Caleb
Juliet was surrounded by wolves in the camp while I waited to see if the red sword would cross the barrier of our ability; my mother had guts. I had come out of my invisibility too quickly for them to even know I was there and teleported downwind; far enough—but still within listening distance. Regardless, I took a step forward as if I would be able to do something if it worked. Of course, protecting her was my first priority, but when Michael came into view, I made a decision. She would've wanted it, and with what was going on and the sudden friction her presence caused, I was pretty sure I could go undetected... The lady of the camp began her speech of boredom; it was my chance; they would be too focused on protecting her. So, I traveled west toward the city we were headed in the first place. Why was Michael with the small camp so far outside the city? What were they planning? I didn't want to lose the small window before the wolves sent out the alarm, and the city would increase their patrols.
Hiding among the wolves was the most challenging, and staying in my riphath form was better than drawing attention to not being manifested as a male; none of them were unless they were in their den. I also couldn't walk around invisible as a glowing light bulb. Baggy clothes and a heavy cloak gave me the appearance of a wolf; disguised, I was able to move around in the shadows. For this very possibility, I had dressed for the occasion. In the past, Juliet and I were able to pretend to be a couple and get away with it… She didn't want to use the stone everywhere; it was a secret weapon for a reason.
My only goal now was to find a place where I could leave the stone in water—directly linked to the supply of the city—yet where they could never find it. I landed outside the border, teleporting all around the perimeter to find out if a river fed their water system or if it fountained out somewhere inside. There was only desert for miles. By the time I wanted to choose a gate to enter, a messenger must have been sent; all of them were heavily guarded, and walking in wouldn't work. Frustrated, I had to wait for the sun to set, eyeing a tall building in the distance.
For a few days, I used the dead of night, when the least wolves were on guard, to find what I was looking for. All my time and energy had gotten me nowhere; the city was three times the size of Shumaan, and I couldn't follow anyone when they felt like filling a pitcher. How could this be? I was perched on a high rooftop—the moon dead center above my head—looking down, scanning another little neighborhood. I rubbed over my tired eyes. No sleep blurred my vision. If it was inside a building like in the village, what then? How did they give water to the whole place; the wolves wouldn't have been there if there was none! I teleported again, landing on another building, crawling to the edges to search the narrow paths all around it. Did they know about what we did? Were they anticipating the stone? No… They could've moved it—rerouted, or even hidden the water source. Again, no, Caleb. Urgh, I was going crazy; I couldn't even smell it.
Leaving Michael was not an option; however, I had to give up for the time being and check in with Kaia; she was probably already angry with me. Irritated yet decided, I teleported back to our rendezvous point. My ability was almost as good as Chris's, although I didn't get my great-grandfather's gift. I was more like Silvanus, in a way, powerful over short distances.
Kaia jumped up and threw her arms around my neck. "Where have you been? I thought they caught you?" She tightened her hold. I didn't mind. I loved her. She finally let go and took my face in her hands. A year was a long, torturous time to be engaged if you were forced to keep your hands off her. The dheka was very prudish when it came to physical touch. Kissing was almost never allowed unless you had Romero's permission and your name was on the schedule to go to the dark city.
I kissed her anyway and wrapped my arms around her, too tired to care, "No, my dear… You come first. I'll never push my luck and put myself in unnecessary danger." Kaia smiled and looked at Juliet, who chuckled. The two got along so well; it also meant they talked about me when I wasn't there. Being with Juliet and Basaam all this time had been a blessing… Where would I have been if I hadn't gone with her? I just wanted my mom to also be happy and planned to do all I could to make it happen for her.
"What was your plan?" Juliet asked.
"I don't know… For the life of me I can't find their water source. It's an enormous city. It took me three days to scout out a quarter."
"How will we get Michael out of there?" Basaam asked.
"They might keep him alive for now, but I think they will kill him if we push them into a corner," Juliet said.
"How do we know they have not moved him already? Maybe that was what the small camp was for… Always on the move, tasked to hide him," Nami said from under Basaam's arm. The sisters were luckily very close; if they didn't get along, I didn't know what we would've done. Basaam and I were best friends and brothers. Splitting up because of family problems was unthinkable. S— Michael wasn't even here yet, and I was dreading the shift in our peaceful little life.
"We can't be this close and let the chance pass… Even if we have to do something stupid," Juliet complained.
I smiled, "It's been a long time since we have… Has Michael communicated with you in the last few days?"
