Mal nodded to Sera, and Sera walked over to the wall. She held out a hand to touch the wall, but it didn’t stop her. She pushed through and ran over to me, jumping into my still shocked arms. She just went through the wall. Was it still there? I didn’t have time to process it as Sera pulled my face to hers so that she could kiss me. Sera pulled back and grinned at me.
“What’s going on?” I asked as Mal walked through the wall also. I could still see the foggy wall. Behind her, tree people followed with bags and some pulling carts.
“I asked Mal to change the wall and allow humans but not werewolves to walk through. It will still keep Elder safe from the wolves, but we can come through. This way, we can help during the day and get supplies to everyone,” Sera explained. “If we take care of the wolves, you can search for the cure.”
I looked behind her. The normally scared tree people were walking out toward the village with their packages, stopping at any wolf they found. Many bent down to help injured wolves stand; others just dug through their bags to hand the wolves food or drinks.
“We’ve brought food, clothing, and medicine,” Sera said over my head to Micco behind me. “And I brought builders to the other side where you have the children. We need to get over there and let them start working. It will probably take them at least four days to get a small structure up in the tree, but they’ve vowed to come back every week until there is a place for the wolf children to stay safe. They are safe now. The tree people want to help, and I thought this was the best way. You can count on us to keep everyone safe.”
I didn’t care who was watching. I leaned down to Sera in my arms and kissed her again. Tree people cheered at us as they passed, but I blocked them out. I had no idea how she did it, but Sera brought the two sides together for me.
When we finally broke apart, I took her hand in mine and walked over to the old healer.
“How is this possible? I thought the wall had to keep both wolves and humans apart.”
Mal shrugged. “That was all I could do. I didn’t have the ability to see the difference between a human and a wolf-human.”
“But you see it now?”
Mal grinned. “I didn’t make this possible. You did.”
How was that possible? My magic wasn’t the kind that made walls like Mal. All I could do was transform. The wall didn’t let me through as a human, and I didn’t try to change that. I always went through the wall like an animal. We had tried to walk me through it like a man, and it didn’t work. What was she talking about?
“Last night, you used your magic to change Elder. Sera already had the tree people and me here to help, but this wall was all you. You can see the small difference between the humans and the wolf humans, and that was what was needed to make the wall this way. I’m glad you finally accepted your magic, Castiel. Your mother will be proud.”
I hadn’t noticed that the people came without Red. Sera squeezed my hand.
“She had some visitors and told me she couldn’t leave.”
Visitors? Who was coming into Elder when we had a problem with the wolves? Most people would run the other direction. While we tried to keep things to ourselves, there were sure to be reports going around the kingdoms about the wolves.
“Let’s go get those builders in and going on the houses,” Sera suggested, not elaborating further.
We said our goodbyes, and Mal was gone in her poof of smoke.
“We better go get Nikkan and Grace.”
I led Sera into the woods, where I left my friends. Sera took one look at Nikkan and scooped him into her arms. He didn’t protest this time as she marched back near the wall.
“Miller,” she yelled at a passing man. “See that he is fixed up and don’t let him shift until he heals.”
“What is wrong?” Grace whispered, staring in shock at the people pouring through the wall.
“He’s injured more than it seems. I could feel at least half a dozen ribs are broken, and there are some deep gashes under him that need stitches.”
Sera set Nikkan down on the clean shirt the man just put on the ground. I could see the blood blossoming beneath my friend.
“Will he be okay?” Grace asked.
Sera stood up as Miller began examining Nikkan. She pulled Grace into a hug.
“He will be. I promise.”
Grace let out a sob that she seemed to have been holding in probably all night. I decided to walk over to Nikkan and let the girls have a moment.
As I turned to leave, I heard Grace gasp behind me, and I turned around.
“Did I do that?” she asked, pointing to me.
I looked down at my chest. There were scratches and bite marks, but they were already scabbed over and healing. It seemed the wolf-accelerated healing was very accelerated in me. I shrugged.
“Not your front, your back,” Sera explained as Grace began to sob more. “You’re a bit scratched up.”
I tried to look over my shoulder, but I didn’t see anything. Instead, I rotated my arms, and I felt some blood trickle.
“It doesn’t hurt,” I told Grace honestly. “And I’m pretty sure I gave back as much as you did.” I pointed to her arm that I had to bite more than once to keep her from running away or biting me.
She looked at her wrist and nodded. It wasn’t much, but she did feel a bit better.
“You and Nikkan stay here and get better,” Sera told Grace, and Grace nodded before she dropped down beside my best friend. “And we can go check on the children.”
Sera reached for my hand and pulled me into a run toward the children’s camp.
I smiled at her next to me before increasing my speed to be in front of her. I would never get sick of running through the woods of Elder. While it was still quiet in the wolf area, it felt like home. The trees had little leaves growing, and the air was fresh once you got away from the village: the wind, the smells, the crisp spring air. I was as home as I ever would be.
Before we made it to the children and our camp, I halted in my tracks and threw out my arms to catch Sera. She laughed as I picked her up and twirled her.
