Awakening the Beast (10 page)

“Of course. You don’t need an invitation to come in, Father.”

“Thank you, Illiana, but I’m here on more official business. Daruk, and I were talking late into the night about the volcano, his people, and your traveling.”

“What is it?” Belik asked.

Daruk took one of the chairs by the hearth and the shaman remained standing. A moment later his co-mate joined them and closed the door. Lelana gathered a few cups and ladled some water into them before offering them to the guests. With the extra people, the house was crowded.

“You all saw that I’m a shifter, but I only have the one form of a dragon. I find it fascinating your people have two forms. My people are from a land far to the south where it’s a lot warmer. We don’t tolerate the cold much. There are other drakes who endure the cold, but they’re far to the north where there’s nothing but ice and snow all year round. It was my job to watch a mountain range north of my home. This range to be exact. It was a punishment until the fire elemental was awoken.”

“What did you do?” Belik was fascinated to hear about how there were others who lived in the ice. How anyone would or could live in such a cold environment, he did not understand.

Daruk shifted in his seat and studied the water. A look of hurt and anger moved across his face before he looked back up again. “I fell in love with my father’s new bride. My mother died when I was young. She was a non-shifter, but they loved one another. Everyone loved her, but she died of old age. I was young and had fallen in love with another dragon. We were going to elope, but my father found out and married her first. My father wanted to put me to death, but our soothsayer told him he’d never have any more sons. If he wanted his legacy to continue, he had to spare my life. So the old woman peered into the lava and came up with my punishment. I was to go north to the sleeping mountain and remain there until it awakens. Then I can return home.”

“That’s horrible,” Lelana stated. “Don’t your people believe that women can rule equally as well as men?”

Daruk smiled. “Oh, we have women chancellors, advisors to the King, but in order to rule one has to be male. I’m from an unbroken line of kings that goes back thousands of years. Our women only give birth once every century. Depending on what form they are in. Human women carry the offspring for eighteen months. In dragon form, they lay eggs and hatch them in the same period. Because we are so large it is believed that is why the pregnancies last so long. We have good relations with those around us, non-shifters and shifters alike.”

“So how does our journey work into your plans?” Ohanzee asked.

“I told Daruk about the travesty in the forest and how you’re heading back to reclaim your home.”

“Your forest is on my way home. Because you healed me, I owe you a debt. I’ll give you a ride. It’ll shorten your journey considerably and maybe you need a little bit of firepower to get rid of those who’ve taken over your forest. In dragon form, I can breathe fire.” An enormous smile lit up his features.

Had he heard the other man right? “You want to give us a ride?”

“Yes. It’s not a problem. Although it might be a bit bumpy, we can manage. None of you look that heavy.”

“Wouldn’t that be beneath you, considering you’re a prince and we’re just servants as you put it to me the other day.” Illiana laughed.

“That was wrong of me. I’ve grown in the years I’ve been on my own. Some years ago, I left the mountain and visited the local tribes. I would stay with them for a few months, but would always keep my eye on the volcano.”

“How long have you been by yourself?” asked Ohanzee.

Daruk met his gaze. “Four hundred years, give or take a year.”

“Is your father still alive?” Lelana asked.

Belik wondered the same thing. Ravens lived two hundred years, but he had never heard other people living any longer than that.

“He’s still alive. They would’ve sent someone for me if he wasn’t. What do you say? Need a lift?”

Illiana smiled. “That’d be wonderful.”

“Great. I’ll let you gather your things and we can leave in the morning. I told Ranolo I would address the village and alleviate their fears of me. Plus tell everyone what to expect when the volcano erupts.” Daruk got up and set his water on the chair. He looked at Illiana again. The other man’s gaze lingered on her longer than Belik liked. He met his co-mate’s eyes and saw the same expression on Ohanzee’s face that he felt.

“I’ll go with you. It’d be good to answer whatever questions the others have.” Illiana hobbled over to them.

