Seeds of Autumn

  Chapter Fifteen

  Immediately after the ritual, Eyes had dashed away into a private room to call his wife. Ariana heard him talking on the other side of a door and passed quickly on her way to the attic, trying not to eavesdrop. It was clear that everything was fine at the other end of the phone, but Ariana knew Eyes would not rest easy until he could be back with them to guard them himself. Although Weaver was back with the pack they couldn't relax completely. The Witches might come back for her, or may even mount a full offensive against the Blue Moon. Eyes wouldn't feel that his family were safe yet.

  Ariana curled up on a rug in the attic and slept all day, her aching body desperate to catch up properly now that her pack sister was home. Her sleep was troubled by bad dreams though. She dreamt of Rhys, dreams of longing and loneliness, and of the passion that she was so desperate for. There was a demon in her dreams too, weaving in and out of unrelated images, threading them together, although she didn't see the pattern until she woke. It was little more than a black shape, flitting at the corner of her eye, almost teasing her. She was still so new to this world, but she was coming to understand that demons weren't necessarily evil, they were neutral really, barely aware of morality, just like animals. She knew not to be afraid of this shadow in her dreams. In fact, she was compelled to find it.

  She remembered how her dreams leading up to her first change had been a confusing jumble of worlds, how some things that had seemed like dreams had turned out to be psychic sleep walking into Hepethia. She wondered how much of her life she could trust now, what was still straightforward and what was touched by the magic she had only just learned existed.

  When she was finally ready to face the world again Ariana joined the Blue Moon in the kitchen for another family meal. This was becoming a comforting and familiar ritual, and Ariana smiled on seeing her pack assembled and talking over burgers. She sat down between Shadow and Weaver, exchanging warm smiles with them both. Eyes seemed in better humour, chatting and laughing with Fortune, but there were dark circles under his eyes betraying the lack of sleep and deep worry that still plagued him.

  'I need bodies out on patrol straight after dinner,' Fortune instructed, his mouth full of food. 'Be careful out there, everyone. Be vigilant and report back any slightly suspicious activity. Flames and I were running the borders all day and saw nothing, which is odd. I don't like it.'

  Eyes moved quickly to their alpha's side as the rest of the pack began to move out but Fortune looked at him sadly.

  'You can't return home, Eyes. We've been over this. If you reinforce your scent there they will get curious and they will track it right back to your family.' A growl rumbled in Eyes' chest and Ariana looked away in embarrassment. She felt sad for him, she could feel his frustration and knew there was nothing she or any of them could do.

  Ariana followed Shadow across the veil. Grins-Too-Widely was waiting for them, sitting patiently with his head cocked to one side and that huge grin on his face. Shadow greeted him and led Ariana through the kitchen, which in Hepethia was warm and bright. The huge dining table filled the room, symbolic of the importance of meal times. A real stove burned against the back wall and the room was filled with the smell of cooking. Tiny motes of joy and family floated around the room, almost like Christmas lights. But there were small demons of worry sitting in the corners too. The tiny sprites here were not powerful, they didn't even seem sentient, let alone have names of their own. Ariana lingered to observe the room for a moment, before Shadow led her out through the back door. Grins-Too-Widely followed them outside.

  The back street on this side of the veil was almost pitch black. The houses around them loomed ominously, the bricks were stained black and the windows were soulless and empty. Shadow and Ariana made their way up onto the roof via the fire escape and looked out across the territory. Ariana drew a sharp breath as she looked around. The dark sky rolled with heavy purple clouds and lightning flashed in the distance over the telecoms tower. The city was black in places and lit up like a fire in others, the contrast burned her eyes. Over in Northgate the factories were alive, literally alive. Giant monsters on the horizon, chugging plumes of thick smoke into the sky, they stirred and shifted with their heavy burdens. Ariana could even hear their moans carrying over the city towards her.

  'Shadow?' She reached for him without taking her eyes from the factories. Her fingers found his hand and he twisted his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand.

  'It's okay. I know it seems frightening, but by and large it is under control. The Blue Moon has held this territory for a long time, the demons and fae know us and know how to behave. But they can't change their natures, not easily anyway.'

