His ears cock to the side like he just realized something. Then he turns to the dirt and starts to dig a hole. It’s about a foot deep when he stops. He turns toward me and looks back at the hole.
“Okay? What does that have to do with anything?”
He rolls his golden eyes at me then points his nose into the hole.
I’m slightly confused.
Zach sees I’m not getting it, so he shakes out his fur then sits down in thought. After a moment, he takes his paw and tries to drag it across the open ground, making a line. He quickly moves to a bigger area of open dirt and starts to drag his paw.
U, is the first letter. Shortly follows by N, D, E, and R.
“Under…” I pause and look back at Zach’s hole. “She’s underground?” I ask him unsure.
He jerks, looking up at me showing his teeth in a smile.
“But how do you know that?”
He begins to write again.
DON’T.
“But…”
He huffs, writing again.
NO SCENT.
“So you think she’s underground because you can’t find a sent on her?”
He nods.
“I hope she’s okay.” Tears start welling in my eyes. Lexi is my best friend and the sister I never had.
Zach’s ears fall to the side. He looks mournful, shaking his head no.
“What’s wrong?”
TORTURED.
“Lexi is!? But… how do you know that?”
C HER I DIED.
“You saw her when you died?” My eyes widen. Maybe that wasn’t my imagination when I spoke to her when I passed out.
He nods with anger and fury in his eyes.
“That would explain…” I realize I’m speaking out loud.
Zach lets out a low bark.
“Nothing.”
He growls and comes toward me.
“Okay, okay.” He stops and sits in front of me. “I didn’t see her, but I heard her voice when you died. She told me she was sorry and to forget about her. She sounded horrible, like she’d given up.”
Zach immediately stands and grabs the bottom of my shirt and starts to pull me toward his parents. Once we reach them, Zach stops and looks at me, then gestures toward his parents.
I tell them what Zach told me, and of my experience.
“That’s why we can’t find her. Now it makes sense,” Garcia nods in agreement.
“I’ll see what I find from the air. Surely there has to be a malformation in the ground.” Thatch immediately takes off to the skies in Eagle form. He disappears within seconds after changing.
Garcia, Zach and I sit down in the woods waiting for Thatch’s return.
I soon lose myself in my own thoughts as a distraction. Otherwise I may go crazy waiting for word from Thatch.
I was surprised Thomas wanted to stay behind and watch out for mom the day we left. But I think it was more of wanting to wait for Donavon. They have a strange relationship, almost like brothers but more respect for one another. I still don’t have a full understanding of it myself and probably never will.
Bree and her sister Oranda… those two are a true mystery. Well, Oranda is mostly. We still don’t know her motivations for helping us. She and Bree have been estranged from one another from many, many, years. Longer than I have been alive, that’s for sure. No one is sure about Oranda, if we can trust her or not. I’m particularly not a fan of hers. Ever since she came around she’s been keeping Bree busy with other things. Almost like she’s keeping her away from Lexi.
Hmm… But maybe it’s the other way around…
Lost in my own thoughts, I don’t realize I fell asleep on Zach’s side. When I wake up, it’s completely dark and I about jump out of my skin to feel fur under my face. Zach turns his head to look at me and coughs a laugh.
“Sorry.” I feel guilty.
He rolls his eyes and lays his head back down. I look around for Garcia and notice she is leaned up against a tree with her eyes shut only a few feet away.
“Is your mom sleeping?” I asked Zach.
She smiles with a small laugh. “I’m listening for Thatch child.”
“Oh… any sign of him yet?”
She shakes her head still concentrating. “Go back to sleep. We will wake you when he returns.”
“I don’t think I can. I have too many things I’m thinking about.” I sigh.
“What is it that’s troubling you?” she asked opening her eyes to look at me.
“Well… It’s Oranda.”
“Yes?”
“Since she has been around, how often have you seen Bree?”
“Good point. She has been distant. I would have thought she would have been here.”
“That’s my point. Bree isn’t around much anymore and I’m definitely sure Lexi has noticed. But it’s like Oranda is trying to keep Bree away from Lexi on purpose. But I don’t know what her motive would be unless she is working for Malvent.”
“Very good point child. That is something we will have to look into once we get home.”
Zach nods in silence, lost in thought.
I lean up against a tree much like Garcia and lean my head back. I can’t see much through the woods, as it’s too dark, and I’m not fond of the dark. I shut my eyes and try to concentrate on Lexi and where she could possibly be.
For a short time, I’m just looking at the darkness of my eyelids then things change. I’m in a lightly lit circular room full of mirrors running around it. Someone is in the middle of the room hanging from the ceiling and I’m not sure if I should go near them, but I find my feet moving on their own.
There are thick ropes hanging from the high ceiling, wrapping around someone’s wrists. Looking farther down, I come to a face covered in a burlap bag. The rest of their body is covered in ripped silk and bandages, multiple deep wounds, and blood in pools on the ground. Their ankles are bound in the same thick rope, pulling them to the floor.
I have to know who this poor person is. I grab the bag and pull it off their face.
I immediately drop to my knees in horror… Lexi.
