Igniting Sparks

Chapter 48.

Edited by KitWulf                                          26-5-2021

*

"This should be it."

Azura watched the small clearing just outside of the city of Norbury. Killian had sent her directions to the place they could park the car and leave their belongings safe from prying eyes. At least, that's what he had promised. She had to take his word for it and said a small prayer he wasn't setting them up.

From here on they would have to shift and continue the rest of their journey as snow leopards. 'Head North and the way would show itself', Killian had told them, as if they had parts in a bad movie. Azura had tried to get better directions and asked if there was no other way, but Killian had sworn that it was the only way for now.

They were a two days drive away from Greenwood now and the scenery had dramatically changed during the ride. The weather was much colder here and resembled Pleyvale. They were again surrounded by tall mountains but these were much rockier and steeper than the ones she was used to at their home. Doing the math, they were technically a six-hour drive away from the green-eyed home base.

Being back in a place where the air was almost laced with ice felt amazing. No matter how much she loved the woods at Greenwood, now that she'd spent some time in the snow and mountains, she did prefer this type of terrain. It was much more suited for a snow leopard and less for wolves so it only made sense. There was no snow yet where they stood now, but Azura could smell it in the air. It wouldn't be long before the white substance would cover this area as well.

Taking out her phone, Azura started typing a long message. Lucas glanced over and had to stifle a laugh as he read Rose's name in the recipient box.

"Sending your last regards to our friends?" She glared at Lucas and let out a sneer before continuing her message on the phone. Once she was done she put it away and glared at him again.

"In case you haven't realized it yet, we are supposed to leave everything behind here. Once we leave the car, there's no way to contact anyone we know. It's just too difficult to bring stuff with us once we've shifted. We're going into a lion's den, Lucas, without any form of communication with us. You do realize that don't you? Better to update people we know that we won't be able to contact them for a couple of days before they become concerned. After a week, they have every right to get worried."

"I know, Azu." He stepped closer to her, leaving only a couple of centimeters between them. "I'm very much aware of the risks that we are taking with doing this. If it was up to me, we wouldn't even be doing this. Especially after everything we've learned from Sloan. But I also understand this is the only time and chance we have to do this and I know what it means to you. There's no way I will let you go alone."

She let the built-up frustration flow free as she exhaled sharply. It wasn't the time to start picking fights and she knew he meant well. Cracking jokes was his way of coping. That or he would find a bar and drink till he would almost fall off his stool. The latter had not happened a lot but there had been days they'd both raised a glass and had a bit too much to drink. The only problem she experienced was that Lucas could handle his liquor a lot better than her.

"Look, I've contacted everyone about where we are and our plans. I'm almost ready to go." She softly pushed him out of the way and headed to the back of the car where she started rummaging through their luggage. The notebook she had been given rested between the rest of the luggage, carefully wrapped so it wouldn't be damaged. She had not read it yet, just stared at it from time to time but couldn't force herself to open it. She knew the contents, that was what mattered. Details could wait.