  'They look like they're chained down and trying to escape, but they're too tired to put up much of a fight,' Ariana whispered. Shadow chuckled and Ariana looked at him in surprise.

  'That's almost exactly the situation.' He smiled at her and Ariana saw pride in his face. Ariana couldn't help but smile back. 'I'm going to run the northern border. I want you to stay here. Watch over the territory. Get to know how it looks from here. If you see anything to give you cause for alarm or if I'm not back in one hour I want you to cross back over and wake Fortune.'

  Ariana nodded solemnly. She looked across the landscape again and wondered how on earth she was meant to tell normal from alarming. Shadow placed his hands on her shoulders and captured her eyes with his own amber ones.

  'Don't worry, the others are heading for the borders now, they are the first line of defence. You will know if something gets past them, you will sense it.' His voice was soft and reassuring, but his words brought up a whole new wealth of causes for alarm. With one last look he shifted seamlessly into his fox form, ran to the edge of the building and leaped off the roof. Ariana dashed forward in time to see him dart into the shadows in the street below. Then he was gone.

  'Okay Ariana. Don't panic. You're just on your own, in Hepethia, full of hostile demons and fae who don't know you. Nothing to worry about,' she muttered to herself.

  'You're not on your own.' The voice made her jump and she spun around to locate it. Grins-Too-Widely was sat looking at her in his usual way in the middle of the rooftop. Ariana put a shaking hand on her chest and struggled to control her breathing.

  'I'll keep you company for a while,' the fox said silkily, grinning at her all the while.

  Ariana suppressed the discomfort she felt from looking at his freakish mouth as he spoke, the grin never faltered and the sounds that came out were a little bit wrong, a symptom of the long life this former shifter must have lived. Ariana took a deep breath and cast her eyes across the territory again, trying not to look at the fox.

  'Thank you. Can I ask, do we all become like you in the end?'

  'If you survive, yes. Few do,' the fox replied. She could feel his eyes on her but couldn't look at him.

  'Are you immortal?'

  'No. Age may still end me, albeit very slowly.'

  'How old are you?' Ariana's gaze snapped to the fox and he tilted his head this way and that, as if searching his memory for the answer.

  'I do not know how to communicate that to you. The last time I took a human form was long before you were born and I was an old man then. Human measures of time mean nothing to me now. The seasons, the sunrises, it is all I know and all a blur, I cannot count them.'

  Ariana couldn't imagine living so long and didn't feel like she would wish to end her days stuck in Hepethia in some distorted form. She shuddered at the thought and cast her eyes over the territory.

  In the distance a black, winged shape swooped down from the tumbling purple clouds and took a dive into the dark city streets. When it emerged again there was something clutched in its claws and it disappeared back into the stormy sky. Ariana was startled and her eyes flicked directly overhead.

  'Try not to worry. This place is well protected. We won't be troubled here.' Grins-Too-Widely spoke quietly beside her. Ariana nodded, she knew she could trust him, he
was her ally. He may be difficult to look at, she doubted she would ever get over that, but she felt at ease in his presence. She thought about how he had protected and guided her when she ran to find Weaver and before that, when he had shown her the edges of the territory. The memory clawed at her, something didn't feel right. That was the night Weaver had been bitten, the first night. A deep frown creased her brow and she chewed the inside of her mouth, clutching at the details.

  'You told me you would lead me to my new name. The night Weaver-of-Sky's-Loom was bitten. I think you were wrong, it was her that found her name following those events.' She looked down at him to see him gazing out across the city.

  'I set you on the path. You have a short distance still to travel, but you will find yourself.' His voice was distant, as though his thoughts were really somewhere else. Ariana didn't like the cryptic answer.

  'How will I know the path?' she asked, frustration causing her voice to crack.

  'You will know. Follow your instincts. Your name is a reflection of your true self, who you are and who you will be, it is already inside you waiting to be found. Trust yourself. That is all you can do.' He was still gazing away from her and silently he stood up and took a step closer to the edge of the roof. She followed his gaze but couldn't see anything remarkable in his eye line. She felt frustrated by his advice, impatient to find answers and she let out a small snarl. Without a backward glance at her, however, Grins-Too-Widely stepped off the edge of the roof and disappeared into the night.

