The Keeper Saga: Wynter's War, Charmed, and The One (The Boxed Set Book 2)

by K. R. Thompson

  “So she definitely will know where Tommy is then, if she is Kayleigh.” Brian nodded, leaning over to pick the girl up.

  “What are you doing? What if she wakes up?” I asked.

  “Well, we can’t leave her here to freeze. If her magic is gone, she is human and I can handle her. We need to find out what she knows. Besides,” he stopped to grin. “If she gives us any trouble, we’ll just get Tori to knock her out again. Let’s go get your Jeep out of the ditch and find Adam. He’ll want to know what’s going on.” He settled Frollock on his shoulder and started back across the railroad tracks toward the cars. Once we made it back to my Jeep, he put the ex-fairy in the back seat.

  Tori hit the button on the door for the child safety lock, and then crawled in beside her. She flexed her hands. “Just in case she wakes up before we’re ready.”

  “Try not to give her a concussion,” I said, hopping into the driver’s seat. I waited as Brian hooked a chain to the Jeep and he and Emily got into the truck. It only took a slight tug, and then the Jeep came free from the ditch and crawled back on the road.

  I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Well, that was easy enough,” I said as Brian unhooked the chain and came back to my window.

  “The quickest way to the caverns is the woods behind the school, which is where I’m guessing they began their date.” Brian peered over my shoulder at Tori and Frollock in the backseat. “We’ll probably have the best luck there. Are you guys going to be okay with her in there with you?”

  “Yep,” Tori answered. “If she so much as moves a muscle, I’ll knock her out again.”

  “If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay still and silent,” said Brian. “I’ll keep Emily with me, to be on the safe side. Let’s head to the school.”

  A few moments later we pulled in behind Brian’s truck in the school’s parking lot. I heard Tori grumble under her breath.

  “What was that?” I asked, peering at her in the rearview mirror.

  “She’s starting to move. I was daring her to do anything that she shouldn’t.”

  “At least we’re here. I’m pretty sure we can take her. There are more of us than there are of her. The odds are in our favor. As long as she knows that, everything will be fine,” I said slowly, hoping that Frollock heard every word.

  “I am not so stupid as to attack wolves while my magic has gone,” Frollock answered, her voice low and sweet, sounding every bit a young, teenage girl. “But be warned—once it has returned I will waste no time in spilling your blood.”

  “Don’t bet on it.” I heard the threat in Tori’s tone before I caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror of her fisted hand raised to punch Frollock again.

  “We can’t get anything out of her while she’s unconscious, you know,” I told Tori, who looked back at me in the mirror, giving me an angry look. “There’s nothing she can do to us right now, and she knows it.” I willed my wolf to the surface just enough to make my skin sparkle with white mist. “I have more magic than she does. She won’t try anything.”

  Frollock snorted in disgust as she sat up, but she didn’t say another word.

  Brian and Emily got out of the truck and walked over to us. “Oh, she’s awake. That’s nice,” Brian said, with a total lack of warmth in his voice. His blue eyes were cold as he looked at Frollock, who was attempting to figure out how to open the back door. The child locks hadn’t been needed. The ex-fairy had no idea how human vehicle doors operated. She kept shoving at the door, as if she expected it to magically open from sheer force alone.

  “If you can keep an eye on her for just a minute, I’ll run to the back and call out to the Keepers and see if they are close,” Brian offered.

  “Yep, we’re good.” I nodded to my little sister. “Come on in, Em. You can sit up here with me.”

  “You want me to sit in there…with her?” Emily asked, mouth open in astonishment.

  “Yeah, sure. She isn’t going to hurt you,” I said, leaning over to open the door for her. “Trust me, if she tries—I’ll eat her.” I let my voice drop and sent a hard look over my shoulder to Frollock, who was looking at me thoughtfully as if she were wondering if I would actually make good on my promise.

  I kept the expression on my face, hoping that she wouldn’t see through it. I still hadn’t hunted anything as a wolf, and I had no intention of doing so if I could get out of it. I had taken her magic. That was more than enough for me.

