by Cloe Cullen
As if reading her mind, one of the other two shifters found the courage to speak to Bronwen. "What's the Blackwood like? I've only heard that it's dark and destroyed and that it's nothing like it used to be when the Bear Clan still inhabited the place."
Bronwen smiled. "You'll see soon enough. But whatever sorrowful stories you've heard are probably true. We Vampires tend to lose our interest in nature over time, and ever since the Blackwood was destroyed, it hasn't recovered. I didn't partake in the battles with the Bear Clan, but I can say that other Vampires speak about the invasion like it was some great calamity. The first Vampire lord might be to blame…"
"How so?" Amara asked.
Bronwen looked at her gravely. "He has a unique power...well it's more like a curse than a power, but whatever he touches stays frozen in time, so to speak. I can't say if it's really true or not, but since we Vampires deal with the arcane, it's not that far-fetched." Bronwen's grin widened. "But that's a story for another time. Look."
As they neared the end of the Oldwood, Amara stopped the group at the edge of a cliff. The density of the Oldwood was greatly diminished this far south, and so it was easy to peer out over the cliff and look out at the landscape stretching before them. Amara followed Bronwen's pointing, bony finger to spy a dark, charred terrain in the distance. It was faint but still barely visible.
"That, my friends, is the start of the Blackwood," Bronwen announced. "And the start of Orpheus' lands. His manor isn't too far from the edge."
Amara held her breath at the view, stunned by the sudden contrast of the green, lush end of the Oldwood, and the clashing black of the Blackwood in the distance. Even from here, the very sight of the Blackwood sent a foreboding and somber shiver through her body.
Remus whistled. "This would be a wonderful time to stop and ponder life, if we weren't on a mission to slay your lord, Bronwen."
Bronwen frowned. "Like I said before, he is my lord no longer. I would appreciate it if you remembered that from now on."
Amara shook her head. "This is an awe-inspiring sight, but come on, we can't dawdle like children. We have a job to do." The others nodded, and Amara led them down a path into the country below.
***
Haunted was the right word to describe the Blackwood. Haunted, desolated, dark, frightening.
As Amara led her group to the edge of the Blackwood, they made sure to stay unseen, yet it felt to Amara as if she were always being watched. It was like there were pairs of eyes everywhere, watching, observing her and her companions. Remus gave her a look that said he noticed the same eerie feeling. The other two shifters trembled under the pressure, but eventually, they calmed down.
The world quickly went from tall trees and overgrown bushes and energetic animals to one devoid of life, noise, and greenery. Gingerly placing one foot on the ground, Amara realized that the dirt of the Blackwood was covered in ashes. Broken wood pieces were scattered everywhere, with charred objects littering the landscape. Old tree stumps marked their path forward, along with the fallen trees themselves, laying like corpses in the wake of a storm. Leaves from the branches of each tree were singed and dark and crumpled to dust when touched. Despite the apparent leavings of a massive forest fire, no smoke lingered in the air, and no scent could be discerned from anything. In fact, the sky was devoid of any and all wind and gusts.
Amara wanted to chuckle nervously to herself, thinking back to how amazed she was at the sight of Gray Creek. Darius' home didn't hold a candle to the world the Vampires had molded out from the Blackwood.
Looking in every direction, Amara expected to spy Changelings wandering about. Since the area was wide open, it was easy to see into the distance, but she couldn't spot any movement whatsoever.
Remus shook his head. "This doesn't feel right. There aren't any Changelings."
"And there shouldn't be," Bronwen said. "Most would be around Orpheus' manor. If we made it in time before Orpheus has marched, then there should be a horde just beyond that ridge."
Amara spotted the ridge Bronwen spoke of in the distance and nodded to her group. "Alright, then let's go. If anyone spies movement, give word immediately. We're in the home stretch now, we can't afford any mistakes."
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Bronwen, who apparently thought Amara's orders were funny, so she giggled.
