Lup Teren (Wolf Land Series Book 1)

by L. D. K. Johnson

  Suddenly, feeling invigorated, she ran faster, leaping over downed logs and piles of small rocks. As she cleared one small branch blocking her path, a sudden and frightening twenty-foot drop knocked the wind out of her.

  “Bloody hell!” she groaned, licking one of her back legs to lessen the pain from the unexpected fall.

  “What is wrong?” Nicolae bellowed, almost deafening her.

  “I’m at the bottom of some sort of animal trap,” she snarled, cursing a blue streak that startled Nicolae into silence. “Sorry. I can smell the sun. It will be rising in about thirty minutes.”

  “I cannot help you, Raina,” Nicolae reminded.

  “I know,” she sighed, knowing he would help her if he could. Looking around the dark cavern, she spotted thick tree roots poking out of the trenched earth. “I’ve got an idea.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Give me a few minutes,” she stated breathlessly as she jumped trying to reach the nearest root which she missed by a few inches.

  Trying again, she crouched lower and sprung upward digging her nails into the damp dirt. She smiled internally as she caught the root between her teeth. Slowly. Carefully. She pulled herself higher using her claws to intertwine with the strong roots. She didn’t know how long it took, but at last her head poked out of the hole. With as much grace as she had in fur, she hoisted her heavy canine form up and over, sprawling momentarily on her back as she caught her breath.

  “I forbid you to lay there!” Nicolae blustered. “Get up and keep going. I am close.”

  “Slave driver,” she thought to herself.

  “I heard that,” he blustered.

  “You were supposed to,” she blustered back.

  “The both of you stop arguing and get moving!” Blaine shouted like a drill sergeant.

  Without argument, she began running up the narrow path that led to the cave hidden in the mountain. Fifteen minutes later, she recognized the spot where Nicolae had located the concealed device that opened the narrow doorway of rock. In a flash, she morphed back to skin. Desperately, she searched for the secret compartment and had just stuck her arm between the narrow crevice and felt the lever, when a sharp blow to the back of the neck almost made her lose consciousness. Turning quickly, she saw an angry Nicolae lunging toward her. Instinctively, she changed back.

  “I won’t fight you!” Raina barked, but it fell on deaf ears. “Stop, Nicolae!” The hard blow to her left cheek reminded that if she didn’t fight, he’d kill her in order to keep his family alive.

  “I do not want to hurt you,” his voice filtered through the pain of being struck. “Knock me out.”

  “What?” She wasn’t sure if she had heard right.

  “If I am unconscious I cannot hurt you,” he said, charging at her again and this time landing several sharp jabs to her abdomen. Thankfully, it didn’t hurt very much in her furry wolf body. It actually felt kind of relaxing. If they were in a different circumstance, it might have turned her on.

  “Really?” Nicolae halted in mid-punch. “This turns you on?”

  “Shut up and get outta my head,” she growled in warning making him back away a few feet before she leaped on top of him, shifted back to her human form and held him in a chokehold until he was out cold.

  “He’s alright,” Blaine commented, “but you’ve got less than a minute to get to your father and Antonio.”

  Naked and uncaring of that fact, she left Nicolae’s unconscious form and ran back to the wall of rock, finding the lever and switching it up. Unfortunately, it didn’t budge. Again she pushed it with all of her might and it stayed in the down position. In one last desperate course of action, she concentrated, partially shifted her arm and used her oversized paw to push against the device. The tight fit along with the jagged points sticking out of the mountain dug into her fur and pierced her skin making her bleed.

  “Open, damn it!”

  Desperately, she pushed. Pushed until finally the lever sprung forward and she pressed the door open, crawling and finagling until she was inside the large cave. At the far corner, her father and Antonio were shackled to the wall unconscious, but alive.

  “You’re too late, Miss Jacobs,” the official’s voice startled her as he stepped out of the darkness and pointed to the faint sunlight filtering through the rocky crevices.

  All of the air rushed out of her lungs as she fell to her uncovered knees.

