Moon Shadow (Mount Henley Trilogy Book 1)

by Kat Zaccard

  I smiled at her. “I know that.”

  “Ah, but so many don’t feel that.” She smiled at me, then continued. “Anyway, moving on. The queen has no idea that I played a hand in your dress selection for the Winter Ball. She’s asked me to help you learn the ways of the court and council since you officially have a council seat now, which is a huge win for us, by the way. Now I know”—she held up a hand to cut off my attempt to interrupt—“you want out of this boorish and archaic arranged marriage. I couldn’t agree more. It’s an insult to your status and your ability to hold your crown on the merit of your own blood and gender. I swear, I hate politics. But you have to know how to play the game. And Alice, we’re going to rule.”

  Her grin would put the Big Bad Wolf to shame. I was both impressed and nervous. She had big plans for me, but what about my own plans? Yet, I couldn’t refute my need for help.

  “Well, I appreciate the offer, Nadia, but how can I trust you after what happened at the ball?”

  “Don’t trust me,” she said boldly, and I looked up in surprise. “I said it before and I mean it. Don’t trust me. At least not yet. Don’t trust anyone. You’re going to be queen sooner than you think. Everyone wants a piece of you. Everyone wants to push their own agenda. Luckily for you, our agendas are relatively the same.” At my quizzical look, she amended, “At least they’re moving in the same trajectory. I won’t bullshit you, Alice.” I’d never heard her swear before. “I mean it. I’ll tell you what I know and what I suspect. You need allies, and I will be yours. You will trust me eventually, but for now only trust your gut instinct, and keep everyone else at arm’s length.”

  “That sounds lonely,” I said dryly.

  “It’s for your own protection. You have to guard your heart as well as your body. Speaking of which, the attack with the upyr makes me think you need a bodyguard. Frankly, I can’t believe you weren’t assigned a security detail from day one. Somebody is really slacking on the job.”

  “I don’t need security.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine, ignore my first piece of advice as your unofficial court advisor. We’ll revisit the subject in a minute. Now, tell me all about the attack.”

  I sighed. I had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time I told this story today.

  After tea with Nadia, and the promise to meet weekly, I headed to Luciana’s Café to meet Shea, Hayley, and the gang. We had our much-delayed coconut lattes, and I told the story for the third time that day. Hayley, Sara, and Lola were raised knowing they were werewolves. They’d heard stories of upyr their whole lives, but only as fairytales. To learn the humanoid beasts were real was thrilling and exciting for them. For me, it was tiring. At least they believed me. I was having a hard enough time as it was believing what had happened, and I had been there.

  I told no one about Diego’s strange shift, just that he had saved me. I told them he was a hero, but I couldn’t tell them he was a superhero. Diego wasn’t at work, which was fine with me. Hopefully he was getting some much needed rest. I was overwhelmed and too emotionally exhausted to talk to him now anyway. We headed back to school as a group and made our way to dinner, laughing and chatting.

  At dinner, everyone tried to sit closer to us and talk to us from neighboring tables. I was famous. It was weird to be the center of so much attention. I didn’t really like it. I especially didn’t like the dark looks Jillian and her cronies shot at me all through dinner. Toward the end of the meal Ms. Grissle came in, and silenced the hall with a piercing whistle.

  “Some of you may have heard over-blown rumors of a recent attack on the school grounds.” She glared daggers at me. “There is no cause for alarm.” At this, murmurs filled the air, causing Ms. Grissle to whistle sharply again. “However, we will be taking extra precautions just to be safe. There will be added patrols, and no one is allowed beyond school grounds.”

  Everyone grumbled and complained. Shouts rang out:

  “What about full moon running?”

  “What about track and field?”

  “Can we still go to the village?”

  “Hush now! All activities off school grounds are cancelled. No one can go between buildings alone. We will pack into groups to get to class, and each group will have Slivers to guard them. Now, no more questions and off to bed!”

  With that, she clapped her hands and left the room.

  “Yeah, I feel much safer now,” drawled Sara.

