In The Beginning, Chapter 121
“Alpha!” A Zeta linked, and my stomach dropped at the fear in his voice. Without thinking I pulled both links together, I’m not even sure how I did it, typically, like I had with Hyacinth and Kasa, there would be a link between me and both men, and a link between the men themselves. I didn’t have time for all that, so I pulled the links together, using myself as the link between my Beta and Zeta. “A vampire was spotted in the tree line, east of the fire. He saw the face of the one you instructed to be hung... and disappeared.” He informed us, but I could feel his uncertainty, his apprehension, I could sometimes get the suggestion of an emotion through the link to pack members, but this was different. I could sense every emotion both men were feeling, like they were neatly organised in a file in my mind, anxiety, mistrust, awe, disbelief, fear, disturbed, excited, as they understood what I had done.
“A scout, just like we predicted... they will know he is dead. With your permission Alpha, I will activate the human authorities contingency now.” Ben shifted back to serious quickly.
“Agreed. Alert the men and get our best scouts into position until further notice. Alert me when Kasa and Lander get here, send them straight to the pack house.” I ordered, I should have got some sleep when I had the chance, I thought bitterly as I untangled myself from Charlie, leaving kisses on her skin as I moved away. She should rest for as long as possible; I thought as I grabbed some sweats and ran downstairs. I grabbed the phone from its cradle, hitting the speed dial as I threw the sweatshirt over my head.
“Daniel?” Hyacinth asked as the call connected.
“A scout was spotted in the meadow, we are mobilising, how long do you need?” I rushed as I threw a pair of sneakers on to run out to the car for my cell.
“Fifteen minutes.” She responded before hanging up.
“Dad?” I linked him as I threw the phone on the couch.
“Yes son?” He replied, his voice betraying how much he knew already.
“Is Mom out safe?” I asked, his sigh was all I needed to hear.
“No, she’s still here.” He replied.
“Fine, pack house, twenty minutes, both of you.” I replied, as I ran outside. I had no idea how much time it would take for Apollo, or whomever to rally their troops, so I couldn’t waste a second. The phone was left in the centre console, I retrieved it and began dialling as I walked back inside.
“We are maybe thirty minutes out, Alpha.” Zach, the unofficial leader of the men sent to Oakwood replied when he picked up, after one ring.
“Head into the forest, there is a tent by a marked tree three clicks east of the pack house. Hide the truck, and send your best scout to the meadow, and form a perimeter. Await further orders.” I instructed, before hanging up and calling his counterpart heading in from Sycamore, giving him similar orders, but to a different location. I grabbed the now familiar polished box, the dark varnish typical of the era in which it was made refused to reflect light like it used to, as if it had been dulled by the many years, and many wars it had witnessed. To any human inspecting it, it looked like an unusual chess set, only Lycans knew the true purpose of such an item, passed down generation after generation, a new one only commissioned when a new pack is formed. I was sure the practice had long been forgotten, unable to think of anyone alive with the knowledge of the old ways. Shaking off the feeling of dread that came hand in hand with the ancient box, I grabbed the maps I had been working on for weeks and their tubes, taking them into the kitchen and spreading them on the table. I used the box to hold down one side, flipping it open, I took out the two, slate plates from their holders and placed them on the corners of the opposite side. I sent a prayer to I don’t even know who, Charlie’s grandmother maybe, before I placed the paler pieces on the map in the locations, I had positioned my men so far. Feeling ridiculous, but with everything else completed, and no other way to contact her, I walked outside and bent over the bush Theia had planted without permission. “Someone will be attacking soon. Don’t come for me, come for Charlie, keep her safe... She- she said she would kill herself before she let them take her. The threats of one... or all of them... I need you to get her away, if I die, you have to get her away. Stop her from thinking they’re gonna take her... because I swear... if she dies because she thought she was going to be taken, and I somehow survive. I will hunt every last one of you down, and slaughter you all!” I vowed through gritted teeth.
“And if you do not survive? Will it be fine if she dies then? Along with most of the planet?” Theia asked snottily from behind me.
“If we both die, I won’t be your problem, because she will become your mothers, and I would quite like to see that interaction. She can deal with you all, like she should have long before now. But if I'm here, and she isn’t you have as long as it takes for Charlie to get her way, and I will spend every second of it causing you pain, all of you.” I swore, she cocked an eyebrow, and I couldn’t tell if it was sceptical or impressed, but she said nothing, until I tried to go around her and back inside at least.
