River Cast: Part Two in the Tale of Lunarmorte

by Samantha Young

  The witch frowned at her. “Caia, this is important. Two council members have come to the Centre representing the entire Council. They want to meet with you.”

  The news hit her in a wave of relief. This was good. No this-this was great. With a bit of self control she managed to keep the relieved grin off of her face. Instead she nodded calmly. “I’d like that. When?”

  “Today, if you are well enough.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Lucien was scowling. “I don’t know about that, you’ve just woken up.”

  Caia sighed, a wave of sadness washing over her. “I’m fine. Unlike Mordecai and Anders.” She looked to them questioningly as they acknowledged the loss. “When will their funerals be held?”

  Marion shook her head. “There won’t be a funeral for either of them. We hold a ceremony here at the Centre annually to commemorate the dead. We’ll honour the two of them then.”

  “The Second Unit...?” She whispered, thinking of Anders loyal men and women.

  “Grieving, of course. But they’re soldiers first and foremost. Lyla has been promoted to Unit Leader.”

  “And you? Marion you took a few hits.”

  She shrugged like it was no big deal. “It’s Michael and Rose who were wounded.”

  Rose.

  She blinked up at Lucien’s pinched face. “Is she OK?”

  He nodded. “She’s healing up pretty good. So is Michael.”

  She thought of the Council; of her plans. How he didn’t know about any of it.

  “You should go to her,” Caia told him, her voice flat and emotionless.

  She knew right away that her tone had sent him into lockdown - he jerked away from her, his face frozen, his eyes hard. “Yeah. Glad you’re OK.”

  And then he was gone.

  She stared at her suite door, wishing she didn’t have any pride; that she could yell out after him and tell him she didn’t care if he loved Rose, he was her mate so he had to stay with her.

  Marion clucked, “He sat by your bedside for the last few hours you know.”

  “Was he with Rose before that?”

  The witch’s silence confirmed the affirmative.

  ***

  After a shower and something to eat she felt a lot more human again, enough to take a little tour around the Centre with Marion as her companion. She talked to the students and candidates and answered as many questions as she was allowed to. She even signed some autographs. It was totally weird and not something she was prepared for, but at the moment she couldn’t care less because it went a long way in helping her with her plan. Whilst she was listening to Desi and Ophelia chatter away about how jealous everyone was that they were friends with her, Marion tapped her on the shoulder and she turned in the doorway of the classroom to see Phoebe MacLachlan standing waiting with a lykan she didn’t recognise. He was a tall, well built Elder whose soft eyes reminded her of Magnus. A pang of home sickness echoed in her chest. Extricating herself from the young Travellers, Caia made her way cautiously over to the Rogue Hunter and her companion; Phoebe was a little intimidating to say the least.

  As soon as she reached them, Phoebe thrust her hand out to Caia, her face serious, yet her eyes were filled with what could almost pass for warmth. Gingerly, she shook the other female’s hand, refusing to wince when Phoebe gripped too hard.

  “Caia Ribeiro, I would like to introduce you to my father and pack Alpha, Alistair MacLachlan.”

  She had expected to be subjected to the same death-grip handshake, but instead she found herself crushed in his mammoth embrace. Caia returned his hug shyly and swallowed her sigh of relief when he let her go.

  “My daughter tells me you are the one who discovered the attack on my pack. That you’re also the one who destroyed the Midnights responsible.”

  Feeling heat blooming under her cheeks, Caia shrugged helplessly. “I had a lot of help from Phoebe and a few others.”

  Phoebe shook her head, as serious as ever. “She’s being modest, father,” she tutted, “I’ve never understood that trait.”

  Alistair chuckled. “Yes, we know.”

  Caia didn’t know whether to laugh or admonish him. Didn’t he know Phoebe had no sense of humour? Phoebe merely frowned at him and turned back to her. “We wanted to thank you, personally.”

