AN: I'm excited to announce my first original story A Thousand Words, will be available on Amazon August 1. Follow my blog www. jaimesommersbooks. blogspot. com for updates. For those of you over the age of 18, check out www. Tricky-Raven. com. Tell them I sent you!

As promised, here's the additional chapter of Shattered. Happy Reading!

Chapter 42 - Legend

Old Quil's astonishment at finding the far off image of an old dream materialized in the quiet confines of Jacob Black's living room. He knew what it meant, with her coming the end of his time waned close in the distance, the fulfilment of a prophecy, a destiny to keep.

His aching bones settled opposite her in the restful comfort of a rocking chair. In the silence he wove the tale, memories from long ago vivid in the forefront of his mind.

"When I was but a lad of five, I sat at my father's knee listening while he spoke with the shaman of our tribe about my fate. I did not understand at that age what it would mean, but I was eager to learn what he could teach me. Akiha knew the old ways, refusing the Christian name the white man bestowed on him.

I was eager to know what he knew, to follow him into the forest and learn the healing powers of root and leaf. This was a great gift among our people. The shaman was revered for his spiritual abilities and kindness. Akiha had a connection to the spirits. The ancestors spoke to him. Together they created libíti kátil- powerful medicine."

The flames on the hearth stirred and in them Old Quil saw himself as he was then, strong and young, full of vitality and proud duty for his calling.

"As time went on, I spent more time by his fireside than my father's, learning the stories and legends of our people. I was not his only pupil. At the behest of the Chief, Ephraim joined us often. Together we sat on the woven doghair blankets, learning to speak in the Quileute tongue and committing to memory the sacred kixi - myths and legends of our history.

There came a day when I was sent to the forest to gather healing roots for a tea. I was no more than twenty, a very young age to be entrusted with such an important job. Akiha was getting older, the pain in his joints causing him to suffer with every step. I was proud to do such a thing, proud to possess the knowledge to fulfill my task."

Pausing, he looked across the group to where Máire sat beside the fire. The flames cast an ethereal glow about her face, transporting him back to that time when the true power of magic was first revealed to his young soul.

"I often took refuge in the forest. Akiha had taught me to listen to the song of the wind and story of the trees. It was my sacred place. Xwaʼáwli áɫ - There, I found my song."

Smiles and nods of understanding lit up the faces of his audience, each understanding the blessed refuge the canopy of trees and church of Mother Nature provided.

"As I searched for the items Akiha charged me with, I heard a soft rustling in the breeze. The harmony of the spirits and nature singing as one. I felt the quiver of a strong power float in the air, drawing my feet forward into the deepest part of the forest. It was in that place that I saw her, a mighty spirit, illuminated by the power of our ancestors. The magic in her voice sang to me, filling my body and soul with light."

Old Quil's eyes never left those of Máire as he continued the mystifying tale. The tribal warriors sat enraptured, hanging on his every word. Just like William Black, he was a master storyteller, an art passed down by the leaders of their tribe. "I felt it rush through me, warming my blood and strengthening my body. The ancestors had seen fit to bless me... and the magnitude of the gift humbled me to my knees.

Rushing to Akiha's home, I burst inside to share with my teacher all I had seen and felt. The moss covered longhouse smelled of earth and smoke, a warm fire crackling merrily on his hearth. He had aged in the hours I was gone, the lines of his face etched deeper into his skin and the silver threading his hair outnumbering the raven feathers trailing down his back. What has happened? I asked, worried about the changes that had overcome him in so few hours. 'It is time, he responded. Yaláʔ akʷ títipad calls to me. It is time for me to walk with our people among the stars'."

Sorrow filled his voice, its cracked cadence falling slowly into despair. "For many weeks he lingered somewhere between this place and the land of the dead. It was then that he told me of the great blessing which had been given me. He spoke of how the light filled him, reaching inward to the depths of his soul, granting him the powerful knowledge to heal both spirit and body. Many times he sent me back out to the woods on errands that would take me deep into the heart of the sacred forest. Three more times I encountered the woman in the woods. As time went on, I could see her power wane. The ethereal light surrounding her had begun to dim, finding its way beneath my skin until finally she was no more than a dim shadow among the trees.