I barely recognize her. Her face is swollen and bruised. I look at her for a moment and realize she isn’t moving… is she even breathing? I don’t see any movement.
“Lexi? Lexi please…” I whisper.
Her eyes flutter open. “K?” she whispers dryly and weak.
“Lexi!”
“Please… kill… me…” her voice is trailing off.
I can feel myself pulling away from her. “We’re coming for you Lexi! Zach is coming!” I try to say quickly as I’m fading out.
“Good… I’ll be happy… with him.” She gives a small swollen smile. In that smile she shows the only life she has left.
I try to speak again but my voice is gone.
“Katrina!” someone yells.
My eyes fly open and I immediately began to cry.
Zach jumps to his feet and starts to look around us frantically.
“Zach… Zach I seen her!” I yell. “She’s going to die if we don’t get to her now!”
He yelps and spins in my direction.
“She’s bad. Oh God Lexi!” I cover my eyes as I weep.
“Katrina, please child, what happened?” Garcia is clearly upset.
“Lexi, she doesn’t have much longer. She’s being tormented like Zach said and if we don’t get to her soon… I’m afraid she’s on her last breaths!” I start to panic and start to hyperventilate.
Zach paces and growls while looking to the skies for his father.
Garcia is in stunned silence rubbing my back, trying to calm me down. It’s not working.
While my tears spill over, we continue to wait silently for Thatch’s return. I keep sending thoughts to Lexi to hold on. I doubt she actually got them but it helps me from completely losing control.
“Can’t you find out where Thatch is?” I ask Garcia. “I’m starting to worry.”
“No need child. He’s about
a mile out now. He will be here in a moment.” She wraps her arm around me in comfort. “She will be okay.”
It’s only a minute later that I hear large wings cutting through the air. The closer he gets, the more ruffled the leaves on the ground become. I look up just in time to see Thatch land with such grace and turn into himself again.
He’s about to speak, but pauses taking in all our faces. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
Garcia quickly says, “Lexi, she’s not doing well right now and we need to get to her as soon as possible before we lose her.”
“How-” Thatch is cut off by Garcia’s quick, “There’s no time. Do you know where they are?”
He nods, understanding the urgency. “Yes. I found a large mound in the earth that isn’t natural. It’s about 20 miles east of here. I could see two humans guarding the entrance of some underground tunnel.”
“Thatch, we need to go, now!” Garcia presses urgently.
He nods in agreement.
Garcia turns to me, “Katrina, we all need to be in our forms to move quicker. Will you be okay on Zach’s back for the run?”
I look at Zach who nods in agreement.
“Anything for Lexi.” I go to Zach’s side and whisper, “If I’m too heavy, just throw me to the ground and get to her.”
Zach rolls his eyes and motions for me to get on.
This doesn’t feel right. I swallow hard and straddle his back like a horse.
“Child?” Garcia said, “You’re going to want to hang on tight.” She gave a small smile before transforming.
Before I know it, Zach takes off. I almost fall off but quickly lay against his back, hanging onto his massive shoulders to keep from falling. I can feel his muscles through his enormous body, working together, moving us faster. I can’t tell how fast we are moving, all I know is my hair is blowing straight back with the force of the wind.
Zach starts dodging around the trees causing me to hang on tighter. Several times I swear we weren’t touching the ground at all. It feels like flying.
I notice Garcia is running beside us in her bear form. At this level she looks massive, even more so than normal. Zach and his mother keep pace with one another easily and I wonder if I’m holding back Zach’s full speed. I don’t see Thatch anywhere and assume he is guiding them from above the trees.
It only takes about three minutes for them to run the twenty mile distance. As soon as we stop, I get off Zach’s back and stumble a bit trying to get myself back in order. Zach grins, showing his teeth and I scowl back, something Lexi would do I’m sure.
I look around searching for Thatch and Garcia and don’t see them until they are running side by side in human form toward us. I forgot that they give off a bright light when transforming so they have to do it out of sight.
I turn around, facing the same way as Zach, and notice the sun is starting to come up. I’m able to make out shapes with the low light.
In front of us is a large, rounded mound sticking out of the earth. Trees grow all around it and even on top helping with the camouflage. Obviously it didn’t work too well with Thatch’s sight, even in the dark. I’m able to see two people standing at what seems to be an entrance.
“Katrina, we’re going to need your help inside,” Thatch whispered. “From what I can tell, they’re human. I do smell others who are not, but the scent is very faint and distant. Do you think you can handle this?”
“What do I need to do?” I’m ready to do anything for my ‘sister’.
“You will have Zach with you. We don’t expect you to fight anyone. That will be Zach’s job to watch your back.” Zach nods in agreement. “Your goal is to find Lexi and get her out. Garcia and I will clear the way for you on the way in. After that, you and Zach are on your own.”
I take a deep, steadying breath. “Okay.”
“Are you sure you can do this child?” Garcia asked worried.
I look her in the eye, determined. “Absolutely.”
“You are just like your grandmother.” She smiled shaking her head. “Is everyone ready?” She looked up making eye contact with everyone.
We all nod.
“Let’s go!”
Jumping again on Zach’s back, we run out of the woods in a flash of light.
