Maybe they shouldn't have dismissed those guards... Will Sly get to them in time? If you are enjoying this story, consider writing a comment, leaving a review, or gifting it with a gem or two! I appreciate your support!
[Araminta] [Today] The streets are silent tonight in Crescent City. It’s a marvel that this place, this vision of Channing and his twin of a metropolis for the children of the moon nestled along the bay, is still standing. After the witches left with the formation of Haven it boomed, yes, but it had forgotten how to bloom. And now, what was left, is starting to crumble into ruin. First the rogues, drugged and deranged, ravaged the town, infecting the innocent too poor or too slow to escape. Then the humans came, and began sweeping the survivors off the street, processing them into those death camps. Now that the wolves are starting to fight back, and the new Alpha King has begun the process of resistance and healing, the humans have left our once shining city alone. They still overwhelm our kind with sheer numbers. But we have magic and a will to survive made even more powerful when balanced with a very simple and primal truth: We have nothing left to lose. “Look at the mess
[Araminta] [Two months later– Summer Solstice 35 years ago] Tomorrow morning is the solstice--a time of rebirth, when the world is ripe with possibilities. It's the\ perfect time to create something new. Everything is blooming, fruit is ripening, and the magic of creation is in the air. To create our new beginning, the witches are depending on the wolves. And this time their leader, Channing, is acting against the wishes of his people to give us witches a true chance at survival. We didn’t ask for this, but we didn't refuse when he offered. None of us coven leaders told our people either. What if it didn't work? What if something went wrong and everything was so much worse? In the end, we decided to take the risk. Although the biggest risk is to Channing and myself--if anything goes wrong, it would be our bodies, our souls, and our hearts at risk. To create a a casting as big as this one, it will require a connection so much deeper than finding your zing. It's a blending of soul
[Araminta] Once they recognize who they are facing, the rest of the young wolves scatter as if they had just been confronted with the scariest monster from their childhood nightmares. And I guess, in many ways, that’s exactly what they’re facing. Channing is an impressive sight. At almost 6’5” tall with broad shoulders and muscles honed in battle, even in civilian clothes he cuts an impressive figure. “I’m sorry about them,” he apologizes, removing a red silk handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Pups these days have no manners.”
[Araminta] That was the last time that I met with the Alpha King to negotiate the truce. In the end, the council of witches decided that the second agreement, the one that Chancy had created, seemed like the best compromise and guarantee of success. We knew the pack wolves and what they were capable of doing to us, but the rogues were a mystery. All of the stories we had heard from the borderlands were harsh and cruel, and whether or not they had any truth to them, we decided, as a unit, to go with “the devil we knew,” rather than deal with the uncertainty of “the devil we didn’t know.” I was the lone voice in the council room that voted for Channing’s deal. “It’s a chance for us to start fresh, to create a utopia away from the wolves. Channing even promised that.” Marlowe openly scoffed my points, and when I countered all of his arguments he said, “You seem awfully familiar with this wolf, Mrs. Sparks. I’d almost say you had feelings for him.” “Of course I do,” I responded with
[Araminta][50 Years Ago] The Alpha and I have been locked in battle over territory for the last two years. Every month on the new moon, when both of us are at our weakest, we meet to discuss whatever suggestions we have for peace brought to us by the heads of our people. And even though currently we are discussing what to do about the newly named “Crescent City,” we both know that what we do here will affect how other packs and covens interact in nearby towns. Our choices could change the world. Which is part of why we are having such a hard time. Last week I found a solution, hidden away in one of my great grandmother’s old books–a family album that she kept tracking our ancestral Thorpe line. The spell is what we call a “great working” a spell so big and powerful it felt more like granting a wish than casting a spell. And this one required more than the usual full coven of elders, It required a full quorum of Master Witches from around the world as well as the power of every Al
[Araminta]As witches, we are taught that all children are a blessing from the Moon Goddess, mother of witches and wolves. "Babies represent a new begining, a chance at a new start."And I can see the wisdom in this truth as I hold my great-great-grand daughter and place her in her mother's waiting arms. "She's perfect," I kiss her little brow, letting her mother see and smell and give her a name before handing little Arden to her auntie Hazel."Alpha, would you like to catch your son," I offer to the charming young wolf who captured my little Apple's heart. He looks terrified, but ready, his eyes wide with fear and excitement."Yes," his eyes shine for a moment as his wolf surfaces. "Please," he says using both voices, the man and wolf in full agreement. Now that he saw the first one born, and I know she is out of harm, I am pleased I can give him this experience to bond with both his mate and his child."Apple, hold onto my shoulder while I help your mate," she nods as her body rid