Vera's Song (Creatures of the Lands Book 2) Read online

  “And if I was to become someone’s mate…” she breathed, “I would become yours.”

  Ionan gazed in wonder as Vera got to her feet. She moaned in pain and shook herself, trying to stand steadily. “Ionan, would you bind yourself to me, for now and for always? Would you promise to be my one true mate, to stay by my side and to never love another?”

  “Yes,” he said, rising himself. “But what about our Accompanies? We need their permission to become one. It is forbidden for our kind to marry without their approval.”

  “And I suppose your Accompany and his wife’s marriage was perfectly legal,” she laughed. Then her tone changed seriously. “I’m dying, Ionan. Unless Wyntier plans to care for me and soon…my time is almost up.”

  “No! I will never let you die!” he cried.

  “And who are you to decide who lives and dies?” she said with a small laugh.

  “You can still live,” he said. “Help us rescue the children, and then come back to the Verinian to live with me. You can regain Kia and Keota’s trust and we can all be a family. You don’t need him, Vera.”

  A light came into her eyes. “No. No I guess I...you’re right Ionan. I don’t need him. But I can’t stand it any longer to be apart from you. I need you.”

  Ionan bent down and picked day lilies with his claws, entwining them on her spikes and head. They walked together and stood in the water, the spray sprinkling down on their scales and making them shine. As the droplets shone in the sun like diamonds, they put their foreheads together.

  “Let all creation look upon us as we bind ourselves to one another this day,” Ionan started. “And the Creator himself light His blessing upon our union. I, Ionan, swear in the name of my Accompany Keota, to bind myself to you until death takes me.Let our Accompanies be brothers and approve of this mating. I swear to guard you and protect you with my life, even if it means my own suffering or death. So shall it be.”

  Vera closed her eyes. “I, Vera, swear in the name of my Accompany Wyntier, to be your mate until my dying day. I promise to never love another as I have loved you. I vow to always be loyal and to guard our everlasting love with my life…”

  Ionan shuttered. She opened her eyes and her voice wavered, but was swarmed with adoration.

  “…or my death. Let our Accompanies be brothers in our union and rejoice in our decision. Together we are joined, together we will be. Let now our souls be bound, as our souls are bound to our Accompanies.”

  A white light grew between the crowns of the Changers, and swelled from their foreheads throughout their whole body until the rays burst from the trees and into the skies, where it could be seen for miles. They broke apart slowly and looked at each other. They both had a white ring around their left ankle, the common mating mark of the Changers.

  “We are now mates,” Vera growled blissfully, and she sounded happier than she had been in a long time. The waterfall trickled delicately behind them and Ionan strode forward. “Together we are joined…”

  “Together we will be,” Vera finished. The two nuzzled and the winds ruffled the petals of the day lilies. The most beautiful white lily flew from Vera’s head. It landed in the pond and the foam from the water clustered around it, pushing it to shore. The lily rested on the stones for a moment until water filled the petals and, then slowly, it drowned.

  As the children sat on the side of the mountain, Snapfoot huddled closer to his brother and his sisters. “What do we do now?” he whimpered, looking out into the cold. Getting out of the cage had been the easy part. The wolves had managed to figure out how to open the door with no one watching them, but now they had no idea on how to get away from the cave. Wyntier had slipped out to do something down at the bottom of the mountain, and Vera had flown off looking for food, but it was only a matter of time before they returned.

  “I don’t know,” Jade answered. “Caini, you take after Aunt Lottie. You’re smart, so what do we do?”

  Caini found her family and friends gazing at her and she blushed beneath her silver coat. “Well, the first thing we have to do is get those baby pups, if we’re leaving.”

  “Are we leaving?” Midnightstar blinked her wide eyes.

  Caini looked at them sadly. “I guess we have to. Vera loves us, but she can’t help us while Wyntier is her master. And we have to face it, Vera is unable to protect us with Wyntier in her way. Her instincts as a Changer go against disobeying him. We have no choice but to run.”

