Lunaria (A Soulmark Series Finale), page 37
I clench my hands at the thought. "What if I can't put up a wall in time and the Wselfwulfs come through. Or the Stormrows?" I whisper.
Adrian comes to my side, leaning down until his lips glide over mine. I turn into the sweet embrace, arms reaching to twine around his neck. When we break, a steamy pant careening past both our lips, he presses his forehead to mine.
"If they make it past your wall, they won't make it past me," he promises, lightning gold piercing his obsidian eyes.
++
We wait. Parts of my body unwind from their strict form. Others tense to take their place. It is no help that Adrian is more at ease than I've seen him. How he does it, when we are on the precipice of what could be our end, seems impossible. But he does so effortlessly. Every time I reach for our bond to steady myself, he is constant and stable.
We wait, and as we do, lycans and witches jog from the manor and straight into the forest. They make little eye contact as they forge on, and each boasts the same determination Xander wore earlier. Ten minutes in and a howl shatters the early morning tranquility.
"Can you tell who that was?" I ask, peering into the forest with little success.
"No," Adrian answers as if it's an apology.
I chew the inside of my cheek. "Do you know what it means?"
Adrian doesn't meet my earnest gaze. "I'd say one of the sides is calling for backup." My mouth dries out.
"Backup?" I manage to whisper.
"Don't focus on them, or what you hear, Luna," Adrian advises. "Keep yourself open to only what you created."
My lips seal together, and I jerk my chin down and up. Open to what I created... I eye the nearest tree before closing the distance to it. Removing my mitten, I place my palm flat against the trunk's cold, chapped bark. I place my other hand atop it to lessen the bite of the air and shut my eyes, centering my concentration.
Though Alekos's talent disposes him expertly to all trees, I remind myself that my connection to nature and these giants runs deep as well. With that in mind, I sink into the connection, bowing my head. I send out my magic with purpose, aiming to find my creations and using the tree as a vessel.
Sparks flare inside of me like beacons as I slowly find them, but not all.
"We placed several of the traps too far away. I can’t reach them all," I say, stumbling back as blood rushes from my head and my power zaps me of energy. The lingering impression of the forest and earth's displeasure leaves me ill at ease. "Those that are within my reach are still in place."
"How many?"
I think for a moment. "The ones furthest to the west I cannot feel," I squint. "Eight of them are out of reach. Two web catchers and the remaining six are vine rope snares."
Another howl breaks through the air, this one fainter than the last. Adrian approaches, his gloved hand directing my bare one into my coat pocket. "I'm going to inform Quinn." After I nod, he shuffles back and speaks into the small radio in a low voice.
As Adrian relays the message, my eyes are drawn back to the tree. A peculiar notion tugs at my instincts, urging me to commune with the tree again. I want to find the source of its displeasure.
Hope warms my heart. To find the source may give the pack and coven another advantage. With a steadying breath, I step up to the tree again and lay my hand across its roughened surface. This time as I open myself up, I am swallowed by the forest's anguish.
If it owned a voice, the forest would be screaming.
My mind is assaulted with wave after wave of unadulterated emotion. It accosts me with flashes of the bloodshed and magic ravaging its domain.
The earth weeps and trembles at the violence.
The undergrowth hungers for more.
Above them all, the titan trees watch. A mixture of somber acceptance and excitement trickle through me as they commit the scenes all to memory. They will remember it all.
The trees see the witch who falls, eyes open but unseeing.
They see the foreign parasites planted upon their trunks and curled about the ground.
They see the living dead—Nova. She kills swiftly and silently, just as the dueling magic permeating the air chokes the life from sorcerer after sorcerer, and witch after witch.
The forest withholds nothing, hitting me with a barrage of their overlapping perspectives. My heart races as my chest throbs.
The flora cries for me.
The earth tallies the fallen.
The visuals engulf me, suffocating and enthralling me all at once. Dimly in the far recesses of my mind, I know I don't possess the strength to retreat. I'm part of this now—part of the forest and every horror it witnesses.
