Seeds of Autumn

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  29th November

  When Stalker woke up she was lying on the sofa in the attic of the betting shop. Daylight was spilling in through the skylight and it blinded her for a moment as her eyes adjusted. She groaned, her body ached all over and she felt sick to her stomach. She rolled onto her side and braced herself before trying to sit up. As her eyes came into focus she saw her whole pack sitting around staring at her with stupid grins on their faces.

  'Morning sunshine,' Weaver singsonged in a voice that was much too loud.

  'Oh god. Please, nobody speak,' Stalker croaked, holding her hands up in front of her. Several members of the pack stifled laughter but she ignored them. After a glass of water she was fit to stand and make her way to the kitchen for a family breakfast of sausages. She hadn't even had that much to drink, but the physical strain of the previous day and the lack of food were causing her to suffer now.

  'I'd like to offer Stalker-of-Night's-Shadow huge congratulations for being initiated into Odin's Warriors.' Fortune raised his mug of coffee in a toast and the pack acknowledged him with a chorus of cheers and clinking of mugs. 'Whatever else anyone does today, I'd like everyone back here at seven for a celebratory meal. It's the first day of the full moon, which means that Eyes has survived his first month as one of us.' He thumped Eyes on the back and everyone cheered for him.

  As the pack began to disperse Shadow took Stalker aside for a quiet debrief of the previous day.

  'Red Scythe was very impressed with you and Ragged Edge told me that he thinks you have a very bright future, he said that the stars were aligned and they would sing your song for centuries.'

  Stalker looked at him with sceptical disbelief through bleary eyes.

  'Hey, I'm just telling you what he said. He's like Weaver, he sees things. Don't let it go to your head though, you're still just a cub.' He gave her a gentle brotherly shove, she fought a wave of nausea and sat down.

  Shadow sat next to her and pulled something out of his pocket, holding it out to her. It was a small, neatly folded square of dark blue paper, wrapped around something.

  'What's this?' she asked, taking it carefully from his outstretched palm.

  'An initiation gift from me. It's my way of congratulating you and welcoming you to my second family.'

  She smiled and slowly opened the folded blue paper. Inside was a small disc of clay with a tiny feather pressed into it, a shining glaze coating the whole thing. It was attached to a fine leather strap, the perfect length to tie around her neck.

  'Shadow, it's beautiful, thank you so much.' She smiled with gratitude and gave him a hug.

  'You don't even know what it does yet, it's not just for decoration,' he said with a grin and helped her tie it around her neck. The clay came to rest on her chest just over her heart and she touched it lightly.

  'What do you mean?' she asked, still playing with it gently.

  'You know how Flames has those trinkets around his neck? And Weaver's gibbous moon necklace?' Shadow asked and Stalker nodded in reply. 'Well they grant them special abilities, this will do something special for you, as long as it touches your skin. Here, let me show you.' He took her hand and led her up the stairs. At the top he turned her around to face back down them and he flashed her a broad grin. 'Jump.'

  'What?' She looked at him with alarm.

  'Jump down the stairs. Trust me.' He pointed down the stairs, still smiling. Stalker had always trusted Shadow, ever since they first met. He had never given her any reason to doubt that trust and that bond, so she put her faith in him and leapt out over the steep flight of stairs.

  She fell about three feet and then stopped. She hovered in mid air over the stairs for a few seconds and then ever so gently began to drift down to the bottom like a feather. She landed softly and silently, utter amazement filled her and she whipped around to gawk up at Shadow.

  'Wow!' she cried. 'Seriously? Does it work from any height?'

  He simply nodded, smiling at her elation.

  She ran back up the stairs and hugged him again, thanking him repeatedly.

  'I have errands to run today and have to take a turn in the shop, but I'll see you back here tonight. You take it easy today, get yourself back into fighting form. Fortune knows you need a little recovery time, I already cleared it with him.' Shadow accompanied her back down the stairs and they said a quick goodbye before he set off out on his errands.

