Chapter 21

Sydney ran through the forest as fast as she could.  This was the first time she had ever run for a purpose that mattered.  It was usually to calm her nerves or avoid her brother.  This time, though, it was to stop a war.  Sydney had a goal; her outcome mattered.  For the first time, she felt strangely responsible for her clan.  Other times, she had ignored the meetings, forgoing them to spend time with her human friends, but after today, she knew she would never be able to turn her back on her duties.  She was going to have to learn how to take responsibility for her and her clan’s actions.

As she dodged trees, leaped over a small stream, she detected the same scent she had earlier.  What was it about this deer that lingered in her nose?  It did not make any sense.  There was not a deer around.  There were no animals around her.  If she had time, she would have stopped to find out who this person was that was using magic on her.  There was no other explanation.  It may seem like a small thing, smelling a deer when there was none, but it was magic all the same. 

A twig snapped to her left, making her head turn in that direction.  When she looked though, there was nothing, not a single thing.  She didn’t stop running even as dread crawled on her skin.  There was something going on, and she didn’t like it.  The trees shadowed some spots, and Sydney knew that sundown was only a couple of hours away.  What would happen if she could not find someone to heal Ally’s guard?  What if Sydney started a war in which she could not finish?  There was no doubt in her mind that if there was a war between the two species that there would be death, more death than she had ever experienced.  The worse part about it would be killing her friends.  She had found out that she actually liked a few of the leopard shifters, including Blake, and she didn’t think she could bring herself to murder her newfound friends.

Again, a sound echoed throughout the woods, and this time, the hair on her arms stood up.  That didn’t sound natural.  It did not sound like an animal that would normally stroll through the forest.  The air behind her shifted.  She dropped to the ground, but not fast enough.  In no time, she was falling forward from the blow to the back.  She immediately rolled, knowing that her attacker would not allow her a fair chance.  As the foot slammed where her head once was, she smiled a little.  At least she still had her fighting skills.  Hopping to her feet, she attempted to see the attacker’s features, but they were a blur. 

She blinked, thinking that the blow to the head did more damage than she had initially thought, but the person was still a blur.  Shaking her head in confusion, she lunged at the mass.  They fell to the ground, and the person underneath her grunted before letting out a tiny chuckle of amusement.  Whoever this was, they didn’t find her a threat.  That was something that she would make them regret.  Her fist smashed into the person’s side, but they still just chuckled.

Pushing off her attacker, she glared down at the mass.  “What is so funny?”

“You should really watch your back,” the indistinguishable voice said.

Before she understood what was happening, something hit the back of her head.  Darkness entered her vision, and she was out before she even fell to the forest ground.

Blake surveyed the mess Sydney had gotten them in.  He understood that she was acting with her instincts, something Ally said he needed to do more often, but she relied a little too much on them.  If she would have just looked at the man attacking Ally, she would have been able to see that he meant her no harm.  Everyone knew Jones put Ally’s life above his.  She was the reason why he had his mate, the reason why he had a baby on the way.  Now, the man was lying on the ground, his face as white as his hair.  His eyes were wide open and staring at Ally as she cried above him.  He didn’t say anything, but Ally didn’t need words to communicate with those the closest to her.  It seems that since he had been gone, she had only grown stronger.  Now, she could whisper into any leopard shifters mind.  At that moment, Blake knew that was exactly what she was doing with Jones. 

He looked over at Isaac who had a blank expression on his face.  Blake knew that the man was attempting to find a way to rectify the situation.  He had come into the clearing only moments before Sydney.  Instead of attacking the guards, he asked what was happening.  Blake had to explain to him that they had been running for only a couple minutes before Jones had stopped them to practice. 