That day I returned to find Akiha was no more. We buried him in the time of the Harvest Moon, while the Lawatʼsákil-Atʼi- the house of wolves, howled to the Raven to guide him home."

Old Quil paused, letting the words of his story embed themselves in the consciousness of his rapt audience. His eyes sought out Leah, a silent communication passing between the two as if he had just confirmed what she already knew. His time was coming to an end and hers just beginning.

"It was in 1919 that I last looked upon the face of the guardian spirit who so richly blessed me. Until tonight, I never believed I would see her again."

For a while nobody spoke, as if afraid the simple sound of a voice would break the magical spell of myth and legend. It was fitting that the task fell to Leah Clearwater, the lone female warrior whose purpose was yet unknown to the men surrounding her. Different in every way possible and unequivocally the favorite to the elderly shaman. "Then that makes you..."

"One hundred and thirteen years old," he finished for her, a wry smile tugging across his withered lips. "It would seem that with this honor comes the gift of long life. Akiha was one hundred and forty-two when he left to join our ancestors."

The wolves stared at him in amazement. Even young Quil had not known the true age of his great-grandfather.

Billy sat quietly, sipping coffee, black eyes twinkling as if amused. He could remember feeling the same astonishment the first time he had heard the story. Unlike this group, he'd been forced to accept it on blind faith alone. In his mind's eye, he could still recall in perfect detail the last time his grandfather and Old Quil had phased together, their worn bodies turning into the silver fur of aged wolves. They'd darted off into the trees, howling like puppies at the spring moon. After Ephraim passed, the weight of his years wore heavily on Old Quil, unsure how long it would be until he could join his old friend once more to chase the forest bunnies and squirrels.

"Perhaps we should take a break before I tell my story," suggested Máire, rising from the straight backed chair on which she sat. "I'd like some more tea and few minutes to talk to my old friend."

While Bella and Billy went to the kitchen to refill drinks, Jacob ordered the pack outside. Máire watched from the living room window as the air quivered with magic. "They're magnificent!" she exclaimed, smiling at the way her grandson dodged Leah's paws in a game of cat and mouse while the rest of the wolves played alongside them. They rolled through the blanket of fresh snow, covering and then shaking the dusting from their thick fur. Surely there had never been a gathering of strong-hearted warriors such as this.

Not finding the same joy, the elderly gentleman's voice was somber, full of questions that needed to be answered. His time on this earth had taught him many things, but the greatest spiritual gift of all had been love. "Does she have a choice?" he asked. Old Quil's eyes watched the sleek, silver wolf remembering the child who sat on his knee, drawing pictures of the flowers which grew in the woods. She'd suffered much over the years, so many dreams shattered in the name of their tribe. It had been enough to make him doubt that this was not the life ordained for her.

"She does," Máire answered carefully, "though it is not what it seems. There is a complication now."

"Love isn't a complication."

She sighed, understanding all too well what he was thinking. "It is when it involves the man who is supposed to give her strength. Mathúin came here knowing that he would one day have to feed the magic for your tribe. Yet, there are things I have seen." Old Quil saw the message of hope glimmer in her eyes. "The future is not always concrete. We must have faith and wait."

Within an hour the pack had settled once more in the small living room, their immense bodies touching shoulder to shoulder as they waited for Máire to share her story. Embry sat stoically by her side, as if challenging anyone who dared not believe. Curled beneath Jacob's arm, Bella thought it more likely that he was waiting for one of the pups to make a stupid remark about Máire being the ultimate cougar. When they'd come inside, Collin had been rubbing some quickly fading scratches on his right arm. It took one look at Jacob to confirm her suspicions.

Though the situation was not ideal, it felt completely natural somehow. That part did not bother Bella in the slightest. It was something else that bugged her. Not because if the couple were married it would make Embry one of her grandfathers, as Jacob had not so subtly pointed out, although the idea had unnerved her at first. As soon as the involuntary heebie jeebies wore off, it was jealousy that spiked the color of her cheeks and burned her ears. Why? she wondered. Why her and not me?

