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The Mer Invade Trayrock
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Everleigh MilesDear Readers - I am releasing tomorrow's chapter early. My son has a nasty cough - and I suspect I'm in for a rough night, so rather than deliver late if I catch up on some sleep in the morning, I decided to deliver early.
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The Pack's Emissary Visions of the Past and Future
Havermouth, Present TimeSigrid trailed her hands along the walls as she drifted her way out of the hospital. Every now and again, she would touch something, and she would catch a moment of past violence from when the Van Helsings had occupied the hospital.“Zombies and Van Helsings,” she complained to Tom who followed directly behind her, so close that he almost trod upon her heels, his hands on her waist as if he did not trust her to walk in a straight line without falling. “Useless. I need to see the future and not the past.”“Don’t even think about it,” Greg told her as they stepped out into the car park.“Mmm,” she grimaced at him but did not push the subject as just then, her hand brushed over the top of a bollard and she saw the field of white tents that had been there with the Van Helsings. “Past,” she dismissed the vision irritably. “I need to see the future.”“You can keep complaining about it,” Tom said slightly smugly. “But we don’t control your power, nor you, apparently.
The Pack's Emissary The Witch’s Preparations
Havermouth, Present Time“Here,” Sigrid said as they made their way towards the MegaStore. “This should be one of the points.”“What points?” Tom asked. He exchanged a look with Dan however who noted it down on a map of the town that he pulled up on his phone.“We will have to walk in the other directions. I think,” Sigrid twisted looking around her. “Yes. They come from two, maybe three directions. It’s hard to tell whether they approach that way or split off when they get here. I guess it does not matter, the result is the same, they squeeze the town in like a fist. They are hunters, used to controlling schools of fish in the water. They think of all directions that the people can go and attack simultaneously from above, below, and all sides. They use the river as a barrier here, knowing we cannot flee into it.”“So, what is this point for?” Greg prompted.“We don’t want to be hostile, in case there is a peaceful resolution that we can make,” Sigrid looked up at a tall tree, and the
The Pack's Emissary A Revealing Conversation With Stella
Havermouth, Present TimeInside the warehouse had undergone extensive renovation, with the removal of the majority of the shelving units the space was vacuous, echoing, and intimidatingly large. To the rear, the remaining shelving units were being arranged to frame in a smaller area for sleeping screened for privacy by stacked cardboard boxes.“Isn't it interesting that the things that were left behind, considered valueless to people at the moment, are the same things that had the highest price tags and that people dreamed about owning before?” Stella watched Sigrid’s face as she looked around the warehouse. “The TVs, the computers, the expensive headphones, tablets, printers. The fancy kitchen appliances and smart home systems. They're all still here, untouched, whilst the cheaper things, the cans of soup and veg, the socks, the sanitary napkins and band-aids - they're all gone. Now the curved screen TVs are more valued for the cardboard boxes they're packed in than the device itself.
The Pack's Emissary Leighton and Meguitte Talk Aether
Havermouth, Present TimeThe aether was always unpredictable. Sometimes Meguitte would find herself swimming through a silver sea, at other times she would float through a sky of shimmering threads. There had been times when the aether was completely dark, and she relied upon her other senses to guide her. It was a non-physical plane of existence and one that in theory should hold no threat to those who passed through it – provided that they did pass through it and did not lose connection with their physical selves. The only time she had ever encountered someone in the aether had been when she’d been casting with them – as she was now.She was not surprised when Leighton joined her, but Connery did not. Whilst he was a skilled magic user and could access the aether, he wielded the magic as a tool, rather than it being part of who he was. Even under the effects of the hallucinogenic, Connery would not surrender control enough to astrally travel into the aether, but rather he reached fo
The Pack's Emissary Losing Tiff
Trayrock, Present TimeThey were not the only people who realized that the roads were blocked with cars, and that the only way out was on foot. The 4WD shook with the press of bodies around them as the people of Trayrock abandoned their cars and ran. Twice Aislen saw Heath struggle to open the door, the desperate people on the other side shoving it closed so as not to be slowed by it. Finally, Heath forced the door open knocking someone over, and stepped out, dragging a startled Phillip Salem out with him.The roof pinged with items falling from above as there was another explosion from the city spraying debris like rain. The sky was so thick with smoke that it was as if night had fallen early. The streetlights tried to light but flickered under the power surges caused by the buildings collapsing.Aislen looked at the child she held. Boy, she decided mostly by the length of the lush dark curls and the train on the t-shirt, but she didn’t want to assume. She pulled back the collar of i
The Pack's Emissary Breaking Things
