Moon Born (The Wolf Wars Series Book 3)

by H. D. Gordon

7

  “Hello,” I replied, though the greeting felt somehow ridiculous.

  The Erl Queen wore a long shimmering gown of silver and black, her face as youthful as my own, but the look behind her eyes somehow ancient.

  “I was wondering when you would visit again,” the Erl Queen said, her voice soft and sweet.

  I glanced around us, noting the ten Valac still standing close enough to impale us with those spears should we take a step in the wrong direction.

  “We have a question, and we were hoping you could help us,” I said.

  Beside me, Asha remained silent, and it struck me that perhaps there was a third reason the Demon had wanted me to come with her on this mission. For reasons as yet unknown to me, the Erl Queen seemed to have a particular fascination with me, which might make her willing to barter.

  “You want to know how to find the City of the Seers,” the Erl Queen said, studying her manicured nails as if she were already bored with our interaction. When her eyes flicked back to me, however, the spark in them revealed that this was far from true.

  It dawned on me then that perhaps Asha wasn’t the only one who had plans for me.

  “How did you know that?” I asked.

  “I know many things, moonchild,” the Queen sneered, and from the expression on her terribly beautiful face, I got the feeling that ‘many things’ included the relationship that was blooming between Adriel and me.

  The last time I’d been here, the Queen had demanded that I “keep my paws off Adriel,” because he was taken. I wondered now if her senses were as strong as a Wolf’s, if she could pick up his scent clinging to me.

  “How do we get there?” Asha asked, speaking for the first time since our arrival.

  The Erl Queen flicked a disinterested look at my Demon companion before settling her gaze on me once more. I didn’t have to glance at Asha to know that this likely pissed her right off.

  “What do you have to offer?” she replied.

  Asha took a step toward the Queen, and the Valac at her back took a warning step forward. Around us, the darkness of this hellish realm seemed to press in around the edges, as if horrifying creatures were waiting within the shadows of the surrounding abyss.

  When Asha reached into the bag slung over her shoulders, she made sure to move slowly, carefully. She grabbed whatever she was digging for with one hand, the other held up, palm facing the Queen in a gesture of surrender. When she opened her fingers, she revealed a black rock about the size of a walnut, with tiny holes dotting the surface.

  A hissing gasp escaped the Erl Queen at the sight of it, and it was all too easy to remember what she looked like in her alternate form, when she wasn’t wearing the mask of a gorgeous young female with big innocent eyes. Dark magic hid the long, slimy, muscular tentacles that sprouted both from her bottom half and head, the ones on top smaller versions of the limbs on bottom.

  “Where did you get that, Demon?” the Erl Queen asked, as tension filled the air. For all their stoicism, even the Valac warriors leaned forward, their dark eyes going to the black rock in Asha’s hand.

  Asha shrugged, exhibiting the devil-may-care attitude I’d come to expect from her. “I came across it in my travels,” she said coolly.

  The Erl Queen hissed at the same moment that a thick bolt of lightning shot across the endlessly dark night. In the flash of illumination, the towering peaks of the castle stood out like daggers thrusting toward the heavens, and the slimy tentacles of the Erl Queen also blinked momentarily into view.

  The effect was chilling. I found myself swallowing past an uncomfortable knot that was forming in my throat.

  “You ssstole it,” the Erl Queen snapped, sounding even more snakelike in her anger.

  “I did no such thing,” Asha said, raising her chin in a defiance I had to respect. “So do you want it or not?”

  There was a moment of charged silence, a slice of a second where I thought the Valac just might rush us with those wicked spears, but then, the Queen said, “Yes, I want it.” Her eyes flicked to me again. “What do I get from you?”

  “The rock is enough,” Asha said, and the way the words were spoken between clenched teeth revealed that she had not wanted me to have to trade anything. I was equally as surprised by this as I was appreciative.

  “I will say what is enough, Demon,” the Erl Queen snarled, “and I want something from our dearest Rukiya.” She flicked a dismissive hand toward Asha. “Unless you know someone else who holds the information you seek.”

