Stellaluna

Prophecy

I could hear them coming, circling me from afar, as I slowly crept forwards, my head held high. I would show no fear or aggression. I sensed two wolves now following closely behind me, and one on either side of me hidden in the trees. There was no gate as Selene said, but a group of men who stood in my path as I approached. The largest stepped forward and I could feel his aura trying to overpower me.

That must be the Alpha, Amaris mummers.

Though I felt the pressure, his aura demanding me to kneel, it was surprisingly easy to ignore. His men instantly growled when I walked straight up to him. He looked surprised, and eyeing me wearily, held his hand up and his men stood down.

“Who are you and why are you here.” He demanded. Before I could answer, however, a woman materialized at his side. She sauntered my way, her full hips swaying with each step before stopping inches from me. The woman towered above me, long blue black curls coiled around her face like a dark halo. With ebony skin accented by the slits in her very Grecian white dress, and eyes so dark it seemed the whole cosmos was captured inside, a melodic voice flitted through my mind.

“You are not what you seem, child. Who sent you”

I reached in my pocket and offered her the letter Selene had prepared. She gingerly took it, careful not to touch my skin, and dumped the contents in her palm. It was not a letter after all, but a thin, smooth silver disk, with the triple moon symbol embossed on its reflective surface. She glanced up at my face and offered the disk back to me. As I reached out she quickly grabbed me, pressing the disk between our hands, and my vision taken from me.

I blinked my eyes and found myself in a hot, humid ,brightly colored tropical forest. Then atop a sailboat, the salty ocean spray in my eyes, and wind rushing past as we rocked back and forth on a turbulent ocean. From there I was walking through a desert, sand as far as the eye could see, and a heat so strong I thought I might faint. Finally, I found myself in a magnificent library, sun light drifting through high tilted windows far above my head, scroll filled shelves all the way to the ceiling, and leather bound parchments covering multiple tables with fresh ink drying on the pages. In my left hand I held a silver bowl filled with what I somehow knew to be mercury, and in my right hand a quill, quickly writing words that seem to float around on the shiny surface of the liquid. The words floated in my mind, musical and haunting,

With Lovers Last Embrace,

A Judgement You Cannot Escape

From Death Blooms Life

A Mirror Image

An Inescapable Fate

A Choice Has Risen

Salvation, Damnation

Good and evil

The World’s Plight

Stellaluna

Dark and Light

Electricity jolts through my entire body, sizzling over my skin, and I am suddenly back. Hypatia stumbles away from me, clasping her hands to her chest. I look down at my own and see that the silver disk had melted, leaving quickly healing burn marks all the way up my arm under my shirt.

“Come along,” Hypatia said, having now gained her composure. She gave the alpha a firm look and he stepped aside, his men following suit. I dutifully followed her, looking wearily at the werewolves who were none too pleased about letting me in.

“They will do nothing, no need to worry,” she said, as she fell into step with me. I nodded and we walked the path into the village. There were many cottages, with smoking chimneys and lights shining out of the windows. We passed through what I assumed was a market place of sorts, as there were carts and stalls cluttering the small clearing. There were many other streets branching off the one we walked, but it seemed this was the most straight forward path to the large castle that Hypatia pointed out to me.There were more houses of varying sizes littering the streets and spreading into the forest. It must be a rather large pack. “You must be exhausted,” she said as we arrived at the castle doors. “You will rest now, and tomorrow morning I will answer the many questions you probably have, and you will answer mine,” she winked at me before snapping her finger at a werewolf standing guard at the entrance. “You there, give Miss..” she looked at me questioningly,

“Evangeline,” I told her. She nodded.

“Give Miss Evangeline a quick tour of the castle and show her to her room. She is my esteemed guest and will be treated as such.” And with that she was off, leaving me with the guard.

He eyed my weapons, and I tilted my chin up, placing one hand on my hip, defiantly daring him to try to take them. He raised his brows in amusement and bowed his head slightly.

“Esteemed Miss Evangeline, please follow me,” he said in a quiet low voice. He turned on his foot, and leisurely walked ahead of me, stopping now and then to point out rooms.

