Disclaimer: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others.
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Sometimes, just when you think you have your life figured out, you discover you don't have a blasted clue. Eirlys, Lys to those closest to her, thought she had her life all planned out. She was going to university to get her Bachelor of Science in Music with the eventual goal of getting her Master's degree. She loved to sing and play her guitar, violin, and piano, but those were more like her hobbies. What she really wanted to do was get into the production side of music, hence the Bachelor of Science. She had one semester left when she was suddenly called home to St. Asaph in Wales. Her grandmother needed to see her right away. Eirlys dropped everything to go home. Her grandmother raised her after her mother died when she was eight; if she needed her Eirlys would be there.
As soon as she stepped into the cottage she'd called home most of her life she could smell death. Her grandmother was dying. Eirlys swallowed down her fear and moved to her grandmother's room. She tried to prepare herself for what she might see beyond that closed door and then she stepped inside.
Dafina Blackwood lay in her bed with a handmade quilt covering her. She was propped up into a sitting position with a bunch of pillows and at first it looked like she was asleep. At the sound of the door her eyes opened. "There's my girl."
"Gran." Eirlys was shocked by the frail woman in the bed. Her grandmother was always so strong, so vibrant, and now she was but a shadow of herself. "Why didn't you send for me sooner?" she asked as she approached.
"Because you would have abandoned your dreams to come take care of me and I wouldn't have it," Dafina replied. "Come sit with me. We need to talk," she added and patted the bed next to her.
Eirlys moved to the bed and slid onto it to sit next to her grandmother." I should have been here, gran," she said softly.
"Nonsense. You were right where you needed to be, my girl," Dafina replied. She took a deep breath and held it a moment before she let it out slowly. "I'm dying, Lys, there's nothing that can stop it. I need you to do something. I need you to go to the United States to find someone."
Eirlys gave her a puzzled look. "Who am I going to the U.S. To look for, gran?"
"His name is Bran Cornick. He is a very elusive man. You may have an easier time locating his son, Samuel Cornick. I believe he is a doctor," Dafina replied.
"Gran? Why do you want me to find this Bran Cornick?"
"Because, child, he is family. Distant but still family. And I do not want you to face this world alone once I'm gone."
Eirlys shifted to look at her. "Why didn't you ever tell me I had family in the states?" she asked with a frown.
Dafina sighed. "Because, my girl, there are about Bran Cornick that are unsettling. You see, Eirlys, he and his son are wolves." Dafina didn't know he had two sons.
Lys stared at her. "You mean... Oh. That explains so much. Many of their kind don't like our kind."
Dafina laughed weakly. "Bran Cornick is the most distrusting of witchborn such as us. He believes all witchborn are black because they are the only ones who are strong enough to survive."
"We've done alright without resorting to black magic," Eirlys countered.
"True enough but that's because we've stayed to ourselves." Dafina closed her eyes a moment. "Promise me you'll look for Bran Cornick. He won't believe you, at first, when you tell him you are a distant relative, not until you give him proof. In the chest at the foot of the bed you'll find a small, silver box. It has the proof inside. Give it to him and he'll know." She coughed and there was blood in it.
Eirlys felt tears in her eyes. "I promise gran, I'll go find Bran Cornick."
"Thank you, my girl. I can go to eternal rest now knowing you'll be safe."
Dafina held onto life for two more days, during which time she told Eirlys exactly how she was related to Bran and Samuel Cornick, before she finally breathed her last breath. Eirlys was at her grandmother's side and felt her soul leave her body. "Goddess keep you in Her embrace, gran," she whispered and kissed her grandmother's cheek. Tears flowed freely as she waited for her grandmother's body to be taken away to be prepared for burial. Looking at the silver box she'd placed on the dresser Eirlys heaved a heavy sigh. She would keep her promise but she she had no idea where to even begin her search for Bran or Samuel Cornick.
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Three months. That's how long it had been since her gran's death. Three months and so far nothing. Trying to find a single person in a country the size of the United States was like looking for a needle in a haystack; nigh impossible. Eirlys was beginning to think her grandmother set her on an impossible course.
