Again, he smiled. Good. You will now come with me. He moved to the bed, and found her arms up and waiting for him to take them. He did, and slid his hands around her waist.
She took his neck and shoulders and held him close to her face. She wrapped her legs around his waist. She didn’t flinch once when his flesh ebbed and waned beneath her hands. She didn’t shudder as the bat formed beneath her touch.
Jameson forced his mind back together again. How he did it, he would never know, but once he had, he watched the wolf change into a human form. He watched the male looking human then take his sister and lift her off the bed.
“No!” He picked himself back up to his knees, but as he tried to stand, he felt the pain from his shattered arm slap him back, and it caused him to fall back to his legs. He just couldn’t move, so he screamed instead. “No you bastard! No! NO!”
The human turned to him and smiled.
He saw Devish’s face, his master, his god, and watched him turn back into the bat.
Within a second after that, he watched the bat bounce off the floor and fly back through the hole it made in the ceiling, and vanish completely from sight. His sister went with him.
He now cried. “No! No! NO!”
Three others now ran into the room.
One of them, a woman, stopped at Mantha’s side. He was alive, but was having trouble breathing. She guessed correctly about his ribs, and stayed there with him.
The two men rushed to Jameson.
One, an older man in his forties went to his left. The much younger one went to his right.
He felt them come, but couldn’t drag his eyes off the hole above him. He couldn’t get his mind off her. I let it take her. I let him. He now had a face, and a name to go with his rage. He now knew his enemy. He knew where to find his sister. He now knew the one that he had to destroy. I will go to her. I will find her. I will take her back.
The two men helped him stand back to his feet.
He shook hard from the pain. He shook hard from the shock of it all.
To my dying day, I will find her, and I will have my revenge for what he has done.
24
Devish flew high and strong, making sure the woman was tightly around his waist and shoulders. She did a great job holding on to him. She stayed calm. She stayed within his trance; the power of his mind stayed with her the entire trip.
When he reached his home, he flew straight to the courtyard and landed just before the large set of steps leading up to the front door.
He transformed back into his human form just within seconds of landing, and carried her up the steps. He took her inside before she even moved.
He moved quickly through the foyer and headed right to the stairs that led down to the basement, and moved fast down them to the last step. He brought her to the hallway of the row of cells. He took her to his father’s cell door, and stood her there gently in front of it—in front of him.
Satar smelled her instantly. He smelled her sweet aroma like smelling flowers blossoming on a springtime hill in a cool breeze. It overpowered him to no end. He stood up. He turned ever so slowly towards the bars.
Devish kept his mind locked on to hers. You hear me child. You hear my voice.
I hear you. She nodded as he kept her arms in his hands as he stood behind her.
He bowed his head to his father and gave him a lavishly powerful smile.
You will love him as no other. He is now your life. He is now your dearest love. You will forget everyone. You will only have eyes for him. He is now your life. He let go of her arms.
She found herself now standing in the middle of a darkened, and torch lined hallway, staring at a barred door. A man was standing on the other side of the bars. He was in the shadows, but she did see him. A glow instantly came to her heart. A haze blasted her mind, and with it, she knew what she felt. She felt warmth. She felt his longing. She felt herself begin to melt within his joyous stare.
Satar saw her glow. Her yellow aura sparkled around her beautiful frame. She was the one. He was certain of it.
“My love Permona.” He stepped to the bars, and reached out with his right arm moving through two of them and brought his hand close to her face.
His soft looking hand seemed to tremble some as she stepped to it and let him touch her cheek.
He touched her warmth. He caressed her face. Her smooth skin felt like silk. It felt like heaven on earth.
“My dear love.” He smiled with the warmth of her touch.
Devish watched this, and his heart melted fast. He could see his father’s mind, and what he saw made his feel light. He felt the clouds. He felt the love. He felt the passion. He felt the thirst.
Satar heard him in his mind. He turned and looked to his son behind her.
“You can inform Odan and the other Elders that they have no more to worry from me my son. I will no longer chase. I will no longer hunt, for I have found her.” He looked back to her with the smile never once leaving his face. “You on the other hand will be.”
Devish felt a single tear flow down from his left eye.
“I will inform him father.” And he bowed.
He turned and left the two of them there. He made his way back to the stairs and climbed them with a light and airy step. In his mind, he continued to listen to his father’s memories. He listened to his words. He lived his joy, and felt happy for him. He felt pleased that he had finally found him again.
25
Odan stood by the mantle in his room when her heard footsteps reaching his door. He smelled the heavy scent of Devish before he could even knock.
“You may enter Devish.” And he turned to the door.
Devish walked in.
Odan saw the tear still hovering on his face.
“You found her?” He gave him a subtle gesture and a passive glance.
Devish smiled. “I have…” He bowed his head, still hearing his father strongly in his head. “…and it is beautiful.”
Odan simply shrugged softly.
“He will no longer be a burden, my lord. He will no longer cause problems. It is time to end this struggle between the families.”
