Prophecy

Chapter 1 The snow was falling in slow, lazy waves. It had been accumulating for the past four or five hours, forming small piles at first and then covering everything in a white powder. The weather was cold, but the wind was mercifully absent. It’s only going to get worse, Kris thought. She stood inside of a decrepit gas station. A few cans of long expired food sat on bare shelves, three bottles of some type of drink stood in a refrigerator that hadn’t ran in years, and dust coated the floor, but the gas station was still run by an ancient man behind a counter. He was missing nearly every tooth in his mouth. He was hunched over, scarred, with wisps of white hair down his back. He held an old over-under shotgun in the crook of his arm. The threat was there but not yet realized. Kris ignored him; she was here for only one reason. The pay phone that stood in front of her must have been as old as the man himself, if not older. The handle had once been black but had been used so many times that it was now polished white. It was chipped in places, but it looked better than the box that held it. The pay phone box itself had once been black as well, but years of graffiti had left nothing more than a few flecks of black paint and a scratched silver exterior. But it worked. Kris took a deep breath and dialed a number she’d fished from memory. Beside her, Tawni stood nervously. She’d never been this far from the Kingdom, and it showed. Kris’s second and final companion stood at the door, golden eyes narrowed and looking out into the falling powder. He was large, older than most, and above all, loyal. He was one of Korrin’s father’s guards, a man devoted to the Kingdom through and through. Korrin. There was hardly a time when she was thinking of something else. Kris missed him more than she could explain. She hadn’t seen him in nearly four days, and she wondered how he was faring without her. “Hello?” a voice said in her ear. She nearly jumped at the sound. She’d been so lost in her thoughts about Korrin that she’d nearly forgotten that she had dialed a number into the phone. “Is anyone there?” “Maria?” Kris asked. There was a long silence on the other line—nearly 15 seconds—and then the woman said, “Kris? Is that you?” “Yes,” Kris told her. She didn’t know what else to say. She hadn’t talked to Maria in weeks. She’d just disappeared off the face of the earth as far as Maria was concerned. “Jesus, Kris,” she said. “I thought you were dead.” “Afraid not,” Kris told her. She could hear the relief in Maria’s voice. “I ended up running into Korrin, and I’ve been with him ever since.” “That’s the man...” Maria asked. There was no need to finish the question. Kris had told Maria everything she’d needed to know: that months ago now, she’d slept with Korrin in a one night stand and that she’d gotten pregnant. Kris hadn’t known what to do at the time, so she’d spilled the beans to Maria. What she didn’t tell Maria was that Korrin was a Shifter—a man who could turn into a bear at will—and that his family were the rulers of an ancient and noble Kingdom. She also didn’t have the chance to mention that she’d almost been kidnapped. She didn’t think Maria needed to know about that stuff anyway. “Yeah,” Kris said. “That’s him.” “And you… ran off with him? Without saying anything?” “Yeah. It’s a bit more complicated than that—” Maria cut her off with, “They kicked you out. Of school.” Kris sighed and said, “I know. I never expected it to come to this, but Korrin… He was moving, and he was leaving that night. I panicked, dropped everything, and went with him.” It wasn’t a lie. She just wasn’t telling the entire truth. And how could I? Kris thought. How could I tell her that I was on the run from assassins and that if Korrin hadn’t saved me, I would be dead now? That I’m now part of a Shifter tribe hiding in the mountains for the winter? She wouldn’t believe a word I told her. She would think I’m crazy. “Are you coming back?” Kris had been dreading that question. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. She wanted to, more than she could explain. She wanted to finish her master’s degree. She wanted to complete her education. She even longed for a normal lifestyle, if only a little bit. But she couldn’t. Not now. “I don’t think so. Not anytime soon, anyway.” Kris heard Maria exhale. “I miss you, Kris. Bad. I’ve been worried sick about you, and I could definitely use some help in class.” And then Maria laughed. Kris was smiling, and then she broke out into a laugh, too. Tawni gave her a nervous smile, unsure of what was going on. Kris had had her fair share of laughs since leaving—even with all the life or death situations going on around her. But laughing with her friend—that felt good. “I miss you too, Maria. So much. You’ll have to come visit sometime.” “And where is that?” Maria was asking. There was the slightest hint of worry in her voice. “I… don’t know, not exactly. But I’ll be in touch.” “Okay,” Maria said. There was something in her voice, something that said there was something else she wanted to say, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Kris...” “What is it?” Kris asked. She wanted Maria to cut straight to the chase. The snow was falling down now, and they had to be getting back. Korrin was already worried sick, and she didn’t blame him. It was nearly a four-day trip to this gas station even in the best of times. With the snow coming down, the trip could take even longer than expected. “Are you close with your parents?” “No,” Kris asked, confused. “Why?” There was the sound of Maria swallowing. Then she said, “Because they’re here, Kris. They’re at the school. Looking for you.”