by Sarah Beth
Chapter Twelve
Abby
Abby sat near a vast green space, where archers practiced their craft. Tall trees lined the open field, their canopies giving shade to the edges of the space. Only a few Faye were loosing arrows, the sound of them whistling through the air mimicked by the wind blowing in the trees. After the Elders dismissed them, Soryn had led them to the training fields. Abby and Wesley were free until sundown, when dinner would be served at Lady Neirdre’s home.
Turning away from the archers, Abby found Wesley and Soryn fighting in a dirt-covered area of the field. They weren’t really fighting, at least she didn’t think. Wesley could tear Soryn’s arm off if he wanted to.
Circling each other, their feet never left the lines drawn in the sandy earth. Both men had taken off their overcoats. Clad in boots, trousers, and sleeveless tunics, it was impossible to not look at how evenly matched they were. Although Soryn was lean and angular, he had just as much power behind his muscles as Wesley did. When their arms met in midair, their hands gripping for purchase, she could see the muscles in their arms and back straining.
Each looking for a weakness, they battled for the upper hand. Not finding any, they both pushed away from the other. Soryn attempted to swipe Wesley’s feet out from under him, but Wesley took a large jump back, narrowly missing Soryn’s foot. Crouching, Wesley’s muscled bunched tight before he launched himself through the air at the Faye. Soryn braced himself, seeming to catch Wesley when their bodies met and rolling with the force of it. In a cloud of dust, they rolled around on the ground, punches hitting target now and then. If she didn’t know that it was all for fun — for training — Abby would’ve been worried. But she knew they weren’t trying to actually hurt each other. After another scuffle on the ground picking up too much dust for Abby to really see, it was over.
Wesley pinned Soryn to the ground, one knee pressed firmly to the Faye’s chest. Both of them were breathing heavy, she could see their chests moving from across the pitch. Rising from the giant rock she had been perched on, she walked into the ring.
Wesley got up, offering Soryn a hand. When they were both standing, Soryn laughed as he brushed dust off his tunic. “Well, I must say you did better than I expected. Maybe I shouldn’t hold being a wolf against you.”
Chuckling, Wesley tried to get the dirt off his own tunic, but Abby didn’t think it was making any difference. Actually, she was certain it was making it worse. “Maybe I shouldn’t hold being Faye against you.”
She watched as both men eyed each other for a moment before smiles grew on their faces. She hadn’t been sure if sparring had been a good idea, but maybe she had been wrong. Men were strange creatures, after all. Apparently, a little fight was enough to throw whatever tensions they had for one another out of the ring. She was glad they were finally getting along — it meant her new idea might work out. Reaching them, she nodded to Soryn. “I want you to teach me.” Both men fell silent, the smiles on their faces dimming slightly. She looked from one to the other, before crossing her arms over her chest. “What? If we’re going into a war, I need to know how to fight. I can’t depend on my magic all the time.”
Wesley was shaking his head, his disapproval and fear floating amongst her own thoughts. But Soryn raised a brow, inclining his head to one side, he said. “She has a point.” Abby’s smile grew while Wesley’s disappeared completely.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me.” His voice had risen an octave, his forehead creasing by how tightly his eyebrows were pulling.
Turning to him, Abby dropped her hands to her sides. “What, you don’t think I can defend myself?”
Groaning, he ran a hand through his messy curls. “No! I mean, yes.” He growled low in his throat. “Of course I think you can defend yourself. But I’ll be there beside you, you won’t have any reason to need to know hand to hand combat.”
She crossed her arms again, but it was Soryn who spoke up. Raising a hand to silence them, he sighed. “Although you have a point, Wesley, so does she. It is impractical to assume that you would be by her side at all times. She has her magic, yes. But magic isn’t foolproof, it can fail. Usually at the worst of times.” He nodded at Abby, his lips set in a thin line. “Being able to defend herself would be ideal.”
Wesley growled again, but Abby knew that he was giving in. His shoulders sagged just as his nostrils flared once more. Shifting his gaze from Soryn to her, he sighed. “I don’t like it, but I’m sure Alex would agree, too. You should know how to defend yourself.”
