Prophecy

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“What’s wrong?” Tawni asked. Kris looked at her and saw her worried expression. Tawni was a young Shifter working for the nobility, a position her family had forced on her, hoping that she would climb the political ladder enough so her daughter wouldn’t live in poverty. In a way, Kris related to her. She’d been forced to do something she hadn’t wanted by her parents too. She’d been one of the only Shifters Kris truly trusted. Kris had met Tawni when she’d been sent in to take care of Kris’s every need, but their relationship had quickly grown into true friendship.

“My parents,” Kris said. “They’re in the city.”

Kris was still dumbfounded. She’d known that eventually she would have to get in touch with her parents. She had known they would fly overseas to find her. She’d just hoped it wouldn’t be this soon.

She’d managed to convince Korrin to let her make her way to the edge of society, just close enough where she could get to a payphone, call Maria to let her know she was okay, and—if she had enough courage—call her parents, as well. Now, she didn’t have to.

They were in the country.

Korrin hadn’t been happy, but he’d eventually agreed to let her go. She’d pushed and pushed until he gave her the okay, on one condition: that she go with Tawni and Nack and did everything they said. Nack was a kind man, as kind as Shifters could be anyway, and he’d faithfully served Korrin’s father for many years until Korrin’s father forced him into retirement. But now that there were fewer Shifters Korrin could trust, he’d brought Nack out of retirement, just this once.

Nack had been happy to oblige. He moved slower than some, but he was still quick, and above all, strong and devoted to Korrin.

Kris had agreed to travel with them, and Korrin had told her to hurry back. They had a small wagon, almost a carriage, pulled by four strong horses. For most of the journey, Nack sat in the front driving them to their destination, while Kris and Tawni stayed inside, wrapped tightly in blankets.

“Are we ready?” Nack asked. He had come up to them, absolutely silent. He kept glancing at the front doors and the man with the shotgun. There was no indication of danger, but Nack was always on edge. “We need to get back before any more snow falls. It’s gonna be tough enough getting back as it is.”

“We’re not going home,” Kris whispered.

“What?” Nack asked. His Shifter hearing was more than good enough to hear her whisper, but he wanted her to repeat the question.

“My family is in Bucharest,” Kris said. “We have to go see them.”

“Absolutely not,” Nack growled. “Korrin gave explicit orders to bring you here, let you make your phone calls, and take you back.”

“He’s right, Kris,” Tawni said. She looked nervous, but Kris knew there was more courage inside of her than in almost any other person, Shifter or otherwise.

“I can’t not go,” Kris explained. “They’re looking for me, and if I don’t go, they’ll find me. They’ll do whatever it takes. They won’t just let me go. They’ll think I’ve been kidnapped and need rescuing. It’s the only way.”

Nack growled again. Behind the counter, the man shrunk back and lifted his gun just a little. “Don’t worry!” Nack yelled. The man shrunk back against the far wall.

“I have to go,” Kris said. “If you two don’t want to go, you don’t have to. I can do this myself.”

“And go back to Korrin without you?” Nack asked. His laugh was loud, harsh, and full of wisdom. He knew what would happen if he let that happen. “Let’s get moving before the weather gets even worse. It’s another two days to Bucharest. If we move fast and push through the night, we can avoid the worst of the storm. But the trip back isn’t going to be easy. I hope it’s worth it.”

“I do, too,” Kris said. She followed Nack out of the small gas station. Nack scouted the area, declared it clear, and then led the way toward their small wagon. The horses whinnied as they approached, ready to be on their way. Nack patted their necks and climbed up onto the wagon. Kris and Tawni followed. Tawni climbed inside, and Kris stood on the step, one hand on the door ready to pull herself up.

She looked around the small village they were in. There were only a few small huts, some fences and shacks to house livestock, and the crumbling gas station. Kris couldn’t imagine the last time a vehicle that used gas had actually driven through. The snowfall was picking up.

It was beautiful.

And now, it was the world she lived in. When she had first joined Korrin, she had felt completely out of place. She still was, of course, but the life was growing on her, and she hoped that she was growing on it. If her friendship with Tawni and her relationship with Korrin were any indication, it was.

She was part of this world, and she loved it. It was wild, untamed, and absolutely, completely pure.

And now, she would be heading back into the world that she had once thought of as her own—the world of towering buildings, vast populations, school, work, and family.

She’d never been close with her family in the traditional sense. They loved her, and she loved them, of course. But they didn’t really understand her. They’d pushed her into pushing herself to excel at school, go to grad school overseas, and pursue her master’s in something she didn’t truly know if she wanted. And in pushing her to succeed, they’d managed to push her away.

Kris didn’t feel like she was part of the family. She’d always felt that she was only useful as a trophy—an example of just how great her family was.

She’d been glad to step away from them.

And now, they were here, and she was going to see them.

She sighed and climbed into the carriage.