“Not what you were expecting?” Krista asked. Tristan shook his head. “I feel so foolish,” he said. “It was wrong of me to doubt you. If you’ll have me…I’d like to accompany you as well.” He nervously shifted his gaze. “I owe it to Ryland,” he added. “Despite how he’d left us and the Rogues.”
Krista placed her hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, she could feel Tristan's emotions, as if they were traveling directly through her palm, up her arm to her mind. She felt his pity, his pain, and his desire to be better than he had been. It must have been another gift of the oracle, to be able to see and experience emotions this way. "None of us wanted him to leave that way," she told him. "What he did to you was wrong, but he is our alpha. The least we can do for him is save him and let him be accountable for his own actions."
How the hell did she get so wise? Krista couldn't help but smirk. Even though the oracle had been with her for her entire life, it was exciting to see her spirit come to life inside her. Even Tristan seemed surprised at her words, and Krista owned every second of it as she sounded the call to gather the wolf clans.
“Hold on, Ryland…” She thought, projecting herself into his mind. Already, she felt his fear and his pain, through the connection they shared between their spirits.
“Help is on the way…”
The words were just faint enough, but Ryland could hear Krista's voice, which filled him with hope. Never before had he heard her this way, and he could only assume that she finally knew how to awaken her power. That is unless he was just hearing things out of delusion. He hadn't eaten or slept well in days, and could very well be the victim of his own thoughts.
He struggled against the bindings around his limbs, like a fly in a spider's web. His body felt heavy hanging from the ropes that pulled at his muscles, threatening to tear his arms right from their sockets. His brother hadn't come back yet. Earlier, he had watched as Christoph debated heavily with one of his shifters, the large man with the beard before finally, Christoph left the room in a huff.
One by one, the circular chamber in the sewers was filling up with members of Christoph's shifter cult. Old waterlogged boards were placed on top of the system of rushing water, to create a makeshift platform for the ceremony to take place. Candles surrounded every corner, some of them held by cult members wearing long tattered robes. They had painted the symbol of their pack on their chests, and all of them wore plastic wolf masks. It reminded Ryland of something out of a fantasy movie, even though it was all very, very real.
The cult members formed a circle, some of them sitting along the strips of concrete on either side of the water. Ryland was in the center, staring in awe at the sheer size of his brother's pack. Ryland had no idea how he had managed to gather so many members. Christoph had impeccable management skills, which would have come in handy for forming a cult of this size. That and the promise of the power the Wolf's spirit would give them if this sacrifice was successful.
Finally, once the room was full, it fell completely silent. Ryland could only hear the ringing in his hears, and the thunder of his heartbeat pounding against his eardrums. Then, it began as soft as the first raindrops of an impending storm. One voice sang a note, low and ominous. The others added to the melody, one after the other, until a bizarre chorus was bouncing from every wall of the chamber.
The song continued in the language Ryland could only remember from the chaotic whisperings the wolf’s spirit often spoke to him. Finally, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Christoph in the back of what appeared to be a strange parade of sorts. A female shifter held a long hooked rod with a lantern at the end, leading the rest of the party. Behind her was a man, a pillow held in both of his upturned palms. There was another man with a violin that only added another level of eeriness to the singing.
Christoph had a hood over his head. Whatever reservations he may have had seemed far behind him now. Ryland could feel his stomach churning, and a cold sweat formed on his brow. He clenched his teeth at the growing pain. They had stripped him down nearly to nakedness, and his muscles contorted as the wolf’s spirit continued to eat at him. It seemed more aroused by the chanting, begging to be finally unleashed. Ryland wasn’t sure what he should expect, other than he wouldn’t stay alive long enough to see it.
The parade disbanded, spreading out into a row in front of Ryland. The music and the singing died down until once again there was a deafening silence. Christoph raised his arms in welcome. "The day is finally here," he announced, his voice echoing to every member of his cult. "You have all done very well, doing everything in your power to gather the wolf souls. Now, tonight, we offer them up to Sulous, the ancient Wolf God."