  'Great. Just great.' Ariana leaned against the chimney stack and sighed. She waited, watching the sky and the streets below. She saw huge shapes lift themselves out of the streets and drop back down. More winged creatures swooped out of the clouds and the factories never ceased in their rhythmic groaning and lurching. Ariana let her thoughts roam over recent events, trying to put all of the pieces together, to make some sense of the chaos of the last four days. Her eyes began to feel heavy and drift out of focus.

  A dark fluttering shape at the corner of her eye grabbed her attention, but the moment she looked for it it was gone. She stood to attention and scanned the roofs of the terrace leading away from her. There was nothing there. There was something familiar about whatever she had glimpsed, however, and she started walking carefully along the rooftop. She reached the end of the terrace but had seen nothing and she soon began to doubt herself. With a sigh she turned and set off back to the betting shop. As she approached she heard a noise on the fire escape and carefully she peeked over the edge. Shadow hopped nimbly up over the top rail and onto the roof beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back from the edge.

  'Are you all right?' Shadow asked. 'You look like you've seen a ghost.'

  'No, nothing like that, I'm fine, thank you. Just a bit jumpy I suppose, from being here alone in the quiet.' Her shoulders gave an involuntary shudder and Shadow gave a nod of understanding.

  'Of course. Let's go inside.' He let her go first, and together made their way back down to the ground and back across the veil.

  All was quiet in the betting shop. Fortune was still sleeping. Weaver and Eyes were sat talking quietly in the kitchen when Ariana and Shadow entered. Stone, Flames and Wind Talker hadn't returned yet, but it was still early.

  Ariana helped herself to some food while Shadow disappeared upstairs. Weaver leaned close to Ariana as she sat down beside her and whispered conspiratorially.

  'Eyes and I are talking about making a break for it.' She flashed Ariana a wicked grin, but Ariana scowled at her. She looked at Eyes, who was still looking worn down, his head in his hands and his eyes fixed on the table. He glanced up, apparently feeling her eyes on him and he shrugged.

  'I'm sure we could take care of ourselves, the three of us,' he whispered.

  Ariana couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

  'And do what? Go where? Eyes might be feeling cooped up and worried for his family,' she hissed. 'But you, Weaver, you just got back from being abducted and tortured. Why on earth would you want to go out there without... the others?' She crossed her arms and stared down the pair of them. 'I nearly said without a grown up then.' She huffed, feeling like a young teenager rather than a grown woman.

  'It's not just feeling cooped up though, is it?' Weaver spoke softly and there was sadness in her eyes. 'It's Eyes' family being in danger and him wanting to protect them.'

  Ariana tutted. Weaver had a point.

  'It's way too dangerous,' Ariana sighed.

  'Not if the three of us go together,' Eyes whispered urgently. 'The scents would be jumbled up together and harder to identify.' He looked at Ariana with such intensity and she could feel how desperate he was to be near his family. She felt herself softening.

  'All right but it's a reconnaissance mission only. We get as close to your house as we can without getting close to the territory border and we watch the place for a while.' Eyes started to object but Ariana held a hand up to stop him. 'I won't budge on this. I know you want to see them, but you've spoken to them on the phone and know they are fine for now, so we guard them tonight, that's all. I won't have you leading the Witches right to your door.'

  He opened his mouth with objections, but he promptly closed it and gave one curt nod, an appraising look on his face. Weaver grinned and moved quickly to the back door.

  'Let's go now, quickly while the coast is clear.' She held the door open and Ariana and Eyes dashed out into the cool night. Weaver closed the door and the three of them shifted form silently and set off running. It was the first time Ariana had seen Fights-Eyes-Open in his wolf form, his fur was grey, almost silver. Weaver was a stunning, black cat and Ariana took her fox form, as was becoming habit. She wanted to try changing into something else, but Shadow seemed to want to keep her ability a secret, even from the pack and she quickly pushed the thought aside in case one of the others caught hold of it through their pack telepathy.

