Black Ruins Forest (The Elder Series Book 1)

by Karen DuBose

  I look up at him so quickly that I think I just got whiplash. Did he just say what I thought he said? How is that even possible? I can’t be two things at once. Hybrids are just fairy tales parents read about to their younglings.

  “What are you saying, Dad? I’m a hybrid? Is that even possible?”

  He takes my hand and leads me to a bench that I hadn’t see earlier. We sit down, and he turns to me and smiles. I have missed his smile. I miss everything about him. He was my hero.

  “My sweet baby. There is much you don’t know. There are a few hybrid shifters. They’re in hiding until the time is right for them to be seen. Your birth was their sign. Only hybrids can sense other hybrids. When they felt you, after you had been born, they came to me and told me what you were. They knew you were a hybrid. At first, I thought they were lying to me. Hybrids don’t exist. I asked them to prove it to me. The one who came to me was a dragon-witch hybrid. She taught me a spell to cast on you to protect you from telling anyone of your visions, even by accident. I showed your mom the spell and asked her to have her sister cast the spell on you. To my surprise, it turns out your mom is a hybrid too.”

  He chuckles at that. “This woman knew that you would be in danger. She knew that you would be the key to destroying the elders. The day you turn nineteen, the spell will break. You need to hide it. You can’t let the elders get a hold of you. I know you don’t want to go into hiding, but right now, until you can get it under control, it’s the only way. Let Bruno take you to the Black Ruins Forest. You’ll get answers there⸻and protection.”

  My mind is spinning. How can I leave the people I love behind and endanger them? What is with this forest they keep talking about?

  “I can’t leave the people I love and put them in danger. The elders will go after them to get to me. But, if I take them with me, they’ll know something is up. I can leave for a few days, but that’s all I’m willing to do. The elders cannot use the people I love. I’m not strong enough to lose any more people in my life cycle. It almost destroyed me when you died, even when I didn’t know they killed you. They will pay for killing you. That I promise you. What is it about this forest that is so important?”

  He puts his arms around me and hugs me. I lean into his hugs and let the days wash away, even if it is only for a few minutes.

  “Baby girl, listen to me. Do not get revenge for me. I died protecting you, and I wouldn’t change that. I’m at peace knowing that what I did was to protect you. You need to focus on the bigger picture. Don’t get lost in revenge. It won’t help get to the endgame. I know you’re angry about being lied to. I can see it on your face. Let me assure you⸻your mother did the right thing. If she would have told you sooner, things wouldn’t be happening the way they’re supposed to right now. You would have been killed trying to go after the elders. We didn’t want that. We wanted you to live out your young life cycle. When you turn nineteen, all hell is going to break loose. The forest is protected by great magic. It hides the hybrids and keeps them safe from the elders. They think that being a hybrid is a sin and they all should be destroyed. They will stop at nothing to kill them all,” he says.

  God, I have missed him so much. He’s always been wise, and he was always willing to give me advice, even when I was too little to understand completely. I hug him back. How does this feel so real?

  “Where am I? You feel so real.”

  He starts laughing again. Oh, how I miss his laugh.

  “You’re in the in-between. I stayed here to tell you what needs to be done.”

  “Will you be able to cross over?”

  He shakes his head ‘no.’ He looks at me with a mixture of pride and sadness.

  “Why can’t you cross over? Doesn’t that mean you’ll never be with Mom again?”

  “I can’t cross over because my time has come and gone. As for being with your mother, that’s up to her. She can either cross over or stay here with me.”

  Everything starts to get blurry. What is happening?

  “I love you, baby girl. Always remember that.”

  He hugs me even tighter. I hold on to him, hoping the blurriness will go away.

  “What’s going on? Why is everything getting blurry?”

  “They’re waking you up. Our time has come to an end.”

  I don’t want to leave yet. There are so many questions I need to ask still. I try to make myself to stay, but no matter how hard I try, it’s not working

  “Will I see you again? I don’t want to leave you yet. I just got here.”

