Wolf of Choice (The Shifters and Sorceresses Trilogy Book 1)

by Shay Laurent

  She pointed to the end of the room. ‘You can open the gate with the lever on that wall, but as soon as you do an alert will sound to the Sorceress who set the spell over the bars. Those that are close in the Keep will come, then more will follow.’ Her eyes became pleading. ‘Are you sure you won’t just leave without me?’

  I shook my head. ‘There’s no going back now and I won’t leave you here.’

  She nodded, her expression was sad, but I could see a clear glimmer of hope. I focused on that.

  ‘Okay. Do you know the best way out of here?’ she asked. ‘They covered my head when they brought me back here again.

  ‘Yep,’ Dom said, as he walked back to the door. ‘We know the way, but we’ll have to be quick because our original entry was blocked. We’ll probably meet more Sorceresses the way we have to go, but it can’t be avoided since our original exit was blocked. Elita, come and join me at the door in case anyone arrives straightaway.’

  I took a moment longer to stare into my mum’s eyes before I dragged myself towards the door. I couldn’t believe I’d found her. It was almost unbearable to tear myself away and not be there to embrace her immediately when the cell door opened.

  Alessia stood at the wall by the lever with her eyes on my mum, waiting. ‘Ready?’

  My mum moved as close as she could get to the cell door without touching the shimmering bars, then nodded. When Alessia looked at me, I pulled my short sword and gave her a nod as well. Dom tilted his head in agreement.

  ‘Okay. Here we go,’ she said, then yanked the lever on the wall.

  The minute the bars raised, my mum came out and ran towards the door. Dom flung it wide.

  The first Sorceress appeared as we entered the wide hall. A vial flew past my head and smashed at her feet. She dropped to the floor and we kept moving. I was almost at the stairs when the sound of feet rose from the level below.

  I knew getting caught in the hall would be bad, so I charged straight down. As two Sorceresses ran towards me, I moved closer to the left of the stairwell, sweeping my sword in a tight arc. The sharp blade sliced through skin as though it was butter. I followed through, rotating my blade and connecting the pommel with the Sorceress’s temple. She dropped to the ground, unconscious. Dom and Alessia had made quick work of the other one. My mum followed from the rear, her eyes roving the space behind us.

  We made it into the kitchen before another two were upon us. This time, before they made it around the stone bench, I heard my mum cast a spell. I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but when I looked back, the Sorceresses were shrouded in a spark-filled haze of orange and red. They dropped to the floor, mouths wide in pain.

  We made it out into the corridor between the kitchen and the eating hall. I sprinted across and pulled the eating hall door closed as I heard the kitchen door snap shut behind me. My mum whispered some words at each door and they briefly glowed blue before fading back to normal. I turned and looked straight ahead at the passage we needed to go down and my heart stopped dead.

  A Crone. Right at the top of the stairs to our escape. Her wraith-like form floated above the ground. A feral snarl contorted her face.

  I was rooted to the spot. Footsteps sounded inside the kitchen and the rattle of the handle signalled that more Sorceresses were trying to get to us. We were trapped.

  I tried to convince my feet to move, but they wouldn’t. The thought of losing my mother, of losing my friends, had me stuck. My own life seemed of little consequence.

  Somewhere in my mind, I registered the fact that we needed to hurry. To make a move. To get out of here. But the Crone with black pits for eyes, and a mouth so red it looked as though she’d taken a drink from a cup of blood, was keeping me locked in place.

  My mum shoved in front of me, and as she bumped into my shoulder, it shook me out of my deep well of fear. ‘You should get out of our way, Dracaena.’

  ‘Is that so?’ Her deep, hollow voice conveyed complete disdain and hatred.

  Mum wasted no time. She began to summon her power. This time I saw it rise like a flame to her hand. As it sped towards the Crone, she was already conjuring more.

  In the midst of my haze, I’d missed Alessia and Dom Shifting and engaging in a fight. Their weapons had been discarded right beneath my feet in an attempt to keep them safe.

  Without further delay, I Shifted. My claws and teeth lengthened, my vision and hearing sharpened, and I focused on those around me.

