Uniquely Unwelcome (The Shadow World, #1)

by Brandy Nacole

  “Never mind that, I found something.”

  She starts to react to my ‘never mind’ comment, but the rest of my sentence catches up to her. She bounds past Ethan and joins me to look at the map. Everyone else circles around us, looking at the map too.

  “What is it?”

  I’m hoping it’s not just me, so I wait for someone else to see it. “Look at the map. What do you notice?”

  “Other than the fact that the world is covered in different colored dots looking more like a Christmas tree than a map, not a whole lot,” Ethan remarks, hollowly.

  “Look again,” I say sternly.

  They continue looking at the map. I’m bouncing on my feet, hoping I’m right.

  “Just tell us already.” Jared releases his frustration, slamming his hands on the hood of the car, putting two small dents in the hood.

  “I’m so glad I added the extra insurance,” Danika says, shaking her head at the dents and the door. With exasperation, she looks up at me. “What is it, Racquel?”

  I point at the map. “The dots are all over, right?” Everyone looks at me like I’m stark naked standing on a glacier petting a penguin. I rush on to explain. “But they’re not everywhere.”

  Finally I see Ethan’s face start to loosen as he looks at the map again, realization dawning on him. “How could we have not seen this before?”

  “It’s just like with the shifters. We were looking but not seeing,” I answer.

  The others look at one another, skeptical, then come closer to the map, still not seeing it. I roll my eyes and decide to explain before they all fry some brain cells. “There are dots all over the map except for here, here, and here.” I point at Greenland, Antarctica, and Canada.

  “So these could be the next hits?” Jared asks, brows pinched together in confusion.

  “No! I’m saying that this is where they could be holed.”

  Miraculously, I keep it together, although I would love to just slap the stupid out of them.

  “It makes sense,” Ethan says. “If you were trying to hide a body, you wouldn’t dig a hole in the middle of a park. You would want to be somewhere discrete and private.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve read about serial killers who lived right in the middle of well-populated suburbs and buried their victims in their basements. They were hiding in plain sight. So how do we not know whoever this is, isn’t planning some big op right next door?”

  Coy has a point and doubt starts creeping in, overtaking the hope I had. He shrugs his shoulders when he sees my face fall.

  “Sorry, it’s just a possibility,” he adds.

  “I highly doubt it in this case.” Danika walks around the vehicle, reaching through where the door used to be to get her phone. “Damn. No service.” She continues to fiddle with her phone, holding it high to the sky, hoping to get a bar.

  “Why did you say it’s highly doubtful?” I’ve walked away from the car, pacing. My body is screaming at me to take flight and go find them. The more rational part of me is staying in place and needing to narrow this down, but how?

  “Well with all the magic they’re using, they would have to be secluded. If there was another Witch anywhere close to someone using that much magic they would know it. Cerelia wouldn’t take that risk,” Danika says, still playing with her phone. “We know that she isn’t in Greenland. We, or at least I, would have felt her power. And I doubt she’s in Antarctica.” She beats her phone against her palm. Like that will make a difference.

  “What is so important that you’re willing to break your phone?”

  “I need to call the Elders.” She walks to the back of the SUV and pulls herself up to stand on top of the vehicle. Holding the phone high up in the sky, she curses the phone and keeps slapping it against her palm.

  “For what? And you know you’re not getting a signal out here,” Ethan says, holding out his hands to help her down. She sighs, reaching down and taking his hand.

  I’m feeling more frustrated by the minute.

  “Hold on, time out.” Just a minute ago we were discussing where the vamp’s base could be. Now we’re looking for cell service to call the Elders. Is it really necessary to call them every minute? “Where are we going and why do you need to call the Elders?”

  “They can help us narrow down where to go.”

  My face scrunches up as I cross my arms over my chest. I know exactly what she’s getting at. “But they’ve already tried the scrying. It didn’t work.”

  Danika gets into the passenger seat. “If I’m right and Cerelia is in Greenland, they can focus the scrying energies, with a much better chance of success. Now are you going to stand there and continue to ask questions? Or can we get a move on?”

  With no further protest, I hop into the driver seat. The boys all pile in the back, none too happily. Poor Coy gets stuck in between Jared and Ethan.

  After driving for an hour, finally getting back to a suitable path, we find phone service. Granted it isn’t the best in the world. Danika still has to walk around the car, taking a step up, then two back, then one back up until she can hear. The lack of a door makes it easy for me to hear Danika explaining everything as she walks around.

  Ethan watches Danika pace outside the car, trying to keep what precious phone service she has available. Jared is looking at his own phone. I can’t see what he is looking at but whatever it is, he has an intense look on his face. Ever since I revealed that the one behind all this is a Vampire, he has been particularly quiet.

  I peek in the rear view mirror at Coy, not expecting to meet his eyes, but I do. Nothing is said when our eyes meet but the message is clear. He has hope and confidence that we are on the right track. His eyes revealing his utter faith in me.

  I look away from him and glance out the window. My heart pounds in my chest with anticipation. I know that if we hit a dead end now, our loved ones could be lost forever.

