Together with a group of tourists, I stand on a small hill and admire the loch concealing the Iomaire Draíochta from the human eye. The sun burns hot on my skin and sweat has soaked my t-shirt. Even though I used the tour to get me to my destination, I have no intention of rejoining the group. When the tourists climb back onto the bus, I duck into the bushes and hide. After what seems an eternity, they finally leave.

I crawl out of my hiding place and free my hair from the thorny bushes. Hopefully, Sazith got my message and someone will be here to pick me up. Otherwise, I'll have to walk, which will take forever in this heat.

A speeding car heads right at me; I'm about to jump out of the way when it whips around and comes to a screeching halt just inches from my feet. The driver lowers the window. It's Enigma, the girl who's the spitting image of Cassum.

"Get in." Her dark eyes pierce into me without a hint of emotion. If she knows I had a hand in her brother's death, she doesn't show it. Or she doesn't care. As a Sentinel contender, he was her competition, and she might even be relieved that someone else took him out of the equation.

I hop into the car and fasten my seatbelt. She takes off with screeching tires. I give her a sideways glance; she looks about sixteen, which in warlock terms is somewhere in the range of three hundred years.

"How long will you be visiting with us?" Her voice has the same sing-sang tone as Delsandra's.

"Only until tomorrow. Sazith and I have some business to discuss."

"He mentioned that. I take it you are still a Caomhnóir?"

"Yes." Just as my wild returned to me, my powers to connect with spirts has clung to my soul together with my fire powers. It's puzzling.

"We prepared a guest cabin for you, so you can stay as long as you'd like."

"That's very kind."

"As a warlock born from a Sentinel bloodline, you're always welcome at the Iomaire Draíochta. One day, you might even want to finish your training." For a breath, she takes her eyes off the road and her intense stare drills into me. "As Sentinel of Fire, I'd be your Master. It would be intriguing to watch how you control our element."

The prospect doesn't thrill me the slightest. Even after meeting her for only a few minutes, I find her absolutely overbearing. Izikey had been a difficult teacher, but studying under her seems plain dreadful.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'm good."

She laughs in the same sing-sang tone as her voice. "If you change your mind, just say the word."

The rest of the drive is spent in silence, and as soon as she pulls up to the main buildings, she gets out of the car without waiting for me to do the same. Shouldering my backpack, I set out toward Sazith's cabin. By the creek, I run into Delsandra. She sits on a bench and watches a few of her students pull sheets of water into the air.

The smile doesn't hit her eyes. "Oh, good, you made it. Did Enigma pick you up?"

"She did."

When a young warlock drops the liquid wall and splatters water all over us, Delsandra's lips reduce to a thin line. "Focus, Yinjo. You should've mastered this task by now."

His eyes fill with tears. "I can't do it."

"Nonsense. You are a Sentinel. With some effort, none of this is hard."

I lean closer to Delsandra. "He's a Sentinel?"

"The new Sentinel of Steel. Since Marush killed all the metal-power children from Sentinel bloodlines, it was hard to even find a warlock who was missed. Yinjo is a bit spooked by the whole idea of ruling the magical world."

"How old is he?"

"In Earth years, not even thirty. The whole Sentinel Council is a mess. In the past, warlocks lived at least half a millennium before rising to become a Sentinel. I mean, I was close to a thousand years myself. Now I have four of them who are showoffs and think this is all a game. Andrenior keeps disappearing because he is bored. Enigma is the most mature of the bunch, but even she loves to set the forest on fire to spite the new Sentinel of Wood."

The thought that these warlocks are in charge of guarding the balance of nature is scary. "I'm sure it'll get better."

"Let's hope so because I'm close to losing my mind."

Since there is not much else to say, I continue toward Sazith's cabin. Smoke drifts from his chimney and the sharp scent of spice suggests he's performing a ritual. I knock and wait for the door to open. He takes his time; when he finally appears, I shrink back. In just a few weeks, his hair has turned a solid gray and dark circles surround his eyes.

"Oh, Raelyn, it's nice to see you again."

I step into the cabin and look around. The majority of his belongings is scattered on the floor. "Is everything alright?"

