Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition Read online

  Joshua finally stopped, and turned to look at the rest of us. “Everybody ready?”

  The “everybody” he was referring to was me. My whole body shook, and I’d broken out into a sweat.

  “I’m ready.” I floundered as I tried to move next to Luna. They were all so graceful when they moved. I, on the other hand, looked like a baby giraffe, all legs and stumbling over my own feet. We weren’t on flat ground like we were during the earlier hunt. I quickly realized the uneven floor of the mountainous terrain would be much harder to maneuver on.

  “Let’s go.” They transformed and were on the move. I didn’t have time to think about anything. I suddenly dropped to all fours, and followed. I smelled something straight ahead of me, but it wasn’t the familiar scent of a rabbit. It smelled like blood mixed with a gut retching stench.

  I heard a series of low growls, and I knew something was wrong. I bolted in the direction the growls were coming from. I leaped onto the top of a series of stacked boulders and looked below. Luna and the boys were surround by a large pack of coyotes.

  They weren’t your regular everyday run of the mill coyotes either. These were quite large for coyotes and their features were almost grotesque, like something out of a bad horror movie. One of them had its teeth bared and was slowly inching toward Luna.

  I crouched low, then pushing off hard, leaped from atop the rock. I landed in front of Luna, and reared up, growling more fierce than ever before. It cowered, but I didn’t care. I grabbed that coyote by the throat and snapped its neck in one shake of my head, slinging its lifeless body to the side.

  My pack saw that as their cue. A vicious and bloody fight ensued. Even though they were greater in number, we were much greater in both size and strength. Joseph dove right into the middle of several coyotes, and Joshua joined him. The sound of crunching bones and the smell of blood filled the air. When I glanced at Joseph, he was ripping out their throats one after another. His fur shined in the moonlight from the fresh blood sprayed everywhere.

  In the midst of the growling and snarling, I heard footsteps trailing off in the distance. As soon as I felt sure they didn’t need me, I gave chase. I knew we couldn’t let any of them get away or Zane would know for sure we were coming.

  I was having a hard time tracking the coyote, because the mountains in that area were covered in their scent. It was their home and they hunted the mountains all around the Ice Cave, and Devils Pass, which was where James had said we were going.

  The smell of fresh blood grew stronger. I realized the coyote had probably been wounded and that’s why it was trying to escape. I continued following the scent until I was sure it was somewhere close, then I slowed down to make sure it wouldn’t outsmart me by hiding and having me run right past it.

  Sure enough, it had circled around and when I came to a clearing near a ledge, I stopped and looked around. I saw that I could get around and block it from passing.

  I quietly climbed over rocks and slid down dirt passes until one final leap landed me directly in front of it. I reared up and growled. When I came back down on all fours, it was laying down just waiting.

  I leered at it, and when it raised its head, I saw the terror in its beady eyes. I couldn’t kill it when I didn’t even feel threatened. I transformed back and stepped out of its way. “Go.” It just looked at me, burning those sad eyes into my memory. “Go now, before I change my mind and kill you.” I pointed up the path.

  Slowly it stood, but still in a cowering way. It started past me. “Run fast and don’t look back or I will kill you.”

  I could have sworn it bowed its head while passing me like it had known who I was. the coyote promptly did as I ordered and disappeared through the rocks.

  I had already turned back, and climbed back down the rock face when Luna and her brothers trotted out from the trees. They seemed shocked to find me just standing on the path.

  I was afraid to look at them. “It’s, it’s gone … it got away, somehow,” I said, then lowered my eyes and started back toward where we’d left our bags.

  Chapter 29

  Leaning back against a large rock, I gazed up at the stars. Something I hadn’t been able to do since moving to Haven. I often wondered if there even were stars in the Alaskan sky. My heart ached, causing my throat to tighten as I thought about William. I wondered if I would ever see him again. A single tear spilled onto my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

  I overheard the four of them arguing, again. I felt sure it was about me, and my ineptness to catch and kill the coyote that had gotten away. I wasn’t a cold-blooded killer, and something told me the coyote was just like me, thrown into the middle of something that was out of its control. When I had looked into its eyes, I saw only hurt and sadness. It hadn’t wanted to be there any more that I did. I overheard James say my name, which made me listen more closely.

