Broken Wolf

by Stacy Claflin

  “I’d say so. Are we where we need to be?”

  Johan nodded. “We just need to find a quiet place to run the locator spell.”

  The market was anything but quiet. Loud conversation made it hard for me to hear Johan.

  He gestured for me to follow him. We zigged and zagged through the busy crowd until we finally broke free into the hot sun. It was hard to tell which was worse—being directly in the sun or under the tents with the throng of people. We walked for what felt like hours, but was probably only fifteen minutes.

  We came to an empty area with a few palm trees.

  Johan turned to me. “You brought something of Soleil’s?”

  I dug her jewelry out of my pocket and handed them to him.

  “Good, good.” He led me to the shade of a palm tree and sat, placing the items in front of him on the sand. Then he pulled out a satchel and sprinkled flower petals, something sparkly, and some kind of dust over the things. He gestured for me to sit across from him—half in the sun.

  Johan spoke in a foreign language and waved his hands over the items between us. I closed my eyes and waited, pretending I was back home in the snow. It didn’t work. Sweat made my clothes stick to me, and even more dripped from my head onto my lap.

  He raised his voice and a light breeze danced around us, but it didn’t help with the heat. More than anything, it merely teased me.

  Johan’s voice grew louder and louder. I worried that he would draw us unwanted attention. I wasn’t sure I was up to any more running. My mouth was growing dry despite all the water I’d drunk.

  All of a sudden, Johan went quiet and the breeze stopped. I opened my eyes. Everything he’d poured had disappeared. Soleil’s jewelry sat in a circle on the sand. Johan sat perfectly still, his eyes still closed.

  I wiped streams of sweat from my face as I waited.

  At last, he opened his eyes. He stared off into space for a minute before making eye contact.

  “Did it work?”

  He nodded. “I received a clear vision. You’re right about her being at a spring. But we’d better hurry.”

  I glanced around for trouble. “Why?”

  “She looks really distressed.”

  Chapter 10

  Victoria

  I wrapped my arms around Jet. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  He returned the embrace. “Thanks for staying with Zia. I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy.” He narrowed his eyes at some vampires glaring at us with reddening eyes.

  “They aren’t all unfriendly.” I nodded toward Hale.

  “Feel free to head back home,” Jet said. “I’ll let you know how Ziamara’s doing as soon as I find out. There’s no way they’re keeping her from me.”

  Hale put her hand on his shoulder. “My Aunt Svana assures me Ziamara is stabilized. Also, I’m sure the queen will welcome you with open arms. You’ll find that she and Toby are a lot alike in regard to being open to other species.”

  He nodded a thanks and headed toward the room Ziamara had been taken to.

  Hale turned to me. “Want me to take you to the parking garage? A pretty young wolf really shouldn’t wander through the forest alone—not when at any given time old-world vampires could be out there hunting.”

  “Maybe.” I wandered back to the old Icelandic map and studied the caves were the werewolves were supposed to have originated.

  She followed me. “What’s with you and this map?”

  Hale seemed genuinely curious, and more importantly, she seemed open to adventurous theories. “There are rumors of a wolf stone,” I said slowly, testing her.

  Her gorgeous eyes widened. “That sounds interesting. Tell me more.”

  “It might be able to help us shift anytime we want.”

  “And you think it’s there?” She flicked her head toward the map.

  “Possibly. But it’s dangerous.”

  Hale’s eyes lit up even more. “And you want to check it out?”

  I glanced around and nodded.

  She grabbed onto my hands. “It’s been so long since I’ve been on an adventure! I know the dragon tunnels like the back of my hand. You want to go now?”

  My heart raced. “Really? You’ll go with me?”

  “Yeah. Everything’s on hold now with Ziamara being in labor. Nobody’s going to notice my absence.”

  One of my ribs popped.

  She arched an eyebrow. “What is that? And why does it keep happening?”

  I took a deep breath and lowered my voice. “I don’t shift at the full moon. Only when my emotions are really high.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “How?”

  “It’s a long story. How soon can we get to Iceland?”

  Hale glanced up and looked deep in thought. “How fast can you run?”

  “A lot faster if I can shift.”

  “Promise not to bite me if you turn?” Her expression turned doubtful.

  “I’ll only bite you if you bite first.”

  She laughed. “We’ll get along just fine. Let me just call home and make sure my kids are okay.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Just don’t turn into a wolf inside the castle. I doubt even the king or queen could protect you—people’s natures would take over and…” She shuddered.

  “I’ll wait until we’re in the tunnels. I swear.”

  She pulled out a phone and walked over to a large picture window. I turned back to the map and stared. An elbow popped and then a hip. I took a deep breath. “Just a little longer,” I whispered to my wolf.

  Hale came over. “Everything’s good. You ready?”

  “I was born for this.”

  “Follow me. I know a shortcut out of here.” She led me through a maze of hallways. All of them were just as breathtaking as the ones I’d seen. I couldn’t believe how much artwork the vampires had saved from destruction.

  “Are you guys hiding Noah’s ark somewhere?” I joked.

  She turned to me, her eyes wide. “You know about that?”