Odan felt happy with this. “It is.” He also bowed his head. “You may release him to his newly found love my lord Devish.” He turned back to the mantle but kept his head down. The time has come for us to rest again. The time has come to restart our family. He hoped this would be enough. He was tired. It was time to live again.
Devish couldn’t agree more. And it is time to hunt again too. He just turned and left the same way he came, and closed the door behind him. He couldn’t wait to do just that.
26
The day finally came. The sun finally rose.
Kenar couldn’t believe what he had just felt. He felt joy. He felt the calm. He felt the world begin to turn. He loved the feeling. Satar’s love felt more powerful than he had ever felt it before himself.
He found her.
He saw her face. She was the one he saw in the village. She was the one that looked like Permona reborn.
That is impossible.
He closed his mind. He had to. The feelings just felt too raw even for him.
When they reached the gate to Devish’s castle, everything changed. Fear came back again. It came back stronger than ever.
They rode through the open gate peacefully. The courtyard stood still and quiet. This was normal. Walkers feared little. They rarely locked their homes during the day.
Only two were there to greet them. Two made Moonwalkers stood at the top of the steps by the front doors in their human forms. Unlike their Nightwalker kin, they were not allergic to the sunlight. They made great daytime guards so the others could sleep in relative peace.
Rochie helped Kenar off the horse, and led him to the bottom step.
“We have returned to seek an audience with Odan and the Elders with the completion of our task.” Rochie stayed at the steps. Even though these two, a man and woman whose names he did not know,
were only made and not born, he still felt unsure and solemn. He still feared them for what they were. All Walkers stood over the Wanderers within the hierarchy of the clans. They still demanded and deserved respect.
Vallan, the male wolf, agreed. “Master Odan has been expecting you Rochie. He has asked to speak to all of you once you have arrived.” He looked to his sister Vala, who guarded the front door with him. “Please inform our master of this sister.” He turned back to the courtyard.
Vala only nodded as she left her post and opened the door.
After a brief moment, she returned. “We shall bring them into the throne room where they are waiting.”
Vallan waved for the Wanderers to follow him, in which they did.
The foyer was likewise calm. Turning left from the doors, they entered the throne room off the foyer’s left side and walked into the room.
Odan, Adollo, and Gorhan stood there and waited for them.
Only Odan smiled. “Rochie and friends.” He raised his arms out to his sides, but slapped them down again before finishing his friendly gesture. In other words, his body’s motions didn’t match his words. “I am glad that you have returned to us so quickly.” His face looked like stone. His gaze looked like hardened steal. He locked eyes on Rochie. “There is much to discuss.”
Rochie knew instantly that the questions were about to begin.
“I know my lord. I am prepared to answer all that you wish to know.” He looked at Odan, then to Adollo, then to Gorhan, but didn’t see the one he wanted to see. He is not here. Devish was the only one that knew the truth and could vindicate him—them, but without him there, he couldn’t do it. This worried him some. He hoped he wouldn’t have to try to do it himself.
Odan heard him and looked to Kenar standing at his right.
“You have already known what I was going to inquire?” He bowed his eyes but only briefly, and looked at Rochie again. “Very well.”
Kenar hid his eyes, for he felt them burning towards his. Without the darkness—without the moon, he was completely blind again, but he didn’t need to see what he heard, what he felt. He knew how angry he was for him reading their thoughts as he did. He felt the burning for him.
“As you know, we have concerns, great concerns, about what has happened with the escorting of our lord Satar. We wish to know how. How did you learn of what you have done?”
Rochie swallowed hard before he began, “I had learned this many, many years ago my lord. It was a mistake in smelting the metals that can harm your lords and ladies. It happened once without us knowing what it did. The damage it caused was a total surprise.”
Odan turned away from the group.
Gorhan stepped to his side. He listened to everything and felt nothing of what Rochie was saying. He, like the Satar clan, could also see into the mind, but unlike them, they could never block him. His gifts were stronger than all others ever were.
“You say that it was by mistake that you learned of such things, but yet, why had you smelted it in the first place. If not to harm us, why do it?”
Devish now stepped into the room walking from the door behind his throne. Yes, this was his room, so he came into it with a high swagger in his stride. The purple robe he wore dragged around the top of his feet. It alerted everyone that he was the true master of this house. Purple was the color of royalty and of power. He wore it with absolute pride.
“I can answer that my dear lord Gorhan.” He came to the front of his throne chair, sliding in front of it and Odan. With his father returned, the Satar clan now stood supreme again. They were the only clan with two Blood Walkers still alive, so hence, he—they—held the power of the council…not Odan. Satar was the oldest of all of them, even Odan himself. Two was far better than one would ever be.
Odan watched him and he forced him to concede the front of the chair. He backed away and stood to its left side in front of Gorhan.
“I was there when this Wanderer found the ore.” Devish took his chair.
Odan watched his pride ooze through his skin like venom slathering from a snake’s fangs. He reeked of it to an unending nauseous sickness.
