by Petra Landon
He glanced at Jason LaRue, who sat frozen with a blind look on his face. “Lady Bethesda reminds me of her” Raoul confessed. “Too many eerie similarities between them. This is why I don’t take the threat lightly. I’ve personal experience with the havoc an ambitious Chosen with great power, minus a moral compass, can inflict on naïve bystanders whose only crime is to cross her path.”
“Hell, Merceau! Don’t tell me she was a Wizard too.” Jason’s voice was a whisper. He had finally put together the various whispers about the Alpha to arrive at the horrifying conclusion. Now, he understood where the Shifter’s dislike for Wizards sprung from. Jason also realized what an eerie echo this evening had been for the Alpha. To Merceau, Anderson must seem like a cruel pattern repeating itself. Another ambitious Wizard with power going after the Alpha without his peers intervening to stop him.
Raoul met the candid brown eyes of the Guardian. “It was a long time ago, LaRue.”
“Was this Wizard ever punished for what she did to you, Alpha?” Luis asked. It was no secret in the Pack that the Alpha did not encourage questions about his past or his personal affairs. Yet, he had willingly answered the questions tonight.
“She’s dead now, Luis.” Raoul’s response was succinct. She’ll never do to others what she did to me, he added silently. It was what allowed him to sleep at night.
“I’m glad you agreed to a public trial and punishment for Guardian Anderson, Raoul” DiZeyla said quietly, with an underlying appreciation for the enormous magnanimity the Alpha had showed at Wizard Headquarters, despite the difficult circumstances. “The Chosen should face head on the unspeakable cruelty we’re capable of, without the check of a moral code to guide us.”
“With great power comes great responsibility” Roman muttered, clearly agreeing with DiZeyla’s statement. “Some Chosen tend to forget that adage.”
“We’re all of us shaped in ways we cannot fathom by our pasts — Alph, Jason, and even I, to name some here” Hawk jumped into the fray unexpectedly. “Like Alph, the trick is to learn from the past and rise above it, not let it drag you down into the shadows.”
Along with everyone else, Tasia stared at Hawk. He had surprised her with the profound proclamation. The Alpha’s gold eyes gleamed as he contemplated Hawk.
Duncan, who had been watching Raoul with an unreadable expression on his face, turned to his Second.
“Every now and then, you remind me exactly why I keep you around, Hawk” Duncan drawled.
That evening, the Alpha summoned the team working on the investigation. As the others streamed into the Pack Room, Tasia studied Sienna with concern. Her friend looked distracted, a small frown on her forehead. Luis strode in with Hawk, a sudden smile lighting up his face as Hawk directed a comment at him with a grin. It was good to see Hawk so easy in Luis’ company, Tasia mused. Not for the first time, she wondered if she should take the Alpha up on his offer. Sara was no closer to sorting out her issues with Luis Beltran. If anything, Sara was better at discreetly escaping the Were-Alpha’s company. Elisabetta and Stefan Simeonov strode in together, with Roman Durovic following. The two Were-Alphas seemed to seek out the other’s company, more than they had in the past. While she wondered at it, Tasia was careful to keep her distance from both Simeonov, who made her vaguely uneasy, and the acid-tongued Elisabetta, who was exhausting to deal with. Duncan and Jason sauntered in next, only to be hailed by Roman. Somewhat to Tasia’s astonishment, both Atsá and Maartje joined them just as the Alpha strode in from his private room to take a stance by the mantel.
At a silent signal from the Alpha, Hawk closed the door to the Pack Room before seating himself beside Tasia. Duncan claimed his usual chair by the Alpha, and the others made themselves comfortable around the room.
“I have some new information to share with you” the Alpha announced. “Faoladh has given us access to the records from the teams searching for Lady Bethesda. With our new understanding of The Prophecy, it is imperative that we trace the third daughter. Faoladh’s teams haven’t tasted much success, and it’s time to go over the reports ourselves. Our knowledge of Lady Bethesda gives us an edge over the investigators. Perhaps something, an obscure detail, might point us in the right direction.”
The gold eyes zeroed in on Tasia. “You did a good job with the First Wizard’s investigations. I’d like Tasia, Sienna and Hawk to go over the reports from Faoladh. We leave for Portland in four days. See what you can dig up in the meantime.”
