The Siren Song - Book 2 of the Legends of Henge Series

Chapter 5

Lark Tanning

"Where the hell are we?" I gasped, having expected to fall into the icy depths of water. All around me were tall walls of stone and rock.

"Welcome to the largest settlement of shifters in the world," Megan gestured around at the empty space. I gazed at her suspiciously.

"There's no one here," I accused her.

"No, but if you listen, you can hear them," she mimed putting a hand to her ear and I just rolled my eyes. There was a faint commotion coming from down the tunnel if you were quiet enough to hear it. "Come on, this way." She waved me after her as she led the way to the noise. "If you thought Vale was impressive, you're in for a shock."

Just as I opened my mouth the respond, my eyes graced the wonder of the enormous place. My jaw went slack and I uttered a sort of squeak of disbelief. "Welcome to Gyanganj," Megan made a sort of flourish with her hand.

The entire place was bustling with animals and people, bringing carts full of colorful fruit and flowers and baskets of shining clothes. The markings on some of the shifters were truly incredible. Some looked like tribal patterns and others looked spiritual.

Pillars with carved out houses and bridges reached high into the air. I could not see the ceiling but I knew they must reach to that point. Sparkling trees with crystalline flowers littered the walls and ground.

Megan slapped my hand away from one of them. "Don't touch," she warned.

Buildings of all shapes and sizes built from various materials stood in random places. A wood house was built around one of the pillars high above our heads. Buildings were carved out of the walls like the Pueblo.

Branching alleys faded into darkness around them as we continued down what looked like the main road. There were paddocks of white bucks, antlers larger than any I'd ever seen. The oddest thing about them was the white feathered wings protruding from just behind their shoulder blades.

Many creatures I'd never seen before scrambled around, looking for scraps and the shifters seemed unperturbed by their presence. "Where is this place?"

"Nepal," Megan answered. "Or more specifically, inside the Himalayas."

"What?"

"Yeah, I told you it was the biggest settlement," Megan smirked. "It used to be in the valleys but people kept stumbling into and chameleon blood didn't work on all the people. So we moved Gyanganj inside the mountain. Of course, there are still rumors that you just have the right mindset to get here but they'll never find us."

"Why did you take me here?"

"I don't see you complaining," Megan looked at me out of the corner of my eye but I just couldn't force the look of awe and amazement from my face. "It's almost the Summer Solstice meeting of the Foxfire council and they all want to see you."

I stopped in my tracks. "But why?"

"Because it's imperative that you go back to school," Megan snapped. "Few people have been to these meetings so please-" she glared at me, "-don't make a fool of yourself."

"When's the meeting?"

"In a few weeks, I'm pretty sure," Megan said. "Something like that. Until that, I'll be teaching you how not to make a fool of yourself."

My eyes landed on what looked like a large training area. There were young people in intense fights with one another, just outside a huge building with curls on the end of the roofing like Japanese architecture. "Is there a school here?"