  But what do we do next? I haven’t a clue. My thoughts are interrupted by Coy’s tap on my shoulder. He’s pointing to Danika, who is holding out the phone and waving me over.

  This is it. The Elders will either tell us where to go, or tell us they can’t help. Failing now would put us all over the edge of hopelessness. A place none of us want to be.

  Danika hands the phone to me, her face holding no hints. It’s as blank as a statue. I shakily bring the phone up to my ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Racquel. How are you, dear?”

  Eldrida is on the other end, calm as ever, asking the most ridiculous question in the world. How am I? There don’t seem to be enough words in the universe to explain how on edge I am. But I choose the best word I can think of to sum it all up.

  “Smothered.”

  I hear Eldrida giggle. Personally I don’t think it’s giggle worthy.

  “Well maybe I can erase some of that for you. Danika explained to us how you think the Vampire behind all this is hiding in a place untouched by his reign of terror. I must say that was a remarkable idea. It would seem that talking with the Fae Queen has helped you open up a bit more.”

  “I guess it did,” I admit.

  Eldrida clears her throat before continuing. “It will take us some time, not much but some, to find the untouched land. In the meantime, I want you all to drive back to the plane and await further instructions. If possible, do some research on Greenland and locations you might think they could be hiding.”

  My heart slows a little, my hope not fading but notched down a little. I was hoping to get an answer this instant. Eldrida is right, though. Even though we think the Vampire and Cerelia is in Greenland, where in it would we go? The vamp could be hiding anywhere within the country’s borders. Any info we can come up with is good info.

  After saying my goodbyes to Eldrida, I get back in the car. The interior is heavy with silence; everyone is waiting to hear some news.

  “So where to now?” Danika finally asks.

  “Back to Wrigley,” I say, taking my phone out of my poc
ket, exiting the vehicle, and walking around in the frigid air to keep my signal. I search on my phone for directions back to the airport. Finally, after suffering through some very slow-loading webpages, I find what I’m looking for and get back in the vehicle. “Okay guys, Eldrida wants us to head back to the airport and wait for their instructions. It’s a little over seven hours away. If you get any service, which would be a miracle, do some research on Greenland and see if you can get a feel for where this vamp and Cerelia may be.” I’m hoping that by the time we reach the airport, Eldrida will be calling us with some good news.

  I look at my phone to read over the road directions. When I read over an article about the highways, I’m surprised to find there’s not an available route this time of year. In fact, there are no accessible highways or roads of any kind in this area. There’s an ice road to our south that’s open two months a year to bring in supplies, but that road is closed right now. I double check the map, confused. The road we are on isn’t even on the map. I wouldn’t even call it a road. It’s more like a dirt path with a light coating of snow. Over the past few hours, snowflakes had started falling at a slow rate. How is there a road for snow to cover?

  Danika, seeing the map on my phone and the questioning look on my face, gives me a devilish little grin. “Just takes a little push and shove.”

  Impressive magic. I put the car in gear. “Oh-kay. Do I just follow the path or can I change it?”

  “You can change it. Just travel in whatever direction you pick and the path is cleared a half mile in front of the car. It closes up shortly after we go through.”

  “That’s crazy. Are Witches the one who help the big fat man get down the chimney too?”

  “You know it, girl.”

  There’s the Danika I first met at the gas station, the one with a little spunk and a slight attitude. Ever since the first time we met, when I let my anger get the best of me, she has been guarded and stiff.

  Well except for when she’s explaining all the abilities Witches hold. That’s when she’s happy and open. Her adoration and pride at being a Witch is evident whenever she’s using or talking about her magic.

  With a little skepticism, I cautiously change directions. We need to go straight south to get to Wrigley. This was a lot more fun when I didn’t know about the witchy magic persuading the road.

  Chapter Twenty

  Making our way to Wrigley isn’t easy. Although our path is cleared of trees and boulders, it isn’t cleared of the rough terrain. We have to traverse the lower parts of some mountains at times, and down over rocky slopes. Lucky we have the SUV.

  There are times when it feels like we are dropping off the world. It feels like we are on one wild roller coaster. The guys absolutely love it. At one point I trade spots with Ethan, after an hour of begging and pleading on his part. Before getting to Wrigley, the weather does take a hard turn for the worse. The snow begins falling so hard, all we can see is a bright white. Luckily we have magic on our side and make it through. It’s pretty awesome to be trekking through the country-side in a vehicle, when no roads are available.

  Once on the plane, we use the plane’s wifi and start doing some research. To my disappointment, Eldrida hasn’t called. I really don’t know what the Elders expect us to find, a big sign saying ‘Here’?

  “I think Danika’s right. I don’t think they are in Antarctica, it’s too far away,” Ethan grumbles, tossing his phone to the side. He rubs his eyes, exhausted like the rest of us. Choosing the old-fashion way, he picks up the world map Danika has been using to keep track of the missing with a huff. Apparently I’m not the only one thinking this is ridiculous.

  After what feels like hours, Danika’s phone finally rings, causing us all to tense up.

  I tune into the conversation, extending my hearing so I can hear the person on the other line. When I hear Eldrida’s voice, I hold my breath, dreading what she has to say, but hoping for a miracle all at the same time.

