by Petra Landon
“I’m afraid, Jason” Sienna said starkly. “For the first time since we started this journey, I’m frightened for the future.”
Jason wished fervently that he could reassure her, but tonight, it proved to be a task beyond him.
“The Faoladh news is alarming” he admitted, the chocolate brown eyes holding hers.
There was an expression in their depths that made Sienna feel just a tad better.
They were in the Pack Room, just the two of them, with the heavy steel door closed. The Alpha and Duncan had closeted themselves in the Alpha’s Room, to leave the Pack Room to the two Wizards. It was late, but Sienna had been too restless to sleep. Sensing her uneasiness, Jason had suggested that they retire to the Pack Room.
“Since I found out about the past, I’ve been an emotional wreck” she admitted. “Every day, with every drip from the past, I was forced to relive it again. Question everything I believed in, constantly. It’s like being put through the wringer, again and again.”
Jason nodded, mute but sympathetic. He could understand about being put through the wringer every time new information fell into their laps. He’d had most of his youth to come to terms with what had befallen his parents on a dark evening in Chicago. Neither vengeance nor justice had ever been an option for him, and he had made his peace with that. But the resurrection of Lady Bethesda from the grave had ripped out all his zenness about Chicago. Now, he wanted justice served. But more importantly, he wanted to unravel the past. Why had she done what she had? Had his parents died for nothing? These were the questions that constantly swirled in him. Watching the GCW disintegrate slowly and the Wizards so publicly had only heightened the desire in Jason to get answers. So many people had already paid the price, and yet the Guardians had not learnt any lessons from the past.
“This past week though, I felt like I finally turned the corner” Sienna confessed.
“Wizard Headquarters” Jason sighed. He knew exactly when Sienna had crossed this particular bridge.
“I know it couldn’t have been easy for you, Jason. The unraveling so publicly of the Guardians. But for me, it felt cathartic. I’ve always felt torn, in some ways. After San Diego, I don’t. Everything is clear in my head. I want my mother brought to justice, for the past and the present, and I want to make damn sure she has no bearing on our future. Not mine, not yours, not the Wizards or any Chosen. After Tasia and my designated role in the vision, this is what I want most, Jason.
“Also, I want to meet my siblings. Build a relationship with them, if I can. That way, at least some good may come of the carnage she’s left in her wake.”
She looked relaxed, like a great burden had been relieved from her.
“When the Alpha says that he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what happens to the Wizards, I sympathize with him. I do care what happens to the Wizards, Jason. To my aunt and to my friends. You know that. But we can’t let what’s going on with them distract us from what we have to do. You know what my mother is capable of. She will wreak havoc on our world in ways we cannot even fathom. And right now, the only chance of stopping her is the Alpha and this team. The Wizards are battling for leadership of their future. It is the same battle that was fought twenty-five years ago between my mother and my aunt. The Wizards will have to figure this out themselves. If the past has taught us anything, shoving these issues under the carpet does no good. They have to be faced head on and uncomfortable decisions made, and the sooner, the better. I know you’re torn between your two responsibilities, Jason, but don’t worry about the Wizards. They’ll figure this out eventually. You and I, we’re needed here the most. With the Shifters. To stop an evil and ruthless Chosen from tearing apart everything we hold dear.”
Jason smiled, a half-smile that did not quite reach his eyes, but it was a smile nevertheless. Sienna had distilled his dilemma down to its essence. Jason had felt torn in two, especially after San Diego. In the early days of his work with the Shifters, there had been no clash between the two roles he’d been called upon to play. But now, his loyalty to the First Wizard was starting to clash with his allegiance to the Alpha. On one side was his desire to help prevent the Guardians’ descent into chaos, a chaos with massive consequences for the Wizards. On the other side reigned his determination to stop Lady Bethesda, at all costs. These two causes now seemed to be pulling him in opposing directions. Jason knew that going forward, there would be more forks in the road when he would be called upon to choose between his loyalty to the Wizards and his part in this quest to unravel the past and save their future.
