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Into The Darkness

Selene

We have been searching for Artemis for weeks and have found nothing, we came across the camp where she and Ryan must have been staying before the remnants of dried blood still present on the grass .

When we spoke to Calder he said Ryan still had not woken up properly yet and his wounds were not healing as quickly as they should, for the sake of them both we need to find her.

” Sel will you slow down for just a minute?. In case you forgot I only gave birth a week ago I’m not running at one hundred per cent”

I turn to face her to see she is in some sort of pain but she cants heal herself.

“Okay how about we take a break?”

” That would be amazing”

Twenty minutes later we are sat comfortably with the shield around us and Cynthia has her eyes closed resting.

I am still at a complete loss as to why we cannot sense Artemis, both of us have tried and tried but it’s like as soon as it is about to connect it goes fuzzy and breaks.

” Selene, do you think we are going to find her ?”

“Yes. Of course, we are. Cynthia, we won’t survive without her I already feel so lost”

I feel the tears fun down my cheeks and as they do I see Cynthia’s eyes fill up. For the first time since all of this happened the realisation that we may not find her and will have to love without the glue that keeps is together has started to sink in.

” Sel, I know she’s still alive. We would feel it, if she was gone we would know”

Cynthia is right but the pain of thinking about it doesn’t hurt any less.

“I know your right and we won’t stop until we bring her back home”

She nods in agreement and pulls some food out of her bag for us both, we eat in silence before pressing on.

The uncharted lands are eerie and it feels like you are constantly being watched even though there is no one around and no scent in the air.

A little while later we are back on the move, the forest area seems to get denser and denser as we go along I can hear Cynthia muttering under her breath some profound language and then she grabs my arm.

” Sel stop”

I do and turn to face her, she seems to be crouching low so I do the same.

“What is it Cynth?”

” Listen. There is someone out there “

So far we have not come across anyone unsavoury in our journey to find Arti, but it seems as though that is about to change.

I mask our scents in the hope that they have not already caught on to it. Whoever is out there is staying well hidden just like we are, choosing not to talk I link Cynthia.

“Cynthia, have they gone ?”

She places her hand to the floor digging her hands into the dirt.

**“Cynth what are you doing “ **

I’m trying something out, Sigi asked me a while ago if my connection with the earth meant I could feel vibrations of people moving. I’m just testing it out to see if I can tell how far away these people are.

My eyes open wide, I’m always in awe of the things Cynthia is capable of, she is so connected.

They have gone Sel, I don’t know who they were but they are far enough away for us to keep going

We keep moving opting still to mask our scents in case we come across anyone else we might not want to.

Then it hits.

Artemis’s scent is faint but I’m sure it is hers, I speed up chasing it desperate to not lose it, I can feel Cynthia rushing behind me both of us desperately hoping that we are going to find her.

As the forest begins to clear that’s when we see it, emerging from behind the trees a huge manor house.

It looks old and worn like no-one has lived in there for a long time. Lights are flickering in some of the windows, we edge closer staying low to the ground.

The overwhelming scent of wolves fills our nostrils and I realise that what we are staring at is a packed house.

” What pack lives this far out into the uncharted lands Sel?”

“To my knowledge none. Which makes this house and its inhabitants all the more interesting”

” I don’t think we should do anything Sel, I think we should get a bit close mask our scents and watch”

“I agree we have no idea who is in there but we know Artemis is and I’m not willing to risk bringing her home safely “

Darkness falls around us and we have seen very few people come and go, it seems odd that this packhouse would be so vast in size but have so few wolves be a part of it.

The whole time we have been sat here waiting I feel as though I’m drawn to this house, it’s like something is calling me inside.

“Cynth, I want to go inside”

” Me too Sel, I feel like I’m being pulled towards it”

We move closer opting to enter through a broken window on the first floor, inside the house has been left in disarray but it somehow feels familiar.

We begin to search the room, the moon shining just enough light to make things visible. The room looks old and there is a crest on the wall furthest from them.

We move slowly and quietly through the house listening for the footsteps and on edge to fight at any moment.

We walk along a slim corridor the walls are red and is adorned with portraits, each frame holding the same crest from the room at the bottom of there now weathered gold frames.

Cynthia pushes forward as we take in the images of the people in the portraits one by one and then I see she has stopped and is staring mouth open looking up at it.

“Cynth what is it ?”

I rush towards her keeping my footsteps light.

” It’s mum”

Looking at the painting its of a man and a woman with three small children at their feet, looking over their faces I spot mums instantly she looks exactly like Artemis does in her baby photos.