  “This isn’t fair. The lever was stuck. I fell into a trap. I had to fight Nicolae,” she whimpered, feeling the tears begin to caress her heated cheeks.

  “Rules are rules, Miss Jacobs and now a sacrifice must be made.” The man walked toward her, face an emotionless mask. “Choose your sacrifice.”

  “I can’t,” she swiped at the tears as she stood. “I won’t.”

  “Then the choice will be made for you,” he reminded in that same robotic voice.

  “Wait,” she sniffed, “please…wait.”

  “Name your sacrifice, Miss Jacobs,” Samson ordered again.

  “No.”

  “Then you shall be sacrificed.”

  “Fine,” she said, standing taller, “do it.”

  “I’ll be her sacrifice,” Duncan’s voice made her jump.

  No!

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “What are you doing?” Raina stared at the man who was more like a second father. “Ignore him. He’s obviously out of his mind.”

  “I assure you,” Duncan smiled, “I am in full control of all of my faculties.” The sadness in his Scottish brogue made her wince like he had struck her physically.

  The journal. What did it say again?

  “I wish to invoke Kanye,” she spoke in a clear voice.

  “What?” both Samson and Duncan asked simultaneously.

  “I said…I wish to invoke Kanye,” she stated again, but more firmly.

  There was a low, sexy chuckle in her head right before she heard, “Sweetheart,” Antonio’s voice filtered into her brain, making her smile to herself, “I think you mean you wish to invoke Shashone.”

  Looking up, she realized he was awake and smiling at her. “Yes,” she blushed, “I wish to invoke Shashone.”

  Samson’s face hardened. “You want to perform the ritual…to breathe life?”

  “Yes, that’s it. I want to breathe life.”

  “Do you understand what that means?” he asked still staring angrily at her.

  “No,” she shook her head, “not at all.”

  Duncan explained, “To breathe life you invoke the Spirit Walk now instead of tomorrow and take the chance of unlocking your powers in order to save my life and yours.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s do it,” she said, rubbing her hands together.

  “Raina,” Duncan continued, “I still have to die. You have to kill me. Then they will perform the ritual…the ritual that will put you in a type of coma and while you are in the Shadow Lands, you have an hour to find the source of your powers. If you do not, you will not have the strength to return to this plane of existence.”

  Taking his hands in hers, she said, “I can do this. I know I can.”

  “You don’t know when your abilities will manifest,” Duncan reminded. “Maybe you will receive them immediately. Maybe in a day or in a year…or perhaps two.”

  She thought for a moment before stating confidently, “Then we’ll be together in the Shadow Lands. I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of eternity with anyone else.”

  *****

  “What are you doing, Raina?” both Nicolae and Blaine yelled.

  “I’m saving Duncan,” she said, dressing in a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt Nicolae had stashed in his backpack.

  “Have you studied the ritual to receive your powers once you reach the Shadow Lands?” Antonio queried with a hopeful glimmer in his deeply concerned brown eyes.

  “I read most of it.”

  “Most of it?” Blaine snorted. “Tell me this is another joke.” There was silence. “Sh
ite! You have lost your mind.”

  Biting her lower lip nervously, she asked, “Is there any way you can go back to the manor and get the book?”

  “No, it’s too far away.” Blaine ran strong fingers through his wavy hair in agitation.

  “Oh, yeah,” she pondered his statement. “No worries. I remember some of it. It’ll be fine.”

  Duncan hugged her tightly, a bright smile on his handsome face. “No matter what happens, you must fulfill your destiny.”

  “Don’t say that. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

  “If anything does…don’t feel guilty. Promise me.”

  “Duncan…”

  “Promise me, Raina or I’ll put you over my knee.”

  “I promise, but nothing will happen.” Her eyes began to fill with tears. “I love you, Duncan.”

  “I love you, too.”

  *****

  “Are you ready?” Samson asked.

  “Yes,” she stated firmly, grasping the hilt of the ceremonial dagger. “I don’t want to stab him.”