  He gives me a sad smile and hugs me tighter.

  “There will be another time. I won’t get to see you again until the time comes, though. I love you with all my heart and soul. Don’t ever forget that. Trust in the dragons that are here to protect you. They will be loyal to you. Get to the Black Ruins Forest. You will find the answers you seek, but be wise and follow your gut. It won’t lie to you.”

  I start to cry. I don’t want to lose him all over again. The heartache is so strong that I can’t breathe. It feels like my heart is breaking into a million pieces.

  “I love you, too. I will always keep you close to my heart. Please don’t go, I can’t let you go,” I beg.

  The world is getting blurrier. I can hardly see my dad anymore. No, this can’t be happening! I still have so many questions that need to be answered. I have no idea what I’m even getting into. Before I know it, he’s gone.

  I lay there with my eyes closed. I know I’m no longer with my dad. I feel the hot tears running down my cheeks. I slowly open my eyes and see darkness compared to where I just was. I look around and see four sets of worried eyes on me. I try to sit up, but I fall back down. Why do I feel so weak?

  “Stay still, baby girl. You’re weak because you left your body,” my mom says.

  What does she mean I left my body? That isn’t possible. Only witches can do that, right?

  I lay back down and everything comes back to me with so much force I can’t breathe. I saw my dad, I’m a hybrid, and the elders want to kill us. I sit up so fast that my head starts spinning. Before I fall back down again, strong arms wrap around me. I know it’s Kiernan because I can smell his prefect scent⸻a blend between the earth, fire, and somehow, vanilla. But it smells so good together. I look up at him with fear in my eyes.

  He looks down at me with worried etched on his handsome face. “How are you feeling?”

  I examine myself inside and out. I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’m so lost that, even if I tried to find myself again, it would take many cycles.

  “I’ve been better. Ask me again in a week.”

  My mom kneels next to me and takes my hand into hers. “What happened when you left your body? Who did you see?”

  I’m confused. How does she know I saw anyone?

  “I’m a witch as well as a bear. I’m a hybrid, Dariya. I know that people only leave their bodies to see someone or something.”

  “How is it that I’ve lived almost nineteen cycles and I have never once seen you use magic? I sensed something was different with you, but I thought it was the bear in you. How have you stayed off the elder’s radar for so long?”

  “It’s a long boring story. I will tell you when I know you’re safe. Tell us what happened.”

  I tell them all what happened and what my dad said. By the time I’m finished, I’m sobbing so hard that it’s hard for me to talk.

  “I didn’t want to leave him. I just got him back, and he was yanked from me again.” I stare at the wall not looking at anyone. “I know they say that life is hard, but this is beyond hard,” I say, to no one in particular.

  Three sets of arms wrap around me, showing me their support, while I cry my heart out. I know my dad said not to get revenge, but they are going to pay for taking him away from me, one way or another. I sit there crying for I don’t know how long. Minutes? Hours? I couldn’t tell you. At some point, my mom and Kira leave me there in Kiernan’s arms. He holds me tight, rock
ing me and whispering to me that he’s there for me and that everything will be ok. I know that the last part is a lie. There’s no going back from this. Things will not be ok.

  Pulling myself away from him. It’s time to put my big girl panties on. “I’m sorry for ruining your shirt.”

  He laughs melting some of the tension away. “I would let you ruin every shirt I have as long as I got to hold you when you need me the most.”

  He kisses the top of my head. I lean back into his arms, not ready to face the world yet. I notice it’s getting dark out. How long was I with my dad? It wasn’t even noon when they came here.

  “Where did Bruno go?” I ask him.

  “He left to go take care of some things. He’ll be back later to tell us what he’s found out about what you said.”

  I know things change when you turn nineteen, but this is too much. How am I the key to all of this? I’m no one special. I start to get up, but Kiernan isn’t having any of that. He holds me closer. He strokes my cheek with his thumb, getting rid of the rest of the tears. He brings his lips close to mine.