  “Gen’s not ready. She couldn’t even track down an injured coyote,” James scoffed.

  “You know what Grandfather said. Gen is an important part of this journey. We can’t leave her alone and unprotected. At least if she’s with us, we can protect her.” I watched as Joseph got extremely close to James’ face.

  “Stop it! Quit fighting,” Luna snapped, her voice carrying.

  “Shh, she’ll hear you guys,” Joseph said.

  “She doesn’t want you, Joseph,” Joshua snapped.

  “Is that what you think, Joshua? It’s not like that. Gen and I are just friends,” Joseph replied harshly.

  I was having a really hard time keeping my mouth shut. They were arguing because of me. I was somehow tearing them apart. I couldn’t figure out what I’d done to make Joshua and James hate me so much. I hoped they weren’t holding my attacking and almost killing them against me. It wasn’t my fault and it wasn’t personal. Nobody had bothered to tell me what to expect. Maybe if I’d known, I could’ve at least attempted to prepare for it.

  A noise coming from somewhere behind the trees caught my attention, and I tried to block out their incessant bickering so I could listen better.

  That proved to be entirely impossible. I heard Luna say my name, so I turned my attention back to them.

  “I just told you, Joseph. You’re wasting your time … she wants William.”

  I saw Joseph drop his shoulders and lower his head. It tugged painfully at my heart, but I wasn’t sure why. I thought my heart belonged to William, so why was my stomach twisting into knots?

  The siblings grew quiet for a moment, which allowed me to hear the noise more clearly. It was a voice and it was calling my name. It wasn’t just any voice. It sounded strangely familiar and I was over whelmed with the urge to find out where it was coming from.

  “Uh, you guys? Luna?” They had started in on each other again, and refused to pay attention to me. “Um … I’m going to go, uh … use the bathroom,” I called out.

  Luna waved me off without even bothering to look in my direction. I stared in disbelief, growing more irritated by the minute. They were arguing about me like I was a possession not a person. “To hell with them,” I grumbled.

  The voice called out again and I followed it in the direction of the trees. I stopped briefly and turned around. Luna had one hand on her hip, pointing her finger in Joshua’s face, and of course, they were still arguing … about me. I wondered why they hadn’t heard it, too. Just before disappearing through the trees, I briefly looked over my shoulder but kept going.

  I followed the voice into a pass made of volcanic rock. The moon cast its glow on trees growing all twisted up with barely any vegetation on them. I suddenly wondered if I’d made the right decision taking off but I didn’t feel threatened by the voice.

  Climbing down a steep hill I noticed the temperature steadily drop. By the time I reached the bottom the air was freezing cold and I felt a slight breeze.

  The voice grew louder as I followed and eventually found myself entering a cave where every surface was made from ice. It really freaked me ou
t. I mean, we were in the middle of a desert where the temperature during the day easily hit triple digits, and here I’d only walked about a mile and was surrounded by ice.

  When James had earlier mentioned the Ice Cave, I thought it was just the cave’s name. I didn’t know he had meant it literally. I didn’t think about it much … I couldn’t. I was so entranced by the voice, I couldn’t focus on anything but finding it.

  It was cold and completely dark. I inched my way deeper inside, feeling my way along the ice-covered walls. The voice seemed like it was just in front of me, and when I felt my way around a turn, I saw a faint glow from somewhere up ahead. My heart raced and my breathing came in short slow bursts when I saw a large dimly lit cavern. Even though there was a small amount of light, I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

  My heart fell when I saw a woman in the distance, lying on a stone table. It was only when I got closer I could tell it was my mom. I quickly rushed to her side. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be asleep. I watched her delicate chest barely rise and fall.

