Chapter 7

They arrived in Craigwood just as the sun silently slipped behind the hills, bleeding the land into darkness. Lord Mascar, whose manor house was located above House Obsidian, was one of the few lords the Darsharn worked with openly. He had proven himself to be an invaluable asset, as he was the mastermind behind their network of spies. Lee hadn't yet had the opportunity to work with Lord Mascar in person since her elevated position to Commander and hoped during this assignment to re-strengthen the bond between the Darsharn and one of their best allies.

Devon touched his amethyst stone beneath his shirt. He was still taking time to adjust to his new appearance, but the most disturbing thing was to see his brother wearing a different face. After years of looking at Cain and seeing his own features reflected back at him it was almost eerie to hear his voice coming out of a stranger's mouth.

'We're going to have to split up,' Lee said, stopping beneath a shelter of trees.

Rowina shifted her backpack to a more comfortable position on her shoulders. 'Aren't we going to House Obsidian first to get a background of what's going on here?'

'You and Luviree go. We need to get to the safe house within the hour, so I'll go ahead with Cain and Devon. Meet us there when you're finished." Lee turned to Luviree. 'I want to know everything about the shape shifters before tomorrow.'

Luviree opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, but thought better of it.

'And inform Lord Mascar that I would speak with him tomorrow night. We have a lot to talk about.'

Rowina smiled widely. 'It'll be my pleasure.' Luviree shot her an odd look.

'Good. Let's go.'


The door opened and a man stood framed by the doorway dressed in blue track pants and a white t-shirt. He had long honey brown hair plated down his back till it brushed his waist. His eyes were dark and Lee sensed the power in them. A small scar cut across one eyebrow and two silver earrings glinted on the upper part of his left ear. If he had an eye patch he could have passed for a pirate.

His face lacked expression as he assessed them. 'When the cloud passes over the moon…' his deep voice trailed off.

Lee frowned. 'We don't have verbal codes Drustain.'

A grin flashed across his face like lightening. 'Just checking.'

Lee stared at him blandly and lifted up her wrist so the black dragon tattoo faced him. Drustin took out some white powder from his pocket, mumbled an incantation and blew. The tattoo shimmered for a second and then returned to normal.

He chuckled as he moved sideways to let them through the doorway. 'You won't believe some of the stuff I hear when I say that line.'

Lee paused as she walked past. 'You mean others have found out about the safe house?'

Drustain grinned again. 'No, no, just the new Darsharn get a little confused on their first assignments.'

Lee sighed and continued past. Drustain was a powerful witch from Circle Full Moon and had been with the Darsharn for decades. His powerful and exotic appearance belied his twisted humor and his love for mischief.

Drustain nodded as Cain and Devin walked up the stairs. 'New here?'

Devon cast a quick look at Cain. 'Uh, no.' He smiled weakly. 'Not at all.' Drustain shot him a knowing look and blew the white powder across their tattoos. Devon felt a slight burning as his Darsharn symbol shimmered.

'What does the powder do?' Devon moved aside for Cain and rubbed his wrist.

'It confirms that you're Darsharn and not someone or something else.' Drustain dusted the powder from his hands and closed the door behind them.

They walked down the hallway into a large living room with a couple of leather couches and a large black wood fireplace. What immediately caught Devon's attention was the large painting of a woman clad in shadows and light, siren red hair streaming back as she lifted her arms towards in the full moon as if embracing a lover.

'Okay,' Drustain said as walked across the rug in his bare feet, 'house rules. Kitchen is to your right. This is not a boarding house so if you're hungry make your own food. The fridge is regularly stocked. There is no blood wine, so don't expect to have a good time.' His eyebrows drew themselves close together in a frown. 'Most importantly, there are no guests allowed. So if you see a nice piece of tail at the university don't even think about bringing them back here because I'll flay the skin off your bones.'

He lifted a hand a pointed to the door on the right. 'That door leads to my room and study. Don't go there because I'll know and then I'll skin you. Your rooms are upstairs. Break or damage anything and you'll have to replace it.'

'Right, or you'll maim us?' Devon slanted a look at Cain.

Drustain smiled, but it didn't look like he was joking.

They heard footsteps as Lee made her way downstairs from the floor above. The Darsharn leather was gone but in its place was a worn looking pair of black jeans and a thin black jumper with a hood that covered the bright shock of short blond hair.

'Going out so soon?' Drustain asked.

Lee stopped to slide a silver knife she was holding in her boot. 'I'm going ahead to scout the area. Rowina and Luviree should be arriving within the hour.'

Drustain's muttered something vile under his breath. Whether it was about Rowina or Luviree, Cain wasn't sure.