Daruk put an arm around her waist. “Lean on me so you can walk.”

“Thank you.”

Together Illiana and Ranolo left with their visitor so they could speak with the rest of the village. Belik took a deep breath.

“I know that look, Belik. You had it the first few times you were with Christopher and Illiana. You have nothing to worry about.” Lelana gathered up the cups.

“I know, but I can’t help but wonder. The way he looks at her, it unnerves me.”

“Believe me, finding another man is the furthest from her mind. She wants to get home and see Christopher.” Lelana patted him on the shoulder and went outside.

“You believe her?” Ohanzee ran his fingers over the threads on the loom.

“I believe Illiana would tell us if she had some interest in him. She won’t betray us.”

Ohanzee sighed. “I trust her. It’s him I’m worried about.”

Belik knew exactly how he felt, but he was not going to make any accusations. The best thing for him to do was wait and see what happened during their journey.

* * * *

Illiana tested her weight on her foot. Her mother had found some birch bark, fitted it onto her foot, and wrapped it with tight bindings. She had been hopping around the house and wished she had something to assist with her walking, but it was not a good idea to bring a crutch with them if they were carrying supplies. While she struggled, Illiana knew her mates were worried about their visitor and how she related to him. Her men were worried she would want him for a third mate. However, she was not interested in him. All she cared about was getting home, driving the interlopers out, and making sure that Christopher was still alive. First, they had to get there. Daruk waited for them outside, but could he actually carry all four of them across the country? How fast could he fly? She was not about to ask him to fly a top speed so they could get there faster.

“Ready to go?” Lelana asked.

She glanced at her mother. The callous mask had reappeared and Illiana wondered if it would remain. “I’m ready.”

Illiana looked around the house once more and recalled all the memories she had accumulated in the past year. Belik had built a reputation in the village. Ohanzee was no longer looked at with shame because he could only shift into one animal. She had helped some of the other villagers do the same thing so they no longer had the stigma attached to them. Ohanzee had been so hell-bent on pursuing her and in the end, it had worked out. She had prepared herself to never return to the forest because of all the negativity surrounding her mating with Christopher. One of the age-old rules among the Corvi and the wolf pack was that they were not allowed to marry outside of their own species. In the short time she had been in the village, it had become her home and she was sad to leave it.

“I’m ready.”

Lelana helped Illiana outside. Her mates were waiting for her. A little away from them, Daruk lay waiting. He was thirty feet long from nose to tail. Now that she could see him in the light, his scales were so black they had a rainbow sheen to them. Small horns sprouted along the bridge of his nose and the ridges of his eyes. At the top of his head two horns twisted together and flared outward near the tips. His eyes were purple and sharp claws longer than her arm scraped along the ground, running deep furrows in the soil. Wisps of white smoke curled around his nostrils. He stared at her. She smiled, but focused on the men she adored. They took her from her mother’s arms and held her up while she hobbled along until they came to Daruk. Were all of them going to be able to fit and stay on him while he was flying?

“Are you ready for this?” Belik asked.

“I think so. Are you?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I guess. We won’t know until we find out. Should be interesting. Come on.” Belik helped lift her and gave her a boost onto the dragon’s back. Illiana scrambled into place and felt Daruk’s muscles quiver underneath her. Belik handed her a pack that she slid onto her shoulders. Several people had gathered around them. Her father was there waiting. She glanced toward the volcano and saw the dark smoke pouring out of it. That did not help her feel settled. Her father caught her gaze and he flashed her a small smile. Daruk had told her what to expect from the eruption. Hot rock would spew down the slopes of the mountain. Rock and ash would be hurtled from the depths of the earth for miles around. Any small fragments would be a deadly weapon if it hit anyone. Ranolo had made plans to evacuate the village soon. She prayed it would work.

Belik settled in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Illiana nestled into him enjoying the closeness they shared. She glanced behind her. Lelana was behind Belik and Ohanzee was last.

