“What was that about?” I whispered.
“Wolves,” Wren said. I blinked up at him, waiting for him to explain. “They found nine deer carcasses in the Hollow where my dad was murdered. Their stomachs were torn open by teeth and claws, blood and entrails all over the place. Stevenson was telling Coach to keep us out of the woods again. They suspect foul play.”
“It wasn’t us if that’s what you’re thinking,” Hailey said. “Thornwood hasn’t stepped paw in the National Park, and we wouldn’t do something like that.”
The back of my throat tightened. The skin covering my vertebrae tingled, like someone was standing behind me in shadow.
“Quinn?”
“The Hollow is sacred ground,” I said. “One of five places in the world that houses a chasm of raw energy–power that is neither good nor bad but can be manipulated to go either way.” I heard myself repeating the information Blaire shared with us a few weeks before. “Nine is a specific number. It’s not random.”
“What are you saying?” Hailey asked.
“It was a blood sacrifice,” I said, “an offering.”
“For what?” Wren narrowed his eyes.
“I really don’t want to be right about this, but, I think it’s intended for the nine circles of hell.” I swallowed hard. “A gift for the Lord of Darkness.”
“But who would do something like that and why?” Hailey asked.
“Someone who favors Darkness.” I glanced up at Wren. “We need to find out if the rogue werewolves are responsible. I’d hoped that with Penny being gone and Nyla being locked up that they would just move on, but I guess that was too much to hope for.”
“We can head up there after practice and I can try to track their scents. If it’s any of the rogues, I’ll know.”
“I can go with you,” Hailey volunteered. “If it is the rogues, Ryker will want to know about it too.”
“This will be the closest we’ve gotten to finding them since that night,” I said.
“Text Blaire and have her meet us there,” Wren said. “If they’re still using any magic, she should be able to detect the source.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.”
Wren pulled the Firebird into an abandoned access road that backed up to the National Forest. The last time I’d been here, Blaire and I were dragging Garrett’s unconscious body out of the woods so we could take him back to the Magic Shoppe and question him about Penny. That hadn’t been one of my finer moments, and my gut lurched at the memory.
“Blaire’s just a few minutes behind us,” I said as I climbed out of the car and pocketed my cellphone. Hailey had pulled in after us, driving a white Honda. By the time she was climbing out of the car, Blaire was pulling in and Bryna was riding along with her.
I drew a breath and sighed.
“I could tie her to a tree if you want.” Wren snickered behind my shoulder.
“Don’t tempt me.”
“All right, let’s get a move on,” Blaire said, slinging a pack over her shoulder. “We don’t have much time before we have to get on the road.”
The five of us started heading in the direction of the Hollow; the two Weres leading the way with their superior sense of smell. White cloud plumes shifted above me, revealing the azure arc of the sky. Somewhere in between, the naked boughs of the surrounding trees stretched up toward the sunlight as if they were trying to keep us away–limbs pointing us in another direction. The deeper we walked into the forest, the heavier the amulet around my neck seemed to grow.
Up ahead, I spotted the broken yellow caution tape the police had used to seal off the area of Niall’s murder investigation and my stomach dropped. Wren’s jaw clenched, the tendons in his neck protruding as he lifted his face to sample the wind.
I smelled it before I saw it; death and blood, the foul stench that cloaked the earth in front of us. The smell hit me with the force of a tidal wave, raking through my stomach as it juggled the leftover contents of my lunch. I swallowed hard, fighting down the bile. There should have been flies. The forest should have been swarming with them, humming with the buzz of their wings. Instead, an eerie silence greeted us. I took a few more steps, and then their bodies came into view. The deer were almost lined in a perfect circle around the big boulder that jutted forth from the earth. Their bodies were bloated, stomachs savagely torn open with bits of flesh and entrails strewn across the russet pine needles. There was so much blood, pools of thick dark liquid, stretching and soaking into the earth.
“I guess we know why the police are suspecting foul play,” Wren said. “This looks like the work of some satanic cult.”
“It’s not far off, I’m afraid,” Blaire said. She was in the center of the Nexus with her arms raised high, her eyes closed as she sifted through the energy in the atmosphere. I was aware that Bryna was somewhere to my left. I couldn’t see her, but I heard her retching. My own stomach heaved, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the deer. I kept staring at their wide eyes–the depthless black pits that seemed to go on forever, and yet, nowhere at all.
“It was a massacre.” Hailey was frowning at the carcasses.
I wondered if they’d seen it coming. I tried to imagine the werewolves stalking their prey and taking them down. Their necks were broken–bent back in unnatural angles. They’d died before the wolves had sliced into their bellies and spilled their life’s blood into the earth. Their immobile eyes gazed back at me. Cold. Haunted. Tortured.
