“You know,” Austin said as if reading her mind. “I’ll never forget what you did that day. I think that’s when I knew I was in love with you.”
“Really?” Janet replied. “That soon?”
“Yes. Come here.” He planted a small and gentle kiss on her lips. “Hope you don’t mind getting a little bit damp.”
“What?”
He took her by the hand, leading her carefully over the rocks at the base of the falls to the other side of the creek. He turned towards her and smiled before he seemingly vanished behind the water.
“What are you--? Where are you?” Janet called.
He appeared once more, laughing. “Come on. There’s a little alcove. You won’t get wet.” He reached out to her. She took his hand and tentatively followed him behind the water. Just as he said, they stepped into a recess in the rock wall. The flame flickered from the depths of the space. Janet could not help but think about Eloise’s words.
“The flame is going out,” she muttered.
“What’s that?” Austin asked, speaking over the roar of the falls.
“It’s just something Eloise said earlier,” she replied.
He shook his head and held his hand to his ear, indicating he could not make out her words. Janet opened her mouth to say it again, only louder. He motioned for her to stop, and beckoned her forward. She watched him tap a pattern onto the edge of the rock wall. A door opened leading into a cave room carved into the side of the mountain. She followed him inside.
“What is this place?” she mused in wonder. The cave appeared ornately decorated, with a large table sitting in the middle of the room. Bookshelves lined the walls, culminating in a huge fireplace at the far end. She spotted a sitting circle of luxurious chairs near the dormant fireplace, and a recessed area on the other side.
“This is one of our hide outs,” Austin explained. “We have a serious of them all over through the mountains. Some of them are connected by underground paths, but most of them, like this one, are just single rooms carved out of the rocks.”
“But how?” Janet gently touched her fingertips against the wall, textured and bumpy, roughly hewn.
“That I can’t quite answer. These hideouts have been here far longer than any of us. They probably go back several generations, at least.”
“This is amazing.”
“We have a lot of little survival secrets like this. It’s a lot of work to be a shifter,” he grinned. “There’s a few things I wanted to pick up here, so I thought it might be a good time to show you.”
“These books,” Janet said staring in awe at the bookshelves. “I could spend hours curled up by that fireplace, reading all of them.”
Austin stepped forward, pulling one of the books off the shelf and placing it on the table. “That’s actually why I’m here. There’s an old text I need for my research. Once this is all over, if you want to spend some time in here, you’ll learn a lot about shifter history.”
“I would love it!” Janet gushed.
“But one thing at a time. First we need to locate these talismans.”
They’re conversation got interrupted by the ring of Austin’s phone. He answered, listening to the person on the other side. When he hung up, he turned towards Janet and began gathering up the books he had set out on the table.
“We’ve got to go,” he said. “It’s Eloise.”
“Is she alright?” Janet asked.
“I’m not sure. Alex says she calling for us.”
“Us who?”
Austin turned towards her with an uncharacteristic seriousness. “All of us. Everyone.”
They arrived at Bells and Whistles, Alex greeting them at the door to let them inside. “I called my mother to grab the kids. She picked up Amelia, took them all down the street to the ice cream place. I hope that’s okay,” she said. “I wanted to get them out of the way of what’s going on.”
“Yes,” Austin nodded. “That’s probably best. How is she?”
“It’s hard to say. She’s practically delirious, but she keeps repeating that she needs to see everyone.”
Austin and Janet followed Alex through the kitchen and into the living room. Eloise still wore her red house robe, but she had moved from the bedroom to the chair. She had a cloth lying on her forehead. When she saw Janet and Austin, her eyes flew open. “The flame,” she whispered. “The flame!”
“Shh,” Alex crouched at her side. “It’s okay. What are you trying to tell us? What does it mean?”
Chase and Cindy arrived a few moments later, with Jackson following close behind. He greeted Alex with a quick kiss on the forehead. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Chase stepped forward and took Eloise’s hand, gazing deep into her eyes as if searching for something. “She’s having some kind of premonition,” he explained. “I’ve seen it before, but it’s never gone on this long before.”
Eloise’s gaze flew around the room, landing on each of them. “All of you,” she said. “You all need to be there.”
“We’re all here,” Chase said.
“No!” she exploded. “All of you. Where is Jenny! Where is Max! Where is Lisa!”
Chase turned to Cindy. “Can you call them?”
“Yes, of course.” She slipped out to the kitchen to make the calls.
Janet backed up, watching the activity in the small apartment. Eloise appeared calm, sitting in the chair with her eyes closed now. Everyone took turns tending to her. Chase tried to draw more information from her.
“What about the flame?” he asked. “What is it?”
She only shook her head in dissent. “Everyone should be here.”
Finally the others arrived. Jenny carried the infant in a wrap around her shoulders, the child’s pink face sleeping contentedly nestled against her chest. Lisa arrived on foot, having walked down from the library. Max was the last to arrive. Finally, Eloise appeared to drift out of her fugue, her eyes clearing. She looked around the room taking in the presence of each of them.
