Five days before the war

When I was a child, my family did everything in their power to protect me from political matters. As I grew older, I learned about past wars between Alvenora and Gwyniar. But never in my life did I ever expect to be at the forefront of a war—and against the dukedoms that had been my life for 25 years.

The air at the top of the waterfall was cooler, the mist from the falls refreshing against my skin. In the past 5 days, I hesitated to come back up but I needed to make amends with Randel and I needed to know more. Bits and pieces were coming back to me from the Alignment, but everything was still a blur. Most Alignments were like that—it took a day or two to get those memories back—but none of them had been like this.

“He’s not coming,” Caesaria’s voice floated behind me.

I kept my gaze on Delia’s grave. The yellow flowers in front had been replenished and there was a melancholy energy that pulsated from that spot. “We were so close.”

Cae stepped up next to me, laying down another cluster of flowers—purple—and sighed. “We couldn’t have anticipated Darius showing up like that, Ar.”

“This all could’ve been prevented.” I turned to face her, my hands clenched into fists. “Ray said the healers had been working on a wolf suppressor for a while, yet I came to find out that you knew more about it than you ever let on. You let us get to the point where we almost couldn’t do this.”

“Arwyn.” Caesaria’s voice cracked as she spoke. “I’m so sorry. I really do owe you an explanation. Please let me explain.”

I walked over to a large boulder, climbing on top and sitting down so my legs swung over the side. Cae sighed and followed, sitting down next to me.

“Explain.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “There are so many questions.”

She nodded. “I know. You remember the story I told you about how I came to the valley when I was ten years old? Well, in all the years of Darqua’s existence, never once has someone as young as ten come to live here.”

“That must have been terrifying.”

“My first shift in the valley was awful. If I thought my nightmares were rough without my parents there to comfort me, that shift was ten times worse.”

I swung my legs, the heels of my boots thudding against the boulder. “That sounds rough.”

Cae looked down at her hands. “I was in agony for days after. Rosie had a healer looking after me because she didn’t know how else to deal with me. None of the healers were successful in pacifying the pain until one of them gave me a concoction: lavender, sage, hibisco, ginger, and aloe vera.”

“That explains the taste,” I said, wrinkling my nose at the memory of the bitterness.

“Lockwood—he was the healer—was a lifesaver. Literally. The wolf suppressor is supposed to be offered in small doses. Clearly, whoever Darius worked with in Gwyniar thought differently.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen someone on the wolf suppressor act like he did.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Taking the wolf suppressor is only supposed to suppress the wolf enough that it helps you control your shifts. You remain in control, you remember what happens on each Alignment regardless of your wolf type.”

“So then Darius’ reaction…he told me that he’s been taking the suppressor since he was a kid too. But he stopped taking it when he came out here because of me.”

Caesaria raised her eyebrows. “That explains a lot.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“His dosage must’ve been higher. But if he’d been taking it for fifteen years at that dose and then stopped that quickly…well, that would explain what happened out at the lake.”

“But he was on the suppressor at the lake,” I protested, confused.

“Either way—his eyes turned silver, Arwyn. Silver. Do you remember that?”

I swallowed. The Alignment was still only coming back in bits and pieces, but the one memory that pierced my brain was that of Darius with silver eyes. It was a horrifying yet mesmerizing image.

She took my silence as confirmation that I knew what she meant and continued. “That’s not natural. His instincts were territorial. He saw Randel getting close to you, so he reacted the way any male wolf would: he attacked.”

“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t just tell me about the suppressor. But…is that why you said it was too dangerous? Because you knew it wouldn’t work as well on me. Is that why you didn’t volunteer the information to Raydir?”

“I only did all of that to protect you, to prevent…well, this.”

“And if you had convinced me?” My gaze flickered up to meet hers.

“If I had convinced you, I would’ve gone to Randel myself.”

“You needed me there. I am as much a part of this as you are,” I argued. “Just because you’re his ancestor, doesn’t mean it’s all about you.”

A twig snapped nearby and we jumped down from the boulder on high alert. Randel limped out of the brush. His eyes were a duller blue than they’d ever been and he kept his gaze trained on us.

He pawed at the ground with his good leg and wrote something in the dirt: ᛏᚱᚨᛁᛏᛟᚱ (traitor)

“You can trust us, Randel,” I said. “The Alignment was a fluke. No one was supposed to get hurt.”

Randel dipped his head, writing something else. The runes curved oddly as his claw made contact with the dirt. It was a slow movement, as if he were training himself how to make those muscles react.

ᚾᛟᛏ ᛁᛟᚢ (Not you). ᛏᚱᚨᛁᛏᛟᚱ ᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᚢᚨᛚᛚᛖᛁ (Traitor in the valley).