  Stalker found Weaver sat in the kitchen and sat down with her. Weaver was looking tired and worried.

  'Are you okay?' Stalker asked.

  'Not really.' Weaver was sketching furiously on a piece of paper. 'I thought it was a nightmare, at first it didn't feel like a vision, it was just like an anxiety dream. But I've been having it for days now and it's killing me. I can't sleep properly.'

  She kept scribbling, not looking up. Stalker looked carefully at what Weaver was drawing. Fire. Lots of fire. Weaver threw down her pencil and pushed the pile of papers across the table, scattering them out. Stalker leafed through them, every page was covered in sketches, all featuring flames. There was one of an egg engulfed in flames, another of a figure clad in archaic armour kneeling and leaning on a sword with nothing but black inside the helmet. The last page was a drawing of a huge bird of fire, its wings spread wide.

  'Is this a phoenix?' she asked, holding the page out to Weaver.

  'I think it must be. I just don't understand. My visions are usually cryptic, but these are really frightening and it's like I'm in them, not just watching them.' She rubbed her face with her hands, transferring graphite powder from her fingers to her temples. Stalker decided not to point this out.

  'I think you should talk to Flames-First-Guardian about this. I mean, he understands about fire. Right?' It was all she could think to suggest.

  'Do you ever get the feeling that they're not telling us things? And why do they often refer to Artemis as Luna?' Weaver asked in a whisper. 'I know they're basically the same goddess, but all the other shifters I've met call her Artemis.'

  Stalker blinked hard, caught completely off guard.

  'What do you mean? What are you talking about?'

  'Oh nothing, I'm probably just imagining things. You're right, I need to talk to Flames about this.' She gathered all of her sketches and got up from the table. 'I'll see you tonight.' She mustered a smile and left through the back door.

  Stalker watched her go and sat frowning for a while, thinking about what she had said. She really didn't know much about what most of the pack did on a day-to-day basis, but she had been putting that down to her hectic training schedule and assumed that it would become clearer as she settled into normal pack life. Weaver had her doubting that.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her from her thoughts. She had two messages from Rhys.

  28/11. 16.04: Hi. Are you OK?

  29/11. 10.37: Hi. Are you free today? I'd really like to see you. R xx

  'Shit,' she muttered. She was angry with herself for forgetting Rhys and the weird nature of their last meeting, though she knew she had a very good reason for Rhys slipping her mind. She was surprised to hear from him and doubly so at the invitation to meet up. When they had parted last time she had felt sure she wouldn't see him again.

  Hi. I'm fine, thanks. Had a great night with mates last night, bit worse for wear today. How about you? I'd like to meet up. We could go see a film or something.

  She didn't want to expend too much energy and she really didn't think she could spend too much time talking with him, with so much that she couldn't tell him racing through her mind. Going to the cinema was just the thing. It allowed them to be together without having to work hard at conversation. She didn't care what they saw, she just wanted to chill out and be with him.

  Sounds good. Meet me at the cinema at 1.30?

  Came the reply. She sighed with relief and sent a message agreeing.

  She decided to take some of her things back to her flat, as a first, tenta
tive, step towards trying to return to her old life. She just had a few clothes and her dha, so she gathered them together and got ready to go out.

  Wind Talker and Lily were working in the betting shop when it came time for her to leave. Stalker went into the back room of the shop and greeted them.

  'Hey you,' Lily said warmly. 'Well done last night. I hear it was amazing.'

  'Thanks. That might be you one day,' Stalker replied, grinning at her young friend.

  'I hope so,' Lily said, returning her grin.

  'I'm going out for the afternoon. Catch you both tonight for dinner, yeah?'

  Wind Talker nodded, a small smile on his lips and Lily nodded enthusiastically.

  Stalker left through the shop and walked briskly to her flat, where she showered and put her things away. With a quick once over in the mirror, she left to meet Rhys.

