A Werewolf's Saga Books 4, 5, & 6 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 2)

by Michael Lampman

  Rana took his hand within her right and allowed him to pull her back to her feet. “What took you soon long my love to find me?” She let go of his hand as she stood strong again in front of him. Suddenly, she felt refreshed. She felt complete again too.

  “Oh my dear Rana, now that we are back together again, time is no longer a problem.”

  She returned his smile. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing me back again.”

  “Now…” Devish turned and looked back to Vincent, saw the wonder in his eyes, and turned back to Rana again. “…we can begin.”

  Vincent nodded. “We must prepare for our visit with the elders.” He turned.

  This made Devish turn back towards him. “Now is not the time for our visit Vincent.” He looked back to Rana. “First we must visit the black wolf’s place. We must convince his friends not to follow him.”

  Hearing this Rana smiled.

  Vincent nodded. He knew what this meant and he couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

  25

  The day went by. Jimmy did what he said he would and replaced Robert at the job of guarding the house a little after noon.

  Robert left him in the living room and made his way up the stairs. Jimmy told him to take his bedroom, so he did.

  He lay down on the bed with a heavy tiredness that overwhelmed him the minute he was still. It didn’t take him that long to fall asleep.

  It didn’t take the dream that long to come into his mind.

  He could see the castle lying up against the hillside, sparkling in the deep moonlight overhead. He could see the forces of Devish ringing the bottom of the hill. The moonwalkers were spread out in front of the nightwalkers as they waited for the battle that he was bringing to them to begin. The nightshades flew overhead, circling in broad strokes as they waited for their orders to dive. There were hundreds of them. It was quite a striking sight.

  His forces, led by wanderers and strongly manned with humans, faced them from across the field. They hid in the trees and waited for the right time to attack. There he stood at the trees and watched. The thoughts of the coming battle ran around inside his head. The doubts he had for what was about to happen, the ideas of whether or not he was doing the right thing, hung over him like a damp and heavy cloth. Everything was there. Everything was nothing more than a jumble of thoughts. His worry was the strongest of each.

  Jameson, the king of the humans, met him at the trees. “Rochie? The time is right. The moon is out and we must begin.” He kept on his horse. There was no time like now to end this fight. “We must begin the attack.”

  He turned to him with a cautious stare. “I hate that we had to come to this moment.” He turned back to the field—an empty patch of nothing between the trees and the hill. “I regret that we had to come to this.” He bowed his eyes. He meant what he said. He tried so long to come to an understanding with his once masters, but it all failed. He failed at peace. He failed to win without a fight. He failed to win her back.

  Kenar, his friend for a long time now, came up behind him and stopped. “We chose this path my friend. We did all of this together. We must end this for the last time. He is the last one. He is the last blood walker. We must put him down and send him back to hell.”

  Or course Rochie already knew this. He knew that this day would come. He knew that this was the time, but he still didn’t have to like it. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when they stood beside the families and lived with them in peace, but that was a long time ago. The times have finally come to this.

  “We must be ready. We must go now.” Kenar could see the sparkle of the auras around the hill, and with them, he knew of their haunting task. He saw this fight many times in his dreams. As far as he was concerned about it, it took too long to come to this point.

  Rochie saw himself nod. “He should be in there by now. We must strike at the correct time. If we are off by moments, he may not make it. We must give him the time to make this work.”

  Kenar huffed with a hot blast of air. “You put way too much faith in that evil demon Rochie. You should have never let him do this. As far as we know, he is in there right now warning him of our plans. We should have never trusted him.”

  Rochie shook his head. “He knows the truth Kenar. He now knows what he must do. I have faith in the black wolf that he will do what he has to do.”

  Jameson scoffed. “He is one of them Rochie. You have far greater faith in him than I ever shall.”

  Rochie laughed some with this. “We are who we are. He is who made him. He will do what he must.”

