Chapter 2 - The werewolves are coming

EMMA - SEVEN YEARS LATER

Dry soil crumbles between my fingers. The sun beats down on my face and I can feel my skin burn beneath it. The drought has ruined most of the crops and now even the ground surrounding the lake is drying out. The water of the lake laps at the dry earth and the ground immediately soaks it up. One of the roosters from the town crows in the distance.

“You have to get out of the sun, you know it’s useless.” My brother says. Lucas is sitting beneath the big red oak tree next to the edge of the lake. A shadow is cast over his features and he eyes me with concern. His sand-colored hair is disheveled and his blue eyes are a little red from lack of sleep.

“I just want to find some burdock root,” I say with a pout as I pull another shriveled root from the ground.

One of the girls who just arrived at the town has an infection on her arm and there is no medicine available to treat it. When I was younger, my grandmother taught me a lot about herbal medicine and I have been making ointments and medicine to help the sick and injured. Burdock root has a lot of medical qualities that can treat infection. Usually, I can find it easily along the water edge of the lake.

I told my brother he didn’t have to come, but he ignored me. The same goes for Justin. His best friend, who’s somewhere collecting firewood at the edge of the forest.

Justin is the son of Jonathan, the leader of the village. My brother and I met Justin when we first arrived at the fishermen’s town nearly seven years ago. We had nothing and were starving until Jonathan found us and took us in. We were lucky to survive, not many can say the same. Somehow Lucas has dragged Justin into the ‘little sister protection plan’. They won’t let me out of their sight.

We’re only a two-minute walk from the town. I can see the entrance from where I’m standing. Refugees come here after their homes have been attacked by the wolves. They come to this village when they hear the whispers of the hidden sanctuary unknown to the wolves. The sanctuary is a village on an island in the middle of the lake and is not visible from the shoreline, even for werewolves.

The fishermen’s town is the only way to get to the island because the only way to get there is over water. More and more people have found passage to the hidden village over the years, but the food supply has been declining. And now people are starving.

I walk toward the lake clean my hands in the cold water and splash some water on my face to cool down my skin. In the reflection of the water, I can see how my normally pale skin has a red tinge to it. My skin is paler than most people and it burns at the first ray of sunlight. I tuck back a strand of my snow-white hair and stare through the rippling water at the reason why I’m still alive. The reason why the werewolf soldiers let me live, while so many have died,

My dark gray eyes. The color of gunmetal.

In the past seven years, there have been many casualties during the attacks. Men and women try to protect their families from the ruthless wolves, but the army has had only one consistent target over the years.

Women and girls with blue eyes.

I notice my necklace hangs out of my sweater tuck it back in and walk to my brother. He has a fishing line out, but he isn’t paying attention to it. He’s staring at the sky and has a pensive look on his face.

“What’s going on with you?” I say as I kick his foot and sink down next to him. My brother is quieter than normal.

Lucas avoids my gaze. “Me? Nothing."

I narrow my eyes at him. He’s my brother. I know when he’s hiding something. It takes a few seconds, but then Lucas sighs in defeat. “I just have this feeling.”

I roll my eyes at him. My brother has a strong intuition and a lot of the time he’s right. He has found food when it was needed and has saved girls hidden in the dark, but most of the time he just lets it get to his head.

He sits up and picks at the dead grass. “I don’t know why, but it’s the same feeling as seven years ago. Like I’m going to lose you.”

“You're not going to lose me,” I tell him and wrap my arms around his shoulders.

“I’m not their target,” I say for the umpteenth time.

“I know, but—“

The ground starts to tremble beneath us and my hands dig into the dirt. I look at my brother and his wide eyes confirm my fears. The rumble in the ground is all too familiar for the both of us.

The werewolves are coming.

We get low to the ground and hide behind the oak tree. When the rumble starts it doesn’t take long for the werewolves to appear. They come out of the forest in a blur and a formation of three sleek black SUVs drive over the single gravel road leading to the town. The sound of the roaring engines consumes the air around us. The thick furs of the wolves shine in the morning light. The colors range from sandy brown to deep black. Gleaming white canines are bared as they make their way to the town. The deep rumble of their growls vibrates all the way to the pit in my stomach.

