A Shift in Power (Shadow Claw Book 5)

by Sarah J. Stone

  They had been walking for almost the whole day, and the sun had started go down. It was cooler now, which was easier for them, but it was also more difficult to see. Samuel had shifted into human form again so that he could easily communicate with Ammara. Kevin preferred to remain in his bear form to be ready for any attack that might be thrown that way. The time he had spent with Nina so far had made him very cautious and tense. He couldn’t afford to be unprepared and wanted to make sure he returned to her with their child in one piece.

  “It went there,” Ammara called out, pointing at a narrow path paved smooth by someone or something that might have frequently taken it for their own purpose. It stood out and definitely did not blend in with the rest of the forest.

  Samuel stopped short suddenly, and said, “Are you sure?”

  Kevin grunted in agreement beside him as Ammara nodded. “Yes, I saw it,” she said. She caught sight of Samuel’s stunned expression, and asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”

  Samuel shook his head, and said, “I just…I think I’ve been here before, but I’m not sure.”

  Ammara shrugged, and said, “Let’s keep going. We don’t want to lose it now.”

  Kevin nodded in agreement, and the three of them made their way past the thick trunks, where the smoke was drifting and snaking its way up the path. They followed, and when they passed by an old, ancient tree with its branches stretching out into the heavens, Samuel frowned to himself but said nothing.

  The branches overhead were so thick that barely any light filtered in, and the dying golden glow of the day locked out, leaving a gloomy path of blue hue for them to follow. The light was the sort where you couldn’t distinguish dark from it, and they squinted their eyes, trying their best to make sure they didn’t lose sight of the magic guiding their way.

  Treading carefully, the path trodden with stones and thorns seemed to be fading out into soft dirt. Kevin gave a small grunt and halted to shake his paw, then the next. Ammara bounced and jiggled on his back, teeth clattering together, and she hit and pinched the bear to get him to stop, clutching onto his fur to keep from falling. He didn’t pay much heed and continued to work on his hind legs. The stones and thorns came loose, and he hummed in satisfaction as he stretched each limb out. Ammara frowned and tugged at his fur sharply.

  “Kevin, we’ll lose the wisp!” Ammara scolded, and Kevin mentally apologized to her as he picked up a brisk pace to catch up with Samuel.

  The air smelled familiar. Too familiar. It was just a dying whiff of it, but the scent lay there in memory, still fading away with time. Samuel knew not even time could whisk away the marks left in his heart, like with the place itself. He’d been denying it, but it felt too obvious to dodge now.

  Ammara and Kevin seemed unaware of Samuel’s discomfort. It was the kind of discomfort he welcomed without much difficulty because of the cherishment associated with it. But he knew he should not let it hinder him and his attentiveness. They were still out in the open, and he couldn’t let Ammara and Kevin be the only ones who were cautious and aware. Convincing himself to be alert was not too hard, and he noted the wisp growing smaller as they neared their destination. The scent was as fresh as ever in his heart, and he thought he might’ve been hallucinating. He looked around for the familiar, dense shrubbery that should so deliberately look out of place. He knew it should’ve been around here.

  Nightfall had come way too quickly. It had gotten darker, and the wisp was dangerously invisible against the foliage. He, Kevin, and Ammara tried their best to focus and not let it out of their sight. Canopies of the forest high and stretching far, it did not spare the moonlight room to break through and allow for vision. Samuel knew shifting would make things all the more easier and quicker, but they didn’t want to draw too much attention to themselves. The smaller within the woods, the harder to come across to the eye. And Kevin was large enough and insisted on staying that way.

  But as the ground became clearer with dirt and the trees grew scarce, Samuel’s beating hope faded. He found the shrubbery nowhere. Feeling rather disheartened, he scolded himself for having so much hope. Everything seemed so in place and well blended, it would’ve been impossible to miss anything that stood out even in the shadows of the trees.

  “Well this looks out of place, don’t you think?” Ammara’s honey voice cut through his internal monologue as she slipped off of Kevin. “Although, I would reckon we’ve seen stranger things before, I’d…Samuel? Hey, Samuel.”