  Emily had been standing at the door, unsure, until an eerie howl echoed in the air. It startled her enough that she jumped into the Jeep and shut the door.

  “That was just Brian. The wolves are always the good guys. Don’t forget that,” I told her as we heard a chorus of other howls answering the first. The Keepers were close.

  We’re on our way, Adam’s voice echoed into my mind. Be there in just a minute.

  Adam’s idea of a minute and mine were slightly different. In mere seconds, all five of the Keepers and the shadowy wolf appeared at the side of my car. Apparently Brian had filled them in on who we held trapped in the backseat, because every one of them looked like they would have no problem whatsoever actually eating Frollock, given the chance.

  Without a word, Adam opened the back door to let the fairy out. Instead of jumping out, she stayed put for a moment, as if deciding whether being inside the Jeep would be safer than being out of it. The two of them did a stare-down as Emily, Tori, and I got out of the car.

  “You will tell us everything you know. And if you do not, I will not have any problem exacting revenge for the lives that you stole,” Adam said in a low voice. A barely audible growl echoed between the syllables as if his wolf was only barely in his control.

  A contemplative look crossed Frollock’s face. She moved her fingers a few times and I had the impression that she was gauging whether or not her magic was truly gone or if it had only been zapped or shorted out in some way.

  “Your magic is gone—forever gone,” I informed her. I wasn’t sure exactly how true this was, but she didn’t need to know that.

  She bared her teeth in a familiar way that reminded me of Zue and Wynter, though her sisters’ razor-sharp teeth had been much more convincing than the straight, pearly white human teeth we were now seeing.

  “We still have our magic. We can make your life miserable—and we hold the power to take your life,” Ed reminded her.

  “And trust me,” Michael said, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “There is nothing better I would like to do right this minute.”

  Frollock had been looking from one person to the next, gauging each reaction. She’d seemed unconvinced until Michael spoke.

  “What is it that you wish to know?” she asked, still sitting on the edge of the backseat.

  “We know something has happened to Tommy, and that Crow Woman had something to do with it. But we also know that you—or rather, Kayleigh—was with him at the end,” I said, watching for her reaction.

  She nodded, as if none of this was anything to be concerned with. “Yes, he’s dead,” she said, matter-or-fact. “The witch killed him. I watched him die.”

  No one said anything until Tommy’s shadow threw back its head, mouth wide. It sounded like a whisper, instead of a howl.

  “So is that all? What else do you wish of me?” she asked, nonplussed.

  “You are taking us to his body,” Adam said, reaching into the Jeep to pull her out. “You’re going to show us where he is.”

  “Fine,” she said, jerking her arm out of Adam’s grasp. “It’s this way.” She stalked away, heading toward the forest with the Keepers right behind her.

  “Tori, can you stay here with Emily?” I asked. I had the strange feeling that something was going to go wrong, nothing that I had foreseen, just more of a gut feeling than anything, and if there was one thing that I trusted, it was my gut. I didn’t need something terrible happening with my little sister there to witness it.

  “Absolutely,” Tori said, giving me a knowing look. S
he scooted Emily back toward the Jeep. “Come on, let’s stay where it’s warm.”

  By the time that I had caught up with them, they had reached the tree line. Frollock stomped through the snow, obviously not in the best of moods to be showing us where she had left Tommy to his fate.

  I decided that I wanted to hear her side of what happened, even though I was sure that I knew. “So why did you take Tommy?”

  Frollock shrugged, and then flipped her bright hair over her shoulder in a very human gesture. “The witch needed magic to trigger her amulet.” She looked over her shoulder, giving me a cold look. “I thought that the life of one of you would be the best way to make that happen.”

  “Did it work? Did it activate the amulet?”

  “As far as I know, yes. However, if it didn’t, the witch will have six more chances with all of you then, won’t she,” she said.

  Michael let loose with a low growl in reply.

  “She doesn’t have any magic. She’s just trying to get under your skin,” I murmured, trying to get him to calm down.

