“How long had you known Morrigan was involved in the activities she was?” Nina asked.
“About five years now,” Ivanna stated. “Around the same time as you found out, maybe a little later.”
“How do you know?”
“The tower she did it in was vacant and unclean, and it all seemed rushed,” Viria explained. “She later cleaned it up with the rest of the High Council to accommodate her rituals. She wouldn’t need to do that unless it was a frequent occurrence. She was well practiced in the arts and the High Council’s whispering gave away enough to deduct the rest.”
“What did you do when you found out?”
“Started reading up on it, obviously,” she stated. “What else could I do? I had to know what I was going up against and dismantle it from the roots. I trained myself under her well and observed her while she trained privately, then forming counters against her techniques. We turned her allies against her with credible evidence behind her back to diminish support systems. Started investigating everyone involved with her, friend or foe. Manipulated, observed, and planned. The only thing that went wrong and started a bigger fiasco was her execution. We wanted to wait until she had fulfilled her debts and promises before overthrowing her.”
“She was after me and I had to get rid of her,” Nina said defensively.
“You managed to keep yourself in hiding very well, and it could have gone on longer,” she retorted. “If you’d done our work, then it could’ve been twice as fast, since almost everyone under her influence knew you. You could’ve easily broken down her barriers and left her isolated. But what’s done is done and we won’t discuss this any longer.”
Nina sighed. “If I agree to help you, then what do I need to do?”
“You come back with us, enter the Inner Circle and claim to take Morrigan’s place she had rightfully and whole-heartedly intended for you. The High Council will be in support of it and you’ll have no trouble getting your hands on the Ritual of Vows. You’ll be put through an initiation in the coming month where you will hand the membership of the Inner Circle to Ivanna and claim to take over as the community head before taking on such a huge responsibility, but I’ll be doing that instead and you’ll be put under very intensive training with the High Council. Ammara, too.”
“I’m sure I can handle myself well just as I—”
“I haven’t lost a duel against Morrigan once, Ammara,” she stated, glancing over her shoulder. “And your witches could hardly take me down, even as part of their High Councils. Also, I let myself get captured for the sake of observation. Everyone needs training and there’s no shame in admitting it. I need treaties with as many communities as I can and straight training an army. It’s important for the rest of the shifter packs to come together with each other. The ones I’ve saved are ready to co-operate.”
Ammara couldn’t argue against her statement. It shouldn’t have been difficult to take Viria down if she was an average witch, but it took four of them and her letting them get her. They walked the rest of the way in silence and out of the territory. Soon past the border with Nina and Kevin left behind it, Ivanna looked at Viria. They’d stop walking.
“Shouldn’t we move a little further?” Ivanna asked. Viria looked around very carefully.
“Where are Yin and Yang?”
“You asked me to leave them at home.”
“Roy?”
“Keeping guard.”
“He’s let someone slip.”
“What?”
Viria’s hand shot up to her face, grabbing hold of a stone that wasn’t there a fraction of a second ago. Ivanna pushed Kalen and Ammara back within the border and they disappeared from the air.
“Don’t let anyone past,” Ivanna ordered and ran back out to Viria’s side.
Viria was on high alert. Marks snaking onto her skin and eyes glowing, she looked around for intruders. She could feel the energies past the trees and ground. There were three people within the foliage, and one was getting strangled by Roy.
A person lunged out of the trees, right at Viria. She easily sidestepped them and they went rolling onto the ground. Ivanna sent a curse flying at them, caging their within an invisible barrier and they wriggled and writhed on the ground struggling to get out. The person was masked, bald, and unnaturally pale.
The other person shot out to defend their comrade and Viria took them down easily by throwing a rock at their head, knocking them out effectively. She wondered why she even bothered using her powers when she usually didn’t use them to take people down. She was trained well in physical combat to need her powers unless she was in grave danger.
But she’d thought too soon. This would need her magic. The person stood up, and although they were masked she could see the charred and falling skin on the top half of their face.
“We have ghouls, Ivanna,” she called out. Viria couldn’t identify the source, but it was most probably the person still behind the trees being strangled by Roy. The snake was soon thrown off and into the clearing, and it slithered hurriedly to Ivanna.
“Their master isn’t too strong,” Ivanna called out. “Go after them. I’ll handle these two.”
Viria took off without another word. The person did not move very far away from the ghouls. They threw a jab at her when she came too close. Viria dodged it easily and moved closer. They took a step back with each punch they threw at her, and Viria only moved out of the way and closer. This was child’s play to her and it was amusing. But she soon grew bored and shot her hand out to grab their wrist and twist it under their arm, eliciting a cry from them.
This was something new to Viria. Ghouls were not yet discovered by the Morbus from what she had gathered, and neither had Ivanna come into contact with any. They were usually hidden underground because they were – obviously – dead. Creating ghouls required recruiting where certain dead were selected from the masses. It was a careful process but Viria couldn’t find books on them anywhere and was close to thinking they were myths if it wasn’t for news of Lucille Cleawer’s acquaintance with Morrigan. She hardly knew anything about them.