  “I will protect you with every breath in me and all the power I have. You mean the world to me.”

  I let out a sigh. My heart swells at his words. He brings his lips down on mine gently. If only I could stay right here for the rest of my life cycle, I would be happy. The kiss increases in urgency. I can’t get enough of him. I pull him closer to me. There isn’t any space between us. It still isn’t close enough for me, though.

  We kiss like that for what seems like seconds before we both hear someone clearing their throat. He pulls away, and I moan in protest. He laughs and holds me. He looks at me and winks. I look up and notice that Kira has an irritated look on her face.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  She looks ashamed for interrupting us. I know she wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t instructed to.

  “Your mom wants you in the kitchen. She’s making food, and she said to get you guys.”

  She walks back into the kitchen. I get up from Kiernan’s lap. I hold my hand out to him. He takes it and wraps our fingers together. We both walk into the kitchen and sit down at the table.

  Walking up to mom and giving her a sideways hug I say, “Do you need any help?”

  She shakes her head ‘no.’ She’s chopping up lettuce. I walk over and get a knife out and start to dice up the tomatoes. I need to be doing something. Sitting around waiting isn’t my strong suit. I hate not knowing what needs to be done or what might happen.

  No one talks for a while. We are all lost in thought, at least I am. I can’t wrap my head around any of this.

  We hear a light knock on the door. Before any of us has a chance to get it, Kiernan is out of his seat and heads for the door. He opens it and stands there looking confused. He looks down and picks something up. He walks back to the kitchen with a letter in his hands. The expression on his face is fearful.

  “We need to go now!” He starts packing things up.

  I put the knife down. My hands start to shake. “What does the letter say? Who is it from?”

  My mom walks over and takes the letter from him. She reads it and then drops it. She starts moving so fast that she’s almost a blur. She stops and raises her hands, saying something so fast I don’t even think it’s any language I’ve ever heard before.

  Looking dumbfounded, I walk over to her. I put my hand on her arm. “Mom, what is it?”

  She looks at me with fear. What in Zilo does this letter say? My mom is the strong one. She doesn’t break under pressure, but this piece of paper has unraveled her.

  “I need you to go pack a bag now. Take only things that you’ll need for a few days⸻ nothing more.”

  She walks away and starts getting things together. I go to where the letter has fallen and pick it up.

  You will not be able to hide from us. You might as well give yourself up now.

  Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. If we have to bring you to us, we will make it painful. Come willingly, and I promise it won’t hurt nearly as bad.

  I drop to the nearest chair. Kira takes the letter from me and reads it. She runs out of the room. I don’t know where she went. If I was her, I would hide. I can’t bring myself to even move. I need to figure out who this person is before someone I love gets hurt⸻or worse. They’re messing with the wrong person. I am so over all of this.

  “Is there anything else I need to know before we leave this house? I need to know everything. I can’t be out of the loop anymore. Too many lives depend on this.”

  Kiernan comes up to me and puts his arms around me from behind.

  My mom turns around and looks at me with determination on her face.

  “I’ve told you everything I know. I’m sure there’s more. There’s always more. We need to go to the Black Ruins Forest to get the rest of the answers we need.”

  The door opens and we all go into defense mode. The door closes, and we see Bruno walking toward us. He Pauses and stands there, surprised and shocked. Kira walks back into the kitchen with two bags packed. I was wondering where she went.

  He starts to walk toward us again. I can’t read his expression anymore. He completely wipes them off his face. “What’s going on?”

  I walk the rest of the way to him and hand him the letter. He curses before giving out orders.

  “Eimear, I need you to grab all your herbs and potions along with the map. Kira, I need you to call your parents and tell them you think the comet is coming tonight. They will know what you’re talking about. Dariya, I need you to go get the stone that was given to you when you turned twelve. Kiernan go pack the blaster.”

