142
Lucy
I came downstairs a little while later as Luke was pulling down plates and bowls.
“Something wrong?”
"Where are we?" I asked, “You said Whitetower Cottage, but…”
Luke offered a faint smile, his eyes gleaming. "The exact location isn’t too important.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That sounded like you’re not telling me for a reason.”
He smiled. “A lot of people would like to be able to get here, but the area is blocked off and there are so few people who know where this place is. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Why… bring us here?”
Duke came down stairs with a large bag.
"Sometimes, magic is best learned when we are surrounded by nature, when we can feel its pulse without interference.” His lips twitched. “For two who didn’t grow up with magic nearby, I figured it would be best.”
His words resonated with me, and a sense of familiarity washed over me as I gazed out the window and through the trees. There was something about this place that felt familiar. It was like there was a deep connection that was just out of my reach. It felt like I had been here before like the whispers of the trees held fragments of forgotten memories. The fire that I saw and all the visions I saw about running felt like it could have been here, but the air wasn’t right for some reason.
Duke sunk into a seat and sighed. “This forest is the one that she always takes me to.”
I blinked and looked at him. “You too, Lucy?”
I worried my lip. “Maybe. It feels like that place but… different somehow.”
Luke nodded. “It makes sense. Magic of all kinds stems from nature. Shifters, witches, fairies… We’re all connected by the force we call magic. The balance of it allows us to co-exist. Learning to tap into the connection is a type of magic.”
“How can we see ghosts?” Duke asked. “Is that… just part of this place?”
He nodded. “There are some places in the world where the veil between this world and the next are the thinnest naturally or because things have happened there. This forest was one of those places naturally, but the veil is even thinner now because of things that happened during the war.”
I swallowed and reached up to my head. “This diadem is supposed to help me manage that? Why would I have a such sensitivity to it?”
“As I said, it might not be that you have a sensitivity, so much as the sight of white wolves is… a touchy thing,” he eyed me. “Though… your restraint might also have something to do with it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The restraint is essentially killing you,” he smiled. “Some would say that you’re constantly between this world and the next and that would make you particularly susceptible to the fluctuations of magic in a place like this.”
“A place like what?”
His lips twitched. “Essentially? A mass grave.”
That night, I lay awake, unable to sleep. I knew I needed to rest, but I couldn’t. A knock sounded on my door. I got up to answer it and saw Duke on the other side.
“I felt the gears in your head turning. Have hot chocolate with me?”
I nodded and followed him downstairs. Luke wasn’t down there, but I didn’t know if that meant he was asleep or outside. Duke made us hot chocolate and pulled out snacks from the bag he’d brought and we sat across the table in silence, listening to the quiet of the night.
“So, what’s the wench say to you?” Duke asked.
I shook my head. “The same… She had a wolf with an injured paw with her, but that was all. She threatened me, like usual.”
I looked at him. “And you? What’d she say?”
His lips twitched. “Nothing I haven’t heard before and nothing I want to repeat. I kind of think she’s running out of tactics. Do you get the feeling that she’s really pushing this agenda?”
I nodded. “It felt desperate.”
He laughed. “I’m using that the next time.”
“The things she showed me…” I swallowed. “The things she said. She was… It didn’t make me feel right.”
“… like you wanted to claw your skin off?”
I nodded. “I didn’t… I didn’t even remember it happening, the thing she showed me, but when she showed it to me, I could feel it.”
“David’s… making me go see a therapist.” I looked up at him as he stared into his mug. “She told me that even though my head might not remember. My body does, and vis versa.”
His lips twitched into a smile. “Should I give you her name? She’s really nice. Soothing. I think she’s a witch.”
“What’s it like?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes, it’s really hard, and sometimes it’s just like being in a trance.”
He chuckled. “She suggested I get checked for that. Apparently, it could mean something if I’m slipping into trances too often.”
I nodded. “Did you get the lineage test done?”
He nodded. “Trent is getting the information together. He’s said they’re not going to force me to meet anyone until I’m ready, but I haven’t really made up my mind about it.”
He shuddered. “M-My parents are…. Well, I know they’re dead—”
His eyes widened as he stared out the window. He shot to his feet.
“What’s wrong?”
“My parents are dead,” he said again. “I’ve been in this forest before… I think… maybe this is where they died.”
My eyes widened. “You think they might be in the forest somewhere?”
“It’s possible.” We both turned to see Luke standing in the doorway, shaking his head. “You two are the worst teenagers. You’re supposed to sleep and eat. Did no one explain the rules to you?”
He laughed. “Though I guess planning to sneak out and go on a late-night adventure is on the duties list.”
Luke sighed and gestured through the air, summoning a mug from the closet and pouring himself some hot chocolate.
“Since we didn’t get to talk about it earlier, let’s talk about it now. You said you’ve been in this forest before. Do you know when? Who with?”
He shook his head. “I just remember being in a house and the smell of pine. I… feel like I’ve been here before. Maybe not this part of the forest, but there are other parts, aren’t there?”
He nodded. “The White Moon pack was comprised of a lot of families that were scattered all over the mountain range.”
“White Moon,” Duke whispered. “The fallen pack? I don’t know…”
“You were either a member or a member of a rogue family that lived in this forest. Both were pretty common.” His lips smiled. “And given the Moon Goddess’ interest in you, it’s highly likely.”
“Why?”
“The White Moon territory was well known as the throne of the Moon Goddess. Bringing you here, even in your mind, is a ploy to bolster her ego,” he grinned. “If you really want to piss her off, make her come to a coven classroom.”
“I’ll do my best,” Duke said. “After last time, I owe her more than just one.”
“I thought there used to be four packs?”
He nodded. “After the death of the last moon goddess, the packs split off. People who didn’t like the leaders of any of them left packs. That’s what it means to go rogue. There are some lies spread around about what those people are like, but I wouldn’t heed them. A lot of them had good reasons not to join a pack or to join anyone else’s community.”
I bit my lip. “Are you a part of Hecate?”
“Unofficially, I’m affiliated, but no,” his lips twitched. “I guess you can call me rogue too.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Primarily? Politics,” he said. “When you join a new pack, especially with the kind of credentials I have, people start making plans about what you should and shouldn’t do.
As we ventured further into the forest, more of it felt alive and real and familiar. I turned feeling pulled in another direction.
“Lucy?”
“There’s… something that way.”
Luke said nothing and followed behind me. With each step it felt like I was closer to finding something, but I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t even know what it was leading me to. With each step, the forest revealed its secrets, unveiling hidden realms of mystical energy and ancient wisdom. The air seemed charged with energy. It was like the forest itself was a living entity, pulling us along a path
This way.
I stopped. My stomach turning.
I tried to turn back, but the pull felt gentler.
This way.
“You feel that?” Duke asked as he came to a stop beside me.
I nodded. “Do you think it’s her?”
“I don’t know.” Duke turned back. “How are we supposed to tell between the crazy wench and actual magical instincts?”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