More pleased by the compliment than she wanted to admit, Tasia shot a glance at Sienna, who looked happy to have a task to focus on.
“Faoladh has heard from SivoTar.”
Sienna straightened, a mix of anticipation and hope flitting across her face.
“Yes” Raoul assented, his eyes on Sienna’s eager face. “We’ve an appointment with Nandini in Portland tomorrow. Durovic will make the meeting.”
Sienna closed her eyes in relief. She was worried about the half-sister who’d journeyed to a strange country, only to vanish into their mother’s custody. A mother with sinister motives and a criminal past, allied with psychopathic Vampires. And, a mother who had not hesitated to place her daughter in danger by stashing her magic artifact on her.
“After the meeting, I’ll head up north to TorElnor, Merceau” Roman said. “I’ll see you guys in four days.”
Roman was ambivalent about the upcoming meeting. He was almost sure the message he carried would be lost on Nandini, because of the messenger. Yet, he knew Lady Bethesda would never allow any of the others to whisper into the ears of the only daughter under her aegis. He’d have to do his best to wake Nandini to her mother’s true colors, despite his past missteps with her.
“Give it your best shot, Durovic” the Alpha said. “See you in Portland.”
Sienna mused silently on the encounter with Trevor Bergdahl at Wizard Headquarters. She wondered what he wanted with her. On her way out, after the dramatics, someone had hailed her.
It had been Trevor. A rather grim-faced and somber Trevor had come forward to give her a hug.
“It’s good to see you, Sienna.”
“You too” Sienna had reciprocated warmly. Best friends with his sister, Tara, through school, Trevor and his family had always been a part of her life.
“I wish circumstances had been different.” He’d glanced around the battered hall where the Wizards milled about, dazed at the destruction.
“Me too” Sienna had responded quietly. “How’s Tara?”
“Very well.” He had smiled, despite the occasion. “She has two little boys now.”
“Say hi to her for me, Trevor.”
“I will.”
Trevor’s eyes had flashed to the Alpha, in conversation with Faoladh. “Do you have a few minutes, Sienna? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
His expression had made it clear that Trevor considered the matter important, but Tasia and Hawk had been waiting for Sienna, and beyond them, she’d noted Duncan and Luis’ narrowed glances at her companion.
“I’m sorry, Trevor. I would love to, but my friends are waiting for me.” Her eyes had wandered to the Shifters.
Trevor’s face had worn his astonishment as the words rolled off her tongue easily.
He’d cast a curious glance at the Shifters who waited for her. “What about this evening?” he persisted.
“I’m leaving for San Francisco with the Pack in a few hours.” Sienna had let him down gently.
Trevor had cast another grim glance at Jason, in a discussion with the First Wizard, and Sienna had reached into her purse to jot down her number on a piece of paper.
“This is my number. Call me anytime.”
“Thanks, Sienna.” He had pocketed the piece of paper, conscious of the curious gazes of the Wizards around them.
“Say hi to Jason for me.” He had turned away with that last bit, and something had made Sienna call him back.
“Trevor, I’ll be expecting your call” she had reminded
him.
Trevor had merely smiled at her before disappearing into the crowd of Wizards.
“Sienna” Tasia said softly, from beside her.
Interrupted in her reverie, Sienna turned to the other Wizard. “Sorry, Tasia. Just lost in my thoughts.”
Tasia hesitated. “Is everything alright, Sienna?”
“Yeah.” Sienna cheered up. “With Roman on his way to meet Nandini, everything will be.”
“Good.” Tasia smiled. She knew how much Sienna desired a reunion with her siblings. It might help her reconcile her complicated feelings towards her mother if there were other siblings to share the burden with her.
“Ready to pore over Faoladh’s reports with me?” she inquired.
“Absolutely.”
“Hawk’s printing the documents.”
Maartje, who had been watching the two Wizards, chose that moment to stroll over and join them.
“If you need an extra pair of eyes, let me know” she addressed Tasia.
Somewhat taken aback by the offer, Tasia thanked the Shifter. “Thank you, Were-Alpha. We will.”
“You don’t have to be so formal with me, child.” The grandmotherly Shifter smiled. “Maartje will do fine.” She turned to Sienna. “Have you heard from the First Wizard, Sienna? I hope our trashing of Headquarters has not worsened her equation with the Guardians.”
