Chapter 38 Boyce return

Chapter 38 Boyce return

As the doors slammed shut, Fenris turned to Astraea.

"He is an ant, Astraea," Fenris said softly, walking over to her. "Do not let his nonsense stain your thoughts."

Astraea slowly lifted her hands and adjusted the diamond veil, making sure not a single inch of her skin was visible.

"I don't care about his insults, Fenris. I care about the fact that they still think I am a ghost. Let him go back. Let him tell Jaxon that the King of the North has a Queen who wears diamonds while the South does of hunger."

"He will be back," Fenris murmured, leaning down to rest his forehead against the veil. "With an army."

"I know," Astraea replied, her silver eyes burning behind the gems. "And I will be waiting. Still silent. Still veiled. Until the moment I tear his world apart."

#. #. #. #. #.

Three days later, the gates of the Shadow fang Manor creaked open. Boyce was unrecognizable. His face was waxy and frost bitten. His left ear was a scarred, blackened mess, and his hands were wrapped in dirty, blood soaked rags.

He stumbled through the courtyard, past the starving wolves and rotting gardens, and collapsed at the feet of Jaxon's throne.

Jaxon was surrounded by his council. He looked up, his eyes filled with a desperate, mad hope.

“Boyce, did you get it? Where is the iron?” Jaxon demanded, standing up so fast that his chair almost fell over.

Boyce looked at his alpha, his voice cracking. “There is no iron, Jaxon. There is only… only death.”

The council members began to mutter in fear. Jaxon grabbed Boyce by the shoulder, shaking him. “What happened? Did Fenris refuse? Did he attack you?”

“It wasn't Fenris,” Boyce whispered, his eyes unfocus as he relieved the nightmare.
“It was the woman, the one beside him.”

“A woman?” Jaxon sneered. “What can a woman do to you?”

“She isn't a woman, Jaxon, she's a witch,” Boyce shrieked. His voice rising in hysteria.

“She sat behind a veil of diamonds and spoke in a voice that made the air scream. She broke the glass in my hands without touching it. She made my ears bleed by just saying my name.”

He held Jaxon's cloak, his voice dropping to a terrified whisper. “Fenris is in league with her. They have made a pact with the dark moon.”

“She's a reason the blight is here. She's a reason the pup are dying. She has casted a spell from the mountain. And she told me… she told me she was coming for you.”

Jaxon stepped back, his face pale. “A witch? Fenris have always been a madman But to use sorcery against us….”

“She's a monster, Jaxon.” Boyce sobbed. “A Northern witch with silver light behind her eyes. She denied the iron. She said it was for your casket.”

Jaxon turned to his council member. His fear replaced by anger. “The North has declared war, they have hidden behind their mountains and sent a witch to starve us. They think we are weak because of the blight, but we will show them.”

#. #. #. #. #.

Alpha Jaxon stood at the edge of the Great Field, miles of golden corn had turned into black stalks, bringing out gray slime that poisoned the soil.

"This was not supposed to happen," Jaxon hissed. "The blight was supposed to go with Astraea. Why is the land still dying?"

"It’s not just the land, Alpha."

Jaxon turned around. Boyce, his Beta and once trusted friend, stood in the doorway. Boyce looked ten years older than he had a few weeks ago. His eyes were hollowed and his body slimmer.

"What now, Boyce? Speak! Or I’ll have your tongue for the silence!"

"The birthing ward," Boyce whispered, his voice shaking. "Miriam just delivered. Twin boys. Strong, healthy... until they tried to find their spirits."

Jaxon’s heart hammered against his ribs. "And?"

"They are hollow, Jaxon. No spark. No scent. They are... human. They have no wolves. That’s the sixth pup this moon. The lineage of the South is dieing.

"Lies!" Jaxon shouted, coming forward to grab Boyce by the throat. He slammed his friend against the stone wall. "My pack is strong! I am the Alpha! The Moon Goddess blessed my union with Verena! She is the true Luna! She carries my heir!"

"Does she?" Boyce gasped, clawing at Jaxon’s hands. "Have you seen her lately, Jaxon? Have you smelled her? She smells like... like the blight."

Jaxon moved back as if Boyce had burnt him. He let go of Boyce, who fell on the floor, gasping for air.

"Verena is the most beautiful woman in the five packs," Jaxon said more to himself than to Boyce. "She is everything that sickly white freak wasn't. Astraea was the curse. I cut her away! I purged the rot!"

"Then why did the rot stay?" a sharp, voice interrupted.

Verena stood in the doorway, wearing expensive furs that looked like insect had eaten it. Her skin, once healthy was covered in rashes. She looked at Jaxon with desperation.

"Jaxon, the jewelers refused me today," she snapped. "They say the pack treasury is empty. They say we have no gold because the trade routes are closed. Do something!"

"The crops are dead, Verena!" Jaxon shouted, turning on her. "The pups are being born without wolves! And you’re worried about jewels?"

"I am the Luna!" she shouted. "I am supposed to be wearing the best, That... that omega sister of mine must have done something. She cursed us before she died in the snow. I know it!"

"She’s dead, Verena," Jaxon said, though he began to feel a little bit of doubt in his mind. “No one survives the Deadlands without a coat, let alone a wolf as weak as hers."

"Then why is the Seer screaming in the town square?" Verena countered. "He says the moon has turned her back on us. He says the 'White Soul' has left the South, and she took the luck with her."

Jaxon let out a low, growl. "Boyce! Bring the Seer to me. Now."

The Pack Seer, was dragged to the center. He was blind, his eyes milky white, but he stared directly at Jaxon.

"The balance is broken, Alpha," Arthur said. "You threw away the diamond and kept the coal. Now the coal is burning your house down."

"Shut up, old man!" Jaxon kicked him. "Tell me how to fix it. Tell me how to bring back the wolves and the wheat!"

“The frost iron,” Arthur whispered, a wicked smile on his face. “You have to find any way possible to get the iron.”

“If the South is to survive, we must offer the frost iron to the moon goddess”

#. #. #. #. #.

The Chamber of Visions was located beneath the roots of the Great Oak. The "Sacred Pool" was no longer a clear spring; the water was now black and oily.

Verena paced the stone edge, scratching the rash on her neck, her eyes wide and red.

"Do it again, Arthur" she hissed, pointing a shaking finger at the blind Seer. "The image was blurry..."