Chapter 7
Serena shut the front door behind her and headed towards the town, forcing down her adrenaline rush as she pondered what she was about to do. No one in the Wolfblood community knew she'd had her injury repaired and she needed to keep it that way. Fayveer would have expected Corran to report back by now, so it would be a miracle if he didn't already suspect something.
She'd spent some time looking through the book Willem had given her to understand what had happened in the fight against Corran. The power she discovered was called Phasing. It was a power only seen in Wolfblood legend. No one dared believe it were true. The tales were that anyone trapped inside the resulting crystal was trapped to eternally experience their past sins repeatedly until driven mad. Others believed that due to the victim being conscious the whole time, their agony was more due to their body being sealed into the tiny piece of crystal, essentially shacked so tightly that they must feel like their body was being crushed rapidly and endlessly. For now, Serena had placed the crystal on the mantle piece. She'd decide what to do with Corran later. Serena knew that all she had to do to free him was break the crystal, which was apparently quite fragile. The power itself was only able to be used both on the days on and after a full moon, though. That meant it was only available for two days of every month. She couldn't wait another month. If this was going to end, it had to be today.
Serena walked through the town, trying to keep a level pace. All the Wolfblood-owned shops were shut again, so she followed her nose. She easily picked up their scents and walked towards the village hall. As she got near, the voices were easy to pick out.
"She can't live this time!" someone called out.
"She shouldn't have lived the first time!" Halaan's voice cut through the chorus of agreements and prompted a new one.
"We attacked her pack and now we're sitting here debating how to kill her! Let's just tie her up, drag her out to the Moor and do the deed! They'll never find her in our lifetime!" Serena froze at the sound of Jar'Kai speaking up. It wasn't just Fayveer. It was all of them! The forces that had accompanied Fayveer weren't just random Wolfbloods. It had been almost every Wolfblood in Stoneybridge! Serena didn't even pause for thought. She threw the doors open and stormed in, her eyes blazing yellow. Over a hundred pairs of yellow eyes turned to face her just as before, with Franklin leading the group.
"Fayveer!" she roared, black veins racing through her arms. He let out a growl as he realised he couldn't change her mind. She knew. "I challenge you one Wolfblood to another! Only the strongest shall claim Stoneybridge!" The Wolfbloods all got to their feet, moving back to allow them to fight. They couldn't do anything to help in the event of such a challenge.
"Well, I wondered why Corran hadn't made it back yet." Fayveer shrugged. "If it's anything to you, I didn't send him. He went of his own accord. I would have punished him severely for acting out of turn."
"A pity you didn't have the same concern for my pack's welfare when you butchered them." Serena growled, her muscles tensing in her arms.
"I'm not in the business of randomly murdering wild Wolfbloods." Fayveer lectured her. "Did you know your pack once abducted a young Wolfblood girl from the human world? They took her to raise as their own and brought her up among them. Do you see where this is going?"
"So you're saying you killed my alpha because someone in his pack stole a child." Serena grimaced. "You had so many other options! You could have gone to the pack and talked it through with them. It could have just been a simple accident and they would have handed it back without a fuss, or they could have done it behind the alpha's back in which case he would have made them give the child back. You could have gone to other wild packs to make them aware of what had been done. They're not reasonable people towards tames, but even they find such a thing barbaric. Not to mention the fact that anything from the human world being brought to the wild pack is grounds for execution. They would have helped. Hell, you could even have just been honest with me the first time we met instead of plotting to kill me! There's a slim chance we might have avoided all of this!"
"The wild packs are all as savage as one another!" Fayveer spat. "They deserve the same fate that the one you lived with got. And I don't want you dead, either. I couldn't let Corran kill you back then and I'm reluctant to do it myself now. But I will if you initiate this challenge. I'll have no choice."
"Then I welcome the outcome whichever way it goes." Serena replied.
"Then the time has come to claim your revenge, Serena!" Fayveer spread his arms wide. "I, Fayveer of Stoneybridge accept your challenge! You need only speak your true name!" Serena's heart missed a beat. This was the name she'd thrown aside upon the slaughter of her pack. Now was the time to reclaim it and fulfil the burden of revenge.