Ryland could feel his brother’s gaze, despite the fabric obscuring Christoph’s eyes. “Sulous has slept for many centuries. Now, he is stirring, alive and well in this gracious host you see before you. He longs to be released, to finally bring justice to this chaotic world.”
He turned to face the cult members behind him. All of them were latching on to every word, grateful to witness such a monumental moment. Ryland, on the other hand, kept himself from rolling his eyes. Christoph was certainly the most theatrical out of the two of them. If he wasn’t about to die by his brother’s hand, he would have laughed in his face.
“Long ago, the shifters were headed for war and disaster. Today, they’re only bound by a treaty that has only divided them further. When Sulous walks this earth, he will bring us all together once more. Shifters will join shifters, and we will live under the one true alpha. There will be a place for us in this world riddled with humans, and we shall reign over them until the end of time!”
The room ignited with cheers and raucous applause for Christoph to absorb. He laid his head back, taking all of it in as if he were fueled by their praises. “Aren’t you glad I brought you all here today? Aren’t you glad that all of you are under the Star of Sulous, and you will be the first to receive his blessing?”
More cheers as the cult members grew wilder now. To Ryland's dismay, they longed to see the Wolf God. He could only hope that somewhere Krista was making a plan. “Where are you?” He asked her.
“You have to hurry. Please, hurry.”
Krista and the others ripped the metal sign from the front of the large culvert drain, chucking the heap of metal to the side. A wave of water rushed from the tunnel and down the hill. Luckily it was night, and the streetlights couldn’t reach the secret entrance to the tunnel system.
Shifters were lined up, itching to get inside and all of them ready for whatever was on the other side. Krista stood on one end of the culvert drain, looking out at the army before her. Each shifter faction had gathered a team of what must be one hundred wolves. Each alpha stood proudly with their chosen pack members. Krista wondered if it would be enough. They certainly couldn’t back up and do a recount. It would have to be enough.
Tristan was at her side. "Whenever you're ready," he told her. "We have to go now," she said. "I can hear Ryland…"
She turned to face the shifters. “I know that I am only new to your world, and there is much for me to learn. But, I’ve been around long enough to have seen the differences you all have. Each pack has their own strengths, their own weaknesses.”
The alphas nodded as they hung onto her words. "You've been separated by those differences," she continued, her voice loud and clear in the dark cold night. "The shifter factions achieved peace, once before. But those lines separated you. Please, settle your differences with me, and tonight we will come together as one pack, and save this world that we all share!"
Cheers filled her ears, and she stood to the side as she let the shifters free. One by one, they transformed. The wolves rushed into the black tunnel, howling with reckless abandon as the five shifter factions blended together with wild excitement. Krista watched as Tristan turned into a dark wolf with a thin light stripe, in a flash. He led Krista behind the army as they began Ryland's rescue.
“We’re in the tunnels…” Ryland lifted hi
s head, his eyes widening. Krista's voice was becoming clearer now. Help was on the way as she had promised. But, would she stop Christoph in time?
Ryland could only helplessly watch as his brother lifted the crystal dagger from the shifter’s silk pillow. The blade glimmered in the candlelight as Christoph brandished it. As he stepped closer to Ryland, he lifted his hand over his hood, pulling the fabric from his eyes.
“Now, brother, we will see who the strongest alpha is,” he said. Ryland could hear the catch in Christoph’s voice. “Christoph…” he could only whisper, his voice weak. “I can never come back from this. I hope you know that.”
Christoph hesitated, his jaw clenched. He tilted his gaze away from Ryland’s as he contemplated. “You think I didn’t consider that, at all?” He said, pointing the knife in Ryland’s side. Ryland winced as the blade pricked at his skin, already drawing a bead of blood, growing a fresh ruby red from the air.
