Ch 3 Darkstone

The sun set hours ago. The sky shimmered with stars and to the north the green of the aurora. Trinity and Gabriel sat in their grandmother's garden playing with a fluffy kitten Epimetheus acquired from a local farm. They giggled as Gabe dangled a feather over it, while they waited for their parents, Lady Lily and Lord Constantine, and their grandparents, Alpha Lloyd, Lady Desidemona, and Lord Cain to finish greeting the guests. It was Gabriel's fourth birthday. The Darkstone Clan and Bloodstone Coven gathered together to celebrate another hybrid child who survived the Infant Plague while three pure blood children had been lost.

The whole garden glowed from the light of colorful paper lanterns. Everyone clapped when Gabe blew out his candles. Despite the dismayed gasped of the adults, Trinity laughed when he sneezed and headbutted his cake, covering his forehead and pale blond hair in frosting. He was such a weak and tiny babe that the adults all feared the plague would claim him, but Trinity was sure he would live and he had. While her mother and grandmother tried to get the bright blue frosting out of Gabriel's pale hair, Trinity giggled, burying her face in her grandfather Cain's sleeve. His rich blue eyes caught her icy blue ones and he smiled. Her father often said she was the only person in the whole world his father would smile for besides the queen.

"Are you enjoying the party, Grandfather?"

"I enjoy every moment with you, my angel."

The other cake was served to the guests and they ate but Trinity worried for her protector. "Grandfather, should I asked to save cake for Epimetheus?"

"No. He is taking a message to the Queens and will not be back for..."

Suddenly, she felt a cold breeze. The light flickered and Trinity looked past him at the lodge. The glow of lights from the lodge turned to fire, and the shadows in the grass turned to blood. Her eyes grew wide with fear, as her small hands clenched on his sleeve.

"What did you see, my angel?" her grandfather asked in a low, concerned tone. His granddaughter had his half-sister's gift of seeing things others could not.

She gazed back to him with large eyes. "The lights... They turned to fire and there was blood on the grass." She was quiet for a moment, then added, "Grandfather, my shadow says death is coming, and my wolf is anxious." A single tear ran down her pale cheek.

Lord Cain wipes it away gently, studying her face. "When, my angel?" he inquired calmly.

"Tonight. They hate us," she whispered. Her eyes begged him to believe her.

"I believe you." He knew there were many who wanted to destroy what Constantine and Lloyd were building here.

The Darkstone Clan was the first of its kind to be recognized by both the werewolf Council of Alphas and the vampire Council of Lords. A dozen other clans had applied for recognition in the last year. Clans of mixed matings bearing hybrid children which survived the Infant Plague and uniting the two species after two thousand years of separation. His inner shadow hissed in his soul and reached out seeking the threat, but he restrained it so not to terrify his beloved granddaughter.

"Listen carefully Trinity, stay close to your brother. If danger comes, take Gabriel and flee. Run toward the Darkwood and do not look back," he ordered her. "You saw and we are warned. Now try to smile, it is your brother's birthday. We don't want to worry everyone."

"I will obey, Grandfather," she promised, smiling wanly.

He kissed her on the forehead before rising and going to speak with her father and other grandfather. She turned in her chair and looked around the vineyard as musicians started playing. Her mother called her to the stage and Trinity went to sing.

It was hours past midnight and their bedtime. Gabriel yawned constantly when their mother picked him up, to take him to bed. Trinity rose to follow but Gabe begged, "I wants my kitten." "I'll get it." Trinity went to fetch Fluffikins but it wasn't in her basket or under any of the tables. Trinity felt the cold breeze again and rushed to follow her mother but a shadow-walker she didn't recognize stopped her.

"Leaving so soon, little princess?" he hissed with his face is half-shadowed under his hood.

She was afraid, but her grandfather always told her to never show fear around other vampires, so she bravely responded, "I am just going to see my baby brother to bed. Goodnight sir."

"Oh, you can miss one night," his lips curled in a malevolent smirk, "The evening is just getting interesting." Her inner voices urged her to flee.

