it’s sucking all the fog from the forest. Maybe even the surrounding village and countryside.
Candra, run! We have to get out now!
Ben bounds over and nudges me with his snout, pushing me toward the route we came from. But, me being me, I’m utterly fascinated by this wolf, who holds so much power. Where did it get its abilities? There had to be an original source.
Just like that, I realize my mission for this trip—to find out where the earliest werewolf came from, and how it got its magic. My gut is telling me there’s more to Alaric than meets the eye. It’s also telling me the wolf standing directly ahead isn’t Alaric. And if that’s the case, then who the hell is it?
As the dark fog disappears all around us, the wolf soaks it up. The mist swirls around and around the body of the wolf, and the wolf leisurely rises to stand on its back legs. Ben and I observe the wolf transform into a human, though we can’t see the face because the black vapor swallows it whole. The body is definitely that of a woman, so no Alaric here.
Who is she? I distractedly think aloud.
Ben barely shakes his head. I have no idea, but I think there’s more going on here than we originally thought.
The woman’s voice emanates from the dark blur surrounding her, and the sound echoes itself. “The source for which ye seek this magic is nearer than ye think. Be forewarned, young ones, solving the mystery shall come with a price, one which neither of ye are ready to pay.”
She grabs hold of the shadowy veil, as if it’s a cape, and twirls once, exploding into hundreds of black crows. They circle us overhead like vultures over a carcass, cawing incessantly, then nosedive directly at us, so quickly Ben and I don’t have time to react. The explosion when they hit the ground is the last thing I remember, before the darkness settles over me like an icy blanket.
Chapter Three
When I awaken, I’m not lying in the forest, amid the trees and dirt, like I thought; I’m back in the barn, in my clothes, wrapped in a warm, snuggly blanket. The hay scratches my cheek and itches, but it’s better than freezing my naked ass off. Glancing up, I catch sight of Ben, who sits at my feet and is watching me closely.
“Hey,” I murmur.
He smiles. “Welcome back, Princess.”
I smirk and look up at the rafters in the barn, contemplating last night’s events. Maybe it was a stupid idea for me to run off like that, after a wolf we know nothing about. We still don’t. All we’re sure of is that the wolf’s sidekick is some woman, who can turn into a flock of angry birds and summon black fog.
“I know what you’re thinking,” says Ben.
“Of course you do. We’re marked.”
He grins, but in his eyes, he looks exhausted. “That’s not what I meant.” He goes on, “I can’t stop thinking about last night; it was a little too weird for me. I’ve seen some strange shit in my day, but this doesn’t even come close. The magic she used is powerful. My family would love it; it’s what they ultimately want.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his knees and rubbing his hands together. “But what she said about us finding the original Ancient, the first person who conjured this magic, is what’s bothering me. What’s the price we have to pay? And why aren’t we ready? None of this makes any sense.”
I gulp away the knot in my throat. “What if all of this was a trap? What if Alaric knew we couldn’t handle the magic in this time period? He’s probably laughing somewhere in the future, wherever it was we dropped him off.”
“It’s like a bad dream I can’t wake up from,” says Ben. He stands up, walks a few steps, and lies down next to me. I share the blanket with him, and nuzzle up against his neck, entirely content for now.
“Where’d you get this?” I inquire, lifting the cover a tiny bit.
Ben chuckles. “It’s a horse blanket.”
I bolt upright. “What? Ew. Gross.”
“Hush. It’s better than freezing our asses off.” He tugs me down next to him again. “You know, we still need a plan.”
“Like, how not to piss off an Ancient, yet still be able to figure out who they are?”
Ben grunts. “Yeah, something like that.”
“We’ll just have to keep an eye out for anything unusual—behavior,