Lee looked at Cain and Devon. 'Do you remember the forest on the other side of these buildings by the university?' They both nodded. 'Meet me there in an hour. If I'm not there go back to the safe house.' She walked out the room and out the door.


The novice greeted them at the entrance to House Obsidian and bowed low. 'Are you here to see the tayga?' he asked respectfully. They had taken their amethyst necklaces off just in case their appearances caused confusion.

Rowina smiled cheekily. 'Yes, take us to good ol' Daegal.' The novice moved to escort them but Rowina waved him away. 'I know where it is. You can stay here.'

Luviree glared at Rowina as they walked down the large stone hallway. 'You should have more respect for the head of the safe house.'

Rowina turned her head questioningly. 'Why?'

Luviree spluttered. 'Because they have rank, they should have respect.'

Rowina smiled slowly. 'The sort of respect you showed the Commander yesterday?'

Luviree opened and closed her mouth. Her face heated and she growled.

'Yeah, that's what I thought.'

After a couple more turns they came to double black wooden door with silver hinges and a large silver dragon painted along the front. Fancy, Luviree thought. She raised her hand to knock but Rowina pushed the doors open and strode through.

Daegal looked up startled from the report he was reading. Luviree had heard about Daegal. He was yet another legend amongst the Darsharn and had been a strong contender for the First position. His dark hair fell in braids around his face and his skin was a colour brown that reminded Luviree of rich, warm soil. He had a warrior's build and a presence that demanded attention. Right now he was looking more then a little annoyed.

'I should have guessed, only you Rowina would dare barge into my office like an untrained novice.'

Rowina grinned. 'Come Daegal, I'm hardly untrained and I always think of doors as annoying obstacles.' She gestured to Luviree. 'This is Luviree. She is the head of Gavion's safe house.'

Luviree's mouth fell when Daegal barely glanced at her and turned his attention back to Rowina. How dare he! She fumed silently. Luviree knew the other Houses considered House Gavion less elite but she didn't expect to find herself ignored. And she was the tayga!

'I assume this is not a social call Rowina or another one of those infamous check ups on the progress of my students,' his voice droned out.

'Not today darling, we came for some information and to set up a meeting with Lord Mascar.'

Daegal put the papers he was reading down on his desk. 'Lord Mascar is a very busy man.'

'And the Commander is a very busy woman.'

There was a pregnant pause. 'The Commander's here?'

Rowina frowned. 'Yes, we're here on request from the Council to deal with the shapeshifters.'

Daegal clasped his hands together. 'The shapeshifters.'

Luviree smirked. 'You know, those people that can turn into big furry things. Might look like animals, make loud growling noises. You know what those are don't you?'

He shot her a furious look. 'Of course I know what shapeshifters are! I'm not an idiot!'

Luviree continued to smirk.

He looked at them straight in the eyes. 'What you don't seem to understand is that…we don't have a shapeshifter problem.'


Lee made her way towards the centre of the town, blending into the dark like a predator in the night. It was still early into the night so there were people milling around. Students, Lee suspected, back from late night classes and parents on their way home from work. She skirted the edge of a building and heard the sound of music and laughter. There were a number of bars that lined the street brightly lit by outside lights and glowing signs. She could see hazy clouds of smoke drifting up into the air and the sound of clinking class. She had a moment to wonder what kind of life this was.

Some Darsharn who went on assignments wanted to mix with the locals, deciding the best way to gain information was to become one of the crowd. Others like Lee chose to observe, walking in their world but never being apart of it. It was also a smarter way to avoid the attention of such groups like the Iron Fist or the groups of rogue vampires and witches.

Gazes slid past her as she walked out from between the buildings and continued down the street, making a mental map of where things were. She passed an old looking church on her right with a huge wooden cross mounted on the top and smiled inwardly. She had never been inside a church but a few of the Darsharn had. A lot of information had been traded within church walls. Lee knew that many of those who went to these churches never suspected that some of their priests allied themselves with a group many would believe had been spawned from the devil.

She brought her mind back to the situation at hand. Lee had not been born in the time of the Purge so had never had the opportunity to fight with a shifter. Their previous Commander Marvich had, and most of their knowledge had come from him and a few others who had also fought during that time. She knew they were quick, almost as quick as the Darsharn without the enhancement of magic. Those who could take on the shape of deadly animals were the fighters of the clans, and those who could shift into smaller animals like birds were the information gatherers. And then there were the werewolves who were the rouges of the shapeshifter clan, who chose not to obey their laws and formed their own circle. Lee wondered what breed they would encounter.

