Awakening the Beast (22 page)

“Are you okay?” he noticed Vorhan’s body was abandoned by the vultures.

Illiana smiled. “I’ll be fine. Daruk’s a good healer.”

“Ha! I know how to wrap a bandage and you need some healing as well. Have you seen Christopher?” Daruk asked.

“No,” Illiana replied.

He saw the flash of worry in her eyes.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up. You took care of the vultures and the cougars. Are they leaving?” He felt a seed of hope sprout within him. Maybe now they could have their home back.

“Yes. They have until tonight to get out of the forest. If there are any left, I intend to make sure they don’t leave.”

“What about Rama or any others who don’t want to go back?” Ohanzee asked.

“Rama’s fine. I’m not sure about the others.”

“What will they think if I switch into a lion? Will they decide to put an end to me?” Ohanzee asked.

Belik had wondered the same thing, but he was not saying anything. Daruk broke the shaft of the arrow and pulled it out. He stuffed a piece of cloth against Ohanzee’s flesh. The other shifter grunted from the pain. Illiana placed her hands near the wound and closed her eyes. Belik watched while she used her gift and to heal the wound. After a couple of minutes, the blood stopped flowing and the dragon took the bandage away. The wound was tender and raw, but closed. When Illiana opened her eyes, she seemed tired and worn out.

“Don’t worry. People will know you’re my mate from the feather braided into your hair and we’ll tell them you can shift into the different animals. I have to help the others who are injured. Belik, are you going to be okay?”

He thought about how he had landed and knew it could have been worse. “I’m fine, just a little banged up. Nothing to worry about. How can I help?” he asked.

Illiana wrapped her arms around him and kissed him quickly. “Can you find my mother and aunt?”

“All right.”

“I’ll come with you.” Ohanzee winced, but he was able to stand.

“Take care of her,” Belik said to the dragon.

He nodded and gave him a smile.

Belik turned back to his co-mate. “Can you fly?”

Ohanzee moved his arm. “I think so. It’s a little tender, but it feels better. I think it’s still healing from whatever Illiana did to it.”

“Then follow me.” Belik let the raven take over before he leaping into the air, feeling his feathers poke through his skin and his form shrunk. For the first time in a long time, it was freeing because he was back home. Nothing would drive them from their home again. His co-mate was keeping up with him. Ohanzee did not fight, but something had happened to him. Weaving through the trees, Belik wanted to settle back in the woods, but Ohanzee would want to return to his village after the eruption. Illiana would not go back without him. Ohanzee was part of their lives now.

Belik scoured the forest for any sign of the raven leader and Illiana’s aunt. Rama had gone with them to help find the captives. She had said it would be somewhere away from the village. Tullin navigate because he knew the exact location of them.

When they arrived, Belik found the scene below to be that of a slaughter. Bodies were strewn about and a fire was raging in the forest. He spotted Lelana lying on the ground. He touched her cheek and found that she was cold. Her eyes were vacant. Sadness and horror overwhelmed him. Seeing so much carnage made him remember what they had been fighting for.

“Belik, over here,” Ohanzee called.

Ohanzee had found Coret. She had also been killed. Claw marks marred her flesh. Lelana had had her throat cut. He picked up Coret. They had to take her and Lelana back with them.

“Help,” he heard a weak call.

The ground was littered was dead ravens, vultures, and cougars. He listened to the cries and followed them further into the wood. They found Rama. She was all cut up and her face was damaged, but she was tending to the wounded.

“Rama, you’re okay?” Belik asked.

She nodded. “I’ll live, but there are so many others who won’t.”

“What happened?” Ohanzee looked around.

Others tended the wounded he did not recognize. Cages hung from the trees that had been opened. They were large and some had blood on the reeds.

“We started freeing the prisoners and they descended. We fought. Other cougars and vultures came out of the shadows and started fighting with us. They didn’t agree with the way that your kind was being held. They’ve helped.” Rama pointed to others who tended to the wounded.

“Can you take care of the others while we go back for help?” Belik asked.