With a smile on her face, Abby nodded once. “Good, I’m glad we’re all on the same page.”
He looked at her, a chuckle escaping his lips. Running a hand down his face, he turned to Soryn. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”
Smiling, Soryn scratched his chin. “I have an idea, one that might please both of you.”
~~~
“A bow. Really? This was your idea?” Abby was standing by one of the last archery posts, Soryn by her side. He had a small smile on his lips, as he held a bow towards her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like archery, it was just that she had never done it. Except for that one time in a special high school class. But as she looked down at the bow he presented to her, she thought it may not be the worst idea.
It was some kind of light wood — yew, maybe? It curved elegantly at the tips, where a strong string was sewn through. In the center, a leather wrapping would give her a stable grip. And carved into the wood, just above the handhold, was the sigil of the Faye. It was beautiful.
“Yes, a bow. Don’t think I won’t also teach you some self-defense. But this way you can stay away from the main battle and still be of use.”
Looking at it as it rested in his hands, Abby bit her lip. “Somehow, I don’t think walking around a city with a bow strapped to my back will be inconspicuous.”
Soryn waved off her words, setting the bow in her questioning hands. “You can disguise it with your magic.”
Wesley spoke up from behind her, “And what good is an arrow against a vampire? I doubt piercing their heart will kill them.”
Soryn nodded his head, shrugging one shoulder. “True. But if the arrowhead explodes upon impact, that might do it.”
Glancing at Wesley, Abby’s mouth hung loose. “Explode?”
Soryn shrugged, grabbing his bow from where he laid it and knocking an arrow. “Magic can do many things, Lady Abby. You just have to know how to do it.” He stood beside her and raised his bow, taking aim at the target on the other end of the field. With a slow breath, he whispered words that Abby didn’t understand. Letting the arrow fly, Abby only had enough time to turn her head before the target blew into a hundred little pieces.
She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. When she turned to look at Soryn, he was standing there with a smug grin on his face. A little color painting his pale cheeks.
Wesley came up beside her, his eyebrows high on his forehead. With a pleased sound, he nodded. “Yeah. That could work.”
With a small chuckle, Abby nodded. “Alright then, master archer. Teach me.”
They spent the next couple of hours in the green field. Other Faye came and went, some occasionally stopping to observe. But by the end, Abby was shooting the target every time. Well, her arrows weren’t flying past the target anymore, at least. The sun was high above their heads, shining down on them through the break in the trees. They were the only ones left in the field. As she eyed the target, raising her bow to get the right angle, she saw a servant appear from the trees. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him head to where Wesley sat, watching.
A tap on her shoulder brought her attention back to the task at hand. Soryn cleared his throat, his teacher-like way of reminding her to focus. As she pulled back the string of the bow, feeling her arms struggle with the effort, Abby tried to distract her mind. “Soryn, do you know the story of the last Keeper and Protector? A friend of ours mentioned something about it but didn’t know the wh
ole story. I think we need to know more.”
His hand pressed on her right shoulder, bringing her form back. “Focus on the target, you’re getting better.” The pressure of his hand let up and as she let out a slow breath, she could hear him walking around her. She released the arrow, almost hitting the outward most line. Letting her arms fall to her sides, she turned to find Soryn watching her.
“I’ll tell you the story, but it’s not a happy one.” He sighed when she motioned for him to continue. “The Keepers and their Protectors have been a part of our world for hundreds of years, the Keepers even longer than that. Your magic is powerful on its own, but I’d hazard a guess it’s more powerful when Wesley is near you, correct?”
Abby inclined her head. She had noticed that she felt more in control when Wesley was around. Like he was an anchor for her power to grab onto. Even now, she was vaguely aware of Wesley sitting a ways away. Glancing in his direction, she noticed a letter in his hands. It must have been delivered to the training grounds. She had been so distracted that she didn’t notice.