"Luna?"
The sound of my name is urgent. My consciousness strives to reach it, but the forest pulls me back. The battle for my attention makes me ill until a sizzling heat pierces my back and wins the fight. I gasp in shock. The lungful of air is followed by another and another as I tumble backward, spine arching in fleeting pain.
My hand rips away from the tree as I fall back against the body behind me. I slump, eyes and head swiveling to see Celosia.
"Do you want to end up like Papaverus?" Her eyes shine with unshed tears. Celosia helps to right me, her anger turning her face molten red. "She sought to read the lands' intent and its wishes, but she couldn't drag herself out of its mind. She never woke up." Her bottom lip quivers. "You cannot be so heedless, Luna. Not when we are so close to returning home."
"I'm sorry." Adrian's features are drawn taut and wan. His face is ashen, as I fear mine is. Weakly I search our bond and find the calm reservoir of his emotions shaken and distraught. I reach out to him and am immediately pulled into the safety of his arms. "I didn't realize,” I murmur against his chest. Sucking in another shuddering breath I pull back to address the group. “It's chaos in the forest. The trees—."
"You must not slip into the forest's mind again," Alekos lectures me in a stony voice. "It is too overwhelming for your kind. If you wish an audience, I will ask the trees for their words." Alekos’s eyes flicker between Adrian and I, before settling on me. A troubled frown draws his features down. "Whatever you did stunned the rokama. If we had not arrived, I do not know who could have pulled you back to reality."
I whimper in guilt and fright. "I'm sorry," I repeat, turning my eyes back to Adrian. He curls his arms around me tighter as Celosia and Alekos hover near us. Their expressions are haunted.
"Why did that happen?” Adrian questions. “She did it once before now and nothing happened."
I start to shrug but stop the motion awkwardly as understanding dawns on me. I squirm in Adrian’s arms until he loosens his hold and releases me. Ducking my head as my cheeks color, I fail to meet my friends’ or Adrian’s inquiring gaze.
"It wasn't the same as before,” I confess. “The first time I was searching for something specific; my creations. The second time I went in blindly. My intent was only to listen to the forest's needs, but—but it was more than I was prepared to receive.” I pause as I catch Alekos’s golden and green eyes. "The forest is in turmoil. Everything was screaming out to me. It kept showing me all of the violence going on inside. There's nothing they can do to stop it… and I became lost amongst it all."
Adrian clutches me close once more, breathing heavily. "No more searching," he commands. I mumble my agreement against his chest.
"Is it so bad already?" Celosia glowing skin flickers with her concern.
I sigh, my answer interrupted as Adrian stiffens. His hand jumps to his ear with a frown.
"I’m listening," Adrian answers his earpiece. His obsidian eyes fall on me, frown deepening as he drops his hand. "I'm going to run a quick patrol in the vicinity. Callie is uncertain if one of the Wselfwulfs made it past a nearby team, and they're too preoccupied to check. The Wselfwulf might be headed this way."
My grip on him tightens. "You're leaving?"
Adrian grimaces. "I won't be long. Alekos can listen and track my movements through the trees—safely—right?"
"Of course," Alekos murmurs and shifts toward the tree I anchored myself to.
"Please don't stay out long," I beg, my hands unwilling to release him.
"I won't. I’ll be back soon. I promise."
The forest envelops him after a few confident strides, and I find myself unconsciously shuffling after him. A press of reassurance winds through our heart's content, but it merely spikes my fear higher.
"Have faith Luna,” Celosia says, coming to my side and looping an arm around my waist. "The Wselfwulfs have yet to taste the true fury of a rokama. When they captured us months ago, we were all caught unaware, but now—” she leans her head against my shoulder, her voice treading to a whisper “—now they will know. They will pay for their misdeeds, one by one. By his fangs or our light.”
I close my eyes and tilt my head to rest against hers. Her belief strengthens me.
“Thank you, friend,” I whisper back.
"Today we will even the score," Alekos says, joining our conversation and issuing even more confidence in his words than Celosia. We turn to face him. Alekos leans against the tree, completely at ease at the forest’s edge. "May I trouble you for warmth, Celosia?"