Juliet shook her head, "They're probably watching him closely."
Still in my riphath form, the sounds of crushing leaves and stampeding feet carried over the dunes. With Kaia gathered to my chest, under my arm, I turned toward the forest. "What is it, Caleb?" she whispered.
Basaam manifested and took a few steps forward. Sluggishly, I let go of her and teleported in one jump to the trees. Being the only riphath was tiring. My head snapped left and right. Someone was being chased. Did they escape? Michael! The wolves would be short on his heels. It was suicide! Who would've helped him? I tilted my head, pricked my ears, and listened while closing my eyes. Only two wolves galloped in front of another group. Not a human running. A little revived, I teleported to intercept the fugitives. They came to an abrupt stop, standing up on their hind legs, "Get us out of here!"
Who were they? "Human, quickly."
I reached around their waists and pushed as hard as I could toward our camp. It took four jumps to get there. We had about a fifteen-minute head start if we left immediately... The animals were already saddled, packed, and ready; as for the rest, we would leave behind.
"Jack, with me!" Juliet yelled. He vaulted on behind her.
I grabbed the other guy's arm and pushed him toward Kaia. "Get on, I'll go ahead."
Juliet kicked hard; the beast leaped forward into a gallop. Basaam urged his mount and followed. Kaia looked at me, the beast tripling under her feet to get going. I hit its ass hard, and they were off. I didn't like another man's hands on her waist. Hmm. We did have an exit strategy and a place to run to. "I'll meet you there!"
If I didn't cause a diversion, they would track us and never stop looking. Chase us away from the area. Catching them in the trees and putting them off might help. I appeared behind a fat tree, and the pursuing group of werewolves abruptly stopped running, "He's a riphath!"
"What do we do? Should we follow Jack and Francis?"
"What if Michael somehow healed himself, and it's him!"
"Split up!"
A group of six divided into two. Ahh, jee thanx, guys; you know I'm tired. It took some time to confuse the three, giving it their all to follow my erratic teleportation. I kept them busy, always too far away to be seen or caught. Once they fanned out a little, it was easy pickings to kill them in quick succession. Claws out, I sliced the third's throat mid-stride. Idiot.
The only thing left to do was find and kill the last three. The smell of blood consumed my senses. I focused my last bit of strength; there was no one else there… Kaia! My jumps were shorter and it took me several to only get to our old camp. I scanned the ground for footprints. The wolves were hunting them... On my next landing, three dead wolves lay in the sand, an overwhelming smell of blood draining into the earth. I sighed and widened my stance to steady my body. The others stood with weapons in hand around the corpses. It just happened. They turned toward one another and asked if anyone was hurt. Juliet checked Basaam and the girls for injuries. Even after all this time, our family cared.
Juliet scanned the horizon all around and met my eye, "Jack says they only have one red sword in this whole region."
"If we knew that, we could've taken them out days ago," I whispered.
"Jack also says he knows where the source of the water is."
I smiled; it was the first glimmer of hope after a long couple of days. I glanced at the unknown man, "Why did you guys run? How did you get away?"
Juliet came my way and pushed me down into the sand. Human, I took a breather and drained the water she handed me. "That is Francis, and this is Jack."
"Werewolves are useless when they sleep in human form. We had to wait until we were on shift together… We took a chance… We can't stand it anymore… A hundred years, watching Michael. It would drive anyone crazy!"
Juliet laughed, although the tightness around her shoulders told me she was barely holding it together. He was so close—yet a few more days felt like another hundred years.
"Seeing you guys was the best thing that's happened to us… The four of us nearly lost our minds from boredom a couple of times... Michael has tried to escape so many times they had to remove him from the masses, which left us for the last fifty years moving from outpost to outpost, living on the outskirts."
"Will they kill him now that they know we never left?" Juliet asked.
"She needs permission from our interim queen, so we have time. Communication between the werewolves is almost nonexistent," Jack answered.
"She can't kill him, so the next best thing was to wait for him to submit and switch sides," Francis chipped in.
"Why hasn't he faked it yet?"
Jack laughed, "He had to sleep with a woman of his choice and—"
"Be in her harem," Juliet scoffed. She opened her arms and hugged Jack and then Francis. Who were these people? "It's so good to see you… For the longest time, we believed you were all dead."
"Very much alive if we can get out of this situation safely."
"Francis, how is Chris?"
"I don't know. Haven't seen him once. They keep a tight lip about the prisoners… And knowing our history, they either thought we could help Michael transition to a new regime much faster… Or because of our connection to Chris, we'd help him escape."