And then there was a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. She located a Dr. Samuel Cornick at Kennewick General Hospital in Kennewick, WA. She just hoped this lead wasn't yet another dead end. She'd traveled to Texas because she'd heard of a 'Dr. Samuel Cornick' there only to find he'd moved away and no one knew where he was.
"I sure hope this isn't a wild goose chase, gran," she said before she slid onto her bike and headed out. She'd gotten the motorcycle as soon as she'd reached the states because it was cheaper on gas and she could travel faster on it than in a car. Besides, motorcycles were fun to drive.
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"I'm sorry, miss, Dr. Cornick no longer works here."
Eirlys wanted to scream. Another blasted dead end! "You wouldn't happen to know where he transferred to, would you?" she asked even though she expected it to be in vain.
"I don't but a good friend of his might be able to help you find him. Her name is Mercy Hauptman. She's married to the alpha of our local werewolf pack, Adam Hauptman. If you'll hold on just a minute I can give you the number to her shop. She's a mechanic," the nurse said.
"That would be lovely, thank you so much," Eirlys replied. She waited patiently for the number and thanked the nurse again before she left the hospital.
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Mercy was puzzled when an odd phone number popped up on her phone. It definitely wasn't a familiar one, that was for sure. "Mercy Hauptman," she said when she answered it.
"'Ello, Mrs. Hauptman. My name is Eirlys Blackwood. I was given your number in hopes you could help me get in touch with Samuel Cornick," Eirlys said. She stood just outside the hospital while she talked.
Mercy was instantly alert. "Why are you looking for Samuel Cornick?"
"That's a bit... complicated," Eirlys admitted.
"I'll tell you what. Why don't you meet my husband and I and you can explain this 'complicated' reason in person," Mercy countered. She wasn't about to give the person on the other end Samuel's number or whereabouts without making sure it was safe to. He had a wife and a new baby to think about.
"Of course. I don't know much about the area but I have a room at the Holiday Inn. We could meet at the restaurant attached to it," she suggested.
"Give me just a minute," Mercy said and covered the phone to talk with Adam briefly. "We'll be there in half an hour."
"I'll reserve a table. Just tell the hostess you're with the Blackwood party," Eirlys replied and hung up. Finally she was making some headway in her search. She just really hoped Mercy Hauptman really did know where he was.
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Mercy sensed magic as they approached the table. Her eyes narrowed and she tensed a little. Whatever it was faded away but she didn't let go of the tension. "So, why is a witch looking for Samuel Cornick?" she asked when they stopped next to the table.
Eirlys jumped at the voice. "What? How did you know I'm a witch?"
"I can sense magic," Mercy replied. "What were you doing just now?"
"My apologies. It was a cleansing ritual to rid myself of negativity. These last few months haven't been easy ones," she replied.
Adam gave a slight nod. She was telling the truth. They sat across from the stranger and he let Mercy do the talking.
"You said you're looking for Samuel. Before I tell you anything I need to know why. What is it you want from him?"
"It's really his father, Bran Cornick, that I need to find but I was told it might be easier to find his son, Samuel. As if three months of searching, and several dead ends, is easy."
"The question stands. What is it you want?" Mercy asked again.
"I don't want anything from them, Mrs. Hauptman. I'm trying to find them because they're the only family I have left in this world."
Mercy blinked. "Come again?"
"I am a distant descendant of the brother Bran Cornick lost when he was made a werewolf. I was only told of this a few months ago, when my gran died, or I would have begun my search before now."
"I didn't know Bran had a brother," Mercy said then waved it away. "Doesn't matter that I didn't know. Bran isn't just going to take your word for it, you know?"
Eirlys nodded. "I know. I have the proof I need to convince him. Please, I just need to find them. Even if they don't believe me. I made a promise to my gran on her death bed, I have to keep it."
"Okay, okay," Mercy replied. "They live in a really small town in Montana called Aspen Creek. I'll give you directions on how to get there," she said and got something to write on. A napkin was better than nothing, right?
"Thank you, I really appreciate this," Eirlys said. She would head out first thing in the morning.
"Don't thank me yet, they might not even let you get two words out before you're told to leave their town. Bran really doesn't like witches," Mercy told her before she and Adam left to go home.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Eirlys replied before she went to her hotel room to try to get some rest. She had a feeling she was going to need it.