  Kenar heard the laugh. He knew the truth of what happened and still didn’t trust it. He didn’t trust him. “He still deserves to die Rochie. I will never care about what they did to him. He is still one of them. He is still a walker.”

  Rochie bowed his head. “We have each sacrificed something to fight this battle. The black wolf is no different. He too will do what he must do to correct his mistakes, just as all of us must do.”

  Kenar now knew of his hesitation. He heard it clearly in his voice. He read it in his mind. “She chose her path Rochie. She decided which side to take in this. She chose to stand against you.”

  Rochie agreed. Inside he had his sister’s face cross over his eyes. How she came to be across from him, across from who he was, vexed his very soul. But Kenar was right. She had forced her path. He had to stay firmly on his. “I know Kenar. I know what we must do.” He finally turned to the others. “Let the battle begin.”

  “Robert?” Jimmy sat down next to him on the bed and tapped his right shoulder with a soft but firm touch. “It’s beginning to get dark. We have to get ready.”

  Robert rolled over onto his back but kept his eyes closed to everything now roaming around inside his head. The dream vanished, but the image of his sister was still there, wrapped around his mind. He couldn’t shake the image. He couldn’t shake her. Sweat rolled down his forehead and down his right cheek. His heart pounced hard inside his chest. His breathing likewise became erratic.

  For Jimmy, he could almost feel the dream. He’s having a nightmare. He sees something that he can’t break from. Whatever it is, it must be strong. It’s scaring him to his very being. “Robert?” He added a shake to his touch.

  Robert felt the rocking, and with it, he opened his eyes. He looked straight to Jimmy’s face. “Jimmy?” He had to focus. He had to fight the fear. Seeing his face, it helped some, but not much. He still saw his sister’s face. There was something about her that looked different and he couldn’t place it. When he saw Jimmy’s eyes, hers flared to a deep blue into his own. “Rachel?” He sat up.

  Jimmy let go. “What about her?”

  “She’s not her anymore. She’s now Rana again. He gave her back her memories.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I saw her face. Her eyes flared with the blue power of the wanderer. She is Rana again.”

  Jimmy stood up from the bed. “So Devish gave her back her memories then.” He bowed his head. Outside, he sounded calm, but inside, he wasn’t. Inside he almost felt like he was just torn in two. “He gave them back.” He felt like crying. He felt worse than death. “Are you sure?” He couldn’t believe what he heard. It didn’t feel right. He didn’t want it to be real. Rachel would not turn from me to him. She can’t and won’t help him. I have faith in her. I always will.

  “He must have. I just saw it happen and now I can feel that she’s gone. She can stop me from seeing through her eyes. She just did it.”

  Jimmy almost sobbed, but caught himself just before he did it. He sighed instead. “We have to go to these elders. We have to find them.” This was all that he could say. He could only hope that Robert was right about everything. It now felt like it was all that he had left.

  Robert pulled his feet to the side of the bed and then stood up. Now standing he could see Sasha and Brandon standing in the hallway on the other side of the door. “We have to go.”

  “I’ll
get ready.” Sasha turned from the door. After listening to everything about Rachel, she now felt ready to find her. She couldn’t believe that she would do what he just said she would, so if talking to these elders was going to help them, she wanted to get to it.

  “No.” Jimmy turned around. “I need you both to stay here. I need you to watch Ross.”

  Brandon began shaking his head. “No Jimmy. We’re coming with you.” He didn’t like the idea of staying out of this, not when Rachel might no longer by her. Not when he could help stop it if he could.

  Jimmy wasn’t going to argue with both of them about this. “I and Robert can take care of this meeting. I need you both here. I need you both to protect Ross.”

  Robert agreed with Jimmy. “He’s right. You both have to stay out of this.” He stood directly to Jimmy’s left side.

  Both Sasha and Brandon paused, thinking. They hated what came into their thoughts. They had no intention of just staying there and waiting like that.