  “Yes.” The Alpha grinned. He shook his head, disbelieving, as his eyes washed over her. “Such a little thing, and yet from what Phoebe has told me I would have imagined you to be a giant. As you may have already guessed, Phoebe isn’t really a people person-”

  “Father!”

  “-and so when she admires someone, we all know they must really be worthy of her respect.”

  “That’s true.” The Rogue Hunter nodded militantly.

  “We’re very grateful to you, Miss Ribeiro, and if there is anything my pack can do for yours, you must not hesitate to call on us.”

  OK, so perhaps she might have done something truly good despite the remorse she felt over the deaths of those Midnights. She had saved this kind Elder and his valuable daughter, not to mention the rest of their pack.

  Caia, wake up. Be strong. And think... they’re not just offering you a thank you, their offering themselves...

  Allies.

  Smiling warmly, she shook both their hands again. “That’s very gracious of you. Thank you.”

  The two lykans left her then to recount their encounter to Marion, who grinned proudly at her like a mother hen.

  “Compliments from Phoebe MacLachlan, now that should go on your résumé.”

  Marion left her to her fans, a decision that Caia teasingly told her she would later regret, a look of dismay falling across her features as the witch disappeared out of the hall. No matter how many times she told herself that networking was good, it still left her feeling as if she were stuck in coach between a snorer and a crying baby on a long haul flight. It was with a huge sigh of relief after ‘doing the rounds’ that Caia managed somehow to sneak away from the inquisitive looks and prying questions, and make her way out towards the reception to be taken up on the elevator to Marita and Vanne’s suite. The Centre’s layout still confused her, and she found herself taking a wrong turn and rounding the corner to the altars. She stopped abruptly at the scene before her and darted back out of sight, peering around the corner to watch Marita standing unaccompanied outside of Gaia’s altar. The magik sent darting glances in every direction as if checking to make sure she was alone, before stealthily creeping into the altar.

  What the...

  Her behaviour was so weird. What the Hades was she up to? Caia’s heart began to pound as she remembered the conversation she had overheard between Mordecai and Marita. Was this another one of their secrets... or was this the Secret? The thudding of her heart grew louder in her ears and she felt her legs tremble as she took a tentative step towards to door.

  Maybe Marita was just praying. Maybe I’m being a paranoid idiot.

  Maybe you should hurry up and follow her in and find out what the hell she’s up to!

  Grunting at her own idiocy, Caia pushed the door open as quietly as possible, her eyes sweeping what appeared to be an empty altar. A flicker of movement from the far right of the room caught her attention, and she gazed in confusion at the sight of auburn hair disappearing in front of her very eyes. She blinked rapidly. What the...

  The front row pew obstructed much of the view of that area but Caia rushed forward, sure she had seen what looked to be the top of Marita’s head disappearing into the ground. She searched the area in front of the pews to the right of the statue of Gaia, her eyes devouring the floor. And there, a glitter of metal caught her eye and she hurried closer, dropping to her knees in her fear and excitement. The tiniest stud of gold metal was stuck to the floor, sitting on the edge of one large slab of marble. Tentatively she reached forward and touched it.

  Whoosh!

  Caia strangled a startled cry as the slab peeled open in one fluid movement, revealing a secret entrance. She
forgot to breathe as she peered down inside what she was sure very few people knew even existed. A ladder was attached to the opposite wall, leading down into a brightly lit hallway that was clinical in appearance.

  Goddess Caia, what are you getting yourself into now?

  With a bolstering gulp of air, Caia grabbed a hold of the first rung and began to descend into an underground hallway, her footsteps light and her breathing restrained as she made her way down. It was hard to ignore the rushing blood in her ears as her adrenaline took control but as her eyes washed over the thankfully empty corridor she strained to do so in order to hear the approach of the enemy.

  Listen to yourself, she snorted.

  There wasn’t a sound, only what appeared to be a silent endless white tiled corridor with fluorescent lighting. What was this place? And why didn’t anyone know about it? Or did they? Well, she was down here now so she might as well get on with it. Caia crept forward in quick little steps, her brain yelling idiot! Idiot! idiot! with each one.

