“Here are clothes for everybody,” announced Tara. “If someone could heat up that water over here, you can all get cleaned up before you eat.” Damian obliged her.
Jasper took a cloth and dipped it into the water. “Here, Shlova. You’d better let me do you or you’ll miss some.” I closed my eyes and let him wipe my face, neck and arms. I returned the favour. Once that was done we both dunked our heads in the tub. Tara was busy rearranging the tarps to make a makeshift dressing room.
“Here you are guys.”
Jasper rewet the cloth and we made our way behind the tarps. He pulled his filthy tunic over his head then stepped out of his pants. He looked down at himself, shrugged, pulled on a clean pair of pants and strapped on his belt and dagger. I took the cloth from him.
“Turn around.” I wiped at the dried blood that was still there from his fight with Ternach.
“Don’t worry about it too much, Shlova. We’ll need a good soaking to get completely clean after today.”
I watched as the muscles in his back stood out while he pulled a clean tunic over his head. He turned and smiled at me. I had to remind myself to breathe.
“Are you guys almost done?”
Marie’s voice snapped me out of the little daydream I was having.
“Just about.” I pulled my tunic over my head and Jasper wiped me down before I put on the clean one Tara had brought for me. I stepped out of my pants and pulled on the other ones. Jasper took my hand and we made our way to the fire. Mel already had plates ready for us.
“Thanks.” I took mine and sat on the ground.
“Here you are, sweet sister.” Luke handed me a mug of sloan then handed Jasper one and sat down with us. I ate and watched as someone brought out instruments and the music started. Rainen smiled at me from across the fire and resumed her conversation with Damian. Matthew sat with his back against a crate, Emelly already sleeping against his chest. Cassandra was lying with her head in Peter’s lap. She looked back at him and smiled. He leaned down, kissed her forehead, and took her hand. I put my plate down, took a long drink from my mug and rolled my shoulders to loosen the muscles in my back. Jasper’s arm wrapped around me and pulled me against him.
“Are you cold? I’m sure Tara thought to bring an extra tunic for you.”
“No. I’m fine.” I leaned back against him and watched as a woman I didn’t know pulled Alex up and dragged him to where people were dancing. He smiled and said something which made her laugh. Tyler and Jenna were sitting on a couple of the crates. Jenna’s foot tapped to the music. Tyler’s arms gestured wildly as he told whichever story he happened to be telling and the drink Jenna had been taking promptly made its way up and out of her nose. She stood, sputtering and laughing, Tyler slapping her on the back.
I caught bits and pieces of conversations all around me. My eyelids grew heavy. Jasper kissed my neck and tightened his arms around me.
“Sleep, Shlova. I’ve got you.”
I reached a hand back and ran a hand through his wet curls. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
I smiled and let sleep take me away.
*****
Jasper watched as Hayden ran a brush through her hair.
“How are you feeling?”
She smiled at him in the mirror. “Good. A bit nervous, but good.”
“You have a good month before you need to start being nervous, Shlova.”
She raised an eyebrow at him and he laugh.
“No, I suppose if you’re you, you should be worried all the time.” He ducked as she turned and playfully threw her brush at him. “Come on, now. Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” He stood her up and kissed her softly.
“Do you think we’re making the right decision?” She frowned up at him and he lost himself in her green eyes. “Are you listening to me?”
“Hmm? Oh. Well, would it change your mind if I told you I thought you were crazy and we were all going to die?”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. “That’s what you think?”
He tried to hold in his laughter.
“Jasper! That’s not even remotely funny! I can’t do this if I don’t think you’re with me in it.”
He hugged her close. “Hayden, if I thought we were all marching to our deaths I would have brought it up a long time ago. For as much as I hate the risk we’re taking, I don’t see a way around it either.” He rolled his shoulders a bit.
“Are you alright? You woke up like something had startled you.”
He nodded, though the tightness that had been in his chest when he had woken up was still there. “It was probably just another dream. I don’t remember it.”