  “Mom?” I looked on in disbelief. My vision immediately blurred from tears. “Wake up.” I shook her, but she didn’t move. The voice came again, soft and clear.

  “Genevieve, although she cannot hear you, you can save her,” the voice spoke to me.

  “How?” I looked all around. “How can I save her?” I asked with desperation.

  “You can save her,” The voice said then paused. “You can save them all. But, you must be brave and willing to do things you never imagined. Your path will not be an easy one.” The voice echoed softly.

  “You’re lying,” I screamed, wiping away my tears with the backs of both hands. “Mom, wake up,” I pleaded, shaking her hard. “We have to get out of here now!”

  “Genevieve, you must listen. Your mother did not die in the fire. Zane has her. Hurry Genevieve, only you can save her.”

  “Gen, where are you?” Luna called out.

  I spun around and saw a light coming toward the cavern. “We’re in here, Luna … please hurry!”

  Just as the flashlight beam got close, the chamber light went out and Luna rushed in.

  “I found her, Luna. I found my mom,” I smiled, looking through misty eyes.

  “What?” Luna sounded confused. “There’s nobody in here but us,” Luna said, shining the flash light around the empty room.

  I peered at the empty table, and then grabbed the flashlight from Luna’s hand. “She was just here.” I shined the light on the empty table. “She was right here, and there was a voice echoing through the cave. It told me how she didn’t die in the fire but was kidnapped by Zane. The voice said he has her.”

  “Why did you run away?” Luna asked softly.

  “You’re not listening to me. I didn’t run away. A voice led me here, and I found my mom right there on the table.” I pointed at the empty table. “The quest has changed now.” I ran toward the cave entrance, and Luna was on my heels.

  “Where are you going, Gen? What are you talking about?” Luna asked.

  “Zane has my mom … and I’m going to find her … with or without help from you and your brothers.”

  Chapter 30

  I ran right into Joseph when I exited the cave, only he wasn’t alone. James and Joshua were also there. I tried to push away from him, but I was so hysterical he couldn’t understand what I was trying to say, so he just held me tightly. Luna came out a minute later rubbing her hip. She had slipped and fallen on the icy floor. Any other time we would have probably had a good laugh, but not now, not after what Luna told them.

  “Let me go. I have a new quest now. I have to find out where Zane is hiding my mom,” I screamed, and fought to get away from Joseph.

  “What are you talking about?” Joseph asked skeptically.

  “My mom was in the cave, only she wasn’t in the cave.” I stared at Joseph with pleading eyes. “I know it sounds crazy, but I saw her, and she didn’t die in the fire … Zane took her.”

  “What do you mean your quest has changed? Gen, if we don’t find the Crest and take it back to the throne, Zane wins.” Joseph stared into my eyes, and he looked confused and hurt. He was squeezing my arms too tightly, but I didn’t care.

  “My mom isn’t dead. I have to find her.” I tried to pull away.

  “Where? Where will you go to find her? You don’t even know where Zane is,” Joseph sneered.

  “You know where he is. You can take me,” I replied.

  “No. He won’t, Gen,” Joshua snapped.

  My gazed shifted between Joseph and Joshua. “Yes, he will, James,” I said, then peered at Joseph. “Tell him, Joseph. Tell him you will take me to Zane’s hideout,” I pleaded.

  Joseph released his grip on my arms. He lowered his eyes toward the ground, and shook his head. “I can’t … I’m sorry.” He turned his back to me and walked away.

  “Don’t you see? He’ll kill her if I don’t find her … please.” I collapsed to the ground, totally spent and exhausted.

  “Gen.” Joshua pulled me to my feet, and spoke softly. “He’s going to kill her anyway.” He had this super-sad look on his face. “But, if we get the Crest, maybe we can use it as a bargaining tool to get your mom back.”

  Luna wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “He’s right, Gen. It sounds like our best option.”

  “When the time comes, how do I know you’ll keep your word?” My gaze shifted between Luna and her brothers.