Wren’s hands were on my shoulders. It took me a moment to realize that he had stepped in front of me, obscuring my view of the carcasses. My ears were ringing, a high-pitched sound that seemed so far off, I wondered if it was only in my head. He’d been trying to get my attention. I saw his mouth moving, the shape of my name forming on his full lips as his eyes glowed with the colors of a lightning storm.
“Quinn.” He squeezed my shoulders and I blinked up, this time registering.
“I’m fine,” I heard myself say.
“Are you?” his tone was doubtful.
The amulet warmed at my throat, pulsing with Dark power. It was feeding off the sacrificial death, swelling and aching for more. My fingers twisted around the pendant, squeezing as my eyes lulled back in my head. The last thing I saw was the sky; crimson and gold leaves blurring above me as my body drifted away. It wasn’t until the cooler air hit my face that I realized Wren was carrying me; the scents of the crisp forest clearing the smell of rot and death from my mind.
Wren eased me down in a bed of dried leaves. I leaned forward, letting my head droop between my knees while Wren’s hand found the small of my back. I could feel the heel of his hand on one side, the tips of his fingers stretching to the other; my spine against his palm. I shifted my weight against the side of his body and let myself breathe in the familiar smell of his skin–the pine that always seemed to be clinging to his clothes and the strands of his hair.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed.
“Don’t apologize,” he told me. “What happened back there?”
“I could feel the Darkness. The amulet was feeding from it.” I pinched the milky jewel between my fingers and dropped it beneath the collar of my shirt. “I’m okay now.”
A thin line creased Wren’s brow, and the corners of his mouth pulled tight. His yellow eyes were boring holes of disbelief into my face.
“What did you pick up on back there?”
“There were a lot of smells to sift through, including the officers and a team of forensics, but I picked up on the scent signatures that match with the wolves we fought against the night we became the Trinity,” he told me. “Garrett surprisingly wasn’t one of them.”
“No, but the rest are our
rogues,” Hailey said, appearing beside me. “I sent a text to Ryker to let him know they’re still in the area.”
“Can you track them?”
“That depends–”
“The protection spell they’ve been under has worn off,” Blaire said. She and Bryna were sloshing through the blanket of dried leaves just a few yards away.
“How is that possible?” I frowned.
“Unless magic is being reinforced, all spells will eventually come to an end,” Bryna said. “I’m going to assume it’s because the link between Penny and Nyla has been severed. Whatever magic they were using must not hold while the two are so far away.”
“Someone must still be helping them,” I stated. “Not necessarily a witch, but someone who knows enough to tip the scales of Light and Dark.”
“Ryker is putting Maddox in charge of a team to track the Weres. They’ll start searching tonight before the scent trail runs cold.” Hailey waved her phone before pocketing it.
“Good.”
Blaire plopped down beside me, propping her forearms against her knees as she gazed off in the distance before turning to face me. “What did you feel back there?”
“Dark power,” I said, “very old and very strong. It was almost…”
“Otherworldly?” she guessed.
“Yes.”
“They used an offering incantation.”
“What’s that?” Hailey asked.
“Nine deaths to offer thee, nine deaths be true. Nine times I’ve walked the shadows, nine souls I give to you,” she said. “There’s only one purpose an incantation like that can serve, and it’s to awaken the Lord of the Underworld.”
“A sacrifice like that would have to be performed at each of the world’s five Nexus points in order to awaken him,” Bryna added. “I’ll alert the Aurora Coven and make sure they send word to the guardians. We don’t want a repeat of this happening elsewhere.”
“What would happen if they succeed in awakening him?” I heard myself say.
“Well,” Blaire said, mashing her lips together. “It depends on their motive, but it most certainly wouldn’t be good.”
“Evil forces teaming up–when has that ever been a good thing?” I snickered.
“Maddox is our best tracker,” Hailey said. “He’ll find them.”
“Just make sure he doesn’t do anything rash–like killing them before we’ve had a chance to question them.”
“I can’t promise they won’t be damaged, but they’ll be able to talk.”
Wren’s chin snapped up, nostrils flaring. “We’ve got company. I would have smelled them sooner, but the wind isn’t blowing in our favor. It’s Officer Stevenson and someone else–her scent was here earlier. They’re about four hundred meters to the north of us.”
“Shit,” I breathed. “Can we get away?”
“Not all of us.” He rose to his feet and offered me a hand up. “Hailey, can you guide Blaire and Bryna out of here? Quinn and I will distract them.”
“Sure thing.” She sampled the air and tilted her head to the left. “This way.” Reluctantly, Blaire and Bryna followed her away from the crime scene.
Wren twined his fingers through mine, pressing our palms together as we started down the hill. I didn’t like the idea of purposely crossing paths, but it was the only way to make sure the others got away. A spark of silver flashed through the trees–sunlight, gleaming off Officer Stevenson’s badge. There was a woman with him, dressed in a pair of black slacks with a button-down shirt tucked into the waistband. She wore a matching blazer and let her pale locks trail over her shoulders.
“Forensics,” Wren said under his breath.