"I haven't been able to communicate with Kaleidopae to ensure everything went smooth with Marush. For all I know, he's causing havoc in the afterlife."

"Is that possible?"

He shrugs. "Honestly, I have no clue. I, myself, have never been able to cross over. What was it like?"

"Not sure what you mean."

"The afterlife. I know you lifted the veil of death at least twice and crossed over. What was it like?"

"To be honest, I can't really describe it." Peaceful? Amazing? Absolutely empowering? Images flit through my head, but I'm unable to hold on to them or put them into words. "The first time, I met Kaleidopae, and it was very bright. The second time—" I break off. It's not an experience I wish to share with him.

"Well, I'm sure I'll find out sooner rather than later."

"Sazith, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When I crossed over, I caused a temporary imbalance of nature. Why is it not the same for Kaleidopae?"

"She is a Spirit Wanderer, the only one of her kind. For her, crossing between realms is second nature."

"So no one other than her has that skill?"

"Mm-hum."

"And how do we know that someone with this ability isn't a threat to the balance of nature?"

His forehead wrinkles. "Why would you say that?"

I turn toward the window and stare outside. Yinjo is shouting at Delsandra, his cheeks streaked with tears. The pressure on this young Sentinel is real. Tessa would've struggled, but this boy isn't cut out for leadership.

"Raelyn, why would you say that Kaleidopae might be a threat to the balance of nature?"

I spin around and face Sazith. "I sensed a dark force, the day Marush died."

"What type of dark force?"

"I'm not sure, but it was something that didn't belong in this realm. Something powerful and out of control."

"Have you felt it since?"

I shake my head.

He sighs. "A lot happened that day. I mean, you died and somehow came back. Your emotions were probably all over the place."

"Yeah, maybe." I turn back to the students. Yinyo is lying flat in the grass, sulking. "There's something else. Why does Enigma look exactly like Cassum? Is there a connection?"

"No, it's a coincidence."

I don't miss the slight tremble in his voice. He's lying, although I have no idea why he sees the need to deceive me. Before I can press the matter further, his words freeze the curious thoughts in my mind.

"Now that you are pregnant, when will you mate with Kendrick Raynes?"

I slowly turn around. "Excuse me?"

He points at my stomach. "Baby. In there."

"That's impossible. I can't conceive outside of my heat."

"Well, you are a hybrid, and the first one who took her blood promise to keep her magical powers beyond maturity. We are on uncharted territory, and some things you'll experience might be out of sync with the werewolf world."

I squint at him. "Are you sure I'm pregnant?"

"Of course. Don't you feel it yourself?"

I cup my hands around my belly and focus on my breathing. There. A flutter of a heartbeat. An ever so slight aura of life. The stirring of tiny limbs expanding. "Since I conceived outside of my heat, does that mean my pup might not have werewolf traits?"

He shrugs. "Like I said, uncharted territory, even though I believe that to be unlikely. I mean, Kendrick is the child's father, right?"

"Of course."

"Then I don't think you have anything to worry about. Your offspring will only be a quarter warlock, so chances are they might not even develop magical powers at all. And even if they do, their powers will go kaputt as soon as they complete twenty-one earth years without taking their blood oath."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Things will be fine now, you'll see." A quiver laces in his voice again. What is he hiding from me?

"Sazith—"

"I'm sorry, but I have a meeting with the Council, so we need to continue this conversation some other time. One of the students can show you to your quarters."

A sudden unrest drives me to shake my head. "I need to get back to Canada." Kendrick deserves to know that he'll be a father.

"Well, thank you for your visit, even if it was short. Let's stay in touch."

"Sure."

Without wasting another beat, he ushers me through the door of the cabin. Outside, I shudder despite the warm sun. Something is off with him, but I can't pinpoint if it's his evasiveness or his lies.

As I stroke over my stomach and sense the pup squirming inside me, I exhale and let my apprehension float away with my breath. All this can wait. In less than a year, I'll be a mother and my whole focus should be on my family and my pack. My wolf stirs with content—she agrees and demands that I should forget the warlock world. All it has ever done was to interfere with my true nature and to bring me misery.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

This work is protected by copyright and should not be copied, downloaded, translated or used in any way without my expressed consent. Please don't steal it. Thank you!