CHAPTER 46 #2
Lenore turned around, then sprang forward, using the momentum to drag down wooden boards to block out the entrance.
She stepped back—ears flat, tail tucked as everything thundered around her.
Feathers flew everywhere. Shiny beaks jabbed through the cracks.
Loud caws drowned everything out, even her pounding heartbeat.
What could she do? She was weak.
Lenore sank to the ground, shaking from fear. She was certain it was over.
Turn.
The voice jolted her back to her feet. Her head jerked side to side, but she couldn’t see what had spoken to her in her mind.
Turn.
Lenore looked up through the cracks. Far above, perched high on top of a pile of wreckage, was the white raven—the calm within the storm. A few ravens lay limp around it. For a moment, its return surprised her, but loud thuds and furious caws brought her out.
“I-I can’t... I never—I never had control over that form—I blacked out each time—” she half sobbed, her words unheard against the raging ravens. “I’m scared.”
Turn.
The voice remained patient but firm.
Lenore shook her head.
You said it yourself, did you not? A werewolf, not a monster.
Lenore’s ear twitched. She looked up again with uncertainty, the white raven staring right back at her.
Do not be afraid of what can also be used for good.
Gently, the voice whispered in her head, Turn.
With a long, shaky breath, Lenore looked straight ahead. She still suffered under the weight of fear, but stood as poised as possible. Her eyes closed.
She would not turn into a mindless monster.
She was still going to be her.
The wood splintered against the ravens’ relentless attacks. The birds had gathered at the weak spots, eagerly pecking and scratching so the cracks grew wider and wider.
Long wolven claws burst through the cracks, scattering the ravens in panic. The wooden boards that blocked the entrance were thrown to the ground. Lenore pulled herself free and rose to her full height, silver fur gleaming under the light.
There she was—no longer human, but a werewolf.
For a split second, she felt that strange breeze that rippled through the flowers, fluttering through her. Despite the chaos all around her, a newfound peace settled in her heart. Her flowy tail was raised high. She stared up at the mass of ravens, still afraid but now determined.
The ravens surged toward her in a single war cry.
Lenore leapt up against the wreckage, dodging the wave of ravens as she slashed her claws through them.
Blood flowed down her claws, something she forced herself to ignore as she fought through the battering wings.
She gritted her teeth in pain, protecting her head as another murder of ravens flew in, pecking viciously at her.
A white blur passed her, leaving behind a trail of dying ravens.
You are not alone.
Her spirits were lifted as the white raven joined her side. It flew around her, elegantly weaving in and out as it protected Lenore’s blind spots. Lenore maneuvered around, turning and leaping—a vicious dance that left more bodies around them.
She needed to hurry. She couldn’t let Edmund be alone either.
Adrenaline flowed through her veins as she turned to face the rest of the ravens. Nothing was going to stand in her way. She threw herself into the storm of birds, attacking the darkness with everything she had.
The moment the last raven fell, Lenore ran on all fours—awkwardly at first until she caught the rhythm. Bloodied paw prints trailed behind her. The white raven flew ahead, still pristinely white.
It cawed at her, bobbing its head once toward the fountain that came into view. Half of it was now reduced to rubble, blood smeared all over the mossy stone. The ground that surrounded it was uneven in terrain—chunks of earth ripped apart. Raven bodies littered the area.
Lenore ran in just as Ryker was thrown hard against the fountain’s remnants—his body torn with open wounds. Edmund followed closely behind, snarling all the while. His movements lagged slightly, visible frost crackling down his crimson-stained fur. Ryker grinned through bloodied teeth.
It was enough of a lag for Ryker to make a false start, leaving Edmund little time to react as Ryker kicked him down, turning to pin Edmund’s neck against the crushed flowers and rubble.
He repeatedly slammed Edmund back against the stone, laughing as he watched him struggle and choke in his tightening grip.
Edmund! Lenore’s heart raced faster as she sprinted. The white raven dipped close to her.
The fragments, it whispered into her mind.
Lenore barely spared a glance at the floating fragments. She charged forward, using all her strength to crash into Ryker. He stumbled off-balance, loosening his grip on Edmund as she used him as a springboard—leaping up to grab hold of one of the floating fragments.
“Edmund, take this!” She threw it straight toward him. The other fragments followed, unraveling into threads of moonlight that wove into Edmund’s claws, turning them to pure light.
Edmund’s eyes snapped to his claws as if he saw a legend materialize before him.
The veins of ice instantly dissipated on his fur.
He grabbed Ryker and, in one swift movement, drove them into the side of his neck, the bright light sinking in deep.
Ryker choked. Fissures of glowing white crackled through his neck, pulsing as Edmund forced his claws in deeper.
Blood gurgled from Ryker’s mouth, the light in his eyes fading.
“What am I, compared to you?” Edmund growled. “I’m still your Vesren.” Blood scattered in a fan-like pattern as Edmund swung his arm out, tearing his claws free. Ryker’s body fell limp to the ground.
There, in between heavy breaths, Edmund and Lenore looked at each other. Silent relief washed over them as they slowly caught their breath among the carnage.