  “You’d think telling us everything was fine, and then enforcing a strict curfew would put us all at ease. Funny, I’m not feeling it,” Hayley piped up sardonically.

  “That’s okay, girls. We have Alice the upyr-fighter in our group. We’ll be fine!” said Lola.

  “Hey, not cool with the nickname,” I complained. “I’m not proud of what happened.”

  “You should be!” said Hayley. “That’s the most badass thing to happen at our school in forever!”

  “Hey, give it a rest, Hayley. It wasn’t cool, it was life or death,” Shea said, and I appreciated it.

  “Well, anyway … you’d better not sleep in tomorrow. We expect our pack leader to teach us some moves, and we can’t get to the arena without you.”

  I smiled. “Okay, that I can manage.” We made a plan to meet for training after school the next day and headed off to bed. I got a little more sleep than the night before, but dark, blood-filled dreams still haunted me in the early morning. After tossing and turning for a few hours, I finally got up and did some yoga instead. Afterwards, I made some tea and stepped out onto my balcony, wrapped in a blanket, to watch the sunrise over the mountains. A shadow moved along the tree line, and I peered into the darkness where the grounds met the trees. Was that a patrol? I couldn’t tell if someone had been there or if I had been imagining it. I shivered, but not from the cool March morning.

  Chapter 22

  After school, the girls were extra chatty on the way to the training ground. Lola was especially nervous, startling at every snapped twig or rustling branch. Hayley was having fun at her expense, jumping out in front of her and grabbing her arm with a gasp at every turn. Soon, we were all laughing, though I could tell we were all nervous.

  We’d made it to the arena without incident and began training in earnest. I taught them a few drills I’d learned from patrol. Hayley, an expert at Krav Maga, enjoyed showing off and had soon pinned each of us enough times to assert her dominance. Shea gave me a questioning look after I hit the ground for a fourth time, but I merely shrugged at her.

  Hayley pulled me and Shea aside to ask why I wasn’t trying to use my alpha powers, to which I replied, “I have to learn to fight an opponent on my own. I doubt I can get the telepathy to even work in human form. Besides, using my alpha powers on other Weres is kind of wrong anyway.”

  Hayley rolled her eyes. “If you have extra muscles, you’d use them,” she pointed out.

  “Yeah, but the upyr are likely impervious to my wolfish charms, so I have to learn to fight without any extra alpha skills.” Shea acknowledged my point and definitely questioned the ethics of it all. After turning back to the group, we continued to take turns throwing ourselves at the seemingly invincible Hayley. Afterwards, we hit the showers and I helped Hayley put in new braids while she twisted Lola’s locks into elaborate swirls around her head. We admired our handiwork, then headed back to the manor for lunch.

  We’d just sat down with our loaded trays of food, when Jillian, Crystal, and Laureine walked up to our table. “Wow, Alice, you are really reaching for some attention, aren’t you? Making up an upyr attack? Are you seriously cracked?” Crystal and Laureine laughed maliciously. “Watch out, Alice, the Abominable Snowman might get you next.” they synchronously flipped their hair and stalked off.

  “Seriously?” Shea exclaimed. “They’re telling everyone you made it up? That’s crazy!”

  “This whole thing is crazy. I can’t believe it myself.” I rubbed my hands on my jeans.

/>   Ms. Grissle cleared her throat behind us, making us all jump. “Miss Luna, your presence is requested by the headmaster.”

  “Do I have to go?” I joked without thinking.

  “Of course, Your Highness.” I swear she dripped poison in the title. With a shrug at Shea and Hayley, who were barely controlling their giggles, I followed Ms. Grissle’s tightly pulled grey bun out of the dining area. She escorted me out of the manor house of the Artemis dorm to Mt. Henley mansion where she led me to a large parlor I’d never been in before. The walls were lined with books, maps, and old oil paintings of hunting wolf packs. Near the floor-to-ceiling windows sat a small group of people in oversized chairs. I approached and recognized Jack, Olaf, Diego, and Headmaster Giovanni.

