240
David
I couldn't believe it, but it made so much sense. Trent looked up at the dark sky where barely a sliver of the moon was left in the sky.
"And today is the perfect day to start. You know why?"
"Because it's heading towards the new moon... It should be when the curse is the weakest."
"Ten points."
"You really think it's possible?"
"I do," he said. "Come sit, and we'll start."
"I should be exhausted, but I'm not."
"Not yet, anyway," Trent said. "Tell me why you think it may work."
"Dragon fire," I said. "It's in the blood, and there's nothing hotter than dragon fire. Nothing can survive it. Not even curses."
I bit my lip. "But my nearest dragon shifter ancestor is... so far back... Farther back than my elven one..."
"So?" Trent asked. "Are you a black wolf or not?"
"I..." I sighed. "I thought there was a limit."
"Your father had a limit because of his broken bond, but you have none."
I swallowed, taking in the magnitude of that. "You mean... I could...All the way to the beginning."
Trent grinned. "Why don't we test it out and see?"
"What about the rest?" I asked. "Dragon blood is known to be... dominate if it's going to come forth."
I could lose my ability to use magic or have to relearn it all over again.
"You're a black wolf, David," Trent said. "Famed One, Great terror of the mountains and forests, you who howl at the moon and know its secrets... Kin to all and no one."
I shuddered. I hadn't heard that verse in so long I forgot how intimidating the thought was.
"If you want a straight answer, I think accessing the rest of your powers will be easier," he smirked. "Silver probably won't be a problem at all for you any longer... Honestly, you're going to be fucking terrifying, kid. I can't wait."
"Stronger?"
He nodded. "My best guess says there is a limiting element to the curse. Can't control something stronger than you, after all."
I blinked, thinking back to the vision of that wolf in chains. Were those chains the werewolf curse? I couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation at the idea of releasing it. How long had it been bound?
I focused on Trent.
Curiosity got the best of me. "Why the sudden interest in this, Trent?"
Trent hesitated for a moment before answering. "It started with Peter's incident and Vasil's investigations into the Moon Wars... Word has it that Peter's incident was caused by the virus."
"Word?"
He smirked. "I am your trusted liaison for a reason, dear heart. They're connected, and if the werewolf virus could try to eat him alive, I damn sure don't want that happening to you. With the Crescent Moon Festival on the horizon, I need you to be in control of your powers. You've already put yourself on the path to piss a lot of people off. I want to be sure you can choke slam that fucker without effort at the first opportunity."
I snickered. "Dad... would be proud."
He nodded. "He would be."
I considered it. The Festival would be dangerous enough due to Oren's presence. I didn't know what to think about the twins leaving the pack, but it only made me more wary.
I had to protect Lucy. I promised her that. I took a deep breath.
"It feels like there will be more than fun and games at the Festival."
"Someone is definitely going to try and kill you," he said. "Maybe even before that."
"Probably." I bit my lip and nodded. "Let's do it. The least I can do is make it damn hard."
Trent's determination burned brightly in his eyes as he directed me to sit across from him. Trent's plan was bold and experimental, but I couldn't think of a better way to maybe get through this.
I grinned wryly. "Think I'll start burping fire?"
He snickered. "I'll cast the appropriate spells. I promise."
He took a deep breath. "It's very close to reaching out for your visions, just a different reach, a farther reach. It might help if you go into meditation for it."
I nodded and closed my eyes, letting the rest of the world start to fall away. The further into my mind I retreated, the less I could hear of the outside world. I felt the ripples of time drifting through my mind, the heart of the forest, and the bracing fire beneath a cauldron, but I kept going. All of that was so much more familiar to me than what I was searching for.
Farther and farther, deeper and deeper until everything was silent, even the sound of my heart beating. I felt something shifting, turning, acknowledging me. My blood felt like it was thrumming, but I heard nothing.
Trial... A whisper from far away caught my attention. I turned, shifting my attention around toward the whisper.
The silence and the darkness changed. I felt less alone and more like I was at the bottom of a deep darkness. Something shifted in the shadows. I felt the faintest glimmer of moonlight.
Then, there were torches of all different colors, leading me further and further into the darkness. Each of them flickered like they were waving at me.
My heart started to race. I could hear it thundering in my ears, shaking everything around me. The darkness shimmered. I could almost feel the scales beneath my fingertips, rising over my skin, ripping. The heat of dragon fire started to burn, and in the distance, I saw the last torch, more like the heart of a sun. I rushed towards it. The roar of something in the distance had me skidding to a stop. The darkness swirled again, and I was transported to a place that felt uncanny. I had been here before; some part of me, some ancestor, knew this place. The dark and ominous forest loomed around me, a place where a suffocating sense of dread hung in the air, yet I could smell something that was not so sad. A river flowed out of sparkling light from the direction of the mountain. I followed the river to the mouth of a cave and heard a woman's voice.
"Mangy dog," she hissed, hurrying ahead of me along the river. "I should have just killed you then, but I won't make the same mistake again."
A roar shook the cave. I hurried forward. The pathways wound and twisted until I was in a cave. I turned and saw the wolf from my visions. Eyes glowing, coat of dark fur like the night, his mouth pried open with a sword as a glowing band was wound around his body, holding him in place.
Not chains this time. Why the change?
Then, I heard footsteps. I grabbed the sword from his mouth and turned as she appeared.
She wore gossamer white. Her dark hair was silky smooth, hanging around her shoulders in a long curtain. Her eyes were bright with moonlight, and in her hand, she held a sword of her own.
Her gaze darted from me to the wolf behind me. She sneered.
"And you..." She said. "I should have killed that bitch who birthed you before you had even a chance to breathe. You were never meant to be."
Her eyes bore into mine. I gripped the sword tighter and lifted it, prepared to fight her.
"Selene, right?"
She hissed. "I will be called by my proper title."
"Witch, then," I said. "This is my only warning: leave Lucy and Duke alone."
I narrowed my eyes at her as she glared at me.
"You think you can frighten me, pup?" She slunk closer. "I watched your mother die in agony, blubbering in your father's arms... I watched him waste away caring for you, you little whelp. I have overturned nations, and soon, you'll know what real fear is."
"You think so?" I asked, watching her carefully. "Why be here?"
"What?"
"You came here to kill this wolf. You came here for a purpose. If you're so fearsome... what's stopping you?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Nothing. Perhaps, I am simply waiting for you to yield like a good dog should to his master."
I scoffed. "I'm not Oren. You're going to have to try a lot harder."
She sneered. "No. You aren't, Oren, are you? Neither was your father... Or his father before him."
She narrowed her eyes. "You are just as much of a fool as your ancestor... Content to lay down and die when you could have been so much more."
She smirked and set her sword down. "Tell you what, little prince... How about a deal?"
She tilted her head. "I'll give you Lucy in exchange for your loyalty."
Was she serious? I blinked at her.
"What makes you think I need your help with my relationship with Lucy?" I narrowed my eyes. "Last I checked, your beloved wolves were rapists, murderers, and kidnappers. I don't want or need your help."
"You'll regret this," she said before turning and dashing towards the wolf. I threw up a barrier and shoved her back through the cave. She screamed as she went flying away. She vanished with a frightful screech.
The sky outside the mountain turned to day again, deepening the shadows of the cave, and I turned back as the river which had been coming from the wolf's mouth ceased flowing, but he was still bound.
I looked at the sword, taking in its detailing as it started to shimmer away.
"Now what?"
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