He shook his head at Isaac.  The man may attempt to fix what Sydney did, but the only problem was that there was no way.  Ally had told them that the only way for there not to be a war was for Sydney to fix the mess she had created.  Everyone knew that she was right.  The leopards were not as family oriented as other shifters, but they did not take kindly to an outsider killing one of their own.  If Ally were to step in and fix the situation, they would only accuse her of helping a murderer, of not being loyal to their kind.  She could not tempt her fate any more than she already had.  She needed these people to think of her as a Queen and if she sided with Sydney, it would bring her back to where she had started.

“Where is she?” Isaac mumbled as he glanced into the woods.  “She should be back by now.”

“I don’t know,” Blake replied, keeping his eyes on Ally and the dying guard.

Isaac took a step closer to him.  Leaning over, he whispered as quietly as possible, “Someone here isn’t what they seem.”

Blake opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Isaac shook his head and took a step away from him.  Speaking in a louder tone, the lion shifter said, “I’m going to go find out what is taking her so long.”

Blake saw the subtle movement from the corner of his eye.  A woman to his left had tensed when Isaac spoke.  Blake shook his head, there was something about the lion that no one was telling him.  Isaac wasn’t a normal shifter, there was something lurking beneath the surface, something he wasn’t sure he wanted to discover.  Turning his body in the woman’s direction, Blake put a confused expression on his face. The thing was, he didn’t have to pretend.  He had no clue who the woman was.

“Are you part of her guard?”

The woman’s eyes widened.  She glanced behind her as if she couldn’t believe he was talking to her, but still, she didn’t say a word.

A nearby guard, who Blake had seen around, answered his question with a nod.  Confused, Blake took a step closer to the woman.  “I asked if you were part of the Queen’s guard.”

“Who are you talking to, man?”

He looked over at Isaac who had a confused expression on his face.  Blake motioned towards the woman.  “She’s standing right there.  She tensed when you were speaking.”

“Blake,” Isaac said in a calming voice, “there is no one there.”

He turned back, almost expecting the woman to be gone, but she still stood there, looking captivated by him.  “You can see me?” she asked.

Blake hesitated before nodding.  “Of course, I can.”

“My magic,” she mumbled before her eyes went to the guard on the ground.  Following her gaze, Blake noticed that Ally had stood to her full height.  The woman’s eyes became frantic as she looked for an escape, but she was frozen.  Blake wasn’t sure what was happening, but he knew the woman was under Ally’s control.  That meant one thing; the mysterious woman was a shifter. 

Ally stood beside him, her eyes narrowed in rage.  He knew that she was furious with the fact that Jones was injured.  She had no one to take it out on, and Blake almost felt pity for the frightened woman standing in front of him.  He only had one question before Ally killed her.  “Why can’t anyone see her?”

“Snow shifter magic,” Ally spat out, “and I’m tired of it.  I’m tired of them thinking that they can use their magic to spy, that they can use their magic on anyone who happens to cross their path.  If they want to fight with magic, I’ll show them magic.”

The woman’s hand snapped up, her claws extracted and Blake went to take a step in front of Ally, thinking that she had lost control over the woman.  He froze, though, when he saw the woman dig her claw into her own arm.  The woman’s screams filled the forest as she peeled the skin from her body.  Blake forced himself to watch as the woman’s blood dripped to the ground.  All around them, the guards watched their Queen deal out her punishment.  It seemed that the woman couldn’t concentrate on her magic anymore, because everyone around them could see the torture on her face.

Suddenly, the woman froze, a shocked look on her face.  “You mean it?” she whispered.

Ally nodded.  “I release you.  Go back to your traitors and tell them that this is a warning.  Don’t be fooled, Madeline.  I know where you are, and I can screw with your mind better than anyone else can.”

Madeline looked down at her body, her eyes widened before she looked back up at Ally.  “None of that happened?”

“You cut yourself; it’ll heal.  Now, go before I do something I regret.” Madeline turned.  “Oh, Madeline,” Ally called out, causing the woman to look over her shoulder.  “Tell that bitch that if she goes after another person that I love, I’ll do worse than just kill her.”