Sienna took the Were-Alpha’s bluntness in her stride. They must all get used to having the Wizards’ internal divisions discussed so openly. After all, if the Guardians had cared about such gossip, they’d have made sure to paper over the cracks before an audience of outsiders.
“She’s well, Maartje, thank you. I’ll be sure to let her know that you asked about her.”
Maartje’s faded blue eyes contemplated Sienna, a light in them that the Wizard found hard to interpret.
“You’re settling into the Lair, I hope?” she inquired.
“Yes. Everyone has been very kind.”
“Shifters can sometimes be unwelcoming to outsiders, but perhaps Tasia’s presence here has smoothed the way for you.”
Sienna shot Tasia a sidelong glance before responding to the Were-Alpha. “Perhaps.”
There had been a rather strange interlude this afternoon at the Lair Café, just as Sienna was starting to get comfortable with the Pack and their Lair.
…
The sounds of an altercation met them as Tasia and Sienna approached the Café for a late lunch. At first, all Sienna could see was a small crowd gathered around the center of the room, from which grunts and the sound of fisticuffs flew. Then, a chair came flying through the air, over the crowd, at them. The two Wizards ducked hastily. Joaquim strode towards them with a sharp-voiced command in Wyr to whoever was at the center duking it out.
“Are you alright?” Joaquim checked on both Wizards but Sienna caught a strange expression on his face when his eyes rested fleetingly on Tasia.
Tasia seemed not to note it for she turned to Sienna with a resigned air. “Welcome to the Lair, Sienna.”
At her words, Joaquim turned to Tasia again. “Perhaps you could come back in half an hour, Tasia?” he suggested, his tone gentling.
But something in his voice seemed to alert Tasia, who looked at him sharply. She made to take a step towards the brawl, but Joaquim shook his head at her mutely.
Tasia’s face paled. “Is it … someone I know?”
“It’s not Sara” Joaquim assured her.
Relief flashed across Tasia’s face, before she seemed to reflect on his response. “Who is it, Joaquim? Anyone I know?” she persisted as the Shifter remained silent.
“It’s Evgeny” he admitted reluctantly.
“Evgeny” Tasia murmured just as Sienna exclaimed. “Evgeny is fighting! But why?”
Joaquim said nothing, but as Tasia hesitated, he reassured her. “He’s got this, Tasia. Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him but it’d be better if you came back later.”
Tasia’s eyes searched his face. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her, for she turned to Sienna. “Let’s go, Sienna. We’ll come back later.”
Though somewhat confused, Sienna followed her friend’s lead. She trusted Tasia’s instincts with the Shifters. The other Wizard had been at the Lair much longer and had a deeper association with the Pack.
Before they could exit, Stefan Simeonov peeled away from the crowd around the brawl to greet them with a smile. Joaquim seemed to go more poker-faced than before.
“Your friend Evgeny is pummeling one of my Shifters” Simeonov stated matter-of-factly.
Since Sienna had gathered from Tasia’s resigned expression that fights between Shifters was not an infrequent occurrence, she tried to take Simeonov’s emotionless announcement in stride.
Another Shifter broke off from the crowd of spectators to join them. Sienna had seen him around the Lair, but could not recall his name.
“It is better for the Wizards to walk away from this, Were-Alpha” he suggested to Simeonov after a quick glance at the two ladies. “It would not do for our guests to be embarrassed by the crudeness of our hospitality.”
Though his words had been delivered with just the right touch of lightness, Sienna stiffened, but before either Tasia or she could respond, Simeonov jumped in to interject.
“You mistake the matter, Davies. Our Wizard friends are not so easily discomposed. They have no objections to Shifters being Shifters. Is that not so, Tasia?” the Were-Alpha flashed his beautiful smile at both ladies.
The words were bland and his manner suave but just for a moment, Tasia looked vaguely uneasy.
“You’re correct, Were-Alpha” Tasia said smoothly. “Sienna and I will come back later.”
And Tasia hurried her friend away from the Café without another word.
…
Tasia had been right, Sienna mused. Life in a Pack was complicated with its unwritten rules and their blood-thirsty traditions. The thought of the engaging young boy being thrashed while no one did anything to stop it did not sit well with Sienna. She knew that it did not sit well with Tasia, either. Evgeny tended to follow Tasia around like an eager puppy, always ready with a smile for the Wizard, and Sienna knew that her friend’s first instinct had been to do something about the brawl before Joaquim had assured her in his subtle way that he had it under control.