  “No, I just—”

  “Just focus on the stone you’re looking for.” We hurried through dozens more hallways. We must’ve gone through five or six wings of the massive castle. She stopped in the middle of a hallway.

  I glanced around. “Why—?”

  “Shh.” She bent down and pressed on the decorative molding. The wall opened.

  My mouth gaped.

  Hale gestured for me to go inside the dark room.

  “What—?”

  “Go.”

  I stepped inside and she followed, stooping to press the molding on the inside.

  “The dragons aren’t the only ones with tunnels,” she said. “But ours have managed to stay a secret.”

  I glanced around, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dark.

  “Come on. This’ll take us to where we need to go.” We took the tunnel as it twisted and turned. Finally, she stopped and pressed the molding again. This time, the wall opened to the outside. It took my eyes only a moment to adjust to the bright light.

  Excitement raced through me. A bone in my neck popped.

  Her expression held a warning. “Wait ‘til we’re in the tunnel system. We still have to go through a dragon city to get there.”

  “No problem. My inner wolf is just excited to get out.”

  “This way.”

  I followed her down a path in the woods and then another until we came to a trail I almost missed. “It isn’t used often?”

  “Not too much, no. Not since Eylin and Darius moved away from here.”

  “That sounds like an interesting story.”

  “It is, but like your shifting, it’s too long to tell now. Let’s hurry.” We darted down the narrow path, bushes sticking to our clothes as we went. The path led us to a dirt wall with a dilapidated board leaning against it.

  “Why are we at a dead end?”

  “We’re not.”

  “If you say so.”

  Hale pressed the board agai
nst the wall and pulled out a small vial of blood. She held it up to the board. The wood creaked and shook. Then before my eyes, it transformed into an ornate door. She opened the door and waved me over.

  We stepped inside a cold, dark tunnel. Water dripped down the walls.

  “Whose blood is that?”

  “Eylin’s. Another long story. Let’s go.”

  My neck popped. “Can I shift now?”

  “Soon. We still have to go through a dragon city, remember?”

  I rubbed my neck. “Okay. My wolf is getting impatient.”

  “Your wolf or you?” She arched a brow.

  “We both want that stone.”

  “I can’t wait to find out what it does.” She headed into the darkness of the tunnel.

  “Like I said, it’ll make it so we can turn when we want to—not based on the moon, or in my case, emotions.”

  “I was under the impression you weren’t fully sure.”

  “Well, it is all a mystery but I like to be positive.”

  “I don’t blame you. I can’t imagine having no control over my fangs.”

  “It definitely sucks to be controlled by the moon.” It sounded noisy at the end of the tunnel. “Is it a busy city?”

  “It’s one of the more popular ones, full of more species than just dragons. They used to be against anyone else. We actually had to wear dragon-scented coats or they would go crazy.”

  “We need to get together sometime and exchange wild stories.”

  “That would be fun. Okay, we’re almost there. Just stay close to me.”

  “I thought it was safe,” I said.

  “It definitely is, but the city is so beautiful it can be mesmerizing. We don’t have time to stop and admire.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  The tunnel grew brighter, and we stepped out into the light. The city was just beyond where we stood, and it shone with every color of the rainbow and then some new ones I’d never seen. I’d never seen anything like it.

  Hale pulled on my arm. “Do you want to sightsee or find that stone?”

  My head snapped to attention. “The stone.”

  “Then I suggest keeping your eyes on the road.”

  “Good plan.” I followed her, keeping my gaze averted from the magnificent underground city. The street was paved with a glittery gold. It was hard to stay focused on just paying attention to it. The dragon city was grander than anything I’d ever dreamed about.

  Everything grew louder as we neared the city. We stayed on the outskirts, though. The noise died down, we passed a castle, and finally came to another ornate door.

  “This leads to the main tunnels,” Hale said. “We’re going to run to Iceland. You promise your wolf will follow me without biting me?”

  “You have my word.”

  “And you can shift back before we enter the dragon city under Iceland?”

  “After all that time, no problem.”

  “Time is weird in the tunnels.”

  I arched a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “It’ll only feel like an hour.”

  “I’ll be able to turn back no problem. No biting, either. I swear.”

  She opened the door and we stepped into a tunnel. It was much brighter than the one leading into the city. The walls and ground were made of dirt, but something kept it well lit.

  Several of my ribs popped, followed by a knee and an elbow.

  Hale’s eyes widened. “No offense, but that’s kind of creepy.”

  I stretched my neck. “Says the girl who grows fangs and drinks blood.”

  She snickered. “Fair enough. How long’s this going to take?”

  “Not long.” I pulled my shirt off and handed it to her. “I’ll need you to carry my clothes, otherwise things will get awkward when I turn back.”

  “Sure, no problem.” She folded the shirt and stuffed it in her large purse.

  I took everything else off and gave it to her as the noise from my bones transforming grew louder. The popping turned to crunching as they started breaking. I threw myself to the ground and gave in to the pain as fur sliced through my skin. I closed my eyes as a human and opened them as a wolf.