She frowned.
“I’m serious. I honestly don’t remember.”
She stood on her tip toes and kissed him softly. Her tongue touched his. His head started to reel.
A knock at the door broke them apart. He pulled her to his chest and rested his chin on her head.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Umm, it’s me, Auntie.”
Jasper gave her one last kiss. “Come in, Tyler.” He sat on the bed and watched as Tyler and Jenna walked into the room. He frowned at how frightened they looked. “What’s wrong?”
Jenna swallowed hard and Tyler put an arm around her. He looked from his aunt to his uncle. “They have Trent.”
Jasper’s stomach lurched and he swallowed the bile that threatened to explode from his stomach. Hayden paled. She pulled the two of them into a hug.
“How? When?”
“Last night sometime.” Tyler looked close to tears. “It must have happened while we were in the courtyard having the bonfire. I was supposed to go see him and report on any news.” He frowned and shook his head. “This is my fault. If I’d been there it never would have happened.”
Jenna put a hand on his arm. “If you’d been there they could have gotten both of you.”
“When did you notice he was gone?”
“First thing this morning. After everyone left the bonfire, I took Jenna home then went to our meeting place. When I got there I could tell there had been a struggle.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out two identical pockets knives. “I found his on the ground. It was open and had blood on it. I found his dagger about a hundred feet farther in the bush.”
Jasper took a deep breath. “Did you tell your mom and dad?”
Tyler shook his head. “I couldn’t find them.”
“They’ll be in the field by the silver tree. That’s where everyone is meeting this morning.” Hayden strapped on her swords. “Let’s go.”
Jasper glanced back at Tyler and Jenna who were following them. Tyler mumbled something and Jenna looked up at him then took his hand. It didn’t take long to find Luke and Mel.
Luke’s deep brown eyes met his brother’s light blue ones and he paled. “What’s wrong?”
Jasper swallowed the lump in his throat. “They have Trent.”
Mel gave a strangled cry and Luke pulled her to his chest. “When?” He choked out the word.
“Sometime yesterday. I was supposed to go meet him last night.” Tyler’s voice was so quiet Jasper strained to hear it. “I didn’t go until this morning.”
“By the moons, Tyler, this wasn’t your fault.” Jenna wrapped her arms around him and looked up. “He’s alive. We’ll get him back.”
“You can tell?” Luke put a hand on his son’s shoulder. Tyler nodded.
“In which direction is he?” Mel’s voice was a whisper.
Tyler closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Jasper could hear his nephew’s teeth grinding together. Jenna stepped away from him as he shifted from one foot to the other. He slowly turned a full circle and hesitated before coming back a bit in the opposite direction. He nodded.
“He’s that way. He’s far.”
Jasper felt icy shivers run up his spine. “They’re taking him to Paradin.” He glanced down at Hayden as she pressed a hand against his arm.
> “We leave this afternoon. Not tomorrow. The longer we wait, the more shifters they manage to take.”
“What’s going on?” Rainen was making her way over to them.
“They have our nephew, Trent.” Hayden’s voice was full of the anger she was feeling.
Rainen frowned. “How long has it been?”
Tyler shrugged and looked miserable. “About twelve hours.”
She nodded, shifted, howled, and shifted back.
“I assume we’ll be leaving this afternoon?”
Jasper nodded and watched as about thirty Majs made their way toward them.
Rainen looked at Luke. “Is this enough for your pack? If you leave now you might be able to catch up to them.”
Luke looked over the men and women in front of him. He nodded.
Jasper felt torn. The need to go with his brother was battling with his duty to stay here and finish what he and Hayden had started. Luke seemed to sense the battle that was going on within his younger brother.
“I’ll meet you up there.”
Jasper nodded. “Stay safe, Luke.”
Luke hugged him and then Hayden. “Stay safe, Jasper. And you, sweet sister, you keep him safe for me.”