  And that’s when she heard it. She stopped, wincing at the squeak her Converses made on the tiled floor. Her ears perked up and a chill burst down her spine.

  Cries! Children’s cries! Snarling. Hissing. She could make out at least five different voices in the mix. Oh dear goddess! She pelted forward in a greater hurry and stupidly spilled around the corridor as it veered into a left. A figure disappeared into a door up ahead without noticing her (thank goddess - Idiot!) and with a sigh of relief she continued forward at a quieter but still quickened pace. The door, which had laboratory 1: lykanthrope printed across it, sat adjacent to a long window, and cautiously Caia strained over trying to look inside without anyone noticing her.

  What she saw...

  “Oh my go-”

  Her breath cut off as she watched Marita talking to a tall man dressed in a navy lab coat, their eyes going over whatever information he had on the clipboard in his hands. In front of them were five children, their faces contorted with all manner of misery.

  Caia felt bile rise in her throat at such a familiar sight.

  She had seen this before. With Jaeden.

  Each child was locked in a cage surrounded by magik, magik that was keeping them from changing. There was no evidence of physical abuse on their bodies but rows of test tubes sat on trays attached to each cage, a variety of liquids in each. Caia felt a rush of anger as her eyes found the face of a small girl; she couldn’t have been more than ten years old, her huge eyes had a haunted look no person, much less a child, should ever have cause to feel. White heat shot through Caia’s body and she gasped spinning back, her body pressed against the door as she tried to gain control over herself. As she shuddered into some kind of normalcy she saw another door further up, another window. More children. Perhaps another race. Vampyre maybe?

  At the sound of footsteps drawing closer from the other side of the door, Caia took off, her eyes searching the ceilings and walls for cctv camera as she made her way back to the entrance. There was nothing.

  No, she thought, her lip curling in rage, Marita wouldn’t want evidence of the existence of her little experiments down here.

  Caia clambered up the ladders and shot out of the entrance, thanking the gods for the quiet of the altar as she pulled the marble slab back down into the floor. She hurried out of the altar and back into the halls of the Centre, desperate to wipe off the invisible filth that now clung to her skin. She had no idea what Marita was doing with those children, what her end game was. Then Marita’s voice rang in her head like an alarm.

  “I wanted you to stay and help me train an elite force of lykans I’m working on.”

  Oh Artemis, is that what she was doing? Trying to make a stronger army by experimenting on children? Oh Hades no. It was unthinkable.

  And just a theory, she reminded herself.

  But theory or no, Marita had crossed the line, and Caia’s plans had instantly changed. She was in no mood to take things slowly now. No. Now she had no compunction whatsoever in destroying the bitch in any way she could.

  ***

  Marion was waiting for her outside of Marita and Vanne’s suite and Caia called upon her best acting skills to greet her normally. Still her mentor seemed to detect something and Caia shrugged her off, explaining it away as exhaustion.

  She was surprised by the quick hug Marita gave her, and had to desperately hide her revulsion as she returned it. It was with deep relief that she returned the more sincere hug she received from Vanne. Did he know about the children? Oh goddess, she hoped not.

  “We’re glad you are OK,” Marita said genially. “You are quite the little wonder, aren’t you.”

  It was hard to tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.

  “Caia Ribeiro?”

  Caia turned around to see two distinguished looking people peering at her in astonishment. One was a stocky older man, perfectly coifed in a designer suit, and his companion a small, compact woman whose movements reminded Caia of a little bird.

  “Caia.” Marita gestured to them. “May I introduce Alfred Doukas and Penelope Argyros.”

  It did not fail Caia’s notice that both these council members had Greek names. Did that mean that their family was from way back when? Was that what it took to be a council member? A lineage that could be traced back the gods? If so... these were definitely the people she needed to impress.