  He was waiting for her outside the cinema in the city centre, wrapped up warm against the cold wind that had picked up but he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head, catching her completely off guard.

  'Hi,' her voice was muffled against his thick coat and it made her chuckle.

  He released her and gave her a long look. Stalker tried to read him, he seemed sad and hopeful at the same time.

  'I'm so glad you came,' he said at last.

  'Me too, though I have to admit to being a bit confused.'

  'Me too,' he said quietly, looking down at his feet. 'Let's just say that I don't think I can keep away from you and leave it at that.'

  'Okay,' she said, feeling confused and relieved all at once.

  They went inside, picked a film and bought popcorn. After a few minutes, Stalker felt warm and comfortable with him, she hoped that she would be able to get used to what she could and couldn't tell him about her life given a little time and for now was very grateful to have a normal day after what she had endured the day before.

  During the film Rhys draped his arm around her shoulders and she rested a hand on his thigh. The close contact sent her heart racing and a deep yearning for more gnawed at her throughout the two hour film. When it finished they left, talking animatedly about the action in the film, but as they stepped out into the cold, grey late afternoon the conversation quickly dried up. Rhys took her hand and smiled like a nervous schoolboy.

  'Do you want to come and hang out at my place for a bit?'

  Stalker checked the time on her phone, it wasn't even 5pm yet, so she had some time before she needed to get back to the betting shop for the pack celebration. His thumb was stroking the back of her hand, sending sparks right through her. She was desperate to be with him and felt sure he was thinking the same thing, there were no mixed signals now. She grinned and nodded and they set off walking at a quick pace against the cold wind.

  He led her through the city centre and out the south side, it had gotten dark already and the orange street lights lit their way. As they walked in easy silence she had a brief moment of hesitation, unsure where they were going and whether she might be encroaching on somebody's territory. Before they had really left the outer edges of what was considered the centre, he led her up a side street in a nice area of newly built apartment buildings and onto a narrow street of older terraced houses. She breathed a sigh of relief as they came to a halt outside one of the houses in the middle of the terrace, she knew they were still on unclaimed territory.

  The door was black and reflected the orange light from a nearby street lamp. It was a narrow house, just one room wide, but was three storeys tall and was made from sandstone, every house on the street was identical and it looked very neat and clean.

  When her eyes finished assessing the surroundings they settled back on Rhys, who was watching her with a small smile on his handsome face.

  Rhys took her hand, drawing her back to the moment. He pulled her gently towards him, pressing her body against his and he looked down into her eyes with distinct longing. Their noses brushed together and Stalker closed her eyes as their lips met. The kiss was soft at first, but quickly deepened and became urgent and passionate.

  She pushed him hard against the door and snaked her hands inside his coat, trying to find his hard body to grasp onto. His hands held her face tenderly, his fingers entwined in her hair.

  Something tugged at her subconscious as they kissed, she ignored it, her mind lost in the moment. Strange images began to intrude, first smoke, then fire. She started to hear screams and she could ignore it no longer. She broke the kiss and stumbled backwards. A sudden pain shot through her entire body. She leaped backwards and stifled a scream. Rhys's face crumpled and he stepped forward, reaching out for her.

  'What's wrong?' His voice was full of panic and she tried to focus on him, but the pain was so intense that she found herself doubled up in the street, clutching her stomach. Visions flashed through her mind of fire and bestial shifters locked in vicious combat, she felt fear and rage coursing through her but they weren't her emotions, they were coming from her pack.

  'No!' she screamed and Rhys took a frightened step back from her.

  She twisted around, afraid and confused, trying to focus on what was real in front of her and what was coming through the pack telepathy. It was a confusing jumble and she felt hot tears on her face.

  Then there was nothing. Just as suddenly as it had started it was gone. She was crouched in the middle of the road, her face wet with fresh tears and she was trembling all over. She reached out with all of her senses, like grasping for straws. But there was nothing there, they were all gone. She tried desperately to touch the minds of her packmates, but it was like running in the pitch black. They were all gone. The telepathy was gone, not one soul to make contact with.