My heart pounds loudly in my chest and my muscles feel like lead as I’m rooted to the ground. Justin comes out of the forest with two silver daggers in his hands and crouches down beside us. His face is set in a scowl, always ready for battle. There is not a trace of fear on his face, unlike me. I’m trembling like a leaf in a storm.

Justin has battled with werewolves before and the four massive scars on his face prove it. “We have a problem.”

“We can see that, Captain Obvious.” Lucas whisper-yells. I can see the panic settle in his eyes, something I rarely see in my brother. He’s usually very calculated and level-headed.

“That’s not what I mean. This—“ Justin points with his dagger to a few wolves in the front. “is not a regular platoon. Those wolves are smaller and weaker. Disposable."

Dust clouds rise as the SUVs stop in front of the town entrance.

“This is the Royal Army,” Justin says.

“Shit.” My brother curses.

Justin grumbles in agreement. The royal army consists of only Lycan wolves and they are not just strong, some of them even have special abilities.

The door of the SUV opens and long black boots step onto the gravel. The boots are female and shiny like they're brand new. The woman stepping out of the car is tall and beautiful. Her black army uniform has five gold stars embroidered on the fabric, showing her high rank. Her red hair is pulled back in a tight knot. Her almond-shaped, amber eyes are sharp and accentuated with black liner. She exudes power and wealth and I know she must be the one in charge. Her movements are almost cat-like. Graceful and deliberate. The woman is young and I guess that she is in her early twenties, like me.

“That’s Princess Morana,” Justin grumbles.

I turn my head to look at Justin. “How do you know?”

Justin doesn’t take his eyes off the princess. “It’s important to know who the real enemy is. The soldiers are just their puppets.”

The princess looks around the entrance as she picks a speck of dust from her impeccable uniform. “Well, this is underwhelming.” She says with a drawl, but her voice is clear like every word is spoken with precision. She waves her hand over to the wolves around her.

The wolves immediately come into action as they move in unison. Soldiers dressed in similar black uniforms go into the houses. Nobody dares to get in their way. Seven years of war have broken the spirits of most people. We have all watched loved ones die. The few brave souls that try to stand up against them don’t live to tell the tale.

“We have to leave,” Lucas says as he pulls me up and away from the town.

I think about Kiya who had to stay in the town to heal her infection. Her eyes are cerulean blue and if the army finds her, they will kill her.

I try to pull myself free from his grip, but he’s too strong. I’m small even compared to other women in the town. The years of living in this unforgiving world have done little for my muscles. Even the sun is an enemy of my extremely pale skin and my white hair makes me stand out in a crowd. It’s almost like I was built to struggle in this world. Whatever god exists spared no expense.

“We have to help her get out,” I say to Lucas.

Lucas stops and turns to face me. “They are Lycans, Emma. If they show mercy, they’ll just rip your head off”

A commotion pulls my attention back to the town. I cover my mouth to prevent a scream. Lucas pulls me to his chest. Kiya is torn away from her mother’s arms. Her scream is earsplitting. Her mother is held back by two soldiers as she screams for her daughter.

The princess puts on an annoyed face like the screams are just a bother to her ears. She waves a hand and one of the soldiers takes the mother away.

Tears brim in my eyes and roll down my cheeks. My eyes are glued to Kiya crawling backward and away from the princess. Her blue eyes are frantic.

The princess inspects her red polished nails for a second. “Now for the fun part.”

Her teeth bare in a wicked grin and sharp claws grow where fingers were just a second ago.

I pull away from Lucas and before he realizes what I’m doing, I’m already too far. My feet find grip in the gravel as I push myself forward. The advantage of being small is that I’m quick.

“EMMA, NO!”

I ignore my brother and I duck in front of Kiya. My jean-covered knee slides over the gravel as I pull Kiya behind my back and face the sharp claws of the princess. I close my eyes and wait for the pain to start and death to welcome me.