Chapter 24
DION
Months passed by the time we’d reached Moondaj.
As frustrating as it had been, it was to our advantage.
For Lady Skol, along with anyone that ever known us, believed us dead.
The downside was that with our deaths Lady Skol enacted her final plans to kill all werewolves.
By the time we reached Moondaj it was almost too late.
But it was just another wrong step in her plans.
Zani’s father brought the wagon to a stop at the gates of the village. As custom, it was closed for night. But what wasn’t custom were the guards and inspectors on the door. Nor the hundreds of men confined in the wire cages out on the plains.
“Why are you here so late?” the guard barked.
“Me? I have been traveling all day. I cannot control the winds my horses must battle against,” her father said.
The guards spoke. “We’ll have to inspect.”
“Be my guest. But my daughter is changing back there though! Be wary of her modesty.” There were sniggers of laughter.
Feyra and I hid in a wardrobe box. In front of us stood Zani, she had her back to the opening and was standing there completely naked. She winked at us. The Sleep Singers, as we’d found out recently, were very liberal with themselves.
The guards spoke to Zani’s father like he was an idiot as they gave the wagon a once over. Finally, they came to the back and opened the flap.
“Hey!” Zani yelled. “I’m getting changed.”
“What I just say, you perverts!”
The canvas dropped quickly. “Sorry madam. I mean miss. I mean–”
“How dare you peek at my daughter. What kind of welcome is this? I travel all day in this shitty weather to bring the shitty Bullwrot Beer you idiots love and now you spy on my daughter while she is vulnerable?”
Zani’s face was glowing with joy as she reached down and picked up her wrap.
Her father was an excellent actor. She brought it tight around her body and then donned her robe.
Before long we were let through to the village.
The guards realizing that they were holding up their favorite drink had encouraged them more than the embarrassment of being caught spying.
The wagon came to a stop, and Zani’s father tapped the bench three times. “Okay.”
“Good luck,” Zani said. “I’m sure you can find your way to the Pools from here.”
I nodded. “I’ve snuck in and out of Moondaj many times.”
She took my arm. “Are you sure of this?”
“Completely,” I said. “You have figured out the anti-song?” She nodded. “Then there is no issue. With your power, you will block out any melody within the walls of Moondaj, and tonight we can save whoever is left.”
She nodded, then stepped over to Feyra and hugged her. “I knew we were friends in the small amount of time we shared. Now I am proved right. Be careful.”
We brought our hoods up and descended out of the wagon and into the shadows.
The village was quiet. The streets were empty save for the few guards stumbling about.
The haunting tone of the Siren Singer floated through the air, but its power was muted.
As Zani would continue to sing, it would become harmless.
It was perched up above the entrance to the Pools of Prophecy, where the last of its kind was still marked by the spear I had thrown.
We made our way for the Pools and the Singer.
I felt sick seeing the village. Lady Skol had wasted no time in moving on the Warlands.
She’d brought an army of merls and the hideous creatures from Jebra.
No one had stood a chance. My father—Marcus—had been the only pack leader in the village at the time.
After the dispute with my showing and Locke’s attempted betrayal, the packs had well and truly divided.
But he’d refused to surrender, and led what Whiteclaws he had against the horde…
But the packs were all one now. All imprisoned and powerless against the Siren Singers while awaiting execution. I had to find Marcus and we could lead our army against Lady Skol together.
We came to the square and I could see the Singer. I could throw another spear again… But Feyra held my hand. She shook her head. We continued on in the shadows, the anti-melody of Zani’s singing was protecting us, it would be foolish to waste it.
Feyra and I had become even closer since our mating.
We spoke for hours in our mental connection.
She’d taught me how to use the wolf sense without shifting, along with many other things.
And I had taught her just as much about the Singing and other useful skills Roman—my real father, had passed onto me.
We shared everything. Well, I shared everything except the dreams I’d begun to have.
The ones that drove me insane every night. The ones–
I pushed them away.
I still couldn’t really understand how we’d managed to survive all those months.
I suppose it hadn’t felt like months in truth.
We scavenged what we could, and hunting as a pair of wolves did have its benefits.
We stopped at each watering hole and oasis that Roman had taken us to.
I began to have the feeling that his route had been deliberate, that he’d known we would be traveling back without him.
All my life, for that matter, felt like that.
It was like he’d prepared me for when he wouldn’t be there to guide me. He hadn’t left my heart.
But there were other heroes in all this.
Marcus, who I believed to have been my father my whole life, was also playing a part of sacrifice.
He knew the truth along with Roman, and had defended its secrecy to the end.
The wolves that had charged with him believed they were avenging my death—in a way, they were.
“Come on,” Feyra said, pulling me along towards the entrance. “The distraction.”
An eagle’s call went up, the Singer paused and looked into the sky. It licked its lips—a meal was always welcome. It took off in a great whoompf of power, as it spread its wings in a heartbeat.
We crossed the square quickly, seeking the shapes of wagons and the protection of the well. When we reached the entrance of the pools, it was too late to see the sleeping guard.
