by Tasha Black
“So when were you planning to tell me about this?” Ophelia asked, one eyebrow raised.
The sound of feet pounding down the sidewalk toward the house saved Ainsley from answering. It wasn’t wolves.
“Ainsley!” Grace gasped, rounding the hedge.
Julian was right behind her.
“Charley got away,” Ainsley said grimly.
“The key?” Julian asked.
Ainsley lifted up the lunchbox in reply.
“You found it,” he whispered.
Grace had spotted Garrett and was already hunched over him.
“He’s going to bleed out. Get me a stick,” she said.
“No need,” Julian replied.
He muttered a spell and the wound glowed with a blue flame. The magical fire sizzled and the scent of charred flesh filled the air, but the bleeding stopped.
Garrett moaned softly, but didn’t wake up.
Footsteps announced the arrival of Volker with Cressida and Javier.
“That was fast,” Ainsley said with relief.
“I was already on my way, my alpha,” Volker said in a somewhat offended voice. “You called for me.”
Of course she had. She hadn’t even realized it. She was just so new to this. And that point was being driven home to Ophelia, of course.
“Thank you, Volker,” she said with a chilly smile.
Just because he was right didn’t mean he could speak to her that way. She’d deal with that later.
“He needs to go to a hospital,” Grace said.
Volker had already made his way up the steps and knelt on the front porch, examining the prone warlock.
“He’ll be fine,” he said.
“Really?” Grace asked.
“Well, he won’t play the piano again,” Volker chuckled.
Grace sniffed.
“I can give him something for the pain,” Volker offered.
“No,” Ainsley replied immediately.
Ophelia had been standing in the shadows of the porch watching the scene unfold with pursed lips. But she smiled at Ainsley’s answer and nodded her approval.
Ainsley’s chest filled with a warm glow.
“We need him lucid,” Ainsley explained. “He has some questions to answer.”
She left out the part about wanting to see Garrett suffer after the havoc he had wrought. A tiny voice in her head reminded her that the old Ainsley would have been horrified.
“No, Ainsley, I have to bring him in. I’m sorry, but there’s no way to sweep this under the rug,” Grace said.
“A cell is not going to hold this guy, you’ve seen what he can do,” Ainsley said.
“Ainsley, it would be highly unlikely for this man to work any magic in the condition he’s in,” Julian interjected. “He can’t manage the somatic components.”
Ainsley raised an eyebrow at him. Inwardly she was also ready to strangle him for making her look a fool in front of Ophelia. Bad enough she was a wolf who did magic, now Ophelia would know she didn’t know anything about magic either.
“Sorry, the somatic components are the complex wording and gestures. Not everyone is gifted enough just to think of a magical effect and have it come to be,” Julian explained, giving Grace a significant look.
Grace turned away from him and leaned forward to take Garrett’s pulse. Ainsley could tell by the stiff set of her best friend’s shoulders that she wasn’t pleased.
Interesting. Grace must still be mad at Julian for not telling them the truth about his reason for being in Tarker’s Hollow. Which meant that she cared.
“In any case, if I can have access to the cell for a few minutes, I can put some wards in place to block magic, and also to warn us of any attempt to escape,” Julian finished.
“Fine,” Ainsley nodded.
Grace bent to slip an arm under Garrett’s shoulder. Julian quickly moved to join her.
“Wait,” Ainsley said. “Julian, when I touched the key, I was... inside the creature’s head. There is nothing there but insatiable hunger and incredible power. It’s not like a vampire in the movies. It doesn’t want blood, does it?”
Julian winced and stood.
“No,” Julian replied. “The common myths were most likely based on stories of the moroi and its ilk. But they tend to romanticize it a bit, and get most of the details wrong.”
“But they do feed on us. On our spirit? Our life force?” Ainsley pressed.
Julian nodded slowly.
“And the more passionate and powerful someone is, the more irresistible they are to this thing?” Ainsley asked, glancing at Grace.
Julian nodded again with sad eyes. He knew it too. Ainsley could tell. Grace was in danger.
“The key acting as a conduit wouldn’t be unheard of,” Julian explained. “It is a powerful artifact in its own right. It is used to seal the creature not just physically behind a layer of stone, but also to bind it to a sort of pocket dimension. It cuts off our mundane world from the world that holds the last of the moroi, among other things.”
Ainsley shuddered at the thought of what other things this key was keeping at bay.
“It is a realm of powerful magic,” Julian continued. “The sites where the creatures are imprisoned were chosen because they are the places where the barrier between worlds is thinnest, and most easily manipulated. When the gates were sealed, most of the magic left this world. Only a chosen few are still able to draw from that well.”
Julian paused to gaze at Grace once more. She didn’t seem to notice.
“If the seal is broken, the moroi will come through, trailing that ancient magic behind it. And if it escapes Tarker’s Hollow, its first order of business will be to free as many of its brothers as it can,” he finished.
“That would be very bad,” Ainsley said.
“At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, the entire world would be irrevocably changed,” Julian replied.
“I don’t think you’re exaggerating. And I understand now. Why you didn’t tell us sooner. Because nobody is ready for it,” Ainsley said.
