Chapter 4
2109 Words
Harro waits around the corner as he normally does, but when the kids come running past him for their daily visit with the Queen, he realizes that she didn’t come to town today.
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts about her dreams, he didn’t notice the time and pushes away from the wall he was leaning against to make his way back home.
He still hasn’t figured out why he is so drawn to her dreams. Usually, he would have to have the person in proximity, and drink the special hypnotic tea, but not with her.
He walks into his hut and pours the water onto the rocks that make lavender-scented steam float through the air. Dropping his cloak on the bed, he makes himself some tea, then walks up the spiral stairs up to his roof. It’s mid-afternoon and the sun is hot, but he pulls his shirt over his head and takes in the sun’s healing rays.
Walking in the dream world is cold. He has heard it compared to walking in the land of the dead. Without the dead, of course, but dreams could be just as dangerous. Especially if a vengeful spirit finds its way into a dream!
Harro rolls his eyes at his line of thought. Where were the days when life was simple and all he had to do was plant a positive seed in someone’s mind to make them feel better? Nowadays, besides the fact that he hides the fact that he is a dream walker, he also had to hide from the monsters people created in their own dreams.
He couldn’t simply just jump in anywhere, anytime… anymore. He sighs, sitting up and taking a sip from his mug.
“Hellow, Hawwow!” The little girl with two pigtails shouts from downstairs, and she excitedly waves.
“Hey, miss Mia!” He grins before jumping up and going downstairs.
Little 6-year-old Mia and her mother have been coming to see him for the past three weeks. She is a seer and has been having horrible dreams. Harro asked about the father, but her mother has not been very forthcoming about it, which means that there is more to the story and that could be the reason behind Mia’s nightmares.
In the meantime, Harro has been treating her with some relaxing exercises and herbs, while walking through her dreams during their exercises to try and find out what exactly it is that could be harming such a beautiful little girl.
They take up their normal places and her mother leaves them to run her errands.
Harro decided not to ask her any more questions after seeing her leave the priest's house the week before. Being a single mother can’t be easy, and she doesn’t have a job that he knows of.
They are reliant on the visions Mia has to pay for what they need and as she is still young, her visions are unpredictable. What did put Harro’s mind at ease is the fact that Mia’s mother sought him out at all costs to help her daughter.
She kept coming back until he agreed to help her, meaning her daughter’s welfare is of utmost importance to her, and he hasn’t summed her up as the kind of person who would harm her daughter in any way.
They get started and Mia falls asleep quickly as usual. After the first two sessions, Harro and Mia’s mom agreed they would do this at the same time she should take her afternoon nap, so Mia gets in her rest for the day without her mother having to put up a fight to get her to take a nap.
Harro lays down beside her and takes a deep breath before carefully stepping into her unconscious mind.
***
“Tell me about this man you are seeing in your dreams. Is he at least handsome?” Ariel’s sudden interest catches Circe a little off guard. It’s late afternoon and after spending the entire day eating junk food and watching horrible soppy love movies, they are busy cleaning up.
“I have no idea what you are on about.”
“Is he your dreamboat? Your one true love?” Ariel holds her hands close to her heart and starts to flutter her eyes, making Circe pretend to vomit.
“Oh, goddess, please save me from this cray cray woman! No, he is anything but. I don’t know what he is actually. I can’t remember seeing him when everything happened, yet…”
“Hmm, that’s a bit weird. Have you seen him anywhere before?”
“I’ve been trying to remember, but no. I don’t think so.” Circe frowns and her nose scrunches up in the process.
Damn, she hates her freckles! Her eyes cross as she tries to look at the tip of her nose.
“We can try to dream walk if you want to find out more, but it’s illegal.” Circe bursts out laughing out loud.
“As if anything illegal has ever stopped you from doing it!!”
***
Melissa takes the decorations from the tree and packs away the little carved wooden wolves that Frank made for each daughter after they were born. She packs them in the special box she keeps safe in for the next year. This year, it just made her sad to look at them.
She knew when they were born that they would one day leave the house and wouldn’t be spending every Yule at home, but she always hoped that some of them would at least still stay with the pack. This year, the only one that was around for Yule festival was Glinda.
Everyone else was with their new families. Everyone except for Circe… She sighs and Frank slides his arms around her chest, intertwining his fingers with hers as they crisscross their arms over her chest and look at the empty tree.
“My heart feels as empty as this tree.”
“I’m sure they will all be here next year, my love, and if not, we take the pack to them. Just imagine how excited the pack will be if we go on holiday every year.” He smiles at her, but it too doesn’t go all the way to his eyes, and she knows he is feeling the same pain she is.