Celosia perks up at the request, and in seconds the air begins to warm and fill with unnatural light. A gentle laugh works its way from my mouth as I step away from Celosia’s glowing figure. Calmed and strengthened in the presence of my dearest friends, I look to Alekos expectantly.
"Can you see him through the trees, Alekos?" I ask.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. They're impressed with how quietly he moves. However, they do not think he will find what he is looking for as there is nothing nearby worth noting." Alekos's coat scrapes against the trunk as he shifts to stand straighter. "They’re wrong. Something is nearby, a wolf."
A gust of wind whips around us. The warmth of Celosia's illumination wavering in the winter wind's strength.
"Where is it coming from?" I ask.
"Directly north of us," Alekos replies.
"Does Adrian know? Can the trees tell?"
Alekos's mouth pinches and his distant gaze returns to the present to find my violet eyes staring right back at him.
"No, he doesn’t. The wind isn't carrying the wolf's scent in his direction." Little lines appear near the corners of Alekos’s eyes. "If anything, the wolf seems to be hunting Adrian."
"We have to do something," Celosia says, eyes wide. "He's trying to keep us safe—it's like the Wselfwulfs all over again."
"Adrian will be all right,” I respond quickly. “He’s not restrained by the collar, and he is strong and smart. He will win this fight. I know it."
"What if the wolf loses interest and comes our way instead?"
I roll back my shoulder, lips thinning. "Then you'll blind him and I'll attack with the roots of the tree. We're strong too, Celosia.”
Celosia shifts her weight from one foot to another, her rosy cheeks gaining more color. "You’re right. We’re strong too.”
A trail of goosebumps crawls down my arms as I smile at her. "We are capable of marvelous things too. Marvelous and brave things."
Our moment is broken by a terrifying growl and the distinct sound of snapping teeth. Celosia and I jump back, searching the dark forest without luck. Alekos gasps. "Adrian knew he was being tracked! He's battling the wolf! He's winning—" Alekos stops just short of finishing, face going slack before continuing. "He won."
"What is wrong? Why are you upset?" I swallow.
"I forget how... capable the rokama are as warriors. His method of dispatching the wolf was swift."
"Swift? What does that mean? Tell us, Alekos!" Celosia begs.
Alekos stumbles away from the tree, tugging down the gray hat on his head until it reaches his eyebrows. He clears his throat before speaking. "The wolf shifted before its final attack. Adrian caught him round the neck and—" Celosia hands shoots up, her face paling.
"I’ve changed my mind; I don't want to know anymore."
We stand in silence until Adrian returns several minutes later. His expression is no different from when he left, but a quick assessment of our grave faces clues him into our knowledge.
"You saw."
"Yes," Alekos responds, face paler than Celosia’s. Adrian slows his gait. His expression turning guarded.
“I’m sorry you had to witness it,” Adrian says, voice low.
Alekos’s chest expands as he inhales deeply. “This is war,” he says. The two men exchange solemn acknowledgments, then look to Celosia and I. Something shifts inside of me—hardens and solidifies. Finally, it seems, the determination I’ve seen the wolves and witches walk into the forest with, has found me. One look at the fire burning in Celosia’s calico eyes, and I know the same to be true for her.
There is a strength behind my sudden fortitude that is not my own. I look at Adrian. He studies me with pride, feeling the shift in me too. It makes me feel as if the war is already won.
"I need to report what happened to Quinn,” Adrian says after a long moment. He looks to Alekos, “Was there anything else you were able to learn from the trees?"
"No." Alekos rubs the back of his neck, scowling. "I'll keep my ears open."
"I should too," I say, stepping forward "When I got lost beneath the forest's visions, I saw that one of my traps went off. It caught a wolf, but I don't know its fate. I don't even know which pack it belonged to. If I look with Alekos, I can describe it. Maybe Quinn or Callie will be able to tell if it’s an Adolphus wolf or Wselfwulf by my description."
