408- The Witch's Remedy
POV Viktor Averwyn:
The following days were tense and exhausting.
We had to practically restructure the territories, expel or condemn the wolves from Cyndrael and Tharengard who did not accept the new dominion, and establish rules for those who remained.
The neutral territory of Noctheria remained surrounded, on alert. The structure with its tall towers looked like a dead place, but knowing that the Ancients were inside was a permanent threat that robbed me of my peace.
After all the memories I had, I could be certain that they were cunning and powerful, the brains behind the entire domination. However, gaps remained open; answers needed to be given. It was irritating not to be able to enter and settle it once and for all.
Eldoria and Valmorin grew much larger, taking over the territory of Tharengard, which was twice the size of Konrad's. Aldren and Edric divided the coal region between them, especially since it bordered their lands.
I dominated Cyndrael and gained new shepherds, opening the borders between both through the forest. And so we began a new phase in the Tharnak, different from the previous ones. Our laws, our rules. Keeping Noctheria as a barren territory that harbored pests we needed to rid ourselves of to truly have peace.
The entire time, I was in mourning for my daughter. Inconsolable, remembering the kiss I placed on her cold face before her body was burned. It was difficult to accept that I would never see her again, to have to get rid of her things, her room. Daciana took care of that, and the emptiness in it was similar to the one invading part of me.
What robbed me of sleep the most, however, was my concern for Seraphine and our baby. And the rapid changes happening to her.
Aldren was totally dedicated to solving this problem, studying, contacting known wolves from other regions where there was more frequent mixing of humans and wolves, running tests. Elowen helped him as much as she could, reading about types of magic to contain the advances of the transformation.
She was also immersed in studies, seeking everything she could to combat the Ancients' magic. Aldren said his mate could barely sleep, obsessed with it, having dreams and premonitions, performing rituals to get answers from the ancestresses.
"Do you have a fever?"
I asked one of those nights, when Seraphine couldn't sleep and tossed in bed, hot and sweaty. I bathed her in the tub with utmost care, feeling nervous and useless for having my hands tied.
"No. The heat is inside, a strange hunger. It feels like I'm sensing everything more intensely. Smells, perceptions… I hear and see better. There's also the urge to eat raw things."
It was the she-wolf wanting to appear, to establish herself. Sometimes the green of her eyes took on a golden hue, and my heart skipped a beat, fearing that at any moment her body would react and our baby would be expelled before it was even formed. Or that it would cause her pain, discomfort.
"I want to go to my father's village." Seraphine came close to me, distressed. "Some of the older women or Shuvano's children might be able to help me."
"I'll take you there."
And so I did, the following morning, using one of the cars I had. We almost never used them, except for smaller trade runs.
It was a shock when the Romani saw the automobile park in front of the blue house, which had been her father's, and the two of us get out.
A Roma woman screamed like a madwoman and ran inside her house. Others intoned prayers or didn't even come out of their homes. I was a bit irritated, having no patience to explain myself. They seemed terrified of me.
Soon a group of men appeared with daggers, surrounding the leader who had come to speak with me at Averwyn's gates. It was Vasile, surprised to see Seraphine alive and in my company.
"Seraphine!" An elderly woman, braver than all of them, ran toward her with open arms.
"Camélia!"
The two embraced, and it hurt to see her cry, moved. But I remained alert, as more Roma appeared, suspicious, not knowing what was happening.
"You are alive, child!"
"I am fine."
"But he… the cursed one…"
She looked at me with some fear. I remained still beside the car door, ready to snarl and make them hide if any threat arose.
"Viktor is not the cursed one. He saved my life." Seraphine looked at me with love and then at the curious, tense faces.
"I need to tell you a long story. And what happened to me."
Vasile came closer, attentive, nervous. He certainly remembered when I transformed and sent them running, along with Lonut and Boris.
Seraphine stared at the blue house, and her eyes filled with tears.
She asked softly:
"Is there still anything of my father's here? Or mine?"
"Yes. We left them in a room, although we thought you were dead. I thought your aunt or someone from the family would come for them. Are you going to stay here? I am the new Baro, living with my family in the leader's house."
"No, Vasile. I only came to ask for your help. And I will take those things that remain."
While I remained quiet and distrustful, she slowly began to explain some things. Starting with the fact that it was Konrad who killed the other Roma and tried to kill her in the forest. That I saved her.
Gradually, they began to relax, indecisive, not stopping staring at me with fear. Chairs were brought to the porch when I saw she was very flushed, and I pulled her to me, saying quietly:
"Are you all right?"
"Yes. Just this internal heat and the mark throbbing. It's uncomfortable."
In the end, she sat down next to the Baro and Camélia, while I stood behind her, still frightening most simply by being present.
Seraphine summarized the events, the fact that I had never harmed her or the women who left with me, with the exception of Jasmina. Until she got to the news that she was pregnant by me and turning into a wolf.
Exclamations of shock and horror were heard from all sides. No one seemed to truly believe it, especially since she was less than two weeks pregnant. That only changed when Seraphine got a little irritated, her eyes lit up, and her mouth let out a small snarl.