by Karen DuBose
We’ve have been walking for miles. I didn’t think a forest could be this huge. It’s going to be impossible to find my mom. I gaze around at the forest, and everything looks the same. Wherever we go, it’s the same view. It’s exactly the same, like some kind of magical forest shaped wallpaper. The magic here is making us either go in circles, or it doesn’t want us to find our way. I stop walking.
“Is it me or are we going in circles? I have seen that same tree ten times. After the sixth time, I removed that piece of bark. The magic here doesn’t want us to find our way or my mom. What are we going to do?” I say my voice getting higher.
I get this weird feeling and my head gets fuzzy. I felt my body drop to the ground and then darkness.
I can see the light before I even open my eyes. I look around and know immediately that someone has called me here. I’m back in my home town. I sure hope one of the Elders didn’t call me here. I start to walk around, until I hear someone clearing their throat. I spin around. I’m shocked to see who it is.
“Dad, how are you here? I thought I wasn’t ever going to see you again!”
“Did you really think anything was going to keep me from you?”
I run into his open arms. I let everything go all of the anger, tension, and frustration
“I’m so glad I get to see you. I miss you so much.”
“And I have missed you. I called you here for a reason. I need to warn you. You cannot trust a bear named Jamel. He’s rallied up some shifters to stop you from destroying the Elders. He’s also the shifter that took your mom.”
“How did you know she was gone?”
“Have you forgotten I have the seer gene?”
“I knew you had it, but I didn’t know you still had visions.”
“I kept them to myself. I didn’t even let your mom know. It was too dangerous.”
“Why is this Jamel dude trying to stop me? Doesn’t he want to be free from the Elders?”
“He wants to stop you because you are to be the next ruler.”
He has lost his mind! Me? Be a ruler? That’s just funny. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. There is no way I am going to be the next ruler.
“Dad, I think this place has messed with your mind. I am no ruler. Nor do I want it.”
“Baby girl, this is your fate. You were born to be the ruler of our people. I know this is a lot to take in, but it’s a fact. Listen to me, the Source has chosen you to be the next leader.”
Ruler? No, this is unreal to take in. I am going to be a ruler. I have no clue how to rule.
“Dad, I don’t even know how to be a ruler. I’m eighteen. I don’t even know what lifecycle is about yet.”
He hugs me and rubs my back. I’m in shock, or I’ve lost my mind or both. What was the Source thinking choosing me?
“You can trust Isobel. She didn’t bring you to her cabin to have your mom taken. She did it to help your mom. I know you’re mad at her. You need to apologize to her. You had no right to punch her. She didn’t deserve that. I thought I raised you better than that.”
Wow, he saw that? I do feel bad for punching her though.
“I will, if we ever see her again. I’m pretty much lost in this place. Everything looks the same.”
“You need to find her. You need her to help get you through the forest. It doesn’t know you yet.”
“I will, Dad. I love you and miss you so much. Will I get to see you again?”
“Nothing will keep me away from you. I love you as well, dear youngling.”
It starts to get fuzzy. I know my time’s up.
“When will I see you again?”
“Once you become the ruler, I will see you whenever you call me. You will be powerful enough to call on me. One more thing: Trust in your dragons to help you through everything. Lean on them when you need it. All twelve of them will support you and help you.”
I hug him one more time before I’m yanked away. This time everything goes dark.
When I came to, I sat up so fast, I knock Kiernan’s arms off me. He sits up just as fast.
“What’s wrong, love? Who pulled you in this time?”
I have to get my bearings before I can tell him anything. How am I going to tell him that I’m the future ruler when I can’t even grasp it myself?
“I need someone to go get Isobel, but before someone does, I need to tell everyone something.”
“Ok, love. Do you want me to round everyone up?”
“That would be great.”
How are they going to react to this news? Will they resent me, or try to stop me? I know my dad said to trust them. I do trust them with my lifecycle. They haven’t given me a reason not to.
“Dariya, we’re all here,” Kira says, walking up to me and giving me a hug.
I hug her back. I need her support to get me through this.
“I was visited by my dad again. He’s told me a few things, and some are going to seem farfetched. I haven’t even wrapped my own head around it yet.”
I tell them everything my dad said. No one talks for a long time. I start rocking from foot to foot. I was nervous to tell them in the first place. Now they’re making me more nervous.
Bruno kneels in front of me. “I am with you. I pledge myself to you from this day
Kiernan was next to follow. “Love, you know I’m yours, and I pledge myself to you as well.”
All twelve of my dragons pledge themselves to me, one by one they drop on one knee and bow to me. This is more than I could have hoped for or even expected.
“I knew I was your best friend for a reason. I pledge myself to you, as well. You need a woman on your side to keep these dragons in line!” Kira says, pointing to the now kneeling dragons.
I’m so emotional that I can’t breathe. I couldn’t have dreamed this up even if I wanted to. My lifecycle just keeps getting more complicated. I wouldn’t change it, though. I have the best shifters in my lifecycle right now. I just need to get my mom back.