To the left is another small woman who I can only assume is mother sisters however it’s the small boy in the middle that catches my eye.

He seems older than our mother but not by much, she never mentioned she had a brother.

“Cynthia, did mum ever mention a brother ?”

” No but she also never mentioned a sister, I guess because it was too painful to think about them all being lost

We both stand in shock staring at the image, its the first time we have set eyes on the family before I look over my nan and grandad’s faces and they look happy.

You could tell that they were kind people you can see it in their eyes and the way they hold themselves.

My head whips around to the door when I hear a noise someone is coming towards us both and we are in this small corridor with nowhere to go. If we run they will hear us and there’s nowhere to hide.

Cynthia and I push ourselves against the wall masking our scent a shield around us waiting for whoever is on the other side of the door to come through.

The door opens and Cynthia throws herself at him knocking him to the floor, the guy had no idea what hit him and I’m shocked she lunged at him.

The crashing of their two bodies was loud but her movements were swift and he was out cold, laying on the floor. We drag him back to the room from before using the old curtain drapes to bind his hands and feet.

We wait patiently a shield around him stopping him from linking any of his pack for back up and protecting us if he decides to shift.

He begins to wake up slowly feeling his hands and legs bound his eyes open wide and he begins to panic, Cynthia places a hand on his knee and he seems to instantly calm.

” We are not going to hurt you, we swear it.”

He stops moving and I wonder why she said that, if he attacks us I will not hesitate to kill him shes given him false hope.

The man looks between the two of us but no longer tries to fight.

” Look I’m going to take the bind out of your mouth as we want to talk to you, You have probably noticed that you’re unable to link your friends and it will remain that way until you tell us what we need to know okay? “

He nods and Cynth removes the gag from his mouth.

” What is your name ?”

” My name is Kalf, who are the two of you “

” We are just two people who are looking for our sister and we think she may be here “

I see a flash of recognition in his eyes telling me he knows something.

” I have seen a woman here before with Salvi but she is in the hospital they keep her asleep”

“Where is she now?”

I push forward towards him and he flinches like I’m going to hit him. Cynthia throws her arm out and stops me from going any further.

” Kalf, where is the woman now we don’t want to cause any trouble we just want to take our sister and go”

” I will take you to her”

It seems odd to me that he is so willing to help us take someone from his pack, I don’t trust him, whos to say he won’t betray us the second that we have her he won’t stab us in the back.

Cynthia seems to guess this and ask before I can.

” Why are you so willing to help us ?”

” Because being here is no life, it’s like a prison and I want out. I want a chance to live and to find me mate. If I go with you I feel like I will get that”

I can tell from his expression that he’s not lying, he honestly believes his life would be better with two strangers he doesn’t know.

I step forward causing him to look at me a little bit of fear flashing but I remain calm.

“Kalf if you help us, I promise you as luna of my pack, that you have a place with us. If you help us to save our sister you ill have a home and a family”

He grins from ear to ear at my words and I’m happy that he’s willing however he must also know what will happen if he double-crosses us.

“If you double-cross us through Kalf, I won’t hesitate to end your life. The last thing you see will be my face as the light leaves your eyes”

The smile again drops from his face and his eyes widen in surprise and he gulps.

” I won’t I promise I will take you straight to her and we will use the staff walkways so you won’t be seen”

Cynthia begins to unbind is hands and feet while I stay close waiting for him to make a move but he doesn’t he simply motions us to follow.

We walk along the corridor from before however just before the main door Kalf stops and pushes the wall a small door opens and he ushers us inside.

It’s a corridor that runs parallel to the other only this is dark and dingy.

” This is the old staff corridor for the house it was used to ensure the staff were not seen but could get to places when needed “

I nod and follow him just taking it all in If this was out mothers house why wouldn’t she have told us that she had all of this, that her life was so different from our small home.

Shortly after we reach another door, Kalf motions for us to wait and he opens it up he gets halfway out of the door and then his hand goes up telling us to stop, we both do and then we hear a woman’s voice.

Kalf closes the door behind him and begins to converse with the woman a few moments later we hear another door close and Kalf reopens the passage door.

“Kalf who was that ?”

” That was Salvi, she is the Luna “

We enter the room but there’s a bitter note to the way he says her name, part of me hopes my own pack don’t say my name with such distaste.

Looking around the room my heart stops when I see her laying on the bed, she looks frail and thin, there are dark circles under her eyes.

Cynthia rushes toward her grabbing her hand and trying to talk to her, but I am frozen on the spot.

What have they done to my strong and powerful sister?

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