  “It’s part of the ritual,” the official stated grimly.

  “Your ritual sucks,” she offered her two cents.

  “Go ahead,” Duncan encouraged holding her hand and placing the silver-tipped blade over his heart. “Do it quickly.”

  Of their own accord, her hands began to shake. “I can’t.”

  “You must,” he frowned, brogue thickening, “or they’ll kill us both.” Intertwining their fingers on the hilt, he smiled as he studied her tear-stained face. “You look just like your mother.” Then he plunged the sharp metal deep, penetrating his heart.

  “Noooo!” Raina screamed pulling out the dagger and using her palm to halt the blood flowing out of the large gash in Duncan’s chest. “I’m gonna fix this.” Turning to the official, she stated coldly, “When I’m Alpha, this is the first tradition that gets the ax.”

  The ceremonial smoke filled the cave making her feel woozy.

  Ignoring her outburst, Samson informed, “The more you inhale the smoke, the more your spirit will slip away. When you are a stone’s throw away from death, your soul will enter the Shadow Lands.”

  “Duncan will be there with me?”

  “Yes, you will go on this journey together. If you receive your powers, you will be able to cross back into this plane. If you do not…”

  “My spirit will stay in the Shadow Lands and my body will die.”

  “Yes. And Duncan will remain dead.” Samson avoided eye contact. “If you return, you will be able to breathe life back into his body…or not.”

  “Or not?”

  “No other contestant has returned,” the partially bald official reminded.

  “I know.” She sat holding Duncan’s still form cradled in her arms. “None of them were the hybrid…yada, yada, yada.”

  “Exactly.” The man turned and left her alone with Duncan’s body. Feeling his carotid artery for a pulse, she sighed deeply when her fingers found a weak beat.

  By this time, Antonio and her father had been removed from the cave so they would be safe. Only she and Duncan remained. Holding his hands, Raina waited for the smoke to take control.

  “I don’t feel anything,” she informed her three protectors who were waiting by the cave’s entrance. Suddenly, the cave drawings began to blur. The bejeweled stone walls twinkled causing her to feel a bit lightheaded. “Wait. I think something is happening.” There was no answer. “Guys?” she whispered to the eerie space as she slumped over, eyes closed, as her breathing waned.

  A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again, but instead of seeing the cave walls and Duncan’s body, she saw the lush green fields of the Shadow Lands stretching out as far as the eye could see.

  “So this is the Shadow Lands?” Duncan smiled, taking her hand in his once again and giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “Yup,” she mused, squeezing back.

  His face beamed as he took in the rolling field in front of them. “It’s glorious. Lovely and green. Reminds me of Scotland.”

  “It is lovely, but neither one of us is staying here,” she chuckled. “C’mon, we only have an hour.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “I see you’ve invoked Shashone.” Janet’s face was concerned.

  “I had no choice,” Raina said, releasing Duncan’s hand. “I didn’t reach my father and Antonio in time.”

  “I’m sorry.” Janet’s sincerity surprised her.

  “No time for chitchat,” Duncan interrupted. “You have less than an hour to find…whatever it is you’re meant to find.”

  “I think I know what you’re looking for,” Janet said, motioning them to follow. “Hurry.”

  Sprinting as fast as they could on two legs, they ran across the outstretching grass and wildflower covered Battlefield.

  “We’ll go faster if we shift,” Raina said as she imagined herself transforming into her wolf. Surprisingly, nothing happened. “Why can’t I shift?” her question aimed at Janet.

  “I don’t think we take our powers with us when we die,” Janet frowned. “I’ve tried to shift several times, but I couldn’t. We’re all basically human here.”

  Shrugging her shoulders, she informed, “I didn’t know I wasn’t human until a few weeks ago,” a smile played at her lips, “I’ll just do this the old fashioned way.”

  They ran for several minutes before they came upon the shell of a stone building that reminded Raina of the ancient ruins of Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. She and her father visited the ancient Druid temple several times during her youth. Several times, Antonio went with them.

