“Could you tell me what exactly had happened?”
“I wasn’t there to see it,” he said, “nor can I really explain it all. The Heads’ Circle will tell you everything.”
Viria figured it was another name for their High Council.
“Well, that’s good and all, but could I have books on you guys maybe? To read on?”
“The Head’s Circle will decide if you’re worthy of being handed over information about our kind.” He smirked. “We have a few alliances here and there with the witches, but it’s not like we trust them.”
“Fair enough.” She shrugged. They approached the top. What seemed like a run-down temple peered down at them, threatening to topple over their heads and crush them. A cross protruded from the top, cracked and dusty, ready to crumble under a feather’s touch. The structure looked precarious after years of being unkempt, and the area around them seemed as dead as it could compared to the rest of the place.
“How come the rest of the cemetery’s all nice and green,” Viria started, “but the temple so worn down?”
“I asked them the same thing when I first came here,” Mitch recalled thoughtfully. “Something about how they need to maintain dark energy through the place to be in power. Here’s the thing about the Heads. Wherever they step, things die. As soon as they step away, life comes back there. They carry the dark energy around them everywhere, I suppose.”
“I used to assume ghouls lived off of life forces of the living things around them.”
“Nope, we have our own energy,” he said. “No supernatural being is dependent over another’s source of energy to live. Or it’d be chaos, wouldn’t it?”
“Point,” she murmured and stole a look at him, but pulled herself together immediately.
Just because he knows a lot about his kind doesn’t mean he’s intelligent, she reminded herself. It was a flaw, she was attracted to intelligence. It didn’t who it was, she just liked it when someone could mentally vibe with her and discuss whatever. To learn from and teach to. She never found anyone who could fit her criteria of it.
Also, he’s an undead, she thought, They don’t get into such relationships. And I have a mission to complete.
Viria wasn’t afraid to admit to herself that she wished for a partner. Ever since she walked away from Tyler, she felt as if she’d never be whole again. She left with him a part of her she’d never shown anyone before. Not even Ivanna. All this she had done so recklessly, yet with calculation, was to distract herself from the pain. Being abandoned was one thing, and something she was used to. But abandoning someone else was new. She’d never left anyone, especially when they had wanted her so much, and she had wanted them just as much as well.
The pain was indescribable, but it had led to an uncomfortable kind of numbness that even crying couldn’t get rid of. She’d cried a lot, and the numbness that came with it was soothing. This numb was different.
She was snapped out of her reverie once the steps to the temple came into view. She climbed on after Mitch, whose ankles wobbled dangerously as he did so. He seemed to hold his composure well despite it, and Viria grew even more curious about ghouls’ anatomy and ways. There was so much she wanted to know. Knowledge to Viria was water to a thirsty dog, air to a drowning man, and food to a starving.
Curiosity was a bitch to her and always left her restless.
The temple door stood before them, charred and peeling wood, rusted iron framing falling and hanging in pieces. Spider webs ran across the ceiling and hung low over their heads. A raven had made a nest somewhere in the corners of beams and pillars that held up the structure barely stable.
Mitch knocked on the door. The raven fluttered in its nest and took off, disappearing around the corner. A few seconds later, the doors slid open, groaning from the strain on its old rusted hinges, screeching against the marble floor inside and leaving behind white scratches deeper than before. Viria bore the sound pierce into her ear drums and send a needle of pain to her brain. It was that awful.
There was nothing but darkness inside. Pitch black. Viria wasn’t afraid to go in, but her experiences had made her wary of an ambush and she did not want to be stupid and go in unprepared. Mitch walked in without a care, though, so she assumed it safe to follow him in.
She should not have assumed.
Her breath was stolen from her lungs, disappearing into nothingness along with the air around her. She choked as her chest burned from the absence of oxygen, her body crumpling into itself to take up the space of the void that had opened up within her. It burned, the pain spreading out everywhere until her eyes rolled into the back of her skull.
And she blacked out.