Nodding, Soryn continued. “That is why the magical bond between the two was first established.” Waving a hand in the air, he added, “It also had something to do with politics between the wolves and Faye, but that’s beside the point.”
Abby watched as he turned from her, returning with more arrows a moment later. He handed them to her, which she took with a sigh. Only when she knocked an arrow did he continue his story.
“It was around a hundred years ago, give or take, when things changed. Terms between the werewolves and the Faye weren’t good, and it caused a strain on the bonds between Keepers and Protectors. Those bonds broke, sending wolves into frenzies and Keepers into hysterics.”
Her arrow barely hit the target that time. Before she reached for another one, she looked to Soryn’s face and found sadness in his eyes.
“I was just a child when all of this occurred, but I remember it well.” His gaze looked out at the empty field around them, his eyes unfocused. “Alphas were forced to put their wolves down. The Faye Council had to make equally hard sacrifices. But it was the last bonded pair that broke it all. Somehow, throughout it all, the last Keeper and Protector kept their bond. They were sound of mind but heartbroken for their fallen brethren.”
Frozen, Abby could barely breathe let alone shoot another arrow. Wesley, listening intently from his perch, was equally shaken up, his mind barely a whisper on her own.
“The Council was trying to decide what to do with them when news reached them. The Keeper and Protector had taken their own lives.”
Hundreds of years worth of pain and grief filled Abby. She thought of the bond she shared with Wesley and couldn’t imagine the pain that those people must have been in. Just the idea of losing Wesley was enough to make her heart stop in her chest. Her Mate’s comforting presence filled her mind, pushing away the pain and heartbreak. They were here. They were alive. They were together.
An arrow appeared in front of her face. She followed it up to Soryn’s face. His brows were pulled together and his lips set in a slight frown. Taking the arrow, she felt his eyes on her while she knocked it. He spoke again when she pulled the string backwards. “It was then that the Council of the Faye and the Alphas made the Treaty. No more were Faye allowed to have children with anyone outside of the Faye line. The pact between Wolves and Faye was over — There would never be more Keepers and Protectors.”
Her arrow missed, sailing over the target all together and landing in the field beyond. Silence filled the clearing, the only sounds coming from the wind in the trees and the birds in the air. Wesley’s presence was calming in her mind, but her heart still ached. It felt like someone had taken her heart in their hand and squeezed. So much pain and tragedy surrounded the history of the Keepers and Protectors. How would they be able to get past it?
Reaching for another arrow at her feet, Abby looked to Soryn as she knocked it. “So that’s why the Faye don’t like werewolves much. They must partially blame them for what happened.” She took aim, but her emotions were all over the place. Her hands shook.
Soryn sighed, standing tall beside her, but she could feel his own sadness in the air. “Unfortunately, you are correct. Faye are known for holding grudges.” She made a decent shot, her arrow landed near the target, anyway. Soryn chuckled, “I’m impressed, Lady Abby. You’re a natural.”
She snorted, the almost-laugh helping to lift her emotions. Dropping her bow to her side, she stretched. Her arms felt like jello, she didn’t think she could loose another arrow if she tried. “Yeah right. I’ve hit inside the lines once.”
Soryn shrugged, taking the bow from her hand. “True, but this is also the first time you’ve ever held a bow. Keep that in mind. You’re doing well.”
She watched him turn and walk to the table behind them, where water waited. She picked up the arrows that had been lying in the grass by her feet and set them on the table by the bow. Walking the few feet to where Wesley sat, she stopped in front of him. His knees only an inch away from her flowing skirts. His eyes were on the parchment between his fingers, but his mind was still trying to calm her own. “What does he say?”
Wesley hummed before glancing up at her, his eyebrows drawn tight. “Nothing good. He’s in New York now, with Tori, but they can’t find anything useful. Ira Abrams and his pack are trying to stay on top of the vampire population, know where they are at all times. But the vampires seem to be able to lose their tails.”
He sighed, letting the parchment rest on his leg. “The wolves say that one minute they have them in their sights, and the next they don’t.” His eyes met hers and she could see the concern in them. “They’ve found evidence of magic helping the vampires to disappear. I don’t know what though — he doesn’t say.”
