Runes of Destiny Read online

  The door on the opposite side of the room slowly opens. The light from beyond the door is blinding. I shield my eyes with my hands, but they soon fall due to the weight of the chains. Blinking rapidly, I can just about see two figures come into the room. One moves to light a torch near the door; the light is kinder on my eyes. The other moves to close the door behind them.

  One of them speaks, "Well Miss Magee, it is so nice to finally meet you. I’m Master Freyer. This is Elder Bres,” says the deep voice. It sends a shiver up and down my spine.

  I try to look him in the eyes, "If you’re the Coven Elders then why have you kidnapped me? You could have just requested my presence and I would have had to come.” I’m a bit forceful in my response. How dare they drug and take me? With the scrutiny I have to put up with due to my half mark, if the elders had summoned me, of course I would have come running. This is brutal treatment and an abuse of power. They better have a good reason for this, though I cannot think of a single thing that I have done which would warrant this. Oh goddess, please don’t let them think I have offended someone else.

  Master Freyer smiles while maniacally chuckling his answer. "This is not something a mere summons can take care of. We have been watching you Miss Magee. Have you heard the story about the Queen of the Tuatha dé danann?”

  “Who hasn’t heard that? It’s an old bedtime story so future witches will strive to accomplish and push themselves to be the best and strongest of their dé danann,” I reply.

  Master Freyer and Elder Bres both laugh low deep laughs; it is not pleasant and sounds almost mocking. "It’s not a mere story, Miss Magee,” Elder Bres voices. "It’s a prophecy of the one witch that will root out the corruption plaguing our dé dannan brothers and sisters. The other members of the brotherhood and I think that witch is you, Miss Magee.” His voice seems to almost get colder by the time he is finished. I can feel the intensity in his words.

  I balk at them. "Why would it be me? Yes, when I first went through the tests I had an affinity for all of the dé dananns. But the elders I met told me that was common and I would grow into my blessed powers. As you can tell, the only ones I’m very well practiced in is Morrighan, Danu, and Brighid. I can still do the other two on a small scale but I’ve never been able to do more than basic magic with them. Besides, the goddesses never blessed me in those magics.”

  Elder Bres speaks again, "The witch in the prophecy is a master of all of the dé danann’s magic. She simply has to tap into the dé dananns when her circle is near.”

  I simply shake my head. That is NOT what the story my mother told me. I try to remember back to when my mother used to tell me the story before bed as a child. Nothing was coming, it was all fuzzy. Also her circle? What fucking circle? I haven’t even got one man let alone a whole circle to play with. What the heck is he talking about?

  “Here, let me tell you the true version of the prophecy and the story so you may know the reasons we believe it is you,” explains Master Freyer.

  17

  “In her 25th Winter, on the coldest night,

  a witch shall become complete.

  Paired with lupus, angelus, and daemonium,

  none of whom compete.

  Power brings responsibility.

  Corruption she shall seek.

  Coven and its elders.

  The end they shall meet.

  A tainted hierarchy births an empty throne.

  The Queen of the Tuatha dé danann takes her seat.

  A dove replacing vultures.

  Witch kind shall be complete.”

  Master Freyer pauses to let it sink in. I try to think over what he has just said. Elder Bres picks up where Master Freyer left off and starts on the story of the Queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

  “Once upon a time, there lived a dove, gifted with the most beautiful wings.

  Unlike common doves, who were all white, her wings shone like the rainbow when in the sun.

  She became known by all creatures as The Rainbow Dove.

  She flew every day above the forest,

  letting her wings sparkle for all to see.

  As she grew older, her wings shone brighter.

  Sparkles in the light slowly become permanent rainbows on her feathers.

  She was a sight to behold,

  so much so that she caught the eyes of three male doves:

  one grey as a timber wolf,

  the second a deep black, like a cave in the night,

  the last the purest of whites.

  The doves of the forest lived happily,

  treated as kings by the other creatures.

  This made the other birds angry, as the squirrels would steal their nests to give to the doves.

  When the Rainbow Dove was preparing to start flying one day, the leader of the flock asked her to do something important;

  The squirrels had grown too bold and had stolen eggs from the ravens, thinking that if a dove hatched them, they would be born doves.

  The Rainbow Dove agreed to return the eggs to the ravens, asking for help from the Grey, Black, and White.

  As they flew towards the ravens' nests, the rainbow dove began to cry.

  She imagined the collective wails of the ravens who had lost their eggs.

  She was overcome with sadness and began to fall.

  As she fell, she dropped egg after egg.

  The Grey, Black, and White dove after them, managing to swoop down just in time to catch each egg.

  If not for her three friends, she would have dropped the eggs.

  As they grew close to the ravens' nests, the Rainbow Dove shut her eyes.

  She did not want to see the ravens' tears.

  But wails was not what she heard.

  Instead, she heard rounds of laughter.

  The doves hid on a high branch with the eggs and listened closely.

  They heard the Ravens laughing.

  They saw the Ravens laughing.

  The doves listened even closer.

