Rise of the Lycans: Shadows And Secrets

Chapter 24 – Discord

Maeve

“MAEVE!” His scream echoed across the street.

There was a moment where everything seemed to float. A shadowed fog encased us, and I no longer felt like I was being supported by my feet. Images of people in different places all around the city celebrating Hogmanay floated in the darkness like an old projector wheel. We pitched forward, and I felt my feet hit the ground.

“Woah,” the whisper left me.

Blinking, I looked up at the fortress walls, windows, and doors that stood nearly a thousand years ago. They had seen kings and queens, saints and sinners, voyagers and invaders from around the world. Tonight, there were vampires, demons, mages, werewolves, and a lycan roaming beneath the shadows of the Castle.

“Are you okay?” Remington asked.

My hand slid over my stomach as if asking the baby the same question. We were fine, but my heart wasn’t. “Did we just…”

“Shadow jump?” He nodded. “Yes.”

“He saw me,” my voice trembled.

“He saw the back of a female with dark ginger hair who disappeared right before his eyes. He won’t be certain of what he saw and will think his mind is playing tricks on him.”

“He’s with Brianna.”

“He’s not.”

“How would you know?” I know what I saw. “His arm was around her.”

“Hello… demon, remember? I can jump into dreams as well,” he replied.

“Wait… you’ve been in his dreams? Are you like the Sandman or something?”

“Something,” he nodded before focusing on the big bronze statue beside us. “Who’s the statue of?”

“It’s Prince Frederick; now, don’t change the subject.”

“I’ve told you, demons can be malevolent or benevolent, so they have the power to bring nightmares or sweet dreams.”

“Do you control all dreams?”

“No, of course not,” he chuckled. “People float in and out of the dream realm on their own.”

I thought about the dream I had earlier. “Can people meet in the dream realm?”

“Sometimes,” he nodded. “They have the power to look, dress, or hide whatever they want.” He reached for my arm and started moving me along with him. “Come on, the Witches’ Well is just over there.”

Call it instinct or a deeper knowing, but I somehow knew meeting with Rex in the dream realm was possible. Either that, or I was just so desperate to feel him close that I dreamed it all up. Then again… if I had dreamed him up, why would he ask me where I was hiding?

Was he looking for me? No… they were probably here on the pack tour, visiting the Lowlands Pack. Of course, Flaym could have just been craving good haggis, and hopping on a plane for a culinary experience is something he would do. Or maybe Dori wanted to finally solve the mystery of what lies beneath a kilt.

“It’s a shame this thing isn’t much bigger,” Remington said as we stood before the dried-up fountain.

“Considering the number of innocent people that died here, the city should be ashamed of itself,” an old woman with an English accent rasped.

“I wonder how many were actual witches?”

“None, child,” she rasped. “Those with magic could easily escape and live to deliver retribution.”

“Retribution?”

“Where do you think plagues come from?” She tutted.

“Mother Shipton,” Remington nodded his head in greeting.

Her dark vampire eyes assessed him, and I knew the vial was calling to her. A smile formed on her face, and she nodded.

“So… it is you,” she replied. “And…”

“My niece,” he told her as he reached into his pocket and held out the blood. “We need your help.”

“You know I’ve lost my magic.”

“But you have not lost your sight and wisdom.”

Her eyes shifted from him to me, then back to him. “I cannot.”

“You cannot, or you will not?” He questioned, still holding the vial.

She narrowed her eyes. “It is unwise to upset the warring Goddesses.”

He returned the Demon King’s blood to his pocket, and I felt the tension in the air thicken. It was like static threatening to explode, and I wasn’t sure which one of them was doing it.

“We are prepared to pick our side.” Remington’s deep voice emanated power and confidence. “If you cannot , I will find another who can.”

“Very well,” she sighed. “I will need to retrieve a few things and meet you atop Arthur’s Seat in an hour. The energy is best at that elevation.”

“We’ll be there with your payment.”

We took a few steps before Remington pulled me into the doorway of a closed gift shop. He wrapped his arms around me, and I felt the dark shadow pulling around us before we were floating again. The scenery of places floated all around us, and I waited for Remington to pick a shadow to step out of. I saw something strangely familiar before I saw a dark street corner near a café, where we stepped out at.

“Merlin’s Mug?”

“Would you like some hot chocolate or tea to warm you?” Remington asked, pulling the wooden door of the pub open.

Somewhere down the street, a bagpiper pipping a song echoed. The street wasn’t very crowded or well-lit, telling me we were away from the festivities of the city center. I sat at a corner table and waited for him to return with two giant-sized mugs.

