by Kat Zaccard
I tried to pay attention to the service, but it was like a short-wave radio with the sound going in and out. I mostly watched the back of Jack’s head for signs of life. He didn’t give the eulogy. He didn’t look like he could speak. The service ended with the lighting of the funeral pyre. Accelerant aided the huge flames that shot up and consumed the kindling and cherry wood pyre. Kulani left Mt. Henley for the final time. The hungry fire crackled as orange firelight danced across the eyes of the crowd. The reflective eyes of wolves cast an eerie glow. One by one, Slivers shifted into wolves and let out piercing howls. It was within a week of the moon, so I joined in the howl to honor our fallen friend. Jack did not stir. He stared into the light, tears streaming down his face.
Soon, the roar of the fire quieted to a cackle, and the smoke sent messages to the moon. The crowd trailed after us as we made our way out of the arena. Jack had requested privacy afterwards. I hoped he had some support. His grief was a laden cloud.
In the days that followed, the school quickly became a ghost town as families were eager to remove their students from the sight of such a viscous attack. Soon, it was only the bare bones of faculty and the few orphans who remained at school all summer.
“I feel sorry for them,” Shea remarked. “I’m usually one of the few outcasts stuck here all year.”
“Well, I bet it will be nice to get away.”
“Especially this summer.” And as it tended to do, our moods soured quickly. We both seemed content to stew in our mutual unhappiness, so it made for comfortable silences in the dull evenings. The only time we argued was when I’d sneak out every morning just before dawn to search for the blonde upyr girl. I’d missed our initial meeting due to the sleeping draught I’d been given the night I spent in the hospital wing. I had hoped she’d come back, but I’d shown up every day since, to no avail.
Shea and I had been taking turns sleeping in each other’s rooms since the attack, so she was present to grumble her annoyance when I’d sneak out. She complained that I only liked her for her first-floor window. She was too scared to come with me, and I knew that was a big part of her frustration.
Today I was leaving Mt. Henley, and it was my last chance to search for the upyr girl who had saved Shea’s life. There was an emergency council meeting scheduled to discuss the upyr threat and the recent attack. I was flying out in the morning with Nadia first thing. Shea was meeting me in Wisconsin in a few days. I managed to sneak out without waking Shea and luckily avoided detection as I crept out her window and into the predawn twilight.
Near the bushes, I shifted into my wolf and darted toward the orchards, scanning the tree-line beyond. The trees were covered in blossoms; their sweet scent assaulted my nose. I glared at the lovely trees, affronted that the world still turned as if Kulani hadn’t been brutally murdered a few days before. I picked out my favorite trails and made it to the stream in record time. I used the bridge so I wouldn’t get my fur wet, then shifted into my human form, scanning the flower-studded forest. I was about to shift back to see if my wolf eyes could make out anything, when I heard a small noise behind me.
I whirled, and there she was. She looked like a young girl with straight, pale blonde hair, delicate features and pale skin on a lithe frame. If I hadn’t known her teeth elongated into fangs, I would think she might have been there to sell us cookies. I was glad there was no evidence of the blood from before. She had on the same ragged T-shirt and her faded shorts were torn. She looked like a “ragamuffin,” as my mom would say. I smiled at her and inwardly at my well-contrived plan.
“Princess Luna,” she said in her eerily soft voice. She looked like she should be heading to the mall, not be able to tear the throat out of a vampire.
“Hi.” I waved, then dropped my hand, feeling silly.
She stepped closer, her bare feet making no noise. “Princess Alice Luna, it is not safe for you here. I’ve come to warn you, but I was nearly too late. I’m afraid the message came sooner and louder than I had planned. I am sorry for your fallen friend.”
Her voice was strangely formal and old-fashioned for someone who seemed so young. She looked like a young girl my own age. She also looked genuinely sad, and I tried to juxtapose her image with the fanged monster who had avenged Kulani.
“What is your name?” I asked, though a million other questions sprang to mind.
“I am called Sloane,” she replied.
“Sloane,” I repeated. Such a human name. “Are you … upyr?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you warning me? Why aren’t you attacking me?” My heart beat faster, and I had to tell myself to take a deep breath.
“Not all upyr are so savage. Some of us still remember our humanity.” She blinked her large, black eyes. They still had a tinge of red encircling the iris. “Once, there was hope for peace between our nations.” She looked off into the distance, though I felt she was really looking into the past.
“Please, I don’t understand,” I said, twisting my auburn hair into a knot.
“There is too much to say and not enough time to say it,” she lamented. “Your patrols have gotten much better. It has been harder for me to hide. I am glad, though, that you came. I fear it is the new upyr king who sent these upyr assassins after you. I once held a place of honor, before our young new king took power. He overlooks me, and I listen. I heard him order two soldiers to attack you. It was unclear if their job was to frighten or to kill. I was angry. Our former king had been negotiating terms of peace with the wolves. Granted, talks had suspended years ago when the wolf queen fell, but I couldn’t believe the new king would attack her daughter. I followed them from our nest. They tracked you, but Mount Henley is well-protected and I was keeping watch. Once, you were out alone, but I managed to throw them off your trail. When they attacked your group, I waited, not wanting to reveal myself. I was too late to save your friend with black hair and purple eyes. I am truly sorry. I had to risk exposure to save the pup. All creatures must value their young.”