  Jimmy felt their worry and their eagerness to help, but he knew how important it was. “I know you both don’t like this, but you have to. Only Robert and I have to see the elders. You have to trust us. You have to trust me.”

  Brandon nodded, knowing that he lost the fight. “All right. Don’t take long. Be back as fast as you can.”

  Sasha knew this too, so she nodded—regretting everything she heard already. “Be careful Jimmy.”

  With that done, Jimmy nodded to both of them and then turned back to Robert. “Where is this meeting of theirs being held anyway?”

  Robert watched Jimmy’s friends, his friends, and looked back to him. “They meet where they always do when they come to the city, the Grand Motif Hotel. They meet in a suit on the top floor.”

  Jimmy nodded. “Then let’s get going then shall we.” He smiled, turned, moved past both Sasha and Brandon, and made his way down the stairs.

  Robert followed him to the front door.

  Sasha came down with them.

  Jimmy watched Robert open the door. “We’ll be back. Hold down the fort.” He watched Brandon join Sasha on the last step.

  She nodded to him.

  Jimmy gave her a smile, and followed Robert out onto the steps. He closed the door.

  Robert stopped just on the bottom step and the sidewalk, and turned back to Jimmy. He had more to say before they did this. “Before we get there, I need you to stay calm Jimmy. We might have to talk our way into this—into seeing them.”

  Hearing this now, Jimmy felt disbelief for it. “You tell me this now?”

  Robert chuckled some before explaining. “I’m a wanderer Jimmy. I betrayed them the same way that you did. The both of us being there together are going to put them on edge. I just hope that we find Sharlia first.”

  Jimmy raised his eyebrows up. “Why?”

  “Finding Sharlia?” Robert looked out to the street, found the entire area quiet, and turned back to him. “She’s an elder. They’ll listen to her. It will make it easier for us to get in to speak with them.”

  Jimmy nodded. “That makes sense.” He smiled. “Well—let’s see how this is going to go first then shall we—again.”

  Robert smiled and nodded.

  They left the steps, turned right down the sidewalk, and headed towards downtown New York. They kept quiet with nothing else left to say.

  26

  “Why do we have to hurry Grandpa? I haven’t slept in over a day, and neither have you. We need to get some rest some time.” Danny was no longer frustrated but more like angry. Yes—he was getting downright pissed off for being kept in the dark like this. He was now twenty-one years old. He was old enough to know better. He was old enough to be able to handle the truth, whatever that truth was.

  Joseph stayed inside the car. He only kept the window down in order to get his grandson to get back inside with him. They were now in the city but still not close enough to get to where they needed to go. He had nothing else on his mind but to get back to his friend. He had to get back to Kalima.

  “We’ll get some sleep after this is over with Danny. I’ve already slept enough.” He kept his eyes forwards, looking through the windshield. With the night coming again, and a bright moon coming overhead, he could already see the auras around everyone. The sparkle of their yellow haze was already getting brighter. Soon they will be as bright as the sun. If he could see the sun that is, because he never has. He has been blind every time that he has walked this world.

  Danny huffed. “You have to tell me what this is all about grandpa or I’m going to end this right now.” He stayed on the sidewalk of the motel, just near the lobby where he parked the car. He meant what he said. He was tired, both physically and mentally with a heavier weight on the mental side of this and he couldn’t fight it any more than he already had. “I shouldn’t have even started this.” He dropped his arms to his side from flaring them out as he raged on as he talked. The defeat he felt became even worse.

  Joseph lowered his head. I cannot tell him anything more—he wouldn’t believe me anyway, but I have to say something. I need him. I need him to get me there. After some amount of thought, he looked back up. “I had a dream while I was ill. In it I dreamed of an old friend of mine from a long time ago. He needs my help Danny. I have to help him.” This sounds ridiculous but so is the truth. He would never believe the latter.