Trudging through the open Blackwood, which grew to be less disturbing than it initially appeared, they peaked the ridge that Bronwen had pointed out. Amara was confidently able to say that she was getting used to the dark, somber tone of the Blackwood. It was an odd feeling, but the destruction almost felt natural to her, as if something was whispering in her mind that everything turned out just as it should have been all along.
Amara forced herself to block out those thoughts and instead focus on Bronwen's directions.
Quicker than Amara expected, they arrived within yards of Orpheus' manor, and it was just as Bronwen had described. Huge and white and stretching far in either direction. It was decorated in tapestries and amenities that were new to Amara, with strange structures lining the outside and odd stone paths running to and from the entrance. The one thing that was different from Bronwen's description was the fact that no Changelings prowled the grounds. Amara turned to Bronwen, who shrugged. "I'm not a fortune teller. I have no idea where the Changelings could be. Maybe they already left for the Oldwood?"
Panic slowly wormed its way into Amara. No, Orpheus had to still be here! If he and his army had left already, then Amara's mission down here was pointless.
Remus gripped her arm, smiling at her. "Calm down. Let's get inside and see for ourselves. Maybe Orpheus just moved his army elsewhere for the time being, and he's just resting upstairs."
Amara smiled weakly in thanks and ordered her group to move forward.
But one of the other shifters, the wolf shifter, stopped and held his head, grunting in pain. Amara stepped forward. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know…" he said. "My head just hurts all of a sudden. It's pounding!"
Bronwen clicked her tongue. "That's the Vampiric power I told you about before, the one where hearing our mere voices can cause another to obey and turn into a Changeling."
Remus looked up. "That means there's a Vampire in that manor."
"Orpheus…"Amara whispered. Yes, he was here! Maybe her mission would be a success after all. "Okay, then let's go. You, can you keep going?"
The wolf shifter nodded. "Don't worry about me. Let's just go."
And so they did, following Amara as they rushed up the steps to the front door, opening the creaking door and stepping into the largest room Amara had ever seen; she didn't have time to stare in awe, though, so she kept pushing ahead. More steps lead up to the second and third floors, so Amara raced up the stairs. Not a single Changeling or Vampire was spotted the whole way up, but a strange, unnatural song played throughout the manor. The higher they climbed, the louder the singing voice became.
The wolf shifter collapsed on the final steps to the third floor, wriggling around and clutching his head, groaning and muttering in agony. Amara cursed and ordered the other cat shifter to look after him.
At the top of the stairs, a single door barred their path. Amara opened it slowly, peering inside. Beyond was another full room, much too large for any individual to ever need. Tables and desks and chairs littered the place, along with papers and books and lit sconces and the same tapestries Amara spotted outside. Large, strange, colorful windows lined either wall and stretched from floor to ceiling, allowing gray light to pour in from the Blackwood. And in the middle of the whole room stood a single creature...a Vampire, tall and lanky and her hair dyed raven-black.
The Vampire was singing, her voice pretty and melodic, but it ceased when she spotted Amara peeking through the door. "Come in!" She called. "Please, I invite you to make yourselves at home!"
The trio filed into the room, and Bronwen's expression soured. "Ambrosia."
Ambrosia's brows rose in surprise.
"Ah! Bronwen! I thought you had been captured, even killed. But it appears you are perfectly fine. I can only assume that you are now a traitor to Lord Orpheus?"
Bronwen crossed her arms. "I'm glad to see your skills of deduction are as sharp as ever."
Ambrosia's expression darkened. "Do not mock me, you filthy worm. You have forsaken your savior, and now you even help our enemies. It is fitting that you will die like a worm."
Ambrosia rushed forward, and Amara and Remus made to defend themselves, but in a move that shocked everyone, and before either shifter could change forms, Bronwen sprinted ahead at a speed unlike anything Amara had seen before. Bronwen caught Ambrosia by the neck and slammed her into the floor, shaking the whole manor and cracking the floor.
"Where is Orpheus?" Bronwen said, her voice growing cold and severe. Amara and Remus rushed over to help Bronwen, but it appeared she didn't need any help.
Ambrosia gripped Bronwen's arm, smiling up and her and speaking through clenched teeth. "You're too late. Orpheus has gone north."
