my words. “This is the first time, I believe, in all the centuries of the Protectors, we are forced to run because we are being chased. Our people have moved from place to place because it was our choice, until now.” Kem’s growls quieted to a low grumble. I touched the home button on my phone. A picture of the cemetery glowed underneath my hand. I was more at ease staring at the peaceful dead.
“Jeta,” Plamen said gently. His voice was laced with concern for me, and the need to know our next move.
I continued with the confidence of a leader, hiding my insecurity of a timid animal under my armor. “Once we arrive in Foretoke, we go on foot to Cole’s cottage.”
“On foot? No disrespect, but are you crazy? We’ll be easy targets,” Plamen said in disbelief.
“No, I am not crazy. I’ve already called Cole. As our blood brother, he’ll help anyway he can. His place is tucked so deeply into the forest we’ll be safe for a few weeks until the Black Moon. Kem can get us through the forest better than any tracker, no matter how good they are.” I turned in my seat to face Kem. “As long as we have you on our side we’ll be fine.” I knew I was putting additional pressure on him, but his skills in his wolf form were no contest. “I refuse to wait around for over a month, like vulnerable ducks.” Voicing what I’d been thinking since finding the feather, and for the few miles since we’d left, brought a realization and confidence this plan of action was the right thing to do. “I don’t know who’s after us, but I do know no one will have the advantage in the forest like we do.” I saw Plamen from the corner of my eye, he nodded, and I was glad he was seeing my point of view.
There were still a million things I didn’t know, but I wouldn’t let time be our enemy. I planned to tame it for our own needs. What I wanted to know most was who was on our trail, and what they wanted with the Irizat Luna. When those questions were answered, we’d be back in full control.
An outlandish thought crossed my mind. As I spoke my concern, I knew it was insane. “Since whoever is on our trail knows what our vehicle looks like, do you think they put a tracking device on us?”
Plamen cut the wheel hard to the right and veered across three lanes of traffic. He came to a whiplashing stop on the median.
“Jesus!” I vented.
Plamen jumped out of the Jeep and ducked under the frame. A few minutes later he jumped back in the driver’s seat. He tossed a small device with a blinking red light onto my lap. “Good job, boss.”
Kem crept between the seats to peer at the tattle-tailing gadget. “Not even my wolf sense would have caught a whiff of that.”
I opened the door, dropped the device on the pavement and stomped on it. The light dimmed and died. For good measure, I tossed the thing onto the highway when no cars were coming. A few more tramples over it by oncoming traffic couldn’t hurt. Plamen pulled back onto the road. We drove in silence for several miles.
Plamen’s usual sneering gaze was replaced with a resolve I hadn’t seen since the death bird had cried out. He placed his hand on my thigh and admitted a hint of a smile to touch his mouth. “This won’t be the first time our skills are put to the test.”
“No, it won’t,” I agreed.
We drove another six hours before we pulled off the highway to get something to eat and find a sporting goods store to get the supplies we’d need for our hike. We calculated that it would take two days to get to Cole’s. Since Kem would be in wolf form, we needed to pack light, but still have enough supplies for the three of us. We got a quick bite to eat, went shopping, and were back on the road in less than an hour. For the fifty or so miles it took to reach the rest stop that backed up to the Foretoke Forest, the ride was quiet. Mentally, I was exhausted from my brain playing out every possible situation it could conjure happening in the next forty-three days. Then, I’d think of a solution to handle it. I let out a hard breath.
“What is it?” Plamen asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Everything. Nothing.”
“Something,” he insisted.
“It’s always something, except when it isn’t. Right?”
“Most of the time.” His tone wasn’t mocking as much as it was playful.
The miles drifted by as silence settled in again. “Plamen?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember that time when we were kids, and I dared you to jump off Devil’s Rock?”
“No,” he said with complete humility.
“Liar,” I said. He chuckled. The noise was light in the quiet cab. The highway lights flashed over our faces every half mile or so. He had a half-grin on his face. I tucked one leg under the other and turned to face him. “This feels like that day.”
“How so?”
“I was making you do something you didn’t want to do, and—”
He held up his hand—it glowed red from the dashboard lights. “Jeta,” he glanced at me, then back to the road, “I had a choice then, and I jumped. This—” he circled his hand in the air, “there is no choice. I will follow you and do whatever I am required. That’s not only my destiny, or a childish dare, it’s what I was born to do.” He looked at me, and his face hardened. “By the way, I would have jumped even if you hadn’t dared me.”
I punched his arm and his face creased in mock pain. Again, I said, “Liar!”
We laughed and reminisced about the times when we had nothing to worry about. A sign we passed told us the rest stop was in two miles. My nerve endings were amped up at the thought of doing something physical. I was ready to shut my brain down for the night. We pulled into the rest stop. There were a few parked cars and several idling semis. Plamen parked the Jeep at the end of the parking lot. We all knew it wouldn’t be here when we returned. It would be one of our many sacrifices.