Chapter 6
Kalen and Ammara blinked as they took in the scene. People milling about, entering and leaving buildings overtaken by vines that snaked through broken doors and window panes. Kids ran about in clothes that looked fresh and new, and tents were set up that people entered and exited with food and distributing it to each other.
“This is one of the very recent sanctuaries we set up,” Ivanna explained. “They’re of the rabbit shifters. We have about three different packs co-existing with each other. There are two more for us to find but Viria says one of them have been destroyed and cubs stolen by the Morbus.”
“Is there no way to bring them back?” Ammara asked.
“They have multiple bases spread out,” Ivanna said. “We have teams that are working on finding them, but we doubt it would be any good to do so. The only reason Viria lets it happen is because of the ones that escaped with Diana. She is not completely void of hope.”
Kalen sighed. “Can we talk to someone here?”
“The Alpha and Lunas, yes.” She nodded. “Follow me.”
Ivanna let her hood down and those eyeing them suspiciously turned away, relaxed. The Caillagh and the Faerie King could feel everything flowing off of the shifters. The pain and suspicion, the plea to return back to the way everything used to be. Some shifters bore great scars. Missing limbs, wounds on their skins that bandages couldn’t keep the blood from seeping through. Limping and grunting with step and each action they took. Kalen had seen many battles and wars in his lifetime, but never the proper aftermath of it. It was painful to see it.
Ivanna led them down a cobblestone path overgrown and almost covered with weed and grass. It snaked right down to a large building that looked much like a temple. It was similar to a town hall Ammara was familiar with back in her days when she used to be part of a witch’s community before she became a member of the Elders. She knew well how the architecture of Viria Moteny’s conquered lands should look like and this was most likely in the Eastern side of the realm where flat roofs and mud bricks were common.
“This is one of Duke Curness’s lands Viria Moteny had taken over,” Ammara stated.
“Yes, one of the many,” Ivanna affirmed. “There were about seven, and Viria took over five.”
“There were only three,” Ammara argued.
“You haven’t read your books and visited the sites, have you?” Ivanna smirked. A smirk very similar to Viria’s.
“You know, Ivanna,” Ammara started. “I do know about you. Nina hadn’t forgotten and only mentioned you briefly. You do not live up to the image she portrayed.”
“People change, Ammara,” Ivanna said coolly. “And little Viria’s ways have rubbed off on me. Rest assured, though, I am just as kind and noble when I ought to be. Anyway, we’re here.”
They walked up the stairs of the square structure, a flat mud roof held up by pillars made out of mud cubes stacked upon each other, drawings and writings carved into them.
The entrance was not guarded. There was no door, but only an old curtain that fluttered lightly in the breeze. They saw glimpses of the inside. A plain and almost empty room into which light spilled from small windows.
“Jared?” Ivanna called out. “Gina? Kate? It’s Ivanna.”
“Come in!” a very chirpy and feminine voice called.
They walked in on the invitation.
Three people sat around what seemed to be a small round table, sipping on steaming mugs of what smelled like coffee. A petite blonde looked at the from across the table, smiles and rosy cheeks.
“Well, hello!” she chirped, awfully cheery for someone who’s pack was almost on the brink of extinction, “Ivanna, how nice to see you in so long!”
“You know I visit every other week, Kate.” Ivanna chuckled. “You look better than before.”
“She was definitely stuck in some emotional limbo,” grunted a dark skinned man, buff and dusty. “Was better that way if you ask me.”
“Oh, shut up, Jared.” The dark haired girl across from him rolled her eyes. “You have nothing better to do that to pick on others. Ivanna, how have you been?”
“As good as one can be in these trying times, Gina,” Ivanna said and moved to reveal the guests. “This is Ammara and Kalen, the Caillagh and the Faerie King.”
The Alpha and two Lunas gasped and bowed where they sat.
“It’s an honor to be in your presence!” Kate cried out.