  How did he know about the stone? No one knows about the stone but my mom. We don’t even know where it came from. I stuffed it into a lockbox and put it in my closet right after I got it. It’s an ugly looking stone. It was green with black swirls here and there. It is the size of my palm. My mom had instructed me to put it away.

  I go to my closet and grab the lockbox. I don’t even bother to open it, I just take the whole thing with me. My key is always around my neck. I run back downstairs. They are all ready to go.

  We walk out of the house, and in the shadows, we see a figure coming at us. The guys and my mom get in front of me and Kira, but we’re all prepared to take on whomever it is.

  The street light lit up the figure when he ran under it. It’s Gianni, Kira’s dad.

  “I couldn’t leave without telling you in person that we love you so much, Kira. We’re sorry you got dragged into this war.”

  She runs to her dad and hugs him tight. I can see her shoulders move up and down. I know she’s crying. This is all my fault. If I was never born, none of this would be happening.

  “I was in this war even before I was born. I will defend Dariya and everyone else that isn’t with the elders. They will go down, one way or another. I am proud to help. I’ll find you when this is over. I promise.”

  “We are so proud of the young woman you’ve become. We love you, now and always.” He gives her a hug. With that, he turns and he leaves.

  We all get into the blaster. We’re a little packed, but we fit, and that’s all that matters. We head out of town, leaving the only home I’ve ever known. I don’t know where all of this is going to take us, but I hope in the end, we will have survived all of this.

  Chapter Nine

  Niko the Elder

  Niko hears the person he has been waiting for. “Did you deliver the letter like I told you to?”

  “Yes, Sir, it was delivered,” the messenger says.

  “Good, now you get out of here.”

  The plan is in motion. Let’s see if they lead me to the person. I’m sure they will. They think the elders are so stupid. I will show them stupid. They are going to regret ever crossing me. They underestimated us, and that will work in our favor. There is nowhere to hide from me.

  “Jax, have you gotten everything ready? They are going to lead us to her, I just
know it.”

  Jax turns to me and nods his head. His brown eyes dance in the light. His brown, wavy hair is tied into a hair band on the top of his head. He’s the youngest of the elders. I took him under my wings as soon as he became an Elder. The other Elders are getting soft-hearted, and I didn’t want him to become like them. I need strong and reliable men. Ever since Asher became an elder, they’ve been listening to his every word. He is such a bleeding heart. You can’t trust someone like that.

  “I have everything ready to go. I still don’t see how you think they will lead us to Oceana? She will only be found when she wants to be. If she doesn’t want to see them, they will never find her.”

  I turn around and stalk up to Jax. He will show me the respect I deserve. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be here today.

  “You may be an Elder as well, but don’t you ever disrespect me again. I will end you.”

  Jax looks at me with no fear. I look him straight in the eye, challenging him.

  “The only disrespect you are getting is the truth. If you can’t handle the truth, then you don’t need to be an Elder. That’s how I see it. Why don’t you go figure this out on your own! I’m done doing your dirty work.”

  He walks away from me. No one walks away from me and gets away with it. No one will betray me and see the light of day.

  I charge after Jax and slam him to the ground. Then I whip out my dagger and place it against Jax’s neck. Still, there is no fear in his eyes. Is he wanting to die? I can make that happen for him.

  “How dare you turn your back on me. Who do you think you are? You are nothing but a young worthless elder who hasn’t even come to his full power. You think you can defy me?” I’m seething.

  “I am a lot stronger than you think.” He twirls on me and grabs my dagger from my hand. He puts the dagger to my neck. “You ever threaten me again, I will end you where you stand.”

  I can feel my eyes bugging out. I’m shocked that Jax has been able to defeat me. How is that even possible? I am the strongest and fastest of the Elders! How did I not notice his power until now? How has he hidden it from me? Jax lets me go and starts walking away. He doesn’t even look back.