The Captive

Chapter 18: The Message

Scar's POV

Rhyn and I had been alerted of a discrepancy in the border check.

Apparently someone had come across a body.

We went out to investigate.

Several of our pack members were standing around, carefully cleaning off the corpse.

It had been there for only a day, but it was already starting to stink, and rot.

When I saw her, I froze.

"You recognize her?" the woman who'd discovered her asked. Her name was Raina, she was one of the few female werewolves that belonged to my pack specifically.

"She was one of us." Rhyn supplied.

I nodded slowly, stepping closer. The people stepped out of my way as I closed in.

I pushed her blond hair out of her face. It was bloody and swollen in places, but I knew it had to be her. Those ice blue eyes couldn't belong to anyone else "It's Kendra." I said softly.

She hadn't been my favorite person, but I couldn't hate her. Not really.

I closed her eyelids gently and stepped back to get a better look at her position.

She'd been nailed to the tree by her wrists, but I was pretty sure she'd been dead before then anyway. She was naked, though you couldn't really tell considering she was covered in grime and dried blood from the various gashes that covered her body. What parts of skin that weren't covered by the filth were marred by bruises. 

"She was tortured." I bit out, a bitter taste in my mouth.

"It's a message?" Rhyn suggested.

I glanced back at him "Most definitely."

He nodded "We better take her back to Madge, then."

I nodded "And contact Talon."

I started in on the nails at her wrists as gently as possible. Just because she was dead didn't mean her body didn't deserve a certain respect.

I knew the Vampyres were behind this. They would have to be.

This meant that the war had begun.

Vasilisa's POV

Mom, Julie, and I had been practising all afternoon.

It was exhilarating, learning all of these new things.

Julie and Mom were looking quite tired after only a few spells.

"Dear God, woman, what is your stamina made of?" Julie exclaimed.

I grinned "Pure will power and stubbornness."

Mom laughed "You're just like my grandmother, Vas. She could do this forever and ever as well. A natural, she said she was."

I glanced at the tea on the table and focused to move their saucers to them. I didn't even have to use the oral incantations anymore.

They grasped the saucers out of mid-air and thanked me.

I hopped around happily "Yippee!" 

Mother laughed "Oh, don't get so excited, you'll surely hurt yourself."

I sat down beside them on the rug "So, what will we learn next?"

Mother pursed her lips, thinking it over "I think I'll just let you two at the book."

Julie and I both appalled at the same time "Book?!"

She nodded "Yep, there's a book with a lot of spells in it. I could never really figure them all out on my own, but I'm sure between the three of us we could procure a few."