From The Ashes

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I awoke the next morning with a headache that pounded throughout my skull. I groaned as I sat up and rubbed the sleep away from my eyes. 

Goddess, who knew practicing could cause such pain?

I stretched my stiff limbs and rolled my neck, before finally dragging myself out of the bed and into the shower. The warmth of the water barely registered as it pelted my skin. I was on autopilot; just going through the motions. 

When I was finished, I climbed out and dressed in some outdoor gear, knowing that we could join Valen and Von at the cave today.

I had just finished packing my bag and was brushing my teeth when Artemis burst through the bedroom door. I whipped around to face her. 

"They're in trouble, we need to go now," she explained, as panic etched every crevice on her face.

Fear gripped my heart and I nodded as I spit the toothpaste out and gathered up my bag. I followed her out, sprinting down the hallway and up the stone steps.

We didn't stop as we dove through the crack in the wall and shifted, not caring about our clothes right now, and took off into the trees. 

Sienna was growling in my head, irritated that she couldn't mind-link Valen or Orion and get insight on the situation. I pushed my limbs harder, my paws hitting the dirt with remarkable speed.

Artemis kept pace with me and I could feel the worry rolling off of her in waves. We were on a mission now, a mission to get to our mates. 

We dodged and weaved every obstacle in our path, letting twigs whip at our fur and cut our skin as we did so.

Finally, the mouth of the lake emerged before us. We stopped for a brief second to listen. At first the land was deathly quiet, but then we heard the faint snarls of multiple wolves coming from across the lake.

We took off running again toward the mouth of the waterfall and made it there in record time. 

We plunged in, not caring about the icy chill of the water. Sienna was growing more and more anxious the closer we got and fear continued to bleed through my veins.

I had to get to Valen. I had to know he was safe. 

We emerged on the shoreline of the cave, taking in the scene around us. 

There was a pile of smoldering ashes in the middle of five sleeping bags. All of which were empty and torn. Their packs looked like they had been rummaged through and trash littered the ground everywhere.

I looked to Artemis and saw her sniffing one in particular, which I assumed to be Von's. 

I put my snout to the ground and did the same, quickly pinpointing which of the things belonged to Valen. We followed their trails deeper and deeper into the cave, getting closer to the nest of the Fate Spinner with every step.

We could hear faint breathing, which we took as a good sign, but nothing else. 

The fur on my hackles rose as we stopped outside the entrance of the nest. I looked down and noticed small droplets of blood leading into the domain.

I nudged Artemis and showed her. She bent down to sniff, and let out a low growl. She looked back to me and nodded. I closed my eyes and concentrated for a moment, letting the light envelop my body and invade my heart. When I opened my eyes again, I could see everything in fine detail despite the darkness. 

I knelt down and shimmied into the lair on my belly, leaving tufts of fur in my wake. I looked up and panic seized me again, as I saw five bodies hanging from a thick web on the ceiling, all tightly wrapped in a sticky cocoon.