  “Antonio,” she thought, hoping he would respond. “Antonio, can you hear me?” Silence. She was totally cut-off from all of them. “What is this place?”

  Before Janet could speak another louder, scarier voice spoke.

  “Come forth, Raina Elaina Emmanuel Jacobs of the Blood Moon Pack. Daughter of Richard Jacobs, the first son of the first son of the Blood Moon Pack and Elaina Emmanuel, heir to the Southeastern European Romani Assembly.” The voice shook the pillars holding up the temple, but it still remained standing. “Come forth and claim your destiny.”

  *****

  Holy shite!

  Her knees began to shake and her upper lip began to perspire. If this was another fight to the death, she was positive she wouldn’t win.

  “What are you?” the question rushed out of her mouth like a briskly moving mountain stream, meandering around quivering lips and an immobile tongue.

  The half-human, half-wolf creature smiled showing several rows of gleaming, white fangs as a clawed hand beckoned her into the temple. Janet and Duncan tried to follow, but their legs refused to move. Whether because of a spell or from sheer fright was anyone’s guess.

  “Only the one who seeks knowledge may enter the sanctuary,” the voice boomed causing all three to tremble.

  “Good luck,” Janet whispered with a genuine smile.

  “Remember,” Duncan hugged her again, “you’ve survived two trials already. You’ve learned to walk again after being almost killed by a bus. You are stronger than what others believe you to be. Go and claim your birthright.” He kissed her cheek sweetly. “Not just for me…for all of your people…Pack, Romani, and Human.”

  Uncertainly, she nodded her understanding and left them standing watching her enter the sanctuary. When she was inside the structure the alabaster walls mysteriously mended and wrapped around her and the odd-looking female creature sealing them alone inside.

  “Who are you?” the creature asked, examining her with bright glowing hazel eyes, eyes that bore into her soul. The question echoed through the empty corridors of the peaceful sanctuary. The polished alabaster was almost too shiny to look directly at.

  With a shaky voice she answered saying, “I am Raina Jacobs…”

  “No,” the creature bellowed making the structure shake. “Who are you?”

  Feeling her anger growing, she growled, “Who the hell are you?
”

  The creature smiled, baring those teeth again. “I am Endauvie, Watcher of the Gates, Guardian of the Shadow Lands, Daughter of the Heavens and of the Earth.”

  “Oh,” Raina gulped loudly, losing the moisture in her mouth. “Endauvie is a lovely name.” Pausing, she assessed the creature. “No offense, Endauvie, but what are you?”

  “I am a First One.”

  “A First One.” Raina felt she should bow or curtsy or something, but fear kept her as still as a statue. “I’ve read a little about the First Ones in my journal,” Raina admitted nervously.

  “You mean my journal,” Endauvie smiled.

  “Your journal?”

  Endauvie stood proudly, her large form casting an even larger shadow onto the gleaming walls. “I am the Watcher of the Gates, Guardian of the Shadow Lands, and Daughter of the Heavens and of the Earth,” she repeated as if her comment explained everything.

  “Yes,” Raina grumbled, “you’ve said that before, but I don’t understand what that means.”

  “Eventually…you will.”

  “Huh?”

  Again Endauvie asked, “Who are you?”

  Raina calmed her breathing before she announced, “I am Raina Elaina Emmanuel Jacobs.”

  “No.” Endauvie shook her long, black mane of hair, the strands seemed illuminated from within. “Who are you?”

  “I told you. My name is…” The searing pain that threatened to burn her from within made her scream in agony.

  “Who are you?” the First One asked again.

  “I’m trying to tell you who I am,” Raina sassed, “but you’re not listening.”

  “If you do not know who you are Raina Jacobs, you will not claim your prize.” Endauvie turned away and began walking toward a long, shallow pool that reminded her of a fancy lap pool. The being stopped and pointed to the far side of the pool where a shiny hand-carved box that looked similar to the box her journal was in sat patiently waiting. “Claim your birthright, if you can.”