Raul’s mouth was open as he exchanged glances with a gawking Olivera. Gory’s disappearance had shocked them both. Raul looked at the spot again, before returning slowly to his seat. “Did you see that?”Olivera nodded absentmindedly. She had seen the strange motions of Gory’s hand, but had thought that there were movements borne out of nervousness, not until she had felt the darts that had been directed toward her, that had been stopped by the shield that she had created around Raul and her. What if she hadn’t been proactive? She didn’t think that Raul noticed, since they were surprised for different reasons. Whereas Raul was surprised that his old man had suddenly disappeared, she was surprised that the man’s magic was strong enough to officiate a disappearing technique. If that was so, it meant that the male was practicing magic. It meant that he had lied to Raul again. He wasn’t sick. She was sure that Raul had made that discovery too, if the fisting of his hands were any indicati
Olivera inhaled deeply for the fourth time, standing at the large entrance doors of the palace, whilst waiting for Miriam to meet her there, so that they would be off to find her mother. Raul’s mother. Beside her was Raul, whom, although she noticed that his hands were shaking, she didn’t speak to him. She already knew what his problem was. He was scared for her. She was scared for herself too, never mind that she believed she was ready. In the last three days, she had intensified her training, spending more time with Vee and Jacob, learning about the old ways. Jacob. She smiled at the thought, her heart rate calming at the goodness that was her brother. She couldn’t get over what he had suffered, or the choices he had made, or the fact he was mated at his young human age. She had teased him mostly about it, especially when he had tried to convince her to let him come along with them on this mission, until he had stopped, giving up hope on following them. She would have loved his c
“Are you nervous?” Miriam asked Olivera as they stood by the edge of the thick forest that led into the unknown; a forest that was just after Raul’s pack. Olivera shrugged her shoulders. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t feeling nervous. She was. Yes, her many trainings with Miriam during the days in the magic cloaked location had opened her eyes to the riches within her, had dealt with the last of the fear and timidity residing within her, but she was still a fleshly being, and going into the unknown was always going to be nervous at first to whomever was in a fleshly state. Yes, she was nervous. But she wasn’t afraid of the unknown. She believed that she was prepared, and this time around, she believed that the goddess was on her side. She had grown believing that she was cursed, that she was unknown by the gods, by the moon goddess, but the events over the last four months had told her otherwise. All these happenings had been orchestrated by the divine forces, who were
“Do you think anyone is in there?” Olivera asked Miriam, immediately she shifted to human self. Miriam looked at her clothed self and smiled. “Seems you have gotten the best hang of shifting, and still keeping your clothes on.” Olivera shrugged her shoulders. “There was no other choice. I can’t keep going up and down with my clothes in my hands or mouth. Since I’m part ancient, I have to improvise.” She took in a deep breath, inhaling the air tainted with magic and something else. “This place is tainted with magic. You smell it?” She shook off the imaginary dirt on her clothes, just in case, whilst waiting for Miriam’s reply. When she looked up, her friend was smiling. “What’s tickling your fancy? I don’t think my question has that much prowess…” Miriam cackled. “I never thought riding on a wolf would be so exhilarating. If I had known, I would have befriended a werewolf, and snagged rides every week at least. It’s quite freeing and therapeutic.” Olivera nodded. It was just as
“We will kill him right?” Miriam asked, as they stepped out of the camp, and turned around to look at it again, reliving what they had seen in there. “We need to. He is evil. Why will a sane man work with a vampire? Is he crazy?” Olivera just couldn’t understand the foolishness, no matter how much she tried. Why would one make a deal with an almost eternal wickedness? Had he no fear for his life, for his family? “I think he is crazy. Evil-y crazy. But that’s by the way. What are we going to do now?” Olivera looked around the camp, and spat in disgust. “We will burn it down. We will burn it until it’s nothing but dust. We will eradicate this curse from the face of the earth.” Miriam couldn’t agree less, but then she remembered that the ancients might have use for the materials in there. Olivera, having sensed the latter’s thoughts, shook her head. “They won’t be needing it. I’ve already transferred the necessary details to Raul, and Jacob. They can take it up from there. The mater
What now? Olivera thought, looking at the six males that couldn’t be a year older than twenty five years old. What were they doing in front of her? “State your names, and what you are doing in this town…” The male, slightly in front of the others, spoke with a steel voice, causing Olivera and Miriam to exchange furtive glances. What was going on?There was a minute hesitation before Olivera spoke. “I am Darcy. My friend is Lilian. Who are you?” She patted herself mentally for names well cooked and delivered. Darcy and Lilian? How had she come up with those seemingly true names? She watched the male that had just spoken, looked to his comrades behind him, and judged that he was the leader of this small group. Were they the police? She looked at them again. They didn’t look like the police. Vigilantes? Maybe. But why were there vigilantes in the town? She kept a seal on her thoughts when the male returned her attention to her. “My name is Luke, and these are my associates. Our job is
“Where are we heading next?” Olivera asked Miriam immediately they stepped out of the borders of the town, into a city sprawling with people. After they had left the males who had tried to detain them because of her eating habits, they had walked to the largest building in the town, because if Clooney was a big name, it was probably because the man was rich. They hadn’t been right in their deduction, but they had at least gotten away from the unsettling males. Olivera had taken her friend behind the building, and had quickly switched to her mist form, turning Miriam into the same, and together they had zapped the remainder of the city without stopping, till they were out of it, till they were in a new one which looked more modernized than the previous. She looked at Miriam, who was staring at the city with artificial skylights, and wondered if her friend had ever been here before. “I never get over the culture shock, you know, seeing the drabness of the town we just left. The cont
A knock woke Olivera up from her deep slumber. After bathing and eating off the snacks she had bought earlier in the day, from the shops in the new city, she had fallen like a log of wood to the bed, and hadn’t even stirred after that. Still groggy from the smooth sleep, she let her hand search for her phone which was the only thing that had gone to bed with her, should Miriam call for her. She peered at the screen. It was one in the morning. It was time then. She yawned like a hyena, causing Miriam to chuckle from behind the door. The chuckle dissipated the remaining fog fostering around her head. Taking a deep breath in, she stood up from the bed, flung a sheet around her naked body, and walked to the door. When she opened it, she saw that Miriam was alone, and carrying a tray of steaming food. “You are a lifesaver.” She muttered, opening the door wider for her friend to come in; the rumbling sounds that emitted from her stomach in agreement with her. Miriam chuckled again, an