Trinity swallowed and backed up a step. Her fear showed, she couldn't help it, as she stammered, "B-But I promised when he was a b-babe, I... I wouldn't be a very good big sister if I broke my promise on his birthday." She finished in a rush, "Please, excuse me."

The strange vampire smiled again, but it was anything but a friendly expression. "Such good manners and so loyal. Your grandfather must be very proud." Then he was gone in a dark shimmer of shadows. Trinity fought the urge to look around. Her inner shadow felt the shadow-walker still watching her, so she made herself walk at a normal pace to the giant log lodge that was the Darkstone Clan castle.

Prometheus, her grandfather's second, was in the hall as she quickly shut the door behind her and leaned against it, trembling. He looked at her curiously. "My princess?"

"Prometheus, I think something bad is going to happen," she whispered shakily.

"Does your vision have you troubled, Princess?" he asked nonchalantly. "Your grandfathers and I have prepared..."

"No." She shook her head, interrupting, "There was a master vampire in the yard just now, he... he stopped me and talked to me. I... I didn't know who he was." She shuddered. "My shadow and my wolf said to get away from him."

Prometheus' eyes became dark then red, as he ordered coldly, "Go to your brother and stay with him in his room until I or your grandfather come for you. No matter what happens do not go outside." Then he was gone in a shimmer of shadow.

His departure made Trinity very afraid as she ran up the stairs to her brother's nursery. She locked the door. The magic of the threshold would protect them as long as they stay inside the lodge. Through the open window she heard laughter and the murmurs of conversation; soft music drifted up from the party as she listened her mother and grandmother laughing together. It all sounded so happy and peaceful, yet every fiber of her being screamed that something was wrong. Pulling the shutters and windows shut, she felt inner shadow-demoness thrashing and her wolf pacing against the growing feelings of dread. She sat in her mother's rocking chair next to Gabe's bed and wrapped her arms around herself, wishing the feeling would stop, while wishing Coen were here with her, and Callen, and Camillia. Rocking slowly, she soon dozed off to the music.

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Ten-year-old Callen woke to his brother groaning and thrashing in his bed from a nightmare. Callen caught a flash of Coen' bad dream. Trinity was running through the forest with her little brother on her back. They were being chased. She was terrified. He shook off his own feelings of fear, replacing them with grumpy disgust.

"Coen! Wake up!" Callen snapped. Rolling over, he threw his pillow at his brother.

Camillia appeared in the door of their room. "What's wrong?" she mumbled tiredly.

Suddenly, Coen sat up, gasping for breath, "Darkstone has fallen! They're after my Trin!"

Callen gawked at him as his brother's body contorted and changed, Coen screamed in pain. It was his first time shifting.

Camillia ran downstairs to her parent's bedroom, yelling, "Dad! Mom! Help!"

A chocolate brown wolf with green eyes stared at Callen for a few moments, then bolted out of the bedroom's open window. It jumped down from the porch roof to the ground and charged toward the forest and the Darkstone border.

"Coen! Coen, come back!" Callen shouted after his brother.

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A scream jolted Trinity awake. Outside the sound of wolves and demons battling sounded muffled through the closed window. Trinity opened the window and coughed as she peeked through the shutter. The thick stench of smoke and burning flesh filled the air and she realized some part of the lodge was burning. Through the gap in the slats, she saw her grandfather Lloyd's brown warform werewolf standing back-to-back with Master-at-Arms Lucius' dark warform. The shadow-walker-wolf hybrid looked like a wingless gargoyle. They were surrounded by a ring of living and dead wolves and warforms. Her grandmother Desa laid decapitated in the grass beside them. Trinity looked desperately for her parents. There were so many dead; some she knew, some she did not. She could not see her parents or Grandfather Cain.

'No one is coming to help us.' Her inner shadow insisted, 'Grandfather said go to the Darkwood.'

'We must save our brother before the burning lodge claims us,' her wolf added.

Trinity wrapped Gabriel in his favorite blanket and rushes to the door. Her demoness stopped her from opening it, there were flames just beyond. If she opened the door, they won't make it. Desperately, she went back to the window and climbed out. Three stories wasn't a long drop for an adult vampire, but to a ten-year-old who had only shimmered twice it looked forever. She edged carefully to the corner and jumped down to the overhang below. Beneath her feet, the roof felt hot and soft.