  The Erl Queen knew damn well that we did not, that we would not be here if we did. She clucked her tongue, a grin spreading over her red-painted lips. Behind them, I caught a glimpse of pointed fangs.

  “Just as I thought,” she said, and her gaze went back to me. “So what do you have for me, Rukiya?”

  I suppressed the urge to throttle the arrogant bitch and managed to keep my voice even as well. “I don’t have anything you could want,” I replied, and added with no small amount of disgust, “you’ve already taken my reproductive abilities.”

  I could feel Asha’s eyes go to me, her brows surely raised high at this revelation, but I kept my focus on the Erl Queen.

  “That’s okay, Rukiya dearest,” the Erl Queen crooned, and with her use of the name Adriel used for me, I knew now that she did indeed know about our forming relationship. “I’ll take the promise of a future favor instead.”

  Asha’s mouth fell open to protest, so I spoke before she could do so, and before I could think better of it as well.

  “Deal,” I said. “Now tell us how to find the city.”

  We shook on it, and though her skin looked milky white and butter-soft, my hand felt slimy as I pulled it away. The grin that pulled up the Erl Queen’s lips only added to the effect.

  She snapped her fingers at one of the Valac, and he reached into a small sack attached to his armor, producing an old scroll. He handed it to the Erl Queen, who took it gingerly between her fingers.

  “The City of the Seers is not like other places,” she said, her slanted eyes fixed on the scroll. “It is not here or there, but everywhere, and it cannot be found, only sought.”

  “Um, that doesn’t help us at all,” Asha said.

  The Erl Queen flashed those sharp canines at Asha before holding the scroll out to me. “This map will show you the way,” she said.

  For whatever reason, I hesitated in taking it. There seemed to be a subtle power around the parchment, as if it had an aura of its own.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “It’s a fetish,” the Erl Queen said. “The only of its kind. Created from the magic of ancient Sorcerers, indestructible by mortal means, and deadly in the hands of the right people.”

  Asha rolled her eyes, but I clenched my teeth a little at the chill that ran up my spine. Before I could talk myself out of it, I tucked the scroll into my jacket.

  “What else?” I said, because we both knew there was more she was withholding.

  “You’ll need to take one of my Valac with you,” the Erl Queen said, examining her nails again as if she were bored.

  “Fuck that,” Asha said, her dark eyes flashing to the large males with the spears who were still silently surrounding us like living statues. “That was not part of the deal.”

  “It’s part of the deal now,” said the Queen, “and you should be thanking me. You won’t survive the journey without one of them… If you survive at all.”

  “We don’t need one of your watchdogs following us around,” Asha replied, folding her arms over her chest.

  The Erl Queen only smiled at her insolence. She turned on her heels, dismissing us with a flick of her fingers, her black and silver gown shimmering in the light of the torches lining the bridge. “Have it your way,” she said with a shrug, and began heading back toward her castle.

  “Wait,” I said. “We’ll take one of the Valac with us. Thank you for the generosity.”

  Asha shot me a look, and though I understood that havin
g one of the Valac with us on this journey would mean the male would report everything back to the Queen, it also couldn’t hurt to have one of those enormous warriors as our escort.

  “Not as foolish as your friend, then, moonchild?” the Queen said, glancing back at me as if she might deny the request now just for the hell of it. “Fine,” she said, and jerked her chin at one of the soldiers standing behind her. “Take Vega… and get out of my realm before I change my mind.”

  Beneath the dark mask, there was no way to tell what Vega thought of this, but the male immediately fell into line behind us, obeying his Queen without question.

  Eager to be on our way, Asha and I wasted no time heading back over the bridge and out of the wrought iron gate with its angry depictions. Part of me thought for a moment that the heavy gate would not open and let us go, and instead, it would remain closed and impermeable.