“Rise,” Ammara commanded. “You’ve carried a great burden to protect your people. I’m honored to be in front of such strong leaders, who battled so valiantly.”
And indeed they have, Kalen noticed. The Alpha and Lunas were not free from harm. Kate had a bandage wrapped around eye and a large cut that ran from her cheekbone down to her jaw, stitches holding it together. Gina’s arm was in a sling, and her neck bandaged through which blood seeped slightly, indicating that it had been changed very recently, but was still to recover a lot. Jared seemed better than the two and had suffered only scratches. Many of them. But he could smell the antidotes in the air and knew from the herbal composition that someone in the group had definitely been poisoned. From the greyish hue on Jared’s dark skin, Kalen could tell he had been the one to suffer it.
“We did what we could,” Gina said as they all straightened up. “Have some tea with us, please. I’m sure you have questions.”
“Yes, that would be nice,” Ammara said as the two moved forward to sit with them. “Thank you.”
“I’ll be going on patrol then,” Ivanna announced. “Roy will be with you. Send him to let me know when you’re ready to leave.”
They all watched as she turned around and left the premises.
“What can you tell us about Ivanna?” Kalen asked with no hesitation. Jared coughed into his bandaged hand, droplets of blood staining them.
“She saved us from our downfall,” he said as he reached out toward Gina who handed him a bottle of medicine. “My pack had only started tearing each other apart until she arrived and froze us all. Asther was responsible for it.”
“What had happened?” Ammara asked. It felt uncomfortable to make them relive their memories when it wasn’t necessary anymore. Asther was dead. But Ammara and Kalen wanted to know his ways and see if there was anything to learn from him to use against the Morbus.
“He just simply stood there until it started, and left when it did,” Jared told them. “Ivanna had come to me long before Asther had and had formed an alliance with me, offering her security to us. We’d been hearing about disturbances within a few packs like the Shadow Claw and Tikaanis, also with the Vampires. Ivanna had figured the rest of us would be next and had put one of her wizards on guard duty among us. He was a bastard but he did his job well and Ivanna reached us in time to get us to safety. Everyone thinks we’re dead, though.”
“Ivanna wants it that way,” Gina told a bitter Jared. “If not, then we’d be repeatedly chased after and attacked.”
“Goodness, we’re just rabbits!”
“We’ve served our realm as undercover agents for other packs for centuries, Jared,” she reminded with a wag of her fingers. “You know we’re not as low-key as we would have liked to believe.”
“Wait, what?” Ammara and Kalen exclaimed in unison.
“All for good purposes.” Kate giggled. “We played a role in stopping and diverting most attacks on many packs in return for peace and protection for our own people. Rabbits are very calm and hate battles. Especially in nearby territories where they could invade and destroy us without meaning to. It’s happened before which is why we took up such a stance.”
Kalen realized they were diverting from the topic. “More on Ivanna, please.”
“What more? She saved us,” Kate said firmly. “And a lot of other packs. Jared’s here was mine’s rival. She’s brought us under one flag to promote peace and tolerance. She did so with other packs in the other abandoned lands, too. I have friends in the deer and wolf packs that I visit.”
“How about Viria?” Kalen demanded further, and Jared shuddered while the Lunas laughed.
“Gotta love her,” Gina forced past a cackle. “She gets on Jared’s nerves very easily. She’s been the only on to straighten him out so well otherwise he was always swearing at us.”
“Ginaaa,” he trailed off warningly, and Gina coughed.
“Well, she’s enlightened us a lot,” she continued. “Very strict in nature, but she’s excessively kind and very gentle with the children. Also very quiet, speaks only when necessary. She’s a woman of action, not words.”
“She sure has a smart mouth from what we seen,” Kalen grunted.
“You probably got on her nerves for asking the wrong questions then,” Gina said with sharp straightforwardness, and Kalen figured Gina more or less held the same mindset and personality traits as Viria did. “The child is a genius, though. A fit leader. I’d choose her over Ivanna any day if it wasn’t for her age.”