“How’s Evgeny?” Tasia asked Hawk as he returned with a folder full of documents.
“Evgeny?” He looked startled. “Why, what’s up with him?”
“There was a fight in the Café this afternoon.”
Hawk arched his eyebrow, unsurprised by Tasia’s words. Brawls at the Lair were not uncommon. For a while, the Café had been unofficially declared off limits since Tasia, restricted to the Lair, ate all her meals there. After the incident with Sara and Markham, the Shifters had tended to take their disagreements to other, less public parts of the Lair, where the presence of their non-Shifter guest was unlikely. Hawk guessed that now that Tasia’s stay at the Lair was likely to be more long term, the Shifters had regressed to their old habits. Alph would have something to say about it.
“You didn’t get in the middle of it, did you, Tas?” he inquired, reminded of Tasia’s affection for Evgeny.
“No.”
Reassured, Hawk looked thoughtful. “Evgeny was involved?”
Tasia nodded mutely. Hawk, assuming her concern to be squeamishness with Shifter violence and aggression, set out to reassure her.
“Don’t worry about him, Tas. Evgeny can hold his own. Don’t let the baby face fool you.”
Tasia opened the folder of documents silently. Something about the episode at the Café disquieted her. Perhaps, it had been Joaquim’s grim expression. She’d come to know both her Shifter bodyguards rather well, and Tasia thought she’d read something in Joaquim’s poker-face this afternoon. The Shifter was a man of few words but he tended to watch over the younger and less experienced Evgeny like an older brother. Tasia suspected that despite his reassurances to her
, Joaquim had been concerned for Evgeny. The little byplay between Stefan Simeonov and the other Shifter had also struck her. Something about that exchange and the blue-eyed Were-Alpha’s words made her uneasy. There had been a practiced, almost rehearsed air to their byplay, and Tasia rather suspected that Simeonov had been sending her a subtle message with his comments about Shifters being Shifters.
Sienna, perusing one of the reports, exclaimed at something, drawing both Hawk and Tasia’s attention to her. Tasia shoved the matter away for later. The Alpha was counting on them to find something in the reports, Tasia knew. Nandini’s predicament had raised the stakes for the third sibling.
Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon
The girl crept down the stairs, keeping to the shadows. She’d never been down to the cellars before, only idly noted that the darkened stairs that led to it had fallen into disrepair, but she’d been suspicious for a while now. Her mother’s answers to her questions had grown increasingly evasive. Though eager for the company of her newly reunited daughter, the Wizard seemed curiously reluctant to discuss the past or her inexplicable abandonment of the young family she’d left behind.
As her suspicions had blossomed, Nandini had kept a watchful eye on the proceedings, keeping tabs on all visitors to the sprawling mansion in the middle of nowhere. Thickly wooded forest enclosed the house on all sides, green and drenched, with the air moist from the frequent showers, ubiquitous to the Pacific North West. She liked the solitude and the serenity of the forest. It reminded her of the quietude of her village back home at the foothills of the Himalayas. Yet, the circumstances she found herself in puzzled her. Against the odds, she had found the mother she’d been searching for. Or rather, her mother had found her. And yet, Nandini found herself confused and pondering the inherent contradictions in her mother’s explanations.
Refusing her mother’s invitations to sight-see, Nandini had been content to spend her free time in the woods around the house. Long rambling walks, through the tall pine trees that echoed with the sweet chirping of birds, sustained her. All the while, the nub of suspicion and confusion at the pit of her stomach continued to grow, snowballing into a sense of disquiet and alarm. Her mother insisted on deputing at least one guard to trail her at a distance, but Nandini had learnt to ignore the Vampires. At first, her mother’s motley entourage of Undead had surprised her. Now, she understood it better. Her mother was always looking over her shoulder, ever ready for an imminent attack. Whatever had forced her mother to abandon her family and run from them had not yet been resolved, Nandini had realized. Instead, her mother seemed always on the move or shacked up in a house nestled in the woods, where no one would think to look for her, and she was always surrounded by her ubiquitous Undead guards. The Clan, Nandini knew, were merely bodyguards who blindly followed her mother’s orders.
