by Peter Saenz
“What does Synoro mean daddy?”
“Synoro is Greek for “frontier”.”
“Weren’t the old clans mad at the wolves for leaving them?”
Adam laughs and says, “Oh yes. It infuriated the Old World wolves. They felt betrayed and swore that any Synoro wolf that stepped foot in any of their territory would be killed right away. So now do you see why it would be too dangerous to let your friends come with us to Paris? It’s not that we’re trying to be mean. It’s because we don’t want to see them hurt.”
The boy stops and thinks about what he just heard for a moment. After some time he says, “But that was a long time ago. Can’t the wolves that are alive now change the rules so my friends can come with me?”
The child’s mother says, “We’re trying mon petite. It’s very hard though. Some wolves don’t want to change. They want things to stay the way they are, but some of us like your papa and I are fighting really hard to change our laws to make sure no more wolves are hurt fighting each other. Tomorrow when we arrive in Paris you will meet many other wolves, some that feel the way we do. Together we’re going to try to make the clans more friendly to one another. They are looking forward to meeting you very much.”
Surprised, the child asks, “Why do they want to meet me?”
Adam says, “Because like your ama said, you’re very special Damon. Very, very special.”
Our world shifts once more and the four of us are suddenly in the bleacher section of a vast open arena. In the center of the sandy pit is the teenaged version of the former child, Damon. He is sword sparring with Nicholas. Unlike the sword training Mika provided though, the two of them are using real swords. Standing beside us watching them are Damon’s parents. As before, they are unaware of our presence and carry on a conversation as if they were alone.
“He has one more month before he turns eighteen. You know what that means.”
Looking at her with a troubled expression, Adam says, “Yes, I do Gabriella.”
“Then you know how important it is that he continues training as much as he can.”
“Between your training him in the Basque style, and Nicholas and I training him in the Synoro style, Damon probably has more training in him than any wolf in either of our clans. Although I do agree he needs to hone his skills for the battle ahead, I’m afraid the boy is simply exhausted. We can’t keep pushing him night and day and not expect him to hit a wall.”
On cue Nicholas’ sword cuts into Damon’s side, sending him to his knees. Damon drops his swords and reaches for the wound with one of his hands, pulling it back to reveal blood. Adam and Gabriella make a couple impossible leaps across rows of bleacher seats until they are in the arena with their son.
By this time Nicholas has already begun inspecting the wound he caused. Still examining Damon’s side, Nicholas says to Adam and Gabriella without looking at them, “If Damon were a human you’d have more cause for worry. Fortunately our wolf metabolism has already begun kicking in and it’s beginning to repair itself.” Now looking at Damon he says, “You should have seen what direction my blade was going by watching what position my arm was at and how I was positioning my stance. This should be child’s play for you by now. Where’s your head at Damon?”
Remorseful, Damon says, “Sorry Nicholas. You’re right. I should have blocked that one.”
Now looking at Adam and Gabriella, Nicholas says, “Your pup needs to get some food in him and a few hours of sleep.”
Angered, Damon says, “I’m no pup! I’m almost eighteen years old now. I don’t need to take a nap like some child. I want to continue sparring.”
Nicholas grabs Damon firmly on the shoulder with one hand and looks into his eyes. “I know you’re not a child Damon. I didn’t say that to make you upset. The fact of the matter is, I’m very proud of you. You’re one of the quickest students I’ve ever had, but that doesn’t change the fact that you still need to pace yourself. Understand each situation you’re in and follow the proper course. We’ve been practicing for the past hour and now you’re starting to make sloppy mistakes. What does that tell you? Hmm?”
The look on Damon’s face says that he “gets it” and concedes.
Smiling, Nicholas says, “Good. Now, go shower and change and I’ll see to it you get a bowl of some of my famous chili. How’s that sound?”
Damon smiles back at Nicholas and says, “Yeah, that sounds good.”
Gabriella locks her arm around Damon’s and says, “It’s settled then. Come mon ami, I’ll walk you to the barracks.”
Adam and Nicholas watch them walk out of the arena together. Adam then turns to Nicholas and asks, “So, what do you think? Do you think he’s ready?”