  Dom and Alessia were holding one Sorceress back each, who had entered through the now-broken kitchen door. Before I could assess which of them to help, another Sorceress broke through the other door. She lunged right for me. No longer hesitant, I dodged to my left and swiped at her face. My claws left a ragged tear that instantly welled with blood.

  She hissed and faltered in her attack. It was all I needed. I lunged forward with the short sword in my left hand. She managed to move out of the way, but I pursued her. I attacked with sword and claw, aiming for any piece of her I could get to. Each time she opened her mouth to cast, I swiped at her head.

  She backed herself into a corner, and I briefly flashed back to the day in the mountain cave with Dad. My sword met little resistance as it punctured her chest. As I ripped the blade out, I felt it snag a bone. I yanked and it came completely free. Her eyes faded as my sword left her body and she collapsed to the floor. I stood for a moment, horrified at what I’d done. At the life I’d ripped away.

  I shook my head violently to refocus then turned back to see my mum still throwing her magical fire at the Crone. The balls of black and blood-red that flew back from the Crone’s hands looked deadly. My heart constricted. I moved to help her, but another Sorceress crossed my path.

  This one had a face devoid of emotion. She was so pale, I wondered if she was devoid of life too. The moment of wonder cost me. I felt a scorching heat on my left arm a moment later.

  Panicked, I dropped my sword and patted my arm while simultaneously ducking from the next ball of fire. Pain forgotten, I dove straight for her midsection. Her head gave a sickening, yet satisfying, crunch as she hit the stone floor. She didn’t move.

  I turned to look at the fight. Alessia and Dom were holding their own, with only a few gashes and burn marks between them, but my mum was losing ground and looking wearier by the minute. I scanned the area frantically for inspiration when I spotted the weapon belts on the ground back in the centre of the hallway.

  I crawled to the middle of the corridor, staying low to avoid attention. I glanced in my mum’s direction and caught the glare of the Crone. She threw a ball of black magic right at me. Fear choked me, but loosened its hold as the ball hit a clear shield in front of me. I looked in wonder at my mum, sure that she was responsible.

  I could only see the side of her face, but her expression was tight. She was going to run out of energy soon and we’d be out of time. I scuttled the rest of the way to the weapons belts and huffed a small sigh of victory as I pulled out the last vial of potion.

  I looked behind me, saw that Dom and Alessia were getting the upper hand in their fights and didn’t need me, then jumped up and ran to my mum.

  The Crone’s eyes flashed with so much hostility that I faltered before I could stop myself. I shivered, then moved close to my mum’s ear to whisper my plan.

  She gave a tiny shake of her head then muttered, ‘It won’t work for long.’

  We didn’t need much time, but needed her to lower the shield so I could throw the vial. We had to wait until the right moment.

  I looked across to Dom and my stomach turned over. He had torn out the throat of one of the Sorceresses. Her blood was flooding the floor and her body gave a spasm before it fell limp. He charged over to help Alessia.

  In no time, they’d taken her down and were moving back towards us. I saw Alessia begin to shimmer as she Shifted back into human form. Her arms were blackened and her skin was torn on one thigh. There was only a small amount of blood, so I assumed it was not too bad. She
picked up the belts I’d discarded after collecting the potion, and joined us quickly, Dom trailing closely behind.

  I turned back to my mum, who was still trading rapid balls of magic with the Crone.

  ‘Now, Mum!’ I whispered in her ear.

  I raised my arm to throw, but as I released the potion, the Crone also released her own attack of dark magic; a black glowing ball of death.

  I froze in place as the Crone’s ball flew towards me. A rough shove came from my side. I hit the floor as the sound of the vial smashing reached my ears. Almost immediately afterward the heavy weight of a wolf fell on top of me.

  ‘Dom!’ I screamed.

  He was lifted from me. I pulled myself up quickly, frantic. He’d Shifted back to his human form and was limp between Mum and Alessia.

  ‘He’s alive. For now,’ my mum said, her voice worn. ‘We need to leave.’

