“When we were talking about experimenting with the crystals a little, not smearing it all over my face.” I left out my issues with the ritual factor. I wasn’t a bear, and I wasn’t going to pretend to be one. Instead I went down another line of argument. “It’s not going to change anything. It’s not really going to help.”
“Of course it’s going to help. At least in theory it will.” Gemma put several dots of paint around Vera’s eyes. It was the same pattern already on her face and Slade’s. They’d done each other’s.
“Then how do you know it’s safe to wear on our faces?” I glanced up at a particularly long crystal. If they were as strong as we thought, they were incredibly dangerous.
“Because I know. You need to trust me.”
“No offense, but my first instinct isn’t to trust a 4 foot eleven little bear.”
“Strong things come in small packages.” She hesitated with the paint a few inches from Vera’s face.
“If I’m going to experiment with the stuff, it’s not going to be on my face.”
“You’re afraid it’s going to mess up your good looks?” Slade sneered.
“Excuse me?” I got in his face. “Are you really going to challenge me?”
“I don’t understand why you think you’re better than the rest of us.” His face was already painted, and he didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. “If Gemma thinks this is going to help, then we do it. Our individual whims are nothing versus the greater good.”
“Why are you involved in this mission anyway?”
“I’m a champion log thrower. The best Norco has ever seen. I’m also resourceful.”
“Champion log thrower?” I laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
“It’s nothing to laugh at. You’ll see when we go out there.”
“Oh, I’m sure that skill will really come in handy.” I went heavy on the sarcasm.
“Jared, just let her put on the damn paint.” Vera stood up and turned to look at me. The paint that looked almost comical on the other two took on a surreal appearance on her face. She was nearly glowing. She looked fierce and unstoppable.
“Wow.”
“Wow?” She put a hand on her hip.
“That paint suits you.”
“If you’re trying to insult me, it’s not going to change anything.”
“I’m not kidding. It’s like you were born to wear it.”
“She was born to wear it.” Gemma huffed. “We don’t have much time. Sit down so we can get this done.”
Something about seeing Vera with the paint made me change my mind. Besides, if anything they were saying was true we needed to get to the haven fast. Putting it on would only bring me closer to finding my mom. “Fine.”
“Great.” Gemma smiled. Her good mood seemed to return quickly.
The touch of her fingers as she rubbed the paint against my skin was feather light, but each drop of paint stung my face. It was such a strange sensation. It burned, but I couldn’t tell if it was hot or cold. At least I was immune to mental magic. Anything weird this stuff did couldn’t mess with my mind.
Vera grinned. “I wish I had a camera.”
I glared at her.
“Stop. Stay still,” Gemma held my chin in her hand. “This needs to be done perfectly. I’m banking on the crystals working in concert with the traditional pattern. It should make us unstoppable.”
“Fine.” I relaxed my face and waited for Gemma to finish with the paint. I was tired of sitting around, and currently I was the only one holding us back.
She scooted away.
“Are you done?”
“Yes.” She wiped off her fingers on a towel. I wondered if the paint stung her fingers like it stung our faces. Since the sting on my face had already faded, I assumed the same thing had happened to her hand. “See, was that so bad?”
“Not yet.” I stood up and picked up my backpack. “Are we ready?”
“You make it sound like you’ve been waiting on us for hours. You’re the one who held everything up by being annoying about the paint.” Slade scowled.
“It’s done. Let’s do this.” I put on my pack.
“We need to make sure we all know the plan.” Gemma carefully packed up the paints in her bag.
“The plan is to stay out of sight and get the hell out of here. If all else fails, I grab the girls and fly us away.” I had no idea what was waiting for us out there, but flying might be our only way out.
“You can’t go without me.” Slade moved toward me. “I’m part of this team.”
“No offense, but you’re the lowest on my list.”
“But I’m strong, and I’m the best log thrower out there.”
“You’ve told us that before.” This guy was starting to get on my nerves. If it weren’t for the presence of Vera and Gemma I would have done something about it. I resisted the urge to wipe the paint off my face. It wasn’t out of defiance but discomfort. It was doing something to me, and I didn’t like it.
“It’s going to be a mess out there, try not to let the carnage scare you.” Slade spoke solemnly.
“Carnage?” Vera asked. “As in dead people?”
“The witches came in strong this time. Last time it was a scare tactic, this time is different. They aren’t going to go down easily.”
“Which reminds me, who has access to this cave? Can every bear open it?” That seemed risky. The witches could easily control a bear.
Gemma shook her head. “No. The boulder is sealed by enchantment nearly as old as the crystals. Only those from one of the older lines can open it.”
“And who’s left from those lines?” I needed to know what kind of security risk we were talking about.
“You’re looking at it, besides Taliana and Gareth.”
“Seriously?” I couldn’t hide my surprise. “No other cousins, or uncles or something?”
“No.” There was a deep sadness in Slade’s eyes that said it all. He’d lost the family I was asking about.
“Wait… so are we related?” Vera asked.
Slade laughed. “Concerned you can’t change your mind and mate with me?”
“No, disgusted that you were going to petition for me.”
