Wolfsbane

  “Let me go!” Adne shrieked, sobbing.

  Logan was shaking, his eyes bulging as he watched Adne brandish her skeans. “I swear I have information you need. Plus if I wanted to harm you, wouldn’t I have already summoned a wraith?”

  No one answered him. I hated that anything Logan said made sense.

  Connor lifted his foot and Logan propped himself up on his elbows, which inspired Connor to level the dagger with Logan’s neck.

  “If I give you something,” Logan asked, “will you bring me to your Arrow?”

  “Depends on how much we think it’s worth,” Connor muttered, his eyes fixed on Adne’s struggle. “Your people have taken a lot from us today. And that’s just today.”

  “I can tell you there’s a traitor in your midst. I’ll hand them to you as a sign of good faith.” Logan’s shaking gave way to a smirk that sent a chill skittering over my flesh.

  “What traitor?” Connor asked, rolling the edge of the blade along Logan’s throat.

  “How do you think we found you?” Logan said. “We’ve been hunting you for years. Did you think we just got lucky today?”

  “Someone led you to the Denver outpost,” Connor said.

  “Someone you trusted,” Logan said. “Someone you brought back from the dead.”

  “No,” Shay growled. “You’re lying.” He stepped in front of me, shielding me from something I did not yet know to be afraid of. What was he talking about?

  Logan smiled at him. “You may have power, Scion. But not even you can protect her from this.”

  “You heartless bastard,” Shay said. “Stop now or I’ll—”

  “Or you’ll what?” Logan said. “Would you kill me to hide the truth? Are my words a crime when they’ll protect your allies?”

  “What are you talking about, Keeper?” Connor leaned down, pushing the dagger into his flesh. “I’m losing patience with you.”

  “Her brother,” Logan choked against the blade’s pressure. “Calla’s brother. He made a deal with my father and Lumine.”

  “No,” I whispered.

  Mason snarled, pawing at the earth.

  Logan’s eyes were on me. “It’s true. He betrayed you.”

  I searched frantically for Ansel, finding him cowering behind Bryn, who had shifted into wolf form and was already growling as if to protect him from impending attack. Mason ran to her, taking up a sentry-like position at her side.

  Oh God.

  “He’s more of a threat to you than I am,” Logan hissed.

  Connor lifted the dagger’s blade, looking up at me. “Calla?”

  My throat had closed. I turned away from Connor, darting toward Ansel. Bryn bared her teeth at me, but I grabbed Ansel’s shoulders, shaking him.

  “Ansel, please. You have to tell them the truth. Tell them you didn’t do this!!”

  Logan had to be lying. He had to be.

  The color had leached from Ansel’s face; his eyes rolled up at me. Hollow.

  “They said they would make me a wolf again.”

  Bryn whimpered. Mason barked, circling Ansel nervously while glancing at me.

  I backed away, limbs trembling. I wished I could run—somehow escape this awful truth. But I had nowhere to go.

  Connor shook his head. “We’d better sort this out with Anika.”

  “Agreed,” Ethan said. His eyes met mine briefly as he readjusted Sabine’s body in his arms, but I couldn’t tell if he was angry or just full of regret.

  A sharp whistle came from the dense maze of cornstalks around us, followed by several others. One by one, Strikers, armed to the teeth, emerged from the field around us, encircling our group.

  My packmates stood back to back, growling and facing off against the Searchers.

  “Wait!” I shouted, throwing myself between the wolves and the approaching warriors.

  I was surprised when Ethan came to my side, still cradling Sabine against his chest.

  “Stand down.” Anika stepped out from among the warriors.

  Nev, Bryn, and Mason backed off slowly, watching the Searchers, still bristling, waiting to see what would happen next. Ansel scrambled behind us, not speaking, hunched over as if he wanted to be as small and unremarkable as possible.

  “Thank you,” Anika said. She glanced at Ethan holding Sabine in his arms, then arched an eyebrow at him. His grip on the unconscious girl only tightened.

  Anika’s gaze kept moving. When it settled on Shay, seeing him unharmed, she seemed to relax slightly.