“Traitor…” I whispered, the word rolling over my tongue like pins and needles. The memory from my dream pierced my subconscious.

“Randel, we need you to shift again,” I said, crouching down to his level. “We need more answers.”

Randel shook his head. ᛏᛟᛟ ᛞᚨᛜᛖᚱᛟᚢᛊ (too dangerous)

“It doesn’t matter if it’s too dangerous.” Caesaria glanced at me. “We’re running out of time.

One last set of runes: ᚱᛖᚢᛖᚱᛊᛖ ᚦᛖ ᚹᛟᛚᚠ ᛊᚢᛈᛈᚱᛖᛊᛊᛟᚱ (reverse the wolf suppressor).

Before either Caesaria or I could say anything else, Randel disappeared back into the woods.

I turned to her. “Well, now what?”

Her expression hardened. “Now we figure out how to reverse the suppressor. And we have five days left to do it.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The morning’s findings led to a very tense rest of the day. Caesaria and I explained what we’d learned to Raydir and the other healers, earning unconvincing looks from all of them.

Then things took a turn for the intense when we gathered for an early evening Council meeting.

“The trainees are working as hard as they can,” Fletcher explained when Bennett had asked for a progress report. “Everyone is exhausted. We need more time.”

“And time is one thing we don’t have,” Bennett stated.

“Yeah, we understand that,” I grumbled. “That’s the whole point. Emilia knows we’re going to exhaust ourselves trying to prepare for the fight because there is no way we are ever going to surrender.”

“The elemental wielders are in constant training,” Fletcher said. “Although Raydir hasn’t given as much to it as we need.”

“I told you, I’m giving you everything I can,” Raydir replied, clearly frustrated. “But it’s not like I can be in two places at once. You want me to train, you want me to be a healer and prepare the medical cabin for the possibility of mass casualties? I’m only one person. And there are only so many hours in the day.”

“Ray, we need you for training,” Izel said. “The four of us are the key even if we don’t exactly understand how.”

“Yeah but the key to what?” Raydir asked. “We keep saying that but we have no idea what it really means. I’m a healer, I’m not—”

“Oh god, Ray, stop selling yourself short!” I yelled, exasperated. “Look, you’re more than just a healer, ok? You have great skills, and you put your all into these training sessions. I can see it in your eyes when you’re out there. They light up every single time.”

We stared each other down, my brown eyes boring into his green ones. Back when we were dating, this would usually result in one of us giving in by kissing the other. But now, it resulted in a stand-off in a room full of people. Definitely the least preferred option.

“Maybe I enjoy the thrill,” he mumbled, finally giving in. “Sometimes. But my job is with the healers.”

“Your job,” Caesaria said “is to help the valley however they need. And right now we need you to focus on your power training. I know it’s not what you want, but we need you to do it.”

Bennett put up his hands. “Enough, all of you! Raydir, as a member of this council, you should have a say in where you put your energy. However, we are in a time of war, so sacrifices do need to be made. While yes, we do have other chlorovoltae in the valley, you are the most connected to Arwyn, Izel, and Fletcher. Therefore, you have to be the earth-wielder used in the final battle.”

“And yet the healers still need me for the wolf suppressant. Am I the only one who remembers that we still have to make the reverse wolf suppressant?”

“All the healers are putting equal energy into that,” Bennett said. “Which means you can focus on your training.”

Before anyone could say another word, Raydir pushed back his chair and wordlessly left the Grand Cabin.

“Um.” My gaze flickered around to everyone else at the table. “I’ll be right back.” I hurried out and the door shut loudly behind me.

Outside, some of the folks were prepping the weapons sheds to count how many resources we had. Others were carving arrows. And still others were practicing their combat against one another.

I found Raydir sitting on a rock holding his head in his hands.

He sighed as I walked over. “Don’t, Ar.”

“I wasn’t going to. But—”

“Arwyn, I said no.” He lifted his head and looked at me. “You know I’ve always hated confrontation. Hell, I was so close to letting my father have his way and ship me away to learn the politics of Alvenora. But I didn’t. I knew it meant I would never see you again, and I couldn’t do that. I’ve always been better in the background. It’s why I focus on my art and now my healing abilities. I do better when I’m not on the front lines, but with the way this is all going, I don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, you do.” I covered his hand with mine but he pulled away. “Tell me something: when you go out there to pick herbs and watergrasses and whatever else it is you use for the healing salves and other concoctions, what do you feel?”

Raydir sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I don’t feel anything.”

“Yes you do. I’ve seen you, Ray. You connect with the earth. It’s more than the plants. That’s why we need you as our chlorovoltae. You have more power than you think.”

As if to prove my point, he lifted his hands—palms up—out in front of him. A few small rocks appeared by his feet and floated into the circle.