“I need someone, or two, to go find Isobel. We need her to help us, and I need to apologize to her. It wasn’t her fault. I know that now thanks to my dad.”
Aidan was the first to volunteer. “I will go, I spent a lot of time with her. I have her scent in memory.”
Rome steps next to Aidan. “I’ll go with him, if that’s ok with you.” I give him a nod.
“Thank you for doing this for me. Please don’t tell her anything. I want her to show us we can trust her.”
“As you wish,” they say together.
I put my hands out and do a circle. “We’ll be here, since this place seems to want to keep us here, anyway.”
They take off to go find Isobel. They will be able smell her out. I can’t wait until I can do that. Weird I know. But when I can use my dragon senses like they can, I won’t ever be lost, and I will always be able to find my way home to my loved ones.
As we wait, I go to talk to Kira. I grab Kiernan’s hand and lead the way over to her and Bruno. I still think they’ll get together. There’s too much chemistry between them. I smile at that. I can see they make each other happy. That is all I can ask for her.
“Hey, guys what are you doing?”
Kira turns toward me. “Talking about you, actually”
“Oh yeah? What about? How not so awesome I am?”
She laughs. “No, just the opposite. I can’t believe you’re going to be the ruler. That’s so cool!”
“I’m glad you think so. I mean come on, me a ruler. What was the Source thinking? Besides I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all.”
Kiernan being the sweet one. “You’ll be a great ruler, love.”
“I sure hope so. Jamel doesn’t think so.”
Bruno steps behind Kira and pulls her to him. “Well deal with him when the time comes. We need to play it off like we don’t know anything. I don’t want him to hurt your mom.”
He’s right. We can’t let him know that we know anything. I’m not going to get my mom ki
lled. I do need to get my anger under control before I end up hurting her or someone else. I don’t know what I would do if I saw him right now.
He deserves a lot worse then what I would be able to do to him, but finding my mom is more important than taking him on right now. He will get what is coming to him after we get my mom back.
I look up at Bruno. “So, when are you going to ask her out?” Pointing to Kira
He snaps his head up. I’ve taken him by surprise, which is awesome. He is very hard to take by surprise.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. I can see it clear as day⸻the chemistry between you two. I mean you are holding her.”
They look at each other and blush.
“I have already asked her.”
“Wait, what? When did this happen? You didn’t tell me.” I glare at Kira.
She rolls her eyes at me. “When did I have time to tell you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, when it happened!” I throw my hands in the air.
She looks at the ground and fidgets with her hands. “I was going to tell you when the timing was right. You just have so much on your mind right now. I didn’t want to add to it.”
“This would have been something to get my mind off everything, but I understand why you didn’t tell me.” I walk up to her and hug her.
Just as fast Kira was quick to change the subject. “What are you going to do first when you become ruler?”
“I haven’t even thought about it. I can’t even think about that right now. I don’t want to think about it right now.”
“Listen girlie, I know you are going to be a great ruler. You’re not letting it get to your head. I get it though. This is a lot of information to take in. First, you find out that you’re the key to destroying the Elders, now you’re fated to be our ruler. You got this. We’re here to help you.” Her smile wasn’t making things better. If anything, it’s making it worse.
“Thank you. We need a plan to save my mom first. We also need to figure out where we are exactly.”
I turn around listening. I can hear footsteps coming our way. I didn’t have to say anything to the guys they heard it before I did. We all stand on alert.
Rome’s voice is unmistakable. “Dariya, it’s us. We found Isobel.
That was quick. We wait until they come into the clearing. I see Isobel first. She looks worried and scans the surroundings.
Her worried gaze falls on me. “We need to get out of here. We’re in Jamel’s territory. He’ll kill us if he finds out that we’re here.”
“How does Jamel have any territory? And how do you know where we are? Everything looks the same everywhere we go!”
She gives me a weird look, like I should have known something already. “You haven’t opened up your mind, I see.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The magic here is blocking you because you’re not willing to open up to it. In order for that to happen, you need to mingle your energy with that of the forest. If it accepts you, you’ll be able to see the true nature of where you are.”
Now I’m the one giving the weird look. “How do we do that?”
She gives me a small smile. “The same way you saw our energies when you arrived.”
I close my eyes to see the energy around me, and I look deeper within myself. I can feel the magic caress my energy. I let my own energy mingle with it. At first, I don’t think it’s going to accept me, but then something strange happens. I feel the magic enter my soul and caress my mind and heart. I pop my eyes open. It takes me a few seconds to realize things are different. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. There are so many colors, from light pink to deep red. Every color in the rainbow is present and more. The magic here is so beautiful. It only lasts a few seconds, but it’s amazing to see. I’m in awe of this place.
I have a plan. I want everyone else to see what I was seeing. It’s breathtaking. I go with my gut and tell everyone to hold hands. I just hope this works and I don’t look like a fool.
I reach my hands out to Kira and Kiernan. “I need you all to hold hands.” I watch as everyone else holds hands as well.