Nicholas turns to Adam and says, “Despite what the Archons command, you know I love that boy as if he were my own. I’ve trained him using every technique I know.”
“That’s not what I asked Nicholas.”
“I know what you mean Adam. You want to know if I think he’s got a chance of surviving the trial. I just can’t answer that question. In the thousands of years our kind have existed, not one Enopo has ever made it through. I can tell you this much though, that boy is one hell of a fighter. If he does go down, he’s definitely taking several down with him.”
Angry, Adam says, “It’s not fair. The Archons historically slanted the trials to make sure there was only one possible outcome.”
Nicholas says, “I unfortunately agree with you on this one, but you knew what the outcome would be when you first agreed to create him Adam. I may not like it, but this has been our tradition since the clans first split.”
With more anger in his voice Adam says, “So that makes it right?”
Nicholas quietly responds, “I never said it was. I’m only saying that this is our way.”
Adam turns his back to Nicholas. After a few moments Adam says, “They took away my first family and now they’re having me lose this one too.”
With a defeated look on his face Nicholas places his hand on Adam’s shoulder as our world dissolves and turns black around us.
The blackness changes into a golden color and soon we find ourselves back in Anna’s temple. I look around and see the various cat’s eyes shift from pure white back to their normal colors. I turn to Anna and see she looks to be physically exhausted. We each rush over to her and help her onto a chair set against the wall. She chuckles and says, “I guess I’m not as young as I used to be. My visions are just as powerful as they ever were but every year it seems they become harder and harder to harness. Thank you, each of you. I’ll be fine. I just need a moment to gather myself.” Anna then turns to the alter and says, “Blessed be.”
After a few moments Anna motions to the Eye of Bastet, which is now laying in the center of the alter table. I go over to it and pick it up. Beside it is the photo of my father, bearded and happy, just as I remember him. Looking at the image now though, I realize the man I called my father is a complete stranger to me. I place the photo in my pocket and walk the Eye back to Anna. She takes it and affixes it around her neck. She then gets up and we all make our way out of the temple and onto the room outside. As we leave the temple doors, Anna’s clothing reverts back to their normal attire and the Eye of Bastet transforms back into its cameo appearance.
My mind goes back to everything we’ve just witnessed. My head swarms with a thousand different thoughts and questions. Lost in thought, I initially don’t notice as Mika comes over to me and tenderly gives me a warm embrace. I’m initially shocked but realize the meaning behind the gesture and respond in kind. Soon I feel Tobias join in as well. Once I feel Anna enclose around me too I can feel wetness on my face as the tears begin falling from my eyes uncontrollably.
Damn it. I hate feeling weak in the presence of others, but the emotions caused by everything we’ve all just seen begin to take hold and I find I’m not strong enough to repel them. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this level of affection from someone where money wasn’t invo
lved. The gratitude I feel inside me begins to surge forth. It causes me to meld part of my spirit self with my three new family members around me. They sense my magical offer and accept it in kind. The effect causes a glow around us to form and I suddenly feel more connected to each of them on a whole new level.
Once the bond is complete they release their embrace, allowing me to wipe away my tears and say, “Thank you”.
§
CHAPTER SEVEN
Witch’s Reprieve
I’m sitting on Mika’s lounge chair with Fenrus on my lap. His head is resting on my chest as I stroke his fur, feeling him become more and more sleepy. The feeling is intoxicating as our physical connection to one another causes me to become drowsy as well. Tobias is sitting on the chair’s arm next to me. He runs his fingers through the back of my hair at a very slow pace. His touch causes me to fall more and more at peace. All I need now is for Cavalleria Rusticana to play in the background and I’ll be out like a light. Across from us Mika sits in front of her elaborate computer station. She scrolls through pages and pages of online information at a rapid pace until she finds what she’s looking for.
“Eureka!”
This snaps me and Fenrus out of our near coma-like state. I turn to Mika and ask, “What did you find?”