  Ariana thought about sending out her plea for protection to Grins-Too-Widely as she had done before, but quickly changed her mind. She didn't want to draw attention to their clandestine night wandering. The last thing they wanted was for the old fox to go straight to Fortune and tell him what they were up to. Instead she thought only of the night and the darkness and willed them to hide her and her young pack mates.

  As she did so she glimpsed a flicker of pure black shadow chasing them, the same image in the corner of her eye that she had seen on the rooftop. Somehow she knew that the three of them would not be seen or heard. Her silent plea had been heard and they were protected from those senses at least, if not the most important one for their kind, the sense of smell was still against them. Eyes had been right about the mingling of their three trails, it would be confusing and more difficult to pick out any one, though their combined trail would be easier to follow.

  Ariana led the others down back alleys, through gardens and down deserted back streets. They managed to stay cloaked in shadow almost all of the time and Ariana felt the influence of the powers she had invoked at work.

  Soon they were drawing close to the neighbourhood that Eyes and his family lived in. The three odd animals slowed to a brisk walk and crept in the shadows towards his street. Ariana sniffed the ground and the air around them. There was nothing to cause any alarm. She caught images from Eyes' mind that showed her which house was his and just as she had insisted he came to a halt nearby but not too close. It was a wide street, trees and bushes lined the roadside and many houses had driveways and large gardens. Ariana could just make out a very nice looking black car in the driveway of Eyes' house.

  The three of them settled down amongst some bushes on the opposite side of the street and about four doors down from his house. The street was quite well lit, which hindered their ability to hide, but it was late at night and the houses were all dark. There was a stillness in the air and it sent a small shiver of concern up Ariana's spine.

  They sat there for what felt like hours. The occasional car swept past them and they
hunkered down low to the ground to hide themselves from the headlights. Ariana was anxious, there was a nagging sensation in her gut that something was not quite right. The night was too quiet and she thought that one of the others would have come looking for them by now. She was just trying to communicate this to Weaver and Eyes when a sudden gust of wind blew a flurry of fallen leaves down the street towards them. All three of them jumped up, their heckles raised. The leaves blew right past them down the street, leaving a trail of dropped leaves in the wake of the wind.

  We have to leave right now. Ariana thought and Weaver meowed in agreement. Eyes looked wistfully at his house and Ariana knew he was torn. Why come here to guard them if only to flee the moment something threatens them? She understood how he felt but every instinct told her to get away from this place, for the very safety of his family and for themselves. She led them up a small side road and back towards the betting shop, sticking to the small, unlit roads so that they could run hell for leather without too much fear of being seen.

  Several times on the run back Ariana saw or heard this strange gust of wind, apparently blasting its way right through their territory, picking up leaves and debris from the road on its way and dropping it again in its wake. Like a mini tornado streaking through St. Mark's.

  They arrived back at the betting shop just ahead of the wind. Shifting form mid stride Ariana burst in through the back door. The kitchen light was on and the rest of the pack were assembled waiting for them. Fortune burst forward and pulled her into the room. Weaver and Eyes slipped in behind her and someone slammed the door.

  'Where the hell have you three been?' roared their Alpha, still holding Ariana roughly at the elbow.

  There was no time for an explanation. The front door of the shop crashed open and the window pane rattled ominously. Shadow's Step was the first into the hall but the pack were close behind him. They jockeyed for a position to see from inside the small cash office and Ariana felt the veil shuddering with the influence of eight shifters and a powerful elemental all in the vicinity. The fae that had rampaged across their territory and burst into their headquarters manifested before them. It was clearly a wind elemental, it was a pillar of swirling air with debris trapped within its folds of mist.

  Stone and Fortune were at the front of the pack, Fortune took an aggressive stance, but Stone, the pack negotiator raised a hand to calm him.

  The elemental spoke, its voice nothing more than a whisper rushing through the air, but Ariana felt it go right through her, it echoed around the room and the words couldn't have been more clear.

  'Keep the mewling wretch. We're finished.'

  And as suddenly as it had entered their realm the elemental was gone, leaving the Blue Moon silent and every eye on Weaver-of-Sky's-Loom.