The uncertainty of her relationship with Jacob always seemed to hover just beneath the surface, placing paper fine cuts on the edges of her heart. Then the spellbinding tone of her grandmother's voice pulled her in, the story making her forget.

"For more years than can be counted, my kind have come to this plane. We are the keepers of light, the healers of man, the balance of nature. In every culture around the world we are counted. Some call us angels and others demons. In truth we are neither, resting somewhere between both such worlds. As with all kinds, there is light and dark. I am of the light, descended from the goddess Danu and the great kings of Tuatha Dé Danann.

More than a hundred years ago, I came to this place. Its beauty calling to me like a song. I was here when the first wolves transformed to defeat the cold ones, when the wives and mothers of your ancestors bore those who carried your blood. There have been many places in this world that I have travelled, but this has always been my home."

She smiled lovingly around the room, thinking on the many faces of the past, seeing their familiar features in young men gathered here today.

"I came to Forks as a healer, to help those souls whose desperation for a better life left them ill-equipped to deal with the hardships they would face here. I took the name of Marie, living in small quarters above the general store. From a distance, I was able to observe the Quileute, while carving a life for myself. In that time I met a man, good and strong. We bore a child together and named him Sean.

A strong, happy baby, I took him with me often into the woods to pick ripe berries and search out the herbs needed for teas and poultices. Wild blackberries were his favorite." Tears misted over her eyes, remembering the child whose laughter bubbled like a fresh mountain brook. It was her one regret, that Sean would never remember the love of his mother. Máire swallowed back the tears that threatened to overcome her, feeling Embry's hand close tightly around hers. A simple gesture, lending his strength to allow her to carry on.

"Not long after I arrived, a coven of vampires took up residence here. There were five of them then, pretending to be a wealthy family from the east. Doctor Carlisle Cullen and his darling wife, Esme," she explained, disdain prominent in her voice. "They had three nearly grown children with them, at least for all intents and purposes that was what they called them.

As I said, there is always dark and light. Even with vampires, though there are few who belong to the light. There is too much selfishness inside their kind to fight it. They are unnatural, an abomination in the eyes of Danu. They did not fool the spirit warriors of the neighboring tribe. I watched from a distance as they brokered a treaty with Ephraim Black.

Already there were those in the fledgling community who had fallen under their spell. The vampire attracts its prey much like a spider spinning a web, whether knowingly or not." Her eyes lingered on Bella, confirming what the girl already knew to be true, in hopes she would no longer blame herself. "Everything about them is attractive to humans. They move gracefully across the earth, their features smooth and voices like silk. The sheen of their skin gossamer in even the faintest light.

My mistrust for them grew as time went on. It seemed that the woman, Esme had become interested in my comings and goings, as though obsessed with what she could not understand. She took to following me from behind the cover of trees when I called upon my patients. It was easy to evade her, though I never tried. I assumed her disturbed in the mind and instead swore to protect those who were weak and needed me.

One day I saw her son and husband in the general store talking with the shopkeeper. They were leaving on the afternoon train to search out a colleague in Chicago. For several weeks they were gone, and when they returned, I saw something in the eyes of the one they called Edward that frightened me. That evening I perched beneath an open window and listened as they told their family of their discovery.

A young girl in an asylum had a vision in which Edward Cullen found his mate, turning her into one of the immortal damned. That night, I sought out the wisdom of my people, offering prayers to Danu to show me what they had seen."

The horrendous vision assaulted her mind anew, causing Máire to leap from her seat and pace frantically around the room. Embry made no move to stop her, instinctually knowing that she needed to get this out, to lay bare the fears which haunted the far reaches of her memory for so many years.

"There was a girl," she stated, "her face matching that of my own, caught in the vampire's thrall. Other images crossed my sight, a boy destined for her since birth, the spirits granting him the power of the wolf. Their separation, the longing they would feel for each other. Years of solitude in which the girl became increasingly isolated, in danger of attracting that which haunted her.

The shaman of the tribe was old, and the time had come for a new one to emerge. One day after I had imparted some of my magic to him, Esme found me in my weakened state, calling upon the spirits for guidance. When she tried to touch me, I flung what power I could outward, warding off her curiosity."