  They heard the Ravens calling the Doves dumb,

  saying the Doves were so easily fooled,

  saying that the Doves couldn't even tell the difference between the eggs.

  The Rainbow Dove flew in closer, hiding in the shade of the trees to hide her feathers.

  She heard the Ravens say the Doves don’t can't even notice when their eggs go missing.

  The Ravens had stolen the eggs from the Doves.

  The Ravens had convinced the Squirrels to return the eggs and claim they had taken them from the Ravens.

  The Ravens knew the Doves would never be able to tell the difference between a Raven egg and a Dove egg.

  They laughed as they talked about how the eggs would be returned to them.

  The eggs that they stole in the first place.

  They laughed about the Rainbow Dove.

  They knew she would bring back the eggs,

  and when she arrived, the squirrels would throw acorns at her and knock off all her feathers.

  Then the Ravens would have the rainbow feathers,

  and with the prettiest nests, the Ravens would rule over the forest.

  The Rainbow Dove flew back up.

  She tells of what she has heard to her three friends.

  Together, they hatch a plan.

  They fly down low to the ground beneath the trees.

  They wait quietly for the spiders.

  The Spiders can spin webs.

  The Rainbow Dove asks them for help to catch the Ravens in a web.

  The Spiders agree but say they will need help.

  The Ravens have good eyes.

  They can see the spiders' webs.

  They will know it’s a trap.

  The Spiders ask the Rainbow Dove for three of her feathers.

  With these feathers, the spiders can spin webs high in the trees where the sun will shine bright.

  Her feathers will sparkle and hide the webs from the Ravens.

  With the trap set, the Doves fly close to the Rav
ens.

  They begin laughing loudly. Louder than the Ravens did.

  Saying the Ravens were dumb to think that the Doves would return the eggs.

  The Doves rule the forest and would never give away anything.

  This made the Ravens mad.

  The Ravens flew up to chase the Doves.

  The Doves flew in circles letting the Ravens chase them.

  The Spiders had asked the Doves to do this.

  The spiders had seen the Ravens chase things.

  They knew that the Ravens would be focused on what they were chasing and would forget to look around.

  The Doves flew as fast as they could.

  The Ravens followed close.

  As they flew toward the trap, the Grey, Black, and White knew that they would make it easier for the Ravens to spot the webs as the three did not shine like the Rainbow Dove.

  As they flew close, each of the three stayed as near to her as they could.

  And when she would stumble from getting tired, they would help keep her flying.

  The Grey pushed hard, helping her to stay above the trees.

  And when he could, he dropped into the leaves hoping the Ravens wouldn't see him.

  Next was the Black.

  He pushed hard, helping her zig zag across the sky.

  And when he could, he dropped into the leaves hoping the Ravens wouldn't see him.

  Last was the White.

  He pushed hard, helping her shine even brighter by letting the light bounce off his feathers onto her.

  And when he could, he dropped into the leaves hoping the Ravens wouldn't see him.

  The Rainbow Dove flew straight at the webs.

  As she flew past them, she heard the ravens squawk.

  They had flown right into the webs.

  The four Doves flew home with their eggs.

  They never heard from the Ravens again.”

  “No offense, gentleman but there are some really big holes if you think I’m the witch of the prophecy.” I snicker as I look up at them. "I don’t come from the original Queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann’s bloodline. That was wiped out years ago when she didn’t get married and never bore children...”

  Master Freyer speaks with a snide smile, "We know it is you, Miss Magee. You’re the only witch within the last one hundred years to even come close to being the witch of the prophecy.”

  I try to lunge at them, but I’m stopped by the chains attached to the wall. I stare them both down, giving what I hope is a look of hatred. I guess the prophecy is true; the elders are mad. Completely corrupt if they have kidnapped me with no due process. There may be some truth that I potentially, maybe - it’s iffy but we could be. Me, a queen? This is a mistake, a horrible, horrible mistake.

  “You have been stuck under the influence of sleeping potion for days. I was afraid you would not be awake for the exchange, but here you are,” Elder Bres says softly. I watch as the Coven Elders slowly, always keeping me in their sights, walk towards the door. Then I’m once again plunged into darkness. I crawl to the cot that was set up for me and lie down. Thinking about the events of the last few hours, I drift off into a haze still induced by the drugs I was given and see a bright rainbow coming into view.

  18

  Grayson

  These idiots were going to get themselves and me killed. I understand the need to find Viola, I really do, but I swear if we go to yet another empty warehouse I am going to murder these two and call it a day. I don’t because I know they are just looking for the woman who has both their hearts. From what I have experienced, she is pulling some strings in my heart as well.

  The darkest part of the night is upon us and I can’t see a flipping thing. I have keen hearing so I can hear where Gabriel and Aleric went, but if they leave me again I am going to hurt them. I don’t know how but I will get back at them. I shake my wings free and fly up into the towering ceiling of the warehouse we are currently in and try to spot them. Aleric might be freaked out, he might not. He did hear my challenge with Viola at the bar.