“You’re right, Sienna. I’ve been torn in two” he admitted. But Jason also realized that she was right. In some ways, the choice before him was very simple. Sorting out the chaos and the widening rifts amongst the Wizards could be left to the other Guardians and the First Wizard. But only one man stood between Lady Bethesda and her ambitions. One man supported by a small team that believed in him. He was part of that team. And Jason did believe in Raoul Merceau. The Alpha was driven to prevent the rise of Lady Bethesda, and was more than capable of nipping the threat in the bud. While the Alpha’s will, determination and resolve could win the day for them, he was only one man and required everyone who followed his lead to play their parts. It was time to embrace his duty whole-heartedly, without being torn apart by conflicting beliefs.
“Don’t worry too much about Faoladh, Sienna.” Jason, now more at peace with himself, was finally able to reassure her. “If Faoladh was meant to be on her side, he would be. Instead, he has clearly allied himself with the First Wizard on a host of issues.”
Sienna’s expression darkened.
“This business of predicting the future is fraught, Jason. I should know. But my Da was good at it. Fantastically good at it, in fact. If he saw Faoladh ranging himself on her side, I gotta believe it.”
They stared at each other, their shared goal of untangling the past under threat for the first time.
“Do you know what worries me the most, Jason?” Sienna’s voice came out in a whisper. “If the unthinkable does happen and Faoladh commands the Alpha to fight on her side, what happens then?”
This was the crux of Sienna’s fears. Faoladh on the side of her mother would be a disaster of epic proportions for all Chosen. But in some ways, the thought of the Alpha being forced to choose sides in the coming war was an even more horrific prospect for Sienna. These were her friends, and it would break her heart.
“I’d like to say that he would refuse, Sienna” Jason said slowly, choosing his words with care. “We’ve both taken a measure of the man in the past few weeks and I believe Merceau strives to do the right thing, more often than most. Also, his own experiences with the Wizard in his past will not allow him to throw his support to Lady Bethesda, on principle.”
Sienna watched him, her eyes vulnerable and fearful.
“However, he’s a Shifter at his core. More Wyr in his heart than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m not sure his Shifter code will allow him to defy his Alpha, if it comes down to it. If I know him, he won’t stay quiet but will make his opinion clear to Faoladh. But in the end …” His voice trailed off.
In the Alpha’s Room, unbeknownst to the two Wizards in the Pack Room, a similar conundrum was being faced head on by two friends and comrades in arms who had always been brutally honest with each other.
“What does Faoladh say, Raoul?” Duncan inquired.
“Burst into laughter when I told him about it. Very hearty laughter, at that. Not in the realm of possibility, he said. Faoladh believes that I should take this as a compliment. As he put it, Lady Bethesda, finally on the back foot, thanks to my efforts, recognizes a worthy opponent in me, and holding the threat of Faoladh over my head is her way of trying to blunt the most powerful weapon currently ranged against her.”
“He has a point, Raoul.”
“She believes, Duncan. She believes” Raoul said heavily. “I saw it on her face.”
“Atsá says you got under her skin.” Dunc
an changed the subject. They would soon have access to the Oracle’s notes on his prophecy. Raoul was determined on it and it would happen. Until then, there was no point belaboring it. It was certainly clear that Atsá was rattled, and Duncan trusted the venerable Were-Alpha’s judgement. Raoul had good cause to be uneasy.
“Yeah.” Raoul flashed a grim smile at his friend. “It felt incredibly satisfying to land a few, Duncan.”
“Good.” There was quiet satisfaction in the English Shifter’s voice. Even from within the shadows, the Lady had managed to inflict damage on them.
“She’s surprisingly thin-skinned, Duncan. Not quite as invulnerable as I expected.”
Duncan arched an eyebrow lazily.
“Her sister, the old fight for the position of First Wizard, not being given her due by her peers. The list goes on. Blames the First Wizard for sending the Oracle to his grave in Chicago. You should’ve seen how she washed her hands of the whole affair, as if it had nothing to do with her. Instead, she was almost giddy at the First Wizard’s difficulties with the Guardians.”
“She’s either impatient or overconfident, like you said” Duncan muttered.
