The Hidden Truth (Shadow Claw Book 7)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “I approve of this for the time being,” she said to the people, “All in favor?”

  Out of the nine that rose up, four of them rose carefully after a little consideration. The silver-haired lady nodded at them and walked to Nina.

  “Take care of us, Nina,” she said. “There’s a reason you were chosen in all of this.”

  She placed the stone against Nina’s forehead. It glowed silver and the magic snaked off the gem to coil around her head, forming a delicate black crown.

  “Will you be staying with us?” one of the wizards asked Nina.

  Ivanna stepped in immediately. “She has a lot of information to give me and a lot of work to do in the community. I need her there for very important purposes.”

  “Sounds all right,” he said. “I take it you will be playing the role of Nina’s assistant, like Nina was with Morrigan.”

  Ivanna nodded. “She has a lot to learn under me, so a student of sorts. She’ll be under my watch the whole time.”

  “Surely, you can trust her enough to let her try and make her own decisions,” Agatha spoke. “How will she learn otherwise?”

  “I will simply suggest, not influence,” Ivanna answered. “You need not worry about her development. She will be resigning and transferring her powers soon enough. There can be no mistakes.”

  Agatha frowned but did not reply.

  “I think a meeting needs to take place today to review some important contracts with all of you,” Ivanna said. “When do you suggest it take place?”

  “Now,” the silver-haired woman said. “There’s a lot that needs to be addressed. The sooner the better.”

  Chapter 17

  The ghouls got up from their graves and looked out onto the expanse spread under their hill. The sun rose in the distance and spilled dim light everywhere, setting a serene mood. It was better than where they used to be. It felt secure. The space was open with only over grown weeds, and vines tangling themselves everywhere into fallen structures and plants. There was more room to walk around and nothing to fear. Viria stepped out of the temple, a little dizzy.

  “You sacrificed some of your life force for this,” one of the Head Ghouls had said.

  “It’s fine,” she’d replied. “Just doing my duty. I still have a long life to live.”

  Life couldn’t go by any slower for Viria. In all honesty, she was starting to feel an odd sense of exhaustion that dragged her heart down like a lead weight, despite the good sleep she had had. She felt suffocated and sad, unwilling to go on.

  She wanted it all to end, but she knew that wasn’t how she was supposed to be. It would take time. It would take effort. It would take a lot of energy. She didn’t know why she was feeling so negatively all of a sudden. Maybe it was the relocating process and her life force that had been drained.

  Yeah, that could be it, she sighed and walked down the hill. Mitch joined her on the way sensing something was wrong.

  “Doing such a huge task must’ve taken the life out of you,” he stated, clearly intending to be metaphorical. Viria laughed out loud.

  “Literally, Mitch,” she said as her shoulders shook. “Literally.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Very serious,” she replied. “I mean, it didn’t take away a lot, but I’d say about two years’ worth of my life?”

  Mitch walked faster and stood in front of her, sending her crashing into his chest. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled away to look at her. “Why would you do that for us, Viria?” he demanded gently. “That was a huge sacrifice!”

  “Trust me,” she started. “This whole operation won’t take too long to finish. Once this is over, I’ll be gone for good, anyway.”

  Mitch looked distraught. “You talk about dying so easily. Does nothing matter to you?”

  She sighed knowing what emotions she was provoking. “Look, I think I’m just really drained from carrying out this whole thing. I’m exhausted so I’m not exactly right in the head at the moment.”

  “Do you want to sleep?” he asked. “I can—”

  “No, Mitch,” she cut him off. “But thank you. I have to leave to update my files. There’s a lot to do right now. I can’t afford to waste another minute.”

  Mitch studied her carefully, and without so much a peep, he shared his dark energy with her. Her essence accepted it so easily, he was starting to think that maybe she really was already dead inside, but conscious and alive enough to not allow him to take control and maneuver her. Not that he wanted to, but that’s how things worked when they accepted someone else’s dark energy.