  But to my relief, the gates swung open as silently and smoothly as they had when allowing us to enter, and the three of us crossed back into the heart of the Dead Forest.

  With Vega by our side, none of the dangerous creatures within approached us, and I wondered if that was because the Queen had given some silent order to let us go, that perhaps she wanted us to go on this mission, though why it should matter to her in the least, I didn’t know. What did she care about the Dogs and their collars? I knew she had some weird obsession with Adriel, but was that enough to aid us to this extent?

  I didn’t know the answer to that, either. And something told me I did not want to know.

  8

  We did not return to Mina before we left.

  The sooner we began this journey, the sooner it would be over, and we wanted to avoid anyone (like Adriel or Aysari) who might try to question us or talk us out of the mission.

  I’d made sure to kiss Adriel on the forehead when I’d slipped out of our bedroom earlier that evening. We’d made love again, and this time, he had repaid the generosity I’d shown him, wringing every bit of pleasure out of me with his hands, mouth, and body as I could stand. Then, we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Or rather, I’d waited for him to fall asleep before gathering the bags and weapons I’d packed for the trip and tiptoeing out the door, leaving nothing but a vague note ensuring that I’d left of my own accord, and would soon return.

  It had felt like only a handful of minutes spent in the Erl Queen’s realm, but in actuality, a handful of hours had passed.

  “Let’s have a look at that map,” Asha said, once we’d found a secluded spot just outside the Dead Forest.

  The animals and insects and other creatures seemed to avoid the border separating the Erl Queen’s realm from the other, and I could hear my heart beating in my throat over the utter silence of the place.

  Reaching into my jacket, I removed the old scroll the Queen had given me. I gently slid off the band that was holding it closed and unfurled the parchment.

  Asha and I leaned our heads together as we looked down at the surface. Even Vega, still silent and faceless in all that armor, leaned in a bit.

  The scroll was completely blank.

  “The lying bitch!” Asha spat.

  I tensed at her words, half expecting Vega to snap her neck, or something equally as gruesome, for insulting his queen. But instead, in a voice that was so deep and rumbling it was almost a growl, he said, “The scroll demands a payment.”

  Asha and I exchanged looks, equally shocked about hearing the warrior speak. I think both of us kind of assumed that the Valac were voiceless.

  “What kind of payment?” I asked.

  That terrifying black mask turned toward me, and though I considered myself rather tough, it took enormous effort to maintain the gaze.

  “Blood,” the warrior said. “A few drops should do.”

  Asha and I looked at each other again, and I had a feeling it was something we would be doing for this entire journey. Then, I sighed and crouched, spreading the scroll out on the ground by my feet and holding down the edges with a few rocks. Removing the blade tucked into my boot, I sliced the palm of my hand. Red welled up there in an instant.

  I closed my fist and tipped it to the side, and several drops of scarlet poured out. They splashed down on the yellowing parchment, but instead of staining the surface, the document absorbed the droplets, and the blood disappeared as though the scroll had swallowed it.

  I looked at Asha again, whose eyebrows were raised in a reflection of my own expression. Then I looked back down at the scroll. After a moment, as if the damn thing were clearing its throat or something, two words appeared in the center of the parchment.

  Head west.

  Vega said nothing, and neither did Asha, so I rolled the scroll back up and slipped the band around the center of it before tucking it back into my jacket. For some reason, watching it absorb my blood the way it had made me feel weird about keeping the thing so close to my body, but the Erl Queen’s warning about it falling into the wrong hands overrode the feeling.

  It was best if I kept it on me, so there was less chance of it getting stolen.

  After this, we headed west.

  The deep black of night was beginning to lighten to the deep blue of early morning, and we hiked through the same emerald trees Adriel had dragged me through when I’d first arrived in the Between Realm. Contrasting how I’d felt then with how I felt now, it was clear that time really was relative, and time connected all things. Life changed on a dime, and if you didn’t learn how to adapt, it could leave your head spinning.