“They really are going to be fine, aren’t they?” I asked what I already knew. “Thanks to you.”
Sera grinned. “I didn’t do a thing except lead them through the woods at nighttime. This was all you and Red. She made them believe, and you gave them a way to help. The two of you are truly the leaders of Elder.”
I gave her a quick peck on the forehead.
“I would have given up if it weren’t for you. Thank you.”
Sera grinned at me.
“You wouldn’t have, Castiel, because giving up isn’t part of you. Never has been or ever will be.”
7
24th March
It was hard to leave my friends, but I knew they would be fine and I needed to find out where I came from, who I was. I’d been thinking about visiting Prince Fallon of Aboria for a while and now seemed the best time to do it. The children were safe, and the wolf tree home was growing with the help of the tree village builders. I didn’t have the cure to the curse, but the wolves were going to be fine. My friends were going to be fine. Red and Sera had seen to it. Elder had seen to it. I was truly inspired.
Grace was completely human. She could pass through the barrier where Nikkan couldn’t. I have no idea why she was changed, and no one else was. I wasn’t sure if it was me that did it, but she was now free of being a wolf. Nikkan insisted she move to be with Red in the tree village, but Grace had other plans. She was staying with the children in the treehouse. She was going to take care of them when their parents couldn’t.
Micco was now very busy but in a much happier way than before. He had a village to run, and it was no longer on the verge of dying. The wolves had hope again, thanks to the tree villagers, who finally understood what being part of Elder meant. Life would go on now, and people didn’t have to hide in fear on either side of the wall.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do now, but the visitors in Azr
en were waiting for me. The easiest way to travel would have been to transform into a bird, but Sera was with me, so we decided to race home, for old times sake of course. I might have let her beat me, just this once.
Sera told me to meet her in Red’s office, but I was stuck outside the door. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know who the visitors were or why they were here. I had enough to deal with as it was. I didn’t need anything more. I turned away from Red’s office door and found my favorite branch. I climbed up into the tree that gave me the best view of the village and Red’s office at the same time. I wasn’t sure how much alone time they’d let me have before Red came looking.
I was happy for my wolf friends; I really was. But something was keeping me from being completely happy. Maybe it was the fact that the magic of Elder refused to name me as Red’s son, or maybe it was that helping the wolves didn’t make me part of them. I was still different.
As a child, I thought if I could change into an animal, I would fit in. Now I could, but I still didn’t fit in. I knew I needed to find a cure; that was my priority, but when I came back, what would that mean. I still was stuck not being either a tree person or a wolf. And what did the magic inside me mean? It allowed me to transform, which was the best feeling in the world, but I had no idea where or why I had it.
Things had been simpler before the curse. In one moon cycle, my whole life had changed. I worried that if I went away, it would all change again, and I wouldn’t be able ever to come home. No matter how I felt about the people, the woods of Elder were my home.
I sat in the trees and listened to the people that walked by below. I loved the tree that Red’s office was built with. It was a mighty oak tree that stretched up above most of the other trees. It was strong and resilient, just like my mother. What would she be like when I returned?
“Will she die when the power of the Red is all in you?” I asked Sera.
She thought she had snuck up into the tree with me, but I knew she was there. My current spot wasn’t just my own favorite spot.
“I hope not,” Sera replied, taking my hand in hers. “I don’t think I can do this thing alone.”
I smiled at her as she moved next to me instead of being on the branch overhead.
“You could do it with your eyes closed. Elder isn’t going to know what hit them when you are in charge.”
She blushed.
“Is that why you don’t want to go down there and see who came all this way to talk to you?”
I shrugged. It was only one of many reasons.
“Because you know she’s not going to let you sit up here all day. Eventually, she’ll drag you down there and probably embarrass you as much as she can. She’s still the Red and your mother.”
That sounded like something Red would do. Sera would probably offer to help.
“You both know I can just turn into a bird and fly away. I’m not the poor defenseless human that you two can boss around anymore. I have magic.” I snapped my fingers like something would happen. I was certain nothing would, but it would have made a great effect if it had.
“No one has ever been able to boss you around, Castiel.”
I laughed at that. She was right. I hated bossy people and often times did the opposite to spite them. Except with Sera. I knew when not to do what she said because she was trying to trick me into something. She never caught on, but when she was lying to me, she’d raise her left eyebrow just a little bit.
“Let’s go see who these people are,” Sera suggested; at least, I was going to call it “suggested” because if she was bossing me, I’d have to sit still.
I gave her my are you serious look, and she laughed, tugging on my hand to come down from the tree with her.
Sera walked into the office without knocking. It was her office, too, after all. I followed behind as Sera went and sat down at her desk by Red. I moved off to the side of Red’s desk and leaned against the wall. I crossed my legs at my ankles and looked over the guests.
The first impression told me they weren’t from Elder. When the one closest to me turned to me, I tried my best to hide my shock. Golden-ringed eyes peered at me. She eyed me up from head to toe and then back to my matching eyes.
“Triplets?” she whispered.