  “Hi dear, how close are you to the airport?”

  “We are already on the plane,” Danika says, peering out the window at the dark clouds rolling in.

  “Good. We are certain the location is Greenland. We could feel a power deflecting us from there. We are going to meet you in Nuuk, Greenland. Get there as soon as you can, but be safe.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Danika snaps her phone shut with a relieved sigh.

  After getting some direction as to where to go, the boys sack out. I figured that would happen. I was just getting cozy on one of the couches when I notice Danika sitting up, looking through a book. I’m just about to drift off to La-La Land when realization slams into me.

  When we land, we could be met by mayhem. If the Vampire in question is indeed in Greenland, an outright war is going to break out. Us fighting for the ones we love, them fighting to keep the Shadows they have. Cerelia is the biggest obstacle, which is probably why the Coven Elders are joining us in Greenland.

  My panic builds the more I think about it. What are we truly up against? Is it beatable? Will we make it out alive? Am I prepared for what we might find? Is anyone? Thoughts just keep running together. I jump up before a full-blown panic attack overwhelms me, and go see what Danika’s looking at.

  “Whatcha got there?” I ask, peering over her shoulder.

  “My grandma’s book of shadows. I’m trying to find a spell that will enhance all of our strength and power.”

  “Why?”

  Danika swivels around to look at me. “Don’t stand there and pretend that you’re not scared too. Your fear is keeping you from resting now, just like mine. I’m worried about what’s going to happen.”

  I take the seat next to her, choosing to look at my lap instead of her. The shame of the fear I have is making me feel weak and guilty. Never did I want the others to know how much I fear what’s going to happen. I have always tried to come across as a rock. This whole ordeal has caused me to let my guard down enough that others can see.

  “You’re right. I’m scared too.” I look at her book of shadows. “So, is there a spell that can do that?”

  Now it’s her turn to look ashamed. “I don’t know. Even if there were, it’s forbidden.”

  “Well that’s stupid. Why would they make a dumb rule like that?” I mean come on. If you were able to take out all the bad guys in the world by enhancing yourself, wouldn’t you do it? Heck yeah!

  “Actually it keeps Witches from turning into someone like Cerelia. When we start using our magic to enhance ourselves, and then enhancing others around us so we get what we want, it becomes a power struggle. Pretty soon there are no limits. The world is yours for the taking. It’s happened several times before.”

  Okay, makes sense. “Yeah but what if you’re using it for something good? Like this? How can that be considered a power struggle?”

  “Think about it. You knock out one bad guy; you think you can knock them all out. Then once they’re all gone, the feeling of power is still humming through your body. You’ll start to think that you can change things. That your way is right and no one else’s is. It’s like eating chocolate. Once you get a taste of it, you want more.”

  “I don’t like chocolate.”

  Danika rolls her eyes. “You know what I meant.”

  “So now what?”

  “We give them all we got and hope it’s enough.” She looks back at the book before shutting it.

  “What if you had found a spell?”

  Danika drops her head, unwilling to look at me.

  “Tell me, Danika. What would you have done?”

  When she finally raises her head, all I see is fear. “I don’t know,” she admits.

  Silence blankets the plane as we sit there thinking about whats and ifs. The more I think about it, the more exhausted I become. Yet the more I think about, the more my brain keeps running with new questions.

  “Okay, well let’s be as prepared as we can be. We know that the creatures will most likely be on guard. Cerelia will more than
likely be present once we get through any barriers they have in place. We know the leader is a Vampire. What we don’t know is what to expect when we see the prisoners. We don’t know what kind of magic is being used on them, how they are kept captive, or their physical condition.”

  Danika nods. “Plus, we don’t know if they know we are coming. Somehow they always know where we are. I don’t know how but they do.”

  True, every time the creatures attacked us, they were prepared for our appearance. They attacked us outside the Vampire lair and then again in London. They were always ready.

  “What about Cerelia? Is that why the Coven Elders are coming?”

  “That’s one big reason,” Danika responds. “Plus, like you said, we don’t know what kind of spells are being used on the prisoners. We may need them to break through those spells and any other spell guarding the whole area.”

  Yeah, we’re definitely going to need all the power we can get.

  “As far as the creatures go, they were strong, but it didn’t seem like any of them had kept their magic. I think that when they were dissected, they lost them, or at least most of it. I did notice the thing they all had in common was strength. Can Cerelia do that sort of thing?” I ask.

  “There’s no telling what she can do,” Danika huffs.

  Tired of thinking about the gloom and uncertainty, I change the subject. “I’m still curious about the Fairies.” The thought of the Queen’s impending deadline comes to my mind, messing with my attempt to change the subject.

  “What about them?”

  “Why is the Fairy Queen is human size? Shouldn’t she be small like her court?” This thought has been slipping in and out of my mind ever since I met the Fairy Queen. “I know you said she’s full Fae, so why the size different?”

  “Well, it’s actually a long story and I’m tired,” Danika says with a yawn. The life seems to have been drained from her. The exhaustion finally weighing her down, her voice is barely audible over the roar of the plane engines.

  “How about the cliff note version?” I plead, batting my eyes.