"Your time as alpha is over, Fayveer. And I, Segolia, will be your successor." With a roar of fury, Fayveer launched himself forward. He leaped into the air and twisted before falling downwards and attempting to grab Segolia. She dodged forwards into a roll and spun to face his next attack. He came at her again, launching a kick straight at her face. She blocked easily and swung a punch at his head, only to overextend as he moved his head out of the way with a smirk on his face. He brought his hand up, gripping Segolia's wrist and trapping it in an iron grip before thrusting out with his other hand. The same invisible force that had bested Co'ten all those years ago blasted her backwards, her arm staying where it was. There was a horrific pop as her shoulder dislocated and she crumpled with a scream of agony. Fayveer let her go as everyone began chanting at her to submit.
"If you surrender now, I might have the option to spare you." Fayveer offered. "All you have to do is submit."
"You forget..." Segolia hissed through the pain as she righted herself. "I saw that little party trick the first time. In fact, I was waiting for you to do that. You've proven my theory that you've become reliant on that ability."
"You stupid girl, this ability is all I need!" Fayveer clenched his fist and Segolia hit the floor, her legs instantly losing feeling. "I can manipulate any natural and organic materials. The wooden shaft of a spear is one thing, but what about bones? What about blood?" Fayveer snapped his fingers and Serena's heart paused for several seconds. She turned pale as her limbs instantly grew heavy. Suddenly, it resumed again and she felt the blood rush back through her arms. "As long as I have that much influence over you, I could tell your brain to tell your heart to stop beating. It wouldn't happen completely right away, mind you. The heart is a stubborn muscle. But it's not too stubborn."
"You already said you don't want me dead, Fayveer." Segolia knew she was in trouble, but she'd already accepted that one of them was probably going to leave the fight horizontal.
"Maybe not, but as far as I'm concerned there's nothing you can do against me." Fayveer shrugged. "Defeating you should be as simple as..." Fayveer clenched his fist again. Segolia screamed as her legs were twisted at the knees with an audible snap. With only one arm left working, she used her last resort. She thrust her left arm out as a blinding green light fired from her palm, enveloping Fayveer. In an instant, only a tiny piece of crystal remained where he once stood. Quickly, she started transforming. Unless it was on a full moon, the Wolfblood transformation itself had no healing properties. But one of the things it could do automatically was relocate any limbs that were out of place. Pain ignited throughout every nerve in her body as three of her limbs were clicked back into place midway through the change. As she hit full wolf form, one of the Wolfbloods ventured over and picked the crystal up, staring into it and no doubt seeing Fayveer trapped inside.
"He's still alive!" the Wolfblood declared as Segolia changed back. "You can't claim his mantle unless he either submits or dies."
"Yes, he is still alive." Segolia replied, storming over. "And that means you shouldn't have touched that crystal. Give it to me!" Obediently, he handed it over; recognising that he was in the wrong to have picked it up. Interference in a challenge was punishable by death, and so he was grateful that she hadn't chosen to pursue the issue. With her newly restored strength, Segolia threw the crystal at the back wall. It shattered, leaving Fayveer gasping on the floor with tears streaming down his face. Segolia advanced, her eyes still blazing in a symphony of topaz. Frantically, he tried to use his power on her. Nothing happened. His mind was reeling from what he'd been through, making focusing impossible. In desperation, he reached up and tore a candlestick off the wall, flicking the candle off to reveal the spike in the centre of the dish. It was an improvised yet formidable weapon, and she didn't want to get on the wrong end of it.
"You just don't get it, do you?" he screamed. "They took my child! They raised her wild and gave her the illusion her parents were wild too, and yet still you defend their legacy!"
"The wild was my home!" Segolia defended. "You killed my pack!"
"No, Stoneybridge is your home!" Fayveer stormed forwards, swinging the candlestick menacingly. Segolia danced out of the way, trying to attack from the side. Fayveer swung around and struck her in the leg, the point of the candlestick sinking right into her upper thigh. She crumpled again and he was on her in an instant. "Even if the wild pack comes close to wiping this community out, still we'll rise again. And do you know why?" Fayveer asked as he dropped his weapon and closed his hands around Segolia's throat. "It's because we don't require your beliefs or an overall connection to the natural world. All we need is that the world be the way it is. And that's why no matter what happens today, you'll never destroy what I've built." As he spoke, Segolia reached out. Her fingers closed around warm metal made slippery with the sweat of desperation. She picked it up and drove it home, striking the side of Fayveer's neck. He staggered back, blood pouring between his fingers as he sank to his knees. Segolia coughed heavily, drawing air into her lungs as she stood to her full height.