“Hot chocolate for you,” he set the white mug before me. “And a spiced butterbeer for me,” he took a drink from the black mug.

The delicious chocolatey warmth in my mug was comforting. My mind raced, and I wasn’t sure where to start. Every time I had one question answered, two more popped up. The vision I had seen in the shadows was my Grandparent’s house. Was he able to shadow jump across an ocean?

“How far can you travel in the shadows?”

“Please don’t ask me to take you there,” he sighed. “It’s too far and dangerous for the baby.”

“How does it work?”

He took a swig from his mug before he answered. “You step into a shadow and envision where you want to go. The shadows closest to your desired destination appear, and you simply step out.”

“Why did my grandparent's house appear?”

“You thought about it, and the mist picked up your thoughts.”

I took a drink and wondered if a demon like Jinx could do it. “Can every demon shadow jump?”

“No. There are different categories and classes of demons. Some might be given a temporary ability if the Demon King grants it for a purpose.”

“About Mother Shipton… what did she mean about the warring Goddesses? And why are you picking sides.”

He took a deep breath and let out a low and slow exhale. His eyes looked distant, like he was trying to find a way to tell me something and wasn’t sure how.

“You’ve heard of The Golden Apple of Discord in Greek mythology?”

“The one where there was a wedding, and all the Gods were invited except for Eris, the Goddess of Discord?”

“Yes,” he continued. “Eris had tossed a golden apple onto the table and marked it To The Fairest . Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite fought over the apple, believing they were the fairest. It caused major strife amongst them and led to the Trojan War.”

“All because of an apple,” I shook my head, lifting my mug for another warm drink.

“The Gods can be vain and jealous. Oftentimes, we are caught in the middle and forced to pick sides.”

“And the Demon King has picked a side?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation, and I wondered why they would be forced to pick sides.

“Who exactly are the two warring Goddesses this time?”

“The Moon Goddess, Selene, and her sister, Eos, The Goddess of Dawn.”

“So, they’re angry with each other… I hope it wasn’t an apple,” I laughed at the nonsense.

“Do not underestimate the power of an apple to change the course of a world,” he grinned. “But you’re right, it wasn’t an apple this time.”

“Please don’t tell me it was a man.”

He took another long drink from his mug. “It was a man.”

“Come on!” I shook my head.

“What?” He shrugged with amusement. “Eos had an insatiable appetite for handsome young men and set her eyes on the one mortal that Selene had fallen in love with.”

“Selene loved Endymion,” I started to say. “But Zeus put him in an eternal coma.”

“Eos was the first to petition Zeus to grant a human lover immortality—a Trojan prince. She forgot to mention youth, so when Zeus granted her request, the poor guy kept aging but never dying.”

“Eww.”

“He eventually shriveled up so much, he became a grasshopper,” Remington chuckled. “Now, when Selene asked Zeus to grant Endymion immortality and eternal youth, he did. Except Endymion was placed in a state of slumber.”

“And they’re still fighting about it today?”

“Eos is also the Goddess of the fae. When she tried to get rid of wolf shifters using the faeries and their elemental magic, Selene granted the strongest shifter lines elemental gifts through her daughters.”

“And the royal family descended from all those strong shifter lines,” I nodded in understanding.

“Yes,” he continued. “In an attempt to breed stronger lycans, Eos seduced the Ancient God of The Underworld, Anubis. Demon offspring were born instead of lycans, so she left them in the Dark Realm with Anubis.”

“Anubis was the Egyptian God with a human body and wolf head.”

“Yes, he was part lycan, which means he was loyal to the Moon Goddess, and Eos hated it. When she discovered silver was deadly to shifters, she gave it to man. She stole wolfsbane and nightshade from the gardens of the Underworld to populate the earth and be used as a weapon against shifters.”

“All of this over a man?”

“The man was just the apple that led to the war. A jealous God is a dangerous one,” Remington warned. “Eos has been launching attacks and has won a few battles, though I believe she will lose the war. Lycans went extinct because Eos helped seduce them into taking chosen mates. It infuriated Selene so much to see her children so easily tempted that she allowed them to go extinct for a thousand years.”

“You can’t be serious?”

“The power of a God comes from the respect, honor, belief, and fear of their people. The Moon Goddess has been plotting and positioning herself to win the war against her sister.”

“Why haven’t the other shifters met faeries or demons before?”

“It’s not like the Alpha King welcomes us for dinner,” he laughed. “There are some shifters who are aware of the existence of both.”

“But not very many.”

“Demons are from the Dark Realm, and faeries are from the Fae Realm. They may visit, but they don’t stay long. Both must return to their realms to recharge their magic, and time moves differently in the other realms. The longer they stay here, the closer to human they get.”