  My despair for Dom flooded me, but I nodded and got moving. I led the way past the Crone; she was starting to stir. Mum and Alessia followed behind me carrying Dom. We weren’t moving fast enough.

  When we reached a set of stairs my mum uttered some words of power and I heard Dom groan. I was so relieved I felt tears well up in my eyes. I blinked them away and quickly checked on him.

  I nearly fell down. Dom was awake and groggy but I could see his skin was turning black, a streak of it was snaking out above his collar line. My eyes flicked to my mum.

  Alessia cut in before she could speak. ‘Just keep going. They’re already coming. Dom, we need you to help us move you or we won’t make it out of here.’

  As we pressed on, I could hear the added shuffle of his footsteps between my mum and Alessia. He was definitely moving slower than normal, but he was helping.

  Is he going to make it? Will we get out of here? Are we all going to die? Please don’t let us die. Please don’t let Dom die.

  Around and around the thoughts continued as I forced my brain to remember the path out of the Keep.

  When we reached the top of the final stairs leading to the cavern with the boat, I felt a relief so intense that I had to command my knees not to buckle.

  I flew down the stairs and stumbled along the slick passage so I could get the boat untied. When I reached the passage exit a force smashed into me. I hit the wall, hard. My vision wobbled. I pulled myself up and looked ahead.

  The was a Sorceress and she was casting again. I yanked a throwing knife from each side of my belt. I threw the one in my left hand immediately. It interrupted her words but didn’t connect with her body. The second one I aimed. It hit true—right through the throat.

  She clutched her throat as she dropped to the ground, gurgling on her own blood. I looked around wildly. There were no more attackers, but I could hear Mum, Alessia and Dom coming behind me, thank Salvatore.

  Ignoring the wave of dizziness that came over me, I ran to the boat and started to untie it. Alessia climbed in, then yelled at me with a strained voice. ‘Help Dom in.’

  I put my arm around him so he could step over the edge and lower himself in. He sagged down into a sitting position on the floor of the boat, laying an arm across one of the bench seats and resting his head atop it.

  What have I done?

  ‘Elita.’ My mum looked back at the stairs from beside me. It sounded as though the whole Keep were starting to descend on us. ‘Quickly. In the boat.’

  Her tight, worried smile told me everything I needed to know.

  It wasn’t happening.

  ‘No, Mum. Get in first or we both stay here and die.’ It was both of us leaving or both of us staying. I wasn’t losing her.

  I watched as frustration marred her face. I glared.

  Whatever. Just get in the damn boat.

  She huffed and quickly climbed in. I jumped in behind her. Our feet had barely hit the floor of the boat before Alessia shoved us away from the bank.

  As we neared the waterfall a dozen Sorceresses piled into the cavern. They paused and joined hands, as they started a chant. My chest constricted as mum muttered her own words furiously beside me. When they’d built to a crescendo, with their power wavering in front of them, the unthinkable happened.

  The Crone, in her wraith-like form, and practically sizzling with magic, flew right through the Sorceresses at the bottom of the stairs. Fury consumed her face. In her blind anger, she’d destroyed the spell of her own Sorceresses.

  My relief was short lived because a giant ball of crackling magic rested in her palms that she held in the direction of our boat. Alessia’s hand reached for mine and squeezed. We glanced at each other. The first scared expression I’d ever seen on her, covered her face and I wondered if she could actually see the magic.

  She didn’t want to die. Neither did I. I gave her a short squeeze back and prepared for the blast.

  My heart raced, and I squeezed tighter. I braced myself.

  The crackling black ball crashed into an invisible wall that surrounded us. The black began to seep over us, surrounding the wall, searching for a way in. My mum stumbled and I yanked my hand away to support her and stop her from falling back.

  At that exact moment, our boat went under the waterfall. The water smashed into the invisible shield then flowed in thick rivulets around us to re-join the water beneath. By the time we reached the other side, the Crone’s magic had dissipated. My mum sagged down into her seat.

  I didn’t know what to do. The Crone and her Sorceresses would pursue us and there was nothing I could do from the boat.

  As I looked at my friends and family, I didn’t know who to reach for first. I wanted to hug my mum, to check on Dom, to give Alessia’s hand another squeeze.