“Fine, but know this, mutt.” She spat, and I growled in warning. “If you hurt her by touching another, ever again, I. Will. Cut. You!” She looked at my groin, and quicker than I could react, she had a long, curved, intricately decorated, razor sharp knife aimed at my manhood, the tip had created a tiny hole in my sweats, just to the left of my equipment.
“Whatever she did to me... I thought she was Charlie. I had no control, and certainly no attraction to her before she blasted me with pheromones.” I growled, refusing to flinch or retreat. She spat something, like she was cursing, but whatever language she was speaking was completely alien to me, as she pulled the knife back, breaking my grip on her wrist.
“Have you heard of Bolus spiders?” Theia asked, and I couldn’t hide my shock at her abrupt change in demeanour.
“It was the closest thing the doctor that... autopsied her...” I shook my head, trying to straighten my thoughts out. “Yes, why?” I finally decided to ask.
“Zeus was obsessed with them for a while, he was the one that cracked the code to enable them that trick. He spent decades perfecting spiders, and while some have a legitimate purpose, most were created to spread pain and death. Have you ever wondered why two plants that look similar could have completely different properties? One could be medicinal, and beneficial to the body, while the other offers a slow and painful death. Why would an intelligent creator do such a thing?” She asked me, and so many things started making sense.
“Because Zeus took something innocuous, something you or your sisters created, and turned it into something dangerous.” I answered, and she nodded.
“I am... sorry for not believing Charlie when she said you were not at fault. But the pain you caused that child.” She shook as she said it, and I could feel her power growing.
“I know.” I admitted. I had seen it clear as day, the marks, like bruises under her eyes, how thin she had become, her sobs would haunt my nightmares until the day I die.
“I know that pain, and when she was born, I vowed she never would. You made me break that vow, but Zeus is more to blame than you.” Theia admitted, finally standing back, so I could enter the house, she followed behind me silently, closing the door behind us on our way through into the kitchen. “Where is Charlie?” She asked, looking around.
“Asleep, upstairs... I wanted her to rest before...” I explained, and Theia nodded, her mind obviously elsewhere.
“Would she not be better prepared if she had the chance to bathe and dress appropriately? She was rather short with me when she had to waste time dressing while you were taken.”
“There’s still time, they only just sent the scout to confirm Hermes is dead. Whomever he is reporting to will have to send it up the chain of command before they can act, even if he was working directly under Zeus, which I doubt, he would still need time, he wouldn’t come himself, he would send one of his sons to oversee Charlie’s capture, and my death. And we know he keeps himself insulated by his sons... it was too soon after the death. If Zeus had been the one Hermes was reporting to, it would have taken much longer, he wouldn’t send one of the few people he keeps close, but he could send one of those to his sons, and have them send someone unimportant, but that could ID Hermes. It had to be one of his brothers, even teleporting, they are careful about who they are seen with and where they are seen. Tau could tell us nothing about who Apollo saw or had daily contact with, and he was in his service for over a hundred years. So, one of the brothers, he will be trying to contact Zeus, and ask permission, do you agree?” I asked Theia, gripping on to any clue to better prepare.
“That seems logical, yes... and if I knew I needed time to gather my troops, I would not attack before tomorrow night. The darkness gives me cover, which I will need, especially after my more careless, idiot brother, created such a scene only the day before.” Theia muttered, picking up one of the opponent pieces and placing it on Appletree, then placing another on the road where we were stopped.
“You know already!” I stated, not asked, considering it was obvious.
“Yes, I... I would have intervened had she needed help, but I needed to see how much she had learned.” She confessed as she placed one at the meadow; the pieces she had placed marked battles traditionally, while the one at the meadow symbolised a fallen leader of the opposition. It was darker, its markings differing slightly to its twin, that symbolised a living foe, indicating she knew the real meaning behind the set.
“Don’t tell her that, at least until all this is over, she won’t trust you, and I need her to trust you, so she leaves when she has to.” I threatened, she raised her cold eyes to me, her face blank of all emotion.
“I will wait until she is safe to tell her the truth, if she asks.” She stated, her voice betraying nothing, and I once again felt dangerously close to a predator that could kill me, get rid of my body and then help Charlie form a search party and prayer circle for my safe return.
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