  He just glared at me, and then promptly shifted over into his wolf and padded even closer to Frollock, the gray fur along his back standing in a stiff ridge.

  “You’re right. My magic has been stolen, but perhaps it will be returned to me soon,” Frollock retorted, eyeing my book bag, which made me grip it even tighter.

  “How much farther?” I asked.

  “Just around the bend ahead.”

  She’s leading us toward a Deadland, Adam’s voice echoed softly in my head. Best we all be prepared and shift to wolf.

  I tightened the straps on my book bag while the air shimmered and glittered. A second later, I stood in the middle of a pack of wolves. Like Michael, the fur on every neck and back stood straight up. Ears were pinned down, shoulders tense, they were ready—and nervous.

  I hadn’t been the only one looking at them. Frollock laughed. It was a joyful, triumphant sound that sent chills along my spine. For someone who didn’t have a lick of magic, she was still managing to majorly freak me out. Without thinking, I growled and my wolf came to the surface without my having summoned her.

  White mist ebbed around the edges of my eyes, making it look like Frollock was the one surrounded in a thick, white fog instead of me. “I hold the power to destroy you,” I said, wishing to chase the smirk off her face. Saying the words had been hard. Not because they weren’t exactly nice, but because my face felt funny.

  Frollock looked back at me, mouth opening even as she turned her head, obviously coming up with some kind of flippant reply when she froze and then abruptly turned right back around and picked up her pace.

  Well, that worked, I thought, as I brushed my hand over my strange-feeling face. Then, I realized why it felt funky. My fingertips grazed the tips of fangs and felt soft fur on my cheeks. I reached back to the back of my head, ensuring that my blonde corkscrew hair was still in its ponytail. It was. Apparently I had managed to half-shift into a wolf.

  I looked down at Adam. The big black wolf snorted in amusement.

  At least you managed to shake her up a little, he said. Maybe she’ll think twice before she tries anything.

  I doubt it, I thought, taking a second to concentrate long enough to completely shift into my white wolf. I hoped that I never accidentally half-shifted again without knowing it. I knew I had not been a pretty sight by any means. I had only seen one other person in that strange spot between wolf and human—and he hadn’t been a pleasant picture. I shivered. It was no wonder Frollock had decided to turn back around so fast.

  At least I had managed to calm the Keepers. I looked to either side of me. Both Adam and Ed seemed calm, but they were still focused on the girl in front of us as she led us farther into the forest, past the caverns, and straight into a Deadland that I had never been in before.

  While none of the Deadlands were what I would exactly call inviting and friendly, this one seemed more threatening than all of the others combined.

  It’s amped up on magic, I realized. I expected tree limbs and roots to begin grabbing at us like they had before, but this time they didn’t. The air filled with the sounds of splintering wood as the trees around us twisted and bent as we passed, as if they were watching us and waiting for something or someone to give them permission to attack.

  Frollock kept going, oblivious to the guarding trees, and led us into a narrow passage between two mountains—a place that would have been very hard to find had we not had a guide.

  “We were here.” She pointed to a dark place on the ground. With no snow on the ground to muffle it, the scent of blood assaulted my nose, a strong, coppery smell. This was the place Tommy had met his end, I was sure of it. As if he knew it, Tommy’s shadowy wolf sat near the place and threw his head back in another whispery howl.

  Where was his body? I looked around, not seeing any evidence of it being dragged away. Other than a rather large dark bloodstain, there was nothing.

  Keep an eye on her. We’re going to look around, Adam said, stopping long enough to nuzzle my shoulder. I don’t think Crow Woman is here, but we’re going to find out.

  I answered him with a low whine and watched as they began to search. They went slowly, relying on their sense of smell, which usually would have led them to whatever they wished to find. In every other Deadland that I had been in, there was never any way to track anything or anyone, dead or living. It was as if the dark magic in those places obliterated any trace of life. Here, though, was different. The smell of blood was overpowering, so much that the Keepers were having a tough time scenting anything else.