  Hale’s eyes were wide. She gestured for me to follow her down the tunnel. I jumped to my feet and she burst into a run, going so fast I almost couldn’t see her. My muscles ached for a moment as I ran after her, but then all pain melted away. It felt so good to be in wolf form, running freely. I relaxed, letting my wolf take over for the long sprint.

  Chapter 11

  Toby

  I hesitated, not wanting to leave the air-conditioned cab. I’d barely just cooled down from the heat of the desert.

  Johan handed the driver a stack of bills, and they exchanged a brief conversation I couldn’t understand.

  We exited, and the heat covered me like a heavy blanket. I turned to Johan. “Do you always keep Egyptian currency on you?”

  “Only when I know I’m going to be here.”

  I glanced around, not seeing any springs. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

  “This is as close as we can get with a vehicle.” He threw me a bottle of water.

  It was icy cold. “Thanks. Where are we headed?”

  “That way.” He glanced toward a hill with a steep incline.

  Of course. I opened the drink and swallowed it in one swig. “Let’s get started.”

  We started up the daunting sandy hill. My feet nearly slid out from under me. It took all my effort just to walk steadily. Twenty minutes later, we neared the top. My pulse raced with eager expectation. Would the spring be on the other side? Even better yet, would it be fresh water that we could drink?

  Finally, we reached the top of the hill. The only thing on the other side was more hills, several even higher than the one we were on.

  “Where’s the spring?” I exclaimed.

  Johan turned to me. “We’ll find out if we keep going.”

  “There’s no chance of using a rune on the other side of all that?”

  He shook his head.

  “We’d better get going.”

  We traveled down the other side of the hill, slipping and sliding on the sand. There wasn’t much in the way of things to grab onto—just a few small plants which were too small to hold our weight.

  When we got to the bottom, I looked around. We had our choice of about three equally daunting hills to climb. My parched mouth begged for more water.

  “You ready?” Johan asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

  I spun in a slow circle, studying each hill.

  “Let’s just keep heading in the same direction. We should take that one.” He gestured toward the hill directly in front of us.

  “Wait. Do you notice anything about that?” I nodded toward the one on our left.

  His forehead wrinkled as he studied it. “No.”

  “Part of it doesn’t look right. I want to take a closer look.” I didn’t wait for a response. I headed straight for it, focusing on the base, which was a slightly darker shade of tan than the rest of the hill.

  “If you want a rest, there are shadier areas.”

  I shook my head and stopped in front of it. The color difference was subtle, but it was there. “This has to mean something.”

  “What? That this part hasn’t fully dried since the last rainfall?”

  “No, because then the other hills would look the same.” I pressed my palm against the hill. It was just warm sand.

  “Did you see that?” Johan exclaimed.

  “What?” I looked around, seeing nothing.

  “Do that again.”

  “This?” I pressed the sand. It burned against my skin.

  “That’s amazing.”

  “What is?”

  “The sand is getting darker. Do that again.”

  I pushed again, this time with both my palms. The hot sand was almost too much. Johan clapped. I couldn’t see anything different.

  “Turn around,” he said.
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br />   Keeping one hand on the hill, I slowly turned. The bottom of the hill we’d just climbed had opened like a sliding door. It led to a bright tunnel with hieroglyphics on the wall.

  My mouth dropped open. “Did I do that?”

  “It would appear so. Come on.”

  I let go of the hill and the tunnel’s door started to close.

  Johan’s eyes widened. “Run!”

  We both bolted inside, making it just before the door closed behind us. I didn’t want to think about getting out since the “key” to opening it was outside. But I didn’t care—the air inside was so cool, it may as well have been air conditioned. I wiped sweat from my forehead and closed my eyes, enjoying the icy air.

  When I opened my eyes, Johan was reading the ancient writing.

  “Do you know what it says?”

  “Instructions for opening the door from the inside.”

  “That’s one less thing to worry about, at least. Do you think the healing springs are in here?”

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  We walked down the tunnel. It remained lit from an unknown source. We followed the path for what felt like hours, twisting and turning, going up and down. If we weren’t heading for a secret spring, I couldn’t imagine what lay ahead. A long-forgotten pharaoh? Treasure?

  Soon, the sound of water swirling sounded faintly in the distance. Johan and I exchanged a curious glance and kept going. The water grew louder with each passing step. We rounded another corner and came to a big, open area with an enormous, swirling pool in the middle. The water was crystal clear and sparkled like nothing I’d ever seen.

  “Toby!”

  I scanned the springs until I saw Soleil sitting at the far edge. Her legs were immersed in the water and she ran her fingers over the top, causing a wave of ripples.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “How’d you find this place?”

  “It wasn’t easy.” I scurried over to her.

  She studied me with bloodshot eyes. The skin around them was red and puffy, like she’d been crying a lot. “Sorry for taking off like I did. I know I should’ve said something, but I just couldn’t take it. I thought the spring could help, but it doesn’t appear to heal a broken heart.”

  I rested my hand on her shoulder and sat next to her. “Speaking from experience, I don’t think anything does. Not even time, though many claim otherwise.”