  She turned to Connor, voice like a knife. “What is the meaning of an unscheduled drop? And with Guardians in tow? You’re lucky we didn’t you attack on sight.”

  Connor didn’t flinch. “Couldn’t be helped.”

  “I expect a full report.” She clucked her tongue. “Where is Monroe?”

  “Dead,” Adne said. “And the Keepers hit Denver.”

  “How?” Anika gasped. “What happened?”

  Connor looked at me, but he didn’t answer her.

  “The alpha’s brother turned on her,” Logan said, trying to sit up. Connor shoved him back down.

  “Who are you?” Anika walked toward the pair.

  “My name is Logan Bane,” he said, glaring at Connor. “And I’m here to offer my help, if your muscle doesn’t kill me first.”

  “Bane?” Anika said. “A Keeper?”

  “Yes, I’m a Keeper,” Logan said. “But I’ve abandoned my father and the rest of my kind. I don’t belong there. I belong with you.”

  “Not likely,” Connor growled.

  “You’d be a fool to refuse my offer,” Logan snapped. “I’m handing you the Scion’s parents.”

  “Tristan and Sarah?” Anika knelt beside Logan. “For your sake, I hope you’re telling the truth.”

  “I am.”

  “Don’t listen to him.” Adne pushed Connor away as he tried to grab her. “He’s a Keeper. Anika, my father is dead!”

  “Can we settle this later?” Silas limped to Anika’s side. “I don’t know how much time we have.”

  Anika took in his disheveled appearance, frowning. “What do you mean?”

  “The Denver outpost is compromised,” Silas said. “That’s why we’re uninvited guests. If they managed to get their hands on the intelligence that’s housed there before the building burned down, they’ll know where the Academy is.”

  The color slowly drained from Anika’s face. “No.”

  “Yes,” Silas said. “The Academy must be moved. Now.”

  TWENTY-SIX

  THE SEARCHERS KEPT US moving at a quick pace. Logan’s hands were bound, his every move scrutinized by the four Strikers who escorted him to the Academy. I would have been relieved by their stern treatment of the Keeper if they hadn’t treated Ansel the same way.

  Though Logan walked with an undisguised smirk fixed on his mouth, my brother hung his head, stumbling between armed Strikers.

  “We have to stop this,” I whispered to Shay.

  “I know,” he said. “Once we’re back at the Academy, I’ll talk to Anika. I don’t think they’ll hurt him in the meantime.”

  I glowered at him. “He doesn’t deserve this. You’ve seen how broken he is. He just didn’t realize—”

  “I know, Calla.” Shay took my arm, his eyes telling me to lower my voice. “I know. I’m on your side, but we have to figure out what happened before we can convince them Ansel isn’t a threat.”

  I jerked away from him, darting forward to where Connor walked beside Adne.

  “Connor, can’t you do something?” I hissed. “This isn’t Ansel’s fault.”

  “Not now,” Connor said. “Even if I could do something, we don’t have time to sort it out.”

  Adne’s face was like stone.

  “Adne,” I began. “Please—”

  “He’s right.” She didn’t look at me. “We don’t have time. We have to deal with that.”

  She pointed to the massive structure that towered above the cornfields. Outside, the Aca
demy was even more impressive than it was within. The immense structure curved away from us, its marble surface gleaming as the winter sun split through the heavy cloud cover. Four slender spires stretched toward the sky, interrupting the smooth curve of the building at equal intervals. All four stories of the Academy were lined with windows, giving it the appearance of being filled with light.

  I stared at the imposing structure, which loomed larger with every step we took. How could they possibly move it?

  More Searchers were waiting for us as we entered the building. The bottom floor opened into the same structure of a hallway circling the central courtyard, but here the doors lining the walls were spaced at much wider intervals.

  “The Haldis team?” a woman whom I recognized as one of the other Guides asked Anika.

  She nodded, her face grim. “It’s still unclear what happened. But we lost Monroe, and the Denver site was infiltrated. Declare an emergency relocation.”

  “You’re not serious?” The other woman gasped.

  “I am,” Anika replied. “Go now.”