Fear washed over Amara as Ambrosia's words sunk in. The Vampire began to laugh through her teeth, but Bronwen closed her fist tight around Ambrosia's throat and crushed it, leaving Ambrosia to flail for air as her life drifted away.
Bronwen stood and leveled a stern glance at Amara and Remus. "Take the other two and head back to your homes now. If you're lucky, you'll get there just in time to help battle Orpheus."
"What about you?" Remus asked, scowling. "We can't just leave you here alone. What if other Vampires arrive?"
"I'll be fine. Just go already. I'll be sure to make it back after I...re-decorate around here a little."
Remus clicked his tongue, but nodded and turned to Amara. "Alright, let's go."
Amara and Remus burst from the room, informing the other two shifters, who looked much better now that Ambrosia was dead, about the situation. Once they collected themselves, Amara ordered them all to hurry back to the Oldwood as fast as they could.
Amara didn't look back as she shifted forms and ran from Orpheus' manor.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Darius
Pacing became Darius' new best friend.
Awaiting Amara's return occupied Darius' every thought, and he had to continually push away images of her potential demise. The longer he waited, the more anxious he became, and the more he paced Gray Creek. Restlessness was odd behavior for Darius to suddenly take on, and he knew it frightened his people, so to keep the clansmen of Gray Creek from catching his anxiety, Darius shifted into his gray wolf form and left under the archway to help out the guards with the perimeter of his home.
Darius prowled around the edges of Gray Creek, padding along the treelines and sniffing and listening to everything happening around him. He searched for any possible sign of either Amara's group or Orpheus' army, but neither came. Only the songs of birds and chewing of grazing deer made their way to Darius' ears, and the only scents to cross his nose were those of his fellow wolf shifters.
Stopping by a thin tree to rest, Darius panted as he looked out into the misty Oldwood, watching the midday sun stream through the leaves and create pockets of light. It was as if nothing was out of the ordinary, like the Oldwood couldn't care less that a vengeful Vampire could march an army through its land to crush the wolf and cat shifters that resided within. Darius almost couldn't believe his worries himself. Was the last week or so all just a dream? A figment of his imagination? It had to be, right? The Oldwood wouldn't look this peaceful otherwise.
Licking his lips, his stomach growled and lurched. Hunger was another thing that didn't quite care whether one was about to be set upon by Changelings or Vampires. Deciding to calm his nerves and take things slow, Darius turned and sauntered back to Gray Creek. All he could do now was wait for Amara anyways.
Arriving before the archway, Darius shifted to his human form and dug out a satchel filled with clothes, and quickly made himself presentable to his people. Stuffing the bag back in its hiding place, he walked around and under the archway, waving and nodding at shifters who passed him. Darius needed to be strong so that the others around him didn't panic.
Stopping by a guard stationed near the archway, Darius gave him a stern look. "Anything of note yet?", he asked.
The guard startled at the sudden question and took a moment to answer. "No, we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary yet. We'll come get you if anything comes our way."
"Good."
Darius left the shifter there, trudging through the heart of Gray Creek and to his new home, the lodgings of the Alpha. Unsurprisingly, Gavriel waited outside for him, leaning against the wooden wall next to the door, chewing on what looked like a cooked squirrel. Walking up, the smell of his father's food made his mind go crazy.
"Do you have more?" Darius asked as he stopped before his father. "My stomach's killing me."
Gavriel nodded. "Inside. It seems everyone is hungry now; all people have been doing is cooking whatever meat or crops they have. I guess hunger just goes along with worry."
Darius frowned. "You haven't heard from anyone either about Amara and the others?"
Gavriel shook his head. "No, but I'm sure the girl and Remus will be fine."
Darius made to walk inside, but Gavriel's arm shot out, stopping him in his path. "Hold on. I need to talk to you, Darius."
With a growling stomach and his anxiety peaking, Darius wasn't exactly in the mood to talk, but against his better judgment, he sighed and stayed. "What is it? If this has anything to do with lecturing me about how fidgety I've been, I don't want to hear it."