Julian nodded again.
“Okay, go ahead, keep me posted,” Ainsley said at last, gesturing them toward the police car.
Grace slipped an arm under Garrett’s shoulder and Julian bent to slip his arm under the other. They carried him down the steps together.
“Volker, is it?” Ophelia asked in a velvety voice.
Thad Volker spun around to Ophelia and nodded, his blue eyes sparkling through his glasses.
“I’m sure you have other business to attend, Volker,” Ophelia said crisply.
He stood in place for an extra second, then seemed to shake himself out of it.
“Yes, thank you Councilman Winter,” he said, and made a quick escape.
“Cressida, Javier,” Ophelia said. “I need a few words with your alpha.”
They scrambled down the porch steps and out into the night.
“Ainsley,” Ophelia called to her once they were alone.
Ainsley could have waited, and forced Ophelia to drag her over with her alpha power. But the idea of it was humiliating. So she went to meet her doom of her own volition.
“Sit,” Ophelia gestured to the wicker sofa.
Ainsley sat, and tried not to wonder what had happened to Garret’s hand after it was ripped off. The smell of his congealing blood on the painted boards of the porch floor made her feel both queasy and invigorated.
Ophelia paced the length of the porch and back once, then turned to Ainsley and leaned back, resting her buttocks against the porch railing.
“Ainsley Connor. You’re a good alpha. As a matter of fact, you have all the makings of a great alpha. You’re strong, you’re fierce,” Ophelia paused until Ainsley met her eyes, then continued.
“But you’ve brought trouble to this town from the day you took ownership of the pack. First, you get yourself shot, by a silver bullet, no less. And you manage to drive off a promising young male in the process.”
A
insley wasn’t sure she would have called Clive Warren promising, per se, more like a psycho fuckwit who wanted to rape and kill her to take over the pack. But he was strong. And who told Ophelia about the silver bullet? Ainsley flushed with embarrassment as Ophelia continued.
“Then there is this business.” She gestured to Ainsley’s mangled front lawn. “There are those on the council that consider your magic a strength, and in time, it might be. But right now your magic seems to have attracted more trouble than it has repelled. And you can barely handle it.”
Ainsley dropped her eyes. So the council had been aware all along. She must have looked like a fool. Ophelia was right, of course, she was only saying what Ainsley had already known.
At least there was a ray of hope. Ophelia would teach her. That’s what she was here for. The thought of having a strong alpha to mentor her comforted Ainsley. As a matter of fact, she felt better than she had in a long time because at last someone was willing to level with her.
“I’m afraid I can’t recommend to the Federation that we allow you to continue as alpha,” Ophelia said in a calm clear voice.
“What?!” The words hit Ainsley like a physical blow. She knew she needed to keep her cool, but she wasn’t sure if she could. Her pack, her family, they were her responsibility. She couldn’t abandon them. Ophelia knew that.
“I stand by my assessment that you have all the makings of a great alpha, Ainsley Connor” Ophelia explained. “But you’re not ready. You’ll come with me and serve the Federation for a time. You can learn about your heritage, and you can even study magic if you wish.”
“But the pack—” Ainsley began.
“—will be assigned new leadership by the Federation. Don’t worry, we would never allow an ancient pack like Tarker’s Hollow to go unattended.”
“Erik was right,” Ainsley breathed.
“Erik!” Ophelia barked out a sharp laugh, like ice cubes clinking a glass. “Last time I checked, being a wolf was still a requirement for membership in this pack. A fact that seems to have escaped you, and one more reason I know you need training more than you need power.”
“You knew,” Ainsley breathed.
“Of course I knew,” Ophelia replied. “I knew about Erik, about the magic, even about your little trip to get Sadie from the hospital. You didn’t actually think you could keep anything from me, did you?”
Ainsley called on all the hours of meditation she ought to have done, and held it together. The idea of giving up the pack was unthinkable.
“Ainsley,” Ophelia said in a softer voice. “I want you to know that I think the world of you. This will be best for everyone in the long run, you’ll see.”
A sense of warmth blossomed inside Ainsley at the alpha’s kind words. Maybe it was for the best.
“Can we stay long enough to be sure the gateway is fully sealed?” Ainsley heard herself ask in a child’s voice.
“Of course,” Ophelia replied. “We wouldn’t leave without knowing the pack is safe.”
Ainsley nodded, and tried to take some comfort in knowing that whatever they were up against, Ophelia was on their side.
CHAPTER 4
C hapter 4 (Erik at the mine)
Erik stashed the books in the console of his truck, then entered the site.
The excavation equipment they’d been using yesterday was sitting idle. He passed a vehicle that looked like one of his own front end loaders with an extension like a giant circular saw on the front of it. His guys would love to run something like that.
The blue mountains rose majestically all around the site, making the huge metal winding towers and gravelly ground look all the more unnatural. It was an odd juxtaposition of man and nature. Erik wondered if he would ever get used to it.
A middle aged man approached him. His sandy hair peeked out from under a hard hat
“Can I help you?” the man asked.