I didn’t think Shea would like being called a pup, but I was grateful Sloane felt the need to save her.
“But if the upyr are our enemies, then why save us at all?”
“As I said, there once was talk of peace between our nations, when your mother ruled and before our new young king killed our old one. I was a part of those negotiations. I’d met your mother, and she was very kind. I know I look very ragged. I have been in the woods for months. Trailing you to the Winter Palace and back was a long journey and my supplies have dwindled. My people do not know I’m here. I hope to seek peace with you, Princess Luna, on behalf of my people. There is a faction of upyr who do not agree with the young king’s reign. He is cruel and unfamiliar with our customs. I am over a century old, but he does not value my council. It is time to break from his warring ways.”
My mind spun. A century old? I had too many questions, but tried to sort out the most relevant. We had very little time. “But why is he after me?” I asked.
“I do not know, and I have feared for your safety to venture back to the king’s nest for answers. Now that the assassins are dead, however, I think I can safely leave you for a bit.”
I had no idea that I’d had a secret bodyguard this whole time. “Thank you for protecting me, Sloane. And thank you for saving Shea’s life.”
“What of your other friend?” Sloane inquired nervously. “The beast. I have not seen his kind before, though legends exist.”
“Diego is my friend, and he’s loyal. Please, don’t tell anyone about him.” I wanted to ask her about these legends, but needed to ensure my friend’s secret was safe first.
She nodded, considering. “He will be a great protector and essential, I fear, in the coming fight.”
“What coming fight?”
“Princess—”
“Alice.”
“Alice, it is only a matter of time before word reaches our king that you survived the attack. Surely he will send more assassins.”
&nb
sp; Great. More upyr were coming my way. A thought struck, and I wilted slightly from the painful knowledge that Kulani really had died because of me. I was the reason for the attack. If she hadn’t been protecting me, she would still be alive. My other friends wouldn’t be hurt.
Sloane soon derailed my morose train of thought. “Alice, I will seek more answers. Do I have your promise that when you come to reign, you will grant asylum to me and any others I can convince to defect from the mad king?”
“I am only a princess right now; I have no real power yet.”
Sloane looked at me. “That is not true. I have seen you run under the sliver of moon and when the moon was dark. I have seen you lead, and I have seen you command your troops in battle.” I think she was referencing Capture the Flag, there. “You will be queen, and you will be a great one. I trust my efforts will be rewarded.”
“I promise to do all that I can.” she clasped my forearm—a common gesture to upyr?—and I clasped hers back.
She looked into my dark eyes with her red-rimmed ones. “Thank you Princess.”
“Wait, I have something for you.”
About to leave, she turned back and smiled. “For me?” I have to admit her sweet smile was unnerving.
“Yes, here.” I jogged over to an outcropping near the stream and pulled out a few larger rocks. From the hole, I retrieved a knapsack I had filled with a few clothes; a cellphone in a sealed plastic bag; some toiletries; and cash, both American and Canadian. “This is for you, so you can get around a little easier.”
She pulled out a new T-shirt and changed into it. Then I handed her the sunglasses I’d tucked into a side pocket. “Here. If you can pass as human, maybe you can navigate through towns to throw off the patrols.”
From the knapsack, I pulled out the burner phone I had bought in Dryden the other day. “I’ll be going home for the summer, but my number is programmed into this. Call me anytime you can, and I’ll be back at school in the fall.”
Sloane looked at the phone quizzically. “I have seen the humans talk into these and stare at them for hours. Is it a drug, or magic?”
I laughed out loud. “Maybe a little of both.” I smiled at her puzzled face and tried to explain how a cellphone worked.
“We have sonic hearing, so there is little need for such mechanical devices among the upyr.” Did I hear a little superiority in her voice? I tried not to grin as I showed her again how to call me.
“See, my name is right there, so just tap that and it will ring.” I demonstrated and had her make a practice call. We both jumped when Shea answered my phone on the other end in a sleepy voice. I told Shea everything was fine and quickly hung up. Sloane looked startled and suspicious of the small black box in her hand. Stuffing it into her pocket and putting on her sunglasses, she resembled any ordinary, albeit extremely pale, teenage girl.
“So call me with any information,” I reminded her.
She looked dubious of the prospect. “I will contact you when I know more,” she agreed.
“All right, I’ll be back at Mount Henley in September,” I said.
“Your return is most dangerous, Princess Alice.”
“Yes, but necessary,” I affirmed.
“Yes, I suppose it is.” We were right next to each other now. I was surprised I hadn’t noticed our proximity before. She took the knapsack from me and held out her hand. I shook it. Cold and strong, like marble. I smiled at her, and she smiled back.
“Good luck, Sloane.”
“And you, Princess.”