  Frollock sighed in exasperation and crossed her arms over her chest, obviously bored with waiting. Then, she looked down at me with a thoughtful look on her face. “You never did say if you knew where my sister was. But being as you have her book, I would guess that you know something of Wynter’s whereabouts, unless of course you killed her as you did Zue.”

  I snorted and shook my head, figuring that she would get the idea from this gesture that I didn’t know nearly as much as she thought I did—and that no, I hadn’t killed but one of her siblings. I growled, low and menacing, to let her know that I had no problem taking her out if I had to.

  She smirked. “Yes, I realize you’re a big, bad wolf with lots of magic. But without that book, you’re nothing. You’d do best to remember that.”

  My growl became stronger and louder. I was seriously considering taking a bite out of her leg to show her that I wasn’t someone to mess with when I heard a snarl much louder than anything I had let out, reverberating through the narrow passage.

  She is here, Adam’s words sounded eerie, full of dread, but then were completely lost as I heard the Keepers fight. From what I could see, the passage narrowed and curled around the base of the mountain. Wherever they had found Crow Woman, it was close, but the mountain was still keeping them from sight.

  In this moment, the Deadland chose to fight as well and tree branches began smacking at me. Frollock, however, was left alone.

  She shot me a triumphant grin as I dodged one branch to be cracked across the back with another. “Magic recognizes magic,” she said gleefully. “This place remembers my magic was dark. Yours, my dear, is not, so now you get to see exactly how tough you are.”

  The tree behind us began twisting and bending at unreal angles as if it wished to bend in half and smash me into the ground. I was so busy looking at the towering menaces above me, that I failed to look at the roots creeping toward my legs.

  Before I knew it, I was face down in the dirt. I rolled, barely keeping from being strangled with that root, and jumped up and backed a safe distance away from the tree. I had been expecting Frollock to laugh, to take joy in the fact that I now had a mouthful of dirt that I couldn’t seem to get spit out. But she didn’t.

  I looked at the place she had stood seconds before. She was gone.

  I snorted. I would show her exactly how tough I could be once I caught up to her. A sm
all tree to the side of me creaked, catching my attention just in time. I leapt out of the way, just before it crashed in the place I had been standing. The skin on my back tingled and vibrated. At first I thought that maybe I hadn’t gotten out of the way in time, but then I realized it was something else.

  The book was trying to warn me again.

  I shifted back as quickly as I could and pulled the book bag off. The book was literally dancing in my hands, flipping pages like mad, until it landed on one page that I hadn’t ever remembered seeing before.

  “The Dark Forest,” I mumbled the title aloud, and then hurried along to read the description. “A section of forest that comes alive with dark magic. No living thing thrives in these places.” Realizing that I possibly held the power to change the Deadland, I scored the tip of my finger on the claw and squashed my hand flat on the page, and then watched as the letters scurried and rearranged between my fingers. The atmosphere shimmered, changing as quickly as the words on the page and when I looked up, everything went still.

  The trees that had been so adamantly trying to kill me, had straightened, their branches stretched toward the sky and their roots lying near their trunks, quickly sinking back into the ground.

  I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I had held. I’d done it. I had deactivated a Deadland. I gripped the book tight against my chest. Although ugly and pretty much disgusting, this to me was the key to solving a lot of the riddles that we hadn’t answered. I was certain of it.

  It’s quiet, I thought suddenly. Where I had heard the sounds of the Keepers fighting Crow Woman, everything had silenced the instant that the Deadland changed. Was it possible that I had taken the power and magic of everyone inside the Deadland, too?

  I began running toward the place I thought they were, keeping the book as tight against me as I could. Just as I reached the bend that I hadn’t been able to see around, a dark blur appeared and came hurtling toward me. It flew straight over my head and disappeared so fast that I never would have realized it was a crow but for a feather that fell on my shoulder.

  “Nikki!” Adam yelled, running full tilt toward me. “Are you okay?” He was fast, but not so quick that I hadn’t seen the blood running down the side of his face. It only took seconds for him to reach me, but the furrowed, jagged claw marks on his cheek still bled.