I jostled Kem’s shoulder. He growled. Then, his eyes fluttered open. “Hey.”
“You ready for a stroll in the woods?” I asked.
“You know it.”
A light rain fell. I could only hope it would stop soon or we’d be drenched before long. Unobserved, we loaded our gear onto our backs, locked up the Jeep, and didn’t look back. Well, Plamen did, as we entered the forest. His gaze swept over his Jeep. I tugged his pack and offered a small smile. It wouldn’t fill the void of losing his beloved rugged vehicle, but I at least hoped to convey we’d do our best to get it back, when this was over. As soon
as we were hidden enough in the forest, we paused to listen for anything sounding other than nightly, and woodsy-like. The moonlight seeped between the high branches, laying a glowing, dotted path through the trees. Kem’s human form shredded. His body broke and twisted in unnatural ways. The sight equally horrified and thrilled me.
The shadow-gray wolf darted out in front of Plamen and me. I glanced at Plamen. He eyed me as if knowing what I was going to say.
“Ready?” he asked.
As always, he did. “Ready,” I replied.
“After you,” he said.
Kem would go on ahead to track our path. He’d also back track to see if anyone was following us. His senses were as deadly as any wild predator. If there was someone, he would find them... and they wouldn’t be alive for long. We had hiked for almost four and a half hours before we rested. My body was tired, but I didn’t want to rest for more than a few minutes. The sooner we arrived at Coles’ the better. Every half-hour Kem came back to report. It was easier to hike at night because Kem’s eyesight was better in the dark. And, he was the one we relied on to get us to Cole's house safely. His way of communicating was at times entertaining, and others—frustrating. So far, all was clear.
When Kem came to report an hour later, something dangled from his mouth. When he dropped it at my feet, I froze in shock. I titled my head toward our beloved moon and whispered, “Why?”
A black bird had been slaughtered. Without picking up the bloodied creature, I saw it. The light of the moon peeked from behind the clouds and glinted off the deep-blue crystal in its gut. I reached inside its entrails and picked out the stone. Kyanite. The unfortunate stone had a way to allow someone to get inside your head. Each thought would be like a switchblade, opening and closing, again and again. Grasping the stone, I closed my eyes. After several deep breaths, I opened my eyes, and I shoved it into my front pocket. It would have been worse luck to leave it behind.
Keeping my mind tight from any outside threats, I started walking north. Faster and more determined than I had before. Plamen said nothing as he followed. Kem’s paws merely patted the wet mossy floor while he stayed at our side. My steps, and Plamen’s, weren’t as stealth-like. The cracks of dead tree branches echoed throughout the forest. The terrain wasn’t as tough as it was hard to focus, knowing what Kem had found. When he returned to human form, I’d be able to ask more questions about the dead bird. I know if he had caught the scent or spotted another person, his howl would have ricocheted off every solid form in the forest.
It wasn’t until six in the morning when we came upon the stream. I stripped off my pack and knelt to claim a handful of clear, cool water. I glanced behind me. My men were tired. It had been a long day and an even longer night. I sat back on my heels. The rain had stopped, but the earth was wet and everything on it damp.
“Let’s move into the confines of the trees and make camp.” The crystal in my pocket was hard against my hip. I was so driven and upset by Kem’s findings, I said, “I’ll take first watch.” Plamen knew by my tone not to argue. Kem whimpered, but headed into the forest. He would lay with us, but his heightened ability to hear would notify us of any danger.
It took only a few moments to construct the tent, and set up the sleeping bags. I laid a blanket outside the tent for Kem. Before he lay down, he nudged my leg. I patted his head and said, “Thank you.” Without him we would have assumed the danger following us had disappeared.
I went down to the river and took the stone out of my pocket. This time, the water felt as slick and chilled as an eel’s skin. I rinsed the stone clean. The remnants of blood washed away in the current. Someone or someone(s) had more than a rare sense of tracking, they had magic on their side.
Secret
I’ve kept a secret. I thought about it as I sat outside the tent. The sun had risen just over the edge of the horizon. Its rays streamed through the forest in thin golden whispers of light. It was so silent, I swear I could hear dew dripping off leaves, and the wings of a dragonfly zipping by. I stared at the scar in the center of my palm on my left hand, and the three diagonal slits just below it on my wrist. Each of them glowed faintly iridescent. They were the marks of the Irizat Luna. I found tranquility when I watched the ever-moving liquid rainbow under my skin. I felt, not only like a Protector, but also, protected.
