Chapter 21

Katla

“Crossing documents,” the human in the booth said without looking up. He had a large rifle strapped to his back, and a silver chain around his neck.

“This is the Silverburn delegation,” the driver said.

The human looked up from the glow of the screen in front of him, “And? Do you expect me to be impressed or something?” he scoffed.

“The Silverburn delegation requires no documents to cross,” the driver said back, cooly.

“Wolves think they are above the laws,” the human spat.

“No, but the agreement between your realm and Silverburn is law. I’m sure you do not need Mr. Silverburn contacting your governor about this, right?”

The human put a hand on the butt of his gun, tapping it, “I’ve got silver, you know. I could take your whole delegation out right now.” Damien rolled down his window at that threat.

“Hello, friend,” he said smoothly, “That won’t be necessary today. We are on our way to Silver Tower, and I can make a quick call to sort this out.” Damien pulled a flat rectangular screen about the size of my hand from a concealed space next to him. “And, as I’m sure you know, silver only works on wolves from the South, not the North. It would sting and make us angry…” he trailed off.

The guard reached up to the silver around his throat, recognizing that it would do little to stop an attack. I had never heard of wolves being immune to silver, and I was intrigued by this news. I looked at Damien with curiosity, and he reached down to pat my hand, understanding my question without it being asked.

“Fine, pass,” the guard said, “But be warned. These agreements won’t last forever.”

“Why do humans always do that?” Damien asked. “It’s like their fragility makes them act tougher than they actually are.”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never really met a human before,” I said, and the car moved forward, passing through the shimmering barrier.

“Katla,” Aurelia called from somewhere deep in my mind, “Something isn’t right. I can’t feel you close.” My panic must have shown because Damien took both my hands in his and looked at me with his eyes that burned like fire.

“You’ve never been to the human lands?” It was a question, but more of a statement. I shook my head, not liking the dulled feeling of my senses. Everything smelled wrong, looked wrong, felt wrong. “Katla, it’s the barrier, just breathe.”

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“The human lands are protected by a strong magic. It was an agreement made long ago, long before we were alive, at the beginning of time itself. The Moon Goddess granted humans sovereignty and protection, dulling our senses and wolves when we crossed into their lands. We can still shift, but it’s like our wolves are a bit…drunk,” Damien explained. “You get used to it though. We do a lot of business in the human realm. It’s unpleasant, but each time it gets easier.”

“That must be why my father wanted me to stay in the South,” I said, “He didn’t want to weaken my wolf.”

“Katla, something tells me that your wolf does not need to worry about being weakened,” he said, assuming he was trying to be comforting or polite. I didn’t like Aurelia feeling far away.

As the car rolled into the human lands, the feeling began to normalize, and I noticed the roads widening and the pavement being less cracked and rough as we left the forest and entered an expanse of rolling hills and fields. It was a dark night, and the only lights were cast by the headlights, but they were bright enough to make out our surroundings.

More roads began to tangle this way and that, and lights on poles, equally spaced, began to light the streets and sidewalks. “These are called suburbs,” Damien said, as if the word was normal. “They are where humans live, outside of their cities.”

Suburbs, I learned, were larger than villages and stretched for miles and miles. Humans liked space, each home was the same with different shades in the same color scheme, each yard was the same, each mailbox was the same. Humans were, by all accounts, boring. The suburbs gave way to larger roads that became more tangled, and on the horizon I saw a glow. “Crystal City,” Damien pointed up ahead.

The space outside of the city became more wild and dark. There was an element of crime, and I could see people in tents and sleeping under bridges. “Damien, why are they not caring for their pack?” I gasped.