I had no idea what she was talking about. The other one, who had been in conversation with Red, didn’t turn to me but finished what she was saying.
“If you can just show me where I can post a letter. You know how parents can be,” the red-haired girl told Red.
I had to keep from laughing. Red had no idea of how caring parents could be. Hers had a baby to replace her once she became Red, but I doubt that ever made it into any of the papers. Red just nodded to her.
I wasn’t sure where they were from, but they weren’t from Elder. I could detect a slight accent on the girl, and I wasn’t sure where to place her. I tried to remember all the places I had visited with Red.
“This is my son, Castiel, whom you have been asking about,” Red said, turning to me. Her voice was neutral, but her eyes were watching the girl like a hawk. “Castiel, this is Princess Azia from Draconis and Princess Blaise from Atlantice.”
I nodded my hellos but still had no idea why two princesses from other lands would want to see me. And their eyes were a bit disconcerting. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at them. Season after season with my mother was paying off. I didn’t need to make the first move.
Princess Blaise covered her laugh with a cough like she felt the uncomfortableness in the room but didn’t have a response.
I stared longer at the two girls and had more questions than anything. They didn’t look anything alike. One was a dark blonde, and the other was a redhead, their faces held different angles, and their height had to be off by more than a hand’s width. But those eyes. Their eyes were just like mine.
“We will take our leave,” Red said as she stood and looked at Sera.
I shook my head to my mother.
“I need to pack. I’ll take them back to my place to talk. Did you find a guest house for them to stay before they leave?”
Red nodded to me as Princess Azia spoke.
“We don’t need lodging. We plan to leave after speaking with you.”
I nodded to her before walking over to my mother. She raised an eyebrow at me as she heard exactly what I had said. Sera had her impartial mask on like my mother taught her, but I could tell she was happy at what I said. That was one thing I’d always like about Sera. She wasn’t afraid for me to go off in the world. In fact, she encouraged it.
Leaning down, I hugged Red, and her mask slipped for a moment. My mother was looking back at me with her smiling eyes before she went back into the role of being the Red.
“How long do you plan to be gone?” she asked, as an interested leader would be in the case of a citizen going abroad, not as a mother looking after her child.
“I’m not sure. I need to meet with Prince Fallon and see if he has any information. It shouldn’t take me more than a day or so to get to him.” I wasn’t sure what to say in front of the princesses, but I wasn’t about to tell them that I could transform into animals. “I’ll come right back no matter the information to discuss with both of you, of course. If he doesn’t have what I need, we’ll have to come up with more leads.”
“You might need more than a day or two,” Sera added. “He might need a little convincing to talk to you.”
I nodded. That, I could agree with. Prince Fallon did not seem to be the kind that would want to deal with a guy from Elder. I had nothing to offer him.
Red nodded to me as I turned to leave. I opened the door to the office and motioned for the two princesses to follow me. As I turned to close the door, Sera stopped me.
“Stay safe,” she said quietly, looking up at me with much sadder eyes like she just understood what it meant that I was leaving.
“I’ll be home before you notice,” I replied. I planned to fly to Prince Fallon. I knew it wouldn’t take too long
to go across Elder and Arboria. Sera nodded.
I knew she was in her Red mode along with my mother since we had guests, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t the carefully controlled ruler-to-be of Elder. I was and always would be just myself. And with that thought, I wrapped my arms around Sera and dipped her back as my lips met hers. She grinned as I set her back up on her feet.
“Castiel,” she said my name as she had many times before, and I finally understood her tone. She wasn’t mad at me; she was exasperated with me, in a good way. I grinned as I looked past her into the office.
“I’ll come back soon, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll find an answer, and if it isn’t there, I’ll keep looking.”
Red sighed and shook her head. She wasn’t mad at me either. They both knew that I wasn’t going to change.
The two princesses were watching silently, but I didn’t care. They came here for something. I’d hear them out and send them on their way.
The walk back to my place was like going as a snail. It was slow. I missed running with Sera already. I had to wonder how long the princesses had been traveling. At this pace, they had to have been in Elder alone for days, maybe a moon cycle. They were that slow.
They talked quietly behind me, but I didn’t particularly listen. I was using my better senses to look around my forest. I hoped my travels to Arboria would only take a couple of days, but I had a feeling the prince was going to be hard to deal with as Sera expected. Men like him always were.
My house looked just as I had left it. It wasn’t anything you’d bring a princess to, but they came to me, so they’d have to suck it up and deal with it. I really didn’t have time to deal with princesses. I needed to find my answers and keep looking for the cure.
I opened the door and held it back for them to enter. The dark blonde one stopped before going into the house and looked up into the tree my house was built against. A small purple dragon swooped down and landed on her shoulder before she entered the house.
A dragon. A real-life dragon. I had never seen a dragon before, and now, I kind of wanted to try being one for a little bit. I could fly to Arboria as a dragon, but that would probably get me attacked on sight because dragons weren’t local to Elder or Arboria.
Castiel: Son of Red Riding Hood (Kingdom of Fairytales Boxset Book 3) Page 30