The hard glimmer radiating in her eyes told the wolves what words did not. Máire held forth her hands in gesture, the tiniest of sparks igniting beneath the flesh of her palms. "That day I drove fear into her unbeating heart."

"Finally, the time had come for me to depart this world for my own. My time here had waned. With a breaking heart, I kissed my husband before he left to work at the logging camps. It was the last time I would look upon his face. Taking my son into the forest, I watched him eat blackberries and dip his toes into the sparkling streams. Knowing that Danu would watch over him, I left Sean where he would quickly be discovered and set off to finish what I'd begun.

I carried with me a small bag concealing a photograph of my husband and child along with a spell I'd worked for the protection of my future grandchild and her mate. I found young Quil gathering leaves deep in the forest and appeared to him once more. The magic of my people filled him after that day. When I reached into my bag, desperate to leave the spell I'd worked behind, I knew that when the time came, he would be ready to use it." Pausing, she stared at Old Quil, seeing something in his eyes, a conversation they would need to have and soon. "It was gone.

Weak as I was, I retraced my footsteps, only to find it missing. It was then that I sensed her and the danger which followed. I gave chase to no avail. My human body was weak, aged and unprotected. She lighted from a tree, landing on my back. Her claws raked across my neck, parting flesh from bone and left me for dead. Before I closed my eyes to the pain, I saw what she had stolen."

"I still do not know how it was that I made my way back to Tuatha Dé Danann. For many years since, I have watched and waited. The mirror between the worlds allowed me small glimpses of the child that I had called my own. Sean had children of his own and eventually, a girl was born." At this, she crossed the small space then sweetly cradled the cheek of her granddaughter, the girl who reminded her of the infant Sean. "Blood of my blood," she whispered. "Her parents named her Isabella."

Máire knelt at Bella's knee, begging the girl to look upon her face and forgive her the mistakes she'd made along the the way. To accept the love she wished to lavish on her and the calling of their people. "We can only return to this earth every hundred years or more and only during the sacred times when the magic of our race is omnipotent. I sent my grandson to protect you in my stead until such a day as I could return.

Your blood is alluring to the vampires, though they do not know why. Esme Cullen never believed me to be more than a witch. I do not know why there is no imprint between you, but I have seen and observed many things. The future is not always what it seems. There are things we cannot know. That is the wisdom I possess and the seer of their coven does not.

I do not yet have all the answers you would wish, only that your life is always in constant danger. I will help protect you," she swore. "They shall not touch you or the wrath of a thousand Tuatha Dé Danann warriors shall befall them. You are of my blood, the product of my flesh, a sidhe princess with a human heart."

The oath left no doubt in the minds of the pack. A time of vengeance was at hand.

ooo000ooo

It was well past midnight before Old Quil could bring himself to look upon the scroll. Drawing it from its hiding place, the hollow branch of a tree sitting near the fire, he looked upon it with new eyes.

Not long after the death of Akiha he'd been out with his basket gathering the herbs needed to heal the disease ravaging the tribe. With the white man came disease, indiscriminatory to age or health. Resting on the soft moss of a wide log, he let the sun filtering through the canopy of trees warm his face. By sheer accident or divine intervention, he'd caught the faint glimmer in the corner of his eye. Innocuous as a fall leaf, it was barely noticeable hidden in the knot at the base of the trunk.

He'd drawn out the scroll, noting the ragged tear across the top. For hours he searched, unable to find the missing piece.

For many years he'd studied the paper, wondering what it meant and who had hidden it there. It was in the ancient tongue of their people. Not the language they spoke now, but older, from the time of k'wati and the p'ip'isodat'sili.

In the years of Isabella Swan's absence, Jacob Black had become increasingly weary, his soul perpetually in a state of unrest. The translated words spoke of spirit walking, enabling the one to whom it was gifted to seek what was lost.

Sensing the danger of instability within the pack, he'd breathed the words for the first time when Jacob's eyes closed that night. When Billy found out what he'd done, rage shone in his black eyes. They both knew the danger of spirit walks and how the soul might not find its way back to the body. By then it was too late. The warnings went unheeded.

Now, staring at the paper, Old Quil knew the answers to his questions and wondered if Máire could locate the missing portion of the scroll.