Soft footfalls to her right made Abby glance to Soryn, as he walked over. His brows pulled together in thought, just like Wesley’s. “Last I checked, vampires couldn’t do magic.”
Abby shook her head, turning back to Wesley. “They can’t. Right?”
Wesley shook his head, a stray curl falling into his face. “No. They most certainly can’t do magic.”
The three fell into silence. If the vampires could vanish into thin air, then they were getting help from someone. Someone who could do magic.
Soryn sighed, “This is not good news.” Pressing his palm to his heart, he bowed his head in Abby’s direction. “I must go tell the Elders of this. This may be proof that a Faye is aiding the vampires. Things just got a lot more dangerous. Will you be alright until dinner?”
Abby nodded, “Of course, we’ll be fine.” Before the Faye could turn, Abby reached out for his arm. “Soryn, wait. Thank you for telling us that story. We needed to hear it.” Soryn nodded solemnly, bowed his head briefly at Wesley, before departing the field at a quick pace.
Watching him go, Abby couldn’t help but smile at Wesley. “He bowed to you. That’s a first.”
Standing from the large rock he had been sitting on, Wesley chuckled. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He was distracted.”
Laughing, the weight in her chest lifting considerably, Abby turned back to the table. “Yeah, let’s go with that.” She took the bow and quiver, heading out of the field. There was a small hut just outside of the green where Soryn had gotten the bow and quiver from. After they were put away, Wesley gently took her hand, intertwining their fingers. “So, where to now, M’Lady? We have a few hours before we have to get ready for dinner.”
Smiling down at their hands, she started walking down the rock-lined path.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex
The dim street lights barely illuminated the alley where Alex and Ira stood, a pair of Ira’s wolves before them. Rain fell from the sky, hitting his face every few seconds. It dampened the smells of the city around him. Caused the smallest sound to be amplified and echo off the puddles. This was why Alex always preferred snow over rain — it didn’t mess with his wolf senses.<
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“We had them! One second they were there and the next they weren’t.” The wolves' eyes were alight; nostrils flared; hands clenched into fists at his sides. The two wolves had been in pursuit of a group of vampires when, apparently, they vanished right in front of them. Alex didn’t like the sound of it, and by the was Ira’s jaw kept flexing, he didn’t like it either. “I swear, sir, we almost had them.”
Stepping in before Ira could release any of his pent up irritation on the poor boys, Alex took their attention away from their Alpha. “Did you see anything strange before they disappeared? A shimmer of light or the feeling of static in the air? Anything?”
Both young wolves shook their heads, looking even more dejected than they had moments ago, if that was possible. Alex sighed, looking away from their faces and at the dingy alley behind them. If those vampires really vanished out of thin air, then they used magic somehow — which, as far as he knew, was impossible. Or had someone using it for them — more likely. But with no evidence of it, there would be no way to know for sure.
“Sir, I think you need to see this.”
Alex and Ira turned to the entrance of the alley where Briggs, Ira’s second in command, stood. The wolf had pushed a garbage can out of his way, but when they got closer, Alex saw what Briggs had uncovered. It was a sigil, just like the previous one they found. Turning on his heels, Alex went to the other side of the alley and, sure enough, another sigil was hidden on that building. That was how the vampires had disappeared — they had walked through some sort of shielding spell that had hidden them from the werewolves. They hadn’t vanished at all.
Ira growled low in his stomach, “I think we now know what those sigils do.”
“It would appear so.” Alex glanced out at the city beyond the alley, his gut churning with a bad feeling. “So now the question is, how many more of them are there?” He was sure he didn’t want to know the answer. The city could be full of them by now, giving the vampires easy outs when they were being pursued. No wonder the pack hadn’t been able to catch any of them. Alex felt a growl growing in his stomach, but he held it at bay. Vampires always had been a cunning breed. And now they just found a new way to outsmart the rest of the world — immortality must not have been enough for them.