  “Kennu cold,” Kennu stated simply. The little fairy started shivering and Allie snuggled up to him as a heavy-coated lynx. Midnightstar looked at him with worry. “If we’re going to travel, we can’t go with empty paws. Kennu needs warmth and we all need food.”

  “Let’s rummage in the cave to find stuff we can take with us,” Shadowin suggested.

  “And find a way to carry the puppies,” Caini added.

  The children rushed back inside the hideout. “Hurry! Wyntier or Vera could be back at any moment!” Caini cried. Allie followed Shadowin and Snapfoot into Wyntier’s bedroom. Kennu and Allie leaped on Wyntier’s bed and started jumping up and down, squealing with joy.

  “Allie! Kennu! Come on, we don’t have time for games,” Shadowin yelled from the closet. “Here! Allie, grab this with your teeth and have Kennu try it on.”

  Allie walked into the closet and jumped up. She latched onto a coat and it fell off the hanger, dragging it to her Accompany. Kennu put it around him. “It’s a bit big,” Snapfoot said.

  This was clearly an understatement. The huge brown coat dragged along the ground behind him. The arms were nearly four times the size of his own and hung off his hands. But it kept him warm, and that was what mattered. They eventually found a rope and tied it round his waist to keep the coat closed, and Shadowin placed a cozy wool cap firmly on his head.

  “I don’t know what we can do about the shoes,” Shadowin said, looking down at Kennu’s thin leather soles. “Let’s see what we can find.”

  “Here we go!” Snapfoot said, muffled as he held out a few pieces of rabbit hide. He and Allie wrapped Kennu’s shoes with the fur and bound it firmly but comfortably with leather straps.

  As they kept searching, Caini, Midnightstar and Jade were busy with the puppies. The three tiny wolf pups were laying on a velvet pillow, covered by a blanket that looked like Vera had made it herself.

  “They’re so tiny,” Midnightstar awed. “Were we that small before we opened our eyes?”

  “We must have been, Mids,” Caini said. “We have to find a way to carry them.”

  “What about that bag over there?” Jade pawed the air to their right. They turned and saw a leather bag with a flap over it.

  “It’s perfect!” Caini exclaimed. “There’s enough room for the pups and it’s warm enough, but the flap gives enough air. It’s little enough for Kennu to carry and won’t be too heavy.”

  Midnightstar opened the bag and Jade stuffed the blanket inside of the bag. Caini grabbed the first little brown pup. “She’s got red streaks along her back,” Jade observed, “Her fur is turning red.”

  Caini laid the silent pup inside the bag. When she was snug, Caini grabbed her gray-pelted sister and put her next to the red

  “Sad they don’t have names yet,” Midnightstar shook her head. “It’s terrible Wyntier killed their parents.”

  “And he would have left them there to die, if Vera hadn’t stepped in. I doubt he would hesitate to do the same to us,” Caini growled. She picked up the black male.

  “This one looks like Daddy,” Caini’s voice said. “Except for the white legs, of course.”

  The pup started yipping and squirming, waving it’s paws in the air. “Shhhh, little fighter, you’ll be sleeping again soon,” Caini giggled as she held the grumbling pup in her teeth. She put him in and his complaints eventually reduced to snores.

  The girls padded out of Vera’s room, Midnightstar holding the bag. The boys came out of Wyntier’s room with a small knapsack of food, Allie and Kennu fo
llowing.

  “We can take turns carrying this,” Shadowin said, shoving the bag with his paw. “It’s got enough food for Kennu to last a while. I also found some milk lying around for the pups to share.”

  “What about us?” Caini asked.

  Shadowin brought himself up proudly. “If we had stayed in our pack, we would have learned to hunt by now. It’s time to hunt for ourselves.”

  “Have you seen the storms out there? How can we hunt anything at our age?” Jade asked.

  “Dad and Aunt Lottie did,” Shadowin protested. “Besides, we can’t stay here and we’re too little to carry meat.”

  “I guess so,” Midnightstar sighed. “Come on. Wyntier could be back any second.”

  The children hiked out of the cave and down the mountainside. They immediately halted when they got to the edge. “Whoa,” Snapfoot barked when they reached it. “There is no way we are going to be able to get over this canyon. It’s a drop off.”