“Or maybe this business of Faoladh as an ally has her jumpy” Raoul said thoughtfully.
The more he thought back to his meeting with her, the more surprised he was at how easy it’d been to get under her skin. This was not the enigmatic and meticulous Wizard they had been chasing tirelessly, only to find themselves always a few steps behind her. This was a woman on the edge, her confidence rattled, much as she strived to portray an image of impeccable assurance and aplomb. Was she rattled by Faoladh’s recalcitrance to join her cause? Or something else. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the Oracle’s interpretation.
There reigned a comfortable silence. Duncan sipped his Scotch, watching his protégé who seemed sunk in thought tonight.
“Jason is torn, Raoul. Your willingness to lay siege to Wizard Headquarters for the records has him conflicted.”
“Jason will have to make a choice soon, Duncan. For now, thanks to Durovic, we’ll keep him away from a confrontation with the Wizards. But it’s not something he can avoid forever. The Wizards are on a collision course. Sooner than later, they’ll have to face me, and this time, I won’t be content with one Guardian. If there’s one thing Lady Bethesda knows how to exploit, it’s infighting. She’ll start recruiting from their ranks soon. When that happens, I’ll challenge it.”
“Jason will figure it out” Duncan said comfortably. He had confidence in the Guardian. Jason had a good head on his shoulders. Somewhat to Duncan’s surprise, Sienna had taken the Alpha’s proclamation in stride. He’d expected her to be as conflicted as Jason, but Sienna seemed all in, more determined than ever to check her mother’s rise.
“You, my boy, have to let go too.” His voice thickened, a note of urgency in it that had the Alpha look at him.
“Don’t beat yourself up over the records, Raoul. You did the best you could, given the circumstances. Before, I doubt Faoladh would’ve been okay with you going to war against the Wizards. Not for a prophecy whose significance was yet to be established.”
“Yes, but things have changed now, Duncan. I gave Faoladh a heads-up that the gloves are coming off.
“And?” Duncan prompted.
The Alpha shrugged. “This is my investigation now. If I believe the records are worth a confrontation with the Wizards, then it’s my call. Although” he added “Faoladh did suggest I wait until Anderson’s trial.”
“They have a date?”
“A few weeks. Faoladh moves fast when he wants something. You know that, Duncan. He’s been waiting a long time for this opportunity.”
“Yes” Duncan agreed. He met the Alpha’s gold eyes. “It’s clear that she’s rattled. She’ll try and make you question everything, Raoul” he warned. “And self-doubt, as you know, has a way of tripping one up. That’s what I mean about not beating yourself up.”
Raoul nodded. The message had been received, loud and clear, as only Duncan could drill it into him. He needed a clear head, one untainted by emotion or self-doubt, against a dangerous, wily and ruthless opponent. He could not afford any weakness. Any sign of vulnerability and she would pounce on it.
Duncan cast him another glance as Raoul gazed into the depths of his glass with a pensive air. Something troubled the boy.
“How much of the past does she know, Raoul?” Duncan asked bluntly.
The Alpha glanced up from his reverie. “Enough. She knows some, and the rest she’s managed to piece together.”
Duncan said nothing. Whatever he saw in his friend’s face compelled Raoul to assure him.
“Don’t worry, my friend. The only silver lining from Russian Hill is the past. It’s done and dusted. No one will ever use it to tear at me again.”
His confidence had the English Shifter relaxing. Duncan had been surprised and pleased by the ease with which the Alpha had answered Roman’s questions about the past on the way home from San Diego. At long last, it looked like Raoul was finally free of the past.
He took the bull by its horns. “Then, what preoccupies you?”
The Alpha leaned back, his brow furrowed. “I have to do something about the witchling.”
“Tasia?”
“There’ll be more skirmishes with Lady Bethesda, and where she goes, her leeches are sure to follow. With what we know, it’s too dangerous for the witchling.”
Nandini and the bombshell revelations from Lady Bethesda had almost shoved the matter to the back of Duncan’s mind, but Raoul’s words reminded him of the thunderbolt Tasia had dropped back in the forest before they’d fought together to rescue Nandini.