“I need you all to close your eyes and look for the energy surrounding you. Once you feel the magic, I want you to let your own energy mingle with it.”
They do as I say, and I wait until they’re done. One by one, they open their eyes, and I know they’re seeing what I did. They all look around and take in their surroundings. I notice Hiram is looking confused. I walk over to him and place my hand on his shoulder.
“Are you not seeing what everyone else is seeing?”
He shakes his head and looks around at everyone. “No, all I can see is the same thing as before.”
I think about how I can help him. After a few seconds, I have an idea.
I hold my hands out to him. “Hold my hands. I want you to close your eyes and find your own energy from deep inside you. Once you find that, let me know.”
He gives a skeptical look. “I’ll try. I’ve never done this before.”
He closes his eyes, and I wait. We stand there for a few minutes. I’m starting to think that he won’t be able to do it. I’m about to suggest something else when he finally says that he’s found it.
“Now, I want you to find the energy that surrounds you.” I wait until he does.
I can see the excitement on his face for doing it. “I found it.”
“Now, I want you to let your energy go and let it mingle with the energy around you.”
We stand there for a few minutes more. He lets out a sigh, and I think for a moment that he’s indicating that he can’t do, but he opens his eyes, and I see his expression. He’s seeing the colors that is surrounding him.
“This is unbelievable! I have never seen such beauty before.”
I smile at him, letting him know I understand his reaction. It’s beyond beautiful. I just wish it lasted longer. I look around to find them all staring at us with smiles.
Isobel places her hand on my shoulder. “We need to leave now. I can feel Jamel coming. His energy is angry. Can you feel it?”
I open my senses and can feel a vibe that doesn’t belong to any of us. I turn to where it’s coming from. I can feel it moving closer⸻and fast.
My anger grew the closer he got. “I don’t think we have time to run. Besides, we need to know who this Jamel shifter is. He has my mom and I want her back!”
Isobel has a panic look. “Why do you want to meet him? He will kill us on sight.”
“I don’t think he will, I think he has a message for me. I can feel the angry energy, but it’s not violent.”
Before anyone could say anything else, Jamel and some of his fellow bear and lion shifters come running out into the clearing. I can see some fae and elves as well. They stop dead in their tracks when they break through. They’ve must have noticed there are twelve deadly dragons waiting with me. He’s not so smart after all.
I cross my arms over my chest to keep my hands from shaking. It’s taking all I have not to attack him. “You must be the Jamel I have been hearing about.”
He gives me a smirk. “It must be all good if you had the nerve to step foot in my territory. Either that, or you want to die.”
Does he really think he can intimidate me? “Hmm, I don’t think anything I heard was good, but that’s beside the point.”
His smirk is gone replaced with a frown. “Why are you trespassing on my land?”
I give him a bored look. “Well, I didn’t know this is your land until about fifteen minutes ago.”
He takes a step forward. “Then I suggest you leave before you get into something you can’t get your pretty little self out of.”
My dragons surround me just enough to let him know he will not win this fight. I watch him take a step back when he notices them. I wanted to laugh, but now is not the time.
I give him my best smile. “Oh, I don’t know. It so happens that all I ever do is get myself into things that I sho
uldn’t.”
His smirk is back on his face. “Is that so? Well, I guess I should teach you a lesson then.”
He nods to one of the men on his left. He walks back in the woods and disappears. What in the world is he doing? If I was him, I wouldn’t have sent him away.
The gleam in his eyes, tells me he is up to something. “You should have left when I told you to.”
The man comes back and walks behind Jamel, amongst the group. He walks over to stand next to Jamel. When the person that is with him is dragged out from behind Jamel. I wanted to unleash my anger. He has my mom. She’s blindfolded, and her hands are tied behind her back. I start for her, but strong arms hold me in place. I start to fight Kiernan to let me go.
He leans down to my ear and whispers. “Love, if we act now they will kill her. Think about that. We need to play this safe.”
I know he’s right. I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that I have to just stay there and do nothing. What have they been doing to her? I can’t tell if she’s ok. The man who brought her out here is holding her up. Please let her be ok.
Bruno steps over to me. “Ok, you got our attention. What do you really want?”
I send a silent thank you to him. I don’t think I would have been able to talk, let alone stay calm. I look around to see how many shifters and non-shifters Jamel has brought. I count fifteen, but I’m positive there are more hiding nearby.
“I want her dead,” he says, pointing at me.
Is he serious?
Bruno steps somewhat in front of me. “Why do you want her dead?”
“Because I will not bow down to a teenager. I should be the next ruler. I will be the next ruler.”
He’s clearly out of his mind. How does he think he’s going to be the next ruler?
My anger is getting to be too much. I snap out the words. “How do you suppose that will happen?”
“Simple. Once you kill the Elders, I’ll kill you, and it will be my right since I took your life cycle.”
I look at Bruno and he shakes his head, confirming what I already knew. The Source only lets protectors rule. That means no other shifter or non-shifter can rule but dragons. If I become the next ruler, I will be the youngest to ever rule.