  “Princess Luna, thank you for joining us,” said the headmaster. I hadn’t seen the large man since our first meeting. He stood and bowed formally, the rest of the group hastily rising to do the same.

  “As you may know, I have been away on school business these past few weeks, but I’ve heard of your talents and exploits at school.”

  “’Exploits is hardly the word, Felice,” Jack said.

  Headmaster Giovanni scowled at Jack. “Yes, well, the situation has gotten out of hand and we need to make immediate remediation to the existing plan. How you could allow a member of a royal family—the royal family, for that matter—to participate in the base duties of patrol is beyond me, Mr. Winterstone.”

  “Excuse me, sir.” His glare turned to me, and I somehow felt I should curtsy, but I refrained. “I insisted on joining patrol. I have to know how to lead my people, and that includes learning how to protect them.”

  “A noble ambition, to be sure, Your Highness, but it is completely unacceptable for your station. And given the recent and unprecedented attack, I’m afraid you will no longer be able to join patrols.”

  “But that’s not fair. Why should others take risks that I myself should be taking?”

  “That is where you’re wrong and where your lack of training shows plainly. You are a member of the highest ranking royal clan in our Great Pack. You are to be sovereign in less than two short years. It is my duty to protect you and prepare you for that responsibility. I have discussed this with the Queen Regent my concerns that you were not receiving special classes on the constitution and court life in the first place. You should immediately exchange your physical training for royal training.”

  “But, sir, I need to know how to defend myself. I need to know how to fight if I’m to lead my people.”

  “Your Highness”—How did he manage to turn a title into a reprimand?—“you are expected to lead your people from the throne, not the front lines. Never mind that we are not at war, and there is no battle to speak of.” Headmaster Giovanni had been cordial and pleasant at our first meeting. Now, he was as agitated as a cornered bird.

  “The appearance of an upyr would suggest otherwise,” I said coolly, and saw Olaf notably cringe at the word.

  “I see Olaf has been filling your head with fairytales. This is exactly the sort of rumor we don’t need running through the school. I would hope a person of your rank and breeding would be above idle gossip and rumor.”

  “But, sir, I saw one. I fought it!” I implored. My hand went to my bandaged neck. Surely the jagged bite mark was proof?

  “Enough,” he said. “The Queen Regent said you had an active imagination, but this is neither the time nor the place. I will hear nothing more.”

  My mouth dropped open. How could he ignore the facts? I looked at Diego; his face was a steel mask. He met my eyes briefly and gave me the slightest shake of his head, nearly imperceptible so as not to divert the attention of Headmaster Giovanni.

  “Now, the last thing this school needs is a scandal. I know you might feel the need to elaborate on the incident, but the fact remains there was no trace of a creature, human or otherwise, in the woods. And believe me, we searched. Now, if I hear you telling anyone else this fanciful tale of upyr, there will be repercussions. I’m sure this is the last we’ll speak of it.”

  With that, I was dismissed. I followed Ms. Grissle out of the parlor, seething. I kept trying to catch Jack’s or Diego’s eyes, but they wouldn’t look at me. Diego glanced once in my direction and again carefully shook his head no.

  I returned to my room and found Shea waiting outside. She filled me in that an announcement had been made warning that anyone spreading rumors of upyr would be strictly punished. We talked late into the evening of conspiracy and politics. Our only resolution was that I’d have an interesting tea with Nadia the following week.

  Chapter 23

  I felt the shift in the air the very next day as word spread that the lunatic princess was inventing vampires to chase in her sleep. Over the next few days, the taunts escalated from muttering to mock wolf calls in the halls, and at lunch, Crystal called out, “All Hail, Princess Lunatic!”

  I did my best to ignore it, but part of me wanted to pin her to the floor and claw her eyes out. The brief moment of rage was instantly sobering as I recalled my fight with the upyr. I picked at my nails, thinking of the gouges I’d left in his skin. I felt nauseous and didn’t eat. I refused to leave the hall, though, and at one point I caught Nadia at the seniors’ table give her nod of approval.