Rama nodded. “I should be okay. We’ll need more people to help. We lost Illiana’s mother and aunt.”

“We know. I saw them. I’m going to take their bodies back with me. I’ll find more healers, but tell everyone who is able to head back to the village. We’re gathering there. Anyone is welcome as long as they don’t want to take off any more heads. I’ll tell Illiana, but they should come in human form so that they aren’t attacked,” Belik told her.

“I’ll tell the others,” Rama said.

Belik and Ohanzee picked up their bodies. When Illiana saw her kin, she would lose control. By not seeing them, he also knew she would wonder where they were. This was the only way to at least bring some kind of closer to her. He hated to do it and felt the tears stinging his cheeks. In their arms were the only leaders of the flock he had ever known. Now they had no one to turn to. Would Illiana be able to take up her mother’s mantle and lead them? Did she even want that burden?

“This will break her heart,” Ohanzee said.

“I know, but at least this way she knows.”

The other man nodded. “At least this way she knows.”

* * * *

Illiana walked through the woods toward the village with Daruk by her side. The devastation that had been wrought with all the fighting turned her stomach. Bodies littered the forest floor. They would have to be buried or burned she would have to see to it they were all gathered. The day and the insanity of the events would live in the memories of the flock and the pack. There was the task of driving out all who were left and then rebuilding the villages. Now that the threat was over, she would have to start from scratch, too. First, she had to find Christopher. Once she found him she would feel better. Then she could worry about the future and what was going to come next.

“What are we going to do with the bodies?” Daruk asked.

“We have to bury them or burn them. I can’t imagine the stench if we don’t.”

“If you don’t mind my suggestion, I’d say gathering up the bodies and putting them into one place is the best solution. I can hit them with one blast of dragon fire and it’d be done.”

“I’m not sure if the flock would want their dead with the vultures and the cougars.”

“Well, we can always put them in different spots. That isn’t a problem. It was only a suggestion,” Daruk said.

She placed her hand on his chest. “I know and I appreciate that. I’ll think about it and talk to the elders who are left. They deserve some say in it. My mother will surely have a say in what goes on with our dead.”

“Have you thought that your mother might not have made it?”

Illiana did not want to entertain that thought, but it had crossed her mind. There were no reservations going into the attack. “I know. Since I haven’t seen them yet, I know there’s a chance, but I have to have hope. They can take care of themselves. I have to worry about Christopher right now.”

“He might be their leader, but he needs someone to look out for him.”

“You’ve been doing that for a long time.”

“Ever since he lost his mother.”

“And you loved him from then on?” Daruk asked.

“I have. That’s the reason I left in the first please so that he could have a life and not be exiled by the pack, but seeing this I know I never should’ve left.”

“You know that’s not true. I can see it in your eyes. Sooner or later someone would’ve come along and torn the peace asunder and you wouldn’t have been able to protect and defend your people. At least this way you knew what was coming. You were able to kill the enemies and drive them out of the forest.”

“You’re right. I just don’t want to think that way. It’s been such a bloody morning and all I want to do is find him.”

“We will.”

They continued to walk until she came to the spot where she had seen Christopher and the rest of the wolves and ravens fighting. There were not as many bodies strewn around as she remembered. Maybe there were not many dead. Others moaned and some were trying to comfort the dying or the wounded. She could feel their lives all around her and knew that she had to help those she could, but first was Christopher. Daruk left her and was searching among the trees. She came to the remnants of the wolf village. Some of the huts had burned down and some were torn apart. Christopher’s house remained. She heard someone crying in the house.

“Hello,” she called.

“Illiana,” Jalisa answered her.

When she went into what used to be Christopher’s room, and discovered the other wolf holding him on the bed. His color was ashen, but Illiana heard him drawing in rasping breathes. His body was covered with dried blood and marred with more scratches and wounds than she could count. The biggest one was the arrow protruding from his chest. She sunk down next to the bed and glanced up at Jalisa. Once they used to be mortal enemies because they wanted the attention of the same man, but now they were on the same side.

“I thought I could bring him here and it might be better. All his other wounds have stopped bleeding, but I’m not a healer. I don’t know what to do. Can you help him?”

