The Frozen Moon - By J.D. Swinn Page 0,20

lived through that. I’ve never met anyone that’s lived through a vampire bite. What a story, huh?”

“If it didn’t have dark magic though, I would be in the process of becoming a bloodsucker right now. Good thing, then I guess. Werewolf, I could live with, but vampire?” Her voice didn’t contain the grim tone it should have. She knew that she couldn’t be turned here; the Shask protected them from dark magic.

“You seem to have left that out,” said Seth with a casual air. She liked it when people weren’t so concerned with her well-being.

“Sorry, but between the onslaughts of Guild attackers, I must have forgotten to give you a synopsis of the occurring events.” Her voice held a sarcastic twinge, a comfort she receded into. They were silent for a moment, hesitant to return to the fight. The cloud formed again in her head, threatening to pull her into it. She needed rest; that much she knew, but she would not until she found the others.

“I think I saw your friend over there,” Cal said with a point. He must have been talking about Mira, the one he had seen her with earlier. Silently, she took his advice, and headed in the specified direction. The sea of movement was thinning like a morning fog, leaving spaces interspersed throughout. Her consciousness was coated with a thick oil as she tried desperately to hold onto it, slipping through her fingers. The only thing tethering her to the warehouse scene was her concern for Mira; she wouldn’t lose herself now, not when Mira needed her. She could feel the two behind her, a reassuring feeling in the field of doubt before her. It was the glint of gold she saw first, lighting her heart on fire and sending chills down her spine. The fire and ice mingled together within her, knotting her stomach in anticipation: Mira. She rushed to her friend’s side, scarcely aware of the blows she was receiving to her pumping arms. The uncovered scene was comparable to that of freshly fallen snow. The sight of it brought such joy and peace to her, that she thought she might instantly fall to the ground and succumb to the warmth that tugged playfully at her awareness. Surrounding Mira were Max and Wyd; somehow, they had managed to stay together.

It took her a moment to realize that Talar was also part of the group, or who she assumed to be Talar. This was the first time she had seen him in a shifted form, all muscles and thick hair of a deep brown hue. His lips were pulled back in a snarl to reveal rows of knife-sharp teeth of a startling white. The power with which he moved immediately made her envious, and she began to reconsider her decision to wait to become a werewolf. Nearly the entire group was now reunited, it seemed like an impossible dream; she still waited to jolt awake and find that the reality was none so sweet. Admittedly, the pixies weren’t the best of fighters, but they were vicious, and the vampires had their weaknesses. Despite this, she had been doubtful of their survival.

Mira and the other three cut down the last of what she assumed to be a long line of attackers, and caught their attention. She almost wanted to embrace her friend, something utterly uncharacteristic, but knew that this was neither the time nor the place. She reveled silently for a beat, not wanting to ruin the moment with feeble words.

“Were you guys able to stay together?” Max asked with concern clear in his voice.

“Not exactly,” Nameh laughed, and briefly recounted the events, purposely leaving out the fact that she had nearly died at the fangs of a vampire.

“We were a bit luckier,” Max said almost apologetically, “Wyd was able to use some sort of a spell that kept us together.”

“Not some sort of a spell, it was a sentinel charm,” he said defensively. “It basically just puts a weak shield around a whole group.” He made a circular motion with his finger, “Some of them got through, and some of them didn’t.” There was a silence as stories were processed and interpreted.

“You haven’t seen Gwen or Eve, then?” she asked with a doubtful expression.

“I haven’t seen them since the start of the attack,” Mira began gravely; “they went to go get a drink just before it happened. Hopefully they ended up together.” Without discussion, they knew what had to be done, and began