“You find what you seek, when the flame is extinguished,” she said plainly. She spoke the words only one time. As soon as she did her eyes rolled back and her head lolled to the side. Her prophecy had ended.
“Is she okay?” Janet asked. Once more she felt mildly out of her element. Austin placed his arm protectively around her shoulder.
“She’s alright,” he said. “Now she just needs to sleep this off.”
“What did she mean by that?” Janet whispered.
Chase stood up facing everyone. “It means we need to head up to the falls. All of us apparently. There’s something we need to find around the flames.”
“What about the baby?” Jenny said. “I can’t take her into the forest. Not yet at least.”
Alex responded. “We can drop her off with my mother and the other kids if you’re comfortable with that?”
Jenny smiled. “Yes, that would be fine.” Just as she answered, she looked down at the coral necklace resting at the base of her throat. “Um… Something is happening here.”
All eyes turned towards her. The amulet glowed, emitting a golden light from deep within the stone, illuminating Jenny’s face. The baby slept in her arms, oblivious to the goings on around her. Derek rushed to her side.
“Are you okay?” he whispered. She nodded but lifted her hair for him to remove the necklace.
“Oh, hey look,” Lisa said. Her topaz necklace also began to glow. She quickly took it off and placed it on Eloise’s table next to the coral one which Jenny placed there as well.
“So,” Cindy said. “Two down. Five to go. Is that the idea?”
“Apparently so,” Chase replied. “Let’s get her into bed. One of us will have to check back in once we get back.”
“I will,” Alex said. “I’ve been with her most of the day.”
“Alright then,” Chase replied. “I guess we’ve got a hike ahead of us. Shall we?”
Janet followed behind Austin as everyone shuffled out the door
to the sidewalk. A tourist couple passed by, peering into the window of the shop.
“I’m sorry,” Cindy said. “It’s closed today.”
The tourists gave them a side glance, scurrying away from the strange crew. Janet slipped her hand into Austin’s, realizing silently that she was part of this… whatever this was, for better or worse, she was now part of the pack.
Chapter Nineteen
Austin felt a huge sense of trepidation as they returned to the water falls for the second time that day. Janet seemed to be adjusting quite well to the introduction to their world. He suspected Eloise had seen more, but sometimes when she had been overcome with these visions she had trouble articulating them. The ultimate irony. He had no idea what they were about to walk into. He only hoped it did not scare her off.
They walked hand in hand, squared up behind the other couples, also walking hand in hand. Chase and Cindy leading the way, Jackson and Alex behind them. Lisa walked alone, followed by Max. Behind them, Derek and Jenny brought up the rear. Everyone walked in silence. The occasional group of hikers passed them going one way or another. No one paid them much attention. Groups of hikers were common in the area.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Janet asked.
“She said we’ll find what we seek,” Austin replied. “I guess she means the amulets.”
Chase had gathered the two amulets which Jenny and Lisa had removed. They continued to glow, even as he wrapped them in a bag and placed them into his satchel. They arrived at the falls.
“Now what?” Max asked. Everyone turned to Chase for the answer.
“We’re not going to all fit behind the water,” he said. “I’m not sure what happens next.”
Janet stepped forward. “She said the flame would go out. Those were her words. I think I know what she meant. May I?” she gestured toward the hidden path leading behind the water.
Chase gestured her forward. When Janet stepped into the recess, she found the flickering flame, not much more than a small tongue of fire caused by the underground stores of sulfur underneath the mountains. Purely on instinct, Janet reached her hands out towards the falling water. She cupped her hands, allowing the water to pool into her palms. Very quickly she tossed the water to the flame, moving carefully not to waste a drop. The flame sputtered, but still it burned. She tried again.
This time, the water from her hands dropped square onto the flickering flame, extinguishing it completely. Just as it did, the ground beneath her shifted, throwing her off her balance, tossing her onto her backside with a hard thump. She cried out, flailing as she fully expected to land in the water behind her based one her trajectory, but instead she discovered herself falling down a sloped surface.
When she landed, it took her a few moments to gain her bearings. She had arrived in another cave, similar to the one Austin had showed her earlier that day. This one was sparse, without any furniture. A dim light filtered through a lattice of tiny holes above her. At the far end, she spotted a small enclave carved into the side of the wall. She made her way to her feet, feeling a sense of other worldly wonder surrounding her. Something glowed from the surface of the enclave, and curiosity drove her forward.
Her gaze landed on a small rectangular wooden box, lying in a shaft of sunlight. Across the lid, ornate carvings decorated the oaken surface. With trembling hands she reached out and lifted the lid, revealing five glowing orbs placed into insets in the base of the box. The third place and seventh place were empty however.
“The talisman,” she whispered.
“Janet!” She heard Austin calling to her from what felt like a million miles away. They had made their way into the passageway, and he called to her from the top of the tunnel.
“Down here!” she called back to him. “I’m okay!”
She scooped up the box, tucking it into her waistband and securing her tee shirt over it to wedge it into place. Returning to the tunnel through which she fell, she peered up into the dim light, finding Austin peering back at her.
“Let’s get you out of there,” he said with a grin.