“I knew I’d heard of the Frontier Clan before and this proves it. Do you see this symbol here?” Mika points at a funny looking mark on her large computer screen. “This is the Greek symbol for ‘fatria’ or ‘clan’. And this here is the Greek symbol for ‘synoro’ or ‘frontier’. Frontier Clan, the same symbols that are on your sword Devin.”
I get up and walk over to Mika sitting in front of the computer screen. Tobias and Fenrus join us. Sure enough, they are the same symbols.
Tobias asks, “At what site were you able to tie both words together?”
Mika scrolls the web page upward until we are able to see the title of the site: ‘Curious Collectibles &emdash; Odd Items of the Unexplained’. Mika continues, “After hearing about the werewolf’s history in grandmamma’s vision, something clicked in my head. I knew I had heard ‘Frontier Clan’ before, but I had no idea it would be tied to you. This website belongs to a store owner here in San Francisco. He collects anything that has to do with the weird or the unexplained. I used to go to his shop occasionally to buy some rare herbs he sells for grandmamma when the other herb stores are out of stock. On my last visit he mentioned he had just acquired a new item that he had never seen before. He said it was a weapon with the words ‘Frontier Clan’ scripted on it. I didn’t think much of it then, but according to his website it was a sword just like the one you have now. The only difference is that his sword’s blade was broken when he still had it.”
Confused I ask, “What do you mean ‘still had it’?”
Mika scrolls down to the section about the sword again and reads:
“My latest find is a warrior sword given to me by one of my many confidential cyber pals looking for the truth. The sword itself looks relatively new but half of the blade is broken off and near the hilt there are some strange markings. Me and my computer pals put our heads together and discovered that it’s ancient Greek. The words translate to ‘Frontier Clan’ or ‘Clan of the Frontier’. I have no idea what that means as I’ve never heard of a Frontier Clan before. Is it some fringe vigilante group, white supremacists, or something else? And why ancient Greek? If anyone out there knows anything, hit me up with the 411. UPDATE: One week after I posted this, someone broke into my store and stole the sword. Not only that but they also hacked into my computer and deleted all the photos I had of the sword in question. This is insane! Obviously I need to find out who took the sword and why. The police aren’t helping out at all, so to this I now turn to you, my faithful online peeps. Does anyone out there know anything about the sword or what the Frontier Clan is? In the words of a really hot space chick: ‘Help me Obi-Won. You’re my only hope’.”
Tobias turns to Mika and asks, “When did he tell you he received the sword?”
“About a month ago, just before you came to stay with us. That was the last time I saw him.”
Tobias and I then look at one another. I say to Tobias, “You’re thinking that maybe he’s heard something online since he posted this.”
Tobias smiles. “Bingo.”
I say, “We need to get to this guy and ask him what else he now knows.”
Mika chimes in. “No, not ‘we’. Me. All Hollow’s Eve is only a couple days away. In case you’ve forgotten, you have a pissed off group of witches after you. It’s still not safe for either of you to leave the building. I’ll go and find out if this guy’s heard anything about the sword or the wolves. Grandmamma’s still resting upstairs. If you need me for anything, call me on my cell phone. I shouldn’t be too long.”
Concerned, I say, “The wolves seem to cover their tracks pretty well. They obviously have been keeping tabs on this guy. For all we know they could be watching him now.”
“I’ll keep my head down low and glamour my features. If they really are there watching, all they’ll see is a regular customer looking to make a purchase. Don’t worry Devin, I can take care of myself.” With that she gets up and goes across the room to grab her car keys.
“Mika.” I shout.
She stops at the front door and turns around to look at me.
“Thank you”, I tell her.
She smiles and leaves through the door. When I turn back to Tobias I see he has his arm extended before him. A moment later he has manifested the werewolf sword to his hand, from the other room. I join him as we both examine the sword in greater detail.
The quality of the sword is exquisite. The edge is razor sharp. The purity of the silver is close to stark white in color. Just as described on the website, the words meaning Frontier Clan are etched just above the hilt. Again, the desire to glide my fingertips along the engraving is strong but the knowledge that to do so will cause me pain holds me back.