  She stood upright slowly and tried to breathe, she was hyperventilating but she closed her eyes and called silently on the purification fae to calm her. Everything went still. When she opened her eyes Rhys was standing on the pavement nearby, watching her with a look of mingled worry and fear.

  'I'm sorry,' she mumbled. 'I had a panic attack. I'm really sorry. But I'm fine now.'

  He nodded and kept watching her, wordlessly.

  'Do you want to come in and have a glass of water?' he asked hesitantly.

  'No,' she answered, a little too quickly. 'No, I think I'd better go home.'

  'Of course. Shall I drive you?' He took another hesitant step towards her and she reflexively stepped away, feeling tender all over from shock and deeply afraid. She didn't think it had anything to do with Rhys, but she couldn't stand to have him touch her.

  'No. Thank you. But no.'

  She turned and walked quickly up the road without another word. She turned the corner and looked around, the street was dark and empty, so she shifted silently into her fox form and set off at a sprint. Stalker had never covered ground more quickly, she raced up dark, secluded side streets and around the bustling city centre to avoid being seen. She tore north through the dark back streets of China Town, and within fifteen minutes of feeling the pack bond break, she was streaking across St. Mark's towards the betting shop.

  She smelled the fire before she saw it. As she rounded the corner and rushed down her street the flames were flickering out of the hole in the terrace ahead and she skidded to a halt a few meters from where the betting shop should be. The street was filled with people, horrified onlookers pointed and cried. The fire had touched the neighbouring buildings, blackening the brickwork, but it didn't look like the fire had spread inside.

  A scarlet fire engine sat in front of the shop, fire fighters were working furiously to contain the blaze, their hoses going flat out. Two police cars blocked the road either side of the blaze and officers were interviewing bystanders and setting up their blue and white tape. The blue lights on top of the vehicles cast eerie, moving shadows across the scene.

  Carefully, Stalker edged around the crowd, hoping for a better look, but there was no way to get closer without being spotted.

  She sniffed the air. Shifters had been her
e, their stink was all over the place and it had been recent. She didn't recognise the scents, but there were too many of them jumbled up to make much sense out of it. She felt rage pounding in her ears, one-word questions punctuated each beat of her heart. Who? Why? How?

  Through the legs of the assembled crowd, she was just able to see glimpses of the rubble. This had been a sudden and fast-burning fire leaving nothing in its wake. A great gaping hole in the middle of the terrace was all that was left, mirroring the hole inside her that her pack had filled.

  She could contain it no longer, the feelings welled up and she turned her nose to the sky and howled, it was the haunting cry of anguish and despair, but also honour. She didn't care about the people all around her.

  The terrifying sound ripped through the night and echoed off the buildings all around, covering the sound of her howl. An explosion shook the city and her head whipped towards the source. A great plume of fire and smoke billowed up into the night sky, followed by screams and sirens. The petrol station.

  All around her people were screaming and running, some towards the explosion, but most away from it. Stalker felt panic rise in her chest and looked back at the remains as the crowd scattered. One police car pulled away, firing up its siren, which was deafening to her in this form and she ducked into the small front garden of the house she was standing closest to.

  The fire fighters continued to work and the other police officers seemed unsure whether they should stay or go, but they stayed to direct the terrified public as they fled the scene.

  Stalker watched from the shadows. Her home was in ruins, there was nothing left and strange shapes moved among the ashes and dying flames. Her first instinct was to run into the remains of the building and hunt for survivors, but the place was crawling with emergency service workers and it suddenly occurred to her that whoever did this might still be nearby.

  She had to make a run for it, find shelter and figure out her next step. She was out of time so she ran, with no plan or direction, just the unbearable instinct to run for her life. She was afraid and confused. She didn't know what had happened but she did know that her pack was gone. She was alone.