They knew Chris? How?
The group laughed, "Who is this?" Jack pointed at me and Basaam.
"This is Chris's son, Caleb."
Francis's smile broadened, "The one you were so depressed about on the compound?"
"The very one… found him eventually… And this is Louis son, "Basaam."
The two men laughed and shook our hands, "Freaky man."
"Very, so how do you guys feel being a hundred and something," Juliet joked.
"I feel like revolting!" Juliet laughed. "Who are the two women in your group?"
"Oh, this is Caleb's… uhm… fiancé… partner… Oh, I don't know what labels we can put on people with so many factors to juggle… Her name is Kaia, and this is Nami... Basaam's lady love… Both dheka."
The two were interested, looking the four of us over, "You're almost a grandma!"
"Yes, I think Nami will have good news soon." Basaam's wife, for all intents and purposes, looked up at the man who was a head taller than her. My eyes were blue, but Basaam was lucky enough to receive the blue from both his parents. His eyes sparkled, and to say he was handsome was probably not fair to the adonis the woman called him. He had fair skin, both his parents' dark hair and Juliet's perfect nose, only more manly. He was… Louis child… There was no mistake.
Francis turned to me, "I'm glad we can all speak the same language; it does make things easier… So what was your plan to get Michael?"
"We were at a loss…" I hesitated, "Do you guys know what happened in the abandoned city after you left?"
"Know what? What happened? Did the dheka army catch up?"
I glanced at Juliet. She thought for a moment and nodded. I pulled the stone from my pants pocket. Francis and Jack stood closer, "Hey! It's the emblem you got after Ahasuerus conceded," Francis said.
"I don't think it would work here; the wolves won't care," Jack said.
"It's… not an emblem," I answered.
"What is it?"
"Let's make camp… We have a lot of catching up to do," Juliet interrupted. "Caleb needs a good night's rest… Kaia, heal your husband."
My lovely partner came my way and sat behind me. Although they were hundreds of years older than us, the two never experienced this life nor had the responsibility of caring for a mate… Kaia was sweet but a little naïve in a way… The women couldn't have anticipated what it would be like joining our family. Juliet never let up and forced us to train relentlessly. Practice our abilities. Strengthen our manifestation. Fight. Not for one moment had she given up hope of reuniting with whoever was still alive, and neither would I.
***
Over the next three days, Jack, Francis, and I stood watching the male wolves become weaker—slower—and randomly dropping out of their manifestation, much like fighting a werewolf on a full moon, bringing him back to human. For them, there was no going back the next night to all the strength and abilities their creature side afforded. A tinge of regret tightened in my chest. The cruelty of war. Jack gasped, seeing it for the first time. He almost never spoke unless someone asked him a question.
I had wondered up until the moment they showed me where the water was if we could really trust them. I would never have found it hidden down several flights of stairs after walking through a building. Down in the cave were at least a lot of places to hide it.
The werewolf women were losing their minds over the current development; their wails and cries filled the streets; none of them could manifest either. The two brothers couldn't take their eyes off the scene; it had to be hard to watch the fighting spirit of such a volatile race drain out of them. "Wait here… I'll be back once I deliver the message… Don't drink the water." They nodded, but it was the only response they were capable of. If they hadn't run away, it would've been them in a few days. We just didn't have the luxury of taking a chance Michael might lose his manifestation. Unafraid of the weaker species, I teleported into the middle of the street, walking toward the palace. People were piling out of doors onto the roads, asking each other what was going on. Many recognized my form and clung to my cape, tugging, like in the zombie movies of living corpses reaching out for a last meal. It wasn't the time to grow a conscience. I teleported through two large doors in the distance. In the throne room, a woman sat on the useless chair—at her feet, a lot of human men complained and tried to stay strong. Strangely, the picture it painted was not the same. And if we didn't kill them, their supernatural inclination to follow a woman into death would also slowly vanish, leaving them to adjust—again—to a new way of living.
In an instant, I was in front of her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into my arms. The men feebly hit me with no success. One picked up a spear. As he swung, I grabbed it and tossed him across the floor.
I left with a writhing body in my arms; she hit my chest and kicked her feet all the way into the middle of the small camp where Michael was being held. I dropped the woman on the ground. Her screams brought an angry mob out from various tents. Surrounding clusters of guards were roused into a run with their spears pointed at me. I placed my fist against her skull, ready to pierce her frail head with my claws. The general lifted a hand into the air. "I'm leaving… In half an hour, Michael needs to be walking toward the tree line… If not, you will end up like her."