Daruk swung his neck to look at them. “Are you ready to go?”

“Are you sure you can carry all of us?” Illiana asked.

He chuckled. “Some challenges I can’t turn down. Here we go.”

She held on to one of his neck spikes. After a moment he flapped his wings and lifted into the air. The breeze protested, but she reached out and soothed the wind, letting it know this was momentary. Just off the ground, Illiana heard a low rumble and a large crack ripped open the ground. The villagers screamed and scrambled to get away from the chasm that had appeared. Her heart jumped in her chest and she wanted to reach out to help the people below, but they were already in the air.

Belik leaned forward and brought her closer. “It’ll be okay. Your father will take care of everyone.”

“I know.”

The town grew smaller and smaller until they skimming over the trees and higher still, sailing over the land. The ride was smoother than she thought it would be. Daruk was not having any trouble carrying them, but she would see how it went the rest of the day. She tried to put the thought of the quake from her mind and think about the journey home. Although it was difficult, she was able to do it. All that filled her mind was how she would approach the cougars and the vultures that had taken over her home.
How am I going to drive them out?

Although there were important questions, the main one that haunted her was what Christopher would say when he saw her.

Chapter Eight

The moon above did not offer any comfort the way it normally did. Christopher listened, hearing the hoots of owls and the mice scurrying along the forest floor. When he listened harder, he heard the loud extended squawks of the vultures that circled the forest, waiting for the rest of the wolves and ravens to die out. If only it were that easy. Any stray ravens or wolves the scavengers found were immediately rounded up and dragged back to the village where they were being kept as slaves or even worse. He had a handful of strong wolves sneaking back to the wolf village to see where they were being kept.

The ravens were too frightened to act. Without their leader or any sense of structure, their spirits were broken. The Corvi looked to him. A few among them were organizing the food and supplies from what they could scavenge in the forest and by taking trips to the sea. The cougars had widened their patrol of the forest and slowly pushed them east toward the ocean. Other wolf packs lived further north, but he had never met them. Jalisa had offered to go to them and ask for assistance because she was related to the ones in the north. By accepting the help of the other packs, he would have to cede some of the territory to them and maybe take one of them for a mate. All of these options were something he had never considered before. The longer they went on without having a home to go back to, the more forlorn his wolves became. He was unprepared to be alpha. His father would have handled the invasion so much better. The elders did not have a memory in their collective years of experience to give him any idea of what to do. Some of them said to abandon their village and find somewhere else to go. Others said it would be best to fight back.

“It’s hopeless,” he muttered and stared at the stars.

“It’s not hopeless.”

He glanced over and saw Jalisa leaning against a tall pine tree. The branches barely brushed the top of her head. “The pack deserves a strong leader. They deserve someone who can stand up to the cougars and the vultures so we can take back our lands. My father would’ve known what to do.”

“No,” she shook her head. “Your father was a good leader and so are you. We’re all still dealing with what is happening. But we’ll get there. You’re keeping us all together. You
are
the backbone of the pack now, but I have some good news.”

“What’s that?”

“The raven’s priestess is alive. The vultures have her guarded. If we can get her back, it’ll help them rally. Hell, it will help us all rally. Plus, there are a few others. They are holding her and Marshall under guard in one of caves we used to play in. Remember?”

Christopher could not believe what she told him. Coret was alive. Out of all the other ravens in the flock, she was the only one he cared about more than Illiana. If they could bring her back, it would give the ravens hope. If there were others in the caves with them, then he knew that they had to get them out. It did not matter if they were wolves or ravens. They were all together as one group. They were no longer separated. Those who had lived in the trees all their lives had come to the ground. They were out of their element at first, but they adapted. A group of three or four wolves could fight off a cougar. To save those who were imprisoned, he would take the risk to free them, perhaps losing others in the process.

“How many are being held?”

“Five or six besides Marshall and Coret. Tullin was the one who found them.”