  “But the Eydis Links haven’t finalized—”

  “Now.”

  The Guide ran into the Academy.

  Anika began barking orders. “Alert the Pyralis and Tordis wings! The move begins in fifteen minutes. Everyone to their designated posts!”

  Searchers darted in multiple directions.

  Anika turned to face the two sets of Strikers escorting Logan and Ansel. “Take them to the stockade. We’ll deal with them later.”

  “No!” Several Strikers raised their weapons when I grabbed Anika’s arm. She shook her head and they backed off.

  “Calla, I understand that the boy is your brother, but until we know the truth of this matter, he must be treated with the utmost caution.”

  “Even if he told them about the hideout, I’m sure he was tricked,” I said. “You don’t know what they did to him.”

  She pulled her arm free. “I will know in time. But I can’t address your concern now. I’m sorry.”

  She nodded to the Strikers and they led Ansel away.

  “Ansel!” I began to follow them, but Shay held me back.

  “Wait.”

  “They’re treating him like a prisoner!” I shouted, writhing in his grasp. “This isn’t his fault. He’s been tortured. We need to help him!”

  “We’ll figure it out,” he said. “I swear. We need Anika to know she can trust your pack. That has to come first, and then we can bring her around on Ansel.”

  For her own part, Anika had turned to Connor. “Can you explain to me what happened back there?”

  “Not exactly,” he muttered, pulling an envelope from inside his duster. “But Monroe asked me to give you this if he didn’t make it back.”

  “He went into a mission with the idea that he wouldn’t come back?” Anika snatched the envelope. “And how did you find the young Guardians? I was under the impression that we couldn’t locate them.”

  Connor spoke without meeting the Arrow’s penetrating gaze. “It was an urgent situation, Anika.”

  Anika’s eyes had narrowed. “Are you telling me that Monroe led a strike into Vail without authorization?”

  “Yes.”

  “And now he’s dead?” She shook her head. “And we lost Denver.”

  “But we got the wolves,” Ethan said, glancing at Sabine’s unmoving form. “Some of them, at least.”

  “Let’s hope that makes a difference.” Before she turned away, I saw a tear slide down her cheek. “We needed Monroe.”

  “I know,” Connor said, his own voice thick.

  “The Guides will be waiting for me,” she said. “We’ll discuss this after the move. If we make it.”

  With that she strode away.

  “If we make it?” I asked.

  Connor didn’t answer.

  “Calla.” I turned to see Ethan with Sabine still resting in his arms. “I’m worried she might have internal injuries. I need to take her to the Elixirs.”

  “The who?” Shay asked.

  “Our healers,” Adne said. “They’re in the Eydis Sanctuary.”

  “She might need pack blood,” I said, peering at Sabine. She wasn’t bleeding or bruised, but sometimes the wounds you couldn’t see were the most deadly kind.

  Nev was hovering nearby. “I’ll go with them. She can have my blood if she needs it.”

  “Okay.”

  Bryn and Mason approached cautiously. At last convinced I wouldn’t chase after Ansel, Shay loosened his grasp and I pulled away from him. I knew he was being reasonable, but I hated feeling helpless about Ansel’s situation.

  “What now?” Mason asked.

  “You come with us,” Connor said.

  The air was suddenly filled with a chorus of bell tones. The Academy pulsed with energy, the sound growing ever louder. Though piercing, the crystalline chimes had a hypnotic melody—the walls reverberated with their music. I watched as the hall began to shudder with the sound. The maze of colors threading through the marble hallways undulated with each ringing note.

  Adne bolted for the stairs. “I have to get to my post!”

  “What’s happening?” Bryn asked. She took my hand, trembling.

  Connor led us after Adne, though unlike the Weaver, he didn’t run. “The Weavers have to move the Academy.”

  “How is that possible?” Shay asked.

  “It takes precise coordination.” Connor glanced back at us. “Every Weaver has to pull the same threads to open a single door in unison.”

  “But how can you get the building through a door?” Shay frowned as we reached the second floor, heading to the next flight of stairs.

