Page 4 of Wanderer

Again, it was as if he had cursed the town. There was an almighty crash as two trees near our border stone splintered into a million pieces, debris flying everywhere.

The protective barrier around the town of Greyhaven had cracked.

Shouts rose in volume as the angels concentrated their efforts on that singular section of the barrier. I rushed with Tatsuya to reinforce it, but before we could get there, the mage, Riku, and his mate, Sean, got there.

Riku was furious. Unfortunately for everyone, when he was mad, Riku was also dangerous. Tatsuya pulled me behind him and shifted just as Riku’s magic exploded out of him.

Trees, bushes, the attackers… none of it survived. When silence returned to the woods, all that remained was Riku standing with his arms around Sean.

“You can’t rely on him—”

“I know.”

“If there’s another attack—”

“Gareth, I know. Riku’s unconscious. Whatever that was today, it knocked him out cold. He still isn’t awake.” Hestia looked troubled. “This was planned. They knew when we were at our weakest.”

I rounded on the mayor, who sat wearily behind her desk. “What can we do? We had just powered up the wards, and they still attacked. They cracked the barrier!”

“Whatever Riku did repaired it. He’s powered it beyond anything we could have done ourselves. We just have to hope it’ll hold until we can add more of our magic to it. They’re stronger than they’ve been in years.”

“And now he’s in a coma. We can’t afford to rely on his magic. There has to be another way.”

Hestia stared me down. “We’ve been through this before. He’ll return when he’s ready and not before. If I call him, if I ask him, he will never choose to stay. It must be his choice, Gareth.”

I deflated and slumped into an armchair opposite her. “What do we do in the meantime?”

“We bolster the wards. We take in whoever comes, and we endure. Greyhaven is a sanctuary and a target. I promise you, Gareth, there are better times ahead.”

Two

Riley

Months of detailed research, calling in favors, and combing through this area came down to this final chance. I had a feeling, with how the curse was tightening around me, that I was running out of time to break free of Boyce and rescue my mom.

My gut was tightening with worry the later it got with no sign of an entry point. Everything I’d done couldn’t be for nothing! I needed to get inside!

Having circled this road about a million times before, I was pretty sure I hadn’t missed the entrance to the town I’d heard stood here. I couldn’t have. My search had been as meticulous as the curse would allow. This was what I needed: a way to have a break from this curse.

Somewhere in these woods was my salvation, or rather, a town where I was sure to find my freedom. In the old forest, there was a sanctuary for people like me: supernaturals in need of help.

Rumor said it was here. That it had been set in this very spot for a reason. In a valley between the peaks, an entire concealed place teeming with supernaturals of all types, living harmoniously. Everyone was welcome if they had good intentions, though they didn’t make finding an entrance simple. Decades ago, it would have been easy to find it, but with more technology and groups popping up who wanted to hunt us, the sanctuary had to protect itself.

If you could find it, you could make it your new home.

The magic that surrounded the area was the first thing I noticed. Each time I came to this area, I felt it as it prickled over my skin. There were other signs of high magical density aside from how it lingered in the air. All the towns nearby were strangely fertile with crops, had low incidence of disease, the people lived longer lives, and they had a shockingly low crime rate. Then there were the animal sightings and the occasional out-of-place noises I’d heard while wandering the woods. Those were evidence enough of the supernatural.

No, there was something… off about the area, though it was probably to be expected with so many supernaturals in one place. I was certain I’d found the right place. I just hadn’t banked on it taking so long to find a way in.

The curse had me running out of options. There weren’t many towns nearby that I hadn’t briefly called home. My car was making a suspicious noise and needed to be checked out soon, or I’d have to abandon it and my trailer to the mounds of snow at the edge of the road and head off for help in fur. Which was less than ideal, considering that the nearest place I hadn’t stayed in was about forty miles away.

No, I had to find the opening today. I couldn’t risk a human seeing a bobcat running around with a backpack on, or worse, a bear out of season. I had to avoid attention.

Snow fell in a thick flurry, darkening the late morning sky to the point I needed lights on to see despite my heightened senses. The road was slick and treacherous. I was crawling along, hoping against logic that I’d find where I needed to go. I needed help. Surely that meant fate would be kind. I prayed to gods I wasn’t sure I believed in to help me.

To concentrate better, I turned down the radio, thoroughly sick of Christmas songs and the host’s bubbly voice in between. The quiet inside made the rumbling sounds from the engine sound worse. I nearly turned it back up again, but I needed to focus.

Suddenly, my car hit then skidded on a patch of ice, pointing the nose at a path, barely a track, that I’d missed on my many trips down this road. Taking it as a much-needed sign, and offering up a prayer of thanks to the fates, I turned the car onto it, crawling along as the trees on either side hemmed me in. It was almost fully dark here with the canopy of ancient firs and thick snow falling.