Since I first stabbed the tip of the Irizat Luna’s blade into my palm, I’ve felt it... my secret. Sometimes, I wondered if it was my imagination, because it never developed into something complete like Plamen’s fire ability, or like Kem being able to shift into a wolf. It’s a power I felt from my core outward. The feeling was like nothing I could describe to anyone. I kept my secret to myself until I would hopefully one day figure it out. But, it’s been seven years, and yet, there was still only the tinge of its power that resided just below the surface. It was different than my natural psychic ability. The problem was I had never been able to grasp hold of it long enough before it disappeared. In those tiny slivers of time I felt it pulling at part of my soul, and glimpsing at something that wasn’t there, yet.
CRACK!
A branch broke in the distance. The sound was as loud as thunder in the quiet solitude of morning. I rose, my hand went to the hilt of my knife on my hip. The wolf beside me stirred. I knelt and stroked his fur until his body relaxed. Something, or someone, was out there. I wouldn’t go far from camp, but I wanted to discover the bastard making the insinuating threats. I ventured out a hundred feet or so, every so often I’d stop and listen. Nothing. Inwardly, I cursed each time. Someone or something had to be out there, branches don’t break on their own. I turned my back and started toward camp. I didn’t want to leave my sleeping men unattended for too long.
Another branch cracked.
I paused in the stillness. The trees rustled above me. Slowly, I spun in a three-sixty, and spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was only eleven-thirty. The sun rose higher and its heat began to generate. If it weren’t for the protection of the forest, I would have been sweating. For now, I would assume it was a deer that had made the noises and sent my senses into overdrive. If it wasn’t for the dead bird and the crystal, I may have actually believed my own lies. I circled our camp and settled back in my lookout position before Plamen woke a few moments later.
“Anything?” he asked; his voice grumbled with sleep. His hair was more disheveled than usual. Red rimmed his dark eyes. The length of our road trip and hike had taken a toll on him, which was something I rarely saw. I didn’t like to see the vulnerable side of Plamen. I kept the vision of him strong and unafraid in my head. He was my fire-conjuring soldier.
I debated on what exactly to say, since I hadn’t actually seen anything or anyone, only a few noncommittal breaks of twigs. “No,” I said lamely.
Kem’s body of fur stretched out. His hind legs straightened and then his entire body went limp again. I chuckled to myself. Meeting Plamen’s eyes, I saw he was smiling, too. It was odd to think he was our human-backseat-companion on the trip here, now he was a furry predator that slept at our feet.
“You’ve got to be tired,” Plamen said. Concern seemed to be a permanently creased in his brow, when he spoke about my well-being.
I was exhausted, but I wouldn’t admit I was tired until I dropped at his feet. “I’m okay, still driven from what Kem found last night,” I half lied.
“Either way, try to get some rest, when you wake, I’ll have dinner made, and hopefully Kem can do another sweep of the area before we set off at nightfall.”
I slid into the tent. The false security of the thin protection of the nylon felt sublime. Fatigue instantly took over all other feelings and senses. I crumbled onto the scrambled sleeping bag.
Only God and Plamen knew how many hours later he woke me.
“Jeta...”
After jostling me a few times, I finally came to. Sleep had never taken hold of me so hard. Either my body had been over-exhausted from the days before, or it, more than me,
knew what was to come. I feared the latter. As I rose, I noticed the sun had begun to set. Odd, to think I was awake when it had risen, but asleep when it made its descent. “Yeah, I’m up.”
“You sure?” he asked.
Lazily, I rolled onto my side at Plamen’s commanding tone. “Yes, I’m awake!” My body responded to the damp night air settling in and the scent of the fire Plamen set. I woke in the same clothes I crashed in. And I was okay with that until we arrived at Cole’s in the morning. It would take only several grueling hours to get to what would be our salvation for the next few weeks.
When I peeked through the tent’s opening, which was considered a door, at Plamen, I knew he hadn’t believed me. The smirk on his face told me as much. But, like the good soldier he was, he ignored it. “When you’re ready, we’ll pack up, and move on.” I nodded and fought the urge to fall back onto the sleeping bag.
Moments later, I smelled meat and something sweet. I ignored the uncomfortable feeling I’d had upon waking. Something was off. I couldn’t quite place it, though. “Plamen,” I called from inside the tent. He pulled up the entry flap and peered inside.
“Have you done a perimeter check?” I asked, knowing he had probably done it multiple times.
“Of course.”
“Has Kem scoped out our path for tonight?” I felt stupid for asking, but something in my gut told me something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t pin down what it was, in order to ask specifically. It was infuriating as a leader, and even more frustrating as a person wanting to survive.
Plamen’s nonchalant nod told me as much. “Dinner’s hot.”
That was my cue to get my ass in gear. Sleeping in jeans was never pleasant, and this time proved to be no different. After pulling back the few dreads that had come loose, tucking them back into the band holding the blond mass, and changing my t-shirt for a fresh one I felt like less of a hot mess when I finally stumbled out of the tent.
Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 149