Chapter 26 CHAPTER 26
I ignored her question and looked at our mother.
"I can feel she is getting closer but sometimes is stopping her. I worry she will die before I ever lay eye on her." I told her.
"Son, you can not run off to find something that has to come to you. The Goddess willing it will be here soon." Mother told me. I knew she was right but everyday I get more and more distracted.
"Take one of the willing females to your bed. It should take your mind off it for a while." Mother suggested. I looked at her with horror in my eyes.
"No, mother. I can't do that. It is wrong." I told her.
"You need to get out of this mood, Titan it is not good for you or the pack. Have you heard any word of anyone else being found?" She asked. I shook my head no.
"I have a conference I must attend soon I will be gone a few days. Please mother watch
Koda he is lazy and does not check anyone coming onto our land." I begged her.
"I will do my best, you know hey don't like to inform me when rouges stumble in. Ninety present of the time they are just that. Why don't you see the witch maybe she can help by giving you something." Mother suggested.
"I may do that," I told her but no for the reasons she suggested. We ate in a comfortable silence for a while when there was a knock at the front door. Kendra got up quickly.
"Excuse me mother that will be Tamra we are going to watch a movie tonight." Kendra said.
"This is our family night Kendra!" Mother said to her.
"I know, please it is the only night we can do anything," Kendra begged.
"Go, just this once Kendra." Mother said.
"I'm sure she is bored with my company and my mood mother. She is getting older." I said.
"That my be son, but she needs to respect our family time." Mother said sternly.
"Tell me mother how are thing coming for the new school edition?" I asked changing the subject. After dinner we sat for awhile then I made excuses that I needed to get ready for my trip. I went and sat in my office with a bottle of brandy. Thinking of the girl named Raven. What did she look like? Was she safe? I asked myself.
RAVEN'S POV
I had been alone now for three days. I did miss the guy’s chatter, but I knew this trial I was to do alone. Spirit said it was going to be the hardest and final trial to reach where we were going. She would help as much as she was permitted but this was to show my endurance and stress. But she would not tell me any thing else. That night she told me to hide my bags away from the camp. I did not understand why but I listened to her. I fell asleep by the fire. I woke startled thinking I had heard Roman's voice. But when I heard nothing else I settled to go back to sleep. That was my first mistake. The fire roared to life, and I sat up looking around to find 3 men and two women from the pack of rouges we thought had all been killed.
"I see we meet again, where are your escorts hiding" the woman asked me.
"They are not here, I left them three days ago. What do you want?" I asked.
"You got everyone killed we were lucky to escape." The one man growled.
"No, Imara and Talon got them killed by trying to sell something I am not." I said.
They laughed
"You say your not, but we saw your violet eyes." One of the woman said.
"I'm just a rouge like you nothing more." I said trying to stay calm.
"Really, then who cause all those things at camp?" Another man asked.
"She had you all fooled, Imara is a witch she caused all those things and blamed me. You surely knew she was a witch." I said acting shocked they didn't know.
"You're a liar, she was not a witch." The same woman said.
"She could be right, I have seen Imara do things before you time with us." The other woman confessed.
"No, I do not believe it. You are playing mind games with us. You are going to pay for our people dying another man said and grabbed me and bond my hands. Then punched me a few times in the face my nose I was sure was broken. Why had Spirit not stopped them. Spirit I cried in my mind to her. But she ignored me. Was this the final test she talked about. In the morning, they dragged me threw the forest ripping and shredding my clothes each taking turns at beating me. Then returned to the fire for the night someone booted me in the head, and everything went black. When I woke I was bleeding more it was hard to breath.
"Get up Raven, hurry before they come back." Spirit yelled at me. I tried to stand but my leg was broken.
"Stand up, endure the pain or you will die today." I did as Spirit said the pain was unbearable, but I made my way into the forest to where my bags were. Throwing them on my back I kept going I did not sleep. It became more and more painful. But I could hear howling not far away so I used every bit of energy to keep moving after two day I could go no further blood still ran down my leg my ribs hurt. I saw a wooden fence and crawled under it ripping my clothes more I fell to the ground. I could go no further. I'm sorry Spirit I could not do it and lost continuousness. Knowing I would die alone among the tall grass.
KODA'S POV
it was late. I was just settling into my bed. Titan would not be back until the day after tomorrow. It was peaceful with out home brooding all the time. I got a link from patrol.
"Beta, we have a female rouge. What do you want us to do with her?" The warrior asked. I looked at the time.
"Throw her in the dungeon, I will deal with it tomorrow " I told him.
"But Beta, I rally think you should...."
"I cut him off. I gave you an order do not bother me again tonight" I closed and blocked their links just once I wanted a good night’s sleep. The next morning, I heard nothing about the rouge, so I did my daily work then took the rest of the day off. I got a link from the guard in the dungeon.
"Beta this woman needs medical attention."
"She is a rouge she can die for all I care." I told him.
"But Beta, we really...." I cut him off.