Officer Stevenson had spotted us, his right hand moving to the gun holstered on his hip. “Hey,” Stevenson called out. “What are you two doing out here?”
“Walking,” Wren retorted as we stopped just a few feet short of them. I almost laughed. Stevenson squared his shoulders, jaw tightening. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses, but I imagined the cold look in them was present just the same.
Stevenson snickered. “Your tone isn’t cute, son. I’d watch it if I were you.”
The corner of Wren’s mouth twitched. “Forgive me, Officer. I meant no offense. I’d very much appreciate if you would take your hand off your gun though. We’re not a threat.”
Stevenson cocked his jaw, anchoring his hands on his hips. “Are you two alone out here?” Stevenson made a show of checking the woods around him like he expected someone to pop out from behind a tree.
“We are.”
“Huh.” Stevenson clucked his tongue. “Couldn’t help but notice your Firebird was parked in an abandoned access road on State property. There were two others there as well.”
“We noticed that,” Wren said, glancing down at me. “We didn’t see a no-trespassing sign at the entrance so we assumed it was all right to park there.”
“Yeah, Officer, we do it all the time with cross-country,” I added in a practiced honeyed tone. “One of our regular trails is out this way. We’re not in trouble are we?”
At first, Stevenson didn’t know how to reply. “I’d prefer you park in an actual lot from now on. Those access roads were abandoned for a reason.”
“Right. We’re really sorry. It won’t happen again.” I forced my lips into the shape of a smile. “So, um, is everything okay? I mean, we never see the department outside of, well, the department.” I glanced between Stevenson and the blonde woman. She’d been quiet, muddy-brown eyes fixated on Wren.
“Have you found anything new regarding my father’s murder case?” Wren asked.
“You’re the Whelan boy?” the woman spoke with a note of surprise in her tone. “I’m Alison Johnson, head of the forensics department. I’m working on your father’s case.”
Wren reached forward to shake the woman’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Wren and this is my girlfriend, Quinn Callaghan.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Alison said, greeting me next. She smoothed a manicured hand over the back of her head before straightening the hem of her blazer. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any new leads at this time, but Officer Stevenson agreed to accompany me back to the crime scene to comb it over–just in case we overlooked something.”
“It’s been weeks,” Wren said. “Taking the weather elements into consideration, I can’t imagine what you’d be hoping to find.”
He was baiting her, I was sure, but for whatever reason the officers were content to keep their true intentions a secret. As far as they knew, we hadn’t been to the crime scene to see the deer carcasses spread out in a circle, making it look like a cult sacrifice. Perhaps this woman was trying to find evidence to link the two incidents, considering Niall had been murdered in the exact spot of the sacrifice.
“You make a good point Mr. Whelan,” Alison told him. “But what I’m looking for won’t be affected by the weather. I’ll be in touch if we find something,” she said dismissively.
“We still haven’t cleared the area to the general public so make sure you and your friends stay out until the investigation is over,” Stevenson warned.
“What makes you think I have any desire to visit the spot where my father was murdered?” Wren replied. “I just want the person responsible brought to justice.”
“Have faith, Mr. Whelan. Our team is doing everything we can,” Alison said. She nodded once and she and Stevenson began walking towards the crime scene.
Wren and I stood there a moment before continuing on our own path. “They’re not planning to release the second incident to the media,” I said.
“No. There’s no need to induce further panic at this point, not until they find anything useful. They’ll have that site wiped clean before the end of the day.” Wren pursed his mouth. “That could pose a problem for Maddox and his trackers. Certain chemicals make it really hard for werewolves to find scent trails.”
“So what do we do?”
“Pray to the gods that the humans don’t mess this up for us.” Wren sighed. “Come on; let’s get back to the others so we can get a message to Maddox before it’s too late.” Wren squeezed my hand reassuringly as we picked up the pace.
Chapter Nineteen
“The Ties That Bind”
I tossed my backpack in Wren’s trunk and closed the heavy lid. Blaire walked out onto the porch, dressed in a pair of black jeans, hiking boots, and a green and black flannel with the cuffs rolled up her forearms. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, tangling with the silver and emerald trinity pendant she kept around her neck. “Any sign of our traveling companions?” she asked, tucking her hands in her back pockets as she stood beside me.
“Not yet.” I gave a halfhearted glance down the gravel lane, half hoping they’d changed their minds and decided not to show up. After Wren and I had reached the access road, we’d caught the others up to speed with what happened in the forest. Hailey skipped out right away to get back to Thornwood, and I wondered if maybe she and Ryker had elected to stay behind to help Maddox and the tracking team.
“Well, all our loose ends are knotted up here,” Blaire said, glancing at the cabin. “Bryna is finishing placing the wards, and Wren is–”
“–Right here,” he said, appearing from around the side of the house with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Blaire jumped, clutching a hand to her heart.
The Calling of the Trinity (Trinity Cycle Book 2) Page 22