"I don't plan to destroy your community." She glared down at him with unbridled fury in her eyes. "I plan to re-shape it." Fayveer looked up at her as his wolf powered down. It was the first time she'd seen him without his wolf activated and it struck her right to the core as he stared up at her, his emerald green eyes matching her own. The blood between his fingers had run down his clothes and was now soaking into the carpet as all the pieces finally clicked into place in Segolia's head. Why Fayveer had let her live on that night, why he'd been so reluctant to kill her now, why he'd given her so many chances to back down from her own challenge...
"Don't think I have any intention of running a hand down the side of your cheek and admitting all my past failures." His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. "I won't cry for a world where I'm left wondering what might have been. I'm sure you understand. Still, I must admit that I'm proud of you, actually. You've shown great strength, courage, ingenuity... They're all decent qualities. But tell me, do you really think your ways are better than mine?"
"You would see all wild Wolfbloods executed for the crimes of one pack." Segolia growled. "You would punish the innocent for something they know nothing of and lie to kin you pretend are strangers to try and make them fulfil your ideals. So yes, with everything I've seen of you in the few times we met, I do believe it."
"You wear your convictions well, my child." Fayveer smiled up at her, closing his eyes as he sagged sideways and landed heavily on the floor. "They suit you." With that, his hand slipped from the wound on his neck as his whole body relaxed.
"Goodbye, father." Segolia checked Fayveer's eyes were properly closed and turned to face the other Wolfbloods who stared in stunned silence at the sight before them. Segolia glared across all of them, her eyes once again an inferno of golden fire. "Like I said: only the strongest shall claim Stoneybridge. I now claim this territory and my place as the head of the Wolfblood community here! Any who challenge, step forward!" There was a pause as they all glared at her with undisguised fury. Finally, one of them stepped to the front.
"I cha-" He didn't even finish the sentence before Segolia unleashed the same light from her palm as she did before. In an instant he was gone, replaced by a small piece of crystal that lay in the centre of the carpet.
"Stoneybridge is mine!" Segolia proclaimed. Everyone shrank back with no little amount of fear. "Recent events have showed me that humans and Wolfbloods cannot live safely side-by-side for as long as the humans know about us. For conspiring against me, I hereby sentence everyone in this room to exile. The population of Wolfbloods here is too great. Each Wolfblood must find and claim their own piece of territory, working independently to keep it secure. You must let the humans forget about us, our existence fading into myth and legend across the generations. We will be forgotten and it will work to our favour. Passing through another's territory is unavoidable and therefore acceptable, but to invade another's territory to live there and claim it will be punished swiftly and severely. Such fighting causes attention. We will not use Wolfblood names, casting them aside in favour of human ones to aid our integration into their society. Any Wolfblood seen in defiance of these rules will be discreetly disposed of."
"And how will you know if we keep your rules?" one woman in the crowd demanded.
"My network of informants will keep me abreast of everything going on." She stared the woman down, daring her to say something else. "My true name was Segolia. Now and forever, I will be known as Serena. But Segolia isn't dead. That name will be given to what I will build between Wolfbloods and humans today so that they may continue to keep both our species safe tomorrow. You all have a week to leave. Pass through this territory at any time just as any human can, but if I see you living here, you will meet the same fate as this one here." With that, she picked up the crystal and flung it at the wall. The Wolfblood she'd imprisoned was left shivering on the floor, a traumatised look etched into his features. "Get out!" As soon as she gave the order, everyone filed out, leaving Serena alone. No sooner had the door shut than she burst into tears, slamming her fist into a wooden post hard enough to break a piece off it. Her barely contained sobs echoed throughout the quiet space.
Author's Note: Okay, so once again as has been the theme lately, I'm so sorry this took so long. I've had some family stuff going on and it's been hard to find time to even sit down to upload a chapter. I have finished the story though and I'm nearly done with the sequel. Once I've finished uploading the last two chapters of this and writing the sequel I'll start posting chapters from it. In the meantime, I have a bit of a surprise in the interim. Please feel free to leave a review. Any and all feedback is helpful.