  “What are we supposed to do now?” Jade asked.

  “The only way over is to fly,” Caini said. “Only an experienced flyer could make it over here from there, but I can tell to fly from here to the other side won’t be too hard.”

  “But how do we make it over? None of us have wings!” Midnightstar protested.

  “One of us does,” Caini said slowly. She turned, ad everyone looked at Allie.

  Allie stood there defiantly, slamming a paw into the snow. “No,” she said. “Allie doesn’t like to fly.”

  “But you’re a Changer!” Caini cried. “A creature of the skies! You’re supposed to love flying!”

  “Allie doesn’t want to. Allie might fall,” she whined.

  “Allie! If you don’t we’ll never make it back home! Besides, you’re five years old! Don’t you think it’s time for you to find your true form?” Caini complained.

  Allie sat down in the snow. “Allie likes her lynx, fawn and giraffe form. No,” she said simply.

  The others sat defeated in the cold, but Kennu climbed up on top of Allie’s back. “Allie must fly. If you don’t, Kennu will never see Mommy and Daddy and we’ll be stuck with that bad man.”

  “But Allie doesn’t want to leave Vera. Vera is sad and unhappy. Allie wants to beat up that bad man!” Allie cried.

  “Kennu knows. But we have to. Bad man will probably hurt us and our friends. Don’t you miss Io?”

  Allie’s mood changed. Her ears pinned back against her head and she had tears in her eyes. “Allie misses Io very much.”

  “And Kennu wants Allie to find her true form,” Kennu added. “Io and Vera have one, and Allie does too.”

  Allie thought it over. “Allie still not sure,” she purred softly.

  Kennu stroked her fur. “Will Allie try for me?” he asked warmly.

  Allie sighed. “Allie will try for you. But only Kennu, and maybe Io. But I still don’t like leaving Vera.” Allie looked back at him. “Allie is not sure of what she’ll turn into,” she warned.

  “That’s okay,” Shadowin encouraged. “It’s better to try than do nothing anyway.”

  Allie closed her eyes. She began to shake and soon a light formed around her. It shone brightly and the wolves closed their eyes. Kennu laughed and held harderonto her form. There was a sudden burst of song from the changing Allie. It swelled around the mountain and creatures came out from their places to hear the sound. As the light faded and the note ended, the animals stared in amazement at the new being.

  “Her true form…” Caini whispered. They all gazed in amazement, Kennu laughing as he sat upon a young baby griffin.

  Allie was nothing short of beautiful. Although she was still a baby and only a foot taller than the wolves, she seemed a little older somehow. Her feathers were golden and shining, ending shortly before her hindquarters to shimmering, yellow fur. Her tail was a lion’s and she carried the back feet and legs of a large cat, while her front legs were those of a bird’s. Her talons and claws were all a bright reddish-brown. Her head was that of an eagle’s, with feathery ears on the top like an owl’s and a beak the same color as her claws. Lastly, her gorgeous golden wings sat folded neatly on her back, covering Kennu like a shield.

  “Okay,” she shook her head and snapped her beak fiercely. “I’m ready.”

  “Shouldn’t you try a few practice rounds first?” Shadowin suggested. She gazed at him out of one of her small brown eyes, and he felt stupid for asking.

  Allie took off the side of the mountain and flew effortlessly over the side, soaring into the air as if she was made for flying. Kennu laughed with glee, clapping when she landed on the other side. Kennu got off and she flew back, taking one of the wolf pups each at a time. When they all were safely to the other side, Allie landed and folded her wings. “Follow me,” she said wisely. “I can lead the way.”

  Kennu climbed up on his rightful place on her back, and she and the pups started making the dangerous trip through the Ice Borns.

  The sun was already up. Vera arose and looked around with alarm, Ionan still deep in thought by her side. “Ionan, arise. We have rested too long.”

  Ionan yawned and got to his feet. He saw the new day around him and rumbled, “My Accompany is going to wonder where I am.”

  “As is mine. The children had no one to look after them while I was gone. Oh, why did I leave them?” Tears began to sprout from her eyes and she lashed her tail furiously.