"What did you do to her?"
I didn't stay to chat; there were too many of them. I hoped the fear of losing their manifestation would be enough, which they would lose anyway once they needed water. They didn't know how we did it.
Francis and Jack were where I left them. "Ready to go?"
"What will happen to them? Only a handful of dheka could finish this."
"Or two giant ones." Francis met my eye, one of the only wolves standing. "Romero will kill them… If Juliet was in charge, she would've given them the option of going to Earth to repopulate, or they could choose to work for the chadari on Palmyra… She thinks maybe the planet… well, either one could give them back their manifestations... The planets have a lot to say about what we think we believe… We also have chests full of those stones." Jack swore—loudly. "Maybe one of them could reverse it." I opened my arms, "Come, I'll take both of you…" I looked over the scene one last time, "I want to get out of here. If the men choose to fight, we might still die."
"I'm too scared… I don't especially like being a wolf, but it's better than never being one again."
"I felt the same way when I saw it the first time… We all have our strengths… Even the vamps."
I took them to the forest and paced as soon as I put them down. The small encampment might retaliate. If anything happened to Michael. Did I make the right decision? "This is bulls—."
Jack chuckled, "You must have spent some time on Earth to know the lingo?"
"Chris and Rodrigo taught me secretly on Zoreah; after that, Marcus—well, he doesn't give a moment's peace… Study, study, study—fight, fight, fight… For a while, Soren helped me with the smaller details."
"Whatever happened to Soren? Was he ever let in?"
"I won't mention him if I were you… bat-s—crazy idiot."
"Literally or figuratively?" Francis asked.
We laughed. I looked out to the horizon, hoping, praying, wishing, anything to make Michael come into view. I checked my timepiece and looked up again. Fifteen more minutes. I'd never last. Should I go make sure? I paced again—doubting—fidgeting.
Francis tapped me on the shoulder. My gaze moved to the spot he pointed. I was next to him in a second and threw my arms around his neck. Michael enveloped me in a warm embrace. Too overcome with the sudden relief, my chest shook as the tears fell uncontrollably. I clutched and unclutched my fists, grabbing onto his shirt. Michael didn't let me go. My sobs deepened for a while. I didn't realize how much his presence in my life meant.
Michael pushed me away, gripping my shoulders, "Did you miss me?" I nodded, wiping under my nose. "You've grown up," he ruffled my hair. I didn't even care. Michael pulled me in under his shoulder, "I'd love to catch up, but there is only one person I want to see right now." He urged me toward the trees.
"Maybe two?"
"Two? What do you mean?"
I wiped at my eyes, getting a hold of my emotions, "You'll see."
"My saviors!" Michael yelled, lifting his arms in the sky.
"Our plan worked." The three shook hands and shared some manly claps on shoulders.
"Will you take me now?"
"Yes, of course, wait here; I'll come right back."
Manifested, I swept Michael's feet out from under him and landed halfway. I had to jump again to reach our new camp. Gently, I put him down. Basaam was pacing on the outskirts and swung around when he heard us; he took a few steps toward us. "What the f—!" Michael exclaimed. "F—ing holy hell!" Basaam smiled, and when he did, Louis's eyes lit up in the same way. He closed the distance, holding out his hand. "Your Basaam." He nodded. Michael grabbed his hand and covered Basaam's with both of his. The gallop of feet coming toward us made Michael smile. Basaam turned quickly just as Juliet jumped into Michael's person. Her arms went around his neck. Michael didn't wait; he grabbed a chunk of her hair, pulled back her head, and pushed her mouth onto his. "You better get a tent in the next ten seconds, or all these people will watch as I take you."
The two simply disappeared; no tent needed. Basaam laughed. With an upside-down smile, pride filled my chest for my mom. A trick I will remember for the future.
"How will they get it done?" Kaia asked.
I grabbed her wrist, "Come, I will show you." Kaia put her arm around my body. "I suggest you guys turn around just in case… Or maybe go for a walk… I have to go get two werewolves," I said with a sigh; Kaia would have to wait. She hurried to catch up to Basaam and Nami making their way—away.
I couldn't wait for Michael and Chris to be back in full swing; being the only riphath sucked. All my fear about the future was gone; their reunion was as natural as it was back in the day. Michael seemed okay this time.