  But he wasn’t listening past the blood rushing in his ears. His heart swelled in recognition, wide eyes following disbelievingly after the wisp as it disappeared into an all-too-familiar cottage placed so perfectly within a circle of moonlight, as if the moon was shining on it purposely for him to stumble across and gaze at. The lulled beating of his heart brought an onslaught of memories of how he first met Rowena all those decades ago.

  It only felt like yesterday, really.

  I wasn’t wrong, he thought, and the knowledge swept an odd calm through him which was soon tainted with confusion. But why here? Why would the baby be here?

  The cottage did look worn down, though. It looked more ancient than it should have. The walls were webbed with vines snaking all over the place, reaching up toward the center of the roof that seemed to be crumbling inward. The edges had been blown blunt by the wind, rain, and dry weather it had endured all these years. The window he used to stand guard behind to keep Rowena from a hellhound’s line of sight – that was so viciously after her – held dusty, cracked panes. The garden around it had gone to waste, fed upon by passerby animals and grey matter the earth swallowed through proudly protruding fungi.

  Ammara looked at him dubiously and tugged at his sleeve. She couldn’t understand what had gotten into him. She huffed softly, “What’s gotten into you?”

  “Just tired.” Samuel forced past the dull ache in his chest. He felt like leaving as soon as they had arrived. This was as much as he was willing to take, but he understood he could not be selfish. It was not his nature. But she eyed him, confused out of her mind. Samuel did not tire easy. Closely looking at his face cleared up the fact that something important had happened here and she shouldn’t pry too much.

  Ammara convinced herself not to worry too much about him. Members of the Council were well capable of defending themselves.

  The air around Samuel shifted. He looked confused and bothered. Ammara tore her attention from her concern for him and attuned her senses to all that was around her. Even Kevin felt it and stood up on his hind limbs, sniffing the air. His nose froze and slowly came down to point where it was coming from. And it struck them like a brick and set their hearts racing.

  They had another Other among them. And it traced right back to the cottage. There did not seem to be any danger in the air, but they had to be careful. Should the baby be in there, they did not want to provoke whoever was with it to bring any harm.

  The trio looked at each other and knew they should scout the area for any possible hidden openings and to make sure there was no escape for anyone within the cottage’s premises. And that no one enters it, either. They had been too riled up and cautious ever since they left for the search, and their senses only heightened, adrenaline pumping.

  Ammara’s hands clenched as she chanted calmly under her breath, bringing up a shield around the perimeter and leaving enough space between it and the cottage to allow room to fight. She couldn’t sense any beings nearby. At least, those that were awake. The forest was asleep, except for the crickets whose symphonies – a lullaby to the creatures – echoed throughout.

  Kevin kept his eyes focused on the trees and beyond, taking up guard duty without being asked to, although his heart was palpating with anxiety for his child inside with whoever else was in there. He wished he could rush in to attack, but he had to hold back and trust the Council members with him. They would get his baby to him safe and sound.

  Samuel circled the house, inspecting it for any wea
knesses to break through and holes to enter from. He could not believe so many years had passed since he last came here. As if finding Nina wasn’t enough to make him aware of the time that had flitted past him, seeing where it all started in person after so long could not compare to what he felt then.

  Stealthily and quietly, they scanned their surroundings and met again a few feet away from the door of the cottage.

  “I’d say it’s safe enough,” Ammara spoke gently, “but the real problem is inside.”

  Kevin was teetering a little at wits end, growing impatient. He emitted a low growl, and Samuel looked at him sympathetically. “I understand how worried you must be, Kevin, but–”

  A shrill cry sliced through the air and straight into the hearts of the trio.

  Chapter Nine

  Hearts lurched in their throats as they realized that it could only belong to a newborn, and at the thought of possibly having lost the child sent Ammara’s mind into a haywire. The scream short-circuited all reasoning in her head, and she ran right for the cottage with Kevin bounding behind her.