She managed a smile. “That’s a lot to ask of a woman.”
Luke chuckled.
She took a deep breath. “If he’s inside you make sure you wait for us.”
He nodded and watched as she hugged Mel, Tyler, and Jenna.
Jasper was vibrating with nervous energy. He looked on as Luke shifted and the rest of his pack followed suit. Hayden put an arm around him and he pulled her close. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
“Let’s go. The sooner we get moving the better.” He heard the change in his own voice and he glanced down at Hayden apologetically. He knew she worried when he turned ‘all business’ as she called it. She shook her head and squeezed his hand. By the way her green eyes flashed she was ‘all business’ herself.
His hand tingled in Hayden’s. Rainen’s eyes widened as she felt the energy his mate was radiating. His first thought was to tell her to stay calm, but decided to see what would happen if she didn’t. The tingling moved up his arm. She looked up at him, her deep green eyes so dark with anger that the gold and grey flecks seemed to jump out of them.
She clenched her jaw. “Let’s show Braw he picked the wrong world to piss on.”
*****
I felt the energy building up inside of me and instead of holding it like I usually did I let it do as it pleased. I knew Jasper could feel it by the look in his eyes but he didn’t seem worried. This energy was mine and not the staff’s.
Everyone who had any bit of feel for magic looked up as we neared the large group of Namaels, Majs, Wedelves, Winged Ones, and Scannoves.
Matthew frowned and looked around. “What in the world is that?”
That would be Hayden, answered Dodge.
Matthew looked at me and smiled. “Finally decided to become the Chosen One, have you?”
I couldn’t help but smirk at the title but I nodded. “I didn’t know you felt magic.”
“Neither did I!”
I stood on a bit of a hill along with Jasper, Rainen, Damian, Ben, Dodge, Shanus, and Phlann. Everyone looked at us expectantly. I watched Jasper gaze over the clearing. Our original pack all stood closest to the front. Behind them were a scattered mix of cats and dogs, some of them shifted, Wedelves, Scannoves, and Winged Ones.
“Hey, Rainen? Where’s the Bailaus?” I noticed that there weren’t any of the tall minotaur looking beings with four arms and lizard tails.
She frowned. “The thing with Bailaus is that once they’ve made up their mind about something, it’s impossible to persuade them otherwise. Stupid cows. They’ve decided that you’ll do us in.”
I started to laugh. “What?”
She chuckled. “Nothing I said worked. They are bound and determined that you are cursed and will bring death to us all.”
“Oh, god, you know, they could be right.”
She shrugged. “Time will tell, I suppose.”
I looked in the direction Luke and his pack had gone. Jasper squeezed my hand and turned back toward the crowd. “You all know why we’re here.” His voice carried over to everyone. “Braw has changed his tactics and has started taking prisoners.” Growls of every sort and the stomping of hooves echoed through the clearing. “For this reason, we leave today.” Everyone was nodding their agreement. “By the time we’re done with him, Braw’s going to wish he’d never crossed over.” He growled low in his throat and I looked up at him. His eyes were narrowed into blue slits, the wind was tugging at his clothes, but it wasn’t just the way he looked that made me stare. It was the confidence that radiated from him. Everyone could feel it, it didn’t matter what kind of being they were. Jasper said we were going to win and he gave us no reason to doubt that he was right. Good lord, the man was gorgeous on a regular day; seeing him kick into captain mode always made me want to tear his clothes off on the spot. I saw his mouth twitch as he tried to hide a smile and he glanced down at me, amusement clear on his face.
“You’re making it hard to concentrate on the matter at hand, Shlova,” he whispered. He turned back to the rest of the group. “Are there any questions?”
An older man I recognized from Jasper’s second shift pack put his hand up. “Is Hayden going to be able to somehow make it so we can tell the humans apart from the shifters? I mean, we all look the same, shifted or not.”
I frowned. Now there was something I hadn’t thought of.
