It all begins when a silver dagger goes missing.
For her entire life, a human named Cora Gabris has known that lycans were searching for her, as she was born as a Ruby -- a human that, when turned into a lycan, will become much stronger than any of...
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The darkness of night made it hard for Cora to appreciate the vastness of her surroundings. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I almost wish I were a lycan right now. If she were one of them, she'd be able to see through the dark like all the others around her, and even harness her own strength that rivaled them. But as she looked back down at her brother's face, she wasn't quite ready to forgo her humanity either.
In that, she had a feeling she'd never be ready.
Cora leaned away from her brother after pulling some of the hay from his hair. He desperately needed a bath. She looked around once again, having just left the Alpha's Forum after meeting Theran. It didn't go as expected and yet was better than she hoped. All she knew was that it felt good to come to Ben right away, even if he were out of it.
The cart that Roman pulled was parked just outside of the entrance of the Alpha's Forum. Cora fixed her attention Hilda who neared them. Roman sat dutifully at the head of the wagon, feet perched up as he chewed on venison jerky.
Getting out of the wagon to greet Hilda, Cora was about to ask if the witch was allowed to stay with them, but a new lycan caught Cora's attention, one who approached after exiting the Alpha's Forum. The light of the braziers shined brightly around her bright, red robes.
One of their Seers.
As the Seer neared, Hilda turned to face the female lycan, who had medium skin with salt and pepper brown hair that was pulled back and draped over her shoulders. Her face was long with thin lips and heavily hooded eyes, looking over Cora and Hilda with calculation. There was a tattoo on the female's neck of a full moon, a crescent on either side. She also wore many bracelets that clinked with each step.
When the Seer spoke, her voice was deep and rasp, her gaze on Hilda. "So, you are the witch."
Hilda bore a similar expression of apathy as she addressed the Seer, gripping her dirty skirt. "And you are one of their Seers...I am surprised to see that you speak our tongue."
"Yes, most of our Seers do, although not all"--she glanced to Cora and bowed her head deeply--"My name is Oleva, and it is an honor to meet the Omni. While I wish your witch could stay with you, I need her to come with me."
Oleva moved her arm to direct their attention to the lake behind the island that the Alpha's Forum sat upon, and to the left, in the distance of the small island, were nearly ten canoes, all waiting to be used. Ambient light from the torches glinted off of Oleva's many bracelets, and then even reflected in her eyes as she glanced back to Hilda. "We will travel by canoe. It is a time consuming journey, so we are best to begin now."
Hilda shook her head. "I am not a swamp witch, nor an ocean witch. I do not do water."
Oleva was hardly deterred. "We have lycans of the Thaella Clans waiting to escort us, and they will guide the canoes. You need but sit in it."