Mission
Garcia and Thatch barrel through the two guards throwing them to the side, knocking them unconscious. Zach isn’t far behind as he jumps over the guards entering the underground tunnel.
The hallway is short. At least it seemed it when he turned left. Zach is going so fast it’s hard to tell much of anything. Up ahead I hear screams and few more people being thrown to the ground with a thud, and vicious growls coming from Garcia.
That’s the end of the silent entrance. Sirens start to scream through the compound with red flashes of light on the walls. It’s hard to look around clinging onto Zach’s back to know exactly what is going on. All I can hear are snarls and people screaming. Personally I don’t want to look, I don’t need any images of what is going on up ahead.
Zach comes to a stop and I quickly jump off. We are at the end of a hall that splits into two curves. Garcia and Thatch nod for us to go left while they head right. I hear people yelling to get weapons while others charge down the hall toward us.
“Can you do this Zach?” I ask quietly.
He nods.
“Have you picked up her sent yet?” He knows I mean Lexi.
He shakes his head no.
“Okay, let’s get moving.” I don’t get on his back this time. I know there is an army ahead and he will have to fight through them.
Zach heads off, running way ahead of me, while I run as fast as I can behind him.
“Kill it!” someone yells up ahead. I can’t see yet, the hall is still curved.
Zach snarls and people yell. I run harder and finally, I can see what is happening.
Zach is in the middle of about ten men. They have various weapons from long spears to guns. As they close in, Zach jumps up taking down two men leaving them unconscious. Another man pulls a gun from his belt and aims it at Zach.
“Zach!” I yell as I charge the man in front of me.
Everyone except Zach turns to look at me. Many have confusion on their face while others show anger and disgust.
Zach quickly bites into the hand of the man with the gun. He drops the gun and grabs his wrist in agony as the blood pours to the floor. The wound is deep. The other men close in on Zach ignoring me. At that moment, Zach loses it and tackles just about every one of them to the ground in blinding speed, leaving them all dazed. When he’s finished, he has one man pushed up against the wall dangling off the ground under his massive paws. It’s the man he bit a moment ago.
Zach looks at me and signals me to come over. I do as he commands and I step over the bodies on the floor. I’m thankful they are all still breathing.
The man looks down at me with anger filled eyes.
“Why are you working with these demons!?” he snarled.
Zach growled.
“You know nothing about them! They are my friends! My family!” I snarled back.
“Disgusting! You’re a traitor to your own kind!” he spat.
“Who said I was human?” I cock my head to the side. I see a smirk on Zach’s face.
His eyes widen. “But you look-” he’s quickly cut off by Zach’s sharp bark.
I look at Zach and know immediately what is going on when he cocks his ear toward the hall. More men are coming and I have a question that needs an answer.
“Where is the girl you’ve been torturing?” I demand with fire in my eyes.
“Why should I tell you!?” he snapped.
Zach growls in his face.
I answer in a condescending tone. “Well you see, my wolf friend here is a Werewolf, and by the look of that bite…. You will become the very thing you hate. There is only one way to keep that from happening and if you don’t answer my question… I guess, you’ll be howling at the moon in no t
ime.” It was all lies, but the fury I feel came through my voice.
The man looks horrified as he looked at his wrist, the blood flow is slowing. “What is it!? Tell me!” his voice is panicked.
“Answer my question first!” I demanded.
“Fine! She’s in the circular room down stairs! Now answer mine! Please!” he started to beg.
“More specific, how do we get there?”
He squirmed, debating if his life is worth more than Lexi’s. “Second door on the left, go down the stairs, make a right, third door on the left! Tell me now!”
“Thanks,” I smiled.
Zach let him drop to the floor and we start down the hall.
“Answer me!” The man yells behind us.
We continue to run and come to the second door we need.
As soon as we are in the stairwell we both laugh as we head quickly down the stairs. It’s short lived as we open the door to the second floor. Zach isn’t the only one who can smell it. Blood and death coat the air. It makes me sick and made Zack back up for a moment. I can only imagine how strong it is for him.
I jump on Zach’s back once more. The faster we get to Lexi, the better. Zach wastes no time, and within seconds we are at the third door on the left.
I take a deep breath and prepare for the worst. Opening the door, Zach leads the way into the dark room. The odor is by far worse in this room and it terrifies me.
Zach stands by my side frozen in his movements. I can only imagine what he is seeing as it’s all pitch black to me.
“Zach, you need to lead me to Lexi. I can’t see,” I whispered. I don’t know if we are alone in here or not.
Zach lets out a quick breath and starts forward. I grab onto his fur as he leads me to the middle of the room. My eyes slowly adjust and I can make out some shapes. As we approach the center I see the figure I saw once before. Lexi hangs in the same way I had seen her.
The smell of blood becomes stronger the closer we get to her and it makes my stomach turn. I just pray she was still alive, if only barely.
We are close enough now that I can touch her. I let go of Zach and reach out to Lexi.
“Lexi? Lexi its K,” I spoke softly.
There is no response or movement. I reach and pull the burlap bag off her head. She still doesn’t react.
Sapphyre: Rise of an Angel (Sapphyre Saga Book 3) Page 2
