by Romi Hart
Twi sat down, then laid out, putting his chin on his crossed paws as he looked at one of the males. “I think Codut is making them weak so that he can control them. Once he knows he’s got them all down so far that they’ve lost every ounce of will they had, he will revive them. And then he will form their minds to agree with his.”
Brainwashing.
Now that I had a good idea of what he was doing, I knew how to combat that. “We’ve got to get them away from him then. He’s in stage one of the brainwashing phase. He’s taking them down to nearly nothing. If we don’t act fast, he’ll start the process of shaping their will to fit his own. After he does that, there’s no coming back for them. They will be what he creates.”
“I won’t lose Mist to that dragon.” Twi snarled then snapped at the air. “If only I had something I could do to end that spawn of evil.”
“I know we can’t end him while we’re living under his roof, so to speak. It’s obvious to me now that even if we do manage to set them all free, we will find none of them can help us anyway.” I knew they wouldn’t be able to open portals or fight. “The idea that some of them would have the power to open a portal once we got them out of their cages is gone now that we’ve met these foxes.”
“You’ve got to try harder to open a portal, Val.” He whimpered as he looked at the poor creatures who lay in front of us – shells of their former selves. “You’re our only hope.”
“Me?” I couldn’t be the only hope. “Twi, I don’t know how to control anything in my new fox body or mind. If I’m the only hope, then we’re doomed.”
“There you go again, accepting defeat without even trying as hard as you can first.” He rolled his eyes then set them on mine. “I think I know why you kept coming close to finding your monsters but never got there. You gave up. You gave up when you were right on the cusp of catching one on video. And do you know why you did that, Valentine Martin?”
“Because it’s damn hard, Twilight Foxworthy. I don’t expect you to understand. You’ve had this gift your whole life. You can run forever if you want to. Your body won’t give up on you. My body was merely human. I could only run so far and so fast. And now that I know the beasts I sought have powers that humans don’t, I know why I never caught any of them on film.”
“I do too. Because you gave up trying.” His eyes moved from one helpless fox to the next. “Two males and two females, Val. Mates, I’m sure. But the females lay side by side and the males do the same. He split them up. He made them forget their eternal commitments they made to each other. Now, they don’t remember a thing about all they shared before Codut captured them. And if he gets us, we too will become as vacant as the poor creatures who lay in front of us.”
To forget the things I felt with Twi would be a sin. “We can’t let that happen to us, Twi. If he does get us, then we have to try our best to keep our minds intact. I can’t imagine what he does to them to take their minds away.”
It occurred to me that when Zoe and I were in the dungeon that we’d heard the shifters talking, but only when they were in human form. The foxes had to have something else done to them to make them mute.
Twi overheard my thoughts, “They can’t turn into their human form because they won’t fit in this space if even one of them does. The same way we can’t transform right now. And none of us can leave the safety of this diamond chamber or Codut will incinerate us. Once we can all get out of here, then I think they’ll be able to communicate. I think Codut has more power over animals than humans. That’s a good thing to know, Val.”
“If we could get them out and everyone turn into humans, then we might be able to get the ones with the power to open a portal to do that for us all.” I knew there had to be another way to get out of the dragon’s realm that didn’t hinge on me.
“But what if they can’t?” he asked. “What if they can’t use any of their powers, the same way they must not be able to use them now?” He nodded his head as he gestured to the foxes. “They’re still under the influence of whatever he’s using to strip the shifters of their power. It might not be necessary for him to keep them in cages to take their powers away. He might be doing that for other reasons.”
“You’re right. He must be doing that just to manipulate them mentally.” An alarm bell rang in my head. “Twi! What if it’s not the cages but the realm itself that seeps in and takes away our minds?”
“Then the longer we stay here, the less and less we’ll remember until we remember nothing at all, I guess.”
Shaking my head, I knew that wouldn’t be what would happen. “The people who were talking remembered plenty. They didn’t seem to be as affected as they were in their animal forms when they were in their human forms.” Looking down at my white, furry paws, I got the idea that us being in our animal forms was putting us at a greater risk of being affected by the same thing the others were. “Twi, we need to change into our human forms before too much happens to us.”
“Do you think that the shifters turned into their animal forms to fight the dragon in what they considered to be their stronger side? But when they did that, they actually opened up the side of them that’s weaker. The animal side is more susceptible to being adversely affected by whatever Codut has going on here in his realm.”
“I think you’re right about that.” I thought back to when I saw the shifters in the dungeon. When Codut came into the chamber, they were all in their animal forms. They only shifted once he’d left. They all continue to think they’re more powerful when they’re animals. But they’re wrong – aren’t they?” My body heated as adrenaline shot through me. “We’ve got to get to them to tell them about this.”
“He’s aware of us now. So, we can’t exactly waltz on into that dungeon and inform the others what we think is true.” He shook his head. “We still have to get out of this realm to get help before we come back. If we blow this chance to save them all by being arrogant and thinking that we can do this alone, we’ll be as evil as Codut is.”
But how are we going to get out of here?
