AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do not go there,”Astrid warned.“Hold on to the Magic. Stay grounded in the present. Reach for the future. Let the Past be your teacher, your inspiration, not your jailor or your tormentor.”
Repeating the mantra, Lottie did as she was told…
Growing up on the Isle of Skye, learning Magic from her aunties and how to be a Sleipnir Shifter from her uncles had been the best childhood any little girl could ever hope for. Her family, both blood and kin, prepared her for the life of a Protector, had been sure she was ready, that she would fulfill her Destiny in the best possible fashion.
She could still hear Uncle Rath explaining…
“Only through letting go of control can you achieve it.”
“Is that some crazy proverb written by a guy with braids in his beard and deerskin covering his bum,” Lottie had giggled, loving the way her dad’s oldest brother’s dark brows furrowed as he tried not to smile. “No, it is one of the most important statements I will ever make. It is what all Shifters, but especially those who are blessed with the blood of the mighty Sleipnir, steed of the one and only Odin. Do you know that…”
“…that Sleipnir would let no other but Odin on his back? That Sleipnir is not only the horse’s name but also a breed because there never has been nor will there ever be another like him except in the soul of those blessed by the Universe and the Goddess of All? That Sleipnir had eight legs, teeth inscribed with runes, and the ability to gallop through the air and over the sea. That the only reason he chose Odin – and it was a choice because the great Stallion would never be tamed – was because the great Norse God Odin was the most powerful magician among the gods and paid proper reverence to the laws of the Magic, the universe, the Runes themselves.”
“Okay, smartass, you can…”
Holding up her finger, Lottie went on reciting every word Rath had said. “That Sleipnir was born of Loki after the trickster god had transformed himself into a female horse to sabotage…blah, blah, blah. Skip to the end.”
Giving her Uncle a cheeky wink, Lottie rolled back her shoulders, stood tall, and put her hands on her hips in exactly the same way Rath did every time they were atop the highest peak of the Cuillin Hills. Letting the sea air of the Atlantic blow the long dark curls off her shoulder, she lifted her chin to add to the perfect impersonation of one of her favorite people in all the world, the young Sleipnir Shifter lowered her voice and added a thick brogue. “See? Even the great Odin had a dark side. Remember that, Carlotta. Never shut out the darkness, for without it you will miss the light. However…”
Lifting her finger, she kept right on going, “…never let the darkness reign free, or take control. Trust your Sleipnir. Trust your heart. Trust everything you know and feel. You are one of the good ones, mo Leannan beag. Never forget that. Hold on to that knowledge with both hands, and you’ll never go wrong.”
“I know you’re right, Uncle Rath, but…”
“There is no ‘but’,” Astrid snapped. “Get yourself together. We have work to do.”
Finally able to string at least two words together without losing her mind, her religion, and the faith of her Sleipnir, Lottie did her best to be civil, to explain that she simply couldnotlet her friend knowingly walk into danger. “Look, Prue…”
Trying hard to keep the irritation out of her tone, not wanting to hurt the young Witch’s feelings but needing Prue to understand, Lottie dropped the T-shirt she’d been trying to shove into her duffel and turned around. “I know you don’t agree. You made that clear, but can you at least understand whyIhave to go alone? Why I have to follow every lead? Why I have to track down the worthless, spineless turncoat and her cowardly cohort and make them pay for what they did to… to…”
Voice cracking, the Protector refused to cry, refused to give into one more second of overwhelming grief or bone deep sorrow. She’d already wasted too much time wallowing in the loss of her mother, her auntie, and her sister Witches. They were her Coven – the only real family she’d ever known, and they were gone. Time to bring those responsible to justice.
“What about your uncle? That whole freakin’ Harrass of Sleipnir he leads? They’re the strongest Shifters on Earth. Well, except for…”
“Don’t you dare say it.”
“Whatever,” the young Witch huffed. “Then tell me why your uncles and cousins and all the 0ther eight-legged horses haven’t galloped their asses down here and…?”
“Because I haven’t called.” Lottie deadpanned, her response stopping Prue midsentence, mouth hanging open and eyes wide.
Squaring her shoulders, the Protector repeated what she’d been saying for the last week. “The time for tears has long passed. The people responsible – Vanessa Marron and Hammond Reginald Thommingham III have to pay.”
“Yes, but you felt the sting of powerful dark magic just like I did. That horrible stench of rotten eggs and corrosive ash was so thick I can still smell it when the wind blows from the East.” Prue stepped forward, worry and rage swirling in her eyes. “I know you told me not to, but I did a little bit of digging.”
Holding up her finger, the young Witch with long blond hair highlighted with pink and green vowed, “Do not interrupt me or I will block you from Astrid and throw you in the basement. No, it won’t hold you for long, but I’ll do it just to make you listen.”
Forcing out the breath she was going to use to yell at her best friend, Lottie gave a single nod and rough wave of her hand. “Go ahead. You’re absolutely right. I need to listen.”
“You forgot to say, ‘I won’t like it, but I’ll listen’.”
Biting the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing because those were exactly the words running through her mind, Lottie tried to sound gruff. “Don’t push it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Prue sassed, holding out a stack of papers she’d been hiding behind her back. “Now, before you go losing your mind, I used the super safe, completely undetectable Occult web, Ghoulgle.”
“Since when is google completely undetectable,” Lottie growled. “Everybody everywhere…”
“Is on google, spelled g-o-o-g-l-e,” Prue sighed. “But only the most experienced Magical techies are on Ghoulgle, spelled G-h-o-u-l-g-l-e.”
“Explain.”