Christoph stared with wide eyes at the blood, as if under some kind of trance. “I’m sorry, Ryland,” he said. “Surely you understand wanting to bring the shifters together under one rule.”
“Not like this…” Ryland mustered. “Wandering in the dark will only make things harder for you to see.”
"Enough!" Christoph hollered, startling Ryland. The dagger was still digging into his side, but not nearly hard enough to pierce him completely. "I've had enough of this. Do you think I haven't suffered enough with this decision? For my own brother to host Sulous's spirit?"
He pointed at the cult members surrounding him. "They are all here because of me. How could I promise them something only to take it away? Surely you understand."
Ryland shook his head, tired and without the words to say that could make his brother stop. “If Sulous happens to grant you a long life, I hope you spend every day of it thinking about the day that you killed me.”
He was pleased with those final words, but he needed to talk to Krista before it was all over. “I’m sorry, Krista,” he thought. “Please forgive me, and know that I never quite understood love before that first time you touched me.”
Cheers filled the chamber as the bloodthirsty shifters watched Christoph draw his arm back, ready to deliver the final blow that would awaken the mighty Sulous. Ryland stared hard into his brother’s matching olive-green eyes. He wanted him to remember, to forever burn the image into his mind.
“Oh, please, Ryland. Spare me with the theatrics,” Krista's voice rang out, loud and clear, in his mind. Before Christoph could stab the crystal dagger into Ryland, the cheering slowed, mingling into a chorus of wolf howls and wild growling. "What is that?" Christoph turned to his posse behind him. They shrugged but readied themselves just as the tunnels were flooded with packs of furious and frenzied wolves.
At the end of them, Ryland could see a figure with glowing blue eyes approaching. He recognized her figure, even in the flickering candlelight. Krista had finally come for him. Despite everything, she had arrived and had brought reinforcements at her side.
The cultists scattered, each of them frantically shifting into their wolf forms and attacking the enormous pack of intruders. Howls filled the dark chamber, overwhelming Ryland’s ears as an underground war raged around him. He watched as Tristan fought beside Krista, his teeth lashing out at anyone that got too close to her. Krista’s mouth fell open with relief once she saw Ryland, and his heart was filled just to see her so close to him again.
A blue glow surrounded her, and Ryland could only smile knowing that the power of the oracle now flowed through her veins and that she had gathered the strength to awaken it herself.
And then, as quickly as it had come, it was all torn from him in an instant. He saw Krista’s smile slowly morph into a terrified wail from across the chamber. At first, he felt cold as the blade slid through his skin. There was a pinprick of shock, like static that spread throughout his body. It wasn’t until the blade was ripped from his side that he felt a fire washing over him.
He cried out in agony, and a loud roar was ripped from his lungs, rising above the howls of the fighting wolves. His eyes flitted to the ground, where he could see Christoph holding the crystal dagger in shock. It clattered out of his hand, the blood splattering onto the star symbol on the floor.
“My God, what have I done…” he mouthed as he crumbled to the floor and watched Ryland squirm in terror.
Ryland convulsed as he felt something pulling at his skin, tearing apart his muscles from their bones. His veins pulsed with pitch black blood, spreading through every inch of his being.
“It is time,” a deep growling voice told him.
19. POWER
“RYLAND!!!” Krista’s screams tore at her throat. She had been too late. After doing everything she could her vision still came true. With Tristan at her side, she rushed towards the center of the chamber, hoping to untie Ryland when suddenly the ground began to quake under their feet.
She tried to keep her balance, but the rumbling was so violent she stumbled to her knees. The other shifters ceased their fighting, turning to see what was happening in the tunnels.
A fire began to spread from Ryland’s body. It started at his feet, licking at his heels before it shot up like a pillar that consumed his entire body. Krista felt a terrified scream radiate from her, and could only watch in horror as Ryland’s shadowy figure was lost in the blaze.