  “The building doesn’t go through the door,” Connor said. “The Weavers move the door over the building.”

  “They—they what?” I stammered.

  Connor didn’t answer. He’d brought us back to the fourth floor. We found Adne standing halfway between the section of the hall that housed our bedrooms and the Haldis tactical center. With the skeans clasped in her fingers, she stood perfectly still, eyes closed, drawing slow, rhythmic breaths.

  “Adne—” Shay started toward her.

  “Shhh!” Connor threw an arm in front of him. “She needs to focus.”

  I glanced up and down the hall, noticing another woman standing twenty feet beyond Adne. When I looked in the opposite direction, I saw a young man standing about the same distance apart.

  “Those are the other Weavers,” Connor said, following my gaze. He looked at them and then at each of us. “You may want to sit down for this. It’s a little intense if you haven’t been through it before.”

  We all stared at him, but none of us sat.

  “Suit yourselves.” He shrugged, turning back to watch Adne.

  A new sound echoed through the hall. Low, deep like the striking of an enormous bell. Its note reverberated through the Academy, settling into my bones. I shivered and Shay took my hand. I threaded my fingers through his. The bell sounded again and I saw Adne shudder just like I had. She didn’t open her eyes. The bell rang once more. The echoes layered one on top of the others. The air was so thick with the deep tones I thought I could almost feel it pouring over my skin.

  When the bell rang a fourth time, Adne began to move. She bent forward gracefully, almost in a bow. Farther along the hall I could see the other Weaver making an identical motion. Adne’s head lifted, her arms twisting and curving as her body unfolded. New sounds trickled through the lingering sound of the bell. Tinkling and bright, notes rippled through the halls like the music of a wind chime. Along with this light music came color; the patterns in the walls were coming to life, their jewel tones glittering, casting rainbows along the floor and over our bodies.

  Adne was moving faster now, leaping and twisting in the dance I’d come to associate with her portal weaving. On both sides of her the other Weavers swirled in perfect imitation of Adne’s lithe body. She was breathing hard, sweating, but not once did she hesita
te or break her rhythm. The ringing notes around us grew louder, piercing my sensitive ears so hard that I had to cover them with my hands. The rainbow patterns on the floors and walls began to spark, exploding in the air like fireworks. The dazzling colors grew ever brighter, blinding me. The floor beneath my feet felt like it was shifting. I dropped to my knees, still covering my ears. I curled over, burying my head against my thighs. I felt Shay’s body wrap around mine, shielding me from the deafening cascade of sound and the bursts of light.

  Fur brushed against me. I heard a whimper, then another as Bryn and Mason, now wolves, snuggled up against me, shoving their muzzles under my arms to rest their cold noses against my jaw. The sound was so loud it didn’t even seem to matter that I was covering my ears. I thought I might scream.

  And suddenly there was only silence.

  I lifted my head, taking a slow breath. A strong, unfamiliar scent filled my nostrils: a mixture of salt and lush, green leaves and . . . fish? I took another breath; it was the same scent, but I couldn’t recognize it. I thought I might also smell lemons.

  “You all right?” Connor was looking down at us.

  Shay stood up, rolling back his shoulders. “I guess.”

  “I told you,” Connor said, grinning. “Intense.”

  “No joke.” Adne stumbled toward us, moving unsteadily, as if she were drunk.

  Connor caught her as she ungracefully fell into him.

  “Nice job, kid.” He brushed his lips across her forehead.

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. “I think I’ll sleep for a week now.”

  Mason had shifted back into human form. He walked over to the tall windows of the outside wall. The light pouring into the hall was a gold-tinged red. I heard him gasp.

  “Is that . . . the ocean?”

  Bryn and I followed him to the windows. Staring out at the setting sun, I couldn’t breathe. The Academy rested atop a steep terraced slope, stretching down for miles. The landscape was filled with carefully manicured rows of stunted trees with twisting branches, dark green leaves giving glimpses of sunny yellow. Lemons.

  In the distance I could see a village that jutted out of the rugged terrain. Other villages speckled the coast, hanging on to cliffs as if they were suspended over the sea.