“You can calm down. We’re not related. I’m from a different line. So is Gemma.”
“Good to know if you guys start hooking up.” Vera laughed.
Gemma scrunched up her face. “No thanks.”
“This talk is thrilling and all, but what happened to the rush we were in?” Not only did I feel like a coward hovering in a cave while there was a fight, I also wanted to get this over with.
Gemma looked at me and smiled.
“What?”
“It’s so cool seeing you in our war paint.”
“Say that again, and I wipe it off.” I still couldn’t believe I’d agreed to it.
“Fine.” She ran her fingers across her lips as though they were a zipper.
“We stay together and head for the far shore.”
“We should cut through the glade,” Slade suggested.
“Won’t that put us at risk? It’s out in the open.” Vera adjusted her backpack on her back.
“Yes, but it keeps us away from the main courtyard. That’s where the worst was happening.”
“But it’s been a while since you guys got here. We have no idea where anyone is. They could be waiting right outside for all we know.”
“No they won’t be. This forest is enchanted. No one will want to come in here. It’s even hard for us.”
“All I felt was a haze.”
“That’s because you’re a Pteron. The whole mental protection thing.” Gemma tapped her temple.
Mental protection really came in handy. “Still, you guys can fight through it, and Gareth barely flinched. We have to expect an army out there.”
“Then what do we do?” Vera crossed her arms.
Gemma bent down to her pack and pulled out several blue bags that appeared to be made out of silk.
“First we need to distribute the crystals.”
“Distribute? How many are we bringing?” I gazed around at the hundreds of crystals just in the little spot we were in.
“At least one of each a piece.”
“You guys can hold onto your bags when you shift?”
Gemma rolled her eyes. “You think we aren’t prepared for this? We can wear them as satchels. Don’t worry.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”
“Don’t underestimate us.” She straightened her shoulders.
I smiled at her attempt to look bigger. “I’ll try not to.”
I waited as Gemma carefully distributed the collected crystals into the insulated pouches using heavy gloves. “No matter what you do, protect the crystals.”
“Are you sure we should bring them? Doesn’t that make it more likely they’ll be taken?”
“We may not get back here.” Gemma’s face fell. “Norco may not be here.”
“Don’t think that way. This cave survived wars. It can survive a witch attack.” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to comfort the girl, but I did. I hated the witches, and I was going to do everything in my power to destroy them. Hence the war paint I was wearing.
“Jared, are you going to be ready to shift?” Gemma asked.
“Yes, it’s a fast process.”
“Good.” She nodded. “We shouldn’t shift yet because it makes us more conspicuous, but we all need to be ready to shift at a moment’s notice.”
“What happened to no one being able to handle the enchanted forest?” I pulled off my shirt and shoved it into my bag. There was no reason to waste a perfectly good shirt.
“Ready?” Slade hesitated with his hand on the boulder.
“Yes. Vera and Gemma, hang back until we’ve checked the perimeter.”
“Sexist,” Vera mumbled under her breath.
“This has nothing to do with gender. It’s about your abilities or gifts, whatever you want to call it. Log thrower and I can’t do it.”
“As little as I want to agree with this bird, I have to. You two hang back.” Slade pointed at the girls.
“Fine.” Vera huffed. “But make it fast.”
Slade moved the boulder just enough for us to slip out. The forest appeared empty, but I knew that could be deceptive. I thought about flying up to the top of the trees, but if I got spotted I’d just mess everything up more.
I sensed no one, but the hazy feeling was still there, and for all I knew was messing with my senses. I wasn’t sure of anything.
Slade looked at me. His face was strained, reminding me that I couldn’t keep the bears in the forest any longer than necessary. I sprinted around in a circular perimeter, doing my best to listen, feel, and see anything and everything. Satisfied I’d done everything possible, I returned to the mouth of the cave and gestured for Slade to move the boulder. It was frustrating knowing I couldn’t do that part myself.
He moved the boulder a small amount, and the girls slipped out. Vera and Gemma’s faces immediately fell, and both wrapped their arms around themselves. I wasn’t used to seeing Vera show any weakness, and I didn’t like it.
Slade pointed in a different directly than I’d come, and we all nodded. At least the group knew the importance of keeping their mouths shut.
We walked through the dark, eerie forest slowly. My three companions looked like they were ready to keel over, and whatever enchantment it was seemed to slow them down. I forced myself to keep pace with them. I wasn’t going to be very helpful if I ran off ahead.
I still didn’t understand why Gareth wasn’t affected in the same way, but it wasn’t the time to worry about that. I stayed close to Vera’s side as we walked underneath the canopy of trees. Every so often I heard a bird or the scurrying of a squirrel, but otherwise the night was quiet. Too quiet.
I wasn’t the only one with that thought. “It’s too quiet,” Vera whispered at my side.
“Way too quiet.” I didn’t like it. We should have been hearing explosions and shouting. Either the fight was over, or it was only about to get worse.
“Maybe they left?” Gemma asked hopefully.
“Not a chance.” Nothing was ever that simple. Maybe the haze was dampening the noise. I hadn’t thought of that possibility before. It made it even more important that we were careful when we left the protection of the woods.
