Primalcraft: Sins of Bygone days (book 2)

Chapter 21

Elliott leaned over his desk. He took deep breaths but nothing seems to calm his raging heart. With a ferocious growl, he slammed the desk to pieces. Jaxon winced while Kai glared grimly. Joshua looked completely unaffected while Owen did not even have the energy to reprimand him. Aeron looked like he wanted to vanish while Haley just curled up with a pale face.

"Have you found Mark Rowe yet?" Elliott growled at Joshua who shook his head.

"The little weasel has hidden himself well. Maybe he skipped town."

"I doubt it. He knows that we will hunt him down like a dog. No, he most likely went to Ronan Walsh for protection," said Kai openly took a drink. He was in no mood to hide his drinking habits.

"Probablement. He most likely was under Ronan's order," Joshua replied.

"Doubtful. Ronan would never allow anyone to kill a child," said Elliott and Joshua snorted.

"No, he just abuses them."

"He doesn't consider a sixteen years old boy a child. But Lewis Nottingham was just five years old. He won't let that stand," Elliott said and Joshua cocked an eyebrow at him. Elliott grimaced as he knew how it sounded. He did not want to defend Ronan but this was not like him.

"I'm not worried about Walsh but we need to find Mark Rowe and punish him. Or all shifters might be blamed for this," said Owen and all of the room fell silent as they all knew that this was the truth. The coven has wanted to blame the shifters for something. This was a golden opportunity for them.

"Why not hand Rowe over to the coven?" Jaxon asked. His voice came out like a meek whisper as he still could see the broken, little body of a child in front of him. The smell of blood haunted him. Kai glanced at him before putting an arm around his brother who at the moment looked very young.

"Because the coven would rip him apart. You saw what they wanted to do to Blake even though he was innocent," said Elliott grimly.

"And that is a bad thing. The lad is a murderer," said Joshua."He ripped a child to pieces."

Elliott sighed and rubbed his face. This whole incident was bizarre at best. Mark Rowe was many things, but a murderer? What the hell happened? Could it be...

"What are you thinking?" asked Owen.

"We know that someone is pulling the strings in the background. I am wondering if Mark's action was truly his own," Elliott muttered.

"The choice of killing a child was his," Joshua answered but Elliott was not as sure. There was plenty of magic that could affect a person. Not to mention taking control of them. Fingal Keir was the proof of that.

"Anyway, I don't think that sending a child to be ripped apart by a mob is justice. Rowe need to be judged in a trial, not by an angry mob," said Elliott.

"I don't think you have any choice?"

Everyone turned to the door who had opened and a pale Hamish Macrae stood there. His face was red after all the crying and his eyes were hollow. Haley got up and embraced his boyfriend without saying a word. Hamish sniffed while asking how Lewis could be dead. He and Haley just babysat him last week. The words hit Elliott's heart and it ached with the thought of his own future child. The pain Matthew must go through...

"What is going on?" Elliott asked gently and Hamish looked back at him when he had collected himself.

"The head Druid is mad. He wants Rowe dead. He even blames you. Knowing that you won't give him what he wants, he has gone to the coven that is more than willing to stir up trouble."