  Ammara slammed herself against the door only to bounce back. Kevin was at her tail and jumped over her and rammed his huge form into the door, taking it down and smashing it against the ground in splinters and almost taking the door frame with it. Samuel yanked Ammara from the ground and dragged her through the entrance. He almost shifted to attack, but stopped at the sight.

  A woman sat on a dusty chair, stricken with pale with fear. The bottle in her hand dropped and rolled toward their feet, full of milk. The cries came from a bundle in her arms. Everything about her seemed relatively harmless, but then again, Kevin had learned that the most harmful people did. His child’s scent drove him crazy, the animal demanding his daughter be brought to him immediately. He grunted at the woman, and she jumped in her seat. He almost lost his full composure at her reaction, fearing she’d drop his baby girl.

  Ammara brought out her arm across the men, giving them a firm look that clearly asked them to stay back and remain calm. The baby was still wailing. But Kevin was an emotional mess, his anger a skewer ready to run through any obstacle and prepared to make a meal out of all that dared to harm his child.

  “Kevin, stop it.” Ammara hissed at the bear – which was rather unlike her and definitely got him to stop – and looked over at the young woman. She looked very young apparently, probably in her mid-teens. From what she could tell in the moonlight that fell right on her through the hole in the roof, she was clad in nothing but a blotched and dirty rag that wrapped around. Her skin looked awfully pale and thin against it, and she could see the faint blue and purple veins beneath her face under a bundle of light brown hair pulled into a mess of a bun. Her scrawny hands were red from the night’s cold, and she held the baby close to provide it warmth, bouncing it lightly so that the cries would simmer down.

  Ammara looked at the bottle in suspicion and opened her mouth to demand answers, fearful the baby may have already been fed from it, but the alarm in the girl’s hazel eyes stopped her short. Ammara breathed deeply for composure as Kevin moves into the shadows to shift and clothe himself.

  “Alright, who are you and what are you doing with that child?” she asked gently as she reached down to pick up the bottle. The girl eyed her warily and opened her mouth. Her response was too shaky and quiet to comprehend. Ammara frowned and the girl coughed, “I’m just a passerby looking for shelter. I saw the child outside the door in a basket.”

  Samuel caught the blatant lie laced in her breath, but Kevin was soon marching to her. The girl understood his intentions but held the baby closer and cowered away.

  “That’s my child.” He seethed through his teeth. The girl looked at the sobbing child, then at him, and reluctantly held the baby out to him. Kevin carefully picked up the baby who abruptly stopped crying as soon as she felt her father’s presence.

  He looked at her in awe as she reached out her tiny arms toward him with clenched fists, and although her eyes were closed, she cooed as if she could see him there. She was so tiny in his hands that Kevin almost thought he’d accidentally break her if not careful. Her mouth opened into a toothless grin, and Kevin’s heart melted, eyes watering at the sight. He turned around and walked to the Council duo, snuggling his face into his child’s outstretched arms and kissing her forehead. The beast in him felt the most peace she had ever felt in such a long while. It was content and calm for once after he’d come across Nina. Wrapping the baby properly in her bundle to keep her from the cold, he placed her head on his shoulder and patted her back with his large hand as she dozed off into a slumber. She practically disappeared against her father and in his hands and neck.

  “Where’s the basket?” Samuel demanded, “and where did you get the bottle? The milk?”

  “Let’s just go back, guys,” Kevin said, suddenly exhausted and only wanting to be in Nina’s arm with their baby. “Please, just take us back to Nina.”

  The way Kevin sounded was enough to soften Ammara and Samuel, but not enough to shake off the growing suspicion in them. Kevin was too happy to have his daughter back to care. Getting back to Nina was all he could think of.

  “You’re coming with us, young lady,” Samuel stated pointedly, turning on his heel to face Ammara before heading back outside to shift. “I’ll carry her, but stay behind us and keep an eye on her.”