She turned and darted into the trees. She moved silently, yet so fast as she disappeared from sight within minutes. I marveled again at how stealthily she made her way through the forest. I was relieved she had assured me no other upyr remained in the area. Sloane was already proving to be a valuable asset.
Chapter 28
The next afternoon, Nadia and I arrived at the Winter Palace. We disembarked the jet and were rushed to our rooms for a quick meal before being ushered to the emergency council meeting.
When we entered the council chambers, I noticed that every chair but ours was filled. A blonde woman in a baby blue pantsuit and white gloves—she looked an awful lot like Jillian—sat next to Prince Ulric, who looked very princely with a jewel-pinned white ascot and velvet jacket. Duke Aleksandr rose and nodded toward me when I entered the room. Several other diplomats rose as I took my seat next to the Queen Regent. Christina sat stiffly next to me and didn’t acknowledge my entrance.
“Now that we are all here,” Queen Christina began with an imperious tone and an admonishing look towards Nadia, “let us discuss this recent development.” She clacked her egg-shaped gavel, and the entire room erupted into conversation. Everyone was talking at once, so no one could be heard.
Christina clacked the gavel sharply. “All right everyone, one at a time.”
“Perhaps if Her Royal Highness, Princess Alice, were to begin, aye? She was at the attack and can provide us with a valuable eye-witness account,” Prince Liam said in his lilting Scottish brogue.
“I second,” put in a sweetly southern voice that reminded me of Jillian’s. I turned to see Barbara Reynolds regarding me shrewdly.
“Very well,” sighed the queen.
I cleared my throat and stumbled through the tale, tripping over the death of Kulani, pausing a moment to collect myself and fight back the tears. Of course I left out Diego’s super-shift and Sloane’s assistance. I didn’t see how I could explain that an upyr also had helped me without somehow seeming culpable. Not only would it put Sloane at risk, but there was also little chance anyone would believe me. Tension in the air made me nervous.
When I’d finished, everyone started asking me questions at once and I did my best to respond before being peppered with the next one. I wished I could tell them of the upyr king and potential threat, but my wolf growled a warning at the thought.
“How many were there?” asked Prince Ulric.
“Two.”
“And they were killed by dismemberment. Did anyone burn the bodies?” asked Aleksandr.
“Yes. I don’t know.”
“I heard decapitation was the only way,” said Liam O’Cleirigh
“Give me a break, Liam, I heard they were fictitious!” Olympia scoffed.
“Obviously not,” returned Liam.
The room dissolved into chaos again until the Queen Regent clacked her gavel to bring everyone to order.
“The threat appears to have passed,” began the Queen Christina. “There were only two of the beasts and they were easily disposed of.” I started to protest, but Aleksandr beat me to it.
“Where there are two, there are more!” he cried.
“Nonsense. This is the first sighting in a century,” declared Barbara Reynolds, pointing her white-gloved hand at Aleksandr.
“Excuse me, please,” I said timidly. To my surprise the room quieted at once, and the council members turned to me expectantly. “I fear we are underestimating this threat. The upyr do not appear to be mindless beasts. They are human-esque. They wear clothes and can speak. Surely there is some organized plan among their kind. Perhaps if we sent a scouting party to locate their nest?”
“Their nest?” chortled Lady Olympia. “There’s a nest of them now? I’m afraid you exaggerate.”
“My niece does have an active imagination,” simpered Queen Christina. “Just ask Headmaster Giovanni.”
I fumed silently. Unfortunately, my so-called active imagination and been proven correct.
“We lost one of our best Slivers!” cried Nadia angrily.
“We must take this threat seriously.” Aleksandr pounded a fist on the cherry table.
“Perhaps we should increase security and patrols on campus?” suggested Prince Ulric.
“Agreed,” confirmed Prince Abed Malouf, an Arabic diplomat who had said little until now. He seemed to support Duke Aleksandr’s cautious assessment of the situation.
“What about the public?” asked Princess Saanv
i Basu from India. “Do we warn our people there is a growing upyr threat and risk mass hysteria?”
“The people have a right to know!” declared Nadia.
“Yes, Lady Osakura, but we must be careful in our dissemination of the information,” added a rotund, Black man sitting on the other side of the table. He hadn’t been present at the last meeting, but his nameplate said Sir Caleb Griffin.
“Sir Caleb is right of course,” put in the queen. “We must not frighten the werewolf community. I move that we work with the press to convey a sense of calm. We will play up the heightened security and increased patrols, and minimize the fear of threat.”
“I second,” called Ulric.
“All in favor?”
“Aye,” came from around the room.
“All opposed?”
“Nay,” said Nadia, Aleksandr, and myself.
“The ayes have it!” She clacked the marble egg.
Committees were organized to fulfill various next steps. And after some further planning and debate, the Queen Regent adjourned the meeting. I stood and found Nadia and Aleksandr already discussing necessary action.
“We will have to coordinate with the Headmaster, and I’ll need you to act as a liaison, Nadia, now that you’ve graduated.”
“Of course, Aleksandr,” Nadia agreed.
I joined the conversation, but mostly listened as they discussed strategy and training options. A tap on my arm pulled me away.