Gavriel nodded. "I know, and while you do need to find ways to calm down, that's not why I've been waiting for you to return."
Eyeing his father suspiciously, Darius crossed his arms. Gavriel motioned for his son to follow him as he walked away from the lodging, leading them both into the dense Oldwood.
"Where are we going, Gavriel?"
"Just be quiet and follow."
"You realize you're speaking to the Alpha of the Pack now, right? You can't just tell me to be quiet anymore."
Gavriel glanced over his shoulder. "I can if it means you'll listen to me. Either way, it doesn't matter. I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise? What could possibly surprise me at a time like this…"
Darius' voice faltered as Gavriel stopped beside a tree. A figure sat, leaning her back against the bark, but slowly rose as Darius came closer. Red hair rustled in the breeze and fell against her back, and stark green eyes peered back at him. A smile formed on the woman's lips as she gazed upon him.
"Hello…" she whispered, shyly. "Darius, my name is Sarai...this might be hard to understand, but I'm-"
"You’re my mother," Darius finished her thought. Dumbfounded, Darius just stood there and stared.
Sarai looked taken aback by his words, placing a hand over her heart. "Oh...you already knew? I'm sorry, I had a whole speech and everything." She turned to Gavriel, who grinned like a fool. "Did you know he knew?"
"I'm the one who told him," Gavriel said. "Just recently in fact, right before we met with your Alpha at the river border."
Sarai sighed. "That's just like you, Gavriel."
Darius stepped closer. "But, how are you here right now? Wouldn't Torian know you aren't at Red Rock? We made a deal to each look after our own homes until Orpheus came to either Gray Creek or Red Rock."
She smiled sweetly. "You two also made the deal that both clans could cross freely into each other's territory for the time being. Torian doesn't know of my relationship to you or your father, so I made up an excuse and snuck away to come here."
"Now I know where he gets his adventurous side from," Gavriel commented. Sarai playfully hit him on the shoulder, but Gavriel just shrugged it off.
Darius came closer. "You know, for a while, I didn't even know you were still alive. I knew nothing about you two weeks ago, and now you're standing before my very eyes." Sarai looked on him with sympathy, her eyes dripping tears. "I th
ought I resented you for leaving me alone with Gavriel...I'm so sorry."
Sarai embraced him, her gentle warmth enveloping Darius. Another first for Darius came in the form of his own tears, which came slow and steady. Gavriel watched from the sidelines, crossing his arms and smiling.
"I never wanted to leave you," Sarai said, through choked back tears. After an eternity of hugging and crying, Sarai leaned back, with her arms still wrapped around his waist, she looked up at him, her eyes red. "I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but I wasn't strong enough back then to stay by your side. If you accept me, I'd love to be your mother again."
Darius smiled. "Of course! I have a lot to catch you up on."
Sarai laughed. "Yes, you do! The first time I saw you, you were forced to kneel before Torian, but now you stand as his equal, an Alpha of the Pack! Never would I have thought a child of mine would become the Alpha of any clan."
A sudden crashing through the woods alerted them all, and Darius spun to see a wolf shifter sprinting towards them. He came to an abrupt stop before them, panting and gripping his knees in exhaustion. "Alpha!" He called through deep breaths.
Darius rushed to his side. "What's the matter? What's wrong? Answer me!"
Darius stared into the wolf shifter's eyes, fear looking back at him. "It's the Vampire, Orpheus. He and his army are here!"
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Amara
If this were a week ago, running alongside two wolves and another cougar would have looked incredibly strange, and Amara probably would have been thinking about how well she could trust the two wolves joining her in her race back to the Oldwood.
But only one thing crossed Amara's mind now as she and the others raced out of the Blackwood: they needed to get back before Orpheus, and his army reached either Gray Creek or Red Rock.
Remus bounded alongside Amara, with the other two behind her. They broke over the ridge and ran out of the Blackwood and into the Oldwood, scaring away birds, deer, rabbits, and any other creatures browsing the forest. Remus yapped at Amara as they broke through the first line of trees. She didn't quite understand everything he tried to communicate with her, but she understood what he meant to say.