'Run!' her wolf shouted at her so she did. Suddenly, someone scooped her and Gabe up in his arms and jumped the two stories down. Her father carried them, covered in his own blood and Trinity realized by the smell, her mother's. His face was grim. As he blurred, toward the gates. Something collided with them. They rolled into the grass but somehow Trinity held on to her little brother.

"Blur Trin! GO!" Constantine shouted at her, grappling with two vampires. A large gray werewolf warform advanced on her, growling. Her grandfather Lloyd's brown warform tackled it. His eyes and wolf told her to go, remembering her Grandfather Cain's words she fled with her brother and didn't look back.

In her mind, she was panicking, she didn't know where to go but her wolf demanded harshly, 'Find Coen, our mate will protect us.' 

Her demoness agreed, so she stopped long enough to shift Gabe on to her back. "Hold on and don't let go." Trinity turned and blurred through the forest toward the Darkwood. Somewhere behind them at their lost home, a werewolf howled a hunt on the children.

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Bolting for the door, Callen collided with Camillia.

"What happened?" she demanded, rubbing her shoulder.

"He's gone!" Callen wheezed, holding his ribs.

"What did he say?" their father demanded.

"He said Bloodwood has fallen and they were after Trin," Callen answered. "He dreamed she was running through the forest carrying Gabe, then he shifted and ran that way." Their mother gasped, covering her mouth with her hand in horror.

Ceresa demanded, "Are you certain?" 

Callen and Cami both nodded. "Yes, mother."

Moments later, retired Alpha Andrew mind-linked to his son, 'Blake, Bloodwood is under attack.'

'I know, father. Attention, all warriors. Our allies at Bloodwood Clan are under attack, assemble now!' Alpha Blake ordered. He feels a twinge of pain from his father, 'What is it, father?'

'I... I think Lloyd just died... Yes, Lloyd is gone... Blake, Bloodwood has fallen,' the retired alpha grieved. In the distance, Blake heard his father howl in grief for his oldest friend and foster brother.

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Coen ran until his legs felt rubbery. He wanted to collapse but his fear for Trinity kept his wolf moving forward. Ahead he heard a scream and a child crying. It was Trinity and Gabe. Adrenaline surged through his tired body and his wolf found strength to speed up. Beyond a small clearing, two wolves and a vampire had Trinity surrounded. She was holding Gabe on her back, as the child sobbed in fear.

"There's nowhere to go, half-breeds." The vampire stepped forward raising a sword.

Ignoring the wolves, Coen lunged at the vampire, blinded by his wolf's rage. 'How dare they threaten what is ours!' He ripped out the vampire's throat before the two wolves realized he was there. His chocolate-brown wolf was almost as big as the bigger of the two wolves.

As Coen lifted his maw from the dead walker's throat, Trinity screamed, "Look out!" Then she was standing behind him. She snatched the vampire's silver sword from the ground and stabbed it through the chest of the attacking wolf.

Its momentum carried it over top of them, pinning them under its shuddering body. Dying, it coughed blood on them. Coen wriggled free and attacked the larger reddish wolf. Trinity struggled but couldn't free herself, she wasn't strong enough to push the beast off her legs.

'Drink its blood, we need its power,' her demoness demanded.

'I can't,' she wailed in her mind, 'I can't drink from the living, I'll be cursed to dwell in the shadows.'

'Stupid mortal, the wolf is dead, do as our sister commands,' her wolf snarled, 'Mate needs us!'

Disgusted, Trinity cupped her hands under the hole the sword made in the wolf's chest to catch the blood draining out. She heard Coen yelp in pain and forced herself to drink. She gagged at the taste, but the power of the werewolf blood hit her system like lightning. Her fangs pushed down painfully as her inner shadow emerged. She pushed the dead lupine off as though he weighed nothing. She looked at her hand amazed as she picked up the sword. Everything changed as colors became sharper and her nails became more like talons. Her back itched and burned between her shoulder blades. Changed into her immortal shadow for the first time made her feel invincible. In a blur, she stood over the red wolf pinning Coen, and rammed the sword through its spine. Grasping its scruff she flung its body to the side, before kneeling over Coen.