“This is the pack hall,” he said gesturing to my left. It was large and filled with several long tables, and had a few couches along the edges of the room. “This is where everyone comes to eat or be social, no matter rank. It is open twenty four hours a day to everyone. To the right is the kitchen, I’m sure you know what goes on in there.” He said looking me up and down. It was an obvious dig at my rogue status. Most packs looked down on us as mongrels and misfits, bred to serve or be stepped on. I bristled at that and walked ahead, though he was a step ahead of me in seconds. He showed me another dining hall, a game room and some communal bathrooms before we took the stairs to the second floor. This floor, he explained, housed lower ranked members of the pack, including gammas and their families, and at the end of the hall right by the stairs to the third and final floor, were the guest rooms, reserved for dignitaries and ‘esteemed guests.’ He made sure to poke fun at me one last time before dropping me off at the last door directly in front of the stairs. “This is your room. I hope you find it acceptable to your.. standards.” He said, sarcasm thick in his voice, “if you need anything do not hesitate to ask. The third floor is for the alpha and the betas. Though you are not permitted without an invitation, their hearing is impeccable from this location, should any.. troubles arise.” His threat not lost on me, I opened the door and stepped inside.

“If that’s all then,” I said and slammed and locked the door in his face without waiting for an answer. It was clear that he was not happy about having a rogue in the castle, probably much like everyone else here felt. I sighed and looked around the room. I couldn’t lie, it was nice. The walls were white with beautiful crown mounding, the floors a dark polished wood. There was a bed so massive it could probably fit three Sarges right in the middle of the room, with a large double door balcony. I walked over and opened them, stepping out and leaning against the beautiful carved stone balustrade. The view was breathtaking. My room was located on the back side of the castle, and overlooked a shining lake fed by a waterfall that fell from somewhere on the other side of the mountain. The moon hung in the clear sky surrounded by stars, all being reflected in the waters below.

“Wow,” I breathed.

That’s not a sight you see everyday, she added appreciatively.

I could get used to it for sure I sighed, dropping my head into one hand. I closed my eyes and bathed in the moonlight, instantly feeling the familiar cool serenity glide through my being. After a few minutes a cool breeze let loose a few hairs from my braid and I opened my eyes to push them behind my ear and saw the skin of my hand slightly shimmering.

What the..

I turned my hand over and saw silver threads shining just under the surface. All of a sudden I felt eyes on me, and looked around before seeing a man gazing up at me from near the lake. I couldn’t see his features clearly, as the reflection of the waters put him in shadows, but it was unmistakable. He was staring right at me. I shrugged away a shiver running down my spine, and quickly stepped back into my room, closing the doors. I needed to be careful here. I was being watched at all times.

I made sure all the doors were locked and explored the room. It had a large walk in closet, that was much too big for my meager belongings, and my own private bathroom. I dropped my bag and headed to the latter, eager to see if I had a shower. I squealed as I saw I not only had a shower, but a beautiful white claw foot tub. There was a long counter with two sinks and a wall of mirrors behind them. On the counter was a basket filled with all kinds of soaps and lotions. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I rushed to turn the faucet on the tub, and when hot water came out I could have cried. Thank the Goddess! I missed bathing in warm water!

While the tub filled, I rummaged through the basket, pleased to find shampoo and conditioner, a razor and a sweet smelling bar of soap that seemed to have some sort of oat in it. I smiled, happy to have the chance to groom myself and feel like a human again. I unloaded my weapons onto the counter and quickly began undressing. I tossed my boots of excitedly and wiggled out of my pants and underwear. When I lifted my shirt over my head, the back of my neck started stinging where the fabric had roughly rubbed against it in my hurry. What the f*ck? I thought. I held my hair to the side and turned around to try to see what had happened and instantly dropped my jaw at what I saw.

On the base of my neck there was now etched a triple moon marking. A delicate silvery filigree outlined the waxing crescent, full moon, and waning crescent moons, slightly overlapping each other, with a dainty silver fiery sun inside the full moon. I gently touched the marking and winced. It was cool and smooth to the touch, but it was sensitive. That explained the burning from earlier. The silver in my veins were no longer visible in here, as I examined my body for other markings. I found nothing unusual on my sun kissed skin except for the amount of dirt I was covered in. I turned off the faucet, as the now steaming tub was adequately filled, and gingerly stepped in. Oh man, I thought, I could stay in here for hours. I allowed myself twenty minutes to just enjoy the water, before lathering myself up head to toe to get the weeks worth of grime and hair off of my body. By the time I got out my skin was pink and red from all my efforts, and I was thoroughly relaxed and sleepy. I lathered myself in the sweet smelling lotion and stepped into the main room.

I threw my wet hair in its usual braid and jumped in bed, too tired to bother getting dressed. The clean sheets felt amazingly soft on my freshly shaved body. I snuggled safely in the covers and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about moons and stars, and lakes and wolves, and running in the snow.