New Allies

New Allies
The seven hooded forms of the Shadow Council moved closer. Elena felt her heart beating in her chest. She was stuck.
"Step back," Lucian growled, putting himself between Elena and the ancient vampires.
Amara smiled, her black eyes sparkling. "How cute. The pet thinks he can protect his witch."
Elena's marks burned on her skin, and she felt power growing inside her. Just as the first Council member reached for her, the floor beneath them burst.
Dust and broken wood filled the air. Elena felt someone grab her around the waist and pull her down through the new hole in the floor. She tried to scream, but a big hand covered her mouth.
"Quiet if you want to live," whispered a rough voice she didn't recognize.
They landed in a dark cave underneath Victor's safe house. Elena could hear the angry yells of the Shadow Council above them. She turned to see who had grabbed her.
It was a man—no, not exactly a man. He was shorter than her, with a thick beard and arms like tree stumps. His eyes glowed slightly in the darkness.
"Name's Grimm," he said, not smiling. "Let's move before they follow us down."
Lucian dropped through the hole next, followed by Victor and Izzy. They all looked surprised to see Grimm.
"What are you doing here?" Victor asked.
"Saving your sorry hides," Grimm growled. "Now move!"
They ran through the tunnel, the sounds of chase echoing behind them. Elena's marks lit the way with a soft blue glow.
After what felt like miles, they emerged in a large basement room. Old train tracks ran through one wall. Strange symbols covered the roof.
Two figures waited for them. A tall, muscular man with wild hair and a young girl with bright purple streaks in her black hair.
"You made it!" the girl said, looking at Elena with wide eyes. "I saw you coming in my head!"
The tall man stepped forward. "I'm Max," he said with a friendly smile that showed teeth slightly sharper than normal. "That's Lily. And you've met Grimm."
"They're like me," Elena whispered, feeling something different about them. "Not human."
Max nodded. "Werewolf," he said, referring to himself. "Lily's a mind-reader. Grimm's a dwarf."
"A what?" Elena asked, confused.
"Dwarf," Grimm repeated with a frown. "Don't they teach children anything these days?"
Lucian kept his eyes on the tunnel opening. "How did you find us?"
"Lily saw you," Max explained. "She has visions. She saw the Shadow Council attacking, and she saw Elena."
The young girl nodded eagerly. "I've been seeing you in my head for weeks!" she told Elena. "You're the one who's going to change everything!"
Victor looked suspicious. "Why help us?"
Grimm pulled out a hammer that seemed too big for him to hold. "Because we hate the Shadow Council as much as you do. They've hunted our kinds for centuries."
Elena felt dizzy with all this new information. Just days ago, she'd thought monsters were only in movies. Now she was meeting werewolves, mind-readers, and gnomes.
"We're part of the Resistance," Max stated. "The group Victor told you about."
"So it is real," Lucian said, sounding shocked.
Grimm nodded. "Very real. And growing stronger every day."
An blast rocked the tunnel behind them. Dust fell from the roof.
"They're coming," Lily whispered, her young face scared. "The Council doesn't give up easily."
"This way," Max said, taking them to what looked like a dead end. He pressed his hand against a brick, and a secret door slid open.
They rushed through into a huge underground chamber. Elena gasped at what she saw. Dozens of people—no, not people—creatures of all kinds were gathering there. Some looked human, others definitely didn't.
"Welcome to Haven," Grimm said. "Last safe place for supernatural outcasts in Ravenshore."
A woman with scales on her face nodded to them. A man with blue skin was reading a book in the corner. Two children ran by, their feet not touching the ground.
"I had no idea," Victor whispered. "All these years..."
"The Council would kill them all if they could," Max explained, leading them to a table in the middle of the room. "Just like they want to kill Elena."
Grimm pulled out a rolled-up map. "We need to get you somewhere safer than this. The Council has spies everywhere."
"I can help," Lily said, her eyes suddenly going white. "I see a place... in the mountains... a temple like the one that collapsed."
Elena felt her marks tingle at Lily's words. "Another daywalker temple?"
Max nodded. "The last one. Hidden so well even the Council doesn't know about it."
"I can make weapons," Grimm added, pulling out a strange silver knife. "Special ones. This can hurt even the oldest vampires."
Lucian studied the room. "Why help us? What do you want in return?"
"Freedom," Max said simply. "Elena is the key to breaking the Council's power. They've ruled for too long."
Lily suddenly grabbed Elena's hand. The young girl's touch sent a shock through Elena's body. Images flashed in her mind—the seven Council members, a rite, her own face covered in glowing blue marks.
"They need your blood for the ritual," Lily whispered. "On the night of the red moon. That's why they want you alive."
Elena pulled her hand away, shaking. "What ritual?"
Before Lily could answer, a loud alarm sounded throughout the room. Everyone froze.
"They've found us," Grimm growled, grabbing his hammer.
Max's body began to change, his muscles getting larger, hair sprouting on his face. "Get Elena to the back exit," he told Lucian, his voice deeper than before.
The door they had come through burst inward. Shadow Council vampires poured in, their black eyes searching the room.
"RUN!" Victor yelled, pushing Elena toward the back of the chamber.
Chaos occurred. Supernatural animals fought against the vampires. Grimm swung his hammer, sending three vampires flying across the room. Lily stood still, her eyes white, as vampires seemed to run into unseen walls around her.
Max had fully transformed now, a massive wolf tearing through enemies with terrifying power.
Lucian pulled Elena through the fighting, avoiding attacks from all sides. They reached a small door at the back just as Amara appeared in front of them.
"Did you really think you could hide from us?" she asked, smiling. Her teeth were longer than Elena remembered.
Victor appeared beside them, his face determined. "Go," he told Elena. "I'll hold her off."
"Victor, no!" Elena cried.
But he pushed her and Lucian through the door and slammed it shut behind them. They heard fighting on the other side.
The tube ahead was dark and narrow. Elena's marks gave the only light as they ran.
"What about the others?" Elena asked as they fled.
"They knew the risks," Lucian answered grimly.
They exited from the tunnel into a moonlit forest. Elena had no idea where they were or how far they'd gone from the city.
"Now what?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.
Lucian looked up at the sky. "We find this mountain temple. It's our only hope."
A twig snapped behind them. They spun around, ready to fight.
A figure stepped from the darkness, bloody but smiling.
"Hello, Elena," said the visitor. "I've been looking for you for a very long time."
Elena gasped in shock. It was impossible. She recognized the face immediately—from the photo Victor had shown her.
It was her mother.