  “It’s an honour.” She shook their hands firmly, with a deliberate soft smile playing across her face. They seemed taken aback by her. She doubted she was what they had been expecting.

  “No.” Alfred grinned back. “This is an honour for us. We came because we’ve heard extraordinary things about you, Miss Ribeiro.”

  “Please call me Caia.”

  “Of course.”

  What followed was almost like an interview. They wanted to know about her upbringing, about Ethan’s death, about the attack against the MacLachlans. They wanted to know what her plans were from now on. She shoved what she’d just witnessed to the back of her brain and told them that she was considering a position offered to her by Marita, but that she hadn’t decided whether to take it yet. Instead she told them about the pack, describing them colourfully, explaining how much they meant to her. It was safe to assume that Alfred and Penelope were enchanted by her, and thankfully seemed to approve of her loyalty to the pack, first and foremost.

  “It says a little something about your character.” Penelope nodded, smiling earnestly at her.

  The ‘interview’ seemed to be drawing to a close when Penelope twittered, “And this substance? That transformed Marita’s first-lykan-in-command, what was it exactly?”

  Caia shook her head, a vision of Anders panicked eyes when he realised he was going to die flashing through her mind like an arrow of guilt. “It was something Pierre Du Bois and his partner Thierry Cotillard had paid human scientists to work on. They had daemons on their payroll capture lykans and had these scientists working on their genetic make up for the past five years. Impressively, they hid it from the trace and I didn’t know to look deeper. A mistake I won’t make again. Anyway, I’m sure if Ethan had known about it he would have wanted a part in it, especially as they had a breakthrough. They were able to concoct a liquid from taking chemicals in a lykanthrope body and combine it with the magik utilised in natural materialisation to transform a lykan in wolf form back into a human. I don’t understand how it works but there’s a lab, here in Paris, where the liquid is kept. The human scientists have all been killed.”

  Alfred scowled. “Are we sure that their breach has been taken care of? No human is left alive that is aware of supernaturals?”

  Caia shook her head. “I couldn’t be sure. I just know from what I could see in Du Bois’ head that the men and women he was using are dead. Whether or not those people told others...”

  “Point taken.” He shook his head disturbed. “This lab must be destroyed.”

  Marita coughed delicately from behind them and they all looked to her que
stioningly. “Perhaps it would be prudent to analyse the lab; discover what we can about this formula?”

  Oh you would like that, wouldn’t you? Caia thought, concealing her disgust.

  “No,” Penelope chirped, shivering a little, “the idea of Magik’s experimenting on other supernaturals... I think its best that information goes no further than these four walls. The last thing we need is giving the wrong people inspiration.”

  Well said.

  Caia pinned Marita with her gaze, hoping to see a glimmer of guilt or some kind of betrayal of her own experiments. There was nothing. She was so cool. Definitely not an enemy to take lightly.

  “I agree.” Alfred nodded gravely. “Best to destroy it immediately.”

  Marita shrugged as if it made no matter. “Fine, I’ll have someone take care of it.”

  “I’ll do it.” Caia sprang to her feet. No way in hell was she letting Marita or one of her slugs near that place. “Right now. I’ll go right now.”

  Penelope and Alfred beamed at her, clearly impressed with her offer. “That would be wonderful, Caia, thank you.”

  Marita threw a strained smile her way. “Aren’t you exhausted, dear?”

  “No. I want to do this. I want every inch of that place levelled.”

  “I’ll send someone with you just in case.”

  Why, so they could spy around, find the information Marita wanted anyway? She didn’t think so.

  Caia shook her head. “I’d prefer to choose someone to go with me.”

  “Of course.” Alfred nodded and then seared Marita with a penetrating look. “Caia should have whomever she feels most comfortable in the field with.”

  “That would be Lucien, then.” Marita almost sneered at her.

  “No.” Caia shook her head. The last thing she needed was complicating this with Lucien thrown into the mix. No. There was only one person she believed could be trusted. Someone so principled they were cold with it. “I want Phoebe MacLachlan.”