Chapter 35: A Rocky Start

Ravyn POV

On the Brigantium Road leading away from Wildefell and all throughout the kingdom of Lugdunum, Ravyn coughed as the last spiral of the teleportation spell faded. In the early evening, travelers were few. 

She stood on the side of the road with Dane, Daxius, Jude, and Lilia, all of them wearing witch's and wizard's robes. The teleportation spell hadn't taken too much energy from her, Lilia, or Daxius, but she took a moment to catch her breath. 

They all carried backpacks full of their belongings. Just five travelers. It wasn't the first time Dane had posed as a wizard or even a Druid among humans in the last three years. Ravyn hoped that they wouldn't be away from the pack lands for long. It wasn't as grand or as elaborate as the journey Patch, Anneliese, and Dirge had made to the Orc Kingdom of Nauru to cure Cyran and Tulaska. This was a lean and mean mission of urgency–in part thanks to Melisande and her cronies.

"Too bad we couldn't visit Wildefell for a bit," Dane said, giving Jude a playful glance. "It's quite diverting when you're not under fire by the witches."

"I'd recommend the Wild Lyre Inn," Jude confessed. 

Daxius smiled, making an effort. "Maybe after all of this is finished, we could have a meal together there."

But a strange feeling of paranoia crept over Ravyn. She sensed they were all being watched. Both Daxius and Jude turned to her, alert. Jude's eyes blazed golden while Daxius tensed. Dane caught on, looking alert, and Lilia asked sharply, "What is it, Mother?"

"I … I think we should teleport to the island," Ravyn said. 

Shivering despite the warm sunshine, Lilia hugged herself. "That's probably a good idea."

It felt absolutely strange, working together with Lilia and Daxius as a family. They'd cast spells together when Lilia was little, but not such a major spell. It was even stranger to draw on the magical wolf energy inside Jude the way Lilia did with Dane. 

The spiral ribbons of energy shot out from their crystals and swirled around the five … then broke apart into confetti and disappeared.

Lilia gasped. "What happened?"

Ravyn blinked, astounded. "I … I don't know. We just teleported here."

Dane shot a foreboding look at Daxius. "I wonder."

Daxius twirled his staff in the air, meeting Dane's blazing gold eyes with a serene expression. Ravyn could detect the irritation underneath the veneer. "Why would I ruin the spell?"

"You tell me," Dane growled. 

Daxius' irritation bubbled to the surface. "All you've done is growl at me and bark orders. All of you have. The only ones who have halfway tried to understand are that ex-Alpha, his mate, Alpha Jiro and Luna Garnet, and the wood elf princess."

Jude stepped between them. "We're listening now."

"And YOU. All you've done is try to attack me and step into my place–"

Lilia whistled loudly. "That's enough!"

Ravyn agreed. "Let's just try this spell again. Maybe something in the environment interfered with it."

Daxius shook his head, eyes darkening. "It's Melisande or her friends."

Ravyn didn't want to admit it, but her churning stomach spoke volumes.

Jude said begrudgingly, "He's got a point. They've tried to interfere several times now."

Dane's teeth and claws sharpened, putting Ravyn already more on edge. "You mean she's blocking your teleportation? And how would she know precisely when we're doing it? I haven't noticed any spies. Does she have eyes and ears in the shifter lands?'

Her lip curling in disgust, Lilia said, "She might, but she also might be able to scan through a crystal or enchanted pool and find us wherever we are. There's astral travel, like I was able to do with Anneliese in Nauru."

Daxius' hands began to glow. "We'll try again–after this …"

He held up the sea serpent's tail, just a good luck charm, and cast a massive orange-and-gold shield around the four. Ravyn's mouth dropped open, and Dane and Jude softly howled. She could feel the buzzing of energy around her, tickling her skin.

All five concentrated on their crystals and the spirals shot out once again, spinning…

BOOM.

Jude and Daxius both yelled, "RAVYN!"

The spell exploded, and shoved Ravyn backwards. She smacked against the shield before it vanished, and she fell into the smoking hole that the explosion blew in the ground. Terrified howls accompanied her as her son and her mate plummeted beside her. Lilia and Daxius cried out, from a great distance.

She hit the bottom of the pit and her body ached. Her hand groped and felt crumbly dirt as well as something warm and slick. Blood. Was Jude hurt? 

She felt the silky heaviness of Melisande's magic touch her and thought she'd never be clean again. She knew how it felt from that night in the shop.

A new and familiar voice reached her through the ringing in her ears and the pain.

"By the hair in my ears! I'll save you! Coming to the rescue!"

It couldn't be.

She hadn't seen him in such a long time. She'd had letters from him, but since she moved to the shifter lands, he hadn't crossed her path.

"We're … down … here, Duffy," she gasped. 

Dane and Jude both answered with a groan and a howl. 

"Jude," she said breathlessly, tasting the salty tang of blood and the smoke in the air. "Dane. We're going to get out of here."

