Of Blood and Twisted Roots (Rise of the Morphlings Book 1)

by E. M. Moore

  They all told me goodnight as I made my way to the bedroom. Lying down, all I could think about before eventually falling asleep was the fact that there was no way this journey was going to be easy. I just had to hope we could do what needed to be done.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Morning came too early. The first rays of dawn shone through the window. I blinked myself awake, finding myself wrapped up in Mekhi, our limbs tangled together.

  Huh. I hadn’t even remembered him coming in last night. I carefully removed myself from him so as to not wake him up. Sitting up, I yawned and stretched. The bed had been amazing and I’d slept better than I had in ages.

  Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, my toes met fur. I yanked them back up and quickly peered over the side. Riah slept by the side of the bed in his wolf form. His fur had been soft, cuddly. It was too bad his personality was the exact opposite.

  I frowned down at him and put my foot down more carefully this time, stepping over Riah’s slumbering body. From there, I tiptoed to the door and pulled it open. Stopping short, I noticed Shane’s back to the door, staring outward as if he was on guard. “Shane,” I whispered.

  Nothing. He didn’t move, not even an inch.

  I gulped, trying to hold back the fear scrambling to take hold. His shoulders lifted in a breath and I immediately relaxed. I wasn’t sure what I thought happened, but when you said someone’s name and they didn’t answer, it wasn’t a good sign.

  “Shane,” I whisper-yelled.

  Still nothing.

  I inched closer and put my hand on his shoulder. Shane spun in an instant, whirling around to face me. His eyes wide with shock, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Are you okay?” I immediately asked. “You didn’t answer.”

  His gaze darted from side to side as he took in our surroundings, not taking my word for it apparently. Finally, he brought his gaze back to mine. “Sorry, I was sleeping. Did you need something?”

  “Sleeping? Do you sleepwalk?” My brows furrowed. I’d heard of people who did that before. There was once a little girl who stayed at the orphanage who traveled the house while she slept. It was one of the only times I could pretend I had a friend even though she never really saw me.

  Shane’s eyes narrowed. “No. I sleep standing up.”

  “What?” I asked. “Seriously?”

  “Well, I can sleep either way,” Shane said, his cheeks reddening at my outburst. “But, I can sleep standing up, which comes in handy sometimes. I can also sleep lying down, but since there wasn’t room and I really don’t know you all enough to…”

  He was rambling. It was kind of cute to see his face get redder and redder the more he tried to justify why he was sleeping outside the door. I totally got it. It was the reason why Riah slept at the side of the bed even though we were currently fighting. It really didn’t matter what we felt on the outside sometimes. What really mattered is that we all felt a deep protection of one another.

  Remembering I hadn’t yet looked at the mark Shane had given me, I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt. Sure enough, I now had three interlinked infinity marks going around my arm. Shane smiled, then showed off his own mark. One large infinity mark encircling his whole upper arm.

  “Did you know right away when you got the mark?” I asked him.

  He nodded.

  “I’m surprised you kept yourself hidden.”

  “We owls like to observe first.”

  I bit down on my lip. “And what did you see?”

  “I saw a beautiful girl, inside and out, flanked by two warriors who would do anything for her.”

  I looked back into the room. Mekhi was now tangled up in the blankets on the bed while Riah’s wolf form still snored softly, his tail flipping at the end slightly while he slumbered.

  Shane followed my gaze. “I was intimidated. I don’t know what I can bring to the group, but I hope to be worthy of you, Anika.”

  I held my hand out and grabbed his. He was so handsome, guarded, and serene. I had no doubt he’d be something I needed as we all went on this journey together.

  “I forgot,” he said, reaching to the wall behind me. “I made you something last night.”

  He pulled out a long piece of wood, intricately carved. He handed it to me as if displaying a piece of art.

  I pulled it closer. In the wood had been etched a wolf, howling at the moon. Below that was a serpent, sitting on the edge of a cliff. Next came an owl, sitting on a tree branch, its eyes wide with wonder.

  “You carved this, didn’t you?” I asked, my eyes glassing.

  “It’s a walking stick,” Shane explained. “I know how much you detest walking, so I thought you might like this.”

  I placed the blunt end down on the floor, my fingers naturally clasping around an area near the top. I felt the rough edges of a carving, and when I pulled it closer, I noticed the infinity marks edged into the wood just like what was on my arm. “It’s beautiful,” I told him, my fingers tracing the interlocking carving.

  He motioned toward the base of the stick where it was still just plain wood. “I left space for your other mates. When they come, I’ll add them.”

  I threw my hands around his neck. “Thank you, Shane. I don’t think I’ve ever been given anything so thoughtful--or beautiful--before.”

  His hands wound around me, holding me tight. A serenity passed over me. The kind of calmness that came with knowledge. It was like being wrapped in a roadmap to our destiny. My breath hitched in my throat.

  Shane went to pull away, but I held him tighter. “No, don’t,” I pleaded.

  His hands wound around me again, his head falling to my shoulder as we embraced. We stood there for a long time, just holding one another. The time passing while we touched did wonders, building up a solid foundation between us. Those moments of silently touching worked way more than words between us ever could. Maybe that was what Riah and I should try. If we just stopped talking to one another, we might like one another more.