  Danny now lowered his head with a heavy weight. “You’re telling me that all of this is about a dream? This is about a dream.” He almost couldn’t believe it. So much so, he must have heard him wrong.

  Joseph nodded. “I’ve known him for years Danny—maybe longer than that. I saw him hurting for what I did to him many of those years ago.” He looked right, seeing the yellow colored glow emanating around his grandson with a fire that looked brighter than most even had. “I need to correct that mistake.” He gave him a smile. It felt as hollow as it was right. “I have to help him. I owe him that much, if not more.”

  Danny looked to the doorway of the lobby behind him and then back to his grandfather again. “What did you do?” In all truth, he understood none of this. He just didn’t, and probably couldn’t, understand. This hurt him the most. Why doesn’t he trust me? What did I do to earn his lack of trust?

  Again Joseph dropped his head. “I let him go before telling him what he needed to hear. In this, I failed him. I need to tell him what I should have before it gets too late. He needs the truth. He needs everything that I have left to give him too.”

  Watching his grandfather like this and hearing the pain in his voice, he did begin to believe what he was telling him. His grandpa believed every word, and understanding this much, it made him doubt himself. “What’s with the rush?” Even with everything, he still felt like he needed more information, so he asked what he needed to have next.

  Again Joseph raised his head and looked straight at him. “Time is running out for him—for my friend. If I don’t get to him, it may be too late to help him. I’m running out of time.”

  Suddenly a new idea coursed its way through Danny’s mind. This one feared him more than all of the others did. Just because of what it might mean. “Are you afraid that you’ll die before you get the chance to see him again? Is that what this is all about?”

  Joseph shook his head. “No.” He looked down and then back up again. “I’m afraid that he will die if I don’t do it soon.”

  Danny swallowed, thankful somewhat that it wasn’t for the same reasons that he thought. Still hearing the pain in his voice did bring everything else back up again. With these back, he swallowed hard and deep. “Okay.” He moved away from the sidewalk and back across the hood of the car, and climbed back behind the wheel. “I’ll get you there.” He started the engine. “When I do, you have to promise me something.” He looked right, but kept his eyes down.

  Joseph did the same. “Anything.”

  He looked up. “I want to know what you’re hiding from me. I want the truth.”

  Joseph reached out with
his left hand, took Danny’ right hand into it, and squeezed him gently. “I will when the time is right.”

  Danny nodded.

  “Thank you Danny. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I owe you now too.” He smiled.

  Those words brought a thankful smile to Danny’s face. He squeezed his hand back before putting the car into reverse and headed off.

  Joseph now felt overly relieved. Now if he could just get there in time. Nothing else seemed to matter more than that.

  27

  They walked for a while before they finally came to the front of the hotel. Seeing only a normal doorperson standing out front, made Jimmy take a deep breath of relief. For some reason he thought they would find a hundred walkers crouched around out front, but seeing just one human there instead made him relax instantly. Of course there wouldn’t be any of them out front. That doesn’t make any sense. They wouldn’t give themselves away like that. He nodded as he and Robert walked inside the lobby and stopped.

  “They will be on the top floor. That’s where we’ll have to make our way through all of them. They will have guards at every entrance. Those guards will not let us in easily.” Robert pulled him close to him to prevent anyone else from hearing him. He couldn’t risk what they would do if they did. This was far too important to risk everything at once.

  Jimmy nodded, looked at the front desk and to the young woman behind it, saw nothing out of the ordinary about her, and then looked back to Robert. “Are they going to let us just go up there?” He saw only humans walking around the lobby. He could see their auras. Their scents added to their sight.

  “Yes they will.” Robert turned towards the single elevator just behind him from across the desk. “At least until we get on the elevator and make our way up.” He gave him a nervous smile. He did feel nervous. He did feel out of place. He always felt this way when it came to being surrounded by as many as he now was. How they would react to them being there made everything else feel ten times worse, especially when he didn’t see Sharlia there yet. He only hoped that she was already there at the meeting.