Levitation spell. She still must have enough energy for one. But her fingers didn't work, and she couldn't even lift a feather if her life depended on it.

Lilia and Daxius shouted at them that help was coming. 

* * * * *

Jude POV

A thick rope ladder dropped down the dark hole. Jude forced himself to stand up, and Ravyn seemed energized by his effort. She stood, too. They both hauled Dane, the heaviest and most muscular of the three, to his feet. "Climb," he urged like the Alpha he was.

Ravyn grasped the rope ladder after Dane hauled himself up, with Jude's warm hands on her waist boosting her up, and Lilia and Daxius waiting at the top to pull them out. 

With great effort, sweating, panting, straining, Jude and the others climbed out of the hole and into the night, which was lit up by a powerful golden lamp and their crystals. The cool night air kissed his cheeks and he held onto Ravyn.

"Who do we have to thank for rescuing us?" he asked, taking comfort and pleasure in her warm body.

"Why, just a passing merchant," said the strong voice from somewhere around his knees. 

Jude looked down to see a bearded gnome standing beside a large, brightly colored merchant wagon with a gnome-sized seat, drawn by a magnificent silver stag. The gnome wore a blue coat trimmed with silver, a tall blue pointed hat, brown breeches and boots so tiny they would fit a baby's. 

Ravyn exclaimed, "Duffy!"

Jude marveled that she recognized the merchant. "You know the most interesting people!"

"Aye, that she does." The gnome smoothed his beard and grinned. "And, Ravyn, you ought to know it's your oldest friend, Duffy Kruspodin, who can help you out of a pickle when your witch powers can't." He glanced at Dane and Jude, instantly recognizing what they were. "Or that your wolf powers can't, gentlemen. I've got no quarrel with shifters."

Dane exchanged glances with Jude, both amused and enthralled by the little man who'd just saved their lives. Daxius had a different reaction. He retreated, trying to blend in with the shrubbery. Jude quickly grasped that as Ravyn's "oldest friend," Duffy might not greet Daxius with any kind of warmth. 

"Mr. Kruspodin, are you hurt?" Lilia asked, sounding like a little girl.

The gnome's deep brown eyes fixed on her, and his wrinkled little face lit up with a smile. "By my beard and whiskers, it's Lilia! Why, I haven't seen you since you stopped laughing at my magic tricks."

"It hasn't been that long, Mr. Kruspodin." Lilia knelt and checked the gnome. "I saw you in Wildefell just after–"

"Ah yes." Duffy Kruspodin sat back on the ground and reminisced while Lilia examined him. "You'd become the queen of the wolves."

"And Ravyn has also become the queen of the wolves," Jude asserted, his arm around Ravyn. "It's Luna Ravyn Faolan of the Silverpaw Pack now, and I'm her mate, Alpha Jude."

How good that sounded coming out of his mouth!

A grin bigger than Duffy's entire body stretched his weathered pink lips. "Well, it's about time! I thought my beard was going to grow too long before you decided there are still good men around, in spite of–"

"Hello, Duffy," Daxius said. 

The gnome jumped up, and even though Daxius towered over him, he looked ready to kneecap the wizard. "You! I should have known. You just had to bring doom and sorrow."

"Duffy, enough, he's wanted by certain people in the Witch Circle," Ravyn said sharply.

Duffy's big eyes narrowed. "You mean the same ones who attacked your shop almost a week ago? People are talking. I had half a mind to go to the shifters to see if you were still in one piece–and to warn you not to have anything to do with them or HIM." He glared at Daxius. "Just as well I didn't."

Jude, Ravyn, and Dane knelt down to talk to Duffy while Daxius remained standing. "Master Kruspodin, we're in your debt," Dane began.

Snorting, Duffy said, "Call me Duffy. I owe these two ladies my life many times over. You owe me nothing–except the chance to trade in shifter lands."

"Done, because we have a large favor to ask," Lilia told him. 

Ravyn took a deep breath. "We need to get to the Heartless Isles in the Harmonia Sea without magic. But with certain people in the Witch Circle and the Dark Goddess pursuing us–"

Duffy spat viciously on the ground and Jude grinned, liking the merchant more and more.

"And we'd like to join you as traveling merchants, witches and wizards," Jude continued.

Duffy's eyes twinkled. "I'm not just a merchant–I dabble in spying for customers, including the royals of Lugdunum. I hear you have several clever spies in your family–the fellow that became the Alpha of the Crimsontails, and the one who lost his kingdom, and the one married to my lovely Annie–Anneliese, that is.

"Not to mention the lady herself and Luna Garnet," Ravyn added with pride. 

Daxius, left out of the discussion, cleared his throat. "However we get to the Heartless Isles, I'll be eternally grateful." 

When Duffy looked reluctant, Jude assured him, "You can trust him." And he argued with his wolf about that remark as they all climbed into Duffy's wagon.