“Have you ever heard of Chosen with the power to poison leeches?” Raoul asked his friend.
Duncan, well-versed in Chosen lore and history, shook his head. “All our power is derived from the magic in our blood” he said slowly. “In that sense, I’m not surprised that hers is so potent. But why just the Clan?”
“Franciszka said something to me about a group of Ancients whose blood had once been poisonous to her people. She told me that the leeches had killed them all, and they were now extinct.”
“Doesn’t surprise me” Duncan said soberly, his expression grim. “The Clan is not the kind to allow any beings with such power over them to co-exist. This might explain her fear of the leeches” he continued. “There’s the history with Azevedo, of course, but this ability is something else. The damage Tasia could single-handedly inflict on the Clan is unparalleled. They’ll never leave her in peace, if they get a whiff of this.”
“I can keep her safe from the leeches, Duncan” Raoul said grimly. “All it entails is keeping her off their radar. If they don’t know about her ability, they won’t come after her. But given that the path forward is strewn with clashes against them, her secret cannot stay hidden for long. The first time a leech tastes a stray drop, there’s no going back.”
Duncan studied him, chewing on Raoul’s words.
“She’s not without magic, Raoul” he pointed out. “She has more power than most will see in a lifetime. Look at what she did in the forest — took out all the leeches in one fell swoop, rendering their enchantment useless. And it was the first time she attempted something like that.”
“Yes. That’s the other thing. I can’t just let her loose with her magic. She’s no ordinary Wizard. If the forest was any example, she knows the mechanics of using her power, but hasn’t mastered it yet.”
“She’s spent a lifetime hiding her powers, Raoul. She simply lacks the experience.”
Raoul had given the matter some thought. “As I see it, Duncan, I have two choices. Have her sit this one out, or allow her the use of her magic to defend herself. Both options come with their own challenges.”
“I see your dilemma” Duncan said slowly. “Both are equally dangerous.”
Duncan, as usual, understood his friend very well. Tasia was valuable to the investigation and to
their team. Without her, they’d have a harder time unraveling the past. But more importantly, with Raoul and Duncan distracted by the investigation, she’d have no one with knowledge of her deadly secrets to watch over her, because the investigation would continue. With or without Tasia, they had to stop Lady Bethesda.
“What have you decided, Raoul?” he inquired.
The Alpha frowned. “She’s not sitting this one out. There’s a streak of impulsiveness in her, Duncan. Especially when it comes to anyone she considers a friend. Without one of us keeping an eye on her, I’m not leaving her to her own devices.”
Duncan hid his smile. What Raoul called impulsiveness was essentially a streak of loyalty. The same loyalty that drove Raoul. To hear the boy express his misgivings about the same quality in Tasia that had caused Duncan many sleepless nights when it came to the Alpha amused Duncan no end.
“You’re going to free her from the promise to not use magic?” he asked instead.
“Not before she’s learnt to harness it safely” Raoul said firmly. “Otherwise, life becomes more dangerous for her. The predators will come swarming around her when they realize the power she commands. She must learn to hold them at bay first.”
“She has the Pack to watch her back. She’s not alone anymore. She’ll be like any other young Shifter who makes mistakes, Raoul.” Duncan wasn’t too worried. “And, she’ll learn. She’s always been a fast learner. Just needs a little experience under her belt. That trick with the leeches’ auras or whatever she calls it was brilliant.”
Raoul did not disagree with his friend, but he was not as sanguine, either.
“One day, Duncan, she’ll stop the wannabee Lady Bethesdas of our world cold in their tracks. But not yet, and she can’t learn on the job.” He was determined. “Not this particular job. Even a single mistake would cost her too dearly.”
“Then, how?”
“I’m going to train her” Raoul announced.
“You?” Duncan’s fascinated eyes studied the Alpha. Raoul had never trained a single Shifter in his life, something that usually fell to a Were-Alpha. This was going to be fun, Duncan mused with silent amusement. The boy was venturing into unfamiliar territory, as he would soon learn.