  Viria instantly felt calmness resonate inside of her. It was surprising and she looked up at Mitch.

  “You’re doing something,” she said as realization hit her hard. She knew a foreign presence within her when she felt it. She’d lived with it from the day she met Morrigan to the day she died. She knew how it felt. She knew the calmness wasn’t hers.

  Though Mitch did not blush, she knew embarrassment when she saw it. She gave him a half-smile. A genuine one. “Thank you,” she said. “I really need it.”

  “I could, you know,” he started, “follow you around and be your personal peace provider?”

  “What would you want in return?” she chuckled.

  “Nothing, honestly,” he said. “You owe me nothing for the things I offer willingly.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Goodness, you really are something.”

  He gave an embarrassed chuckle and Viria’s eyes widened and she neared him. “Dude! Your mouth’s half-healed by now!”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Show me your hand!” she gasped. “It’s okay!”

  Mitch stared in awe. They weren’t imagining it. It really was working.

  “But, Viria, does this even make me a ghoul anymore?” he asked. “I’m not decaying like they should.”

  “You’re evolving,” she explained. “Maybe you’ll be responsible for bringing about a new species. That’s the best explanation I can give you. It’s nothing new in our realm, but definitely rare.”

  Viria grew silent and thoughtful, then perked up. Mitch didn’t know his dark energy could bring such a positive change in her so quickly. It was amazing to him, in all honesty. She’d been smiling and excited ever since he started sharing it.

  “Can I document you?” she asked. “It would be so cool to keep track of the beginning of something so rare.”

  Mitch smiled at her. He was truly awed. “Would that give you something to live for?”

  Viria nodded and he smirked. “Deal, but on one condition?”

  “That would be?”

  “Can I be your official sidekick?”

  Viria looked at him in awe. This whole time she had been Ivanna’s sidekick. Then she remembered she had familiars as sidekicks, but she kept them away for the majority of the time for the sake of stealth and back up. She wanted someone on the scene with her to give her a hand. Maybe working with someone wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Sure!” she chirped.

  “Viria!” Grippin called out from afar. Viria looked over her shoulder and waved to the High Council who immediately made their way to her.

  “Are you all right? How are you feeling?” Grippin demanded as they came closer. Tina beat her to Viria.

  “Do you feel any discomfort in your body?” she asked her, then stopped short in the midst of another question and raised her brow. “Are…are you all right?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” Viria half-grinned. “We managed the transfer?”

  Everyone behind Tina stared at Viria. Fae and Yale exchanged confused, weird looks.

  “Um…Viria?” Saun asked carefully, “Are you, like…on something?”

  “What?” The smile dropped off of Viria’s face into confusion that almost made Fae laugh.

  “She must definitely be high on something,” Blake whispered to Tina. “She’s acting so strange.”

  “It’s a good thing?” she whispered to him.
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  “Suspicious,” he insisted.

  “Guys, I’m right here,” Viria deadpanned. That reaction seemed so much natural to them and they sighed in somewhat relief and Blake whispered to Tina.

  “I think she’s still there.”

  “Yes, I’m still here, Blake.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re as quiet as your cat familiar trying to hack out hairballs in private.”

  Blake gave Tina a satisfied smile.

  “Well, what’s next now?” Grippin asked.

  “Y’all rest,” Viria said, “I have a lot of work to do. I fill you in on the updates tomorrow back home.”

  “Sounds good,” Saun said as he stretched his limbs. “I’m beat.”

  “Same,” Yale said as he yawned. “That ritual really took a huge toll on me. Plus, my students are demanding my presence.”

  “Wow,” Viria said. “It’s not like we’re cutting your pay for this. No need to make such self-important excuses.”

  Fae shook her head with a smile and ruffled Viria’s hair. “All right, little one, you need to rest up, too. When we leaving?”