I began to walk along the walls, pacing the circle the foxes had dug out to form their den. The smooth diamond surface brushed the soot the rest of the way off my white fur as I walked. “We’ve got to get back. We’ve got to get back there to the place we left.”
“Yes, we do,” Twi agreed. “We’ve got to get back to where we were. We’ve got to get to some form of transportation that will get us to my family in Minnesota. From there, you and I can get on my private plane to go to Romania where I know a couple of bear-shifters. Zanthe and Freedrick have been to the realm where Tieris and Mako live. They can get us to where we need to go.”
“I’ve got to get to my brother and sister first, Twi. I can’t leave them behind. We can get to our home and take my car to your family.” As I walked past him, I asked, “If they want to be changed into what we are, will you do it?”
“We can use as many shifters on our side as possible,” he said. “So, yes. If they want to change, I’ll do it. But I’m not about to waste time waiting to see if they want to or not. You may have to leave them behind so we can do what we need to do. If we succeed in our mission, we can always go back to see if they feel ready to make the change or not.”
“We can’t do anything if we can’t get out of here.” I walked faster as the adrenaline hurried my pace. “We’ve got to get back. We’ve got to get back.”
We have got to get back!
23
Twilight
Without even meaning to, Val had opened a portal that filled the entire den. One moment we were all in the cavern, the next we were inside the portal, looking at one another with surprised expressions.
All at once, the foxes shifted into their human forms. “Thank God for you two!” One man said.
Val and I exchanged looks then we too transformed into our human forms. “I don’t know how I did that,” Val said as she looked at everyone else. “So, I’m Valentine Martin and this is Twilight Foxworth
y. And I think we should step out of this thing on the other side before it goes away before we make any more introductions.”
Nodding, they agreed as we headed across the empty grey space to get to the other green circle across the way. I led the way, taking Val by the hand. “I’ll go out first and you come out last,” I directed her. “You know, just in case when you walk out, it closes.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “Get going then. I don’t want to be trapped in here.”
Seeing the place we’d left as I stepped out, relief flooded me. The two females came out behind me then the males followed before Val came out, wearing a huge smile. “We all made it.”
“And we should close that thing,” I said. “Before Codut finds it and comes after us. For now, he thinks we’re still inside that den.”
“You’re right.” She looked at the big portal she’d opened. “How do I do that again?”
“Move your hand in a counter-clockwise circle,” one of the guys said. “I’m Trent, by the way.” He reached out and grabbed one of the girl’s hands. “And this is my mate, Fallow.”
The other man had already wrapped his arms around his mate. “I’m Ferdinand and this is my mate, Lark. Thank you so much for getting us out of there. I already feel a thousand times better.”
Val smiled as she kept moving her hand. “You’re welcome. Now, can you tell us what Codut did to weaken you all?”
I watched the green glow slowly disappear as she moved her hand. After a moment, it was gone. “Wow, you did it.” Taking her hand, I started leading them all away from the area. “We’ve got to get moving. There’s so much to do.”
Lark answered Val’s question, “Codut came to us and talked about his mission to get equal powers for all shifters and needing an army to get that accomplished. So, we went with him to his realm willingly.”
Ferdinand took over, “But we’d just gotten there when he led us to his castle. On the way there, everything seemed fine. But then he took us down into a dark place, telling us that was where the other soldiers were.”
Fallow added, “We all felt fine at that time and none of us were worried about a thing. But then we saw everyone in cages. Knowing that we’d been tricked, we all transformed into foxes and that’s when we were all hit with extreme fatigue.”
Trent nodded. “We could barely hold a steady thought. But I sent them all that we had to run out of there. Not fight – run.”
“So, that’s how you were the only ones to get away,” I said.
“Yes, our sharp minds, even when dull still led us to run rather than fight at that moment. So, we got away. And the thing I noticed was that Codut didn’t even bother to chase after us,” Trent said.
“We ran and ran, then we dug and dug,” Fallow said. “And we stayed in our fox forms, barely able to concentrate enough to just dig. Eventually, we made the den we became trapped in. And our minds went blank.”
Val’s furious expression told me she wasn’t going to rest until Codut was gone forever. “I don’t care what his reasons are. He will not get away with this. We do have a plan to get rid of him and set free everyone he’s captured.”
I felt things could be clarified a bit for them. “It all hinges on getting some dragons on our side though. And building our own army to fight and help with the rescue mission.”
Before I had to ask for their help, Trent said, “I don’t know how much help we can be inside the realm, but everything outside of it, you can count on us for.”
Fallow agreed, “Yeah. Whatever the poison is he used; it’s taken a toll on us.”
Val squeezed my hand. “They need to recuperate, Twi. You and I can go alone, and they can build themselves back up. We’ll catch up with them once we’ve got the dragons’ help.” Pulling her cell phone out of the pocket of her jeans, she handed it back to Lark. “You guys can use my phone to call for someone to come get you.”
“Where are we?” Trent asked. “We came from Missouri.”