“She’s seen and suffered a lot for her age, though,” Ammara said with pity. Something Gina noticed and didn’t seem to like.
“That’s nothing to pity her for.” She laughed darkly. “Have you seen the way she handled it? She’s a strong personality. She knows how to differentiate between emotions and reasons. You will find none like her, I tell you.”
“She’s just a child,” Kalen snapped. “She shouldn’t be involved in such a large dispute in the first place.”
Jared sighed. “She didn’t ask for all of this, and you may as well be grateful for all that she’s done for you. We know you’re part of the Council of Elders because of what we do, and do forgive me for saying this, but I will put it bluntly: You really failed us. This all wouldn’t have happened if you knew what Morrigan and Asther were up to. If you’d only kept a closer eye on them. Viria wouldn’t be here doing all this. She would have been a child.”
Kalen scoffed and Ammara put a hand on his chest to calm him down. She understood where the bitterness was coming from. They were all so indulged in themselves that they forgot the larger community relying on them. They had been too self-centered to care about the others around them being affected. They should’ve kept a closer eye on Asther. Ammara had a hunch about Morrigan but never said a thing, waiting around for evidence. They’d only waited around, never investigated. That’s where they’d went wrong. That’s where almost everyone in the Council of Elders had gone wrong.
“We understand,” Ammara said apologetically. “Thank you for your time. We got the answers we needed. I wish we could stay and discuss more, but we have other pressing matters to attend to.”
“Of course,” Kate said, rather subdued as she gave Jared a harsh look, who only shrugged. “I shall send Roy to summon Ivanna. Do have some tea before she arrives.”
And with that, the blonde lifted herself and walked over to a small stove set by the window.
Ivanna was on patrol with the guards, standing on the high wall that bordered the territory and keeping a hawk’s eye over the expanse beyond it. There was something about the woods beneath her that screamed of intrusion. It was something she’d picked up from being with Viria for so long. She could smell the contamination of an outsider in the air.
To the surprise of the shifters, she jumped off the wall to the outside. She fell, the wind whipping past her clothes trying to
slow her down. But none of that was needed as she stopped free falling a foot above the solid ground, levitating for only a second before she dropped gracefully on her feet.
She moved around, trying to get the feel of the place, following the disturbance of energy she felt in the air. It felt old, something fading, but it hadn’t faded enough just yet. Letting her instincts guide her, she hopped into the woods, jumping over upturned roots and observing the tree trunks carefully.
It jumped out at her like a fish through the surface of a water, and she almost missed it. But she turned back an ran to it, gently tracing the trunk of the tree and trying to get a good look at it.
It had been branded with a symbol, and very clearly. Something very familiar. It nagged at her head, but she soon placed it.
Morbus. It belonged to the Morbus.
This was a clue.
Chapter 7
Blinking, Viria tried to hold onto conscious and draw herself out of the oblivion she had fallen into. It was hard, like moving through jelly. She worked through it gently, not wanting to waste energy fighting against it, and she was soon up on her feet, still very sluggish. Mitch seemed very much okay, as if whatever had happened hadn’t affected him at all. But it was too dark to tell, with only his silhouette to spare among the shadows.
A thin mist spread about in the dark, glowing softly in multiple hues. Something was enough to properly wake her up. The mist curled and twisted around the two of them, pulsing their light and spreading about like a fog. Viria looked up in awe as it lifted and took over the whole room. Figures glowed against the mist in solid neon colors, coming into shape. People marked in various symbols she could not read, stripes and circles on their flesh and bones, streaked in their hair.
“Who have you brought with you, Mitch?” one of them spoke, their voice deep, echoing through the room. No one had moved their mouth, though. With enough light to spare she looked over at Mitch and almost gasped. Even his body was painted in glowing colors. Looking down at herself, she realized that she wasn’t exactly in solid form. She was made of nothing but mist, slightly see-through and pulsing with colors.
The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7) Page 4