  Shane nuzzled my neck. “As much as I hate to say this, I think we should wake the others and leave. I packed a bag full of food last night. We can eat on the way.

  Reluctantly, I stepped out of his grip. “And now that I have my walking stick, I’m happy to make the twenty minute walk to the van,” I told him.

  His cheeks reddened again. “I’m happy you like it, Anika.”

  My body burned as he smiled at me. Shane, the man who spoke few words, but whose body language said it all. He was going to be an interesting mate, to be sure.

  We roused Mekhi and Riah, then all four of us set out. Eli met us at the edge of the owl lands to wish us luck. I hugged him, happy to have heard the wisdom from his own mouth. When we got to the mouth of the trail, Shane looked back. I followed his gaze, looking out over the tranquility of the owl people’s land. In another place, in another time, I would’ve been happy to stay here. Perhaps when this was all over, we could settle into this part of the world. It would make Shane happy. Mekhi would be close to his own people as well.

  Riah...well, him I wasn’t sure about. If all went well with our journey, Riah might not even have people of his own. I looked up to find him at the head of our group, his head held high, scanning the area around us. I bit my lip as feelings flooded over me. Riah was now a traitor to his people because of me. He’d be an even bigger traitor to his people if we succeeded in what we set out to do. Artemis made the wolves to destroy my kind. I hadn’t been giving him enough credit. As soon as he’d met me, he’d been on my side. From day one, he’d gone against his beliefs, even against his very will. Sure, he’d lashed out in hateful words, but actions spoke louder than that.

  Shane gripped my hand and I smiled up at him. With him here, the four of us were coming together better. We evened one another out. For Riah’s viciousness, we had Shane’s gentle nature. For Mekhi’s strong will and leadership, we had my silent resourcefulness.

  We were going to get to the top of that mountain range in
Roanoke, and we were going to get that moonstone. Once we placed it on Artemis’s head, who knows...we could be returning here to this peaceful place, and exploring our lives together as one.

  Chapter Twenty

  We made it to Roanoke with no problems and with me in an amazing mood. That ended three hours ago when we started our walk up the mountain. Even with my beautiful walking stick, I was still over it.

  “Are we ever going to get there?” I whined once again. I knew the guys had to be getting tired of me. I had been bitching pretty much nonstop since we’d gotten out of the vehicle. I couldn’t help it, we all had our things that pushed us over the edge and walking was mine.

  “We’re getting close,” Shane replied while reaching over and squeezing my hand.

  He was sweet, but I was literally on the verge of telling one of my mates it was time for a piggyback ride. I wondered if they would do that. It was a good idea.

  Our walk continued monotonously until we got to the top of the mountain. I didn’t know if I was in awe of the view or if I wanted to hurl. I could see everything for miles.

  Everything except what we came here to see. “I thought the temple was at the top of the mountain. I sure as shit don’t see any temples,” I grumbled, exasperated and getting pissed because I’d trotted my happy ass up here to find nothing.

  “We are here,” Shane said. He held his hand out into thin air, his eyes closing. “The temple is hidden from mortals. The only way to get in is to keep walking.”

  I blinked at him. He lowered his hand and smiled at me as if he hadn’t just suggested we walk off the edge of a mountain.

  “So, you're telling me we need to walk off this cliff?” I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Once you stepped off, there was nothing but back-breaking, life-ending craggs jutting out from the side. There was no way I was doing it.

  “It's not really a cliff, Anika,” Shane said, his eyes wide. “The temple is spelled so it can’t be found. Come on, I’ll hold your hand.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yeah, I’m not doing that,” I said with as much power as I could muster. There was no way in hell I was going over that cliff.

  Riah picked me up. My feet dangled over the side of the mountain. “No!” I screamed.

  He took a step.

  I closed my eyes and clung to him for dear life.

  “Anika, open your eyes.” Riah commanded.

  Okay, it didn’t feel like we were falling to our impending doom. Opening my eyes, I saw that we stood on solid ground in front of a huge golden temple. It had markings all over it, and infinity signs everywhere. One of these days, I was going to have to ask about those.

  “We have to go in there?” I asked, awe leaking into my voice. My heart pounded in my chest. This was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. It even had a golden walkway that lead up to the entrance. A stone tablet rose up between the pillars that had some kind of markings on it as well.

  “Yes. This is where the moonstone is.” Shane walked up to the stone tablet. He leaned over it, reading while his gaze narrowed.. “We have to tread carefully. I can’t read the whole tablet, but what I can says the path is dangerous.”

  “And here I thought this was just going to be a walk in the park,” I said snidely. Of course this was going to be dangerous. “Let's just get this over with.”

  I walked toward the entrance. There really was no telling what was going to be in there. The first thing I noticed was the symbols on the floor. They were encased inside a large gold tile.

  “So what does all this mean?” Looking at Shane, I pointed to the floor so he knew what I was talking about.

  “It looks like a code of some sort. Just be very careful where you step,” he cautioned before taking a step onto one of the tiles. I waited, holding my breath afraid something was going to happen.

