Chapter 35

“Jessica!” It took her a few seconds to shake Cora’s feelings from her own. Reece was angry, it burned in his eyes and his hands shook. She glared right back. It was his fault that Cora had the jewel.
“What?” she snapped tossing the covers back and climbing from the bed.
“What have you done?” she raised her eyebrows as she ran a brush through her purple hair.
“Nothing,”
“Did you get the necklace?” Jess spun around and placed her hands on her hips.
“You stay away from that necklace. They can never get their hands on it,”
“I don’t want the dam necklace,”
“Good,” Jess turned back to the mirror and continued to brush her hair. Reece gripped her shoulders and turned her to look at him.
“Did you wake the queen?” he asked slowly.
“No, I did not,” Jess pulled away from him.
“Then why are there shifters attacking the town?”
“What?” Jess lifted her mattress and tossed it on the floor. She strapped two guns to her waist with ammo and placed two daggers on the inside of both socks. She then fastened a large sword to her back and put on a leather jacket and pulled on a pair of jeans. She hid the daggers with black boots.
“What are you doing?” Reece asked.
“Killing the monsters that plague this earth. If you don’t move, you too will be meeting Mr. Sliver. Jess whipped her sword out and held it in a fighting pose. Reece took a small step to the side.
***
Paige glanced at her brother. She didn’t want to do it. “You have no choice. Think of all the innocents,” Josh said, and Paige turned. She hid in the shadows while her family rescued those that they could. She would only come out if it was necessary. Keeping herself hidden was the best option. A white shifter tiger would only cause more problems.
A young woman came out of nowhere, purple hair and a sword in her hand. The tip of the sword sliced her, and Paige let out a roar. Reece came up behind her and held her arm back as Paige shifted.
“Do I really need to kill you?” she asked Reece who stood with his mouth agape.
“It is true. The Sherman’s broke the law and created more shifters. In doing so they have created a leader of them all,”
“Shut up,” Paige snapped as her stomach dropped, she wasn’t a leader. Josh was but not her.
“Don’t let them see you. Not yet,” Reece said dragging the purple haired girl into the thick of the shifters.
Paige crept closer to the fight. There were outnumbered and she feared they didn’t have a chance.
Balls of fire came from the right, scoring a coyote. Paige followed the direction it had come from and smiled as she spotted the unmistakable red hair on the rooftop. Jenna.
Another ball of fire came from the left, which only made Paige’s smile grow. Cassidy. Now they had a chance. A stray wolf came in her direction. Swiftly and quietly, she leapt and ripped out his throat.
Jess swung her sword and used her feet to keep the monster back. It was time. Most of the shifters and protectors were busy fighting one another. She would never get another chance. Chopping of a bears head she moved further away from the chaos until she was out of view.
Jess had to pass the motel she was staying at to get to the forest. She jumped on her bike and roared down the country road. When she got to the outskirts of the trees, she dumped her bike and headed along the trail that led to the cave.
All the trees were tightly knit, just one strand in a massive web of life. Green leaves, yellow leaves, red leaves. It was a rainbow of rich, autumnal colors. The scent of earth and water drifted through the air. It was a picture of serenity, one which would endure for many long years. The magic used to create the enchanted forest still laid thick in the air. Jessica could see the slight shimmer if she looked hard enough.
She shivered. Cora was powerful. She hoped that she wouldn’t be the one to wake her. Yet she was confident that it would not be her. The legend stated that a human would be the one to set Cora free and lose their soul in the process. That was the thing with magic. They were always consequences.
Jess approached the hill and laid flat on her stomach. She did an army crawl until she reached the top. Scanning her surroundings, she felt a prickle of pride. A few lone shifters were left guarding the rocky mountain that housed the sleeping queen.
They didn’t pose a huge threat. Jess kept herself hidden as she made her way to the clearing. The shifters were young. Inexperienced. Silently she held the first shifter in a death grip. Her arms cutting of his oxygen supply. Her intension wasn’t to kill. Once the young Coyote was unconscious, she dragged his body into the nearby bushes.
The next guard wasn’t as easy. As Jess went to strike, he spun kicking her in the chins. Within a split second he was a lion and let out an almighty roar. Fear raised its ugly head sending her mind into a spin of confusion. The lion stood on its hind legs and was about to strike when Jess rolled out of the way. In one fluid move she took out her sword and swung at the lion. Her sword pierced his throat, blood poured from his wound, and he shifted back to human form. Within a few second, he became still. Guilt flickered through her mind. Only for a moment as she justified the killing for a better cause.
More shifters appeared and Jess found herself battling to the death. Her mind went black.
Suddenly she was surrounded by dead animals. She didn’t have time to think about what she had done. She had a mission to complete.
Without looking back at the destruction and death she had just caused she ran at full speed to the rocky cliff. She had to get the necklace before more shifters appeared. The lions roar would have alerted the others.
The rocks crumbled away, and Jess found herself free hanging from a dangerous height. Using her upper body strength, she pulled her body to the side to find a new foot hole to use. Finally, she reached the mouth of the cave. Soon she would do her grandfather proud and all the druids that had died at the hands of the queen.
It was a cave mouth of impenetrable blackness, as she stepped in Jess watched her shadow dissolve into the surrounding darkness. It was dank and the only sound was dripping water.
Without even a match to cast light into the blackness, Jess took each step slow and carful. She ran her hands over the ruff stones to guide her. There was no way to tell how deep it was or if her next step would take her into its frigid depths.
As she explored further into the cave, she came across frigid pools of stagnant water. A few holes in the rocky walls let in a few beams of light and reflected of the water’s surface. Jess made her way around the pool of water. Green slimy moss covered the floor and Jess found herself skidding and sliding before gaining her footing once more.
A tunnel came into view. Jess began to walk through the tunnel in pitch black. Soon enough a beam of light appeared and when she stepped out, she found what she had been searching for.
In the center of a circular clearing raised on a large grey slab was a glass coffin. The entire resting place of the queen was bathed in light. Yet there was no light source. Jess could only put it down to magic.
Slowly she approached the coffin. Her nerves were muddled. Excitement, pride, and fear all mixed as one. With a trembling hand she pushed the glass lid. Inside Cora lay with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed. It was eerie to see her rosy cheeks against her pale skin. The lid slid of easier than Jess thought and crashed to the ground, the glass shattered. Jumping back from the sudden unexpected noise Jess placed her hand on her heart and reached her other hand into the coffin. She lifted Cora’s head and unclasped the necklace. Turning her back to the coffin she put the necklace on and admired the blue sparkling gem.
The entire cave dissolved into darkness a cold hand touched her shoulder and a voice whispered in her ear. “Silly girl,”