  Eventually, we reached the foot of a mountain range I’d only glimpsed from a distance. I stopped, craning my neck back, shielding my eyes against the rising sun as I looked up at the snowy peaks.

  “Don’t tell me we have to go over those,” I said, looking at both Vega and Asha for an answer.

  The latter looked no more pleased about the prospect than I was, but only said, “Head west.”

  I checked the compass Asha had given me this morning, and it confirmed what I already knew. We would indeed need to hike over those mountains.

  Looking up at the towering peaks, I recalled the cliffs I’d been forced to climb when I’d first gone to Marisol, the Western Coast, after having been purchased as a Dog by Reagan Ramsey.

  I shoved this thought away before it could lead to others, and mumbled, “I fucking hate heights.”

  Asha smirked as she pushed past me, starting the trek up a winding, treacherous trail that headed up the mountain. Vega followed after her, as silent as a shadow.

  “Thanks for the encouragement,” I called out to them, cursing again as I began my own climb up the mountain.

  It was not long before I decided to shift into my Wolf form, and make this leg of the journey on four legs instead of two.

  For one thing, the higher we climbed, the colder it got, and the fur coat of my Wolf form beat mortal clothing any day. Thanks to the magic in the red tattoo on my shoulder, my clothes and items disappeared, and would reappear when I shifted back into my mortal form, but the invisible weight of my weapons and supplies was still on my back, and the superior strength I had as a Wolf was another useful perk.

  My sad little party of three spoke no words to each other as the sun rose in the sky and we rose up the mountain, other than Asha mentioning that we ought to watch out for the mountain cats. This, it seemed to me, was even more reason to remain in my Wolf form.

  As the air grew colder, and the ground receded below us, I glanced back at the town of Mina. Its arched roofs peeked up through the clouds, and I wondered if Adriel had discovered our absence yet. He and I spent most evenings together, but during the day, we often had separate things to attend to, so it was not unusual to go most of the waking hours without seeing one another. It was possible that he was not yet aware that we’d left.

  I’d removed the necklace he’d given me that was infused with his magic. He had presented me with it so that I could wear it and be immune to the effects of any magic someone might try to use on me. It had b
een a gift, an option to keep Ryker out of my dreams when the bastard had used magic to visit me during my sleep, but I’d taken to wearing it even when I wasn’t sleeping, to wearing it always.

  But since Adriel could use it to track us, I’d taken it off, and was surprised at how vulnerable I’d felt without it. Right now, it was tucked into the drawer of the small table beside the bed in my own chambers in Mina, and in its place was a necklace with a black stone Asha had given me. This necklace was infused with her Demon magic, and would also keep anyone from being able to use magic on me, particularly a Mixbreed who might want to come searching for us.

  We pressed onward, keeping an eye out for mountain cats or any other dangers, but other than the treacherous terrain, nothing and no one stopped us, and I thought that if this were the toughest part of the trip, that wasn’t too raw a deal at all.

  I almost felt bad for the others, as they were clearly struggling with the thin air and rough hike, but since I didn’t particularly care for either of them, I didn’t feel that bad.

  The entire day passed, the sun rising on one side of the mountain and setting on the other, before we made it to the very top. By then, we were all exhausted, freezing, hungry, and irritable. We agreed to hike down far enough to get out of the snow and clouds, and hopefully find an outcropping where we could make camp for the night.

  Just when I thought I might collapse from pure exhaustion, we reached the other side and found a suitable spot. I crawled back into the recesses of the outcropping, keeping away from the edge as the distance from the ground made me feel like throwing up, and passed out even before Asha used her magic to light a fire.

  When I awoke later that evening, the fire Asha had sustained with her magic had dwindled down to embers, and the cold of the altitude had crept back into the outcropping.

  I awoke with a jolt, going straight from deep sleep to full consciousness within an instant. My eyes popped open, and a low growl rippled up my throat.

  I could not smell or hear or see a threat, but my gut told me there was one, and Wolves who made it as long as I had did not ignore their guts.