“Wait, wait,” they choked out. “This wasn’t an intended ambush.”
Viria let go of their neck and let them fall. They rolled onto their back and she placed a foot on their chest to make sure they made no sudden moves to attack.
“Take your mask off,” she ordered with no emotions to spare. The person reached for their black mask and pulled it down. Viria did not flinch away, but observed with curiosity. She did not want to ask questions to make sure she did not unintentionally offend them.
The person was definitely male. Skinny and bony, it seemed like he would shatter under his foot. Half their jaw was blackened and charred, their skull peeking through the flesh and meat, half a set of yellowish teeth on display. The rest of their face was all right, but their skin was extremely pale. Grey eyes sat sunken into their sockets, staring back at her sullenly. Dead. No blinking. She could smell the death off of him clearly and knew there was no trace of life except an alternative source that allowed them consciousness and intelligence.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Mitch,” he said.
“You’re a ghoul.”
“Certainly am, Ms. Viria.”
“How do you know me?”
Ivanna came through the trees, dragging two lifeless bodies with her as they groaned dumbly and moved their limbs about sluggishly with no context.
“They just fell,” she explained and Viria nodded, asking her to let go of them.
“They’re ghouls.”
“No way.”
“I’m still here,” the guy said meekly.
“Shh,” came a harsh reply from Viria who turned to Ivanna. “Change of plans? I could go figure everything out from here while you take the two and head on.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay alone? We won’t know anything about you from here on.”
“I’ll be okay.” Viria smiled. “Put a loca
tor spell on me. From the way he smells, they shouldn’t be far off. The mud on his shoes comes from the South. Plenty of rivers and lakes there. Pine trees, too.”
“How did you know that?” the ghoul under her foot demanded.
“Can it, you corpse,” Viria hissed as she pressed her foot onto his chest. He grunted in pain but held his composure.
“They were not in the Morbus files,” Viria said. “I need to make sure they haven’t been discovered. The next thing you know those guys are forcing them create immortal armies.”
“All right, then.” Ivanna nodded. “I’ll be off. Take care of yourself.”
“Definitely.”
Ivanna gave the three ghouls a wary onceover before leaving. Viria waited until the sound of her footsteps had disappeared. She looked down at the ghoul, Mitch, and sighed.
“What was the purpose of this ambush?”
“I – I mean, we – need your help. This was just a test to see if it really was you that we’d come across,” he explained carefully. “My pack. Our cemeteries are being invaded.”
“I take it you must’ve known about me to come to me like this,” she observed. “Take me back to your people and we can have a discussion?”
“You won’t hurt or expose us?”
“I have packs of other kinds under my protection,” she revealed, “so if you’re in trouble then you’ll have to come with me to a safer territory. We have bigger troubles to deal with than harming others and something tells me you’re going to fall into the same problems I’m trying to tackle.”
“The Morbus, you said,” he recalled, “I’ve heard their name at the cemeteries.”
“Well, fuck.” Viria sighed looking up at the canopies. “It was a shot in the dark, dammit. Get up and take me to your pack. Now.”
Ivanna led Kalen and Ammara away from the boundary as she explained what had happened. The couple weren’t sure if it had been a good idea letting a child go off alone.
“She’s been alone for most part of her life with only animals to keep her company,” she explained, “and she’s been more than okay with it. She learned how to make use of her powers simply through dreams. She’s a firm believer of Jung’s collective unconscious theory more than of magic.” Ivanna chuckled lightly. She looked back to see a confused Ammara and Kalen.
“I…” Ivanna trailed off. “I suppose you don’t know what I’m talking about. Anyway, she’s seen more blood and battles than most of us and been in plenty of torture chambers for the sake of information. Carried out plenty of assassinations and has been in way more dangerous and precarious positions just to make sure she found out whatever she could to protect whatever packs and communities she could. She’ll be okay.”
“What kind of positions?”
Ivanna wasn’t sure if she could tell them anything without enticing alarm or a possible trigger.
“Well, let’s just say she’s broken enough on the inside to not fear any form of abuse anymore,” she explained, “She has absolutely nothing to lose.”
The expression look on Ammara’s face alarmed Ivanna. “But you guys treated her better than anyone, I swear! I’ve never seen Viria in a better mood until now.”
“That’s her better mood?” Kalen grumbled. “Sarcasm and bitchy attitude?”
Ammara slapped him on the chest and Ivanna laughed. “Yes, that’s her, all right. All she had been was cranky and constantly on alert, leading operations and whatnot and hardly getting a good night’s sleep. It’s safe to say she hasn’t slept well for about…three days now?”
They arrived at a clearing. Ivanna immediately moved to the center, asking the couple to stay back. She moved her hands, and her the tips of her fingers glowed. Marks snaked down her hands and disappeared under her sleeves, reappearing as they climbed over her face. She spun and dropped as she extended a leg and got back up just as smoothly, and a circle had been traced around her glowing green.