Finally we saw more light ahead, and I knew we were almost out of the enchanted forest. On one hand it was good news because they wouldn’t be feeling so horrible, but it also meant we were heading into more danger. Usually I ran to danger, I lived for the thrill of the fight, but not now. Not when I had Vera and Gemma to worry about.
The forest thinned out, and we started the climb down the steep slope.
Gemma slipped, and Slade caught her before she could slide down the entire hillside. She crouched and grabbed her knee.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly. We didn’t have time for an injury.
She nodded. “Yes. I’m just so clumsy.”
“It’s fine.” Slade helped her up.
A loud explosion went off somewhere further south. We all froze. I’d been right. Things hadn’t been as quiet as we thought.
The sky lit up with what appeared to be fireworks, but I knew there was nothing light hearted about the display. A foul smell permeated the air.
“Quick, get down and cover your face!” I yelled before crouching down.
The other three listened, and we waited as a thick vapor spread over the air right above our heads. We waited until the air cleared out again.
“What is that stuff?” Slade asked, reaching out a hand to touch the remnants of the smog.
“I don’t know, but it’s not good.”
“No, it’s not.” Gemma pointed to where a dead bird lay on the ground about a foot from us. “It’s some sort of poison.”
“They’re using poisonous vapors?” Vera put a hand to her chest. “But all the other people.”
“Gareth and the army will protect them. They’re strong.” Slade didn’t sound quite as confident now. His eyes zeroed in on the body of the bird.
“We need to be careful. That isn’t going to be the last one of those.”
“Everyone pull a shirt out. It won’t save us, but if we use them to cover our mouths, it could give us more time if they release another one.” Vera pulled out a tank top.
“Good thinking.” I pulled out a shirt and made sure the others did the same.
We continued down the hill again, stopping every time we heard another explosion. Who knew what else the witches had up their sleeves?
I took the lead, careful to listen to everything around us. Halfway down, I held out my hand to stop everyone. I heard a rustle, and I knew it wasn’t an animal this time.
The others watched me expectedly. There was nothing we could do but keep going. Stopping wasn’t an option, but we needed to tread lightly.
A few feet further down we froze again as a large strobe of light filled the sky. This one didn’t disappear quickly like the fireworks earlier; it hung out like a giant search light in the sky. They were searching for someone flying. The warlock wasn’t the only one who knew I was there.
Gemma shook beside me. I put a hand on her arm hoping the contact would comfort her. I didn’t have much experience comforting anyone. I leaned in. “It’s going to be okay.” She needed to stay brave. If she froze in fear she wouldn’t be able to run, and she’d need her speed. Hopefully for her sake the witches would focus their attention on the bigger targets—like me.
The light faded for a second before a second strobe followed scanning the sky. This one seemed closer, the light brighter.
I hurried on down to level ground. It would be better off if we were off the hillside. Unfortunately we were in an open clearing at least a hundred yards from the nearest forest cover. We needed to sprint for cover, otherwise we were sitting ducks in the open meadow.
Strange chanting filled the air, and I gesture
d for everyone to form a circle with our backs to each other. It was probably time to shift, but I wanted to know what we were facing. I needed to make sure telling them to turn into bears wouldn’t be what got them killed.
The chanting grew louder until a group of at least a dozen witches and warlocks stepped into the clearing. They were accompanied by more of their bears. I stepped forward, wanting all of the witches’ attention on me. My skin prickled, and I felt the familiar sensation of my shift coming. My wings sprang out, but it coincided with a searing pain so strong I could barely see. I struggled to fight through it until my vision slowly returned and the pain dissipated. I blinked as a warm throbbing encompassed my whole body.
I waited for the witches to act, but they did nothing. They only stared at me with their mouths nearly hanging open.
I looked down at my body, only it wasn’t my body. I was twice my normal size with bulging muscles and engorged vessels. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at the others. They were all in bear form, but massive in size. I knew Vera’s bear well, and she was easily double her normal size. The paint. There was no other explanation. The crystals had strengthened us. Maybe Gareth hadn’t been crazy with all his super soldier talk.
I felt strong. I felt more powerful than ever, and it was with confidence that I stepped toward the witches.
A warlock raised his hand and my body jolted. An electric shock quickly spread over me, but I stood my ground, and seconds later it faded away.
“Is that all you have?” I taunted. I hoped Slade was using this time to get the girls away. Giant bears or not, they needed to take cover. I couldn’t risk looking. I may have been strong, but one misstep and we could be dead.
“What are you doing here, Pteron?” A witch jeered. “Did you want to play with the teddy bears?”
Unsure what to do, I bent down and picked up a small boulder. I launched it at the group, taking down a warlock in the process. He lay like a lump on the ground. Not bad for a quick throw. The war paint seemed to give me immeasurable strength. Gemma was now in my good book for that face paint.
“Do it again,” Vera hissed from next to me. Before I could respond, Slade picked up a massive boulder and hit four of the warlocks with the single shot. Maybe the log throwing did come in handy.
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