  I hear Gabe trip over something and take out Aleric in the process with a loud crash. While Aleric is cursing Gabe out I spot them. I swoop down and attempt to help them to their feet, tempers are clearly flying high as they throw me off them. They both take a few steps back. Aleric and Gabriel start fighting. “Hey you are not the only ones looking or helping here, remember that. Do you plan on leaving me at every warehouse we go look at or do you plan on looking and working together?” I shout to get their attention.

  Gabe gets up and reaches for Aleric. He turns to apologize, “I know you like her Aleric, but I’m in love with her. I want her back in my life. She has been all I have ever thought about since I left.”

  Aleric looks sheepishly at the two of us and says, “She is my mate. But something's not quite felt right with us before, so I have never told her of my feelings. Until she pushed at me because I was a fucking idiot and went silent on her.”

  All is quiet when I chime in, “I also have a connection with Viola. I felt it since we first rolled into town. I’ve never felt a pull like this towards someone before. Then when I saw her at the gym I knew that it was her. We need to sort this out. It’s unfair for y’all to be arguing over Viola when she might not want any of you considering Gabriel dumped her, Aleric is her best friend, so maybe you could back off and give me a chance to see where this connection goes. Or we could all sit down and explain to Viola how we each feel and let her decide?” At this we all agree that we all want to try and have a relationship with her but separately. When we find her we will let her choose who she wants to be with.

  “Right, now that that is settled, can we continue to search for Viola? Or if you are going to leave me again I can easily just fly over the town and look for suspicious activity and call Gabe.” I state, a little peeved at them. It’s like they forget I’m here and how useful I can be.

  Gabe hits his forehead with the palm of his hand, “I feel like such an idiot, I didn’t even think about you flying over the city. You should totally do that. Then we can search here and if you see something call me and we can rush over to your location.”

  “That actually isn’t a bad plan. I knew archangels had wings but I don’t know if they are able to actually fly. You are the first I have encountered, Grayson.” Aleric says giving Gabriel all the praise for my idea.

  I stalk a few more feet back open my white with golden tip wings back up and say, “I’ll call you if I see anything.” Then with that I lift off and fly out of the warehouse and into the night sky. Flying unencumbered like this has always been my favorite. I used to do this with my great grandfather once I learned how to fly. We don’t do it anymore.

  I look for the center of town and find The Hollow. Dang if Gabe wasn’t right all these years, they really did build the town around a witches meeting place. In a circular pattern I fly around the town looking for anything that looks suspicious or smells of Viola. Wolfy isn’t the only one with a good sniffer.

  19

  Aleric

  After searching the past few days for Viola, we haven’t been able to find a single trace of her. It’s like they’ve masked her scent or something. Even Grayson can’t find her. I do the last thing I have ever wanted to do. I go over to Mr. Magee’s gym and hope he is in the office and there are other people there.

  Walking in through those doors I am instantly hit with Viola’s scent, mixed with others who have come in and out over the past few days, but hers is the one I latch on to. I stroll over to the office and can see through the glass he has his head in paperwork again. I wish he would just accept my loan. I know they are not going under any time soon, but Mr. Magee is not the best with paperwork and accounting, Katheryn always did it and kept them up to date for all the legal stuff. The money I would give him, he wouldn’t even have to pay it back. It’s only going to pay off the taxes that were forgotten due to the death of Katheryn.

  I slowly open the glass door and knock. “Hey Dad, wou
ld you mind if we talked about something?” I always felt a little weird calling him Dad, but he always insisted.

  “Sure, Son. What’s up? Got girl trouble? Need a few pieces of advice from the crazy old man?” he asks jokingly.

  “Well, it is sort of girl trouble. It is more about our girl. As you know, I’m a wolf shifter. Actually I’m a very special kind of wolf shifter known as a dire wolf shifter. Well since I was ten I have known that Viola would be the only girl for me, she’s my mate. So when Gabe & Vi became a couple I had come to terms with being in Viola’s life as just a friend. Then when her and Gabe broke up I saw it as my chance to step up and be the man she needs. Only things got a little side tracked.” I say as I track his facial expressions go from calm to anger and back to calm again.

  “So what did you do that has you standing here in front of me now? I always knew your friendship was special. A dire wolf shifter, you don’t say.” he asks with a suspicious smile spreading across his face.

  “I spilled my guts to her. And she kinda freaked out on me and now I don’t know if either of us will be at Sunday dinner because it may be awkward. I am sorry Dad, this is not what I intended to do or how I intended to tell her.” I say quickly so I can get it all out.

  “Son, it is fine. You find a way to work it out with my daughter. Next time I see both of you I expect to hear good news. Either you're dating her or you’re back to being best friends. I don’t care which. I have always loved you like a son, Aleric. I feel like I have treated you as such, please do not hurt the only thing I have left in this God forsaken world. I am trusting you, Son. Take care of our girl, no matter what the cost.” He says while looking at me with a stern expression on his face.

  “I promise sir. I will take care of her.” I say standing up. I walk around the desk and pick him up into a hug. I take a quick sniff of him and squeeze a bit tighter before leaving his office and the gym to go home and make plans to get OUR girl back.