“You’re in Minnesota at the Lake of the Woods. We’ll get to a campsite where you can wait for someone to pick you up.” I knew it wasn’t much, but they did have the ability to live off the land until help came for them.
“It won’t take long,” Ferdinand said, “My family has a helicopter. They’ll come right away.” He handed the phone back to Val. “Thank you. Codut had us leave our cell phones behind, claiming that the shifters who were against his plan of equal power would be able to track us to his realm if we had them.”
Val sighed, “He wanted you all completely alienated from the outside world and all you knew in it. His kind of evil goes to the core.”
I still wanted to know what the hell Codut really wanted to build an army for. It obviously wasn’t so he could get equal powers for all shifters. “For a shifter with as much power as he already has as a dragon, what more could Codut want?”
“One of the shifters had said something about that when I was in the dungeon,” Val said. “She said that he must want world domination.”
“I can see that,” Lark said. “Start with Earth, then go on from here. He could turn everyone he wanted to into shifters. And he could enslave everyone else. With an entire planet as his army, he could quite easily start working on taking over other planets that are populated out in the universe.”
“Global domination sounds like a pretty big task for him right now,” I said, thinking that had to be what Codut wanted. “He’d be king or emperor, or whatever he would call himself. And everyone else would serve him in some way or other.”
Val shook her head as we got up to the road. “She left me here.” She looked up and down the empty road. “Zoe took the van. We left it right here. That bitch totally abandoned me.”
“She’s gonna get hers, baby. Don’t you worry about that. The one thing I’ve seen in all my years is that karma gets its revenge no matter what. It might not be what you wanted to happen to her, but something will definitely happen to her.”
Her chest heaved as she took in the fact that Zoe was no kind of friend at all. “It hurts to know she couldn’t have ever really been my friend. She should’ve gone to the ranger station to get help.”
We kept walking until we came to a campsite. “And this is where we will leave you guys.” I pointed out the water faucet. “Get some water and wait for your ride here. We’ve got to get to Val’s family then on to mine.” Looking at Val, I let her know the fastest way to get anywhere. “We should transform now. We’ll travel faster that way.”
“Are you sure?” Skepticism riddle her beautiful face. “I think you just like the way I look when I’m a fox.”
“I do like that a lot.” I smacked her on the behind and we walked away from the others. “Come on now, change. We’ve got lots to do.”
She shifted, then so did I and off we ran, toward Canada. The night had begun to fade, and a new day was about to dawn. Running at a steady speed, I liked the way it felt to be with a mate.
I’d thought I didn’t need any female around to make the times I had any more fun or special. I’d been wrong. I needed Val in ways I hadn’t even found out about yet.
As the sun rose, I realized one thing. “You’re too easy to spot with that white fur, my dear.”
“There’s a small town just up ahead. We can change into our human forms and I can call an Uber to take us the rest of the way home.” She jumped over a small creek. “This is fun though. I’ve never felt more free.”
“In the snow, you’ll be camouflaged.” I ran up beside her. “But then I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Well, we will just have to watch each other’s backs when we’re out and about like this, won’t we?” Giggling, she zigged and zagged, leaping around – frolicking the way foxes love doing.
“You’re going to love life as a fox.” I frolicked along with her. “We’re a fun sort of animal.”
“Good. I need some fun in my life. I just hope my brother and sister want some fun in their lives too.” Hopping on top of a roc
k, she stopped and looked ahead. “There it is. We should change now. This is our last chance for cover before we get there. We can’t very well walk into a parking lot like this.”
In a flash, we’d changed and off we went to find a ride to her family home. “I hope they like me.” I began to feel a little worried that I wouldn’t be accepted by her siblings since I’d made her into what I was.
“They’ll like you. You’re funny and silly and most of the time you’re even kind.” Looping her arm through mine, she leaned her head on my shoulder. “What a life I have now, Twilight. Thank you, thank you, thank you. A thousand times, thank you.”
Kissing the top of her head, I felt as if I should be the one thanking her. “Thank you for being my mate, Val. I might not have thought I needed or even wanted a mate. But you proved me wrong. I expect you’ll do that on many occasions.”
“I hope so. Proving you wrong is fun.” She laughed as we walked up the steps to a grocery store. Tapping away on her cell phone, she said, “Okay, we’ve got a ride that will arrive in ten minutes. I’m going to go inside to see if there’s a restroom I can use.”
“What?” I shook my head. “You were just a fox who could’ve used the restroom anywhere you wanted to.”
“In front of you?” She shook her head as she walked away from me. “That’s disgusting.”
“You have so much to learn about being a wild animal.” I couldn’t take the smile off my face as I watched her walk away. “So much to learn, Valentine.”
Making love as foxes would be the first thing she’d learn as soon as I could make that happen. With all the drama, we hadn’t had the time to get to all the really great things that came with being animals as well as humans.
Leaning my back against the wall, a van going down the road caught my eye. It looked like the one Val and Zoe had and Zoe had taken, leaving Val behind.
An entire day had passed, and I had thought Zoe would be long gone. But maybe she hadn’t left the way we’d thought she had. I watched the van turn then zip up the street.