“Where is your father Devish?” he asked, feeling himself getting that sickness. “That is your father’s chair.” He felt obliged to state the truth. He felt it for Satar’s sake, if not now for his own. He always feared Devish. He was young. He was foolish too. Both were very dangerous for those his age to have.
Devish laughed, but it sounded false and it was. He also showed his contempt for the question itself.
“My father is happily within his new love’s arms Odan.” The scoffing in his voice almost boomed throughout the room. It seemingly bounced off the stoned walls. It echoed off the floors and rattled the world. “Thank you for asking.” He stared at Rochie.
Rochie felt relieved, and gave his Master a gracious smile and nod.
Devish did not return it. “This Wanderer even tried to use it on me after smelting it.”
Rochie’s mind nearly exploded with hearing this.
The Walkers gasped.
The Wanderers gushed.
“That is not true my lords.” He couldn’t speak fast enough. He felt the shock. He felt almost blown away by it.
Devish grinned. “I still carry the scar on my shoulder.”
Kenar blinked. That is not what I saw. I saw him smelt the metal. I saw him make it into what they thought was a simple hoe for gardening. I saw him turn with it, only to have it just touch Devish’s shoulder with a glancing blow. I could even see it smoke as Rochie pulled it quickly back.
Hearing this, the other Wanderers each took a step back from Rochie, some of them, Shandra and Garreth, took two.
Rochie stood his ground. “He was there yes, but we both did not know what the metal did. We thought it was bronze.” His words flew out from his mouth so fast that they barely made sense, even to him. Everything was just happening too fast. He just couldn’t believe that it was happening at all.
Odan spun back to him with eyes as wide as the world was huge. Seeing the fear written all over the young man’s face, he turned back to Devish.
“Why did you not say anything about this my lord Devish?” He looked at Gorhan and Adollo. “How could you hide this knowledge from the rest of us?” He turned back to the throne.
Devish’s face turned sympathetic, maybe even a little sad.
“I did not have the strength to challenge the Wanderer my lords. With my father missing, it was too difficult. Besides, he then had the sun metal to harm me. I could not risk my life. I feared him.” He left out shedding tears, figuring that might be too much even for him.
Odan looked back to Gorhan, knowing how great his gift was.
“Look into his mind and tell me what he plans to do with the metal. We now need to know.”
Gorhan nodded, and turned to Rochie. He stared at him as his eyes flared to a bright everlasting red.
He saw Rochie as all Blood Walkers did. He could see his blood flow through his veins. He could see his skeleton beneath his flesh. He could see every muscle. He could see every organ and bone. He saw everything but he could also see even more than this. His mind turned to his head. He could see inside the skull, and then to the very tissues of his brain. Once there, once strong, he turned those tissues into images. He could see every thought. He could see every memory. He could see every part of who he was.
He saw Devish standing there with an obvious Rochie behind him.
He, Rochie, looked down.
An anvil was there. It came to his waist.
On top of it, he could see a golden colored blade fastened to the top of a long wooden staff. It looked crude. It looked strong.
He watched Devish turn to the anvil.
He watched Rochie swing with the blade.
He watched the blade slam into Devish’s back.
He heard him scream.
He saw the smoke flowing from the wound. He watched his skin burn. He watched the flesh turn black. He watched
everything.
He watched Devish turn and hiss in obvious fear for his life.
He heard Rochie laugh.
He opened his eyes. He swallowed hard as he turned back to the others and sighed.
“I saw it exactly how Devish told us my lords.” He didn’t believe this at first, but now, after seeing it with his own eyes, he didn’t have any other choice. He now had to agree with Devish, and now knew that he had to stand by him with that fact.
Rochie saw none of this. In fact, he felt nothing at all, so when Gorhan said what he did, he again nearly lost his mind.
“It is not true my masters. It is not how it happened.” He looked at everyone, including his kin behind him, but found all of them, all but Kenar, turning away from him. When he saw him, his eyes, and mind, locked on to his. “Tell them Kenar. You know what I remember so tell them.” He took him by his shoulders and even shook him some. He felt so panicked that he didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t know what else to think.
Kenar saw the fear in his friend’s mind. He felt him shaking his shoulders with that same fear, but Lord Gorhan was right. He saw the same thing as Gorhan’s mind read his. He saw the same memory, and thus, he agreed with all of it.
“He saw what he did.” He couldn’t say anything else, but this.
Rochie saw his hesitation. He saw the deep coldest that he didn’t want to see written all over his eyes. The shock only grew.
“It is not true. That is not what happened.” He dropped his friend’s shoulders and almost rushed the Elders but suddenly felt his strength stop before it even started. Instantly, his body froze. Instantly, he couldn’t move.
Behind him, Patrice kept him locked in place as her blue eyes sparkled like gems.
Feeling this, Rochie’s face suddenly burst with tears.
“That is not how it happened,” he could only whisper. It seemed that his lack of strength didn’t stop with his legs.
A Werewolf's Saga, The Beginning (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 3) Page 12
