Falsified (Tarnished Book 2)

36 Return of the Wolf

The Valkrylupis lives inside me. Staring down at my hands, I realized that Kader and I were similar in our goals, but are we the same person? I glanced up at Mesmer and wandered over to the door that possibly led back to the palace. I paused with my hand on the knob.

"Beast or not, I chose to protect Terra because it was what I wanted not because the Maidens asked me to." I began to turn the knob.

"Then what about this world are you protecting, your highness?"

I smirked sadly over my shoulder. "Is it not obvious? You are the strange one here." I opened the door and found myself back in the Crow's hallway. I wonder how much time has passed in Mesmer's realm.

I glanced back the door had vanished and with-it Mesmer. I ran swiftly back to the courtyard to find several gouges in the area on the ground and columns. I closed my eyes and tried to sense the auras of everyone, but I could not seem to pinpoint them. "In that case," I climbed up onto the roof to see smoke billowing out from the village in the west. "This is worse than I thought." I leaped down on the other side of the palace walls and ran toward the smoke.

Racing as fast as I could go, I heard beasts and human screams ahead of me. I accelerated toward the village I stayed in with Zelme.

Once I reached the area, beasts were running wild hunting down any innocent victim to gorge themselves on. The beasts have nearly taken it over.

"Everyone stay calm we are here to deal with them." Zazi's voice made me jolt into action.

I summoned my power and pounced at a wolfgon about to strike a group of stragglers. They stared at me with surprise and nodded their thanks as they retreated to the others. I held the beast down while they got away. I pried the beast's jaws open and sent my destructive power through it. Blood shot into the air and came down like rain over me.

"Jaiden, where have you been?" Kay found me out first. "Idiot, when we couldn't find you, we thought we would never see you again."

I ignored him searching for Ravela.

"Hey, terra to Jaiden."

I sighed because I could not sense the presence of him anywhere. I walked away from the dead wolfgon corpse and strode over to the survivors of this war against beasts and man. Zazi and the others spotted me covered in blood when I stopped short sensing the person I least wanted to see.

"Well, either he was a fool, or you escaped on your own, little wolf." Ravela snickered while he perched himself on the roof near the remaining people of this village. "What will you do now covered in blood all because you want me dead?"

I gave no response and walked over to my allies.

"Hmm, strange no banter. Here I thought, you were going to make me suffer."

I stopped before reaching them. "Game over, Ravela. Your free reign is ending even if I must tear myself to shreds." I glared up at him. "I warned you, you do not get to threaten this world any longer."

"Little wolf, you still have no edge to those claws of yours." Ravela leaped down to the street and smiled. "Last chance to join me or live your life as the beast I raised inside you."

People searched me for a definite answer of if I would betray them, but I summoned blades of ice to my hands. I tore my eyes from Ravela and drove my swords into the ground in front of me.

"One thing first," I spoke and stared at him from the corner of my eye. "Your goal was never your wife, so was your goal to turn me into the Valkrylupis?"