“I’ve found something you will want to see,” Janet said once she navigated the reach and made her way back to the surface.
“You okay?” Austin said, holding her elbows and looking her over.
“I’m alright,” she insisted as she retrieved the wooden box. “Maybe a bit muddy, but I’m fine, but look at this.” She handed the box to Chase.
Everyone peered into the box. Chase reached into his satchel, pulling out the two amulets already in his possession. Janet watched with rapt attention, as Chase placed the amulets in their places within the box. As soon as he placed the last on into the inset, they all seven began to glow at once.
Both Lisa and Jenny leaned forward. Jenny touched her fingers to her throat where the necklace had previously sat. Lisa reached out as if to touch the contents of the box but withdrew her hand at the last moment. “What does this mean?” she asked.
“I think we found them,” Chase said.
“For the record,” Austin said. “Janet found them.”
Chase glanced his way with a half smile. “Fair enough,” he replied.
Janet felt a surge of warmth at Austin’s protectiveness towards her. She felt a smile melt across her expression as she turned toward him.
“I can tell you,” Austin said. “I’ve seen those markings before.” He traced his fingers around the forms carved into the box’s lid. “In the Alexandrian documents. This box is pictured, along with these. I don’t know if it’s a language or symbols or what.”
“We should take this back to Eloise,” Chase said. “She may have some insight to what this means.”
Janet followed as they returned back to the base of the mountain, finding their way back to the parking lot. They made up a motley crew. Any outsider would only see a group of friends, taking advantage of the mild weather by enjoying a day hike. The truth lay much deeper than that. Four bears, an alpha wolf, and four humans all working together, the central part of a much larger web expanding ever-outward. Janet reached out and took Austin’s hand.
They caravanned back to Eloise’s apartment, entering through the store. While they were gone, she had changed into a black pencil dress and applied a deep red lipstick. She looked far more together than she had that morning.
“Come in, come in,” she said as she opened the door and gestured everyone inside. “I’ve been able to put the kettle on. Come in, please.” She moved around more careful than her usual light steps, but at least she appeared to be coming back to herself. “I’m assuming you found what you were looking for?”
“Yes,” Chase began, taking a breath to explain the outing.
Eloise raised her palm to stop him. “I don’t need to know the details. Most of the time, I don’t understand these premonitions. I am merely the vessel which carries the message to the intended recipient. Nothing more.” She returned to the stove to prepare the kettle.
Max spoke next. “We’ve found the talismans. The next thing we need to do is come up with a plan for confronting the shifters at the encampment. Can you give us any kind of perspective on that?”
Eloise poured them each a cup of tea, placing the tray on the table. Janet reached for a cup, scooping a spoonful of sugar into it. Whatever it was, she really enjoyed the sweet berry flavor of this tea. Normally, she preferred coffee, but this tea had a nuance which she really enjoyed.
Eloise took a seat at the table. “What I can tell you is this. The talismans are a key to unlock the truth. The documents which you have studied, Austin, should contain a knowledge regarding their purpose. Have you been able to decipher any of it?”
“Not as of yet,” Austin replied. “I’m still working on it. The language is so antiquated. It’s difficult, but I’ve been making slow progress.”
“That’s good. Keep working on that.”
“What can you tell us about these stones?” Chase asked placing the box onto the table. “How are they used?�
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“You are the alpha of this pack, yes?”
“Yes, that’s right,” he said.
“And the rest of you,” she peered around the table at Max, Lisa, Janet, Jenny, Alex, and finally Janet. “You are also part of this pack now.”
“How can that be?” Janet asked.
“By the nature of the love which binds you all together,” Eloise said with a fierceness closer to her usual demeanor. “Even you,” she said speaking towards Max. “As an alpha of your own pack, you become part of Chase’s when you are here, and he to yours when he is there. We are all connected in the end.”
She reached for the stones, gently bringing the box toward herself. “The power of the stones belongs to the pack. And as you are all connected, as the pack alpha as long as the talisman are under the ownership of the alpha, then each of you carries within you the power imbued from the stones.”
“Under my ownership?” Chase said. “So I don’t even have to have them on me?”
“No. It is enough that they are in the possession of the alpha. All of you gain strength from them as a result.”
Chase glanced around the circle. “I guess there’s only one more thing to do.”
“What’s that?” Jackson asked.
“Go grocery shopping,” Chase grinned.
* * * *
“You three with me,” Chase said motioning to Austin, Jackson, and Derek. “We need to coordinate.”
They had stepped outside the store briefly excusing themselves from the rest of the group. Austin felt what Chase wanted. It had been just the four of them for such a long time since Afghanistan. He wanted to reconnect to that core. They stepped out onto the sidewalk.
“How are you guys feeling about what she said in there?” Chase asked glancing from one to the other.
“I think it makes sense,” Jackson said. “I know I’ve become a better person since Alex and I put our differences aside. Not just because of the kids either. She makes me stronger. I don’t know about her though. I’m still trying to figure out why she stays with me.”
Nanny to the Bear (Burning Falls Shifters Book 4) Page 13