“She’s still out there. We will find her.” His strong deep voice floats into Melissa’s ears, and she turns around in his arms, putting her arms around his neck as sobs tear through her body.
She has been fighting to keep her tears in all through the Yule festival for the sake of the pack, but she can’t keep them in any longer. She knows that Circe is alive, and they know now that she wasn’t the one who tried to kill the crone and betrayed them, but they have no way of contacting her to tell her.
She has blocked her pack link, and it might be broken for all they know. Nobody has been able to reach her in any way or even been able to feel if she is still linked with them.
After she chased after the high priestess, who knows what could have happened! She could be roaming the world a rogue for all they know!
“We will find her, my love. Even if it’s the last thing I do. We will find our daughter.” She hears Frank’s voice waiver, but she knows that he is trying his best to stay strong for her.
Their front door which used to always be open bursts open suddenly and a little boy comes running into the house squealing in happiness, distracting them from their heartache.
He is followed by Isobel and her new mate.
“Surprise! We thought we would surprise you guys with a visit… But we can go if you’re busy.” She grins at her parents, and Melissa quickly wipes her tears away.
“Don’t you dare leave your mother’s house!” Melissa feels her heart lift as she picks up little Nathan and rushes over with open arms to greet her daughter.
***
Harro hands Mia off to her mother and tells her of the progress they made. As usual, she is distant towards him, but when it comes to Mia, she is attentive to her every need. He gives her a bag of tea to give to Mia at night before bedtime and when she wants to pay him, he decides to give it to her for free.
Whatever is chasing this little girl is more than a little girl should be dealing with!
He shakes his head as he walks up the stairs to look at the stars and try to cleanse after the experience of this afternoon. Something seriously dark is brewing somewhere, and it’s affecting Mia in a bad way.
He has to follow the dark trail, or she might suffer the consequences of someone else’s evil greed.
***
Sullivan snarls at the wolf cringing in front of him. He paces the cave in utter anger at yet another plan of theirs that failed! He should have killed his brother when he had the chance! Before he could spawn these abominations!
Sullivan is Frank’s half-brother. He was banished from the pack after his mother died. Unfairly!
He sent everything he had so far to kill these so-called Alpha females, but they just keep coming back!
“Are you telling me you can’t find them?!” He barks and growls at the whining wolf, and feels like ripping someone’s head from their bodies, but it would thin out his pack and at the moment he needs every single one of them.
He shifts and kicks the mutt out of the front of the cave.
“GET OUT!”
He paces the cave floor when she comes out from the back.
“How is our little angel?” He bends down to grab Mia and fling her through the air.
He actually hates having these two around, but since he found the little seer, he has been trying his best to keep them happy.
He will never mate with her mother and appreciates that she’s never tried her luck. They are just here to do his bidding, but until then, he will have to, unfortunately, pretend to care about them.
“We have got her some tea to help with her sleeping problem, but the doctor says that she is doing okay. Sullivan, I was wondering if she should go to school.”
“NO! I mean, she is too young.” He growls and puts Mia down, letting her run out of the cave.
“We have an agreement!” He growls in the woman’s face, and she takes a step back, making him take a deep breath.
“I’m sorry. You know that I just want Mia to have the best. I can always leave you where I found you.” He walks around her, sniffing her hair for effect.
“In that back alley where you didn’t have any food and Mia was so dirty…” He knows she doesn’t want to go there, and that he is giving her the only possible protection she’s had in a long time.
“I will keep on home-schooling her. I’m sorry I mentioned it.” She lowers her eyes in submission.
“You know that I don’t want to threaten you. I want you and Mia to be happy here, but you have to stick to the rules. We can’t have people abuse our angel’s talents, and we give you that protection, don’t we?” She slowly nods, and he grabs her wrist, softly twisting it, making her moan in pain, but he notices her bite her tongue a little.
Mia can’t be far off, and she won’t let her daughter ever see her in pain. If she were a wolf, a pureblood, he might even have thought of taking her to his bed…
“Good, I’m glad we understand each other. Now run along. I have business to attend to.” She leaves and as soon as she’s gone a wolf comes out of the shadows.
“They went to see him again, and she saw the priest.” The wolf’s amber eyes glow in the dark cave.
“Have you found my niece yet?”
“There is still no word, my lord. She hasn’t been seen again since the attack in the forest.”
“Fine,” Sullivan growls and sends the warrior to keep watch over the girls.
- Writer