“Step inside the circle,” Ivanna instructed. This was not the magic Ammara was familiar with, but she knew it wasn’t dark magic, either. She pulled a suspicious Kalen into the circle. Ivanna turned away from them and continued moving her hands and fingers in precise formation, and light traced itself into the air and symbols came together with each movement. And as soon as they had all blinked, they found themselves in a completely different place.
Chapter 5
Viria was not sure if it was a good idea to follow him underground. It was damp and smelled of sweet earth, but the occasional unexpected slime that slithered onto her legs and fingers irked her. She did not mind the worms and critters, but she had a tolerance at times, and today was not one of those days. They were travelling through make shift tunnels. The ground broke away at the ghoul’s will and led deeper and deeper into the Earth. He could see in the dark well, Viria supposed, and she chanted lightly to conjure a ball of light to allow for some vision.
“How do you see in the dark?” she asked.
“We don’t.”
“Touch?”
“Nope.”
“Echo?”
“Nah.”
“Dark energy?”
“Well, yes, mostly,” he admitted. “That’s what is used to resurrect us as ghouls. Dark energy is everywhere and we feed off of it to sustain ourselves. It’s renewable and occurs in a never ending cycle of life so we’re practically immortal unless someone performs the ritual of death which would block our bodies’ consumption of it.”
“But you are dead, though.”
“The undead would be a more correct term,” he explained.
“So, you guys are chosen to be resurrected, right?” Viria went on. “No mating or reproducing or whatever.”
“Dead bodies cannot reproduce.” He chuckled. “Also, wouldn’t us mating be necrophilia?”
“Well, you’re conscious and can consent,” Viria said thoughtfully. “Necrophilia is because the dead cannot consent. You’re undead, though.”
“Well, it whatever it may be, it doesn’t happen,” he said. “Ghouls feel no sexual urges.”
“I’m sure you feel basic emotions, though.”
“Not really, at least not all of us,” he explained. “Ghouls lose more and more of their feelings, physical and emotional, as time passes on. It takes about two years on average to do so. I’ve been a ghoul for a year now so I do feel a little if lucky.”
“Aren’t you scared of losing them completely?”
He chuckled. “I just lost fear a few days ago. It was the weakest of feelings.”
“I take it humor is your strongest?”
“After pain, yes.”
“Damn.”
“Sad, no? Good thing I lost sadness, too,” he said. “We’re here.”
Mitch reached for the surface above his head and pushed. Something shifted and a ray of light broke through what looked like a slab of cut stone. It must be a grave, definitely.
He grunted and pushed again, throwing the slab away. Light spilled into the void and almost blinded Viria since she was in the dark for so long. She was impressed. That was a lot of strength for someone who was undead.
“Are ghouls usually as strong?” she continued asking.
“Stronger, really,” he said. “The human body has immeasurable strength we are held back from using because of our brains. You could bite your finger off like a carrot if you wanted to, but don’t because your subconscious won’t let you. In ghouls, we don’t really have that working for us anymore. See?”
He bit off a chunk of his flesh from his hand and winced, dropping the skin and flimsy meat from his hand. “Oh, hey, I’m losing pain, too. Doesn’t hurt as much.”
Viria stared in awe. “That was wicked!”
“I suppose self-harm doesn’t rank high in morality, no,” he said and Viria laughed, despite the fact she had been one of those to do it at some point in her life. He grinned with the half of a mouth he had and reached up toward the opening, pulling himself over the edge. Viria crawled under the light and st
ood up, hopping over easily.
The cemetery as well kept. Grassy, well cut headstones, and sunny. It didn’t look depressing. But then again, death was never a depressing concept to her. It wasn’t something she feared, but was ready to accept peacefully. But she couldn’t until she completed her mission. Her time would come, and hopefully after this whole ordeal. She wouldn’t have much to live for after it.
The only thing that made things look weird were the corpses sitting up in their coffins, or moving about.
“What happens if someone comes around to visit?” Viria asked as she dusted off her clothes.
He pointed to the iron gates chained together. “This one is abandoned, but if someone does dare to drop by, we have fun with them. It’s mostly teenagers like me.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen and a half, if you count it even after death. I died a little before my seventeenth birthday,” he confessed as they started walking. “Drunk driving. Ran into a tree pretty hard.”
“So you still remember…” she trailed off.
“Most of us do.” He nodded. “I’ve forgotten a lot, though. All I remember is how I died and the first memory my brain stored when I was about two or something. Also, my girlfriend. The rest is a blurry mess that gives me a headache.”
It somewhat pained Viria to know he had parents and a girlfriend when he’d died. She couldn’t imagine the pain of losing someone dear to them at such a young age.
“Did you ever think of going back?” she asked carefully as they climbed uphill. The other ghouls around watched her, turning their heads faster than she had expected. She expected them to be slow and sluggish like in the movies people watched, but it seemed ghouls were more physically efficient than the living.
“We’re allowed to see them, but communication with the living humans is strictly prohibited and comes with grave punishments. It’s better to keep them at a distance and not risk exposing them to the other shot at life some of us have and take advantage of it. Humans are awful creatures. It seems like what we ghouls fear the most is happening.”
The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7) Page 3