The corners of my mouth twitched up into a smile. “Wow. Ray, that’s—”

He thrust his hands out forcefully and the rocks disintegrated into dust. I raised my hands over my head and shrieked, ducking out of the way to avoid the spray.

A few heads turned to us when I shrieked but when they saw that we were fine, they went back to their business.

“Ray, that was incredible,” I praised him. “Why haven’t you brought that energy to our training sessions?”

Raydir sighed. “I’ve applied it in smaller doses but it’s taxing. I don’t know why, but it takes away almost all the energy I have.”

“Okay. Right, so what have the healers said?”

“Nothing. This isn’t something that herbs can solve.” He swallowed and looked away.

I reached out to turn his face to mine, his skin warm. “Then what is it? I know that look, Ray.”

He shook his head. “It’s complicated. Ever since you and I split up—like the official end to our engagement—things have been…difficult, to say the least. Those nightmares I had when we started our journey here have only intensified.”

“What?! Ray, why haven’t you said anything?” I stood up and began pacing.

“Because I knew you’d react like this and I was trying to get over you at the time.” He flickered his gaze away from me, but I could hear the beating of his heart in the silence between us.

The words stung and he knew it.

“So, what’s the issue?” I asked softly, unsure if I really wanted to know.

“I’m still not sure. The hibisco tea doesn’t help anymore. Rosie knows—she’s the only one who does—but even she has never seen anything like this before,” he said. “The closest I’ve been to feeling normal when I use my powers, the only night I had a completely normal sleep was that day when we almost kissed.”

My heart sank. “Ray, you know—”

“I know. You don’t have to say anything, Ar. I just…there has to be another way for this to work.”

I nodded. “I’ll always be there for you, Ray. But this can’t be about you and me. You need to focus on your emotions, on a memory of something that makes you happy. Our powers draw from our emotions.” I paused, an idea coming to my mind. “Come with me, I want to show you something.”

We stood up and walked together down to the lake. It was the perfect spot for both a acquator and a cholorvoltae.

“What did you want to show me?” Raydir asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Give me a minute,” I tossed back, raising my eyebrows. “I’m doing this so I don’t have to drag your ass back to the Council meeting.”

Raising my hands out in front of me, I pulled at a memory. This time it was one of Bella and me when we were kids on a day when she taught me how to swing upside down from a tree branch.

“It’s easy,” Bella said, hoisting her legs over the branch. She held on with her hands and leaned back. Her ankles stayed hooked over the branch. She let go with her hands and wiggled her fingers in the wind. “See? Just like that. Now you try.”

I smiled, energy coursing through me as a small ball of water lifted from the lake. “Just like that. You start small then work your way up to something like this.” Bringing my hands up a little higher, more water from the lake rose up into a tidal wave. I pushed my hands back down, and the water retreated, returning the calm to the surface of the lake.

“Now it’s your turn.”

Raydir sighed. “Okay.” He closed his eyes and thrust his hands out in front of him. Rocks from around the lake rose up in a circle in front of him.

“Good, now try to lift them a little higher,” I encouraged.

He did, letting the rocks merge into a horizontal formation before slowly lowering them back down.

“See? That wasn’t so bad was it?” I gave him a look and nudged his shoulder. “You really underestimate your abilities.”

“I just focused on a memory like you said.” Raydir started to walk back up the hill and I followed quickly behind him.

“So? It worked, right?” I asked.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, it worked. And I’m grateful—truly. But that was only in practice. All of this has only ever been in practice. What happens when the war starts? How do we know…this is why I like being a healer. I’m not out on the battlefield. And maybe that makes me a bad person, but the war is in five days. We’re running out of time.”

“Would it be easier if we practiced together? One-on-one?” I suggested. “We’ve always worked better together and I know you’re more comfortable around me, so maybe it would ease some of the anxiety.”

Raydir cocked his head in thought. “Maybe. I’m not sure Iz will like the idea too much, nor do I think Darius will appreciate you spending more time with me—”

“Who says they have to know?” I interjected. “We’d be doing this to help strengthen your powers for the war. What’s so wrong with that?”

Ray scratched the back of his head. “Do you really think there’s enough time?”

I nodded. “We’ll make it work. If you agree, we can meet tonight at the lake. In the meantime, go back to the med cabin. Is there any update on how the reverse suppressant is going?”

“We’re almost there, I can feel it.” Raydir looked down at his hands. “There’s just one or two ingredients we’re missing.”

“Do you want any help looking?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, this is something that I need to work on by myself. At least for right now. I think I need to spend a little more time getting in touch with my powers like you said. Especially if we’ll be training in secret.” His expression turned into a grin.

I returned it with a smile of my own. “See you tonight then. Nine pm. Don’t be late.”