"My wolf?" Her voice sounded strangely deep.

Coen's brown wolf whimpered and licked her hand. His hindleg was broken.

Two more wolves rushed into the clearing, snarling. Trinity hissed at them, and swayed slightly as she stood. The thought of killing them made her feel giddy. Coen whined as he struggled to stand.

Her demoness spoke through her, "Do not worry, my pet. I have a secret. Stay with my brother."

Her eyes darkened and shadows shimmered around her, then she was between the two wolves. She slashed violently and the smaller wolf died instantly, but the bigger one turned to snap at her then rapidly shifted into a warform. She stared at it in shock. It was the same giant gray that her grandfather Lloyd fought, and she realized he was dead. Rage boiled her. Her mortal and wolf feared the large warform, but her demoness fears nothing and wanted only vengeance for their grandfathers and parents, so she smiled.

Despite his back leg hanging limp, Coen limped over to Gabe and stood protectively in front of the young sun-walker. The four-year old huddled at the base of the tree clutching his favorite blanket, and patting Coen' shoulder. "Sister is so fast."

Coen whimpered in his throat because he could not help her.

Trinity moved faster than she ever dreamed possible. Slashing the warform with the silver sword and blurring or shimmering away before it could touch her, she darted in and out but she getting tired. Her lessons with Epimetheus meant she knew sword basics, but she wasn't skilled enough to kill the beast. Panting, she realized she was only hurting it superficially with the silver sword. It was healing and she wondered if it was part of the 1% of werewolves who were immune to silver.

The howls of two dozen wolves sounded through the trees. Coen howled in answer then growled because the Darkwood warriors were coming. The warform looked in the direction of the pack and Trinity took the opportunity to slash it across the face and muzzle, trying to impale it through the eye. It snarled and knocked her violently across the ground. Coen's brown wolf leaped at the warform, who backhanded him away before turning and shifting into his wolf then fleeing. The warriors broke the treeline while Coen belly-crawled over to Trinity and began licking the blood coming from the gash in her temple, whining.

Her blood made him feel dizzy, but he called to her, 'Trin, please wake up... please Trin.'

Her mind whispered one word back to him before the darkness overcame her. 'Coen.'

Alpha Blake shifted quickly, "Secure the area... You four go after that wolf." He tried not to show his shock that his son's brown wolf was almost as large as his Beta's. "Get a litter, we need to get them back to the pack hospital. Coen, do not shift until the pack doctor looks at your leg."

'Yes, Father. Is Trinity going to be okay?' Coen whimpered.

'Yes, stay calm. We'll get you home,' Blake assured his son.

"Alpha, there's another child."

Blake turned and saw Trinity's little brother peeking at them from behind a blanket. "Gabriel, it's Alpha Blake. Do you remember me?"

The little vampire nodded as he sucked his thumb.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Blake used the same voice he did when his children had nightmares.

"I not know. Home burned after my birthday and Trini run away with me and kills the mean ones," Gabriel whimpered, "She go fast but the big one hits her and she falls down. Is she hurt?"

"Yes, but it's okay, we're going to take you back to Darkwood and Grandmum Marigold will make you cookies," Blake promised as he spoke through the family link to his father, 'I need you to go with them back to Darkwood. Just to keep them extra safe.'

'I will. Hurry to Bloodstone, if the children made it away, there might still be survivors of the clan,' Andrew responded, as he picked up Gabriel, saying aloud, "Hello, Gabe. Would you like to ride on my wolf like a horse again?"

While Blake and the others ran ahead, another wolf unfolded a travois and strapped it to Andrew's giant wolf. He placed Trinity on it, but Coen refused, standing and tripod hopping next to his grandfather.

'I can run. Let's go, Grandpa.'

'Don't worry, grandson, your mate will be fine.'

Then they moved as quickly they could with Coen's leg back to Darkwood pack territory.