  “Of course, Samuel,” Ammara nodded. Her eyes drifted to Kevin who came forward to hand her the child. He consequently narrowed his eyes at the girl still seated and left the cottage. Ammara’s gaze shifted to the girl, and she cocked her head toward the door. The girl seemed to understand and got up to her feet, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Ammara assumed she must be cold but had nothing extra to give her. She dropped her own cloak from around her shoulders and held it out to her, which she carefully accepted and draped upon her back. Ammara nudged her head again, and the girl got the signal, walking past her to the cottage. The witch followed suit behind her.

  Back outside, a cold breeze swept past cloth, skin, and fur. It had grown noticeably colder, but the bears were not bothered as they shook their limbs out and stretched them for the journey to come. Kevin was rubbing his paw to his nose and gave a light sneeze. Ammara noticed that he looked tired, almost drained. The worrying for his child must’ve drained his energy reserves. She felt sorry for him having to go through such a thing, although she had definitely seen worse cases. But she did not treat cases ‘worse than the other,’ as all were equally important and devastating. Grief and suffering held no comparison in her mind.

  She helped the girl onto Samuel’s back. She was visibly startled and confused by the whole ordeal, but Ammara couldn’t help feeling the insincerity in her actions. Neither could Samuel. Something was obviously very off about the whole situation, and they would have to deal with it later.

  Hopping onto Kevin, she passed a sympathetic hand over his back, allowing his to share some of her energy. She always had plenty to give. The bear, previously sluggish, straightened up and gained some composure. He observed all in his wake and breathed deeply before starting after Samuel who had proceeded to the dense foliage.

  It was extremely dark once away from the clearing, but a strange glow emitted from the trees they neared. Samuel knew all too well it was Ammara’s existence and how attuned it was with nature to bring this about. He threw a glance over his shoulder to see her breathtaking form, majestic and glowing. Her back was straight, and she remained alert to her surroundings. It finally dawned on him that she need not be. None of them needed to be. She was the beloved of the fairy king, and may God damn anyone who got past the king to hurt Ammara. Yet, she remained steady and ready. It made Samuel feel better to substantially see someone ready to protect them.

  He faced forward and tensed his posture, allowing himself to be just as aware as Ammara. He had a responsibility to fulfill and an image to keep.

  He led the way to the heart of the woods, knowing it all like t
he back of his paw even though it had been so long since he had come here. The aged cottage seemed to be calling out to him, tugging at his heart. Samuel could never rid Rowena and what he shared with her from his heart, but he refused to let it hinder him. He refused to go back again. He needed to continue to move forward.

  Ammara’s shared strength was enough to keep them going until daylight. The bears had grunted in insistence that she rest as they made their way, but she was adamant on staying awake and keeping watch. She had a child to look after and a girl to be wary of. Apart from that, most of the journey was made silently. Kevin was too emotionally drained to even think. He would jerk to full attention every time he heard his daughter hiccup or coo on his back. He was aware that she hadn’t had anything to feed upon for almost twenty-four hours, and it concerned him. But Ammara noticed his stress and whispered that she’d already taken care of it. And she was Ammara, so he took her blind word for it. If he couldn’t trust her after Nina, then he could trust no one.

  The sun rose leisurely as they neared the border to the fairy kingdom, but Samuel was hesitant upon letting the girl on his back enter. She seemed suspicious and did not want to allow any form of intrusion or danger. Not with Nina so weak, and not with the child so vulnerable. It didn’t matter how powerful the members of the Council were. He could not bear giving the enemies an opportunity. He halted, and Kevin almost ran into his back. The younger bear grunted in annoyance, but Samuel ignored him and gave Ammara an uncertain look. The Caillagh only smiled gently, and Samuel reckoned it would be all right this once. And so, they passed through the border.

  It seemed the grass was richer and greener than it could’ve already possibly been. Flowers sprung everywhere in full bloom, no baby buds tilting anywhere. The air was alive with the scent of flora that had sprung up with the sun that was already halfway up the horizon, setting everything alight with a glow that brought with it peace. It was all such a lovely sight that it soothed the weariness in everyone’s bones and making them want to let go and just fall asleep. But the bears held against it and headed over to where Nina and the rest were.