I tripped over his stretched out feet. He awoke in a yell. Feyra dropped on him immediately, pressing a hand over his mouth and quieting his strangled cry.
My dream flashed into my mind. Feyra and a man over her…
“If you value your life, you won’t move,” she uttered. The whites of the man’s eyes shone in the light of the full moon. He stank of alcohol and was no doubt still drunk, but there was no mistaking his eyes, he recognized who we were. “Ghosts,” she whispered.
Feyra let the man go. He stumbled to his feet, collapsed again as he tried to run, and then finally found his feet as he scrambled into the night.
“You should have killed him,” I said.
“No one will believe him.” Feyra rose and threw her hood back.
“Someone will.”
Feyra shrugged. “They are about to find out anyway. But none will believe him with the drink upon him. If he’d seen it in the day? Perhaps killing him would’ve been an option.”
“Perhaps?” A smirk on my face.
“I am not the monster that they are,” she said. Then took my hand and led on. “Come.”
We entered the Pools of Prophecy from the entrance that had been built before even the village had. It was only the second time I’d entered from this entrance, the first had been as a child when I was being given to Roman to spend the rest of my life with.
The Pools began to glow as we entered. It was something I was used to, but seeing Feyra experience it for the first time was a joy. Her face lit up as the water did. The glow within the water lit up at her reaction. She laughed and the water laughed.
“These are the pools?” she asked.
I nodded.
“How odd. And we are to walk into it?”
I nodded again.
“What does it prove?” she asked, she squatted down and held her hand to the water’s edge. The glow within the water extended out towards her.
“It is magic leftover from Melania’s time. No one knows who found the pools, but only those with prophecy can enter,” I said. “If our prophecies are still on track, we’ll be able to enter. If not, we’ll get no further than where we are.”
“Really?” she replied, standing up in awe.
I nodded and folded my arms watching her. She was even more beautiful in the light of the pools. The blue caught the shapes of her face and heightened their charm.
“Well then, I guess we should check.” Feyra stripped her robes off and stood before the pool naked. She stepped in and walked until she was submerged. “I guess I still have my prophecy.”
“Lady Skol is still alive,” I replied.
“Your turn,” she said, floating further out into the pool.
“Fine.” I took my boots off and stood in the water.
Feyra’s face went blank. “What’re you doing?” She was shocked and angry.
I cracked up laughing. “I’m in the pool. I never said you had to be naked.”
Feyra’s face turned livid. “Why you–I can’t believe you! Actually, no, I can.” She swam towards me.
I kept laughing and shook my head as I took my shirt off. “Don’t worry, I’ll join you so you don’t feel embarrassed.”
But Feyra was already coming back to the bank and getting out. “Nope, you’ve ruined it.”
I kept laughing. “I’m sorry, I should have said.”
“Yes, you should have.” She turned away from me and put her clothes back on. She was muttering about my childishness.
But when she turned back I was serious. “I know it wasn’t a nice joke, and I apologize.” I put my hand out for her to take.
She took it and gave it a limp shake. Then I quickly embraced her and kissed her passionately, squeezing her body against mine. “Truthfully, I am,” I said. “But I only did it because I would rather have you remember me in a good light, of us having fun, than everything being serious.”
“What are you on about?” Feyra said, seeing my change.
She pulled back slightly, but I wouldn’t let her go. “Our prophecies have stated what we’ll do, but we don’t know about the other side.”
“Dion, why are you being like this?” Feyra looked hurt. “Stop. Stop–”
“No,” I said, holding her close again. “These last months have been the best of my life, and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend them with you. But whatever happens, know that I’ll always love you.”
“You know that I love you as well, and will love you after the fact too.” Feyra frowned. “Do you know something I don’t? Is there more to the prophecy? Is there–”
“I’m just–don’t worry,” I said. “Forget I said anything.”
Feyra stared at me for a long time. She shut off her wolf sense to me and used all of her power to stare inwards of me. I let her. I had bared my fears, but hidden my dreams.
She hugged me then, pulling me tight against her. “Don’t scare me like that,” she said.
I felt her wolf sense come back.
“I won’t,” I said. “Never again.”
We hugged for a few beats longer, then separated. I took a last look at her and then took her hand, kissing it. “To the returned Queen,” I said. “The Lady will never expect it.”
Feyra rolled her eyes. “Lady Agatha maybe, but I’m still not convinced about Skol.”
“True. Now,” I sighed and rolled my shoulders. “My exit is through the back. Yours is the front. I believe Agatha has taken over Nicholas’s old Inn and made it her own. Make sure she suffers for me,” I said, turning and leaving.
“Dion,” Feyra took my arm. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, staring into her eyes and her heart.
“And I’ll tell you again on the other side,” she said. “You’ll tell me too. Promise?”
“I promise, I’ll tell you,” I said.
Then I left, trying to ignore the dream that had been haunting me since leaving Jebra. It was an image of Feyra lying in a pool of blood, pale and dead. A man was over her. A sword in his hand…stained with blood.