  “Come on, we don't have time for this,” Riah growled before lumbering forward. Uncaring of the tiles below his feet.

  “Riah, wait,” I yelled as he barrelled forward. One of the stones he stepped on hissed as it fell deeper into the floor like a button.

  Before I knew it, arrows shot out of the walls and headed right for us. Mekhi and Shane tackled me, constricting my view of Riah. My heart pounded and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I had to know if he was okay.

  I heard a grunt and my heart plummeted at the sound. “Get off me!” I yelled, trying to push them away to get to Riah.

  Finally moving, I rushed towards Riah, being careful to step only where he had before he hit the last one. His body was a heap on the floor. I went to my knees beside him, my heart in my throat.

  He twisted, laying a hand on my cheek. “I knew you cared a little, Morphling.”

  Anger and fear and everything else rose to the surface in one quick movement that I was afraid I was about to get sick. Instead, I did what came natural and slapped Riah. Not hard, but enough that he opened his eyes and stared at me.

  “That wasn’t funny,” I admonished him. My eyes stung. “Are you okay?” I asked as I looked him over. I couldn’t see any blood or arrows protruding from him.

  “I’m fine,” he grumbled. “I got down in enough time to avoid them. I think I’ll be more careful from here on out.” He looked at the floor while he stood, avoiding the tile that sent arrows.

  “I told you to wait,” I shot back. “But good. Everyone just be careful.” I pinned them all with a glare before taking a step forward. I figured that the symbol Riah stepped on was a trap tile so, I steered clear of any with the same marking.

  There was a dais at the end of the tile floor. Maybe that was where the moonstone was. That would be too easy though, unfortunately.

  Carefully, I made it to the end without setting off any more arrows. For that I was glad, because my heart just couldn’t handle a scare like that again.

  Walking up to the dais, I examined what looked like an alter. The infinity sign was at the top with symbols the rest of the way down. In the middle, it had a spot for what looked like a hand.

  Looking around, I saw no more doors, just more golden walls with symbols everywhere. The more I looked the more this felt as though I was looking for a needle in a haystack.

  “It looks like someone’s hand goes in the middle. Who wants to be the guinea pig?” I joked even though I really didn’t feel like laughing. I felt like tucking tail and running as fast and as far away from here as I could. Whose bright idea was it to have me help save people?

  “I think your hand goes there. It’s said that only a Morphling can get the moonstone.” Shane sounded so reasonable with his explanation that I sighed. I really did not want to put my hand on there.

  “Fuck. I was afraid you were going to say that. Well, here goes.” I took a deep breath before placing my hand down in the middle of the altar. Various clicks sounded before I felt a sharp, quick pain in my palm. I jerked my hand back.

  I looked down and saw a single drop of blood. I glanced back to the altar which was slowly moving backwards to reveal a set of stairs.

  Shrugging, I said, “I guess it was thirsty.” When no one so much as laughed, I peeked at the stairs and sighed. “I do not want to go down those.”

  They ignored me. Shane took up the lead heading down with Mekhi behind him. Riah pushed me in front of him so he would be bringing up the rear.

  “Anyone else think it’s weird that everything is lit up? I mean, we are in an abandoned temple. Shouldn’t it be dark and musty?” I asked. I didn’t know why, but it really bothered me.

  “This place is made from magic. Magic keeps it in this pristine condition and maintains the light,” Shane explained before continuing down the ridiculously long set of stairs.

  After about five minutes, we finally made it to the bottom. We all froze, taking in our surroundings. The floor, if you wanted to call it that, was made of beams that were all interconnected.

  I stepped closer to the edge and saw boiling red liquid bubbling under the beams. Great. It was like extreme gymnas
tics. We had to make our way over the beams without falling. This just kept getting better and better. Each beam also had a different symbol marked on the surface.

  I really needed to know what those symbols meant. There needed to be a Morphling for Dummies book or something.

  “Okay, I am going to go first. Go where I do and nowhere else. I can read some of these symbols but not all of them,” Shane explained before throwing his arms out beside him for balance and making his way down the first beam.

  I moved to follow after him but was stopped by Mekhi. “I need to go next, then Riah. We can’t risk Shane falling and then having you lead us. You’re important. We’re just collateral damage,” he said, leaving me cold. I didn’t even have time to reply before he was making his way across the beam.

  Riah didn’t give me a chance to argue either, because as soon as Mekhi made it to the next beam, he was off. They did look a bit ridiculous with their arms out, but I knew it was for balance.

  Fuck. Now it was my turn. Taking a page out of the guys’ book, I stuck my arms out and slowly made my way out onto the first beam. Turning, I went to go on the second when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

  “Oh, shit!” Shane yelled.

  My head jerked up and I struggled to keep my balance.

  I looked up to see what had happened, and couldn’t hold in my scream of fear.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Fear shot through me. My stomach twisted into tiny knots, making it hard to breathe.

  Lava rose up from one side of the room making a tidal wave. Fire licked from the top as it curled and dove straight for Shane.

  Shane, teetering, walked quickly backward until he slammed into Mekhi on the other beam. Mekhi placed his hands on Shane’s shoulders to steady him while the wave of lava rolled over right where Shane had stood.