The petty war with the Goddesses has been brewing for thousands of years and could possibly take a few more thousand years to settle. I finished my hot chocolate and wondered if Alpha Ares knew about the Goddesses. He was so adamant about shifters being with their fated mates because he knew the wrath of displeasing one.

“Can ah bring ye somethin else?” A woman wearing a short apron with cleavage up to her neck smiled at Remington.

“Darling,” Remington gave me a quick wink, and reached for my hand across the table. “Would you like anything else?”

“No, sweetheart,” I grinned as the smile on her face fell.

It was bold of her to assume Remington wasn’t with me, and he clearly didn’t like the way she dismissed me. From the outside, he could have been ten to twenty years older than me, but he didn’t look old enough to my father. There were plenty of men in the world who enjoyed dating younger women. Her hips swayed exaggeratedly from side to side as if she was trying to remind the man who had just rejected her that she was thin and sexy.

“Thanks for saving me from her,” he grinned. “I guess we’re even now.”

“I think she was into you,” I teased, wondering if he had a girlfriend.

“Her soul was ugly, and she was too thin,” he said with certainty. “Now, would you like to use the restroom before we leave?”

Remington held his arm out for me to take as we walked down the narrow street. The sound of muffled celebrations inside homes could be heard as we passed. Remington turned his focus to the sky, and a moment later, I heard it. A low humming sound grew stronger as it neared. It sounded like wings flapping. I searched the sky expecting to see bats, but I knew it was too cold for bats.

The low growl emanating from Remington sent a shiver down my spine. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed us against the shadow of the building. Something screeched behind me, but my face was buried in his chest, and I couldn’t turn around. Everything fell silent and dark. Black fog swirled around us, and I knew Remington was trying to find a good shadow near the top of King Arthur’s Seat.

We stepped out in the shadow of a large boulder, not quite at the grass-covered top. Remington looked up and tipped his head as if listening for something. Arthur’s Seat was perched at the summit of this extinct volcano, making you feel like you were suspended between earth and sky.

“Maeve, I need you to stay here and close your eyes,” Remington said firmly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Listen to me,” he commanded. “No matter what you hear, you stay right here and do not move out of this shadow. Understood?”

A loud screech sounded, followed by the screaming of frantic people. I nodded quickly and pressed my back against the volcanic rock wall. Remington evaporated into smoke before my eyes, and I stood frozen in place. Another cold gust of wind whipped my hair in my face, and I cleared it in time to see humans running down the peak.

They wore party hats and likely came up here to ring in the new year with the most spectacular view of the fireworks over the city. Another shrill screech sounded, which caused the humans to scream in fear. In their panic, they stumbled and tripped over one another. It was dark, and the paths needed to be navigated with caution, but that didn’t matter when you were running from monsters.

An angry snarl vibrated through the air, shaking the ground. My hand rested over my belly, and my eyes scanned over the city lights below. Rex was somewhere down there, but the snarl coming from the top sounded like an angry shifter. Fear filled me. What if Rex was up there?

Just because I wasn’t ready to see him, it didn’t mean I wanted Remington to kill him.

Keeping to the shadows, I crept along the wall to the narrow path that led to the top. I heard another loud shriek and snarling sounds. Shoving down my fear, I continued climbing. Thankfully, someone had dropped a camping lantern on the rocky path. My mouth felt dry, and my heart thundered in my chest. I neared the top and crouched low as best as I could to remain out of sight.

The wind blew again, chilling me through my coat, and I realized everything had gone quiet. The clear night sky held enough moonlight to illuminate the near-frozen grass before me. There were no shifters or horrible beasts up here. To my surprise, Remington was naked and kneeling beside an injured woman on the ground.

His clothing was torn to shreds, reminding me of wolves when they shifted in a hurry. Did demons shift? I knew that Balor could turn into a kelpie, and I assumed that all demons could take multiple shapes like Jinx, but did it involve losing your clothes?

“I know you’re there, Maeve,” Remington called out.

He stood to his full height, giving me a view of his backside that even Adonis himself would be envious of. Black fog circled him, and he evaporated into thin air before reappearing fully dressed.

“You came up here when I told you not to.”

“I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I got scared.”

“Get the bag,” he motioned to an abandoned canvas bag. “We need to get her someplace safe.”

I neared the woman and gasped. “What happened to her?”

“The Faerie Queen is trying to stop destiny,” he chuckled. “Instead of killing Mother Shipton tonight, she’s ensured I turned her into one of the most powerful vampires of all time.”