  “Because, I give you my word.” Joseph stepped in front of his brothers. “If it comes down to Zane releasing your mom in exchange for the Crest, I’ll personally give it to him.”

  They all peered at me, waiting for an answer. I let out a deep sigh and dropped my shoulders. “Okay … I’ll do it.” I said, trying to hide my trepidation.

  “All right, you guys. Keep your eyes and ears open in here. I doubt Zane is planning to let us take the crest and just walk out,” James said, leading the way.

  I hadn’t paid attention to all the different passageways when I entered the cave the first time. I had had a hard time concentrating. All I could think about was my mom being alive and how I couldn’t wait to get home and tell Aunt Bev.

  “Smell that?” James asked, stopping and turning to the rest of us. “We’re getting close. Stay alert,” he whispered as evenly as he could before he started walking again.

  Between the lingering adrenaline of seeing my mother and my heart starting to race with fear, I knew something was about to happen. I just didn’t know what or where, but I could have probably guessed if I really tried.

  I watched James shine the flashlight up toward the ceiling as the passageway opened to a large cavern. Did I say large? I meant huge. The ceiling was at least four stories high, and the entire room was covered in ice.

  James shined the light at some markings visible behind the ice. “I know this is the right room, but I don’t see anything resembling a crest.”

  Luna and I started across the cavern. At first, we didn’t see anything either. But when she swung the light across the far wall, a sparkle caught my eye.

  “There’s nothing here,” Luna called out.

  “Wait a minute,” I said, grabbing the flashlight from her. “Look!” I rushed over to the far wall. Just underneath a layer of ice I saw what appeared to be a large tomb.

  “That’s just great. How are we going to break through the ice?” Joshua threw his hands up.

  “I guess we’ll have to go outside and find some sharp rocks to beat against the ice,” Joseph proposed, dismayed.

  “If we do that, we might break the Crest, and then it will be of no use to us,” James replied severely.

  The back of my neck starting heating up again. At first, I didn’t think anything about it. But it kept growing hotter, much hotter than before. Without saying anything, I placed my hand against the back of my neck for a few seconds, then reached down and touched the back of Joseph’s hand.

  “Ouch!” He scowled at first, jumpin
g up from his crouched position, and rubbed his hand. “Damn it …what was that?”

  Luna shined the flash light on his hand, displaying a burn mark across it.

  I had already placed my hand back on my neck, and moved in front of the wall. I allowed it to heat up as long as I could stand it, then placed my hand against the ice directly over the Crest. The ice promptly began to melt and run down the wall.

  “How are you doing that?” Joseph asked earnestly.

  I just smiled because the truth was, I didn’t know. It really made me think though. As much as I had fought against coming and doubted everything Luna’s grandfather had told me, having the ability to melt the ice brought it all together. Maybe it really was my destiny to take the throne as the princess.

  Luna shined her light on the melted area of the wall, and I pulled the Crest loose. It was small and silver like a brooch with a nickel-sized deep red stone protruding from the middle. As soon as I closed my hand around it a strange feeling surged through my whole body, taking my breath away. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

  Chapter 31

  A strong gust of wind swirled through the room. I found myself encased in the middle of a whirlwind. Images flashed through my mind, then, as quickly as the wind came … it was gone. Luna and her brothers were all staring wide-eyed at me.

  “What?” I asked, feeling extremely self-conscious. They remained perfectly still and silent. “What are you all staring at? Tell me,” I pleaded for someone to answer.

  I was about to explode when Joseph finally found his voice.

  “Um …” he uttered, and cocked his head a little to one side, and smiled faintly. “You ….” His expression faltered, and he lowered his eyes.

  It promptly became obvious I wasn’t going to get an answer, straight or otherwise, from Joseph.

  I turned to face Luna. “Luna?” She had that same bewildered look on her face, which made me even more confused. The longer she stared, the more her mouth gaped open. “What the hell are you guys staring at me for? What’s wrong with me?” I started to yell, and Joseph was the first one to finally snap out of it.