Tobias says, “You know, all objects have psychic traces of the people they’ve come into contact with. It’s how people with sensitive abilities like Anna can see things that have already happened. I bet this sword might be able to tell us a bit more about the werewolf clan than we know.”
I think about it for a minute and say, “There’s no way we can ask Anna to use her gifts on the sword. Not now anyway. She’s still winded from scrying the photo I gave her of my dad.”
“I agree.” Tobias says. “But we’ve both had a few lessons on divination from both Malik and Anna. The general ability is there, we just have to work harder at seeing the visions than other people like Anna have to. What do you say? Would you want to see if we can do it?”
I look at Fenrus and see something in his eyes. I somehow know that with his help we can tap into the strength needed. I tell Tobias, “Let’s do it.”
Tobias grins at me and says, “Oh, and before I forget, your Greek and Italian background explains a lot.”
I blush from embarrassment just before he kisses me on the cheek.
The next 30 minutes fly by as Tobias and I prepare a ceremonial space just off of the kitchen area. We both know Mika has her own room for worship similar to Anna’s in her own apartment, but as she’s never officially shown it to us we think it better not to invade areas still meant to be kept private.
Our ceremonial circle is drawn in chalk so that we can easily clean the space once the ritual is complete. The necessary candles, herbs and stones were already stocked in Mika’s pantry so that was pretty easy to collect. Tobias and I go over our plan and begin meditating. I sit at the south position like before and see that Tobias is again sitting at the north position. When I open my eyes I see that Fenrus is sitting at attention in the west position, the same position Anna had taken earlier. In the center of the circle rests the sword. Once Tobias’ eyes are open I know he is done meditating. His eyes meet mine, seeing I am done as well. He causes the candles to light, signaling the ceremony to begin.
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br /> We each take our turns thanking our goddess for any blessings she’s provided, and include a gift of thanks to Artemis and Apollo, Mika’s chosen gods, as it is in her space that we are using our Craft. We then say the necessary chants and focused energies required of our mission. Soon the sword begins to rise into the air and slowly spin, similar to how the photo of my father had before. I then sense power pulsing like a heart beat from Fenrus to my left. Tobias notices it too as he takes a quick side glance to his right. The energy Fenrus provides solidifies the circle, overwhelming us both with strength and power.
Suddenly I’m not in my own body anymore. My spirit self is now standing beside the spirits of Tobias and Fenrus in a grand arena, different from the one in Anna’s vision. In front of us there are many teenaged werewolf warriors dressed in full battle garb. They all look physically exhausted, as if they had just finished running a marathon race. Doors at the other end of the arena open and I see my grandfather Jason enter, along with four other authorative looking men similar in age. I assume they, like my grandfather, are the other Archons of the American clan of wolves. They walk to the center of the field. Trailing behind them single-file are more werewolves, each holding long black boxes across their arms. When the exhausted young werewolves see them, they all gain their composure and stand in a strict military style line. The werewolves with boxes each take their place in front of the teenaged wolves, facing them but staring straight ahead into nothingness.
One of the Archons stands forward and says, “You’ve all performed well. We’re all very proud of you. You’ve survived the trials and have earned the honor of being given the title of Emissaries to the Synoro Clan.”
Smiles break out on the faces of the young werewolves but they keep their rigid composure and stance.
Jason stands forward and says, “In these boxes you will find your reward for all of the hard work and diligence you’ve shown: your official swords as Emissaries. Only the most skilled and trained wolves are given these swords. To all other pack members they represent that you are the most devoted and elite citizens of our people. They will open a lot of doors for you, but, always keep in mind that with these gifts also come a great responsibility. You are no longer pups. You are now men and woman representing a great history behind you. Your actions will tell future generations of not only your bravery but also any failure you bring to the clan. You are also now no longer simply acting on your own behalf. You and everything you do is a representation of the clan as a whole. You are our arms, doing whatever is necessary for the good of the pack. Always keep in mind that if one of our arms ever acts against the will of the whole, that arm can be severed. No one is above this Sacred Law, not even we Archons. You should be proud of your accomplishments, and I personally will be keeping an eye on the few of you who prove by your actions to be true exceptions to all others. For those few, great rewards lie ahead.”