Illiana tried to hold back her tears and felt the lump of emotions in her throat. She touched her mate’s hand and he stirred. When he opened his gray eyes, they were already unfocused and staring beyond into a different world. She squeezed his hand. “Hey.”

“Illiana…is he dead?” Christopher asked.

She nodded. “He’s dead. I wrapped my jaws around his throat and tore it out. I even got another scar to prove it. Not as many as you though.”

He laughed which descended into a coughing fit. “At least we have our home back.”

“Yes. You’re going to help rebuild everything that we had.”

“No. I don’t think I’ll be around long enough for that. You’ll make a good leader.”

“Illiana,” Jalisa said her name again.

“You’re not going anywhere. You have to be here with me, remember? We never did an official mating ceremony. I think you owe me that much.” She leaned over and kissed him lightly.

Christopher wanted to say something, but she covered his mouth with her hand. She looped her fingers through his. “Shh…save your strength.”

“We need a healer,” Jalisa whispered.

Illiana touched the wound. “Jalisa, the tip is still inside. If I pull it out, it’s going to cause more damage. We have to push it all the way through and break the shaft so we can take it out. Only then I can start to heal him.

“It’ll only make him worse,” the other wolf said.

“Do it,” Christopher said. He squeezed Illiana’s hand with a renewed strength.

Jalisa helped him sit up. Illiana gripped the shaft of the arrow and pushed with all her might until she heard a sucking sound and felt the flesh give way. Christopher arched his back and cried out from the pain. She grabbed a cloth from the bed and gripped the arrow’s shaft. She pressed the fabric against his wound and it was already turning red. Jalisa pulled the rest of the arrow from him and also held another rag to his wound so that they could stop the bleeding.

“You have to do something,” Jalisa implored her.

Time was of the essence and she was not sure if she could do this. It would take all of her concentration because Christopher was slipping away from her faster and faster. Illiana closed her eyes. It took all her strength. All the elements rushed through her and moved into him to strengthen him. Whatever that fifth element was, it also poured through her and leant him some strength, too. Everything was quiet within him so that she could barely feel the elements within him. Illiana found pushed what she had into him and easily mended his superficial wounds. The fire element was out of balance. It burned along her hands and into Christopher. He howled again. She kept the fire raging into him until it heated him up. There was nothing she could do because she needed the fire to keep him alive since his had almost dwindled away. The life ebbed in him as the air element kept blowing the fire away. She reached outward and pulled on the elements from outside of her. She used their strength to siphon into Christopher. Illiana felt the beat of his heart getting stronger. She tried to see into the future, but all her energy was concentrated on healing him so the paths were dark.

“It’s working,” Jalisa said.

Illiana did not dare open her eyes, but the strain was catching up to her. She focused until cold was the only thing left inside of her and all her fire was burned out. She was close. If she could get his fire rekindled, then he would be okay. It felt as though her insides were being pulled out through her pores. She placed another hand on Christopher. His breathing had gotten stronger. The elements were in balance once more. She untangled herself slowly from him and opened her eyes.

Christopher’s wound had closed and it was smaller. The color had returned to his face and his eyes had brightened. She breathed a sigh of relief. Christopher closed his eyes and slipped into sleep. Tiredness washed over her. Her whole body ached.

“He’ll be okay?” Jalisa asked.

“He’ll be fine. All he needs now is rest and to heal. I’ve taken care of most of the heavier damage.” The world started to spin a little, but she reached down into the earth and used its strength to keep her anchored.

“You still love him very much, don’t you? I mean it doesn’t matter that you have the other two with you. You want him in your life, too.”

“I do. And I know you love him, too.” Illiana stared at the wolf.

Jalisa glanced down. “I do, but it’s not the same. In the time you left, he proved himself a leader. Christopher always stood up for you whenever anyone in the pack put you down. I—I want to apologize for all the things I said and did to you. I was jealous and wanted to move up in the pack. Being the pack leader’s mate was all that I could think of. If you leave again, it’ll break his heart.”