“I’m Erik Jensen. I’m here to observe the camera scoping of the mine today.”
“Ah, the psychologist. Royce Fletcher, I’m in charge of this operation. Pleasure to meet you,” Royce extended his hand.
“Good to meet you, Royce,” Erik replied.
They shook hands and Erik noted that Royce’s hand was smooth and soft. Pencil pusher.
“C’mon, we’re about to get started.” Royce gestured toward a plain white trailer with neatly tied bundles of wires feeding in and out of it.
Erik tried not to think about the fact that though the wire could be fed into the mine, the men couldn’t be brought out.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the trailer. When they did, he saw a huge site map on the wall. Below it was a large monitor and a console littered in energy drinks. A young black man fiddled with the settings on the monitor.
“Dr. Jensen, this is Grant Woods. Grant is running the set-up for the fiber optic camera we’re sending down into the mine today,” Royce said.
“Hi, Grant, nice to meet you,” Erik said politely.
“Hey, Dr. Jensen,” Grant replied. “We’re just about set here.”
As he spoke, the static on the screen tightened into columns, then cleared to reveal a grainy night vision video. A circle of light bounced off the walls of what Erik knew must be the mine.
He glanced up at the map again. Three channels branched off the main shaft. One had been crossed off.
“So that’s the one?” he asked, pointing at the shaft that was blocked out.
“No, that branch was closed up years ago, it’s the one just below it,” Grant answered, sliding his finger across an iPad to adjust a control.
“So why aren’t they using the old one to access the collapsed shaft?” Erik asked.
“Hmm,” Royce grunted.
“The old shaft had to be closed because of a methane gas build-up,” Grant explained.
“They’re damned lucky they didn’t set the whole mine on fire with this accident,” Royce said.
“The second branch shouldn’t have gone right below it,” Grant agreed.
“So why did they put it there?” Erik asked.
“Who knows? It’s a small operation,” Royce said not without a touch of sarcasm.
“They’re not really using modern technology or practices here. It’s more common than you would think in these small towns. And we see corners cut everywhere to save a buck. But what they were doing here just doesn’t make sense — for safety or productivity,” Grant explained.
“What do you mean?” Erik asked.
“Well, take the collapsed branch. They shouldn’t have tunneled there in the first place. And they were working on a perfectly good vein off this one over here,” Royce pointed to the third branch, which led in the opposite direction of the other two.
Erik nodded.
“So why did they come back and tunnel under this area when they knew they’d be in danger of hitting methane?” Royce asked.
The three of them stared silently at the map.
A sudden flash drew their attention back to the screen. The camera had hit rubble. The view jumped around as Grant tried to find a small opening to feed the camera through.
After a few minutes, the camera began to make progress again. The tight view on the screen opened wide.
“Oh, wow,” Grant said.
“They must’ve broke through into a cavern,” Royce murmured.
The greenish light of the camera bounced off the cavern walls, illuminating the scene. As the camera continued its descent, Erik caught a glimpse of something familiar.
A symbol.
From the margins of the book — two arrows pointing at each other.
What the hell?
He glanced up at Royce and Grant, but neither of the men seemed to have noticed. He turned his attention back to the screen.
Slowly, the camera continued to sink into the cavern until the area widened enough that the walls were no longer visible on the screen.
That’s when they spotted the first body.
In spite of the grainy green image, Erik knew instantly that the man couldn’t be alive.
He looked young. His light eyes reflected the green of the camera, unblinking. He had been thrown over a jagged boulder like a rag doll, arms hanging limply by his sides, legs turned inward at an unnatural angle. Erik was reminded nonsensically of Icarus, dashed to the rocks.
Royce sucked in air and Grant shook his head and made a note on his iPad.
The camera continued its journey past the boy on the rocks. More bodies came into view, lots of them. Erik noted with revulsion that more than one of them was missing it’s head.
“What the hell?” Royce asked.
“Where’s the blood?” Grant breathed.
He was right. There was no blood anywhere. And when he looked more closely at the bodies they seemed more than dead, they were almost like hollow shells, drained dry.
The camera moved on, mercilessly.
And Erik saw it at last.
On the wall was a symbol, a gigantic symbol. Not exactly the same as the one that took his wolf, but too close to be a coincidence. Just like the one from the book.
A large crack in the stone ran down the center, leaving a gaping hole in the symbol.
As they watched, something pulsed inside it.
“What the hell was that?” Grant asked.
“Are you recording this?” Royce asked. “Nobody is going to believe it.”
“It’s all on the hard drive.” Grant replied without taking his eyes from the screen. “We can upload it later when we hook up to the satellite uplink. This hick town doesn’t have wifi.”
Slowly, the camera descended toward the opening in the wall.
Erik had no idea what lay inside, but he was damned sure these two weren’t ready to see it.
He looked around for a way to stop the proceedings. Could he just pull the plug?
They’d just plug in and continue. Everything would still be there. No good.
He scanned the cluttered workspace.
Bingo.
As surreptitiously as he could, he leaned in as though to look more closely at the screen, and tipped one of the energy drinks onto the console.