  “Don’t cry. It’s not your fault. But you must go.”

  Vera nodded. Then, without warning, she whipped around and caught Ionan unguarded. She pinned him down and had her teeth at his throat in seconds, growling lowly.

  Stunned by this sudden betrayal, he wondered if his mating ceremony had all been a trick. But then Vera lowered her head and hissed quietly in his ear.

  “Wyntier is watching me. He wants to know where I am. I must leave. But before you go remember...you and your company must hurry if they are to reach us all in time. The weather on the Ice Borns will be so treacherous that you will never make it through until next spring. Then Wyntier will leave and any hope of finding your children will be lost. I’ll try and stall him for as long as I can.” She then bounded into the air. Ionan watched her go with longing, then quickly sprang upward himself. He had to hurry. He didn’t have much time.

  Keota had been pacing for hours. Ionan had been gone for too long. He sensed something had happened, but wouldn’t he know if Ionan was dead? Something’s changed with him. It’s not right, he thought, looking into the sky.

  The rest of the group was getting restless as well. Ionan was always there. They could always depend on him. If he didn’t show up when he said he would, didn’t that mean something dreadful had taken place?

  The wolves were getting tense. Casiff stood by and waited to try to prevent a fight if it broke out. In hushed voices, Lottie and Lilja continued to argue.

  “I don’t like him, Lottie. He’s using you,” Lilja said.

  “Using me for what? He loves me,” Lottie insisted.

  “He doesn’t love you! You don’t need him!” Lilja snapped.

  “Easy for you to say!” Lottie said, and Lilja recoiled as she raised her hackles. “You have a pack, a home, a mate and a family! I have Casiff, but you know that the thing I want the most is to be a great mother, just like ours was. I’m nothing unless I can have my own pups!”

  “That’s not true at all, Lottie. You’re amazing and perfect just the way you are, with what you do now. You don’t need to be a mom or have a pack to be important,” Lilja argued.

  “But it’s what I want,” she said. “And Echo can give that to me. And if you can’t realize that, you don’t know me half as well as you think you do.”

  As Lottie walked away from her brother to join Echo on yet another hunt, Lilja turned his back on the entire group to pout. Cornia had given up trying to comfort her mate and just looked up at the skies hopefully. She jumped up wagging her tail when she saw a shape in the sky, but was disappointed when she saw that i
t was only Snow Drop.

  Chapter Eleven

  Fire and Half a Reunion

  In the valley of the unicorns, a ravishing red stallion stood at the top of a cliff over looking his herd. A long legged blue mare came up behind him and whispered, “Anything suspicious, Dragonheart?”

  The red stallion stomped his hoof. “Vixen’s absence has made me nervous, but nothing bad has happened so far.”

  The blue mare looked at him. “Father is the leader of this herd. Every time Dragonstar has gone before something awful has happened. Now I worry.”

  In the distance, Dragonheart saw a figure move. “Sister, look. I think it’s him, the one Vixen was looking for,” he whispered.

  The blue mare paid him no attention. She stood still as a stone, nostrils flaring. “What is it?” Dragonheart asked. When she didn’t answer the stallion turned his head, fear striking his heart as he saw flames sprouting from the edge of the valley.

  “FIRE!” Dragonheart roared, and the heads of the unicorns jolted upward. “RUN!”

  The sound of screams erupted from the herd as the unicorns tried bolting to a safer part of the valley, but everywhere they went, the flames had already taken over. The herd separated, scattering one by one. Most headed into the mountains to fall victims to predators, while others ran right off the side of the cliffs and fell to their deaths. Before the hour was over, all that was left of the once beautiful valley was a pile of smoke and ash.

  Ana pounded her fist against a marble pillar outside the Council Hall. Why was it taking so long? Surely going after Wyntier wasn’t this hard of a decision to make? He was a mad man, for goodness sake! Yet it had been days, and although Nicodemus had promised Vixen that he would gather policemen to head out with Ana, he had been particularly slow about it since the Great One had left.

  “What is up with them?” she asked Maekrel. “We’re head of the Department of Security! This is my right to take my guards wherever I need them!”