Adrian closes the distance between us to plant a kiss on my cheek before whispering in my ear. "Are you sure?"
“I’m sure,” I say, repeating the statement once more as the howling wind tears by us. “With Alekos, I’ll be able to stabilize myself.”
I look at Alekos. He smiles and holds out a hand to me. As I walk to him, Celosia makes a pleased noise in her throat.
“This is a marvelous plan,” she comments, her smile growing with her excitement. “And very brave,” she tacks on, sounding very pleased.
The glow about her brightens, as does the radius of heat that encompasses us. I tug at the scarf around my neck, a delicate line of sweat appearing at my nape. Alekos's palm is already glued to the trunk. The bark at his knuckles almost acts as camouflage. I take his hand, and with my other, press it to the tree trunk.
Turning inward, with my traps the center of my mind’s eye, I reach out with my senses and magic.
"Ouch!"
The exclamation is made by Alekos, followed closely by me. My breath hitches as I stare at Alekos, the palm of my hand still tingles from whatever strange current of energy infiltrates our link. I cradle my hand close to my chest. Alekos stares at his own as if it’s grown thorns.
"What was that?" I ask.
Alekos’s golden-spiked eyes flit back and forth between me and the tree, a scowl soon overcoming his stunned appearance.
"I don't know, but you felt it too, didn't you?" His scowl deepens upon my agreement. "I wonder..."
He cocks his head, hand extending cautiously to the trunk.
"What happened?" Celosia asks, tugging on my sleeve.
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, head moving slowly from side to side. "I'm not certain. It felt like some kind of shock, right?"
"Yes," Alekos agrees a half-second later. He studies the tree intently before turning his regard to us. "I got the strangest impression that the strike was a... rebuke."
"Me too," I murmur, a shiver running up my spine despite the warmth Celosia emits.
Adrian hovers just outside our group, his dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he listens to whatever is being communicated to him. Celosia shuffles closer. Her hand slips from my sleeve to my hand, and we lace our fingers together.
"You truly felt a shock through the tree?"
My head bobs up and down, as I force a smile onto my face. "I'm sure whatever Alekos is doing now will sort out the issue," I reply with false confidence. Alekos is steadfast in his position; head cocked, and palm open an inch from the tree.
"One of the cameras is down," Adrian informs us, striding back to us. "They—"
"Argh!"
Alekos falls backward onto his rear end, his pale face and cry cutting off Adrian's announcement. Celosia and I drop down beside him.
"What happened?" My hands skirt over his body, looking for any outward sign of injury but finding none.
Alekos pants. His ashen face filled with fear. "They're attacking the trees of the forest."
"Who?" Celosia asks. Anger and sadness fight for the expression on Alekos’s face.
"The Stormrow sorcerers," Alekos spits out their name.
"How can they hurt the trees enough to hurt you?" Adrian's rumbled question wrenches our attention upward. A shaky plume of air, clouds in front of Alekos's face as he shakes his head. His confusion is palpable.
"Whatever magic they're using is unlike anything I've experienced before. It is... immense. They must all be working together to force this magic upon the trees and bring them down."
A grave silence ensues, broken by the howling wind and the crunching of melting snow beneath us. Celosia places a hand on Alekos's shoulder. They share a long look with one another, their silent conversation leaving them both tense.
"Those first few weeks in the Wselfwulf camp—" Celosia hesitates, shoulders sagging as her throat gives an inconspicuous bob. "We were eager to tell them all we could to avoid their wrath. The sorcerers must have figured out a way to use the information we shared against us."
Alekos's features rearrange to one of chagrin and disgust. "This is my fault."
Celosia twists her head fervently, the hair peeking out of her hat whipping about her neck. "Yours wasn't the only tongue who offered up our secrets. It's my fault too."
The pair share another long look with faces pinching in consternation.
"What did you share with them?" Adrian asks. He crouches down with us, casting long looks to the battlefront. My heart’s content holds himself deceptively calm, but Adrian's wry anticipation soon simmers inside of me.