  I chose Dom. I looked at the black expanding across his skin. I pulled up his shirt. The black mark originated from his heart and had spread from there. Lost in thoughts of despair, I laid my hand on the mark, and prayed for a heartbeat from his deathly still body.

  Chapter 23

  There it was. A single beat. A pause. Then another.

  Tears streamed down my face. The black continued to inch its way across his body before my eyes.

  My mum spoke gently, ‘Make sure he stays upright. It will slow the spread a little, until we can get him some help.’

  I nodded, numb. Alessia came to my side and helped me gently pull him into a position that looked a little more comfortable and upright, but his head flopped back to his arm on the seat. I pulled my jacket from my pack and curled it up under his head, so the position wasn’t so unnatural.

  At the sound of muttering, I turned to look at my mum and saw her hands were raised again. She had resumed casting. I wondered what else she was doing when the boat started to pick up speed.

  I looked to the shore behind us and saw the Crone and her Sorceresses, and vaguely made out the confusion on their faces. Except for the Crone. The anger pulsing from her was palpable.

  When it was clear they could no longer see us and weren’t in pursuit, I sagged in relief onto the floor of the boat. I turned my focus back on Dom and let my feelings free.

  When my mum came to me and squeezed my hand, the emotions overwhelmed me. The idea that I had traded Dom’s life for my mum’s was like rubbing salt in a wound.

  Tearing my eyes from Dom, I looked at my mum with all the hope I could manage and spoke between sobs. ‘Can you do anything? Can you help him?’

  Her look gave me the answer I needed, but she spoke anyway. ‘I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can’t heal him. The closest Pack along this river is the Cladden Pack. We should take him there, to see if their Medicine Woman can help.’

  Alessia interjected. ‘Would a Medicine Woman even be able to help a curse like that? It is a curse, right?’

  My mum nodded. ‘Yes, it’s a curse. I don’t know if she will be able to help, but it’s worth a try. They know the most about how to aid Shifters.’

  Alessia pinned her with a stare. ‘How do you know that?’

  My mum shrugged. ‘I used to be a liaison between the Shifters and
the Ladies of Light. It was my job to know and understand the customs and practices.’

  ‘That’s how you met Dad?’ I asked quietly, trying to keep from dwelling on Dom’s still form.

  She gave me a warm smile. ‘Yes. That’s how I met him.’ She paused for a moment, seeming unsure. ‘How is he?’

  ‘I haven’t seen him since I left for the Academy but, besides being upset once I found out about you being a Sorceress, he was good.’

  She nodded, the worry plain on her face. I didn’t have the emotional space to stress about Dad with Dom the way he was. I leaned my head gently against Dom’s shoulder and took his hand in mine.

  I lifted the bottom of his shirt and saw that the black was continuing to spread, mostly further down, but not as far up. I hoped it would stay away from his head long enough to get him some help.

  ‘What do we do if the Medicine Woman can’t—’ My voice broke.

  Both Alessia and my mum reached for me; my mum placed a hand on my knee and Alessia squeezed my shoulder. I sat unseeing as despair spiralled through me.

  ‘If she can’t help, we’ll take him to the Ladies of Light. I’m sure they can do something.’

  I nodded, feeling a small amount of comfort, then rested my head against Dom’s shoulder, feeling numb.

  I JERKED AWAKE WHEN a hand touched my arm. I’d almost reached for a weapon before I realised who it was. My mum and Alessia both looked at me, their expressions were tight and worried.

  My stomach felt like a boulder had smashed into it. My gaze darted to Dom. He was even paler than before and his chest, up to the base of his neck, was almost completely covered in black now.

  My mum’s voice distracted me from being sucked back into my emotions. ‘We’re about to reach the point where we’ll need to stop the boat. From there it’ll be on foot. To be honest, they won’t take kindly to me, so I suggest you two go without me. Also,’ she hesitated, looking at Dom, ‘I think it’s best that you both go and get the Medicine Woman to come back here. I don’t think he’d make the trip, and the time it would take you to get him there would be too much to spare if she can’t help.’