Forbidden

Chapter 43

43

 

The morning air was blisteringly cold.

Too cold for autumn.

Yet still, the Shadow Pack had gathered all their belongings from the mountainside and ventured down into the smoky pits of the forest which was once theirs to roam. Now we were all trodding carefully, every noise made one look around. Were we in danger? Not yet, the Leaf hadn’t found us. But when they did, this was war.

I walked beside Liam at the front of the long line of Pack members, some in wolf form, others stumbling along as humans while lugging the remnants of the tents they’d slept in during the night. Children knew better than to giggle and revel in their childhood now and all of us were deathly silent.

Liam grasped my hand tightly in his larger one, his eyes darting around our surroundings every second, on high alert.

The smell of the remaining ashes was pungent and bitter and I tried my best to cope with it seeping into my lungs and coating them with its poison. Liam’s hand squeezing mine comforted me.

I hadn’t seen Carmen or Mamma Rowan since we left the house yesterday. They didn’t show up at the camp site on the mountain yesterday, nor could I see them in the throng of Shadows that followed us. I hoped nothing had happened to Mamma Rowan—not so much Carmen. I didn’t know what was wrong with that woman, but she was pure malice. She was the one who’d thrown down the Line allowing the Leaf wolves to wreak havoc on the Pack with their dirty tactics and plotting of fires all over the land.

I only hoped deep in my heart that Mamma Rowan had managed to restrain Carmen and save herself.

As we got deeper into the forest where the ashes became denser and there were only burnt crisps of trees, I noticed the smell of acrid ashes and burnt flesh. Someone had died out here, and I knew it had to be an unlucky Shadow.

Trodding through the ashes, my foot managed to brush something cold, and I looked down, finding a silver heart locket, with a thin wispy chain—the clasp broken.

Only feet away from the discarded locket, was the remains of a person. It had to be if the revolting stench hadn’t given it away. Their skin was charred and split, the skin underneath bright red and disgusting. Burnt blond hair hung around the burnt face and two blue eyes peeked out at me.

I screamed.

Liam’s arms wrapped around my waist as my scream continued to permeate the air, burying my face in his chest and cradling my head in his hands. Not too far behind me, scuffle ensued, screams and cries adding to the mix of agony that all of us felt. Somebody was screaming fervent “no’s” into the air, deep throat rasping screams that raised goose bumps on my skin.

I buried my head further into Liam’s chest and he rubbed soothing circles on my spine, while holding me close to him, protecting me. There was no telling what the Shadows would do now. If that person had died in the swirling heat of the fire, there was no telling how many others had perished alongside them.