  I was worried that Hayley and the girls would ditch me, too, but I should have given them more credit. Not only were they all waiting for me at our usual lunch table, but they also all did their best to talk about anything but the incident. It must have been killing Hayley not to pepper me with questions. I was pretty sure she scratched the bench by gripping it so hard. By the third day of torment in the halls between classes, followed by forced pleasantries at lunch, I had to end the madness. Lola was in the middle of detailing her family’s summer vacation plans, when I snapped.

  “Okay, I can’t take it anymore!” I interrupted. Lola harrumphed and Hayley turned to me excitedly. I leaned in, and they all leaned in with me. “I have to tell you guys something, but not here.” I looked around anxiously, pleased to note Jillian was ignoring us at present. By silent, mutual agreement, we did our best to casually stagger our departure from the dining hall.

  We met behind the girls’ manor and headed through the muddy gardens, into the orchard. The earth smelled rich and loamy, promising life with the return of spring. We wandered through the orchard a bit to avoid patrols, wishing for more ground cover. We made our way past the budding pear and cherry trees to the edge of the orchards. Checking that the coast was clear, we darted into the woods, a fairyland painted by early spring. I was cautiously tip-toeing over a bed of violets pushing their way out of the dirt, when Hayley lost her patience.

  “Okay!” she said with a clap. “Here we are, in the middle of nowhere, perfect setting to divulge pertinent information…”

  Shea opened her mouth to protest, but I intercepted. “Okay, you’re right, Hayley. I’ve been dealing with this alone, thinking it’s the right thing to do, but it’s not. It’s selfish. It doesn’t matter who gets in trouble. You have a right to know what’s out there and a right to prepare yourselves, if possible.”

  Lola gasped, and Sara glared at me. “Gee, don’t freak us out or anything.”

  Despite everything, I smiled. It withered quickly, however, as I began to fill them in on what Headmaster Giovanni had said. They asked questions as I rehashed what happened during the attack. I still left out Diego’s little talent; that was his secret to share, not mine. I told them that the High Council knew the upyr were real, but insisted they were only in northern Eurasia. Clearly, Queen Christina had convinced Headmaster Giovanni of that. They were stunned by the revelations, but impressed with me. They started to congratulate me and remark on Diego’s strength and skill.

  I stopped them in their tracks and tried to explain the severity of it. “You guys don’t get it. The upyr aren’t just real; they’re here. They have super-human strength and a taste for blood. Getting away from one of them was a fluke. I don’t kn
ow why I’m not dead. We can’t go into a fight like this, acting cocky.”

  “What fight?” challenged Sara. “You said it was gone.”

  “That’s right!” chimed in Lola, grasping Sara’s hand as she grasped at straws. “And you said the patrols searched and found no trace of it, other than some blood at the scene.”

  “Maybe the patrols scared it off, maybe they didn’t. But, you guys, if it’s out there, it’s hurting someone. We should do something about it.” Hayley’s fist hit her palm, punctuating the statement.

  “Do something?” squeaked Lola.

  “Yes!” Hayley replied excitedly. “As a pack, we should defend the defenseless against the upyr. You said it yourself, Sara!”

  “That was a story, Hayley,” Sara protested.

  I tried to interrupt, but everyone was talking at once. Finally, Sara whistled sharply and everyone stopped to grab their ears.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be out here in the woods alone with bloodthirsty upyr running around, eh?” She tried to act casual, but her eyes held an uncommon hint of fear. We weren’t supposed to be in the woods. Lola whimpered, and Sara wrapped a protective arm around her, drawing her in closer.

  Shea stepped in. “Guys, you have to let Alice finish.”

  I gave her a grateful nod and continued. “Hayley makes a good point, but our first problem is, no one believes they are real and the council isn’t helping at all. They don’t think the upyr are even here; they think they’re only in Russia.”

  “Does that make any sense? They could take a plane, couldn’t they?” Lola asked.

  “Don’t be stupid,” scoffed Sara, and Lola pulled away from Sara’s embrace, annoyed to be dismissed.