“We can help,” a high pitched voice rang out behind me and I jumped. Two teal skinned Burries bowed low. When they stood again, neither was taller than my waist. The older looking of the two smiled and I was just as shocked by the mouthful of pointed teeth as I had been the first time I had seen one. Two pairs of blood red eyes bore into mine. I smiled.
“We’ve met before.”
He, she, whatever it was, nodded.
“Alright. I have two questions for you. The first is this…do you actually come from Burrie trees?”
Jasper started to laugh and I smiled. The Burrie nodded and Jasper stuck his tongue out at me. “See, I told you.”
“Well, you never did show me the trees.” I turned back to the Burrie. “Now, how can you help us?”
The two of them lifted into the air with a few graceful beats of their clear wings. They hovered over us and I could hear them talk in their secret language. I watched as they took their time and pointed every once in a while to people in the crowd.
The Burrie I had met my first year here hovered closer to me. “You have eleven humans in your pack.”
I nodded. Some of the humans that were living around Sageden had decided to join our cause.
Both Burries dipped their hands into the pouch at their sides and pulled out a handful of dust before flying higher into the sky. They flew back and forth across the clearing, sprinkling the dust as they went.
“Holy shit! Can you see that?” I looked up at Jasper and could tell by the look on his face that he could. As the dust fell onto the beings below, a strange glow seemed to radiate from them. I heard Emelly laugh and looked to see what was so funny. She was running her hand through the glow that surrounded Matthew.
“You’re all glowy…what does it feel like?” She looked at her own arms to make sure she wasn’t reacting to the dust.
“Like nothing. Other than the fact that I can see it, I wouldn’t know it was happening.”
I noticed how Matthew’s glow was a bit brighter than Kacey’s who was standing beside him.
“Damian, look. Anyone who is sensitive or can use the magic glows more than the rest of them.” Damian and Rainen were so bright I felt like I should be squinting. By the way they were looking at me I guessed I was giving off quite a bit of light as well. All eleven of the humans, whether they had a stone or not, had absolutely no reaction to the dust. The Burries landed in front of me.
“We come to offer our help should you want it.”
I nodded. “Thank you. I’m just curious, though. Why do you want to help us?”
The older Burrie frowned. “Shifters aren’t the only ones that Braw thinks he should rid the world of. We come from trees. According to him, that makes us evil somehow.”
I felt the blood leave my face. “What does he do?” I asked even though I was sure I didn’t want to know.
“When they manage to catch one of us they tie our hands together, hang us from our wings, and light a fire under us. Unless you want to burn to death, there’s only one other option. If you can stand the pain, the only way to escape is to rip out your wings. Either way, it’s a death sentence. Our dust, our magic, is in our wings…” He frowned. “Separating a Burrie from its wings is the exact same thing as separating a shifter from his animal.” He looked across the clearing where the glowing was starting to fade. “We’re going to need a lot more Burries. Those with the least amount of magic should be back to normal in a few hours.” He looked up at me and grinned. “You might take a couple of days.” He bowed low before taking to the air again. “We shall meet you in Paradin, Chosen One.”
I watched until they had disappeared from sight. “Argh! What is wrong with that man?” The colors were flowing in front of me and I waved them away. Jasper took my hand and smiled.
“Look up, Shlova.”
I squinted up into the sky. “What is that?”
“That’s a Faelie.” Rainen seemed just as amazed as I was. The being circled over the clearing still too high for me to tell what it looked like. It slowly descended, made a few more circles then flew away.
“Where is she going?”
Jasper stopped me as I made to swing onto Dodge. “Don’t. If they want to talk to us, they’ll come. I think we can take it as a good sign that this one showed itself.”
Rainen nodded. “Faelies are skittish. If you push, they’ll leave.”
I frowned and looked to where the blond woman had gone. Even from a distance her wings had been a shocking mix of yellows, blues and greens all swirled together.
Destiny (The Chosen One Trilogy:Book Three) Page 22