Trayrock, Present TimeThe vehicle slowed, the engine changing tune, and then stopped completely. The late afternoon had taken on the golden glow of just before sunset. Through the windows of the vehicle, the landscape was breathtaking, the elegant smooth-barked white trees with their heavy canopy of green leaves filtering gold sparkles and dappling the road they framed in patches of sunlight and shadow.If she had been home, Lyric would have brought a cup of tea out to Arthur’s bench and sat in the last of the day in peaceful contemplation, just being present in herself, watching the birds and insects, and perhaps a brave rabbit.But that was then, and this was now.“What is it?” She asked Niarthen as she lifted her head from his shoulder. The door slid open, and the driver leaned in and spoke, and Niarthen answered. The guards immediately began to rise from the seats, picking up the prisoner’s by their elbows and guiding them to the door.Isaiah protested the movement, casting a loo
The Pack's Emissary Mist and Poison
Downstream from Havermouth, Present TimeTheir little party set up camp just down the river from Havermouth, not far, in Lyric’s judgement, from the Edison’s farm. She stood just outside the little dome that she and Niarthen would sleep in that night and searched the trees for distant lights in the direction that she guessed the farm would be.“Mia Persuma Inillium?” Niarthen came up behind her and put his arms around her. She wondered if he’d been visiting Sapphire again. She had not seen him go, distracted by the business of setting up the camp for the night. It happened occasionally that they would be separated, and normally it did not bother her – she knew that he would find her, or she him. But now, his disappearance held more significance.She hated Sapphire with a passion that was entirely unfounded, based on nothing more than instinct and a sketch.“You look deep in thought. Are you troubled over earlier?” Niarthen asked, oblivious to her thoughts.The decimation of Trayrock,
The Pack's Emissary Cameron Forgives
Outside of Trayrock, Present Time“It’s old, but it’s holding in there,” Jules decided as he and Cameron inspected the shed. “If they’d kept up with the pointing, the roof, and maintained the south-west wall better against the wind, it would keep going indefinitely. It’s a shame really that they let it go.”Cameron raised his eyebrows at his father. “As if we Edisons haven’t done the same dozens of times.”Jules tsked with a wry smile. “Farming is a business, unfortunately. No room for sentimentality. If you don’t have a use for it, you have to put the money where it’s going to do the most work for you. Still,” he touched the weathered wooden support beam. “It’s always a shame to see an old girl like this on the way out for lack of care.”“We can stay here,” Cameron called out to the rest of the group. “We’ll get a fire going and see what we can use to make things a bit more comfortable.”“On it,” Jules began to search the shed.The rest of their party didn’t enter so Cameron went out
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The Pack's Emissary Isn’t That Interesting?
Havermouth, Present TimeThe journey to the river house was slow. Thanks to Sigrid’s roadblocks and the damage from the Mer. They also encountered many groups of people just standing on the road, talking in confusion. No one could quite understand what had happened, and no one was entirely confident that it was the end.Gera, true to form, had woken wanting to be fed, and so Aislen held the baby in her arms and watched out through the windows as they passed along the river road towards the bridge. “We’re a long way from done,” she said softly.“Yes,” Talen agreed. “But still, I feel as if we are far closer to peace, and I find myself optimistic and excited about the future before us.”“Me too,” Cameron agreed. “But that’s also how it feels when Aislen does her thing in your brain, so it could be that too.”“We haven’t really talked about that,” Heath added. “About what happened, Aislen?”“It’s hard to explain,” she said looking down at Gera and tracing the curve of the baby’s cheek wit
The Pack's Emissary Leaving the Hospital
Havermouth, Present TimeDown the hallway enough for the stink of the torture room and the crunch and slurp of Mercy’s meal to be less nauseating, they formed a huddle, with Sigrid, Greg, Niarthen and Lyric in the centre, discussing what they had seen, and what the Mer would do next.Aislen leaned her cheek against Heath’s shoulder, exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to shower for a really long time, put on something that wasn’t coarse and itchy, and sleep. Heath put his arm around her absently, his attention on the discussion. She wanted to tell him that the world needed to take care of itself for a while, she had done her best for it, and it was time for her to sleep.“I can’t believe that she ate him,” Dan was seriously grossed out, Aislen could tell, although he kept his voice to a whisper.“I know,” Tom replied from the corner of his mouth, his eyes on Sigrid and Greg as they spoke with Niarthen. “Did you see the look on his face? He was just as surprised as we were.”“Will
The Pack's Emissary A Poetic Death
Havermouth, Present TimeInside the room was worse than the hallway, and explained why Connery had his seat propped in the doorway – for relief from the stench. Aislen tried not to look too closely at the gore that remained around the room. Some of it had belonged to Bianca, and that was too raw a wound for her to deal with at the moment. She was just too tired from giving birth, and too ragged from losing her telepathy.Meguitte sat just inside the door, with another notepad, and a look in her eye that spoke of darkness and trauma. Aislen could smell fresh blood from Meguitte, and the scent worried her. “Are you okay?” She asked.Meguitte’s eyes flicked up to Aislen’s, her cheeks heating. “I am exhausted,” she confessed.“Okay,” Aislen didn’t think that was everything wrong with the vampiress, but she rested her hand on Meguitte’s shoulder in empathy. If Meguitte didn’t want to talk about it, Aislen wasn’t the right person to push the conversation.Within the room, was a circle drawn
The Pack's Emissary Company Coming