  “Now,” she said distastefully as he escaped Fae’s hold and trapped her in to mess up her hair as revenge, “meet Mitch. He’s my new sidekick!”

  “Welcome to the team,” Grippin said warmly and shook his hand. “Thanks for keeping Viria company on her recent mission.”

  “It was my pleasure,” he said. “I hope to be more helpful in the future.”

  “Just make sure she doesn’t act reckless and get herself killed.” She laughed. “She has suicidal tendencies.”

  “Okay, off we go now!” Viria said aloud and grabbed Mitch by the hand to drag him away. “See you guys in my office if you need me.”

  The High Council exchanged looks with each other as they saw the two disappear into thin air.

  “I think that Mitch kid is doing something,” Blake observed.

  “Doesn’t seem to be harming her,” Tina said. “He gives off good vibes.”

  “Let’s just keep an eye on them, regardless,” Saun said. “We can’t have her becoming distracted.”

  “She won’t.” Tina rolled her eyes. “She has a good head on her shoulders.”

  “She’s a seventeen-year-old, Tina. Almost,” he replied. “Stress plus boys equate to hormonal overdrive.”

  “Then let her have sex with him, dammit.” Yale chuckled. “Weren’t we all the same?”

  “Mitch’s a ghoul, Yale,” Saun deadpanned.

  “Oh, fuck, how will that even work?”

  “Guys, could you shut up?” Fae said uncomfortably. “We’re talking about a teenager and her sexl life. That’s awkward.”

  A silence fell over them as they realized it. Blake shook his head. “Guess Viria’s not the only one who was acting weird. Something’s in the air here. Let’s go, guys.”

  Back at the HQ, Viria let Mitch off to explore and get acquainted with her familiars. Ghouls were peculiar beings and understood the language of animals, too. It didn’t exactly work like how it did between familiars and their masters. He just understood the sounds they made and could translate them. Must be something to do with the shared energy between all beings that only the other side could understood. Ghouls could see spirits and demons, too, and learned how to co-exist with them.

  Ivanna and Nina didn’t return until after lunch, and Viria had updated her files until then and arranged her office neatly. It made her feel good to be productive this way. At peace, not rushing, not running. This was a good and healthy kind of work.

  “How’d it go?” Viria asked as everyone joined them at the table that had been lengthened by magic to accommodate everyone. Viria had Mitch join them despite him saying he didn’t need food. It wouldn’t process the way it should and would simply turn into dark energy in his body and distribute itself to the environment if he didn’t need to personally process it. Viria made the point of having the pleasure to enjoy the taste of food, and Mitch realized at the table that his senses were definitely coming back.

  “Pinned down some suspects,” she answered. “Sara, the old lady, seems to know something is off in the Inner Circle so we can definitely trust her. Nina’s going to have to remain and work to at least get treaties with the ones who haven’t formed them with us. Will give us a proper reason to call them out on their treachery once we lay out proof and will null the contract, allowing us to imprison them. We can’t do it without a treaty otherwise they’ll just be kicked off their position and will be able to run off to the Morbus and there won’t be any reelections because they wouldn’t have violated anything. It’s in the law that any community may form an alliance with anyone as long as it’s beneficial to the community. It would be troublesome for them if it coincides with double crossing.”

  “Nina, you’ve known these people,” Viria said, turning to her. “I’m sure you can bring yourself to reconnect with them and get them to spill something to you.”

  “They’re definitely very manipulative,” Nina agreed, “so they’re bound to reveal underlying truths somewhere which we can go on to investigate. Agatha, especially. She’s always wanted me out of the way because Morrigan chose her first. I keep forgetting she hates me. She acts so nice.”

  “Stay alert, Nina,” Ivanna warned. “You’re very important in this and they’re bound to be more open with you and use you. Don’t give into anything. Remember we’re the real allies here.”

  Nina didn’t know what to think, but she nodded. She glanced over at Viria and noticed she looked properly drained.