She looked over and saw the boy she had recognized from the photos in Ryland’s room, now all grown up. He stared up at the blaze in complete awe and fear. Christoph had brought the evil to life. She ran and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Don’t you realize what you’ve done?!” She screamed into his face. Christoph’s chest heaved as if he couldn’t tear his gaze from Ryland’s body.
The ground continued to shake, the shifters now scattering in terror as the fire grew into an enormous blaze. But, Krista couldn’t feel any heat emanating from it. Through the blinding flames, she could see Ryland’s figure…shifting—though it was nothing that she had seen before in the shifter’s world.
Ryland’s body ripped at the bindings holding him. The fire began to subside as a dark shadow grew larger and larger inside of it. Then, from the blaring red and orange waves, the shadow emerged. First, a single enormous paw stepped out, crushing the wooden planks in an instant. They fell into the rushing rainwater and were carried away.
Krista took a step back together with Tristan. Chaos broke out among the shifters as they scrambled from the water onto the concrete pathways. They stared with wide eyes as another large paw emerged, then another, and another, until finally a massive wolf the size of an elephant was revealed.
It was covered in black shadows that wafted from its fur like clouds of steam. Its eyes were glowing red, like the flames from which it had been born. It stood with pride and power, nearly filling up the entire chamber. The wolves scattered around its feet, some of them shifting back into humans.
The wolf raised its head and released a howl so loud that it made the Earth quake again. It reverberated from the walls, filling the tunnels, and bounced around Krista's skull. She held on to the concrete until her knuckles were white. Tears stained at her cheeks. It had been done. The ancient Wolf God was here.
Sulous gazed down, twin fires radiating from his eyes. His jaws just barely opened, revealing his enormous teeth stained with blood from the thousands of lives he had torn apart.
The room fell completely silent, frozen by the Wolf God’s display of power. Krista watched as Christoph approached the panting beast. With every breath, smoke emerged from between Sulous’s jaws. Christoph straightened himself before giving a low bow to the beast.
Even from afar, Krista could see him shaking like a leaf. "All powerful Sulous," he began, trying to maintain a hint of reverence through his shaky voice. "We have summoned you from your long slumber," he turned to his cult members, scattered amongst the other wolf factions. They all fell to their knees, humbled, their hands held out at the ready.
"We give you the shar
ds of this earth to unite under your rule," Christoph continued. "Go as you wish, but first we ask that you bestow your blessing onto us, so that we may carry your strength as your devoted servants."
The echo of his words died down. As soon as it was quiet again, the mighty beast began to shudder. A low growl rumbled through his chest, emerging from his enormous jaws as a maniacal laugh. Christoph shrunk back in surprise.
Krista grabbed hold of Tristan’s fur. He shifted beside her, not taking his eyes from Sulous. “Something terrible is about to happen,” she whispered to him. “We have to get the other shifters out of here.”
But Tristan was frozen in place, struck with fear as a booming voice carried over every living body in the room.
“Fools!” Sulous’s voice was an earthquake in itself. Dust sifted from the ceiling into the water below. “You expect me to share my power with you? Your words of worship fall on deaf ears. I am a god of chaos and destruction, of bloodshed and mayhem. I thrive on the blood of anyone that stands in my way, including yours!”
In a flash, his jaws opened wide as he gnashed his teeth at Christoph. Christoph ducked out of the way, nearly toppling into Krista and Tristan. The Wolf God gave another hearty laugh as he swept his tail at the surrounding shifters. Cries and yelps filled the chamber as everyone tried to scatter or face the tragic fate of being eaten by Sulous.
"We're in way over our heads now," Tristan cried out over the roar of flames and growls of the massive wolf. But, Krista watched Sulous carefully. She felt Tristan grab her by the waist, pulling her just as a giant paw swiped at a cluster of shifters. Krista watched in horror as Sulous grabbed a handful of bodies, humanoids, and wolves, and shoved them into his gaping jaws. Their bones crunched against his teeth before he swallowed them all in one gulp.
Wolf Pack Chronicles Box Set Page 28