Havermouth, Present TimeJules and Harry led the way into the hospital, pausing on the top level to open a door into a ward. It was busy in there with patients and people tending to them. Due to the lack of uniforms, only the injuries separated patients from carers. Aislen stood just inside the stairwell door, holding baby Gera in her arms, with the chaos unfolding before her, a little shell-shocked.A vampire that Aislen did not recognise saw Samuel and encouraged him and Ember into a room, despite the dragon’s protests. Samuel surrendered when Ember sternly ordered him to let the vampire donate some blood and help his healing.“Well,” Jules ran his hand through his hair awkwardly. “I guess we should find a midwife?”Gera decided to wake up and demand to be fed. The baby’s cries drew the attention of those near to them, and Tyler suddenly appeared through the crowd, his whole face contorted with excitement. “Oh, my fucking heart!” He declared. “You have a baby!”“I do, and a hungry o
The Pack's Emissary Happiness
Havermouth, Present TimeHeath and Talen helped Aislen have a sponge bath in the kitchen, whilst Cameron, who knew his way around the stock and feed shop like the back of his hand, produced a pair of overalls and a shirt in hi-Vis yellow. As her men washed and dressed her, Aislen watched as Rhett and Phillip showed Gera off to Jules and Harry and felt her heart melt at the pride on her dark-haired mate’s face, and the way his tattooed fingers carefully cradled the baby’s head.“Are you alright?” Heath asked her as he buckled the overalls up.“Yeah,” she looked down at herself. “Feeling really stylish.” Thankfully the bleeding had stopped after another dose of her mates’ blood, as she was sans-underwear. Despite her complaint about the clothing, she was relieved to be covered.Cameron smirked. “You’re the best-looking farmer this shop has ever seen.”“And boy, did it see a lot of me,” Aislen pulled a face. “The owner is going to come in and wonder what the fuck happened here.”“They’ll
The Pack's Emissary Peace and Unity
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen lips were sticky with blood. It was not unusual, she existed on a diet of it, but she could feel the stick of this blood on her cheeks and glueing her eyelashes together. She fought to open her eyes, blinking away a wash of blood that blurred her vision for a moment. “Something’s wrong,” she rasped.“What is wrong, little demon?” Talen asked, his voice thick with emotion. She was leaning against him, his legs to either side of her, and his chest cushioning her back. His arm was resting just under her breasts, holding her to him. He rubbed his cheek against hers, the rasp of his beard against her skin. “Are you in pain?”“Oh, thank the goddess you’re awake.” Heath exclaimed, heavy with relief. She saw the blur of him appear in the field of her vision. “She’s awake. Rhett - water, and a cloth…” He held out his hand. The dark form of Rhett knelt on her other side, and she heard the slosh of water as he wrung out a cloth and began to wipe her face.The wate
The Pack's Emissary We Can Try
Havermouth, Present TimeLyric watched Niarthen with a heavy weight on her heart. He had always been honest with her that it was unlikely the Mer would make peace, but she had been hopeful, and she could tell that under his apparent pessimism, he had been too – if mainly because he had not wanted to disappoint her and had understood that as someone who had come so recently from the land, she had some loyalty to it and its people.The betrayal from above and the siren Priestesses' efforts to kill Leighton had stung Niarthen’s pride and his faith in his people. The disaster that had resulted had caused an even deeper wound. However, Niarthen’s helplessness hurt her mate the most. She could see it in the way he stood, the line of his shoulders, the lift of his chin.Sapphire’s death was another blow as Niarthen had held hopes of rehabilitating her. Lyric had been relieved when Sigrid had killed her. She was almost certain that the Mer woman had been using some sort of power to entrance N
The Pack's Emissary Do It
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen reached out and found Tabitha Marie, and the power of her coven. She pulled on it, drawing it into herself. She let herself drift and her consciousness expand. Her mates appeared first, they were bonded to her, and so physically close to her body, their minds bright with mixed emotions of distress and joy. Talen was feeding Aislen his blood, his wrist at her throat, whilst Cameron was busy between her legs. Heath supported Gera on Aislen’s chest as the baby cried and nuzzled at Aislen’s milk-heavy breast.Phillip and Rhett were at the filthy window at the front of the warehouse and were looking out with expressions of alarm. Above them, on the roof, out of sight of the battle below, Ember tended to Samuel’s wounds, whilst keeping an eye on what happened below.Ember worried that Samuel was too injured to wield the power of the gloves, and if he did, the dark veins of poison that had already spread up his arms and across his chest far further than she li
The Pack's Emissary I Dare You To Try
Havermouth, Present TimeMeguitte placed herself between Leighton and the spell trap. She wanted his attention focused on her and away from where Mercy was hidden behind a fragile illusion and the longer that she kept it to the center of the room, the better.She had felt the shift of power when he’d used it outside the hospital and wondered what he had done. It had to have been a significant magic for her to feel the shiver of it cross her skin standing the fine hairs on end like static electricity. Good, she thought. There was a limit to how much magic any witch or warlock could use. It took effort and tired the user. The more Leighton exerted himself elsewhere, the better.And then she thought about the injured people and began to fret as to those she knew below. Sigrid and Talen had gone, she comforted herself, but she could not recall if she had seen Harry leave. And had they let the other vampires know?She stood with her heart pounding heavily in dread.“Meguitte!” The call was