  “Is there anything else we need to look forward to?”

  “Sleeping,” Viria said. “Nothing but sleeping in tonight. By the way, you all should definitely go into town sometimes. You’re short on clothes and other supplies.”

  Chapter 18

  For once, Viria got to relax. She had the rest of the next day to herself. But before she could go to sleep, she had to hold a meeting.

  “I found the main base,” she announced once everyone was settled. The morbid silence that followed made even Dahlia uncomfortable and she burst out in the most heartbreaking wail anyone had ever heard.

  “Sorry, little one,” she apologized to Dahlia, even though the child could understand nothing. “Nina, stay. Just calm her down, no one is bothered.”

  Nina tried to soothe Dahlia down and it didn’t take long before the baby was quiet and cooing for her father. Viria continued on, “It was far off from the ghoul’s place, but that’s what I extracted from the victim ghoul. It’s most likely they are working on building more bases to revive their delegations.”

  “How fast do you suppose they can work?” Kevin asked.

  “Pretty fast, I’d say,” she replied, “because these guys basically get ahold of run down places and shift equipment there easily. I guess what we need are teams to follow and hinder them. Launch constant attacks until we’re ready to attack them. These guys don’t know where they are.”

  “What about what I told you?” Ivanna asked.

  “I’ll definitely go to look into it tomorrow.”

  “We’ll do it,” Tina said. “You need sleep, food, and medicine.”

  “I mean, I could definitely use it, but then I’d be restless all day.”

  “Medicine,” Fae stressed.

  “Yeah, all right, I’ll be okay, I guess?”

  “Just get some rest before taking on the world,” Ivanna said. “Depend on us a little, will you?”

  “Yeah right.” Viria scoffed.

  “I’ll seriously put you in a coma one day.”

  “Coma? That’s no good.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be stuck with nightmares. Kill me instead.”

  Blake whistled lowly that dripped with sarcasm and Viria stuck her tongue out at him. Despite her being downright depressing, she was also being very playful.

  Tina laughed. “Can you, like…decide between your mood?”

  “Look, man, I took some of my meds, so this is bound to happen,” Viria said wi
th a defensive raise of her hand. “Not asking for this, trust me.”

  The mood at the table lightened up. The shifters had been communicating solely within themselves, but the High Council managed to draw them into their talks. It seemed like a good day. It had been a while since they’d sat down to eat without discussing the next attack that needed to take place.

  That evening, Viria was certainly restless. She moved around constantly. She wasn’t used to the concept of properly relaxing yet. So, Mitch introduced her to a game of cards and she was absolutely fascinated. Mitch was wondering if he made a mistake because although she was a beginner, she didn’t lose once again him in the five matches they’d come to play.

  “This is ridiculous,” Mitch said in frustration as he threw his cards on the ground toward Viria, who was a laughing mess. He had activated sharing his dark energy again and it was good to see her in a good mood. She had the widest smile, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

  “Oh, c’mon, don’t give up yet.” She poked his arm and gathered the cards to hand them over. “Or you could teach me something else.”

  He thought about it and something clicked, “I think I know your kind of game. You can play it on your own if ever on your own. Heard of Sudoku?”

  “Never.” She grinned. She was sat crossed legged with her back straight and shoulders squared, holding onto her ankles as she waited for him to continue. And he had the most uncontrollable urge to kiss her.

  You shouldn’t, he reminded himself. You can’t.

  Brushing his feelings off, he asked for a pencil and notebook. He drew out a small grid and explained the basics.

  “Oooh, I like this,” she nodded furiously, “Lez get more from the internet.”

  He was flabbergasted when she pulled up a nine block grid at level medium from a website. But by now he was done underestimating her. She wasn’t just someone who absorbed and retained information, she was a downright genius. Viria was done with the grid right as he’d filled it almost half way.

  “This makes me think too much,” she said, “but it’s a good thinking. Healthy thinking!”