The university rose up ahead, built with stone and surrounded by lush grass and foliage. Craigwood forest spread out behind the university and she suspected that would be the main area of concentration. A group of students of students walked across the lawn towards her and Lee moved to the side of the path to give them room. There were three males and two females. Two of them were a couple and held hands and the other three were talking amongst themselves. As they walked passed one of the males smiled and nodded to her. She was about to nod back when a tingling sensation skimmed the back of her neck making her search the faces of the rest of the group. Her gaze went from the couple holding hands, to the other male in the group and finally came to rest on the other smaller female. She was holding a couple of books tightly to her chest with a bag slung over one shoulder. A long fall of hair the colour of spilled blood brushed the bottom of her dark green shirt. As Lee walked pass she didn't turn around, but she knew.

Shapeshifter.


Rowina growled. 'What do you mean you don't have a shapeshifter problem? We have had reports from a couple of sourcesthat shapeshifters have occupied Craigwood. There were tracks, noises, and one of the Darsharn even spotted one.'

Daegal shook his head. 'I didn't say we didn't have any shapeshifters, I said we didn't have a problem.'

Rowina smiled and it was not a nice one. 'Well darling, don't hold back on us now.'

'There were two or three shifters in the area but we were able to take care of them.' He crossed his arms over his chest in an arrogant gesture. 'We handled them pretty quickly.'

'Ok.' Rowina slid forward and settled her hip on the edge of his desk. 'Then how come we didn't receive a report on the incident?'

He moved subtly, putting a little distance between them. 'It happened only a couple of days ago. I still have to write the report.'

'So you are saying that because you didn't have time to write a measly small report, the Commander and the rest of us have made a trip down here for nothing?' she flared.

Luviree was surprised when he flashed a charming smile. 'I wouldn't say a waste of time. It's about time the Commander graced us with her presence, and I know Lord Mascar has been waiting to meet her.'

Rowina moved off the desk and headed towards the door. 'I'm not happy Daegal, but I'll have to report to the Commander about this.' She glanced back over her shoulder. 'Keep the date with Lord Mascar,' she grinned suddenly. 'She wouldn't want to miss that.'

Luviree paused on the way out. 'Two or three?'

Daegal frowned at her. 'Two or three what?'

'The shapeshifters that you dealt with. It's either two or three. Which is it?'

His eyes flickered. 'Three.'

Luviree tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment. She nodded. 'That's what I thought.' She followed Rowina out the door.


Lee kept her eyes on the glint of red hair that snaked its way through the trees. She moved almost soundlessly, blending with the whispers of the forest, body concealed in shadow. Now that Lee had time to observe her she realized that she moved like them, like the Darsharn, fluid as if she wasn't walking on the ground but an inch above it. Lee had followed her from the university as she left her friends at the bar. She had doubled back and cut behind the university to the forest beyond.

Lee guessed that the shifters had moved to the forest. In the times before the Purge the shapeshifter had lived like all the rest of them in normal houses, mixing with society and masquerading as humans. The Purge had forced whoever remained to flee into another home, one that sheltered them and was in itself a kind of fortress. Lee wondered if this shifter was heading back to the rest of the clan. All she could do now was follow and see,

As Lee was steadily moving between shadows, keeping her mark always in sight a loud bird cry that came from above pierced the silence with alarming intensity. Lee froze as her mark spun around in alarm, eyes searching the area where she stood concealed. Draygan's Balls! She knew…she knew that Lee was behind her.

Now that she had been spotted Lee realised that she couldn't let the shifter go. Using her magic and skill, she moved in a blur of speed. The shifter gasped, eyes wide and bolted through the trees. Lee was faster. She leaped and slammed her against a tree, one hand tight around her neck and one hand covering her mouth. Wide blue eyes stared back at her.

She almost didn't see it.

The shifter's eyes betrayed her, flickering to the right. She felt the slight rush of air behind her back and instincts took over, flinging her body to the left. She rolled across the forest floor and came up hard on one knee.

And for a moment she was stunned.

He was beautiful. And there was no doubt in her mind that the creature before her was male. It showed in the arrogant and fiercely protective way it crouched in front of the shifter female. It was apparent in the clearly defined muscles that shifted under silky black fur. And she saw it in the sharp intelligence of eyes the kind of green she had never seen before. Rich. Potent. Compelling. Right now they were filled with a deadly kind of violence.

A black panther, tail lashing out behind in a blatant warning.

She saw his muscles coil and she threw an electric bolt of magic at him, diving out of the way to avoid those lethal claws. Her pulse lurched as she saw the bolt hit him as he landed on the space she was a second ago and then fizzle out, leaving him unaffected. Something cold shuddered down her spine. Armed with only a knife Lee knew she was in trouble.

He snarled, and the sound echoed and cut right through her. It was a warning, a challenge, and it told her that only one of them was going to leave here alive.

And for the first time, she wasn't sure who that was going to be.